PIRATES OF THE CRIMSON

The worlds of the Piper Sector are far from the protection of the Terran Union. Pirates using small fast Hyper ships are darting out of a hidden base in the Crimson Nebula and striking the smaller colonies one by one, while their parent worlds are helpless to intervene. The players are Stellar Rangers sent by the Terran Union to stop these pirates! Trained to skill levels beyond normal human ability and equipped with advanced technology like PsiAmps (Psionic Amplifiers), the Rangers are free roaming paramilitary lawmen.

This is a pulpish science fiction universe using simple "doc smith" style technologies. Most aliens are humanoid and have lower levels of technology then humanity. Space slavers, pirates and other unlikely things are possible in this campaign.

PCN uses cut down and modified version of FUDGE rules (most of which first appeared in Mutant Bikers of The Atomic Wastes). Though this document should contain all that is needed to run PCN, it is strongly suggested the reader should check out the official FUDGE rules for more explanations, options and examples.

Unlike standard FUDGE all traits are measured on the following eight-level sequence:

All non trivial tasks a character performs are given by the GM a difficulty rating on the same scale (typically an average task is rated at Fair). To succeed at this task, the rating of the relevant characters skill, modified by a dice roll, needs to be greater or equal than the difficulty rating of the task. There are a few other rules, but basically this is all there is to FUDGE.

In PCN all skills default at Poor. Skills are bought using Character Points. An average character would be given 10 points to buy skills, an above character would be given 15 points and a superior character would be given 20 points to buy skills. The players are assumed to be Stellar Rangers and get 30 points to spend at character generation. The cost of raising or lowering an attribute is:

The cost is not cumulative. To have a Great Pilot skill it costs 4 points not 9 (4+3+2+1). A player should not have more then two Terrible attributes unless he really wants to.

Players also start with 1 Gift. Further Gifts can be purchased at the price of a Fault. Players can also buy or sell Gifts. Each Gift of Fault is worth 6 points.

Agility: The ability to dodge out of the way of attacks. Also used for feats of bodily manipulation, such as swinging from a cable over an open shaft.

Awareness: Covers all senses, ability to notice and perceive surroundings. At ranks of Great of better character will 'know' if psionics are used on or around him automatically, getting a gut feeling about it.

Brawl: This skill covers all forms of unarmed attacks. Characters in PCN are not expected to fence or display any particular finesse when pounding an opponent to pulp as it's not in keeping with the genre. If you really want your character to be a skillful rather than powerful fighter, buy a custom skill.

Computers: Covers the use, repair and programming of computers. Repairs on computers when the parts are available is often rank Fair or easier. Repairing the modules that computers are built out of is usually Great or better. See the Technology section for more details.

Demolition: Allows the character to build explosive devices out of whatever is available; fuel, ammo, potatoes, etc. The availability of materials determines the difficulty roll.

Drive: Vehicle operation, valid for ground and water vehicles. The main uses are for out maneuvering and out driving NPCs, or doing incredible stunts.

Endure: Used to resist the effects of drugs, poisons, alcohol. Can also be used in combat to reduce the amount of damage suffered. Every time a character is hit for at least a Hurt the player may request a roll.

Engineering: Used to modify and repair space ships. Can also be used in combat to bump up the ship’s speed. A character may use an action to find tune the ship’s engine during combat by rolling his skill and checking the following table, the result’s lasting the next 1d6 rounds.

Gunnery: Used for all mounted or emplaced weapons. The main use is for vehicle combat, such as space battles.

Medical: Good healing rolls cure one level, Great two levels and so on. That means a Superb healing roll wound bring an Incapacitated character back to normal (scratches don't require healing).

Melee: This skill covers all forms of armed hand to hand combat. Again, it's pretty much hack and slash with whatever you're carrying. If you really want your character to be a skillful rather than powerful fighter, buy a custom skill.

Pilot: Vehicle operation, valid for air and space vehicles. The main uses are for out maneuvering and out flying NPCs, or doing incredible stunts.

Prowess: For running away or getting initiative. Important if you’re planning on getting into combat a lot.

Psionic Control: Used to manipulate psionic energy for a variety of effects. See Psionics below.

Psionic Power: A measure of the characters psionic strength. Useful to perform psionic tasks. Can be increased by PsiAmps.

Realize: A good roll might yield a few clues. It is also used to resist Social or other mental attacks.

Sensor: Sensor operation and interpretation of readings. A good skill for the scientist type to have.

Survival: The skills of staying alive without modern amenities and/or in hostile environments.

Technical: The main use is to repair equipment. It is also used to identify and operate strange objects. This is important as most devices are built from 'Universal Standard Components' or USCs. See the Technology section for more details. Another good scientist skill.

CUSTOM SKILLS: So, you think your character needs a different skill from those listed above? Fine, just write it on the space next to Custom Skill.

A Gift is a positive trait; a unique special ability that a character can have. Most of these are mundane advantages (like Wealth), other like Animal Empathy border on the preternatural-natural. In PCN a Gift can also take the shape of a radiation induced mutant power. This allows character to have clearly superhuman abilities if desired. Any superhuman ability is subject to GM approval and may either cost more than one Gift or be given a low Use Gift rating. Some possible gifts are:

Absolute Direction; Always keeps his cool; Ambidextrous; Animal Empathy; Attractive; Beautiful speaking voice; Bonus to one aspect of an attribute; Combat Reflexes; Contacts; Danger Sense; Extraordinary Speed; Healthy Constitution; Keen senses; Literate; Lucky; Many people owe him favors; Never disoriented in zero Gravity; Never forgets a name/face/whatever; Night Vision; Patron; Perfect Timing; Peripheral Vision; Quick Reflexes; Rank; Rapid Healing; Reputation as Hero; Scale; Sense of empathy; Single-minded - +1 to any lengthy task; Status; Strong Will; Tolerant; Tough Hide (-1 to damage) Wealth; etc.

The Use Gift is a skill like attribute attached to a Gift. This is used to roll for a successful use of a Gift. The use Gift rating is not purchased from the 30 character points but it defaults value at Good for most Gifts, though this many vary depending on the usefulness of the Gift. Note where possible the use of a Gift should be an automatic success.

Faults are anything that makes life more difficult for a character (excluding the GM). They are the counterpart to Gifts and most of what applies to one applies to the other.

Absent Minded; Addiction; Ambitious; Amorous heartbreaker; Bloodlust; Blunt and tactless; Bravery indistinguishable from foolhardiness; Can't resist having the last word; Code of Ethics limits actions; Code of Honor; Compulsive Behavior; Coward; Curious; Finicky; Easily Distractible; Enemy; Fanatic patriot; full of bluff and bluster and machismo; Garrulous; Getting old; Glutton; Goes Berserk if Wounded; Gossip; Greedy; Gullible; humanitarian (helps the needy for no pay); Idealist - not grounded in reality; Indecisive; Intolerant; Jealous of Anyone Getting More Attention; Lazy; Loyal to Companions; Manic- Depressive; Melancholy; Multiple Personality; Must obey senior officers; Nosy; Obsession; Outlaw; Overconfident; Owes favors; Phobias; Poor; Practical Joker; Quick- Tempered; Quixotic; Self-defense Pacifist; Socially awkward; Soft-hearted; Stubborn; Quick to take offense; Unlucky; Vain; Violent when enraged; Vow; Worry Wart; Zealous behavior; etc.

The Use Fault attribute defines how intense the Fault is. This defaults to Good.

FUDGE Points are meta-game gifts that may be used to buy "luck" during a game - they let the *players* fudge a game result. These are "meta- game" gifts because they operate at the player-GM level, not character-character level.

In PCN, players start every session with 2 FUDGE Points. They cannot be saved for the next session so that players are encouraged to spend them freely. Here are some suggested ways to use them.

1) Spending a FUDGE Point may accomplish an Unopposed action automatically and with panache - good for impressing members of the appropriate sex, and possibly avoiding injury in the case of dangerous actions. The GM may veto this use of FUDGE Points for actions with a Difficulty Level of Beyond Superb. The GM may disallow this option for an Opposed action, such as combat.

2) A player may spend one FUDGE Point to alter a die roll one level, up or down as desired. The die roll can be either one the player makes, or one the GM makes that directly concerns the player's character.

3) A player may spend one FUDGE Point to declare that wounds aren't as bad as they first looked. This reduces the intensity of any wound to a Scratch.

4) A player may spend one (or more) FUDGE Points to get an automatic +4 result, without having to roll the dice. This use *is* available in Opposed actions, if allowed.

5) FUDGE Points can be spent to ensure a favorable coincidence, subject to GM veto, of course. For example, if the PCs are in a maximum security prison, perhaps one of the guards turns out to be the cousin of one of the PCs - and lets them escape! Or the captain of the Trading Ship rescuing the PCs turns out to be someone who owes a favor to one of them, and is willing to take them out of his way to help them out.

Each character is given 75C (Credits) with which to purchase their personal equipment and gear. This is for personal items as Stellar Rangers are given the basic kit listed below. Other items will be given to the player(s) by the GM based upon his adventure.

The rules for building and using Starships are complex enough that it is a separate set of rules, called Hot Jets!.

Technology

In the universe of PCN, mass production of Universal Standard Components (or USC) has led to all devices having parts that can be interchanged up to a degree. There are several hundred types of USC and any standard data base can ID a part or list the USC needed for common devices. The USC are assembled in the proper configuration and then wrapped in a duraplas or plasteel shell for handling and use.
Typically repairing a device (or vehicle) is just a matter of replacing some USC. Repairing USC is almost unheard of, but is done on poor worlds or in emergency situations. Also backward colonies and alien worlds will use strange local non USC materials to make devices.

This chapter concentrates on the mechanics of PCN. Readers familiar with FUDGE should have no problem following it. The rest are encourage to download a copy of FUDGE.

Since a +1 and a -1 cancel each other, remove a +1 and -1 from the table, and the remaining two dice are easy to read no matter what they are. The result of a die roll is a number between -4 and +4. On the character sheet, there should be a simple chart of the attribute levels, such as:

To determine the result of an action, simply put your finger on your trait level, then move it up (for plus results) or down (for minus results).

There may be modifiers for any given action, which can affect the odds referred to in the preceding section. Modifiers temporarily improve or reduce a character's traits. Modifiers may grant a +/-1 to any trait. In FUDGE, +/-2 is a large modifier - +/-3 is the maximum that should ever be granted except under *extreme* conditions.

For each Unopposed action, the GM sets a Difficulty Level (Fair is the most common) and announces which trait should be rolled against. The player then rolls the four FUDGE dice against the skill in an attempt to equal or better the score.

In setting the Difficulty Level of a task, the GM should remember that Poor is the default for most skills. The average *trained* climber can climb a average cliff most of the time, but the average *untrained* climber will usually get a Poor result.

To resolve an Opposed action between two characters, each side rolls against the appropriate trait and announces the result. The traits rolled against are not necessarily the same.

For example, a seduction attempt would be rolled against the Social skill for the active participant (or possibly a Gift) and against the Realize skill of the person being seduced. There may be modifiers: someone with a vow of chastity might get a bonus of +2 to his Will, while someone with a Lecherous fault would have a penalty - or not even try to resist.

An Opposed action can also be handled as an Unopposed action. When a PC is opposing an NPC, have only the player roll, and simply let the NPC's trait level be the Difficulty Level. This method assumes the NPC will always roll a 0. This emphasizes the PCs' performance, and reduces the possibility of an NPC's lucky roll deciding the game.

As a slight variation on the above, the GM rolls 1dF or 2dF when rolling for an NPC in an opposed action. This allows some variation in the NPC's ability, but still puts the emphasis on the PCs' actions.

Each attack is an Opposed Action using the attacker's Brawl or Melee against the target's Brawl or Melee or Agility. If a PC is fighting an NPC the GM can treat combat as an Unopposed action by assuming the NPC will always get a result equal to her trait level.

Ranged combat may or may not be an Opposed action. If the target is unaware of the assault, the attacker makes an Unopposed action roll to see if he hits his target. The GM sets the Difficulty Level based on distance, lighting, cover, etc. Do not modify the attacker's skill for range, partial cover, or other circumstances - that's included in the Difficulty Level. Equipment such as a laser sighting scope can modify the attacker's skill, though.

If the defender is aware of the attack it is an Opposed action: the attacker's ranged weapon skill against the defender's Agility.

To determine the damage generated by the hit, add the relative degree of success to the weapon bonus. For example if a Great pistol shot is fired against a Fair Dodge, the relative degree of success is +2. The Blaster Pistol does +3 damage bringing the total to 5. If the target was wearing armor it's would be subtracted from the 5 before looking at the wound track.

NPCs and creatures have a different, more restricted, wound record. It looks like this:

This give the players a real edge and reduces book keeping for the GM, making everyone happy. You can always alter the range for individual creatures.

Scratch	No game effect. They heal on their own after combat.
Hurt	Character is at -1 on all skills.
Very Hurt	Character is at -2 on all skills.
Incapacitated	Character is out cold.
Near Death	Character will die if no one takes care of him. Note there is no hard and fast rule on death. Its the logic of the situation that will determine if the character can recover from Near Death or not.

The numbers above the wound levels represent the amount of damage needed in a single blow to inflict the wound listed under the number. For example, a blow of three or four points Hurts the character, while a blow of five or six points inflicts a Very Hurt wound.

The boxes below the wound levels represent how many of each wound type a fighter can take. When a wound is received, mark off the appropriate box. Once the box for a particular level of wound is filled, any wound of that level is upgraded to the next higher level. So, for example, a character that takes two Very Hurt results without taking any other hits is Incapacitated, since that is the next highest wound level.

Note that three boxes are provided under Scratch. A Scratch wound will not make a fighter Hurt until he receives his fourth Scratch. Please note that a Scratch will never raise a character's wound level beyond Very Hurt, no matter how many he takes.

NPC pawns don't need the system above .A simple three-stage system of Undamaged, Hurt, Out of the Battle is good enough for most of them. Simply make a mark under an NPC's name for Hurt, and cross out the name for Out of the Battle.

PCN is meant to be played at a fast and furious pace. As such it is not desirable for characters to stay wounded for long. Hence characters can regain full health after whatever the GM deems a suitable interval. As a general guideline if the next 'scene' is in a different location or a day or two later it is probably a suitable interval. For characters in a hurry there is the Medical skill.

A player can announce that his character is trying to stun or knock his opponent out rather than damage her. Using the flat of a blade instead of the edge, for example, can accomplish this. Damage is figured normally, but any damage inflicted doesn't wound the opponent: it stuns her instead.

In this case, a Hurt result is called a "Stun" - a stunned character cannot attack and is at -1 to defend *for one combat turn only.* However, the Stun result stays on the character sheet: that is, a second Stun result, even if delivered more than one combat round after the first, will cause the character to become Very Stunned. (Stun results heal like Scratches: *after* combat is over.)

A Very Hurt result in a stunning attack is called a Very Stunned result instead: no attacks and -2 to all actions for *two* combat rounds.

A result of Incapacitated or worse when going for stun damage results in a knockout. A knocked-out character doesn't need healing to recuperate to full health - just time. The GM may simply decide that a successful Good blow (or better) to the head knocks someone out automatically. In an Opposed action, the Good blow would also have to win the combat, of course.

Likewise, a player may choose to have his character do reduced damage in any given attack. This is known as "pulling your punch," even if you are using a sword. This commonly occurs in duels of honor, where it is only necessary to draw "first blood" to win, and killing your opponent can get you charged with murder. A Scratch will win a "first blood" duel - it is not necessary to Hurt someone.

To pull your punch, simply announce the maximum wound level you will do if you are successful.

Heroic	Superb	Great	Good	Fair	Passable	Poor	Terrible
+6	+5	+4	+3	+2	+1	0	-1

	1-2	3-4	5-6	7-8	9+
Wounds:	Scratch	Hurt	Very Hurt	Incapacitated	Near Death
	O O O	O	O	O

	1-4	5-6	7+
Wounds:	Hurt	Very Hurt	Near Death
	O	O	O