'As far as we know, we're the only organised remnant of civilisation left. We're a beacon of order, a safe haven, a Bastion. That comes with responsibility. I have, you have, everyone here has a responsibility to look after each other, and look after the Bastion, in whatever way you can. If you can't do that, pull your weight, be someone who we can rely on when the going gets tough, then you might as well prepare to brave your luck out there.'
– Captain Chris R. Lincoln
Quirks help to define your character and customise your gameplay experience. Although some might seem more beneficial mechanically, Quirks do not necessarily convey strict advantages or disadvantages. You should choose Quirks that fit the themes you want to engage with, and the way you want to play the game.
Quirks are split into two categories: Gameplay and Playstyle. Gameplay Quirks reflect features of your character, such as their role in the bastion at gamestart or facets of their personality and history. Playstyle Quirks are a way of letting us know how you, OC, want to engage with the game, rather than building aspects of your character.
These will form part of a basis of your character at game start and beyond. Contagion is not a mechanics heavy game, so pick Quirks you think will be interesting or thematic for your character. Quirks are marked (+) or (-) merely to clarify what the intended associated narrative effect is of taking them. Some Quirks provide a benefit you can explicitly invoke in a Turnsheet or refer to in Uptimes. Others will be taken into account as we assess how to write relevant Turnsheets.
Most characters will lend themself to, or at least pretend to fit into, one of three roles. This Quirk will be how you want to be seen at face value by other people in the Bastion. In all cases, please give a brief elaboration as to how your character acts/pretends to act in their role. Your Bastion Organisation role will be visible to other players and crew. Please choose one from the list below:
Diplomat: Where there are people, there are problems (and maybe solutions) but you already knew that; you try to prevent people from tearing each other apart before the zombies get a chance to.
Survivalist: Maybe you've been prepared for this scenario for years, or maybe it's just luck that means your subconscious can tell a moonberry from a deadly hawfruit; you mainly deal in resource collection and Bastion safety.
Innovator: Certified tinkerer, thingamajig creator, armament upgrader, life-saver, or any other host of seemingly beneficial changemakers; you're meant to keep the Bastion liveable.
You may select up to 4 character Quirks. Quirks have a +1 or -1 weighting. Your overall Quirk point total must be no more than 0. There is no lower limit for negative Quirks. You may take each Quirk only once. In all cases, please give a brief sentence as to how a Quirk corresponds to your character specifically.
Signature Item (+): You've got an item that is special to you for whatever reason. Maybe it's a weapon that saved your life, or a book from your homeland, a beloved pet, or a cool rock you found. This item may form part of your identity. Taking this Quirk means that item is likely to recur throughout the game.
Familiar Face (+ or -): Did you come to the Bastion with someone? Did you find someone there you weren't expecting? If you pick this Quirk, please give details about who this person is and how they relate to your PC.
(Note: Feel free to include as many NPCs in your backstory as you like – but only use this Quirk if you want someone who's really in your corner (or against it)).
Secret Saboteur (-): At some point, someone has taken a disliking to your plans and seeks to hinder them, will you find out who and stop them, or push on, disregarding setbacks as coincidence? [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Accident Prone (-): Your character always finds themself getting bruises and cuts from who knows where. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of all your limbs. [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Accident'nt (+): Either your skin is tough as nails, or your reflexes are as sharp as them, since you always seem to be avoiding getting nicked and scraped. [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Down with the Sickness (-): Your character finds themself frequently battling for control over their synapses, stomach, sinuses, or whatever else. You just can't seem to avoid getting ill. [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Hypochondriac (-): You'll do anything in your power to prevent yourself from getting sick. You just can't be too careful nowadays. [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Position of Power (+): Through whatever means, you've managed to find yourself with some jurisdiction in the bastion. Do you revel in your perceived status above other people, or does the responsibility frighten you? (Cannot be taken alongside Must’ve been the Wind) [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Must've been the Wind (-): Maybe it was your fault, maybe it was unfortunate circumstances, maybe it was purposeful, but your ideas are often overlooked by others – perhaps due to your unfortunate reputation. (Cannot be taken alongside Position of Power)
Fate's Scapegoat (-): No matter whether it was your fault or not, you always seem to come out the worst for wear when things go south; not so great for you, but at least people always want to bring you along on their dangerous missions. (Cannot be taken alongside Luck Thief)
Luck Thief (-): When you occupy a space, it becomes a hazard for everyone else. Your miraculous luck at avoiding the consequences of your actions, unfortunately, doesn't extend to the other people you may have been working with. (Cannot be taken alongside Fate’s Scapegoat)
Something to Hide (+ or -): You've got a secret, the kind that you wouldn't tell a soul. Is it something from your past, or a more recent development? What might that secret be, and what might it mean for the Bastion? [May contribute to Paranoia.]
Many of the Quirks are tiered. Please select the tier most appropriate to your comfort level. You can change your Playstyle Quirks at any point in the game. To do so, please email the GMs or message us on Discord.
Contagion can be a dark game, and some themes may be unavoidable; see Style and Tone for more detail on this. However, the degree to which you interact and experience these themes can be personalised. As always, if there are specific themes you don't want to engage with, please contact the GMs via mail or Discord. Picking the more extreme option won't prevent lighter things from occurring, nor will it guarantee a gritty plot without engaging with those themes yourself. It is meant as a matter of comfort level.
Keep it Breezy: You don't have much of a desire to delve into the darker aspects of the game. Example sentence: There's a sinking feeling in your chest, but luckily she has not yet fallen from your grasp.
Delve a little deeper: You want some of the darker themes to appear in your game with moderate intensity. Example sentence: Your hands wrap tightly around her wrists, and yet the thought crosses your mind – will she ever recover?
Welcome to the Abyss: You want to potentially experience all the darkest aspects of the world. No holds barred. Example sentence: The changes are irreversible. How could you fail her? One small mistake cascading into a ravine that swallows all hope of being able to look her in the eyes without a pang of guilt.
How PC death is handled is on a case-by-case basis. PC death will likely only occur in the latter half of the game, unless extenuating circumstances apply. Taking Untimely Demise does not guarantee that your character will die. The GMs will discuss PC death with you before it occurs. Taking Unkillable will not exclude your character from dying in your Eternity, if you communicate that is what you want.
Untimely Demise: You are fine for potential PC death to occur. As a general rule, you will be consulted before this is done.
Unkillable: You do not want your PC to be killed. This does not exclude you from other physical injury or consequence.
This Quirk indicates whether or not you are interested in romantically ballgowning with NPCs. This Quirk has no bearing on PC-PC romance, and it is your responsibility to make sure everyone involved is fine with it OC. If you feel very strongly about Ballgowning an NPC, one way or the other, please contact the GMs via mail or Discord.
None of That: You do not want to be romantically interacted with by NPCs.
Impartial to Romance: You don't mind being romantically interacted with by NPCs, but it isn't a priority for you. GMs will not initiate romantic ballgowns with you, but this Quirk tells us that you may do so yourself.
Hopeless Romantic: You actively want to be romantically interacted with by NPCs. Taking this Quirk is not a guarantee of having a romantic relationship. GMs can initiate romantic ballgowns with you (still subject to rules about OC comfort).
The severity of consequences for failure, both physical and social. Note that this does not impact the likelihood of success or the likelihood of getting into dangerous circumstances.
Foam Sword: Low consequences. This does not mean no consequences. Example sentence: You manage to crawl under the barbed wire – scratches and bruises cover your body, but with some effort you could maybe cover them up.
Classic Crowbar: Standard consequences. Your clothes pin you in the wires grasp, one of the guards spots you and cuts you out. They don't question you…for now.
Demon Core: Luck is not on your character's side, when you fail everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. The wire coils itself around your leg, you try to pull away but it's a fruitless attempt. You stare down the creature eyeing you from the shadows. It tells you to run.
This alters the degree to which gore and injury will be described, particularly in Turnsheets and emails. This Quirk does not change the extent of injury or consequence. Talk of gore in uptime may not be able to be avoided in its entirety.
CW: Example sentences in this section will contain varying descriptions of gore in different intensities.
Zombie Bite: You want descriptions of injury to be toned down.
The zombie bites you. The wound stings.
Zombie Crunch: You're fine with descriptions of gore, but you don't want it to be too detailed.
The zombie sinks its teeth into you. Blood trickles down your leg. It tears away some of your flesh, and you think you can see the bone – muscle recedes away from your skin.
Zombie Mutilate:You love detailed descriptions of gore, even if injuries are extreme. You want your skin to crawl.
You hear the cracking of bone as the zombie sinks its decayed teeth into you. It grinds your flesh between its blunt molars. Tendons snap away from your convulsing muscles.
In Contagion, paranoia is a gameplay mechanic. It is the effect of your character committing repeated subversive actions against others (lying, betrayal, sabotage, etc.), normalising these actions and in turn making your character worried that the same could happen to them. When severe enough, this will result in your character being unable to trust whether what someone is doing is subversive or not, or if what they see has something hidden beneath it or not. It can be alleviated by the opposite: collaborative actions (helping others, trusting others, altruistic actions). Opting out of paranoia does not mean that your character can't be deceived or come to their own incorrect conclusions about things.
Yes Please: You opt in to the paranoia system.
No Thanks: You opt out of the paranoia system.