The incessant crackle of a Geiger counter.
The stale smell of the air as the oxygen grows thin.
The cobwebbing of the observation bay window as the thing inside batters against the glass.
Space is slow death, it's panicked breathing consuming the last of your oxygen, it's alien parasites infesting your crew mates.
Space is Hell.
A web of invisible, unpredictable strands that connect the known universe.
It is across this web that the diaspora of humanity has spread amongst the stars, risking everything for the hope of a brighter future.
For like their ancestors voyaging across the oceans of old Earth, the crew of these vessels are never quite certain when, or even if they'll arrive at their destination.
Like an archipelago in the vast black of space, the Core is made up of a handful of systems within a single hyperspace jump of each other. Travel here is relatively predictable and something resembling civilization has taken root, grown and evolved over a millennia of interstellar exploration.
But with stability and security has come regulation, taxation and bureaucracy. Stifling the dreams of the disenfranchised, the adventurous and criminal who once could have carved themselves a piece of the pie. These downtrodden souls now turn their eyes outwards, past the jump-1 limit, to the tantalising promise of the Rim.
The frontier of human expansion.
A beacon in the black for those looking to strike it lucky.
A siren song drawing the foolhardy to a cold grave amongst the stars.
Out here what law there is is made by the corporations, criminal syndicates run the space stations and the poor are just one lucky break from the rich.
But for every success story there is a derelict drifting amongst the stars, a crew stranded on an airless moon, and a colony wiped out by some alien plague. The Rim promises much, and takes even more...
Characters have six attributes:
Determine your starting attributes by rolling on the table. You may then increase one attribute of your choice by 1.
| 3D6 | Attribute Starting Value |
|---|---|
| 3-6 | -1 |
| 7-10 | 0 |
| 11-14 | 1 |
| 15-17 | 2 |
| 18 | 3 |
| D20 | Why are you in rim space? |
|---|---|
| 1 | Owe D10kcr to a loan shark back home |
| 2 | Escaping a drug addiction |
| 3 | Are wanted in the core for a series of minor crimes committed under a different name |
| 4 | To earn enough to raise your family out of poverty |
| 5 | Covered up an accident caused by a friend on your last job |
| 6 | Are faking it, you're not actually trained in your background or specialism, but nobody out here runs background checks |
| 7 | You "found" a suitcase with 100kcr of traceable credit sticks in it, you got nervous after you blew it all and fled |
| 8 | On shore leave a stranger died in your arms, he begged you to spread the word and handed you an encrypted micro-data cassette |
| 9 | You were raised by an extremist sect of the Solarian church and escaped at age 16 |
| 10 | You were recently rescued from cryo on a derelict (duration of sleep D100 years) |
| 11 | Your last job was a heist that went wrong, you left the rest of your crew for dead and need to escape the guilt |
| 12 | The last time you visited a major station in the core you saw a wanted 'dead or alive' poster with your face on it |
| 13 | You suffer from Centauri Pox, a non-contagious but stigmatised condition. Nobody out here knows you've got it |
| 14 | You don't remember anything from your childhood except vague memories of flashing lights, you're looking for answers |
| 15 | You're blacklisted by the union back home for strike breaking |
| 16 | You are banned from using public data systems in the core due to cyber crime in your childhood |
| 17 | Used to serve on a pirate vessel, the captain didn't want you to leave. You hope they never find you |
| 18 | A reckless youth has left you with small debts and enemies across space. If you keep moving your past might not catch up |
| 19 | You woke up in a sim suite on shoreleave, you're not sure if your memories are yours or someone elses |
| 20 | You fled a marriage arranged by your wealthy parents |
| D20 | Distinctive Feature |
|---|---|
| 1 | Facial scars |
| 2 | Tribal tatoos |
| 3 | Barcode tatoo |
| 4 | Loveheart tatoo |
| 5 | Smiley face pin |
| 6 | Ship's tatoo |
| 7 | Piercings |
| 8 | Golden tooth |
| 9 | Cleft chin |
| 10 | Heterochromia |
| 11 | Fibre optic hair |
| 12 | Unusually tall |
| 13 | Unusually short |
| 14 | Cauliflower ear |
| 15 | Surgically sculpted facial features |
| 16 | Badly set broken nose |
| 17 | Knuckle tatoos |
| 18 | Prostethic arm/leg/eye |
| 19 | Unusually thin |
| 20 | Unusually broad |
| D100 | Clothing/Accessory |
|---|---|
| 0-3 | Mirrored Aviators |
| 4-7 | Branded baseball cap |
| 8-11 | String vest |
| 12-15 | Bomber jacket |
| 16-19 | Combats |
| 20-23 | Steel capped boots |
| 24-27 | Band T-Shirt |
| 28-31 | Chequered flannel shirt |
| 32-35 | Designer shirt |
| 36-39 | Overalls |
| 40-43 | Flip flops |
| 44-47 | Blue Jeans |
| 48-51 | Bandana |
| 52-55 | Field jacket |
| 56-59 | Tactical shirt |
| 60-63 | Trench coat |
| 54-67 | Ushanka |
| 68-71 | Welding goggles |
| 72-75 | Cargo pants |
| 76-79 | Company uniform |
| 80-83 | Dungarees |
| 84-87 | Yellow anorak |
| 88-91 | Neon jumpsuit |
| 92-95 | Beanie hat |
| 96-99 | Fedora |
| D100 | In your pocket is (assume zero weight) |
|---|---|
| 0-3 | Flick knife |
| 4-7 | Etched Zippo lighter |
| 8-11 | Harmonica |
| 12-15 | Paracord bracelet |
| 16-19 | Pair of fine cigars |
| 20-23 | Fake ID |
| 24-27 | Designer watch |
| 28-31 | Political/holy pocket book |
| 32-35 | Bobby pins |
| 36-39 | Dog tags (whose?) |
| 40-43 | Hip flask (strong spirit) |
| 44-47 | Union membership card |
| 48-51 | Multi-tool |
| 52-55 | Lucky eight ball |
| 56-59 | Parole papers |
| 60-63 | Pair of loaded dice |
| 64-67 | Leatherbound journal |
| 68-71 | Micro Data Cassette (music demo) |
| 72-75 | Capsule with water purification tablet and 3 waterproof matches |
| 76-79 | Locket with holo photo |
| 80-83 | Altoid tin with pressure suit patch |
| 84-87 | Power cell (suitable for portable electronics) |
| 88-91 | Untraceable cred stick (150 credits) |
| 92-95 | Compass |
| 96-99 | Rosary beads |
| D10 | Birthplace |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rim world |
| 2 | Core world |
| 3 | Terraforming mission |
| 4 | Mining outpost |
| 5 | Military base |
| 6 | Research station |
| 7 | Android factory |
| 8 | Gene farm vat |
| 9 | Anchorpoint station |
| 10 | Starship |
| D10 Credits |
|---|
| 100cr |
| 200cr |
| 300cr |
| 400cr |
| 500cr |
| 600cr |
| 700cr |
| 800cr |
| 900cr |
| 1kcr |
Choose a career, and then role for specialism and starting gear:
Astronauts are the sailors of the space age, they maintain starships, load cargo, pilot shuttles and walk in the void of space.
| D4 | Specialism | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | EVA | Harpoon Grappling Gun, Basic Pressure Suit, Mag boots, Toolkit |
| 2 | Starship Maintenance | Mag boots, Hi-beam Flashlight, Hazard suit, Cutting Torch, Toolkit |
| 3 | Space Freight and Industrial Equipment | Mag boots, Nail Gun, Cutting Torch, Flashlight, Recreational Drugs |
| 4 | Piloting | Pistol, Ammo, Flares, Buzz Stimulant Pills |
Marines are professional soldiers, mercenaries, pirates and security contractors.
| D4 | Specialism | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Demolition | Shaped Charge, SMG, Cutting Torch, Ammo |
| 2 | Marksmanship | Marksman's rifle, Ammo |
| 3 | Close Quarters Combat | Mesh Armour, 12 Gauge Shotgun, Ammo, Frag Grenade |
| 4 | Tracking and Xeno-containment | Motion Tracker, Incinerator Unit, Ammo |
Officers are those with the experience and training to have either earned or be trusted with command positions on a starship.
| D4 | Specialism | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Command and Corporate Law | EVA Pistol, Ammo, Data Casette, Mesh Armour |
| 2 | Security | SMG, Handcuffs, Ammo, Armoured Pressure Suit |
| 3 | Medicine | Medkit, Stimpack, Panic-Eeze Pills, Combat Application Tourniquet, Adrenaline |
| 4 | Communications and Navigation | Long Range Radio, Tracker, Comms Device |
Pioneers are knowledge seekers, explorers, and hackers. Always looking for new information and artifacts to study or sell.
| D4 | Specialism | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fieldcraft and Survival | Combat Knife, Hi-beam Flashlight, Camping Gear, Water Purification Tablets, Ration Pack, Rucksack |
| 2 | Computers and Hacking | Portable Terminal, Data Cassette, Electroshock Grenade |
| 3 | Xenobiology and Archaelogy | Comms Device, Flares, Recon Drone, Hi-beam Flashlight |
| 4 | Physics and Chemistry | Broad Spectrum Specimen Analyser, Geiger Counter, Mentat Pills |
Tests are against a specified attribute: Agility, Cool, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength or Toughness.
Roll D20 + your score for the attribute to equal or exceed Difficulty Rating (DR) to pass a test.
If you have a relevant specialism add 4 to your roll.
Push yourself by gaining 1 stress before rolling to add 4 to your roll.
Critical success occurs on a natural roll of a 20.
Panic occurs on a natural value equal or below your current stress and causes the test to automatically fail. Consult the panic table using the value rolled on the D20.
Non player characters (NPCs) do not roll in most circumstance, if you want to prevent an NPC's action you must pass a test. E.g. to successfully take cover from an enemy trying to shoot you test agility.
| Test Difficulty Rating (DR) | Description |
|---|---|
| 12 | Standard |
| 15 | Hard |
| 18 | Nearly impossible |
Certain items, including ammunition, oxygen, and medicine have a supply rating.
To test supply, roll the dice corresponding to the current supply for that item.
On a 1 or 2 the supply rating of the item decreases to the next rating.
Supply ratings: D20 -> D12 -> D10 -> D8 -> D6 -> D4 -> Used up
Characters gain stress when they:
When making a test on an attribute, if the value rolled on the D20 is equal to or less than your current stress you panic. Consult the table below using the value rolled on the D20.
| D20 Roll | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | Adrenaline rush: +1 Agility, toughness and strength on next test or until end of combat |
| 2-4 | Anxiety: Gain 1 stress |
| 5 | Rage: You strike the nearest object or person, if there's nothing within arms reach you throw an item in your hands or on your person as hard as you can |
| 6 | Hysterics: Everyone around you gains 1 stress |
| 7 | Shaken: -4 cool until you relax or sleep |
| 8 | Tremors: -4 dexterity until you relax or sleep |
| 9 | Phobia: You gain a phobia based on the cause of your panic. Every time you encounter the cause again in future gain 1 stress |
| 10+ | Heart Attack: You are incapacitated, make a death save |
In a round enemies act as one group, while all other characters act in another group. Within these groups characters act in any order they choose.
Within you can take a single action, e.g. firing a weapon or running a short distance.
If it is unclear if something is a single action, test agility. If passed then the action happens this round, otherwise it takes place the next round.
Unless one side has surprised the other roll a D6, on a 1-3 enemies act first.
Distance is abstracted into three ranges, how effective weapons and methods of firing are at different ranges affects difficulty ratings:
Aimed fire Test dexterity
Hip fire Test agility
Auto fire Test strength. For every point that DR is exceeded by inflict an extra wound to the target or another target near it (weapon must be Full Auto).
Melee Test strength
Take cover/Dodge Test agility
Block Test strength
If you used a weapon that requires ammunition after combat test ammunition supply. If you used a full auto weapon supply rating decreases on a 1-4.
Characters take wounds when hit by attacks, more dangerous weapons and opponents inflict more wounds.
Critical hits double the number of wounds inflicted.
You can take a maximum of 3 wounds, anytime you reach maximum wounds or take wounds while at your maximum roll on the critical injury table.
Armour has armour points, which are lost when you would take wounds. For every armour point lost, ignore 1 wound.
Armour piercing weapons require 2 armour points per wound ignored.
Armour points can be regained by repairing the armour, requiring tools and 1 hour of work per point.
| D10 | Critical Injury |
|---|---|
| 1-8 | Bleeding Out: Roll again on this table each round after taking your action until combat ends or you roll a different result. This effect stacks for multiple critical injuries |
| 9-10 | Incapacitated: Make a death save, you may take no further action until it is resolved |
| D10 | Death Save |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Unconscious: You may take no action until you receive medical attention |
| 3-8 | Unconscious and serious injury: Roll or select appropriate result from serious injury table |
| 9-10 | Dead. |
| D6 | Serious Injury |
|---|---|
| 1 | Brain damage: -2 intelligence |
| 4 | Cracked ribs: -2 toughness |
| 2 | Hamstrung: -2 agility |
| 3 | Torn muscles: -2 strength |
| 5 | Ruined hand: -2 dexterity |
| 6 | Traumatized: -2 cool |
Death Save: Place a D10 in an opaque cup, roll it such that the result is secret. The result is revealed when a character spends a turn to check your vitals.
When you have the chance to catch your breath somewhere safe for at least 15 minutes you may relax to remove 1 stress.
If you have a longer period to rest, you may sleep. Test supply for rations and then sleep:
When exposed to an environmental hazard test toughness. If you fail you are incapacitated, you may take no further action and must make a death save.
Nuclear explosions, ship weaponry, falling from orbit: Somethings are impossible to survive. The GM must tell characters if they risk sudden death but has final say as to when it applies.
Radiation, pathogens, extreme temperatures, asphyxiation and starvation can all lead to death.
If you are relying on O2 tanks for oxygen, test supply:
If your pressure suit or oxygen tank has a leak, its supply decreases on a 1-4.
Individual attributes accrue experience (XP). Once an attribute has 6XP you may increase it by 1 point. Attributes may not be increased above 6 by experience increases.
When on shore leave you can undertake training in a specialism.
You can only train one specialism at a time, if you switch specialism before completing training you lose your progress.
Learning a new specialism takes 50 learning points for specialisms from your career or 200 learning points for specialisms from a different career.
You gain learning points for each week of shore leave based on the class of the shore leave location.
Between missions characters may take shore leave in one week blocks. Each week of shore leave costs a number of credits depending on the class of the place where the shore leave is taken. Shore leave includes rented accommodation as well as food and can be used as a rough cost of living if staying somewhere outside of shore leave.
Whenever you take shore leave remove all wounds and stress. Additionally you may choose one of the following options each week of shore leave:
| Class | Example | Cost Per Week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remote outpost | 200cr |
| 2 | Military base or colony | 300cr |
| 3 | Major space station | 600cr |
| 4 | Core world | 800cr |
| 5 | Clinic, resort, or specialist facility | 1.2kcr |
A character can carry a total weight of items equal to their strength + 6. If a weight is given after a / then this is the weight when worn.
Weapons that require ammunition:
| Name | Wounds | Notes | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | 2 | 1 | 300cr | |
| EVA Pistol | 2 | Works in Vacuum | 1 | 800cr |
| Assault Rifle | 2 | Full Auto | 2 | 500cr |
| Pulse Rifle | 2 | Armour Piercing, Full Auto | 2 | 2kcr |
| Marksman's Rifle | 3 | Armour Piercing, Thermal, 10X Scope | 2 | 2.5kcr |
| 30mm Cannon | 3 | Armour Piercing, Full Auto | 4 | 2kcr |
| 12 Gauge Shotgun | 2 | 2 | 200cr | |
| SMG | 2 | Full Auto | 1 | 800cr |
| Plasma Rifle | 6 | Works in Vacuum | 3 | 20kcr |
| Smart Gun | 2 | Armour Piercing, Full Auto, +1 on auto fire | 3/2 | 2.5kcr |
| Incinerator Unit | 2 | 2 | 200cr | |
| Automated Turret | 2 | Internal Ammo Supply | 4 | 3kcr |
| Micro-howitzer | 4 | 3 | 15kcr | |
| Laser rifle | 4 | Works in Vacuum | 3 | 10kcr |
| Combat Shotgun |
2 | Full Auto | 2 | 400cr |
| RPG | 8 | Armour Piercing | 3 | 1kcr |
| Underslung grenade launcher | 2 | 1/0 | 400cr |
Weapons that do not require ammunition:
| Name | Wounds | Notes | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harpoon Grappling Gun | 2 | Works in Vacuum | 2 | 100cr |
| Anti-personnel mine | 3 | 2 | 800cr | |
| Frag grenade | 3 | 0.5 | 200cr | |
| Electroshock grenade | 1 | 1 | 800cr | |
| Nail Gun | 1 | Armour Piercing, works in a vacuum | 2 | 100cr |
| Shaped charge | 8 | Includes remote detonator | 2 | 500cr |
| Combat knife | 2 | 1 | 20cr | |
| Razor | 2 | Armour Piercing | 1 | 600cr |
| Unarmed | 1 | Does not double wounds on critical | N/A | |
| Improvised weapon | 1 | 1 | N/A |
| Item | Armour/Oxygen | Notes | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel Armour | 3/- | IR target finder, Comms Device and shoulder lamp | 3/1 | 10kcr |
| Basic Pressure Suit | -/D10 | Headlamps, manoeuvre thrusters, shielded against weak radiation. -1 dexterity while worn |
3/1 | 400cr |
| Armoured Pressure Suit | 1/D10 | Headlamps, manoeuvre thrusters, shielded against weak radiation. -1 dexterity while worn | 4/2 | 800cr |
| Hazard Suit | -/D6 | Radiation proof, 1D4 Oxygen Supply. Includes geiger counter. | 2/1 | 200cr |
| ACE Suit | 5/D6 | AG harness, Comms Device, manoeuvre thrusters and smart goggles, shielded against weak radiation. | 3/1 | 30kcr |
| Mesh Armour | 1/- | Can be worn under clothing. | 1/0 | 1kcr |
| Exo Suit | 2/- | +3 strength, -2 dexterity and agility | 20/0 | 5kcr |
| Item | Notes | Weight | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comms Device | Monitors location and vitals, records surroundings, provides short range radio | 0.5/0 | 500cr |
| Portable Terminal | Interfaces with most comm tech | 1 | 2kcr |
| Hi-beam Flashlight | 0.5 | 50cr | |
| Digital Binoculars | Includes laser target designation | 0.5 | 2.5kcr |
| Motion Tracker | 1 | 2kcr | |
| Flares | 1 | 50cr | |
| Toolkit | 2 | 500cr | |
| Medkit | D6 Supply | 1 | 500cr |
| Cutting Torch | 1 | 100cr | |
| Collapsible Ladder | 2 | 50cr | |
| Ration Pack | D6 Supply | 1 | 50cr |
| "Buzz" Stimulant Pills | D6 Supply. Removes the need to sleep for 8 hours. Addictive | 0.5 | 400cr |
| "Panic-eze" Pills | D6 Supply. Reduces stress by 4. Toxic | 0.5 | 600cr |
| Stimpack | Single dose. +2 Strength, Agility and Toughness on next test or until end of combat. Removes unconscious condition when used. Toxic | 0.5 | 800cr |
| Rucksack | Increases maximum total weight of items you can carry by 6. -1 agility while worn. | 1/0 | 200cr |
| Data Casette | Robust and encrypted storage for digital data | 1 | 200cr |
| Recreational Drugs (cigarettes/alcohol) | Use to remove 1 stress. Addictive. D8 Supply | 0.5 | 20cr |
| Luxury Goods (Chocolate Bar, canned coffee) | Use when relaxing to remove 1 additional stress. D4 Supply | 0.5 | 20cr |
| Collapsible Stretcher | 2 | 100cr | |
| Combat Application Tourniquet | Removes bleeding out condition when used. Test dexterity to self administer | 0.5 | 100cr |
| Long Range Radio | Allows surface to orbit communications | 2 | 2kcr |
| Power Pack | Recharges devices, provides backup power | 3 | 5kcr |
| Signal Jammer | 3 | 2.5kcr | |
| Smart Goggles | X2 optical zoom, night vision, receives comm device broadcast, IR target finder | 0.5/0 | 3kcr |
| Mag Boots | 1/0 | 300cr | |
| Anti-radiation Tablets | D6 supply | 0.5 | 200cr |
| O2 Tank | D10 supply | 2 | 200cr |
| Combat Drone | Equipped with assault rifle, crude AI | 3 | 1.5kcr |
| Recon Drone | Remote control, includes headset to receive footage, has X2 optical zoom, temperature sensor and geiger counter | 1 | 1kcr |
| Maintenance Drone | Remote control, includes headset to receive footage, built in cutting torch and manipulation arms | 5 | 2kcr |
| Rope | 50m | 0.5 | 20cr |
| Adrenaline | Removes unconscious condition when used | 0.5 | 100cr |
| Climbing gear | Crampons, pitons, 100m rope and hammer | 2 | 100cr |
| Handcuffs | 0.5 | 20cr | |
| Long Range Beacon | Transmits a repeating message with a signal strong enough to reach low orbit. Battery power for up to a year | 3 | 2.5kcr |
| Broad Spectrum Specimen Analyser | 2 | 1.5kcr | |
| Tracker | Pill size tracker, signal range of a hundred miles | 0.5 | 1kcr |
| Geiger counter | 0.5 | 20cr | |
| Camping gear | Tent, stove, sleeping bag, lamp | 2 | 200cr |
| Water purification tablets | D6 supply | 0.5 | 20cr |
| AG harness | 1/0 | 10kcr | |
| Mentat Pills | +2 intelligence on next test or until end of combat. Toxic. D6 supply | 0.5 | 800cr |
| Cold weather gear | 1/0 | 200cr | |
| Ammunition | D6 supply | 2 | 200cr |
| Steroid Cycle | +1 strength until next shore leave | 0.5 | 2kcr |
| Whizz | +2 agility, -1 intelligence on next test or until end of combat. Addictive. D6 supply | 0.5 | 500cr |
| Holtzmann Field | Reduces wounds from ranged attacks by 1 | 0.5 | 50kcr |
| Still suit | 1/0 | 200cr | |
| Interfacing Nanites | Use when installing cyberware, do not test toughness to check for a serious injury | 0.5 | 20kcr |
Toxic: Each time you use this item, roll 1D10, if you roll under the number of times used since you last slept you are incapacitated and may take no further action, make a death save.
Addictive: Each time you use this item, roll 1D10, if you roll under the number of times used since you last slept you become addicted. Your stress cannot decrease on a day in which you have not used the item.
When you have cyberware installed test toughness. If you fail gain a serious injury.
| Module | Notes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Skill soft | Grants a specialism | 100kcr |
| Bullet proof skin | Permanently gain 1 armour point | 100kcr |
| Ixian Eyes | Thermal vision, 2X zoom, photographic capture | 80kcr |
| Nanite Health System | +1 Toughness | 120kcr |
| Stim gland | Same effect as stim pack when used | 50kcr |
| Black box | Records consciousness and allows restoring into a sleeve or advanced android | 200kcr |
| Cybernetic limb | +1 strength per limb | 50kcr |
| Plasma 2 | Bleeding out condition removed automatically after 1 turn | 120kcr |
| Implanted Comms Device | 10kcr | |
| Overdriven nervous system | +1 agility | 80kcr |
| Name | Notes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Hoverbike | Space for driver plus pillion passenger | 4kcr |
| ATV | Uncovered, carries 4 | 2kcr |
| Automobile | Driverless car, carries 6 | 5kcr |
| Tractor | 3 seats in cab, plus exterior flatbed with room for 1 cargo container | 6kcr |
| APC | Equipped with 30mm cannons, carries 10 plus driver | 10kcr |
| Name | Description | Week Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hideo Smith | A diminutive man with black hair in a bowl haircut, clip on reflective glasses hide his cybernetic eyes. An expert hacker | 400cr |
| HANS | Human autonomous navigation system, HANS is an android pilot. Clad in a tailored Greenstar uniform with the labels removed | 250cr |
| Naomi Nova | Experience asteroid miner, with hair shaven on one side of her skull to reveal union glyph tattoos | 300cr |
| Anders Berring | Slicked back hair and broad shoulders, Anders wears a tactical shirt, with a service pistol in the holster on his hip | 350cr |
| Sara McGraw | A skilled engineer with shoulder length red hair and a bionic arm. Claims to have built a reactor at age 10 | 500cr |
| Gareth Cinder | An expert in corporate law, retired from his firm and looking to explore the stars | 400cr |
| Luigi Antoni | Ex-marine, discharged for being drunk and disorderly | 150cr |
| Helga West | Ship captain, currently looking for a new commission after being made redundant. Wears a beaten up cap with a ship's patch "Typhoon" | 350cr |
| Dr Lars Lindsey | Wearing a worn out designer shirt, Lars has dark bags under his eyes. He claims he's just looking for a new start, and provides a (barely) valid medical practice card | 250cr |
| Bob Hulman | Chain smoking cigarettes, Bob wears a string vest and combats. Has a valid pilots license as well as experience operating industrial equipment | 350cr |
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Blue collar | 300cr/week |
| Casual work | 200cr/week |
| Skilled contractor | 800cr/week |
| Executive | 2kcr/week |
| Hazard pay | 1kcr/week |
| Jump bonus | 1kcr x jump distance |
Starships are made up of modules, the maximum number of modules a ship can have fitted is called its tonnage.
A starship must have at least one each of the following modules:
Each module should be assigned a number from 1 to the ship's tonnage to determine where in the ship it is located.
Ship tonnages are: 20, 12, 10, 8 and 6.
Based on the modules that a starship has it will have a score for the following three attributes:
Additionally starships have a disrepair:
Starships are capable of two forms of travel: Hyperspace and real space.
Starships are not capable of in atmosphere flight. Transport between a starship and the surface of planets is usually performed by shuttle or space elevator.
Starships with a jump drive module can enter a hyperlane at a jump point. Hyperlanes have a length and may be mapped or unmapped.
Mapped hyperlanes take D12 months X hyperlane length to traverse.
Unmapped Hyperlanes take D12 years X hyperlane length to traverse.
Cryo sleep protects humans from hyperspace distortion syndrome. Gain 1 stress every hour if out of cryo in hyperspace. Do not remove wounds and stress while in cryo sleep.
If a ship makes a hyperspace jump and there is not an android aboard to perform system maintenance roll a D20. If the value is equal or under the ship's current disrepair then consult the system fault table:
| D20 | System Fault |
|---|---|
| 1 | Auto-galley offline: Requires reboot |
| 2 | Ship computer text to speech offline: Requires repair |
| 3 | Auto door malfunction: All doors must be manually opened |
| 4 | Ship lighting offline: Emergency lighting only |
| 5 | Jump miscalculation: Double journey duration |
| 6 | Cryo system malfunction: Occupants experience an emergency resuscitation and take a wound |
| 7 | Life support offline: The crew awake to sub zero temperatures and stale air, life support must be rebooted manually |
| 8 | Radiator array damaged: Internal ship temperature of 50 degrees Celsius, requires EVA to repair |
| 9 | Fuel leak: A single unit of fuel remains in the system |
| 10+ | Lost in space: The ship arrives in a random system, add D20 years to journey duration |
Travelling between stellar bodies that are not orbiting each other takes D3 weeks.
Engines and jump drives require fuel.
The maximum fuel a starship can store is equal to its tonnage.
The standard price for fuel is 50kcr, this includes maintenance overheads and other basic supplies required for the functioning of a ship (e.g. nutrient paste for the galley auto-chef).
The distance between ships is abstracted into four ranges:
Ship combat takes place when two vessels are at firing or visual range from each other.
When starship combat occurs, it falls into one of the two situations:
Ship combat takes place over ship rounds, with each round allowing a different number of player actions:
In a ship round the following happens:
| Test | Combat Type | Success | Failure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manoeuvre | Joust | Gain a +2 bonus to counter-measures roll for this round | Anyone not in cryo or strapped in to a seat must test agility or take 2 wounds |
| Manoeuvre | Pursuit | Increase or decrease the range between the ships by one level (e.g. firing to visual) | Opposing ship chooses to increase or decrease the range between the ships by one level |
| Counter Measures | Joust/Pursuit | Negate any damage from enemy offense | Take damage equal to the offense of the enemy starship |
| Open Fire | Joust/Pursuit | Enemy ship takes damage equal to offense | N/A |
When a module has a single point of damage it is breached and decompresses.
Repairing a breached module takes a days work, and will require EVA to patch exterior hull damage.
When a module has more than one point of damage it is wrecked, consult the module table for the effect. Additionally anyone inside the module takes 2 wounds.
Wrecked modules must be repaired at a station, for a cost equal to 50% of the module cost (include any upgrades).
Ship combat ends:
| Name | Notes | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter Bomber | Two seats, equipped with 30mm cannons, missiles and a pair of nuclear bombs. | 500kcr |
| Flatbed Hauler | Crew space for 10, exterior deck carries up to 20 cargo containers, includes a crane for loading and unloading. | 150kcr |
| Escape Shuttle | Crew space for 4, as well as 4 cryo pods. | 150kcr |
| Executive Transport | Crew space for 10, a small interior cargo bay, micro-galley and bar. | 250kcr |
| Drop Ship | Equipped with 30mm cannons, crew space for 30 + 2 pilots, interior cargo bay with room for a single cargo container. | 500kcr |
The base cost of a ship is equal to 100kcr X the ship's tonnage, then add the cost of each individual module the ship is equipped with.
| Module | Notes | Upgrades | Critical Damage | Cost/Upgrade Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Enables real space travel. Required for manoeuvre. | Race tuning, +1 to manoeuvre. | Fire in the Hole: Engine catches fire and is unusable until repaired. Fire will spread to adjacent modules unless extinguished. | 1mcr/500kcr |
| Reactor | Meltdown: Ships reactor explodes in 5 minutes (real time). | 1mcr | ||
| Bridge | Contains control systems and ship computer, also houses a docking umbilical and external airlock. 5 Escape pods | Ship AI. +1 to manoeuvre, counter-measures and offense | -3 to all ship tests | 1mcr/2mcr |
| Life support | Provides oxygen, gravity and heating. | The Big Freeze: Artificial gravity shuts down, oxygen runs out in D6 hours, temperature reaches absolute zero in 6D6 hours. | 1mcr | |
| Jump drive | Enables hyperspace travel. | No hyperspace travel | 1mcr | |
| Missile Battery | Required to attack. +1 offense for each additional missile battery. Expend all missiles for a +1 bonus, must be resupplied before further use (20kcr). | Dedicated targeting radar, additional +1 to offense. | Magazine Detonation: Module wrecked and adjacent modules take a point of damage. | 200kcr/100kcr |
| Cryo Deck | 100 berths. | Ejectable: Allows entire cryo deck to be ejected as a life raft. Will power all berths and emergency transponder for 1 year. | Dead on Arrival: D100 berths are destroyed. | 500kcr/500kcr |
| Laser Array | Required for counter-measures tests. +1 counter-measures for each additional laser array. | Decoy drone launcher, additional +1 to counter-measures. | No counter-measures bonus | 100kcr/50kcr |
| Crew Deck | 10 cabins and cryo pods, as well as a galley and wash facilities. 10 Escape pods | Rapid resus cryo pods, can awaken crew in as little as 5 minutes (usually takes around 1 hour). | Cryo pods unusable | 200kcr/100kcr |
| Executive Deck | 4 spacious cabins with individual wash facilities and cryo pods, as well as a galley. 4 Escape pods | Escape shuttle (in addition to any individual escape pods). | Cryo pods unusable | 500kcr/150kcr |
| Hangar Bay | Space for large vehicles, or a large vehicle and a couple of shipping containers. Contains an external airlock. | Workshop: Repair and basic manufacturing facilities. | Airlock inoperative | 100kcr/50kcr |
| Cargo Bay | Holds up to 20 shipping containers. Contains an external airlock. | Exterior cargo clamps, holds an additional 5 shipping containers on the external hull. | Yodel: D20 shipping containers are destroyed or lost in space. | 100kcr/50kcr |
| Science Bay | Fully equipped laboratory. | AI research assistant. | Systems inoperative | 500kcr/1mcr |
| Med Bay | Fully stocked hospital with 10 beds with auto docs. 10 Escape pods | Automated surgical pod. | Systems inoperative | 1mcr/1mcr |
| Assault Deck | Contains an armoury and 5 assault pods suitable for planetary landing or boarding actions. Each pod can hold 20 personnel and must be retrieved by shuttle. Contains an external airlock. | Assault pods have additional thrusters allowing them to re-enter orbit from a planet. | Assault pod launchers inoperative | 2mcr/500kcr |
| Fuel Reserve | Increases ship maximum fuel supply by 20. | Refinery: Capable of processing raw helium-3 into fuel. | Radiation Leak: Module flooded with deadly radiation, adjacent modules are flooded with strong radiation, the rest of the ship is flooded with weak radiation. | 100kcr/50kcr |
| Hydroponics bay | Provides enough food for a crew of 10 to be sustained indefinitely. |
Model: Solar Sailor
Manufactrer: Titan Systems
Tonnage: 6
Factory Cost: 4.8mcr + Optional module
-----------------
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
-----------------
| 5 | 6 |
---------
1. Bridge
2. Crew Deck
3. Life Support
4. Optional
5. Reactor
6. Engines
Model: Pathfinder
Manufacturer: Arvus Industries
Tonnage: 8
Factory Cost: 6.1mcr + Optional module
-------------
| 2 | 3 | 6 |
---------------------
| 1 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
---------------------
1. Bridge
2. Optional
3. Hangar Bay
4. Crew Deck
5. Life Support
6. Jump Drive
7. Reactor
8. Engines
Model: Stellar Shark
Manufacturer: Titan Systems
Tonnage: 8
Factory Cost: 5.4mcr
----- -----
| 2 | | 6 |
-----------------
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
-----------------
| 4 | | 8 |
----- -----
1. Bridge
2. Laser Array
3. Crew Deck
4. Missile Battery
5. Life Support
6. Hangar Bay
7. Reactor
8. Engines
Model: Kraken
Manufacturer: Titan Systems
Tonnage: 20
Factory Cost: 16.7mcr
-------------------------------- ------
| 1 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | | 20 |
----------------------------------------------------
| 2 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
----------------------------------------------------
| 3 |
-----
1. Missile Battery A
2. Bridge.
3. Laser Array A-B (3-4)
5. Crew Deck
6. Assault Decks A-C (6-8)
9. Medical Bay
10. Hangar Bay
11. Cargo Bay
12. Missile Batteries B-C (12-13)
14. Cryo Decks A-C (14-16)
17. Life Support
18. Reactor
19. Engines
20. Jump Drive
Model: Sprinter
Manufacturer: Arvus Industries
Tonnage: 10
Factory Cost: 6.6mcr
----- -----
| 2 | | 6 |
--------------------------
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 |
--------------------------
| 4 | | 8 |
----- -----
1. Bridge
2. Hangar Bay
3. Crew Deck
4. Life Support
5. Reactor
6. Cargo Bays A-C (6-8)
9. Jump Drive
10. Engines
Model: Seer
Manufacturer: Arvus Industries
Tonnage: 12
Factory Cost: 6.7mcr + Optional Modules
----- ------
| 2 | | 10 |
----------------------------------
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
----------------------------------
| 4 | | 12 |
----- ------
1. Bridge
2. Optional A
3. Crew Deck
4. Optional B
5. Life Support
6. Optional C-F (6-9)
10. Engines
11. Reactor
12. Jump Drive
Model: Highliner
Manufacturer: Arvus Industries
Tonnage: 12
Factory Cost: 8.6mcr
-------------
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
-------------------------------
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
-------------------------------
| 7 | | 12 |
----- ------
1. Bridge
2. Crew Deck
3. Hangar Bay
4. Cargo Bay
5. Executive Deck
6. Cry Decks A-C (6-8)
9. Life Support
10. Reactor
11. Engines
12. Jump Drive
Model: Super Heavy
Manufacturer: Arvus Industries
Tonnage: 20
Factory Cost: 9.3mcr
----------------------------------------------
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 |
----------------------------------------------
| 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 |
------------------------------------------
| 20 |
------
1. Bridge
2. Crew Deck
3. Laser Array
4. Missile Battery
5. Hangar Bay A
6. Life Support
7. Cargo Bays A-I (7-15)
16. Hangar Bay B
17. Fuel Reserve
18. Jump Drive
19. Reactor
20. Engines