Doom Clock
19. Doom Clock
The Doom Clock represents the slow, inevitable escalation of the world.
Doom is not danger. Doom is not attention. Doom is what happens when escalation can no longer be contained locally.
Doom always moves forward.
19.1 Doom Clock Size
Choose during session zero:
• One Shot: 3–4 segments • Short Campaign: 6 segments • Long Campaign: 8–10 segments
When the Doom Clock fills, a Final Catastrophe occurs (Section 20.8).
19.2 Containment and Failure (Edited Clause)
Escalation is contained when consequences can still be resolved locally using: • local threat pressure and Defense Scenes (Sections 13 and 15) • Exposure (Section 17) • location degradation/loss (Section 15)
Containment is considered failed when any of the following occur:
• Attention is spent at the highest threshold (9+) (Section 18) • a Besieged Location (Threat 4+ as established by your Location threat model) falls (Section 15) • a Catastrophe resolves (Section 20) • a World Card explicitly escalates the world (Cycle procedures; Section 14)
When containment fails, Doom advances.
Doom does not advance mid-scene. Doom advances only at World Response Triggers (Section 14.5).
19.3 Advancing Doom
When Doom advances, mark one segment.
A Doom advance does not automatically produce a Catastrophe. Each Doom advance causes one irreversible change that alters what is possible.
Examples: • Exposure worsens globally (Section 17) • Safe Locations require +1 Shelter Tag to count as Safe (Section 15) • defense escalation tightens (Section 13/15) • a faction loses stabilizing tags or gains distorted tags (Section 16) • a hidden truth about the world is revealed
19.4 The Final Segment
When the Doom Clock fills: • a Final Catastrophe occurs (Section 20.8) • it cannot be prevented or redirected • core rules of the world permanently change
19.5 Design Intent
Doom ensures: • long-term play always escalates • delay is not prevention • sacrifice has meaning • endings are earned, not arbitrary