Core Failure is a role-playing game set in the future, in another galaxy. Humans have traveled from Earth, on
spaceships, through a worm hole, to another galaxy. There they found stars and planets, and wasted no time
colonizing both. They built gateways to allow ships to travel between the stars quickly, and warp drives for
shorter trips around the solar system. Then, inexplicably, the worm hole that connected them to Earth closed,
and they were trapped. This sudden shock sent civilization reeling, and centuries of progress was lost. Society
crumbled back to pre-space-age technology, but then it rebounded. New cultures emerged from the remnants of the
old, and again humanity took to the stars. Now they developed and advanced their own technology, and warred
amongst eachother for control of resources.
While you don't need to know anything about Eve Online to play Core Failure, it's probably not the best game
for your group if none of you do. You could look up the lore on the various websites that are dedicated to this
game, or read one of the many books published about it, but if none of you came here with a working
knowledge of Eve Online, you might be better off with a different game. While you can just adapt it to
whatever setting you want, why? There are literally hundreds of other settings that use this system, and many
free ones. You've been warned.
As a role-playing game, you are going to need a couple of things. First, you need players, ideally 4 to 7, and
place to play where you can comfortably converse with each other. You will probably want something to keep track
of what's going, like a pen and paper, but this is the digital age, so maybe a laptop and a forum post, or a
cell phone and an app with work for you. What ever you are comfortable with, as long as it results in reliable
notes. You will also need a random number generator that is capable of generating random numbers from 1 to 6
(inclusive), and at least two of those numbers at a time. I'm thinking of normal 6 sided dice (abbreviated
"2d6"), but again, digital age, your heresies are between you and your god.
Of the 4 to 7 people, one of them is the game master (abbreviated as "GM" later on). Their job is to describe
the environment that the players interact with and to makes choices that lead to interesting stories being told
about the players. First and foremost, the GM should be a fan of the main characters in the story, and they
should challenge those characters to display interesting sides of themselves and tell interesting stories.
These stories could be inspiring, impressive, amazing, exciting, funny, or surprising, but they can also be
dark, depressing, horrific, painful, suspenseful, or grotesque, but they should be interesting to most, if not
all, of the other players. The role of the game master is not to write or tell these stories for the players,
the role is to put the characters in an environment, and then make decisions about that environment that allows
them to tell stories that evoke emotions.
The remaining 3 to 6 players are referred to as the players (confusing, I know, but here we are). Their job
is to
control the decisions of one character in the game. Their control over that character and the decisions that
they make should have the goal of telling a story that is interesting to the other players in the game. As
there are other players in the game, the most efficient way to do this is often to collaborate with those other
players to tell stories that involve multiple characters working together. As there is a game master, whose job
it is to facilitate the telling of these stories, players might also find that working with the GM to have their
character challenged allows them to display sides of their character that would otherwise be difficult or
impossible without opposition. Something something one hand clapping.
The final role is that of the dice: to cloud the future so that no one knows what may come. The dice have no
friend, no foe, no bias, and no feelings, and only the purpose of dropping a shroud over the future so that
it
might remain mysterious. With this in mind, realize that you should only employ them to that effect. If
something is a foregone conclusion, you need not roll for it. You could reasonable roll to see when
or how something happens, but if you know that it's going to happen, or if it's necessary to advance a
story that everyone wants to see advanced, then there is no need to roll to see if it happens. It can
simply be stated and then the story moves on. Similarly, those events that are just details and without
consequence need not be justified with a roll. If a player wishes their character to interrogate a foe with a
Noir-style cold metal chair and a light in their face, there is no need to roll to check that they have the
right materials to do that. If the foe is under their control and they are going to interrogate them one way or
another, the precise details don't matter and don't require a roll. Only those forks in the road that result in
a meaningful change to the story need to have the dice hide the paths. Inconsequential and inevitable paths
don't need to be veiled.
Now that these roles are established and the participants know what their goals are, the mechanics of play
can be described, which should answer the "how" to the previous "why." In Core Failure, players generate,
progress, and resolve storylines with "moves." Like pieces on a chess board, moves are different for different
characters, through there are some moves that are common to all player characters. The GM has their own set of
moves that they can take. Also like chess, moves happen one a time, in order, typically (though not always)
alternating between the players and the GM. When a player makes a move, the GM typically makes their own move in
response to that, and then the next player makes their move. The times when the GM might not make a move are
when things are pretty much wrapped up, in one direction on another, so that such a move would not be necessary,
or when there are already enough things going on that adding more to the chaos would not be productive. This is
not to say that they can't at more to the chaos, but there is no point in starting up a moderately good plot at
the cost of a great plot being forgotten.
To make a move, a player announces that they want to make the move, and then they describe the manner in
which
their character makes that move. It's possible, after the description of the way in which the character
makes
the move, that it becomes clear that the wrong move was taken. If that's the case, the right move should be
made
instead. While the moves are somewhat limited in what they do, part of the art of this system of moves is
massaging a move into what you want to do, and shaping your description in such a way that your character's
actions fit a move. Two of the best examples are confusions around Lock Target and Claim Sovereignty, and
Analyze Signatures and Analyze Vessel. For the former, if the player says, "My character is going to Lock
Target: I want to punch them in the stomach and steal their briefcase," this is really Claiming Sovereignty.
While it might seem like they are going to Lock Target and start a fight, their goal is to take control of
something, not just to exchange damage. Once the real objective of player's move becomes clear, the correct
move can be selected, and the dice rolled. For the latter example, Analyze Signatures is to know about
something, and Analyze Vessel is to know about someone. If the player says, "I think this
might be a trap, I want to Analyze Signatures on the distress call and get more information about the
situation." After they roll and start asking questions, it becomes clear that they are interested in the state
of mind of the sender of the signal, not the environment that it exists in. That's fine, because it's the same
modifier for both moves, but at this point, the description of what they are doing should be adjusted to reflect
that they are trying to analyze the human behind the message, not the message itself. When a player makes a move
with their character, they need to think both about how the moves work and what they do, and also how they are
going to describe the manner in which that move will be performed by their character. Together, they make their
move to push the plot of their story forward.
Once the move is decided on and the description of how it will be performed established, if the
result is neither inevitable nor inconsequential, then the dice are rolled to see what will happen. In Core
Failure, players (and never the game master) roll 2 six sided dice added together and add a modifier. This will
result in a number between -1 and 15 because the modifier is between -2 and +3, and 2 six sided dice add up to
between 2 and 12. Once you have the result, determine the range band that it falls into:
If you got a 10 or higher (10+), then your character has succeeded in what they were trying to do. The mvoe
with tell you what happens in that case. If you got a 7, 8 or 9 (7-9) as the sum of the dice and the modifiers,
then you got a partial success: something went right, but something went wrong. Usually this involves the GM
getting to add some challenge to your character, but sometimes it's just less of a success than a 10+. If you
got a 6 or lower, a Core Failure, then something has really gone wrong. Whatever your character was trying to
do, it didn't happen, and the GM is going to get to make a move unopposed by you.
Game Master moves are different from player moves in a couple of ways. First, they don't involve dice. If
dice are being rolled, then the non-GM players are rolling them (there is an alternative damage method that
changes this, see that section for more details). The players' rolls have already shrouded the future from
sight, so there is no need for the GM's rolls to do that. The GM should be making moves that best empower the
characters to display aspects of themselves that tell interesting stories, and that is always what the GM will
be doing, so there is no need to hide that fact behind the veil of random chance. It is enough for the GM to
just pick what moves they want to make when they have the opportunity to make them.
Game Master moves come in two flavors: immediate and developing. An immediate move is one that begins and
resolves before the next player move is made. This is common in situations where moves are happening at a
quick pace, or when you have enough plots going on at the moment to satisfy the interest of the players. For
example, if a player attempts the Lock Target move and scores a Core Failure, it is probably enough to hit them
back with some damage then move on to the next player. If you need to develop something, you can, but often
times, especially during a fight, it's enough to snap back quickly and move on. The exact description and effect
of the move depends on the threat that the player is facing. See the section on Threats for more details about
those.
Developing moves are moves that combine together for a drawn out, dramatic effect. Developing moves are
created by the GM when a threat is created, typically in between game sessions and away from the observation of
the players. These moves should be made by threats that the players are already aware of and interested in
confronting. Again, see the threats sections for more information about developing moves for specific threats.
When a developing threat is created, the GM can describe the initial premise of the threat to the players. This
initial premise should be something that the characters could observe, but later moves need not be. When the
developing move is created, it should have three moves as part of the building action, and three moves as part
of the concluding action. The building action moves involve more descrption, and should probably not have any
direct effect on the characters, except to make them aware that something is happening, and it's a problem, and
it's getting worse. The concluding action should be the part where things get bad and the characters receive
direct and severe consequences. The description is still important here, but at this point, the players should
understand what the threat is, and what is going to happen, so while it should be enough to tell them what the
move was and they should be able to describe it on their own, there is no reason that you shouldn't describe it
anyway. Developing move should also have a method of resolution, one that gets progressively harder the longer
it goes on. Typically, the rising action should take one or direct moves from the players to resolve. Once the
situation has gotten out of hand, it should take more actions to resolve, typically three or four by the time
the concluding action is at hand. Should all 6 of the developing moves take place, the threat has resolved
itself, but the environment is significantly changed for it, and the characters need to adapt to this new
environment.
Finally, timing of developing moves is an issue. The rising action moves should take place slowly
over the period of the game session, or multiple sessions. The descriptions of the rising actions should
indicate to the players that something is coming, and give them a sense of when it will hit. Once the
concluding actions begin, they should take place much more quickly, typically concluding in the span of one game
session. This time scale can be stretched or compressed based on the nature of the developing move, but the
proportionality of the time gaps should hold: all three moves in the concluding action should take about the
same amount of time as one of the moves in the rising action. For example, if you space out your rising action
moves over the course three different game sessions, the concluding action moves should all take place in once
session. All of this assumes that the players do not address and defeat the threat: if they defuse the situation
at the start of the concluding action, don't railroad them through the second and third moves just to play them
out.
Alright, an example: Pirates are a threat to a frontier outpost. The players have encountered pirates before,
so the threat is established. Maybe they haven't heard of any lead to go on to do anything about it, but they
know that pirates are out there. So the GM sets up a pirate developing move. The three rising actions are
warnings and indications that pirates are stalking cargo haulers brining supplies into the station. The three
concluding actions are that pirates attack the outpost. Initially, this can be stopped by the players hunting
down and locating the pirates, and then inflicting enough punishment on them that they leave and hunt in other
sectors, or they are destroyed entirely. If the players do nothing about them, the pirates gain in strength, at
which point they will be much harder to fight, or defensive convoys will have to be organized and paid for to
guard ships while scouts are sent out. Of course, the players are creative, so they might find other solutions,
but the threat should be easier to resolve during the rising action than during the concluding action. Now that
the GM has the developing move established, they wait for the chance to strike. Luckily for them, the
opportunity has just arrived: one of the players tried to use the Contract Transactions move to purchase
information about something. It could be completely unrelated, but it's tipped off the pirates that this station
has people with money. The GM describes a shady looking dock worker who is paying too much attention to their
conversation, and immediately takes off when the characters pay attention to her. She hurries off down an alley,
and the characters catch the end of a comm link conversation where she says, "Just tell Red Beard, and tell her
that I got this intel for her," before disappearing into a crowd.
If the players want to drop what they are doing and follow this lead, great. Maybe they catch the spy, turn her
in, and then working with station law enforcers, they catch her contact and that's it, done and done. Maybe they
don't, and that's the first move down. The GM puts this back on ice until the next session. Striking miners
claim that their working conditions are unsafe, so the characters fly out to the mining rig to check it out. One
of them attempts to Analyze Signatures to figure out the truth, but gets a Core Failure. While they don't get
anything about the topic, there is a recording of a distress beacon that was activated and picked up by the
mining rig. It's garbled by interference, interference that is discovered to be intentional. When the recording
is cleaned up, it's a surveyor calling for help as pirates with ships matching Red Beard's markings grapple and
board his vessel. Maybe the players drop what they are doing and hunt down this surveyor, his flight path, and
find the pirates. Maybe not, but the second move has been made.
If they don't, the GM puts it back on ice until the next session. The players have caught one of the gang
members who has been stealing water from the station's purifiers, putting everyone on rations, upsetting the
peace. They captured him, but during interrogation, one of the players gets Core Failure during a Claim
Sovereignty roll. The prisoner tells them, "No matter what you threaten me with, it's nothing compared to what
Red Beard will do to me when she finds out that I got caught. Doesn't matter that it was for a side job. She'll
think I talked and come after me. You, too, probably." Whoops. Turns out the water thief is also a pirate. Next
thing you know, there is a skull that's been painted red in someone's bunk. Red Beard's mark, telling you to
leave the station. Again, the players to pick this up and run with it, or ignore it.
Now we are into the concluding action. As long as it's not too awkward or unrealistic, the next time they get
a Core Failure, they hear a call about a ship under attack by pirates right outside the station. They check it
out, or they don't, resolve it all, or they let it ride. That's four. Next Core Failure this session that you
want to spend on this developing move, pirate ships have crash landed into the docks and a firefight is on
going. It's not too late to stop this, but it's going to be tough. If they still ignore this, then the next time
they get a Core Failure they find out that the pirates took over the station, and this is a pirate station now.
Maybe Red Beard summons them to set them straight, make sure they understand that she is in charge (though
honestly she has no reason to retaliate against them, if it got to this point, it's not like they did anything
against her). She explains that the pirates will be taking a cut of all transactions at the station, and not
permitting blackmarketeering or smuggling. Any time they make a financial transaction here, they must pay an
extra ISK to the pirates.
That may sound well and good, but what did we actually do? We started with a threat, something that was
previously established. The first three moves were things unrelated to the threat, but they happened when the
players got a Core Failure on another move, so the GM decides to raise the tension a little and talk about the
growing pirate threat. To do this, think of a couple of ways that the pirates might be detected, and then hook
them into random Core Failure rolls once per session. Give players options to follow up on if they pick, but be
open to hearing what they think might work to solve this issue. That's 6-9 rising action clues, though you will
only use three of them. Next, there are two more concluding action events, these are more severe then the rising
action clues. Finally, have a effect that dramatically changes the landscape. This cannot make the landscape
unlivable, unless the players have somewhere else to go, in which case their next moves should be about leaving,
but it should change something about the environment.
So to summarize the summary, 'cause that was a full paragraph: take an established threat, write 6-9 warning
signs, use 3 of them, write 2 bad events, and 1 landscape changing event. Implement over the course of
several sessions as plausible Core Failures come up.
There are several basic moves that are available to all non-GM players. Anyone is welcome to use one of these
moves when they want their character to do something. I'll give an explanation of the move, what it does and
when to use it, and then provide a summary of the move for reference. As this game is for use with the Eve
Online universe, the names are related to that setting. More general descriptions are given below the names,
or in parentheses.
When your character tries to do something that is in opposition to a contrary force, or under circumstances
that make the outcome of that action less than guaranteed, you can make the Tank move to try to accomplish that
task anyway. To do this, roll 2d6 and add your Nerve value.
Tanking can be used to directly oppose another force, such as when a dock worker tries to push your character out an airlock, or when they try to listen to a communication when an enemy is actively jamming their comms. In these cases, there is something that someone is trying to do, and you are trying to stop it from happening. That's one case where you might need to Tank. The other is when you are trying to do something but there is something making that task more difficult than normal. If your character was trying to outrun a Rogue Drone Battleship in a frigate, easy peasy, no roll. If they were trying to outrun the battleship through a minefield and they had to dodge mines the whole time, you would need the Tank move. If they are trying to hot wire the controls on an airlock to get it open, no worries, given enough time, they would do it successfully, no roll. If they are trying to do it while they are running out of air on the wrong side fo the airlock, that's a Tank roll. Pretty much anything done while getting shot at requires a Tank roll (except shooting back). Some times a Tank roll is required before you can make another move, like if a Fabricator is trying to examine the Jovian dataslate that holds the codes to shut off the doomsday device while her workshop is getting nova bombed. Roll Tank first, then maybe roll Engine Spirit (if she has it, of course).
When your character commits to exchanging damage with a target, they Lock Target and fire. This could be with
broken bottles in a dive bar at the bottom of the station next to the sludge pumps, or in high orbit with
particle lances firing at planetary defense guns. To do this, roll 2d6 and add your Willpower value.
Locking Targets is used to do damage to someone, but it should be recognized that this is likely not done
without context. If your charcter is doing damage to someone, there is probably a reason for it. Maybe they want
to get the target to stop attacking merchant ships, or to apologize to the business man your character is
bodyguarding. Whatever the case, be ready to answer that question in case you get a 7-9. If the reason is just
to kill them, that's fine, but expect the target to fight back or run. This move is often confused with Claim
Sovereignty. If you are trying to get control of something, use that instead (it's the same stat). Finally, if
your character is shooting someone and the GM agrees that the target can't possibly stop your character and your
character can't plausibly miss, there is no need for a roll. Just do your damage and the target gets to react
(if they are still alive).
When your character attempts to gain control over something by force, they Claim Sovereignty. This could be a
physical object, a location, or something intangible, like the attention of a violent mob. To do this, roll
2d6 and add your Willpower value.
Claiming Sovereignty is used to get control over something. This could either be conceptual or physical, but
your character is going to do damage if the target resists, and often the target is going to try to retaliate
with damage. Consider this instead of Lock Target if your character is attacking someone with the goal of taking
their stuff. While you can use this to get hold of a conversation, or make someone listen to your character, the
target doesn't have to like your character afterward. That's what Gain Favor is for.
When your character attempts to socially compel action out of a non-player character, you use Gain Favor.
This creates a promise that your character will do something in return for the target doing something. To Gain
Favor, roll 2d6 and add your Charisma value.
Gain Favor is used to compel action out of a non-player character. You cannot use it against characters
controlled by players. When you use Gain Favor, your character has to agree to do something in exchange for
whatever they are asking. On a 10+, your character is not actually required by the game to deliver, but the
target probably is going to be unhappy with them if they don't.
When you want to detect details about your environment, the move to use is Analyze Signatures. This
allows you to ask the GM questions about the environment and get details in return. To Analyze Signatures,
roll 2d6 and add your Intelligence value.
Analyze Signatures is used to detect things about the environment. If you want to know something about someone
or something's intention, you need to use Analyze Vessel. While the selection of questions is somewhat limited,
it can be expanded at the GM's discretion to allow specific questions that are relevant to specific situations.
You might need to remind the GM of that, but it's worth a shot. Just don't bother them if they say that there is
nothing special here and you are limited to the normal questions.
When you want to detect details about that state of someone's or something's mind, or use clues to determine
what they are thinking or planning, you use Analyze Vessel. To Analyze Vessel, roll 2d6 and add your
Intelligence value.
Analyze Vessel is used to get details about a non-player character. If that non-player character happens to
be in a ship, you can use this move with the ship as the target and deduce their intentions. If that non-player
character happens to be an inorganic artificial intelligence, but you want to predict what's it's going to do
based on the clues it's displaying, then you would use Analyze Vessel. Like Analyze Signatures, some non-player
characters have special questions that you can ask. If they don't, you are limited to those on the list. If you
ask, "How can I get you to _____?" be prepared for the answer to be, "You're going to have to kill me first."
Also be aware that these are questions that you as a player asking the GM. If your character is speaking
directly to the non-player character to get this information, you might want to rephrase the questions when you
detail how your character performs this move.
When your character listens to their instincts and acts on their intuition, you can get information that you
might not have known, or results that you didn't expect. To Listen to Instinct, roll 2d6 and add your Instinct
value.
While you can request specific information about a specific topic, instinct doesn't always work like that.
The GM will give you information, and it will be helpful to something, but it's up to them to decide
what the topic is. They might also ask you questions about what your character thinks about something, and maybe
they use this time to correct a misconception or misunderstanding. While you should be careful about overusing
this, as it can lead to threats targeting you if you get too many Core Failures, don't underestimate the desire
for the GM to give you that last little hint of the puzzle if you would just listen to your instincts.
When you want to help a fellow player's character accomplish a task, your character can try to support them.
If you want to prevent them from succeeding, your character can Tackle them. This move is actually two different
moves that work identically. Regardless of whether you are Supporting or Tackling, roll 2d6 and add the
reputation that player's character has with your character.
This is used when you want to help or hinder another player character in their efforts. When you decide to
use this, you need to roll before the player who you are trying to help or hinder. If you are helping/hindering
them, you cannot improve the total bonus that they use for their roll to more than +3, or reduce it to lower
than -2. The number that you add to your roll for Support or Tackle is their reputation with you. That's the
number on your character sheet (which makes sense, since you are making the roll). The term "Tackle" is slang
from Eve Online. Your character is not literally tackling the target (unless they are, if that's what they are
doing to hinder the target).
The Repair Damage move does exactly what you think it does, it allows a character to repair damage done to a
person or ship. If your character is out of harm's way, you roll 2d6 and add your Intelligence value. If
your character is in a fight when they try to repair something, you roll 2d6 and add your Nerve value.
When Repairing Damage, the situation determines the modifier to the roll. If the character performing the
move and the target of the move are currently in a fight, then it's a Nerve roll. If they are not, it's an
Intelligence roll. Scars are explained more in the Take Damage move, but essentially it's a limit on the amount
of times that a charcter can be healed, to prevent mechanical sillyness that could drag things out. A character
can only be healed if they have Scars that have not yet been removed. Because of this, a character can only be
healed if they allow themself to be healed. If a target doesn't want to be healed by your character, this move
does nothing. The GM may impose limitations on what kinds of Scars can be healed, or under what circumstances,
or when, or how.
When you want to exchange your character's currency for goods available in a market, you use the Market
Transaction Move. To do this, roll 2d6 and add your Intelligence value.
The Market Transaction is for purchasing significant items that might or might not be available. Assuming
that the characters are not on a back water flea market and trying to purchase a brand new capital ship, most
common items can be purchased without using a move. The only time you would need to use this move to roll is
when it's unclear whether the item would be available.
When your character wants to buy information, you can use the Contract Transaction move. To use the
Contract Transaction move, your character spends an amount of ISK between 1 and 3 (inclusive), then roll 2d6
and add the number of ISK that was spent.
Contract Transactions are used to get information. Regardless of the result, you have to spend the money
ahead of time. Also, a good result doesn't guarantee that you get the answer that you are looking for, only that
you will get the truth. While Market Transactions are used to buy material things, and Contract Transactions are
used to buy information, you might want to buy services. Talk to the GM and discuss which would be more
appropriate (or if you really need a roll at all).
The Take Damage move is not a move that a player can elect for their character to make. Rather, it's a move
that GM will instruct them make when their character takes damage. In this one instance, the player wants to
roll low, not high. To Take Damage, roll 2d6 and add the damage received, less your character's resistance. This
modifier can be at most +3 and at least +0; ignore modifiers that would put it beyond this range.
The Take Damage roll is done by player characters when they take damage. Non-player characters don't have to
do this. It's the only roll where you want to roll low. Alternatively, if the group wants, the GM can roll this,
since they are not rolling anything else, and they control the source of this damage, who would want them to
roll high.
Scars record the times that you took damage, but they do not record the amount of damage that you received.
They are not the same as damage. When you take damage, you gain a Scar so that you keep track of how you can be
healed later. You get to detail it so that you have the opportunity to add something cool to your character, and
perhaps make the moment memorable.
If you are the GM, consider how the fight is going when you decide which results to take. Putting someone out of
action at the start of a fight is pretty boring for them as they sit and wait for the rest of the fight to wrap
up. However, if they are the last one standing on one side, or the only player participant, it can be helpful to
keep things moving. Similarly, be careful with skipping people's actions, unless the opponents are going to take
that opportunity to escape. Getting told over and over that you can't act is boring for players. Losing grasp on
something can change the objective of a fight, especially if the thing lost is unrelated to the previous
objective. Recovering it could become the new primary goal.
Special Moves are not moves that can be done by anyone any time like Basic Moves can. Special Moves are moves
that can be done at specific times or in specific situations, but there are different characters who might have
access to them to the same move, so the moves are located here in a common place.
Scanning is used to access a network of data collection assets and gather information from that network. To use
this move, a character will need to have access to its network. When they do, roll 2d6 and add your Instinct
value.
Available Actions:
Default Effects: Requires Concentration, Shallow Reach, Local and Narrow, Noisy and Garbled.
Optional Effects:
The Scanning move can be used by those characters who have access to it to perform one of the available actions.
This action is with the limitations of the default effects, though the player can improve this action with a
number optional effects based on their roll. The exact results of the network action depends on the network. If
the network is a collection of spy satellites, it's going to produce a different result than if the network was
an organization of secret society members, or a bot net infecting computers.
When your character has time, access to research facilities, and goal of something to design, copy, or improve,
you can use the Research move. To do this, roll 2d6 and add your Intelligence value.
Options:
When the GM picks AND or OR, this indicates how these objectives are to be accomplished: both objectives need to
be completed for this to work, or it's enough to only do some of them. The GM should consider how much the
character currently has on their plate when they make this decision.
When your character has time, access to industrial facilities, and you want them to build, resupply, refuel, or
recharge something special, you can make the Industry move. To use the Industry move, roll 2d6 and add your
Willpower value.
Options:
When the GM picks AND or OR, this indicates how these objectives are to be accomplished: both objectives need to
be completed for this to work, or it's enough to only do some of them. The GM should consider how much the
character currently has on their plate when they make this decision.
When your character has the time, access to reprocessing facilities, and you want them to recycle, refine, or
destroy something special, you can make a Reprocessing move. To use the Reprocessing move, roll 2d6 and add your
Willpower value.
Options:
When the GM picks AND or OR, this indicates how these objectives are to be accomplished: both objectives need to
be completed for this to work, or it's enough to only do some of them. The GM should consider how much the
character currently has on their plate when they make this decision.
When your character works on a mission for one of the contact they know, you can use the Missions action. A
character can work a number of mission up to the number of Contact they have. To use the Mission move, pick the
missions that you want them to work and roll 2d6, adding your Nerve value.
Paying Missions:
Contractual Missions:
Mission moves are revenue generating moves for one character. Since they are only for one character, they are
best resovled "off screen" with the results being arrived at after a description of the mission is given by a
player. Once the character makes the Missions moves, they should not need to make any other moves "while on the
mission." They player describes what happened to get them to the results that were rolled. If other players want
to go on missions with the player with this ability, they can, but this is not the roll for that. In that case,
they should make the moves to find a mission, negotiate a fee, accomplish one or more objectives, and get paid.
If only one player wants to help out, then a Support/Tackle move should be made and the results of that move and
Mission move determining what happened.
When your character activates a Jump Drive, they make the Jump Navigation move. To do this, spend 1 fuel and roll
2d6, adding your Willpower value.
Result Options:
Space travel can take place with normal drives that are capable of moving around a planet, with warp drives that
are capable of moving around a solar system, or via gateways that are capable of moving ships from one solar
system to another. Most of the ships that players will fly and encounter are capable of this kind of movement.
Some ships have Jump Drives that allow them to move from system to system without using the gateway network.
This ability is coveted by anyone who doesn't want to use the predictable chokepoints that gateways create, but
prefers to travel using starting and ending points that they select. This move's result of 6 or lower was the
original "Core Failure," and the inspriration for the title of this game.
Core Failure is built on its smallest unit of plot progress, which is the move. Players have their characters
make moves and use those moves to tell a story. While these moves play off each other, with the players making
moves and the GM making moves in response and the players reacting to those moves, moves do not effectively
progress the plot along on their own. Some things require that time go by without moves being made, to allow
characters to relax and take a break. These breaks punctuate the time that characters spend making moves so that
moves are not just a monotonous constant droning in the background, but interesting things to watch when they
come up. When a lull in the action comes up, it's a convenient time to change the players' focus to other
characters, relocate characters to other locations quickly, or make changes to the environment that are
dependent on the passage of time. These gaps in the action break up the flow of play into distinct "scenes.""
While scenes should be connected, they are a handy way of going to different places and watching different
characters without the hassle or limitations of everyone being in the same place at the same time. If you have
played other role-playing games, you might familiar with this same concept referred to as "encounters."
As a GM, you can use scenes to balance the pacing of the different plotlines of your stories. If you have a
Capsuleer who is struggling with the meaning of interpersonal relationship with regular mortals, a Commander who
is facing a mutiny led by one of her officers, and a CEO who is trying to feed everyone on their station. While
these characters can work together, it's going to be tough arrange a scenario where all three characters are in
one place where they can work on each of their three goals. Instead, you organize scenes for each goal. The
Capsuleer has a conversation with another older Capsuleer about the death of friends, colleagues, subordinates
and contacts. The the Commander and CEO are there with them to talk about their experiences as the Capsuleer
processes their thoughts. When the scene is concluded, and either the Capsuleer has accomplished the goal they
set out to accomplish, or there are just no more moves that they want to make at this time, you move the scene
over to Commander's bridge where the rogue officer has barged in with a squad of traitors and delivers an
ultimatum. The CEO and the Capsuleer are there because they travel. The characters can make moves as the
Commander tries to regain control of the situation and accomplish her goals. When the scene is resolves, the
next scene is the CEO haggling with a food supplier about feeding their people. Again, the Capsuleer and the
Commander are there to help out in whatever way they can. As players complete goals or reach the point where
they don't want to make any more moves, the scene ends and you move on to the next.
Scenes build together to form plotlines. In one scene, the characters investigate an abandoned mining rig and
discover that all of the logs were erased, except one, a logged recording of a transmission from a beacon.
Having investigated the rig and accomplished their goal of finding the next clue, the scene ends and they move
to something else. Later, they return to the clue and travel out to the beacon and find that it's an ambush by
the missing miners, but they quickly talk their way out of the situation and learn that the mining company has
been mistreating workers. They have the next clue, so they end the scene and do something else. When they want
to return to the clue, they go to the miner company's office, and they confront the corporate manager in charge
of the well-being of the workers and try to set him straight. One scene leads to another until they reach the
end of the plot line, using their moves to accomplish their goals.
Plot lines make up the fabric of the play experience. If you look at some of the moves that are available to the
players, you will see that some moves are specifically designed to start plot lines. Moves like the CEO's Power
move has the chance to create a lot of problems, which become plot lines as the problems pile up. As the GM,
keep track of these plot lines let the players make moves to try to resolve them (playing out scenes when they
do so), or use them to create developing moves if the players ignore them.
Core Failure is a sci-fi game set in the Eve Online universe. The video game gives the play an avatar who is
immortal and flies around the galaxy getting in fights with other players. It's an extremely violent world, and
while there are stories of exploration, engineering, politics and trade, most of the stories are about war. If
you want your scenes to be about something else, that's perfectly fine, but if you want to get in a fight, a
combat scene is how you do that.
Combat scenes in Core Failure works the same way as non-combat scenes, and a scene can become a combat scene as
players decide to start doing damage to enemies, or doing things that would make enemies do damage to them. A
combat scene can become a non-combat scene if all of the enemies are defeated, or run away, or the players
surrender, or the two sides parley. Like normal scene, players will make moves, and the GM will make moves in
response. These are more likely to be immediate moves, rather than developing moves, but tossing in one or two
developing moves that trigger when a fight breaks out would still make sense. Keep the time frame in mind, as an
artificial intelligence is not likely to go from stable to rogue in the time that it takes a player character to
swing a broken bottle.
In a combat scene, there are a couple of different factors that you need to track that normally don't matter.
The
first is distance. Initial distances depend on the circumstances that started the fight. If the fight is the
result of two characters getting into an argument and neither of them wants to back down, they might start at
close range. If they are soldiers on the opposite side of a moon crater taking shots at each other, they might
start at long range. Generally, you can group ranges into 3 categories: Close, Short or Long. For person to
person combat, Close means melee weapons and sidearms only (though you can always swing a longarm like a club).
Short is sidearms and longarms only (though you can throw a melee weapon if you are desparate/you have enough).
Long is longarms only. For ship to ship combat, use the same distances: close, short, and long. At close range,
ships can only ram each other, board each other, use smartbombs short range weapons. Short range weapons are
Autocannons, Blasters, Pulse Lasers, Torpedo Launchers, and Combat Drones. Long range weapons can also be used
at short range, and include Artillery Cannons, Beam Lasers, Sentry Drones, Cruise Missile Launchers, and
Railguns.
Characters can move from one distance to another, either to get into range with their preferred weapons, or to
get out of range of their enemy's weapons. Unless there is some reason that they should not be able to move,
perhaps because they are running across a minefield, or flying a speeder through a canyon, moving between close
and short, or between short and and long can be done as a part of another move. If there is some reason that
this could not be done easily, a successful Nerve move is usually enough to move between to adjacent distances.
Characters can't normally move between close and long distances. The exact distances of close, short, or long
are not measured in something like meters or miles. They depend on the context for the fight: as one might
guess, close range for a fist fight is different from close range for starfighters. It's enough to know that one
is at close range to their target, and at what range their weapons function.
The next thing to keep track of is damage and Scars. Scars are described with the Taking Damage move, so for
here, I'll just say that you get one scar every time you take damage. When it comes time to inflict damage on a
target, first determine the amount of damage that is being inflicted. There are two major factors that are used
to determine damage: the type of weapons being used, and the sizes of the groups that are fighting.
Occasionally, there are other moves that can change this number, but these are the main two factors. To
determine the base damage that a weapon inflicts, find them on the lists of weapons below. To determine the
adjustments for sizes, compare the sizes of the groups that are fighting. In the case of starship combat, also
compare the sizes of the ships in the fleets.
*Tackling modules and non-lethal weapons cause some kind of effect on the target without doing damage. When a
player's character is hit with these kinds of weapons, they make a Take Damage move and add +0. They do not
normally take damage from these weapons. Tackle modules include:
Non-lethal weapon systems include:
Ships come in different classes, and larger classes of ships do more damage. If a group of ships that is made
mostly of one class of ships adjusts it's size based on that class. A single ship, by definition, is a majority
of the class that it is.
If ships or fleets of different sizes get in a fight with each other, adjust the damage and the resistance of the
larger fleet based on the size difference. To find the difference, subtract the total size of the larger fleet
from the total size of the smaller fleet. In the most extreme examples, a Wing (size 4) of Capital Ships (+3)
would have a size of 7. A single (Size 1) Frigate (Size +0) would have a size of 1. The difference is 6, so if
the capitals shot at the frigate, they would get +6 to their damage. If the frigate shot at the capitals, the
capitals would also get +6 to their resistance.
Speaking of resistance, resistances also need to be tracked in combat scenes. When people or ships take damage
from moves, they can subtract their resistance from the amount of damage that they take. As noted in the Take
Damage move, this cannot reduce the amount of damage below 0, and taking 0 damage doesn't mean that you avoid
the Take Damage roll. Here are the base resistance for ships and people, to be modified by sizes as above.
When a character, group, ship or fleet (aka entity) takes damage from a move, substract their resistance from the
damage received and use that total as the
modifier for the Take Damage move (see the Take Damage move for details on that). Once the final amount of
damage is determined, record the amount of damage received, adding it to damage that was previously received by
that entity. Entities have 6 levels of damage that they can receive. The mechanical effects of these levels are
the same from one type of entity to another, but they have different descriptions based on their type.
When an entity receives 3 levels of damage, it is disabled but stable. While in this state, they cannot take
actions. If it is repaired, it can get back in the fight. If it is not repaired, it will remain disable, but it
will self-repair given enough time without interference (cells heal, crews
enact repairs, the less wounded tend to the more wounded). The amount of time that this takes depends on the
GM's discretion, but the entity should should be able to make a full recovery. Once 3 damage is surpassed, the
entity is in critical condition. If they are not tended to, they will get worse and eventually die: Organs will
fail as blood is lost, crew members die as life support systems sustain too much damage, and group members lose
their nerve and abandon the injured. GMs can inflict one point of damage (do not apply resistances or make Take
Damage rolls) to entities that are in a critical state as if they were developing moves, because they are
developing moves, and this is their concluding action. Just like other developing moves, players can use moves
to accomplish the goal of stabilizing them. Unlike other developing moves, the GM cannot advance their tracker
when it is at 0, 1, 2 or 3. When a damage tracker reaches 6, that entity is dead. Death is permanent, and no
force can return a dead entity to life (with the notable exception of Capsuleers, see below).
Where the non-GM players control their characters and make moves for them, the GM controls the non-player
characters and the environment. While some of these non-player characters and environments could be helpful to
players, most of the the GM's characters exist to create challenges for the player characters to encounter and
overcome. Most interesting stories involve conflict of somce nature: it need not be violent conflict, though
that is common enough in the universe of Eve Online. The conflict could be an economic one, where corporations
rival for control over markets. It could be one of popularity, where socialites vie for attention and influence
among their peers. It could involve affairs of state, where nations try to one-up each other with information,
both technological and strategic. It could be a conflict with the environment itself, and as this is a sci-fi
game; the environment is the cold reaches of space where the simple act of living in pure vacuum can be
challenging.
This conflict comes from Threats, which are things that challenge the characters by making scarce certain
fundamental needs that the characters have. I'll list the fundamental needs that characters could have, but
these are just examples. The needs that the characters in your game have will set the tone for your game. If the
characters in your game are struggling for food, fuel and ammunition, backstabbing the random person who stuck
their neck out for them just so that they have another day's worth of breathable air, your game is going to have
a very different tone than if your characters need to have the attention of their guildmates as they run for
office in the next corporate election. Both types of games could work in this system, but it's the selection and
presentation of threats that makes the difference in the tone of the game that you get.
"Resources as a need" is a reliable threat for players. It forms the foundation of most society that we as humans
("humans" in this case being the superset of "players") are familiar with. Resources could be those that we are
used to, like food and water. We can expand this to resources that we use on a daily basis, but we don't
necessarily need to survive (in a "hunter/gatherer" sense of the word), like electric power or fuel for our
machines. Resoureces might be context sensitive, like medicine for a plague that has broken out, ammunition to
fight in the war, or spare parts to repair the station the characters are on. Depending on the characters'
current location in this sci-fi setting, we could include breathable air, which is not always a given on a
spaceship the same way it might be on Earth.
The tone of the game can change very quickly when threats to resources are brought to bear, and this changes
greatly based on the specific resource. Air, food, and water can end up being do or die issues for the
characters. When you create threats to these, think hard about what realistic world might exist if the
characters fail to end the threat to their lives. Threats to resources like power and fuel usually mean that
they don't have access to some function that they might have become accustomed to, or maybe it is threated at
the moment that they need it. Threats to critical supplies like medicine or parts can easily change how the
world around them works. Threats to resources are an excellent way to humble the characters and bring them down
when they reach for the stars. When overused, threats to resources get boring, and turn a game about story
telling and roleplaying into one about doing chores.
"Understanding as a need" is about as cerebral of a threat as you can get, but it's possibly one of the most
important. It can be one of the most difficult threats for the players to take seriously, so
use it with caution. In their defense, it's hard to want something that you don't know about, so I would advise
that you oversell the threat, rather than leaning on the mystery of the unknown. Rather than "You don't know
what threat's the Blind Prophet's fleet presents to the Federation," go with "You don't know how many ships they
have, what weapons and defenses they use, where they are planning on attacking, if their strategy is to raid or
claim stations." This can limit the scope that the players think in, but it guarantees that they are made aware
that there is a scope. If you have players that add in details like, "Oh, yeah, we also don't know where they
are getting their ships, or their pilots, or their ammo and fuel, we should find that out," then run with that
and let them define as many goals as they want. If not, make sure that they are interested in dealing with this
kind of threat before you make another. Some players just want to fly space ships and shoot lasers, they don't
necessarily want to unravel a mystery.
Understanding can take a number of forms, and it can be a stepping stone for other threats. If there is a new
threat to their resources on the horizon, detecting and understanding this threat might be the first step to
confronting it. How characters receive, process and understand information is fairly central to what it means
for them to be characters, so the challenges established by these threats can lead to interesting and fun
roleplaying opportunities. Threats to understanding could take the form of exploration, including exploration of
uncharted areas of space, unknown areas of planets, or forgotten sectors of cities. Whatever the nature of the
area explored, some other threat could be lurking their, either unleashed by the players, or discovered just in
time. Threats to understanding could including espionage of rivals, be they rival gangs or governments.
Uncovering the plots of enemies can lead to combat, or avoid it altogether, depending on how much understanding
was saved from this threat. Threats to understanding could take the form of scientific inquiry, research, or
investigation into a phenomenon that is not yet understood. This could have the potential to change the way that
characters behave, either because of the discovery of reality-shattering technology, or the knowledge of how to
fix some as1-yet uncured ailment. Regardless of the nature of threat, end result failures are pretty easy for
GMs to craft: the players didn't find out what they were supposed to find out, so you can justify pretty much
any change to the world that you want. This fact cuts both ways, however: if the players don't know what the
threat is, they can't really be expected to care about it. Make sure that you telegraph your threats to
understanding really, really loudly. It's difficult to overuse this threat, since it's an info dump one way or
another. If players buy in and work the lead, then they get the info. If they don't work the lead, then they
eventually fail at it and the info is told to them. For your own sake, keep track of whether people are
interested in this kind of threat so that you don't do a lot of work preparing a threat that is going to
ignored.
"Accomplishment as a need" is a specific style of game play. Game play elements that involve gaining experience
points, leveling up characters, improving weapons, armor and equipment, gaining skills and abilities, and other
similar mechanics are designed specifically to allow this style of game play. It's Core Failure's version of
"Number go up," to borrow a derisive, ironic phrase. Core Failure characters can gather possessions and have
abilities. These things can feel like accomplishments to the players, and threats to those accomplishments can
be taken seriously. Taking away (or building threats to take away) accomplishments is often very motivating for
players to act to preserve what they feel like they have earned. This, more than any other threat, needs to feel
fair for the players. If players feel like they are constantly under threat of having their stuff taken away,
and they don't have a fair opportunity to stop it, they are going to get real upset, real fast. This can be
managed in two easy ways: telegraph the threat and possible solutions from a long way off, and make the removal
of the accomplishment temporary (or able to be won back).
Threats to accomplishments that end in failure for the
player have very simple, obvious results: the accomplishments are removed. This changes the landscape in a very
specific way, but the landscape should change in other ways to support this loss: if players lost their ability
to Jump Drive from system to system, have them explore the gateway network that everyone else uses. If players
lost all of their guns, make a bunch of challenges that involve them solving fights with broken bottles and
bootlace garrots. Exploring the world again without the crutch that you leaned on to explore the world the first
time can be fun. One important thing after you take away an accomplishment is to not kick the player when they
are down. In the previous two examples, challenging players who just lost their Jump Drive to pursue another
ship with a Jump Drive is likely to just piss them off, and having players engage in a gun fight after you just
took away their guns could be too much.
Threats to accomplishments include loss of progress already made, but mechanically this can also be used to
create lack of forward progress. Use threats to accomplishment to challenge someone who is striving to build
something. Threats to accomplishment, when used in a fair and honest way can be fun for players so that they
feel like they are challenged without feeling like their very existance is constantly under threat. If you over
use this, you run the risk of players abandoning progression altogether, reasonably suspicious of any potential
accomplishment that they might earn and unwilling to risk what they have for something that will just be taken
away later. If you use this too infrequently, you risk resistance from the players when you do need to use it:
they need to be aware that this could be coming so they don't feel cheated when it does. Also, if you never use
this, your players are likely to get overpowered or you have to power creep your own side up. While Core Failure
is more narratively balanced than mechanically balanced, there is mechanical balance to the system and giving
away too many toys, or giving the wrong toys to the wrong characters can throw this off. Use this threat to keep
balance.
"Security as a need" is a core game play element of games that include simulated violence. While there are many
ways to resolve security issues without violence, the fantasy of enacting violence without the reprocussions of
reality are appealing to many players. The modern role-playing game has its roots in fantasy violence, and Core
Failure is no exception to this. Threats to security are easy to create: imagine something scary, or something
that the characters would find scary, and that's a threat to security. For Core Failure, describe a type of ship
the threat flies, what kind of weapons and defenses they use. Those players that like to fly spaceships and
shoot laser beams will take care of the rest.
Threats to security are not common on their own. Most of the time, they will exist in conjunction with something
else: a threat to understanding that, once understood, becomes a threat to security. A threat to resources is
met, and now that the resource has been aqcuired, a threat to security develops to claim it. Be careful that
your threats to security don't exist for their own sake: if the players ignore a threat to security that wants
to blow up the galaxy, what happens if they fail to stop it? You should keep these threats in the context of the
setting, and keep a goal in mind as they make decisions. Pirates don't attack merchants for the fun of it, they
do it to steal goods. Rebels don't rebel just for the war, they do it for political power. If the players fail
to address the threat, consider how that is going to change the landscape after. While it's possible to overuse
this threat, know your players and listen to what they think. This kind of threat is typically expected.
"Community as a need" depends on the interests of your players. Most players will want their characters to talk
to non-player characters. These non-player characters form a community that the player characters live in and
interact with. If these characters are likeable, helpful, funny, or otherwise good to be around, the players
might make moves to protect them if they are threatened. If so, you can create threats that target these
characters and give the players opportunities to use their characters to tell stories about how they saved (or
didn't save) specific people in the characters lives.
Before you embark on a threat to community, make sure that you have established community members that the
players like. Make sure that every character they talk to has a name, and that they introduce themselves. You
can double check that characters might protect this person by making them go missing for an pressing but mundane
reason: their kid is sick, they needed to sign some documents, they have a relative in town, etc. If the players
try to find out why that character is missing, they might protect that character from a threat. If show no
interest in the character and immediately look for someone to replace them, this kind of threat might not be
appropriate for this group.
Threats to community can also involve political intrique. The threat to the station's governor doesn't have to
be
an assassin's pistol, it could be a political rival looking to upset the balance of power, or foreign interests
coming in to corrupt the council members. As long as the landscape of the community looks different afterward,
this is a threat to the community.
Now that you have an idea of what the threat is going after, you need to detail what the threat is. This is by no
means an exhaustive list, but rather a jumping off point for you to get started with what you might use.
Again, this is not an exhaustive list of threats. Also, these are very general, you will need to give them a lot
more detail before you can use them in a game.
Now that you know what your threat is, you need it to have moves. Threat moves are different from character moves
in a couple of different ways:
Threat moves just work. There are no dice to roll. Instead, the GM picks a move that is plausible for a threat,
one that would make sense for the situation and within the motives or nature of the threat, and then they do
that move. Then the GM describes the move to the player. This description should accomplish two things: it
should fit
within the established nature of the threat (or establish the nature of the threat, if the threat is new), and
it should give the players understanding of what exactly the move is doing. The hardest part of crafting this
description is that this needs to be done without flatly stating the name and effect of the move. More about
this below.
Threat moves should have a built-in way to reverse or undo the move. Player moves don't inherently
have this quality, as they are the way for the players to tell their story, and it kinda sucks for your progress
to be unraveled at every turn. Threat moves should have a way for the players to "fix" the situation. While the
GM should have at least one idea in mind for how the players can respond to the move, and the GM should
telegraph that to the players, the GM should also be open to the ideas that the players bring. Not all ideas are
created equal, and ideas that break from the narrative, setting, or tone of the game should not be entertained,
but anything else that could plausibly work to solve the problem should be considered.
Threat moves should have already been established as possibilities prior to the move being made, or their purpose
is to establish the possibility of a future move. Moves made by threats need to be understood by the player in
order for the moves to make sense. Moves that appear without the players prior understanding of the threat
undermine the stability of the world. You can use this intentionally if the world feels too static, or for
sudden, rare, surprise moments. Otherwise, it's best to make sure that you have hinted at the move before it
comes up.
Threat moves should never be named as such. If the GM is using the Reply with Damage move, they should not use
the
expression "reply with damage" to explain what the threat is doing. By contrast, it should be understood that a
player is using the "Lock Target" move when they are using their ship's guns to force another ship to break off
and run away. Even if they don't use the words "Lock Target" in their description, everyone should know what
move is being used. Threat moves should not be clear in this manner, and the players don't need to know exactly
what move is being used (and will probably have a better time if they don't). When replying with damage, the GM
shouldn't need to explain that the threat is doing a move called "reply with damage." The threat should already
have been revealed to have this ability. When it was introduced, it was described as an assault frigate with
autocannons. The ability to do damage has already been established, so when the player tries to Lock
Target and gets a core failure, the GM can describe the move by saying the ship shoots at the player's character
with the autocannons, and the fact that the GM is using the "reply with damage" move is not brought up.
With these guidelines in mind, here are the moves for threats:
Telegraph a threat: This is the most fundamental of all moves, and allows the GM to "unlock" most of the
other
moves. This is a move that the GM will use to introduce new material to the world. It can be used at almost any
time, and while the players might groan when the GM describes a new threat on the horizon, it's also the best
way to pull a punch if the situation is not going well for the players. If, while running away from station
police, a player attempts to hijack a speeder from a midling gang member and fails, the gang member might
logically Reply with Damage. Instead, the gang member could announce that the players will be sorry they ever
threatened a member of the Crypt Angels, and suddenly the GM has more toys to play with later, without digging
the players into a deeper hole in the moment. Telegraphing a threat does not have to introduce an entirely new
threat, it can also build on a threat that already exists. Doing so reveals new capabilities of that threat,
which can be used in other moves later. To extend the example, if a character is trying to hack into the station
police records to clear out the report of their crimes and gets a core failure, the GM might make a move where
the player discovers a root kit in their own system that has been placed their by Crypt Angel hackers to monitor
them. Where a moment ago, the Crypt Angels were just a street gang with unknown capabilities, now they have the
ability to monitor the players, unlocking other moves that might be made later.
Reply with Damage: Probably the second most fundamental move, reply with damage does exactly what it says
on the
tin. The GM can use this move to allow the threat to cause damage to the character(s). Make sure that this
capability has been established before it is used. There is a fundamental low level of violence that pretty much
everyone is capable of, like punching and kicking, or ramming one spaceship into another, but anything past that
should be telegraphed before it's used. When it doubt, chamber a round before firing.
Squeeze one of the players: This move is used to make things more difficult for the player. When a player
gets a core failure, this move can be used to add more challenge for them without blocking their path
completely. Typically this is resolved by the player making a Tank roll to attempt it again. This implies that
this move should not be make in response to a Tank roll, unless it's squeezing the player from another
direction. If a player tries to flee from a fight, but they fail to do so, this move can be used to add extra
complications. Maybe their route turned into a dead-end alley and now they need to climb out, or the path has
motion detecting turrets guarding it. Both of these can be resolved with a Tank roll, but they add an extra
layer of difficulty to the situation.
Separate the players from their stuff: This move needs to be used carefully, and similarly to Reply with
Damage, it must be telegraphed in advance. Players seem to respond worse to their stuff being taken away than
they do to their health being taken away. When this move is used to take away stuff, make sure that there is a
clear way to get the stuff back, or to replace it. This falls under the guideline of "threat moves should have a
way to be undone," but its especially true for this move. Make sure that this is made clear at the time the
stuff is taken. If the characters get caught by station security, they should be told that their personal
possessions will be held in the evidence hold until their release.
Separate the players from each other: This move can be helpful if the players like to act together in a
group. Some players don't want to be in the same scene together, so separating their characters is not going to
feel like a threat move. If this is the case, avoid this move. If you think that the players will take the
advice "never split the party" to heart, and work together to bring everyone back together, then this is a fine
move to use. When you use this move, be prepared to run a separate scene for the player who was removed. This
might involve a lot of telegraphing new aspects of the threat that separated them, and maybe acting on those
threats, but allow that character to still participate in the game, even though they are not with the rest of
the group.
Activate a weakness: Many of the character's abilities have weaknesses. While these can be used as
inspiration for the players to describe what goes wrong when they mess up their own moves, the GM can use those
weaknesses for threat moves. For example, the Corporation CEO has a fleet, and their pilots might have the
Savage penalty. While there is a mechanic for this to be activated, if the Cult Leader is giving a rousing
speech and things go wrong, the Savage weakness on the pilots could be activated and they go on a rampage. One
of the good things about this move is that it should already be telegraphed to the players. They should be aware
of weaknesses of their own features, so using this move to detail those effects should not be surprising to
them. This can also bring characters together to work on problems, which can allow for more roleplaying.
Make them pay: If the players have enough on their plate at the moment and the GM doesn't want to start
too much more, this move can be used to avoid escalation. When something goes wrong, a threat might offer to
ignore the issue for a certain amount of money. This gives some value to money if players don't seem to be
spending it. The amount should either be half of whatever the character currently has, if the GM wants the
player to pay without creating more problems, or one more than the player currently has, if the GM wants to use
this move to start more problems. Putting players into debts and telegraphing how those debts will be enforced
is a great way to create a Resource threat. Keep in mind that characters have access to different amounts of
money.
Double Down: If a player move doesn't go as planned, but the GM wanted it to have gone their way, this
move is like a second chance. The GM can telegraph what will happen if they try again and succeed (probably what
they were trying to do from the start but a little cooler) and if they fail (something that drives this plot
line into a disaster). If the player doesn't take the offer, the GM should also be prepared for that. In this
way, this move is the most like a player move, in that is has a good result, a middle result and a bad result.
This move should be used sparingly to save an otherwise reasonable plotline from a boring conclusion. It can
also be fun to use to turn a mundane but inevitable conclusion into a spectacular conclusion, for example if a
character is almost guaranteed to die as a result of choice they made.
Offer a Devil's Bargain: Like Double Down, this move should be used sparingly. Like all threat moves, it
should be fundamentally detrimental to the characters (and beneficial to the players, since the players should
enjoy the chance to tell stories about their characters' actions in the face of adversity). Unlike all the other
moves, this move starts off with something good for the character, with a price that either the character
doesn't see (but the players DEFINITELY see) or one that the character doesn't care about, but another character
does. The price should be higher than the benefit, and it needs to be telegraphed to the players so the players
don't feel like they are getting scammed later (the character could feel like they got scammed, that's fine).
Additionally, this should not have a punishment if the player does not take the offer. This is a chance for the
GM to
allow the player to tke the GM's idea for what would be interesting for the character, but it's not a chance for
the GM to force the player to do what they want. If the GM offers a Devil's Bargain, but the player wants to
tell a different story, that's fine. Finally, only offer bargains that benefit one player at a cost to another
if the group is generally accepting of that kind of play. If players are going to view it as a personal attack,
there is no need to feed that animosity.
Start or Progress a developing move: Developing moves are one of the strongest tools to connect stories
across sessions, so use this move to generate those. This is essentially a much more general "Telegraph a
threat" that allows the GM to draw a big picture of the threat and write out the details for what the threat is
going to do later. The threat can be established by this move, and then the three rising actions and concluding
actions planned between sessions. Remember to monitor the pacing of developing move. If it's supposed to span
several sessions, don't make multiple rising action moves in the same session. If the developing move is
supposed to conclude this session, don't forget to make those moves. Also, remember that once a character gets
to 4 or 5 damage, damage can be added by progressing the developing move that is their damage track.
Characters are described by a couple of different attributes, including Stats, Pilots License, Gear, Moves,
Reputation, and Experience/Level Up. These are described below. To allow everyone to define what it means to be
the archtype of character that they are playing, no two players should play the same type of character. There is
enough overlap in the characters that should two players both desire the same playstyle, they should be able to
find more than one character that could match that style.
Characters have 5 fundamental stats that described their capabilities. These are numbers that range from -2 to
+3. They describe the cognitive abilities of the individual. The physical abilities of the individuals can be
described freely by the players, and are mechanically identical.
A character's Pilot's License describes what kinds of ships they can fly. A character cannot fly a ship if they
don't have a pilot's license for that ship, though they might be able to hire a pilot to fly it for them.
Gear includes the personal items that characters get when they start the game. Each character has a different
gear list. Players should be feel encouraged to detail the gear that they get to make it unique to them, even
though much of it is functionally the same. Gear that a character starts with should probably not be traded or
sold, and the unique items that some characters get are just that: unique. They are not normally available on
the market and they are part of what makes the characters interesting.
Moves the major thing that set characters apart from each other. Some characters get to pick which moves they
want, which allows them a degree of customization when it comes to their playstyle. Others have their moves set
in stone. Note that some of these moves are not like others, they don't require any role to use. If it helps to
think of these as "passive" moves rather than "active" moves, you can, but the distinction should't matter. They
are moves that these characters get.
Some characters have other attributes that are unqiue to them, but are not moves. These could be things like the
Marine's weapons, or the Maverick's ships. If you have one of these, make sure you get it and you understand how
it works, as this is going to be important to making your charcter feel how it supposed to feel.
Reputation is how well you know someone else. To be clear, the number that you write down on your character sheet
is how well your character knows another character. This is the number that you use when you Tackle or Support
them. That makes sense because the better you know someone, the better you are at exploiting their weaknesses or
promoting their strengths. You should always have a Reputation value for each of the other players. If you don't
for some reason, write down that character's name and set the Reputation value with them to be +0.
As you play the game, your character can gain experience and improve their skills. At the end of each session,
mark an experience point. Pick the person who you think you know more about than you did last session. Increase
your Rep with them by one. If this pushes you above +3, then change that to +0 and gain an experience point.
If the GM says that you completed a plot line, gain an experience point. You can't gain more than 2 experience
points
per session. When you get 5 experience, you can level up, get a new pilot license, or get 2 ISK. The level up
options are different for each character. Each option can only be selected once, but some options exist more
than once, which allows you to take those specific options more than once. For those level up options that allow
you to take an optional move, this is move from another character that is optional for them. You can't pick a
move from a character if that character didn't have a choice to pick something else. For example, the Cult
Leader's Prosperity move is not optional, they have to have it, so you could not take that one, but their Herd
Resistance move is optional, they didn't have to pick it, so you could pick that. Some characters have
attributes that are not moves and you can't take those, even if they have optional elements.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | +2 | -2 | +1 | -1 |
| +2 | -2 | +2 | -1 | +1 |
| +2 | +1 | -2 | +2 | -1 |
| +2 | -1 | +1 | -2 | +2 |
Frigates and Cruisers
Capsuleers have the moves Update Your Clones and Clone Immortality
UPDATE YOUR CLONES: Once per session, when at a station or capital ship with cloning facilities, you can
update your clones and adjust your Neurological Enhancements.
Choose 3 of the following Specialist Skills:
Choose 1 of the following trainings to archive:
CLONE IMMORTALITY: If you die (aka, you take 6 or more damage), your neural implants self destruct
and destroy your brain. You cannot be brought back to life in this body. You wake up in the most recent station
or capital ship where you updated your clones. You have your Clone Contract, Trendy Fashion, and a Tech 2 Melee
Weapon or Tech 1 Sidearm. You do not have anything else that you had on your person before you died.
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say. On your turn, pick 1, 2 or 3:
Tell Everyone else Rep +0. When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you, add
one to that and then write the total down (max +3). You get them more than they think.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | +2 | +1 | -2 | -1 |
| +1 | +2 | +2 | -1 | -2 |
| +2 | +2 | -1 | -1 | +0 |
| -1 | +2 | -2 | +2 | +1 |
Frigates, Cruisers, and Battleships
Fleet Commander, Raiders by Nature
FLEET COMMANDER: When you get your fleet to fight for you, roll +Willpower:
RAIDERS BY NATURE: When you have the fleet search through their holds for something you need, roll
+Willpower:
Fleet: To start, your fleet is nomadic raiders, with salvaged ships, mismatched weapons, and no discipline
(Size 2, 1 Damage, 1 Resistance, vulnerability:savage)
Pick 2 of the following:
...and Pick 1 of the following:
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say.
On your turn, one of them has stood up to your fleet. Tell them Rep +1.
Tell Everyone else tell Rep +0.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you and write that.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2 | +2 | +2 | +1 | -1 |
| +2 | +2 | -1 | -1 | +0 |
| +0 | +2 | -2 | +1 | +1 |
| +1 | +2 | +1 | -1 | -1 |
Frigates
Power and Influence
POWER: When your Headquarters is secure, and your rule unchallenged, you can make a roll +Willpower at
the start of a session.
INFLUENCE: When you have your fleet fight for you, roll +Willpower:
Headquarters: Your headquarters is a large, secure station with supplies, hangers, domiciles, and basic
facilities. You have 750 to 1500 employees, this goes up or down by 5% as your fortunes swing. Your employees
trade, produce and consume food stuffs, mine local asteroids, and scavenge wrecks in the area. You have basic
station defenses that protect your employees from raiders. (Benefit: 1 ISK, Penalty: poverty) Additionally, you
have a small fleet of frigate class ships with novice pilots who generally like you (Size 2, 1 Base Damage, 1
Base Resistance, +1 Resistance when you are defending your headquarters, vulnerability: chaos).
Choose 4 of the following:
...and choose 2 of the following:
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say.
On your turn, you make a strong impression. If any of them work(ed) for you, tell them Rep +1
You needed to make a cut, and it affected someone. Tell the rest Rep -1
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you, subtract 1 and write that
down (min -3). You didn't get to where you are by giving a shit.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 | -2 | +1 | +0 | +2 |
| -1 | +2 | +0 | -1 | +2 |
| +1 | -1 | +2 | -2 | +2 |
| -2 | -1 | +2 | +1 | +2 |
Frigates
You get Prosperity and then pick 2 others
PROSPERITY: At the beginning of a session, roll +Cult's Skill Rating:
EXCITING ORATION: When you speak to a group of people, you know what they need to hear to force action.
Roll +Instinct:
UNNATURAL INSTINCTUAL RESPONSE: You get +1 Instinct (max 3)
HERD RESISTANCE: When not gaining any other Resistance, you get +1 Resistance.
INSTINCTIVELY RELATABLE: You can roll +Instinct rather than +Charisma when you try to Gain Favor.
INSTINCTIVE ASSISTANCE: You can roll +Instinct rather than +Rep when you try to Support or Tackle
someone.
Cult: Your cult starts out as 30 to 50 people (Size 2, Skill Rating 1, Benefit 1 ISK, Penalty:
desertion). Explain why they follow you (trainees, family,
classmates, caste, squad members, etc). Then choose two from this list:
...and two from this list:
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say.
On your turn, If any of the other players are member of your cult, tell them Rep +2. If they are not, tell them
Rep +0.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you. Your cult has studied one
of them more closely. Ignore what they tell you, and instead write Rep +3 for that person.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +1 | -2 | +1 | +0 | +2 |
| -1 | +2 | +0 | -1 | +2 |
| +1 | -1 | -2 | +2 | +2 |
| -2 | -1 | +2 | +1 | +2 |
Frigates and Cruisers
Pick 2
SYMPATHETIC CURIOSITY SATISFACTION: You know what curiosity looks like, and how to satisfy it. Roll
+Instinct when you do the Gain Favor move, rather than +Charisma
UNNERVING EXPLORATION: You have a knack for scanning anything, including people, the stranger and more
mysterious the better. When you Scan Vessel, roll +Instinct, rather than +Intelligence. You need to be in
scan range, but you don't need to be able to interact with them.
UNNATURAL INSTINCTUAL RESPONSE: You get +1 Instinct (max 3)
DEEP CORE EXPLORATION: When you have a long time to explore something (character or anomaly) and follow
all of your hunches, you can explore more deeply than normal. Roll +Instinct and you can ask questions about
the character's mind or the anomalies' creator:
EXPLORATION CORE IMPLOSION REVERSAL: You can roll +Instinct and get the effect of Lock Target without
the other requirements. You need to be within scan range, and your target will know where you are. If your
victim takes it, it's 1 damage, and ignores resistance.
SENSOR MANIPULATION: When you are in scan range and have enough time to follow all your hunches, you
can manipulate the senses of your target to follow your commands. Roll +Instinct and make demands.
If the target does not follow your commands, it takes 1 damage (ignores resistance) or takes -1 for
whatever it does.
Explorer Gear: per the gear listed above (not in addition to it), you get start with Heavily Modified
Recon Probes and pick two other pieces of Explorer gear that you also have.
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say. On your turn, tell them all Rep -1.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you. Then pick 1, 2, or all
3:
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 | +1 | -2 | +2 | +2 |
| +0 | -2 | +1 | +2 | +1 |
| +1 | -1 | +2 | +2 | -2 |
| +1 | +1 | -1 | +2 | -1 |
Frigates
You get Workspace and pick 2 others
WORKSPACE:You have a workspace where you can work on projects. Choose 3 qualities of your
workspace
ENGINE SPIRIT: When you examine stuff in your workspace, roll +Intelligence:
PRETTY MUCH ALWAYS RIGHT: When a character comes to you for advice, you tell them what you think is
best. If they follow you, they take +1 in doing that, and you mark experience (max one per session). If you
follow in their footsteps, you also take +1 doing that.
SCARY SMART: When you want to Tank, you roll +Intelligence rather than +Nerve
BATTLEFIELD MIRACLE: When you are helping others and not fighting, gain 1 resistance
ETERNAL LEARNER: You get +1 Intelligence (max +3)
FABRICATOR'S CAN: You get a container with 6 stock, but you can buy 3 for 1 ISK. When you need to fix
something that is at 3, 4, or 5 points, (mechanical or biological), spend 0-3 stock, and roll +stock
spent.
To repair something at 6 damage points, expend all scars, spend 0-3 stock, and roll +stock spent.
If you are fixing something with active scars at 1 or 2 damage points, you patch it up and it spends 4 days or 1
week (respectively) in a repair dock/hospital bed.
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say.
On your turn, pick one you respect. Tell that person Rep +1.
All others,
tell Rep -1.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you.
For the person you think will break the most of your stuff, add 1 to what they say and write down the total.
All others, subtract 1 from what they say and write down the difference.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -2 | +2 | +2 | +1 | -1 |
| +2 | +2 | +1 | -1 | +0 |
| +0 | +2 | -2 | +1 | +1 |
| +1 | +2 | +1 | -1 | -1 |
Frigate
Pick 3
BLOODLUST: Inflict +1 Damage
VETERAN: When you Tank, roll +Willpower instead of +Nerve
IRON WILL: +1 Willpower (max +3)
UNSTOPPABLE: You count as Size 2 in personal (non-ship) combat
INSTINCTIVELY WILLFUL: When you Listen to Instinct in combat, you can roll +Willpower rather than
+Instinct
LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND: You can roll +Willpower instead of +Nerve to Repair Damage in Combat.
SURVIVOR: Name your exit, roll +Willpower.
Primary Weapons: Pick 1
Secondary Weapons: Pick 2
Hold Out Weapons: Pick 1
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say. On your turn, pick 1, 2 or 3:
Tell Everyone else is Rep +0. Not that much here.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you. If you think one of them
has the strength to lead, add 1 to what they say and write down the total. If not, no big deal.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | -2 | +2 | +1 | -1 |
| +1 | +1 | +2 | -2 | +0 |
| +1 | -1 | +2 | +2 | -2 |
| -1 | +0 | +2 | -1 | +2 |
Frigates and Cruisers
You get Ace Pilot and then pick 2 others
ACE PILOT: When you are in your ship and you Tank, Lock Target, Claim Sovereignty, Gain Favor, Support or
Tackle, you can add your ship's Strength to your roll (max +3), instead of whatever you would normally roll.
BEAUTIFULLY DONE: When you tank, you can roll +Charisma rather than +Nerve
GOOD CHOICE: When you take +1 on something, instead you take +2
AMAZING BODYWORK: when you are naked or nearly naked, and have no other Resistance, gain 2 Resistance. If
you are clothed but have no Resistance, gain 1 Resistance
COLLECTOR: You get two additional Maverick Ships
BOMBSHELL: When you enter a conflict situation (your choice) roll +Charisma
Maverick Ship: Choose a profile:
| Class | Base Damage | Base Resistance | Strengths | Weaknesses | Weapons | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigate | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Frigate | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cruiser | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Cruiser | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Then detail the looks for your ship.
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say. On your turn, pick 1 or both:
Tell everyone else Rep +1. You talk about you a lot.
When it comes time for you to write down numbers, listen to what people tell you, subtract 1 and write down
the difference. (min -3). You don't stick around much.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
Pick 1 set
| Nerve | Willpower | Charisma | Intelligence | Instinct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| +2 | +2 | -2 | +1 | -1 |
| +2 | -2 | +2 | -1 | +1 |
| +2 | +1 | -2 | +2 | -1 |
| +2 | -1 | +1 | -2 | +2 |
Frigates and Cruisers
Operative Missions, Associates and pick 1 other
OPPORTUNITY: When you Tackle someone, roll +Nerve, rather than Rep.
PUBLICITY: When you meet someone important for the first time (your call), roll +Nerve.
MICROJUMPDRIVE: Name your escape path and roll +Nerve.
SMOOTH OPERATOR: Gain +1 Nerve (max +3)
ASSOCIATES: Pick 2-4 PCs (if they agree) and/or NPCs to join you on your missions. Write one or two line
descriptions about the NPCs, suited to the missions that you picked.
OPERATIVE MISSIONS: You gain the Mission special move and Contacts 2. Pick 3 paying missions, and 1
contractual mission. Based on the mission you pick, you also gain certain bonuses or Operative Gear.
Profitable Missions:
Contractual Missions (no bonuses or gear)
When everyone introduces their character, write down their names. Once you have all of the names, go around
again, listen to what people say.
On your turn, if any of them are in your crew, tell them Rep +2. If they
are not, but you want them to be, tell them Rep +1.
Tell everyone else Rep +0.
When it comes time for you to
write down numbers, listen to what people tell you, add 1 to that and write down the total (max +3). You
work with people by knowing people.
When you level up, choose one of the following. Each can only be taken once.
| Class | Strengths | Weaknesses | Weapons | Defenses | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tech 1 Frigate | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 ISK |
| Tech 2 Frigate | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 ISK |
| Tech 1 Cruiser | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 ISK |
| Tech 2 Cruiser | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 ISK |
| Tech 1 Battleship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 ISK |
| Tech 2 Battleship | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 ISK |
| Capital Ship | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 30 ISK |
*Ships have a Base Damage and Resistance of 1 if not otherwise noted.
While anything that can be imagined can be used, players who wish to use details that are more familiar to the
world of Eve Online can use these details for reference:
Frigates: Assault Frigates, Electronic Attack Frigate, Interceptor, Covert Ops, Logistics Frigate, Mining
Frigate, Shuttle, Industrial Ship, Salvage Ship, Destroyer
Cruisers: Heavy Assault Cruisers, Heavy Interdiction Cruisers, Logistics Cruisers, Recon Cruisers, Strategic
Cruisers, Battlecruisers, Mining Barges, Industrial Barges, Salvage Barges
Battleships: Black Ops, Marauders, Drone Mothership, Missile Cavalry, Ship of the Line, Laser Battery,
Cannon Brawler
Looks, Strengths and Weakness have no mechanical effect in the game, but it's useful to write them down so that
you keep them in mind when it comes time to describe how your ship performs. This can be helpful to keep a
consistent feel to your ships across different scenes. Here are a couple of good
adjectives for inspiration, though you are welcome to use anything that works for your group.
Looks: smooth, obsolete, cutting edge, powerful, high tech, stealthy, garish, clunky, unique, austere,
luxurious, salvaged, intimidating, bulky
Strengths: fast, durable, responsive, reliable, evasive, lucky, efficient, spacious, comfortable
Weaknesses: slow, heavy, fragile, unresponsive, expensive, cramped, unlucky, picky, obvious, unreliable
Weapons are classified into Close, Short, or Long range based on their actual abilities in Eve Online. If you
want to detail your frigate to use oversized autocannons at short/long range, that's fine. There is no game
reason that autocannons (or any other weapon) could not be said to be at any particular range. Importantly, once
you decide what the range is, you cannot change it, unless you get a different ship or purchase and fit
different weapon modules. Here they are for reference, but again, detail your weapons as you and your group
want.
Close only: Smartbombs, Ramming, Boarding
Close/Short: Autocannons, Pulse Lasers, Blasters, Torpedo Launchers, Combat Drones
Short/Long: Railguns, Cruise Missile Launchers, Artillery Cannons, Beam Lasers, Sentry Drones
Defenses have no mechanical effect in the game. In Eve Online, ships have shields that have to be hammered down,
then armor that has to be shot off, then a hull that has to be breached, and they have to be damaged in that
order. There are complicated rules about how different weapons interact with different defenses, but for our
purposes, this is all covered by Damage and Resistance. The only other place where this comes up is in the
damage tracker. If you would like to change your damage tracker descriptions based on the type of defenses that
you have
equipped, the tracker would be the most logical place to have those show up. Keep in mind that everyone still
becomes disabled at
3 damage and dies at 6 damage, so don't change the descriptions too much. If you want your ship to use only
shields and
remove the the mention of armor damage, you could change 1 damage to be Minor Shield Damage, 2 Damage to be
Major Shield Damage,
and 3 Damage to be Shields Down. Here are
defenses that are part of Eve Online that you might wish to include in your descriptions.
Defenses: Shield Extenders, Shield Boosters, Shield Rechargers, Shield Hardeners, Armor Plates, Armor Repair
Modules, Armor Hardeners, Damage Controls, Reinforced Bulkheads, Hull Repair Modules, Target Breakers, Inertial
Stabilizers, Repair Drones
Threading the needle between Weapons and Defenses are Tackle modules. Neither dealing damage nor being
completely harmless, they come in handy in a number of situations. The official types are Energy Destabilizers,
Stasis Webifiers, Tackle Drone Controllers, Target Painters, Warp Scramblers, Tracking Disruptors, Sensor
Jammers, and Electronic Counter Measures.
Modules are components that are purchased an attached to ships. As their name suggests, they are modular and can
be removed and refitted as you like.
Tech 1 weapon modules cost 1 ISK each. They have no special abilities, but if you don't have them equipped on
your ship, it gets -1 Base Damage. See above for the list of "official" weapons, or talk with your group about
making up your own.
Tech 2 weapon modules cost 3 ISK each. These are high tech versions of weapon modules, but increase the Base
Damage of the ship by 1 when 2 or more such modules are equipped.
Tech 1 defensive modules cost 1 ISK each. They have no special abilities, but if you don't have them equipped on
your ship, it gets -1 Base Resistance. See above for the list of "official" defenses, or talk with your group
about making up your own.
Tech 2 defensive modules cost 3 ISK each. These are high tech versions of defensive modules, but increase the
Base Resistance of the ship by 1 when 2 or more such modules are equipped.
Tech 1 tackle modules cost 1 ISK each. These are used to inflict 0 damage on a target, when you are more
interested in the other effects of weapons without destroying the target.
Tech 2 tackle modules cost 3 ISK each. These are high tech versions of tackle modules, but have the option to
hit multiple targets when 2 or more modules are equipped.
Rigs modify your ship, changing it's strengths and weaknesses. They are pieces from other ships that change the
way your ship functions. You can only ever fit one rig to your ship at a time. A rig is unique to the ship, so
if it is to be removed, it cannot be recovered, and instead is destroyed.
Tech 1 Jury Rigging Kits cost 1 ISK each. This rig adds 1 Strength to a ship, but it also adds 1 Weakness.
Tech 2 Jury Rigging Kits cost 3 ISK each. This rig add 1 Strength without adding a Weakness. Alternatively, you
can use it to remove a Weakness instead of adding a Strength.
Personal Gear can be purchased and used by characters. In general, a group can decide what amount of personal
gear a character can hold. My guidelines would be no more than three "hands" worth of gear. A pistol or a knife
requires one "hand" to carry, while a rifle or a industrial chain shredder would take two "hands" to carry. A
character with a backpack (or some other device for holding more gear) can hold up to 6 hands worth of gear. A
character should only have one outfit and/or one suit of armor. The
gear is so interchangeable that these restrictions really shouldn't matter, but some people need lines to color
in to make nice pictures.
Weapons
Tech 1 melee weapons cost 1 ISK each. Melee weapons come in all shapes and sizes. While you certainly can buy a
knife, club, or axe, a screwdriver, broken pipe, or cleaver will also work in a pinch. Regardless of whether
bought it or your scavanged it, these do 1 Damage at close range.
Tech 2 melee weapon cost 2 ISK each. These are faster, stronger, deadlier versions of their Tech 1 cousins.
Maybe the knife has a laser blade, the club is a shock maul that electrocutes people, and the axe burns at 1200
degrees. Whatever the reason, these do 2 damage at close range and look snazzy.
Tech 1 Sidearms cost 1 ISK each. Sidearms hail from a bygone era where everyone needed a weapon to defend their
person. Now that we live in the civilized future, they only represent an homage to our ancestors and the
shoulders we stand on. Of course the bullet wounds, laser burns, and flechette cuts hurt just like they always
have. These do 2 Damage at close or short range.
Tech 2 Sidearms cost 3 ISK. Tech 2 Sidearms represent the pinnacle of personal defense technology. More
accurate, easily concealed, lightweight, quiet, or just massively destructive, Tech 2 sidearms are more advanced
versions of handheld ranged weapons of old. These do 3 Damage at close or short.
Tech 1 Longarms cost 2 ISK each. Longarms represent weapons of war. Their size and damage potential leave no
question as to the intention of the wielder. Longarms come in a variety of damage dealing methods, including
projectiles, flame spewers, plasma launchers, lance beamers, and micro missile tubes. These weapons do 3 Damage
at short or long range.
Tech 2 Longarms cost 5 ISK each. Tech 2 longarms provide the last word on violent conflict. These longarms
combine the
most advanced destructive technologies, the most advanced miniaturization technologies, and the most advanced
targeting technologies to construct a device that will demolish specific targets many times larger than itself.
Tech 2 longarms do 4 Damage at short or long range.
Armor
Personal Body Armor costs 1 ISK for a suit. Personal Body Armour includes basic protections for your head and
chest. The exact make varies from steel plated jackets on rioting thugs to macromolecule fiber weave on
corporate suits. Whatever the appearance, these provide 1 Resistance.
Tech 1 Body Armor costs 3 ISK for a suit. Actual body armor provides protection to the torso, groin, upper legs,
upper arms, neck and head. This is most commonly found in soldiers' battle dress, but can also be constructed or
rigged up by someone in a hurry. Full tech 1 body armor provides 2 Resistance.
Tech 2 Body Armor costs 10 ISK for a suit. Powered suits started as the first attempt at complete personal
protection. With technological advances in materials research and miniaturization technology, modern Tech 2 body
armor is extremely agile for the protection offered. Advancements in shielding technology offer another option:
personal shield emitters. These provide spaceship-like protection with no mobility restrictions. Remember to
turn it off before you shake someone's hand. These offer 3 Resistance.
Services, like goods, can be commonly be purchased. Below are common services that one might require, at "normal"
prices. If things veer away from "normal" the price or availability might change.
Repairs: Ship repairs cost 1 ISK. The extent of the damage increases the time required, but the facility
rental always costs the same amount. You cannot repair a destroyed ship, it's time for the salvage crew.
Medical Treatment: Medical drones cost 1 ISK. The extent of your injuries increases the time required for you to
heal and for parts to be grafted on, but the stay in medical bay always costs the same. You cannot heal a dead
person, it's time for biomass reclamation.
Room and Board: Rental of a room and purchase of food on a station or capital ship costs 1 ISK per
month. You receive enough space to store your ship(s) and your personal belongings.
Industrial work: Renting out industrial space costs half the proceeds of the job. The job might fail, in which
case you don't pay anything, or it might not net as much as you expected, in which case you might pay
everything. If you want something done right, do it yourself.
Contract Work: Contracting someone to do something they are good at costs 1 ISK. Fabricators fabricate,
Explorers explore, Commanders command. This includes scouting an anomaly, building a tool, attacking a neighbor,
defending a structure, finding something out, or negotiating a deal. Most tasks cost 1 ISK to perform. If
additional challenges appear, the client is expected to provide extra for that, but might expect more in
return.
Core Failure was the result of a bet between me and Drak Th'n Bolak regarding making (or hacking) a role
playing game to allow us to play the roles of characters in the fictional universe of Eve Online. If you know
nothing of Eve Online, it's set in the future, there are spaceships, and there are no aliens. There are only
humans. I suppose there are animals that live on other planets, but they don't have the ability to build
spaceships or interfere with the work of humans in that regard, so for roleplaying purposes, that doesn't really
matter. To accomplish this goal, I copied the work of D. Vincent Baker, the author of Apocalypse World. I
consider this book to be the most influential force in the development of my current game mastering style. The
book Apocalypse World completely changed my outlook on role-playing games, what they are, what they should be,
and how we play them. I cannot recommend this book highly enough if you are a game master coming from another
system. I know that it helped me move away from a strict focus on the mechanical rules and how players use them.
It changed my understanding of the meta roles of the players and the game master in the game; not that of the
characters and environment, but of contributors to a story. I never approached Apocalypse World from the
perspective of a player of more free-form story teller systems, so I can't say whether it would or would not
help you improve your skills as a game master. I suspect it would, but I also look down at "those kinds of
people" and "that side of the hobby" so I'm probably not the right person to judge. I believe it is the right
balance between the two sides, and I regard it as the greatest role playing game that I've ever seen.
I'm not the only one who recognized the quality of this system. At the time of this writing, there are over
600 titles that claim to be inspired by Apocalypse World on Itch.io (a website that distributes media, including
roleplaying games). There are over 1000 on DriveThruRPG. Lots and lots of people like this system. Games that
use the system that Baker laid out in the book are described as "Powered by the Apocalpyse." On his website,
Baker states that anyone who was inspired by Apocalypse World and wants to describe their game as Powered by the
Apocalypse is free to do so. In that light, Core Failure sure looks like its reactor is fueled by the
cataclysmic end of all things.
...But is it? Well, it's certainly true that the system is basically identical, and the characters are
fresh-from-the-vat clones of Apocalypse World playbooks (with one exception). So if you are wondering if you
will be able to take a working knowledge of the Apocalypse World system and play this, then Yes, I should
hope that you can. In that sense, Core Failure is Powered by the Apocalypse. However, if you expect that you can
read through this and get everything that reading Apocalypse World would give you, you are in for a
disappointment. I have not taken the time to write out a how-to guide for transforming your understanding of
roleplaying games and growing as a game master. I strongly doubt that I'm capable of that. For that, I would
have to refer you to Baker and his book. Perhaps in the future, this forward will be gone, and in its place will
be inspiring words with the power to thaw the stone cold heart of the mightiest power gamer. Perhaps not.
So why the long ramble? Why not just tell you to get a copy of the book for only $15USD, linked from his website
http://apocalypse-world.com/, and read what Baker has to say? So... the thing is... I haven't actually read his
book. I mean, I have, but I have the 1st edition, in hard copy. That's the book that I read, and that's the one
that changed my outlook on gaming. The book that he sells now is the second edition. I haven't read it and I
don't know anything about it beyond the reviews that I've read on the internet. I can't say that I would
recommend it, or that buying it will give you any insight into how to play this game. So I'm going to do my best
to explain how to play, and trust that this is just a hollow echo of the wisdom that was given to me.