Under the Dome: Gift-Giving, Bribery, & Tribute

Under the Dome: Gift-Giving, Bribery, & Tribute

December 22, 2025

Uncategorized

Nothing is free. Especially kindness.

There are no holidays under the Dome.

No days of rest.
No festivals of generosity.
No rituals of giving without expectation.

But people still exchange gifts.

They just don’t call them that anymore.

Under the Dome, a “gift” is leverage.
A bribe is an investment.
And tribute is the price of waking up tomorrow without your door kicked in.

If you survive long enough, you learn the rules:
Giving isn’t about generosity — it’s about power.

🎭 1. Gifts as Control

When a Baron gives you something, it’s never a favor.

It’s a message.

A crate of rations dropped at your door.
A weapon upgrade you didn’t ask for.
A filter replacement delivered just before your old one fails.

These gifts say:
I know what you need.
I know where you live.
And now you owe me.

Barons don’t want gratitude.
They want obedience — or at least hesitation when their name comes up.

DM Tip: Every major gift should come with an unspoken timer.
The players may not know when repayment is expected — only that it is.

💰 2. Bribery Is the Only Language That Works

Under the Dome, bribery isn’t corruption.
It’s logistics.

Doors open because someone was paid.
Records disappear because someone was compensated.
Weapons get confiscated… then quietly returned.

And the best bribes aren’t grind.

They’re:

heat credits during winter
fresh food
clean water
medical access
protection
information

Or the rarest bribe of all: silence.

Player Advice: If you can solve a problem without rolling initiative by offering the right thing, do it.
Violence draws attention. Bribery builds relationships — dangerous ones.

🩸 3. Tribute: The Cost of Existing

Some groups don’t negotiate.

Gangs. Enforcers. Protection rackets.
They don’t accept bribes — only tribute.

Tribute is paid regularly:

a portion of your grind
a cut of your salvage
food quotas
forced labor
“volunteers”

Paying tribute doesn’t make you safe.
It just makes you less urgent to kill.

DM Hook Ideas:

The gang raises tribute during winter shortages.
A tribute shipment goes missing — and the PCs are blamed.
A rival gang offers “better terms,” igniting a proxy war.
Someone the party cares about is taken as tribute.

Tribute is the shadow economy of survival.

🕯️ 4. Social Rituals Replace Holidays

People still need milestones.
They still crave structure.

So under the Dome, social rituals evolve:

“Gift Days” when Barons distribute favors publicly
Tribute deadlines treated like sacred dates
Seasonal bribe surges during winter or storm cycles
Ceremonial offerings to gangs, cults, or even the Dome itself

These events are tense, performative, and dangerous.
Everyone watches who gives what — and who doesn’t.

DM Tip: Treat these moments like social boss fights.
Positioning, timing, and presentation matter more than weapons.

⚙️ 5. Using Gifts Mechanically at the Table

To make gift-giving matter, give it weight.

🎁 Gift Tags

Attach hidden “tags” to major gifts:

Expectation: A future favor
Surveillance: The giver can track the item
Debt: Interest accrues over time
Reputation: Others assume loyalty

⚖️ Favor Economy

Track favors like currency.
Players can owe, hold, or trade them.

🧠 Moral Cost

Sometimes the price of a gift isn’t gold — it’s conscience.
Who gets hurt because the party accepted?

🧭 6. Advice for Players: Navigating the Exchange

Never accept a gift you can’t return.
Assume every item is marked — socially, magically, or politically.
Use gifts strategically: giving is as powerful as receiving.
Know when to refuse. Refusal is risky — but sometimes it’s the only power left.
Remember who’s watching. Under the Dome, reputation spreads faster than rumors.