Announcing a new, in-game newspaper for S-4

From "The Tribe" Season 2, I always appreciated the strategy of Jack & Ellie starting a city newspaper. Dal found the old amulet out at the farm & gave it to Ellie...and The Amulet was born.

The newspaper was originally meant to let the city know what was going on with all the tribes. Then came the best twist: our heroes used the paper to investigate the Virus. The Amulet asked kids to send news clippings, articles, reports, old documents--anything at all that might be connected with the death of the adults. It worked, too. Jack & Ellie learned everything. Later, The Amulet was used to promote elections for a City Leader. Ah, the power of the press. . .

When we began using an in-game newsletter in KTDARPG, we discovered the advantages.
(1) It helped tie players' actions into a recognizable whole.
(2) It was a handy way to promote the game.
(3) It helped move the plot when we got bogged down.
(4) It gave us a perspective on the game that was more global--seeing the Big Picture & how we were all moving toward the same goals.

In the game's season-3, "Stacy," the editor of the Fort River News for the Tribes, was killed in the hurricane. Tom-F, the newspaper's sponsor, lost his empire & vanished. (We still don't know if he's alive or dead.) It looked like our in-game newspaper had run its course.

Just after the game season 4 started, our Game Master asked me if I was up to keeping an in-game newspaper going. It's not been easy thinking up a different premise & approach for a new media venture in-game, but I think we've finally done it. I just posted the first edition of Fort River After Dark. The twist is that the origins of this paper are totally mysterious. Whoever's putting it out proudly announces that the paper is strictly neutral. Independent. Free of pressures & bipartisanship. The paper will report both sides of any issue--and whatever rumors & gossip are on the streets. To quote the first edition:

What we do have is NEWS. Ok, maybe not all the facts all the time.

So what? If all we have is gossip 'n rumor, that's what we'll print.

We'll let YOU decide what's real, what's not, what's truth or

what's just stupid. Got a brain? Use it!

It'll be interesting to see how Fort River After Dark works inside the game.

Oh, and in case you were wondering? We were very serious about the "neutral" part. Our Game Master has promised me a free hand, to see how it works. The paper won't take sides, but will definitely be stirring the pot that is the city of Fort River, 24/7. --Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"