Beat the House in Violet Tangerine

The Cybernetic Coven is here to announce Violet Tangerine: a crimes transbians games of heists and razor-sharp tension. 

Violet Tangerine

Violet Tangerine is all about looking at the energy, pacing and tension of the heist and crime caper genre in other media and translating them into TTRPGs. It is not just an effort into emulating this or that heist movie or caper novella; it looks into the unique features of roleplaying games and creates novel techniques that evoke the same energy and tone at the table. 

In Violet Tangerine, every single element of the game is about the heist, everything feeding into the confrontation between our rogues and the House. Each scenario has different challenges and specific rules, but the House gets to react to the plans of our rogues, throwing new threats and destroying the preparations of our criminals – putting them under increased pressure. 

Of course, the rogues have their own secret weapons. They get to reveal through flashbacks, montages and side-cuts machinations that they have kept hidden from the House. Not only that, using those lets them use their unique specialties: bringing out the unique features of the scenario and of their characters to turn the tables.

Burning Rubber 

Just one more heist? I’m in. 

So, what Violet Tangerine gets you? Well, it gets you the “base” rules, which lay down the foundations about how to prepare scenarios, take the role of the House, and how to make some Rogues to do the heists. 

Scenarios are as much standalone games as they are general guidelines for certain types of criminal capers. They share both as a general structure, and baseline guidelines, but break and create new rules – all in order to modify the pacing for the necessary intent – a close-knit, fun heist movie is going to be very different in tone and pacing from a spy thriller where nobody thrusts each other. 

Leaded Gasoline, the first scenario/game for Violet Tangerine, is as close as one can get to a “basic” heist. Plan the robbery of the century, get untrustworthy criminal organizations as collaborators, get the best cars and have a getaway showdown. 

Mechanics of A Heist

Violet Tangerine has many novel systems to properly hit the pacing and energy of a caper. Our Rogues start each heist with near infinite potential, the best at what they do — and with all the variety of plans they may pursue.

As they act, they roll dice to create Crimes. Crimes give them tools, contacts and plans — concrete means of progressing through a heist. However, they also get entangled in the developing plot and in the affairs of other characters — Crimes can be destroyed, turned against you, and creating them meant you avoided the opportunity cost of making any other crime. Thankfully, by putting in enough time and effort, you can craft the perfect Crime to each opportunity.

Of course, the more time and effort you invest, the more opportunities the antagonistic forces of the House has to mess up your plans. The House gets additional dice, which it can use to destroy Crimes and introduce nasty Threats that can put an end to any Rogue's criminal career.

This careful back and forth, requiring Crimes and one to be made vulnerable by creating them, leads to a constant race: it does not matter how much the House has against you if you can outrun any consequences by finishing the heist. Rogues have one ace up their sleeve: they can permanently reduce their future options in order to use unique, game rules breaking abilities. You are committing to an existing plan, but there is little the House can do to slow you down.

The Future

Development of Violet Tangerine has been going on for a while, as we have spent years trying to nail down the power of heists in roleplaying form. We will be continuing to fine-tune the basic rules, improving all of these stand-alone games.

Beyond Leaded Gasoline, we have been working on different Violet Tangerine games. 

Eve&Lilith is a spy thriller game during the final days of a crumbling super-power. Our rogues are spies for different agencies, all scattering to burn evidence of their decades of operations and setting up to shape up the new world order. 

Crimson Vows is about crashing a vampire wedding, and you are also vampires. Wield vampiric powers, feed on the blood of cattle and your enemies and try to not get slowed down by the politics of the night. 

Cat/Fox is a duet game of Violet Tangerine, replacing the House with the intense tension between a detective and their prey.  Toy with the tension, giving ground back-and-forth so that you can get to spend time with your nemesis… until one of you goes for the kill. 

Malpractice Malperfection brings mysteries to the heist, where the House is more literal as a medical mystery drama. Try to diagnose and provide healthcare for a confounding affliction, while trying to stop the Powers That Be from stopping your attempts to save some lives.

Actual Play

Crimson Gold Agonies has played our Leaded Gasoline scenario, adapting it to their show’s setting. Give them a listen if you want to hear what Violet Tangerine plays like! 

About the Cybernetic Coven

The Cybernetic Coven, or CyCo, is a participatory cooperative and artist collective. CyCo focuses on sustainable and healthy work practices, protecting individual members from the risks of the attention economy, supporting the creation of meaningful art that would not be profitable, and rewarding labor according to effort or solidarity. You can learn more on the CyCo website.