Henry stood in the front yard and turned to look at the house, the one he’d grown up in. It once was filled with warm and happy chaos – three school-aged children chasing each other and him all around – and an adult couple nurturing and providing for them all. Now, it was quiet, and desolate, and empty. Not merely empty, but desiccated.
The dog wagged his tail, happy memories fluttering through his mind of games played and lazy afternoons spent in that yard. He walked away, trotting up the suburban sidewalk toward the town, the only direction he could think to go. Passing the elementary school, where at least two of the human children were enrolled – had been enrolled, that is – he saw movement in the playground. Maybe… Maybe they weren’t gone after all?
But there were no humans. Instead a group of dogs were milling under the jungle gym. Henry approached, and could hear them. They sounded desperate, even though it’s only been a couple days since the humans departed. They were arguing quietly about where to get food.
Henry said, “There’s tons of stuff to eat in the school.” The dogs stopped abruptly and all turned to look at him. He recognized a few of them from around the neighborhood. There was one mean looking dog – a stray from town, with a scar down her cheek. One of them, a shepherd mix, used to live across the street from Henry. He looked at Henry encouragingly. But another voice piped up from behind the group. They separated to let the dog through, a pug with a lopsided underbite and bulging eyes.
“Oh yeah?” he said, “Show us.”
Henry looked worried. “Show you?”
“Yeah.” And now the pug turned to look at the pack before fixing Henry with his gaze. “Show us where this food is.”
Henry’s expression changed from one of hope to one of fear. He turned toward the school. He came every day to pick the kids up, crowds of students spilling onto the sidewalk to meet up with parents and caregivers, happy noises and smells filling the air. But now the building loomed above, casting the playground in shadow. Without the people around the world seemed quieter, the sun seemed not to shine as brightly. The school now looked cold, and scary, and empty.
But no, not empty. Filled with promise. There’s food in there, and maybe other stuff they could use. Before the pug could make a snide comment about his fear, Henry turned back toward the pack.
“Let’s go,” he said, and bounded toward the building.
The Pitch
The Pack is a Belonging Outside Belonging game about domestic dogs who awake one day to find all the humans mysteriously gone. It’s about building trust, working together, and fashioning a new world without humans.
This is a playtest of a game currently in development. If you don’t like testing unpolished systems, do not sign up for these sessions. To paraphrase Jammi: the game might not work as expected, but I will try to make sure everyone has fun.
At-a-Glance
System: The Pack (Belonging Outside Belonging)
Schedule: Three Thursdays in December x 2.5-hours/session
Breaks: Two 10-minute breaks
Tone: Animals going on adventures; Exploration; Survival
Venue: GM’s Zoom
Recording Session: With consent from all players
Posting Recording: With consent from all players
Attendance: Joining all three sessions is ideal but not required
Safety: Lines & Veils, X-Card, Open Table, and any others suggested by the players
This game will follow the Gauntlet Community Code of Conduct
Friday, December 4, 2020 1:00 AM → Friday, December 4, 2020 3:30 AM Session 1
Friday, December 11, 2020 1:00 AM → Friday, December 11, 2020 3:30 AM Session 2
Friday, December 18, 2020 1:00 AM → Friday, December 18, 2020 3:30 AM Session 3