Renegade – minimald6

RENEGADE v0.3.1 [Updated: 15|10|2018]

Based on minimald6 – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

1. CREATE CHARACTERS

1.1 Roll your attributes with 1d6

You have four attributes:

Fight, Invent, Run, Explain

Roll for each in turn. 1 = really bad, 6 = really good.

You will develop a working definition in play, but essentially everything boils down to these four things. If you need to compare or find out who’s better at something – use a straightforward comparison: a higher score always beats a lower score.

For example:

If two characters run to grab a prize, the character with Run 5 will beat the character with Run 2 every time. Complication may turn this into a conflict, with dice, in which case the higher Run will provide an advantage.

1.1.1 Optional rule: Assign 15 points to your attributes

Instead of rolling random numbers, assign 15 points across the four attributes.

All attributes must have a score of at least = 1 and no character can have more than one attribute with a score = 6.

1.2 Starting Level
You start on Level 2.

1.3 Choose your character archetype
Choose your character and pick (Level) Specials from those listed to create your starting character.

Traveller (2)
  ★ Centre of Everything, Friends in High Places, Incorrigible Boffin, Psychic Sensitivity, Resourceful Pockets

Cheeky Scallywag (2)
  ★ Affable Ignorance, Charm, Lucky, Run like the Wind, Street Savvy

Scientist (2)
  ★ Insatiable Curiosity, Eidetic Memory, Professor of Science, Technobabble, Unnatural Charm

Soldier (2)
  ★ Code of Conduct, Commanding Voice, Cool Under Fire, Field Training, Five Rounds Rapid

Reporter (2)
  ★ Face in the Crowd, Friends in All the Right Places, Gift of the Gab, Insatiable Curiosity, A Nose for Danger

Teacher (2)
  ★ Connoisseur, Empathy, Run for Cover, Supply Teacher Trivia, Weekend Reservist

Salad Man (2)
  ★ Confident Swagger, Strong Stomach, Eat My Salad Halloween, Too Wasted to Run, Know the Way

2. PLAY THE GAME

2.1 Players
Describe what your character is doing.

If it’s uncertain, roll 2d6. Any 5 or 6 = successful.

+1d6 for advantage of any kind (item, high attribute, superior tactics, etc.).
-1d6 for disadvantage of any kind (low attribute, hindrance, nursing a serious injury, etc.).

DO NOT ADD DICE RESULTS. Simply look for 5s and 6s.

Never roll more than 3d6. Never roll less than 1d6. Never roll if likely or uncontested.

Roll when you try to hit, to evade, to do stuff, to save your ass. The GM will tell you when and why.

2.2 Levelling Up
When dramatically appropriate, a character rises to a new level. They may then pick another Special from their own list (or, with GM OK, from another).

3. RUN THE GAME

3.1 Gamemasters
The Gamemaster plays the world and everything in it.

If the order of things matters, then Explain, Run, Invent and Fire.

Success in combat = narrate what happens – assigning an appropriate hindrance. The good folks don’t die in Renegade – they get separated, trapped, gloated at, imprisoned, deprived of a vital McGuffin, or monologued into submission.

Enemies acquire hindrances until they can’t act or threaten anymore, suffer a setback, disappear behind falling debris, or take leave of their senses.

Major successes are possible – as Gamemaster you decide what happens and when.

  ★ Likely success: don’t roll dice, it happens.
  ★ Unlikely success: roll dice.
  ★ Impossible: don’t roll dice, tell the players what happens.

Skills are likely, except when impossible. All rolls change the situation.

3.2 Antagonists and Bystanders
If it’s required create specials for your characters (just like Character Specials). If not, just wing it.

Bystanders tend to:

  • get in the way,
  • split the party,
  • scream and run scared,
  • question aggressively,
  • call the authorities, or
  • turn out to be unwilling puppets of the central villain, openly violent, needlessly obstructive and/or certain to report back on what the player’s characters are up to.

3.2.1 Ancient Reptilian
Agile and Athletic, Shoot to Stun, Whipping Tongue, Vulnerable to Cold

3.2.2 Clone Trooper
A Thousand Years of War, Everything By The Book, Bred for War, Unprotected Vent

3.2.3 Cybernetic Immortal
Arm-mounted Particle Weapon, Networked, Nothing Natural Remains, Plodding Pace, Weakness to Platinum

3.2.4 Mutant War-machine
Anti-Gravity Field, Impenetrable Shell, Shrieking Fury, X-Ray Beam (heavy), Ultra Technology, Vulnerable Eye-stalk

3.2.5 Otherworldly Witch
Broomstick Swoop, Gnarly Claws, Heart-stopping Ugliness, Words Have Power

3.2.6 Plant Upstart
Keeps Growing, Inhumanity, Resilience, Chemical Intolerance 

3.2.7 Tick-Tock Mech
Ingenious Recycling, Networked Thinking, Wait Please… Scanning, FOR Loop

3.2.8 Unhinged Robot Servitor
Disarming Personality, Expressionless, Reinforced Shell, Slave Circuit 

3.2.9 Shape-shifting Infiltrator
Shape-shifting, Organic Technology, Pet Dragon, Unwelcome handshake, Fear of Fire

3.3 Optional rule: Time Token
If you make a roll with three dice (excluding the Dilemma Die, see below) and both (a) fail and (b) roll the same number on all three, you gain a Time Token.

Time Tokens form a communal resource for anyone in the group to use and can be spent to either:

  • Succeed in any task, even impossible ones, without having to roll the dice, providing you have an sound, if highly improbable, explanation
  • Tweak the plot or the course of events in your favour when it matters most, introducing a McGuffin, Deus ex Machina, or other infeasible turn of events that allows you to avoid the left turn and go another way entirely

3.3.1 Optional rule: Classic Tokens
Call Time Tokens Keys to Time instead. Some people will appreciate the reference.

3.4 Optional rule: Dilemma Die

Every roll includes an additional die, the Dilemma Die. That’s a d6 with one side marked with a special symbol.

Always roll the Dilemma Die with any other dice rolled.

If you roll the one marked side, something negative happens in addition to what’s going on, and it doesn’t matter if the other dice show a success or not.

4. ADVENTURES

4.1 Structure

Running adventures in the style of well-known time-travelling series takes a certain approach, not entirely uncommon in another genre.

Jump Start: Dive right into the action. This might involve the player characters from the very start, but equally it might be non-player characters, However, you should allow them to take on these roles and introduce a very visible, if perhaps undefinable, threat.

Discovery/Conflict: Introduce characters and setting; initial discovery can lead to tensions and disagreement. A chance encounter with conflict gives the opportunity for the player characters to prove their trust or worth. Non-player characters will die off, succumb to base desires, become obstacles, believing the adversary or even help. Time for gloating, threat, and a monologued superiority.

Montage/Resolution: Minor defeat, diversion, a split party, capture, or some annoying loss will lead to a discovery moment or invention montage, where player characters can draw all clues and resources together to face the enemy. The final conflict might require a sacrifice, whether physical or from a loss in faith, friendship, ideals or motivation.

Close: While often clean-cut conclusions, it can be fun to have an enemy leave behind some possibility of return – a threat, artefact, plea, scar or otherwise. And always make time for a warm farewell to the survivors.

4.2 Motivation

As Gamemaster you shouldn’t need to remind the Players why they get involved. Usually curiosity (plain nosiness) or compassion, sprinkled with opportunity, mystery, necessity, bad luck, and technical problems.