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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


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


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.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


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.

The Quick-Witted Ornithologist

Doc

Mental Style.

A chancy challenge

In the scrub you spy the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, the woman previously so concerned with owls. As she sees you, an eager smile cracks her dusty wind-chapped face.

"I don't usually see anyone else out here, especially not more than once," she says, and holds up a dog-eared notebook. "I'm gathering data on migratory patterns. Could you help?"

            5
            You need Doc 5 (you have 5)

            5
            Unlocked with Doc 5 - you have 5

Bird-Watching

Doc

Mental Style.

A very modest challenge

Out in the Scrublands you find yourself under an unmistakable human shadow. You look up and shade your eyes: there in the dry scraggly tree just off to your side is a small woman in khakis with binoculars in hand. "A burrowing owl!" she calls quietly to you. Her binoculars are pointed at an unremarkable patch of ground. What's this, then?

            4
            You need Doc 4 (you have 5)

            4
            Unlocked with Doc 4 - you have 5

A Walled Garden

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Sometimes nature is best seen from a distance. On the east side of Amarillo is a quiet wealthy neighborhood full of two-story houses with front porches and sweeping views of the desert. The Heywoods' porch is a notorious hang-out/salon for retirees, mostly old men and the widow Heywood herself; they spend their days playing rubbers of bridge, smoking cigars and emptying bottle after bottle of Cornskunk's best.

Rumor has it that the widow Heywood is also a first-class birdwatcher and liberal with her binoculars. If you can talk your way onto her porch, you could get all the nature you want without risking an unfriendly few moments with a rattlesnake.

            3
            You need Doc 3 (you have 5)

            3
            Unlocked with Doc 3 - you have 5

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 5)

            1
            Unlocked with Doc 1 - you have 5


Yes, an Owl!

Bird-Watching

Doc

Mental Style.

A very modest challenge

The woman in the tree points with all the certainty of a hunting hound. And there it is!  What a tiny fellow! A little larger than a robin, feathers brown with white speckles. Other than the oddness of it being an owl on the ground during the day, you're unsure why the woman in the tree sounds so excited.

3 change points, 3 more needed to reach level 6.

Doc is increasing...

You succeeded in a Doc challenge!

You've gained 1 x Reputation (new total 9).


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

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.


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.

Opportunities

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

Bullets for Little Japan

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A chancy challenge

Traeger the gunsmith on Short Vine is looking for someone to deliver a package to Little Japan, an apartment building on the west side of town where every unit is owned by one large Japanese-American family. According to Traeger, they're secretive, stand-offish, and endlessly thirsty for bullets. No one but him will do business with them.

            4
            You need Gunslinger 4 (you have 4)

            4
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 4 - you have 4

Keeping the Peace

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A very modest challenge

The beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district is the Wall Market, a sprawling parking lot bazaar and former supermarket where you can buy or barter anything you desire. Petty theft is obviously a problem.

A doughman for Butterloaf Bakery is looking for warm bodies to fill the morning security shift. A bad case of food poisoning from the salmon jerky stall has the regular crew doing the Texas two-step. The way the doughman tells it, they're having a graphic morning. Borderline tragic.

            3
            You need Gunslinger 3 (you have 4)

            3
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 3 - you have 4

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 4)

            1
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 1 - you have 4


A Cool Welcome

Bullets for Little Japan

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A very modest challenge

            4
            You need Gunslinger 4 (you have 5)

            4
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 4 - you have 5

The delivery goes off without a hitch. At six stories, Little Japan is one of the tallest buildings left in Amarillo. You can see what Traeger means about stand-offish: all the windows are blacked out and all the doors are reinforced steel.

As instructed, you knock on the front door and wait for a full minute. The door cracks; a sallow, veiny hand emerges with a folded white envelope. You trade the envelope for your bag of bullets. The hand withdraws; the door slams shut.

The envelope feels thin to you, but Traeger seems pleased. He promises to find you if he has any paying work.

0 change points, 6 more needed to reach level 6.

Gunslinger has increased to 5!

You succeeded in a Gunslinger challenge! (Risky challenges mean you learn more.)

You've gained 1 x Reputation (new total 10).


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

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.


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.


Oh Brother, Let's Go Down

Orphans, chickens, the blind, the lame, the hurt and homeless all in one crowd.  A quiet crowd. Not a small one.

You have moved to a new area: The Mission


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.


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.

The Quick-Witted Ornithologist

Doc

Mental Style.

A chancy challenge

In the scrub you spy the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, the woman previously so concerned with owls. As she sees you, an eager smile cracks her dusty wind-chapped face.

"I don't usually see anyone else out here, especially not more than once," she says, and holds up a dog-eared notebook. "I'm gathering data on migratory patterns. Could you help?"

Bird-Watching

Doc

Mental Style.

A very modest challenge

Out in the Scrublands you find yourself under an unmistakable human shadow. You look up and shade your eyes: there in the dry scraggly tree just off to your side is a small woman in khakis with binoculars in hand. "A burrowing owl!" she calls quietly to you. Her binoculars are pointed at an unremarkable patch of ground. What's this, then?

A Walled Garden

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Sometimes nature is best seen from a distance. On the east side of Amarillo is a quiet wealthy neighborhood full of two-story houses with front porches and sweeping views of the desert. The Heywoods' porch is a notorious hang-out/salon for retirees, mostly old men and the widow Heywood herself; they spend their days playing rubbers of bridge, smoking cigars and emptying bottle after bottle of Cornskunk's best.

Rumor has it that the widow Heywood is also a first-class birdwatcher and liberal with her binoculars. If you can talk your way onto her porch, you could get all the nature you want without risking an unfriendly few moments with a rattlesnake.

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.


Pelagic Species

The Quick-Witted Ornithologist

Doc

Mental Style.

A very modest challenge

            5
            You need Doc 5 (you have 6)

            5
            Unlocked with Doc 5 - you have 6

Asking after her theories, you elicit a happy smile from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist. She launches into a long explanation of the burrowing owl's usual range, and how Texas is far outside of it. That and the proliferation of the beetles it feeds on are causing her to wonder about climate changes south of the Wall and what that might mean for the changing ecology.

"Everyone is so focused on the strange aspects of what happened," she says with her eyes cast skyward. "I think we forget to notice all the ordinary changes, too. Thanks for listening." She heads back into town, but offers you her hat to help shield your eyes during your own field work.

0 change points, 7 more needed to reach level 7.

Doc has increased to 6!

You succeeded in a Doc challenge! (Risky challenges mean you learn more.)

4 change points, 3 more needed to reach level 7.

Doc is increasing...

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.

You now have 1 x Camouflaged Hat.

You've gained 2 x Reputation (new total 12).

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

You've gained 1 x Dollars (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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

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.


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.

Opportunities

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

Cleaning House for the Pony Express

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A chancy challenge

Word is that that a Pony Express carrier is due in tomorrow, and Governor Berkshire will show his appreciation to anyone who clears out the Pony Express office beforehand. Abandoned buildings tend to attract varmints, pests and squatters -- especially in Amarillo, and even the Pony Express office. Carriers tend to be particular about their spaces being clear. And given how much Amarillo depends on them, it's no surprise the governor is taking extra precautions.

            5
            You need Gunslinger 5 (you have 5)

            5
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 5 - you have 5

Bullets for Little Japan

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A very modest challenge

Traeger the gunsmith on Short Vine is looking for someone to deliver a package to Little Japan, an apartment building on the west side of town where every unit is owned by one large Japanese-American family. According to Traeger, they're secretive, stand-offish, and endlessly thirsty for bullets. No one but him will do business with them.

Keeping the Peace

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A straightforward challenge

The beating heart of Amarillo's commercial district is the Wall Market, a sprawling parking lot bazaar and former supermarket where you can buy or barter anything you desire. Petty theft is obviously a problem.

A doughman for Butterloaf Bakery is looking for warm bodies to fill the morning security shift. A bad case of food poisoning from the salmon jerky stall has the regular crew doing the Texas two-step. The way the doughman tells it, they're having a graphic morning. Borderline tragic.

            3
            You need Gunslinger 3 (you have 5)

            3
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 3 - you have 5

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 5)

            1
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 1 - you have 5


A Memory of Rain

Cleaning House for the Pony Express

Gunslinger

Physical Style.

A very modest challenge

            5
            You need Gunslinger 5 (you have 6)

            5
            Unlocked with Gunslinger 5 - you have 6

The Pony Express office is in pretty good shape. A little dusting here, a few rat traps there, a new lock on the back door and you're golden.

In the process of cleaning the small upstairs bedroom, you find a six-holed metal cylinder in the bedside table. It sparks a memory: a cold morning under a steel sky; a line of aluminum cans set along a wooden fence; in the distance, cows lowing apprehensively, their noses tilted upward, snuffling for rain.

3 change points, 3 more needed to reach level 6.

Gunslinger is increasing...

1 change point, 6 more needed to reach level 7.

Gunslinger has increased to 6!

You've gained 2 x Reputation (new total 14).

You've gained 1 x Dollars (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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


Gunslinger Gear

Guns, gloves, boots.

Cityslicker Duds

Coats and clothes for every occasion.

Talismans

Relics, charms, tokens of authority.

Currency

Spendables of all sorts.

Reputation

Your standing in the community.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.


Redwing Chicken

The Mission

TBD

Groups of people scattered like flung out handfuls of grain throughout the Mission; vegetables growing inside wherever the walls are knocked down. Even the altar has a haphazard stove and chimney rigged up where the priest must have once sat.

Sitting in a vacant church pew for a quiet moment: there is the smallest cluck, a soft scuffle. A chicken lunges at a bug in the dirt. More chickens pour in, clucking and preening and pecking. And yet they're largely unharrassed -- read: uneaten.

Pinned

Pinned

Chicken-scratch

Redwing Chicken

The Mission

TBD

There must be a plan here, some kind of organization. Someone has to keep an eye on the chickens and vegetable gardens. You just need eyes to see.

            2
            You need Cityslicker 2 (you have 4)

            2
            Unlocked with Cityslicker 2 - you have 4


Reading a Pattern

Chicken-scratch

Redwing Chicken

The Mission

TBD

A flock of chickens run right through the children's chorus; the children break off singing and shriek and giggle before the chickens are shooed off.

From there the chickens swarm over a pew and its occupant, who wakes up long enough to swat them away. It's a wonder they haven't all been eaten, the chickens. But then neither have the vegetables hanging ripe on the vine. The Mission is clean and swept, inside and out.

Hallowed Ground 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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


A Long Hello

The Mission

TBD

Nobody has paid any special attention to you so far at the Mission. It seems almost deliberate: would they even notice if you stretched out on the altar for a nap? All you've had so far are small, mysterious smiles -- and no follow-up.

And then there's a sharp thump on the front door and a low alto Valkyric shout from the woman in the frame of it. Six foot if she's an inch! Long hair like raggedy iron! Blacksmith's hands, huge and calloused! And on her shoulders a deer carcass, bled dry but still fresh.

Pinned

Pinned

A Sudden Entrance

A Long Hello

The Mission

TBD

The Mission is all of a sudden a messy active stew. There are happy hellos and shouts for the butcher's knife and to stoke the stove and to round up the kids so Janey or Bartholomew don't get literally underfoot.

The deer ends up on the altar surrounded by a group of competent-looking men and women with knives and twine. Everyone is looking to the iron-haired woman for direction. Someone shouts for the children to sing Ave Maria -- "We'd all love it, wouldn't we!" -- but the kids screech and holler and scatter.

            4
            You need Doc 4 (you have 6)

            4
            Unlocked with Doc 4 - you have 6


Eyes on You

A Sudden Entrance

A Long Hello

The Mission

TBD

The iron-haired woman has the gentle forgiving tiredness of a second-hand orchestra conductor. The small mysterious smile everyone has is hers, you realize, reflected on the Missioners' faces. Everyone here is wearing it except you and the deer. Which isn't a comfortable comparison. Also uncomfortable: the way the iron-haired woman turns away from the altar and toward you with slow, with <i>glacial</i> deliberateness.

Hallowed Ground 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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


An Eye for Trouble

The Mission

TBD

The necessary central organizing force here, the eye of the Mission's storm -- the iron-haired woman is it. She doesn't look at you threateningly, though. There's no thunder in her eyes. Instead there's pressure: a sense of impending <i>something</i>. The woman is intent, and intense. She means business.

Pinned

Pinned

The Words Right Out of Your Mouth

An Eye for Trouble

The Mission

TBD

"Peace. I'm Sermon on the Mount," the iron-haired woman says. "It just rains on the righteous and un- alike, don't it?" She sticks out her hand straight away. Your hands are not unsmall, but hers are just absolutely big and broad and textured like tree-bark. And there's this: her knuckles are cross-hatched with little scars.

"You don't look like our regulars," she says, in a tone that clearly means: and so what exactly are you doing here?


Reading Between The Lines

The Words Right Out of Your Mouth

An Eye for Trouble

The Mission

TBD

It hits you that that's her real actual name, Sermon on the Mount. And that she doesn't give a fig what yours is. Or really where you came from, except insofar is that you're here now at the Mission.

"If you got questions, ask. If you need something, take. Make yourself at home."

There's not a gentle bone in Sermon's body, but genuine she's got in spades. And it extends, that generosity, to everyone under the roof. People who're clearly missing something -- a home, a limb, a reason to live. Futureless people. And those without histories. Like you.

Hallowed Ground is increasing!

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

Sermon on the Mount is now your Ally!


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

After her brief intense hello, Sermon leaves you to your own devices. Like a forest after a brief violent storm, the Mission seems livelier now that she's back. Not every broken person in Amarillo is here -- the Highrise Hotel has its derelicts, the Wall Market is home to orphan gangs -- but most of them are. And it should be a dysfunctional carousel, throwing people off at crazed tilting intervals, but somehow it all just works.

And still there's this: even the chickens are uneaten. How to explain it?

Increase your Chasing Down Chickens Quality to open up new branches!

Pinned

Pinned

Following Them Home

Doc

Mental Style.

A low-risk challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

These are not plump white pastoral bantams. The Mission's chickens are rangy and tufted and brown and half-wild. And they're clannish, almost viciously insular. Which must mean they're stashing their eggs somewhere. Presumably that place is chicken HQ.

Follow Their Tracks

Cityslicker

Social Style.

A chancy challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

People are taller and easier to spot than chickens. If you want to know about the latter, follow the former.

            5
            You need Cityslicker 5 (you have 4)

            5
            Unlocked with Cityslicker 5 - you have 4

View from the Roost

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

A high-risk challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

As you study the roost in the bell-tower, you see one of the orphans clambering up for eggs. It seems a simple matter once you give the route some thought, and the perspective from higher up is often a good one. At least novel, perhaps even enlightening.

            4
            You need Chasing Down Chickens 4

            4
            Unlocked with Chasing Down Chickens 4


Theriomancy

Following Them Home

Doc

Mental Style.

A low-risk challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

One rooster has a particularly distinctive wattle, making him easy to pick out of a crowd. Rather than analyze a crowd of birds, you simply follow him through an hour of rooster-time.

One elderly man takes a swipe at the rooster, the gleam of a stew pot in his eyes, but the wily bird escapes, crowing madly. The bird rushes away, running with surprising grace. He heads for the door, but then leaps! Up, up, and though chickens can't do much in the way of flying, the rooster makes it to the rafters. In rows like feathered saints, the broodies and the bantams and roosters rest. Eggs are safely tucked up here in the bell tower -- only the boldest climbers can reach them.

6 change points, 1 more needed to reach level 7.

Doc is increasing...

You succeeded in a Doc challenge!

0 change points, 2 more needed to reach level 2.

Chasing Down Chickens shows your progress in the venture.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

After her brief intense hello, Sermon leaves you to your own devices. Like a forest after a brief violent storm, the Mission seems livelier now that she's back. Not every broken person in Amarillo is here -- the Highrise Hotel has its derelicts, the Wall Market is home to orphan gangs -- but most of them are. And it should be a dysfunctional carousel, throwing people off at crazed tilting intervals, but somehow it all just works.

And still there's this: even the chickens are uneaten. How to explain it?

Increase your Chasing Down Chickens Quality to open up new branches!

Pinned

Pinned

Following Them Home

Doc

Mental Style.

A low-risk challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

These are not plump white pastoral bantams. The Mission's chickens are rangy and tufted and brown and half-wild. And they're clannish, almost viciously insular. Which must mean they're stashing their eggs somewhere. Presumably that place is chicken HQ.

Follow Their Tracks

Cityslicker

Social Style.

A chancy challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

People are taller and easier to spot than chickens. If you want to know about the latter, follow the former.

View from the Roost

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

A high-risk challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

As you study the roost in the bell-tower, you see one of the orphans clambering up for eggs. It seems a simple matter once you give the route some thought, and the perspective from higher up is often a good one. At least novel, perhaps even enlightening.

            4
            You need Chasing Down Chickens 4 (you have 1)

            4
            Unlocked with Chasing Down Chickens 4 - you have 1


Theriomancy

Following Them Home

Doc

Mental Style.

A straightforward challenge

Chasing Down Chickens

The Mission

TBD

            5
            You need Doc 5 (you have 7)

            5
            Unlocked with Doc 5 - you have 7

One rooster has a particularly distinctive wattle, making him easy to pick out of a crowd. Rather than analyze a crowd of birds, you simply follow him through an hour of rooster-time.

One elderly man takes a swipe at the rooster, the gleam of a stew pot in his eyes, but the wily bird escapes, crowing madly. The bird rushes away, running with surprising grace. He heads for the door, but then leaps! Up, up, and though chickens can't do much in the way of flying, the rooster makes it to the rafters. In rows like feathered saints, the broodies and the bantams and roosters rest. Eggs are safely tucked up here in the bell tower -- only the boldest climbers can reach them.

1 change point, 7 more needed to reach level 8.

Doc has increased to 7!

You succeeded in a Doc challenge!

1 change point, 1 more needed to reach level 2.

Chasing Down Chickens 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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


The Bazaar

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.

The Wall Market is the noisy sweaty sprawling heart of commerce in Amarillo. Nearly anything can be bought, sold or traded in the vast parking lot bazaar.

Pinned

Pinned


Opportunities

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

Advice from a Stranger

Unlocked with The Harvestmen 3 - you have 3

Third Street is close enough to the Highrise Hotel that sometimes on hot mornings the destitutes there walk from the drumfires to the Wall Market in a raggedy procession...

Shankman's Outfitters

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

Travel Around Town

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

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

A Country Doc

Unlocked with Doc 1 - you have 7; 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...

Small-Town Cityslicker

Unlocked with Cityslicker 1 - you have 4; Unlocked when Date is:

May 21, 2026 - Morning (you have this)

May 21, 2026 - Afternoon

May 21, 2026 - Evening

Compared to the big cities up norte, Amarillo is a smear in the desert...

Miz Nils

The most appropriate thing about Miz Nils is the crocodile skin belt cinching her hips -- it's her in spades...


Absolom the Tinker

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.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

Usables

Treasures, mementos, relics.

Consumables

Nostrums, drinkables, tobaccos and other treatlets.

Ally: Warren Castillo

Warren Castillo of the Amarillo Jackrabbits.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


Open Your Eyes; Breathe in the Past

Toll Road!

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 one toll on the road from Chicago to anywhere. Bonus included at no charge: no toll worker.

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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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.


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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


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.

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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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.


"Robert?" I said.

"Fnuff."

"Robert?"

His chin raised slightly.

"I was somewhere else," he said.

"Where were you?"

"Somewhere warm. There was a beach. I was thinking how when I was younger, like nine, we went to Jamaica and I spent the whole time on the beach drinking these drinks made I think of grenadine and coconut milk. Out of coconut halves. With these paper umbrellas."

"You're there on a Jamaican beach drinking coconut drinks with paper umbrellas."

"I'm there," Robert said, "enbeached, with drink, reflecting on two things."

Silence from me. Robert's chin comes up a little further; his forehead wrinkles.

"What?" he said. "What is it?"

"Just waiting," I said. "Trying not to encourage. Over-encourage."

You're now Talking to Robert Lee!

You're having conversations in the rain.

You're having Conversations in the Rain!


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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Conversations in the Rain

You're having conversations in the rain.

Talking to Robert Lee

You're talking to Robert Lee.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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

There was this delicate balance with Robert. He wanted to be heard. He wanted you to listen. But he wanted to be pulled into it, speaking -- discoursing. And but he also didn't want to feel like he was being pulled into it, or that he wanted/needed to be pulled.

The only thing for it was to stop, sometimes, and wait for his self-consciousness to catch up, for him to restart under his own power.

            1
            You need 1 x Talking to Robert Lee  and  no more than 1 x Talking to Robert Lee (you have 1)

            1
            Unlocked with 1 x Talking to Robert Lee  - you have 1


            1
            You need 1 x Talking to Robert Lee  and  no more than 1 x Talking to Robert Lee (you have 2)

            1
            Unlocked with 1 x Talking to Robert Lee  - you have 2

"I was reflecting," Robert said, "on how at age nine it must not have been remarkable that everyone I met was black. The coconut drinks were way more incredible -- that that was the big difference between Conneticut and Jamaica, the drinks."

"And not the --"

Robert was nodding. "Not the totally-strange-to-nine-year-old-me landscape. Not that everybody was black and talked with an accent. Because they weren't strange to Robert, age nine."

"And that was --?"

"Very, very good," Robert said, with finality.

Talking to Robert Lee is increasing!

Conversations in the Rain 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.

Dollars

NorteAmericano dollars. Not the only currency in Amarillo, but certainly the preferred one.

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.

Afraid of Heights

You were born on the ground and you'll die on the ground. Preferably not just after a fall.

Ally: Sermon on the Mount

Sermon on the Mount. Community organizer. Runner of Missions. A warm imposing figure.

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.

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

Helping the Brothers Skunk

The Skunk brothers' farm is a local institution; you've lent a hand to keep it running.

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.

Chasing Down Chickens

Surely all the Mission's chickens come from somewhere.

Reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington

You're reading Fifty Miles South of Lexington.

Conversations in the Rain

You're having conversations in the rain.

Talking to Robert Lee

You're talking to Robert Lee.

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.

Camouflaged Hat

A gift from the Quick-Witted Ornithologist, in lieu of her name.


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

"And the crippling poverty," Robert added.

"Was what to your nine-year-old self?" I asked. "Was upsetting?"

            2
            You need 2 x Talking to Robert Lee  and  no more than 2 x Talking to Robert Lee (you have 2)

            2
            Unlocked with 2 x Talking to Robert Lee  - you have 2


            2
            You need 2 x Talking to Robert Lee  and  no more than 2 x Talking to Robert Lee (you have 3)

            2
            Unlocked with 2 x Talking to Robert Lee  - you have 3

"Was invisible," Robert said. "I wonder if my parents saw it? Or if I'd see it if I went back now. I hope I would. I hope --"

"What?" I said finally, when it seemed like this time he might not self-start.

"That we're not who we were," he said, sinking back into his hands. One eye tilted up at me. "Or who our parents were."

Talking to Robert Lee is increasing!