Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

A Long Hello

Unlocked with Hallowed Ground 2 - you have 2

Nobody has paid any special attention to you so far at the Mission...

Banditos and Harvestmen

Unlocked with The Harvestmen 1 - you have 1

The dusty streets are lousy with packs of children running and shouting and chasing each other at play, the boys in patchwork denim and corduroy and dirty white shirts, the girls in spattered cotton dresses and barrettes in every imaginable color and position...

Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Banditos and Harvestmen

The dusty streets are lousy with packs of children running and shouting and chasing each other at play, the boys in patchwork denim and corduroy and dirty white shirts, the girls in spattered cotton dresses and barrettes in every imaginable color and position.

You nearly trip over a group of kids by the Wall Market; they scatter in every direction, one of them shouting that she gets to be the Harvestman next.

Pinned

Pinned

From the Mouths of Babes

Children get everywhere and hear everything. And they don't have any problem sharing with their friends. Especially scary things, and especially when they're roughhousing and one-upping each other. Which means if you're interested in the Harvestmen, a little light lurking might be in order.

            3
            You need Cityslicker 3 (you have 2)

            3
            Unlocked with Cityslicker 3 - you have 2


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground. It takes time to move from one place to another.

Pinned

Pinned

Move to Burrow and Briar

Both an intersection and the tumble-down hideout of the Jackrabbits, Burrow and Briar represents a significant chunk of suburban Amarillo.

Move to Platform #1

The last stop on the Rio Sur line, located right here in Amarillo. A bustling place! Hub of commerce and social interaction! Mind the gap.

Move to St. Francis's

This tiny church near the heart of Amarillo is nevertheless a social hub -- for the worshipful few, the devotees of Santo Guerrero, and the better sort of criminal, the latter flocking like peacocks to the public fountain just outside.

Move to The Highrise Hotel

The tallest building in Amarillo was once public housing. Now its lower floors serve as flophouses for the indigent. And its upper floors? Rumors abound; no one can say for sure.

Move to the Wall Market

Beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district! Once a supermarket, now a sprawling swap meet where dollars and goods are bought and sold and bartered by hands both filthy and clean.

Move to the Scrublands

Step lightly through the lonely grass and sweeping sands north of Amarillo, where homesteaders and farmers and more unnatural things compete for water and precious black soil.

Move to the Mission

All brick and broken statues of angels. Here live the homeless and hopeless of Amarillo. The smell of chickens and the sound of singing will let you know you've arrived.

Move to Little Japan

On the west side, a forbidding place of blacked-out windows, steel doors and standoffish Japanese-Americans. Very few people are seen going in and out.

Move to Downtown Amarillo

A latter-day suburban sprawl! Choked with dust and the bright energy of commerce! Even now the wheels turn in Amarillo's rusted heart.

Move to Amarillo Academy

The former local college has been converted into an ivory fortress. Few students are accepted; none seem to leave. The masthead over the iron gate reads "Amarillo Academy of Arts and Speculative Sciences." Security is said to shoot on sight. It seems more credible than not.

A colored flyer on the gate announces a lecture series starting Friday, May 22nd on the subject of "Actuating Transposition in a Biplanar Society." The presenter will be Prof. M. J. Freiburg. The flyer promises light snacks and a Q&A.

            1
            You need An Invitation to Amarillo Academy 1

            1
            Unlocked with An Invitation to Amarillo Academy 1

Move to the Pony Express

The heart of Amarillo: its living breathing center. Its distributor of mail. Its carrier of justice. Only open when a postal rider is in town.

            Unlocked when Date is:

May 22, 2026 - Morning

May 22, 2026 - Afternoon

May 22, 2026 - Evening

May 23, 2026


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Step Lightly

Finding the Highrise Hotel is much like following the north star: aim for the tallest point in the sky and pick a path. Carefully, though; the roads are slick with human refuse and the natives are unfriendlier than usual.

You have moved to a new area: The Highrise Hotel


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Banditos and Harvestmen

The dusty streets are lousy with packs of children running and shouting and chasing each other at play, the boys in patchwork denim and corduroy and dirty white shirts, the girls in spattered cotton dresses and barrettes in every imaginable color and position.

You nearly trip over a group of kids by the Wall Market; they scatter in every direction, one of them shouting that she gets to be the Harvestman next.

Pinned

Pinned

From the Mouths of Babes

Children get everywhere and hear everything. And they don't have any problem sharing with their friends. Especially scary things, and especially when they're roughhousing and one-upping each other. Which means if you're interested in the Harvestmen, a little light lurking might be in order.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Banditos and Harvestmen

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Gunslinger in Amarillo

There are endless opportunities here for you to brush up on all the things a gunslinger needs to know.

This is one of Zero Summer's "grind" cards. "Grind" cards can be replayed as often as you like. And most of their branches have a chance to produce a Rare Success, which will significantly increase one of your Styles and yield certain other benefits as well.

Getting to Know the Roughriders

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A straightforward challenge

The local police -- the Roughriders -- have exactly two jobs: keeping the Rule of One and handling the local unnatural fauna. The chief of police is fiercely-mustached Nicco Carfora. He's asked for a civilian volunteer to take one of the Roughriders' aging motorcycles out for a loop around the nearby farms and snoop for unnatural activity.

            1
            You need Gunslinger 1 (you have 2)

            1
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 1 - you have 2


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Routine Tracking

Getting to Know the Roughriders

Physical Style.

A straightforward challenge

While you don't find any actual monsters, you do spot in the distance a cluster of gray splotches leading southish away from the city. That's in the distant distance: as far as you can see on a clear day on a flat plain when you're sitting high on a hog.

The Roughriders thank you for your report. It confirms certain suspicions about migratory patterns. You wonder pointedly: the migratory patterns of what? No more information is forthcoming. Curious.

2 change points, 1 more needed to reach level 3.

Gunslinger is increasing...

You succeeded in a Gunslinger challenge!

You now have 1 x Reputation.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned

A Country Doc

Unlocked with Doc 1 - you have 2; Unlocked when Date is:

May 21, 2026 - Morning (you have this)

May 21, 2026 - Afternoon

May 21, 2026 - Evening

Amarillo is bracketed by stone, sand and sky...

Jack Ishiguro

Always smiling is Jack Ishiguro, resident fast-talker, quick on the draw with a high pitched giggle...


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Country Doc

Amarillo is bracketed by stone, sand and sky. There are things to see and explore beyond the Roughriders' barricades. And unexpected dangers. Which nearly anyone will tell you can add spice to an otherwise humdrum life.

This is one of Zero Summer's "grind" cards. "Grind" cards can be replayed as often as you like. And most of their branches have a chance to produce a Rare Success, which will significantly increase one of your Styles and yield certain other benefits as well.

A Walk in the Scrublands

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Miz Nils turns out to be the Jackrabbits' resident naturalist. She recommends a walk through the Scrublands north of Amarillo to get a feel for what grows around here. It might look hot and dry and dead, she says, but keep an eye: the scrub is teeming, alive, and way better at surviving in the desert than any person.

            1
            You need Doc 1 (you have 2)

            1
            Unlocked with Doc 1 - you have 2


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Painted in the Dust

A Walk in the Scrublands

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Low sprawling tumbled-down Amarillo fades into the horizon just a few short minutes' walk past the northern barricade. The desert is a still life painted in dust: long gritty tempera stripes in umber and scarlet and a few distant threads of light-sucking black strung along the brown sandy soil.

Soon enough you come to a shallow gully filled with smooth boulders much larger than yourself. The gully walls are cracked and fissured by centuries of brief soaking rains and long bright scalding days that steam the water right out of the ground. Down in the gully is a single lonely bullet casing. No body or blood -- just the last inorganic scrap the scrub couldn't digest.

Doc is increasing...

You succeeded in a Doc challenge!

You've gained 1 x Reputation (new total 2).


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Jack Ishiguro

Always smiling is Jack Ishiguro, resident fast-talker, quick on the draw with a high pitched giggle. The life of the party. One odd Jackrabbit. But very little escapes his tiny cheerful eyes.

Perhaps Not

Your plate is already full.

The Power of Confidence

Seeing Jack Ishiguro move through a crowd -- sliding unimpeded, shoulder slouching, confidence glowing off him like heat from a lamp -- is quite the thing. People smile and swoon and flutter when he bumps into them. And not just women. A friend to all, is Jack Ishiguro, and universally charming. You could learn a thing or two.

You Scratch My Back

A recurring theme in Jack Ishiguro's many upbeat rambling conversations is how he's lean on cash. Liquid assets. Valoota. He never quite explains what he needs the money for, but you get the impression that his life would be somehow even cheerfuller if he had it.

And not empty-handed is Jack Ishiguro, no beggar at the door: he's made clear -- and not just once -- that he's sitting on a box of bullets he doesn't have any plans for, and would be happy to come to an arrangement involving bullets and dollars and a quiet exchange.

            1
            You need 1 x Dollars  (you have 0)

            1
            Unlocked with 1 x Dollars


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Different Kind of Education

It's all, Jack Ishiguro says, in how you hold yourself. How you walk on the outsides of your feet, letting your weight roll you forward, shiplike and easy. How you walk through the saloon and lean against the bar with casual, self-focused confidence.

Want nothing. Ask nothing. And everyone will want to know you, even if they don't know your name -- even if you don't, Jack Ishiguro says, and slaps your back in a good-natured way.

1 change point, 3 more needed to reach level 4.

Cityslicker has increased to 3!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground. It takes time to move from one place to another.

Pinned

Pinned

Move to Burrow and Briar

Both an intersection and the tumble-down hideout of the Jackrabbits, Burrow and Briar represents a significant chunk of suburban Amarillo.

Move to Platform #1

The last stop on the Rio Sur line, located right here in Amarillo. A bustling place! Hub of commerce and social interaction! Mind the gap.

Move to St. Francis's

This tiny church near the heart of Amarillo is nevertheless a social hub -- for the worshipful few, the devotees of Santo Guerrero, and the better sort of criminal, the latter flocking like peacocks to the public fountain just outside.

Move to The Highrise Hotel

The tallest building in Amarillo was once public housing. Now its lower floors serve as flophouses for the indigent. And its upper floors? Rumors abound; no one can say for sure.

Move to the Wall Market

Beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district! Once a supermarket, now a sprawling swap meet where dollars and goods are bought and sold and bartered by hands both filthy and clean.

Move to the Scrublands

Step lightly through the lonely grass and sweeping sands north of Amarillo, where homesteaders and farmers and more unnatural things compete for water and precious black soil.

Move to the Mission

All brick and broken statues of angels. Here live the homeless and hopeless of Amarillo. The smell of chickens and the sound of singing will let you know you've arrived.

Move to Little Japan

On the west side, a forbidding place of blacked-out windows, steel doors and standoffish Japanese-Americans. Very few people are seen going in and out.

Move to Downtown Amarillo

A latter-day suburban sprawl! Choked with dust and the bright energy of commerce! Even now the wheels turn in Amarillo's rusted heart.

Move to Amarillo Academy

The former local college has been converted into an ivory fortress. Few students are accepted; none seem to leave. The masthead over the iron gate reads "Amarillo Academy of Arts and Speculative Sciences." Security is said to shoot on sight. It seems more credible than not.

A colored flyer on the gate announces a lecture series starting Friday, May 22nd on the subject of "Actuating Transposition in a Biplanar Society." The presenter will be Prof. M. J. Freiburg. The flyer promises light snacks and a Q&A.

Move to the Pony Express

The heart of Amarillo: its living breathing center. Its distributor of mail. Its carrier of justice. Only open when a postal rider is in town.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Smallish Pilgrimage

St. Francis's isn't hard to get to. Just find a well-dressed gangster and tail him. You follow that tried and true method and soon find yourself on the doorstep of the church.

You have moved to a new area: St. Francis's


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

The Likeness of Santo Guerrero

Unlocked with The Ministry of Black Powder 4 - you have 4

Showing a Little Charity

Unlocked when Date is:

May 21, 2026 - Morning (you have this)

; Unlocked with 1 x 20th Century Penny  - you have 1

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Likeness of Santo Guerrero

St. Francis's

A small church near the heart of town. Officially dedicated to St. Francis. Unofficially dedicated to Lee Andante. Outside is a lovely fountain known to be a haunt for the better breed of gangsters.

Inside the church of St. Francis's is a life-sized statue of St. Francis of Assissi. The sculptor caught him in the middle of renouncing his worldly possessions, including his clothes; everything rude is strategically covered, but nothing is left to the imagination. A stone bird watches intently from his shoulder while a stone squirrel covers its eyes at his feet.

None of the above really captures your attention. What does is the statue's face. It's been chiseled to resemble someone else entirely. On the chest is scratched in crude but recognizable block letters the word GUERRERO.

Clearly this is what "Padre" Charlie meant about the likeness. But what can you learn from it, and how?

Pinned

Pinned

The Methodical Approach

Doc

Mental Style.

A high-risk challenge

Yours is a rational world. If the statue has something to tell you, you should listen -- methodically. Observe. Record. Consider.

            5
            You need Doc 5 (you have 2)

            5
            Unlocked with Doc 5 - you have 2

The Impressionistic Approach

Doc

Mental Style.

A high-risk challenge

This is clearly not the time for rationality. A more sensual attitude is required. Experience the statue. Let the moment wash over you. Then see what's left behind.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Likeness of Santo Guerrero

Pinned

Pinned

The Methodical Approach

Doc

Mental Style.

A high-risk challenge

The Impressionistic Approach

Doc

Mental Style.

A high-risk challenge


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Showing a Little Charity

The public fountain outside St. Francis's is the sparking social center of half the city: dozens of children play through the dancing sprays while old men play checkers at nearby tables and fashionable women stroll or sit on the cool granite lip. Its centerpiece is a tonsured and robed St. Francis with his arms spread. Many birds perch there, both carved and alive. It's almost pleasant here, if humid. Very humid.

You flick the 20th century penny into the fountain. Quick as a whiplash, a man on the fountain lip who's mostly hidden behind a newspaper reaches out and catches it before it touches the water. He folds the newspaper and tucks it under his arm; the penny disappears into a sleeve.

Pinned

Pinned

Velvet and Steel

The man is wearing an oxblood corduroy suit and a charcoal gray fedora. His nails are perfectly manicured and he smells like mangroves and antebellum.

"Good morning," he says cheerfully. "Thank you for the penny back. We hate to lose old trinkets like that. Of course its value is sentimental, but I think we can agree that sentiment is what draws us from our beds in the morning and lays us down with a vengeance at night -- and not the common plutophiliac pursuit. Yes?"

Without waiting for a reply, he goes on: "You may call me Mr. Velvet. I work with a group of concerned ladies and gentlemen: the Stars and Spurs. We undertake the little tasks that need doing. The exportation of certain fine local products up norte. The intake of necessary ordnance to deal with unfriendly local fauna. You understand."

"I'll be frank," Mr. Velvet says: "One of my associates tagged you as a possible conspirator in our humble efforts. We'll be receiving a colleague from Denver and we need someone to arrange his stay. See to his comfort. Ensure his needs are met. That sort of thing. You're in, yes?"

WARNING: This is the beginning of a Subplot. Choosing this branch will reduce Gumption by 1. This Subplot will focus on your Gunslinger and Cityslicker Styles.

            1
            You need Gumption 1

            1
            Unlocked with Gumption 1


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


A Country Doc

Amarillo is bracketed by stone, sand and sky. There are things to see and explore beyond the Roughriders' barricades. And unexpected dangers. Which nearly anyone will tell you can add spice to an otherwise humdrum life.

This is one of Zero Summer's "grind" cards. "Grind" cards can be replayed as often as you like. And most of their branches have a chance to produce a Rare Success, which will significantly increase one of your Styles and yield certain other benefits as well.

Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

A Walk in the Scrublands

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Miz Nils turns out to be the Jackrabbits' resident naturalist. She recommends a walk through the Scrublands north of Amarillo to get a feel for what grows around here. It might look hot and dry and dead, she says, but keep an eye: the scrub is teeming, alive, and way better at surviving in the desert than any person.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Painted in the Dust

A Walk in the Scrublands

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

            1
            You need Doc 1 (you have 3)

            1
            Unlocked with Doc 1 - you have 3

Low sprawling tumbled-down Amarillo fades into the horizon just a few short minutes' walk past the northern barricade. The desert is a still life painted in dust: long gritty tempera stripes in umber and scarlet and a few distant threads of light-sucking black strung along the brown sandy soil.

Soon enough you come to a shallow gully filled with smooth boulders much larger than yourself. The gully walls are cracked and fissured by centuries of brief soaking rains and long bright scalding days that steam the water right out of the ground. Down in the gully is a single lonely bullet casing. No body or blood -- just the last inorganic scrap the scrub couldn't digest.

0 change points, 4 more needed to reach level 4.

Doc has increased to 3!

You succeeded in a Doc challenge!

You've gained 1 x Reputation (new total 3).


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Pinned

Pinned

Ashling the Witch

Unlocked with ; Unlocked when Date is:

May 21, 2026 - Morning (you have this)

May 21, 2026 - Afternoon

May 21, 2026 - Evening

May 22, 2026 - Morning

May 22, 2026 - Afternoon

May 22, 2026 - Evening

May 23, 2026

The flame-haired witch of Amarillo can be found rain or shine among the cobbles and crowds of Platform #1 with a wicked pack of cards...

A Gunslinger in Amarillo

Unlocked with Gunslinger 1 - you have 2; Unlocked when Date is:

May 21, 2026 - Morning (you have this)

May 21, 2026 - Afternoon

May 21, 2026 - Evening

There are endless opportunities here for you to brush up on all the things a gunslinger needs to know...


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Ashling the Witch

The flame-haired witch of Amarillo can be found rain or shine among the cobbles and crowds of Platform #1 with a wicked pack of cards. This you hear; where she goes, people whisper, and not quietly. You can see her coming: head and shoulders above the crowd, taller even than the tallest man, orange hair curling unruly in the wind.

("Is she the devil?" a child whispers. His mother covers his mouth and looks around. Nobody's the devil, says the mother. Her eyes linger on Ashling; they seem to say, but if someone was...)

Into your space she comes, all tangerine hair and mossy fresh lips and the frank wild stare of a hunting bird. She gropes for your hand. Her fingers are surprisingly cool.

"No armed like forearmed," she says. "No seeing like foreseeing. Pull a card and hear the Ashling."

Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pull a Card

What can it hurt?

And there's this: something about Ashling is electric, is in fact electrifying. She has all the glamour of a live wire. Dangerous but tame; contained by circumstance. Alive with frantic energy. Infinitely graspable -- until she frays.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Wicked Pack of Cards

You take Ashling's hand and get a real physical shock -- her body is dripping with static. She draws you over to a small table under an awning by the platform. "Must get apart from the crush," she says. "Who can hear themselves think?"

She sits you down and takes from her sleeve an oversized deck of cards. She cuts and shuffles with an expert hand, talking all the while -- "Hot today? Yes it's hot, and dear Mrs. Matterhorn down with the sniffles, not a killer yet no fun either, the common cold, but into every life I suppose some rain" -- then fans the gray-backed Tarot in front of you and abjures you to "pick, and get us underway!"

You draw; Ashling turns the card over. It's painted with a free-standing wood door in a sparse green-dusted meadow. In front of the door is a man doing a one-handed handstand with his back to you. One of his legs is straight out; the other is bent across the other.

Ashling sucks in through her teeth. "Bad luck," she says. "The Door. It means passages and reflections. The man in front has pearls for eyes, though you can't see them. Milky eyes unseeing. And nothing good behind the door either. Nothing comfortable."

Ashling gathers up her deck but presses The Door on you. "Can't undraw it," she says. "And if you see Miz Nils, remind her she's due for her horoscope. All her stars are out of line."

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.

You now have 1 x The Door.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Gunslinger in Amarillo

There are endless opportunities here for you to brush up on all the things a gunslinger needs to know.

This is one of Zero Summer's "grind" cards. "Grind" cards can be replayed as often as you like. And most of their branches have a chance to produce a Rare Success, which will significantly increase one of your Styles and yield certain other benefits as well.

Getting to Know the Roughriders

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A straightforward challenge

The local police -- the Roughriders -- have exactly two jobs: keeping the Rule of One and handling the local unnatural fauna. The chief of police is fiercely-mustached Nicco Carfora. He's asked for a civilian volunteer to take one of the Roughriders' aging motorcycles out for a loop around the nearby farms and snoop for unnatural activity.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Routine Tracking

Getting to Know the Roughriders

Physical Style.

A straightforward challenge

            1
            You need Gunslinger 1 (you have 3)

            1
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 1 - you have 3

While you don't find any actual monsters, you do spot in the distance a cluster of gray splotches leading southish away from the city. That's in the distant distance: as far as you can see on a clear day on a flat plain when you're sitting high on a hog.

The Roughriders thank you for your report. It confirms certain suspicions about migratory patterns. You wonder pointedly: the migratory patterns of what? No more information is forthcoming. Curious.

Gunslinger has increased to 3!

You've gained 1 x Reputation (new total 4).


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Showing a Little Charity

St. Francis's

A small church near the heart of town. Officially dedicated to St. Francis. Unofficially dedicated to Lee Andante. Outside is a lovely fountain known to be a haunt for the better breed of gangsters.

The public fountain outside St. Francis's is the sparking social center of half the city: dozens of children play through the dancing sprays while old men play checkers at nearby tables and fashionable women stroll or sit on the cool granite lip. Its centerpiece is a tonsured and robed St. Francis with his arms spread. Many birds perch there, both carved and alive. It's almost pleasant here, if humid. Very humid.

You flick the 20th century penny into the fountain. Quick as a whiplash, a man on the fountain lip who's mostly hidden behind a newspaper reaches out and catches it before it touches the water. He folds the newspaper and tucks it under his arm; the penny disappears into a sleeve.

Pinned

Pinned

Velvet and Steel

The man is wearing an oxblood corduroy suit and a charcoal gray fedora. His nails are perfectly manicured and he smells like mangroves and antebellum.

"Good morning," he says cheerfully. "Thank you for the penny back. We hate to lose old trinkets like that. Of course its value is sentimental, but I think we can agree that sentiment is what draws us from our beds in the morning and lays us down with a vengeance at night -- and not the common plutophiliac pursuit. Yes?"

Without waiting for a reply, he goes on: "You may call me Mr. Velvet. I work with a group of concerned ladies and gentlemen: the Stars and Spurs. We undertake the little tasks that need doing. The exportation of certain fine local products up norte. The intake of necessary ordnance to deal with unfriendly local fauna. You understand."

"I'll be frank," Mr. Velvet says: "One of my associates tagged you as a possible conspirator in our humble efforts. We'll be receiving a colleague from Denver and we need someone to arrange his stay. See to his comfort. Ensure his needs are met. That sort of thing. You're in, yes?"

WARNING: This is the beginning of a Subplot. Choosing this branch will reduce Gumption by 1. This Subplot will focus on your Gunslinger and Cityslicker Styles.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground. It takes time to move from one place to another.

Pinned

Pinned

Move to Burrow and Briar

Both an intersection and the tumble-down hideout of the Jackrabbits, Burrow and Briar represents a significant chunk of suburban Amarillo.

Move to Platform #1

The last stop on the Rio Sur line, located right here in Amarillo. A bustling place! Hub of commerce and social interaction! Mind the gap.

Move to St. Francis's

This tiny church near the heart of Amarillo is nevertheless a social hub -- for the worshipful few, the devotees of Santo Guerrero, and the better sort of criminal, the latter flocking like peacocks to the public fountain just outside.

Move to The Highrise Hotel

The tallest building in Amarillo was once public housing. Now its lower floors serve as flophouses for the indigent. And its upper floors? Rumors abound; no one can say for sure.

Move to the Wall Market

Beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district! Once a supermarket, now a sprawling swap meet where dollars and goods are bought and sold and bartered by hands both filthy and clean.

Move to the Scrublands

Step lightly through the lonely grass and sweeping sands north of Amarillo, where homesteaders and farmers and more unnatural things compete for water and precious black soil.

Move to the Mission

All brick and broken statues of angels. Here live the homeless and hopeless of Amarillo. The smell of chickens and the sound of singing will let you know you've arrived.

Move to Little Japan

On the west side, a forbidding place of blacked-out windows, steel doors and standoffish Japanese-Americans. Very few people are seen going in and out.

Move to Downtown Amarillo

A latter-day suburban sprawl! Choked with dust and the bright energy of commerce! Even now the wheels turn in Amarillo's rusted heart.

Move to Amarillo Academy

The former local college has been converted into an ivory fortress. Few students are accepted; none seem to leave. The masthead over the iron gate reads "Amarillo Academy of Arts and Speculative Sciences." Security is said to shoot on sight. It seems more credible than not.

A colored flyer on the gate announces a lecture series starting Friday, May 22nd on the subject of "Actuating Transposition in a Biplanar Society." The presenter will be Prof. M. J. Freiburg. The flyer promises light snacks and a Q&A.

Move to the Pony Express

The heart of Amarillo: its living breathing center. Its distributor of mail. Its carrier of justice. Only open when a postal rider is in town.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


The Asian Enclave

Most locals keep far away from Little Japan. At best they think it's cursed; at worst -- well, it's impolite. Perhaps there's a reason Amarillo's Japanese-Americans keep to themselves.

You have moved to a new area: Little Japan


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Friend of Little Japan

Little Japan

A forbidding apartment building with blacked-out windows and steel doors. All the rooms are owned by Japanese-Americans, who under the gentle pressures of xenophobia have become secretive and withdrawn.

Unfriendly? Standoffish? Of course. Wouldn't you be? Nevertheless Little Japan can't be an island unto itself, and so it must cultivate friendships with certain outsiders -- men and women of taste and discretion.

Pinned

Pinned

One Single Bullet

The doorman -- always polite, usually silent -- will, in exchange for a handful of revolver bullets, bestow upon you a slight bow. At least you think it's a bow. His body and most of his face remain hidden behind the solid steel door at all times.

            3
            You need 3 x Revolver Bullet  (you have 0)

            3
            Unlocked with 3 x Revolver Bullet

Come to the Door

A young Asian boy approaches you with a folded slip of paper. Inside is a line of elegant calligraphy: come to the door.

This will reduce your Connections: Little Japan!

            5
            You need Connections: Little Japan 5

            5
            Unlocked with Connections: Little Japan 5


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Friend of Little Japan

Pinned

Pinned


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Banditos and Harvestmen

The dusty streets are lousy with packs of children running and shouting and chasing each other at play, the boys in patchwork denim and corduroy and dirty white shirts, the girls in spattered cotton dresses and barrettes in every imaginable color and position.

You nearly trip over a group of kids by the Wall Market; they scatter in every direction, one of them shouting that she gets to be the Harvestman next.

Pinned

Pinned

From the Mouths of Babes

Children get everywhere and hear everything. And they don't have any problem sharing with their friends. Especially scary things, and especially when they're roughhousing and one-upping each other. Which means if you're interested in the Harvestmen, a little light lurking might be in order.

            3
            You need Cityslicker 3 (you have 3)

            3
            Unlocked with Cityslicker 3 - you have 3


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Eye-Candy

You trail the kids through the Wall Market, taking care not to get too close. Topics discussed at full shrieking volume include: favorite dinners (spaghetti and meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy), best stalls to get free stuff (Butterloaf is good when Mr. Rolf is working, otherwise the pastry chef at the Metropole tosses the bake waste at eleven), best horse in town (the Skunk Brothers' nag Peggy-Sue is so clearly everybody's favorite that the whole argument sinks like a rock in under a minute).

Finally they get around to the Harvestmen. The conversation goes something like:

"My big sister says they take out your eyes and melt them in sugar until they turn into eye-candy."

"Well, my big sister says they're really just our parents, like how every Christmas my daddy is Santa for the whole block. He's got reindeer and everything -- "

"Those are just horses with wood stuck on their heads -- "

"Mama says they aren't even human, just animals --"

"What, like really tall dogs? Or like two dogs standing on top of each other?"

And so on, with much giggling and shouting. Not the most useful. But there's this: nobody seems to know, exactly, who or what the Harvestmen are.

The Harvestmen is increasing!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Old Fashioned Research

Unlocked with The Harvestmen 2 - you have 2

Keeping an ear to the street about the Harvestmen is good as far as it goes, but there's only so far you can go on rumors alone...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Old Fashioned Research

Keeping an ear to the street about the Harvestmen is good as far as it goes, but there's only so far you can go on rumors alone. The public library -- a squat one-story building just outside the Wall Market with squeaky-clean windows and a tidy lawn -- is the next natural stop. There might be something in back issues of the <i>Daily Star</i>. And there's this -- you've heard the librarian, Ms. Pettle, is eccentric in a way Jack Ishiguro called "exciting, really exciting in kind of a got-schooled-on-a-Saturday-morning kind of way."

Pinned

Pinned

To the Library

Outside the library are a pair of stone sculptues. At one point they might have been lions, but weather and time have made them smooth and toothless. One of their gaping mouths has a cigarette butt crushed inside; otherwise they look recently scrubbed. They're sad to look at, like a favorite blanket worn raggedy by too many washings. Best not to dwell.

            5
            You need Doc 5 (you have 3)

            5
            Unlocked with Doc 5 - you have 3


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Old Fashioned Research

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground. It takes time to move from one place to another.

Pinned

Pinned

Move to Burrow and Briar

Both an intersection and the tumble-down hideout of the Jackrabbits, Burrow and Briar represents a significant chunk of suburban Amarillo.

Move to Platform #1

The last stop on the Rio Sur line, located right here in Amarillo. A bustling place! Hub of commerce and social interaction! Mind the gap.

Move to St. Francis's

This tiny church near the heart of Amarillo is nevertheless a social hub -- for the worshipful few, the devotees of Santo Guerrero, and the better sort of criminal, the latter flocking like peacocks to the public fountain just outside.

Move to The Highrise Hotel

The tallest building in Amarillo was once public housing. Now its lower floors serve as flophouses for the indigent. And its upper floors? Rumors abound; no one can say for sure.

Move to the Wall Market

Beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district! Once a supermarket, now a sprawling swap meet where dollars and goods are bought and sold and bartered by hands both filthy and clean.

Move to the Scrublands

Step lightly through the lonely grass and sweeping sands north of Amarillo, where homesteaders and farmers and more unnatural things compete for water and precious black soil.

Move to the Mission

All brick and broken statues of angels. Here live the homeless and hopeless of Amarillo. The smell of chickens and the sound of singing will let you know you've arrived.

Move to Little Japan

On the west side, a forbidding place of blacked-out windows, steel doors and standoffish Japanese-Americans. Very few people are seen going in and out.

Move to Downtown Amarillo

A latter-day suburban sprawl! Choked with dust and the bright energy of commerce! Even now the wheels turn in Amarillo's rusted heart.

Move to Amarillo Academy

The former local college has been converted into an ivory fortress. Few students are accepted; none seem to leave. The masthead over the iron gate reads "Amarillo Academy of Arts and Speculative Sciences." Security is said to shoot on sight. It seems more credible than not.

A colored flyer on the gate announces a lecture series starting Friday, May 22nd on the subject of "Actuating Transposition in a Biplanar Society." The presenter will be Prof. M. J. Freiburg. The flyer promises light snacks and a Q&A.

Move to the Pony Express

The heart of Amarillo: its living breathing center. Its distributor of mail. Its carrier of justice. Only open when a postal rider is in town.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


All Aboard!

You pick your way through town to Platform #1, where at all times of day many people and places and things to see can be found.

You have moved to a new area: Amarillo: Platform #1


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Old Fashioned Research

Keeping an ear to the street about the Harvestmen is good as far as it goes, but there's only so far you can go on rumors alone. The public library -- a squat one-story building just outside the Wall Market with squeaky-clean windows and a tidy lawn -- is the next natural stop. There might be something in back issues of the <i>Daily Star</i>. And there's this -- you've heard the librarian, Ms. Pettle, is eccentric in a way Jack Ishiguro called "exciting, really exciting in kind of a got-schooled-on-a-Saturday-morning kind of way."

Pinned

Pinned

To the Library

Outside the library are a pair of stone sculptues. At one point they might have been lions, but weather and time have made them smooth and toothless. One of their gaping mouths has a cigarette butt crushed inside; otherwise they look recently scrubbed. They're sad to look at, like a favorite blanket worn raggedy by too many washings. Best not to dwell.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Travel Around Town

Amarillo was once a largeish city; even now it covers a lot of ground. It takes time to move from one place to another.

Pinned

Pinned

Move to Burrow and Briar

Both an intersection and the tumble-down hideout of the Jackrabbits, Burrow and Briar represents a significant chunk of suburban Amarillo.

Move to Platform #1

The last stop on the Rio Sur line, located right here in Amarillo. A bustling place! Hub of commerce and social interaction! Mind the gap.

Move to St. Francis's

This tiny church near the heart of Amarillo is nevertheless a social hub -- for the worshipful few, the devotees of Santo Guerrero, and the better sort of criminal, the latter flocking like peacocks to the public fountain just outside.

Move to The Highrise Hotel

The tallest building in Amarillo was once public housing. Now its lower floors serve as flophouses for the indigent. And its upper floors? Rumors abound; no one can say for sure.

Move to the Wall Market

Beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district! Once a supermarket, now a sprawling swap meet where dollars and goods are bought and sold and bartered by hands both filthy and clean.

Move to the Scrublands

Step lightly through the lonely grass and sweeping sands north of Amarillo, where homesteaders and farmers and more unnatural things compete for water and precious black soil.

Move to the Mission

All brick and broken statues of angels. Here live the homeless and hopeless of Amarillo. The smell of chickens and the sound of singing will let you know you've arrived.

Move to Little Japan

On the west side, a forbidding place of blacked-out windows, steel doors and standoffish Japanese-Americans. Very few people are seen going in and out.

Move to Downtown Amarillo

A latter-day suburban sprawl! Choked with dust and the bright energy of commerce! Even now the wheels turn in Amarillo's rusted heart.

Move to Amarillo Academy

The former local college has been converted into an ivory fortress. Few students are accepted; none seem to leave. The masthead over the iron gate reads "Amarillo Academy of Arts and Speculative Sciences." Security is said to shoot on sight. It seems more credible than not.

A colored flyer on the gate announces a lecture series starting Friday, May 22nd on the subject of "Actuating Transposition in a Biplanar Society." The presenter will be Prof. M. J. Freiburg. The flyer promises light snacks and a Q&A.

Move to the Pony Express

The heart of Amarillo: its living breathing center. Its distributor of mail. Its carrier of justice. Only open when a postal rider is in town.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Sweaty Crush

There's hardly room to breathe in the Wall Market. Let alone walk or do business. Nevertheless people manage it, even keeping such things as fresh fruits free of dust and ground meat free of flies. Enviable. Commendable! Maybe don't stay too long.

You have moved to a new area: Wall Market


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Opportunities

Draw cards from here to raise your Styles, meet your Allies, and risk your Antagonists.

Shankman's Outfitters

An assortment of trinkets and delicacies is Shankman's Outfitters!—

Absolom the Tinker

Eternally present -- an abstraction in a world of speculation...

The Bazaar

The Wall Market is the noisy sweaty sprawling heart of commerce in Amarillo...

The Amarillo Exchange Commission

A little joke: the Nimble-Fingered Assistant at Traeger's forge on Short Vine will trade anything that folds for anything that shines...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Absolom the Tinker

Wall Market

The gutted husk of a pre-Longest Day supermarket and its vast parking lot have become the sprawling Wall Market, a humming place of barter and commerce where daily bread and stranger things can be bought and sold.

Eternally present -- an abstraction in a world of speculation. A perpetual possibility! Unredeemable is Absolom the Tinker; dignified, invisible, moving without pressure; hidden, birdlike, quick; undisturbing of the dead leaves that bury the path in front and the path behind. He cannot bear much reality and so is always moving. His everchanging pack contains many things. For a price he may share them with you.

Pinned

Pinned

"November in New England" and "Fifty Miles South of Lexington"

A certain thing was found, says Absolom the Tinker. Will he say where? There is a hint of vicinity. A little light mimework: the broad-tongued licking of an envelope. The implication is not unclear.

And this certain thing? A few pages. Typewritten. Numbered but undated. A sampling from a greater set. This the first installment. Perhaps more to be discovered. Details sparse but include a young lady's monologue and a much longer Beowulfish thing.

And what for compensation? A rude broad-tongued noise. Donkeylike snorting. Call it a forgivable loan. Only come back for the rest. He would see it reassembled, would Absolom the Tinker. Would see the set reset.

This branch unlocks "New England in November" and "Fifty Miles South of Lexington." This content totals more than 20 unique Storylets and will take dozens of Actions to play through.

This content is currently Pay What You Want.

When you click this branch, you'll be given the opportunity to pay.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


A Reader!

[Thanks for your interest in this content! We're trying out a new pricing model: Pay What You Want.

We believe "November in New England" and "Fifty Miles South of Lexington" is worth your dime to play -- it's some of our most beautiful, compelling, and challenging work, and it'll go a long way to help you understand the world of Zero Summer.

If you choose not to pay, that's fine! You'll have the chance to reconsider when you've finished.

And if you choose to pay? You'll be supporting a team of indie devs and writers who live in part on your contributions. We thank you.

NOTE: this content originally cost 45 Nex.]

Absolom the Tinker presses the pages into your hand, and with them a second little thing. A toothsome morsel? Is it a cake, or something more substantial? He is silent on the matter. But it must not be opened until you're through reading. On this he is insistent. And that your reading begin immediately.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Open Your Eyes; Breathe in the Past

Value Menu Burger!

Thanks for your interest in this content! We're trying out a new pricing model: Pay What You Want.

We believe "November in New England" and "Fifty Miles South of Lexington" is worth your dime to play -- it's some of our most beautiful, compelling, and challenging work, and it'll go a long way to help you understand the world of Zero Summer.

If you choose not to pay, that's fine! You'll have the chance to reconsider when you've finished.

And if you choose to pay? You'll be supporting a team of indie devs and writers who live in part on your contributions. We thank you.

NOTE: this content originally cost 45 Nex.

Pay about the cost of a value menu burger. Cheese optional.

And thanks so much for your contribution!

You have moved to a new area: New England in November

You moved to a new setting: Reading the Past.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

You've received a Wrapped Package from Absolom the Tinker!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

1 x A Wrapped Package from Absolom the Tinker

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Page 8

Once upon a time when trees were taller and for climbing and when their leaves changed colors it was for you -- like: that elm is turning red this year because red is your favorite -- and when if you acted sick enough you could stay home and watch your Papa rake the leaves into a pile and jump into it when he went to the store because you'll absolutely die if there's no orange juice --

Once upon a time my Papa took me into his study and told me my Salad Days Were Over...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Page 8

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

Once upon a time when trees were taller and for climbing and when their leaves changed colors it was for you -- like: that elm is turning red this year because red is your favorite -- and when if you acted sick enough you could stay home and watch your Papa rake the leaves into a pile and jump into it when he went to the store because you'll absolutely die if there's no orange juice --

Once upon a time my Papa took me into his study and told me my Salad Days Were Over. That starting that very night I'd be helping out around the house instead of quote "hiding in a book in whatever corner you get off to."

This was on the order of dishes and sweeping and yardwork but right then it was like my free time was a Thanksgiving turkey and chores were the buzzing electric knife from Macy's my Papa had just bought.

We were standing in front of the book shelf with the Ws. I was looking right at To The Lighthouse and a dog-eared paperback of Brief Interviews With Hideous Men.

The window was open and the air smelled like woodsmoke.

Pinned

Pinned

Turn the Page

Page 8

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Next Page

Turn the Page

Page 8

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

The paper is fragile and fine; it feels like it could break at any moment.

You're reading New England in November!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

Reading New England in November

You're reading New England in November.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Page 9

Unlocked with Reading New England in November 1 - you have 1

That night we went down to the garage where my Papa had his woodshop and got into the woodpile for a length of cedar he thought he'd put there for something about the deck, which we found -- the length of cedar -- and got it set up and ready on the workbench where he kept his tools in a line like soldiers on parade...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Page 9

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

That night we went down to the garage where my Papa had his woodshop and got into the woodpile for a length of cedar he thought he'd put there for something about the deck, which we found -- the length of cedar -- and got it set up and ready on the workbench where he kept his tools in a line like soldiers on parade.

And he let me work the band saw, did my Papa, which was a first; and he set me to turning the corners while he got the big drill ready; and he drilled two orderly rows of holes into the cedar while I fetched some leather for the handle; and we sanded it and sanded it, and when we were through he hung it from a peg by its handle right by the hood of his Mercedes, but not over the hood of his Mercedes because he reminded me safety first.

Pinned

Pinned

Turn the Page

Page 9

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Next Page

Turn the Page

Page 9

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

The paper is fragile and fine; it feels like it could break at any moment.

New England in November is increasing!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

Reading New England in November

You're reading New England in November.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Page 10

Unlocked with Reading New England in November 2 - you have 2

And do you know what my Papa said to me then?

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Page 10

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

And do you know what my Papa said to me then?

He knelt down so we were face to face and I could see his old St. Bernard eyes peering sadly out from under his great gray eyebrows and said that if I ever talked back again about the dishes or the raking or how all these chores were cutting into my Lizbeth Time, he'd send me out to the garage and have me take down the hard cedar paddle we'd just made together, and he'd have me take down my jeans and lay myself across his lap, and he'd tell me to pray to whatever God I still knew that I could sit down a week later when he was done.

Pinned

Pinned

Turn the Page

Page 10

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Onto Fifty Miles South of Lexington

Turn the Page

Page 10

New England in November

A colder place, a different time.

Here the pages skip numbers. Here starts what Absolom the Tinker called "Fifty Miles South of Lexington."

You have moved to a new area: Fifty Miles South of Lexington

You've finished reading New England in November!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Page 114

It gets colder in the Midwest when it rains in late September than it ought to...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Page 114

It gets colder in the Midwest when it rains in late September than it ought to. And even on the interstate you get these long Kentucky earthworms. It's a fiction that they come out when it rains. They come out before. Are hip to the weather. Make their long thirsty crawls early. And so are smeared across the road by unimaginable forces. Every time it rains is earthworm D-Day.

But we're long past seeing any earthworms out the windows of the truck. The rain is coming down so hard the windows look glazed. The soundscape is mostly truck-noise.

Up front the driver has a tape in the deck. It's only got one song recorded on it, which the driver's been playing over and over since like Charleston. Sometimes the wheels sync up and we can hear a little music over them.

The song is Come Thou Font of Every Blessing. The driver is whistling along through a missing front tooth. And he clicks with his tongue -- loudly, once -- between when the music stops and when it starts up again.

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Next Page

The paper is fragile and fine; it feels like it could break at any moment.

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington 1

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Page 115

Unlocked with Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington 1 - you have 1

We were sitting in two rows on fold-out benches with our knees pointed inward...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Page 115

We were sitting in two rows on fold-out benches with our knees pointed inward. Facing me from left to right were:

Peter John Paul from Boston MA. Our back-up wheelman and de facto chaplain. When he was a plebe his nickname was Mulcahy, as in from M*A*S*H. Which lasted about two weeks until he put a certain firsty's best front teeth down his throat. Otherwise PJP is peaceable, unfussable. And he can quote from Scripture, which isn't nothing.

Marcel Cooper, also from Boston MA. Transferred when he was a sophomore at Amherst. Majored in English. Can't recite Proust despite much prodding from Robert. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, complexion like raw milk. Sweet but undependable. Not a great mixer.

And Robert Lee from New Haven CT. About whom see much prev. Now somnolent. This a feature of certain coastal New Englanders: the tendency to nod off in bad weather. Little boys from CT must be dreams on long car trips.

We were maybe an hour south of Lexington on I-75...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The Next Page

The paper is fragile and fine; it feels like it could break at any moment.

Fifty Miles South of Lexington is increasing!

0 change points, 22 more needed to reach level 22.

An occurrence! Your 'Lizbeth's Cityslicker' Quality is now 21!

An occurrence! Your 'Lizbeth's Doc' Quality is now 21!

An occurrence! Your 'Lizbeth's Gunslinger' Quality is now 21!


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Doc Toppers

Bowlers, stetsons, the occasional eyewear.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Not to be opened until you've finished reading New England in November and Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

A Grim Bargain

You and "Padre" Charlie understand each other all too well.

Ally: Jack Ishiguro

Jack Ishiguro of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Ally: Miz Nils

Miz Nils of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Version

Game version number.

Game version number.
Thanks for playing Zero Summer!

Paladin

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are mercy, compassion and justice.

Man in Black

Your ethical Orientation. Your concerns are self-empowerment and getting things done.

Hallowed Ground

You've been taken in by the strange beautiful kindnesses of the Mission.

The Harvestmen

You're following the trail of the Harvestmen

Avatar

Your avatar.

Time of Day

The time of day.

Date

Today's date.

White Noise

The unnatural world is becoming all too real.

Cityslicker

Social Style.

Doc

Mental Style.

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Lizbeth's Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Lizbeth's Doc

Mental Style.

Lizbeth's Cityslicker

Social Style.

The Ministry of Black Powder

You're helping "Padre" Charlie with his good works.

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington 2

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

20th Century Penny

An old but well-polished US penny. Minted in 1960. Just the thing to throw into the fountain at St. Francis's.

The Door

A Tarot card. It shows a door in a meadow and a man in front doing a handstand, one leg crossed over the other.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

Far, Far From Home

You're in Amarillo -- but who exactly are you?


Conversations in the Rain

Unlocked with Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington 2 - you have 2

<i><font color=#550000>Play through the dialogue branches below to learn more about Lizbeth's companions...

Pinned

Pinned


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


Conversations in the Rain

Play through the dialogue branches below to learn more about Lizbeth's companions.

You won't have time to play through them all, so choose carefully!

Pinned

Pinned

Talk to the Driver

"How's the road look?" I asked the driver.

Talk to Marcel Cooper

Marcel was drumming his nails on his knees. We hit a bump and leaned so heavily to the side it looked for a second like he was floating backwards headfirst into the window.

Talk to Peter John Paul

"I don't know if I'm looking forward to being back," PJP said reflectively. "But I don't know if I'm <i>not,</i> either. You know?"

Talk to Robert Lee

Robert was sitting with his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. I imagined I could see what he was thinking, that it hovered in a speech-bubble there over his head.


Version

Game version number.

a stranger

A past yet to be revealed

Gunslinger

Physical Style.


The driver hit Stop on the tape deck.

"Looks wet," he called back. "I can see maybe three feet past the bumper. There was this Accord ahead of me right outside Lexington. Maybe he's still up there, maybe not."

You're Talking to the Driver!

You're having conversations in the rain.

You're having Conversations in the Rain!