Comrades is a PbtA game in which you play members of a revolutionary party making a stand against an authoritarian regime. We are playing with the Gauntlet Open Table policy so you’re more than welcome to sign up for any sessions you can make, even if you can’t make all the sessions. Each session must be signed up for individually. The sessions are scheduled for three hours. They will be recorded, and published on YouTube with the consent of all participants.
San Judas Tadeo is an island in the Caribbean, fought over by the colonial powers during the Age of Sail, though it spent most of the C18th and C19th as part of the Spanish Empire. At the dawn of the C20th it achieved independence with the aid of the United States of America, but this aid did not come without a price. While political regimes have come and gone on the island, one thing has remained constant - the influence of the US-based Consolidated Fruit Company who run most of the agriculture that underpins the economy of San Judas.
The current President, wealthy landowner and former General Umberto Diaz, came to power in a military coup following a hotly contested election campaign in 1954, mere days before the election was due. It is now 1959 and grumblings of discontent among the people of the island threaten to get louder as new elections would have been due. President Diaz’s loyal troops and police brutally suppress opposition to the regime. The Consolidated Fruit Company continue to sponsor Washington to protect their interests. And agents from the USSR look to expand their sphere of influence to the borders of the USA. It is time for change, time for revolution. But how will this change the island, and how far are you willing to go to secure its freedom?
Content Warnings:
This game is about leading a revolution against a totalitarian right-wing regime, and will contain content inherent to this theme. This will include politically motivated violence, oppression of marginalised groups, abduction and detention by the authorities, and political infighting. This may also result in physical peril to non-combatants, and allusions to hatespeech and mob violence. We will use lines and veils to ensure we can navigate these challenging themes safely, but ultimately if you do not wish to engage with these themes this is probably not a game for you. Another important content warning is that this game will be inspired by the Cuban Revolution in particular, and wider themes of political unrest in Latin America during the middle C20th. These are very real events that continue to affect lives to this day, and it is not my intent to make light of these. There will likely be some exploration of race and class with respect to the revolution. These are not issues with which I have personal experience, but I hope we can explore them together with sensitivity.
The Gauntlet Inclusivity Policy will be in play and safety tools (Script Change and X-Card) will be in use.
Session 1 Sunday, June 2, 2019 7:00 PM
Session 2 Sunday, June 9, 2019 7:00 PM
Session 3 Sunday, June 16, 2019 7:00 PM
Session 4 Sunday, June 23, 2019 7:00 PM
Session 5 Sunday, June 30, 2019 7:00 PM