The results of our first poll are in, and “Setting & Lore” won by a pretty large margin. Thus, as promised, here is an update filling you in on some details about ENCORE’s setting and lore!
If you voted for one of the other choices in the poll, fear not! We will be revealing more details about the game as we approach the launch date. Also, some of you asked great questions in your poll responses. We will be answering those shortly! For now, on to some details about the setting!
The Overall Setting of ENCORE
The game of ENCORE takes place sometime in the late ‘80s to the early ‘90s in the United States. The Cold War is ending, and a New World Order is beginning, which has many people, in the government and elsewhere, on edge. The majority of the action of the game (aside from flashbacks and other narrative scenes) takes place in the fictional town of Gilford Grove, and the equally fictional retirement facility, Marblemont Estates. We are envisioning Gilford Grove being a sleepy town in upstate New York or a similar forested, mountainous region of your choice.
Note: Any similarities to real world locations or peoples are strictly coincidental.
Welcome to Marblemont Estates
The majority of the action of ENCORE takes place in Marblemont Estates, a premium retirement home for former government operatives, military experts, enemies of state, classified weirdos, and more. Marblemont is a sprawling and stately complex built in the 1950s during the thick of the Cold War, and it is located a short drive outside of the sleepy town of Gilford Grove.
Note: the following is not an exhaustive list of locations, and it is still a work in progress that may change. When you get your hands on ENCORE, you can use these locations in your stories, or you can modify and omit where you see fit.
What is Really Going on? (or part of it)
Marblemont Estates is part of a clandestine government operation known as E.N.C.O.R.E. – Elite National Covert Operatives Retirement Estate. It is a place for the world’s most dangerous assets to come in from the cold and settle down with some cocoa and a blanket. At the same time, it is a place where the government can continue monitoring its formerly best and brightest so that they can learn lessons for the future. Escape attempts are allowed within reason to test the residents’ continued acuity. Certain courses, from target practice to drownproofing, are offered to the residents to keep testing their mettle. Rumors also abound about what is in the meals and pills given to the residents: is the government running even more covert tests on these covert codgers and curmudgeonettes? Is blood being collected to create super serums and clones? Some mysteries will need to be solved later.
The Administrator oversees all Marblemont goings-on with a calm yet firm voice over the intercom. Very rarely is he seen wandering the facilities, and whenever he is, the residents and staff find it hard to remember what he looks like.
The Administrator leaves most day-to-day decision making to Head Nurse Wrench, but the two of them have been known to disagree on certain matters. Nurse Wrench, for instance, oversees curfew and field trips with an iron fist, discouraging any ‘unsanctioned trips’ or ‘playing hooky.’ The Administrator, on the other hand, thinks a certain amount of rule-breaking and independence is acceptable, provided the residents are monitored and tracked.
The 3rd and 4th Floors
These floors are off-limits to the residents. The elevators and stairways require special ID cards to pass beyond the 2nd floor. What is on these floors is unknown, but the residents speculate that there are labs and offices pouring over the data gathered from the security cameras and tests being run on them, whatever those may be. And the Administrator has an office up there, that is clear.
A helipad graces the roof of the facility, though birds rarely touch down.
The Basement Levels
These tunnels are here for the safety of Marblemont. If, by some chance, there was an attack on Marblemont, the staff and residents would take shelter in the tunnels, which connect to a hidden port on Lake Mistake. Speedboats are standing by to bring all residents to E.N.C.O.R.E. Site Bravo…
What the Estates Offer to Residents
Everywhere in the residential areas of Marblemont Estates (the grounds and the first two floors) is mobility-accessible and surveilled by state-of-the-art security systems. For your safety.
Residences
The first two floors of Marblemont are mostly dedicated to the rooms of the residents. Each resident has a private room with an en suite bathroom. Bulletproof and tamperproof windows allow the residents to enjoy the natural scenery outside the Estates. In special circumstances, Marblemont allows for two residents to share a living space, provided they have no outstanding kill contracts against each other.
Amenities:
Televisions with select channels
Rocking chair and/or reclining chair
Credenzas with decorative lace, magazines, and tea sets
Kitchenettes
Mandatory security cameras
Panic buttons
Social Room
Located on the first floor in the East Wing, the Social Room is a mixed-purpose room for the residents to relax and socialize.
Social Room Amenities:
Chairs and tables
Couches and recliners
One big television and exactly one remote
There are many games (cards, board games, etc.) available for the residents
Pinochle
Bridge
Mahjong
Rummy
Chess
Checkers
Dominos
Backgammon
Garden Cats & Sewer Rats: a deckbuilding game about territorial expansion, resistance, and the importance of surveillance.
Somme One to Love: a game about romance and fierce tactical combat in WWI.
And more!
Fitness Center
This room on the first floor, located in the West Wing, offers pilates, yoga, exercise equipment, and various forms of martial arts. There is a wide array of equipment to use under supervision: pads, mats, triad balls, and weapons from a variety of cultures and disciplines! Bloodstains are cleaned daily.
Exercise Pool
In the South Wing of the first floor is a large pool for hydrotherapy, aqua aerobics, and occasional drownproofing trials. Any rumors of strange tentacles grasping feet in the pool are grossly exaggerated.
Sensory Deprivation Chamber
On the second floor of the East Wing is this lovely and quiet place to relax. Nothing more going on here.
Dance and Bingo Hall
This larger room sits between the Wings and serves as the ‘heart’ of Marblemont. Weekly bingo games, dances, and mandatory film screenings take place here for the residents’ enjoyment.
Current Marblemont Bingo Champion:Rexford “Rex” Peters, room 156.
Days Without a Violent Incident in the Bingo Hall: 27
The film list is carefully curated, and the choices are definitely real films which have been released and are not an attempt to elicit certain emotional states.
Some recent special film screenings:
From Istanbul With Affection: a comedy about two spies from opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, chasing each other around Istanbul and falling in love.
Happy Retirement, Mr. Peters: a heartfelt film about a man’s last day on the job at a bullet factory.
They Pick the Daffodils: a lighthearted film about releasing one’s anxiety and not resisting instructions.
Ruff Territory: a WWII film about a wisecracking team of commandos who go deep behind enemy lines to save the president’s prized poodle.
One for Washington!: an inspiring tale about a corn-fed football star who strives to become a politician.
Dining Room
Well-appointed and comfortable, this room can easily accommodate all of the residents plus guests. It is encouraged that meals are taken here, and there is usually live music being played, courtesy of Marblemont’s very own house band, Captain Tim and the Seals! All the cutlery are precision-dulled and counted by the staff before and after every meal.
Lawn
Outside the main Marblemont building to the east is the lovely Lawn, where residents can lounge in comfortable deck chairs, Adirondack chairs, or hammocks! There is a regulation shuffleboard court to use, as well as a garden and greenhouse that the residents also love spending time at. Growing illicit substances is prohibited, as is burying items or people in the garden.
Gun Range
Just outside the Estates is a picturesque gun range for residents to practice shooting, ballistics, projectile throwing, and more. Each week, Marblemont awards the best crackshot with an extra pudding!
Golf Course
Located in the forest just next to the Gun Range, this 9-hole golf course encourages accuracy, walking, and anger management. Each week, Marblemont awards the best golf scores with an extra fruit cup!
Field Trips to Gilford Grove!
Periodically, the residents can head into the nearby town for shopping, sightseeing, activities, and more! We greatly encourage limited resident independence under our watchful guidance and protection!
How We Keep the Residents Safe
Front Desk and Fortified Foyer
The friendly staff and sharp security are always ready to welcome newcomers and visitors to Marblemont. Security cameras help with the welcoming atmosphere, and state-of-the-art substance detectors at the doors ensure that nothing that would ‘excite’ the residents can make it into the facility. Although the entire facility is reinforced and secure, the front desk area is built to withstand any ‘surprise guests,’ and thus is thoroughly bulletproof against small arms fire.
The day-to-day operations of Marblemont are run by Head Nurse Imelda Wrench. She’s a no-nonsense woman with decades of experience in the ‘liveliest’ retirement facilities and correctional houses.
Kitchen
The residents are provided with nutritious and carefully crafted meals prepared by our experienced chefs and food scientists. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served in the Dining Room or, with approval, in a resident’s room. Healthy snacks (all field tested on operatives) are provided between meals.
Infirmary
Everyone gets ill, and that is no different for our hearty residents. The nurses here are well-versed in all manner of ailments, from colds and fevers, to removing shrapnel and resetting broken limbs. Overzealous residents who ‘play hooky’ and come back extremely injured find themselves good as new after a brief stay in the Infirmary’s backrooms.
Guard Room(s) and Nurse Break Room
These rooms are off limits to the residents.
Welcome to Gilford Grove!
Marblemont Estates sits just minutes away from beautiful, serene Gilford Grove (pop. 2,300). Nestled by gorgeous Gilford Valley to the east and Lake Mistake to the west, Gilford Grove is a quiet town with history and verve. Nothing much goes on in Gilford Grove; it’s the quintessential American small town…or at least that is what the higher-ups thought when they located Marblemont Estates here in the 1950s.
Gilford Grove at a Glance:
Founded: 1811
Founder: Ezekiel Randall Gilford
TownMotto: Hic aeque bene ac usquam
OfficialTownMascot: Sergeant (porcupine)
UnofficialTownMascot: ‘Chompy’ the Lake Monster (apocryphal)
Locations in the Town
The town of Gilford Grove got its name from a grove of trees set next to a small creek running into the lake. When Ezekiel Gilford and his followers found the area, the grove was illuminated by a shaft of light penetrating dark storm clouds. Gilford reportedly said aloud, “Here is equally as well as anywhere,” which became the town’s motto. The original grove is long gone, its trees having been felled to make the town’s first houses and ships. When the last tree of the grove was cut, it is said the wind cried in anger. Still to this day, October 23rd is celebrated as “Screaming Tree Day.”
The following is a list of some of the most interesting places to visit in town (it is by no means an exhaustive list).
Town Hall
Originally built in 1814, and rebuilt several times due to fires, the current town hall dates back to 1923. It serves as the location of the mayor’s office, the town clerk’s offices, and a meeting space for civic events and board meetings. The highlight of the Hall is a massive, old oil painting of Ezekiel Gilford and his followers finding the Grove.
Possible Story Thread: The town hall keeps burning down, and no one can explain why. Perhaps it has something to do with the Hall’s location…right where the “screaming tree” was reportedly felled.
Town Marina
The town sits on placid Lake Mistake, and thus has a marina and docks for private boats. Fishing boats and lake tours head out from the marina every day except for when the lake is frozen over.
Possible Story Thread: Small boats come into the port deep in the night, bearing no cargo or crew. They are gone by dawn.
Hoppin’ Hal’s Fish House
This restaurant specializes in fresh catch-of-the-day fish and tasty side dishes. It is run by Hal Ulstrom, the chef and manager and his partner Hugo Nieminen, who does the fishing. They are cheery folk, but they do not talk about their pasts. The front of the house is run by Wendy Ulstrom, Hal’s sister.
Possible Story Thread: Rumors abound in the halls of Marblemont about the proprietors of Hoppin’ Hal’s. Most stories center on Hal, Hugo, and Wendy being former KGB operatives, one of whom was famous for their fishwire garotte and signature galoshes.
The Gilford Grove Ghost Society
The GGGS is dedicated to investigating all reports of supernatural activity in Gilford Grove. There are six members of the organization, and the current headquarters of this secret society is in the basement of the home of Alice and Trevor Blickman. The current president of GGGS is Greg Blickman, 29-year-old son of Alice and Trevor, hence the HQ being in the Blickman basement.
Possible Story Thread: Alice and Trevor have had enough of their son’s meetings and want him to get a proper job at the grocery store or somewhere else.
Ventimiglia Grocery
This is the largest grocery store in Gilford Grove. At 78 years of age, Emiliano Monti still runs the store he founded some 40 years ago. Ventimiglia is the best place to get most things in town, from bananas to batteries.
Possible Story Thread: Ventimiglia is the name of the Italian town where Monti comes from, but it is also the name of a botched black ops operation to recover stolen diamonds in the Dolomites. Could there be a connection between this happy, unassuming man, and one of the most infamous screw-ups in intelligence history?
Weekly Farmer’s Market
Every Thursday during Spring, Summer, and Fall, the town square transforms into a quaint and busy market. Farmers and artisans showcase their goods to the rest of the townsfolk and visitors, either from Marblemont or beyond. Marisol Lopez’s embroideries are always a hit, as well as Geraldine Swift’s baked goods.
Possible Story Thread: While on a sanctioned visit to the Market, the characters (PCs) notice in their peripheral vision that they are being watched by men in black suits and shades. Are these Marblemont minders, or someone else?
Video Zone
The local VHS rental store has all the classics and new hits a person might want to rent! Residents from Marblemont are required to get a membership card and signed permission from the Administrator before they are allowed to rent videos. There have been thefts in the past, and incidents of residents’ recording over the VHS tapes. The night manager is a bored high school senior named Amy Finch. Her favorite band is a tie between My Rotting Pulse and Our Eyes to the Sky.
Possible Story Thread: A mysterious VHS is found in the store’s return chute. Recorded over the middle of a film called Hot Ice is a cryptic message: a masked figure in a barn speaks of a ‘happy harvester man’ who will come and ‘reap the old and bring forth a new happy hunting season.’ Night Manager Amy Finch reported that “Found footage should have craft and panache. This video had weird sounds in it, but it was like someone was playing an old haunted house record in the background to make things sound creepier. I’m pretty sure I heard someone yell that it was time for dinner at some point, too, so this mystery man is probably just some loser.” When a second tape arrives the next night, this one apparently showing a person tied up and pushed into the lake, even the sardonic Amy is at a loss for words.
Fisher Cat Provisions
Run by the indefatigable Patricia Macon, the Fisher Cat stocks outdoor gear, firearms, fishing bait & tackle, and more! Patricia can spin a mean yarn, so locals know to steer away from conversations concerning cryptids, hunting cryptids, or gossip around town.
Possible Story Thread: Patricia claims to have seen ‘The Wild Yonder Beast,’ a fearsome creature that takes the shape of a fisher cat but has glowing eyes and a French accent. The majority of the town refuses to believe a nasty cryptid beast is loose in the forest, but Patricia keeps watchful vigil nonetheless.
Grounds Control to Major Tea
The local coffee and tea shop where many in the town stop by for their hot beverage of choice and a baked good. ‘Grounds’ offers a wide variety of roasts and blends, and their blueberry muffins, served with butter, are to die for. As the locals say, “the name is an awkward mouthful, but the food is a tasty mouthful!” There is usually a steady stream of high schoolers working at ‘Grounds’ and playing bad music (from the perspective of Marblemont residents, mind you). The owner is an older woman named Lucille who usually sits in the back office and watches Magnum P.I. Sometimes she does a tarot reading or two. She looks and dresses (whether by fate or by design is unknown) like David Bowie in his Labyrinth era.
Possible Story Thread: This cafe is the best place to pick up local gossip and meet relatively tolerable young people. Lucille is a wealth of information, some of which might be true.
More Locations!
Gilford K-12 Schools: Home of the Fighting Porcupines!
Avery’s Truck and Car Repair: Nothing weird happens here!
The Gilford Diner: cheapest coffee and biggest flapjacks!
The Mingled Yarn: An Arts & Crafts Emporium (and possibly a witch coven)
Babe’s Bar: The local, salt-of-the-earth dive bar you grow to love. Run by former athlete and hometown hero, Ruth “Babe” Herman-George. She's as tough as a 2-dollar steak.
Boom! Records: The best place to get LPs, cassettes, 8-tracks, and encoded messages that self-destruct.
Locations around Gilford Grove
Outside of the town are a host of fun and interesting areas to explore as tourists…or as bored residents of a certain retirement home.
Gilford Forest
Over 10,000 acres of forest stretches east of the town, covering most of Gilford Valley. There are walking and bike paths throughout the public areas of the woods, where visitors can get a big breath of fresh air amidst the deciduous and coniferous trees. Visitors should be sure to check out Ol’ Tangle, an old growth oak tree said to be at least 800 years old!
Possible Story Thread: If you visit Ol' Tangle during a full moon, it is said that it will sing Tom Waits' Rain Dogs in its entirety. However, the singing attracts wolves.
Ancient Burial Ground*
Deep within the forest is The Stelae, a set of standing stones believed to be an ancient burial ground or perhaps ceremonial site. First discovered by Barry Ogham, hunter and owner of Ogham’s Lodge, it is now open to the public for a fee. *Detractors say that Ogham probably arranged most of the stones to look ancient and meaningful.
Possible Story Thread: Whether or not Ogham built the site or an ancient people did, someone has been using the stones for ceremonies. Bored teens? Strange cultists?
Ogham’s Lodge
Run by hunter and self-made millionaire Barry Ogham, this lodge is part hotel and part adventure experience. Ogham leads wealthy tourists on hunting trips in the private sections of Gilford Forest and the surrounding mountains. Ogham has an agreement with Marblemont Estates to ensure the residents stay safe and far away from his operations.
Possible Story Thread: How did Ogham make his millions? Why is he so excited about showing off The Stelae to visitors? What is he hunting in the woods? Is his eyepatch real?
Whatadrop Ski Resort
The resort is only a couple decades old; formerly it was a mom and pop outfit with only a few trails down Woebetide Mountain. It was recently acquired by Gaston & Crux Industries, a Swiss conglomerate that formerly specialized in cuckoo clocks and artificial climbing walls. The new owners have expanded the ski trails and facilities, introducing the mountain’s first alpine hotel, as well as new chairlifts and double-diamond runs!
Possible Story Thread: All of the employees of Whatadrop are exchange students. Blond hair, blue eyes, and sporting tactical turtlenecks. At night, the ski lifts keep running despite the resort being closed.
Totally Normal Mine (abandoned)
In the foothills of Bald Mountain is a silver mine which used to be run by the Wentworth family, one of the first families to come to Gilford Grove. The Wentworths and the Gilfords had an infamous feud which lasted for centuries, but that is in the past now. The silver mine supposedly dried up decades ago after two ignoble incidents. The first involved the family’s wayward son, Benjamin “Benji” Wentworth IV, who absconded across the lake in a boat overladen with silver. Benji and his stolen silver were never seen again. The second disaster was a cave-in that closed off the last profitable vein of silver in the mine. Operations closed soon after that.
Possible Story Thread: Two popular ghost stories in town involve the Wentworth mine. The first is that “Benji” and his stolen silver are still out there on the lake; Chompy the lake monster is said to have eaten Benji and his booty, so now Benji’s ghost haunts the waterways looking for his ill-gotten goods. The other ghost story involves the mine itself. The lower reaches are inaccessible, yet the sounds of harmonica playing and whistling can be heard if one goes deep enough into the mine.
Tobey’s Adventure Palace - Paintball and ATV
Tobey Dimricky runs the Adventure Palace, located just east of the Bartleby and Brittlebridge Farms, in the forest. It abuts the public forest area, which causes consternation when paintballs go flying or the sounds of revved-up ATVs and dirtbikes disturb nature-lovers. Tobey doesn’t mind too much: he knows that the town needs a new way to let off steam. “Too much tension in this weird old town,” Tobey has said. However, Tobey would have never been able to buy this expansive area of forest for his Palace without the help of angel investor Noel Hayes, a British businessman with pristine clothes and coiffed hair.
Possible Story Thread: Residents are always trying to get permission to visit the Adventure Palace, but Nurse Wrench and the Administrator always reject the requests. “It’s too dangerous for the townspeople,” the Administrator says.
Another Possible Story Thread: Noel Hayes’ hair and clothes are way too nice for dirt tracks and paintballs. What business does he have investing in such a place?
Final Thoughts
Well, there is a big chunk of our current setting details! Let us know what you think in the comments. What places or people would you like to see populating the sleepy, mysterious town of Gilford Grove, or Marblemont Estates?
In upcoming Updates, we'll get into game mechanics, the character options, and more! Until then!
