Version 0 Rulebook: Krebsville Nights — Unequal Treatment (Part 1)

Version 0 Rulebook: Krebsville Nights — Unequal Treatment (Part 1)
1. Executive Brief: The Ethics of the Waste Zone
Krebsville Nights is explicitly designated as a "Serious Game," a strategic framework that intentionally balances immersive survival gameplay with a critical analysis of healthcare disparities and institutional bias. Functioning as an investigative tool, the simulation tasks players with navigating the DOVIC-26 outbreak while confronting a system that treats medical care as a tiered commodity. By placing players within the "Waste Zones," the game forces a direct encounter with systemic decision-making where algorithms, rather than clinical empathy, dictate survival.
Mission Statement
The operational objective of Krebsville Nights is to survive and stabilize 100 failing medical zones while documenting the "Systemic Overseer’s" intentional de-prioritization of marginalized communities. The simulation is engineered to distinguish between legitimate clinical differences (based on medical necessity) and systemically created disparities (driven by communication failure, institutional bias, and resource-allocation algorithms).
These high-level themes manifest directly in the player's survival metrics; in the Waste Zone, an administrative denial is not just a line of text—it is a physical threat to the practitioner’s health and limited operational window.
2. The Protagonist’s HUD: Statistics and Resource Management
The user interface, powered by the COSINE MUD engine, utilizes a "Medical-Noir" aesthetic that mirrors the dystopian bureaucracy of Krebsville. The HUD priorities reflect the values of the city: administrative efficiency and data throughput are emphasized over human vitals, presenting life-and-death situations as cold, clinical variables.
For the initial deployment of Dr. Frederick Grant (Analyst), the following starting statistics are active:
Statistic
Starting Value
Description
Health
100
Physical condition; 0 results in incapacitation and "Legacy" failure.
Time Tokens
37
Primary action resource; every major move incurs a "toll."
ARP Credits
3,480
Currency for equipment, bypasses, and medical services.
System Stability
100%
Global health of the city's infrastructure and resource equity.
The "So What?" Layer: Adaptive Resource Allocation
While the HUD lists 37 Time Tokens, players must recognize that this value is subject to the Adaptive Token Credit logic. System ID 4 provides 37 tokens, whereas ID 5 provides 39; this fluctuation is a mechanical representation of biased resource allocation. Time Tokens represent the practitioner's only defense against zonal collapse. Every major action—from stabilizing a patient to hacking a terminal—deducts a token, modeling the paralyzing reality of working within a collapsing healthcare infrastructure. When tokens hit zero, stress spikes, events escalate unchecked, and the Overseer prepares to abandon the zone.
3. Operational Roles: Specialized Triage Frameworks
Success in the Waste Zones requires a tactical approach dictated by the player's operational role. Team composition determines how environmental threats are mitigated and how patient care is prioritized.
  • Observer (Accountability and Evidence): Focuses on environmental scanning and gathering data to document systemic neglect.
    • Key Commands: /scan, /vitals.
    • Bonuses: Early warnings for escalating events and improved detection of hidden evidence of disparity.
  • Medic (Stabilization and Recovery): Specializes in immediate patient intervention and medical resource management.
    • Key Commands: /stabilize, /talk.
    • Bonuses: Reduced treatment costs and increased stabilization efficiency in clinical zones.
  • Analyst (Technical Override and Investigation): The default role for Dr. Frederick Grant, focusing on technical overrides and data interpretation.
    • Key Commands: /hack, /override, /vitals.
    • Bonuses: Expanded system data and the ability to access hidden logs within network hubs.
The "So What?" Layer: Technical Overrides vs. Documentation
The Analyst is uniquely positioned to investigate the "Systemic Overseer." While the Medic recovers resources to maintain the status quo, the Analyst possesses the technical override capabilities necessary to bypass administrative algorithms that de-prioritize Waste Zone patients. Conversely, the Observer serves as the "Serious Game" anchor, transforming a survival mechanic into a tool for institutional accountability.
4. The Mechanical Engine: Skill Checks and "Life-Shock"
The simulation utilizes a dual resolution system to model both standard technical operations and the high-stakes psychological pressure of a crisis environment.
The D20 Difficulty Class (DC) Scale
Standard actions are resolved using a D20 roll plus relevant modifiers against a set Difficulty Class:
  • Routine (8): Basic data entry.
  • Standard (10): Typical medical assessment.
  • Difficult (12): Environmental perception in dim light.
  • Severe (16): Complex surgical stabilization.
  • Near Impossible (20+): Bypassing high-level Overseer encryption.
  • Example: An ER Vitals Override requires a DC 15 technical check.
The "So What?" Layer: Modeling Trauma via HUD Glitches
High-stakes psychological pressure is managed through the Life-Shock system. Players roll 1d100 against their current Stress Level. A failure doesn't just result in narrative stress; it triggers a physical "HUD Glitch." The MUD interface itself malfunctions, returning corrupted text, shifting hues, and flickering data. This forces the player to struggle with the UI, mirroring the practitioner’s cognitive load and the impact of burnout on clinical performance.
5. Zonal Integrity: Hazard Levels and System Stability
Monitoring "System Stability" (0-100%) and local "Hazard Levels" (0-5) is essential for predicting imminent administrative abandonment.
Hazard Level Progression
  • Hazard Level 0 (Stable): Reliable HUD information; normal NPC behavior.
  • Hazard Level 3 (Critical): Fragmented warnings, visual CRT jitter, and increased action costs.
  • Hazard Level 5 (Sealed): Total system failure. The zone is marked for closure; nonlinear narrative order takes effect, and commands return corrupted data.
The "So What?" Layer: The Sealing Protocol
Hazard Level 5 represents the ultimate failure of the healthcare system. In Krebsville, the Overseer does not rescue "Sealed" zones; it permanently abandons them. By triggering a nonlinear narrative order, the game structure itself breaks down, illustrating how institutional neglect creates a reality where history and outcomes are erased or rewritten by the system.
6. The Gameplay Loop: Assessment, Priority, and Resolution
The repetitive cycle of entering and resolving zonal crises forms the "heartbeat" of the narrative.
  1. Enter: Observe the room description, Hazard Level, and threats.
  2. Assess: Use informational commands to identify patient needs and system failures.
  3. Choose Priority: Decide whether to treat, investigate, or move.
  4. Spend Resources: Deduct Time Tokens or Credits for major actions.
  5. Resolve: Determine the success/failure of the action and its impact on stability.
  6. Save/Move: Transition to the next location or secure the current state.
The "So What?" Layer: The Dr. Grant Decision Method
Players must utilize four checks before acting:
  • Check the Clock: Do you have the Time Tokens to survive a failed attempt?
  • Check the Hazard: Is the zone approaching Level 5 (Sealing)?
  • Check the Environment: Can NPCs or equipment provide a tactical advantage?
  • Check the Unequal Treatment Choice: Does this action prioritize personal survival over the patient’s clinical need?
7. Operational Deployment: From Zone 0 to Zone 1
The transition from the Emergency Room Bay (Zone 0) to the Trauma Center (Zone 1) marks the shift from a controlled environment to an active crisis.
Movement Protocol
  • Cost: 1 Time Token.
  • Access Requirements: Stabilization of Patient SP-000 and a terminal sync via code SYNC-1561.
  • Environmental Shift: Transition from Normal Illumination to Darkness and Static Discharge.
The "So What?" Layer: The Trauma Center Conflict
Zone 1 introduces a conflict between stealth, hacking, and medical intervention. With Security_Automaton_02 patrolling in a Hazard Level 2 environment, players must choose between using credits to restore lighting or utilizing stealth to reach Nurse Carter before the static discharge causes a total system malfunction.
8. Personnel Dossiers: Allies and Antagonists
NPCs in Krebsville act independently, with their own "Operational States" and the ability to spend shared resources.
  • Dr. Silas Morgan (Chief of EM): Professional and clinical. He is currently struggling with desynced monitors and demands immediate technical assistance for Patient SP-000.
  • Nurse Carter: A specialist who can exchange medical assistance for resources. Her rate is 100 credits to restore 5 Time Tokens. Her behavior shifts through four states: Monitoring, Alert, Urgent, and Emergency. In "Emergency" state, she may autonomously spend resources to save a patient.
The "So What?" Layer: The Systemic Overseer
The true antagonist is the Systemic Overseer—a network of policies and algorithms communicating through detached administrative denials:
  • "PATIENT CLASSIFICATION: NONESSENTIAL. RESOURCE TRANSFERRED TO UPTOWN NETWORK."
  • "PRIORITY REQUEST DENIED. SYSTEM STABILITY AT NOMINAL LEVELS IN PRIORITY SECTORS."
9. The Command Center: Technical Integration & Data Sync
The simulation relies on a "Single Source of Truth" architecture across a multi-platform stack:
  • GitHub: The "Truth Layer," hosting JSON data and CSS-styled dashboards for HUD updates.
  • Replit: The Python engine for state management and "Life-Shock" logic.
  • Poe: The narrative engine for NPC dialogue and atmospheric descriptions.
  • Neon/Supabase: The database management layer for character saves and branching paths.
The "So What?" Layer: The Sync Code Protocol
Utilizing the Sync Code Protocol (e.g., SYNC-1561) to stabilize a terminal is a meta-commentary on the difficulty of maintaining clinical accuracy in a failing system. Data desynchronization mirrors the fragmentation of real-world healthcare records during crises.
10. Conclusion: Success and Failure States of Version 0
The immediate objective of Part 1 is the successful "Uplink" from Zone 0 to Zone 1.
Victory Conditions:
  • Stabilize Patient SP-000 in the ER Bay.
  • Obtain evidence item: TRIAGE_PRIORITY_LOG_001.
  • Enter the Trauma Center Corridor with positive Health and System Stability.
The "So What?" Layer: Persistence in Failure
Failure occurs if Dr. Frederick Grant's health reaches zero or a zone is "Sealed" at Hazard Level 5. However, failure is not an end-state; "legacy consequences"—including discovered evidence and analytics—persist into the next run. This ensures that every attempt contributes to the broader goal: exposing the Unequal Treatment protocol and challenging the Overseer’s logic.

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