The Luminous Republic Gazetteer: Extra Edition
Special Civic Supplement for New Arrivals in the Furnace of Light Issued by Order of the Bureau of Renewal, Chicago, October 1920
A TiGGR One-Shot Set in the Republic of Madame Lumière
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: SETTING UP THE SESSION
Before You Begin: Download and read the TiGGR rulebook. You’ll need a couple of six-sided dice and some scratch paper.
Cultural Touchstone: 1920s urban arrival stories mixed with Kafka's bureaucratic nightmares - think Ellis Island processing meets The Trial, but everyone's literally glowing and radiantly happy about it.
Player Characters: New arrivals to Chicago from rural America. Each player creates someone drawn by opportunity, family duty, or patriotic fervor to serve in the "Furnace of Light."
Session Goal: Successfully navigate the three-stage arrival process and find suitable lodging/work in luminous Chicago. Success means avoiding immediate foyer processing while maintaining civic enthusiasm.
Key NPCs:
- Station Master Flynn (Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 2, 4 HP, Special: "All Aboard!" - +1 to rally crowds)
- Bureau Clerk Morris (Body 0, Mind 3, Charm 1, 3 HP, Special: "By the Book" - +1 when citing regulations)
- Phantom Mind Chorus (Treat as environmental hazard, not combat opponent)
WELCOME TO THE CITY OF LIGHT
Citizens from across the Republic now arrive daily upon the Radium Limited to take their place in the luminous destiny of Chicago, the Furnace of Light. This pamphlet will guide you through your first hours among us, ensuring you are prepared for Renewal and civic service. Read carefully, and remember: Through Her, We Shine.
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: OPENING ATMOSPHERE
Start with the train's arrival - describe the phosphorescent steam, the warm metal, the gentle hum of radium engines cooling down. Let players feel the excitement and unease of arrival. Ask each player: "What did you leave behind to come here?" Their answers will shape personal stakes throughout the session.
Difficulty Guidelines for Arrival:
- Routine interactions: No roll needed
- Navigating bureaucracy: Risky (6)
- Avoiding unwanted attention: Dramatic (8)
- Direct confrontation with authorities: Climactic (10)
Your Journey in Three Stages
1. Arrival at the Station
The Grand Concourse of Chicago welcomes thousands each day. Murals of Madame Lumière remind us of our radiant duty, while porters and officials ensure smooth passage.
- Present your papers of health and lineage upon disembarkation.
- Applaud loudly when fellow passengers return renewed — such enthusiasm inspires morale.
- Should you feel faint amid the glow, do not fear. Collapse is a common mark of grace. You will awaken refreshed, with Her Element already inscribed upon you.
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: SCENE ONE - THE CONCOURSE
This scene establishes the world's tone through environmental storytelling. Station Master Flynn cheerfully processes arrivals while porters help the "temporarily overcome" (those who've fainted from radium exposure).
Complications to Deploy:
- A family ahead of you is separated when the father "requires additional processing" (Charm 6 to intervene diplomatically)
- Your papers have a minor discrepancy (Mind 8 to spot the error, Charm 8 to sweet-talk the clerk)
- Another passenger whispers warnings about the renewal process (Charm 6 to hear them out without attracting attention)
Knocked Out Results: Being overwhelmed by the station's radium atmosphere causes temporary disorientation. You wake up with glowing fingernails and a stamped transit pass - the system has marked you as "processed" and you can proceed.
2. The Streets of the Furnace
Chicago's avenues shimmer with the afterglow of progress. Glowing locomotives shriek their hymns, radium lamps light every corner, and citizens proudly display their lesions as proof of loyalty.
- Accept civic sashes from hawkers — wear them with pride.
- Be wary of those who ask too many questions or whisper of "other truths." Report them promptly.
- If dizziness or confusion overtakes you, rest upon the pavement. Her Light will mark you where you fall.
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: SCENE TWO - STREETS OF LIGHT
This is the exploration phase where players navigate the city while gathering information about lodging, work, and the renewal process. Emphasize the contrast between civic beauty and underlying strangeness.
Key Locations:
- Glowing Tramway Station: Efficient transport, but conductors ask probing questions about civic loyalty
- Radium Rose Café: Where renewed citizens gather, displaying their lesions like fashion accessories
- Workers' Quarter: Boarding houses for new arrivals, run by families who've "given their brightest to Her service"
Complications:
- A street hawker insists you need a "civic sash" but won't explain why (Charm 8 to negotiate, Body 6 to avoid his grabbing hands)
- You witness a renewal patrol escorting someone to a nearby foyer amid family applause (Mind 8 to read the crowd's true emotions)
- The boarding house you approach has a "No Dimmed" sign (Charm 8 to convince them you're suitable)
Knocked Out Results: Exposure effects or social missteps leave you unconscious on the glowing pavement. You wake in a Civic Aid Station with temporary lesions and a concerned counselor who provides "helpful guidance" about proper behavior.
3. The Bureau of Renewal
Every new arrival must register with the Bureau and present themselves before the Phantom Mind. This chorus of voices ensures fairness, impartiality, and eternal civic progress.
- Wait your turn patiently. The judgments are swift and merciful.
- If declared renewed, you may depart proudly, your dossier amended.
- If marked for immediate foyer entrance, rejoice! Your sacrifice strengthens the Republic.
- Do not fear unconsciousness during the process. Many citizens wake outside the Bureau unable to recall their judgment, but rest assured: Her Element remembers what you cannot.
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: SCENE THREE - THE BUREAU
The climactic encounter with bureaucratic authority. The Phantom Mind Chorus doesn't fight - it judges. This scene tests players' ability to navigate the system without triggering deeper scrutiny.
The Bureau Environment:
- Clerk Morris processes applications with cheerful efficiency
- The Phantom Mind Chorus speaks in harmonized whispers from hidden speakers
- Other applicants wait in glowing chairs, some nervous, others eerily calm
The Judgment Process: Each player faces a series of questions from the Phantom Minds. These aren't combat rolls but social/mental challenges:
- "State your purpose in the Furnace of Light" (Charm 8 to sound convincingly enthusiastic)
- "Demonstrate your loyalty to Madame Lumière" (Body 6 to perform the civic salute properly, or Mind 8 to improvise)
- "Submit to proximity assessment" (Body 8 to resist showing discomfort as radium levels increase)
Possible Outcomes:
- Success: Declared "Preliminarily Renewed" - you receive work assignments and temporary housing
- Partial Success: "Observation Status" - you're free but must report weekly for "continued assessment"
- Failure/Knocked Out: You wake outside the Bureau with no memory of the judgment, but with papers showing you've been "processed" and assigned to a specific work detail
Victory Conditions: Players succeed if they navigate all three stages without being marked for immediate foyer processing, while maintaining the cover of enthusiastic new citizens.
FACILITATOR SIDEBAR: RUNNING THE HORROR
The key to this session is maintaining the Gazetteer's cheerful tone while letting the horror emerge through implications rather than direct confrontation. NPCs genuinely believe in the system's benevolence. When players are "knocked out," they wake up with evidence that something happened (new lesions, missing time, amended papers) but no clear memory of harm.
Managing Player Agency: Give players meaningful choices between compliance and resistance, but make both paths lead to interesting complications rather than dead ends. The system is too big to fight directly, but characters can find ways to help each other and navigate its contradictions.
Ending the Session: Close with the characters settling into their assigned roles in luminous Chicago. They've survived the arrival process, but they're now part of the system. Ask: "What does your character do next?" Let their answers suggest whether this was a one-shot or the start of a longer campaign exploring life in the Luminous Republic.