Star Empire

8/14/2019 Star Empire

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The S~e~tup

Your characters are teenagers in school. Teres a popular croudat school, and theyre not in it. o be more specic, theyre a buncho nerds. Teyre geeks, dweebs, all-around spazzes, and theyre thekey to victory in an intergalactic war. Let me tell you why.

Teres this sci- book series called Star Empire. It got turnedinto a movie, a ew video games, a short-lived V show, and soorth. Its one o the things that draws you and your riends togeth-er. Youre all ans. Some o you are what one might call rabid ans you own the technical manuals or the ships, youve got models inyour room, and so orth. As ar as your parents are concerned, itsgot you interested in science and reading, so theyll shell out a ewbucks to take you to a bad movie now and then.

And its real. Its more than real, its a recruiting tool, and thelast hope o a peaceul people or reedom.

Te Klor Star Empire really has taken over the harmoniousworlds o the Dnai. Emperor Malkath really is the horrible person

the movies portray him as. Te Dnai are totally enslaved save ora small band o reedom ghters, who hatched a desparate plan orsuccess.

Teyve got a handul o starghters, with immensely improvedtechnology. Teyve got a ew dozen robotic soldiers. Tey have theadvantage o stealth, or now.

And theyve got you.

You and your riends know everything you need in order todeeat the Klor and restore peace to the galaxy. Te maps you haveo Dnai space? Teyre real. Tose technical manuals or the StarEmpire ships? 100% accurate. Te real-time strategy game? It usesactual statistics gathered rom the Dnai resistance campaign overthe course o ty years o ghting.

Tepice de rsistance, however, is the Star Empire arcade game.

Te one they keep in the back o the local comic book shop. Teincredibly detailed one where you y around in a starghter andblow up enemy ships, and its so old it still only costs one quarter.Tat one is the rebellions crowning achievement, and its how theyound you.

Enter your high score, pal. Youre a winner.


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Charac~t~e~r

C~reation

Te rst thing youre going to do is create a character. Tis willbe a more-or-less average geek rom Earth in your century.

Heres what you need to know to make your character:

Tere are ve kinds o character: the Starghter, the General,the Encyclopedia, the Strategist, and the Engineer. Your charac-ter will be rom one o these types, which are described startingon page 7. ry not to duplicate types o character within yourgroup unless its absolutely necessary diversity pays. I youabsolutely must, get an extra Starghter.Character abilities are described by their Skills. Most o thesestart o rated at 1. Each character type excels at one particularactivity. Tis is listed as their Key Skill, and starts at 3.Each character also has an Involvement score and a Condencescore. Both o these start at 1, and will change as the game goes

on. Tese aect a lot o other rolls.Each character must have one o the Plotline described on page10. Each character should have a unique plotline no dupli-cates.

Basic Game

Mechanics

Lets do the quick version here rst. Youll get the ull versionwith bells and whistles later.

When youre using one o your skills, you roll a number o six-sided dice (d6) equal to the skill and count up the total. I you havea modier, you roll more or ewer dice, or have a number added orsubtracted aterwards. You want to roll as high as you can.

For instance, lets say the Starghter rolls to blow up enemyships in his rst battle. He has 3d6 to roll. His Condence is low,which gives him a -1d penalty, so he rolls 2d6 instead. I he also hada +3 modier, hed be rolling 2d6+3.

Most o the action will be part o a Mission: all o the charactersusing their skills in complicated set-ups to take down part o theKlor eet or empire. Tis is described starting on page 14, but it

uses these same mechanics over and over again.


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Skills

Skills are what describe your character. In Star Empire, theseskills are named or old video games, specically the ones yourcharacter is likely to have played.

Galaga

One o the original space ghtergames. Te Galaga skill covers reexes,snap judgement, and careul movement.In short, its everything you need to pilota starghter. Its the key to space battles.You might also use Galaga to shoot analien ray-gun, dodge blaster bolts, or playping-pong.

Warc~raf~t

A game o tactics and strategy.Te Warcrat skill covers directingan army, gathering resources andintelligence, and succeeding on theeld o battle. You might also usethe Warcrat attribute to plan aninvasion, nd the weak point in aplan, or balance your budget.

Snood

An addictive puzzle game.Te Snood skill lets you t thingstogether until they work properly.Electrical, mechanical, whatever.You can create a working device,or improve an existing one.You

might also use Snood to under-stand tech manuals or pass scienceclass.

Zork

A text-based adventure.When the details are everything,count on someone who spotsand remembers them. Youmight use Zork to rememberstarship specications, spotchanges in enemy ormations, orjust remember where your keysare.

Myst

A contemplative puzzle game.Te Myst skill lets you predict theactions o others, though you stillmight not get along with them.You might also use Myst to playpoker, make people wonder whatyoure doing, or buy good Christ-mas presents.


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Drives

Characters in Star Empire have two Drives: Involvementand Condence. Tese make a dierence in almost every area ogameplay. Characters start with a 1 in both Drives, and they changeslowly as the game goes on to reect how a character eels.

Involvement

Involvement measures how emotionally committed a characteris to the rebellion. Te higher this score is, the more your characterbelieves in the goals o those around him.

Your Involvement modier is added onto your dice roll orevery single rebellion event youre involved in. Any attack on theKlor, resource-gathering expedition, rescue mission, even some-thing as simple as repairing vital equipment will receive this bonus.

Involvement starts at 1 at the beginning o the game. Each timeyour characters Plotline is activated, you add +1 to your score. Eachtime Emperor Malkath appears, add another +1. You can give an-

other character a pep talk to raise his Involvement by +1 or a singlemission, but unless both he and the mission as a whole succeed, theInvolvement will drop back down aterwards.

When you reach level 5 (Overinvolved) your next missionbecomes a crisis event or you. See below or more on crisis events.Your score will drop aterwards.

Involvement will decrease i your character becomes disillu-sioned with the rebellion. Te rare events when this might happen

will be highlighted by the GM when they occur you cant chooseto simply decrease your score. Examples would be seeing corruptionin a rebellion leader, or nding out some other dirty secret. TeGM will give you the option to decrease your involvement, increaseit, or drop it to zero. Its your choice how much the event shakesyour character.

Involvement Table

Involvement Description Modifer

0Dont Care. Your character will haveto be dragged out o bed by anothercharacter in order to participate.

-2d

1esting the Waters. You can see thatthings are happening, but youre notcommitted yet.

-1d

2Ready and willing. You can be countedon to put the rebellion near the top oyour priority list.

+0

3Gung-Ho. Te rebellion is at the topo your list. Youll volunteer or anymission or which youre qualied.

+1d

4

Deeply Committed. Te rebellioncomes beore everything else. Youllvolunteer or every mission, even thoseyoure not completely qualied or.

+2d

5Overinvolved. Reaching this leveltriggers a crisis event during your nextmission.

*


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Confidence

Condence measures how much your character believes in hisown capabilities. Te higher this score is, the deeper your charactersaith that he can overcome the odds.

Your Condence modier is added onto your dice roll or everyaction that has to do with your Key Skill, whether the roll is made

during an ofcial rebellion mission or not.

Condence starts at 1 at the beginning o the game. Each timeyour character achieves a personal victory during a mission, you add+1 to your score.

When you reach level 5 (Overcondent) your next missionbecomes a crisis event or you. See below or more on crisis events.Your score will drop aterwards.

Condence will decrease i your character ails regularly. Everyconsecutive ailure ater the rst brings a -1 penalty to your score.For instance, i you ail twice in a row, your Condence drops byone point. I you ail our times in a row, your Condence drops by

three points. Failing just once is a pain, but ailing a lot really hurts.

Confidence Table

Condence Description Modier

0

Shattered. Your character will hide romopportunities to prove himsel, and willneed major encouragement rom theother characters.

-2d

1Overwhelmed. You eel like you arentreally prepared or this, and yourperormance is shaky because o it.

-1d

2Level-headed. You have a good idea oyour strengths and weaknesses.

+0

3Sel-Assured. Youre willing to stretchor things that normally seem out oreach, and it pays o or you.

+1d

4Cocky. Youre almost too condent.Others will begin to nd you annoying,especially since you always do so well.

+2d

5Overcondent. Reaching this leveltriggers a crisis event during your nextmission.

*


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Crisis Events

Overcondent or overinvolved characters are due or a realitycheck. During their next mission they will become a liability tothe group somehow, and the GM will arrange or this (some sug-gestions are below). Because o their eelings, the characters will beunable to back down or retreat in any way, and are guaranteed to ail.

Teyre at a stage where they cant acknowledge the possibility oailure, and its going to bite them in the ass.

Ater a crisis o involvement, most characters will withdraw to amore comortable emotional distance. Roll 1d6 and set the charac-ters Involvement to hal o that (1, 2, or 3).

Ater a crisis o condence, most characters will becomestrongly disillusioned with their own prowess, ending up withdrawnand depressed. Set Condence to 0.

As a player it might seem pretty lame to have to play throughsomething where you already know the result. Tink o it this way:how many times do you get to ham up your character going down

in ames and know that you get to keep playing aterwards? Tisisnt a punishment, its an opportunity to have some un.

Sample Crisis Events

Here are some examples o good crisis events, along with someeects in game terms to reinorce them. When rolling during acrisis characters use unmodied rolls. Remember that the characterinvolved cannot escape, and is guaranteed to ail (but live throughit) no matter what.

Te GM should nottell the players what crisis event is going tohappen until the mission starts. Its a surprise.

Starghter:Te enemy has unlimited reinorcements (+10 ships per wave)Facing sel-repairing ships (destroy hal o what the roll shows)Facing illusionary ships that conceal deadly mine eld

General:Enemy robots are immune to your weapons. (Score hal points.)Facing impossible terrain that breaks up his battle lines.Facing an opponent with twenty battle lines already drawn.

Encyclopedia:Facing ships or robots he never read about. (Always roll zero.)Enemy has made modications. (GM steals cards rom game.)Failure o memory leads to making things up. (Reverse anypositive modiers you might give to others.)

Engineer:Stuck with terrible parts. (Remove a key card rom every hand.)

Missing important pieces. (Only draw hal as many cards.)Hidden saboteur. (Face cards explode when used, reversingany positive eects when you use them.)

Strategist:Enemy plan always turns out the opposite o your guess.Te enemy plan never lines up. (Map is missing pieces.)Te enemy is directly controlled by Malthak, and who keepsaltering their strategy. (GM rearranges your map pieces oten.)


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Charac~t~e~r

Types

Tere are ve types o character, each o which has beenrecruited by the Dnai or a specic purpose and through a specicmethod. Te ollowing pages talk about these in detail.

During a mission, which is the action part o gameplay,each character has a specic role. Te Starghter and the Generalengage in a two-pronged attack in spae and on the ground. Tey aresupported by the skills o the Engineer and the technical knowledgeo the Encyclopedia. Meanwhile, the Strategist looks or patterns inthe enemys movements that lead to long-term victory.

S~tarfight~e~r

Key Skill: Galaga

In Te Rebellion: Youre the one and only person qualied topilot the improved ghters that the Dnai created.

Back on Earth: You played a lot o arcade games. And computergames. And any console games you could nd that required a quickhand. Your avorites were the space shooters, but you liked anythingprecise and ast. In school this helped you... basically nowhere.Youd be great at sports i your body could keep up with your handsand your mind.


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G~ene~ral

Key Skill: Warcrat

In Te Rebellion: Te robot soldiers o the Dnai are yours tocommand. Tey can absorb resources to create more o themselves,and can re their weapons with great accuracy, but theyre not very

smart. Tey need you to lead them.

Back on Earth: You played a lot o real-time strategy games,including (o course) the Star Empire strategy game. In school youwere always the kid with a plan you had a solid GPA, because theonly time you turned in things late was when you played the gametoo much to remember your homework.

Encyclope~dia

Key Skill: Zork

In Te Rebellion: Youve got the enemy ships and ormationsmemorized. You know their codes, their methods, their approachesto everything. You might not get the glory, but without you there,

no one else will either.

Back on Earth: You read allthe Star Empire books, about tentimes each. Every little detail stuck in your head. It was all socohesive, as i someone had really been there. Your homework cameout the same way: every little detail right, even i the overall productwasnt always the best.


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Engine~e~r

Key Skill: Snood

In Te Rebellion: You can take anything apart and put it backtogether, better. Youre on the scene with the Generals robot sol-diers and the Starghters ship, tweaking them and repairing them.

Back on Earth: You were the handyman (or woman) aroundyour house. Oh, sure, it didnt always work right the rst time, butsoon enough you gured out not to crosswire the toaster or over-clock the DVD player, and everything worked out ne in the end.You always came into science airs with some great project that youhad to x halway through... or had to extinguish.

S~trat~egis~t

Key Skill: Myst

In Te Rebellion: O all the people in the rebellion, you under-stand the Klor and what they want. You can get inside their heads(guratively, youre not a Strategistic) and guess their plans beore

they put them in action.

Back on Earth: You were the geek-to-normal-kid translator. Youalone, in your group o riends, had contacts outside the group. Notmany o them, and you couldnt really call them riends, but still.You also mediated a lot o the disputes that popped up within yourgroup.


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Plotlines

Each character must have one o the ollowing Plotlines. Tesewill get activated as the game goes on, bringing certain plot ele-ments into play. Tey serve as a ag or the GM, telling him to getyour character involved in particular types o sideplots.

Remember, each time your Plotline gets activated, you gain+1 to your Involvement score. Te GM chooses when to activate aPlotline, but you reap the benets (and you can always suggest thata particular time might be appropriate).

Each description below gives the basic gist o the Plotline, somesupporting characters who will probably be involved, the way thePlotline initially gets brough up, and how it will come back intoplay. All o these notes are only suggestions, not requirements.

No Plotline should be taken by more than one character. Iyou use the Love riangle Plotline in your game (which we recom-mend), youll need three characters to take the three pieces. Te bestchoices are the characters with the Unorseen Reunion, Personal

Loss, and Captured! Plotlines, to give them more screen time.

An Unfors~e~en Reunion

Te Gist: One o your relatives disappeared a while ago,anywhere rom six months to twelve years. urns out he or she isworking or the Dnai.

Supporting Characters: Long-Lost Relative, Rebellion LeaderInitial Activation: A chance encounter, or the relative seeks out

the character.

Recurrences: Te relative stops by again to give a pep talk. Terelative is in danger and needs help. Te relative dies.

Capture~d!

Te Gist: Ater overextending yoursel on the battleeld youget captured by the Klor. Tis Plotline doesnt work well or theStrategist or Encyclopedia, since neither o them is likely to be onthe ront lines.

Supporting Characters: Emperor MalkathInitial Activation: A Crisis Event that makes you lose your cool.Recurrences: Te rescue mission. Flashbacks to being tortured or

brainwashed, or acting on said brainwashing. Seeing how the Dnaitreat their prisoners.

Earth Girls are Easy Targ~e~ts

Te Gist: Te Klor send a spy to Earth to nd your weak point.Tey kidnap the girl you have a crush on.

Supporting Characters: Cute GirlInitial Activation: Te Emperor or one o his goons taunts your

character by threatening Cute Girl.Recurrences: Rescue missions. Flashbacks to earlier interactions.

Further scenes with Cute Girl ater the rescue (i you cant take herback to Earth right away).


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Love Triangle (A)

Te Gist: You love or have a big crush on Character B.Supporting Characters: Te B and C characters.Initial Activation: As soon as you reveal or admit this longing,

though not necessarily to Character B.Recurrences: See notes under C.

Love Triangle (B)

Te Gist: Character A loves you, but you have the hots orCharacter C.

Supporting Characters: Te A and C characters.Initial Activation: As soon as you admit your longing or C. You

dont have to know how A eels yet.Recurrences: See notes under C.

Love Triangle (C)

Te Gist: Character C loves you, but A loves C.Supporting Characters: Te A and B charactersInitial Activation: blahRecurrences: Te Love riangle Plotlines tend to all recur togeth-

er. Te traditional way these work is that A and B lust secretly ora time, then reveal to other people, then reveal to those they love,and then things get really complicated. Any time you can come tothe rescue o someone you love counts as a recurrence, as does anytime you are rescued bysomeone you love. Handled properly a lovetriangle can be a real source o tension and drama. Or you can runit like a arce; your call.

Pe~rsonal Loss

Te Gist: Someone you care about deeply is threatened, andmay die.

Supporting Characters: Alien Engineer or Cute Girl.Initial Activation: You grow emotionally attached to a support-

ing character.Recurrences: You spend a lot o time with the character, either

now or in a ashback sequence. Te characters lie is threatened.

Te character dies.

Sibling Rivalry

Te Gist: Your older brother who went o to the Marines andyou hadnt heard rom in orever? He got recruited by the Klor.Now hes the Emperors right-hand man and the leader o his armedorces.

Supporting Characters: Older Brother MarineInitial Activation: An encounter on the battleeld or the news

coming down rom rebellion command.Recurrences: Further battleeld encounters. A chance to break

the brainwashing. Te nal showdown.

T~emptation

Te Gist: Te Emperor tries to recruit you by sending his assas-sin/strumpet.

Supporting Characters: Evil Sexy AlienInitial Activation: Te E.S.A. gets your attention, either on the

battleeld or through covert communications.Recurrences: Further contact where she tries to seduce you,

either sexually or through the promise o power. Other charactersace her on the battleeld. Te nal showdown.


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Supporting

Charac~t~e~rs

Te Main Characters are important, but they arent everything.Without a support structure theyll crash and burn, with no onethere to x their toys. Tey also need interesting people to interact

with. Here are a ew that we suggest, some o which well be reer-ring back to rom time to time. Each uses the ollowing template:

Name: What you call them. Feel ree to change it.Job: What they do.Personality: Just a ew notes, eel ree to expand.Tink: Another character rom science ction whose personality

can help you get a handle on this one.Hit List: Hey GMs: this is a war. Some characters are probably

going to die. Heres where we suggest ofng them.

Alien Engine~e~r

Name: Brilano agatJob: Fixes and upgrades captured technology or the rebellion.Responsible or the super-upgraded ghters that the Starghter willbe ying.

Personality: Cordial but not deep, but very riendly to theEngineer and anyone who shows a genuine interest in his work.

Tink: ScottyHit List: Somewhere just past the halway mark. Tis can be a

real kick to the head or the Engineer.

Big Damn Hero

Name: odar BronthakJob: Te rebellions public ace, Jodar stars in all the Star

Empire books and movies. Actually kind o a tool.Personality: Full o himsel.Tink: Zap BranniganHit List: Not soon enough, sadly. I hes stupid enough to stage

a mutiny, hell probably live until the end, or until he goes up

against the Older Brother Marine to try to join the bad guys.

Comic Book Store Guy

Name: Bob Smith (actually Bor Relan)Job: Recruiter or the rebellion. First contact or the main

characters, telling them about the Dnai and their plight.Personality: Friendly and a little bit weird, which all makes

sense when you nd out hes a two-oot-tall alien in a human suit.Known or giving people quarters to play the Star Empire videogame in the stores back room.

Tink: Obi-wan KenobiHit List: First one to go. Hey, hes Obi-wan. As soon as people

start liking him, o the guy.

Cut~e Girl

Name: Jodi RobinsonJob: High-school student. Popular and attractive.Personality: A little bitchy on the surace, but not a bad person

underneath. By the time she shows up (kidnapped because one othe characters has a crush on her), shes been exposed to a lot oweird alien stu and needs help.

Tink: Claire rom Te Breakast Club.Hit List: Only near the end, i at all. Treatening her lie is

a-ok, though.


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Evil Empe~ror

Name: MalkathJob: Emperor o the Klor Star EmpirePersonality: Evil mastermind through and through. Emphasise

both parts. Hes evil as hell, not araid to torture or lie whenever itmight be eective. Hes also a mastermind hes not stupid, and gothis power because he knows people and how they think.

Tink: Oh, pick an evil emperor. Palpatine, Nero, Caligula...

Hit List: Te end o the game, one would hope.

Evil Sexy Alien

Name: Alira MbeadaJob: Let hand o Emperor Malkath. Proessional temptress and

assassin.Personality: Evil seductress and looks it all over. Shes smart and

savvy enough to act calmly and deliberately.Tink: Poison IvyHit List: Te Emperor himsel will probably kill her i the MCs

dont. As soon as its clear shes ailed him, shes out the airlock.

Long-Lost Relative

Name: Pam or Kevin (insert one o the MCs last names)Job: Works or the rebellion, doing almost what one o the MCs

does, but not as well.Personality: A little razzled, but parental and caring. She or he

was taken rom Earth a ew years ago, when the Dnai thought theyhad who they needed. It turns out that it took another generationor everything to be exactly right.

Tink: Any sitcom parent when theyre having a good momentHit List: Should survive until near the end, possibly giving his

lie to urther the cause. Might live.

Older Brothe~r Marine

Name: Lt. James (insert one o the MCs last names)Job: US Marine and the right hand o Emperor Malkath.

Military leader and crack pilot.Personality: Very serious, a little unbalanced, and very much

unhappy with his younger brother or sister who happens to be oneo the PCs. Te Klor do some recruiting on Earth too, as it turnsout. James went missing in Aghanistan when the Klor oered him

the chance to bring order to a whole galaxy, and the chance to bringit to Earth later. Hes at least 50% brainwashed.

Tink: Master Chie turned evilHit List: When the players can get him, preerably in the last

quarter o the game. Redemption is a possibility.

Re~bellion Leade~r

Name: Urano MeltaxJob: Leader o the Dnai rebellionPersonality: Condent but careul. A commander whos used

to being obeyed, but remembers how to gain the admiration andrespect o his ellows. One o the Dnai higher-ups who wontdiscount the MCs just because theyre kids.

Tink: Commander Riker at his bestHit List: Might live to see the end o it.


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Mission

Mechanics

A game o Star Empire alternates between interpersonal scenesand missions. Interpersonal scenes involve interaction between thecharacters, and possibly a handul o supporting characters. Mis-

sions involve the characters going up against the Klor or a specictask, such as crashing a hyperdrive gate, rescuing an importantcharacter, destroying a weapons depot, or the eventual assault onthe Emperors throneworld.

Interpersonal scenes rely entire on roleplaying. However, whencharacters go on a mission against the Klor, theres an extendedsystem used. Each attribute uses its own unique resolution systemthat depends on both player skill and character skill.

During a huge battle, everyone will be using their skills simul-taneously (or nearly so). Te Starghter will be blowing enemyships away, the General will be marshalling troops on the ground,

the Encyclopedia and Engineer will be working to back those twoup, and the Strategist will be trying to gure out the enemys bigplan. Its a little chaotic, but it all works together at once. Everyindividual victory contributes to the overall triumph.

Note that its possible or someone who isnt an expert in theeld to play a dierent game. I youre playing the Strategist andyour General has been kidnapped, you might end up playing hisgame. You wont have the skill to nish well, but sometimes youllbe able to pull o a victory anyway.

Starfighter: A Dime A Dozen

What you need:A lot o coins (thus the name o the game).Pencil and paper or the player.Te reerence sheet on page 20 is highly recommended.

How to play:

Te Starghter has the rst move. He picks three tactics thathell use against the ormations the enemy ships will appear in. Youcan nd ormations and tactics in the Appendix. Write the guessesdown on three small pieces o paper and turn them over so no onecan see.

Te GM goes next. He sets up a number o enemy ghters(coins) in a ormation. Te number o coins should be three to vetimes the Starghters Galaga skill. For instance, a Starghter witha skill o 5d6 will be up against anywhere rom 15 to 25 ships. Tehigher numbers should be used i the Engineer and Encyclopediaare providing good support all the time.

Te Starghter reveals his rst tactic and rolls his Galaga skill.Note that the tactic and the actual ormation will combine to tellyou a set o modiers sometimes the Starghters skill will be

changed, sometimes there will be maximum or minimum rolls, andso orth.

Compare the Starghters roll to the number o coins in theormation. I its higher, he removes a coin rom the ormation oreach point o victory. I its lower, he loses 1% o his shields or eachcoin still in the ormation, but no more than 10%.

Te GM then rearranges the ormation and the Starghterips over his next tactic, rolling Galaga again, taking damage andremoving coins. Ater this happens a third time, thats the end oone wave.


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Te GM leaves between waves to play with the General, whoalso needs his attention. Te Starghter writes down three newtactics while waiting or the GM to come back.

Special Notes:All Starghters begin knowing two tactics: Stick & Weave, and

Strae. Every time their Galaga skill goes up a point, they learn onenew tactic o their choice.

How to win:When all the coins are destroyed, the space battle ends in vic-

tory or the Starghter. I the Starghters shields are ever reducedto 0%, his ship is in horrible danger. He must immediately concedethe battle, activate his cloaking device, and ee.

G~ene~ral: Robot Wars

What you need:A pencil and some paper.

How to play:Te General and GM both start o with 100 points o sleek,

metallic robotic troops. Tese troops are rated as to their Range,

their Programming, and their Shielding (R, P, S).Te General rolls his Warcrat skill each round. He can deploy a

total troop value that round equal to his roll. Its his choice how thisvalue gets spread out between F, D, and P. For instance, a Generalwith our dice might get 14 and deploy troops worth R7, P3, S4.

Te GM deploys a number o troops equal to our times theGenerals number o skill dice. (I the group is missing an Engineeror Encyclopedia, reduce this number to 3 points per die.) Te sameGeneral rom the example above would a GM with 16 points otroops. He might deploy R5, P5, S6.

All values are written down secretly and then compared. TeGeneral should roll and choose values three times while the GM iso dealing with the Starghter to help the game move quickly.

Each troop rating targets a value that the opposing side has.

Range targets Shielding, Shielding targets Programming, and Pro-gramming targets Range. Compare the highest value rom each sideto its target in order to check or troop loss. I the targeted value islower, the opposing side loses troop value equal to the dierence. Ithe targeted number is higher, nothing happens.

In our example, the generals high score is R7, which beats theGMs S6. Te GM loses one point this way. Te GMs high scoreis P6, which compares to the Generals D3. Te General loses threepoints this way. Tese points come out o the general stock otroops, not out o the current rounds totals.


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Te GM plays three rounds o Robot Wars with the General,and then moves on to deal with the Starghter, who also needs hisattention. Hell be back soon.

Special Notes:Stacking most o your troops into one particular type causes

grave weaknesses in your deenses. I your highest number is morethan doubleyour lowest number, take double damage when your

low number is targeted.R-P-S also stands or Rock-Paper-Scissors.

How to win:Reduce the other sides total troop points to zero , thus running

them entirely out o troops.

Encyclope~dia: Memory

What you need:A game o Memory. Weve provided one in the Appendix.

How to play:

Lay out all the cards ace-down, randomly.Te Encyclopedia rolls his Zork skill when the mission starts

and notes the number o points he got. Failing the roll has noparticular ill eects.

Te Encyclopedia ips over one card. Each time he does, orevery three points on his dice roll, he can ip over another dierentcard. I any o his cards match therstcard, he can leave that oneand the rst card right-side up and turn the others upside downagain. I nothing matches, allo the cards rom this run get turnedace-down again.

When all cards are right-side up, the Encyclopedia wins and cangive pick one o the ollowing eects:

Youve guessed what battle ormation the Klor will be using.ell the GM what ormation he has to choose at the beginningo the next wave. You can tell the Starghter as well.Youve remembered a weak point in Klor starships. Te Star-ghter doubles his damage or his next roll.

Youve remembered a hidden secret about the battleeld that

the General can use. He can shit two points worth o troopsrom his Firepower, Programming, or Deense values into oneo the other values.Youve remebered a weak point in Klor battle robots. TeGeneral can deal double damage this round.Youve identied the weak point in your own robots. TeGeneral can stack all his troops into a particular type withoutsuering double damage this round.Youve remembered what GNDN means on the Dnai engineer-ing specications. Better tell the Engineer. He can play twos aswild cards next time he puts down a hand.Youve remembered that some o the starghters superweaponscan be re-routed through each others circuits. Te Engineer can

switch one superweapon result or another, deploying homingbursts instead o the triple shot (or example).Youve remembered a act about Klor psychology. Te Strategistcan leave one extra piece out o her puzzle.Youve remembered the secret plans that were in the LostEpisode o the V show. You can help the Strategist with hermap puzzle until youve placed 2 pieces.


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Page 17

Engineer: Build-A-Hand

What you need:A standard 54-card poker deck (Jokers let in)

How to play:Te Engineer draws ve cards rom the deck.Each time the Starghter starts a new wave, he rolls his Snood

skill and draws an extra card or every three points he rolls. Failingthe roll has no particular ill eects.

Hes trying to create the best poker hand possible by picking1-5 cards out o however many he ends up with. Aces are eitherhigh or low, but you cant use them as both at the same time. Jokersare wild. When the Engineer nds a hand he likes, he puts downjust the useul cards theres no need to ll out to a ull ve cards.

Re-roll Snood every time theres a new starghter wave.Te high card in the hand determines who the hand can help:

red cards help the Starghter, black cards help the General. I thereare two tied cards o dierent colors, its up to the Engineer whichone to use. Te table o helpul results is on page 21.

How to win:You cant exactly win, because every turn youll have some-

thing useul to help the other player. However, i you dont createat least a Full House by the end o the mission, its considered apersonal ailure.

Strategist: Puzzle

What you need:Te Map Puzzle (see appendix)

How to play:Unlike the other characters, the Strategist isnt really playing a

game. Shes putting together a puzzle. Te puzzle can be ound in

the appendix. Its the same puzzle every time. It takes a long time toput together the rst time, but aterwards she should be able to doit aster and aster.

Te Strategists skill allows her to ignore pieces, putting togethermost o the puzzle and calling it good enough. She rolls her Mystskill at the beginning, and can leave out one piece or every vepoints she rolls. Failing the roll has no particular ill eect.

When the Strategist completes her puzzle, she gives a substantialbenet to everyone involved in a mission: +1d6 on every roll orthe rest o the mission. She doesnt have to use that on the currentmission, however. She can save these bonuses until the team reallyneeds them. Not completing the puzzle is a personal ailure.


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Page 18

Final Mission De~tails

All missions have a specic goal in mind. In order to achievethis goal, you need the ollowing achievements:

At least three personal victoriesOne o those must be either the Starghter or the General

I both o these conditions are met, the mission is triumphant,and the rebellion gains an advantage. I not, the mission ends inailure and setback. Its ok when this happens its part o the story,so dont get too upset.

One way to keep track o the Rebellions progress is to use anuncut copy o the Puzzle Map. Each victory is a star system thatthe rebellion has a oothold in; each ailure denies a system to themuntil they can win elsewhere. Its the GMs job to keep the storymoving along, so orcing a win or loss somewhere will occasion-ally be necessary theres no point in having things be completelystagnant. I you preer to do this kind o thing behind the scenesratherthan by rigging the odds, you could say that another brancho the rebellion had a great victory or ell beore the Empires orces.

Tat way the players can keep a certain amount o integrity to theirown victories and losses.

Expe~rienc~e

Points

Te characters in Star Empire grow and change a lot. Ater all,theyre teenagers growing up is what they do.

Keep track o your characters Experience Point total. You canspend these to increase your skills, or to change your Involvementand Condence (though there are easier ways to do that).

Dedication and hardship are lies great teachers. Tanks a lot,lie. You gain one Experience Point or each o the ollowing things:

Showing up each game sessionEach time you ail in a mission (personal ailure, not groupailure)Each time you go through a crisis eventEach time a Plotline does something annoying to your charac-ter.

On average you should be getting about 2 XP per game. Tistable shows how much new points o skill cost:

Skill Cos~ts

Dice 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Cost in XP -- 4 5 4 3 2 2 2

Increasing or decreasing your Involvement or Condence scores

costs 2 XP per point o change. I your score has reached 5, youcant change it with XP you mustgo through a crisis event.


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Page 19

The Endgame

Eventually the main characters will lead the rebellion to theEmpires homeworld, and beyond that to conront the Emperor athis nal hiding place. Teyll root out and destroy the machinerythat kept the Empire running, and return control over this sector ospace to the Dnai and their allies.

And ater that... what then?

Here are some questions to help you think through the endingo your game. Teyre a little beyond the scope o the game itsel(that is, you cant really play through them as a mission), but itsnice to think about a place to end things.

Do the characters return home?How much time has passed?Has it been only a ew months, or have the rigors o superrela-tivistic space travel turned weeks into years?What have their parents done?Can your characters ever go back to high school, knowing that

theyve saved the universe and now theyre sitting through aGeometry class?Will they return with the Dnai in tow?What will Earth think o the existence o aliens?Will the worlds governments be surprised, or did some o themknow all along?I you dont go home, where will you go next?

May the stars guide your path.

Cre~dits

Tank you very much to my wie, Emma, who helped me comeup with the basic idea and develop it, and also helped test andrebuild some o the minigames.

Tis game was designed or the Genre Redesign Madness

contest in 2008. Writing, layout, and art were all done in ten days.

Te main ont is Adobe Garamond Pro, with Space Age or theheaders. Everything was laid out with Adobe InDesign CS3.

Star map courtesy o Revos Flare Brushes.

Background: Eta Carinae rom the Hubble, public domain

Cover:Angel Nebula picture taken by Steve MandelShip by auCeti Deitchmann

Line drawings by Emma White


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Page 20

S~tarfight~e~r Tactics vs. Klor Formations

Te Klor are very regimented ghters. Make their discipline into their downall.

Starghter tactics are across the top, Klor ormations on the let.Read this chart as ollows:

1d, 2d: add or subtract one or two dice rom the Starghters skill beore the roll.Min=X: Each die rolls at least an X. Increase anything lower to an X.

Max=X: Te maximum roll on each die is X. Reduce anything higher down to X.n/a: no eect

Tactics and Formations Table

Stick & Weave Zigzag Strae Figure 8 Side Deense Firefghter

Attack V -1d Max=5 +2d +1d Max=5 n/a

Endless March +1d +2d Max=5 -1d -2d -1d

Wing Formation Max=5 -1d +1d +1d Max=5 +2d

Phalanx -2d +2d +1d +1d Max=5 +1d

Evasion Loop +2d +1d -1d -1d Min=2 -2d

Double Cross +2d +1d -2d +1d Min=2 -1d

Replacement Ring -1d -2d -2d -2d +2d +2d

Rams Horns Max=5 Min=2 +1d -1d Min=2 -1d

Explanations

Stick & Weave: Stay in one place as much as possible, dodging when necessary.Zigzag: Move back and orth in a conned area.Strae: Very large side-to-side movements while ring.Figure 8: A Zigzag plus orays orward and retreats backward.Side Deense: Concentrate on a single side o the battleeld.Fireghter: Wherever trouble shows up, go there and shoot it.


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Page 21

The Engineers Toolkit

Heres all the inormation related to the Engineers job.

Engineers Table

Hand Red Black

Ace High Speed Boost: +3 dmg +3 troops

Pair Shield Repair: +5% Deploy +1 troopwo pair urbo Shot: +5 dmg Deploy +2 troops

Tree o a kind riple Shot +3 Deense

Straight Beam Laser +3 Firepower

Flush Homing Bursts +3 Programming

Four o a kind Bomb +10 troops

Straight Flush AK Pods: x2 dmg Sabotage: 2x dmg

Five o a kind Sheild Rell Inltration

Explanations:

Any damage bonuses (+3, +5, x2) last or a single turn only.roop bonuses give the General extra troops in reserve, not in

the current round.Shield repair can raise a Starghters shields over 100%.riple Shot, Beam Laser, Homing Bursts, and Bomb enable a

starghters superweapon or a single turn. See below.Inltration allows the General to see the GMs point totals

beore assigning his own this round.

Starfighter Superweapons

Te ship you will be fying has been upgraded signicantly romits original specications. Dr. agat is a genius in miniaturization hehas this thing packed ull o gadgets rom nosecone to thrusters. Unor-tunately, we can only power one o the superweapons at a time, andeven then, not or long. Youll be relying on agility and sharp eyesightmore oten than not.

Superweapons deal +5 damage against most ormations.However, each superweapon has two ormations against which itis particularly eective. Attacks against these ormations with theappropriate superweapon yield an extra +5 damage, or a total o+10. Te weapons charge only lasts or one attack roll.

Superweapon Table

Formation Right Superweapon

Attack V riple Shot

Squad Formation Homing Bursts

Phalanx Beam Laser

Evasion Loop Bomb

Replacement Ring Bomb

Rams Horns Homing Bursts

Double Split riple Shot

Endless March Beam Laser


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Klor S~tarfight~e~r Formations

Attack V Endless March Wing Formation Phalanx

Evasion Loop Rams HornsDouble Cross Replacement Ring


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Star Empire

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Transcript of Star Empire