GAMERS Corebook

8/12/2019 GAMERS Corebook

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GAMERSMERSthe generic Six-Letter Systemthe generic Six-Letter System

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INTRODUCTIONGAMERS is a roleplaying game harking back to the simple days of gaming. It

requires pencil, paper, and fie si!"sided dice per player.GAMERS is the generic ersion of the Si!"#etter System, a series of games $ith the

same mechanics, only the names of the basic si! attributes changed, and all gien si!"letter titles $hich are mnemonics for those attributes.

" %yle Schuant, &''(

)his $ork may be reproduced, distributed and altered freely, proided that the sameconditions are made on any reproductions, distributions, alterations and deried $orks.

AGENTSENTSno questions, no ans$ers

that*s the business $e*re inyou accept it and moe on

FRIGHTRI HTthere is some shit

you don*t wantto kno$

HEROICEROIC+let me tell you the days of highadenture...

SPACERP CERscifi adenture in the near future

WASTERSTERone $orld dead, another unable to be born
http://www.lumaxart.com/http://www.lumaxart.com/http://www.lumaxart.com/


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DICE SYSTEMMost dice checks are &d-. If something is $ritten +difficulty /, that means the

player must roll or more for their character to succeed. Sometimes rolls hae dicemodifiers, $ritten like +0M/&, meaning, +add & to the roll.

TRAITS)he traits are Attributes, 1eatures and Skills. Attributes and 1eatures hae a leel of

&"2&. 3umbers are hexadecimal, that is based on 2- rather than 2'. #eels 2', 22 and 2&are $ritten as A, 4 and 5. In some circumstances, the character*s traits might rise higher,to 0 6278, E 6298 or 1 628, but can go no higher than that.

ATTRIBUTES)here are si! attributes, and the player $ill roll &d- for each in order. If players are

complaining $imps, the GM may allo$ them to arrange the rolls to taste. If they are een$impier, the GM may allo$ them to buy them $ith points, 9 to spread among the si!

attributes.Grit, resole, $illpo$er, confidence, chut:pah, courage, and feeling of being $ell"

regarded.Awareness, cognisance, obseration, perception, nous, ho$ much you notice, ability

to grasp ne$ concepts.Mind, education, schooling, intellect, book"learning, but also general kno$ledge and

e!perience.Endurance, stamina, health, fitness, resistance

to disease, poison and pain.Reflexes, agility, de!terity, s$iftness, balance,

and co"ordination.Strent!, physique, the$s, energy, po$er and

oerall bulk. A character*s $eight $ill usually bearound 2' times their Strength in kilograms.

each are rated"#$% !andica&&ed 'r c!ild#li(e)#*% l'w#'rdinar+

,#-% a.erae abilit+/% 'b.i'usl+ ableA% B and C% i0&ressi.e

1EATURES1eatures are the things $hich describe the character*s personality and relationships,

and place in society. In many games this section can be left out entirely, for e!ample+;ealth probably has no place in a campaign of $andering adenturers $ho lie by theirs$ords, they are rich today, broke tomorro$< and many players $on*t $ant to roleplay$hateer =syche they happen to roll up. Still it*s presented here as an option. )here aresi! 1eatures, $hich the player should roll &d- for in order.

2icenceA +licence is the legally"recognised right to do something unusual in that society,

such as,bear certain types of $eaponsdrie a ehiclepractice la$ or medicine, or be a consecrated clericthe leel effect is relatie to the society concerned, depending on ho$ tightly they

regulate things. #icences are ery often Specialties6see belo$8.

3e'&le, rated& on up< this is the people in your life and ho$ much they*ll do for you. If you had a

rating of >, you could hae one person rated >, or one rated 7, and another t$o at & each,and so on. )he rating they hae acts as a complementary trait 6see belo$8 $hen making

requests.

)he =eople rating begins as no more than 5,but it*s possible to make it go higher in play, sinceit*s composed of many relationships.

;hen a character first meets another, they*llhae a Reacti'n to them. )his Reaction is &d-,that is it aries around +>, an accomodatingreaction. )o turn a Reaction into a =eople ratingcosts effort and time, ?ust like deeloping a skill.Reaction ratings can change, but the =eopleratings are much harder to change.

3s+c!e@our emotional nature, self"insight, and

empathy&, sociopath other people aren*t real

to you, you may understand them 6decent=erception or 0iplomacy8, but only in thesame $ay you understand a machine you don*t care. 3ote that it doesn*t meanthe person is cruel children begin this$ay, but most gro$ to understand others.


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7, chronic depressie, or quite callous and indifferent.9 a loner by intent or effect, perhaps considered annoying or self"absorbed, you only bother trying to get along $ith people you like, and most of your

irtues and fla$s are unkno$n to or denied by you.-"(, ordinary, you get along $ith people and kno$ most of your o$n irtues

and fla$sB, good, you should definitely $ork $ith people.

A"5, impressie, you can empathise $ith anybody, and could be a

remarkable religious leader or psychotherapist

Status@our position in society, $hich includes some command or influence oer others.

& lo$est"status. In modern ;estern societies, this $ould be a poor,unemployed or homeless person. In others, someone $ho has several of lo$"caste, $oman, ethnic minority, etc.

7"9, lo$. =erhaps poor, disenfranchised 6no ote andCor doesn*t participatein public affairs due to feeling they*ll hae no impact, etc8. =ushed around allyour life.

, pushed around and looked do$n on often, but canpossiblyget ahead onother abilities.

-"(, ordinary Status, sometimes pushed around, sometimes pushing.B, $ell"thought"of $ithout your een doing much about it. #o$er nobility in

feudal or caste societies.A"5, high or highest Status, spending most of your life commanding others

$hether officially or not.

Tec!, rated', no technology, animal, neither Education nor skills aailable.2, improised tools discarded immediately&, stone age, the minimum to be +human7, adanced stone or copper age9, bron:e age, iron age-, $ind D $ater age 6Renaissance, 29''/ Europe on Earth8>, steam age 62>'/ Europe8(, oil, chemical D nuclear age 62B'/ Europe8

B, electronic D rene$able age 6&'''/ Europe8A, space age4, interstellar age5, galactic age

)he technological leel is generally not rolled for, but set by the GM.

4ealt!;ealth is both income and assets. ;ealth*s dealt $ith in terms of a game$orld"

specific +aerage monthly income. An +ordinary $age is normally about t$ice theminimum $age set in that country, $hich is usually set to proide basic necessities only.

&, dead broke clothes on your back and a month*s ordinary $ages inpossessions

7", poor, minimum $age income, si! months* $ages inpossessionsCsaings

-"(, ordinary, t$ice minimum $age income, a year*s $ages in possessionsCsaingsB, good, four times minimum $age income, t$o years* $ages in

possessionsCsaingsA"5, impressie, eight times minimum $age income, fie years* $ages in

possessionsCsaings;ealth is of course not guaranteed, if a character abandons their ?ob or

spends their saings at the casino, that*s that.

S&ecialties 'f 4ealt!Assets the character has more assets than you*d e!pect from their income, they

are either thrifty or had a bigger income in the past.Inc'0e the character has more income than assets< they earn big don*t sae, or

perhaps only recently increased their income.Debt the character has a debt. )his is in game terms the same as an assets

Specialty. )hey hae more than their income $ould indicate.2'w !'urs normally income requires 7' hours per $eek of $ork. A character $ith

the #o$ ours Specialty need only deote 2' hours a $eek to their $ork.


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S5I22S)here are 7- skills, each coering broad areas, and rated from ' on up. Eery

character is considered to hae ' in eery skill as a default, though they $ill hae "7 onfamiliarities$ithin that skill.

A skill leel of /2 is basic kno$ledge, an apprenticeship./& is practicing ifthe skill is complemented $ith other skills./7 or more could be professional.)he player should roll &d-, and then roll that many times on the random skills table.

Each time a skill is rolled, the character gets /2 in that skill. +=layer choice may includethe +-- option, rolling again t$ice.

Should the players be $imps, the GM may allo$ point"buy of skills, $ith leel 2costing 2 point, leel & another & 67 total8, leel 7 costing another 7 6- total8 and so on. 2total is a good leel, allo$ing one skill at 7, t$o at &, and three at 2.

Any skill the =5 does not hae listed, they*re considered to hae leel ' in.Fther non"generic gamebooks $ill hae lifepathsinstead of random skills.

At!leticAcr'batics tumbling, ?umping,

and balanceCli0bin from free"climbing to

mountains

Swi00in f rom treading$ater to crossing the 5hannel

C'0batBrawlin unarmed combat of

all types1ire ranged and thro$n

$eapons.Melee eery kind of muscle"

po$ered $eapon not cast.

C'00unicat'n2anuaes )his skill must be

specialised in. A person*s nativelanguage $ill be kno$n at /2 forMind &"9, /& for Mind -"(, and /7for Mind B/, and this skill is granted

free. After the natie language, a second or more can be kno$n, spread the leelsamong kno$n languages. A /2 in a language is a basic grasp of eeryday conersation,/& is fluent for reading ne$spapers and such, and /7 and more are e!tremely eloquent.

S&eec! public speaking, story"telling, persuasieness4ritin $hether poetic or prosaic or technical

Detecti'nInter.iew gaining information by talking, may be hostile 6like police interrogation8 or

friendly 6like a first date8Searc! noticing things $hich can be seen or surmised, and finding things by a

physical going"oerTrac(in discoering things about people and animals by the physical traces they

leae of themseles, and follo$ing them by that means.

Dri.inAircraft all kinds of flying craft, including spacecraft at )ech A/2andcraft all kinds of ridden animals and drien land ehicles.Seacraft all kinds of po$ered and unpo$ered craft $hich trael on or in liquids.

GadeteerinEnineerin design and principles of

all kinds of machinery.6andicrafts eerything from cooking

to blacksmith, all things made by hand.Tec!nician building and maintenance

of machinery< does not grant ability todesign.

Intrusi'nBurlar+ breaking into places, either

leaing a trace 6quick8 or not so much6slo$8.

Deceit all kinds of deception, from simple lying, to forgery, disguise and sleight ofhand.

Stealt! being a sneaky bugger. Includes coering up after a Search, or aoiding)racking.

Maic 'r 3siB'd+ 3si =o$ers affecting the body 6human or animal8 healing, harming and

altering it.Ele0ents 3si =o$ers afecting the elements 6fire, $ater, earth, air, electricity, etc8.Mind 3si7=o$ers affecting the mind telepathy, possession, illusions, etc.

Medical3!+sician Making the sick better, fi!ing up $ounds, etc.3s+c!'l'+ understanding of people*s mental and emotional processes.8eterinar+ being a nurse or physician for animals.

3ersuadinActin conincingly portraying a person and their emotions, motiations, etc.Di&l'0ac+ making others comfortable< persuading them is Speech.

Random Skills )able2 2 Acro bati cs 9 2 Acting

2& 5lim bing 9& 4urglary

27 S$im ming 97 0eceit

29 4ra$ling 99 0iplom acy

2. 1ire 9. unting2- Melee 9- Intimidation

&2 #anguages .2 #a$ D Society

&& Speech .& # iberal Arts

&7 ;riting .7 3aigation

& 9 In te ri e$ . 9 =hys ici an

&. Search .. =sychology

&- )racking .- Sciences

72 Aircraft -2 Stealth

7 & # and cra ft - & Suria l

7 7 Seacraft - 7 Heterin ary

7 9 Engin ee ring - 9 Player choice

7 . a ndicra fts - . GM choice

7- )echnician -- Roll twice


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Inti0idati'n conincing others that you are $illing and eager to do them harm.

Sc!'lars!i&2iberal Arts history, archaeology, anthropology, literature, etc.2aw 9 S'ciet+ the la$s, cultural mores, bureaucratic methods, and important

stories of societies.Sciences physics, chemistry, mathematics, and the like< appliedsciences are called

Engineering.

4ilderness6untin kno$ing the lifestyles of and

being able to butcher animals.Na.iati'n finding your $ay about,

$ith or $ithout aids like compasses.Sur.i.al making do in the $ilderness,

being able to find shelter, make fire, $ater,and egetable foods.

S3ECIA2TIESAttributes and skills can hae s&ecialties. A specialty is a particular ability $ithin thattrait. Some e!amples,

Strength $eightlifter, heay puncherRefle!es fle!ible, quickEndurance good"looking, high pain threshold, disease resistance=hysician paedeatrician, thoracic surgeon1ire machinegunner#iberal Arts historian, painter

A player can select a specialty for any or all traits $hich their character has at leastleel 2 in. )hat trait is effectiely : le.el !i!er $hen dealing $ith that area. Eachcharacter may hae three Specialties in all to begin $ith. A character may hae only oneSpecialty for each trait.

1a0iliaritiesMany skills hae certain things in them $ith $hich a skilled character $ill be familiar,

depending on ho$ they learned the skill. 1or e!ample, someone $ho learned 1ire/2 inthe nay $ill kno$ different kinds of firearms to one $ho learned 1ire/2 in the policeforce. #ike$ise, a character $ho learned #andcraft/2 in their rural upbringing $ill kno$different kinds of ehicles to one $ho learned it in the army.

;hen a character learns a skill, the player ought to $rite do$n t!reethings they*refamiliar $ith for each leel of the skill. A character $ith a skill of ' has no familiarities tobegin $ith.

If a character comes across something they*re not familiar $ith they*ll hae 0M"7 ontheir player*s rolls until they*e had a day or so*s practice to become familiar $ith it. Askill"' character may achiee familiarities.

Most of the time $hen someone feels they*e learned something quickly, it*s notbeen a skill gained, but a 1amiliarity. 1or e!ample, a city boy goes to the Army and inRecruit 5ourse learns a fe$ firearms< earlier he had no 1ire familiarities, no$ he has histhree, and has lost the 0M"7 for those, but he still doesn*t hae 1ire 2.

MasteriesIf an attribute is held at A/, or a skill at 7/, the character must spend about an hour a

day on it to maintain it. 1ailing that, after a year it declines by 2.

E;ui&0ent fr'0 s(illsRegardless of ;ealth, a character $ill hae equipment related to their skills.

A skill of ' grants nothing.A skill of 2 grants one basic item related to the skill. A )echnician"2 might hae a

multi"tool.A skill of & $ill grant a fe$ basic items, or one adanced one. A =hysician"& $ould

hae a doctor*s bag or a bo! of pharmaceuticals.A skill of 7 $ill grant a fe$ adanced or many basic items related to the skill.

Aircraft"7 might o$n a small aircraft, or hae regular use of a larger one.Fther$ise, appropriate equipment for each setting $ill be listed in its book.

GETTING BETTERAn Attribute, 1eature or Skill may be improed by /2 after three months of training

under an instructor, or a year of training alone. A temporaryimproement is granted afterone"third that time, but the character must train for the full period to make theimproement permanent.

)hey may acquire a Specialty in one"third this time.)o improe to leel & in a skill takes t$ice as long, to leel 7 takes three times as

long, and so on.A character may generally only improe one thing at a time, though the GM may

allo$ a second thing to be trained at if the player makes an (/ check for their character,$hich can be complemented by things like Grit.

GETTING 4ORSEAs $ell as the effects of in?ury during a 5onflict 6see belo$8, a character may lose

leels of 1eatures. 1or e!ample, a character might lose leels in Status and #icence froma criminal coniction, or in =syche from a traumatic e!perience.


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TAS5 RESO2UTION#


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Raned attac(sAttacks by thro$n or missile $eapons are limited in

range. A character may only physically thro$ a $eaponStrength ! Strength metres< this is diided by the $eight ofthe $eapon< $eapons of less than 2kg are treated as 2kg.

For example a Strength ! character may throw a "#gspear !x!$" % "&m while a Strength ' character may throw

a ()g #nife 'x'$*%+*m)

Some ranged $eapons such as bo$s hae a Strengthmultiplier, for e!ample shortbo$ !2., longbo$ !&,composite bo$ !7. 1irearms typically hae a Strength ratinggiing their ma!imum range, for e!ample musket Str 26&&m8, 13"1A# Str &( 6>(9m8.

Ranged attacks are affected by distance from target toictim, and if the character takes at least one action to aim,

A$areness< find the range in metres, find the numbercorresponding to it, take the lo$er number of the band, andthat is the range number.

Rane attac( DM @>Awareness if ai0in f'r 'ne acti'n # Rane nu0ber

Scopes and so on may also gie 0M. Again, the ictim of a ranged attack may beactiely eading it een if una$are of the e!act location of the firer. If they are noteading, then the ictim*s roll is automatically '< the firer can still miss if they get a 4alls"Lp 6rolling 2,2 or getting a roll $ith 0M of ' or less8.

For example ,im has -wareness ' and his target .ob is !& metres away which isrange band +) If ,im /ust fires there0ll be a 1M2+ to his roll) If he ta#es an action to aimhe0ll be at '2+ % 1M3* to his roll)

If .ob #nows someone0s firing at him he can be running along with his Fire *complemented by his Reflexes ! rolling "d4) ,im0s roll must exceed this)

Ar0'urArmours are gien a 5oerage Rating, this is ho$ much of the body they coer.

;hen struck by something $hich $ould inflict in?ury, the character*s player rolls to see if itstruck a coered place.

For example Samantha0s #evlar armour is on her torso and abdomen giving her5overage +) If she rolls under + on "d4 the armour protects her)

)he other number is Armour Rating. ;hen in?ury strikes, the armour*s rating has

three effects the first leel is stopped completely, the second lot is haled, and anythingafter that gets through fully. Any fractions are lost.For example Samantha is wearing #evlar 6*(7 and is struc# by a round from a large

calibre rifle doing "8 points of damage) 9he first *( are stopped leaving *8) 9he next *(are halved turning into &) 9he remaining 8 go through) 9hus a total of ' get through)

Rane table

StrCAwa RaneC0

2 2

& 9

7 B

9 2-

. &.

- 7-> 9B

( -9

B (2

2' 2''

22 2&2

2& 299

27 2-B

29 2B-

2. &&.

2- &.-


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INURY)he leel of in?ury $ill depend on the $eapon used. =hysical conflicts inflict in?ury on

Endurance, Strength and Refle!es< mental conflicts on A$areness, Mind and Grit.;eapon damage is generally broken do$n into small, medium, large and huge,

doing 2d-, &d-, 7d- and 9d- damage each. Some attributes may add to damage, leel Aadds /2, 4 /& and 5 /7 to total in?ury.

Strength adds to in?ury in muscle"po$ered physical conflicts, Refle!es adds to in?uryin rangedphysical conflicts.

A$areness adds to in?ury in mental conflictsIn physical conflicts, in?ury is inflicted on a random one of Endurance, Strength and

Refle!es< in mental conflicts, on A$areness, Mind and Grit. Any in?ury left oer afterreducing an attribute to :ero flo$s on to another attribute.

5ombatants may targetone of their foe*s three attributes, $hich is a 0M"7 to theirroll. Any triumph allo$s targetting.

After anyconflict, a character takes a single leel of in?ury to an attribute 6physical ormental as for the conflict8< they*re fatigued by it.

er'in 'ut;hen one attribute is reduced to :ero, the character is effectiely unconscious and

out of the fight< though they may try to $ake up $ith a Grit or Endurance (/. ;hen t$ohae been :eroed, the character is definitely out, and seerely $ounded physically oremotionally. ;hen three physical attributes are :eroed, the character is dead< $hen three

mental attributes are :eroed, the character is mentally disabled in a permanent $ay.Unc'nsci'uscharacters $ake up ten minutes later half$ay bet$een ' and their fullattribute leel< round do$n.

Se.erel+ w'undedcharacters $ake up three hours later $ith their :eroed attributesraised to 2.

Dead3er0anentl+ Disabledcharacters obiously $on*t recoer on their o$n, andrequire trauma care.

6ealin1irst Aid is simply a =hysician 6for physical in?uries8 or =sychology 6for mental

in?uries8 check, and immediately recoers 2d- in?ury.Tra0a Care is for deadCpermanently disabled characters, and is a

=hysicianC=sychology check $ith 0M"7. A character $ho $as severely woundedor dead$permanently disabled)

Recu&erati'nis simply rest for the in?ured character. Each day of rest is a quickie of1itness or Grit,

difficulty of - for comfortable and $ell"equipped surrounds 6a clinic8difficulty of ( for comfortable or$ell"equipped surrounds 6a poorly"equipped clinic, or

at home $ith family8and difficulty of 2' for sparse surrounds 6a cae some$here8$ith 0M/' if the character $as made unconscious, 0M"2 if they $ere seerely

$ounded, and 0M"7 if they $ere deadCdisabled. )he care of the attending=hysicianC=sychologist $ill be a complementary trait. Success on the roll gies /2 to anin?ured attribute, failure gies nothing, triumph heals 7, ballsup is another "2 in?ury.

MO8E% ENCUMBRANCE 9 1ATIGUE

5haracters may moe up to Refle!espaces for each action used in a combat round,and as many kilometres an hour.

Each multiple of Strength carried after thefirst reduces Endurance, Refle!es andStrength by 2. )hus a character $ith ERS 9-(

could carry up to (kg $ithout effect, butcarrying B"2-kg $ould make them ERS 7>,2>"&9kg ERS &9-, and so on.

Each hour of marching about inflicts aleel of in?ury on eachof Edurance, Refle!esand Strength.

EFTRA E11ORTIn a quickie or conflict, a player may e!pend 2 or more leels of in?ury on their

character, each giing 0M/2. )hey may choose the attribute affected, but it must be

physical or mental as appropriate to the quickie or conflict.In a cinematic game, rather than 0M/2, each in?ury leel taken should turn one of

the dice to +-, so that t$o in?uries taken $ill gie a )riumph, and one $ill aoid a 4alls"Lp.

In both cases, it is more realistic to hae the E!tra Effort decided on beforethe diceroll, and more cinematic to allo$ it after$ards.

Documents

GAMERS Corebook