Every in-game drug has an Addiction Rating from 1 to 10. The higher the rank, the more addictive the drug. Each drug also has an Addiction Threshold, which is the number of times it can be taken safely, a method of ingestion, and an Addictive Agent for the addictive substance the drug contains (such as opioid or alcohol or benzodiazepine, etc…).

If a character takes too many drugs they can become addicted.

Lastly, each drug has an Overdose Threshold. If the number of times a specific Addictive Agent is taken exceeds the Overdose Threshold, then the character suffers from an overdose.

Addiction Threshold

The Addiction Threshold is the number of times the Addictive Agent of a particular drug can be taken safely. Any doses above the Addiction Threshold require an Addiction Roll to see if the user becomes addicted. The Addictive Agent of a drug determines the Addiction Threshold. For example, all benzos have the same Addiction Threshold and all amphetamines have the same Addiction Threshold.

Addiction Rolls

When a character doses on a particular drug a number of times greater than the Addiction Threshold they must immediately seek out a marshal to make an Addiction Roll using a d10. The player must roll equal to or greater than the Addiction Rating of the drug. If the player fails they become addicted to that drug’s particular Addictive Agent. Once addicted, it should be noted on the character’s card which Addictive Agent they are addicted to.

No matter what the result is, the marshal should mark the player’s character card with the Addictive Agent and Addiction Roll result.

Charlotte scores some NovaCoke. The Addictive Agent in NovaCoke is ecgonine and it has an Addiction Threshold of 2. This means she can take 2 doses before she needs to roll for addiction.

Charlotte snorts her third bump of NovaCoke. This exceeds the Addiction Threshold of 2, so now she must find a marshal and make an addiction roll. The Addiction Rating of NovaCoke is 6. Charlotte must roll 6 or greater using a d10 otherwise she will become addicted. She rolls a 7, which means she has succeeded the Addiction Roll and does not become addicted.

Charlotte takes a bump of Grit. Grit is also an ecgonine. This is Charlotte’s fourth dose of an ecgonine, so she has to make another Addiction Roll. Grit has an Addiction Rating of 5. Charlotte rolls a d10 and gets a 3. She has failed the addiction roll and is now addicted to ecgonines.

Curing An Addiction

There are three ways to cure an addiction:

1. Undergoing Drug Addiction Counseling
2. Taking a dose of Inhibitol
3. Spending an entire event in Withdrawal

Characters trained in Psychology are able to remove Addictions (for a particular Addictive Agent) from other characters through Drug Addiction Counseling. Counseling is treated just like crafting, with all of the same rules for teamwork and proficiency. The table below factors in crafting proficiency.

Additionally, if a character spends an entire event in Withdrawal, they will be cured of any drugs they are addicted to.

Inhibitol

Contemporary pharmacological science in Sol had created a multi-receptor partial agonist/antagonist medication for treating chemical addiction that was effective against many different types of narcotics. This drug was so popular and effective that its brand name of Inhibitol became its common household name.

Inhibitol acts as a partial agonist that binds to a number of narcotic neuroreceptors in the brain, but only yields partial efficacy such that it can suppress the cravings and withdrawal of chemical addiction. Additionally, Inhibitol acts as an antagonist because the neuroreceptors it fills also block other narcotic agents from binding to them.

When a character takes a dose of Inhibitol they lose any addictions they have. Taking Inhibitol during an event immediately puts the character into Withdrawal for the remainder of the event. This version of Withdrawal cannot be mitigated. Additionally, the Inhibitol blocks all narcotics effects from the remainder of the event and the entire next event, as the neuroreceptors in the character’s brain are bound to the Inhibitol.

If a character takes Inhibitol between events or before lay-on, they do not go into Withdrawal, but they are still immune to narcotics for the next event.

Withdrawal

Characters who are addicted start all events in Withdrawal, until their addictions are cured. If a character becomes addicted during an event, they suffer no ill effects until the next event. Characters in Withdrawal are capped at half their maximum Body (rounded up) for the event and all Ability Point costs are doubled.

When a character is addicted to a particular Addictive Agent, they may take at least one dose of that agent per event to stave off the effects of Withdrawal. When using drugs for addiction upkeep, the character still makes an Addiction Roll to check for Overdose and receives the normal drug effects.

Charlotte is still addicted to Ecgonines. Unfortunately, she does not have any ecgonine drugs before Lay On at the beginning of the event. That means she starts the event in Withdrawal. Charlotte’s Body is halved from 4 to 2 and all Ability Point costs for her are doubled.

As soon as a character takes a dose of an Addictive Agent that they are addicted to the symptoms of Withdrawal go away. The character is still at half Body, but can be healed to full.

If a character is addicted to multiple Addictive Agents, the effects of Withdrawal are not cumulative. However, in order to get rid of the symptoms of Withdrawal, the character must take a dose of each drug with an Addictive Agent they are addicted to.

During the event, Charlotte finds some NovaCoke, which happens to be an ecgonine-based drug. Charlotte takes a dose of NovaCoke. Charlotte clearly has a problem. Charlotte makes an Addiction Roll to make sure she doesn’t overdose. Charlotte rolls an 8. She is good. Charlotte’s Withdrawal symptoms immediately go away. Charlotte is still at 2 Body, but now she can be healed up to 4 Body. All Ability Point costs return to normal for Charlotte.

A player may hand in a dose of a drug they are addicted to before lay-on to cancel the effects of Withdrawal for the entire event. If a player hands in a tag for a drug before Lay On they do not have to make an Addiction Roll, they do not receive any benefits or detriments due to the drug, and there is no chance they will Overdose.

It is the next event. Charlotte is still addicted to ecgonines. But this time, she has a tag for NovaCoke before Lay On. During check-in, she hands in her tag for Novacoke to the game staff. The game staff makes a note on Charlotte’s character card that she has satisfied her addiction for this event. Charlotte does not need to make an Addiction Roll. She does not start the event in Withdrawal.

Overdosing

As mentioned above, if the number of doses taken of particular Addictive Agent exceeds the Overdose Threshold the character overdoses. The process of how an overdose occurs is strictly set, and not left to chance, so that players may make a narrative choice to overdose or not.

When a character has overdosed they experience the normal effects of the drug, but there are two additional side-effects:

1. The character feels “out of it” or slightly detached from reality for 10 minutes plus any additional role-playing of their choice and the normal side effects of the drug. (The game staff recognizes this could be a number of conflicting role-playing cues, but such is the nature of an overdose).
2. After 10 minutes, the character immediately falls into the Second Stage of the Death Count. The character can be revived as usual. The character takes an automatic Torso Injury, no location check is necessary. The character takes an automatic point of Stress.

In addition to the normal addiction rules, each time a character drinks a serving of alcohol they have a 50% chance to accumulate a Drunk Point. The character must immediately make a Drink Roll (flip a coin or roll a die and call heads/tails or highs/lows), if they fail they gain a Drunk Point.

As soon as a character gains a Drunk Point, they are drunk. When a character’s Drunk Points exceed their maximum Body they pass out for 10 minutes. Drunk characters gain one use of the skill Courage for each Drunk Point. The more drunk a character is, the more courageous they are. Drunk characters also suffer double time limits for all other status effects.

Drunk Points go away after one hour. When a character loses all of their Drunk Points they sober up and are no longer drunk. The character loses the extra uses of Courage if they have not already been spent.

Zachary has been drinking. He has 4 Body. He drinks a beer, makes an Addiction Roll, and makes Drink Roll. He passes the rolls so he has another beer. Zachary passes his Addiction Roll but fails his Drink Roll, so he takes a Drunk Point. Zachary is drunk and gains one use of Courage while drunk.

Zachary keeps drinking until he has accumulated 4 Drunk Points. While drunk Zachary has four uses of Courage. Zachary decides to chance fate and have one more beer. He passes his Addiction Roll but fails his Drink Roll. Zachary now has 5 Drunk Points. This exceeds his maximum Body of 4, so he passes out.