Outgunned - Cinematic Action Roleplaying

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these are tools,

not rules
A PROJECT BY: Two Little Mice
AUTHORS: Riccardo “Rico” Sirignano, Simone Formicola
ART: Daniela Giubellini
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Luca Carbone
ORIGINAL LAYOUT BY: Sabrina Ceccon, Luca Carbone
TRANSLATION: Caterina Arzani
REVISIONS: John Marron

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Simone Formicola


CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Rico Sirignano
GAME DESIGN CONSULTANT: Claudio Pustorino

THANKS TO:
Gianluca Alvino, Caterina Arzani, Morena Balocchi,
Marcus Burggraf, Andrea Buzzi, Claudia Cirillo,
Andrea Felicioni, Laura Fornasari, Jeff Grammi,
Grelots Lagriffe, John Marron, Roberto Petrillo,
Claudio Pustorino, Doug Shute, Leonardo Valenti

©2023 Two Little Mice. All rights reserved. No part of this product may be reproduced
without specific permission.
contents
Outgunned 6
The Pillars of Action 10

Making of a Hero     13


A Real Hero 14
ROLES 16
Heroes of All Ages 38
Tropes 39
ATTRiBUTES & SKiLLS 46
Feats 48
RESOURCES OF A HERO 56

time for action     59


Rolling the dice 60
ACTiON & REACTiON 60
ROLL DiFFiCULTY 62
SUCCESS 66
Re-roll 68
Free Re-roll 68
Extra Actions 72
Help 73
ADRENALiNE 74
SPOTLiGHT 75
FAiLURE 76
impending danger!     79
dangerous rolls 80
it takes grit! 82
GAMBLE 86
conditions 88
END OF A HERO 94
Death Roulette 94
Gear Up     97
guns & gear 98
Guns 100
Rides 104
Cash 108

face the enemy     113


Fight 114
Brawl 120
Bang! Bang! Bang! 122
Enemies 126
goons 130
bad guys 132
bosses 134
List of Enemy Feats 138
List of Enemy Special Actions 142
Weak Spot 146
need for speed 150
Special Actions during a Chase 160

Mission Start     163


The Mission 164
Cinematic Campaign 166
The Director 170
The Villain 172
Supporting Characters 176
The Heat 180
Plan B 182
Time-Out 184
Heist 186
Flashback 189
Advancement 190
Many Heroes, Few Heroes 196
One Hero Army 197

Race Against Time     199


introductory Shot 200
Prova Titolo
Outgunned
Title
Outgunned
In a World
where ruthless Villains plot in the shadows to steal nuclear launch codes
and bring entire nations to their knees.

A real hero
Where crooks in suits hire personal armies to amass wealth
greater than anyone can imagine.
Where absolute madmen laugh while playing with human lives,
or blackmail the White House with outlandish demands.
And where someone decided to kill the wrong dog.
Only a Hero can save the day.

And I’m not talking about a Hero in shining armor. No, we need a real tough guy here.
A Hero with lead running through their veins. A Hero who crawls in the air ducts.
A Hero who speeds on a city bus, doing 50 miles per hour at every hour of the day.
A Hero who faces off alone against dozens of goons and gets off with a dashing
cut on their cheek as they look to the camera.

rolling dice
The type of Hero who walks in slow-mo while everything behind them explodes.

Are you a Hero worthy of an action movie? Probably not. I mean, you just look like
someone who is two days away from retirement.
But we still have many pages to get through.
Before we’re done with this guide, I’ll take you from zero to Hero.

DiRECTOR’S CUT
outgunned is a cinematic action rpg inspired by the classics of the genre,
from Die Hard to True Lies, passing through James Bond, Atomic Blonde, Kings-
man, Ocean’s Eleven, Hot Fuzz, and John Wick.
In outgunned, Players take on the role of action Heroes facing terrible
odds. They will be constantly surrounded by enemies while trying to carry out
their mission, be it robbing a casino or saving the day.

outgunned features a game system called Director’s Cut, a set of mechanics


using small pools of six-sided dice to determine the outcome of the Heroes’ ac-
tions. When rolling dice, your goal is not to score the highest or lowest possible
number, but to roll two-, three-, and four-of-a-kind.

6
EVERYTHiNG YOU NEED TO KNOW
Who are we? One of the Players will be the Director of the game, they will be
tasked with setting the scene of the world and playing supporting characters,
extras, enemies, and even the Villain. The others will play as Heroes, people
ready to get down to business and save the day.

Where are we? outgunned is set somewhere in a cooler version of our World.
Maybe New York, Hong Kong, or London. Truly any city featured in the action
genre can become the perfect backdrop for adrenaline-filled adventures. What
if the President of the United States is three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep,
I don’t see anything wrong with that!

When are we? Where we are going, we don’t need dates! outgunned is set in a
time teetering between the late 80s and early 2000s where everything is exactly
as we remember. But way cooler.
Mobile phones? Why not. Smartphones? Absolutely not. Internet? Sure, how
else are you supposed to hack the system. Social media? Oh, hell to the no!

What’s the goal? Carrying out the mission. Someone might be trying to find their
daughter, someone else to clear out a bank vault. Are you here to avenge your
dog? Fine by me.

How many Players do we need? Beside the Director, the game is designed for
a group of 3-4 Heroes, but can be easily played with two or five Heroes without
needing any changes. Toward the end of this book, you’ll also find special rules
to play with only 2 people (Director + Hero).

What dice do we roll? To play outgunned, you’ll need a handful of 6-sided


dice. There are special Action Dice designed specifically for this game, but they
are not required.

How many Sessions? The game is designed for short Cinematic Campaigns of
6-8 sessions and, given its quick and easily accessible nature, is perfect for one-
shots. For longer campaigns, I recommend you string together several shorter
stories to create a Cinematic Saga of sorts. Like Die Hard 1, 2, 3, etc.

Outgunned 7
How to Play
To play outgunned you’ll need a couple of friends, some paper, pencils, and a
handful of 6-sided dice.
One of the Players will take on the role of Director and be tasked with describ-
ing the world and portraying all of the extras, Supporting Characters, enemies,
and the terrible Villain.
The other Players will take on the role of Heroes, people ready to do everything
it takes in order to carry out a dangerous Mission and save the day.

The Director stages interesting and emotional scenes, describing the obstacles
and dangers of the mission, while the Heroes take turns portraying their Charac-
ters and describing their actions.
When the Heroes face something truly challenging, or when they run risks and
something threatens to go really wrong, we rely on the roll of a handful of dice to
determine the outcome of the Heroes’ actions.

Game Terms
♦ Turn: During a turn, each Hero takes one action. Once everyone has acted,
you move on to the next turn.
♦ Scene: A small snippet of the story, like a dinner party, a chase, or a night
spent keeping watch.
♦ Session: The occasion when your group of friends comes together to play
is called a game Session.
♦ Shot: An adventure that unfolds during a session.
♦ Cinematic Campaign: Connected Shots about the same adventure create a
Cinematic Campaign.

Core Themes in outgunned


Doing the right thing: What is the right thing to do? Who decides what is wrong
or right?
Alone against all: A small group of people can truly make a difference and
change the world.
Spirit of sacrifice: What are you willing to sacrifice for the greater good?
Revenge and forgiveness: The obsession for payback or redemption may lead
to a spiral of violence.
Your real family: Friends are the family we choose.
The broken system: The Villain is simply the product of a corrupt system. Who
is the real monster?

8
Best practices
Share the responsibility: The Director isn’t the only
one who controls the story, everyone can contribute
ideas and insights. As a Director, don’t feel like you
have to always know the answer. There is nothing
wrong with asking other Players for input. ACTiON DiCE
As the Player of a Hero, do not get complacent and Outgunned can be
leave everything in the hands of the Director. You played with special
must also do your part! 6-sided dice. Each
face on these dice
Live in the moment: Be spontaneous, improvise on sports an original
the spur of the moment. As a Director, don’t be symbol to make it
afraid to go into uncharted territory and openly easier to recognize
take in the suggestions from other Players. successes.
As the Player of a Hero, play your character
with all their flaws, don’t focus constantly on The Action Dice from
how to get the best result, and be open to the Outgunned are not
prompts offered by the Director and other Play- needed to play, but
ers. If someone suddenly mentions that mis- they make for a more
sion you all went on together 10 years ago, just tailored experience.
play along, the details will surface later. Alternatively, you can
use normal 6-sided dice
Leave room for others: Just like in a movie, ev- and consider 1 as your
erything that happens in play deserves its own Snake Eye.
screen time. As a Director, ration Supporting
Characters carefully, and allow each Hero to
have their moment in the spotlight during a
session. Don’t rush to reveal the plot you have
designed, and allow the Heroes to make
their own choices.
As the Player of a Hero, re-
member that you are not the
lone hero of an action movie.
Leave some room for your
friends and try to bring them
into the action. It’s much more
fun if we’re all in this together!

Outgunned 9
The Pillars of Action
When playing outgunned, you are practically playing through your own action
movie. But not all action movies are created equal.
Yes, there are the old stories about gentlemen thieves and cops with easy
one-liners, but the action genre is much more than that.
There are spy movies and heist movies, stories of heroes with great responsibil-
ities, archaeological adventures, and martial arts movies, and they all are equally
part of the cinematic action family. And they all have something in common.

Action Never Stops


A mole has betrayed you and your mission has failed. You reconvene in a hideout
near the city, but the Agency has you surrounded. You won’t be safe until the traitor
is found.
When action knocks on your door, there is no turning back. The life of a Hero is
a race against time, it never stops, and it’s always on the edge.
All action movies worthy of the name have no idle time, and the Heroes nev-
er have time to stop and ponder or to ask for help. They must always deal with
things on their own, make split-second decisions with great consequences, and
never stop to look back.
There’s no rest for the Heroes!

10
Like at the Movies
The car smashes through the window and falls two
stories, crashing to the pavement, it rolls over several
times, and finally stops upside-down. The driver sighs
deeply “That was close!” Show don’t tell
To make sense of the whirlwind of action, now and The best movies
then, you’ll have to forget about some laws of physics don’t just tell you
and disregard most of your common sense. Afterall, about things, they
we’re at the movies! show things with
Don’t dwell on things, trying to make your adven- facts and actions!
tures realistic. They just need to be vaguely believ-
able and extremely exciting. Sometimes a fantas- You don’t need long
tic explosion is worth a thousand words. back-stories and
heart-wrenching tales.
You Don’t Know Everything What truly matters
“I didn’t realize you were this naïve. You haven’t is what’s written on
caught on yet?” The Villain stands, closing a your Sheet, and what
button on their blazer and comes close enough happens in-game.
to whisper in your ear “How do you think we
found you?” If your Hero fought in
Your mission is clear, right? Wrong! When you the war, you don’t need
get into action, you’re convinced everything is to say it to the other
black or white, but there’s always something Players while eating
you don’t know. pizza. Instead, you could
Maybe the good guys aren’t who they claim to describe how your Hero
be, or this story is actually a front for a conspir- sometimes plays with
acy far greater than you could imagine. Per- their old dog tags while
haps your mentor or leader was the real Villain looking out the window.
of the story all along. Plot twist! If a fellow Hero says
If you're a Hero, you must always keep your “Your brother and I were
guard up, analyze the facts, and try to find the ride or die”, that’s how
truth kept hidden from you, because sooner or things are. At least, that’s
later, there will be a great revelation that will their version of the facts.
upend your plans. Apparently, you have a
brother now!

Outgunned 11
Making of a Hero

SEZIONE I

titolo
SECTION I

Making of a hero
SECTION II
Outgunned
A Real Hero
A real hero
Heroes are men and women of action who face great risks in order to carry out an
important mission. They live their lives constantly on the edge, constantly out-
numbered.

Some Heroes are barefoot police agents, forced to fight terrorists on Christmas
Eve. Others are criminals in search of redemption, or fugitives forced to prove
their innocence. Others still are spies working for a secret agency, or thieves
planning the heist of the century. Some Heroes are even simple people, cata-

rolling dice
pulted into action at a moment’s notice.
But they all have something in common.

There are 3 things you need to keep in mind, if you want to be a Hero:

Someone with a mission: It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to find your


daughter, to clear out a bank vault, to save the World, or to avenge your
puppy; you’re on a mission, and will do anything to succeed.
You don’t necessarily need to know your mission when the game begins, but
once you find out, it will become your only goal. Nothing is more important than
the mission.

Live dangerously: You must face dangers with courage, determination,


and a pinch of recklessness. The stakes are too high for you to remain on
the sidelines, and you know that it’s time for you to roll up your sleeves and make
a difference.
Even if yesterday you were just a nobody, you now have a mission and can’t
back down. Run some risks and never give up, come what may.

One of the good guys: You can be a hearth and home kind of Hero who
scrunches up their face every time their companions cuss, or a real bas-
tard who has never thought of helping others without expecting something in
return.
Regardless of your character, deep down, you’re one of the good guys. Even if
you make mistakes and things sometimes go sideways, in the end, your heart is
always in the right place.

14
Creating your Hero
This is everything you need to do to create your Hero and set off on your mission:

♦ Choose a Role
♦ Fill in your Personal Data
♦ Choose a Trope
♦ Mark the Attribute and Skill points gained from your Role and Trope
♦ Add 2 free Skill Points
♦ Choose and note 3 Feats from your Role and Trope
♦ Choose your Gear depending on your Role
♦ Mark 1 Adrenaline, 1 Spotlight, and 1 Cash

You can note all this information on your snazzy Hero Sheet. It only takes a cou-
ple minutes to get ready for action!

NAME MISSION

ROLES EXPERIENCES
TROPE

ADRENALINE!
JOB AGE

FLAW

CATCHPHRASE
GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
ENDURE
H

HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


6
RO

FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE
TTE

BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION


HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER
STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
3
NERVES FEATS SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN

DRIVE
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE
MEDI-
UM LONG

SURVIVAL

SMOOTH
FLIRT
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH
STYLE

FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME
Making of a Hero 15
NAME

AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
ROLES
The Role of a Hero is a key feature that tells you what kind of person they are,
what they can do, and probably also how they spent their life before the mission
began. No small fry!

The first thing to do when creating your Hero, is choosing their Role:

♦ The Commando ♦ The Nobody


♦ The Fighter ♦ The Brain
♦ The Ace ♦ The Sleuth
♦ The Agent ♦ The Criminal
♦ The Face ♦ The Spy

When you choose a Role, you gain 1 point in an Attribute and 1 point each in 10
Skills. Then, you can choose 2 Feats from the list of 6 for the Role.
Additionally, your Role also gives you some starting Gear, and suggests Jobs,
Catchphrases, and Flaws you can use as inspiration to fill in your Personal Data.

When choosing a Role, I recommend you think first and foremost about what
you want to play, and how you want to approach your next mission. If you like to
follow or break the rules and want to put your gun at the service of others, you
could try playing as an Agent. On the other hand, if you like the idea of being
just an everyday person who gets reluctantly pushed into the action, the Nobody
could be more your style. If you want to solve all your problems with your fists, try
the Fighter, and if you prefer putting your little gray cells to work, why not try the
Brain. Anyway, always remember that you should never have two Heroes playing
the same Role on a mission, unless it is essential.

16
Personal Data
This is everything you know about your Hero. Anything else, you’ll have to live
through or learn during the game. We don’t take lengthy backstories here, only
facts, actions, and surprising plot-twists.

♦ Name: Your name.


 Johnny Reed
♦ Job: Your job gives you access to information, to contacts, or to spe-
cific knowledge.
 Police
♦ Age: Young, Adult, Old.
 Adult
♦ Catchphrase: Your tag line, your creed, the words that guide you when it’s
time for action. Basically, your entire identity summed up in a sentence.
 With all due respect, to hell with the rules
♦ Flaw: Not even Heroes can be perfect. Your flaw is the thing that keeps trip-
ping you up throughout your adventures.
 I’m never off the clock.

Your Job can prove useful when you need to gather information or ask for help.
For example, Johnny can call into play his contacts in the Police to get tips about
the case he is working on, or to get access to the evidence locker.

Your Catchphrase is a clear indication of how you should interpret your Hero,
and the Director can also use it as a benchmark for when to reward you with a
Spotlight. For example, let’s say Johnny decides to tell off his superior and hand
over his gun and badge. He clearly deserves a Spotlight for that!

Your Flaw, on the other hand, is something you’ll have to deal with or overcome
on your adventure. You can reference your Flaw to guide your interpretation of
your Hero, and the Director can call your Flaw into play to impose -1 to a relevant
roll. Johnny, for example, is never off duty, and this could prevent him from tak-
ing a breather when the situation calls for it, or make him exceedingly suspicious
toward his own allies.

We will talk more about Age in a dedicated chapter in upcoming pages.

Making of a Hero 17
the Commando
An elite soldier, a S.W.A.T. Agent, a member of the special forces, an army veteran,
or a survivalist ready for anything.

Commandos are the best of the best of the best, the toughest Heroes out there.
Soldiers with shaved heads who serve their nation, or mercenaries armed to
their teeth, Commandos were forged in the heat of battle and face danger
head-on. Anyone standing in their way should be very careful, as nothing scares
these steely-eyed soldiers.

Job:
Soldier, Marine, Mercenary

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Stay back, I got this I don’t trust anyone
Nobody left behind I think everyone else is weak
If it bleeds, we can defeat it I never know when to back down

characteristics of a commando
STRONG. WELL TRAINED. UNSTOPPABLE.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Brawn Choose two among:
Hard to Kill
Skill Points: Hunter
Endure Intimidation
Fight Marksman
Force Military Background
Cool That’s All?
Shoot
Survival Gear:
Leadership Knife
Fix Telephone or Radio
Awareness Weapon of choice
Stealth

18
Classic Commandos
in movies are:

John Matrix
in Commando,
Sarah Connor
in Terminator 2 -
Judgment Day,
Luke Hobbs in the Fast
& Furious saga, Furiosa
in Mad Max: Fury Road,
John Rambo in the
Rambo saga, Scott Ward
in Army of the Dead,
Major Dutch Schaefer
in Predator,
Sergeant B.A. Baracus
in the A-Team.

Making of a Hero 19
the Fighter
A martial artist, a boxer, a batterer, or a self-defense expert.

In a world where criminals and law-enforcement compete for who can get the
best guns, Fighters have decided to join the fray with bare hands, armed only
with their fists and good intentions. Luckily, their fists happen to be registered
weapons and their kicks never miss.
When a man with a rifle meets a Hero with no weapons, the man with the rifle
must be careful, for that could be a fearsome Fighter.

Job:
Martial Arts Teacher, Bodyguard, Bouncer

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Let’s get to the bottom of this. You I don’t believe in myself
and me, one on one This old wound won’t let me be
There’s no need to fight I’m too hot-headed
It doesn’t hurt!

characteristics of a fighter
FISTS OF STEEL. FIT. UNBEATABLE.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Brawn Choose two among:
Combo
Skill Points: Counter
Endure Flying Kick
Fight Hard to Kill
Force Martial Arts
Stunt Punch Reload
Cool
Flirt Gear:
Leadership One $1 item of your choice
Style
Heal
Dexterity

20
Classic Fighters
in movies are:

Lee in Enter the Dragon,


Bheem in RRR, Frank
Dux in Bloodsport,
Rocky Balboa in Rocky,
Ip Man sifu in Ip Man,
Ben in Watch Out, We’re
Mad!, inspector Lee
in Rush Hour,
Natasha Romanoff
in The Avengers,
and Chun-Li
in Street Fighter.

Making of a Hero 21
the Ace
A race-car driver or motorcycle rider, a courier, an expert taxi driver, or an air-
craft pilot.

The Aces are Heroes who live their life a quarter mile at a time. Some of them are
exceptional drivers, others are bikers who never get off the saddle, and others still
are aerobatic pilots. They all live for the thrill of speed and only feel alive during
electrifying high-speed chases. If life is like a race, Aces feel the need to always
come in first place. Everyone else will have to fasten their seat belts, or eat dust!

Job:
Pilot, Courier, Private Driver

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Freedom is priceless I can never refuse a challenge
Family always comes first I can’t stand laws and rules
I feel a need for speed! I’m absent-minded and flaky

characteristics of an ace
FAST. RISK TAKER. PURE ADRENALINE.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Nerves Choose two among:
Car Jump
Skill Points: Crazy Stunt
Stunt Full Throttle!
Cool Mechanic
Drive Proven Driver
Shoot Spinout
Flirt
Style Gear:
Fix Ride with Speed 1
Awareness Pistol or Shotgun
Dexterity
Streetwise

22
Classic Aces
in movies are:

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell


in Top Gun, Dominic
“Dom” Toretto and Letty
Ortiz in the Fast and
Furious saga, Randall
“Memphis” Raines and
Sara “Sway” Wayland
in Gone in 60 Seconds,
Baby in Baby Driver,
Annie Porter in Speed,
and Captain James
“H.M.” Murdock
in the A-Team.

Making of a Hero 23
the Agent
A police officer, a special agent from the FBI, a firefighter, a secret agent, or an
undercover cop.

Agents are Heroes with a badge who work for a government agency of some kind.
Some of them are by-the-book and uphold law and order, others are hotheads
in search of justice. Many of them wear mirrored sunglasses and threadbare
shirts. All of them have nerves of steel and are always ready to step in when
duty calls.

Job:
Police Officer, Government Agent, Double Agent

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Not in my city I’m too arrogant and overconfident
Give it here, I’ll do it I always trust the wrong people
I’m not a hero, I’m just doing my job I never accept help and don’t work
well with others

characteristics of an agent
BRAVE. PROTECTOR. HARD TO KILL.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Nerves Choose two among:
Get Down!
Skill Points: Gunslinger
Endure Hard to Kill
Fight Lie to Me
Force Pep Talk
Cool Selfless
Shoot
Survival Gear:
Leadership Pistol
Fix Handcuffs
Awareness Badge
Stealth Telephone or Radio

24
Classic Agents
in movies are:

John McClane
in the Die Hard saga,
Axel Foley in Beverly
Hills Cop, Mariah Hill
in The Avengers, Johnny
Utah in Point Break,
Mike Lowrey in Bad Boys
sergeant Nicholas Angel
in Hot Fuzz , and A. Rama
Raju in RRR.

Making of a Hero 25
the Face
A professional cheat, a celebrity, a skilled influencer, an artist, a wealthy entre-
preneur.

Heroes with dazzling smiles, the Faces think they can get out of any problem by
leveraging their smooth allure and silver tongue. And most of the time, they are
even right. Whether they are skilled cheats, dandies with a lot of money, actual
celebrities, or simply bright-eyed smooth talkers, these Heroes don’t need to
use brute force to get whatever they want.

Job:
White-collar Worker, Actor, Professional Gambler

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Trust me I underestimate my enemies
Do you know who you’re talking to? I’m too vain
Surely we can reach an agreement I’m a sucker for a pretty face

characteristics of a face
CHARMING. SMILING. CONFIDENT.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Smooth Choose two among:
Artist
Skill Points: Cash Flow
Flirt Heartbreaker
Leadership High Culture
Speech Master of Disguise
Style Silver Tongue
Detect
Heal Gear:
Know Elegant Clothes
Dexterity Precious item of choice
Stealth (like a piece of jewelry
Streetwise or a golden lighter)

26
Classic Faces
in movies are:

Danny Ocean in Ocean’s


Eleven, Kid in Watch
Out, We’re Mad!, Vince
Larkin in Con Air, Derek
Zoolander in Zoolander,
Jack Sparrow in the
Pirates of the Caribbean
saga, Phil Wenneck in
The Hangover,
Dr. Peter Venkman
in Ghostbusters, Saul
Goodman in Breaking
Bad, Javi Gutierrez
in The Unbearable Weight
of Massive Talent, and
Templeton “Faceman”
Peck in The A-Team.

Making of a Hero 27
the Nobody
A simple, everyday person, a family man or woman, the neighbor next door,
a retiree, or a cashier.

Not all Heroes are strong, brave, and trained for action. Some are simple folk
who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Everyday people, the Nobodies didn’t ask to become Heroes but, when action
comes a-knocking, they prove to be more determined than they believed them-
selves.

Job:
Employee, Cashier, Nurse

Catchphrase: Flaw:
I didn’t even want to come here! I can’t fend for myself
Everyone can do their part I trust everyone
My kids are not gonna believe this! I’m afraid of guns

characteristics of a nobody
BASIC. PERSON NEXT-DOOR. WRONG PLACE.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Smooth Choose two among:
High Culture
Skill Points: I’ll Make a Phone Call
Fight Lie to Me
Shoot Mechanic
Survival Physician
Leadership Silver Tongue
Speech
Detect Gear:
Fix $1 item of choice
Heal or an old Ride
Know with Speed 0
Dexterity

28
Classic Nobodies
in movies are:

Zeus Carver in Die Hard


with a Vengeance, Cole
Turner in Ghosted,
Sarah Ross in R.E.D.,
Calvin Joyner in Central
Intelligence, Helen
Tasker in True Lies,
Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
in Kingsman, Howard
Langston in Jingle All
the Way, Jack Burton
in Big Trouble in Little
China, Bob Newby
in Stranger Things,
and Danny Butterman
in Hot Fuzz.

Making of a Hero 29
the Brain
A university professor, a scientist, a hacker, a rebel genius, or an exceptional stu-
dent.

The Brain is the thinking mind of the group, a Hero with knowledge to spare and
intuition and intelligence like you’ve never seen.
Some of them are in academia and rarely see the light of day, let alone the
blaze of battle. Others are cunning strategists who choose to serve or break the
law. To each their own.

Job:
Researcher, Professor, Hacker

Catchphrase: Flaw:
Hear me out. I have a plan! I think too much before acting
Have I ever been wrong before? I’m really out of shape
With the right lever, I shall move the Without my glasses, I am nearly blind
world

characteristics of a brain
SMART. EXPERT. RESOURCEFUL.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Focus Choose two among:
Hacker
Skill Points: High Culture
Drive Intuition
Leadership Mastermind
Speech Outsmart
Style Scientist
Detect
Fix Gear:
Heal Portable Computer
Know Notebook
Dexterity Pencil
Stealth

30
Classic Brains
in movies are:

Matt Farrel in Live


Free or Die Hard, Claire
Dearing in Jurassic
World, Benji Dunn in
the Mission Impossible
saga, Daniel Jackson
in Stargate, Dr. Grace
Augustine in Avatar,
Q in the James Bond
saga, Lucious Fox in
Batman Begins, Richard
Kimble in The Fugitive,
David Levinson in
Independence Day, and
colonel John “Hannibal”
Smith in The A-Team.

Making of a Hero 31
the Sleuth
A private investigator, a homicide detective, an investigative reporter, a bounty
hunter.

Nobody is ever truly safe from a Sleuth. When these Heroes in wrinkled trench-
coats find a trail, it’s only a matter of time before they manage to solve the case.
The Sleuths always pick up on the details other people miss, and they always
know the right questions to ask and the right buttons to press in order to get the
answers they are looking for.

Job:
Detective, Reporter, Private Eye

Catchphrase: Flaw:
You can run but you cannot hide I don’t know when to shut up
The truth always comes out in the end I’m a slave to my vices
You can’t run from your past I’m not comfortable with children

characteristics of a sleuth
INSIGHTFUL. ONE STEP AHEAD. EYE FOR DETAILS.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Focus Choose two among:
Detective
Skill Points: I’ll Make a Phone Call
Endure Intimidation
Stunt Marksman
Cool Reporter
Drive Shadow
Shoot
Detect Gear:
Know $1 item of choice
Awareness Pistol or Rifle
Stealth or Shotgun
Streetwise

32
Classic Sleuths
in movies are:

Bryan Mills in Taken,


Jackson Healy in Nice
Guys, Thomas Magnum
in Magnum P.I., Benoit
Blanc in Knives Out,
Ben Urich in Daredevil,
Rick Deckard in Blade
Runner, Jessica
Fletcher in Murder, She
Wrote, Matilda Jeffries
in Zoolander, Roger
Murtaugh in Lethal
Weapon, and Lieutenant
Columbo in Columbo.

Making of a Hero 33
the Criminal
A thief, a crafty safecracker, an ex-con, a fence, or a member of a criminal gang.

Not all Heroes are nice people, some of them are out and out Criminals who spend
their lives avoiding the eye of the law, getting rich at someone else’s expense.
Some of them are quick-fingered thieves, others are burglary or lock-picking
specialists always looking for a challenge. Others still have spent too many years
behind bars, and while they have a hard time staying straight, they still try.

Job:
Thief, Convict, Informer

Catchphrase: Flaw:
In and out. It’s a piece of cake I take nothing seriously
I’m not going back to prison I’m too greedy and self-serving
If you want something, you have to I’m too anxious to prove myself
take it

characteristics of a criminal
STEALTHY. STREETWISE. SELF-SERVING.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Crime Choose two among:
Always Prepared
Skill Points: Gunslinger
Force I’ll Make a Phone Call
Stunt Lockpick
Drive Pickpocket
Shoot Silver Tongue
Survival
Speech Gear:
Awareness Pistol
Dexterity Knife or Lockpicking Set
Stealth or Handcuffs
Streetwise

34
Classic Criminals
in movies are:

Linus Caldwell in
Ocean’s Eleven, Danny
Atlas in Now You See
Me, Virginia "Gin" Baker
in Entrapment,
Roy Waller in Matchstick
Men, Ladybug in Bullet
Train, Nolan Booth
in Red Notice,
and “The Pontiac
Bandit” Doug Judy
in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

Making of a Hero 35
the Spy
An agent of the Secret services, an infiltrator or a spy sent by a foreign nation.

Men and women with irresistible charm and a license to kill, Spies are always one
step ahead of everyone else.
These Heroes are more than trigger-happy agents, they are cool and calculat-
ing people who carry the weight for entire countries and keep secrets too dan-
gerous to fall into the wrong hands.

Job:
MI6 Agent, CIA Agent, KGB Spy

Catchphrase: Flaw:
There’s no time. I’ll explain later Everybody lies
The enemy of my enemy is my friend I don’t tolerate mistakes
It might be impossible, but we have I push myself too hard for the mission
to do it

characteristics of a spy
QUIET. ON THE AGENCY’S SECRET SERVICE. ELEGANT.

Attribute Point: Feats:


Crime Choose two among:
Gunslinger
Skill Points: Heartbreaker
Endure Martial Arts
Fight Master of Disguise
Stunt Parkour
Cool Shadow
Drive
Shoot Gear:
Flirt Elegant Clothes
Detect Pistol with Silencer
Awareness Item of Choice
Stealth

36
Classic Spies
in movies are:

Napoleon Solo
in The Man from
U.N.C.L.E., James
Bond in 007 Spectre,
Harry Hart in Kingsman,
Lorraine Broughton
in Atomic Blonde,
Harry Tasker in True
Lies, Ethan Hunt in
Mission: Impossible, the
Protagonist in Tenet,
lieutenant Archie Hicox
in Inglorious Basterds,
and Sadie Rhodes
in Ghosted.

Making of a Hero 37
Heroes of All Ages
You can choose your Hero’s age between:

♦ Young: You’re a kid or a teenager, who hasn't learned the ropes yet. If you're
an Agent, you’re probably a recruit, and if you’re a Brain, you might be in
college. Anyway, you still have a long way to go.

♦ Adult: You’re in your best years and in top shape. You are at the perfect age
to get into the action. You may have some mileage, and your back might be
starting to ache, but you're still going strong!

♦ Old: You can try to hide it, but the years (and miles!) are beginning to take
their toll. You’re no spring chicken, and are beginning to understand it. If
you’re a Commando, you might be a veteran with years of service, and if
you’re a Fighter, you’re certainly a master. But your work is not done yet.

Most Heroes are Adults. As such, Adult Heroes receive no advantages and no
disadvantages. If you choose to be an Adult Hero, all you need to do is write that
on your Sheet, and you’re set. On the other hand, if you want to play a Young or
Old Hero, you need to follow these rules.

Young Heroes
Young Heroes can choose only 1 Feat from their Role instead of 2.
In exchange, they gain an exclusive Feat only available to them: Too Young to
Die. Additionally, Young Heroes start the game with 2 Adrenaline, instead of 1.
Ah, the enthusiasm of youth!

Old Heroes
Old Heroes can choose one additional Feat among the ones available through
either their Role or Trope.
However, they start the game with 2 Lethal Bullets instead of 1 in their Death
Roulette. When you reach a certain age, you need to be careful.

Additionally, Old Heroes can choose to start the game with one Experience of
their choice. We will talk more about Experiences in Section 6: MISSION START.

38
Tropes
The Trope is the archetype of your Hero, and it allows you to get a quick look into
their character and mannerism. As in every good movie, some Heroes are born
Leaders who guide their companions to victory, and others are Bad to the Bone
but have decided to do the right thing for once in their lives. Some Heroes are
Jerks with a Heart of Gold and, despite their tough front, you can see that they’re
actually softies.

Once you’ve settled on a Role, you must choose one of these 18 Tropes:

Bad to the Bone Good Samaritan Lone Wolf


Cheater Hot Stuff Mentor
Cool but Distressed Hunk Neurotic Geek
Diehard Jerk with a Heart of Gold Party Killer
Free Spirit Last Boy Scout / Girl Scout Trusty Sidekick
Genius Bruiser Leader Vigilante

When you choose a Trope, you gain 1 point in an Attribute and 1 point each in 8
Skills. Then, you can choose 1 Feat from the list of 4 for the Trope. Additionally,
each Trope gives you an interesting prompt about how to portray your Hero.

You’ll see that each Trope is connected to 2 Attributes. You're free to choose
either of them when assigning your Attribute Point. For example, if you choose
to play a Lone Wolf, you gain 1 point in either Brawn or Crime, your choice.
If your Role has already given you a point in one of the Attributes associated
with your Trope, then you must choose the other one.

Archetypes, Not Stereotypes


Adhering to a Trope helps you dive straight into the action with a reasonably
clear idea of how your Hero will act during the mission, and it also helps other
players get an idea of who your Hero is and how to interact with them. But you
must be careful not to take it too far.

When playing as your Hero, you should always keep in mind their Trope, but never
adhere to it blindly. Even Heroes are well-rounded characters, and there’s no
need for them to become stereotypes or robots, incapable of change!

Making of a Hero 39
Bad to the Bone
“Listen, I'm no hero. Attribute Point: Skill Points:
I do not care.” Nerves or Crime Force
Stunt
You’re clearly trouble. You're the kind Feats: Drive
of arrogant prick no parent would Choose one from: Shoot
ever want to see beside their child. Knife Thrower Flirt
You’re bad news, no two ways about Parkour Style
it. But maybe you’re only looking for a Proven Driver Dexterity
chance to do the right thing. Shadow Streetwise

Cheater
“I swear. I have never seen Attribute Point: Skill Points:
this man in my life!” Smooth or Crime Stunt
Cool
You lie for work, for fun, or out of Feats: Shoot
necessity. Anyway, you lie well, often, Choose one from: Speech
and easily. Trusting you is a really risky Pickpocket Style
decision, but you know how to be per- Lockpick Dexterity
suasive. Shadow Stealth
Silver Tongue Streetwise

Cool but Distressed


“It’s useless... You’d never understand.” Attribute Point: Skill Points:
Nerves or Smooth Fight
Your house is in complete disarray, Cool
and you mope around with your head Feats: Drive
hung low, brooding about your trau- Choose one from: Shoot
matic past in-between a cigarette and Detective Flirt
a shot. You’re a mess... But so damn Gunslinger Detect
cool at the same time. Proven Driver Know
Silver Tongue Streetwise

40
Diehard
“Do your worst. Attribute Point: Skill Points:
I can do this all day.” Brawn or Nerves Endure
Force
It doesn’t matter how many times they Feats: Fight
push you to the ground, you just keep Choose one from: Cool
standing back up to fight for what you Gunslinger Drive
believe in. When the game gets hard, Hard to Kill Shoot
and tensions run high, you always Martial Arts Leadership
manage to give it your best. You’re Military Bg Heal
just wired like that.

Free Spirit
“I go wherever I want and Attribute Point: Skill Points:
only do what I want to do.” Brawn or Crime Fight
Stunt
Nobody can tell you what to do. You’re Feats: Drive
a free spirit, and you always follow Choose one from: Survival
your heart. You’re temperamental and Artist Style
rebellious, and hate the idea of fol- Parkour Fix
lowing orders or keeping to the plan. Pickpocket Stealth
You’d much rather improvise. That’s All? Streetwise

Genius Bruiser
“Let’s try to be reasonable. There’s no Attribute Point: Skill Points:
need to resort to violence.” Brawn or Focus Endure
Force
You’ve got a brilliant brain piloting the Feats: Fight
frame of a bodybuilder. You’re as big Choose one from: Leadership
and muscular as you are smart and Bodybuilder Speech
knowledgeable. You’re a walking para- High Culture Fix
dox. You prefer to play it smart when- Scientist Know
ever possible, but if push comes to That’s All? Heal
shove, you can hold your own in a fight.

Making of a Hero 41
Good Samaritan
“It was the right thing to do. Anyone Attribute Point: Skill Points:
would have done the same.” Smooth or Focus Endure
Cool
To you, helping others is the obvious Feats: Shoot
choice. Doesn't matter if you have to Choose one from: Speech
hold the door or run into a burning Get Down! Style
building. If there were more people High Culture Detect
like you, the world would be a bet- Physician Heal
ter place. Selfless Know

Hot Stuff
“Close your eyes. I have a surprise Attribute Point: Skill Points:
you’re going to love.” Smooth or Crime Fight
Drive
You’re elegant and sexy, irresistibly Feats: Flirt
stylish, or simply really, really... really Choose one from: Style
ridiculously good looking. When you Artist Detect
walk down the street, people turn to Cash Flow Know
look at you. It’s impossible to resist Heartbreaker Awareness
your charm. I’ll Make a Phone Call Dexterity

Hunk
“Step away from the door. I’ll take care Attribute Point: Skill Points:
of this.” Brawn or Smooth Endure
Force
You’re pretty big, tall, muscular, and Feats: Fight
athletic. Perhaps you’re tough and Choose one from: Stunt
intimidating, or maybe a gentle giant Bodybuilder Survival
who always knows how to put peo- Combo Flirt
ple at ease. Either way, you’ve clearly Intimidation Leadership
been hitting the gym. Selfless Style

42
Jerk with a Heart of Gold
“No, I told you, don’t even think about Attribute Point: Skill Points:
it... Don’t look at me like that though!” Brawn or Smooth Fight
Survival
You’re impudent, unreasonable, and Feats: Flirt
far too sure of yourself. You're the kind Choose one from: Speech
of person who mocks their friends, Heartbreaker Style
or flirts with everyone. Sometimes Martial Arts Dexterity
you're unbearable but, deep down, Parkour Stealth
you care. Silver Tongue Streetwise

Last boy scout / Girl Scout


“Let me help you, Attribute Point: Skill Points:
its no trouble at all.” Brawn or Nerves Endure
Stunt
They don’t make heroes like you any- Feats: Cool
more. You have good morals and an Choose one from: Shoot
old-school education, that give you a Hard to Kill Survival
nostalgic kind of charm. You face your Hunter Flirt
mission with determination, a pos- Military Bg Fix
itive attitude, and a pinch of naivety. Selfless Stealth

Leader
“Cover me, I’m going in.” Attribute Point: Skill Points:
Nerves or Focus Endure
You’re always on the first line, ready Cool
to lead by example and to take mat- Feats: Shoot
ters into your own hands. Even at the Choose one from: Survival
most difficult of times, you’re steady Always Prepared Leadership
and reliable, a real touchstone for Head on a Swivel Detect
your friends. Get Down! Heal
Mastermind Know

Making of a Hero 43
Lone Wolf
“Go to hell! Attribute Point: Skill Points:
Leave me alone.” Brawn or Crime Force
Fight
You come off to strangers as abrasive Feats: Stunt
and rude. Indeed, you’re pretty good Choose one from: Cool
at keeping others at arm’s length, but Archer Survival
your friends know that they can rely Head on a Swivel Flirt
on you. You live on your own, possibly Martial Arts Leadership
in close contact with nature. That’s All? Streetwise

Mentor
“We do not choose the hand we are Attribute Point: Skill Points:
dealt. But we can choose how to play Smooth or Focus Endure
our cards.” Cool
Feats: Survival
People like you always know the right Choose one from: Leadership
thing to say to comfort, move, or Always Prepared Speech
encourage others. Sometimes you’re Mastermind Heal
tough and you can come off as too Pep Talk Know
strict, but you’re the parent-figure Silver Tongue Awareness
everyone needs, sometimes.

Neurotic Geek
“That’s not how this works, dammit. Attribute Point: Skill Points:
I’ve told you: it takes time!” Focus or Crime Drive
Speech
You’re a real nerd. Computers, com- Feats: Detect
ics, and pop culture have no secrets Choose one from: Fix
for you... Unfortunately, none of your Hacker Know
friends know what you’re even talking Intuition Awareness
about. After spending too many days Outsmart Dexterity
locked up in your room, a bit of action Scientist Stealth
is just what you need.

44
Party Killer
“This time, we do everything by the Attribute Point: Skill Points:
book. No mistakes.” Nerves or Crime Force
Stunt
When everyone else is hyped, you Feats: Cool
always know how to ruin the moment. Choose one from: Shoot
You’re cynical or fussy, and you like to Head on a Swivel Leadership
have the last word in every discus- Marksman Awareness
sion. Loving you doesn’t come easy. Mastermind Stealth
Pep Talk Streetwise

Trusty Sidekick
“All set! Attribute Point: Skill Points:
What would you do without me?” Nerves or Focus Drive
Shoot
There’s one person you really care Feats: Survival
about in your life. One you see as truly Choose one from: Speech
worthy or in need of your help or pro- Get Down! Heal
tection. You've decided to stick by Mechanic Fix
their side, and have become the per- Physician Dexterity
fect wingman, a trusted friend who’s Proven Driver Stealth
worth more than any treasure.

Vigilante
“This city is sick, Attribute Point: Skill Points:
and I am the cure.” Brawn or Focus Fight
Stunt
You’ve stood to watch, while the law Feats: Leadership
tried and failed to solve the problems Choose one from: Detect
of your city, of the entire world. In the Intimidation Fix
end, you’ve decided that it was up to Martial Arts Awareness
you to intervene and sort out things Parkour Stealth
the hard way. Your methods and your Shadow Streetwise
morals are borderline at best.

Making of a Hero 45
ATTRiBUTES & SKiLLS
If you want to show the world what you’re made of and simultaneously save the
day, pats on the back and good intentions won’t be enough. The road to action is
paved with harsh trials and you’ll have to face them.
Luckily, you can rely on 5 Attributes and 20 Skills to help you overcome any
obstacle on your mission.

Every time you find yourself picking up the dice, you have to choose one Attri-
bute and one Skill and add up their scores: that is how many dice you have in
your pool.
You’ll find each Skill under the Attribute it’s paired with most often, but you can
always use any Skill with any Attribute.

ATTRIBUTE & SKILL POINTS


You can have up to 3 points in each Attribute and Skill.
Each Hero starts off with 2 points in all Attributes and 1 point in all Skills. These
points are already marked in your Hero Sheet.

When you choose a Role and a Trope, you gain 2 Attribute Points and 18 Skill
Points determined by that Role and Trope.
Additionally, when creating your Hero, you can add 2 free Skill Points wherev-
er you like.

When Advancing during your mission, you will gain new Skill Points to assign to
represent your personal growth.
BRAWN: Use brawn for all actions that require physical effort.
 Endure: Handle pain, keep going despite exhaustion, hold your liquor.
 Fight: Fight enemies bare handed or in close quarters.
 Force: Hoist, push, pull, or break things.
 Stunt: Jump or run recklessly, dodge bullets.

NERVES: You need nerves of steel for actions that require quick reflexes and
steady hands.
 Cool: Keep your cool, hold still, or show courage.
 Drive: Drive a car or bike, pilot a plane or helicopter.
 Shoot: Shoot with pistols and rifles, throw objects with precision.
 Survival: Find your bearings in the wilds, improvise weapons or shelter, hunt
your dinner.

SMOOTH: Show off how smooth you are whenever you have to interact with oth-
er people or want to manipulate them.
 Flirt: Seduce someone or use your charm.
 Leadership: Inspire, give orders, or intimidate people.
 Speech: Persuade or deceive someone, or carry out negotiations.
 Style: Show style and elegance, clean up nice, or prove your artistic talent.

FOCUS: You’ll need focus to concentrate, to notice details, and to recall memo-
ries and knowledge.
 Detect: Find clues and intel, notice details, sniff out lies.
 Heal: Give first aid or comfort someone.
 Fix: Fix a computer or a car, turn off the security system, or hack into a server.
 Know: Remember information you learned, recall details and other use-
ful knowledge.

CRIME: Your aptitude for crime will come in handy when acting in secret or to
notice incoming threats.
 Awareness: Keep your eyes and ears open, notice incoming threats.
 Dexterity: Perform sleight of hand, steal something, pick a lock.
 Stealth: Hide, sneak, or move quietly.
 Streetwise: Interact with criminals, recall information useful for moving in
seedy neighborhoods or dealing with organized crime.

Making of a Hero 47
Feats
Feats are special talents that say something more about your Hero and grant you
precious advantages in some situations.
When creating your Hero, you can choose 2 Feats from the list offered by your
Role and 1 from the list for your Trope. When Advancing during your mission, you
will unlock new Feats and get a chance to choose freely from all available Feats,
regardless of your Role and Trope.
There are 47 Feats:

Always Prepared Get Down! Lie to Me Pickpocket


Archer Gunslinger Lockpick Proven Driver
Artist Hacker Marksman Punch Reload
Bodybuilder Hard to Kill Martial Arts Reporter
Car Jump Head on a Swivel Master of Disguise Scientist
Cash Flow Heartbreaker Mastermind Selfless
Combo High Culture Mechanic Shadow
Counter Hunter Military Bg Silver Tongue
Crazy Stunt Intimidation Outsmart Spinout
Detective Intuition Parkour That’s All?
Full Throttle! I’ll Make a Phone Call Pep Talk Too Young to Die
Flying Kick Knife Thrower Physician

Using Feats
Most Feats are always active, granting you Free Re-rolls when you are acting
a certain way, using a specific weapon or tool, or driving your favorite vehicle.
Free Re-rolls greatly increase your chances of success, as such, it’s important
that you pick your Feats carefully.

You’ll see the symbol beside the name of some Feats. This means that they can
only be activated by spending 1 Adrenaline.
Finally, some Feats are preceded by the phrase [Quick Action], and this means
that you need to spend a Quick Action to activate them. Similarly, to activate a
Feat preceded by the phrase [Full Turn], you give up the chance to roll dice or
take actions on that turn.

We’ll go in depth about Free Re-rolls, Adrenaline, and actions later, in Section 2:
TIME FOR ACTION.

48
List of Feats
ALWAYS PREPARED
You always have an ace up your sleeve.
[Quick Action] You take out or retrieve a useful item, a piece of information,
or a small, easy-to-hide weapon.

ARCHER
You’re a modern-day Robin Hood, your arrows never miss.
Gain a Free Re-roll when using, repairing, evaluating, or handling a bow.

ARTIST
Popular or misunderstood, you’re still an artist. The world is your stage.
Choose an art-form (i.e.: dancing, singing, painting, etc.).
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls regarding your chosen art-form.

BODYBUILDER
You’re big, strong, and muscular. How much can you bench?
Gain a Free Re-roll when lifting, carrying, or breaking something.

CAR JUMP
You speed up an improvised ramp and make your ride jump in the air. Everyone
holds their breath.
[Full Turn] While driving, you can have your ride jump over something to auto-
matically pass an obstacle or barrier, or to gain +2 Speed during a Chase.
Upon landing, the ride loses 1 Armor. You can use this Feat with all rides that
travel on land or water, but not with flying Rides.

CASH FLOW
You’re from old money, or simply have quite a lot of cash on hand. Either way, mon-
ey is no problem!
You start the game with 3 Cash. Gain 1 Cash at the beginning of each Session,
unless you are imprisoned or lost in the middle of nowhere.

COMBO
After each strike, there is always another, faster than the first. One-two! Come on!
After hitting an Enemy, you can spend 1 Adrenaline to deal 1 additional Grit. You
can spend several to continue the combo and deal additional damage.

Making of a Hero 49
COUNTER
The best defense is always a good offense.
React against an Enemy by rolling Brawn+Fight instead of the requested Skill.
You ignore all -1s from Conditions and circumstances.

CRAZY STUNT
You’re the reason why they invented those “Don’t try this at home” disclaimers.
[Full Turn] When you’re driving, you can make an absolutely crazy maneuver in
order to win the chase.
Destroy your Ride and flip a coin. Heads: the Director fills in 1 Need box. Tails:
the Director fills in 5 Need boxes. If, after this maneuver, all Need boxes are full,
you won the chase.

DETECTIVE
The crime-scene speaks to you. Where others see chaos, you know how to spot a clue.
Gain a Free Re-roll when looking for clues, following trails, or searching a room.

FULL THROTTLE!
You’re a speed junkie who lives life in the fast lane.
When you’re behind the wheel of a ride, you ignore penalties from the Nervous
Condition and from Top Speed.
Once per chase, when you reach Top Speed, you gain 1 Adrenaline.

FLYING KICK
No enemy is out of reach for your deadly kicks.
Attack an Enemy within Close or Medium Range, gain +1 to the roll.
Additionally, you can always attack an Enemy within Close Range while
bare-handed, and you don’t need to spend Adrenaline to do so.

GET DOWN!
You grab your friend and drag them away from danger one second before disaster.
[Full Turn] You and another Hero quickly hide, dodge a hail of bullets, or avoid
being run over without needing to roll the dice.

GUNSLINGER
The gun is an extension of your arm. Every shot hits its mark.
Gain a Free Re-roll when using, repairing, evaluating, or handling a pistol
or revolver.

50
HACKER
You’re a computer wizard. No firewall can stop you.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls about computers,
to hack a system or to bypass IT security measures. Free Re-roll
Some Feats
HARD TO KILL that grant you a
It doesn’t matter what they throw at you. You keep Free Re-roll leave
standing back up. some room for
When you fill in your Bad Box, you gain 1 Adrenaline interpretation and
and +1 to your next roll. require you to use
some creativity.
HEAD ON A SWIVEL For such cases, you
You’re always ready to spot what’s coming. should always try to
Gain a Free Re-roll when preempting dangers or call the Feat in to play
ambushes, or trying to locate lurking enemies. when it sounds useful,
without getting too
HEARTBREAKER greedy.
Nobody can resist your damned smile.
Gain a Free Re-roll when seducing or making a For example, the
good impression on others. Military Background
Feat grants you a
HIGH CULTURE Free Re-roll when
You’ve studied and it shows. the long years of hard
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls to recall informa- training can come
tion about general culture, literature, history, to your aid. It’s good
and geography. to take advantage
of this benefit when
HUNTER you're coordinating an
You have predator instincts and know how to operation, trying to pass
move in the wilds. for an enemy soldier,
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to follow or or crawling under some
hunt an animal, to find your bearings, or to hide barbed wire. But you
while in the wilds. can’t call it into play
whenever you have a gun
INTIMIDATION in hand. Don't overdo it!
You’re an ice-cold tough guy. You’re truly scary.
Gain a Free Re-roll when intimidating or inter-
rogating somebody.

Making of a Hero 51
INTUITION
You notice hidden details other people miss.
[Quick Action] Ask the Director to give you a clue or suggestion, or find the
Weak Spot of an Enemy.

I’LL MAKE A PHONE CALL


You have a contact, a friend, or a favor you can call in. It’s just a phone call away.
[Full Turn] You call one of your contacts asking for a piece of information, a favor,
a ride, or up to 3 Cash. You gain whatever you asked for during the next Time-Out.

KNIFE THROWER
Knives, axes, shuriken, or gaming cards. If you can hold it, you can throw it.
Gain +1 when using a throwing weapon.

52
LIE TO ME
You can understand the person in front of you at a glance.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to understand somebody’s intentions or to
spot lies.

LOCKPICK
Doors, safes, and vaults stand no chance against your surgically precise methods.
Gain a Free Re-roll when trying to pick any lock, door, or closed container.

MARKSMAN
There are many rifles like yours, but nobody uses a rifle like you do.
Gain a Free Re-roll when using, repairing, evaluating, or handling a rifle, shotgun,
sub-machine or machine gun.

MARTIAL ARTS
You know kung fu, muay thai, boxing, or another fighting style.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all Action and Reaction Rolls made when fighting unarmed.

MASTER OF DISGUISE
You know how to change your appearance and hide your identity.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to disguise yourself, to go unnoticed, or to
take on someone else’s identity.

MASTERMIND
Your brilliant ideas allow you to always come out on top.
Repeat one roll of any kind. Ignore all -1s from Conditions and circumstances.

MECHANIC
You grew up in a workshop and know everything about engines.
Gain a Free Re-roll when building or repairing Rides and other gear.

MILITARY BACKGROUND
You’re a soldier. You know military hierarchy
and protocol.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls about military
knowledge, for coordinating a strategy, or
when recalling you training.

Making of a Hero 53
OUTSMART
As you always say: work smart, not hard!
Make an Action or Reaction Roll of any kind using Know instead of the
required Skill.

PARKOUR
You’re a free runner or an expert acrobat. You don’t go down the stairs, you jump
the whole ramp.
Gain a Free Re-roll when jumping, performing feats of acrobatics, or breaking
a fall.

PEP TALK
When the game gets hard, everyone gathers around you, and you always know just
what to say.
Gain a Free Re-roll when inspiring or coordinating others.

PHYSICIAN
You’re a nurse, medical doctor, or paramedic. You’re certainly not squeamish
about blood.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to find a diagnosis, to operate on someone,
or to remove physical Conditions such as the Hurt Condition

PICKPOCKET
You’re no mere thief, you’re a theft artist.
Gain a Free Re-roll when stealing something from somebody.

PROVEN DRIVER
Engines are your passion. You’re unrivaled at the wheel.
Choose one type of ride (i.e., cars, bikes, flying, etc.)
Gain a Free Re-roll when driving, repairing, or evaluating rides of your cho-
sen type.

PUNCH RELOAD
After suffering a big hit, you clench your fists and keep on fighting.
[Quick Action] Once per combat, after failing a Reaction Roll against an Enemy,
you can stand back up and immediately gain 1 Adrenaline.

54
REPORTER
You’re always on the hunt for truth. Your pen is mightier than a gun.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to interview people, gain information, and
find contacts.

SCIENTIST
It could work! And you know exactly how.
Choose a STEM discipline (i.e.: engineering, chemistry, botany, etc.).
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls regarding your chosen discipline.

SELFLESS
You always defend other people with your life. You’re a true hero!
Gain a Free Re-roll when defending or saving others, or when acting selflessly.

SHADOW
Nobody can catch you. You’re quick and quiet as a shadow.
Gain a Free Re-roll when hiding, sneaking, or tailing someone.

SILVER TONGUE
Your words speak louder than actions, and you certainly know how to talk your way
out of trouble.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to lie, to persuade others, to find a compro-
mise, or to bargain.

SPINOUT
You pull the break and quickly turn the wheel. Everyone better hold on tight.
[Full Turn] All Heroes on the Ride you are driving skip their Reaction Turn during
a Chase. Flip a coin. Heads: +1 Speed. Tails: -1 Speed.

THAT’S ALL?
You are hard to persuade and even harder to impress.
Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to show courage, to withstand pain, and to
resist threats or interrogations.

TOO YOUNG TO DIE


You’re young and carefree. You feel like nothing can stop you.
When filling in the Bad Box, you suffer no Condition.
You can only gain this Feat when creating a Young Hero.

Making of a Hero 55
RESOURCES OF A HERO
Aside from Attributes and Skills, you can also rely on several resources that
allow you to get important advantages, to keep track of your condition, and even
to cheat death when all seems lost.

When creating your Hero, you start the game with all your Grit and no Conditions.
Trust me, that won’t last!
Additionally, you start off with 1 Adrenaline, 1 Spotlight, 1 Cash, some pieces of
Gear, and top it all off with 1 Lethal Bullet in your Death Roulette.

Grit & Conditions


Your Grit represents your ability to shake off wounds and stress. It’s what allows
you to keep standing back up after every failure.
On your Hero Sheet, you’ll find 12 empty boxes that represent your Grit. When-
ever you lose some Grit, you must fill in some of those boxes.

Then there’s the You Look section of your Hero Sheet, which allows you to keep
track of Conditions, which are the consequences of bad injuries, exhaustion,
and other situations.

We will discuss Grit and Conditions in depth in Section 3: IMPENDING DANGER!.

Adrenaline & Spotlight


Adrenaline is the fuel that keeps your heroic heart beat-
ing, allowing you to take incredible and extraordinary
actions.
You begin the game with 1 Adrenaline, and can always
spend it to gain +1 for a roll which you deem important,
or use it to activate some of your Feats.

Spotlights are an even more precious resource, that allows you to get everyone’s
attention by accomplishing feats worthy of an action movie Hero. You begin the
game with 1 Spotlight, and can spend it to gain a success without rolling dice in
many circumstances, to remove a Condition, or to save one of your friends when
they're about to meet their bitter end.

We will discuss Adrenaline and Spotlight in depth in Section 2: TIME FOR ACTION.

56
Death Roulette
The Death Roulette is a metaphorical cylinder that
contains up to 6 Lethal Bullets.
You begin the game with 1 Lethal Bullet, and gain
another whenever you take a spin on the Death Rou-
lette to save your bacon. The more bullets there are
in your cylinder, the harder it will be for you to keep Loaded Weapons
avoiding a dramatic departure from the scene. Some Roles include
a nice set of firearms
We will discuss the Death Roulette in depth in Section with your starting
3: IMPENDING DANGER!. gear. For example, if
you choose to play
Cash & Gear the Agent, you start
During your mission, you can rely on a good the game with a pistol
number of guns, rides, and pieces of gear that on your hip, and if
will soon become your best friends. you choose to enlist
You begin the game with the equipment granted as a Commando, you
to you by your Role as well as 1 Cash, which you can even choose your
can spend during the mission to buy items favorite weapon.
or services.
When filling in your
When creating your Hero, you can ask the Hero Sheet, you
Director to grant you one additional item of your immediately gain 2
choice, so long as it is truly useful or important Mags for each of your
for your Hero. I’m talking about cameras, family weapons. One is already
mementos, and tools of the trade... not about in the gun, ready to open
bazookas and attack helicopters. You hear me? fire. The second can be
Some Roles and Tropes also allow you to noted down by filling in
choose the Cash Flow Feat, which allows you one of the three bullets
to gain additional Cash at the beginning of beside the weapon in the
every Session, including the first. Guns & Gear box on
your sheet.
We will discuss Gear and Cash in depth in Sec-
tion 4: GEAR UP.

Making of a Hero 57
time for action

SEZIONE I

titolo
SECTION I

Making of a hero
SECTION II

Time for action


SECTION III
Rolling the dice
rolling dice
Dice are like bullets. You won’t need them often, but when you do, it’s best if you
know how to use them. And if you want to be a Hero, you better get used to this,
because the road to success is paved with dice and lead.

When playing outgunned, you shouldn’t roll dice at every turn. Dice rolls are
reserved for situations where there’s something at stake, you catch my drift?
Shooting from a speeding bike. Sneaking into a bank vault. Jumping off of a
skyscraper. Bluffing with the police. Dodging bullets. Spinning your car 180. Flirt-

dangerous rolls
ing with the enemy. These are the sort of things that require a good old dice roll.

If something can go wrong, roll the dice.

ACTiON & REACTiON


There are two types of rolls in this game:

Race against time


Action Rolls: What you do is up to you. You’re free to choose what Attri-
bute and Skill to call into play, describe your action, and roll the dice.
Johnny: I can’t allow him to escape. I follow him with my eyes, looking for a clean
shot. Then I take it. I make an Action Roll in Nerves+Shoot.

Reaction Rolls: The Director tells you what is happening and how to react.
The Attribute and Skill you must use is up to them.
Director: You’re completely hidden in the ventilation system when a mouse starts
walking right across your face. Make a Reaction Roll in Nerves+Cool to not react.

What’s at stake?
When facing a roll there is always something on the line. Having a clear image
of what’s at stake allows the Director to determine what the consequences of a
success or failure should be.

Broadly speaking, a nice success always means you reached your goal. You’ve
done it once again!
A failure, on the other hand, means things didn’t really go as planned.
You win some, you lose some.

60
Attributes and Skills
When you’re making a roll, you must always use one At-
tribute and one Skill. Although Skills are listed under What could
the Attribute they are most often paired with, you can go wrong?
always use any Skill with any Attribute. If you’re ever
in doubt about
When shooting, you’ll often roll Nerves+Shoot, and which Attribute or
when throwing punches, you’ll roll Brawn+Fight, but Skill to use for a roll,
you can also use your imagination. ask yourself “What
To hit a goon after sneaking up behind them, could go wrong?”.
you can roll Crime+Fight. To find a way out while
you’re driving, you can roll Nerves+Awareness. When you have a
To make a good impression on someone clear idea of the
with your sophisticated taste, you can roll consequences of your
Smooth+Know. failure, it will be easier
to think about a way
Dice Pool to avoid them.
After choosing an Attribute and a Skill, add up
the two scores. The total is the number of dice You’re driving at top
you must roll. To play outgunned you can speed toward a bridge
use the special Action Dice, made to allow you and see it is rising and
to spot successes easily, but you can also use opening up. What can go
common 6-sided dice. wrong here?
Adrenaline, Conditions, and Gear can all
modify your chances of success. Add one die You could chicken out
for each +1 and remove one for each -1. and stomp on the brakes
When you are acting under favorable cir- at the very last second.
cumstances or make smart choices, the Di- This means you should
rector can also reward you with +1 to your roll. roll Nerves+Cool.
Similarly, when you act recklessly or the cir-
cumstances are against you, the Director can
slap you with a -1.

All things considered, you can never roll less


than 2 or more than 9 dice.

Time for Action 61


ROLL DiFFiCULTY
The higher the difficulty, the higher success you’ll need to pass the roll.
There are 4 levels of difficulty:

♦ BASIC: A quick and easy action or reaction. Like jumping over an obstacle,
stealing the keys off of a distracted agent, throwing something.

♦ CRITICAL: A full action or reaction. Like bursting through a sturdy door,
jumping out of a window, earning someone’s trust.

♦ EXTREME: A truly demanding action or reaction. Like picking the lock of a
secure vault, shooting a speeding target at night in the pouring rain, per-
suading a sworn enemy to cooperate.

♦ IMPOSSIBLE: A desperate action or reaction. Like calmly exiting a car in the
middle of a 180 while shooting at a tiny target, getting rid of a large group of
enemies with nothing but a pencil, taking down a helicopter with a speed-
ing car because you’re running low on ammo. Stuff from movie trailers.
When you face a roll, the Director is tasked with setting the difficulty, but they
are not required to disclose it before your roll.

Most rolls worthy of a Hero are Critical rolls. Usually, that should be the difficulty
of your actions and reactions. Whenever in doubt, a Director can always use this
as the difficulty of a roll.

Basic rolls are small fry challenges, while Extreme rolls are what you make in
desperate situations.

Impossible rolls are awfully rare, and you clearly were asking for it!

Time for Action 63


Double Difficulty
When you’re making an especially complex or
dangerous roll, the Director can choose to set a
double difficulty for it. This means that the roll
will have difficulty equal to 2 Basic, 2 Critical, or 2
Extreme (but never 2 Impossible. Jeez!)

When you face a roll with double difficulty, you


Rule of the Dice still roll the dice only once, but you are looking to
You don’t need to roll score 2 successes to prevail. And in the event of
dice for everything you a failure, you’ll have to deal with 2 different con-
do, but once the dice sequences.
are rolled, there is no The only consolation is that, if you score at
going back. least one of the successes you need, you can
avoid one of the consequences.
If you try to lift a
car and score an In most cases, double difficulties will come
Impossible Success, into play for extremely demanding Dangerous
you’ve done it... don’t Rolls. We will talk more about this in Section 3:
ask me how! IMPENDING DANGER!
Some especially stubborn Enemies will also
As such, the Director require rolls with double difficulty in order for
must do more than you to hit them or to avoid their blows.
simply setting a
difficulty for the roll. The Director can also choose to set a dou-
They must also and ble difficulty for Action or Reaction Rolls they
especially determine deem taxing, or as a way to manage com-
when and if you need to plex situations.
roll the dice. For example, trying to catch a thumb drive
full of key information mid-air while a thug is
trying to tackle you could require a roll with
double difficulty. The same goes for attempt-
ing an extremely long jump, or for trying to
swindle someone who is already on the defen-
sive about you.

64
Setting the Difficulty
The Director is tasked with setting the difficulty for each roll by considering
the circumstances.
In most cases, a roll should have Critical difficulty, so as to present a believable
challenge for all Heroes. Whenever in doubt, a Director can always set the diffi-
culty of the roll to Critical, without causing much trouble.

The Director should set a Basic difficulty for all rolls that concern really simple
things but still hide a small chance for accidents. For example, when a group of
several Heroes is trying to sneak in or climb over a wall, and there’s a chance that
one of them might make a wrong move.
When a Hero tries to do a simple action in a field outside of their expertise, the
Director can also ask them to make a Basic roll as a way to put them to test. For
example, when a Hero with a single point in Force tries to kick in an old door that
barely holds onto its hinges.
The same goes for 2 Basic rolls, which are only slightly harder than that.

Extreme difficulty is reserved for truly demanding rolls, where success is cer-
tainly not a given. The Director should be deliberate when choosing where they
place Extreme rolls in order to avoid Heroes facing unsurmountable challenges.
2 Critical rolls are a happy medium between the Critical and Extreme difficul-
ties. The Director can always rely on this double difficulty to give Heroes a rea-
sonably hard time.

Finally, Impossible difficulty should only come into play when Heroes have got-
ten themselves in big trouble. Like when someone has decided to charge head-
on toward an entire army of trained enemies, or when they try to hitch a ride on
a missile. Nothing is impossible!

The Director can choose to suspend their judgment on the difficulty of a roll,
waiting to see what successes the Heroes score with their rolls. For example,
let’s say two Heroes are searching an apartment for weapons. One of them
scores a Basic Success, the other, a Critical Success.
The Director determines that the Hero who scored a Basic Success only man-
ages to break off a chair leg to use as a bat, while the Hero who scored a Critical
Success is lucky enough to find a handgun in a drawer.

Time for Action 65


SUCCESS
You get a Success for each set of two or more dice that land on the same side.
Two are worth just as much as two , and three as much as three .
The symbol makes no difference.

There are 5 levels of success:

♦ BASIC SUCCESS: Two of a kind


♦ CRITICAL SUCCESS: Three of a kind
♦ EXTREME SUCCESS: Four of a kind
♦ IMPOSSIBLE SUCCESS: Five of a kind
♦ JACKPOT!: Six or more of a kind

To pass a Basic roll, you need a Basic Success and to pass an Extreme roll, you
need an Extreme Success. It’s as simple as that.

Director: To make the turn at the very last second, you’ll need
a Critical Action Roll.

Sam: I roll Nerves+Drive, I have 6 dice.


I rolled Critical Success!

Director: You don’t even flinch. You swerve around the obstacle
and keep flooring it.

If you score a higher success than needed, the Director can grant you an even
better outcome than you wanted, or give an important advantage. If you score
a lower success, you can try to do something to mitigate (partially!) the conse-
quences of your failure.
If you score more successes than needed, you can use them to take
extra actions.

If you score a Jackpot! you become the Director for a turn.


Enjoy a chance to freely describe how your sensational actions take care of
the situation and lead you to success. It’s your turn in the spotlight!

Remember, we are not playing poker here. A full house is nothing more than a
Critical Success + a Basic Success. A flush is still a beautiful failure.

66
Success Rates
BASIC CRITICAL EXTREME IMPOSSIBLE
DICE ROLL ROLL RE-ROLL ROLL RE-ROLL ROLL RE-ROLL

2 17% – – – – – –
3 45% 3% 5% – – – –
4 72% 10% 21% 0.5% 1.5% – –
5 91% 21% 47% 2% 9% 0.1% 0.5%
6 99% 37% 75% 5% 26% 0.5% 3.5%
7 100% 54% 89% 11% 51% 1% 13%
8 100% 70% 99% 18% 75% 3% 32%
9 100% 84% 99% 28% 90% 5% 57%

Three = One
One = Three
3 smaller successes
are worth as much
as 1 greater success,
and 1 greater success
is worth as much as 3
smaller ones.

This means that you


can combine 3 Basic
Successes into 1
Critical Success, and 3
Critical Successes into 1
Extreme Success.

Conversely, you can


spend 1 Critical Success
like 3 Basic Successes,
and 1 Extreme Success
like 3 Critical Successes.

Time for Action 67


Re-roll
You can’t always get it right on the first try. If, after rolling the dice, you have
scored at least one Basic Success, you can Re-roll.
Re-rolling drastically increases your chances of success, so I suggest you do
it very often!

When Re-rolling, you take all dice that weren’t part of a combination and roll
them again.
If, after a Re-roll, your result is better than the first, congratulations. Other-
wise, you lose one of the previously scored successes. You choose which.
Your new roll is considered better than the first if you roll an additional success
or if you transformed one of your successes into a greater success.

GOOD BAD

You roll the dice and score You roll the dice and score

Re-roll and score Re-roll and score

You got a better result! You did not get a better result
and lose your only success.

Free Re-roll
Some Feats allow you to make Free Re-rolls in specific circumstances, or when
you take specific actions. For example, the Gunslinger Feat grants you a Free
Re-roll whenever you're using, repairing, evaluating, or handling a gun. Similarly,
the Military Training Feat allows you to make Free Re-rolls whenever you can rely
on your military training, or call on your in-depth knowledge of army protocol
and ranks.
A Free Re-roll takes the place of your normal Re-roll, but it’s far better, because:

♦ When you make a Free Re-roll, you never risk losing your initial success.
It doesn’t matter if the Re-roll gets you a better or extra success or not.
♦ You can make a Free Re-roll even if you didn’t score any successes on your
first roll.

Basically, if you can make a Free Re-roll, you should just do it! There’s no reason
for you not to take the chance.

68
All In
If after making a Re-roll or Free Re-roll you got a better
result, you can still choose to go All In. Re-roll!
Re-roll!
Once more, roll all dice that weren’t part of a success, Re-roll!
like you would for a normal Re-roll. Re-rolling is NOT a
If you get a better result, Lady Luck has smiled dangerous option
upon you. you should only
But if you do not get a better result, you lose all pre- resort to in desperate
vious successes. It’s called going all in for a reason. situations. Far from it!

GOOD Re-rolls are your


friends, and they
You re-rolled and scored greatly increase your
chances of success.
You try going All In, re-roll A Hero worthy of the
and score name should re-roll
most of the times. A
You got an even better result. Hero never settles for a
Nice one! meager Basic Success
on their first roll!

Recap If, by the end of a


After rolling the dice: session, you notice you
haven’t re-rolled at least
♦ Tally up any successes scored half of your rolls, you
♦ IF you scored at least a success, you can might be playing things
Re-roll too safe. Loosen up.
♦ IF you have a Free Re-roll, you can Re-roll Re-roll!
even when you do not score a success on
your first roll This is NOT true about
♦ IF, after making a Re-roll or Free Re- going All In. All Ins are for
roll, you got a better result, you can still desperate situations and
choose to go All In should be used sparingly.

Time for Action 69


Scene 1 - Game example - Success & Re-roll

Director: Running at break-neck speed through the city’s


alleys, you finally manage to lose your pursuers. You turn
the corner and realize it’s a dead-end. The only way to keep
going is to climb over a tall brick wall.
And you must do it quickly, if you don’t want the enemy to
find you, so this is a Critical roll!

Johnny: I don’t skip a beat. I call to the others “This way!”


and jump on the wall, starting the short climb.
I roll Brawn+Stunt, that’s 6 dice total,
and score . Critical Success!

Sam: I don’t overthink this either. I adjust my pants and


jump on the wall.
I roll Brawn+Stunt, 5 dice for me,
and score .
Drat, only a Basic Success! That’s not enough...
I re-roll and score . That’s more
like it!
Critical Success.

Director: With a cat-like leap, Sam and Johnny get on the


wall, grabbing at about mid-height. While you hoist yourself
up with ease, you hear your pursuers shouting in the alley
behind you. They’re not too far, but haven’t found you yet.

Victor: Ok, looks like it’s my turn. I roll my shoulders, looking


for an alternative route but can’t find one. I’m too old to be
doing stuff like this! Hearing the goons’ voices as they look
for us, I choose to jump on the wall without waffling.
I also roll Brawn+Stunt, but I only have 4 dice.
I score .
Ok. At least I got a Basic Success and can Re-roll.
I re-roll and score .
Dammit, this is no good.

70
Director: Victor You did not get a better result and lost your
only Basic Success on top of it. This is an absolute failure!
You grab onto the wall and start kicking your leg, trying to
pull yourself up. Luckily, you manage to get a foot on top
of an old dumpster to boost you up. Unfortunately, when
you reach your friends on top of the wall, you hear a loud
“CLANK!”. The metal dumpster toppled over loudly.
“This way! I’ve found them!” shouts one of the goons.

Victor: I turn to the others “What are you looking at?


We have to run!” and dart away.
Extra Actions
Whenever you score extra successes, you can spend them to take extra actions
such as:

♦ EXTRA BASIC SUCCESS: Quick Action.


 Grab or throw an item, reload a weapon, reach partial cover, do something
quick and easy.

♦ EXTRA CRITICAL SUCCESS: Full Action.


 Break through a door, get behind total cover, find a clue, do something that
requires moderate effort.

♦ EXTRA EXTREME SUCCESS: Cool Action.


 Jump off of an exploding building without getting hurt, shoot at a tiny
target while running, place a bug on your sworn enemy, do something un-
believably difficult.

Extra actions can also be used to ac-


tivate Feats requiring quick actions,
or to reach opponents who are in
Short or Medium Range. We will
talk more about this in Section 3:
IMPENDING DANGER!

72
If you passed a roll with flying colors and one of your friends has failed, you can
use any of your extra successes to lend them a hand. For example, if you are both
making a Critical roll to jump off of a building and you score 2 Critical Success-
es, you can use one to succeed on your roll and the other to grant a success to
your friend.
If a Hero doesn’t know how to use their Extra Actions, the Director can suggest
relevant options, but anyway, there is no shame in leaving Extra Actions unused.

Help
Some pieces of gear or Supporting Characters can grant you Help in specific
circumstances. Your fellow Heroes can also forgo rolling the dice to spend their
turn trying to Help you face a difficult challenge. When you can rely on the Help
of something or someone, the Director can grant you one of the following ben-
efits, depending on the scope of the help:

♦ Gain +1 to an Action or Reaction Roll.


 Director: Johnny comes from the other side and helps you push the heavy
marble table against the door as a barricade. You gain +1 to your Force roll.

♦ Gain a Success automatically, without rolling the dice.


 Director: Victor is hanging from the ledge of a building and pulling him up is
a feat. But when all your friends run to your help, lifting him is a piece of cake.
With their help, you don’t need to roll the dice.

♦ Gain a Requisite that allows you to roll the dice.


 Director: On your own, you don’t stand a chance to lift the debris. Luckily,
Sam comes to your aid and helps you lean on the leverage. You can attempt
a Force roll.

The Director should grant a +1 to the roll, when a Hero can rely on significant but
not decisive Help. When the Help is great enough to nullify the risks and possi-
bilities of failure, then it’s best to grant an automatic success.
Finally, when Help is instrumental to the action a Hero is attempting, the Di-
rector can allow the Hero to make a roll but grant no further bonus.

Whenever in doubt, when a Hero can rely on some Help, the Director should al-
ways grant a +1 to the roll and let the dice decide.

Time for Action 73


ADRENALiNE
Should I cut the red or blue wire? Should I shoot the gunman or the hostage?
Should I take the stairs or jump down and aim for the bushes?
Heroes live on a razor’s edge, crushed under the weight of too-high stakes, and
forced to make split-second decisions. All this, thanks to the thrill of danger and
to repeated adrenaline rushes pumping through their veins and allowing them to
give their best in the most desperate situations.

When you get a success against all odds, when you make a great sacrifice, when
you give everyone strong emotions, or when you’re at the center of an epic
and captivating scene, the Director can reward you with 1 Adrenaline ( ), up to
6 points.

You can spend your Adrenaline to gain several advantages:

 : Spend 1 Adrenaline to gain +1 to an Action or Reaction Roll.


 : Spend 1 Adrenaline to activate the special ability of some Feats.
 : Spend 6 Adrenaline to immediately gain a Spotlight.

Gaining Adrenaline
Heroes begin the game with 1 Adrenaline and automatically gain 2 Adrenaline
when they fill in the Hot Box on their Grit track.
Additionally, the Director can award a Hero 1 Adrenaline whenever:

♦ They get the success they needed against all odds


♦ They get a far greater success than they needed
♦ They have an idea that rocks the story
♦ They make a great sacrifice
♦ They induce strong emotions
♦ They captivate people with their portrayal
♦ They’re at the center of an epic scene
♦ Everyone cheers

Adrenaline is an important resource you should use very often. If you get to the
end of a Session without giving or using a handful of Adrenaline, it means you’re
being too stingy.

74
SPOTLiGHT
A moment comes in the life of every Hero, when they take matters into their own
hands and do something truly epic. That’s what the Spotlight is for!
This extremely precious resource allows you to become the center of atten-
tion and surprise everyone with your action, with no need for rolling dice or tak-
ing chances. You can have up to 3 Spotlights at the same time, and can spend
one to:

♦ Get an Extreme Success automatically, instead of rolling the dice.


♦ Save a Friend who has lost at the Death Roulette. Your friend adds another
Lethal Bullet to their roulette, but at least they won’t be dead.
♦ Remove a Condition of any kind, including Broken.
♦ Save a Ride when it’s about to be destroyed.
♦ Do whatever you want. If you want to do something that you normally
couldn’t, discuss it with the Director. If you both agree, the Spotlight makes
everything possible!

Flip a Coin
After using a Spotlight and gaining its benefits, flip a coin.
If the result is tails, you immediately regain 1 Spotlight, as if you had never
spent it. Not too shabby!
The only exception to this rule is when you save the life of a friend. Then, if the
result is tails, they gain 1 Spotlight. It’s now their turn to make a difference.

Gaining a Spotlight
The Director can grant you a Spotlight as a reward for a genius, crazy, or
mind-blowing move. For example:

♦ When a Hero calls on their Catchphrase in epic or dramatic circumstances,


or when they do something cool in the name of their ideals.
♦ When a Hero calls their own Flaw into play in an interesting way, against
their own interest and in spite of the consequences.

As a general rule, whenever an Adrenaline would be too small of a reward, you


should consider giving out a Spotlight. Additionally, Heroes who collect 6 Adren-
aline can choose to exchange them for 1 Spotlight.

Time for Action 75


FAiLURE
You rolled your dice, made a Re-roll, and basically
did everything you could, but you still didn’t man-
age to score the success you truly needed.
What’s next? First off, you get up and play it
cool, show the world what kind of cloth Heroes
are cut from.

No Fail
When you’re playing outgunned failure
doesn’t exist. Failure is simply a pot hole on a
long road, a winding unpaved road that you must
travel in order to reach your victorious goal.

When you fail, it simply means that things didn’t


go as planned. You’ll have to work a bit harder in
order to reach your objective, that’s all.
You search for a gun and find it, unfortunately
it’s unloaded and you didn’t think to check be-
fore it was too late. You jump from the fourth
floor and end up falling straight into a dump-
ster, but at least your bones aren’t broken. You
make doe eyes to get admitted to the VIP area
and they do let you through… Only to point sev-
eral guns at you.
You see? Failing can still be very fun! The only
defeat is when the game stops.

Smaller Successes
When you score a smaller success than you
needed to pass a roll, you can consult the Di-
rector and negotiate a way in which you miti-
gate the consequences of your failure, or do a
small collateral action instead.
When you’re facing a Dangerous Roll, you
can also spend smaller successes to do
Damage Control. We will talk more about this
in Section 3: IMPENDING DANGER!

76
4 Ways to Fail with Style
The job of a good Director is to exploit failures to create moving, exciting, or
exhilarating scenes, without stopping the flow of the plot or grinding the game
to a halt.

Here are 4 ways to have your Heroes fail with style:

Roll with the Punches: The Hero only gets a temporary or partial success,
or they inadvertently set off unpleasant consequences that can either be
immediately clear or come back to bite them later.
Director: You knock out all the goons and sneak into the party as if nothing hap-
pened. Unfortunately, a speck of blood on the tip of your left shoe risks giving you
away at the worst possible time.

Pay the Price: The Hero still gets an awkward success, but suffers a Con-
dition or loses some Cash or Gear in the process.
Director: When you hear the goons coming in, you immediately jump into the air
duct. You manage to hide just in time, but in the rush, you forgot your rifle on the
floor. You’ll have to do without.

Take the Hard Road: The Hero doesn’t get the success they wanted, but
their failure allows them to notice a crucial detail, a clue that changes ev-
erything, or a hint at a different way. The new path will be harder and riskier than
the first.
Director: The cables fizzle and spark, but nothing happens. You just can’t get the
car to start. But as you leave the garage, you spot a bike leaning on the wall. You
better start pedaling.

Face Danger: The Hero ends up in a dramatic situation and is forced to


make a Dangerous Roll. Alternatively, they end up face to face with a dan-
ger or an Enemy.
Director: After several blows, the door finally falls and you are free. Unfortunately,
the noise caught the attention of a big bad thug who is now waiting for you at the
exit. Get ready to fight.

Time for Action 77


impending danger!

SEZIONE I

titolo
SECTION I

Making of a hero
SECTION II

Time for action


SECTION III

impending danger!
dangerous rolls
dangerous rolls
There’s no easy way to say this. If you want to be a Hero, you’ll probably have to
deal with bad guys who will try to shoot at you, turn you into mincemeat, throw
you off of buildings, or blow you up, car and all. The most ingenious of them could
leave you tied to a table with a laser cutter inching closer to your face. Most of

Race against time


the time it doesn’t work.

When you take an action or reaction that puts your life or safety on the line, you
will have to make a Dangerous Roll.
Jumping off of a burning building, running through a hail of bullets, escaping
from an explosion, and hiding from a team of armed soldiers are all perfect ex-
amples of Dangerous Rolls.

From now on, we will represent Dangerous Rolls with this symbol: . This means
that when you read Action Roll or Reaction Roll, you are making Danger-
ous Rolls.

80
Yeah, but what’s the difference?
The difference between a normal roll and a dangerous roll is that if you fail a
dangerous roll, you don’t face the usual consequences for a failure. Instead, you
lose a set amount of Grit depending on the difficulty of the failed roll.

♦ BASIC: You lose 1 Grit


♦ CRITICAL: You lose 3 Grit
♦ EXTREME: You lose 9 Grit
♦ IMPOSSIBLE: You lose All Grit

When you lose an amount of Grit, you must fill in an equal number of Grit boxes
on your Hero Sheet.
Once all boxes are full, it means you have lost all Grit. Your next mistake could
prove fatal.

Victor: I open the car door and jump out before things
blow up.

Director: To do this, you must make a Dangerous Criti-


cal Roll.

Victor: I roll the dice and... Damnit! Not even a success.

Director: The car door breaks off and lands on the asphalt
with a fountain of sparks. One second before the car blows
up, you jump out and start rolling on the ground. You lose 3
Grit. Not your best landing.

impending Danger 81
it takes grit!
Grit is what makes you a Hero. When anyone else would run in panic, surrender,
or give up hope, you just get back up and keep fighting for what is right. It’s only
thanks to your Grit that you can have danger for breakfast and walk away in slow-
mo while everything behind you explodes!

Grit is represented by a line of 12 boxes. Whenever you fail a Roll , you fill in a set
number of boxes and stand back up after your failure.
Are they shooting at you? You keep running through the bullets, with the oc-
casional cosmetic scratch on your cheek as the biggest damage. Did the room
blow up? You jumped out at the last second and your jacket is the only victim.
Did they punch you in the face? You stand back up with a defiant grin, you can do
this all day!

Even if you lose Grit, it doesn’t mean you become more compliant. Quite the op-
posite! Filling in Grit boxes only represents how many times your determination
has managed to save your life.

Damage Control
When you make a Roll and fail to score the success you need, you can use any
smaller successes to do Damage Control. You take some small desperate action
to try to avoid losing at least some Grit. It’s better than doing nothing at all.
For every Basic Success you score, you can avoid losing 1 Grit, and for every
Critical Success, you can avoid losing 3 Grit.
But when you make an Impossible Roll , you can’t do Damage Control.

Director: They’re shooting at you! To dodge the bullets,


react with Brawn+Stunt. It’s a Dangerous Critical Roll.

Victor: I roll the dice and score a Basic Success. I’ll use it to
keep low while I run away.

Director: You duck your head and hobble through the bul-
lets. You only lose 2 Grit instead of 3!

When you're facing a tough roll, for example one with 2 Critical or Extreme dif-
ficulty, you can’t always aim for a full success, and will often have to settle for
doing some Damage Control. Typical, really.

82
Special Boxes
Two Grit boxes are different from the others.

♦ BAD BOX : The eighth box is the Bad Box. When you fill in this box, you
suffer a Condition determined by the Director.

♦ HOT BOX : The last box is the Hot Box. When you fill in this box, you imme-
diately get a rush of 2 Adrenaline. It’s now or never!

Losing All Grit


When you lose an amount of Grit equal to or greater than the number of Grit box-
es still open, fill in all boxes. You’ve now lost all Grit.
The really cool thing is that, so long as you have a single open Grit box remain-
ing, you have nothing to fear. It doesn’t matter how great your next failure may
be, the worst that can happen to you is losing all Grit.
But when you have already filled in all boxes and stand to lose more Grit, things
are going south. It will force you to take a spin on the Death Roulette and run the
risk of being Left for Dead.

Recovering Grit
You have 3 ways to recover your Grit:

♦ Sleep on it: After a good night of sleep, you’ll feel like new.
 Director: After a long day of action, you can finally lay down to rest your eyes.
You recover your Grit.

♦ Catch a Break: At the end of a breathtaking scene, or after you faced a long
string of dangers, the Director can give you a Break to allow the Heroes to
recover their Grit.
 Director: The parachutes open at the very last second and, after a rough
glide, you finally have dry land under your feet. The Enemies are already com-
ing toward you with weapons drawn, but you have a brief moment to catch
your breath. You recover your Grit.

♦ After a Shot: At the end of a gaming Session, the Heroes can finally breathe
a sigh of relief.
 Director: After the disturbing revelation, the Villain escapes, leaving you to
deal with the police. End of the Shot. You recover your Grit.

impending Danger 83
Scene 2 - Game example - Dangerous Rolls

Director: You find shelter inside an old abandoned shop.


The windows are dusty and covered in yellow newspapers
that prevent you from seeing what is going on outside, but
you can clearly hear the footsteps and voices of the ene-
mies as they surround the building.

Victor: “Shush! Quiet! I need to listen.” I try to get closer


to one of the windows to peek outside, or at least trying to
hear something useful.

Director: You see only shadows through the cracked glass,


but suddenly things go eerily quiet. Then the glass breaks
right next to your face while something hits the floor and
starts slowly rolling between you. It’s a grenade, and it’s
about to explode.
Everyone, make a Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Stunt.

Victor: “Oh shi...”


I roll 4 dice and get a Critical Success. I keep low and dive
behind some cover before it’s too late.

Director: It looks as if the grenade is exploding in slow-mo.


While the first sparks fly, declaring that the time at your dis-
posal is definitely over, Victor barely makes it behind a flaky
plaster wall.

Johnny: I run in the opposite direction. I want to get out the


same way we came back in because the roof could fall. I
shout at the others “We must get out of here!”
I roll 6 dice and... nothing! Not even a Basic Success, this
means I can’t try to Re-roll either.

Director: Johnny, you look at the grenade and are paralyzed


for a fraction of a second. When you move, it’s too late... But
let’s see if Sam gets an extra success to save you.

84
Sam: I roll 5 dice and get 2 Basic Successes. With only one
free die, I don’t really feel like Re-rolling, sorry. If I can, I’d like
to use the 2 Basic Successes I scored to kick the grenade
away from me, just to do damage control.

Director: The grenade rolls away from Sam and promptly


explodes with a terrible bang, sending shrapnel and flames
all across the room.
Sam managed to do damage control, and she feels a hot
flash inches away from her face. You fall back to the ground
and lose 1 Grit. Johnny is not so lucky. He walks away too
late and the explosion throws him across the room, burning
his shirt, and sending him rolling on the ground. You lose 3
Grit and end up covered in soot, with cuts and scrapes over
your legs and arms.
Stand up now, it’s not over yet!

impending Danger 85
GAMBLE
Heroes live their life on a razor’s edge, but they still know their limits. The thin red
line that separates a calculated risk from a full-out gamble.

A Gamble is an extremely risky action or reaction, a wager against all odds that
runs the risk of backfiring on the Hero. Gamble rolls can be either Dangerous or
normal, but in either case, they carry a threat for you to lose additional Grit.

Your rolls become a Gamble when:

You play with fire: When you handle explosives or drive at top speed, you
are always making a Gamble.
Director: Your bike has reached top speed, and the rev counter has literally gone
mad. Your next drive roll will be a Gamble. Watch out!

You want to go all out: When you need an extra edge, you can choose to
act recklessly, putting yourself in the path of great dangers in order to
gain a small advantage. By doing this, you gain +1 but turn your roll into a Gamble.
Savar: I see the train barreling down the tracks at top speed, look back and see
that the goons are about to reach me. I take a Gamble and jump across the tracks
right in front of the train, so the cars will cut off my pursuers. At least I get a +1...
It’s make or break time!

You take things too far: When you attempt a truly crazy action, especially
if you run great risks without actually getting any benefit from it, or when
there’s a really good chance that everything will go wrong, the Director can de-
termine that your outrageous choices make for a Gamble.
Director: The boss has spared your life only because it’s his daughter’s wedding.
You could have walked away, but you decided to pour yourself a glass and ask him
for another favor. I’d say that’s quite the Gamble!

86
Snake Eyes
When the situation calls for a Gamble, you need to make your roll and all re-rolls
as normal.
Afterwards, look at the dice: for every Snake Eye you rolled, you lose 1 Grit.

When doing this, you only count the left on the table after you decided wheth-
er to Re-Roll or go All In, regardless of if they are part of a success or not. If you’re
using normal dice to play outgunned, you can consider 1 as your .

The loss of Grit during a Gamble represents the consequences and collateral
damage you incurred. Perhaps you have some scrapes, the sudden shock has
pushed your heart into your throat, or you simply accumulated some stress, giv-
en the risky situation.
A Gamble is an excellent tool you can use to add some spice to easier, less
dangerous rolls. It’s extremely useful when you’re trying to build tension outside
of a combat or chase.

impending Danger 87
conditions
you look
When they tell you “You look tired” it’s probably because you practically have
shopping bags under your eyes and you really need a good night’s sleep or a hol-
iday. “You look hurt” means you’re losing a bit too much blood, or you’re dragging
yourself around.
If “You look nervous”, I’m afraid your hands are shaking and you’re sweating
cold, even more than you realized.

What I mean is that Heroes are tough, they do their best to hide their weakness,
either out of pride, or because they're protecting others, or because they have
no time to think about themselves when trying to save the day.
Unfortunately, there comes a time, when even Heroes start feeling the physi-
cal and psycho-emotional blows of their mission.

When you suffer small wounds or a reasonable stress, your Grit is enough to
push forward and ignore the pain. But when you begin showing signs of trauma,
when you look Hurt, Nervous, Scared, Distracted, or when you simply look Like a
Fool, it’s time for Conditions to come into play.

CONDiTiONS
Conditions represent your physical, mental, or emotional status. They tell you
how you're doing, feeling, and how you look to others.

On your Sheet, you find the 5 core Conditions, each tied to an Attribute. When
you get one of these Conditions, you suffer -1 to all rolls made with that Attribute
until you find a way to treat it.
When you already have 3 Conditions and you should suffer a fourth, you in-
stead get the Broken Condition, which inflicts an additional -1 to all rolls. Once
you look Broken, you cannot receive more Conditions.

On your Sheet, you will also find the Tired Condition, which gives no Penalty, but
brings you one step closer to looking Broken, as well as some blank lines to note
other Conditions that are either less common or created by your Director.

88
Suffering a Condition
There are 3 reasons you can suffer a Condition:

As a consequence of a failure, the Director can impose a Condition they


deem appropriate.
Director: You jump from a third-floor window and plunge into a garbage truck.
You’re in one piece, but you're covered in filth and banana peels. You look Like
a Fool.

When you fill in the Bad Box of your Grit, the Director must assign you a
relevant Condition.
Director: That brute just keeps kicking you in the side, and doesn’t give you a mo-
ment to breathe. Once you stand back up, you really look Tired.

When failure is not enough, the Director can decide you ALSO suffer a
Condition. For example, when you need an Extreme Success and don’t
score even a Basic Success, or when your failure is so glaring or so painful that
Grit is just not enough to keep you going.
Director: You jump out of the helicopter one moment before it explodes and a
blast of hot air pushes you toward a skyscraper. You crash through the glass and
roll in the shards on the floor before slamming into a vending machine. You lose
some Grit and look seriously Hurt.

Removing a Condition
To remove a Condition, you need some time and peace. You can only re-
move a Condition when you're safe from all dangers, for example, during a
Time Out. We will talk more about this in Section 6: MISSION START.
Additionally, if you have a Spotlight, you can choose to use it to avoid suffer-
ing a Condition or to remove a Condition of any kind, including Broken. You have
been though worse!

You can remove up to 2 Conditions each day. If you fail an attempt, you cannot try
to remove the same Condition until another day has passed.

impending Danger 89
Common Conditions
Here you’ll find a list of the most common Conditions, the ones already noted on
your sheet. For each of these Conditions, you also find some ideas about how to
play them, how to get them, and how to remove them.

HURT
-1 to all Brawn rolls.
You have a small fracture, a deep cut, or a projectile lodged somewhere.
You can get this Condition when you really take a beating, when you fall from a
great height, or when you’re blown up.
You can remove this Condition by seeking adequate medical care. Alternatively,
a friend can use one of their actions during a Time-Out to treat your wounds with
a Critical Action Roll in Focus+Heal. You can try to treat yourself, but you always
roll with -1.

NERVOUS
-1 to all Nerves rolls.
You’re stressed out, your hands are shaking, you keep looking over your shoulder,
or you’re sweating bullets.
You can get this Condition when you survive danger by an inch, when your ef-
forts are insufficient, damaging, or useless, or when you’re under a great deal
of stress.
You can remove this Condition by using one of your actions during a Time-Out to
relax, enjoy a hobby, or indulge a bit.

LIKE A FOOL
-1 to all Smooth rolls.
You're deeply embarrassed, you feel inadequate or ridiculous, you're ashamed of
your words or actions.
You can get this Condition when you lose face in front of others, when you cover
yourself in ridicule, or give your friends reasons to not trust you or to lose re-
spect for you.
You can remove this Condition by proving your worth, getting some recognition,
or earning the respect of someone. Alternatively, a friend can use one of their
actions during a Time-Out to cheer you up and help you find your self-esteem
with a Critical Action Roll in Smooth+Heal.

90
DISTRACTED
-1 to all Focus rolls.
You're lost in your thoughts, your mind is foggy, you’re a
little out of it and can’t seem to keep your focus.
You can get this Condition when you ruminate about a
problem for too long without finding a solution, when
you let yourself be charmed or confused, or when you
spend a night hitting the books or at the workbench
and feel dizzy as a result.
You can remove this Condition by choosing to spend
2 Adrenaline on any Focus roll. Alternatively, you can
spend one of your actions during a Time-Out do-
ing absolutely nothing to clear your mind.

SCARED
-1 to all Crime rolls.
Your eyes are wide open, your palms are sweaty,
and your mouth is dry, or you’re uncharacteristi-
cally clumsy and feel in constant danger.
You can get this Condition when you suffer
a great shock or fright, when you’re afraid of
having lost something or someone important,
or when you narrowly avoid a painful death by
sheer luck.
You can remove this Condition by facing the
subject of your fear again and being victori-
ous. Alternatively, you can spend one of your
actions during a Time-Out to confide in one
of your friends and get the weight off your
chest... So long as another Hero is also avail-
able to spend one action to listen to you and
help you through it.

impending Danger 91
TIRED
You suffer no penalty, but are one step closer to looking Broken.
You can’t catch your breath and your back aches, or you're in shambles and walk
head down, or you’re clearly a tired mess.
You can get this Condition when you exert yourself too much, when you go too
long without eating or drinking, or when you stay up all night without getting any
rest. When you fill in your Bad Box in a not-so-bad or not memorable situation,
the Director can also choose to give you the Tired Condition. You can never go
wrong with this one!
You can remove this Condition by eating a hot meal and getting some good sleep.

BROKEN
-1 to all rolls.
You’re broken in mind, body, or spirit, you’re at the end of your rope, or in down-
right terrible shape.
You get this Condition when you should suffer a fourth Condition.
When you already have 3 Conditions and stand to get a fourth, you look Broken
instead. You cannot suffer other Conditions until you remove one.
If you already look Tired and Hurt and suffer another great physical blow, the
Director can also choose to give you the Broken Condition.
You can remove this Condition by spending a couple of days in a hospital or an-
other similar institution. Alternatively, a friend can use one of their actions during
a Time-Out to treat your wounds with an Extreme Action Roll in Focus+Heal.

Other Conditions
In the You Look section of your Sheet there are also some blank lines you can use
to write in less common Conditions. These Conditions are more complex than
common Conditions, and only impose -1 in specific circumstances, or when you
try to act in a certain way. The Director and Players are free to come up with and
propose new and exciting Conditions depending on the circumstances.
When you call into play a new Condition, it’s important that you clarify the pen-
alties it imposes, when it applies and how it can be removed.

Here are some uncommon Conditions that you might encounter on your mission.
You can also take inspiration from them to create your own original Conditions.

92
DISHEARTENED
-1 to all rolls made to show or give courage, and to make important deci-
sions quickly.
You feel low and unmotivated, you can’t give it your best, or feel as if all your efforts
will lead to nothing.
You can get this Condition when you lose trust in your friends or in your mission,
when you make a terrible mistake and can’t put things right, or when everyone
puts their faith in you and you fail miserably.
You can remove this Condition by doing something that really makes a differ-
ence. Alternatively, you can spend one of your actions during a Time-Out to con-
fide in one of your friends and find the strength to keep fighting on. To do this,
another Hero must also spend one action to listen to you and encourage you.

CONFUSED
-1 to all Know rolls, as well as to all rolls that require time and quiet, including
rolls made to help your friends during a Time-Out.
You’re dizzy, you have a splitting headache, and have a hard time thinking straight.
You can get this Condition when you get jostled left and right, when you're hit
by a deafeningly loud and resounding noise, or when you wake up after a night
spent partying.
You can remove this Condition by using one of your actions during a Time-Out to
take a shower and clear your head.

ANGRY
-1 to all rolls that require calm and precision.
You can’t sit still, you’re always looking for a fight, shout at everybody, or seethe
quietly in a corner, glaring at everybody.
You can get this Condition when your actions backfire on you, when you're
forced to do something you really can’t stand, or when, despite your best efforts,
your sworn enemy manages to walk away scot-free. When your Flaw gets in the
way during a stressful situation, the Director can also impose on you the An-
gry Condition.
You can remove this Condition by using one of your actions during a Time-Out to
relax, enjoy a hobby, or do some healthy physical activity.

impending Danger 93
END OF A HERO
Even Grit has its limits, and if they don’t play their hand carefully, even the great-
est Hero runs the risk of kicking the bucket.

When you have lost all Grit, you’re in big trouble. Your next failure in a Roll will
force you to take a spin on the Death Roulette. Sounds cool, right?

Death Roulette
Next to your Conditions, there is a 6-bullet cylinder that represents the Death
Roulette. The more this cylinder fills up with Lethal Bullets, the closer you are
to your doom.
When you’re about to be Left for Dead, the Director will let you take a spin on
the Death Roulette, and this single die roll will decide whether you survive or you
have finally rolled your last. That’s quite the stakes, right?

When the Director asks you to take a spin on the Death Roulette, roll a numeric
six-sided die.
If the result is greater than the number of Lethal Bul-
lets in your roulette, you have a narrow escape. Add
a Lethal Bullet to your cylinder, describe how you
managed to cheat death once again, and keep 6
on playing. 5 1
If the result is equal to the number of Lethal Bul-
lets in your roulette or lower, I’m afraid to say that
4 2
you’ll be Left for Dead... unless a friend saves you 3
at the last second by using one of their Spotlights.

Remember, you begin the game with 1 Lethal Bullet in the


cylinder, and you add one more whenever you have a narrow escape. You see
where I’m going with this?
Thanks to the Death Roulette, you always have a chance to escape from your
doom, but this will become increasingly more difficult.
Even a cat will run out of lives sooner or later.

94
Saving a Friend
Even if a Hero has failed their roll for the Death Roulette, all is not lost. Another
Hero who has a Spotlight can choose to spend it to intervene at the last second
and miraculously save their friend from certain death.
When this happens, the saved Hero must add a Lethal Bullet to their cylinder
while the Hero who used the spotlight is free to describe the epic actions or
cunning plan that led to a happy resolution.

Left for Dead


If a Hero fails their roll for the Death Roulette and none of the others can inter-
vene to save them, the Hero is Left for Dead.
As the term suggests, a Hero who is Left for Dead is not necessarily dead. It’s
more like taking a dramatic bow and leaving everyone heartbroken.

When you’re Left for Dead, it means you have fallen out of an airplane or down
a cliff, you have plunged into the ocean, were buried by rubble, or suffered a
wound that looked lethal, and your friends were forced to leave you behind or run
away. What I’m getting at is something happens and everyone is convinced that
you couldn’t possibly survive, but your body is never found.

In some cases, a Player might decide that their Hero is truly, unmistakably dead,
but only if they feel like it would be climactic, interesting, or moving for the story.
Honor to the fallen.

Back from the Dead


A Hero who is Left for Dead always has a chance to return suddenly with a prepos-
terous story about how they managed to survive, get better, and find their way
back to the group. When this happens, however, they always get a Scar from the
circumstances of their departure.

The Director and Player are tasked with finding the best moment and way for the
fallen Hero to return. In any case, a Hero can only rejoin the story at a Turning
Point, during a Showdown, or at the beginning of another Cinematic Campaign.
We will talk more about this in Section 6: MISSION START.

impending Danger 95
Gear Up

SEZIONE I

titolo
SECTION I

Making of a hero
SECTION II

Time for action


SECTION III

impending danger!
SECTION IV

Gear up
guns & gear
Guns & Gear
Have you ever dreamed of ending up in front of your entire class in your undies?
That’s exactly the feeling a Hero gets when they don’t have their gear.

The Mission
We call all useful items, weapons, and rides that will help you come out on top
in thorny situations Gear.

When you get into the action, you can rely on 4 kinds of gear:

Heist
♦ Common Items: Common items are all objects used in everyday life that
can directly help you face the many obstacles and enemies you’ll encounter
on your mission. Usually, these items do not grant you any mechanical Help
and can be easily acquired without spending any Cash. The usefulness of a
common item is limited and only depends on the circumstances and how
it’s used.
advancement
 A notebook and pencil, a pair of paperclips, a watch, a book, a deck of cards.

♦ Tools of the Trade: Tools of the trade are essential pieces of gear that grant
you a precious Help on your mission. As such, they can prove extremely use-
ful. This type of gear gives you a Help by granting you +1 to a roll, or by al-
lowing you to take actions that would otherwise be impossible. See “Help” in
Section 2: TIME FOR ACTION.
 A set of lockpicks, a wingsuit, a night-vision device, a grappling hook.

♦ Guns: Pistols, rifles, and all other firearms you carry around with you that
can make a difference between life and death when you’re forced to face
your terrible enemies. Guns allow you to attack enemies who are outside
the range of your fists, and also bring several tactical advantages that can
give you an extra boost.
 A revolver, a shotgun, a bow and arrows, a machine gun, some throwing knives.

♦ Rides: Flaming red motorcycles or rickety old vans, rides are the fastest
way for you to get into the action or out of trouble. When you’re racing after
your opponents in a desperate chase through the city, when you're on the
run from the law, or when you simply don’t feel like walking, your Ride is your
best friend.
 A race-car, a chopper bike, a helicopter, a tank.

98
If you wish to stand a chance to succeed in your mis-
sion, you should always expect the worst and be ready
for anything. Gear up for the mission you don’t want to Bags & Storage
deal with, not for the stroll you hope to take! On your Sheet, you’ll
find icons that look
Getting Gear like a bag, you can
When filling in your Hero Sheet, you get some starting cross out these icons
gear that is granted to you by your Role. For example, to represent items you
if you’re an Agent, you start off with a radio, a pis- are carrying inside a
tol, and a badge. And if you’re an Ace, you get a briefcase, a backpack,
ride and a weapon of your choice between pistol or some other kind of
or shotgun. Not too shabby! bag. When you give
up or lose your bag,
While on the mission, you can buy new gear by you also lose all items
spending some Cash, by asking a favor from a inside of it.
friend or by... borrowing from your enemies.
If they wanted to keep their stuff, they should To be safe, you can also
have thought twice before shooting at you. choose to keep some of
Additionally, if you can rely on the Always Pre- your items in Storage.
pared or I’ll Make a Phone Call Feats, you have a Stored gear may be in
way to get some gear quickly and for free. an actual storehouse,
hidden somewhere in
Losing Gear your office, or in the
You can lose gear as a consequence of your fail- trunk of your car.
ure, or when you choose to sacrifice it to gain +1 You cannot lose items
to a roll that you think is extremely important. you keep in Storage
For example, if you jump out of a racing car (unless someone
and fail, the Director can decide that your be- decides to rob your
loved pistol was left on your seat. Alternative- storing place), but you’ll
ly, when you’re treating the wounds of a friend, need quite some time
you can always choose to tear away a sleeve of to retrieve them when
your elegant jacket to use it as bandages and needed.
gain +1 to your Heal roll.

Guns & Gear 99


Guns
When talking about Guns, we mean pistols, revolvers, assault rifles,
and the occasional bows and arrows or rocket launchers. Melee weap-
ons are tools that you can use to threaten your enemies or to gain a sit-
uational advantage during combat, but they rarely make a difference.
You’re a Hero, not a two-bit batterer with a baseball bat!

Each gun has a Range expressed by 4 numbers. These numbers represent the
bonus or penalty to the roll when you try to use the gun at a set range. A Range
score of X means that the weapon cannot physically shoot at that distance. For
example, when you’re using a Shotgun at Close Range, you gain +1 to your roll, but
when you use it at Medium Range, you suffer -2. And the Shotgun is completely
useless at Long Range.
To learn more about the Range of weapons and how to shoot, see Chapter
BANG! BANG! BANG! in Section 5: FACE THE ENEMY.

Many guns can also rely on one or more Gun


Feats, special features that can help or
hinder you during combat.
Once you get the hang of Gun Feats,
you can even have some fun creating
your own custom guns. There are
many rifles, but none like yours!

100
Gun Feats
ACCURATE
The gun is extremely precise or outfitted with a finely tuned sight. You can spend
one turn to take aim on a target. On your next turn, you gain +1 to your roll to hit
that target.

EXPLOSIVE
It ignores the Bulletproof Vest and Armored Enemy Feats.
Using this gun in Melee or Close Range is always a Gamble. If you lose Grit be-
cause of a Gamble, all nearby Heroes also lose the same amount of Grit.

JAM
The gun is unreliable, there’s always a chance that it won’t work. Before shooting,
roll a 6-sided die. If the result is Snake Eye (1), the gun jams. You lose your roll and
the ammo used.

PRECISION SHOT
You can use it to shoot Out of Range (0).

RAPID FIRE
When laying down Covering Fire you also gain +1 to your next Reaction Roll.

SHORT RANGE
You cannot Go Full Auto or lay down Covering Fire at Medium or Long Range.

SILENT
The gun is quiet, or outfitted with a silencer. When shooting, you don’t alert the
enemy and don’t reveal your position.

SINGLE SHOT
The gun doesn’t use a Mag but single munitions. Ignore Mags and keep track of
munitions in your equipment.

SLOW RELOAD
The weapon requires a longer time to be reloaded. You need a Full Action instead
of a Quick Action in order to reload the gun.

Guns & Gear 101


$3 Bulletproof Vest Grants help to avoid bullets

$1 Camera Grants Help to shoot photos

$3 Elegant Clothes Grants Help to make a good impression

$2 First-aid Kit Grants Help to treat wounds

$1 Grappling Hook Grants Help to climb and swing

$1 Handcuffs Grants Help to restrain people

$1 Heavy Mace Grants Help to break through doors and smash things

$1 Knife Grants Help to cut things

$2 Lockpicking Set Grants Help to open locks or safes

$2 Night Vision Device Grants Help to see in the dark

$2 Portable Computer Grants Help to find information and connect to a network

$3 Scuba Gear Grants Help to dive and swim underwater

$2 Silencer Grants the Silent Feat to a pistol, assault rifle, or precision rifle

$2 Telescopic Sight Grants the Precision Shot Feat to a rifle or assault rifle

$1 Toolbox Grants Help to repair Rides and other things

$3 Wingsuit Grants Help to glide. Includes a parachute


MELEE CLOSE MEDIUM LONG
$1 Pistol No Feat 0 0 0 -2

$1 Revolver No Feat 0 0 0 -2

$2 Machine Pistol Rapid Fire, Short Range 0 +1 0 X

$2 Shotgun Short Range, Slow Reload +1 +1 -2 X

$2 Rifle Accurate, Slow Reload -2 +1 +1 0

$3 Assault Rifle Accurate, Rapid Fire 0 +1 +1 +1

$3 Precision Rifle Accurate, Precision Shot, Slow Reload X -1 0 +2

$2 Sub-machine Gun Rapid Fire 0 +1 +1 0

$3 Machine Gun Rapid Fire, Slow Reload -2 0 +2 +1

$2 Bow Silent, Single Shot -1 0 0 X

$1 Throwing Knives (3) Silent, Single Shot -1 -1 -2 X

$3 Rocket Launcher Explosive, Single Shot, Slow Reload +2G +2G +3 +3

$2 Grenade Explosive, Jam, Single Shot +1G +1G +2 +2

$1 Arrows (6) Projectiles for bow

$2 Rocket (1) Projectile for rocket launcher

$1 Mags (2) Mags for a type of weapon of your choice

*Whenever you buy a gun, you always get one Mag for free. On the house!
Rides
Whether it’s a racing car that roars whenever you touch the gas, a motocross
bike that can keep up with a train, or a helicopter ready to explode at the first
hiccup, rides are more than best friends to Heroes. They are part of the family!

Types of Rides
There are 5 types of rides: bikes, cars, nautical, flying, and armored.

Bikes: Bikes are extremely cool rides that can dart easily through traffic
and can carry one or two passengers. At least, legally speaking.
A racing motorbike, a chopper bike, a dirt bike, a snowmobile, a vespa.

Cars: Cars are all rides with four or more wheels that can move on roads
or off road. This type of rides encompasses hatchbacks, but also buses
and Formula 1 cars.
A racing car, an MPV, a jeep, a truck with a trailer, an ambulance.

Nautical Rides: Nautical rides are all vehicles that can travel on water
propelled by a motor, by sails, or by the strong arms of rowers.
A boat, a speedboat, a steamship, an inflatable raft, a yacht.

Flying Rides: Flying rides are all vehicles that can take to the skies thanks
to their wings, propellers, or balloons filled with hot air.
A plane, a helicopter, an airship, a fighter plane, a hang-glider, a Boeing airliner.

Armored: Armored rides are large war machines outfitted with impene-
trable armor plating, able to travel on all kinds of terrain.
An armored van, a crawler, a tank, a large caterpillar.

104
A ride can have more than one of these types. For example, a taxi is simply a car,
but a hovercraft is both a car and a nautical ride. A seaplane, on the other hand,
is both a flying and nautical ride.

Knowing the type of a ride will help the Director decide where you can go and
how many passengers you can carry. Additionally, it might give them an idea of
the circumstances when they can grant situational bonuses or penalties.
For example, a bike rider facing a huge traffic jam might get a sweet +1 thanks
to the agility of their two-wheeled ride. On the other hand, the poor Hero who is
left driving a plane down the highway will have to suffer an honest -1 considering
how out of place their ride is.

Uncommon Rides
Nautical, flying, and armored rides are considered uncommon, and you shouldn’t
take for granted the fact that your Heroes know how to drive them. As such, any
Hero who tries to drive an uncommon ride suffers a -1.
A Hero with the Proven Driver: Nautical Rides Feat can ignore this penalty
when driving nautical rides, one with the Proven Driver: Flying Rides Feat can
ignore it when piloting a flying ride, and a hero with the Military Background Feat
can ignore it when driving an armored vehicle.

Aces always ignore this penalty, regardless of the ride they are piloting.

Guns & Gear 105


Speed
Each Ride has a speed score of 1, 2, or 3. This represents the starting Speed of
the Heroes during a Chase.

Most common rides – subcompacts, street motorcycles, boats, and tourist


planes – have a speed score of 1. Rides with a speed score of 2 are really fast,
things like hot-rod convertibles, racing bikes, and high-level speedboats. Rides
with a speed score of 3 have an unreal acceleration and are mostly rare, expen-
sive, and noticeable, like cutting-edge supercars, military fighter jets, and com-
petitive motorbikes.

To learn more about speed and chases, go to Chapter Need For Speed in
Section 5: FACE THE ENEMY.

Armor
Rides can rely on 3 Armor points to represent their resilience and the number of
blows they can withstand before going up in flames.
On your Hero Sheet, Armor points are represented by 3 shields just to the left
of the speed score. Whenever your ride loses 1 Armor, you must fill in one of
those shields.
When all shields are full, the ride begins to smoke and act up. The next time the
Ride should lose Armor, it explodes spectacularly, and all Heroes still on board
lose 6 Grit.

Some rides are in especially bad shape, and they might come into play with 1 or 2
Armor boxes already filled. Armored rides, on the other hand, can rely on 3 addi-
tional Armor boxes to represent their impenetrable plating.
A ride might lose Armor as consequence of a failure, when it suffers a big hit,
or when the driver calls on specific Feats, like Car Jump.

A Hero can repair their ride, given the right amount of peace and quiet. For ex-
ample, they can make a roll in Focus+Fix during a Time-Out. If they score a Crit-
ical Success, the Ride recovers 1 Armor point, and with an Extreme Success, it
recovers 2. With an Impossible Success, the Ride recovers all lost Armor.

106
Ride Sheet
On your Hero Sheet, there’s a small section dedicated to your ride where you can
note down the type, speed, and armor of your chosen vehicle.

When you get a ride, note down its speed in the middle odometer, and cross out
the symbol or symbols for its type.
When the ride takes on damage, fill in one of the 3 shields, starting from left and
going toward the right. The gray shields represent the additional Armor points
for armored vehicles.

NAME

Getting a Ride
Most common rides, like bikes, cars, and nautical rides with a speed score of 1, can
all be bought for 3 Cash. All other Rides that are either rarer or faster are outside
of the budget of most common Heroes and cannot be bought with cash alone.
If you want to get your grabby hands on a unique ride, something fast or truly
special, your best bet is to either steal it, or earn it by taking on a small side-mis-
sion.
Additionally, some Roles, like the Ace and the Nobody, allow you to start the
game with your own ride, all included, turn-key.

Extras
Some rides come with built in weapons, most often Machine Guns or Rocket
Launchers, which would be too bulky and heavy to carry by hand.
Other rides can be pimped out with a bulletproof body, which turns them into
full-fledged armored vehicles, granting 3 extra Armor points.

These extras should be managed (and rationed) by the Director, depending on


the circumstances. As usual, you can always come up with your own outlandish
extras, if you want to add some spice to your mission.

Guns & Gear 107


Cash
Defeating the Villain and succeeding in your mission with a nice catchphrase
is priceless. For everything else, there's Cash! Cash ($) represents the money
that you carry around, or that you have easy access to. Each $ doesn’t represent
a specific sum in dollars, it’s a generic unit that represents your buying power.
Banknotes in your wallet, watches you can pawn, and loose change can all be
represented by your Cash.
You can have up to $5, and you can spend it to buy gear, information, or other
useful services.

Cash is not an indicator of your general wealth or social status, but simply a re-
source you can spend to pay for goods and services while on your mission.
Anyway, your Cash doesn’t tell you if you’re rich or not. It simply tells you which
benefits you can get by spending or pawning the money or valuables you carry
around. If you have $1, you’re not necessarily down on your luck. Maybe that Cash
is everything you have to live on, but it could also represent the loose banknotes
left in your wallet now that you can no longer use your credit card for fear of
being traced.

108
Spending Cash
You can spend your Cash to buy new gear or services, to bribe somebody, or to
pay for a luxury dinner or some medical expenses. Everything you can buy has a
price between $1 and 3, everything else, you’ll have to earn.

♦ $1: Gear and services for everyday use or of little consequence.


 A pistol, a toolbox, a couple nights in a motel.
♦ $2: More expensive or harder to find gear and services.
 A portable computer, a rifle, a luxury dinner for the entire group.
♦ $3: Luxury gear and services, rare items, or specific requests.
 A wingsuit, a rocket launcher, an international flight on a private jet.

Always remember that you can also lose Cash because of a failure that causes
you to leave your wallet behind, or when you’re captured or robbed.

Figuring out the price for an item


What if the Heroes want to get their hands on truly outlandish pieces of gear or
other items? Let’s say everything has a minimum cost of $1, and then answer
these 4 questions:

♦ Is it rare? +$1! All rare or atypical items cost $1 more.


♦ Is it custom-made? +$1! All custom-made items, and objects that follow
specific requirements cost more than normal. You get what you pay for.
♦ Does it hurt a lot? +$1! The most dangerous and lethal weapon and the best
performing gear will come with a steep price-point.
♦ Is it hot? +$1! If an item is extremely illegal, or very risky to procure, the
price is bound to increase. Don’t like it, shop elsewhere!

If, after you answered these four questions, the item has a price above $3, it
means you’re trying to buy something that money can’t buy. You’re a fussy one,
am I right? Finding the unique piece to complete your collection will require
more than some Cash, and you’ll have to do a side-mission of some kind in order
to get your hands on it.
For example, a fake badge will run you $2 (1 for the base price, and 1 because
it’s illegal), while a golden pistol with your mother’s name etched on the side will
cost $3 (1 for the base price, 1 because it’s rare, and 1 because it’s custom-made).
If you want a deadly katana custom-made for you by Hattori Hanzo himself, you’ll
have to put the wallet away. Some things you need to earn!

Guns & Gear 109


Earning Cash
All Heroes start the game with $1 in their pock-
et, and they can decide to spend it immediate-
Two-bit ly to buy some additional gear. Some Roles and
Guns and Rides Tropes let you choose the Cash Flow Feat, which
You're short on Cash grants you additional Cash, no questions asked.
but desperately need
to find a gun or ride? During your mission, you can get additional Cash
You can always buy by picking up side-jobs, or by selling some of
some two-bit gear. your possessions, or simply by borrowing it from
your beloved enemies.
These items are old, Anyway, it’s hard for a Hero to get their hands
broken, or unreliable, on more than $1 at a time, unless they are rob-
and they cost much bing a bank or some such thing. And when you
less than brand-new re-sell an item, most buyers will only be willing to
products. Normally, pay one third of the initial price. They also need
a car costs $3, but a to gain from the transaction!
two-bit car only costs
$1. It’s a great deal! A
pistol costs $1, but you
can pay the same price
and get three pieces of
dubious origin. Such a
bargain!

Always remember that


all two-bit guns have
the Jam Feat, and all
two-bit rides have a
speed score of 0, and
they could even start
with 1 or 2 armor points
missing. But I’m sure
they won’t betray you
at the worst possible
moment. Probably.

110
Black Market
In some situations, you might stumble upon shopkeepers who trade on the Black
Market. Unsavory folks who always greet you with large smiles, illegal wares, and
heavily-armed bodyguards.

On the Black Market, everything costs $1 less, but never less than $1. This means
that items with a price of $3 only cost $2, and items that sell for $2 go for $1.
Items that usually cost $1 still cost $1.
To gain access to the Black Market, you need to reach well-hidden and dan-
gerous corners, or make well-connected friends who have “the right contacts”.
Some apparently innocent shopkeepers can also turn out to be connected with
the Black Market, if you prove yourself trustworthy, or do them a big favor!

Gear Up!
There comes a moment on your mission, when you need to prepare for the worst
of the worst, and literally cover yourself with all the guns and gear you can pos-
sibly carry. Handguns and bulletproof vests won’t cut it, you’ll need to shoulder
a rifle, get some knives, paint your face, and take some grenades along for the
ride. A quick montage of weapons getting racked and placed in their holsters,
blades getting tucked into their sheathes, belts getting adjusted, and toothpicks
getting chewed. A full-blown Gear Up scene!

The Gear Up happens when Heroes have a vast array of weapons at their dis-
posal and are ready to arm themselves to the teeth to face the hardest part of
their mission. When the Director states that it’s time for a nice Gear Up, all Guns
and Gear get fire-sale prices, everything costs $1 until the end of the scene. You
better cash in now while you can!
And if the Heroes managed to help someone powerful and influential, or if they
can rely on the unlimited support of some wealthy organization, then the Director
can also call for a completely free Gear Up! You heard me: everything costs $0!

The Gear Up is an exciting moment and you should only include it when it’s truly
necessary, and only during a serious Turning Point or Showdown. Additionally,
the Gear Up should never be slow or boring, and it should never become a mean-
ingless sales rush. All Heroes should play through a Gear Up scene as if they were
facing a focal point of their mission. It’s the moment when things really get seri-
ous. The point of no return.

Guns & Gear 111


face the enemy

SECTION I

Making of a hero
SECTION II

Time for action


SECTION III

impending danger!
SECTION IV

Gear up
SECTION V

Face the enemy


Fight
fists & bullets
You can try to talk with your Enemies, but they will never listen. Wise guys like
the ones who become a Villain’s lackeys or goons only understand two words:
fists and bullets.

enemies
If you want to save the day and prove you are a Hero worthy of an action movie,
you better learn how to fight.

COMBAT
need for speed
During combat, regardless of whether it’s a shoot-out or a nice fist-fight, there
are two alternating turns:

Action Turn: Heroes are free to take any action they want and make the
relevant Action Rolls. Additionally, all Heroes also can take a Quick Action
for free.
Johnny: I jump out from cover and open fire on the goons.

Reaction Turn: The Director states the Enemies’ actions and all Heroes
must defend themselves with a Reaction Roll .
Director: The goons come toward you with guns blazing.
Everyone, roll Brawn+Stunt to duck out of the way.

Action Turns and Reaction Turns keep alternating until the Heroes manage to
defeat the Enemies, until the opposite happens, or until combat is interrupted.

114
Action Turn
During an Action Turn every Hero can make a Quick Action for free as well as an
Action Roll. A Hero can choose whether to use their Quick Action before or after
making their Action Roll.

When taking their Quick Action, a Hero can grab or toss an object, reload a weap-
on, reach an Enemy who is in Close Range, or take another quick and easy action.

When making their Action Roll, on the other hand, a Hero can take any kind of
complex action, including attacking the Enemy.

To attack an Enemy, the Hero must make a roll with difficulty equal to the Enemy
Defense. For every appropriate success scored, the Enemy loses 1 Grit.
For example, if you’re attacking an Enemy with Basic Defense and score 2 Ba-
sic Successes, the Enemy loses 2 Grit. If you score a Critical Success, they lose
3 Grit.
As a general rule, all actions that directly involve the Enemy will have difficulty
equal to their Defense, while all collateral actions can have a different difficulty
chosen by the Director, much like what happens out of combat.

Usually, when attacking an Enemy in melee, you roll Brawn+Fight, but feel free
to get creative with your actions. There is no limit to the skills and attributes you
can call into play to give your opponent a hard time.
For example, you can roll Nerves+Drive to ram your car into your enemies, or
roll Focus+Fix to knock some scaffolding down over their heads. Any action that
might hurt, tire, discourage, or chase away your enemies will result in them los-
ing some Grit.

face the enemy 115


Reaction Turn
During a Reaction Turn, the Director describes the action of the Enemies and
asks all Heroes involved in combat to make a Reaction Roll .
This means that all Reaction Rolls made during combat are Dangerous Rolls.
What else did you expect?

When facing an Enemy, the difficulty of Reaction Rolls is equal to the Enemy At-
tack.
If you fail, you’ll have to lose some Grit, but you can still spend smaller success-
es to do some Damage Control.

If you have any doubt about what roll you should ask the Heroes to make, here
is a practical list of examples. Feel free to come up with your own Reaction
Rolls, choose from this list, or even roll at the beginning of the turn to randomize
the Reaction.

1. The enemies attack you with fists and metal bars. Roll Brawn+Fight
2. The enemies shoot at you. Roll Brawn+Stunt
3. The enemies try to crush or choke you. Roll Brawn+Endure
4. The enemies try to push you the ground. Roll Brawn+Force
5. The enemies throw tables and chairs at you. Roll Nerves+Stealth
6. The enemies try to surround you. Roll Nerves+Awareness

As a general rule, all Heroes taking part in combat must make the same Reaction
Roll. If a Hero is outside of the enemy’s range, the Director can decide that they
automatically pass the Reaction Roll. At least until someone reaches them, or
directs fire onto them.

Different Reactions
Usually, all Heroes fighting against the same Enemy defend themselves by mak-
ing the same Reaction Roll with the same Attribute and Skill. This keeps the
game easy and quick and helps with clarity at the table.

In corner cases, when the Director feels like the clash could benefit from some
added complexity, they may ask each Hero to make a different Reaction Roll
based on their situation.
This strategy can help you create more exciting, fast-paced scenes, but you
should bear in mind that it will make combat noticeably longer.

116
Extra Reactions
As usual, you can spend extra successes rolled during
a Reaction Turn to take extra actions.

If you score an extra success that is at least equal to


the Enemy Defense, you can use it to counterattack.
When you counter, the Enemy loses 1 Grit as they
would when you attack.
Let’s say you’re making a Reaction Roll against an
Enemy with Critical Attack and Defense and score 2
Critical Successes. You use 1 success to defend, and Who started it...
can spend the second to counter and cause the Starting combat
Enemy to lose 1 Grit. on an Action Turn
If you have the needed successes, you can is a great advantage.
even counter several times in one turn. If the Heroes are the
first to attack, or can
You can also spend extra successes scored rely on the element
during a Reaction Turn to protect your friends of surprise, combat
who may have failed their Reaction Rolls. begins with an
Let’s say you and a friend are making a Re- Action Turn.
action Roll against an Enemy with Critical At-
tack. You score 2 Critical Successes, while your If the Heroes are caught
friend fails. You use 1 success to defend your- by surprise, or hesitate
self, and can spend the second to protect your before acting, combat
friend, granting them your success. begins with a
Reaction Turn.
Remember that you can only protect your
friends if you have the needed success, and When in doubt, the
you can NOT use lower successes to do Dam- Director can flip a coin
age Control for them. to decide.

face the enemy 117


Scene 3 - Game example - Combat

Director: The goons suddenly surround you. They are many


more than you. They bang metal bars and shake chains to
show you that they’re serious.
You’re facing an Enemy with Basic Attack and Defense!

Savar: “Hey, hey! Chill, mate!” I step forward with my hands


up to show them that I am unarmed. “I’m certain we can
reach an...” I don’t even get to the end of the sentence and
try to sucker punch the goon straight in the face.

Director: Ok! I’d say this combat begins with an Action


Turn then.

Savar: Nice. I use my Quick Action to get closer and roll


Smooth+Fight, since I’m using my pretty brass face to dis-
tract him before hitting him.
I roll 6 dice and get a nice Critical Success. In your face!

Director: The goon leading the gang points at you mock-


ingly while you get closer... But quickly stops laughing when
your right hook strikes, sending two teeth flying and drop-
ping him on his ass. The Enemy has Basic Defense and you
rolled a Critical, so they lose 3 Grit.
It’s a big hit.

Sam: Apparently things went south quickly... I think that


Savar can handle himself nicely, even if I’m tempted to join. I
jump on another goon and start bashing some heads.
I roll Brawn+Fight and score a Basic Success “Take that,
you jerk!”

118
Director: You pass the Enemy’s defense and deal 1 Grit. You
grab one of the goons and repeatedly hit them while the
others look at you and start questioning their choices.
Now that you’ve acted, it’s time for a Reaction Turn!
The Enemies grab at you from all sides, trying to pull you to
the ground. React with Brawn+Force.

Savar: I roll 5 and get... 2 Basic Successes!

Sam: Basic Success for me.

Director: The Enemy has Basic Attack, so you both manage


to dodge them. The goons try to pull you down, but you’re far
too quick for them. They crowd around you, pushing from
all sides, without really doing much. Savar, you also have an
extra Basic Success, how do you want to use it?

Savar: Since the Enemy has Basic Defense, I use it to count-


er. When the first goon grabs my shoulder, I pivot and slam
an elbow in his face.

Director: Ouch! The Enemy loses 1 Grit! Ready for the next
Action Turn? Come on, it’s your move.

119
Brawl
A Brawl is a type of combat, with or without weapons, that involves all or
most Heroes.
The rules for a Brawl allow you to manage any combat of little consequence
quickly, they are ideal for fist-fights and conflicts with lower complexity.

During a Brawl, all Rolls are Action Rolls . This means that with a single roll of
the dice, Heroes determine both if they manage to hit the Enemy and if they
were hit in turn.
If the Hero makes their Action Roll and manages to match or beat the Ene-
my’s Attack, then they landed a blow. If not, the Hero loses an amount of Grit to
represent the blows landed by the Enemy.
As usually happens for rolls , during a Brawl Heroes can use lower successes
to do Damage Control.

In contrast with normal combat, during a Brawl Heroes do not take Reaction
Turns, but only Action Turns. Once everyone has made their Action Rolls , the
Director assesses the situation and describes the scene. Then a new Action
Turn begins.

Savar: I jump on the Enemy and hit them with a flying kick.
I rolled a Critical Success.

Victor: I draw my pistol and shoot point-blank... Damnit!


A full-scale failure.

Director: Savar hits one of the Villain’s henchmen with a


kick to the face, knocking them out cold, the Enemy loses
1 Grit. Victor tries to shoot, but misses. One of the enemies
takes the chance to hit him with a punch to the side. Victor,
you lose 3 Grit. Back to you.

120
Enemies with Double Difficulty
When you’re in a Brawl against an Enemy with an Attack score of 2 Basic or
2 Critical, you risk losing twice the Grit.
The good news is that it only takes you ONE success of the right type to deal
them 1 Grit, which means you can get in some damage even if you don’t manage
to dodge all their blows.

For example, if you’re facing an opponent with 2 Critical Attack and score one
Critical Success, this means that you hit each-other. The Enemy loses 1 Grit, and
you lose 3. On the other hand, if you score 2 Critical Successes, it means you won
across the board. The Enemy loses 2 Grit, and you’re unhurt.

When to Opt for a Brawl


The rules for Brawls allow you to speed up
and simplify combat, but are not really
suited for more complex scenes, where
Heroes are scattered or busy with differ-
ent tasks.

When most Heroes are taking part in a fight


and their only goal is getting rid of
the Enemy quickly, if you don’t
want to spend a long time de-
scribing the combat, you can
choose to use the Brawl rules
to simplify the flow of the
game. Otherwise, you should
use the rules for combat.

121
Bang! Bang! Bang!
You can’t solve all your problems by shooting at them, but when kind words,
stealthy approaches, and good old fists just don’t cut it, the only thing left to do
is to make it rain bullets.

Range
What’s range in outgunned? First of all, it’s how you determine how many ac-
tions or turns it will take you to reach your target, then it’s how you determine
whether your weapon gives you a bonus or penalty to the roll.
When you’re shooting (or getting shot at), the Director decides the range
by choosing between:

♦ Melee: Target within 2 m/yd.


♦ Close Range: Target at 2-10 m/yd.
 Can be reached with a Quick Action.
♦ Medium Range: Target at 10-50 m/yd.
 Can be reached in one turn, or with an extra Full Action.
♦ Long Range: Target at 50-300 m/yd.
 Can be reached in 2 to 3 turns.
♦ Out of Range: Target beyond 300 m/yd.
 In line of sight but beyond useful reach. There are a few weapons that can
shoot Out of Range, for example, a sniper rifle.

You don’t need to use a map or grid to keep track of the distance between Heroes
and Enemies. You just need to estimate the range to know how many actions
the Heroes need in order to get closer to or farther from the Enemy. If you’re in
doubt, you can use Medium Range for most occasions.

The Director should use range to create a dynamic scene clearly understandable
to Heroes without requiring long descriptions that hinder the game and slow
down the story. When in doubt, they can always use the Medium Range.
For example, the Director can declare that combat begins with the Enemies
lurking at the end of the street, in Long Range, or with the Enemies menacingly
stepping out of a car in Close Range. If the situation is more complex or some-
what ambiguous, the Director can consider all Enemies that are not in Melee as
if they were in Medium Range.

122
Cover
When you’re being shot at, you usually react with
Brawn+Stunt. If you dive behind cover, you increase
your chances of dodging enemy bullets, but at the Carefree Bullets
same time decrease your chances of hitting the Ene- The rules about
my. It’s up to you. range allow you to
manage complex
♦ Partial Cover: +1 to Reaction Rolls, -1 to Action situations and
Rolls. set the scene for a
 You can reach Partial Cover with a Quick Action. greater variety of
This means that, during your Action Turn, you weapons, each with
can spend your free Quick Action to either their peculiarities.
reach or exit Partial Cover, before or af- However, if you do not
ter rolling the dice. Alternatively, you can feel the need for this
spend any extra Basic Success to get an added tool, feel free to
extra Quick Action. do without!
 A low wall, an upturned table, a pillar.
If you prefer to not
♦ Total Cover: Automatic Success to Reac- keep track of range, you
tion Rolls, -3 to Action Rolls. can simply ignore this
 You can get behind Total Cover by spend- tool and act as if all rolls
ing your whole turn and forgoing your usu- were made at
al Action Roll. Alternatively, you can also Medium Range.
spend any extra Critical Success to get an
extra Full Action and quickly throw your- If you choose to do this,
self behind Total Cover. Getting out of To- also ignore all bonuses
tal Cover requires a Quick Action. and penalties from
 The corner of a building, a car, a barricade. firearms and ranged
weapons (their Feats
Always remember that you can also use Quick still stand!) and apply
or Full Actions to push one of your friends be- the following rule: one-
hind Partial or Total Cover. You can even use a handed weapons give
Cool Action (Extreme Success) to reach cover no bonus, two-handed
with another Hero. weapons always grant +1.

face the enemy 123


Mags
Around here, we don’t keep track of bullets, but only of mags. For each weapon
you can carry up to three mags (plus one in the weapon), which you can note by
filling in the bullets you see in the Weapons & Gear box on your Hero Sheet.

When shooting, you never consume bullets or mags. You can have fun making
lead rain on your enemies. There are only 4 ways to empty a mag:

♦ Failure: When you fail a roll to shoot, you lose one mag. It means that you just
kept shooting without really hitting your target, that your weapon jammed
or misfired, or simply that that was the last bullet you had in the mag.

♦ Going Full Auto: When you voluntarily empty a mag against your Enemies
to gain +1 to the roll.

♦ Covering Fire: When you shoot in all directions to force your Enemies to
keep their heads down. Your friends (not you) gain +1 to their next Reaction
Roll. When you lay down covering fire, you use your full turn and make no
Action Roll.

♦ Bad Luck: As a consequence of your failure, the Director can state that one
or more of your mags were lost, taken away, or that they became unusable.

Reload
When you empty a mag, you’ll have to reload before being able to use the weap-
on again. To reload a weapon, you need a Quick Action. When all your mags are
gone, you must get more either by paying Cash or by stealing them from defeat-
ed Enemies.

To keep things simple, weapons are divided in types and each type shares a type
of mag. For example, you cannot reload an assault rifle with a pistol mag, but you
can use a pistol mag to reload any handgun model.

124
A danger to others
When shooting, you must be careful not to wound oth-
er Heroes who are also fighting.
Whenever you shoot at an Enemy who is in Melee
with one or more of your friends, your Actions become
a Gamble... at the others’ expense! This means that,
if you roll one or more Snake Eyes (1), all your friends
in Melee will have to fill that many Grit boxes, and Guns Akimbo!
could be quite irritated by all the bullets whizzing by Who hasn’t dreamed
their ears. of shooting two guns
simultaneously mid-
You should also be very careful jump? I surely won’t
when handling weapons with stop you.
the Explosive Feat. Using
them is always a Gamble When you’re shooting
for yourself and the people two guns, you do not
around you! To learn more get any bonus, but
about Gambles, go to the can rely on double the
dedicated chapter in mags. This means you
Section 3: IMPEND- can lay down covering
ING DANGER! fire AND shoot, or go
full auto twice in the
same round to gain
+2 to your roll.

You cannot
lay covering fire
and go full auto
at the same time.
Let’s be serious.

face the enemy 125


fists & bullets
Enemies
enemies
What would a Hero’s life look like without crowds and even armies of enemies
ready to get in the way of their mission? This game is called outgunned exact-

need for speed


ly because of those crowds of lowlife goons working for the Villain, so you better
get used to them. From the moment the action begins, a day won’t go by without
some gangster wannabes, corrupt cops, Russian mercenaries, or the odd ninja
coming to get you. So, keep your guard up.

The Director can rely on a vast selection of Enemies to pit against you in combat,
and each Enemy comes with a small sheet that describes them.
Always remember that an Enemy is not necessarily a single opponent, but usu-
ally a group of people, a pack of animals, or some vehicles trying to take you out.
As such, when Heroes have to face combat, the Director can simply choose an
Enemy of their liking and put it into play to represent any number of opponents

Guns & Gear


who act as a single group.

For example, when putting into play the “Goons” Enemy, the Director may
describe them as a group of three or ten thugs, or as a single big bruiser, and
even as a pack of guard dogs.
Enemy Attributes
Each Enemy can rely on a small sheet where you’ll find their Grit, and their
Attack and Defense scores.

For example:

GOONS - TEMPLATE 1
Some angry citizens, a couple hooligans, an old night guard.

ATTACK: BASIC DEFENSE: BASIC

The Attack score of an Enemy represents the difficulty of Reaction Rolls that
Heroes will make when dodging their attacks during Reaction Turns. For exam-
ple, if an Enemy has Critical Attack, it means Heroes will need to score a Critical
Success during their Reaction Turn and, if they fail to do so, they will lose Grit as
with all rolls .

The Defense score of an Enemy represents the difficulty of Action Rolls that He-
roes need to make to hit them during Action Turns. For example, if an Enemy has
Critical Defense, it means Heroes will need to score a Critical Success to make
them lose 1 Grit.

The number of Grit boxes on an Enemy sheet represents how many blows they
can withstand before going K.O.
Whenever the Director fills in a Grit box for the Enemy, it may mean that one of
the opponents has suffered a big blow or was knocked out.
When the Director fills in the last Grit box, it means that all opponents were
knocked out, that they surrendered, or that they all fled. The good guys won!

Losing against an Enemy


If all Heroes actively participating in a combat scene lose all their Grit, it means
that they were defeated.
When this happens the Enemy surrounds and captures them, or they are
pushed into a corner and forced to attempt a desperate escape.

face the enemy 127


Enemy Types
There are 3 kinds of Enemies: Goons, Bad Guys, and Bosses.

Goons: These enemies are a dime a dozen, minor lackeys who rarely pose
an actual threat to Heroes like you. Goons are perfect for early Sessions in
a campaign or for less important fights. They’re more of a hindrance than a chal-
lenge.
Director: The hooligans pick up metal bars and wooden beams and threateningly
come toward you. Nothing too bad, they’re simple Goons.

Bad Guys: The most common Enemies, well-trained henchmen or well-


armed soldiers who will give you a hard time on your adventure. Bad Guys
are the main course of all fights and the life of the party, perfect for all occa-
sions, and always ready to start trouble.
Director: A handful of soldiers dressed in black uniforms and armed to the teeth
gather in front of the building, they clearly have no intention of letting your through.
Watch out, these are Bad Guys!

Bosses: Big bad evil guys you shouldn’t mess with. The kind of Enemy you
face during a Turning Point or the Showdown at the end of a Campaign.
Bosses are much more than a challenge for most Heroes and defeating these
trained war-machines is never a sure thing.
Director: Two massive dudes in riot gear carrying multi-barrel Gatling guns move
toward your vehicle in slow, menacing steps. You don’t mess around with a Boss.

Goons tend to have Basic Attack and Defense, and they constitute more of an
annoying drawback than a real challenge. Bad Guys, on the other hand, usual-
ly have Critical Attack and Defense and, when armed with the right Feats, can
prove surprisingly tough to beat.
Bosses are the most powerful Enemies and should be used carefully.

For each of these 3 kinds of Enemies, you’ll find 5 Templates that will help you
keep combat scenes fresh and exciting.

128
Enemy Templates
For each Enemy Type you can choose one of 5 differ-
ent Templates, each described by their own sheet.
You’ll see that some Templates are stronger, while
others can rely on more Grit. Others still are simply
more powerful than other Enemies of their kind. CANNON FODDER
For convenience, Templates are listed in order of You’re a Director.
difficulty from 1 to 5. You need Enemies.
This means Template 1 Goons are weaker than Tem- You don’t have time
plate 5 Goons. And Template 1 Bad Guys are stronger to read the list.
than all Goons Templates. Lucky for you,
we have
In the next pages you’ll find tables for all Tem- Cannon Fodder!
plates of Goons, Bad Guys, and Bosses. When
you need an Enemy, go to the table, choose one Cannon Fodder is a
of the 3 Types, and then pick your favorite Tem- special Type of Enemy
plate. with 9 Grit boxes,
2 Basic Attack,
Playing Enemies Basic Defense...
As a Director, you are tasked with describing That’s it. No Feats,
and playing the role of Enemies as you see fit. no Special Actions.
For example, you can choose to put into play
some “Bad Guys - Template 1” and describe You can also try the
them to the Heroes as a group of burly bat- spicy version,
terers, or as a single highly-trained soldier, or with 2 Critical Attack
even as three police officers on duty. and Critical Defense.
A real challenge
Each Template includes some suggestions for any Hero.
about what opponents it could represent, but
feel free to use any Template to represent any When you’re in a hurry, or
type of henchman armed with bad intentions. whenever in doubt, toss
And there’s nothing wrong with just describing in some Cannon Fodder!
them as “a group of bad guys” without really fo-
cusing on the number. Who keeps count any-
way?

face the enemy 129


goons
1 FEAT POINT

Goons are the weakest Type of Enemy, two-bit brawlers or low-ranking hench-
men. Call Goons into play when you want Heroes to warm up a bit, or are trying
to slow them down.
These tattered Enemies are unlikely to win.

GOONS - TEMPLATE 1
Some angry citizens, a couple hooligans, an old night guard.

ATTACK: BASIC DEFENSE: BASIC

GOONS - TEMPLATE 2
A handful of drunken brawlers, an armed citizen, some rookie criminals.

ATTACK: 2 BASIC DEFENSE: BASIC

GOONS - TEMPLATE 3
A pair of cops in bad shape, a violent troublemaker, a gang of thugs.
ATTACK: 2 BASIC DEFENSE: BASIC

GOONS - TEMPLATE 4
A biker gang, three large bouncers, a medium-sized dog.

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: BASIC

GOONS - TEMPLATE 5
A group of henchmen, some neighborhood cops, a professional batterer.

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: BASIC

130
131
bad guys
3 FEAT POINTS

Bad Guys know how to earn respect, they generally pose a challenge for most
Heroes. Call Bad Guys with Templates 1 and 2 into play when you’re looking to
wear down the Heroes, maybe adding a couple of Dangerous Rolls before or after
combat. When you really want to keep Heroes on their toes, Templates 3, 4, and
5 are your best bet.

BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 1


A group of armed hooligans, a couple of well-trained agents, a very large guard dog

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 2


A couple of soldiers, a group of big and burly batterers, an expert commando.

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 3


A team of agents, a really big veteran, a squad of soldiers.
ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 4


A fierce martial artist, several armed criminals, some formidable mercenaries.

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 5


A team of ninjas, an assassin who never misses, a pair of really big bruisers.

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

132
133
bosses
5 FEAT POINTS

Bosses are extremely strong, and there is a decent chance that Heroes will not
prevail against one. As such, you should save Bosses for Turning Points and
Showdowns. Templates 1, 2, and 3 play rough, but their Defense score is not too
high. Templates 4 and 5 are truly excessive and, unless they can rely on several
Spotlights, Heroes are in for a world of hurt.

BOSS - TEMPLATE 1
A team of elite soldiers, a massive crime boss.

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BOSS - TEMPLATE 2
An angry grizzly, a crowd of mercenaries armed to the teeth.

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BOSS - TEMPLATE 3
Two huge guys armed with Gatling guns, 88 katana-wielding lunatics.
ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: CRITICAL

BOSS - TEMPLATE 4
An armored vehicle, a squadron from the special forces.

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: EXTREME

BOSS - TEMPLATE 5
A helicopter gunship, a person with superhuman strength.

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: EXTREME

134
135
Enemy Resources
Much like Heroes, Enemies can also rely on some trump cards to sway the odds,
including precious resources like Enemy Feats and Special Actions.

Enemy Feats and Special Actions allow the Director to tailor Enemies in order
to make each combat unique and unpredictable. However, the Director is NOT
required to use these resources. Indeed, they can choose to ignore them com-
pletely most of the time, as a way to make combat quicker and easier to manage.
But when the Director wants to dedicate more time and energy to a fight, they
can call into play Enemy Feats, Special Actions, and perhaps even both.

In the next pages, you’ll find a list of Enemy Feats and Special Actions for all oc-
casions, but feel free to come up with your own, if you wish.

Enemy Feats
Enemies can rely on 1 or more Feat Points which the Director can spend to buy
Enemy Feats. To be precise, poor old Goons only get 1 Feat Point, while Bad Guys
get 3, and Bosses get 5.
Some Enemy Feats represent additional characteristics, like Heavy-handed,
Relentless, or Fighters. Others represent special equipment, like Sharp Blades,
Bulletproof Vests, or Flamethrower.

Buying new Feats allows the Director to tailor the Enemies they put into play,
so they can always give the Heroes something different to face... or throw a
spanner in their works. All’s fair in action and war!

You should give one or more Feats to an Enemy when:

♦ You have time to prepare for the Session in advance.


♦ You want to set the scene for unique or specific Enemies.
♦ You want to challenge some overconfident Heroes.

136
Special Actions
Some Bad Guys and Bosses also have some
HOT BOXES among their Grit boxes.
When they fill in a Hot Box, the Director receives 1
Adrenaline, which they can spend whenever they want Final Blow
to make a Special Action. As a Director,
there’s always some
There are Special Actions that cost 1, 2, or 3 Adren- risk when trying to
aline. The Director is free to choose whether to use accumulate enough
Adrenaline immediately or stockpile it to make deadly Adrenaline to use a
Special Actions toward the end of combat. devastating Special
Action. Sometimes,
While Enemy Feats are used to tailor Enemies, one of those pesky
Special Actions are intended as a way to spice Heroes scores a
up combat, creating new and surprising dynam- portentous success
ics for the fight. Additionally, the Director is not and gets rid of the
required to choose before time if the Enemy will Enemy before you can
use a Special Action; they can simply collect use the final move.
Adrenaline and choose whether to spend it or When this happens, the
not in the moment. Director just loses all
Adrenaline and has to
You should use Special Actions when: deal with it.

♦ You want to extend a fight. Enemies who have


♦ You want to cause unforeseen accidents. a HOT BOX as their last
♦ You want to have some fun with the ene- Grit box, however, are
my strategy. an exception. In such
cases, the Director can
On Demand Enemies choose to spend their
At the end of this chapter, you will find 10 ex- Adrenaline even after
amples of Enemies fully equipped with Feats the Enemy is defeated.
and Special Actions, ready to get into the fray. One last parting
gift that will surely
make an impression!

face the enemy 137


List of Enemy Feats
Here you’ll find a list of Enemy Feats organized by their cost.
An Enemy with 1 Feat Point can only buy one 1-point Feat, while an Enemy with
3 Feat Points can buy a single 3-point Feat, or one 2-point Feat and one 1-point
Feat, or up to three Feats worth 1 point each.

1-Point Enemy Feats


AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
The Enemies are armed with tommy guns or similar automatic weapons. They
keep unleashing volleys of bullets.
Heroes who fail to score at least a Basic Success during their Reaction Turn
become Nervous. If they are already Nervous, they lose 1 additional Grit.

BULLETPROOF VESTS
The Enemies are wearing bullet-proof vests.
Heroes suffer -1 when rolling to hit the Enemy with firearms or ranged weapons.

FIGHTERS
The Enemies are experts in hand-to-hand combat.
Heroes suffer -1 when rolling to hit the Enemy without firearms or ranged weapons.

HEAVY-HANDED
The Enemies are burly, or armed with bats and chains.
Heroes who fail to score at least a Basic Success during their Reaction Turn
become Tired. If they are already Tired, they lose 1 additional Grit.

MOB
The Enemies are a large group of people, a small riotous crowd, or a gang with
far greater numbers than the Heroes. The blows are coming in from all sides!
When a Hero loses any amount of Grit, they always lose 1 additional Grit.

SHARP BLADES
The Enemies are armed with knives, claws, or sharp swords.
Heroes who fail to score at least a Basic Success during their Reaction Turn
become Hurt. If they are already Hurt, they lose 1 additional Grit.

138
TACTICS
The Enemies are well trained individuals who skillfully move through the battle-
field. Real pros.
When a Hero wants to use a Quick Action to get closer or farther from the En-
emy, they must flip a coin. Heads: the Enemy anticipates the move, the range
doesn’t change, and the Hero loses their action. Tails: the Hero repositions suc-
cessfully.

WALKING HAZARD
The Enemies are extremely dangerous, brazenly reckless, or armed with unusual
and threatening weapons.
Attacking the Enemy requires an Action Roll .

139
2-Point Enemy Feats
ARMORED
The Enemies are wearing anti-riot gear or cutting-edge armor, or they are cov-
ered by ballistic shields.
Heroes suffer -1 to rolls made to hit the Enemy.
An Enemy may have both the Armored and Bulletproof Vests Feats. When this
happens, the penalties to the roll stack.

HARD TO KILL
Despite taking on hard blows, the Enemies never fold. They just shrug off the
pain and keep on fighting without backing down.
When the Enemy reaches a Hot Box, they get 1 Adrenaline as usual, but lose no
additional Grit because of the attack. For example, if an Enemy stands to lose 3
Grit because of a Hero’s attack, the Director fills in Grit boxes up to the Hot Box,
and not after it.

MARTIAL ARTS
The Enemies are skilled martial artists who perform acrobatic kicks and men-
acing war-cries.
All Heroes who cannot rely on the Martial Arts Feat suffer -1 to their Action and
Reaction Rolls against the Enemy while in Melee or Close Range.

MEDKIT
The Enemies carry experimental medicines, combat drugs, or syringes of adren-
aline.
Just a “little help” to keep on fighting. When they lose all Grit, the Enemies
immediately gain 1 additional Grit and get back into the fray.

ONE STEP AHEAD


The Enemies are in perfect formation and can always rely on each-other, or they
are fighting on their home-turf and know the lay of the land. They leave nothing
to chance.
The Enemies have no Weak Spot. If a Hero tries to find the Enemy’s Weak Spot
and succeeds, they immediately realize there is none and lose 1 Grit due to the
disheartening discovery.

140
PIERCING BULLETS
The Enemies have weapons loaded with large-caliber or piercing bullets.
Heroes get no bonus from their bulletproof vests or from Partial Cover.

RELENTLESS
The Enemies are not afraid of anything, they take huge risks in order to get the win.
The Enemies ignore Covering Fire. Heroes who lay down Covering Fire use up
both their turn and mag, but gain no advantage.

SHOTGUNS
The Enemies are equipped with shotguns or similar firearms, highly effective in
close quarters.
All Heroes who are in Melee with the Enemy at the end of their Action Turn
suffer -1 to their next Reaction Roll.

3-Point Enemy Feats


EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS
The Enemies are armed with grenades and rocket launchers, or similarly explo-
sive and dangerous weapons.
During Reaction Turns, all rolls made by Heroes are considered Gambles.

FLAMETHROWER
The Enemies are equipped with a huge flamethrower that cranks up the heat for
this fight.
Heroes who fail to score at least a Critical Success during their Reaction Turn
will have to skip the next Action Turn. When the Enemy is defeated, the flame-
thrower explodes or becomes unusable in some way. What were you thinking?

RAGE
Rage burns white-hot in the eyes of the Enemies. This time, it’s personal!
The Enemies begin combat with 1 Adrenaline.

TITAN
The Enemy is a single opponent gifted with extraordinary resilience, or a group
of unstoppable soldiers who can shrug off the blows of Heroes easily.
Heroes cannot deal more than 1 Grit per every attack to the Enemy.

face the enemy 141


List of Enemy Special Actions
Here you’ll find a list of Enemy Special Actions organized by their Adrenaline cost.

When the Director fills in a Hot Box, they immediately get 1 Adrenaline.
When combat ends, the Director loses all unused Adrenaline.

1-Adrenaline Special Actions


COUNTER
After a Hero has dealt a blow, the Enemy quickly counters with a sharp blow.
The Hero loses the same amount of Grit that the Enemy has just lost.

DISARM
The Enemies try to disarm one of the Heroes.
If the Hero fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Brawn+Dexterity, they lose
their weapon.

FLASHBANG!
The Enemies toss a flash grenade that explodes in the middle of the battlefield
causing a loud bang and a flash of light.
Heroes who fail a Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Awareness become Dis-
tracted and suffer -1 to their next roll.

FOUL PLAY
An Enemy tosses some dirt into the eyes of a Hero, strikes them from behind, or
resorts to some form of unexpected foul-play.
If the Hero fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Crime+Awareness, they lose their
next Action Turn.

GRAB AND THROW


After a Hero has attacked, the Enemy grabs them and tries to throw them.
If the Hero fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Brawn+Endure, they end up on the
ground and suffer -1 to all rolls until they use a Quick Action to stand back up.

142
I DON’T THINK SO!
When a Hero uses any Feat that requires them to
spend some Adrenaline, the Enemies promptly inter-
vene to stop them. Choosing
The Hero loses the action, but doesn’t use up the Special Actions
Feat nor consume Adrenaline. To make your life
easier during the
PILE ON session, you can pick
The enemies pile on the weakest link of the group. the Special Actions
The Hero with the least Grit immediately loses the Enemy can rely on
2 Grit. If the Hero has lost all Grit, they do not beforehand.
run the risk of being Left for Dead, but become
Tired. If they are already Tired, they become The Enemy won’t
Hurt. If they are already Hurt, they become Bro- necessarily use all the
ken. Special Actions you
choose, but this will
TACKLE restrict the options
An Enemy charges toward a Hero, you’ll have to consider
tackling them head-down. mid-combat.
If the Hero fails
a Critical Reaction Roll Picking a short list of
in Brawn+Force, they lose Special Actions you
their footing and suffer want the Enemy to have
-1 to their next roll. beforehand will help you
save some time
during combat,
and add a sprinkle
of spice and
healthy tactics
to your job
as a Director.

face the enemy 143


2-Adrenaline Special Actions
CALL FOR BACKUP
The Enemies stop fighting and leave the scene, but another Enemy with a higher
Template or Type immediately comes in to take their place.
The combat resumes where it was interrupted.

CHAOS
The Enemies scatter around, break everything in sight, and cause a racket, or
they set off an alarm, or start a small fire.
From now on, the Heroes are dazed in the chaos and can no longer spend
Adrenaline to gain +1 to their rolls.

CLAMP DOWN
The Enemies grab hold of the Heroes with their bare hands or using chains
or ropes.
Heroes who fail a Basic Reaction Roll in Brawn+Stealth are trapped. During
their turn, a Hero can get free by making a Critical Action Roll in Brawn+Force.
So long as they are trapped, the Hero fails all Reaction Rolls.

GRENADE
During a Reaction Turn, the Enemies do not attack. Instead, one of them
throws a grenade. All Heroes involved must make an Extreme Reaction Roll in
Brawn+Stunt.
If a Hero scores an Impossible Success, they can bounce the grenade back to
the thrower, their friends do not lose Grit, and the Enemy is defeated.

PARRY
The Enemy is very strong on the defense.
After a Hero hits them, the Enemy ignores all loss of Grit.

SURROUND
The Enemies surround the Heroes, or lie in wait all around them to limit
their movements.
From now on, during their Action Turns, Heroes must sacrifice 1 Grit in order to
get access to their free Quick Action.

144
THREATS
The Enemies threaten the Heroes with their words or actions, or do something
so sadistic and reckless, that they leave the Heroes aghast.
Heroes who fail a Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Cool, lose 1 Adrenaline. If
they have no Adrenaline, they become Scared instead.

WEAK SPOT
The Enemies find and take advantage of a Hero’s Weak Spot.
That Hero suffers -2 to their next Reaction Roll.

3-Adrenaline Special Actions


FINAL MOVE
The Enemy falls on one Hero, striking them with all their might in a furious and
dramatic move.
If the Hero fails an Extreme Reaction Roll in Brawn+Fight, they become Bro-
ken.

INFAMY
The Enemy has a terrible ace up their sleeve, or feels no remorse for playing dirty.
When a Hero spends some Adrenaline or a Spotlight for any reason, they lose
the resource without gaining any benefit. If the Spotlight was being used to save
a friend, another Hero can choose to intervene by spending their own Spotlight.

SECRET WEAPON
The Enemy gains or reveals a weapon or skill they kept hidden up to this point.
They immediately gain one Enemy Feat of any kind, chosen by the Director.

TO THE END
The Enemy grits their teeth and shrugs off the pain. The Director erases 2 filled-
in Grit boxes. After this, the Director stops accumulating Adrenaline for the rest
of combat.

face the enemy 145


Weak Spot
Your Enemies always have loaded weapons, dangerous resources, and bad in-
tentions. But the good news is that most of them also have a Weak Spot you can
exploit to deal them a pretty big blow or to turn the tide in your favor.
For example, some Enemies may have a weak link among their ranks, or they
may be standing beneath an unstable structure that’s just waiting to collapse.
Others still may have been so rash as to wear a grenade on their belt…

Finding an Enemy’s Weak Spot


You can find an Enemy’s Weak Spot by making an Action Roll in Focus+Detect
with Difficulty equal to the Enemy’s Defense.
Alternatively, if you can rely on the Intuition Feat, you can spend 1 Adrenaline to
find the Weak Spot without rolling the dice.

When you find the Enemy’s Weak Spot, the Director will randomly generate a
Weak Spot by using the tables in the next page and tell you the result. You’re
then free to choose whether to share this information with the other Heroes or
to keep it to yourself.

To use the Weak Spot table, the Director can roll 2 numeric 6-sided dice. The
first to choose which table to use, the second to select the specific Weak Spot.

Exploiting an Enemy’s Weak Spot


Each Weak Spot grants +1 to a single roll or generates an advantageous opportu-
nity to strike your Enemy where it hurts.
Only a Hero who knows about the Weak Spot can exploit the advantage it
grants, and they can only do it once, regardless of whether they succeed or not.

Bear in mind that each Enemy only has one Weak Spot and, once you have found
it, you can’t hope to find a different one.

The Weak Spot is more than an advantage to exploit, it’s a chance for Heroes who
are less violently inclined to still do their part during a fight. While everyone else
unleashes bullets and fists, keener minds will analyze the situation and find a
way to stay one step ahead of the enemy.

146
WEAK SPOTS 1 - 2
One of the Enemies has a truly portentous weapon. A Hero can spend 1 Adrenaline
1
to gain a weapon of their choice.

Something allows you to sow chaos or generate collateral damage. A Hero can use
2
their turn to sow chaos, if they do this, the Enemies lose one Feat at random.

3 The Enemy is easily predictable. They lose 1 Adrenaline or skip the next Adrenaline gain.

4 There’s a blunt object or heavy weapon you can use. You can attack with Brawn+Force +1.

There’s an unstable structure nearby. You could knock it over with a roll of Focus+Fix.
5
If you succeed, the Enemy loses 2 Grit.

6 The Enemy is afraid of you. Gain 2 Adrenaline.

WEAK SPOTS 3 - 4
There is one safe way out. After a Reaction Turn, you can all abandon combat without
1
rolling the dice.

2 The Enemy’s back is to the wall. All Heroes gain +1 for their next Reaction Turn.

The Enemy is wearing some explosives and you can set it off with a succesful roll in
3
Crime+Dexterity. If you succeed, the Enemy loses 2 Grit.

4 The Enemy is distracted or hasn’t noticed you. You can attack with Brawn+Stealth +1.

The Enemy is hindered or trapped. A Hero can use their turn to deal 1 Grit to the Enemy
5
without rolling the dice.

Instead of a Weak Spot, you find... money! A Hero can use their turn to gain 1 $ with-
6
out rolling the dice.

WEAK SPOTS 5 - 6
The Enemy is exposed or standing beneath a precarious structure. You can attack with
1
Nerves+Shoot +1.

2 The situation is right for a crazy stunt to work. You can take a Gamble with +2.

3 The Enemies aren’t really sharp. You can attack with Focus+Know +1.

4 There’s a protuberance you can swing from. You can attack with Brawn+Stunt +1.

You can draw the Enemy in a trap by rolling Crime+Street. If you succeed, the group
5
skips the next Reaction Turn.

6 You realize that this is your chance. You get a Spotlight!

face the enemy 147


On Demand Enemies
Here you’ll find 10 Enemies created using the rules you have just read through,
each of them comes with Feats and Special Actions chosen especially for them.

BIKER GANG GOONS - TEMPLATE 4

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: BASIC


FEATS: Heavy-handed

ANGRY MOB GOONS - TEMPLATE 5

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: BASIC


FEATS: Mob

CORRUPT COPS BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 1

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Shotguns
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Foul Play

COMMANDO TEAM BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 2

ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Tactics, Armored
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Flashbang!, Grenade, Tackle

ANGRY GIANT BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 3

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Titan
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Grab and Throw

148
GROUP OF NINJAS BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 4

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Martial Arts, Walking Hazard
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Counter, Disarm, Parry

STRIKE FORCE BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 4

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Automatic Weapons, Bulletproof Vests, Tactics
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Counter, Flashbang!, Surround, Weak Spot

VILLAIN’S PRIVATE ARMY BAD GUYS - TEMPLATE 5

ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Bulletproof Vests, Piercing Bullets
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Grenade, I Don’t Think So!, Pile On, Secret Weapon (Flame-
thrower)

THREE SOLDIERS WITH GATLING GUNS BOSS - TEMPLATE 3

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: CRITICAL


FEATS: Automatic Weapons, One Step Ahead, Piercing Bullets
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Counter, Grenade, I Don’t Think So!, Parry, Pile On, To the End

TRAINED GRIZZLY BOSS - TEMPLATE 4

ATTACK: EXTREME DEFENSE: EXTREME


FEATS: Sharp Blades, Titan, Walking Hazard
SPECIAL ACTIONS: Chaos, Counter, Final Move, I Don’t Think So!, Pile On

face the enemy 149


enemies
need for speed
need for speed
The life of a Hero isn’t just made up of brawls, shootouts, and jumps off of burn-
ing buildings. There are also chases.
From time to time you’ll have to stop someone before they slip away, or reach
the border before it’s too late. It doesn’t really matter whether you’re chasing or
being chased. The only thing that matters is how fast you can drive.

When Heroes are on one or more rides running away from an enemy, or when
they are speeding after the enemy, that’s when a chase begins.
A chase is a fast-paces high-stakes scene during which Heroes must do ev-

Guns & Gear


erything in their power to increase their speed, while simultaneously putting a
spanner in their opponen'ts works.
During these adrenaline-pumping chases, the only two scores that matter are
Need and Speed. You heard me.

The Mission

150
Need
Need represents the objective of a chase.
If the Heroes are escaping from something, their Need is to outrun their pur-
suers. If they are the ones in pursuit, their Need is to catch up to the people
trying to flee.

During a chase, Need is represented by a line of boxes much like the ones
used for Grit. The harder the challenge, the more boxes of Need you’ll have. Once
all the Need boxes are full, the Heroes have won the chase.
When a chase begins, the Director is tasked with determining its Need score
using the tips and prompts in the next pages as their benchmark.

The Director determines the Need for this chase is 12.


They take a piece of paper and draw 12 boxes.

Speed
The Speed represents how fast the Heroes are when compared to their oppo-
nents.
The higher the Speed score, the better the Heroes are doing. Conversely, a low
Speed score means they are getting left behind.
Each ride has a speed score between 0 and 3. This represents its start-
ing Speed.

When the chase begins, the Players take a numeric six-sided die and place it in
the middle of the table to represent their starting Speed.

Sam’s car has a speed score of 1. When the chase begins,


the Director takes a die and places it on the table with the
number 1 showing. That’s the Heroes’ Speed.

At the end of each turn, the Heroes fill in a number of Need boxes
equal to their current Speed.
The higher their Speed, the easier it will be for them to win the
chase before it’s too late.

face the enemy 151


How chases unfold
Just like during combats, chases are also divided into Action and Reaction Turns.

Action Turn
During an Action Turn, the driver and other Heroes are free take any action they
think will increase their Speed.
Remember that Speed does not represent the ride’s absolute speed, but how
much faster you are when compared to your opponents. As such, Heroes can in-
crease their Speed by finding ways to go faster, like pushing on the gas or finding
a shortcut, but also by slowing down their enemies, for example by shooting at
them or putting obstacles in their path.

Sam: I must lose them! I floor it and, as soon as I have a


chance, make a sudden turn into a cross street.
I roll Nerves+Drive.

Johnny: I hang out of the car window and open fire on the
pursuers. I roll Nerves+Shoot.

If a Hero scores a Critical Success, their Speed increases by 1.


With an Extreme Success, Speed increases by 2; and with an Impossible Suc-
cess, Speed increases by 3.
A Hero who scores a Jackpot! finds a way to win the chase outright with a
single, outlandish maneuver or a surprising stratagem.

If a Hero does NOT score a Critical Success, the Speed decreases by 1. Clearly
their actions have backfired.
Keep in mind that Heroes are never forced to take an action to try to increase
their Speed, and that they can also choose to use their turn in another way, or to
forgo the roll entirely.

At the end of each Action Turn, the Director fills in a number of Need boxes
equal to the Heroes’ Speed. If there are Need boxes still empty, the Chase moves
on to the Reaction Turn.

152
Reaction Turn
During a Reaction Turn, the Director describes the action of the opponents and
asks all Heroes involved to make a Reaction Roll .

Director: Your pursuers will try to ram into you and push you
off the road. Sam, since you’re driving, roll Nerves+Drive.
Johnny, you roll Brawn+Endure to avoid getting tossed
around. Both are Dangerous Rolls with Critical difficulty!

For every Hero who fails their roll, the group loses 1 Speed.
And if that wasn’t enough, if the driver fails their roll, the Ride also loses 1 Armor.

Usually, Reaction Rolls made during a chase have Critical Difficulty, but the
Director can also choose to make them harder or easier depending on the cir-
cumstances.
Remember that all Reaction Rolls made during a chase are Dangerous. This
means that whenever a Hero fails their roll, they also lose some Grit.

If you have any doubt about what roll you should ask the Heroes to make, here
is a practical list of examples. Feel free to come up with your own Reaction
Rolls, choose from this list, or even roll at the beginning of the turn to randomize
the Reaction.

1. The enemies shoot at you.


The driver rolls Nerves+Drive, the others roll Nerves+Stealth.
2. Another vehicle or an obstacle suddenly gets in the way.
The driver rolls Nerves+Awareness, the others roll Nerves+Cool.
3. Something slams into your ride.
The driver rolls Brawn+Drive, the others roll Brawn+Endure.
4. You need to make a sudden turn.
The driver rolls Nerves+Dexterity, the others roll Brawn+Force.
5. You suddenly need to step on the brakes.
The driver rolls with Nerves+Cool, the others roll Nerves+Awareness.
6. You end up off-road.
The driver rolls Nerves+Survival, the others roll Nerves+Endure.

The minimum Speed is 0. Each time your Speed should go below 0,


the Director can erase an already filled Need box.

face the enemy 153


Setting the Need
When the chase begins, you must set a Need score by choosing a number be-
tween 6 and 18. This score represents the number of Need boxes Heroes need to
fill, in order to win the chase.

A chase with Need 6 is only good if your group of Heroes is traveling on a rickety
old ride and can’t even rely on an Ace at the wheel. In most cases, this won’t really
be a challenge.

Typical chases are going to have a Need score between 8 and 12, and these val-
ues are good for most cases. And if you sprinkle in a Countdown or Minimum
Speed on top, things are bound to get interesting.

Finally, chases with a Need score of 13 or greater can prove truly difficult to win.
You should only choose this route when the stakes are really high, or when you’re
thinking of spending half of a Session recounting the events of an electrifying
chase across the whole city.

In any case, the Director is always free to choose whether to reveal the Need
score to Heroes or not.

High Speed
When the Heroes reach Speed 5, it means that they’re really going fast. From
now on, all Action Rolls made by the driver are considered Gambles.
See Section 3: IMPENDING DANGER!

At Speed 6, the Heroes have reached Top Speed, it’s getting harder to keep con-
trol of their ride. When driving at Top Speed, the driver suffers -1 to all rolls. Un-
less you can rely on the Full Throttle! Feat, obviously.

Winning a Chase
Once the Director has filled in all Need boxes, the Heroes have won the chase.
The opponents have been reached or left behind.
If, at the beginning of an Action Turn, the Speed score is greater than the num-
ber of empty Need boxes, the Director can choose to end the chase in the He-
roes favor without asking for rolls.

154
Losing a Chase
During a chase there are many things that can go wrong.
Heroes can lose a Chase in 5 ways.

♦ The ride explodes: If the Heroes’ ride loses all its Armor, then it can no lon-
ger sustain any damage. The next time the Ride should lose Armor, it ex-
plodes spectacularly, leaving everyone on foot.
 Heroes lose 6 Grit each and the chase is lost.

♦ Lost all Grit: If all Heroes lose all Grit, they clearly couldn’t stand the ten-
sion. If they were chasing after someone, they have lost track of them.
If they were running away, they get captured or forced to fight.

♦ Out of time: During a chase, the Director can choose to start a Countdown.
If the Heroes do not reach their target in time, they lose the chase.

♦ Too slow!: As an optional rule, the Director can set a Minimum Speed re-
quired for the chase to continue. If the Heroes are too slow, they lose
the chase.

♦ Not worth it: At any time, the Heroes can choose to voluntarily withdraw
from a chase, accepting defeat in order to avoid worse consequences.

Countdown
OPTIONAL RULE
At the beginning of a chase, or at any time during one, the Director can announce
the beginning of a Countdown. From that moment, Heroes have 2, 3, or 4 turns to
fill up all Need boxes. Otherwise, it’s too late.

Minimum Speed
OPTIONAL RULE
After the third Action Turn of a chase, if the Heroes have neither won nor lost,
the Director can raise the stakes. This means that, at the end of each Reaction
Turn, the Director rolls a numeric die. If the result is greater than the Heroes’
Speed, the Chase is lost. Otherwise, the chase continues.

face the enemy 155


Scene 4 - Game example - Chase

Director: You thought you had managed to outrun them, but


when Sam looks in her rear-view, she notices two black cars
tailing you at high speed. Goons armed with tommy-guns
hang out of their windows. Let the Chase begin!

The Director determines this chase has a Need score of 8,


but doesn’t reveal it to Heroes. They take a piece of paper
and draw 8 boxes.

Sam: My car has a speed of 1, so our starting Speed is 1.


I floor the gas pedal and speed forward to try and outrun
them. I roll Nerves+Drive and get an Extreme Success.
+2 Speed for us!

Director: Your Speed grows to 3, and the pursuers are eat-


ing dust, but not relenting.

Victor: I know this city well, so I want to try giving direc-


tions to Sam. “Quickly, turn here. I know a short-cut” I roll
Nerves+Streetwise and get a Basic Success. I Re-roll and...
Nada, lost it. That’s a failure for me.

Director: Sam, Victor tells you to turn and you instinctive-


ly do. That would be a short-cut, but unfortunately as soon
as you turn, you find another car filled with your pursuers
ready to cut in front of you. You must make another sharp
turn, and your Speed goes down to 2. And this concludes the
first Action Turn.

The Director fills in 2 Need boxes. One for each Speed point
the Heroes have.

156
Director: Time for a Reaction Turn. The goons hang out of
the windows and shoot in your direction, raining a hail of bul-
lets on your ride. Sam, since you’re driving, roll Nerves+Drive
to get out of the line of fire. Victor, you roll Nerves+Stealth
to get your head down.

Victor: Another Basic Success. Re-roll and... Critical!


That was close!

Sam: I roll 6 dice and also get a Basic Success. I have a Free
Re-roll thanks to my Feat Hot Shot Driver but... nothing.
I didn’t get a better result, and am left with a Basic Suc-
cess apparently.

Director: Sam doesn’t manage to turn quickly enough and


your car is hit by a volley of bullets, which pierces through
the car side. The ride loses 1 Armor, and you lose 1 Speed,
you’re back to 1. Luckily, Victor manages to duck in time,
just before a bullet pierces through the windshield and his
seat. But there’s no time to celebrate, it’s your turn. On with
the next Action Turn.

157
Changing the starting Speed
The starting Speed of your Heroes is equal to the Speed of their ride, but the
Director can also choose to grant them +1 Speed when they have an edge over
their opponents. Perhaps they can rely on the element of surprise, or have saved
some time in a previous scene.

Similarly, the Director can impose a -1, -2, or -3 penalty to the Heroes starting
Speed to represent a big advantage their opponents have over them. Like when
the enemies are driving especially fast or high-performance rides, or when the
Heroes are starting late and moving in hostile territory.

The starting Speed can never be less than 0. When the Heroes’ Speed runs the
risk of going 1, 2, or 3 points below 0, the Director can instead choose to increase
the Need score of the chase by that many boxes.

Heroes on more than one ride


Sometimes, the Heroes are involved in a chase while they are on several sepa-
rate rides.
So long as all Heroes share the same objective, they also have the same Need
and the same Speed, regardless of whether they are traveling each on their own
motorbike, or in two separate cars.
When this happens, their starting Speed is equal to the average Speed of their
rides. If one of the rides involved in the chase explodes or chooses to stop for
any reason, the Heroes on the other rides can choose whether to stop and pro-
vide aid, or to keep the chase going on their own.

In the rare event where two or more groups of Heroes are on separate rides each
with their own objective, the Director can set up parallel chases, each with
its own Need and Speed. For example, when a Hero on a motorcycle is running
away from a pursuer and another Hero is driving a car chasing after a fugitive,
the two chases can have separate Need and Speed.

158
No-Ride Chase
Most chases involve people driving a car or motorcy-
cle, or in corner cases a speedboat, a plane, or a heli-
copter.
However, there are chases that involve no ride at all.
For example, when you and your friends are chasing
after your enemies on foot, moving over the rooftops
of a city, or when you’re swimming at top speed to
avoid getting eaten by a shark. And how could we for-
get the high-speed chases made skiing down a moun- carmageddon
tain? Some chases
are truly brutal, and
Not all chases need to be managed with the rules the only way to get
you have just read. Indeed, you can often simply home in one piece
use some Action and Reaction Rolls to set the is to eliminate all
scene for fast-paced, adrenaline-filled chases. opponents.
However, if you want to give more weight to a
chase on foot, you can assign a Need score to it When there’s no way to
and manage it just like you would a car chase. outrun your pursuers
and the only solution is
In such cases, the Heroes’ Speed represents resorting to violence,
their speed as a group, and all participants the Director can choose
need to make an Action Roll on their turn, un- to ignore Need and
less they choose to stop. Speed and manage the
When a Hero has lost all their Grit, it means scene as combat.
they were left behind.
In this case, the rides
During a no-ride chase, the Heroes’ starting chasing after you are
speed is always 0 unless the Director decides full-blown Enemies.
to grant them a +1 for special circumstances.

It goes without saying, but in a no-ride chase


there is no driver.

face the enemy 159


Special Actions during a Chase
Much like what happens during combat, the Director can choose to use Special
Actions to make a Chase more unpredictable. These Special Actions are dan-
gerous maneuvers and accidents that make the Chase more complex, forcing
Heroes to react promptly to avoid being left behind.
Here too, Special Actions are always optional, and should only be used in cir-
cumstances where the Director is looking to prolong the Chase, or to add an ad-
ditional level of complexity and excitement to it.

If you choose to use Special Actions in a Chase, you must turn up to 3 Need boxes
into Hot Boxes. After drawing the Need boxes, circle the third, sixth, and pos-
sibly ninth box, or draw a small flame around them. That’s it, you now have Hot
Boxes for your Need!

When the Director fills in a Hot Box on the Need track, they receive 1 Adrenaline,
which they can spend to make Special Actions as usual. Special Actions can be
used in any moment, during either Action or Reaction Turns. Here you’ll find a list
of some Special Actions designed for Chases.

1-Adrenaline Special Actions


BUMP
The ride bumps into something and is jostled about. The Heroes roll a numer-
ic die, the Hero with the lowest result hits their head and loses their next Ac-
tion Turn.

FIERY RAIN
A volley of bullets or hail of fiery debris rains down on your ride. All Heroes suffer
-1 to their next Reaction Roll.

OBSTACLE
There’s a road-block, a barricade, or a pile of rubble in your path.
If the driver fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Cool, the ride loses 1 Armor.

RUSH HOUR
There’s an unexpected traffic jam and everyone is honking their horn.
If the driver fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Focus+Streetwise to find an alter-
native route, the Heroes lose 1 Speed.

160
2-Adrenaline Special Actions
FASTER!
The opponents are flooring it, or a faster, enemy vehicle, has joined the chase.
From now on, the Chase has a Minimum Speed requirement of 4.

JAY-WALKER
An old lady with her shopping trolley or a similarly slow and distracted jay-walker
is crossing your path. Unless the driver succeeds in a Critical Reaction Roll in
Nerves+Dexterity to make a sudden turn, they run the risk of running over the
jay-walker and become Nervous.

SCRAMBLE
The ride does a 180, gets hit hard on the side, or rolls over several times before
landing right-side up. Heroes who fail a Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Endure
become Confused. If they are already Confused, they become Tired. If the driver
fails their roll, the ride also loses 1 Armor.

SUDDEN MALFUNCTION
There is something wrong with the ride. Unless a Hero succeeds in a Critical
Reaction Roll in Nerves+Fix, the Heroes lose 1 Speed and the ride loses 1 Armor.
This roll can be attempted by only one Hero and, depending on the circum-
stances, the Director can allow the Heroes to decide or choose who can attempt
the repairs.

3-Adrenaline Special Actions


EXPLOSIVE WEAPONS
A sudden explosion hits the ride. The driver must choose whether to hit the
breaks or drive through the flames and debris. If they stop, the Speed drops
down to 1. If they choose to continue, the Ride loses all armor it had left. If the
Ride is armored, it loses up to 3 Armor points.

GONE IN 60 SECONDS
The opponents are about to get the upper hand, there is no time to lose!
The Director starts a Countdown. At the end of the Heroes’ next Action Turn,
they will lose the Chase.

face the enemy 161


Mission Start

SECTION II

Time for action


SECTION III

impending danger!
SECTION IV

Gear up
SECTION V

Face the enemy


SECTION VI

Mission start
Guns
TheTitle & Gear
Mission
The Mission
What makes you a Hero? It’s clearly not the biceps of steel which you show off
when tearing off a sleeve from your shirt, nor is it the icy blood that barely cours-

those things help. Heist


es through your veins. It’s not your cunning, nor your easy one-liners. Even if

If you’re a Hero, it’s because you have a mission, and you’re willing to do what-
ever it takes to accomplish it. When action knocks on your door, you are ready to
put everything on the line to reach your objective.

advancement
The Mission is the reason why you and your companions have come together to
face off against a ruthless Villain and their army of mercenaries. It’s a common
goal that must be reached, no matter the cost, and the fate of many depend on
it... Perhaps even the fate of the World.
No pressure!

When you’re playing outgunned, you always have a mission to carry out. It
can be saving the president, stopping a nuclear launch, retrieving a briefcase, or
simply bringing a bad guy to justice. Sometimes your group will be aware of the
mission even before you fill in your Sheets, but often you’ll only find out about it
along the way, during the first Session. Anyway, sooner or later, destiny will call
on you to prove your valor.

The Stakes
Every mission comes with very high stakes. If you and your fellow Heroes don’t
get to work, the bad guys will win, and many innocents will pay the price.

The duty of a good Director is to make sure that every mission has dramatic
stakes, something like the end of the world, but also that these stakes are relat-
able to all the Heroes.
For example, a terrorist has infiltrated a military base and is threatening to
blow up the city. The stakes are sky-high! But what happens if that base is the
workplace of the sister of one Hero? And if the terrorist is actually a former
brother-in-arms left behind by one of the Heroes? Well, then it’s personal.

164
We're in this
Shots and Cinematic Campaigns together
You can carry out your mission in a single Shot, The Heroes share
or during a long Cinematic Campaign. the same mission,
but they’re not
A Shot is an adventure (or a fragment of adventure) necessarily all trying
that unfolds during one gaming Session. to achieve the same
When playing a single Shot, your mission is rather goal. Maybe one of
easy and can be carried out in the span of a few hours the Heroes is actually
by relying on all the tools you found in previous trying to save the
pages. You just need to gather your team, grab world, but maybe
your dice, and let the action begin. another is just trying to
clear their record. And
A Cinematic Campaign is a string of Shots con- maybe another one
nected to each-other to create a complex plot has joined the group to
that closely follows the classic structure of ac- save a family member,
tion movies. or because they were
When you’re playing a Campaign, you need paid handsomely
some additional tools, and this Section is ex- for it. When multiple
actly where you’ll find them. In the next pages, goals come together
you’ll find everything you need to keep tension in one mission, things
high as the mission progresses. are bound to get
interesting!
The Villain
The Villain is stronger, smarter, better armed, The only thing that
and better prepared than you. And to be fair, matters is that all the
they are also more loved by the public. A Hero’s Heroes must be united
life is an up-hill battle! by the same mission, and
A mission is not complete without a big bad that this goal gives them
evil guy with an evil plan and all they need to a good reason (or forces
carry it out. In upcoming pages, you’ll find all them) to trust-each
the tools and tips you’ll need to set the stage other, at least until
for a memorable Villain. the Showdown.

Mission Start 165


Cinematic Campaign
outgunned allows you to experience out and out Cinematic Campaigns,
adrenaline-packed stories, nothing less than true action movies.
Usually, Cinematic Campaigns are composed of 6-8 Shots, and follow the He-
roes as they go on a mission to defeat the Villain and save the day.

A Cinematic Campaign always begins with a Establishing Shot, ends with a


Showdown, and includes a Turning Point in the middle, or maybe even two.

Establishing Shot
The first Shot has two specific purposes: establishing the relationships be-
tween the Heroes, and starting off the mission.
The secret to building a good Establishing Shot is to place the Heroes straight
into the middle of the action, and to give them a chance to show what they’re
made of.
Someone bumps into one of the Heroes and tells them to “look where you're
going”. How does the Hero react? Do they let it go or snap bitterly at the person?
A troublemaker is annoying an old lady and an undercover Hero happens to be
nearby. Will they risk blowing their cover to swoop in, or do their best to swallow
the bitter pill?
It only takes a little to move from chit-chat to action, and to allow the Heroes
to properly introduce the kind of people they are.

What really matters is that, when you arrive at the end of the Establishing Shot,
all Heroes must have a clear idea of their mission and be motivated to carry it out.
And you can top it all off with a final scene where everyone looks at each-other
and realizes that there is no turning back!

Turning Point
The Turning Point is a special Shot that acts as a divide in the plot. In shorter
Campaigns, it’s best to have one Turning Point half-way between the Establish-
ing Shot and the Showdown, while in Campaigns that last 8 or more Shots you
can even have 2 Turning Points.

At the beginning of a Turning Point, Heat rises and the Heroes Advance. From
then on, you can set Goons aside and start bringing in Bad Guys and Bosses.

166
All Turning Points include a dramatic plot twist that turns the story upside down
and raises the stakes. For example:

♦ Great Reveal: The Heroes find out new and unexpected information that
changes their mission completely.
♦ Knife in the Back: A Supporting Character betrays the Heroes or abandons
them in their time of need.
♦ A New Threat: A Villain gets defeated, only to make way for a new Villain,
more powerful and evil than the first.
♦ Last-minute Tickets: The Heroes are suddenly forced to leave for a faraway
or unknown destination.

Showdown
The Showdown is the final Shot of
the Campaign, the moment when the
Heroes must fulfill their mission and
face the Villain, or their right hand, in a
desperate battle. Everything that
has happened in previous
Shots was there to raise
the tension in prepara-
tion for this final Shot,
where the stakes are at
their highest.

At the beginning of a
Showdown, Heat rises and the
Heroes Advance.
During a Showdown, Heroes can
have a Time-Out only in the begin-
ning of the Session, and they can no
longer raise the Heat.
Additionally, during a Show-
down, the Heroes cannot use
Spotlights to save the life of
one of their friends.
Be very careful!

167
3 pieces of advice
The stakes: The stakes must always be clear and always be high. The Heroes’
actions must always have consequences, and their choices must never be easy
to make.

Plant and payoff: Do you want Heroes to weep while clutching the dying body of a
Supporting Character? Do you want to send shivers down their spines when they
realize that the Villain was beside them all along? The secret to having memora-
ble and emotional scenes is to scatter details and crucial moments throughout
the story, and to give Heroes some time to form attachments.

Non-stop: Heroes never have time to backtrack or ask for help. They are always
called to act here and now. This means that they must play the hand fortune has
dealt to them. When they need them most, their safe houses are compromised,
their contacts unreachable or siding with the enemy, and every minute lost
could be fatal!

3 mistakes to avoid
Overfilled shots: Shots are made to be filled with action, charged with adren-
aline, and dense with intrigue, right? Wrong. A well-made Shot should never
be full. You always need to leave some room for Heroes and their stunts. If you
imagine the Shot like a container, remember that it must always have excess
room for the Heroes to play their part, interact, and move freely.

Too horizontal: You spend 4 Shots setting the stage for a plot twist, and then
nobody cares. Why? You’ve been focusing too much on the horizontal plot, which
is the overarching story of the campaign.
Try writing Shots that also have a good vertical plot, a simple but moving story
that starts and ends during the same Shot. This will ensure that Heroes remain
glued to their seats while you set the scene for your plot twists!

Action with no emotion: If an action brings the Heroes back to the same point
and situation where they began, then it’s useless! A combat or chase are more
than just random parentheses to roll some dice, they must always lead some-
where, or convey strong emotions. Battles can’t be filled with adrenaline in a
vacuum, it’s the stakes that make them interesting. Why are the Heroes fight-
ing? What happens if they lose?

168
Prequel, Sequel, Spin-Off, Crossover
When a Cinematic Campaign ends, you can immediately start another to play a
Sequel, but why not try playing a Prequel to find out more about the origins of
our Heroes?
You can also play a Spin-Off, a story with a marginal connection to your first
Cinematic Campaign. Maybe some of those who were Supporting Characters
can finally become Heroes and live a great adventure. And why not stage a nice
Crossover by bringing together Heroes from different Campaigns?

I mean, there’s basically no excuse to avoid writing your own Cinematic Saga.
And you even have a chance to pass around the Director role with every Cam-
paign!

Mission Sheet
The Mission Sheet is a special group sheet that allows you to keep track of ev-
erything that happens during a mission and to record the resources and infor-
mation at your disposal.
There’s also a Shot section, where you can write down short summaries of your
Shots so as to not forget anything.

HEROES VILLAIN WHAT’S YOUR PLAN B?


MISSION NAME

NAME ROLE STRONG SPOTS


BULLET BACKUP BLUFF
NAME ROLE

NAME ROLE
RIDE
NAME ROLE WEAK SPOTS
NAME

SHOT

12
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

9 NAME NAME

HELP HELP

FLAW FLAW

BRAWN BRAWN
6 NERVES NERVES
SMOOTH SMOOTH
FOCUS FOCUS
CRIME CRIME

CONTACTS & CLUES

HEAT
Mission Start 169
6: +1 LETHAL BULLET
9: +1 ENEMY FEAT POINT
12: +1 LETHAL BULLET + 1
The Director
If you've decided to be the Director, your desire for dangerous living is by far larg-
er than that of any Hero. Being a Director in outgunned is like driving a racing
car without a wheel as it barrels at full speed on the roof of a building, with your
windshield completely covered in the drying laundry you just ran through. Basi-
cally, you can try your best to be prepared, but in the end, you’ll always need to
play it by ear and let the car decide where you’re going.
The good news is that the Heroes are exactly in the same boat, and your goal is
actually to work together to ensure that everything goes right!

Remember, you’re not perfect, you’re not all-knowing, and you’re not the only one
responsible for ensuring that the story goes well and doesn't derail. And thank
goodness for that! First and foremost, you are a Player like the others. You just
have a slightly different role from those who play Heroes. The happy resolution
of a Cinematic Campaign requires a collective effort by all Players, and you just
have to do your best.
To help you on the hard path you chose, I want to give you 3 tips:

Keep up the pace: Arguably your one true job as a Director is to set and keep the
pace of the story. Drop the Heroes into the middle of the action, turn every fail-
ure into another chance, and never let the plot lag. If the game slows down, you
raise the stakes, use Supporting Characters and Enemies to add pressure, and
help the Heroes describe their successes and failures in exciting ways. I want to
see you breathless by the end of a good chase or heart-pounding fight!

Improvise: In outgunned, there is no failure, and the dice are always right.
And if that wasn’t enough, Heroes can also rely on Spotlights and Plan Bs to be-
come a thorn in your side. You see where I’m going with this? You can’t control
everything. You can’t know everything. At some point, you’ll have to improvise,
and you know what? That’s just fine. Don’t try to hide it, take your time, follow the
Heroes’ intuitions.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, turn that question back to the oth-
er Players.

Have fun: I’m serious. Have fun! Play with the Heroes, stage a wonderful story
with them, and let the story surprise you as it unfolds. You can do it!

170
Director Sheet
When the Heroes need to write things down, they have their Hero Sheet, and also
the Mission Sheet. When the Director needs to take notes, they just have to use
a random piece of paper... That doesn’t seem fair!

So, let me introduce the flaming blue Director Sheet, your new best friend.
On the Director Sheet, you can note:

♦ Mission: The Heroes’ objective.


♦ Heroes: Who the Heroes are. Try writing down their Catchphrases and
Flaws so that you can keep them on hand throughout the Campaign.
♦ Villain: Who they are, what are their strong spots and weak spots.
♦ Heroes’ Ride: What Rides the Heroes use to travel, and how much Armor
they have left.
♦ Chases: Enough with sketching down Need boxes, use the ones on your
Sheet!
♦ Heat: The current Heat level.
♦ Enemies: Create your Enemies directly on this Sheet.
♦ Supporting Characters: The most important side characters.

HEROES
ENEMIES
MISSION
NAME
HERO ATTACK: DEFENSE:
HERO FEATS

HERO SPECIAL ACTIONS

HERO

VILLAIN STRONG SPOTS NAME

ATTACK: DEFENSE:
WEAK SPOTS

FEATS

12
SPECIAL ACTIONS

HEROES’ RIDE
NAME
NAME
ATTACK: DEFENSE:
9
FEATS

SPECIAL ACTIONS

BASIC CANNON FODDER: 9 GRIT - ATK: 2 BASIC - DEF: BASIC


6 CRITICAL CANNON FODDER: 9 GRIT - ATK: 2 CRITICAL- DEF: CRITICAL

CHASES SUPPORTING CHARACTERS


NEED
NAME NAME

HELP HELP
NOTES

FLAW FLAW
SPECIAL ACTIONS
BRAWN BRAWN
NERVES NERVES
SMOOTH SMOOTH
NEED FOCUS FOCUS

HEAT
CRIME
Mission Start CRIME
171
NOTES
6: +1 LETHAL BULLET
9: +1 ENEMY FEAT POINT
SPECIAL ACTIONS 12: +1 LETHAL BULLET + 1
The Villain
A terrorist from a faraway land who boasts about high ideals has put the authori-
ties in check and divided the opinions of the public. But they are actually nothing
more than a brilliant thief trying to become filthy rich.
An old veteran has lost their moral compass and become convinced that the
world is sick and they are the only cure. A classic!
A wealthy visionary has designed the perfect nuclear deterrent. Now they
want to blow up the state capital to show everyone how effective it is. Those are
a lot of eggs to break for an omelet.

Villains are terrible jerks, loved and


hated by all. Brilliant criminals with high
ideals, dubious intentions, and the worst
possible means. They are absolutely
terrifying people and, let’s be honest here,
if there wasn’t a Hero like you to spoil their
party, there’d be no doubt that the Villain
would succeed in their terrible plans.
Who else could stop them?

Whether stopping them is


the goal of your mission or
the greatest obstacle stand-
ing between you and your
objective, the Villain is
a key element of every
Cinematic Campaign,
and they will truly make
a difference.

172
The Forces of the Villain
All Villains are smart and ruthless people who can rely on the assets,
means, and goons they need to carry out their terrible plans.
On top of this, each Villain can also depend on 2 or 3 Strong Spots among:

♦ Law enforcement: The Villain is the leader of a government agency, or they


have the police on their payroll. Calling 911 is no use.

♦ Organized crime: The Villain is a mob boss, or a trafficker with import-


ant ties with local organized crime. They know everything that happens in
their city.

♦ Untouchable: The Villain is a politician, or they have diplomatic immunity


and cannot be incriminated easily. You must expose their evil to the world.

♦ Extraordinary individual: The Villain is mighty and strong, or an expert


martial artist, or they beefed up their body thanks to science. Even alone
and bare-handed, they are a Boss Enemy.

♦ Unlimited funding: The Villain is loaded; they can afford to buy a whole
restaurant just because they want to skip the line. There is no limit to
their means.

♦ Secret organization: The Villain is the leader of a spy agency, of a mystical


sect, or of a similar secret organization. Their spies are everywhere, hiding
in plain sight.

♦ Cutting-edge tech: The Villain has access to unthinkable technology and


the latest products of science. Their lair is a veritable fortress, with all man-
ner of defense systems.

♦ Leverage on the Heroes: The Villain has taken hostage someone near and
dear to the Heroes, or has incriminating evidence or some kind of informa-
tion that allows them to keep the Heroes in check. In order to stop them,
that leverage must be neutralized.

Mission Start 173


The Villain’s Weak Spot
Even Villains, although they are mighty and evil, are still human beings.
And, like all human beings, they have their weak spot.

When creating a Villain for the story, the Director must saddle them with one or
two weak spots that, when discovered, can help Heroes gain the upper hand.

The Weak Spot of a Villain could be a literal weak spot, like a bad leg that’s a re-
minder of an old battle. But it’s more likely to be a piece of information that can
be used against them, or a person whose love or respect are very important to
the Villain, or even a twisted moral code that they can’t break.
Often enough, the Villain’s weak spot is connected to their motives, to what
put them on the road of evil.

Whatever the Villain’s weak spot may be, bringing it up at just the right moment
could be a great Help for the Heroes, and it can really make a difference during
a Showdown.
While playing a Cinematic Campaign, the Turning Point can be the perfect mo-
ment to give the Heroes a chance to find the Villain’s weak spot, perhaps by in-
terrogating their right hand, or by hacking into the right database.

Director: The helicopter of a famous tv station flies over


your head, and suddenly thousands of viewers can see you
wriggle as you hang from a ledge on live television. You’re on
your last leg when the Villain steps closer, crowbar in hand,
ready to send you plummeting to your death.

Johnny: Not long ago, I found out this jerk’s weak spot:
they want everyone to see them as the hero! I look up to the
camera that’s peeking out of the chopper and yell “If you kill
me now, everyone will know who you really are!”

Director: The Villain stares straight into the camera lens,


eyes wide. Your words have left them literally paralyzed. This
is your chance to act, and you earned a +1.

174
Facing the Villain
The Villain is more than a simple opponent, they are
your sworn nemesis, and the only thing that stands be-
tween you and your mission.
This is why, when you face a Villain, you must keep a
few things in mind:

♦ The Villain can only lose during the Showdown Outgunned.


and can’t be defeated in earlier Shots. A Villain Outnumbered.
can meet their bitter end during a Turning Point, Outplanned.
only to get replaced by another, stronger and Let’s be clear, some
eviler than them. people will turn up in
twenty to have words
♦ All rolls against a Villain are made with -1, with a guy smaller than
unless you are in a Showdown. them. Around here,
we call them enemies.
♦ You can't spend a Spotlight to hurt, cap- You, on the other hand,
ture, or swindle the Villain, unless you are you’re a Hero. You
in a Showdown. always pick fights with
people bigger than you.
♦ Not all Villains are fearsome Enemies
in combat. Those who aren’t can rely on As such, the Villain
a right hand who is ready to make your is always stronger
life difficult. and better prepared
than you, and their
The Villain’s Right Hand goons always have the
A good Villain can always rely on one or two numbers advantage.
right hand people, Boss type Enemies, or Bad
Guys with a high-level Template. Don’t worry, that means
you're on the right side
The Villain’s right hand is an Enemy in all re- of this!
spects, but they can only be defeated during
a Turning Point or Showdown. If dealt with
during any other Shot, they will always find a
way to return.

Mission Start 175


Supporting Characters
Brilliant professors unable to take care of themselves, lovable and righteous
cops who ate one too many donuts, and smart aleck pilots whose foot barely
reaches the gas pedal, Supporting Characters are a Hero’s best friend.

More than background extras, but somewhat less than full-fledged protago-
nists, Supporting Characters are an endless source of joys and trials, and they
somehow always manage to find their way into our hearts.
One of the most important duties of the Director is to bring in charming and
interesting Supporting Characters who can catch the Heroes’ interest or atten-
tion. The kind of character who is easy to love or hate, and hard to forget.

Characteristics of Supporting Characters


Supporting Characters have a handful of characteristics you can easily note in
the appropriate sections on the Mission Sheet or Director Sheet.

♦ Name: The name of the Supporting Character.

♦ Help: Each Supporting Character has one or more characteristics that al-
low them to help Heroes in specific circumstances. For example, a “Hacker”
Character can Help you infiltrate into a network or disable cyber defenses,
while a “Police Agent” Character can help you get into the central station, or
remind you of what the law says.

♦ Flaw: Each Supporting Character has a Flaw that can make them a thorn
in your side at the worst possible time. For example, “Gets drunk and talks
too much”, “Always does the right thing”, “Is greedy and self-serving”. When
the Flaw comes into play, it acts opposite to the Help, throwing a spanner
in your works and making certain actions harder or even impossible for you.

♦ Grit: Each Supporting Character has 3 Grit points. Unlike Heroes, Support-
ing Characters always lose 1 Grit at a time.

♦ Attributes: Each Supporting Character can rely on 5 Attributes with a score


between 3 and 5, which represents the number of dice the Director can roll
when the Supporting Character takes action in a dramatic situation.

176
Creating a Supporting Character
To create a Supporting Character, the Director needs to choose a name, Help,
and Flaw and note them down in the appropriate section of the Director Sheet.
When this happens, the Heroes can also note down the Supporting Character in
their Mission Sheet, but the Director can choose whether to tell them the Flaw
right away, or wait for them to find out on their own.

Each Supporting Character has at least 3 points in each Attribute, but the Di-
rector can allocate between 1 and 6 additional Attribute points to customize or
enhance them.

Having a Supporting Character Act


Supporting Characters are no Heroes, and they should never take up too much
space during a scene. In most cases, the Director can portray Supporting Char-
acters simply by relying on their Help and Flaw, without needing to slow down
the session with more dice rolls.
The Director should only resort to rolling dice for one of their Attributes that
seems relevant to the situation when it becomes absolutely essential. For ex-
ample, when a Supporting Character is at the center of the scene, or when they
attempt something truly dangerous.

Even during a combat or chase, Supporting Characters don’t need to make every
Action and Reaction Roll like Heroes do. They only come into play when they are
relevant for the plot or when they make the story more interesting.

NAME MEKIA DAV


IS
HELP NYPD DET
ECTIVE
FLAW ALWAYS DO
ES THE RIGH
T THING
BR AWN
NERVES
SMOOTH
FOCUS
CRIME

M e k i a
Mission Start 177
Grit of a Supporting Character
Each Supporting Character has 3 Grit points.
Like Heroes, Supporting Characters who lost
Spotlight on a all Grit can’t sustain any more damage. If they
Supporting lose any more Grit, they will be Left for Dead, and
Character only a Spotlight can save them.
In desperate or
extreme situations, A Supporting Character may lose 1 Grit point:
the Players or Director
can choose to ♦ After a failure made by them or by the He-
sacrifice a Supporting roes.
Character to gain
the same benefits ♦ Because of an Enemy’s attack during a Re-
normally granted by a action Turn. Supporting Characters don’t
Spotlight. take part in every Reaction Turn, but can be
forced to roll dice when attacked, or when
When this happens, the enemy is targeting them specifically.
the Supporting
Character takes ♦ In dramatic circumstances, for example,
center stage and does when they run too big of a risk, end up in
something heroic or the wrong place at the wrong time, or end
flat-out crazy in order up facing the wrong enemy.
to help the Heroes on
their mission, before Keep in mind that Supporting Characters always
bowing out in epic or lose 1 Grit at a time, regardless of how strong
dramatic fashion. of a blow they take or how big their failure.

Once they’ve had their Supporting Characters recover 1 Grit every


moment in the limelight, time they Catch a Break or get a Time-Out.
the Supporting Additionally, a Hero can use one of their ac-
Character is Left for tions during a Time-Out to treat the wounds of
Dead. a Supporting Character with a Critical Action
Roll in Focus+Heal. If they succeed, the Char-
But we will remember acter recovers 1 Grit.
them always!

178
The many uses of Supporting Characters
On top of having a role in the plot, Supporting Characters can offer various
prompts to the Director, allowing them to add some interest to a scene or story.
For example:

♦ Adding color to a failure: A Supporting Character can be the perfect com-


ic relief, taking the fall for a Hero’s failure and helping them save face. You
can always use them as a narrative expedient to justify a terrible roll and to
make a failure more fun for all.
 Director: You failed the roll to climb over the wall. You nimbly jump up and are
about to hoist your leg over... When suddenly Oleg, the clumsy zoologist you’ve
been carrying around, grabs onto your belt to hoist himself up and yanks you
to the ground with a thud. “Watch out!” he snaps at you. Insult on top of injury!

♦ Complicating things a little: You can take advantage of a Supporting Char-


acter to make challenges even more challenging, or to create a problem
where there wasn’t one. A Hero is comfortable both in a hail of bullets and
at a fancy dinner, but Supporting Characters could freeze when faced with
danger, or pay a compliment to the wrong person.
 Director: The commotion caught the attention of a pack of Doberman guard
dogs, who start running toward you. You have a small lead, you can try to es-
cape, but Oleg will have a hard time keeping up. One of you will have to help
him out and get slapped with a -1 on their roll to run.

♦ Shedding light on something important: When you want to get the Heroes’
attention on something or someone, or when you want to underline an ele-
ment in the scene, you can always rely on the Supporting Character. These
characters love to interact with the world around them, they can give you
a chance to naturally bring up details and situations, without necessarily
having to force them on the Heroes.
 Director: You easily mingle with the elegant guests speaking about things
you can’t afford, but good old Oleg trips into a man dressed in black. “Beg par-
don” Oleg apologizes, as the man tries to swiftly close his jacket to hide the
gun he is wearing on his belt, then vanishes without a word.

Mission Start 179


The Heat
As your mission progresses, heat will rise. And I’m not talking about the midday
sun. This is the kind of heat that has you sweating bullets when you must choose
whether to cut the blue or red wire.
Friendly advice: it’s never the red wire.

Heat is a tracker with numbers from 1 to 12 and it represents how much danger
the Heroes are in.
This tool is designed to be used during Cinematic Campaigns, and it allows the
Director to raise the stakes gradually as the Heroes’ mission proceeds.

Whenever the Heroes fail to reach an objective, get delayed, or when the Villain
wins, the Heat rises and the Heroes will have to deal with annoying setbacks or
even be forced to add Lethal Bullets to their Death Roulette.

180
Rising Heat
When the mission begins, the Heat level is equal to the number of Heroes in the
game.
For example, if there are 4 Heroes on the mission, the starting Heat is 4.

Things that cause Heat to rise by 1 are:

♦ Point of No Return: At the beginning of a Turning Point or Showdown.


♦ Sad Goodbye: When a Hero or Supporting Character is Left for Dead.
♦ Stinging Defeat: When the Villain or one of their goons gets the upper hand
on the Heroes, or when they succeed in reaching a crucial objective.
♦ It’s Too Late: When the Heroes lose time, or when they linger too long on a
Time-Out.
♦ Fatal Mistake: When the Heroes make a misstep, trust the wrong person, or
underestimate their enemy.

In any case, when the Heroes come to the Showdown, the Heat is locked and
doesn’t rise anymore.

Impact of Heat
When the Heat reaches certain set levels, the Heroes’ lives get harder:

♦ Heat 6: All Heroes add a Lethal Bullet to their Death Roulette.


♦ Heat 9: All Enemies have 1 additional Feat Point.
♦ Heat 12: All Heroes gain 1 Adrenaline and add a Lethal Bullet to their
Death Roulette.

Additionally, the Director can decide that, when the Heat reaches a certain level,
the Heroes will have to face an added difficulty, or the Villain will manage to set
in motion a phase of their plan, causing damage beyond repair.

For example, the Director may decide that, when the Heat comes up to 8, the
Villain manages to track down and capture the child of one of the Heroes. You
don’t play with fire.

Mission Start 181


Plan B
The Plan B is possibly the most powerful resource a Hero can rely on, and it only
comes into play during Cinematic Campaigns. Think about Plan Bs as something
of a group Spotlight, only more powerful than that!

The goons surround the Heroes with guns drawn and bad intentions. All seems
lost, when the rotor of a chopper announces the incoming cavalry. Luckily,
someone had called for Backup.
A plane is about to launch a missile that will demolish the entire building, but a
Hero grabs their pistol and bang! A single Bullet flies through the sky and reach-
es the tip of the missile, blowing it up along with all the enemies.
The Villain has cuffed a Hero and threatens to torture them while telling them
everything about their life and future plans. When the time is right, the Hero
makes their move. They were never trapped, it was just a Bluff!

Thanks to their Plan Bs, Heroes can always find a way out of every
situation, turning even the worst of their failures into an epic scene
worthy of the best ac-
tion movies.

182
What’s your Plan B?
When you set off on a Cinematic Campaign, your group will be able to rely on 3
Plan Bs:

BULLET: Your group gains a success or an unbelievable advantage thanks


to a single bullet fired with extreme precision or luck. You can activate
this Plan B to create a blazing diversion, to bend the trajectory of a bullet against
all laws of physics, or even to deal the final blow to an especially stubborn enemy.
Victor: I shoot at the oil tank to make it explode, and then use the distraction to
leg it out of here.

BACKUP: Your group gains a success or an unbelievable advantage thanks


to some outside help, to someone swooping in, or to the action of a friend.
You can activate this Plan B to call on a Supporting Character to swoop in and
take you out of trouble, or to find a way out of a thorny situation, or to allow a
Hero to help another in their time of need.
Sam: A battered old truck rams into the vehicle chasing us and gives us a chance
to escape. Luckily, I had called for backup.

BLUFF: Your group gains a success or an unbelievable advantage thanks


to your cunning, by using a savvy expedient, or by lying shamelessly to the
enemy. You can activate this Plan B to fool one of your enemies, to get rid of
constraints, or to rewrite history for your benefit.
Johnny: Everyone thinks I’m unarmed, but I still have a gun taped to my back un-
derneath my shirt. Surprise!

Activating a Plan B
A Plan B is a very precious resource, this means your group can activate each
Plan B only once in the entire Campaign and can never use two Plan Bs in the
same Session.

Your group can activate a Plan B at any moment, even in the middle of a dice roll,
so long as everyone agrees on the when and how.
Alternatively, a Hero can choose to activate a Plan B without the approval of oth-
ers. If they do this, they get all advantages of the Plan B, but they can’t activate
any more for the rest of the campaign, and the others can activate other Plan Bs
without their approval.

Mission Start 183


Time-Out
Not even Heroes can go on for an entire mission without ever taking a break.
When the wounds or doubts start to pile up, there comes a point where you need
to pull back, rest your eyes, and plan your next move.

Time-Outs are breather scenes, where Heroes find a safe shelter and can finally
take off their holsters.
For example, a night spent in a motel just outside of town, looking through a
curtain at the cars that drive by. A visit to the garage of a dear friend, where you
can lay low and wait for the dust to settle. Everyone camping around a fire in the
middle of the desert. Or even, why not, a flight spent in the belly of a plane, wait-
ing to parachute toward your target.

A Time-Out gives Heroes a chance to discuss the best way to proceed on their
mission, to recover their strength, and to get the right gear before an important
battle. It’s the perfect occasion to lighten or add to the tension, and especially
to explore the relationships between Heroes and tighten the group dynamics.

Director: The jangling of keys echoes in the hallway while Victor opens
the door to his old study. Inside you’re greeted by a threadbare carpeted
floor covered in scattered papers and boxes. The studio isn’t much, but
it’ll keep you warm and safe for one night. Enjoy your Time-Out.

184
What happens in a Time-Out
When the Director calls for a Time-Out, Heroes can finally breathe a sigh of relief
and recover their Grit. For the duration of a Time-Out, the Heroes’ situation is
relatively quiet and safe, and they can focus on all those operations that require
too much time or peace of mind to be resolved during a mission.

During a Time-Out, each Hero can take 2 actions among:

♦ Investigating: A Hero can use an action to make headway in an investiga-


tion, getting in some phone calls, gathering info, or pursuing their research.
♦ Healing: A Hero can use an action to remove a Condition from either them-
selves or a friend.
♦ Fixing: A Hero can use an action to repair something, or to restore some
Armor to a Ride.
♦ Shopping: A Hero can use an action to buy guns and gear, provided that
they have access to someone who sells them.
♦ Working: A Hero can use one or more actions to do anything that requires
time. For example, cracking a password, or going somewhere.

When all Heroes have taken 2 actions, or passed on their chance to do so, the
Time-Out is over, and the group moves to the next scene.
If the Heroes all agree to extend their Time-Out, they each gain an additional
action, but the Heat rises by 1.

When to Have a Time-Out


Time-Outs can be useful because they allow Heroes a chance to catch their
breath, organize, and chat, but they must be rationed carefully. Bear in mind that
you don’t need to have a Time-Out every session, and whatever the circumstanc-
es, there should never be two Time-Outs in the same shot.

It could be smart to start off a session with a Time-Out to allow Heroes a chance
to take stock of the situation and get ready for what’s coming. Similarly, a Time-
Out at the end of a shot can be extremely emotional, especially if it comes after
a stinging defeat, to give Heroes a chance to work through everything that has
happened and lick their wounds. Finally, the middle of an especially long session
can also be a good time to have a Time-Out, so it can act as intermission be-
tween the first and second half of your adventure.

Mission Start 185


The
TitleMission
Heist
Heist
Heists are a special kind of mission, where the Heroes’ goal is to carry out the
heist of a lifetime, or to sneak into or out of an impenetrable structure.

advancement
Whether it’s about robbing a casino in Las Vegas, breaking out of a maxi-
mum-security prison, or carrying out a top-secret operation to retrieve sensi-
tive data that ended up in the wrong hands, a Heist is always an exciting story.

Outline of a Heist Campaign


Early sessions during a Heist Campaign are the most important ones, as they
are devoted to bringing the team together and making a fool-proof plan.
A Heist worthy of the name begins with a smaller job, a preparatory mission
that lays the foundations for the actual robbery, or with an easy-peasy job where
something goes terribly wrong, raising the stakes beyond measure. For exam-
ple, a Heist could begin with some of the Heroes trying to break another Hero or
Supporting Character out of prison because they are the only one who can help
them pull off the heist. Or with a mission to recover an en-
crypted drive that goes without a hitch... Until a turncoat
betrays them all, leaving the Heroes empty-handed.

186
The Turning Point of a Heist is a time for great revela-
tions, when a new enemy appears, or the Heroes find
out a crucial detail that foils all their plans. The Show-
down of a Heist, on the other hand, is the defining
moment when Heroes have to snatch their loot and
get out. This is
your mission
The Masterplan On some occasions,
To play a Heist Campaign, Heroes need to make a the Director may
Masterplan. The scene where they lay down the need to draft the
Masterplan is crucial in every Heist, as it gives Masterplan, because
all characters a chance to gather around a table the Heroes are acting
or in front of a whiteboard to decide exactly how on behalf of an agency
they will carry out their heist. or private contractor
You must make sure to give this scene the who set up everything,
right screen-time during the Campaign, and to or simply because the
stage it during either the first or second ses- Players prefer it that
sion. way, and don’t feel
like thinking about it
The Masterplan is a short list of actions and themselves.
tasks that need to be carried out and that will
lead Heroes to victory, provided that nothing Nothing wrong with
goes wrong. For example: that! You just have to
agree about who is
1. Procuring some guard uniforms. coming up with the
2. Dressing up as guards. Masterplan.
3. Getting in during the night shift.
4. Deactivating security.
5. Getting the others in.
6. Cracking the safe.
7. Escaping through the sewers.

Depending on how complex the Heist is, the


Masterplan can be just a handful of points, or
be much more involved.

Mission Start 187


When the Masterplan unravels
Once the Heroes have a Masterplan, it’s only a matter of time before everything
falls apart.
In truth, the main reason why the Director needs the Masterplan is so that they
can have a clear idea about how the heist is going. The closer the Heroes’ can
stick to the Masterplan, the easier things will be. On the other hand, as the He-
roes actions diverge from the original Masterplan, everything will get more com-
plicated and unpredictable.

When the Heroes skip a point of their Masterplan, the Heat rises by 1, and the
group still finds a way to proceed and still keep their operation secret. In the
movies, you never see heroes getting found out after the first mistake, am I right?
Whether thanks to their skills, to some external help, or to blind luck, so long as
the Heat remains beneath a certain level, the Heroes don’t run the risk of blowing
up their plan.

As mistakes keep piling up, the Heat keeps rising, and when it reaches level 9,
something dramatic and unrepairable happens, and everything is put at risk.
For example, a Supporting Character betrays the group, or the emergency se-
curity system kicks in, or the goalposts get moved to an even further, less reach-
able position.

When the Heat reaches level 12, the Heroes have been found out, and they no
longer have a chance to go unnoticed. From then on, they will have enemies on
their heels and find danger behind every corner, and the success of their mission
cannot be taken for granted.

The only consolation is that a Hero can spend one of their actions during a Time-
Out to make changes to the Masterplan and try to do some damage control as
the Masterplan unravels.

188
Flashback
You’re leaving the bank with an ancient ruby hidden in your pocket when two
security guards approach you to frisk you. It all seems lost but... Surprise!
A sudden Flashback reveals that you never slipped the ruby into your pocket, and
instead handed it over to one of your companions, who strolls out undisturbed
beside you.

Flashbacks are an essential element of all self-respecting Heists, allowing you to


re-write snippets of the past to your advantage.
When you’re playing through a Heist Campaign, you can use your Plan Bs in
Flashback mode. This means that your Bluff, Bullet, or Backup does not happen
in the present. It has already happened and you just need to reap the benefits now.

Flashbacks are unbelievably useful during a Heist, because they allow you to al-
ways stay one step ahead, even when you really weren’t, and to bring the Master-
plan back on track when everything seems to go wrong.

Director: You immediately realize you put your foot into it


when you spot a big guy dressed in black getting dangerous-
ly close to you, while two of his colleagues block the other
escape routes. “Can I see some ID?” He asks, pulling out a
small palmtop to check the guest list.

Victor: I realize that there is no other choice, so I smile and


hand over my documents.

Director: The security guard starts looking in their data-


base, but you were obviously not invited…

Victor: I play my Backup in Flashback. A couple minutes


ago, our expert in computer systems hacked into the net-
work to add my name to the guest list. Obviously, we were
prepared for this!

Director: The screen of the palmtop flickers for a moment


and there is your name, on the list of invited guests. “I’m sor-
ry, sir. Please, enjoy the party” the guard hesitates, embar-
rassed, handing back your document.

Mission Start 189


Heist
Advancement
advancement
Heroes are bright people who already have all the tools and skills to face up to
any challenge they may meet on their mission. But there is always room to grow!

As you carry on with your mission, you’ll get better and stronger, growing in mind,
body, and spirit, until you ultimately become the Hero we need to save the day.
For every Advancement you’ll go through during your mission, you will gain new
skills that will allow you to get even better at your specialty, or to expand your
skill-set into areas that you hadn’t explored yet.

What do I get?
When you Advance, you gain:

♦ 2 Skill Points to assign freely.


♦ 1 Feat of your choice among all
available, regardless of your
Role and Trope.
♦ 1 Adrenaline as a reward for
your efforts.

190
When to Advance
Heroes advance before a Turning Point or Showdown, A great change
just before the shot begins. In-between one
Having Heroes get better right before a great chal- Cinematic Campaign
lenge, and not after, might feel a bit weird, but that’s and the next, many
just the way of Heroes! When action knocks on their things can happen.
door, they are ready to answer the call and have all the When a Hero comes
tools they need to face the adversities to come. back into action, they
may have changed a
How much to Advance lot from when you last
Each Hero can advance 3 times, gaining a total saw them. If this is the
of 6 Skill Points and 3 additional Feats. Then, case, you can choose
you have reached your maximum potential. to change your Role or
Trope (but not both) to
When a Hero who has already advanced 3 times better represent the
is about to face a Turning Point or Showdown, kind of Hero you have
the Player can choose to reassign 2 Skill Points become. You can also
of their choice and/or swap out one of their swap out one of your
Feats for another one of their choosing. If they Feats with a different
choose to do neither of these things, they gain one that feels more
1 additional Adrenaline. It feels good to know appropriate.
that you already are your best self!
If you wish, in the time
Experiences between Campaigns,
If the Advancement is a mechanical represen- you can also change
tation of the Hero’s growth and of their skills your Job, Catchphrase,
improving, Experiences mark their personal Flaw, and even Age,
growth and the accomplishments of their ad- if enough time has
ventures. passed. However, your
The heart of a Hero’s evolution clearly doesn’t Experiences will always
lie in a handful of additional dice. It’s all in the remain with you.
Experiences they gather along the way.
To learn more, turn to the next page.

Mission Start 191


Experiences
The Villain has kidnapped your daughter and run. You have one chance to stop
them, but when the moment comes, you don’t have the guts to shoot. You’ll never
forgive yourself.
The criminal you have always hated left you hanging in the void, only to come
back and save your life. You were wrong about them.
You were falsely accused and have decided to break out of prison to prove your
innocence. Now everyone believes you're a killer.
Heroes aren’t made up of just guts and adrenaline. Their Experiences shape
them along the way, forging their character and values.

An Experience is a short sentence that represents a crucial event of your life


that changed you deeply.
When you face a challenge that leaves a mark, when you survive a desperate
encounter, when you take part in a memorable exchange, or when you make an
upsetting discovery, the Director can ask you to note down the Experience on
your Hero Sheet.

There are 4 types of Experiences:

Achievement: You have learned an important lesson, or accomplished


something great.
“I’ve learned to put my trust in others.”

Scar: You’ve suffered physically, endured mental trauma, or were huge-


ly disappointed.
“I was trapped in the flames.”

Bond: You made a bond with someone. You earned a good friend, a lover,
or a bitter rival.
“Savar saved my life.”

Reputation: You’ve earned a good or bad reputation. People might have


heard about you.
“I’ve put a big shot in the slammer.”

192
Gaining an Experience
When you live through a scene that leaves a mark, you or the Director can choose
to turn it into an Experience to note on your Hero Sheet.
For example, when you fall madly in love, when you come out on top after a
dramatic situation, when someone sacrifices themselves for you, or when you
narrowly escape mortal danger, you clearly deserve an Experience.
In any case, nobody better than you can know which events will be forever
carved on your heart, so don’t be shy when it comes to writing down your Expe-
riences.
Usually, Experiences are noted down in the moment, during the same shot
when they are lived through. However, in the heat of the moment, it’s under-
standable if you forget to mark down the Experience, or perhaps even disregard
its importance.
If you haven’t gained any Experiences by the end of a shot, ask yourself:

♦ Have I learned a lesson at great cost?


♦ Have I done something truly memorable?
♦ Have I changed my mind about something or someone?
♦ Have I dealt with an important personal problem?
♦ Have I made a name for myself with somebody, good or bad?

If the answer to at least one of these questions was yes, you should talk with
the Director and evaluate if the Experience is worth a place on your Sheet. In
any case, you don’t need to gain an Experience every shot, and there is nothing
wrong if you have nothing to note down at the end of a session.

A Hero should earn at least one Experience during a Cinematic Campaign, but
they can also get more than one.
If, when you pass a Turning Point, there are some Heroes who still haven’t
gained an Experience, this might mean that they still haven’t had a chance to
shine and prove their value. It’s the duty of a good Director to keep track of who
has earned an Experience and who hasn’t, so as to give every Hero the right
space and time on the scene.

Finally, any time a Hero who was Left for Dead comes back into the action, they
always suffer a Scar connected to their demise.

Mission Start 193


Using Experiences
Experiences are like small Feats that can be called into play by either yourself or
the Director in certain circumstances, and they can make things easier or harder
for you.
When you feel like an Experience can be of Help, the Director may grant you a
+1 or even an automatic success on a roll. Similarly, if either you or the Director
feel like an Experience can get in the way of your actions, you may suffer a -1 or
automatic failure.
For example, the Experience “I’ve learned to put my trust in others” can grant
you +1 to rolls made to act in tandem with a friend. On the other hand, the Expe-
rience “I was trapped in the flames” can slap you with a -1 when you are trying to
escape from a fire.

Usually, Achievements will be of Help and Scars will make life harder for you, but
that’s not always the case.
For example, the Achievement “I’ve learned to put my trust in others” may im-
pose a -1 to rolls made to understand whether a Supporting Character is lying
to you or plotting against you. Similarly, the Scar “I was trapped in the flames”
may grant you a +1 to rolls made to notice a candle that is rolling on the floor and
possibly setting fire to the room.
Bonds and Reputations, on the other hand, can be either an advantage or dis-
advantage, depending on the circumstances and people involved.

Johnny: I slowly put my gun down on the table and raise my


hands to diffuse the situation. “I’m not looking for trouble.
I’m certain we can come to an agreement”.
I say to the boss, trying to earn their trust. I'd like to make a
roll in Smooth+Speech to negotiate with the criminals.

Director: Your Reputation “I’ve put a big shot in the slammer”


doesn’t do you any favors here. The boss is well aware of who
you are and has no intention of trusting you. You can make
the roll with -1.

Keep in mind that each Experience should come into play no more than once
every shot, and only in situations that are truly meaningful or dramatic.

194
Achievement Examples
♦ I finally stood up to my boss
♦ It’s never too late
♦ I’ve defeated a bear with my bare hands
♦ I’m stronger than I know
♦ I’ve survived the desert
♦ I have given up revenge
♦ I did not betray my friends

Scar Examples Life-Changing


♦ They broke my heart Experiences
♦ Nobody helped me Some Experiences
♦ I lost an eye just hit different,
♦ It’s my fault they died they draw a strong
♦ I’ve spent years in prison line between the
♦ I drink to forget person you were and
♦ I am not who I used to be the one you will be. In
such cases, you can
Bond Examples choose to change your
♦ I love Victor Catchphrase or Flaw as
♦ Sam is my best friend a way to represent your
♦ I can’t stand Savar Hero’s development.
♦ Johnny is like a son to me
♦ Bruce is just the best! These are truly rare
♦ I’m envious of Mekia events, and they should
♦ Oleg gets on my nerves! always be discussed
with the Director and
Reputation Examples other Heroes.
♦ I’m wanted by Interpol
♦ I’m a cop who can’t be bought
♦ I’ve robbed the mint
♦ I’ve hacked into the CIA servers
♦ I’ve sent my friends to jail
♦ They call me “The Gentleman Thief”
♦ I have never lost a fight

Mission Start 195


Many Heroes, Few Heroes
outgunned is designed to play with a group of 3 to 4 Heroes who go on a dan-
gerous mission with the help of a Director. Playing a single Shot with more or
fewer Heroes than that is no big deal, but playing an entire Cinematic Campaign
with too many or too few Heroes requires some adjustments.

Many Heroes
If the group is composed of 6 or more Heroes, it’s best to play more Sessions be-
fore you come to a Turning Point. This way, you can make sure to give everyone
a chance to tell their story and gain their Experiences without rushing things.
When facing combat or on a chase, the Director should always divide the group
into two smaller teams, assigning an Enemy or Need for each team.
This will help make your experience more balanced, and keep the story flowing
without becoming clunky.

Few Heroes
If the group is composed of only 1 or 2 Heroes, they might have a hard time facing
the challenges and enemies described in this rulebook.
To fix this, the Director can choose to lower the difficulty level of the game,
for example, by never putting into play Bosses, or by being more generous when
granting Adrenaline and Spotlights to Heroes.

Alternatively, the Heroes can go on their mission with the help of a Sidekick who
is ready to back them up.
A Sidekick is a special type of Supporting Character with their own full Hero
Sheet. The Director is tasked with portraying and rolling dice for a Sidekick. Re-
member, even if they have a Hero Sheet, the Sidekick is still a supporting char-
acter, they should never steal the scene, and should usually follow the Heroes
and their instructions.

The Commando, the Ace, the Brain, the Nobody, and the Criminal, are all Roles
that can be turned into interesting and useful Sidekicks. However, there is no
limit to the Role and Trope of your Sidekick.
Additionally, Sidekicks only earn Adrenaline when everyone at the table feels
like they have earned it, and they never earn Spotlights. As a Supporting Charac-
ter, however, the Sidekick can always sacrifice themselves to gain the benefits
of a Spotlight.

196
One Hero Army
Do you want to face your mission alone, without the help of other Heroes or Side-
kicks? One Hero Army mode is designed for 2 Players (Hero + Director), and al-
lows you to play as a single Hero who is extremely powerful, capable of dealing
with any situation or opponent. Just like in the movies!

Creating a One Hero Army


When creating a Hero to play in One Hero Army mode, you gain 3 important ben-
efits:

♦ 1 extra Attribute Point to assign to an Attribute of your choice.


♦ 2 extra Skill Points to assign to one or two Skills of your choice under an
Attribute you only have 2 points in.
♦ 1 extra Spotlight on top of the one you start with.

Additionally, if you and the Director agree, you can also go through an Advance-
ment immediately, before the story begins, so that you’ll be even more prepared
for the mission.

Playing a One Hero Army


When going on a mission in One Hero Army mode, there are 4 essential differ-
ences to the rules:

♦ Double Action: During a combat or chase, you always take 2 consecutive


Action Turns before moving on to a Reaction Turn.
♦ Do It Yourself: When you treat yourself to remove the Hurt Condition, you
suffer no penalty. Additionally, you can try to remove the Broken Condition
from yourself, and can use a Spotlight to save yourself when running the
risk of being Left for Dead.
♦ Bullet Time: When you use a Spotlight to gain an Extreme Success during
a combat or chase, you can also spend 1 Adrenaline to slow down time and
extend your Action Turn even further. If you do this, you don’t consume your
action to use the Spotlight. This means you get the free Extreme Success
AND can roll the dice twice on top of that.
♦ I Want Them Alive: When you’re Left for Dead, it means the Villain has cap-
tured you and taken you to a secret, impenetrable location. You lose all of
your gear and Cash and suffer a Scar, but can keep playing.

Mission Start 197


Race Against Time

SECTION IV

Gear up
SECTION V

Face the enemy


SECTION VI

Mission start
INTRODUCTORY SHOT

Race against time


introductory Shot
Race against time
At this stage, if I’ve been any good at my job, you should be a true Hero.
And a first-rate Hero at that, if I may say so. The only thing left to do before call-
ing this guide complete, is jumping straight into the action.
As a matter of fact, the upcoming pages go over an introductory Shot and
should be read only by Directors. So, if you’re not one of them, stop reading,
you’ll spoil the plot and fun for yourself.

SHOT SUMMARY
In Race Against Time, the Heroes will have to retrieve a precious briefcase con-

fists & bullets


taining details about a secret experiment.
When their contact lays an ambush for them, the Heroes learn that the brief-
case is about to be flown to an unspecified destination, and they have no choice
but to start a desperate race to get on that plane.
After an adrenaline-pumping chase, the Heroes jump onto the plane one sec-
ond before takeoff, coming face to face with a team of armed mercenaries pro-

enemies
tecting a man dressed in black who has the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist.

The ensuing scuffle ends with the destruction of the plane and forces both the
Heroes and their opponents to jump outside, fighting over the few available
parachutes. The free-fall will ultimately lead to a face-off with the mysterious
man, and to the discovery of a far greater threat than they had initially imagined.

Preface
This Shot begins in an old diner located in an unspecified sea-side city. The He-
roes are already working together, and the Players are free to coordinate their
motives and the dynamics of their alliance. Alternatively, in the next page you
can find four plot-hooks with the motives each Hero has for accepting this mis-
sion and for cooperating with the others.
In the past few days, the Heroes have been looking into Project Medusa, an
experimental weapon that could become extremely dangerous if it fell into the
wrong hands. Their only contact, a neurotic information broker named Carter,
maintains that the plans for Project Medusa are sealed in a briefcase, which is
about to be moved to a secret, unreachable lab. Hoping to get more details, the
Heroes agree to meet with Carter in an old diner on the outskirts of the city.

200
Prompts About Heroes

♦ Johnny: Agent Reed is an undercover police of- Pro Tips
ficer tasked with retrieving the blueprints for Each page of this
Project Medusa. His direct superior is the only introductory Shot
one who knows anything about his mission, and will be flanked by a
his partners are also unaware of his true identity. red page with some
 Pro Tips for Directors.
♦ Sam: Samantha is a vehicle enthusiast and These are useful tips
a top-notch pilot. She and Victor work to- that will help you best
gether as debt collectors for a less-than- manage every Scene.
legal entity. She doesn’t know what’s in the
briefcase and doesn't really care. For her, Don't thank me
this is just another day on the job. I always have
 your back!
♦ Victor: The life of a bounty hunter is filled
with risks and hard choices. A veteran like
Victor is well aware of this fact. As such,
even if he has smelled the set-up hiding Project Medusa
behind this mission, he still decided to This Shot is the
take the job. beginning of a short
 introductory campaign.
♦ Savar: Doctor Sita Khan is one of the
brilliant scientists behind Project Medu- You can find the sequel
sa, and she mysteriously vanished a few in a separately sold
weeks ago. Her brother Savar fully intends booklet, which is titled
to do everything in his power to bring her Mission Dossier:
back home. After discovering Johnny’s Project Medusa.
true identity, he decided to also take part
in this mission, and the agent was forced
to accept his involvement in order not to
break cover.

Race Against Time 201


The Agent The Ace
Johnny Reed Sam Jackson
Last Boy Scout Free Spirit

Johnny is an unrepentant hot-head It doesn’t matter if it’s a car or bike,


hiding behind a facade as an up- so long as it has wheels and an en-
standing officer. While he is ex- gine, it holds no secrets for Sam.
tremely focused on his duty, he often Danger doesn’t scare her, much less
doesn't go by the book when he feels high speed. Sam simply lives her life
circumstances call for it. a quarter mile at a time.

202
The Sleuth The Fighter
Victor Sheng Savar Khan
Mentor Jerk with a Heart of Gold

There are many stories about the sea- A martial artist with a dazzling smile,
soned bounty hunter Victor Sheng, Savar is convinced he can get out
but nobody knows how many of those of any situation thanks to either his
are true. Always cheerful, he never charm or a well-placed fist. With him,
loses his cool and always knows how there’s never a dull moment, nor a
to turn the situation to his advantage. safe one.

Race Against Time 203


SCENE 1 - INT. DINER - NIGHT
The HEROES are sitting at a booth in an old diner that has seen
better days. The checkered floor is sticky, the large window
shows the glare of headlights when cars go in and out of the
parking lot, and there’s a sad rock song playing on the radio.
1
CARTER, a trusted contact of at least one of the HEROES, told
them to meet him here at 11. It’s already past midnight, and the
diner is almost empty, but still no sign of CARTER. The situation
is starting to look suspicious.

More long minutes pass, crawling by in the growing tension. The


2 diner door suddenly opens with a ding from the bell and a clearly
shaken man drenched with sweat and with a deep wound in his side
steps in. That’s CARTER.

CARTER
I... I’m sorry

CARTER is pushed to the ground by a gang of THUGS armed with met-


al bars, chains, and bad intentions. One of them shouts at the
remaining patrons to get out.
The hooligans, with long hair, leather jackets, and tattoos and
scars on their faces and arms, go to surround the HEROES. Unfor-
tunately for our HEROES, this is an ambush and a fight seems in-
evitable.
3
THUGS
Bad Guys - Template 1
ATTACK: CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

After defeating the THUGS, the HEROES can question them [Basic
Action Roll] to learn that the briefcase they are looking for
is already outside of their reach. A group of mercenaries is
loading it onto a plane at this very moment, there’s no way the
HEROES can reach it before takeoff.

Alternatively, the HEROES can come to CARTER’s aid[Critical Ac-


tion Roll], and receive the precious information that will lead
them to the airfield from him.

204
1
Make Way for Heroes
Hey, Director! Don’t be too quick to bring Carter into the Scene. Allow the
Heroes to take their time.
This first scene will give Players a chance to quickly establish the rapport
among their characters, so give them some time to chat. All you need to do
is ask some questions: Who here knows Carter? Do they trust him or are they
expecting a nasty surprise? How do they react to him being late?

2
Killing Time
Time passes and the diner gets emptier and emptier. Perhaps there’s a sketchy
guy staring at them and putting them on their guard, even though he is actually
just a bystander. Perhaps a kind waitress (or an extremely rude one) keeps
asking the Heroes if they wish to order, or spills coffee on one of them. Take
every little chance to set the scene and build the tension. You can even ask
less experienced Players to make some low-stakes rolls to get them into the
mood.

3
Brawl!
If the Heroes are the first to attack, start combat with an Action Turn.
During their Reaction Turn, ask the Heroes to make Reaction Rolls in order to
dodge the thugs’ blows and avoid losing Grit.

For example:

♦ The thugs jump onto you. Roll Brawn+Fight.


♦ The thugs throw tables and chairs at you. Roll Nerves+Stealth.
♦ The thugs try to push you the ground. Roll Brawn+Force.
♦ The thugs shoot at you. Roll Brawn+Stunt.
♦ The thugs try to squeeze you with ropes and chains. Roll Brawn+Endure.
♦ The thugs shoot at the ceiling and sparks rain down on you. Roll
Nerves+Cool.

Let’s not bring Enemy Feats and Special Actions in for this combat, it’s too soon!

205
SCENE 2 - EXT. CHASE - NIGHT
The HEROES only have a few minutes to reach the plane before
takeoff and retrieve the precious briefcase.
Outside of the diner, they find a black muscle car with gold rims
and a red skull airbrushed on the hood. It’s clearly the thugs’
car. Just what they need to reach the airport in time!
The HEROES can break into the ride easily enough [Basic Action
4 Roll], or they can search the knocked-out thugs to find the keys.
On the other hand, if they try to use the car they arrived in,
the HEROES will soon find out that it won’t start. The car was
tampered with to make them waste precious minutes.

Once in the muscle car, the HEROES can reach the nearby private
airfield where the briefcase is about to take off. Standing be-
tween the HEROES and the runway, there are a wire mesh gate and
two guards shouting at them to stop.
If they stop for the guards, a scuffle ensues [Basic Cannon Fod-
der, see page 43]. If they go straight ahead, the driver will
have to prove their driving skills while the guards shoot at
[Critical Reaction Roll in Nerves+Drive. If the roll fails, the
ride loses 1 Armor].
5
When the HEROES reach the runway, it’s already too late. The
mercenaries are done loading the plane and have given the okay
for takeoff, but the cargo door is still open.
This sets off an actual chase, during which the HEROES will have
to try to get on the plane before take-off [Need: 8].

NEED

The HEROES’ starting Speed is 1, which is the Speed of their


6 Ride, but if the HEROES wasted time trying to use their own car,
the plane will be an additional step ahead of them, and their
starting Speed will be 0.

Once all Need boxes are full, the HEROES will reach the plane and
get in through the cargo door one second before takeoff.
If the HEROES haven’t reached the plane by the fourth Action
Turn, the plane takes off. Their last chance to get on the plane,
is to jump off of the car and grab onto the landing gear before
it gets retracted [ Extreme Action Roll).

206
4
Let’s Go for a Ride
Despite the flashy exterior, the thugs’ car is a simple ride with a Speed of 1 and
3 Armor points.
There’s a cinematic tradition of Heroes bickering about who should drive or sit
in the front seat, don't let this moment go by unnoticed.

5
Faster
Encourage the Heroes to live dangerously. Yes, one should stop at a police
checkpoint, but their plane is about to take off. There’s no time to lose!

6
Follow That Plane!
During their Action Turn, the driver must try to score a Critical Success to
increase their Speed by 1. At the same time, the other Heroes can choose to
attempt creative actions to also increase their Speed.
Bear in mind that the Speed represents the Heroes’ speed compared to their
opponents’. As such, every action that slows down the plane (shooting at the
fuselage, causing something to fall on the runway) can increase the Heroes’
Speed.
Remember that every time a Hero rolls the dice and doesn’t score at least one
Critical Success, the Ride loses 1 Speed (to a minimum of 0).
Once all the Heroes have acted or passed on their turn, fill in a number of Need
boxes equal to their Speed and then move on to the Reaction Turn.

During the Reaction Turn, the mercenaries on the plane will shoot at the
Heroes or throw boxes at them. Each Hero must do their best to avoid being hit
[ Critical Reaction Roll]. For example:

♦ The mercenaries shoot at you. The driver reacts with Nerves+Drive, the
others roll Nerves+Stealth.
♦ The mercenaries drop a crate. The driver reacts with Nerves+Awareness,
the others roll Nerves+Cool.
♦ Something hits the car. The driver reacts with Brawn+Drive, the others roll
Brawn+Endure.

If the driver fails, the Ride loses 1 Armor. Additionally, whenever a Hero
– including the driver – fails a Reaction Roll, the Ride loses 1 Speed.

207
SCENE 3 - INT. PLANE - NIGHT
If the HEROES have won the chase, their car speeds through the
cargo door on the back of the plane, taking out the mercenaries
in the cargo hold before the engine shuts off for good.
On the other hand, if they lost the chase, the HEROES will stub-
bornly grab onto the wheels and get pulled into the plane with
the landing gear.
7 Either way, they end up in the cargo hold, momentarily safe
from the mercenaries, and can finally catch a break and recover
their Grit.

The mercenaries on the plane appear unaware of the HEROES’ pres-


ence, probably believing that they managed to outrun them. The
HEROES can take advantage of the situation to try a stealth ap-
proach, but they will need to get out of the hold first. The only
way out is to quietly break through or pick the lock to the hold
door [2 Basic Action Roll]. In the event of a failure, the HEROES
will attract unwanted attention.

Once the door is open, the HEROES can finally peek into the main
cabin of the large cargo plane, where a team of well-armed mer-
8 cenaries is busy moving some crates. To understand what is going
on, they’ll have to sneak up closer [Basic Action Roll] and then
make a Detect roll.
With a Basic Success, a HERO can easily spot a MAN IN BLACK walk-
ing toward the cockpit while carrying a briefcase. With a Crit-
ical Success, a HERO can also notice that the mercenaries are
getting parachutes out of storage and putting them on. Finally
with a greater or additional Success, an especially attentive
HERO can also notice that the crates on the plane are filled with
explosives. A single gunshot could cause everything to blow up.

If the HEROES manage to spot the parachutes, they can try to


sneakily take some for themselves by inching closer [Critical
Action Roll to take 1 parachute].
After some time, the MAN IN BLACK comes back from the cockpit
wearing a parachute over his elegant suit. The briefcase is
handcuffed to his left wrist, and he holds a detonator in his
right hand.

MAN IN BLACK
9 Everything is going according to plan.
Prepare to jump.

One of the mercenaries opens the hold door, letting a strong wind
into the plane. The MAN IN BLACK jumps first and the mercenaries
follow after him. The HEROES have very little time to act.

208
7
Let Me Catch My Breath
After a nice adrenaline-pumping sequence, the Heroes deserve a moment
to reflect on what happened and plan their next move. Give them a couple of
minutes as they climb out of their wrecked car or crawl through the landing
gear and into the hold. This is the calm before the storm.

8
Infiltrating
On the plane, the Heroes can choose to take a stealthy approach, and you will
be tasked with keeping the tension high. Drag out every second and add a dice
roll here and there to extend the scene when it feels right. Remember, you
don’t need to tell the Players what the difficulty of each roll is. You can even
make them doubt the Success they scored and trick them into re-rolling even
though they don’t really need to.
If the infiltration bores you or doesn’t go as planned, the HEROES can fight the
mercenaries (use the stats for Cannon Fodder on p.43 ).

9
The Villain
The Man in Black is the villain of this story. As such, he can only be stopped
during the final showdown. If the Heroes shoot at him, they just graze him and
force him to drop the detonator, blowing up the entire plane.
If they try to grab him instead, something goes wrong and they both get
thrown out of the plane into a free fall.
In any case, a Hero who scores a nice success against the Man in Black
deserves to get at least 1 Adrenaline for their gumption.

As a Villain, the Man in Black obviously has terrible timing: he will inevitably
walking out of the cockpit at the worst possible time. For example, after a
Hero has failed a roll, or when the group has managed to get their hands on a
couple of parachutes but before they can put them on properly or grab enough
parachutes for everyone.

209
SCENE 4 - EXT. FREE FALL - DAY
If the HEROES attack the MAN IN BLACK, the scuffle sets off a
chain reaction that causes the plane to explode. A fiery blaze
10 hurls everyone out of the plane [ Critical Reaction Roll in
Brawn+Stunt]. HEROES need at least a Basic Success to avoid los-
ing their grip on whatever they are holding, like guns or para-
chutes.
Alternatively, the HEROES can wait for everyone else to leave
the plane before jumping themselves.

As the sun begins to rise, the HEROES plummet toward a rocky


11 shore surrounded by crates and angry mercenaries.
The fall lasts for 3 Action Turns alternating with 3 Reaction
Turns. At the beginning of the fourth round, all HEROES who do
not have a parachute risk meeting a rocky end.

During Action Turns, the HEROES can try to retrieve a weapon, to


shoot, to grab onto a mercenary or onto the MAN IN BLACK, to take
a parachute, or to put one on. Any of these actions will require
a Critical Action Roll.

During Reaction Turns, the HEROES will have to dodge the mer-
cenaries’ attacks, the flaming debris falling from the sky, the
crates hurtling by, and the enemies trying to take the para-
chutes off of them. Any of these actions will require a Crit-
ical Reaction Roll.

With each passing turn, the sky grows clearer and the shore gets
dangerously closer.
At the beginning of the fourth round, anyone who didn’t manage
to grab a parachute is running out of options and risk crashing
into the ground and being Left for Dead. The only way to save
them to use a Spotlight.

If all HEROES have a parachute, one of them is in for a nasty


surprise. When they pull the ripcord to open the parachute, it
malfunctions and won’t deploy. The Director randomly determines
which of the HEROES got the faulty parachute.
12
Once the parachutes are open, both the HEROES and the surviving
mercenaries glide to the water. All firearms become unusable.
The MAN IN BLACK is the only one who lands on the rocky beach.
While the HEROES swim toward the shore, he tries to escape.

210
10
One Wrong Move
If anyone shoots, the plane explodes. If the Man in Black sees the Heroes
before jumping out, the plane explodes. If the Heroes touch the controls to
divert the plane... you guessed it, everything explodes!
Let’s put it like this, the plane doesn’t really need to explode, but it would be
cool if it did. Take every chance to do the cool thing.

To keep tensions high, you can also decide that if the Heroes make a roll and
fail to score at least a Basic Success during the explosion, they end up in a
blast of metal debris and suffer the Hurt Condition.

11
High Altitude Dangers
To make the fall more exciting, try to keep a fast pace of narration. During
their Action Turn, ask the Players what they want to do and remind them that
the ground is getting closer and the air is pushing against them, while the
mercenaries keep shooting at them.

During their Reaction Turn, put Heroes on the spot with unexpected events.

For example:

♦ A crate or metal sheet slams into you. Roll Brawn+Endure.


♦ A mercenary with a knife tries to cut the parachute off of you. Roll
Brawn+Dexterity.
♦ The Man in Black shoots at you. Roll Nerves+Awareness.
♦ A gust of wind pushes you away. Roll Nerves+Stunt.

12
Traveling with the Enemy
During the free fall, all actions in connection with the Man in Black are made
with -1. However, if a Hero manages to grab onto the Villain and glide down
with their parachute, they clearly deserve 1 Adrenaline, and will also gain two
advantages. First of all, they will land on dry ground and their weapons won’t
get wet. Secondly, they will gain +1 to their next roll to catch the Man in Black.

211
SCENE 5 - EXT. SHORE - DAY
Once on the shore, the HEROES find themselves next to the sur-
viving MERCENARIES, while the MAN IN BLACK tries to escape. At
least one of the HEROES must pursue him, while the others must
fight the enemies.

13 MERCENARIES
Bad Guys - Template 4
ATTACK: 2 CRITICAL DEFENSE: CRITICAL

The MERCENARIES are unarmed, but they’re still numerically su-


perior and fierce opponents. This fight is going to be far from
easy for our HEROES.

While the rest of the team fights, one HERO must try to reach the
MAN IN BLACK [Critical Action Roll]. During the Reaction Turn,
the MAN IN BLACK will use his gun to shoot at the HERO and slow
14 them down [ Critical Reaction Roll in Brawn+Stunt].
At the end of the third round, if the HERO has scored a Criti-
cal Success in at least 2 of their Action Rolls, they manage to
tackle and disarm the MAN IN BLACK. Otherwise, the HERO will grab
onto the briefcase, but the MAN IN BLACK will unlock the handcuff
attached to his wrist and vanish among the rocks.

EPILOGUE - EXT. SHORE - DAY


If the HEROES have captured the MAN IN BLACK, he will brazenly
laugh in the face of danger, and even mock them for wasting a
whole day pursuing him. Patting him down, the HEROES easily find
the keys to the briefcase.
On the other hand, if the MAN IN BLACK escapes, they will have to
break into the briefcase or pick the lock [Critical Action Roll].
Inside the briefcase, the HEROES find a bunch of blank pages and
a single yellow post-it note with a simple drawing of a smi-
15 ley face.

By questioning the MAN IN BLACK or the mercenary leader, the HE-


ROES can learn that this was all a set-up. With a Basic Success,
they find out that the briefcase was loaded onto a different plane,
and that it is already somewhere safe. With a Critical Success,
they manage to extract information about where the briefcase is
headed: a secret lab somewhere on the coast of Greece.

Apparently, the HEROES’ mission has only just begun.

212
13
A Hard Fight
The mercenaries are formidable enemies with an Attack score of 2 Critical.
This means that, during their Reaction Turn, the Heroes need to score 2 Critical
Successes to avoid losing Grit. Which is far from easy. Reassure your Players
that it’s normal for this to be a hard fight, and that coming out of a Reaction
Turn after losing only 1 or 2 Grit is still a very good result.
To make this battle more exciting, I gave the mercenaries the “Sharp Blades”
Feat and two Special Actions. These are optional tools and, as such, you can
choose to ignore them.
Sharp Blades: The Enemies are armed with knives. Heroes who fail to score
at least a Basic Success during their Reaction Turn become Hurt. If they are
already Nervous, they lose 1 additional Grit.

When you fill in a Hot Box, you gain 1 Adrenaline ( ). You can choose to spend
at any point to take a Special Action of your choice among:
Grab and Throw : After a Hero has attacked, the Enemy grabs them and tries
to throw them. If the Hero fails a Critical Reaction Roll in Brawn+Endure, they
end up on the ground and suffer -1 to all rolls until they use a quick action to
stand back up.
Grenade : During a Reaction Turn, the Enemies do not attack. Instead, they
throw a grenade. All Heroes involved must make an Extreme Reaction Roll
in Brawn+Stunt. If a Hero scores an Impossible Success, they can bounce the
grenade back, their friends do not lose Grit, and the Enemy is defeated.

Cross-Cutting 14
While some Heroes fight, one of them chases after the Villain. To manage this
scene at its best, you should jump from group to group often, keeping the
players on their toes. Play through a combat Action Turn, cut to the Action Turn
of the chase, then call for all Reaction Rolls, and then repeat the sequence.
Manage the two scenes simultaneously to keep a fast-paced narration without
a dull moment for anyone at the table.

Cliffhanger! 15
The Shot closes with a surprising plot-twist. Take your time and slowly
describe how the Heroes manage to open the briefcase and then leaf through
the empty pages, before ultimately finding that pesky yellow note. A good
cliffhanger should not leave the Players feeling cheated, but motivate them to
press on and to carry out their mission.

213
Johnny Reed MISSION Retrieving the briefcase
NAME

ROLES Agent EXPERIENCES


TROPE Last Boy Scout

JOB Police AGE Adult


ADRENALINE!
FLAW Never off the clock

CATCHPHRASE With all due respect, to hell with the rules


GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
H

ENDURE HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


RO

6
FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION
TTE

HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER


STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
3
NERVES FEATS
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN
Gunslinger: Gain a Free Re-roll whenever you're using,
DRIVE
repairing, evaluating, or handling a gun. MEDI-
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE UM LONG

SURVIVAL
PISTOL 0 0 0 -2
Hard to Kill: When you fill in your Bad Box, you gain
SMOOTH 1 Adrenaline and +1 to your next roll.
FLIRT

You can download this Hero Sheet at


https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH BADGE
Selfless: Gain a Free Re-roll when defending or saving
STYLE HANDCUFF
others, or when acting selflessly.
TELEPHONE
FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME NAME

AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
Sam Jackson MISSION Retrieving the briefcase
NAME

ROLES Ace EXPERIENCES


TROPE Free Spirit

JOB Debt collector AGE Adult


ADRENALINE!
FLAW I always do what I want

CATCHPHRASE What, you’re scared?


GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
H

ENDURE HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


RO

6
FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION
TTE

HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER


STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
3
NERVES FEATS
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN
Proven Driver [Cars]: Gain a Free Re-roll when driving,
DRIVE
repairing, or evaluating a car. MEDI-
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE UM LONG

SURVIVAL
PISTOL 0 0 0 -2
Spinout : The Heroes skip the Reaction Turn during a
SMOOTH Chase. Flip a coin. Heads: +1 Speed. Tails: -1 Speed.
FLIRT

You can download this Hero Sheet at


https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH That’s All?: Gain a Free Re-roll for all rolls made to
STYLE show courage, and to resist threats or interrogations.

FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME NAME Car
AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
Victor Sheng MISSION Retrieving the briefcase
NAME

ROLES Sleuth EXPERIENCES


TROPE Mentor

JOB Bounty hunter AGE Adult


ADRENALINE!
FLAW I’m too old for this job

CATCHPHRASE Leave it, it’s not worth it


GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
H

ENDURE HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


RO

6
FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION
TTE

HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER


STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
3
NERVES FEATS
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN
Detective: Gain a Free Re-roll when looking for clues,
DRIVE
following trails, or searching a room. MEDI-
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE UM LONG

SURVIVAL
PISTOL 0 0 0 -2
Marksman: Gain a Free Re-roll whenever you're using,
SMOOTH SHOTGUN: Short Range, Slow Reload +1 +1 -2 X
repairing, evaluating, or handling a rifle or machine gun.
FLIRT

You can download this Hero Sheet at


https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH Always Prepared : [Quick Action] You take out or retrieve
STYLE a useful item, a piece of information, or a small weapon.

FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME NAME

AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
Savar Khan MISSION Retrieving the briefcase
NAME

ROLES Fighter EXPERIENCES


TROPE Jerk with a Heart of Gold

JOB Extra AGE Adult


ADRENALINE!
FLAW I’m overconfident

CATCHPHRASE This is a piece of cake


GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
H

ENDURE HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


RO

6
FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION
TTE

HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER


STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
3
NERVES FEATS
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN
Martial Arts: Gain a Free Re-roll for all Action and
DRIVE
Reaction Rolls made when fighting in melee. MEDI-
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE UM LONG

SURVIVAL
Combo : After hitting an Enemy, you can spend
SMOOTH 1 Adrenaline to deal 1 additional Grit.
FLIRT

You can download this Hero Sheet at


https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH TELEPHONE
Flying Kick : Attack an Enemy in Close or Medium Range,
STYLE gain +1. You can always attack an Enemy in Close Range.

FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME NAME

AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
Filmography
Here you’ll find all the movies mentioned in the manual, as well as all the movies
that inspired the creation of this book, directly or indirectly. Happy viewing!
Army of the Dead (The Stone Quarry, 2021)
Atomic Blonde (87Eleven Productions, 2017)
Avatar (20th Century Fox, 2009)
Baby Driver (TriStar Pictures, 2017)
Bad Boys (Columbia Pictures, 1995)
Batman Begins (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2005)
Beverly Hills Cop (Don Simpson/Jerry Brukheimer Films, 1984)
Big Trouble in Little China (20th Century Fox, 1986)
Blade Runner (The Ladd Company, 1982)
Bloodsport (Cannon Group, 1988)
Breaking Bad (High Bridge Entertainment, 2008)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fremulon, 2013)
Bullet Train (87North, 2022)
Casino Royale (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2006)
Central Intelligence (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2016)
Columbo (Universal Television, 1989)
Commando (20th Century Fox, 1985)
Con Air (Touchstone Pictures, 1997)
Daredevil (Marvel Television, 2015)
Die Hard (20th Century Fox, 1988)
Die Hard with a Vengeance (20th Century Fox, 1995)
Don’t look up (Hyperobject Industries, 2021)
Enter the Dragon (Warner Bros., 1973)
Entrapment (20th Century Fox, 1999)
Fast and Furious (Universal Pictures, 2001)
Ghostbusters (Columbia Pictures, 1984)
Ghosted (Apple TV+, 2023)
Gone in 60 Seconds (Touchstone Pictures, 2000)
Hot Fuzz (Studio Canal, 2007)
Independence Day (20th Century Fox, 1996)
Inglorious Basterds (A Band Apart, 2009)
Ip Man (Mandarin Films Distribution Co., 2008)
Jingle All the Way (20th Century Fox, 1996)
John Wick (Lionsgate, 2014)
Jurassic World (Universal Pictures, 2015)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (Miramax, 2003)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (Marv Films, 2014)
Knives Out (MRC, 2019)
Lethal Weapon (Warner Bros., 1987)
Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox, 2007)
Mad Max: Fury Road (Village Roadshow, 2015)
Magnum P.I. (Belisarius Production, 1980)
Matchstick Men (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2003)
Mission: Impossible (Paramount Pictures, 1996)
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (Skydance Media, 2018)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Paramount Pictures, 2011)
Mission: Impossible 2 (Paramount Pictures, 2000)
Murder, She Wrote (Universal Television, 1984)
Now You See Me (Lionsgate, 2013)
Ocean’s Eleven (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2001)
Point Break (Largo Entertainment, 1991)
Predator (20th Century Fox, 1987)
R.E.D. (Summit Entertainment, 2010)
Rambo (Anabasis N.V., 1982)
Red Notice (Flynn Picture Company, 2021)
Rocky (United Artist, 1976)
RRR (DVV Entertainment, 2022)
Rush Hour (New Line Cinema, 1988)
Skyfall (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2012)
Spectre (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2015)
Speed (20th Century Fox, 1994)
Stargate (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1994)
Stranger Things (Camp Hero Productions, 2016)
Street Fighter (Edward R. Pressman Productions, 1994)
Taken (EuropaCorp., 2008)
Tenet (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2020)
Terminator 2 - Judgment Day (Carolco Pictures, 1991)
The A-Team (Universal Television, 1983)
The Avengers (Marvel Studios, 2012)
The Curse of the Black Pearl (Walt Disney Prodution, 2003)
The Fugitive (Warner Bros. Pictures, 1993)
The Hangover (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2009)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2015)
The Nice Guys (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2016)
The Rookie (ABC Signature, 2018)
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Saturn Films, 2022)
Top Gun (Paramount Pictures, 1986)
True Lies (20th Century Fox, 1994)
Watch Out, We’re Mad! (Capital Film, 1974)
Zoolander (Paramount Pictures, 2001)
NAME MISSION

ROLES EXPERIENCES
TROPE

JOB AGE
ADRENALINE!
FLAW

CATCHPHRASE
GAIN +1 6 TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT ACHIEVEMENTS, SCARS, BONDS, & REPUTATIONS

BRAWN GRIT YOU LOOK DE


AT
H

ENDURE HURT - BRAWN TIRED - NONE


RO

6
FIGHT
ULE

BAD! HOT! NERVOUS - NERVES - OTHER 5 1


FORCE BAD: SUFFER A CONDITION
TTE

HOT: GAIN 2 ADRENALINE LIKE A FOOL - SMOOTH - OTHER


STUNT
DISTRACTED - FOCUS - OTHER 4 2
SCARED - CRIME BROKEN - ALL
3
NERVES FEATS
COOL YOUR 4TH CONDITION IS ALWAYS BROKEN

DRIVE
MEDI-
SHOOT GUNS & GEAR MELEE CLOSE UM LONG

SURVIVAL

SMOOTH
FLIRT

You can download this Hero Sheet at


https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
LEADERSHIP
SPEECH
STYLE

FOCUS
DETECT
FIX
HEAL
KNOW STORAGE RIDE
CA$H
CRIME NAME

AWARENESS
DEXTERITY
STEALTH
STREETWISE $ $ $ $ $
HEROES VILLAIN WHAT’S YOUR PLAN B?
MISSION NAME

NAME ROLE STRONG SPOTS


BULLET BACKUP BLUFF
NAME ROLE

NAME ROLE
RIDE
NAME ROLE WEAK SPOTS
NAME

SHOT

12
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

NAME NAME
9
HELP HELP

FLAW FLAW

BRAWN BRAWN
6 NERVES NERVES
SMOOTH SMOOTH
FOCUS FOCUS

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You can download this Mission Sheet at
CRIME CRIME

CONTACTS & CLUES

HEAT
6: +1 LETHAL BULLET
9: +1 ENEMY FEAT POINT
12: +1 LETHAL BULLET + 1
HEROES
ENEMIES
MISSION
NAME
HERO ATTACK: DEFENSE:
HERO FEATS

HERO SPECIAL ACTIONS

HERO

VILLAIN STRONG SPOTS NAME

ATTACK: DEFENSE:
WEAK SPOTS

FEATS

SPECIAL ACTIONS
12
HEROES’ RIDE
NAME
NAME
ATTACK: DEFENSE:
9
FEATS

SPECIAL ACTIONS

BASIC CANNON FODDER: 9 GRIT - ATK: 2 BASIC - DEF: BASIC


CRITICAL CANNON FODDER: 9 GRIT - ATK: 2 CRITICAL- DEF: CRITICAL
6
CHASES SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

https://twolittlemice.net/outgunned
You can download this Director Sheet at
NEED
NAME NAME

HELP HELP
NOTES

FLAW FLAW
SPECIAL ACTIONS
BRAWN BRAWN
NERVES NERVES
SMOOTH SMOOTH
NEED FOCUS FOCUS
CRIME CRIME
HEAT
NOTES
6: +1 LETHAL BULLET
9: +1 ENEMY FEAT POINT
SPECIAL ACTIONS 12: +1 LETHAL BULLET + 1
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