DUEL QUESTERSDesigned by Ewen Cluney

In�uential PeopleIn the world of Millennium Blades a single

Collectible Card Game dominates human history. It takes the intense competition of high-level CCG tournaments and raises the stakes about as high as they could possibly go. Duel Questers is a tabletop RPG that builds on the world of Millennium Blades, letting you weave tales of scrappy young players, seeking adventure and carving out their own legends.

Getting Ready to PlayMillennium Blades: In order to play Duel

Questers you’ll need a copy of Millennium Blades that you can dedicate to your campaign. Set aside all promos, but use all of your other card sets. Yes, your Store Deck will be massive. Friendship and Character cards are not used in this game.

Pencils and Paper: Each player will need a character sheet and pencils to write with.

People: This is a tabletop role-playing game, so you will need one person to be the Game Master, and 3 to 5 other people to be the players.

Optional Accessories: Giving each player their own (physical) deck box and card sleeves would be pretty awesome, but isn’t required.

It wouldn’t hurt to watch some CCG-based anime like Yugioh!, CardFight Vanguard, and Selector Infected WIXOSS. Then you need to get totally shameless about making pun names.

A World of CardsA thousand years ago, the world faced an

unimaginable threat from alien invaders from another dimension known as the Cardelians, a race of humanoid cephalopods. The invaders had begun to spread out like an infection, and the mighty Druid Kings knew that if they did not stop this threat, it would overtake the world and extinguish mankind. Though they fought bravely, they fought with spears, cudgels, and bow and arrow. Salvation came in the form of a strange man who claimed to be from the future, the noted game designer and time traveler

Pritchard Left�eld. He taught the Druid Kings the secrets of his greatest work, the card game Millennium Blades. With his help, the Druid Kings trained an elite �ghting force, the �rst order of Blademasters, and gave them their very strongest cards.

The Blademasters had a hard �ght, but they triumphed, defeating the invaders and closing the rift they emerged from. The common folk hailed the Blademasters as heroes, but the Druid Kings, fearing that their warriors might use the power of the cards for evil, sealed away that power in a series of magical artifacts, the Millennium Accessories. Even so, they also began an institution of training Blademasters, tasked to be vigilant should the rift ever reopen.

In the centuries since, Millennium Blades has only grown in popularity. It spread from the lands of the Druid Kings, and became the foremost pastime of the entire world. Though the cards have little of their former magic, they still have the power of attraction that Left�eld put into them. That in turn has let the game insinuate itself into virtually every aspect of life, and school children and world leaders alike have decks and use card battles to settle their disputes. Although the world is not without strife by any means, the use of the game to resolve con�icts have prevented an incalculable amount of bloodshed. Some say that Left�eld intended the game to have that effect, to make it a means to push mankind towards true enlightenment, but the man himself is rather coy about such questions.

Card Con�ictsBefore Millennium Blades came along, tabletop

games were relatively simple affairs like Senet, Pachisi, Draughts, go, and so on. The Druid Kings inherited the secrets of printing Millennium Blades cards, but it took time for them to learn the art of game design. That is why they had not considered the possibility of overpowered cards, and for a time any Druid King with a printing press could churn out overpowered cards. The strife these cards caused soon threatened to bring the game crashing down, and human civilization with it. The Druid Kings made a pact, a contract known as the Magna Carda, and used their sorcerous seals on it. No more unbalanced cards would be made, on pain of death.

To enforce the terms of the Magna Carda, and

to shepherd the game overall, the Druid Kings founded the order of the Cardinals. These judges traveled the world, con�scating overpowered cards and doling out punishments to those who printed them. However, over the centuries the order of the Cardinals became its own beast with its own internal divisions.

If the rumors are true, the Cardinals have hidden vaults full of unimaginably potent cards, stockpiled for the day that humanity needs them to survive. And if other rumors are to be believed, there is a cabal within the Cardinals called the TCG Illuminati, that intends to one day use those cards to take over the world.

One of the most stalwart of the Cardinals, Cardinal Baanz, rooted out a cell of TCG Illuminati, but there is still more work to do, and he doesn’t know who he can trust. To that end, he is recruiting promising duelists.

Cards WorldwideMillennium Blades is a worldwide phenomenon

that spans over a thousand years of history. It began in the lands of the Druid Kings of Europe, but it has reached virtually every part of the world. Tournaments may have added restrictions, but generally speaking cards from any era and in any language are considered valid. For high-level games, Cardinals have had to cope with cards written in Latin, extinct Germanic dialects, Braille, classical Japanese, and more besides.

Different cultures relate to the game in different ways. Americans and the Japanese favor tournaments in card shops and conventions, while in Germany they play at home and in card cafés, and through South America they are �rst and foremost the province of seedy card rooms called “Tarjeterias.”

Wielding so much in�uence, the Druid Kings and Cardinals take their control of the game very seriously. They create new expansions for the game based on trends they wish to encourage and the direction they intend to push history. Though few realize it even today the James Bomb set was intended to help bring the Western world victory in the Cold War. Not every set is so obviously an attempt to shape events, but none are without a deeper purpose of some sort.

Eldritch Entertainment GroupNot all of the Druid Kings signed the Magna

Carda. A secretive cabal left the lands of the Druid Kings, and used the power of Millennium Blades to make contact with terrifying creatures from beyond space and time. These cosmic horrors granted them incredible dueling powers, but at the price of madness. They craved more power, they ached to bring their masters to our world, and they worked towards their goals with feverish intensity.

Together, these rogue cabals formed the Eldritch Entertainment Group (EEG), and began producing their own card game, Legend of the Elder Things. Like Millennium Blades, LET has power, but a dark, hidden power. It slowly twists the minds of players, and in the hands of a powerful duelists it becomes a channel for the eldritch power of beings from beyond.

The cult behind EEG did not expect LET to overtake Millennium Blades by any means, but it did build a following. Where it became popular, it would weaken the barriers between worlds. The dark sorcery within the cards would become stronger, distorting reality and warping minds, and in extreme cases admitting arcane monstrosities to our world. One such portal brought the creature known as the Card Shark to Earth. It was quick to seize control of the Eldritch Entertainment Group and begin guiding them to unleash even greater monstrosities. Millennium Blades is its single greatest obstacle, and so does all in its power to destroy the game–card by card.

The CardeliansThe Druid Kings and their Blademasters

banished the Cardelians from our world a thousand years ago using the power of Millennium Blades. Many hoped that the aliens would never return, but the Cardelians have not been idle. They used their long exile in their home dimension to rebuild and evolve. They had managed to capture a few Millennium Blades cards, before the Druid Kings sealed away those cards’ power. Studying the cards has enabled the Cardelians to make huge strides in their technology and sorcery, and now they are perhaps an even greater threat than before.

There was one Cardelian who opposed the

invasion, a scientist named Lettstrade. She is one of the greatest cartologists of her generation, and she believes she is close to discovering a hidden power within the cards, something called “Friendship.” Her pleas to try to understand this power before destroying humanity fell on deaf hears. With no support from her own people, she secretly came to Earth to seek out humans who could teach her about this “Friendship.”

What Are Cardelians Really Like?

Cardelians are a race of cephalopods that represent an alternative path of evolution. They have humanoid bodies with moist, clammy skin in various colors (blue, pink, and orange being the most common). Their hands have three �ngers and their feet have three toes. They have tentacles that grow from their heads, with suckers that are excellent for holding cards. They have no noses (“How do they smell? With sense organs hidden just below their eyes!”), mouths with a few pointed teeth, and eyes with distinctive plus-shaped pupils.

Lacking any concept of friendship, Cardelian culture is brutal, pragmatic, and competitive. Card games have become a major outlet for their competitiveness, and before that even small children participated in ink-based combat games from an early age. The Cardelians believe that their world is doomed and they must �nd a new home if they are to survive. They’re not entirely wrong about this, as the Elder Things have visited their world before, and according to the ancient Cartonomicon they will return again When the Cards Are Right. Faced with extinction, their impending invasion of earth has taken on a desperate tone. There’s no telling how they’ll react to the power of “friendship,” but they are sitting on a cultural fault line, and they can feel the big one is coming soon.

NaturalsIn recent years something new has emerged,

something no one had anticipated. There are people with an intuitive understanding of the cards, who see deeper mysteries in them. Perhaps the success of Millennium Blades unwittingly bent natural selection in this direction, or perhaps this is some plot by the TCG Illuminati. Whatever the case, these “Naturals” are growing in number, and it is likely that the world will never be the same.

Where for normal people Millennium Blades is ultimately a game played with pieces of card stock, Naturals enter a kind of trance where they witness the events of the game unfold in front of them. When they summon a creature they see it appear before them, and if it perishes they hear its screams. It is tempting to assume this is some kind of hallucination, but there seems to be more to it than that. There is too much consistency between different Naturals’ visions, and the outcomes of their duels sometimes seem to subtly bend reality around them.

Naturals speak of something called the Heart of the Cards, and say that a player who can achieve harmony with it will be capable of incredible things. There’s no telling what could happen if a Natural were to obtain the true sorcerous power of the cards, but equally there is a potential danger if one were to get hooked on Legend of the Elder Things.

Everyday LifeIn the world of Millennium Blades, the game

permeates virtually all aspects of human culture. Cards, of�cial or otherwise, are the most popular and prestigious medium of artistic expression, and greats like Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Shakespeare, H.G. Wells, and Ernest Hemingway all at least dabbled in cards of one sort or another. Some such cards remained historical works, but the Cardinals often took them on as of�cial Millennium Blades cards. Teachers use cards about their subjects to teach children, and in underfunded schools they struggle to afford booster packs in the hopes of getting the cards they need.

Moreover, Millennium Blades is the preferred method for resolving con�icts. From schoolyard

scuf�es to international disputes, it is the norm to wager on a Millennium Blades match rather than engage in violence. This in turn means that it is virtually required for world leaders to be skilled players, and most nations have a government agency devoted to acquiring powerful cards for their leader’s deck.

The FuturePritchard Left�eld has reemerged in our time.

He has visited many points on the timeline, but usually to observe a tournament or pass along a new expansion. This time is different. Something is coming, something big, something dangerous, and he is making sure mankind is ready. He is recruiting promising duelists, training them to be a new generation of Blademasters. It can’t be a coincidence that he has returned just about a thousand years after the launch of Millennium Blades.

It’s normal to be concerned about the future. Every era has people who are certain that the end of the world is just around the corner. But those who are truly in the know, those who are aware of the return of Pritchard Left�eld, the imminent Cardelian invasion, and the creeping in�uence of LET, the world is going to face a time of great challenges. Perhaps you will be one of the heroes who helps mankind triumph.

There’s one true wildcard in all of this though: the Naturals. They’re something that Left�eld himself didn’t anticipate, and there’s no telling what they will be able to do if they wield the full power of Millennium Blades…

Duelist CreationBonds

“Bonds” are your duelist’s ties to other people that de�ne them. Select one Bond; you’ll be able to acquire more later. Pick bonds based on what you want the GM to put into the game in interesting ways. Below are some possible Bonds.

Best FriendA close friend who you can always count on.

Burning RivalThis is a rival duelist. The two of you have

clashed many times already, and you’ve reached a grudging mutual respect.

Game Shop WorkerA friend or relative who works at (or maybe

even runs) a game shop, and thus knows a great deal about the game and the people who play it.

MentorThis is someone who is more experienced than

you (though not necessarily more powerful), and has taken you under their wing.

Romantic InterestThere’s someone you have a romantic interest

in, whether it’s just a boy or girl that you have a crush on, or a longtime spouse, or anything in between.

WardSomeone that you take care of, who depends on

you.

TalentsTalents are special abilities that Duelists have

that let them get ahead. Select two talents; you’ll be able to buy more later.

AllowanceAt the end of every week, gain 10 dollars.

Card DiscoveryEvery time you visit a new location, you gain a

random card from the Store Deck.

CartomancyYou have learned the techniques necessary to

use Millennium Blades cards to gain insight into the future. When you sit down to use cartomancy, make a Friendship test. On a result of 5 or less you divine something ominous or misleading. On a 6 to 8 you get a vague hint about the future. On a 9 or higher you can ask one yes or no question and get an accurate answer from the GM.

CosplayYour love of costumes lets you take on a degree

of card-ness to gain the abilities of a card. You have an extra tableau slot, but you can only change the card it contains when you have a long rest.

DealerAny time you sell a card worth 3 or more

Millennium Dollars to a store, you get an extra Millennium Dollar.

Decked OutYou can use two deck boxes.

Duelist Info CardsYou collect and create cards with information

on notable card duelists. If you want to reveal what you know about a duelist who is even a little bit famous, make a Smarts test. On a 5 or less you know only obvious details about them. On a 6 to 8 you know a bit about their personal lives, and what element they use most in their deck. On a 9 or higher you also know their full bio, and what their stats are.

HeirloomYou begin the game with a Bronze Promo in

your binder.

MetanalysisEach time you play a card that matches at least

one Meta symbol, gain 2 RP. Each meta you successfully score gives you an additional 5 RP.

Mister SuitcaseYou can include 2 additional singles in your

deck.

Money is PowerOnce per duel, you can spend up to 5 Millennium

Dollars to put that many +1 STAR tokens onto one of your cards.

NaturalYou are a Natural, someone who has an inherent

af�nity for and connection to the cards. You have a special additional Bond with the Heart of the Cards. You can use this bond whenever you have a moment to hold your deck and think.

Power of FriendshipAssign a card to represent each one of your

bonds. As long as you maintain the associated bond, the star rating of the card goes up by 3. Whenever you play the card, remember to think about your friends!

Professional DuelistYou can add your Cunning to a clash once per

duel.

Spirited DuelistOnce per duel you can take 1 Stress to gain RP

equal to �ve times your Blaze.

Screw the Rules!Once per duel, you can play a card into any

position in your tableau.

Secret Society ContactYou have a contact with one of the secret

societies that shapes the world (the Druid Kings, Cardinals, TCG Illuminati, etc.). You can Leverage this contact like you would a Bond.

RuthlessOnce per duel, you can �ip any number of your

own cards as an action.

StylishYou can use one additional accessory.

Trump CardYou possess a special card very seldom seen

in Millennium Blades. You’re not entirely sure what it does, but it’s yours to try. Add one card from any game to your collection. We seriously mean any game. It could be from a CCG, or a non-collectible card game, or just a normal playing card. You can either work with the Game Master to determine what it does or let the Game Master themselves decide!

Unforeseen InteractionYou can play two cards together, fusing them

into one. The new card has the combined Star Rating of both cards, as well as both Elements, Types, Sets, Rarities, names and any other effects the Game Master might deem �t.

Roll Quirk Roll Quirk11 Absurd Hair Color/Style 41 Lazy

12 Cardelian 42 Monocle

13 Carries a Plushie 43 Neat Freak

14 Casual Clothes 44 Nurse

15 Cat Ear Hairband 45 Occult Pendant

16 Corny Jokes 46 Otaku

21 Cultist 51 Overactive Imagination

22 Eye Patch 52 Ponytail/Pigtails

23 Formal Attire 53 Ribbon(s)

24 Glasses 54 Robot/Android

25 Glutton 55 Scarf

26 Goggles 56 Shutterbug

31 Has a Servant/Lackeys 61 Shy

32 Headphones 62 Sickly

33 Heterochromia 63 Sunglasses

34 Immortal 64 Sweet Tooth

35 Klutz 65 Time Traveler

36 Lab Coat 66 Wears a Rose

QuirksPick two Quirks for your character. These are

details that tell us about who they are and/or what they look like. Quirks don’t affect the game mechanics, though the GM may opt to make them matter in the story in some way. And yes, even something as outrageous as being a Cardelian alien or a robot is just a “Quirk” in game terms.

The table below has 36 possible Quirks. If you have some six-sided dice handy you can make a “d66” roll to determine them randomly, or you can just choose yourself, or you can even make up new ones. To make a d66 roll, get two six-sided dice, and designate one as the tens digit and the other as the ones digit. Roll them and put the results together to get one of 36 possible items numbered 11 through 66.

Roll Quirk Roll Quirk11 Hard work always

pays off. 41 I will �nd the one card I’m looking for!

12 I hate this game, but I have to win at any cost. 42 I will �nd the truth!

13 I have a duty, and I will do it. 43 I will gain new

knowledge for mankind!

14 I have to catch up to my brother/sister! 44 I will prove my

theory correct!

15 I have to prove myself. 45 I won’t be bound by my past.

16I just enjoy playing

this game. Why can’t that be enough?

46 I’m always there for my friends.

21 I just want to have fun! 51I’m going to be the greatest duelist the

world has ever known.

22 I know what’s coming, and I have to stop it. 52 If I win I’ll get

the girl/boy!

23 I must protect my honor. 53 I’m going to save the world!

24 I want to �nd my own path through life. 54 I’m just so awesome!

25 I want to learn all there is to know about cards! 55 I’m not like my

father/mother.

26 I want to live up to their legacy. 56 Money is power.

31 I want to make everyone happy! 61 My collection will be

the greatest ever!

32 I want to make the world a better place. 62 No one is beyond

redemption. No one.

33 I want to serve my country. 63 These idiots clearly

need my help.

34 I want to understand the power of Friendship. 64 They will respect me!

35 I want to win, but I want to do it in style! 65 This is the only

thing I’m good at.

36 I will change the world for the better. 66 This world will be mine!

DriveYour duelist’s Drive is a brief summation of

what they’re about, what it is that they really and truly care about. As with Quirks, you can use the table below to randomly determine one, but

be sure it’s something you like, something you want to be a major theme in the game and have your character yell about a lot.

StatsDuelists have three stats that represent their

level of ability in various areas. Assign 12 points among the four stats, giving each one a value between 1 and 5.

BlazeYour duelist’s guts, their �ery determination to

do well and never give up.

CunningYour duelist’s capacity for cleverness and

deceit.

FriendshipYour duelist’s ability to make friends and have

genuine connections with others.

SmartsYour general intelligence and book smarts.

Starting FundsEach character starts with 20 Millennium

Dollars. Using the little cash bundles from Millennium Blades is more fun, but you can just write them down on your character sheet.

Starting Collection and DeckDuelists begin with just a starter deck, as in a

Millennium Blades pre-release tournament. You can agree upon who gets which starter decks, or play a game of Millennium Blades in order to decide!

StressDuelists deal with all sorts of things that wear

on them, mental and physical. When those things get to them, they take points of Stress, and a Duelist who takes too much Stress has a Stress Break. You start the game with 5 stress boxes, all un�lled. That’ll come later.

Name and Other DetailsIf you haven’t already, give your character

a name, preferably something derived from a really blatant card-related pun.

Adventures

TestsA test is similar to a clash in Millennium Blades

(see p. 12 of the Millennium Blades rulebook). Each participant cuts the Store Deck and checks the star rating of the top card. Where in a clash you would add to that the Star Rating of one of the Top card in your tableau, for a Test you add the relevant stat instead. The sum of the two (and any applicable modi�ers from other sources) is your Result for the test.

The outcome of a test will depend on the particular action you’re undertaking, but generally speaking a 5 or less is a failure, a 6 to 8 is a partial success, and a 9 or higher is a full success.

Dif�culty Modi�ersIf a player is doing something that’s particularly

dif�cult or easy, the GM can apply a Dif�culty Modi�er. This is simply a bonus or penalty that you apply to the total of a test. Keep in mind that modi�ers don’t have to be big to have a considerable impact. A change of 2 points can easily be the difference between success and failure.

Dif�culty Modi�erVery Dif�cult -2

Dif�cult -2

Normal +0

Easy +1

Very Easy +2

Opposed TestsOne simple way to handle con�icts between two

characters is with an opposed test. Each player makes a test using appropriate stats (usually the same stat, but it depends on what the test is about and how the duelists are handling it), and whoever gets the higher result wins. If the test is something dangerous or stressful, the GM can assign a point or two of Stress to the loser.

Card DuelsAppropriately, the core of the game is entering

into card duels. For this we use the tournament rules from Millennium Blades, but with a few modi�cations. The biggest difference is that the player(s) involved are trying to meet a certain target amount of RP in order to triumph. The GM will usually use the special GM Moves, but can put together a deck for an NPC if they wish, especially for a one-on-one duel.

MetagameIt’s a good idea to regularly make use of

Metagame cards for card duels. They help shake things up, and they prevent players from using a single super-deck all the time. For a tournament they represent the metagame of the CCG like in Millennium Blades, while in other kinds of matches they can represent the strengths and weaknesses of a given opponent.

RP TargetIn a one-on-one duel using actual cards on

both sides, the goal is simply to be the one with more RP at the end. Otherwise, the GM will need to set an RP Target for the duel, according to the dif�culty of it and the number of players participating.

Dif�culty RP TargetEasy # of players x 80

Average # of players x 120

Hard # of players x 140

Boss Mode # of players x 180

TournamentsTournaments are a regular fact of life in the

world of Millennium Blades. For these, the players compete as in a normal Millennium Blades game, but the GM sets an RP Target that each player must reach individually to get past the higher-tier players in the tournament.

Promotional GiftsTournaments often give out a promotional gift

to entrants, usually along the lines of a Booster Pack or Promo Card.

One-on-One DuelsDuelists may engage in one-on-one duels with

other duelists, whether a friendly match between comrades or a desperate clash of enemies. A one-on-one duel works much like other card duels, except that there is only one PC duelist participating and one (PC or NPC) opponent.

One vs. Many DuelsSometimes a group of duelists will try to take

on a single, particularly powerful opponent. You can handle this like a normal card duel, requiring the players to achieve a certain total number of RP in order to succeed. Alternatively, you may give the NPC’s Deck Box an additional Score effect:

Score (1 Player): 75 , Score (2 players): 150 , Score (3 players): 300 , Score (4 players): 450 , Score (5 players): 600 .

Prizes and Consequences• Participation Prize: Some tournaments and

such will offer a “participation prize,” a basic but still potentially useful prize just for taking part.

• Close Success: If the duelists match or exceed their RP Target, but not by 20% or more, they achieve a “Close Success,” meaning they won, but it was a near thing. They receive a normal prize.

• Strong Success: If the duelists exceed their RP Target by 20% or more, they achieve a “Strong Success.” The opponent(s) take an additional point of Stress, and the winners should get an additional prize of some kind.

• Failure: If the duelists can’t meet their RP Target, they fail, and are defeated. They suffer one or more Consequences (see below). Failure isn’t the end of things though; it means the duelists suffer a setback of some kind and have to regroup and become stronger.

Prizes• Cards: Cards make a good prize for most any

kind of con�ict. A booster pack or promo card may be a prize for winning a tournament, or a very speci�c card could be on the line in a duel.

• Cash: It’s not unusual for there to be cash on the line, either as a side bet or as a prize. This should typically be around 10 Millennium Dollars for a small tournament, or 20 or more Millennium Dollars for a large one.

• Millennium Accessory: Millennium Accessories are exceptionally powerful, so they’d have to be prizes in really exceptional circumstances, but they are certainly a possibility.

• Story Prize: A “story prize” refers to when the outcome of a duel gets a character something they want that isn’t de�ned in the rules. If you’re dueling to rescue your grandfather from the bad guy, getting your grandfather freed would be a story prize on offer for that duel.

Consequences• Stress: One simple thing you can do to drive

a failure home is to assign 1 or 2 points of Stress to the duelists.

• Story Consequence: Just as a story prize means a duelist gets something they want in the story, a story consequence means they suffer a loss in story terms from something not covered by the rules. If you’re dueling to rescue your grandfather, a story consequence could be that you’re put even further from rescuing him.

• Card Loss: In certain circumstances it may make sense for duelists to lose valued cards.

• Money Loss: Sometimes it makes sense for a duelist to lose some Millennium Dollars.

GM Duel MovesIf a GM wants to make a duel even more

challenging, the GM use these GM Duel Moves to mess with the PCs. When you play out a duel using GM Duel Moves, the NPC(s) the GM controls have a certain number of Duel Points (DP) based on how powerful they are, and they spend these on various moves as an Action. If the NPC is out of DP, they can’t use Duel Moves for the rest of the duel.

Dif�culty NPC’s Duel PointsEasy 10

Average 20

Hard 30

Boss Mode 40

Forceful Play (4 DP)The opponent makes a forceful play, bringing

out a brute force attack card. A player of the GM’s choice loses 5 RP. If they have less than 5 RP, they can �ip a card instead.

Incredible Combo (16 DP)The opponent manages to play an incredible

combination of cards that has a devastating effect. Each PC loses 10 RP.

Just Plain Cheating (10 DP)The opponent just plain cheats. Each PC

loses 10 RP. If one of the duelists tries to call the cheating to an of�cial’s attention, make a Smarts test. On a result of 5 or less the of�cial doesn’t see it and penalizes you 5 RP for wasting their time. On a 6 to 8 the of�cial rules that the play was illegal (so you do not lose any RP), but lets the opponent make another play. On a 9 or higher the of�cial �nds the violation severe enough to make a ruling in your favor; each PC gains 5 RP.

Shocking Revelation (16 DP)The opponent reveals something personal

about the PCs that is so shocking it completely throws them off their game. Each PC must �ip one of their cards.

Tricky Play (5 DP)The opponent makes a tricky play, disrupting

the players’ strategies. The GM can �ip any one card in one player’s tableau.

Trap Card (10 DP)The GM can use this move when a player has

just played a card. The opponent unveils an unforeseen “gotcha” effect! The effect of the card that was just played by the player is negated and their card is �ipped.

Unique Card (??? DP)The GM uses a card from another game and

introduces a unique rule or effect for it–just like with the player characters’ Trump Card ability. This is usually story related or offers a unique twist to the game, and should be priced accordingly.

Things Besides Card DuelsNot quite everything in the game can be

resolved through card duels. This section has rules for several such things that might come up during a typical Duel Questers campaign.

Endure StrifeWhen you try to persevere through a harsh

situation, make a Blaze test. On a result of 5 or less you suffer a major setback and take 1 Stress. On a 6 to 8 you are able to persevere but something else goes wrong. On a 9 or higher you are able to emerge unscathed.

Have a FlashbackOnce per session a player can declare that their

duelist is having a �ashback. Choose one of the following effects:

•Reveal how you �rst met another character. Add +1 to your next rest involving them.

•Recall how a particular card has personal signi�cant to you. Add +3 to its Star value for one turn.

•Recall what it is that motivates you to win. Gain 5 RP.

Make sure to narrate your �ashback with all the authenticity and earnestness of a CCG-anime protagonist in order to claim the bonus.

InvestigateWhen you investigate something to

try to �nd more information, make a Smarts test if you are attempting to do research or a Friendship test if you are attempting to coax people into telling you things. On a result of 5 or less you �nd information that is �awed or misleading. On a 6 to 8 you are able to make progress on your investigation, but someone else becomes aware of what you’re doing. On a 9 or higher you are able to discretely learn something useful.

Leverage a BondWhen you attempt to use the

subject of a bond to your bene�t, make a Friendship test. On a result of 5 or less you strain your friendship

somewhat. On a 6 to 8 pick 1 from the list below, and on a 9 or higher pick 2:

• You learn some useful information.

• You get a small discount on a purchase.

• You are able to �nd a good place to receive a given service.

• You bene�t from the human connection; remove 1 Stress.

Make a WagerWhen you attempt to make a wager with

an NPC, make a Cunning test. On a 5 or less, even if you win the wager you’ll be at a bit of a disadvantage. On a 6 to 8 the wager is risky, but worth it if you win. On a 9 or higher the wager carries some risk, but will be highly bene�cial if you win.

SneakWhen you attempt to avoid detection, make

a Cunning test. On a 5 or less your presence is obvious to anyone is in the vicinity. On a 6 to 8 staying concealed will make it harder to reach your objective. On a 9 or higher anyone present is none the wiser.

Stress and Stress Breaks“Stress” is a measure of the mental and physical

punishment a character has endured. Certain rules will specify that a character takes a point of Stress, and the GM may assign Stress where it seems appropriate as well. When a character takes Stress, the player marks one of the boxes on the character sheet.

When a character reaches 5 points of Stress, they have a Stress Break. The player erases all of their Stress boxes, and the GM picks one of the following:

• The player loses the use of a random card from their deck until the end of the session.

• For the next three tests the character makes, the player must draw two cards and use the one with the lower star rating.

• Something the duelist did alienates a Bond character, and the duelist will not be able to access the Bond until they do something to show they’re sorry.

• The duelist has a public outburst that humiliates them, such as �ipping the table after a duel.

DowntimeThe GM will periodically allow the duelists

downtime, during which they can pursue other things besides their adventures. They get a certain number of Turns of downtime, depending on what they’re doing. Characters who go to school get one turn of downtime per day, representing their free time in the afternoon and evening. A duelist has to have access to the necessary facilities to be able to perform an action, though the world of Millennium Blades is such that you can �nd card shops in the most unlikely of places. You probably can’t �nd while in a cave in the Himalayas waiting out a blizzard, but just because you’re near the peak of the highest mountain in the world doesn’t mean there are no card shops.

Deck BuildingWhen one or more players want to work on

their decks, they each need to use this Downtime Action. This works basically like in Millennium Blades, except that there is no timer. Don’t take too long, but you don’t need to rush like

in a normal Millennium Blades game. Also, Collections provide XP rather than VP; see p. 8-9 of the Millennium Blades rulebook for more information on deckbuilding.

Investigation and ResearchInvestigation and research let you ferret out

information that you might need to achieve your goals. A downtime turn dedicated to investigation and research lets you make up to two tests related to it.

Rest & RelaxationR&R lets a Duelist relax a bit and remove Stress.

Each downtime turn spend this way removes 2 points of Stress. The player should describe what their duelist is doing to relax.

Character AdvancementOver the course of the game, characters will

gain Experience Points (XP), which they can then spend on various improvements.

Quest XPQuest XP is bonus experience that characters

receive for accomplishing things in the game. At the end of a session the GM awards 6 XP to players who achieve a signi�cant goal, and 12 to players who achieve a major goal.

Collection XPJust like in Millennium Blades, where players

may build a Collection and trade it for Victory Points, in Duel Questers they are worth XP instead.

Cards 3 or less

4 5 6 7 8+

XP 0 7 9 12 16 21

AdvancementAt the end of each session if you have enough

XP you can buy an advancement to improve your character. You should be able to explain what your character has done to improve in that area.

• Increase a Stat: You can increase a stat by 1 point for 15 XP, or 20 XP if you’re increasing it to 6 or higher, but stats can’t go higher than 8.

• Create a Bond: If you have built up enough of a relationship with someone, you can spend

12 XP to add a new Bond with them to your character sheet.

• Buy a Talent: Buying a new regular Talent (from among those on p. 118-119) will cost you 18 XP.

• Buy an Advanced Talent: If the GM has decided to unlock Advanced Talents (see below), you can guy one for 25 XP.

Cashing OutAt the end of a session, players should sell all

cards that are not in their decks for half their Star Rating in Dollars (rounded up). This allows for a manageable list of cards between games, the Store to replenish its stock, and you to play your copy of Millennium Blades in the meantime!

Advanced TalentsThese are special Talents that create a shift

in the game towards the fantastical. Where before the Duelists were just playing an absurdly

popular card game, now those cards have begun to take on supernatural properties. The GM decides when Advanced Talents are unlocked, after which point players can buy them with XP.

Card FamiliarYou have a special card that is a sentient being

that can manifest to aid you. When you take this Talent you gain a Bond with your familiar. You can also send them to perform simple tasks for you.

Card ManifestationPick one of your cards. You have gained the

ability to make that card brie�y manifest in real life. When you take this talent you must select a speci�c card, but you can take this talent multiple times to have access to it for different cards. By taking 1 Stress you can cause the card to manifest to accomplish a single task that is reasonable for the creature or character it depicts.

This part of the book is aimed at the Game Master, and other players shouldn’t read it, especially the adventure scenarios.

PrinciplesThe “principles” are guidelines to help you keep

up the Millennium Blades feel as you run a Duel Questers game.

• Paint a world obsessed with a card game. Never miss an opportunity to slip Millennium Blades into everyday life.

• Keep the stakes of the card game high.

• Resolve most every con�ict with cards. This is the world of Millennium Blades, and people solve virtually any disagreement with cards. Whatever situation the PCs are dealing with, look for a way to shoehorn a card duel in there.

• Ham it up all the time. Make your villains ridiculous and your PCs’ allies over the top as well. Use funny voices, and generally talk like a Yu-Gi-Oh! character rather than an actual person.

• Hint at deeper mysteries now and then. The world of Millennium Blades is full of conspiracies and ancient powers. Drop hints to tantalize the players.

Story SeedsHere are a collection of ideas for ideas for

stories.

• Bullying: There are, of course, bullies at school. By the standards of the school they’re accomplished duelists, and they constantly coerce other kids into betting cards and other things on duels only to crush them. Think you can stand up to them?

• Cardecision 200X: The big election is coming up, but something �shy is going on. The candidate you support has lost a series of high-pro�le duels, and you’ll have to do something about it if you don’t want the other guy to win.

• Cards Eleven: There’s a card you absolutely need, but it’s hidden in a vault behind some of the most sophisticated security in the world. How are you going to plan a heist to get it back?

• Cardstock Hostage: An antagonist has stolen someone’s treasured card! You’re going to have to �nd and face them if you’re going to get it back!

• The Dig: A famous archaeologist has asked you to help out with a dig site. There could be ancient and powerful cards in the of�ng, but there are also dark forces ready to snatch those cards away!

• For Love of Cards: A would-be lover (PC or NPC) �nds that the one they have a crush on will only agree to a date if the suitor can beat them in a game of Millennium Blades!

• Invasion Earth: Aliens are invading! Cards are our only hope to �ght back!

• Kard Kaiser: A brilliant scientist has devised card-powered giant robots, but the evil SHUFFLER organization wants to take them away and use them for world conquest!

• Legendary: A duelist accidentally acquires a legendary card, and now government agents are coming to take it away!

• MilBla Cruise Crazy: Someone has invited several duelists to go on a cruise and participate in a tournament held on the open seas!

• Mortal Kardbat: You have been invited to a

dangerous tournament, held at the behest of a godlike being. If you lose, Earth itself could be forfeit, so don’t lose!

• Night of the Dueling Dead: There is a zombie outbreak, but it turns out that cards are their one weakness!

• Secret Island Tournament: A legendary and ultra-wealthy duelist is holding a special tournament on a secret island! There are incredible prizes for the champion, but �rst you’ll have to agree to get on a boat, and then the tournament is a massive battle royale spread across the entire island!

Scenario 1: Operation EngagementSummary: Your dear friend Takeshi wants to

propose to the woman he loves, but he lost the Valmar’s Rite of Engagement card he was going to use in a duel. Help him get it back so he can have his happy wedding day!

Scenario 2: Quest for the Holy CardSummary: The evil Klaus Stroheim is plotting

to �nd the ancient Holy Grail Card and make its power his own.

AppendixFamous Duelists

Are you wondering if you could take on Millennium Blades’ signature characters in a duel? Or are you a GM and just want to use them as NPCs? This section is for you! The base game characters are listed here with a sample deck that’s based around their character powers!

Cardine KollecktaDeck Box: Blackout (Core)

Accessories: Card Modi�cation Marker (Core), Play Mat (Core)

Singles: Jerry (Gno-Mans Land), Danny x2 (Gno-Mans Land), Benny (Gno-Mans Land), Killmore the Killbot (Cards From the Crypt), Monolith of Artabayaxnias (Core), Galak-Zee (Galactic Caboose), Infernalatius Maximus (Elemental Blades)

Notes: Cardine’s deck involves �ipping as many of her cards as possible, leaving only her Monolith face-up. Attaching her Character card to it prevents Monolith from being �ipped and guarantees its Score effect!

Deques ApplentiDeck Boxes: Boom Box (Symphony of

Destruction), Mono-Citizen Contract (Core)

Accessories: Deck Protectors (Core), Of�cial Branded Hoodie (Core), VIP Pass (Core)

Singles: El Vice (Symphony of Destruction), Exhaust Sentry (Obari as Hell), The Stinkbug (Underlords of Metropolitam), Dr. Golducky (006 Plus One), Maximillian Mathematician (Core), Crown Princess Piyoko (Princess Blade), Master Mitsubishi (Samurai Mowdown), Ali Baba (1001 Nights)

Notes: If Deques can play his Exhaust Sentry and keep it face-up he can protect his Citizen cards and gain tons of RP!

Fulton SuitcaseDeck Box: Solid Gold Collector’s Tin

(Millennium Masters)

Accessories: The Millennium Hair Gel (Millennium Accessories), Double Platinum Premium Sleeves (Core)

Singles: Taupteer the Mighty (Millennium Masters), Nurf’Bat the Neutralizer (Millennium Masters), Gidget the Gadget Mouse (Mouse Card), Exp. Factory Worker (Xeno X-Over), J-Dogg Hackson (Core), Captain Airlock (Galactic Caboose), Dante* (Hell to Pay), Crazy Maximilian (AD 2400)

Notes: Fulton’s deck wants to get as many Stars in his tableau as possible! Starting with Captain Airlock, playing Crazy Maximilian, then following with Dante* will give you a good lead on Stars and a lot of RP as well!

Morrey CaardmanDeck Box: Ardent Box of the Underworld (Vex)

Accessories: MB Limited Edition

Lunchbox (Core), Card Handling Gloves (Core)

Singles: Kaywinnit (Lightning Bug), Jamie Cobb (Lightning Bug), Vex Meteor (Vex), Uruunaz (Vex), Imperfect Gear (Xeno X-Over), Overlord Doomstar (Backer Meets World), Clementine (Backers in Charge), Knight Captain Malcombe (Legend of Final Badass)

Notes: Using his Character power, Morrey can put Captain Malcombe on top of the Store, gaining 10 RP every turn. He can also use this power to manipulate the top card of the Store to make better use of the rest of his cards.

Power CreepDeck Box: Metagamer (Core)

Accessories: Deck Protectors (Starter Decks), The Millennium Motorcycle (Millennium Accessories)

Singles: Rofopocalypse (Elemental Dragon Lords), Ducky Blue (Rubber Ducky Maid Crusaders R), Skye Master of the Clockblade (Fantasy Finale), Ducking Bull (Sunset Striders), Deep Ray Undersea Stalker (Core), Evil Beethoven (Symphony of Destruction), Secret Magical School (Cards Magica), The Organ Trailer (Pandora’s Box Opened)

Notes: Before the tournament starts, change the Element Meta to Water. This allows Power Creep to guarantee his Meta RP as long as he can keep a Water card face-up. There is a card in his deck of every Type so you can easily score the Type Meta as well!

Shur Wen NaDeck Box: Cosplay Set (Core)

Accessories: The Millennium Gameboard (Millennium Accessories), Duelist Fashion Ring (Core)

Singles: Blizzard Angst (Fantasy Finale), Charon the Boatman (Hell to Pay), Aladdin (1001 Nights), Scheherezade (1001 Nights), Lenore the Raven Queen (Core), Exaltius the Untenable (Core), Fred Hermes (Symphony of Destruction), Helping Hand (Clockwork Kingdom), Harvey Potmaker (Cards Magica), Mouse Knight (Mouse Card)

Notes: With the Cosplay Set, Millennium Gameboard, and her character power, Shur has a total of 9 slots in her tableau! Use these to try and score Exaltius or just overwhelm the opponent with your sheer number of cards!

Pritchard Left�eldDeck Box: Power Play (Core)

Accessories: Deck Protectors (Starter Decks), Millennium Card Binder (Core)

Singles: Doc Tan (A.D. 2400), Agent Sutherland (Deus Rex), Corporate Zombie (Core, Set Rotation), Nutjob (006 Plus 1), Radiant Historian (Xeno X-Over), Grimoire Advice (Fantasy Finale XVII, Set Rotation), Welsie Acktern (Fate of Indines), Looch Wrestler of Light (Core), Moonlight Bushido (Obari as Hell), J.A.Z. (Uuurgh!), The Deckinator (FAST)

Notes: Manipulate the time loop with this combo deck! Combining Doc Tan with Pritchard’s ability and his other cards allows him to recur Doc Tan’s Play Effect multiple times, while avoiding his drawback! Meanwhile, he can also use the Radiant Historian with Grimoire Advice to use the Grimoire’s Flip effect multiple times, and prolong the game to gain more points off of J.A.Z. Can you assemble the perfect combination?

Friendly Alien LettstradeDeck: Killing Spree (Samurai Mowdown)

Accessories: Card Handling Gloves (Core), Promotional Pin Set (Core)

Singles: Matsu the Butcher (Core), Mambo (FAST), Frozanne The Ice Queen (A Game of Rings), Mr. Seagull (Fists of Steel), Chukules

(Fists of Steel), Doubleshark, Twice the Shark (Core), Space Crocodile Steve (Galactic Caboose)

Special: Give Lettstrade $10 and add to her deck one Friendship Card from each player.

Notes: Challenge your opponents to a few friendly sparring matches with this clash deck! With the combination of Matsu and Mambo, every card play will trigger multiple clashes. Every win that you can rack up with Matsu gives you more points, and if you can �gure out how to strategically lose a few Mambo clashes, you can keep Matsu on top for as long as you need to!

Cardinal BaanzDeck: Hardboiled Decktective (Penny Dreadful)

Accessories: X-Ray Glasses (Core), Sacred Ban Hammer (Core, Final Boss mini expansion)

Singles: Burnizard EX Omega -ReVolver- J (Core), Super Draculord D. (Cards from the Crypt) Za Ringoo (Cards from the Crypt), March O’Malley (Penny Dreadful), Indie Joe (Penny Dreadful) The Popo (FAST), Golizza (Ultimate Kaiju Throwdown), Max Beta (Deux Rex)

Notes: Prevent your opponent from having any fun whatsoever with this control deck! Using your judge-sanctioned X-Ray Glasses, look for the key threats in your opponent’s deck, and remove them with Burnizard and Za Ringoo. Meanwhile, you can gain points with your Investigate cards, or use your other control cards to hinder your opponent’s strategy even further!

The Card SharkDeck: Anvilicious (Anvilicious Arrangements)

Accessories: Shadow Realm Ticket, Flippable Table

Singles: EvilCorp RoboRex (Deus Rex Machina), Bupkis Bunny (Anvilicious Arrangements), Ricky Rat (Anvilicious Arrangements), Dash Pylon (Quantum Jump), Robot L-15 (Quantum Jump), Dr. Balance (Core), Index (Deus Rex Machina), The K.I.E.R. (Ultimate Kaiju Throwdown, Set Rotation)

Notes: Flip everything in your path with this aggressive deck! By combining Card Shark’s ability with the Anvil Drops granted by your Deck Box, you can �ip the whole board with ease! If you see a card that your opponent might actually

want to �ip, just give it a ticket to the Shadow Realm instead!

Raritti SikarhDeck Box: Card Confessional (Hell to Pay)

Accessories: Topaz Fusion Gem (Master Fusion Gems), Emerald Fusion Gem (Elemental Gem Power)

Singles: Brikzaar (Elemental Dragon Lords), Deathless Hero Malcombe (Eldritch Entertainment Group, Final Boss mini expansion), DeeLuhr the Provider (Millennium Masters), Timebot Fusetron (Core, Set Rotation), Clawgatron (Obari as Hell), Ghasticus, The Wind Spirit (Core), Wyvern Keeper Fitz (TCG-lluminati, Final Boss mini expansion), Smyke Beagle (Galactic Caboose)

Notes: Create the ultimate monster! By fusing Brikzaar with your Deathless Hero Malcombe, you can create a dragon who is very hard to �ip, and becomes more powerful the more Star Tokens you add to the board. Use your other cards to stack your fused monster’s Star Value to the sky, and reap the bene�ts!

Shaf�le DuCarteDeck Box: Pyramid Scheme (TCG-lluminati)

Accessories: Druid Kings’ Signet Ring (Return of the Druid Kings, Final Boss mini expansion), The Millennium Glove (Millennium Accessories)

Singles: Druid King Brad (Developmental Issues), Druid King of the Faraway Mountain (Return of the Druid Kings, Final Boss mini expansion), Archdruid Ascendant Elco (Return of the Druid Kings, Final Boss mini expansion)), Clockwork Titan (Clockwork Kingdom), Princess Helga (Legend of Tanananah), Dread Captain Beard (Black Flags), The Tracer (Penny Dreadful), Ol’Mech the Animatronic (Saved by the 90’s)

Notes: Who needs a hand? You certainly don’t; with Shaf�le’s ability go gain more cards from the Store Deck as the tournament goes on, you can discard cards like The Tracer and Captain Beard for points, while still being able to play cards to your tableau. Cross your �ngers, and let fate decide how strong your deck might be!

Character Sheet

Blaze

Cunning

Friendship

Smarts

Stress

Player Name

DUEL QUESTERS Nationality

Blood Type

Character Name

Gender Age Height Weight Hair Eyes

Favorite Card

Tables Flipped

Favorite Color

Bonds:

Talents: Quirks:

Drive:

Items:

Deck:

Dollars