Introducing

YOUR BLUE BOX

Youve got the key to a blue box that is somehow connected to the world psychic maelstrom and will only let a key holder in. What does it look like? Choose 1: Card board box Barrel Phone booth Photo booth Sheet metal box Wooden box Freight container

THE MAN IN A BOX

In the Golden Age, there was this guy you could only see through a screen, at a precise time of the day. He lived in a box and he could travel long distances in a blink of an eye. Today, in this apocalypse world, you may meet this guy and you no longer need a screen to see him. He seems to make sense of the world psychic maelstrom, and maybe hell help you understand if only you can get all the gibberish he speaks.

WANT

An not so serious character playbook for

What is so special about it? Choose 2: Its bigger on the inside It defends itself against intruders (2-harm hand area messy) Its got a spare key You dont have a key, you ARE a key It will let a key holder AND guests in Also, what does it want? Choose 1: Sexual energy Psychic energy vital energy

With thanks to apologies to D. Vincent Baker and the BBC

ADDITIONAL RULES
-HARM
A person suffers -harm from exposure to the worlds psychic maelstrom. It might be first exposure, as in the case of people released from stasis, or it might be some subsequent unusual exposure. When an NPC suffers -harm, the MC creates her as a threat if necessary, and then chooses any or all: She aggressively pursues her threat impulse. Make moves on her behalf as hard and as direct as you can. Her sanity shatters. She is incoherent, raving, raging or unresponsive, alive but gone. She abruptly changes threat type. For players characters, when you suffer -harm, roll+-harm suffered (typically, roll+1). On a 10+, the MC can choose 1: Youre out of action: unconscious, trapped, incoherent or panicked. Youre out of your own control. You come to yourself again a few seconds later, having done I-dont-know-what. Choose 2 from the 79 list below. On a 79, the MC can choose 1: You lose your footing. You lose your grip on whatever youre holding. You lose track of someone or something youre attending to. You miss noticing something important. You take a single concrete action of the MCs choosing. On a miss, you keep it together and overcome the -harm with no effect.

When your blue box is in want, you cannot use any of your moves that involve it.

BARTER
1-barter will cover a months living expenses, if your tastes arent too grand. As a one-time expenditure, and very subject to availability, 1-barter might count for: a night in high luxury & company; any weapon, gear or fashion not valuable or hi-tech; the material costs of resuscitation by an angel; a weeks hire of the protective companionship of a battlebabe or gunlugger; repair of a piece of hi-tech gear by a savvyhead; a years tribute to a warlord; a months maintenance and repairs for a hi-performance vehicle well-used; bribes, fees and gifts sufficient to get you into almost anyones presence. For better stuff, you should expect to make particular arrangements. You cant just wander around the commons of some hardhold with oddments ajangle and expect to find hi-tech or luxe eternal.

CREATING THE MAN IN A BOX

To create your man in a box, choose name, look, stats, moves, blue box, gear, and Hx.

NAME
Doctor, Professor, Bishop, Master, Mentor, Teacher or Director Sarg, Sir, Lord, Captain, Caesar, Lady, Rodin or Synapse

LOOK
Man, woman or ambiguous Vintage wear, tweed wear, colourful wear or casual wear Handsome face, old face, tired face, unlighted face or aristocratic face

LOOK

NAME -

MAN IN A BOX MOVES

Allons-y: when you are in your blue box and you twiddle that knob-athing, roll+sharp to move through the World Psychic Maelstrom. On 10+, choose 3. On 7-9 choose 2: Youre close to where you wanted to go Youre blue box isnt in want You do not suffer -harm Nobody sees you coming

STATS

Sharp eyes, kinky eyes, deep Cool+1 hard-1 hot+1 sharp+2 weird=0 eyes, thoughtful eyes or laughing Cool+2 hard-1 hot=0 sharp+2 weird-1 eyes Cool=0 hard+1 hot+1 sharp+2 weird-1 Cool+1 hard+1 hot=0 sharp+2 weird-1 Slim body, sturdy body, bony body, fat body or angular body

do something under fire

HX
help or interfere; session end

On a miss, well you dont get to choose any of the above and you moved only a few feet away or a few miles the other way.

COOL HARD HOT

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Understand weirdness: when you are in your blue box and you look through the thing-a-screen-bob, roll+sharp to open you mind to the psychic maelstrom instead of rolling+weird. Come on! Do it, sweet Blue Box: when you are in your blue box and you fiddle with the wobbly-jiggle it gets connected in a weird way to the World Psychic Maelstrom. Your blue box gets +augury. Also, unless you hit a 10+ your blue box is in want after performing an augury. Talk your way out: when you try to seduce or manipulate someone in a charged situation, roll+sharp instead of +hot.

go aggro; seize by force

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MOVES
You get all the basic moves. You get allons-y and another doctors move.

GEAR
In addition to your blue box, detail your personal fashion. You also get oddments worth 1barter and one of these:

seduce or manipulate
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MAN IN BOX SPECIAL

If you and another character have sex, they become a key to your blue box until you have sex with another character.

HX
Everyone introduces their characters by name, look and outlook. Take your turn. List the other characters names. Go around again for Hx. On your turn, choose 1 or 2: One of them saw you coming with your blue box. Tell that player Hx+1 One of them youd like to bring along for a ride. Tell that player Hx+2 You keep to yourself with the others. Tell everyone else Hx-1. On the others turns: Your blue box told you about one of them. Whatever number they tell you, write Hx+2 next to their characters name. At the end, find the character with the highest Hx on your sheet. Ask that player which of your stats is most interesting, and highlight it. The MC will have you highlight a second stat too.

a screweird (-harm ap hand hi-tech loud-optional ) a weirdo badge (+1 to manipulate while brandishing it)

Nows a good time to run: name your escape route and roll+sharp. On a 10+ youre running. On a 79, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave something behind, or take something with you, the MC will tell you what. On a miss, youre caught vulnerable, half in and half out. Arent I clever: when you talk your plan out loud using technical gibberish, roll+sharp. On a 10+ you and all those you included in your plan get +1forward. On a 7-9, you get +1forward, but those included in your plan didnt quite follow your thought, they get -1forward. On a miss, it did sound like a good idea, but the MC gets to make a move as hard as he sees fit.

read a sitch; read a person

SHARP

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IMPROVEMENT
Whenever you roll a highlighted stat, and whenever you reset your Hx with someone, mark an experience circle. When you mark the 5th, improve and erase. Each time you improve, choose one of the options. Check it off; you cant choose it again.

open your brain

WEIRD HARM

IMPROVEMENT
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experience

improve

OTHER MOVES

Countdown 12

__ get +1sharp(max sharp +3) __ get +1hard (max hard+2) __ get +1cool (max cool+2) __ get +1weird (max weird+2) __ get a new man in a box move __ get a new man in a box move __ get 2 gigs (detail) and moonlighting __ add something special to your blue box __ get a move from another playbook __ get a move from another playbook
__ get +1 to any stat (max stat+3) __ retire your character (to safety) __ create a second character to play __ change your character to a new type __ choose 3 basic moves and advance them. __ advance the other 4 basic moves.

stabilised shattered (-1 cool) crippled (-1 hard) disfigured (-1 hot) broken (-1 sharp)

GEARS & BARTER

HOLDS