Trump v1.2 Manuscript 072411

Roleplaying System
Christopher Bodmann Matthew Bodmann Shawn Bodmann
Copyright 2010 by Christopher Bodmann, Matthew Bodmann, & Shawn Bodmann
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction
Special Thanks to our Playtesters and Reviewers: Robert Gauthier, Adolfo De La Garza, David Adwokat, all the RPOL peeps who took a chance on Trump.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Why We Play Roleplaying Games In this age of technology, we have so many choices for entertainment, literally, at our fingertips. So why would we look to a roleplaying game (RPG) when we could much more easily pick up a book, watch a movie, or play a video game? RPGs take a lot of time and effort, and certainly there are easier and cheaper forms of entertainment. So what is it about RPGs that keeps us coming back for more?
In short, RPGs offer a unique experience. No other form of entertainment provides the flexibility and creative involvement like RPGs. Played both live and by proxy (via email and/or the Internet), they offer players a chance to become someone else, to speak in someone elses voice, to create worlds and challenge their minds and those of other players. These are the merits of RPGs they speak to the human need to be creative and share our creativity with one another.
I saw the wide range of both younger and older people who were attracted to (D&D), I understood that it was reaching a deeper chord, something deep within us. ~Gary Gygax
What is the Trump System? The Trump System is a set of roleplaying game rules that is designed to be flexible and very lightweight. We designed the rules specifically for use in play-by-post gaming, although there is no reason it would not work at a tabletop. The essential philosophy behind the rules is that
roleplaying games, especially play-by-post roleplaying games, should be more about collaborative story-telling than they are about the rules. They should be more role playing than roll playing. We tried to set up Trump to put the focus on character concepts, rather than complicated stats and long lists of specific equipment.
We've gone to considerable effort to keep the rules as lightweight as possible, to reduce most things down to their barest essentials, and to paint things with broad brushstrokes. Stat blocks are useful for getting a general idea of what a character can do, particularly in relation to other characters, but too much detail creates a system that is confining. In many game systems, making a character to get the most out of the system can become the focus of character creation. To avoid these drawbacks, we have tried to make the rules as freeform and non-explicit as possible which allows for the greatest amount of freedom and ability to create a character that fits a concept, rather than a system that encourages manipulation of stats to the greatest game benefit (otherwise known as min/maxing).
One reason for a lightweight system is that over the years, the three authors have transitioned from playing RPGs face-to-face at a table top to playing exclusively over the internet on play-bypost sites. In our experience, the slower pace of play-by-post games means that dice-rolling should be minimized and character interaction stressed. We wanted a system that was designed with play-by-post in mind from the ground up. To our knowledge, Trump is the first such system.
The rules were originally designed to model the characters and capture the action typically seen in literary and cinematic renditions of fairy tales and fantasy and later adapted to model fourcolor, golden-age and silver-age comic book heroes. In our opinion, these renditions of heroes are different from the typical RPG characters and are more about having an interesting concept rather than a block of stats. In addition, most characters from fairy tales and comics rarely change equipment or haul around a ton of loot. They tend to keep the same equipment for their entire careers, and anything else they might use is on a temporary basis.
We hope these rules encourage interesting, if not zany characters (and we include some of our own in the last chapter) and that they encourage game play that is more about story-telling and roleplaying than meta-gaming and roll-playing.
A SIDEBAR ABOUT SIDEBARS From time to time the authors have an aside or a piece of information that does not necessarily fit within the main text of the document. In these cases, we have separated out the text in these special sidebars. Look here for a behind the scenes look at the rules.
Whenever you start to feel like you are getting bogged down with the rules, try to take a step back and remember the philosophy designed into the game. Think simplicity, broad strokes, and try to let the details handle themselves.
The Basic Trump Mechanic
One of the most notable aspects of the Trump System is in the way it randomizes effects. Rather than using dice, The Trump System uses a standard deck of cards (including the jokers) to generate randomness. Cards have two qualities: suit and number.
Each suit of the deck corresponds to particular types of actions. Black suits cover physical actions and red suits cover mental actions.
The number on the card corresponds to a measure of quantity, and is basically the same as the number on a die. The Trump System considers the face cards to represent discrete numbers, such that Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, and Kings = 13. Aces are considered low, so they represent 1.
The basic mechanic of the Trump System is to draw a card, add the Ability that corresponds to the action and any applicable skill, and then to compare that total to either a target Difficulty Level or an Opposing Draw.
The Four Abilities Characters in The Trump System have four Abilities, one for each of the suits in a standard deck of cards. Abilities represent a character's basic capacity to perform actions governed by that suit.
Clubs represents actions that require raw physical strength or endurance.
Spades represents actions that require agility, manual dexterity, or hand-eye coordination.
Diamonds covers actions that require knowledge, raw intelligence and deductive reasoning.
Hearts covers actions that require willpower, charisma and perception. Skills/Specializations Whereas the four Abilities represent a characters natural capabilities, Skills and Specializations represent what the character has learned. They are almost always associated with one particular Ability and almost always add to that Ability when resolving an action.
Fighting Spirit Instead of using a traditional hit point system, Trump expands to a concept called Fighting Spirit. This number essentially represents the characters ability to keep on going in the face of adversity. It is his verve, his mettle, his moxy. As things affect the character, from verbal interactions with other characters to chases to downright physical combat, the characters Fighting Spirit is expended. When Fighting Spirit reaches zero, the character might be beat up, winded, or mentally spent, depending on the particular situation. Regardless of the situation, he is incapable of going on for the time being.
Static Defense To represent how generally resilient to losses in Fighting Spirit a character is, we use a Static Defense number. There are two types of defense, Black Defense and Red Defense. Black Defense is used to resist losses to Fighting Spirit from physical sources. Red Defense is used to resist losses to Fighting Spirit from mental sources.
Meta-Skills Meta-Skills are like Skills, except they represent capabilities that are super human in nature. This could mean the ability to manipulate magic, super powers, or racial abilities that normal humans do not possess.
Chapter 2: Character Creation
Characters are one of the most important parts of a good story, and of course in a roleplaying game they are the role that you are playing. A lot of the emphasis of the Trump System is directed at the character creation process for this very reason.
We approach character creation in a sort of inverted pyramid pattern, each layer adding a bit more detail to the character in question. At the top, the largest block, is your characters concept, which rules the entire process and should drive all the other character creation decisions. Next is Motif, a one-sentence description of the character. After Motif are Abilities, the core mechanical descriptors that tell you how good you are in comparison to other characters. Next are Skills, the things your character is trained to do well. In addition to Skills, some characters have Specializations, sub-skills that are not as broad-reaching as Skills. And finally, at the bottom of the pyramid, are the assorted little details like Defense, Fighting Spirit, and Hooks. Character Creation Summary Players receive a number of Character Points (CPs) that they can use to buy Abilities, Skills, Specializations and Meta-Skills. We recommend that characters start with 75+ points for a highpower Campaign; 50 points for a medium-power Campaign and 25 points for a low-power Campaign. Unless otherwise stated by the Storyteller, starting characters begin with 3 Trump Skills, 30 points of Fighting Spirit, and 2 Story Points.
A character can take up to 2 Hooks, each of which grants 1-4 extra Character Points for character creation, as determined by the Storyteller.
Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation
Characters should be built using the costs for purchased Traits (Abilities, Skills, etc.) listed in Table 1.
TABLE 1: TRAIT COSTS AT CHARACTER CREATION Trait Abilities Skills Specializations Fighting Spirit Black/Red Defense Meta-Skills Minions/Sidekicks Cost 2 CP / 1 Ability point 1 CP / 1 Skill point 1 CP / 2 Specialization points 1 CP / 3 Additional Fighting Spirit 1 CP / Additional Black OR Red Defense 1 CP / 1 Meta-Skill point 1 CP / Rank for Standard 2 CP / Rank for Single Color
Character Concept and Motif Because the Trump System is based on genre fiction, it is good to have in mind the types of characters you find in fantasy novels, fairy tales, and comic books when reading this section of the rules. These characters tend to be specialists rather than generalists. Jacks of All Trades exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Archetypes are the standard.
Before starting your character, we advise that you have a clear concept in mind. This will not only fulfill the general rule of concept is king but will also help you have a clear idea of how to spend your points when the time comes. By having a clear idea about the concept first, it also helps you to avoid meta-gaming. Once you have a concept, you should develop what we call a
Motif. A Motif is a general description of what the character can do, including the actions he does best.
How to Create a Motif Think about what kind of character you want to play in the most basic terms. Try to think of your character as a one-sentence description. Do you want to play a barbarian who worships the god of steel? What about an acrobatic thief with a heart of gold? Maybe you want to play a superscientist with stretching powers or a world famous detective who plays violin. This one-sentence description is the characters Motif and it should give you an idea of the characters basic area of expertise.
Here are a few example Motifs from a fairy tale Setting: Big, angry bear - Bears are good at breaking things, eating things, and scaring things. This bear happens also to be particularly big and particularly angry. While this doesn't really affect what the character can DO, it does help flesh out the character's personality. Overly defensive, joke cracking swashbuckler - As a swashbuckler, this character will be agile and tend to use finesse and precise blows rather than just trying to over-power a foe. The adjectives imply that this particular swashbuckler is especially good at parrying and dodging blows, and that he taunts his opponents during combat. Absent-minded alchemist - As an alchemist, this character will have arcane knowledge and be able to create potions. Being absent-minded implies this alchemist isn't so good at remembering non-arcane trivia, which isn't particularly advantageous, but adds flavor to this character.
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Charismatic con man who can talk his way into anywhere, especially forbidden places - This character is good at interacting with others; particularly when it involves getting into places he shouldn't go. He would be good at lying and bluffing, and is probably a good card-player.
Your character's Motif will help you decide on their purchased Traits (Abilities, Skills, etc.). But the Motif does not have to define ALL of the character's capabilities purchasing Traits that are not defined by the characters Motif is acceptable, if not encouraged, but these should always be weighed carefully against the Motif.
Motif should also be considered when the Player makes his selection of his characters Trump Ability / Skills. These selections should harmonize with the characters Motif. We will discuss Trump Abilities/Skills in the next section.
Motif is important because in the Trump System character concept drives everything else. This one sentence really helps to frame your character, so dont skip it.
Trump Abilities/Skills Like Motif, every Player-character in Trump has a Trump Ability/Skills. Trump Abilities and Skills represent a characters signature moves. It is the type of actions that character does especially well and should generally be based around the characters Motif.
Players must select either a single Ability (Clubs, Spades, Diamonds or Hearts) OR three Skills/Meta-Skills as their characters Trump. Players may select Trump Skills from ANY
Skills/Meta-Skills for which they have purchased ranks. Players are encouraged to select their Trump Ability/Skills which best suit their Motif.
Each character is limited to either a single Trump Ability or three Trump Skills/Meta-Skills. Once selected, these will almost never change, nor can additional Trump Abilities/Skills ever be purchased.
Every time a character uses a Trump Ability/Skill, they get to draw an extra card to resolve the outcome on an Action. This is called a Trump Bonus. Trump Bonus is explained in more detail in Chapter 3 Actions. Character Points Once you have your concept developed and have turned it into a Motif, you can now start to flesh out the characters numerical stats. To do this, the Trump System uses a system of Character Points, or CPs for short. Players purchase the traits of their characters with these CPs.
The Storyteller will determine the number of CPs characters start with when they are setting up their Campaign World/Setting. For a low-power game, we suggest starting characters with 25 Character Points; 50 CPs for a mid-power game; and 75+ for games involving characters with god-like capabilities. Basic Components of a Character There are a number of basic components for a Trump character things that all characters will have. Most of these Traits are purchased with the characters stock of CPs. Some of them start
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at a value of zero and must purchased from the ground up and some of them start at a value determined by the Setting and CAN be bought up from there. Abilities Characters in The Trump System have four Abilities, one for each of the suits in a standard deck of cards. Abilities represent a character's basic capability to perform actions governed by that suit. These suits cover the following types of actions:
Clubs physical strength and endurance Spades physical agility, speed, and manual dexterity Diamonds intellect and reasoning Hearts charisma, force of will and perception
Abilities start at a value of zero (0). Players purchase all Abilities at a rate of 2 Character Points per 1 Ability rank. So a Clubs rank 2 will cost 4 CPs; likewise, a Spades rank 2 will cost 4 CPs, etc.
THE ACTION SUIT Determining the Action Suit for any given action is an important part of the Trump Systems card-draw mechanics. The Action Suit of any given action should coincide with the Ability which would most logically govern that action, using the guidelines set out in the Abilities section (page xx). Most of the time, the Action Suit will be obvious. Sometimes, however, an action may seem like it could be equally governed by two Abilities. In these cases, it falls to the Storyteller to
determine the most appropriate Action Suit. There are some tools and guidelines which may help the Storyteller with this decision: Could the action fall under or be described by one of the sample Skills (page xx)? If so, use the Suit under which the Skill falls as the Action Suit. How does the Player describe their characters actions? As a bonus for good roleplaying based on this description, the Storyteller may allow the Player a use of a non-conventional Action Suit (i.e. playing to the characters strengths). Would it make fictional sense? Whenever the Players and Storyteller come across a difficult adjudication, always keep in mind that Trump is based on genre fiction. Would the action make sense in a movie, book or comic? Any time something wouldnt make sense in real-life, defer to this comic book logic.
Ability scores generally range from 1 to 30. Average human level in any Ability is 2. A score of 10 is generally the maximum score for a normal human, so any Ability with a score of 11 or higher will generally be considered super-human.
Skills While Abilities cover broad categories of actions that characters can do, Skills cover specific things characters know how to do above their level of natural talent. They are what most Players and Storytellers will expect when they think of a skill, but a typical Trump character will generally have fewer Skills than characters in other game systems. The reason is that Trump uses broad strokes rather than minute detail. The general idea is that most actions are covered by
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Abilities leaving Skills to represent more specific things that characters know how to do very well.
Skills always default to an Ability, following the guidelines of the types of actions each suit covers. As such, characters may perform any Skill starting at their corresponding Ability rank, even if they do not purchase additional ranks for that Skill. Additional Skill ranks may be purchased to represent training the character has received in a Skill, above and beyond their natural Ability. Skill ranks and Ability ranks stack together when performing an action covered by the Skill. For example, a character with a high Clubs Ability is naturally strong and will have a certain natural ability to wield big, heavy weapons in melee. If this character also takes the Big Melee Weapons Skill, it indicates that he has actually received training in how to use big swords, axes, clubs and the like, and so will be better with those weapons than someone that is equally naturally strong but does not have training.
Skills start at a value of zero (0). Skills are purchased at a rate of 1 CP per Skill rank. So a Big Melee Weapons rank 4 will cost 4 CPs, etc.
Skills generally range from 1 to 20, with a score of 4 representing an average level of training in the Skill. A score of 1 represents very basic training. With a score of 20, the character is one of the world's best and almost certainly has a reputation based on his Skill. Specializations Sometimes characters have training that is more specific than the broad stroke Skills represent. In this situation, Players can purchase Specializations for their character. Specializations are a
very focused application of a Skill. It is not a requirement that the character has the Skill that the Specialization is based on. Like Skills, Specialization ranks stack with the appropriate Ability ranks as well as applicable Skill ranks.
Specializations start at a value of zero (0). Specializations are purchased at a rate of 1 CP per 2 Specialization ranks. So a Specialization in Big Swords rank 6 will cost 3 CPs, etc.
Specializations help define what is covered by a Skill. In the sample list on the next page, Specializations are listed in parentheses after the Skill.
DEFAULT SKILLS LIST Below is the default skills list. This represents the general set of skills you will encounter in most games. You may want to customize the list to better fit the genre of your game. For example, for a fantasy game, you may want to change the Pharmaceuticals specialization to Herbalism and the Science skill to Alchemy.
Clubs Athletics (Climbing, Jumping, Lifting, Running, Swimming) Big Melee Weapons (Clubs, Axes, Big Swords) Brawling (Boxing, Wrestling, Improvised Weapons)
Spades Acrobatics (Balance, Swinging, Tumbling)
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Boating (Capital ships, Motorboats, Sailing) Driving (Car, Motorcycle, Tanks, Truck) Guns (Heavy Weapons, Pistols, Rifles) Legerdemain (Concealment, Pick Pockets, Quick Draw) Martial Arts (Kicking, Punching, Throwing) Missile Weapons (Bows, Thrown Weapons) Piloting (Helicopters, Planes, Space Ships) Skullduggery (Escape Artist, Pick Locks, Stealth) Small Melee Weapons (Knives, Swords, Whips)
Diamonds Computers (Data Retrieval, Hacking, Programming) Detective (Forensics, Interrogation, Search, Streetwise) Electronics/Mechanics (Demolitions, Disable Device, Repair) Invention (Artistic, Electronic, Mechanical, Structural) Knowledge (Business, Current Events, History, Theology/Philosophy) Medicine (First Aid, Pharmaceuticals, Surgery) Science (Behavioral Science, Chemistry, Earth Science, Life Science, Physics) Survival (Climate, Navigation/Orienteering, Tracking)
Hearts Awareness (Gambling, Notice, Sense Motive) Diplomacy (Barter, Intimidate, Law, Leadership)
Handle Animal (Animal Empathy, Animal Husbandry, Animal Training, Riding) Mysticism (Arcane Lore, Hypnosis, Trance) Perform (Acting, Dance, Disguise, Music, Speech) Persuasion (Bluff, Gather Information, Seduction)
Static Defense All characters in Trump possess Static Defense. This Trait represents the characters basic resilience against injury, fatigue and mental collapse.
This Trait is broken down into two distinct statistics: Black Defense and Red Defense. Both are derived from the average of a characters Abilities of each color. A Base Defense Number, determined by the Storyteller/Setting, is then applied to these averages to get the characters Black/Red Defense statistics.
Base Defense Number The Storyteller sets this number for the entire Campaign/Setting. Every characters Defense PC, NPC, Minions and Sidekicks - will use this number. It represents the overall lethality of the world and is a powerful tool for determining the flavor of the game. A good rule of thumb is to set the Base Defense Number at 10. If the Storyteller wants the game to be highly cinematic, he should set the number higher. If the Storyteller wants the game to be more grim and gritty, he should set the number lower. Generally, the Base Defense Number should never change once it is set.
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Black Defense This statistic represents the capability to resist physical damage, dodge attacks, and otherwise avoid harm from physical means. It is calculated as:
Black Defense = (Clubs + Spades) 2 + Base Defense Number Red Defense This statistic represents the capability to resist mental damage, keep up morale, and otherwise avoid harmful mental interactions. It is calculated as:
Red Defense = (Diamonds + Hearts) 2 + Base Defense Number
Characters may purchase extra Red or Black Defense at a cost of 1 CP per point of Black OR Red Defense. Extra Defense must be purchased separately for each color. So 5 points of extra Black Defense will cost 5 CPs.
ACTIVE DEFENSE RULE
Some Storytellers may want to add an Active Defense system into their game, allowing the characters to sacrifice their action for enhanced defensive capability. Instead of acting in a given round the player can choose a Skill that they add to their Static Defense. The player must explain how the Skill will allow them enhanced defenses for the round, with the approval of the Storyteller.
Example: Racoonteur is facing his arch nemesis, Kapitn Gustav. Gustav wants to delay the swashbuckling raccoon until the guards arrive, and declares he is using an Active Defense instead of his attack. Gustav uses his Persuasion Skill to get Racoonteur talking, distracting him from the fight and adding his Persuasion rank to his Black Defense.
Fighting Spirit Characters always seem to be getting into trouble, expending their energies (both mental and physical) and damaging both their pride and their bodies. We represent the will to keep going on despite this energy expenditure and damage with something called Fighting Spirit.
Unlike a hit point system, Fighting Spirit, or FS, covers more than just the physical abuse a character can take. Heroes are defined by their exceptional willpower and tenacity. These traits are reflected in a character's FS as well. In short, FS, represents the amount of physical and mental reserves the character has left.
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Characters need FS to stay in a fight, but its also used for all other types of scenes. In a chase scene, for example, Fighting Spirit is what the character calls on to keep up the chase after barreling through a street cart full of fruit. In a contest of wills, it keeps the character from cracking under the mental strain.
The basic mechanical application of Fighting Spirit is simple when a player makes a draw, it is compared against either a Difficulty Level or an Opposing Draw. If the draw is less than the Difficulty Level (or less than the Opposing Draw), the character loses Fighting Spirit equal to the amount by which the draw was failed. Specific details on the loss of Fighting Spirit within each scene and the results therein will be covered, in detail, in Chapter 4 (page 35).
Whatever the scene, FS is what keeps the character going, and when its gone, it marks some kind of defeat the character has been knocked out, captured, run out of steam or otherwise incapacitated. However, Fighting Spirit always refreshes at the beginning of a new scene.
Player Characters start with 30 points of Fighting Spirit. Players may purchase extra points of Fighting Spirit (to represent particularly tough or strong-willed characters) at a rate of 1 CP per 3 points of extra Fighting Spirit. So 12 points of extra FS will cost 4 CP, etc.
NPCs start with different amounts of FS based on their relative rank. NPCs sergeants or NPCs slightly less powerful than the PCs should have 20 FS; lieutenants or NPCs on par with the PCs should have 30 FS; and master villains or NPCs meant to be more powerful than the
PCs should start with 50 FS or more. Like the Base Defense Number, the Storyteller may decide to alter these FS values to give his Setting a different flavor.
There are many uses for Fighting Spirit, which we will discuss in a later section (see Chapter 4). Story Points Heroes are capable of miraculous feats, sometimes beyond even their own capabilities. They also have the amazing tendency to be able to fight the crucial battle at full strength. To reflect this, all characters have a pool of Story Points that they can use to alter the resolution of actions during game play. Characters can use Story Points in three ways: To automatically double your ENTIRE draw (including Ability, Skill/Specialization, and any cards) for resolving a single action, given that the player gives an appropriate description of why they succeed. To automatically recover all Fighting Spirit. This use must be after the character has reached 0 FS but before the end of the scene and requires a dramatic trigger, such as the villain threatening to harm the heros loved ones, etc. To use a Skill or Meta-Skill to cause an effect completely different from the normal effect of that Skill or Meta-Skill. This use should follow the guidelines of comic book logic.
PCs start with 2 story points (for free). Characters may convert any leftover Character Points from their build into Story Points at a rate of 1 CP per Story Point. So 2 extra Story Points will cost 2 CPs.
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NPCs may also possess and use Story Points based on their relative rank. Minions and sergeants have none and may never use Story Points. Lieutenants may have 1 SP. Master villains may have 3 or more. As with Static Defense and FS, the Storyteller may decide to alter these values for the sake of the Setting.
Advanced Components of a Character The previous sections comprise the basic character package the things that all Trump characters have. This next section deals with some optional aspects that can add additional flavor to your character.
Meta-Skills Comic book characters almost always have super-human capabilities, many fantasy characters have magical or racial qualities, and post-apocalyptic characters often possess strange mutations. Traits that go beyond those that any "normal" human can do are represented by Meta-Skills. The exact nature of Meta-Skills will depend on your specific Setting. Sometimes Meta-Skills will represent super powers, other times magic, still other times mutations. An exhaustive list of Meta-Skills is not provided in these Core Rules, but we recommend the following general guidelines for Meta-Skills:
1) Meta-Skills cost 1 CP per rank. They should generally cover a single, specific, supernatural capability or aspect of your character. A few examples include flying, shooting energy blasts, turning invisible, having extra arms or gills, etc. Although many selections are obvious, the
exact benefit your character gains from each Meta-Skill should be worked out between the Storyteller and Player. 2) In order to maintain balance between Meta-Skills and Abilities, Meta-Skills that augment one of the four basic Abilities (Clubs, Spades, Diamonds, Hearts) should do so at one-half their rank. Attack/Defense Meta-Skills should be defined as either Black or Red. Meta-Skills that cover both Black and 3) Red attack/Defense should cost double. 4) In a similar fashion to Skills, Meta-Skills function off one of the four Abilities for purposes of draw mechanics, stacking both Meta-Skill ranks and Ability ranks for the action. The Ability which affects the Meta-Skill will depend upon how the Meta-Skill is being used on an action-by-action basis. Obviously, this will require a degree of adjudication following the guidelines for Action Suit. 5) Meta-Skills that affect another characters Meta-Skill(s) should be handled with the Opposed check mechanics. These may include Meta-Skills that steal or negate other characters Meta-Skills. 6) In general, the effects of Meta-Skills should not last longer than a single scene. The Storyteller may deem that some Meta-Skills or specific applications of a Meta-Skill present an exception to this guideline. 7) Meta-Skills can come with some kind limitation that affects how or when they can be used. Taking a limitation is completely optional and should be considered a Hook. Hooks will be described in a later section. 8) Meta-Skills CAN be Trump Skills.
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META-SKILLS IN ANY SETTING Meta-Skills are used to describe capabilities that no normal human could possess. These can include anything from super-powers and mutations, to magic and racial attributes and everything in between. Ultimately, if its something a normal human cannot do, it is a MetaSkill. Although the authors have purposely left Meta-Skills more freeform than normal Skills, we would like to categorize Meta-Skills for use with genre-settings. Racial Attributes: Racial attributes can be found in many genres. Trump assumes the default species for characters to be human. However, characters from many of the source materials used in creating Trump are of an entirely different race altogether. For these characters, a given capability may be quite mundane for members of their race. Since these are not human qualities, these attributes should be described as Meta-Skills. For example, many fairy tales feature anthropomorphic animals as characters -- an anthropomorphic crow would be able to fly just like a normal crow. Even though this is a natural attribute of the character, since flight is not something a normal human can do, it should be noted as one of this characters Meta-Skills. Super-Powers & Magic: Comic book super heroes almost always possess extraordinary powers. Likewise, characters in fantasy & fairy tale settings often wield strange and fantastical magics. Whatever the origin or special effects of these, since they are not things humans can normally do, both super-powers and magic are described using the Meta-Skill mechanics. Mutations: Post-apocalyptic and others settings frequently demonstrate characters with mutations. Sometimes these take on outwardly physical manifestations (e.g. fish gills or bird
wings), and sometimes they are more covert (e.g. modified internal organs). Again, whatever the special effect of the mutation, if it is something a human does not normally possess, it is described with a Meta-Skill.
Equipment As stated in the introduction, characters in source material do not typically change equipment very often. Additionally, to avoid the need to create exhaustive lists of equipment (in both the rules and in individual character stats), the mechanics surrounding equipment have been written to be as light-weight as possible, while retaining a certain RPG feel. As a result, experienced gamers might find equipping their characters in Trump to be a little different than what they might be used to.
Equipment in the Trump System possesses a single rank which describes how well it performs. Equipment is used in conjunction with Skills and Specializations, adding its rank to the total draw of a given action.
Generally, a specific piece of equipment will augment one specific Skill and/or Specialization. A wrench set, for example, would be used in conjunction with the Electronics/Mechanics Skill and/or the Repair Specialization. If the character does not possess the specific Skill/Specialization, a given piece of equipment still stacks with the base Ability of the Skill/Specialization. In other words, Ability, Skill, Specialization and Equipment ranks all stack together when drawing for an action.
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Players may wish to use a piece of equipment in conjunction with a Skill/Specialization for which it was not intended. For example, Jim the mechanic wants to use the biggest wrench from his wrench set to bludgeon a rat. Such unintended uses of equipment are subject to Storyteller fiat.
Unless established by the story, characters are assumed to possess, have access to or be able to approximate the most basic equipment necessary to perform any given Skill/Specialization. These basic tools of the trade are represented as Equipment 0. This means, unless deemed impossible or inappropriate by the Storyteller, anyone can attempt any Skill/Specialization at any time (though success is another story). It is not necessary to note Equipment 0 on the characters statistics.
Exceptional Equipment (i.e. Equipment above rank 0) is given a single rank of 1 through 10 to describe how well it performs. Equipment 1 through 5, although exceptional, is still considered normal or mundane. For example, a particularly well-crafted sword would fall within the range of Equipment 1 through 5. Equipment 6 through 10 is generally rare and considered special in accordance with the Setting. To extend the example above, an enchanted sword would fall within the range of Equipment 6 through 10. Equipment above rank 10 is incredibly rare and potent Storytellers are encouraged to limit such items.
Equipment may or may not be an intrinsic part of a character. Players may elect to purchase a permanent piece of equipment, with either CPs at character creation, or with Story Points at character advancement. Such Equipment should be purchased as a Meta-Skill and considered to
be an intrinsic part of that character, which can never be permanently taken away without compensation from the Storyteller. Unless purchased in this way, Equipment is considered Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (HTGT). This means it can be stolen, broken, run out of fuel/energy or otherwise cease to function as the Storyteller sees fit. Vehicles Heroes (and villains) often possess special vehicles nocturnal, echo-locating, flying, mammal cars, jet-powered helicopters and the like. Vehicles are considered Equipment, with several additional provisos for how to handle them. Vehicles can be purchased as either Meta-Skills (if they are an intrinsic part of the character) or can be HTGT Equipment.
Like all Equipment, Vehicles are given a single rank that describes how well they perform their functions. This rank describes all aspects of the vehicle, from speed and maneuverability, to offensive/defensive capability, etc. If the vehicle possesses some sort of weapon, the Vehicle rank is also used to describe the power/accuracy of the weapon(s). If the Vehicle has a weapon which can be used by a gunner that is not the pilot, the Vehicle ranks stack with the gunners stats when using said weapon. For more information on Vehicles, see Vehicles and Mounts in Action on page 40.
Mounts Many Settings use Mounts instead of or, possibly, in addition to Vehicles. For most purposes, Mounts and Vehicles work the same. See Mounts in Action on page 40 for more details.
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INTELLIGENT VEHICLES AND MOUNTS In some Settings, vehicles may have some sort of artificial intelligence and/or the capability of independent action. Likewise, some mounts may be capable of independent action. These types of vehicles/mounts should be considered minions/sidekicks and should be purchased as Minions/Sidekicks ranks. When the character is piloting the minion Vehicle or riding the minion Mount, it follows the Vehicle or Mount rules outlined on page 40. Only if it is acting on its own (or without active piloting/riding) does it function as a minion/sidekick. See page 39 for rules on Minions/Sidekicks.
Minions and Sidekicks It is common for villains to have groups of thugs and lackeys that do their dirty work. Similarly, heroes tend to take on squires and youthful wards eager to learn the ways of adventure or crime fighting. These are represented as Minions and Sidekicks respectively. Trump assumes villains will have minions and heroes will have a single sidekick (and not vice-versa), although this is not a hard and fast rule. While each has a distinct flavor, mechanically they work almost identically.
Instead of developing individual stats for each minion or sidekick, all their capabilities are based on the Minions/Sidekick rank. This rank reflects every aspect of the minions or sidekick, including offense and defense, non-combat capabilities, as well as their overall resilience to losses. When determining the effect of any action taken by the minions or sidekick, the Minions/Sidekick rank is added to a draw. Minions and sidekicks dont have Trump Skills or Abilities, so they never receive a Trump Bonus.
While a single rank is used for determining all of the minions or sidekicks actions, the player should work out what their specific minions or sidekick is capable of in advance. For example, a pet dog is going to be able to do vastly different things than a friendly ghost or a boy wonder.
Players must also select a color (Black or Red) for their characters minions or sidekick. The color determines the effects produced by the minions or sidekick.
Black color minions and sidekicks are of the physical variety (e.g. thugs with guns or boywonders). Black minions and sidekicks produce physical effects and so draw against Black Defense.
Red color minions and sidekicks are of the mental/mystical variety (e.g. an army of ghosts or a magical apprentice). Red minions and sidekicks produce mental/magical effects and so draw against Red Defense.
Regardless of their own color, minions and sidekicks are affected normally by both Black and Red attacks/effects. For more information about how Minions/Sidekicks take actions and operate in combat see Minions and Sidekicks in Action on page 39.
Standard Minions and Sidekicks can be purchased at a cost of 1 CP per Minions/Sidekick rank. So Minions 5 costs 5 CPs; Sidekick 5 also costs 5 CPs.
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For double the normal cost, PCs and NPCs may purchase minions and sidekicks that can only be affected by their own color. This effectively makes these minions and sidekicks singlecolor, since they are immune to effects and actions of the opposite color.
For example, single-color Black minions and sidekicks are only affected by Black actions and are unaffected by Red actions. An example here might be an army of mindless zombies because they are mindless, they are completely unaffected by mental attacks/actions.
Similarly, single-color Red minions and sidekicks are only affected by Red actions and are unaffected by Black actions. An example here might be an illusory monster because it is an illusion, physical attacks pass through its body without affecting it.
Single-color minions and sidekicks otherwise act the same as normal ones they only generate either Black or Red effects (never both).
Single-color Minions and Sidekicks can be purchased at a cost of 2 CPs per Minions/Sidekick rank. So single-color Minions 5 costs 10 CPs; single-color Sidekick 5 also costs 10 CPs.
Minions/Sidekicks CANNOT be Trump Skills. Hooks Characters can gain extra Character Points to spend during character creation by taking on a Hook. A Hook is a weakness or drawback that should affect the character on a fairly regular basis. Some limitation on a particular Meta-Skill or other capability would also be considered a
Hook. Hooks are worth zero to four Character Points, depending on the severity of the Hook, but they do more than just give the character extra points they should also be consistent with the character's Motif and add to his flavor. Generally, characters should have no more than two Hooks. Here are some examples:
Outlaw - the character is hunted by the law and will have to sneak around when he's in town and civilized areas. Disabled - the character suffers some malady that means he lacks some capability most people take for granted. For example the character may be missing a limb or an eye. Addict - the character needs some substance, or he suffers physical drawbacks. Each day the character goes without ingesting his addicted substance, he loses one point of Clubs. When his Clubs reaches zero, he lapses into a coma and may die within a card draw number of days. Phobia - the character suffers from some irrational fear. When confronted with the object he fears, the character must succeed at a Difficult Hearts draw or flee. Obsession - the character suffers from some irrational desire. When confronted with the object he desires, the character must succeed at a Difficult Hearts draw to avoid taking action to acquire the object. Allergy - the presence of a substance disables the character in some way. Limitation the character requires some kind of focus to use a particular Meta-Skill. Or, perhaps the character needs to recharge a particular Meta-Skill on a regular basis. Whatever it is, be creative and work out the details of your characters limitation with the Storyteller.
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Chapter 3: Actions There are three kinds of actions in The Trump System: Automatic actions, Unopposed actions and Opposed actions. Actions will always defer to one of the four basic Abilities (Clubs, Spades, Diamonds or Hearts). Use the guidelines set out earlier in these rules to determine which Suit fits the action best. Skills, Specializations and Meta-Skills will tend to fall under the same predetermined Suit from one action to the next, however, in Trump, any Ability, Skill, Specialization or Meta-Skill may be used for any action, so long as the player can describe the characters action in a creative manner that makes sense (according to comic book or cinematic logic). The Storyteller has final say on whether or not to allow any unusual use of a given Trait or whether the character is required to use a Story Point to accomplish said usage.
Action Events and the Action Round Occasionally throughout a story, time becomes critical the characters must act and react to changing situations quickly, choosing their actions carefully from one instant to the next. Examples of these situations might include combat, navigating a trap-filled maze, high-speed chases and more. When the seconds matter, these Action Events are broken up into Action Rounds.
The exact length of an Action Round (referred to hereafter as a round) is not set in stone; it can change depending on the situation; but in many cases a single round lasts less than 10 seconds.
A characters actions within each round should generally be limited to a few sentences worth of description, and may include any combination of actions that might be reasonably accomplished within the given time frame.
Regardless of the exact length of the round and the players description, each character is allowed a single draw for each round. Players choose their actions in order of Initiative (see below), however, resolution of the draws for each round generally occur simultaneously at the end of the round.
Once all PCs, NPCs, minions and sidekicks have acted in the first round, those actions are resolved. The second round then begins, with principals acting in the same order, and so on and so forth until the scene comes to some sort of resolution or close.
A NOTE ON SCALE The concepts of movement speed, reach, distance, range and other environmental factors such as these have been purposely kept nebulous in Trump. These concepts, as they relate from one character to another, are assumed to be covered by the relative differences in each characters statistics. In certain situations based on environmental factors (i.e. when a character attempts a particularly long-range/difficult shot), the Storyteller may award bonuses or penalties to players draws.
Initiative
Chapter 3: Actions Chapter 3: Actions
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Initiative is an important mechanic to determine the order of actions. To keep things simple, we recommend team Initiative as opposed to individual Initiative. Whichever team has the higher Initiative goes first. Alternatively, you can use individual Initiative.
The order of Initiative always goes to the team of the individual with the highest Awareness Skill and then to the highest Hearts score. In the case of a tie, Initiative can be resolved by an Opposed Awareness/Hearts draw. Automatic Actions Most of a character's day-to-day living takes place in the form of automatic actions. Walking down the street, eating food, sitting down, etc. are generally things that characters are able to do more or less effortlessly. As a general rule, if the outcome of the action will not affect the Storyteller's plot or the QUICKDRAW AND INITIATIVE Some characters may have the Quickdraw Specialization (especially in a Western Setting). Characters can opt to use their Quickdraw rank in place of their Awareness/Hearts rank for their first round action only. After their first action, their Initiative defers back to their Awareness/Hearts. In the case of two opposing characters with equal Quickdraw ranks, Initiative for the first action is resolved by an Opposed check. If using team Initiative, Quickdraw characters can opt to take individual Initiative for the first round action. Once again, after their first action, their Initiative defers back to their team Initiative.
storyline in a significant way, when time or resources are not a factor, or if the character may attempt the action over and over again until they succeed, the Storyteller will probably rule the action Automatic and the character will automatically (hence the label) succeed at that action. The Storyteller will generally require the character to make a draw when success or failure of the action will have an immediate effect on the outcome of the plot. In these cases, the action will be either Unopposed or Opposed.
Unopposed Actions Unopposed actions involve anything the character is trying to do against an inanimate object or something/someone that is not actively resisting. For example, breaking down a door or scaling a tree (most trees anyway) are Unopposed actions.
Combat follows the Unopposed draw mechanic, using the defenders Static Defense for the attackers DL. This is described in detail in (Chapter 4, Scenes, page 35). Action Suit and Difficulty Level The Storyteller assigns the action a suit (Clubs, Spades, Diamonds, or Hearts) following the guidelines for the types of actions each suit covers. This assigned suit will hereafter be known as the Action Suit. The Storyteller also assigns the Unopposed action a Difficulty Level, or DL for short. DLs range anywhere from 5, for trivially easy actions, to 60, for nigh impossible actions. Use the Table 2 (on the following page) as a guideline for assigning DLs:
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TABLE 2: SAMPLE DIFFICULTY LEVELS Target Draw 5 10 15 20 25 30 Difficulty Trivial Easy Average Challenging Difficult Extremely Difficult
40 Basic Mechanic: Superhuman The The Draw 50 the Action Suit and Godlike Once a DL is determined, the Player makes a draw. This is also referred to as 60+ Evena Gods Better Be Lucky the basic mechanic. When Player makes a
draw, he pulls a card off the top of a standard deck of cards (with jokers included). This card is the Players Primary Draw card. There are three different things that can happen on the Primary Draw:
1. The Primary Draw card is a suit other than the Action Suit. In this case, the Player adds the value of the card to the characters applicable Ability, Skills, etc. and compares the result against the Difficulty Level of the action. If the total equals or exceeds the DL, the character succeeds at the action he is attempting. If the draw is less than the DL the action fails. 2. The Primary Draw card is the same suit as the Action Suit. The Player gets a bonus draw, referred to as an Action Suit Bonus. This bonus draw should be done without replacing the previous card(s) to the deck. The Player then gets to add both of the drawn cards to the characters applicable Ability, Skills, etc. and compares the total to the DL of the action. If
the total meets or exceeds the DL, the action has succeeded. If the total is less than the Difficulty Level, the action fails. 3. The Primary Draw card is a Joker., The action automatically fails. Automatic failure for Jokers applies to the Primary Draw card only. If the character draws a Joker on any bonus card, it should be considered to have a value of 0, rather than indicating automatic failure.
An important exception to this sequence is if the Player is making a draw for his characters Trump Ability/Skills. Trump Abilities/Skills receive an automatic bonus draw, referred to as a Trump Bonus. The Trump Bonus card counts for determining whether the action ALSO receives an Action Suit Bonus draw. In other words, if a Player is using his characters Trump Ability/Skills, if either his Primary Draw or Trump Bonus cards matches the suit of the action, then the Player gets to draw an Action Suit Bonus card. Like the Action Suit Bonus, a Joker drawn on a Trump Bonus card counts as a zero, NOT automatic failure.
BONUS CARD DRAWS Bonus cards are always drawn WITHOUT replacement. Action Suit Bonus draws do not trigger additional draws, but Trump Bonus draws do. The most cards a Player would ever draw for any action are 3: Primary Draw, Trump Bonus, Action Suit Bonus.
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The Action Flowchart
Storyteller determines the Action Suit and Difficulty Level
Player draws Primary Draw card
Action fails
Yes
Is Primary Draw card a Joker?
No
No
Is the character using a Trump Ability/Skill?
Yes
Player draws a Trump Bonus card
Is Primary Draw or Trump Bonus card same suit as action?
No
Yes
Player draws Action Suit Bonus card
Add Ability, Skill, Specialization, MetaSkill and card(s) together
Action fails
No
Does sum match or exceed difficulty?
Yes
Action succeeds
To summarize, the basic mechanic uses the following procedure: Step 1: Draw the Primary Draw card. If the card is a Joker, the action automatically fails. Otherwise, proceed to Step 2. Step 2: If the character is using a Trump Ability/Skill, draw a second card, the Trump Bonus card. Then proceed to Step 3. Step 3: If the either Primary Draw or Trump Bonus cards are the same suit as the action, draw a third card, the Action Suit Bonus. Proceed to Step 4. Step 4: Add the character's appropriate Ability, Skills, etc. and the Players cards together. If the total is equal or greater than the Difficulty Level set forth by the Storyteller, the action succeeds. If the total is less than the DL the action fails. Step 5: At this point, on a failed action, the Player may decide to spend a Story Point to double his/her draw, given that the player describes the action to the acceptance of the Storyteller.
FOR ALL YOU STATISTICS GEEKS
A character with an average Ability (2) and average Skill level (4) on a non-Trump Ability/Skill will succeed at an Average DL action around 60% of the time. Because a Trump Ability/Skill adds approximately 7 to the draw, the same character using an average level (4) Trump Ability/Skill will almost always succeed at an Average DL task.
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FAILING AN ACTION Failing an action might mean something bad happens. The character triggers a trap, he slips off a ledge, he barrels through a street vendor cart, etc. Because something bad happened, it COULD mean the hero is less able to continue fighting on. Where it is applicable, Trump simulates this bad outcome by subtracting from the character's Fighting Spirit whenever he/she fails an action. It is up to the Storyteller to determine where these special cases apply. The amount subtracted from Fighting Spirit is equal to the amount by which the check fails. For example, if the opposing NPC gets a total of 15 for his draw, and the PC only gets a total of 13, the PC failed by 2 points and would have to sacrifice 2 Fighting Spirit.
Opposed Actions Opposed actions occur whenever a character tries to do something that another character actively resists. Actions such as fast-talking a guard or sneaking up on someone are examples of Opposed actions. The procedure for resolving Opposed actions is the same as for resolving Unopposed actions, except that both characters make a draw. Whichever character has the higher total wins. In the case of Opposed actions, there are no automatic failures; Jokers drawn for any card count as 0.
Chapter 4: Storytelling
Collective Storytelling In our opinion, a good roleplaying game is about collective storytelling, and that attitude has been used as a basis for the entire Trump System. In collective storytelling, the players of the game all work together with the Storyteller to create a story. The Storyteller has a basic plot in mind, and will often direct the action of the story, but the players should have a sense of responsibility to that story as well, and should aim to add to the story rather than win the game.
To keep with the theme of storytelling, we describe each adventure as a story, which is composed of a number of scenes where characters interact. This concept of scenes matches up with actions and Fighting Spirit to create the resolution system for Trump.
Below are some examples of the types of scenes, again based on genre fiction and cinematic stories. These are meant as guidelines the Storyteller is encouraged to create his/her own types of scenes.
Scenes The Many Faces of Fighting Spirit Interaction Scenes The backbone of all the source material used to create Trump is character interaction. Interaction scenes cover everything from one PC talking to another, to friendly (or not so friendly) card games, to interrogations, etc. From a mechanics standpoint, interaction scenes are
Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling
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fairly simple when the Storyteller determines a draw is required, most of the time it will take the form of a basic Opposed draw, the principals actively matching Skill against Skill.
To simulate the wearing down of ones opponent in an Interaction scene, compare the draws of the opposing parties. The character with the lower result loses an amount of Fighting Spirit equal to the difference between the draws. When an interacting character is reduced to zero Fighting Spirit, he has lost the Interaction. He doesnt get the price he wanted, is defeated in the debate, is embarrassed in front of his friends, etc.
The Storyteller may determine that an Unopposed draw is more appropriate for certain situations within an Interaction scene use your best judgment. However, if PCs are drawing against NPC Static Defense, the scene has probably developed into a fight scene.
For an example of an Interaction scene, see page 52 in Chapter 5.
Fight Scenes Almost as important as character interaction, most stories would not be complete without at least one fight scene. What constitutes a fight in Trump is relatively broad it could mean an allout brawl, a magical duel, a contest of wills and more.
Such combat is based on the Unopposed draw mechanics, using standard Initiative order. The attacker draws against the defenders Static Defense as the Difficulty Level (Black Defense if the attacker makes a physical attack, Red Defense if the attacker uses a mental attack). If the
attackers draw exceeds the defenders Static Defense, the defenders FS is depleted by the difference. If the attackers draw does not exceed the defenders Static Defense, the defender is unscathed by the attack.
Once a combatant is reduced to zero or fewer FS, they are assumed to be knocked out, entangled, disarmed, demoralized or otherwise incapacitated for the remainder of the scene.
An example of a Fight scene can be found on page 61 in Chapter 5.
Chase Scenes A time-honored staple of source material is the chase scene. In this type of scene, the chasers are trying to catch the chasee; and most of the time, the chasee is trying to get away from the chasers. These circumstances warrant some unique approaches to using the Opposed draw mechanics to maintain the feel of a chase.
During the chase scene, the chasers are typically a few steps behind the chasee, reacting to the moves the chasee makes. In this way, the chasee has control over the general direction and nature of the chase scene. This can be simulated by automatically granting Initiative to the chasee, regardless of relative Awareness/Hearts scores.
The primary mechanic for a chase scene is the Opposed draw. The chasee determines his actions and then makes a single draw for the entire round (using the normal draw mechanics). The
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chasees action will determine what types of actions may be used in opposition, as well as the numeric value against which all Opposed actions are made.
Chasers then make their draws for the round against the chasees single draw. Depending on the nature of the chase and the actions taken by the chasee, the Storyteller may determine that certain Skills/Meta-Skills cannot be used/useful in opposition to the chasee.
Finally, resolution of each Opposed draw is applied to the Fighting Spirit of each principal individually chasers draws which exceed the chasees diminish the chasees FS by the difference in the draws; likewise, if the chasees draw exceeds the chasers, the chasers FS is diminished the amount by which the chasees draw exceeds the chasers.
When one principals FS is reduced to zero, it indicates they are out of the chase/scene. If this is one of the chasers, it could mean they have run out of endurance/fuel, crashed, fallen too far behind to catch up, or are otherwise incapacitated. If all the chasers are reduced to zero FS, the chasee gets away. If the chasee is reduced to zero FS, it means he/she has been cornered, run out of endurance/fuel, or is otherwise caught without further means of escape (it does NOT necessarily mean the chasee has been totally incapacitated, only that the CHASE SCENE is over).
An example of a Chase scene can be found on page 48 in Chapter 5.
AREA ATTACKS
Occasionally, a character will have the ability to make an area attack (such as throwing a grenade at a group of bad guys). For each opponent over the first, add +5 to the Static Defense of all targets. In other words, for area attacks, each additional opponent beyond the first is considered a factor that makes the overall attack more difficult. Minions and sidekicks are considered a single target for area attacks. All opponents who were targeted will take a loss to FS equal to the amount by which the attack exceeded their respective modified Static Defense.
Investigation Scenes Although they may include a great deal of interaction between characters, Investigation Scenes have a slightly different feel. Many times, these types of scenes will see the heroes trying to sneak into a facility, disabling security devices and surreptitiously thwarting guards along the way.
Or, it may be theyre trying to find clues in the aftermath of some heinous crime. Detective and Search Skills are important for these types of scenes. Unopposed draws should be used to find and evaluate clues. The degree of success or failure for draws like these may yield various rankings of leads from the Storyteller, including false positives (for stunning failures). The Storyteller may require that these draws be made by him/herself, in secret, for obvious reasons. Tricks and Traps Traps and passive security devices will typically garner an Unopposed draw vs. a set DL (determined by the Storyteller). Depending on the device, it may require one Difficulty Level to subvert it, and a higher DL to disable it completely. The Storyteller determines the results of failed draws, which may include a loss to the characters FS. For devices possessing an artificial
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intelligence or traps actively controlled by a user, an Opposed draw may be more appropriate. If PCs are reduced to zero or lower FS by a trap(s), it may result in their capture by the antagonists. Guards and Sentries Sneaking past guards and active security requires an Opposed draw between the sneakers Stealth Skill and the sentrys Search or Notice Skill (whichever is higher). Most of the time, guards will be of the minion variety if so, the Minion Rank is used in place of Search/Notice, but otherwise follows the normal Opposed draw mechanics. Failure usually indicates a Fight Scene will follow.
BREAKING THINGS Characters often attempt to break things. Examples include knocking down a door, bending a steel bar, or punching through a stack of boards. Breaking things is an Unopposed check, and the DL depends on the material strength of the object. We recommend using the following table for material strengths: Sample Material Strengths 0 1 2 3 4 5 Paper Cardboard Glass Soil Vegetation Ice
6 8 10 11 12 14 16 18 20 25 28 30 31+
Fiberglass Twine Wood Rope Copper Bronze Aluminum Stone/Concrete Granite Iron Steel Titanium Super Alloys
Deathtrap Scenes These types of scenes happen after the heroes have been defeated and captured. For whatever reason, be it theatrics, a penchant for gore or just plain stupidity, the villains have chosen to get rid of the heroes with some, usually overly elaborate, device. The Deathtrap Scene is somewhat specific to the Superhero genre, although you might occasionally see one in other genres (spy movies come to mind). Even still, it warrants some special consideration from a standpoint other than mechanics.
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First, consider what failure on the PCs part might mean. Players dont usually like for their character to be killed outright. Doing so may upset your players and it will definitely turn the grim and gritty knob on your game way up. If neither of these things bothers you as the Storyteller, make the difficulty of the deathtrap challenging, and the consequence for failure actual death.
However, one rarely sees the deathtrap actually succeed in source material because they are usually the products of more lighthearted stories (typically Four-Color-Superhero). So their purpose becomes as much about interaction as actually killing the heroes, giving the villains a chance to monologue and gloat over the heroes. That is usually enough to make the deathtrap a worthwhile (and entertaining) scene.
The mechanics for deathtraps are fairly simple. Most often, they will require a series of Unopposed draws (escaping from bonds, swinging from crane chains, hitting the support beam to close the lid on the vat of acid, etc.). Again, if youre trying to run a lighthearted game, you should probably make the difficulty for these draws fairly easy. Failure of these draws will not only prevent the characters from escaping the deathtrap, but should also cause them to lose Fighting Spirit equal to the amount by which they failed the draw. If the characters reach zero FS, they cannot escape the deathtrap without external influence.
THROWING HEAVY STUFF Characters will sometimes carry throwing stars, boomerangs, magical tiaras and the like, which they throw in combat. Throwing is usually a Spades action and falls to the characters
Spades Suit for resolution. Some times, however, particularly strong characters will pick up logs, mailboxes, cars and the like and use them as thrown weapons. In the case of large, heavy objects (i.e. objects that normal humans could not throw effectively) players have the option of using their character's Clubs stat instead of Spades for the resolution of the action. This essentially makes "Throwing Heavy Stuff" a Clubs-based action.
Showdown Scenes Mechanically, a showdown scene is not different from a straight fight scene. But since this is the final fight of the adventure, the feeling should be somewhat different.
There are a couple of ways to give a Showdown Scene that sense of finality. First, a Villains minions will be used up in the Showdown meaning that the Villain himself will be taking direct losses of Fighting Spirit (rather than using the Minions as buffers). Second, all the stops come out. Both the Villain and the Heroes likely will not be pulling any punches at this point. This probably means one or both sides will expend some Story Points to ensure successes and maybe replenish their Fighting Spirit. And third, Showdowns are often extra time-sensitive. The Heroes must stop the Villain in time to defuse the bomb, prevent a missile from being fired, or destroy the giant ray gun that is going to freeze the entire city.
Try to remember these little details to make the final scene of your adventure feel like the final scene of the adventure. Minions and Sidekicks in Action
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No matter how many minions there are in a group, the entire group is represented by a single number: the Minions rank from the NPCs/PCs statistics (or as set by the Storyteller for minions that are not necessarily tied to a single NPC). Use the following guidelines for utilizing Minions ranks:
Minions act as a group if one minion attacks, they all attack. The Minions rank is used as a draw modifier for any actions taken by the minions, including Opposed and Unopposed draws. Minions make a single draw each round (as a Primary Draw card) and apply the current Minions rank to the draw. The results of this draw are applied to any and all individuals engaged with the minions. If the Minions draw exceeds any individuals Static Defense, that individual takes a loss to Fighting Spirit as normal. Minions can receive an Action Suit Bonus card if their Primary Draw card matches the suit of the action. However, minions can never receive a Trump Bonus card.
Minions defend as a group if one minion is attacked, they are all attacked. Minions Static Defense = current Minions Rank + Base Defense Number. As with PCs/NPCs, the minions Static Defense must be overcome in order to inflict losses to the Minions. Standard Minions are affected equally by Black or Red actions. Single Color Minions are immune to actions of their opposite color (see page 25). Minions take losses as a group if one minion falls, the effectiveness of the group is diminished. The Minions rank describes both the physical and mental toughness of the entire group of minions (similar to Fighting Spirit for PCs/NPCs). Any action made against minions which exceeds their Static Defense inflicts a 1-point loss to the current Minions rank. No matter how much a draw exceeds the minions Static Defense, the current Minions rank is only reduced by one point. This reflects the fact that minions usually come in large groups and must be eliminated one at a time. Such losses reduce the effectiveness of the group, lowering the current Minions rank, which in turn lowers the minions draw modifier (first bullet) and Static Defense (second bullet). Once the current Minions rank is reduced to zero, the entire group of minions is considered to be knocked out, shaken, disarmed or otherwise defeated. Villains who have minions are difficult to attack directly when their minions are about. To represent this, the current Minions rank must be reduced to zero before the Villain can be attacked. Any attack directed against the Villain is automatically deflected to the minions. The Storyteller may determine special cases where the PC is able to circumvent the minions and attack the Villain directly.
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As with most losses to statistics (like FS), losses to Minions/Sidekick ranks are generally recovered from scene to scene. The Storyteller may determine special cases when the PC/NPC cannot recoup these losses.
Due to their fanatical devotion to their mentors, Sidekicks function exactly like Minions, with the following exceptions:
Unless making an Area Attack (see page 36), unlike Minions, Sidekicks can only make actions against a single target. Since Minions are considered a single target, Sidekicks engage them normally. This reflects the fact that Sidekicks dont come in large groups, but are typically tougher than a single minion. Heroes tend to protect their Sidekicks. When a Sidekick would normally take a loss to the current Sidekick rank, Heroes can decide to take it, instead, as a reduction to the Heros Fighting Spirit. Reduction of FS to the Hero is calculated as if the attack were directed against the Hero. Vehicles and Mounts in Action Use the following guidelines for Vehicles: Like all Equipment, Vehicles are given a single rank that describes how well they perform their functions. This Vehicle rank describes all aspects of the vehicle, from speed and maneuverability, to offensive/defensive capability, etc. Unless otherwise determined by the Storyteller, driving/piloting draws are considered a Spades action for purposes of Action Suit. The current Vehicle rank is added to any Piloting draws made by the pilot, including maneuvering, attacking, flying defensively, etc. If the
vehicle possesses some sort of weapon, the Vehicle rank is also used to describe the power/accuracy of the weapon(s), stacking with the pilots draws for attacks made with said weapon. If the vehicle has a weapon which can be used by a gunner that is not the pilot, the Vehicle ranks stack with the gunners stats when using said weapon. Black Defense for the pilot/vehicle = current Vehicle rank + Base Defense Number. In this way, the pilot/vehicle is considered one entity any draws made against one are made against both. The Vehicle rank also describes how much damage the vehicle can take (much in the same way as Fighting Spirit does for PCs/NPCs). Any action made against the vehicle which exceeds the Black Defense inflicts a 1-point loss to the current Vehicle rank. No matter how much by which an action exceeds the vehicles Black Defense, the vehicle only sustains one point of damage. This reflects the fact that vehicles can take more punishment than people. In the case of Red actions taken against the pilot, the pilots Red Defense and Fighting Spirit are used to resolve said actions. Once the current Vehicle rank (or the Pilots FS in the case of Red actions) is reduced to zero, the vehicle is considered to be destroyed, disabled or otherwise unable to continue functioning.
MASSIVE MINION/VEHICLE MAYHEM Minions & Vehicles normally only take a 1-point loss to the current Minions/Vehicle rank for any successful action taken against them. To account for particularly devastating actions leveled against minions or vehicles, the Storyteller may want to use the following guideline for
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massive losses. For any successful action made against the minions/vehicle, they receive a 1point loss to the current Minions/Vehicle rank per whole-number multiple (rounded down) by which the action exceeds the current Minions/Vehicle Static Defense. For example: an attack that exceeds the Minions/Vehicle Static Defense by 1.3 times reduces the current Minions/Vehicle rank by 1 point; an attack that exceeds the Minions/Vehicle Static Defense by 2.7 times reduces the current Minions/Vehicle rank by 2 points; etc.
Whether a broken down horse or a fire-breathing dragon, Mounts follow similar guidelines to those of Vehicles: Mounts are given a single rank that describes how well they perform their functions. This Mount rank describes all aspects of the mount, including speed, offensive/defensive capability, etc. Unless otherwise determined by the Storyteller, Riding draws are considered a Hearts action for purposes of Action Suit. The current Mount rank is added to any riding draws made by the rider, including maneuvering, attacking, riding defensively, etc. If the Mount possesses some form of natural attack, the Mount makes said attack as an independent action from its riders action(s), using normal draw mechanics and the current Mount rank as the attack modifier. For example, a dragon mount may attack with its fire breathing ability independently from its riders action(s) and does so at the current Mount rank. Black Defense for the rider/mount = current Mount rank + Base Defense Number. Red Defense for the rider/mount is the riders normal Red Defense. Except where noted above, the rider/mount are considered to be single entity and take losses to Fighting Spirit as such. Losses to Fighting Spirit are deducted from the riders normal FS
statistic. If the rider/mount are reduced to zero FS, it means one or both have been knocked out or otherwise incapacitated. Character Advancement After each adventure, the Storyteller will award the characters some number of Story Points. Not only can Story Points be used to alter fate, they can be stored up and used to advance the character. All statistics (except Fighting Spirit) must be advanced one point at a time, so to advance from a 4 to a 6, the character must first advance from 4 to 5 and then from 5 to 6.
Advancing an Ability score costs two times the new score. So advancing an Ability from a 4 to a 5 costs 10 Story Points; advancing an Ability from a 5 to a 6 costs 12 SPs, etc.
Advancing a Skill or Meta-Skill costs one times the new score. So advancing a Skill from 4 to 5 costs 5 Story Points; advancing from a 5 to a 6 costs 6 SPs, etc.
Advancing a Specialization costs one-half times the new score. So advancing a Specialization from a 5 to a 6 costs 3 Story Points, etc.
Advancement can also be used to purchase additional Fighting Spirit. Fighting Spirit is purchased at a rate of 3 Fighting Spirit points per Story Point.
With the Storytellers approval, Players may also spend Story Points to buy off any Hooks their characters may possess at a rate of two SPs per CP gained from the Hook. This purchase
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TABLE 3: TRAIT COSTS DURING ADVANCEMENT Trait Abilities Skills Specializations Fighting Spirit Black/Red Defense Meta-Skills Minions/Sidekicks Cost 2 SP x new Ability level 1 SP x Skill level 1/2 SP x new Specialization level 1 SP / 3 Fighting Spirit 1 SP / Black OR Red Defense 1 SP x new Meta-skill level 1 SP x new Rank for Single Color 2 SP x new Rank for Double Color
will typical have to coincide with something that happened within the previous adventure to merit such a change in the character.
Chapter 5: Examples
We want you to be able to get started right away on your own Trump game, and we want to make sure that everything you just read is crystal clear. So we decided to include some examples.
There are three types of examples in this chapter.
First, each section begins with a brief setting description. These give you a sense of some of the worlds we have created using the Trump System.
Next, since Trump is all about the characters, we provide some sample character builds for each setting. Below is a blank character sheet to show how to read them.
Finally, there is a sample scene involving the sample characters, to give you a sense of how the game flows.
These examples should help you kick start your own campaign using the Trump System.
Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples
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Sample Character Sheet
Character Name
aka Real Name
"Characters signature quote
Motif: Characters motif
2 Black D: FS: 12 30
2 Red D: SP: 12 2
If the Character has chosen a Trump Ability, it will be highlighted and boxed like this
Skills Skill One 2; Skill Two 2; Skill Three 2; (Specialization) 2 Meta-Skills Meta-Skill One 2 Hooks 1) Hook one 2) Hook two
Specializations will be parenthesized like this
If the Character has chosen Trump Skills, they will be highlighted like this
Chapter 5: Examples on
Adventures in Metro City Metro City is protected by heroes. Heroes with great powers and even greater problems. Come back to the days when heroes were respected for the good they did, despite their idiosyncrasies, neuroses, or even a little bit of property damage. Back then what mattered was whether or not the bad guy was caught.
Metro City is a bustling metropolis on an island 5 miles to the southwest of Santa Barbara. The city is connected to the mainland by a long elevated road known as the Santa Barbara Highway, which replaced the older ferry system that used to bring people to the island. It is extremely modern for a city of the 50's, and is seen as an example of successful civil engineering and municipal design. In addition to a robust public transportation system featuring elevated rail cars, Metro City is also one of the first cities to maintain its very own nuclear power plant. All of this makes living in Metro City a grand and modern experience indeed.
The city itself is broken into several distinct neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has its own flavor and its own unique features and populace. In addition to an assortment of residential areas, Metro City sports two theme parks, a full service resort, a high-end golf course, and worldfamous shopping. There is also plenty of industry and an active dock area where American-made products are shipped over seas to places with little manufacturing capacity (like China).
Flying Fortress aka John Jefferson "What's the boy sayin'?!"
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Motif: Good-natured, slow-witted, growth hero 10 Black D: FS: 16 30 3 1 Red D: SP: 12 2 4
Skills Athletics 6; Brawling 6; Medicine
2; Connections 3
Meta-Skills Growth 20; Flight 2 (Limit: only when grown); Telescopic Vision 1 Hooks 1) FF comes up with alliterations because they are easier to remember. 2) FF is slightly afraid of fire.
Betty Bazookas aka Holly Hotentots "Whats cookin good lookin? Motif: Top-heavy Superior Soldier with trick bazookas 8 Black D: FS: 20 30 12 2 Red D: SP: 16 2 4
Skills Martial Arts 8; Acrobatics 3; Athletics 2; (Seduction) 4 Meta-Skills Trick Bombshells 7 Hooks 1) Overly patriotic 2) Highly competitive with other women
Doctor Occult aka Andrew Marchings "Excellent" Motif: Magically endowed agent for the Order of the Rampant Phoenix 3 Black D: FS: 13 30 3 4 Red D: SP: 17 2 10
Skills Persuasion 5; Diplomacy 5; Mysticism 5; Awareness 5 Meta-Skills Shadow Magic 15
Kinetic Man aka Walt Greer "Thats Kinetic Man." Motif: Young hero trying to prove his worth 4 Black D: FS: 18 30 12 4 Red D: SP: 14 2 4
Skills Acrobatics 6; Athletics 2; Detective 3; Martial Arts 3; Search 3 Meta-Skills Kinetic Control 10
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T-151 aka Tombore Solarus-Terra Quaternarium-151 Your human tongue cannot form the syllables required to pronounce my true name. <chuckle>. Motif: Highly advanced, alien visitor from quasi-space, here to study and protect humankind. 1 Black D: FS: 6 13(17) 30 16 Red D: SP: 19 2 2
Skills Gadgeteering 5; Wealth 2 Meta-Skills Telepathy 5; Anti-Gravity Field Inducer 1; Ray-Gun 6; Force Field Generator (Black) 4; (HoloDisguise) 10 Hooks 1) Horrific appearance 2) Enemy - The U.S. military is searching for T-151
Sample Scene Chase A group of Metro City super heroes, having just recently met while on patrol, investigate a commotion at a department store down the street. The group comes upon the scene of a halfwolf, half-man creature tearing apart a display of manikins. Spooked by the presence of so many opponents, the wolf-man jumps through a window and runs down the street with a bounding gate.
At this point, the Storyteller may or may not make an official notice to his players that he intends for this to be a chase scene. Since this is a chase, the wolf-man is assumed to have first initiative, regardless of relative statistics. The first Action Round has begun.
Running and leaping are considered Clubs-based action. Since he is a primary villain, the wolfman gets Trump Skills, just as a Player-character would, and he just happens to have Athletics as one of his Trump Skill selections. Therefore, the wolf-man will get to draw three cards for running away. The Storyteller then makes a draw for the wolf-man, getting a QC, 4D and a 10S. Since running is a Clubs action and the wolf-man drew a Club on his Primary draw card, he gets to add the Action Bonus card (10S), making his total for the first round 12 + 4 + 10 + 14 (from statistics) = 40, a fairly high draw.
The action then shifts to the players for their first-round actions. Since Trump uses team initiative, the players are all considered to act simultaneously after the wolf-man.
"Leaping Lombardi! The slobbering stray is getting away!" Flying Fortress exclaims. "Come on, team, we've got to catch it before it hurts anyone else!" FF doesn't bother with a plan, it seemed like a pretty straight forward chase.
FF sprints for the door, his long strides quickly covering the distance.
Flying Fortress also has athletics as a Trump Skill selection, and so also gets three cards. He draws 8S, 10C, 6H. Once again, since running is a Clubs action and FF drew a Club on his
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Trump Bonus card, he also gets to add his Action Bonus card. Thus FFs draw for the first round is 8 + 10 + 6 + 16 (for statistics) = 40!
Betty Bazookas does some acrobatics cartwheels out the window and gives chase. Her total draw for the round ends up being a 32.
Kinetic Man runs out the front doors, tripping along the way. His draw for the round was very low, only a 14.
Doctor Occult weaves the shadows around him, appearing instantaneously on a rooftop outside the store, with a clear view of the wolf-man running down the street. His draw was a 44.
Meanwhile, the alien, T-151, floats along on an anti-gravity bubble as he calmly follows the trail of saliva left by the creature, an unorthodox, if not effective strategy. His draw ends up being a 35.
Since Chase scenes use Opposed Checks, once all the Player-characters have made their actions/draws, the storyteller compares their draws to that of the wolf-man. Those who drew lower than the wolf-man are assumed to have lost ground on the creature in some way. Those who drew higher are assumed to have made some kind of gain on the wolf-man. These gains/losses are simulated with losses to Fighting Spirit.
Since FF drew exactly the same as the wolf-man, he keeps pace with the creature, taking neither a loss to his own FS, nor inflicting a loss to the wolf-man.
Betty Bazookas and T-151 both drew slightly lower than the creature. They are considered to have fallen behind a little, taking respective losses of 8 and 5 to their Fighting Spirit.
Kinetic Man drew very low, taking a loss of 26 to his FS (the difference between his and the wolf-mans draw). This leaves Kinetic Man with only 4 FS left his trip has caused him to fall very far behind. If he loses 4 more FS, he will be considered to knocked out of the chase.
Because he actually drew 4 points higher than the creature, Doctor Occult actually makes a gain on the creature. This is simulated by a 4-point loss to the wolf-mans FS, leaving it with 26 FS.
This concludes the first Action Round. Consecutive rounds will follow a similar sequence until either the wolf-man or all of his chasers run out of Fighting Spirit.
The Weirdstone Chronicles Welcome to the town of Weirdstone Gulch. Its a weird, wild west out there, and all thanks to the strange happenings of two years ago. That would be the year 1885 to you historical types.
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It started with a bright light in the sky, and it ended in a tremendous bang. You see, that light was what the scientists back East call a meteor, and the bang, well, that was the meteor hittin the town of Weirdstone Gulch.
Not quite sure why the town was called Weirdstone, cause it was purty much a normal town as towns go. Big one, too, out in Colorado. Plenty of farmland nearby. Near nuff to the mountains that prospectors used it as a supply depot. Heck, there was even a river runnin right through the middle of town.
Weirdstone had just about everything a person would need a couple of good saloons, a whorehouse, a blacksmith or two, a silversmith, an undertaker, a saddlemaker, a gunsmith, and even a couple of good saloons. About the only thing they didnt have was a train depot, but there was one about an hours ride south.
But all that goodness came to an end two years back. As I said, with a light and a bang.
What happened next? Well, obviously, a meteor that falls out of the sky and makes a big bang also makes a big hole in the ground. It did that, and practically smack dab in the middle of town. What buildings did survive werent really much to look at and were half fallin down to boot. So the good folks of Weirdstone Gulch did what any self-respectin American would do they picked up the pieces and they moved on.
Scattered to the four winds like they was, it gets a little tricky to figure exactly what happened next. Near as I can tell, though, somethin about that meteor changed folks. They started doin strange things. At first, it was exciting. Folks seemed to have amazing powers. But then they got ugly. Not only did the weirdstone (thats what folks started callin the meteor) change what people could do, it changed how they acted. Folks from Weirdstone Gulch started acting crazy, and they did a lot of bad things.
Whats worse, some people not from Weirdstone found out about the meteor. Some of them are scientists, wantin to study the thing. Others are businessmen, trying to make a profit. Others are just darn crazy enough to see if they can get the stone to give them powers of their own. Most folk that go into the ruins dont come out, but strange noises can be heard comin from the city at night.
Bart Radical "As my old pappy used to say, if at first you don't succeed, try something else. Motif: Fast-talking card player and all around gambler extraordinaire 2 Black D: FS: 13 30 4 2 Red D: SP: 15 2 8
Skills Legerdemain 4; Awareness 8; Persuasion 2; (Pistols) 4; (Riding) 2; (Tracking) 2
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Johnny One-Eye "I lost an eye, but God saw fit to give me a spare. Motif: Gruff professional gun-fighter who lost an eye in the war 2 Black D: FS: 13 30 4 2 Red D: SP: 12 2 2
Skills Guns 11; (Quickdraw) 14; (Riding) 4
Pedro Pete "$%&@! $%##@! Motif: Foul-mouthed bandito mercenary 4 Black D: FS: 14 30 4 2 Red D: SP: 12 2 2
Skills Brawling 10; Guns 8; Awareness 6; (Riding) 4
Anna The Widow "Im just an innocent old widow, sugar! Motif: Selfish, seductive southern belle, pickpocket and con artist 1 Black D: FS: 12 30 3 3 Red D: SP: 16 2 9
Skills Legerdemain 5; Skullduggery 5; Persuasion 5; (Gambling) 6 Sample Scene Interaction
One classic example of an interaction scene is the poker game. There are a few things the Storyteller can do with the rules to make this scene feel unique and exciting.
Our hero in this scene, Bart Radical, finds himself at a wild west poker table with three other non-player characters (lets call them Johnny, Pedro and Anna). Bart is trying to get information from these fellows, and he is using the poker game as a guise. The Storyteller will most likely require a draw for Barts Gather Information checks, which would be conducted as Opposed Checks against the others. The other players are trying to resist Barts attempts by being cagey, without showing that theyre being cagey (most likely using their Bluff Skills).
So this makes the Opposed Checks as Barts Gather Info vs. the other players Bluff Skills. FS in this scene represents the principles reserves of excuses, distractions and deflections
The first Action Round opens with Bart winning initiative. He asks, So, did yall hear about that train heist last week? The Player then makes a draw for Bart, which turns out to be a total of 32.
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The Storyteller then draws for his opponents, getting a 20 for Johnny, a 35 for Pedro and a 32 for Anna.
This means Johnny loses 12 FS hes getting a little shaken that Bart is asking about the train. The Storyteller should probably give the Player-character a clue in Johnnys reaction.
Since they tied, neither Anna nor Bart loses any FS for this exchange. The Storyteller should probably make Annas reply something noncommittal.
Pedro, on the other hand, has an unfavorable reaction to Barts inquiry, causing Bart lose face at the table (i.e. Bart loses 3 FS).
So, based on these results, the dialogue for the first round might go something like this:
Bart: "So, did yall hear about that train heist last week?" [draw] Johnny: [draw - fail] "The one outside Yuma?" Anna: [draw-tie] "Two cards." Pedro: [draw-win] "Shut up and play."
The action will continue in this fashion until one of the principles drops to zero FS. At that point, the Storyteller may determine that one side was victorious over the other. This could mean, assuming Bart wins, that Bart gets all the information hes looking for. Or, if Bart loses, it could
mean that he was pushed out of the game, Pedro decides hes tired off all the questions and draws a knife (leading to a fight scene), or any other number of results.
Heirs to Sanctuary Sanctuary is what the locals call the large island where they live. It is a manufactured landmass held together by ancient machines. A vast majority of the inhabitants are aware of the existence of these machines but few understand their actual functions. Who built these machines or their purpose for the island is no longer known by any of the inhabitants of this world. Life, however, has survived and even thrives on Sanctuary, although it seems in a constant state of strife.
The architects of Sanctuary are known to many under the cryptic title of The Ancients. Other common titles are The Builders and The Makers. They left behind a mysterious legacy: high-tech machines, long-abandoned underground vaults, mostly intact roads and bridges and even a perfectly preserved city, complete with skyscrapers and subways. These anomalies juxtaposed against the areas of extreme wilderness and impossible landscapes that make up the rest of the island paint an even more confusing picture of their purpose. What happened to the Ancients or how life came to be in this strange land is also a mystery. Popular myths and legends all paint the picture of various cataclysms befalling the Ancients, destroying them and their way of life as a result.
The Ancients left behind several machines. If/how these machines are under any sort of control is not known. The few small and mobile machines that still function perform maintenance for
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the larger machines and Sanctuary as a whole, maintaining roads, buildings and other structures. A large majority of these smaller machines have been destroyed, have malfunctioning hardware/software or no longer have power. Those that are salvageable have been scavenged for all useful parts; little is left of their corpses. Most of the machines take the form of large complexes or vaults, most of which also no longer function. Similarly, these complexes have been pilfered of all valuable/salvageable materials and some are even inhabited by squatters. Eight of such massive machines are known to some inhabitants of Sanctuary as The Lighthouses. These towers mark the parameter of the island. They are massive structures of what appears to be smooth, gray stone, reaching over six-hundred feet from the ground. They are topped with geometric, crystalline structures that emit a faint, eerie glow. Few have seen these crystal structures up close as there seems to be an invisible power that forces back all matter and energy within a certain perimeter. Only an exceptional few have even begun to understand the purpose of these monoliths, and they remain silent.
Amid this post-apocalyptic world of ruins and ancient technology, the people of Sanctuary eek out a living, but they are clearly heirs to something greater than they know.
Zain Howard "Ill fix ya up good as new! Motif: Emdee of Sedalia 6 Black D: FS: 14 30 2 8 Red D: SP: 18 2 8
Skills Medicine 8; (Cybernetics) 4; (Speaking) 10; (Wrestling) 6
Equipment Cybernetic Arm 4 Hooks Pint-sized
Cappy "Dats gonna hoyt, little buddy. Motif: Religious missionary and explorer who worships Starbucks 10 Black D: FS: 16 30 2 4 Red D: SP: 13 2 2
Skills Ancients Technology 3; Repair/Tinkering 8; Armor 2; Improvised Weapons 4; Survival 3; (Barista) 4; (Cooking) 4 Meta-Skills Empathy 1; Bite 6; (Smell) 4; Gills (Aquatic) 1 Hooks
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1) Wants to be called T-Bone 2) Afraid of Heights Chino "Da Goddess is wif us, yeah? Motif: Religious missionary and fanatic who worships coffee 2 Black D: FS: 14 30 6 4 Red D: SP: 16 2 8
Skills Persuasion 8; Legerdemain 4; Ancient Lore 2; (Knife) 6; (Barista) 4 Meta-Skills Empathy 4; Bite 3; (Smell) 8 Equipment Vibroblade 3 Hooks Pint-sized
Sample Encounter Disarming a Trap
For this example, we find our two profits of the Goddess Brew, Cappy and Chino, investigating a strange temple. They have been instructed by the locals that this temple is where they might find one Zane Howard, a man from whom they might receive important information.
They enter, only to find the temple quite deserted. A room at the back of the temple appears to be living quarters. Their keen, mog noses detect an odd, yet indescribable smell in the room, and
like any good adventurers, they decide to investigate further. At this point, the Storyteller tells them to make a Search draw, secretly assigning this draw a Difficulty Level of 20.
Since neither character has a very high Diamonds or Search as one of their Trump Skill selections, the Storyteller knows this will be a very difficult task. As the mogs were tipped off by the smell, however, the Storyteller does allow them to use their ranks in Smell to augment the draw.
Cappy draws a 4H, making his draw 4+4+4=12 Chino draws a 7S, making his draw 8+4+7=19
Even though neither character drew high enough to pinpoint the source of the smell, The Storyteller decides that Chino drew high enough to get a general idea of where the smell is coming from. He tells Chino, Youre pretty sure the smell is coming from somewhere near the northeast corner of the room.
As the only feature in the northeast corner of the room is a bed, the player responds, Okay, Chino, will carefully look underneath the bed. The Storyteller tells them there is some kind of device with a blinking light under the bed.
At this point, Cappy and Chino are joined by the very man they came to see, Zane Howard. Chino shows Howard the device under his bed. Upon inspecting it, Howard thinks it may be a bomb. In exchange for Howards help in other matters, Cappy, the most technically inclined of
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the three, agrees to try and disarm the bomb. Howard loans Cappy a large shield for the procedure, as he and Chino take cover several yards away.
Based on a draw made previously for the person who set the bomb, the Storyteller assigns the Difficulty Level for Cappy to disarm the bomb at 33.
Since he has taken Repair/Tinkering as a Trump Skill, Cappy gets to draw two cards. He gets a 10S and a 6H, making his total draw 8+4+10+6=28. Unfortunately for Cappy, this is not enough to successfully disarm the bomb.
Now the Storyteller has a few options here. If he were feeling generous, he could inform Cappy that he inadvertently sets off a timer and allowing Cappy to make a draw to try to get to safety. Given the grim and gritty setting and circumstances, however, the Storyteller decides to play things a little less forgiving.
Cappy sets off the bomb. The room is destroyed in the explosion and Cappy is thrown several yards away. When the dust clears Chino and Howard find Cappy unconscious. Luckily, the shield helped protect most of his body from the explosion. The arm he was reaching around the shield to get to the bomb, however, has been blown off at the shoulder. Tough break for Cappy this is an example of a failure result in a grim and gritty setting.
Although this result is somewhat extreme, it is appropriate for the setting. So Cappy is not permanently debilitated by this injury, the Storyteller arranges for him to receive a bionic arm in the next scene.
The Land of Traumwelt Traumwelt is a fantastical world of magic and mayhem. Talking animals, fairy tale creatures, beautiful princesses, and sword and sorcery adventure abounds here. It is a land where men live happily ever after and where the hero always gets the girl. Secrets abound all across the land, and action and romance are around every corner. Nothing is as it seems in the Land of Traumwelt.
Most of the action in Traumwelt occurs in the vicinity of the Kingdom of Glockenturm, a mostly human inhabited area that has been in relative peace for the past 40 years. At the center of the kingdom is Lake Taktgeber, and at the center of the lake is the mighty Glockenturm Castle. Surrounding the lake is a massive city, and at the heart of each of the city districts is a keep inhabited by one of the Twelve Princes Von Glockenturm: Zuerst, Zweiten, Dritten, Viertes, Fnften, Sechs, Sieben, Achtes, Neun, Zehntes, Elftes, and Mittag.
Recent history has thrown this once peaceful kingdom into chaos, however. The good King Kaiser, who has ruled the land with little difficulty, has died suddenly, and the succession of the crown is an unsettled matter. For the time being, a truce has been called, for it was discovered quite unfortunately, that the royal family could not achieve power through deceit. On his deathbed the King pronounced as his last edict that no prince's blood shall be spilled in the
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seeking of the crown. This proclamation, holding the weight of the throne, created a powerful curse, such that when Fnften made an attempt to remove one of his brothers from the running, he was cursed to live out his days as a terrible beast.
But not only humans and their affairs reside in Traumwelt. To the East of Glockenturm lies the massive Dunkelheit Forest, in which reside the Gnomes and Elves and Faeries, what some call the Old Races. To the West, in the Blutfelsen Mountains and beyond, live the savage races of Goblins and Trolls. And in the Kleinersuden Forest, along the Southern Borderlands live the strange animals that walk and talk like people called the Sprechentier.
Coif Blackbird "Oh Happy Hoodlums! Time to be outlaws. Motif: "Outlaw" who protects honest folk from the corrupt and powerful 3 Black D: FS: 14 30 6 3 Red D: SP: 13 2 3
Skills Athletics 4; Missile Weapons 10; Knowledge 4; Diplomacy 4
Hooks Flamboyant risk taker, Outlaw
Ivan Maximoff "I pity da fool who messes with Coifs Hoodlums! Motif: Big, angry bear, one of Coif Blackbird's Happy Hoodlums 16 Black D: FS: 19 30 2 2 Red D: SP: 12 2 2
Skills Athletics 2; Brawling 2; Mechanics 4
Hooks Bad Temper, Outlaw
Beauregard Visage "Youre far too beautiful to need such decorations, milady! Motif: Charismatic con-fox who can talk his way into anywhere, one of Coif Blackbird's Happy Hoodlums 2 Black D: FS: 13 30 4 2 Red D: SP: 17 2 12
Skills Small Melee Weapons 4; Skullduggery 4; Persuasion 4
Hooks Outlaw
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Sherriff of Tyingshank "You might as well give up now. It will save you loads of pain. Motif: Cruel and despotic usurper of the province of Tyingshank 2 Black D: FS: 12 30 2 6 Red D: SP: 16 2 6
Skills Small Melee Weapons 5; Knowledge 8; Diplomacy 4; Awareness 6; Guards (Black Minions) 10
Drake Draggo III "Whats that Pharaoh? The sword fell down the well? Motif: Would-be knight with delusions of grandeur and a talking dog only he can hear 10 Black D: FS: 2 16 (18) 30 1 Red D: SP: 12 2 3
Skills Athletics 2; Big Melee Weapons 2; Knowledge 6; Pharaoh (Sidekick Black) 8 Equipment Master-crafted Big Sword 2; Chain Vest 2
Pippen of Pferland "Wanna see me cast a spell Mr. Draggo? Do ya? Motif: Aspiring sorcerer's apprentice with a tendancy for botched spells 1 4 2 6
Black D: FS:
12 30
Red D: SP:
14 2
Skills Athletics 2; Handle Animal 2; Mysticism 5; Skullduggery 2; Bissel (Animated Broom, Black Sidekick, Hook Disobedient) 6; Spells [Animate Object 4; Flight 2; Multiply Object 4; Pyrotechnics 6; Smokescreen 4] Equipment Wand of Lightning 4 Hooks Spells often backfire
Sample Scene Fight
For our Fight Scene example, Coif Blackbird, Ivan Maximoff and Beauregard Visage are squaring off against the Sheriff of Tyingshank and his guards in the castle courtyard.
The scene opens with Maximoff and Visage rushing into the courtyard to rescue Blackbird, after it has been revealed that the Royal Archery Contest was nothing more than a ruse to lure Blackbird into the open. The Sheriff of Tyingshank has called for his guards, whom begin to surround our three heroes.
The first step is to determine initiative order. Normally, initiative goes to the team of the individual with the highest Awareness rank (and then defers to the highest Hearts rank). In this case, however, both Beauregard Visage and the Sheriff of Tyingshank have matching initiatives.
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This is settled by a quick Opposed Awareness draw between Visage and the Sheriff. Unfortunately for our heroes, the Sheriffs draw was just slightly higher than Beauregards.
That means the Sheriff and his guards (Black Minions, rank 10) get to declare their actions first, which gives them a slight advantage in this matchup. The Sheriff orders his guards to keep Coif and his gang busy, while he lines up a crossbow shot on Ivan Maximoff from his vantage on the ramparts.
Since the Sheriffs guards are Minions, they act as one unit. They all draw their longswords and advance on our three heroes. Since they are Minions, they never receive a Trump Bonus card, so they get a single draw of 10D. Since attacking with a longsword is a Clubs action (Big Melee Weapons), they do not get to draw an Action Suit Bonus card because their Primary draw card (10D) did not match the suit of the action. This means the guards get a total of 10+10 (Minion rank), or 20 for their draw. This draw is then applied against all three of our heroes Black Defenses.
Coif BD 14-20 = (6 loss to FS) 24 FS remaining Ivan BD 19-20 = (1 loss to FS) 29 FS remaining Beauregard BD 13-20 = (7 loss to FS) 23 FS remaining
The Sheriff lines up his crossbow on the largest of our three heroes, Ivan Maximoff. Shooting a crossbow is a Spades action (Missile Weapons). Since the Sheriff does not have Missile Weapons as one of his Trump Skill selections, he gets to draw one card, which turns out to be a
9S. Since his Primary draw card matches the suit of the action (Spades), the Sheriff gets to draw a second card (Action Suit Bonus), which comes up a QS. Even though this card also matches the suit of the action, this is the end of the Sheriffs draw. This makes the Sheriffs total draw 9+12+2(Spades) = 23, which is then applied against Ivans Black Defense.
Ivan BD 19-23 = (4 loss to FS) 25 FS remaining
Now it is our heroes turns.
Visage grabs a handy rope hanging from one of the parapets and swings into the throng of guards with his rapier drawn and shouting, time to swing into action! Since Visage has rapier as one of his Trump Skill selections (Small Melee Weapons), he gets to draw two cards. He gets an AC for his Primary draw card and a 4S for his Trump Bonus card. Because he drew a Spade on his Trump Bonus card, and swinging a rapier is a Spades action, Beauregard gets to draw an Action Suit Bonus card, which comes up a 6D. This means that Beauregards total draw is 1+4+6+4(Spades)+4(Small Melee Weapons) = 19. This result is then applied to the guards Black Defense.
Guards Black Defense = Current Minion rank+Base Defense number = 10+10 = 20-19 = (0 loss to Minion Rank) Current Minion rank 10
Unfortunately for Visage, he did not draw high enough to inflict any appreciable damage on the guards. Their Current Minion rank remains at 10.
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While Visage swings into the middle, Ivan Maximoff attacks the group of guards from the outside. The big, angry bear swings his massive paws down on the unfortunate henchmen. Ivan is fighting with his hands, and he has selected Brawling as one of his Trump Skills, so he gets two cards. He draws a 10D and a QH. He didnt draw Action Suit for either of these, so he doesnt get an Action Suit Bonus. His draw is 10+12+16(Clubs)+2(Brawling) = 40!
Guards BD 20-40 = (1 loss to Minion rank) Current Minion rank 9
(Sidebar: Advanced rule for massive damage on minions)
Even though Ivan inflicted much more damage than he needed to hurt the guards, unlike Fighting Spirit, their Minion rank is still only reduced by 1 for every successful attack.
The exact number of minions in a group does not have anything to do with their actual Minion rank, so this lost rank could mean Maximoff knocked out one or several guards, or it could mean he put a scare into the whole group, etc. The lost Minion rank DOES mean that the group, as a whole, is now less effective in EVERYTHING it does, including attack and defense.
Now its Coif Blackbirds turn. The hero aims his longbow at the Sheriff of Tyingshank. Again, since Blackbird took Missile Weapons as one of his Trump Skills, he gets to draw two cards for this action. He gets a 5C and a 6H, making his draw 5+6+6(Spades)+10(Missile Weapons) = 27.
Normally, this would be more than a good enough draw to get through the Sheriffs Black Defense of 12. However, Tyingshank still has minions about the heroes must dispatch his guards before they can strike Tyingshank himself. So, one of his guards ends up jumping in front of the arrow right before it hits the Sheriff.
Guards BD 19-27 = (1 loss to Minion rank) Current Minion rank 8
(Sidebar: special circumstances for attacking villain w/ minions left)
Now that all the principles have taken a turn, a new round begins. Initiative order remains the same, so the Sheriff and his guards will go first again. However, lets skip ahead a few more rounds.
A few rounds later, Coif, Ivan and Beauregard have all but completely dispatched the Sheriffs guards, but he still has a Minion rank of 2 left. In the meantime, the Sheriff has taken the opportunity to take some pot shots with his crossbow and scored a few hits of his own. Coif and his Happy Hoodlums are hurt, but still fighting.
But Tyingshank can see that his guards arent going to hold Coif and his gang much longer. He didnt get to where he is by his courage or prowess, or by taking unnecessary risks. The Sheriff runs away, so he can fight another day. He leaves his guards behind to hold Coif and his gang just long enough to make his getaway. At this point, the Storyteller will probably call for the end of the scene.
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The next scene might end up being a chase scene, where Coif and his gang are trying to catch up to the fleeing Sheriff. Or, the Storyteller might decide that Tyingshank had enough of a lead that he was able to make a clean getaway, making the next scene something else.
Defenders of Orion Everyone in the galaxy seemed to know that nobody ever returns from the Orion system.There's a million stories out there in the galaxy, from ghost ships to ancient aliens to interdimensional rifts, but they all have one thing in common. Nobody ever returns from Orion.
For some reason, you had to jump there. Maybe you were being pursued by pirates or the navy, maybe you had to refuel and it was the only system in range, maybe you were lured there by the stories about treasure. Whatever. For some reason you went there, despite the legends.
And you learned the truth. But it didn't set you free...it set you in bondage.
There WAS a guardian ship and it attacked you immediately. You were the only one of your crew to survive, and you woke up in some kind of a strange room. The walls and ceiling and floor were made of some material you'd never seen before, but the atmo was breathable, so you were alive.
And that was all, for you don't know how long. You made friendly with your companion, and tried to escape, as there was little else to do, but to no avail. Hours or days later, once you were so thirsty you'd begun to drink your own urine, the Voice spoke, it seemed, directly into your brain. "I am the Master. You will do my bidding, or you will die here."
You'd rather not die, so you agreed. Food and water materialized. "Recover. Your first mission will be soon." Milo MacKing "Youve never heard of the Eon Hawk? Get outta my sight! Motif: Snarky, outlaw, space pilot and bounty hunter 2 Black D: FS: 15 30 8 2 Red D: SP: 14 2 6
Skills Pilot 10; Martial Arts 7; Guns 4; (Starship Mechnanics) 6
S.Q.U.I.D. "I calculate a 65% probability that this mission will cause the demise of one or more life units. Of course, there is a 10% margin of error based on the skill of human unit Milo. Motif: Overly critical robotic hacker. 2 Black D: FS: 14 30 4 8 Red D: SP: 16 2 1
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Skills Interface 12; Guns 4; Multiarms 10; Armor 2; Life Support 1; (Programming) 4; (Breach Security) 4 Hooks Disconnected from the Hive
Captain Biff Neutron "Man, Im REALLY good looking! Motif: Debonair and cocky starship captain. 4 Black D: FS: 14 30 4 4 Red D: SP: 15 2 6
Skills Persuasion 6; Pilot 4; Guns 6; Martial Arts 4; Athletics 4; Acrobatics 6
Grease Monkey "Yeah, I can fix it. Can you stop BREAKING it? Motif: Simian mechanic who can fix anything 4 Black D: FS: 14 30 4 8 Red D: SP: 15 2 2
Skills Mechanics 10, Computers 2; Invention 4; Science 6 Equipment Cyber Arm 4; Mastercraft Toolbelt 4
Sample Non-Combat Challenges Escaping from a Space Station
Infiltrating secured areas is a common scene in source material. For this example, the spaceoutlaw Milo MacKing and his robotic companion, S.Q.U.I.D., are trapped aboard Space Station: Deep Six. Theyve just managed to break out of their holding cells, but station security has not yet been alerted of their escape. The duo needs to get back to their ship, The Eon Hawk, docked in hangar bay 49, all the while avoiding the security details.
As they slink past a computer terminal just outside their cells, S.Q.U.I.D. addresses Milo, hold, human-counterpart. With this access terminal, I may be able to tap into station security and surveillance systems. Disabling these systems will increase our probability of reaching the Eon Hawk. A moment, please. S.Q.U.I.D. gets to work.
The Storyteller tells S.Q.U.I.D. there are three firewalls he will need to bypass in order to access the security systems (i.e. three sequential, Unopposed draws) . He sets the Difficulty Levels at 25, 30 and 35 for the last firewall.
S.Q.U.I.D. draws a 12+8+10S+5H=35. Success for the first draw. S.Q.U.I.D. draws a 12+8+7S+6D+10H=43. Success for the second draw. S.Q.U.I.D. draws a 12+8+2H+AS=23. Failure for the third draw.
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S.Q.U.I.D. believes disabling the security systems will be essential to reaching their ship. Rather than accept the failure result on the third draw, S.Q.U.I.D. opts to spend a Story Point to doule his draw, turning his 23 into a 46.
In short, S.Q.U.I.D. manages to temporarily shut down securitys communications and surveillance systems. Now all the duo has to worry about are the actual security personnel. Since S.Q.U.I.D. isnt exactly the silent type, this might pose as a difficulty for him. He does possess other advantages as noted by his Life Support Meta-Skill, he can survive short periods in the harsh environment of outer space. So the pair decide to separate, S.Q.U.I.D. goes out an airlock and makes his way to the hangar along the outer hull of the space station, while Milo tries to sneak past security.
The Storyteller may or may not require S.Q.U.I.D. to make a draw(s) to survive his trip to the hangar. This would most likely take the form of a series of Unopposed checks, using the Fighting Spirit system in the event of a failed draw(s).
Lets cut back to Milo. During the confusion after S.Q.U.I.D. quick computer hacking feat, Milo manages to get most of the way to the Eon Hawk. All that stands between him and freedom is a group of guards posted inside hangar 49. Luckily for him, the guards are enjoying a game of hyper-dice and not paying very close attention to the rest of the hangar. He thinks hell be able to serpentine his way behind the stacks of cargo boxes and loading equipment in the hangar. This is an Opposed check between Milos Skullduggery (Stealth) capability and the guards Awareness (Notice) capability.
Based on the layout of the hangar, the Storyteller determines Milo will need to make two Opposed draws vs. the guards to make it to his ship.
Generic guards, such as these, are most appropriately handled using the Minion rules. The Storyteller assigns the rank of these guards as Minions 10. As stated in the Minion rules, this rank is used to describe EVERYTHING the minions do. So, they will use this rank in the Opposed draw vs. Milo.
Milo draws 8+4S+6D=18 for his first draw. The guards draw 10+4C for their first draw. Success to Milo. Milo draws 8+7C=15 for his second draw. The guards draw 10+2S=12 for their second draw. Success to Milo.
Had this second draw been a failure, the Storyteller would have had to determine the most appropriate consequence for such failure. In this case, the guards probably would have noticed Milo. The Storyteller then may have required Milo to make a Persuasion (Bluff) draw against the guards to convince them that he was supposed to be in the hangar, or he may decide the guards had been given orders to attack on-sight, causing a fight to ensue.
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Glossary
Abilities The most basic character statistic. Clubs, Spades, Diamonds, and Hearts. Action Events Situation in which characters must act and react to changing situations of a time-sensitive nature. Action Round Game measurement for a set period of time during an Action Event. Action Suit The suit (Clubs, Spades, Diamonds, Hearts) which corresponds to a performed action. Action Suit Bonus A bonus draw awarded when the Primary Draw card (or Trump Draw card) matches the suit of the action. Active Defense Optional rule allowing players to actively draw for their defense. Advancement Use of Story Points to improve character statistics. Automatic Actions Actions that can be performed without requiring a draw. Base Defense Numerical value set by Storyteller that defines the lethality of a setting. Basic Mechanic The method for determining randomness in the Trump System. Draw a card, add the Ability that corresponds to the action and any applicable skill, and then to compare that total to either a target Difficulty Level or an Opposing Draw Black Defense Character statistic used to resist physical opposition. Broad Strokes Describing things in the broadest, most basic terms possible. Character Concept The core archetype of a character that drives every other aspect of the character. Character Points Points used to build a character during character creation. Characters The personas that players assume in a roleplaying game.
Chase Scene A type of Action Event that involves one or more individuals chasing one another. Clubs Ability that represents a characters raw physical strength or endurance. Collective Storytelling Method of storytelling used in roleplaying games in which both a storyteller and players contribute. Comic Book Logic The altered physics applied in comic books, cartoons, and science fiction genres. Deathtrap Scene A type of Action Event that involves elaborate methods of eliminating trapped heroes. May include monologueing. Diamonds Ability that represents a characters knowledge, raw intelligence and deductive reasoning. Difficulty Level Number used to define the difficulty of an action. Equipment Stuff. Fight Scene A type of Action Event that involves direct physical or mental combat. Fighting Spirit Number used to define a characters ability to keep going. Hearts Ability that represents a characters willpower, charisma and perception. Hooks Significant disadvantages that might affect a character during game play. Initiative Order in which characters act during an Action Round. Interaction Scene A type of Action Event that involves significant social engagement. Investigation Scene A type of Action Event that involves gathering information and evidence. Meta-Skills Statistics that define superhuman capabilities. Minions Lackeys who do the bidding of a villain.
Glossary Glossary
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Monologueing Habit of master villains to reveal their secret plans to the heroes for dramatic effect. Motif One-line description which frames a character. Non-player Character (NPC) Character in a setting who is controlled by the Storyteller. Opposed Actions Actions directly opposed by another character. Opposing Draw The draws that opposing characters make against each other in an Opposed Action. Player Contributor that controls a character in a roleplaying game. Primary Draw The first card drawn for an action requiring a draw. Rank Numerical value defining a statistic. Red Defense Character statistic used to resist mental opposition. Roleplaying Game Form of entertainment which involves playing a role in a collective story. Showdown Scene A type of Action Event that involves the final confrontation between the protagonist(s) and antagonist(s). Sidekick Companion and/or apprentice to a hero. Skills Character statistic defining a specific area of expertise. Spades Ability that represents a characters agility, manual dexterity, and hand-eye coordination. Specializations Character statistic defining expertise in specific applications of a skill. Static Defense Characters basic capability to avoid harm through various means. Story Points Character statistic that is used for performing extraordinary feats and character advancement. Storyteller Contributor that controls the setting and NPCs in a roleplaying game.
Traits Statistics purchased with Character Points that define a Character in relation to other Characters. Trump Card suit that is given dominance over other suits in various card games. Trump Ability/Skills Character statistic defining exceptional capability in a selected Ability or Skills. Trump Bonus A bonus draw awarded to actions taken involving a selected Trump Ability or Trump Skill. Trump System the most awesome roleplaying system ever devised by humankind. Unopposed Actions Actions in which a set Difficulty Level must be overcome.
Glossary Glossary
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Welcome to the future of PBP roleplaing
The Trump System is a set of rules for roleplaying games that is designed to be flexible and very lightweight. It captures the action typically seen in literary and cinematic renditions of fairy tales and fantasy models four-color, golden-age comic book heroes. The hallmarks of these genres of fiction are larger-than-life heroes. This translates to having an interesting character concept rather than a block of stats.
Trump is optimized as a rules-light system and is designed specifically for PBP roleplaying the first system to have such a focus.

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Roleplaying System

Christopher Bodmann Matthew Bodmann Shawn Bodmann

Copyright 2010 by Christopher Bodmann, Matthew Bodmann, & Shawn Bodmann

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction

The Basic Trump Mechanic

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction

Clubs represents actions that require raw physical strength or endurance.

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Spades Acrobatics (Balance, Swinging, Tumbling)

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Red Defense = (Diamonds + Hearts) 2 + Base Defense Number

ACTIVE DEFENSE RULE

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 2: Character Creation Chapter 2: Character Creation

Chapter 3: Actions Chapter 3: Actions

Chapter 3: Actions Chapter 3: Actions

Chapter 3: Actions Chapter 3: Actions

The Action Flowchart

Storyteller determines the Action Suit and Difficulty Level

Player draws Primary Draw card

Is Primary Draw card a Joker?

Is the character using a Trump Ability/Skill?

Is Primary Draw or Trump Bonus card same suit as action?

Add Ability, Skill, Specialization, MetaSkill and card(s) together

Does sum match or exceed difficulty?

FOR ALL YOU STATISTICS GEEKS

Chapter 3: Actions Chapter 3: Actions

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

For an example of an Interaction scene, see page 52 in Chapter 5.

An example of a Fight scene can be found on page 61 in Chapter 5.

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

An example of a Chase scene can be found on page 48 in Chapter 5.

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

Chapter 4: Storytelling Chapter 4: Storytelling

There are three types of examples in this chapter.

Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples

Sample Character Sheet

"Characters signature quote

Motif: Characters motif

Specializations will be parenthesized like this

Flying Fortress aka John Jefferson "What's the boy sayin'?!"

Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples

Motif: Good-natured, slow-witted, growth hero 10 Black D: FS: 16 30 3 1 Red D: SP: 12 2 4

Skills Athletics 6; Brawling 6; Medicine

Skills Persuasion 5; Diplomacy 5; Mysticism 5; Awareness 5 Meta-Skills Shadow Magic 15

Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples

Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples

Chapter 5: Examples Chapter 5: Examples