Broken Compass Adventure Journal Final [PDF]

Zitiervorschau

This manual is more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules

A project by: Two Little Mice

Authors: Riccardo “Rico” Sirignano and Simone Formicola Art: Daniela Giubellini Layout design : Michele Paroli Graphic design : Antonio D’Achille Translation: Caterina Arzani Revisions: Jamie Peter Watkins Playtesters: Arturo Benzi, Nico Borgogni, Marco B. Bucci, Enrico Buscaroli, Andrea Buzzi, Claudia Cirillo, Claudia D’Aniello, Eleonora Ferrarini, Daniela Giubellini, Francesco “Sisco” Panitti, Michele Paroli

B ETAREADERS: Luca Carbone, Elisa Ciatti, Claudia Cirillo, Alessandro Savino

Thanks to: Claudia Cirillo, Gloria Comandini, Simone Maccapani, Riccardo Gallori e Yari Montorsi (Cercatori di Atlantide), Andrea Felicioni, Chiara Listo e Giuseppe Vitale (Morgengabe), Admin T e Sesso Droga e D&D, Andrea “il Rosso” Lucca, Lucandrea Massaro (Io non gioco da solo), Mauro Monti (Casa Kilamdil), Eugenio M. Lauro, Roberto Petrillo, Raven Distribution, Daniele Priore, Selena Sanesi, QCBN - Quelli Che Ben Nerdano, Michele Paroli and all our backers on Kickstarter

©2020 Two Little Mice. Any reproduction, even partial, of the manual or elements thereof without prior express authorization of the authors is strictly prohibited

CULTURAL REFERENCES This game was inspired by the great sagas of our childhood, stories that took us and still take us around the world, traveling light-heartedly thanks to their over-the-top narration. Among our movie inspirations, notable mentions are “The Mummy” trilogy, the “Indiana Jones” saga, as well as “Jumanji”, “National Treasure” and other gems of the genre like “Romancing the Stone”. Several videogames were born in the wake of these cinematographic milestones, most significantly “Tomb Raider” and “Uncharted”, with their remarkable protagonists, but also “Assassin’s Creed”, a game centered on historical research and discovery. We wouldn’t be here, now, writing this rulebook, had it not been for the many hours spent with a controller in hand in those worlds. We hope those of you who loved the incredible Adventures listed above can find the same spirit, the same voices and ideals in this book. Likewise, we hope to incite the curiosity of those of you who aren’t familiar with these popular titles and encourage you to go live those experiences. That would be a worthy discovery!

CONTENTS SECTION 1

6

BROKEN COMPASS CORNERSTONES OF ADVENTURE HOW TO PLAY PLAYING TOGETHER JUST LIKE THE MOVIES FOLLOW THE BROKEN COMPASS

8 12 14 15 20 22

SECTION 2

24

WHO ARE YOU, ADVENTURER? ADVENTURER SHEET HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN TAG EXPERTISE ITEMS, WEAPONS & GEAR YOUNG, OLD, TRUE THE ACCIDENTAL ADVENTURER

26 28 36 41 46 52 54

SECTION 3

58

CHALLENGES 60 DIFFICULTY OF A CHALLENGE 62 FACING A CHALLENGE 64 SUCCESSES 66 FAILING A CHALLENGE 76 HOW DO YOU FEEL? 82

SECTION 4

92

DANGERS 94 IT TAKES LUCK 102 LUCK COINS 106 TRAPS 112 ENEMIES 114

BRAWL 118 SHOOT-OUT 122 DANGERS AND ENEMIES THAT HURT 132 EXAMPLES OF DANGERS AND ENEMIES 134 END OF AN ADVENTURER 136

SECTION 5

138

THE JOURNEY BEGINS 140 ACTION! 142 EPISODES 144 PILOT 146 TOO MANY, ALONE 149 SEASON 150 GROWTH OF AN ADVENTURER 154 A SAFE PLACE 160 THE TREASURE 164 N.P.C. NOT A PROTAGONIST, CLEARLY 170 YOUR RIVAL 172 TRAVEL DIARY 176 DOOMSDAY CLOCK 178 VEHICLES 180 THE PYRAMID OF WEALTH 182 HARDMODE 186

SECTION 6

190

1999 192 TECHNOLOGY 194 SUPERNATURAL 198 TREASURES 200 EXTRAS 208

PILOT 214 THE FIRST STEP DEFINE THE CONTEXT INTO THE STORM THE QUETZALCOATL S FURY ' GOOD LUCK!

216 220 221 228 234

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SECTION 1 THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

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BROKEN COMPASS I know that look when I see it. Don’t tell me: you’re looking for a cursed temple, or maybe hunting some bastards who don’t realize that that statue belongs in a museum! No, not a word, you’re one of those tomb raiders, or maybe you’re looking for your father, who mysteriously vanished some time ago. Or you need to “borrow” the Constitution to unearth some clues on the National treasure. Perhaps you were just hiking peacefully when you happened to find the City of the Dead or maybe even El Dorado! I can see it on your face, you’re an Adventurer. That smug grin tells me you’re itching for a lesson you clearly didn’t understand the first time around. Your eyes are glued on the Treasure, there’s no mistaking it. And those bruises, the scratches on your cheeks, that torn-up shirt and dusty hat... It’s clear that harm’s way is your trade and reckless your middle name! That’s why I like your lot. No matter what you’ve gone through, how many beatings you’ve taken, how many rope bridges have given way under your feet or how many poison darts have come shooting out of the walls, you can never get enough. The Treasure might be far away and hidden, but you never give up the search.

BROKEN COMPASS is a Role-Playing Game in which Players assume the role of Adventurers in search of a Treasure. Adventurers in BROKEN COMPASS are men and women of action, traveling the World to face the Challenges of great cities and wild, unwelcoming lands alike. Adventurers risk their lives every day, driven by their will to discover, learn or obtain something priceless to them.

BROKEN COMPASS is based on the Fortune System: a set of game me-

chanics that use small pools of six-sided dice (from now on d6) to determine the outcome of any task that might entail risks or end in accidents.

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THE WORLD OF BROKEN COMPASS An exotic city, teeming with people who speak an unknown language. An impenetrable forest where no man has ever set foot. An abandoned monastery atop a steep, snowy mountain. A lost shipwreck, laying at the bottom of the ocean. Any and all of these places exist, scattered around the World. The Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania are there, where maps and geography books depict them, pretty much like you learned in school. Put in play everything you know about these places. What you don’t know, you can discover little by little, just like a true explorer. Read, learn, ask around: every little piece of information is important to live the Adventure to its fullest! The more details you add to your World, the more alive and real it’s going to become, and the greater your discoveries will be. But remember, this is your story! The World you play in is what you want it to be, and it follows your rules. Maybe the police are always ready to help people, maybe they’re rotten to the core. Maybe the president of the United States looks a lot like Harrison Ford, maybe he’s more of a Morgan Freeman. Maybe the legends told by natives are just legends, but maybe not. Everything is in your hands!

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WHERE AND WHEN Wait a minute! Where do you think you’re going? Before venturing out that door and setting out to explore the World, you should take a moment to get to know it. First of all, you should know where you are and where your Adventure begins. You may be in beautiful Paris, strolling down the boulevard, or maybe sipping a tea in the Cairo heat. There are many cities and wild places where Adventure might come a-knocking, you just need to choose one and Luck will do the rest! Your adventure can start in a city you visited, or even in your hometown, or you can spin the globe to choose a random place. You don’t really need to know the location as much as you need to understand it. Each region of the world has its customs and traditions, its climate and social norms: variety is the spice of the world! Wherever you decide to go, do your best to make the place unique and unprecedented. Once you know where you are, you’d better ask when you are. A good indicator could be your clothes: if you’re wearing khakis, a shirt and a hat, or a long skirt, you could be in the middle of the two Wars. If your jeans reach below your heels, you’re way ahead in time. You don’t need a degree in History to travel the world looking for forgotten pyramids and lost Treasures, but some information may come in handy. In Section 6 - 1999, you can find all you need to go adventuring in the denimclad and smartphone-less era of the nostalgic 90s. A whole different expansion entitled BROKEN COMPASS: GOLDEN AGE will be dedicated to the 30s, the heyday of twentieth-century explorations. And more expansions will follow, each dedicated to an epic era. But feel free to explore History as you please, you’ll see that Adventure can happen in any time or age!

THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

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CORNERSTONES OF ADVENTURE Adventure is the cornerstone of BROKEN COMPASS, and the cornerstones of Adventure are Travel, Discovery and Action. I see you rolling your eyes; after all, you’re an Adventurer, who am I to tell you how to do your job. I don’t doubt you’re more than capable, but hear me out. If you want to spice up your life and find some fine treasure, all you need to do is journey, discover and act. Everything else just happens! After all, an Adventure without a Journey is just a backyard scuffle and an Adventure without Discovery is just a boring expedition. An Adventure with no Action? Well, that’s just tourism. And you? You’re no tourist. You’re an Adventurer, so here’s what you have to do:

TRAVEL

It doesn’t matter if you’re going to the other side of the Country or to the Guatemalan Jungle, the important thing is setting foot outside your house, because stuff happens out there, and stuff has happened out there, a lot of

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stuff that has been forgotten and now lies buried somewhere. And a lot of this stuff that happened is made of solid gold, if you catch what I mean. A true Adventurer knows legs are made for walking and roads to be walked, seas and skies to be sailed. The World awaits!

DISCOVER

On your travels, look around. Meet new people, discover new cultures, unearth the wonders and mysteries hidden all around you. Once upon a time, Adventurers could discover entire continents, but you’ll have to settle for a lost city or two, maybe a temple or, why not, some travel companions and some new civilizations along the way.

ACT

You’re not the only youngster with high hopes, an arrogant smirk and a leather jacket, you know. Treasure is out there somewhere, and rest assured everyone’s looking for it! If you want to get there first, you’re going to need to roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty. Action is the spice of life, and scars are there to remind you of it. And if there’s nobody in your way, Nature’s going to set up more than a few roadblocks. Remember, the only thing that matters is the Adventure, and the Adventure is now!

THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

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HOW TO PLAY To start your Adventure, you need some friends, a sheet of paper, a pencil and a handful of d6s. First of all, one of you will need to be the Fortune Master, and everyone else can play as the Adventurers. The Fortune Master will be in charge of knowing the story and the locations where it takes place: they will be the one describing the challenges the Adventurers will have to face along the way. They also play as all the Extras and Rivals that come into the story as the Adventure progresses. And last but not least, the Fortune Master has to have fun. After all, they are a Player like everyone else! Each of the other Players assume the role of an Adventurer, a man or woman of action, setting out in search of something. Generally, Adventurers act and speak in response to the scenes the Fortune Master stages. Sometimes, for example when risks need to be taken or when they are presented with unforeseen circumstances, Adventurers can use their Skills and roll a number of d6s to determine if Luck is on their side. Each Player has an Adventurer Sheet where they can keep note of their Abilities, Expertises and any feeling they might have.

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PLAYING TOGETHER After determining the roles of Fortune Master and Adventurers, you can forget them. Don’t think of being the Fortune Master as a responsibility, or that Adventurers just get to be spoon fed the story and roll some dice. You are creating this story together, all of you! Before starting an Adventure, talk about it. Choose where you are, what the Treasure is and why you are looking for it together. Choose what ties the Adventurers to one another and who will be your Rival, if you know them. Once the journey begins, be proactive and open to ideas. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: this is not just an excursion, it is an Adventure, and any Adventure worth its salt is made of opportunities to seize and accidents to deal with.

BROKEN COMPASS is a game, and like many other games, it has a lot

of rules on how to manage several situations, but there are things you can’t write rules about, like fun. So, the following are not strict laws to follow, but guidelines that point to ways to use this game to have fun with your friends and live a glorious Adventure together.

THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE

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SHARE THE WORLD

If you’re the Fortune Master and an Adventurer asks you “Do I know a pub in town where I can find information?” consider the situation and don’t just answer “Yes”. Allow the Adventurer to be the one who describes the pub and who they hope to find there. It’ll be easier on you both and you will be sharing the World and the fun! Whether you’re a Fortune Master or an Adventurer, listen to your friends when you’re describing your actions and hear them out: you’ll be surprised at the ideas you can come up with by working together. The goal of a role-playing game is to allow all those at the table to live the same stories and act in the same World. Do not forget this!

BE OPEN

If you know where you’re from and where you’re going, then you do not need to play. The best Adventurers are those who set out on an Adventure without knowing what their destiny will be, maybe not even who they really are. Doubts, empty spaces to fill, questions without answers, all of these are more interesting than absolute certainty. Anything you don’t know about your Adventurer is going to be an opening for your story and your personality that can be filled with real emotions during the game. If on the tenth day of your Adventure, a friend pops out talking about that time you saved their life ten years ago, roll with it. If the Fortune Master brings back your elder

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brother, who your Adventurer believed dead (and maybe you knew nothing of), roll with it. Add new details to your story, let your Adventurer grow along the way. The Journey won’t just take you to discover the Treasure, but also new things about yourself! So, leave all your prejudices and expectations at the door: a true Adventurer must have the strength to let their discoveries contradict and marvel them. Assuming how things will end is a road that only leads to disappointment.

MAKE ROOM

Not everything is going to be about you. This is a lesson we all assume we have learned, but we sometimes just forget. Sometimes the story will require a few Adventurers, or maybe just one of them, to be in the spotlight for a while. You might not be one of them: you will be one of them sooner or later, but not all the time. Have fun listening to others and learning more about your friends, be transported into their World and watch them grow. Your turn in the spotlight will come soon enough, and your friends will be there to share the moment, making it even more moving. Even the best stories mean nothing if you have nobody to share them with.

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LEAVE IT TO CHANCE

Sometimes it’s fun to decide things together, but sometimes it’s better to let Luck take the wheel! If you feel like you’re really ready for anything, later on you’ll find detailed rules to randomly determine the Location, Rival and Treasure for your Adventure... and even who you’ll be!

SCENE #1 - NARRATION EXAMPLE FORTUNE MASTER It’s a beautiful sunny day, Laura and Stone have just disembarked from a small plane and find themselves on an expanse of dusty concrete. Standing in front of a rental jeep, Didi and Jake are waiting to take them to the archaeological site. STONE I take both my bag and Laura’s and go to load them into the jeep. When I see Jake, I can’t believe it. Out of all the deadbeats in this field, they had to pair us with him? JAKE I wave at Stone, even if he ignores me, and I go to introduce myself to Laura: “Miss Benoit, welcome to...” LAURA I interrupt him immediately: “It’s DOCTOR Benoit.” I then walk past him and up to the jeep. “You must be Mister Dalton. Let’s hurry, I’d like to tour the site before dark.” DIDI I wipe my hands off on my pants and take off my hat before offering a hand to the doctor. “Call me Didi.” JAKE Since everyone is ignoring me, I go to the jeep and sit in the front passenger seat. I sprawl comfortably and turn to look at Stone, who’s busy with the luggage. I wink at him. “Hey Stone, you’re not still mad about what happened in Panama, right?” LAURA I take my diary and go to the back seat. I talk to Didi as I leaf through the diary. “Mister Dalton, would you be so kind as to tell your colleague we’re not here to chat?”

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STONE I finish loading the bags and go and sit next to Laura. As I get in, I give Jake a thwack on the shoulder that’s more than a pat but less than a blow. “Forget it, Doctor, blabbering is all Jake ever does.” DIDI I put on my best smile and put my hat back on. Then I take the driver’s seat and rev the engine a couple of times, trying to start the jeep. When it finally turns on with the usual dark smoke, I mutter to Jake under the roar of the engine: “Looks to me like you’re doing great.” Then I put it into gear and drive toward the archaeological site. JAKE “Yeah, yeah, I get it! I’ll shut up all right.” I start cleaning my pistol, just to pass the time. FORTUNE MASTER The first encounter might not have been the best, but you’re all in the jeep now and traveling to the archaeological site. You’ll just have to make yourselves comfortable and try to enjoy a thirty-minute drive among dusty trails and rough turns. Your journey starts here.

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JUST LIKE THE MOVIES Real life explorers wander for years to make small discoveries, sometimes spending their whole life looking for some cracked pots. To start an expedition, they need to obtain the approval of the local authorities. And if they get the idea to go full throttle to jump over a gorge, they have to deal with the laws of physics. It’s no walk in the park out there. Why are you frowning? Don’t worry, you’re an Adventurer: life is different for people like you! For normal people, life is not like in the movies, but for Adventurers it is! In BROKEN COMPASS, each game session is like an Episode of a Season of your favorite TV series, with you in the role of the protagonist. In brief, when you get together with your friends to play, you are living an Episode. One after the other, the Episodes will take you from the beginning of the Adventure to the finale. So a Season, a game campaign, is much like the Season of a TV series, movie or novel. By playing several Seasons, you can see how the series progresses or live through the sequels and prequels of your story.

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I see you’re eager to jump at a new Adventure, that’s the spirit! Backpack on, you have no time to lose taking notes. Don’t worry, the On-Demand Episodes of BROKEN COMPASS are designed to be easily altered and adapted to all your needs. Think of them as a Swiss army knife: once they’re in your pocket, you always have the right blade for the job. Want to know how? Have a peek at the last few pages. All Expansions of BROKEN COMPASS will contain a new Season and several OnDemand Episodes to expand your Adventure in new contexts and Eras. The sky’s the limit! The expansion BROKEN COMPASS: GOLDEN AGE , for example, contains a whole new ready-to-play Season set in the 30s. We will talk about how you can create and organize Episodes or whole Seasons in Section 5 - Hunting for Treasure. But for now, you need to focus on the basics.

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PILOT

Not sure about how to tackle the Season? Play a Pilot! Pilots are special introductory Episodes that can take place months or years before the rest of the Season. They explore the reason that led you to become an Adventurer or drove your crew together for the journey. Pen and paper at hand, fill your Sheet and start your Adventure without needing much else. At the end of a Pilot, feel free to make some changes here and there or to completely reinvent your style. After all, Pilots are made for a reason: to see what works and what doesn’t.

FOLLOW THE BROKEN COMPASS A broken compass doesn’t point North, but North is not where you’re going. Let’s be clear: many of the Treasures you might be looking for are surrounded by some alleged curse or are said to possess some strange power, or maybe legends tell of some monstrous guardian. I’m talking about Supernatural stuff. I don’t know if any of these stories are real or if all or none of them are. What I know is that there are rumors, rather worrying ones. Faraway places from which no soul has ever returned, temples crammed with crazy traps and contraptions, even old pharaohs’ mummies ready to step out of the sarcophagus on the wrong foot to unleash the Plagues of Egypt! What I can tell you for sure is when you get closer to something mysterious or supernatural: the compass will go crazy and won’t know which way to point. Only a fool would go there where the compass needle spins like a pinwheel, but you do look crazy enough to go following the broken compass! When you encounter something Supernatural, it’s up to you to decide how to handle the situation. The Fortune Master will describe what happens and ask each Adventurer how they wish to interpret it and what explanations they give themselves for what they see. The most skeptical of you might find a scientific explanation even while staring at the Pharaoh’s mummy stepping out of the front of a sandstorm, or they’ll blame hallucinations. The most impressionable might see the supernatural even where there are only cheap tricks, smoke and mirrors. You decide! To manage the Supernatural convincingly, it’s important to measure out the credible and the incredible, offering at least some partial explanation about everything that happens. Maybe the mummy is actually cursed and has supernatural powers. Maybe the pharaoh was sealed in the sarcophagus because of a rare disease that gave him an unnaturally long life but was a plague to all who came in contact with him. Everything is possible!

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Each Adventurer reacts differently when facing Supernatural events, and each of them chooses what to believe and what to have faith in. There’s no single truth, but many truths will belong to as many points of view and as many ways to see the World. In Section 6 - 1999, you’ll find everything you need to make the Supernatural believable yet engaging, treading the fine line between science and magic.

SECTION 2 HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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WHO ARE YOU, ADVENTURER? Before you set off on your journey, take a moment to look in the mirror and decide what kind of Adventurer you’re going to be. There are many different stories, but this one is yours and only you can decide how to live it. You can be reckless or careful, friendly or withdrawn, honest or traitorous. You can be almost anything you want, but there’s one thing you’re never going to be. You are not an average person, you are an Adventurer, and there are three reasons for that.

EYES ON THE TREASURE

You are looking for something. It might be an ancient artifact of incredible value, a person or a lost truth, but whatever you’re looking for, you call it a Treasure and to you, it is the most important thing. Doesn’t matter if you’ve been searching for it your whole life or if you don’t even know you’re looking for something yet. Doesn’t matter if you’ve found others before, if this one is your first or if you’ll ever find others again. Today, you are searching for your Treasure and it couldn’t be otherwise, I can see it in your eyes.

NO RISK, NO REWARD

Explorers, archaeologists, grave-robbers, amateurs... there’s plenty of people going around looking for treasures, but that doesn’t make them Adventurers. To find the Treasure, you need to be willing to leave everything behind and even put your life at risk. It doesn’t matter if you were resolute before. The important thing is that today, you are determined to put everything on the line. The road to the Treasure is paved with sacrifices and hard choices, but you’re an Adventurer and you live your life one rope bridge over the void at a time.

WHEN THE STAKES GET HIGH...

Let’s be clear: the places you’re going to are full of skeletons of people who went looking for a Treasure and were willing to end up like that in order to find it... but you’re different. First of all, you haven’t given up the ghost

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yet, so you’re still in the game. But most importantly, you’re an Adventurer, and Adventurers are men and women of action. Doesn’t matter if you’re a soldier or a high-school Spanish teacher. Doesn’t matter if you’re a skilled mountaineer, if you break a sweat after the first flight of stairs, or if the only time you’ve ever sweated before was in a sauna. The only thing that matters is that today, you’re ready for action and you have all the skills you need to get yourself out of any jungle, pyramid, castle or cursed temple standing between you and the Treasure. Ah, and one last thing. Before you set off, you need an Adventurer Sheet, a piece of paper where you can note everything you need to play and live great Adventures. Here, let me explain what’s on this Sheet and then we’ll fill in yours.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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ADVENTURER SHEET PERSONAL DATA

The top section of your Sheet is dedicated to your “personal data”: all the basic information on who you are and why on earth someone would want to take you looking for treasures. If you’re good at it, you might even draw a nice self-portrait: otherwise, just stick a recent photo up there. I am: This doesn’t need explaining, right? Well, I’ll do it anyway. Here you write your name, surname, and any applicable titles, like Professor or Doctor. Call me if you need a: Describe yourself using two Tags from the Tag list: for example you can be a “Daredevil Action Hero”, a “Hunk Soldier” or a “Rebel Pilot”. Place to call home: You call home those places where you know the culture and language, they are: Heritage, Homeland and Workplace. When you find yourself in a place you call home, you always know your way around and you can certainly count on a couple people here and there. When you’re somewhere else, you can always use this information as topic of discussion or points of contact with your compatriots. Your Heritage represents the place and culture you were born into, where your parents are from. It might be a country you have never seen, but your roots are there. Your Homeland is the place where you grew up. Your Workplace represents the country to which you moved for professional purposes. For example, you might be a USA citizen (Homeland) born to African parents (Heritage) who moved to Egypt (Workplace) to study the Valley of the Kings. You may be a Briton, born and bred in England from English patents and only feel at home in the United Kingdom. But Adventurers tend to be citizens of the World and born travelers. Words to live by: A sentence describing what you believe in or that guides you during your Adventure. It could be “Together we are strong” or “That belongs in a museum” or maybe “I’ve been through worse!”.

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I am Call me if you n e e d a Plac es I call Home



H eritag e Home lan d Workplac e

Words to live by

LEADERSHIP

LUCK

co

in

Luc

FIGHT

k

ACTION STUNT

GUTS COOL

I FEEL

DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE

POWERFUL

+

ACTION

BLEEDING

¯

DARING

+

GUTS

SHOCKED

¯

FOCUSED

+

KNOWLEDGE

DIZZY

¯

CONFIDENT

+

SOCIETY

FIERCE

+

WILD

BROKEN

¯

UNTOUCHABLE +

CRIME

SCARED

¯

EMBARRASSED ¯



+



¯



+



¯

EXPERTISE

OBSERVATION

WILD

WEAPONS & GEAR

SCOUT SURVIVAL TOUGH

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Pockets

Backpack

Pockets Bag Backpack

SCARS AND EXPERIENCES

Bag

Mags

/2

/2

/9

Download the Adventurer’s Sheet PDF on our page: https://t wolittlemice.net/bcrpg HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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LUCK

You can be as good as you want, but without a bit of Luck, you’re not surviving out there! The section of your Sheet dedicated to Luck is divided in two parts: Luck Points and Luck Coins. Luck Points: Luck Points reflect how much Luck you have left before being Out of Luck. On your Sheet they’re represented by ten white dots. Every time you lose Luck, you fill in one of the dots, from left to right. When all dots are filled, you’re Out of Luck Luck Coin: Each Adventurer has one or more Luck Coins. A Luck Coin can save you when you’re Out of Luck or grant you success for any desperate or very dangerous action. The number of Luck Coins you have can be noted inside the coin on your Sheet. We will talk about how you can use and manage Luck Points and Luck Coins in the specific chapter of Section 4 - Traps and Bullets.

I FEEL...

Adventuring involves both great risks and great satisfactions. While playing BROKEN COMPASS, you might find you’re collecting Good and Bad Feelings, which will influence your ability to face Challenges and Dangers. Good Feelings are listed in the left column on your Sheet and grant you an Advantage on all tasks in a certain Field. In the right column, you can find Bad Feelings, which will give you a Disadvantage. Each column in the I Feel section also has two empty lines where you can note any Feelings that aren’t standard or were specifically created by the Fortune Master. We will talk about how you can receive or remove these Feelings in Section 3 - Face the Challenge.

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EXPERTISE

When you’re hunting for Treasures, you get used to taking massive risks and always taking a chance. The good news is that at least you have some strengths you can always rely upon. Expertises are those contexts where you feel in your element, techniques you learned by heart and can be summed up in simple words like “Medicine”, “Seduction” or “Guns”. Expertises will allow you to Re-roll any dice that aren’t a Success in relevant tasks. Each Adventurer has three Expertises: two determined by their Tags and one of their choosing.

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SKILLS AND FIELDS

Like all good Adventurers, you have at your disposal a vast array of Skills that you’ll need to employ in order to overcome Challenges and Dangers. All Skills are divided into six different Fields, that represent the context in which they are most often required.

ACTION: Action is the Field you find yourself in when you’re fighting, run-

ning, or you have to take the situation into your own hands. Fight: Fighting (with or without weapons) enemies in close combat. Escaping a grapple. Leadership: Inspiring or leading others. Commanding or giving orders that leave no room for doubt. Stunt: Doing stunts. Moving in dangerous or acrobatic situations. Jumping off a runaway train. Running through a volley of bullets.

GUTS: Guts is the Field you find yourself in when you need to keep calm or

concentrated while reacting quickly to stressful or dangerous situations. Drive: Driving or piloting any kind of vehicle when you are doing dangerous maneuvers or trying to outrun or reach somebody. Cool: Keeping your cool in the face of danger. Not reacting to a shocking scene. Acting with lucidity at the right time. Shoot: The ability to shoot a firearm, use bow and arrow or any other ranged weapon.

KNOWLEDGE: Knowledge is the Field you find yourself in when you must

rely on your studies and technical or theoretical notions you acquired. Culture: General knowledge on a vast array of topics. Academic education. Comprehension of local uses and customs. First Aid: Treating wounds and diagnosing illnesses. Allows you to remove certain Bad Feelings. Tech: Using, constructing or repairing mechanical, IT or electronic devices.

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SOCIETY: Society is the Field you find yourself in when you deal with other

people, domesticated animals and man-made environments (both modern and ancient). Eloquence: Discussion, persuasion, deception and negotiation. Seeming likable and trustworthy to others. Charm: Appearing attractive or elegant. Making a good impression. Seducing or charming others. Observation: Spotting someone or something. Noticing hidden details. Sense other people’s emotions and lies.

WILD: Wild is the Field you find yourself in when you’re interacting with

natural or harsh environments and wild animals, when you need to tap into your primordial brain. Scout: Traveling through wild places. Climbing and trekking. Swimming and diving. Finding your bearings in the wild. Survival: Surviving in harsh environments with no equipment. Hunting and tracking. Building a camp to create a Safe Place. Tough: Endurance to adverse conditions and pain. Lifting, pushing or moving heavy objects. Showing off physical resistance and raw strength.

CRIME: Crime is the Field you find yourself in when you’re acting secretly or try to avoid hidden dangers and ambushes. Alert: Spotting dangers. Avoiding pursuit and not falling for traps. Noticing details that can lead to unexpected events. Dexterity: Accomplishing tasks that require exact and nimble hands. Lifting purses and picking locks. Doing sleight of hand tricks. Stealth: Hiding or moving quietly. Treading softly and with extreme precision. Following somebody or avoiding pursuit.

We will talk about Fields, Skills and how to use them to decide the result of tasks involving Risks and Dangers in Section 3 - Face the Challenge.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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WEAPONS & GEAR

I’m pretty sure you’ll find a way to do anything reasonably doable with bare hands, quick wits and fast legs. You’re an Adventurer, when you set your mind to it there’s really nothing that can stop you... Except maybe a smooth, vertical wall two stories’ high. Faced with things like that wall, you’ll need specific weapons and gear to overcome any obstacle fate might throw your way. These specific objects allow you to accomplish tasks you couldn’t do otherwise and have a place of honor at the center of your Sheet. Some of these weapons and gear will give you one or more Advantages for certain tasks, if you know how to use them right. You should write the name of the weapon or piece of equipment on the left, something like “Pistol” or “Grappling hook”. And on the right, you add what you can do with that object “Allows you to shoot” or “With rope. Can be hooked to climb or swing”.

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INVENTORY

Any object that is neither weapon nor gear will end up straight in the Inventory. Your Inventory is divided in three sections: Pockets, Bag and Backpack. Pockets: contain everything you can carry in a pocket or wear, like watches, necklaces and lighters. You can’t lose something that’s in your pockets unless someone steals it or takes it by force. Bag: you can take with you a purse, cross-body bag, briefcase or other small container in which you keep slightly bigger objects, like a statuette, a book or a box of chocolates. Bags don’t hinder your actions but might be lost in some circumstances. Backpack: if you need to take with you a tent, a sleeping-bag or a set of pots and pans, you clearly need a Backpack. A Backpack is the largest portable container, but can be a hindrance to some tasks and can easily become a burden. Besides, to take something out of a Backpack, you need the time to stop and look for it! Mags: You don’t need to keep track of how many bullets you have, but magazines are pretty handy. This section allows you to note how many mags you have and where you keep them. Bag and Pockets can each hold up to 2 Mags, while a Backpack can hold up to 9. So if you have a pistol mag in your pocket, note “Pistol” in one of the squares for Mags and 1 in the square titled Pockets next to it.

SCARS & EXPERIENCES

As you complete your endeavors, the Adventure will leave its mark on you in the shape of Experiences or Scars that will determine your growth and development throughout the story. Scars and Experiences are short sentences you can note at the bottom of your Sheet when the time comes. We will talk about these in the “Growth” chapter of Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN Filling in an Adventurer Sheet is a simple procedure that takes only a few quick steps. You don’t need to define who you are down to the smallest details. No need to worry too much. Your past doesn’t define you, and frankly nobody cares. You go out there and show what you’re made of through actions! If there’s something you don’t like, you can always change it after the Pilot... But more on that later.

1. CHOOSE 2 TAGS: First of all, choose two Tags from the Tag list. These

two words are all you need to know to set out on your Adventure. In this rulebook you can find 18 Tags, and each BROKEN COMPASS expansion to come will add new specific Tags.

TAG LIST • • • • • •

Action Hero Cheater Daredevil Explorer Gunslinger Hunk

• • • • • •

Hunter Medic Pilot Playboy/Femme Fatale Professor Rebel

• • • • • •

Reporter Soldier Spy Techie Thief Wingman/woman

Each Tag is composed of a Field, a Backup Field, eight Skills and one Expertise. Once you’ve chosen your Tags, you can write them down in the “Call me if you need a:” section on your Sheet and start filling in your Diamonds. For example, this woman here is an Explorer Professor. You can find the complete description of each Tag and its Expertises below.

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Dr. LAURA BENOIT

Explorer Professor

"You must finish what you started"

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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ACTION HERO

CHEATER

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Action (Guts)

Fight Leadership Stunt Cool Shoot Charm Scout Survival

Society (Crime)

Leadership Cool Culture Charm Eloquence Observation Alert Stealth

EXPERTISE Heroism

DAREDEVIL

EXPERTISE Lies

EXPLORER

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

Action (Guts)

Fight Stunt Cool Drive Shoot Charm Scout Dexterity

Wild (Crime)

EXPERTISE Heights

EXPERTISE Orienteering

SKILLS

Stunt First Aid Observation Scout Survival Tough Alert Stealth

GUNSLINGER

HUNK

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Guts (Action)

Fight Stunt Cool Shoot Tech Observation Alert Dexterity

Wild (Action)

Fight Stunt Cool Drive Charm Scout Survival Tough

EXPERTISE Pistol or Revolver

EXPERTISE Strength

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HUNTER

MEDIC

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Wild (Guts)

Fight Shoot Tech Scout Survival Tough Alert Stealth

Knowledge (Action)

Leadership Cool Culture First Aid Eloquence Observation Survival Dexterity

EXPERTISE Hunting

PILOT

EXPERTISE Medicine

PLAYBOY / FEMME FATALE

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Guts (Crime)

Stunt Cool Drive Shoot Tech Charm Alert Dexterity

Society (Action)

Leadership Stunt Drive Charm Eloquence Observation Dexterity Stealth

EXPERTISE Vehicle of choice

EXPERTISE Seduction

PROFESSOR

REBEL

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Knowledge (Society)

Leadership Culture First Aid Tech Eloquence Observation Alert Stealth

Crime (Wild)

Stunt Shoot Tech Scout Survival Tough Dexterity Stealth

EXPERTISE Archeology or Degree

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

EXPERTISE Sabotage

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Soldier

REPORTER FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Society (Knowledge)

Leadership Drive Culture Tech Eloquence Observation Alert Stealth

Action (Wild)

Fight Leadership Shoot First Aid Scout Survival Tough Stealth

EXPERTISE Journalism

SPY

EXPERTISE Military

TECHIE

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Crime (Society)

Leadership Cool Shoot Charm Eloquence Observation Alert Stealth

Knowledge (Wild)

Fight Drive Shoot Culture Tech Survival Tough Dexterity

EXPERTISE Espionage

THIEF

EXPERTISE Mechanics, Electronics or IT

WINGMAN/WOMAN

FIELD

SKILLS

FIELD

SKILLS

Crime (Knowledge)

Stunt Drive Tech Eloquence Observation Alert Dexterity Stealth

Guts (Knowledge)

Stunt Drive Shoot Culture First Aid Tech Eloquence Scout

EXPERTISE Pickpocket or Lock-picking

EXPERTISE Support

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TAG EXPERTISE Archeology (or Degree): Establishing the age of an object or site, decyphering ancient languages, knowing the past or the practice and theory of your field of studies. Espionage: Acquiring information, eluding security systems and creating disguises. Heights: Running on rooftops, jumping across chasms and into the void. Heroism: Acting selflessly, showing courage, sacrifice. Hunting: Tracking, preparing traps, catching prey by surprise. Journalism: Interviewing people, following leads, finding contacts. Lies: Tricking people, cheating. Mechanics, Electronics or IT: Knowing and being able to repair and create mechanical, IT or electronic devices. Medicine: Diagnosing illnesses, recognizing drugs, surgery. Military: Knowing military ranks and protocols, organizing operations, military training. Orienteering: Finding and keeping your bearings using environmental clues, a compass or a map. Pickpocket or Lock-picking: Lifting a purse or picking a lock. Pistol or Revolver: Managing, recognizing, evaluating, repairing and using a pistol or a revolver. Allows you to shoot with two weapons. Sabotage: Tampering with equipment or vehicles, placing explosive charges and creating nuisances. Seduction: Charming people, flirting and stealing people’s hearts. Strength: Lifting, breaking, bursting things and exhibiting physical strength. Support: Helping people, providing covering fire, helping somebody else’s action (i.e. holding a vehicle steady while somebody is jumping off). Vehicle of choice: Knowing, evaluating, repairing and driving a type of vehicle (i.e. automobiles, planes, seaplanes, etc.) Allows you to have one vehicle of the chosen type.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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2. FILL IN THE DIAMONDS: Next to each Field and Skill there are 3 Diamonds. Some are already filled in, but most of them are blank.

When you choose a Tag, you can fill in a Diamond for its Field and one for each of the Skills. You might choose two Tags that give you the same Field. When this happens, you can fill in a Diamond in that Field and one more in the Backup Field of your choice for one of the two Tags.

ACTION FIGHT LEADERSHIP STUNT

GUTS COOL DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE OBSERVATION

WILD SCOUT SURVIVAL TOUGH

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Once you’ve filled in all Diamonds you obtain from your tags, you can personalize your Sheet by filling in two more Skill Diamonds of your choosing (these may also be in one Skill you already have). When you find yourself facing a Challenge, you can roll a number of d6s equal to the number of your Diamonds for that Field plus those of the tested Skill. We will talk about these in Section 3 - Face the Challenge. For example, take a look at our friendly Explorer Professor. The Diamonds in black are common to all Adventurer Sheets. The Diamonds in blue were obtained through the two Tags and Diamonds in yellow were chosen by us. No need to rush for your pencils and markers, this is just an example! Normally when you play, you don’t need to use different colors for the Diamonds. You can just use the pencil you’ll find attached to this manual.

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3. MARK YOUR EXPERTISES: With every Tag, you also gain an Expertise

that represents an activity, subject or context in which you feel particularly secure. An Expertise reduces your chances of failure in certain situations to a minimum by giving you a free Re-roll. For example, the Expertise “Heroism” comes into play when you are risking your life to save somebody or to do the right thing, the Expertise “Pistols” comes into play when you use, evaluate or repair a gun, and the Expertise “Support” comes into play when you are giving covering fire or when you are acting to help a friend. Remember that if a Tag is tied to more than one Expertise, you don’t get both: you have to choose one of them. For example, being a Thief can give you either the Expertise “Pickpocket” or “Lock-picking”. After noting the two Expertises given by your Tags, you can personalize your Sheet by adding a third one. This new Expertise might come from the Tag List or you can create your own. Here are some interesting Expertise ideas: “Archery”, “Surgery”, “Martial Arts”, or “Acting”. We will talk about how to use your Expertise to Re-roll in Section 3 - Face the Challenge, while in Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures, we’ll tell you about how you can obtain new Expertises. For example, our Explorer Professor obtains the Expertise “Archeology” (as a Professor) and “Orienteering” (as an Explorer). As a third Expertise, she chooses “Climbing”.

4. MARK ONE LUCK COIN: At the beginning of the game you have one Luck Coin. Mark “1” inside the Luck Coin on your Sheet. We will talk about how you can use, lose or gain Luck Coins in Section 4 - Traps and Bullets. At the moment you only have one, so be sure to hold onto it!

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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JUST LIKE BUDAPEST

Whatever happened before today doesn’t matter, the important thing is what is going to happen from now on. Writing an autobiography where you explain exactly what happened in your life to this day won’t take you one step closer to that Treasure: you can’t waste time with these trifles. While playing you create not only your future, but your past too. You can do it with a few words or small gestures to your companions. Create chemistry, share your World and be open to suggestions from others. If they’re shooting at your group and someone turns to you smiling “Just like Budapest”, answer “The good old days”, or maybe “Don’t get yourself in trouble this time” or “You and I remember Budapest very differently”. Anyways THAT’s the past, not whatever you have written on a piece of paper. Give it a try!

5. NOTE DOWN YOUR PERSONAL DATA: By now your Sheet is almost

done, there’s only a few important details left. First of all, it’s time to tell us your name and choose which places you call home. Remember that these places also determine which languages you speak. Once that’s done, take a minute to decide which words you want to live by when the going gets tough. Name, surname, a couple places and a few words to live by. That’s all you have, really. Your past is your own, but you won’t be the one to decide it: it will be determined by events, by your friends and maybe even Luck. If you have already started jotting down some ideas about background, you can save it for your CV. Where we are going, we don’t need backgrounds! For example, all we know about our Explorer Professor is her name, Dr. Laura Benoit, that she grew up in Canada (Homeland), born to French parents (Heritage). And that today Laura lives in France (Workplace), and her motto is “You must finish what you started”.

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6. NOTE DOWN YOUR GEAR: Finally, you need to take note on your

Sheet of all weapons, gear and any other important objects you’re taking with you. You can start with a Bag and/or a Backpack, as you prefer, but you only have a limited number of objects. In this phase, you can choose 3 useful items, weapons or pieces of equipment that you commonly use. In the next pages, you’ll find a list of items to suit all tastes, and in Section 6 - 1999, you’ll find specific Gear and information on the technology level of the time, although you can always add your own. Any weapon comes with 2 mags of the correct type. We will talk about how to buy additional items in Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures. You can always ask the Fortune Master to allow you objects that may be useful or meaningful for your Adventurer. For example, our Explorer Professor travels with a pistol and its mags, some archeology tools to use just in case and a compass. She has also asked and received permission from the Fortune Master to carry a diary to note her discoveries. You can find her complete Adventurer Sheet at the end of the manual.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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ITEMS, WEAPONS & GEAR On your Adventurer Sheet, Weapons & Gear have a specific section in the center, separate from the Inventory which contains all normal Items. If you’re wondering what the difference between a Weapon, adventuring Gear and any other Items is, well, it’s quite simple: Weapons are things you use to hit your enemies. In BROKEN COMPASS, most weapons are firearms and in general ranged weapons. No sane Adventurer would rather go around twirling a sword when they could carry a gun, if you catch my drift. It’s best to leave the machete for when you need to cut vines and rope. Adventuring Gear consists of things you take with you to travel through harsh environments, equipment that can give you an Advantage or allow you to carry out actions that would otherwise be impossible. Something like a grappling hook or diving gear. Any object that doesn’t fall in either category - like watches, diaries, torches, compasses and wrenches - is called an Item and since it doesn’t need a specific description, it can go right into one of the three areas of Inventory: Pocket, Bag or Backpack. The next few pages present a list of the most common Items, Weapons and Gear, but feel free to add new objects to the list working with your Fortune Master. In Section 6 - 1999, you can find a list of Weapons and Gear typical of that era.

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POCKETS, BAG AND BACKPACK

Your Inventory is divided into three sections: Pockets, Bag and Backpack. You must choose one of these three sections to store each Item you carry for a very specific reason. Pockets represent objects you wear, like a watch or a necklace, or things that can be kept in your clothes. This means they are relatively small Items, like a compass or a lighter. The fun thing about Pockets is that, unless someone flips you like a pancake, it’s highly unlikely you’ll lose anything you put in there. The Bag is a portable receptacle you can more or less literally hang from your shoulder by a thread. Like your Pockets, a Bag allows you to quickly reach any Item within it, but it also allows you to carry something larger (say a book or a statuette) while leaving your hands free. However, you could lose your Bag by Accident or when you fail to pass a Danger. This might not be a big deal to you, but for the Fortune Master this might be a wonderful plot device to spice up your Adventure. Weapons & Gear do have their own section on your Sheet and they’re usually carried in your Pockets, but they might get lost as a consequence of a failure, especially if you had them in your hand at the time. The Backpack is a completely different story. It can hold almost any Item, but it’s not easily accessible under many circumstances. It can also constitute a Disadvantage in some cases due to its size... And obviously you run the risk of having it lost or destroyed. The main thing you need to remember is that during action scenes, you can’t reach for anything in your Backpack unless that is the only thing you do on your turn. Mags are held in one of the three sections of your Inventory, but they have a separate place on your sheet for convenience’s sake. Remember, you can store up to 2 Mags of any kind in your Pockets and Bag, and up to 9 in your Backpack.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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TOOLS AND INSTRUMENTS

Lock-picks, tool bags, archaeological tools, surgery kits and any set of instruments needed for skilled labor are considered Items and can be noted in your Inventory. These tools don’t necessary give you mechanical Advantages, but they’re needed to carry out specific tasks, or at least in order to do them without Disadvantages. For example, a mechanic needs a toolbox to carry out complex repairs on a device without receiving a Disadvantage, and the same goes for lock-picks, which are very much needed to use your Dexterity Skill to pick difficult locks. As always, the usefulness of these items in each specific case is determined by the Fortune Master. For example, if you try to pick the lock of a very old door with a good lock-pick, you clearly deserve an Advantage, but if the door is solid and built to last, the lock-picks are a necessity and not having them gives you a Disadvantage. If you’re facing an armored security door, any Advantage is out if the question: you either have the tools for the job or you don’t.

PACKAGE DEALS

Some items, like lighters and watches, are self-standing and must be treated as such, but in some cases it’s best to combine several instruments in a single “Item” to save space and time. This is the case for many tools, so you don’t need to write down “hammer, wrench, pliers, etc.” but you can just jot down “tool box” and set out Treasure hunting without worrying about leaving home without your trusty quarter-inch spanner. Same goes for those items which would have no use on their own. So, if you’ve noted a “diary” as part of your inventory, rest assured you also have a pencil and eraser or a pen to write in it. No need to write them down. To sum it up, while you can fit a tent and every item you can imagine in your backpack, sometimes it’s better to write them down as package deals, so as to have an “amenity kit” and a “ration box” rather than an endless list of items!

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COMMON ITEMS

There are many different items, and you probably don’t need me to tell you what they are, but I’ll give you some examples nonetheless. Here’s a list of the first ones that come to mind. I’ve separated them into three sections, but it’s clear that anything you can stuff in a Pocket will fit into a Bag and even more so into a Backpack.

P ockets

B ag

• Amulet • Archeology tools • Comb • Compass • Lighter

• Lock-picks • Map • Notepad • Swiss-army knife • Watch

• Binoculars • Book • Diary • Diving mask • First aid kit

• Flashlight • Flask • Rope • Thermos • Toolbox

B ackpack

• Amenity kit • Blanket • Clothes • Camera tripod • Crowbar

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

• Food rations • Pickaxe • Shovel • Sleeping bag • Tent

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COMMON WEAPONS AND GEAR

Elegant clothes: Very classy. Give Advantage to Charm tasks Winter clothes: Protect from cold Bow: Two handed, silent. Allows you to shoot arrows Climbing gear: Give Advantage to climbing tasks Hat: Protects from the sun Quiver: Can store arrows Rifle: Two handed. Gives Advantage to shooting tasks Sniper rifle: Two handed. Gives 2 Advantages to shooting tasks so long as you’re laying still Camera: Allows you to shoot photos. With roll of film. Machete: Cuts through the vegetation Ice pick: Allows you to climb icy walls Pistol: Allows you to shoot Grappling hook: With attached rope. Can be hooked to climb or swing Revolver: Allows you to shoot

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MAGS

Each weapon needs a specific magazine in order to function. When you pick up a Mag, you can write the type of weapon it belongs to in the designated section of your Sheet. It’s important to have the right Mag. A pistol and a revolver work the same way with our mechanics, but each needs its own specific Mag to work. So if you find yourself with a pistol mag in one hand and a revolver in the other, you’re closer to having a paperweight and a hammer with a trigger than a functional weapon. We also say that bows have their mags, although it’s actually just a handful of arrows, but in game they work the same. Arrows placed in your Pockets are usually held in your hand or tied to the bow, but to carry any in your Bag you need a quiver.

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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YOUNG, OLD, TRUE Not to pry, but are you sure you’re old enough to be traveling around the World hunting for Treasures? And if you are, are your legs as firm as they used to be? Most Adventurers are healthy adults in their prime, and importantly, they don’t require parental consent to get on a plane and don’t need to take a handful of pills every day. I said most, not all of them. If you’re a different kind of Adventurer with more or fewer miles on the clock than one would expect, then you’ll need a third Tag. Yes, we have Tags for that too now!

YOUNG

If you’re a YOUNG Adventurer, you’re somewhere between 12 and 16 years old. Like, I’m not calling you a child, but I wouldn’t pour you a glass of wine, either. Anyway, your mind is set and you’ve decided to leave home, there’s nothing anybody can do to stop you, so you’re lucky to have the Young Tag. You add the Tag Young before your other Tags. So if you want to be a Pilot Wingwoman, then you’ll have to write Young Pilot Wingwoman on your Sheet.

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As a Young Adventurer you won’t have a third Expertise, as you probably haven’t had the time to get that quite yet. On the other hand, you obtain a permanent Good Feeling called “Young”, that you can note in the left column under “I feel...” The “Young” Feeling will be refreshed at the beginning of each new Episode and gives no Advantage other than avoiding certain Bad Feelings. We will talk about this in the relative chapter of Section 3 - Face the Challenge.

OLD

An OLD Adventurer has seen some more winters in their life and they’re starting to catch up with them: not only in the form of back pains, but also from within. You haven’t seen your last Adventure yet, but you’ve certainly seen better days. You add the Tag Old before your other Tags. So if you were a Cheater Gunslinger, you’ll now need to write Old Cheater Gunslinger on your Sheet. As an Old Adventurer, you gain a fourth Expertise of your choosing and one Experience or Scar... But more on this in the Growth chapter of Section 5 Hunting for Treasures. On the other hand, the years have also left you with a permanent Bad Feeling called “Old”, that you can note in the right column under “I feel...” The “Old” Feeling can’t be lost and gives you no Disadvantages, but it will make it easier for you to go out of commission. We will talk about this in Section 3 - Face the Challenge.

TRUE

You’re clearly an Adventurer, but are you a True Adventurer? That depends on the Tags you choose. Long story short, if you pick the same Tag twice, you instead acquire the “True” Tag. So if you’re an Action Hero - Action Hero, you instead get to be a True Action Hero. In most cases, being a True Adventurer means you get one less Expertise, unless your Tag allows you to choose two of them (for example, as the Professor tag does). But every cloud has a silver lining, and a True Adventurer has lady Luck always on their side. It might be a small comfort, but you start the game with two Luck Coins instead of one. HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

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THE ACCIDENTAL ADVENTURER If you have no idea about how to start filling in your Adventurer Sheet, you can always roll some dice and let Luck take the wheel. There’s a simple method to randomly determine the contents of your Sheet with the help of just two d6. Assuming you’re okay with whatever Luck has in store for you! Here, let me explain. First of all, you have to determine your Tags with the help of the table below. See? The 18 Tags are divided in groups of three, depending on their main Field. Roll one d6 to decide which Field your first Tag will concentrate on. Then a second d6 to decide which of the three Tags in that Field will be yours. After choosing your Tags, remember to fill in the two additional Diamonds!

1 ACTION

2 GUTS

1-2  Action Hero 3-4 Daredevil 5-6 Soldier

1-2 Gunslinger 1-2 Medic 3-4 Pilot 3-4 Professor 5-6  Wingman/woman 5-6 Techie

4 SOCIETY

5 WILD

6 CRIME

1-2 Cheater 3-4  Playboy/Femme Fatale 5-6 Reporter

1-2 Explorer 3-4 Hunk 5-6 Hunter

1-2 Rebel 3-4 Spy 5-6 Thief

3 KNOWLEDGE

Now that you’ve decided your Tags, you just need to choose the places you call home, your third Expertise and, last but not least, the words you live by. To accomplish this with just a couple more rolls, you can use the following lists. For each list, roll one die to choose the group and a second to choose the element within the group that will become yours. Repeat this operation three times for your places to call home to determine your Heritage, Homeland and Workplace.

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PLACES TO CALL HOME 1 NORTH AMERICA 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 SOUTH AMERICA

Alaska Canada USA East Coast USA Central USA West Coast Mexico/Central America

1 2 3 4 5 6

3 EUROPE 1 2 3 4 5 6

4 AFRICA

England/Scotland/Ireland Spain/Italy/Greece France/Belgium/Netherlands Germany/Austria Sveden/Norway/Finlan East Europe

1 2 3 4 5 6

5 Asia 1 2 3 4 5 6

Colombia Venezuela Perù Brazil Chile Argentina

Morocco/Algeria/Tunisia Libia/Egypt Nigeria/Chad/Congo Sudan/Etiopia/Kenya Madagascar South Africa

6 OCEANIA

Russia China/Mongolia Japan India/Pakistan/Sri Lanka Turkey/Syria Arabia/Iraq/Iran

1 2 3 4 5 6

New Zealand Papua New Guinea Pacific Islands Western Australia Central Australia Eastern Australia

Do you want to use the Dice from the BROKEN COMPASS Kickstarter to roll your Adventurer? Use this key.

1

  2

  3

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

  4

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  5

  6

EXPERTISE 1 Combat 1 2 3 4 5 6

2 VEHICLES

Pistol Rifle Brawl Martial Arts Archery Revolver

1 2 3 4 5 6

3 Techniques and theory 1 2 3 4 5 6

4 WORLDLINESS

Archeology Medicine Zoology Mechanics Journalism Draw

1 2 3 4 5 6

5 SCOUTING 1 2 3 4 5 6

Motorcycle Car Plane Helicopter Boat Heavy Truck

Style Lies Seduction Dance Negotiation Intimidation

6 OTHERS

Climbing Diving Orienteering Speleology Heights Hunting

1 2 3 4 5 6

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Strength Heroism Cooking Sixth Sense Riding Knots

WORDS TO LIVE BY 1 L eader 1 No one gets left behind 2 There’s strength in numbers 3 A true captain goes down with their ship 4 My word is my bond 5 It’s my burden to bear 6 I never asked for any of this

3 DETERMINED 1 It’s never too late 2 Love conquers all 3 If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again 4 You finish what you started 5 Follow my lead 6 It’s my destiny!

5 CAREFUL 1 Be happy with what you have 2 Live to fight another day 3 You catch more flies with honey 4 I trust only myself 5 The enemy of your enemy is your friend 6 My conscience is clear

HOW ADVENTURERS ARE BORN

2 OPPORTUNIST 1 2 3 4 5 6

Your death, my life In life, nothing is free Don’t shoot the messenger When two fight, the third wins Nothing personal You’ve made your bed, now lie in it

4 WISE 1 Knowledge is power 2 Trust me, I read it somewhere 3 Every cloud has a silver lining 4 The ancients knew something which we have forgotten. 5 Life is more precious than gold 6 There is no such thing as chance

6 RECKLESS 1 Nothing ventured, nothing gained 2 I’ve been through worse 3 Fortune favors the brave 4 The best defense is a good offense 5 Better to ask for forgiveness than permission 6 Shoot first, ask questions later

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SECTION 3 FACE THE CHALLENGE

CHALLENGES I’m sure somebody somewhere has left a Treasure on a delicate wooden table sat in the middle of a lush English garden. But the harsh truth is that more often than not, Treasures are hidden at the top of a mountain or buried in the middle of the desert or at the bottom of the sea. So, if you thought the Adventurer’s life would be a stroll in the park, I have bad news: the road to the Treasure is paved with Challenges. We call Challenges any action an Adventurer attempts with a specific goal that could end in an Accident. “Climbing a rock wall”, “Shooting at a target” or “Translating an ancient manuscript” are all examples of Challenges. When facing a Challenge, you will have to roll a number of d6 determined by the amount of Diamonds you have in the relevant Field and Skill and hope for the best. But remember, not every action poses a Challenge. I don’t know a single Adventurer worth the title that can’t easily get the lid off a jar or hop a fence! For people like you, those things go without saying. You don’t need to roll dice for every little thing that strikes your fancy. You only need to put your Skills to the test when what you’re trying to accomplish might go wrong, resulting in one or more Accidents. Accidents are the result of an actions that ended badly in any way, leaving you somewhere you’d rather not be. For example, an Accident for the Challenge “Translate the manuscript” might be that you need more time than you have to finish to the translation, or that you mistranslate something, or even that you translate everything correctly and find something dangerous that will lead you off track!

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A Challenge that can end up with you hurt or worse is called a Danger, but we’ll talk about that in Section 4 - Traps and Bullets. When the Fortune Master decides you’re facing a Challenge, you need to follow a few steps: 1 Don’t panic, you can do it 2 Define your objective 3 Determine the difficulty of the Challenge 4 Decide which Skill is being put to the test 5 Roll the dice and count your Successes 6 Rejoice over your victory or deal with your failure 7 Keep going, the adventure must go on!

DEFINE YOUR OBJECTIVE

You must be careful not to mix up what you’re doing with the REASON you’re doing it. If you try to bust through a door, it’s because you need to get in (or out) ASAP. If you translate a text, you’re doing it because you need information. If you’re trying a desperate move it’s because you need to get out of a tight corner. If you successfully overcome the Challenge, everything goes as planned and you manage to reach the stated goal. Failing a Challenge means the action you tried wasn’t the right one, or that it didn’t lead to the desired outcome. To better manage success and failure, it is essential to understand what the objective you are trying to reach through the Challenge is. FACE THE CHALLENGE

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DO OR DO NOT: THERE IS NO TRY

When Adventurers set their minds on doing something, they’ll find a way to do it! To fail a Challenge doesn’t mean you’re left there in a glassyeyed daze or making a fool of yourself. Failing can simply mean that things go differently from what you expected, and you have to deal with Accidents. For example, if an Adventurer is trying to burst through a door, Failure doesn’t necessarily mean the door stands firm. It might just burst right in front of the jailors on patrol! I mean, Failure is like any other part of the Adventure. The only rule is to keep moving, living the action and going on with the story. Success or Failure make no difference, the Adventure must go on!

DIFFICULTY OF A CHALLENGE All Challenges are challenging, but not equally so. Some are rather easy to deal with, others might seem near impossible. To help you, I’ve divided them in four categories:

BASIC: Climbing to the second floor, hitting a target at short range, convincing a well-intentioned passerby

CRITICAL: Climbing a snowy mountain, hitting a target at long range, translating a text written in some ancient and forgotten language

EXTREME: Keeping your bearings during a blizzard, hitting a fast-moving

target with the sun shining right in your eyes, convincing security you’ve been sent here by the boss and you’ll take care of closing up

IMPOSSIBLE: Hitting a target in the dark relying only on the sound of their footsteps, having the Colonel salute you, remorseful and humiliated because he blew your “cover”

DETERMINE THE DIFFICULTY OF THE CHALLENGE

When you find yourself facing a Challenge, you need to determine if it’s going to be a Basic, Critical, Extreme or Impossible Challenge. This is usually the job of the Fortune Master, since they’re the only one who know the ins and outs of the story, but if the situation is extremely controversial, it’s always better to talk it out with the Players and listen to their doubts. Most Challenges you will be facing are Critical Challenges, while Basic Challenges are small problems with little to no repercussions and a low chance of an Accident. Extreme Challenges are rare and represent obstacles that may seem impossible to overcome. Even rarer are Impossible Challenges, the ones that can bring even the most seasoned Adventurers to their knees. Anyway, the Fortune Master can decide not to disclose the difficulty of a Challenge to the Players, but they have to tell them the difficulty of any Danger.

FACING A CHALLENGE After you’ve established the objective and the difficulty, you’re ready to face the Challenge. To do so, you need to face a Task by rolling a handful of d6s and trying to get one or more Successes. The number of d6s to roll is determined by the number of Diamonds the Adventurer has for the Skill put to the test, plus the number of Diamonds for the relevant Field.

WHICH SKILL TO CHOOSE?

The action you’re trying to do is often linear enough that the Skill put to the test will be clear. For example, if you’re trying to shoot a standing target at the shooting range, you’re probably going to use the Shoot Skill. But there will be occasions, depending on the desired outcome, where it’s not so easy. When you have any doubts on the Skill put to the test, you just need to stop and ask yourself: what could go wrong? So, if you’re shooting at an enemy that is holding your friend hostage, maybe it’s not a Challenge regarding Shoot. It’s more likely a Cool task since your objective is not to “hit a target” but to “save the hostage”. Failing this task might mean you don’t have the courage to pull the trigger because you don’t want to hurt your friend. Just try this, it takes some getting used to.

WHICH FIELD TO CHOOSE?

In the vast majority of cases, Skills have a relative Field they are already linked to, so if Shoot tasks are in the Guts field, Stealth tasks are in the Crime field. But in some rare occasions, the Fortune Master might require a Skill to be put to the test in a different Field to manage unusual or complex situations. For example, usually the First Aid Skill is tied to the Field Knowledge. So, when you try to patch up a friend with a bullet in the leg, you need to roll a number of d6 equal to your Diamonds for Knowledge, plus those under First Aid.

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However, if your friend is in shock and is flailing like a madman and you’re operating on a plane that is free falling, the Fortune Master might determine this specific First Aid task to be in the Field of Guts.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

After adding up all Diamonds from the Skill and the Field, you have a pool of d6 that can go from 3 to 6. To this you might need to add or subtract up to 3 dice depending on the Advantages and Disadvantages you have. Each Advantage gives an additional die (up to a total of 9) and each Disadvantage removes one (but never more than 2). You gain Advantages from specific weapons or gear, or by having Good Feelings. You gain Disadvantages from Bad Feelings. In addition, the Fortune Master has the right to grant an Advantage if the Adventurer does something clever, effective and/or if they’re in a position of clear superiority or strength for the Challenge. In the same way, the Fortune Master has the task to burden Adventurers with Disadvantages if they do something silly or are in a clear position of inferiority. After determining the number of dice to roll, you can proceed and then calculate the Successes.

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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LEND ME A HAND

There’s strength in numbers, it’s true. When an Adventurer is facing a Challenge, somebody else can give up their action to lend them a hand and try to grant them an Advantage. In these cases, the Fortune Master must decide if the person helping does have the means and abilities to actually make the difference. Sometimes the Fortune Master might determine that you need the help of two or more Adventurers to gain an Advantage. Sometimes you might get an Advantage for each helpful character. If the action becomes too easy, maybe you can just say that it’s not even a Challenge anymore!

SUCCESSES After determining the number of dice to roll, take a deep breath and roll away! Just hope to get a couple Successes. You get a Success for each set of two or more dice that land on the same side. The number is unimportant: a pair of ⚁ is just the same as a pair of ⚂, and three ⚀ have the same value as three ⚅. As for Challenges, there are 4 kinds of Successes.

BASIC: [Two of a kind] When 2 dice land on the same number. CRITICAL: [Three of a kind] When 3 dice land on the same number. EXTREME: [Four of a kind] When 4 dice land on the same number. IMPOSSIBLE: [Five of a kind] When 5 dice land on the same number.

WHAT A HERO!

On the off chance an Adventurer rolls six of a kind (6 dice landing on the same face), the normal way to calculate Successes is out the window! The Adventurer becomes the absolute protagonist of the scene, solving the situation however they wish. No matter how many traps or enemies they might be facing, everything will go better than expected!

COUNTING SUCCESSES

For every two matching dice you get a Basic Success, every three a Critical Success. Four of a kind and five of a kind correspond to an Extreme and Impossible Success respectively. If you roll a full house, you get one Basic and one Critical Success. If you roll a straight (one of each number), you just get a wonderful failure. Congratulations! To pass a Basic Challenge, you need a Basic Success, and to pass a Critical Challenge, you need a Critical Success. It’s that easy!

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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THE DICE ARE ALWAYS RIGHT

You don’t always need to roll the dice, but any time you do, they’re always right. If you’re searching for a weapon and you roll an Extreme Success, you find one, doesn’t matter where you are. For this reason, it’s important to decide WHETHER you need to roll for an action or not.

H igher and L ower S uccesses

If you roll a Success higher than what you need, you can accomplish more than what you were trying to do. So, if you’re trying to hit a target (Basic Challenge) and you get a Basic Success, then you make the shot. If you roll Critical Success, you might even take the enemy down in a single hit.

3X1

When it comes to Challenges, three small Successes may transform into a greater one. In this case, 3 Basic Successes equal a Critical Success and 3 Critical Successes equal an Extreme Success. This rule does not apply for Dangers and Enemies.

However, if you roll a Success lower than what you need, you still failed the Challenge, but you might decide, together with the Fortune Master, to use your Successes to do some damage control.

M ultiple S uccesses

If you roll more than one Success, you can use them to accomplish multiple actions. For example, if you’re trying to hit a target (Basic Challenge) and you roll 2 Basic Successes, you may hit twice or hit once and then roll behind cover.

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NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS

What are the odds that you’re the only one with the clue, artifact or map that proves the existence of a legendary Treasure, and you also know how to follow these indications to get to the right temple, pyramid or forgotten city? And once you’re there, what are the odds you manage to solve the barrage of riddles, overcome all obstacles, dangers and traps before having to face your Rival and their goons, win, pocket the Treasure.... And even get out of there alive? These might be the questions normal people ask themselves while reading a book or watching a movie, but you’re an Adventurer: people like you don’t want to know the odds because you like to follow your instincts and go with the flow of action. So, you can turn the page, walk away from the numbers and live your Adventure with your mind at peace and your heart light, because no amount of numbers can change your mind anyway. But if you’re a Fortune Master and you think that a bit of probability theory might do you good, you can find it below. The numbers you see indicate the percentage chance to roll at least one kind of Success depending on the number of dice rolled. So the percentages under Critical also include the chance to roll an Extreme or Impossible Success. Keep in mind that players have the possibility to re-roll some of the dice (more on this later on), so there are many different variables and these percentages are somewhat rounded, but still true. After all, you only need them to fine-tune the Challenges. For this reason, you won’t see the numbers regarding rolls with seven, eight or nine dice as can happen through Advantages. Advantages are Advantages, you shouldn’t calibrate with them in mind!

2 3 4 5 6

BASIC

CRITICAL

EXTREME

IMPOSSIBLE

45%

10%

-

-

15%

-

70%

30%

99%

75%

90%

5%

50%

FACE THE CHALLENGE

-

10%

20%

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-

1%

3%

SCENE #2 - CHALLENGE AND SUCCESS FORTUNE MASTER Once you’ve passed the entrance to the temple, you find yourself in a long hallway that gets darker and darker the further you walk. After a while, you see an opening and feel a strong draft. It’s only then you realize you have stepped to the edge of a ravine, one so deep that not even your flashlight can illuminate the bottom. On the other side of the ravine there’s something that looks like the underside of a draw bridge: to get to the other side, you just need to find a way to lower it. JAKE I raise the torch and take a careful look, searching for another way around or some contraption that could lower the bridge. FORTUNE MASTER There’s a large metal lever right on the left of the drawbridge. Pity it happens to be on the opposite side of the ravine. JAKE Looks like the last one to come through never made it out... but no time to think about them. What I can do is draw my trusty pistol and aim. I want to shoot at the lever to lower the bridge. FORTUNE MASTER The lever is pretty far away, but also relatively big and, most importantly, isn’t going anywhere. It shouldn’t be a hard target to hit. Consider this a BASIC Challenge. JAKE [Rolls a Shoot task. Rolls 6 dice (3 for the Diamonds in GUTS, 3 for those in SHOOT) and gets to a BASIC Success]

⚀⚀⚁⚂⚄⚅. The two ⚀ amount

I hit the lever on the first try and hope that’s enough to lower the bridge.

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FORTUNE MASTER The bullet hits the lever, pushing it to the wall. You hear a loud clanking noise from rusty cogwheels and the bridge moves for a second, shaking off the dust of centuries. Then the lever slowly comes down and everything stops. You now realize there’s a second lever on the opposite side of the bridge. You’d need to pull them both simultaneously in order to lower the draw bridge, it’s not going to be easy. You are now facing a CRITICAL Challenge. JAKE Well that’s a bummer. I roll my shoulders a bit and hold the gun with both hands. I take a deep breath while aiming for the lever on the left. In less than a second, I shoot, aim at the right lever, and shoot again. [Rolls a Shoot task. Rolls 6 dice and gets three

⚂

amount to a CRITICAL Success]

⚀⚂⚂⚂⚄⚅.

The

FORTUNE MASTER The left lever snaps down, hit by your bullet. The lever on the right gets hit right after and it, too, lowers. Once both the levers are pushed, the bridge lowers and shows you the path to continue your Adventure. JAKE “Piece of cake”, I say as I re-holster my pistol.

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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AFTER THE DICE ROLL THAT 'S MY JOB!

An Adventurer’s Expertise represent those fields they are particularly well versed in and they don’t fear failure. Every time an Adventurer rolls for a task, they can ask the Fortune Master and their fellow Players whether one of the Adventurer’s Expertises is relevant to the task as to gain a free Re-roll. The Expertise “Pistols”, for example, doesn’t just come into play when it comes to shooting, but can also be useful to recognize a specific model or to repair a gun or assess its value. Some Expertises, like “Heroism” and “Support”, are less specific than others and can be applied in a variety of situations, depending on the inventiveness and reasoning of the Players.

If you roll the dice and get the Success you needed or even multiple Succeses or a Higher Success, well, congratulations: you passed the Challenge. But if you didn’t roll the Success you hoped for, or you rolled no Success at all there’s still a couple things you can try to save yourself from failure.

R isk

If you rolled at least one Success of any kind but you’re not happy with the result, you can choose to press on and take a Risk. When you do this, you take all dice that weren’t part of a Success and re-roll them. Bear in mind you can’t choose which dice to keep and which to roll: you have to keep all dice you rolled in some kind of combination and re-roll the rest. If you get at least one additional Success, all the better, you improve your situation. For example, if you roll for a task with 4 dice and get ⚀- ⚂- ⚂- ⚅, you might want to risk it. To do so, you keep the two ⚂ on the side and re-roll the other two dice. If at this point you roll another pair or at least one additional ⚂, you’re in luck. If, instead, you’ve taken a Risk and rolled no additional Successes, you have to forfeit one of the Successes you had previously rolled. Grasp all...

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For example, if you rolled five dice, got ⚁- ⚂- ⚃- ⚃- ⚄, took a Risk and gained no additional Successes, it means you wanted too much. You lose the two-of-a-kind you had previously rolled.

R e-roll

There are cases in which you can take a Risk... But risk nothing at all. When you get the chance, you better take it, since you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. When you’re rolling a task related to one of your Expertises, you can rely on a Re-roll. A Re-roll replaces the normal Risk mechanic and allows you to re-roll dice without the risk of losing any Success. For example, if you’re a Medic and roll for a task in First Aid, you can use your Expertise “Medicine” to gain a Re-roll. This way, even if you don’t roll any additional Successes, you don’t have to forfeit any Success previously rolled, as you would with a normal Risk. In case you’re wondering, yes, this means you may use a Re-roll even if you obtained no Successes with your first roll.

K eep on R isking

After you took a Risk or Re-rolled the dice thanks to your Expertise, you might still be dissatisfied with the results. If after taking a Risk or Rerolling, you gained at least one additional Success, you might feel lucky enough to try and go All or nothing. By going All or nothing, you re-roll all dice that are not part of any Successes one last time. If you gain at least one additional Success, well you’re still in luck. Otherwise you lose ALL Successes previously rolled. It’s called “All or nothing” for a reason. Long story short, after you roll once, you can choose to take a Risk or a Re-roll (in case you have a relevant Expertise). If with the second roll you get at least one additional Success, you can try and go All or nothing, and then see how it goes.

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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SCENE #3 - RE-ROLL AND RISK FORTUNE MASTER You split some hours ago to gather the two pieces of the map and you both succeeded in your missions... but now you’re lost in the jungle, with the sun as your only landmark, and even that seems to be setting at a worrying pace. Each of you has to find a way to get your bearings and get back to camp before dark. It’s a CRITICAL Challenge. If you have no better ideas, you can roll SCOUT. DIDI I found my way here, how difficult can finding my way back be? I fold the map and put it in my pocket, then I turn around and look for my own footprints. [Chooses to roll a SCOUT task to find his own footprints. Rolls 4 dice (2 for the Diamonds in WILD, 2 for those in SCOUT) and gets

⚁⚃⚃⚄.

It’s just a BASIC Success]

Well, that’s not enough. I have no Expertise that could help me, so I have to Risk it. Here I go! [Sets aside the pair of

⚀⚄

⚃

and re-rolls the other 2 dice,

getting . Having rolled no additional successes, he loses even his first BASIC Success] FORTUNE MASTER That’s a total failure! Looking at the ground you find only mud and roots, so you start hesitantly following a random direction. You sometimes think you can recognize this or that tree, but in truth you’re just lost. LAURA I roll up the half map and put it in my bag. I look around. I’m worried more about Didi than myself, but I still decide to start walking back towards camp, hoping to meet him there. [Chooses to roll a SCOUT task to find her way back. Rolls 5 dice (3 for the Diamonds in WILD, 2 for those in SCOUT) and gets

⚀⚀⚂⚄⚅.

It’s just a BASIC Success]

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A simple BASIC Success is not enough, but I have an Expertise in Orienteering that suits this situation to a T. I proceed to Re-roll.

⚀⚀ and re-rolls the other 3 ⚀⚀⚅. Her BASIC Success has become an EXTREME

[Sets aside the BASIC Success dice, getting Success]

FORTUNE MASTER You find your bearings so easily that you have no problem reaching camp. On your way there, your EXTREME Success allows you to see the clumsy tracks left by Didi that go in a completely different direction and you can follow them to find him. LAURA I obviously do, and I also try to make it quick. FORTUNE MASTER Didi, your head is spinning by now and you’re pretty sure that you’re utterly lost... luckily, Laura seems to appear out of the vegetation, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. LAURA “Where did you think you were going? Come on, let’s get back.” DIDI I grin at her. “I was looking for you. I’ve been waiting at camp for an hour already...” I might not have an Expertise in Orienteering but Lies are my specialty!

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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FAILING A CHALLENGE If you didn’t get the required Success or any Success at all after rolling, Rerolling or even Risking it, well, it means you failed the Challenge. After failing, don’t lose heart. It happens to the best Adventurers and you’re far from the best! If that sounds harsh, look at it this way: Failure is nothing but a broken step on the ladder to success. It might make you stumble and slow down, but it’s still a step forward in your journey. These words of comfort might ring hollow now, but truth is, you’re an Adventurer, and people like you never admit defeat. Facing Challenges simply means doing something to get closer to your objective. Looking at it from this angle: failure is not about your actions, but about your trajectory to the goal. When you look at it this way, Failure doesn’t mean you don’t reach your goal, but that things go sideways along the way. You might have successfully barred the door, but enemies will break through the window; you climbed the mountain, but ended up on the wrong side; you got the statuette, but set off a trap... classic! It’s stuff that happens constantly, no big deal. The only true difference between succeeding and failing is that the road of failure is paved with Accidents. Accidents are frequent and disparate, it’s up to the Fortune Master and to all Adventurers to try and describe them and engage in acting through them with one rule: the Adventure MUST go on!

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T he C rossroad

Each Challenge is a crossroad. You can pass it and take the sunny road that takes you strolling directly towards your goal, surrounded by bunnies and daisies. Or you can fail and end up on the long, dark, winding road, surrounded by the stares of ravenous beasts. The result doesn’t matter, but you can’t just stay still and stare at the crossroad. Whatever happens next will keep the story moving. And in the end, things will go however they need to go, and the Adventure will always win. If your life doesn’t feel like a movie, you’re doing it wrong. People like you live exactly like in the movies. Each Adventurer is a protagonist, and protagonists never have boring downtime or insurmountable tasks, and above all, they never make the wrong choice. With or without Accidents, the Adventurers always manage to go where Luck wants them to go. They may be late, they may be battered, or they might arrive from a completely unexpected angle. Going forward is all that matters. Hesitation means you’re already lost!

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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ACCIDENTS

When you face a Challenge, you need to ask yourself, “What can go wrong?”, and decide the Skill put to the test based on your answer. Once you’ve got that down, it’s easy to see what kind of Accidents may happen in case of Failure. Let’s say you’re strolling through the hallways of an abandoned pyramid and you want to be sure to keep your eyes peeled. You roll an Observation task and fail. When you notice the pressure plate you hear a CLANK and the tile beneath your foot lowers slightly under your weight. The Accident in this situation could be that you triggered the trap and now have to face a Danger. Or maybe you can’t lift your foot from that tile until you find a way to lock it in place. Another possible Accident could be that the floor in front of you just collapses and you now need to shinny your way around it. Alternatively: you’re at a nice party and try to seduce the spouse of your host, thinking you can milk some information out of them. You roll a Charm task and fail. It doesn’t mean that your advances are unwelcome, but rest assured there will be consequences. An Accident in this situation could mean that you’ve made such a good impression that now the host is jealous and proceeds to pull you away to another room with a bunch of guys with guns that make jokes you don’t understand. Your action didn’t really help your recon mission, but it took you to a place where you might nonetheless try to gather some intel. A dangerous place, there’s no denying that, but it’s still better than being thrown out the door with a slap in the face! You’re sneaking through the corridors of a jail, bringing the keys to the cell of your friend who got caught. You roll a Stealth check to manage to free them and fail. It doesn’t mean you have alerted the guard and need to abort mission. An Accident could be that the guards here a strange noise, come to check on it and you have barely the time to get away. After breathing a sigh of relief, you peek at the guards who pick up a key ring from the ground. That’s what caused the noise! Now you have to retrieve the keys or try and break into the cell. It will take you some time, but it’s better than a full jail lock-down.

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D elaying Accidents

On some occasions the Fortune Master might decide that a failure doesn’t result in any Accident... or at least, not immediately. What happens is that the failure seems to have a few repercussions that go unnoticed and lay waiting for a while, waiting to ambush you with an Accident at the worst time. You’re walking through a tunnel teeming with all kind of insects and fail a Scout task. One of the pests sticks to you and you don’t even notice. Further on, when you draw your pistol to shoot, the crawler comes out of your sleeve to bite your hand. The distraction causes you to get a fat Disadvantage on the roll. You leave the auction to try and steal something from the stock and you find yourself facing a security guard. You roll a Fight task to try and knock them out and fail. You whack them behind the head with a wooden board and they fall forward, limp. It’s going to be sometime before the drop of blood that fell on your shoe shatters your cover: and you’d almost got away with it!

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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NO FAIL

In BROKEN COMPASS, failure is not an option. This might seem weird, but it’s not just a slogan. It’s a rule. Maybe even the most important rule of the book! At times, it might be hard for the Fortune Master to respect this rule, you need some trained improvisation muscles and a limber, flexible mind to find ways to transform each failure into a success with some Accidents. If, as a Fortune Master, you find you’re struggling, try asking your Adventurers for some ideas: together you can find ways to transform any failure into a device that keeps the Adventure going and makes things interesting.

SCENE #4 - CHALLENGE AND FAILURE FORTUNE MASTER Your Rival’s camp is large and well equipped. Teams of heavily armed men walk swiftly back and forth between the large tents, moving crates and machinery. Nobody seems to have noticed you yet. STONE I try to remain hidden, peeking out from time to time to safely keep an eye on things. I want to wait for the right moment to sneak into one of the larger tents. FORTUNE MASTER Nobody’s looking for you, so it’s not hard to go unnoticed. As soon as two people exit from the tent, muttering to one another, you take the chance while they’re distracted and sneak in unseen. STONE I must find a way to warn the group that we’re not alone. Someone might be following them already! I look on the tables and in the crates, hoping to find a radio. FORTUNE MASTER The radio is right in front of you, sitting on a wooden table with other papers and machines. But when you try to turn it on, you realize it’s disconnected. Seems like they aren’t done setting up this tent just yet. If you want to use the radio, you need to switch it on first by rolling a BASIC TECH Challenge. Or you can go and search for something else and hope to get lucky.

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STONE No time to lose. How hard can it be to set up a radio? I start wiring it up as best I can. If I manage to turn it on, I set it to the frequency the group uses and speak in a low voice to warn them about the encampment I’m in. [Rolls a TECH task. Rolls 3 dice (2 for the Diamonds in KNOWLEDGE, 1 for those in TECH) and gets

⚀⚂⚅.

No Successes]

FORTUNE MASTER It’s a Failure! You hear your friends’ voice from the other side “Where are you?” STONE I talk quickly and quietly, I’m worried because the enemies could come back any minute. “I’m South of you, in an encampment. There’s a hundred armed men here!” FORTUNE MASTER Your friends’ voice breaks down and fades to statics “Ok... Stay... Coming” Then it stops. You think they got the message and sigh with relief. Looks like you’re in the clear for now. Sadly, as you’re about to hang up the radio, here comes an Accident. An unknown voice comes on the radio. “Who’s using this frequency? Men, we have an intruder!” Outside the tent an alarm starts blaring at full volume. You managed to send your message, but at what price?

FACE THE CHALLENGE

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HOW DO YOU FEEL? The Adventurer’s life is a hard one. People keep asking where you’re going, but nobody cares how you’re feeling! Your Sheet has a column labeled “I feel” dedicated to keeping track of how you feel physically, psychologically and emotionally. I know you’re tough and you always think you’re at your best, but it might not be so. You can be hyped up one day and be a total wreck the next. Even the best have their bad days! In the left column you find all the Good Feelings you can have when you feel like, really good, while on the right you find all the Bad Feelings. Stuff that makes you feel bad. There are several ways to gain and lose Good and Bad Feelings, but we’ll talk about that in a bit. The general rule is that Adventurers can experience up to three Feelings at a time. The only exception is when you feel A Wreck.

Advantages and D isadvantages

The most common Feelings are already listed on your Adventurer Sheet and they are tied to the six Fields. All the Feelings you find in the left column offer you an Advantage when you have to roll for a task using a Skill in a specific Field. For example, so long as you feel Powerful, you have an Advantage for all rolls in the Action Field. The Good Feelings are: Powerful: Advantage in Action DARING: Advantage in Guts FOCUSED: Advantage in Knowledge CONFIDENT: Advantage in Society FIERCE: Advantage in Wild UNTOUCHABLE: Advantage in Crime All Feelings you find in the right column offer you a Disadvantage when you have to roll for a task using a Skill in a specific Field. The Bad Feelings are: BLEEDING: Disadvantage in Action SHOCKED: Disadvantage in Guts DIZZY: Disadvantage in Knowledge EMBARRASSED: Disadvantage in Society BROKEN: Disadvantage in Wild SCARED: Disadvantage in Crime But there are other Feelings that can offer you different benefits or work against you in different ways. For example, the Feelings Young and Old offer no Advantages or Disadvantages, but they’re still effective in determining how easily you can feel A Wreck. Other Feelings might offer Advantages or Disadvantages in more specific contexts. We will now discuss in detail both Good and Bad Feelings and explain the more unusual Feelings. It’s up to the Fortune Master and Adventurers to create and suggest new Feelings for your specific situation.

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I FEEL GOOD Let us start with the positives. Some people live their life at ease, but you’re an Adventurer and people like you really go heavy on their feelings. When you’re facing a great Challenge and come out on top, this gives you a boost to get right back in action. If you rev the car up and manage to land on the other side of a ravine in one piece, it’s understandable to feel Daring. If you manage to fight a bear with your bare hands, goes without saying that you feel Fierce. These are not just words, they are feelings, sensations that light a fire in your soul and awaken your thirst for Adventure. Whenever you do something particularly exciting or get exceptionally good results in a certain Field, the Fortune Master may reward you with a Good Feeling. Good Feelings are listed in the left column under “I feel”. The ones you find already on the Sheet all grant you an Advantage to the tasks rolled in a certain Field. You can have up to three Feelings at a time, so you can only have three Good Feelings simultaneously if you have no Bad Feelings. If you have at least one Good Feeling and you get a Bad Feeling, then you have to lose one Good Feeling of your choice... but hey, at least you dodge the Bad one. For example, if you feel Powerful, but you fall from a great height and you should now feel Broken, you avoid getting the Bad Feeling. You hit the ground harsh and are happy to survive, but you no longer feel so Powerful. If you already have three Feelings and at least one of them is Good, when you gain an additional Good Feeling, you can choose to exchange it for another Good Feeling. If you already have three Bad Feelings, you can’t get any Good Feelings. You’re too beaten up to feel any good.

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GOOD FEELINGS

On your Sheet you find six Good Feelings:

POWERFUL: You feel ready for anything, nothing can stand in your way

DARING: You’re pumped up and ready to go, no risk is too great for you FOCUSED: You’re in the zone, nothing can break your concentration CONFIDENT: You’re on top of things, nobody can hope to oppose you or trick you FIERCE: You feel strong and ready to endure, you can face anything UNTOUCHABLE: You’re so far ahead of everyone that they have no hope of catching you

These are the most common Feelings and, with some flexibility, can cover just about any situation. There might be times, however, where you feel it would be right to give an unusual Feeling that better represents the current mood of the Adventurer. These Feelings usually grant Advantages in certain contexts, whatever the Field of action. Some examples could be:

IN LOVE: Your passion is so strong that you feel like love will indeed

conquer all. You gain an Advantage any time you act to defend or show your love. BRUTAL: You are the strongest now, there is no competition. You gain an Advantage for every attack you make during a brawl or shoot-out STEADFAST: Your will is strong and nothing can make you falter. You gain an Advantage any time the odds are stacked against you, when you’re in dire need or at the end of your rope. Lastly, there are Good Feelings that give you no Advantage at all but give you something to lose instead of getting a Bad Feeling right away. The clearest example of this kind of Good Feeling is Young, the Feeling associated with the Tag of the same name. Don’t underestimate it: the more Good Feelings you have, the harder it is for you to feel A Wreck! As I already said, these are just some examples: Fortune Master and Adventurers can always create and suggest new Feelings that fit the story.

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I FEEL BAD If the Adventurer’s life was nothing but great satisfactions and successes, don’t you think there would be a queue standing between you and the Treasure? If at times you might feel really good, more often than not you’ll also have to live with some bad feelings. If you open an ancient tomb and find yourself buried under a mound of moldy skeletons, it’s understandable if you feel Scared. If you “land” a rubber raft in the middle of a river and then get get flung this way and that by rapids, rest assured you’re going to feel Dizzy. Anytime something bad happens or you fail miserably in front of an important Challenge or an extremely lethal Danger, the Fortune Master might burden you with a Bad Feeling. Bad Feelings are listed in the right column under “I feel”. The ones you find already on the Sheet all impose a Disadvantage to the tasks rolled in a certain Field. If you have a Bad Feeling, you can’t benefit from the Good Feeling regarding the same Field. If you already have three Bad Feelings, you can’t gain any Good Feelings. If you receive an additional Bad Feeling, it means you’re A Wreck.

I FEEL A WRECK

When you already have three Bad Feelings and you receive a fourth, you instead get the Bad Feeling “A WRECK”. When you’re A Wreck you have a Disadvantage in any task. If you’re wondering, yes, this is in addition to all other Disadvantages from the Bad Feelings you previously had. No need to pull that face! Look at the positive: once you are A Wreck you can no longer receive any Bad Feelings. To stop feeling A Wreck, the only thing you can do is find yourself a Safe Place.

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BAD FEELINGS

On your Sheet you find six Bad Feelings:

BLEEDING: You feel hurt, truth be told you probably are SHOCKED: You feel stunned, what you’ve just witnessed has shaken

you to the core DIZZY: You feel dazed, you’re confused, your head spins and you can’t concentrate EMBARRASSED: You feel ridiculous, you’ve just made a huge blunder and lost all credibility BROKEN: You feel as if you’ve broken something, that blow really made it hard to stand up again SCARED: You feel vulnerable, something scared you and now you’re a bundle of nerves As above, these Feelings can probably be adapted to any situation, but you can always create or suggest new Feelings that give Disadvantages depending on the context rather than the Field of the roll. Here are some examples:

BLINDED: Your vision is blurred and you can’t see anything clearly.

You get a Disadvantage for all tasks requiring sight. FROZEN: You feel cold to the bone, you can’t stop shivering and your teeth are chattering. You get a Disadvantage for all tasks regarding movement or trying to aim FILTHY: You feel disgusting, you stink and you’d kill for a bath. You get a Disadvantage for any task related to elegance and seduction And then there are Bad Feelings that give you no Disadvantage at all but take you one step closer to being A Wreck. The clearest example of this kind of Bad Feeling is Old, the Feeling associated with the Tag of the same name.

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ACTING HOW YOU FEEL

Adventurers are tough folk who’ve been to hell and back. They rarely if ever show how they feel. You might be Shocked and just joke about it with a defiant grin on your face. You may feel Daring and still act cool and collected. Even if you’re Broken, you can say that it’s just a scratch. You don’t necessarily need to act the way you feel unless you think it’s relevant. The same can’t be said about Disadvantages. They’re still there and you can’t act your way out of them!

DANGERS AND ENEMIES

You will meet Dangers and Enemies that won’t be satisfied with taking away your Luck Points: they want to make you suffer. The first time you fail a task against them, you will also get a Bad Feeling. But we will talk about this in Section 4.

WHEN TO ASSIGN A FEELING

Whenever an Adventurer does something amazing, when they have a stroke of genius that saves the day or they get a very lucky roll, when all Players go “WOOOOO!” and cheer, then, then you grant a Good Feeling. If you’re the Fortune Master, be proud to tell a Player “Nice one, you feel Powerful!” or “Of course, everything is clear, you feel so Focused!”. There’s nothing like the rush of confidence that gives to put the stamp on a Success or a great idea! On the other hand, when there’s an epic Failure, when not even Luck can hope to save the Adventurer or simply when the story goes that way, that’s when the real trouble starts. For example, when an Adventurer falls from a great height and doesn’t get even a measly Basic Success, you’ll have to bite the bullet and say things like “You hit the ground and feel BROKEN.” In these cases, Luck isn’t enough: indeed, they should call themselves lucky to get away with a slap on the wrist! Similarly, if an Adventurer Fails a crucial Cool task when facing a bear, you’ll need to tell them “The beast roars and the vibrations shake you to your core, you are SCARED”. Or still, when an Adventurer decides to take a bullet in order to save a friend, you might need to say “The bullet pierces through you. You are BLEEDING”. Use Bad Feelings responsibly. They should not become a way to punish Adventurers, but some spice to make the journey even more exciting.

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LOSING A FEELING

Good Feelings can be lost by suffering the effects of Bad Feelings, but they’re also lost at the end of an Episode or after the Adventurers get flash-forwarded several days or hours into the future. However, I’m pretty sure a person like you is more interested in getting rid of Bad Feelings. Well, the easiest way is to use a Luck Coin. But if you don’t really like that idea, then you have to go the long way around, and this depends on the Feeling. All the Feelings you find on your Sheet can only be cured by finding a Safe Place. The Feelings Bleeding and Broken require a character to try and patch you up by rolling at least a Critical Success in First Aid. You can also try and patch yourself up, but you have a Disadvantage. If you feel Dizzy, you have to spend one of your actions in the Safe Place doing absolutely nothing and trying to empty your mind, while to stop being Shocked or Scared, you have to spend an action speaking with someone about what happened to get it off your chest. You need to act this scene out, no matter how difficult it may be for you. And don’t waste time blabbering, because another Adventurer is using their own action to listen to you. Finally, if you feel Embarrassed, all you need to do is spend your action helping somebody else successfully get rid of a Bad Feeling. And if nobody has a Bad Feeling, you can just repair something or successfully complete a round of sentry duty. Other Feelings will have different ways to be removed. For example, you could stop being Blinded by washing your face or sleeping; if you’re Frozen you have to find a way to get warm; if you’re Filthy you’ll need a shower and a change of clothes.

F irst Aid

You can try to use the Skill First Aid to remove Bad Feelings like Bleeding and Broken even if you haven’t found a Safe Place yet. An Adventurer that gets patched up this way will instead get the Bad Feeling Hurt. Being Hurt gives you no Disadvantage, but the only way to remedy this Bad Feeling is finding a Safe Place. To completely remove this Feeling a character needs to perform a First Aid task as they would for Bleeding and Broken.

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SCENE #5 - BAD FEEL, GOOD FEEL FORTUNE MASTER You’re sitting around a little fire in your improvised camp. It’s the dead of night and the flickering light is barely enough to illuminate the pages between Laura’s hands. Together, they should show you a map, but the two halves don’t seem to line up. JAKE I get close to Laura and offer a shot from Didi’s flask, he’s sleeping anyway. “Need help?” LAURA The last thing I want, other than a map that doesn’t make sense, is to listen to Jake’s nonsense when I’m trying to focus. I don’t even look at him. “Mister O’Donnell, if you really wanted to help me, you’d be quiet.” JAKE Well, since she’s always so nice, I leave the shots on the ground and stand up, trying to whisk the papers from her hands. I have an idea... FORTUNE MASTER If Laura agrees, I’d say you have no problem doing that, since she’s not even looking at you. LAURA I agree but I don’t like it anyway. I spring up, angry: “Listen here, Mister O’Donnell...” JAKE “Jake. My name is Jake!” And while she’s talking, I want to try something. I go to the fire and try to rekindle the flames a bit, when they’re nice and bright I put the pages one in front of the other and look at them now they’re backlit.

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FORTUNE MASTER I don’t know if this was a stroke of luck or genius, but as you put the papers one in front of the others you see what you were looking for. You finally found a trail to follow. LAURA When I see the map I’m completely speechless. I take a step forward, hand out, wanting to look at it “Mister... Jake, I underestimated you.” FORTUNE MASTER Congratulations, Jake. This bright idea got you through to Laura and earned you her respect: you feel CONFIDENT. You can write it on your Sheet. JAKE I hand her the map and cross my arms. “I really think you did.” Then I go and get the shots. FORTUNE MASTER As you kneel to get the glasses you feel the distinctive, rough hand of Didi on your shoulder. But as you turn, you realize it’s actually a huge snake hanging from a nearby tree. Roll for COOL! JAKE [Rolls a COOL task. Rolls 6 dice (3 for the Diamonds in Guts, 3 for those in Cool) and gets that’s bad luck!]

⚀⚁⚂⚃⚄⚅.

No Successes,

“Come on, it’s just a couple shots...” I turn around, expecting to face Didi and find myself staring at a forked tongue. I throw the glasses and run away. FORTUNE MASTER You take a couple steps back, stumble and face plant right in front of Laura. You should feel SCARED (or EMBARRASSED) but luckily you have a Good Feeling to lose, so let’s just say you don’t feel so CONFIDENT anymore.

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SECTION 4 TRAPS AND BULLETS

DANGERS Now that you know what to do when you’re facing a Challenge, you think you can finally go out there and get yourself a slice of the Treasure, right? Well maybe people forgot to tell you about the Dangers you’ll find along the way. What were you thinking that an ancient tribe just up and left their golden idol at the center of a room, closed the door and forgot about it? Not by a long shot. They put it in the lowest, deepest, farthest room of the temple. And what’s more, those people spent their entire lives building who-knows-what kind of traps and other deadly contraptions just so they could rest easy, knowing that folk like you won’t get out of there alive! Take it from me, if you really want to save your neck, you have to learn how to overcome the Dangers you’re going to find along the way. Dangers are nothing but Challenges that put your health, maybe even your life, on the line. “Plunging down a waterfall”, “Fighting enemies” or “Running from a giant rolling boulder” are all considered Dangers. Successfully navigating a Danger means living to tell the tale... and to get yourself in trouble again.

DIFFICULTY OF A DANGER

Just like Challenges, there are four kinds of Dangers:

BASIC: Facing a couple of brawlers, crossing a decrepit rope bridge, stopping the car before it reaches the ravine.

CRITICAL: Facing a group of mercenaries, grabbing a vine as you’re falling from a precipice, taking off while people are shooting at the plane.

EXTREME: Facing a troop of well-equipped soldiers, diving off a waterfall and avoiding the rocks below, landing a burning plane unscathed in the middle of the jungle.

IMPOSSIBLE: Facing a line of armed tanks, surviving the fall from a plane with no parachute and walking off in one piece and with your sense of humor intact.

FACING DANGER

A giant boulder rolls your way. The rope bridge you were halfway across snaps beneath your feet. The machine gun on an enemy truck opens fire. If you chose to go Adventuring, you may face many kinds of Dangers. You face Dangers pretty much the same way you face Challenges, just following the same list of instructions. The main difference between a Danger and a Challenge is that all Dangers have the same goal: getting out of there alive. It’s still important to understand what’s at stake in these cases, meaning what kind of consequences you’d face in case of a failure.

S et the stakes Essentially, when you’re facing a Danger, you’re either at risk of getting hurt (or worse, sorry to repeat that), or of losing something that is crucially important: a weapon, a key artifact or even the Treasure itself! For example, if you set off a trap and a giant boulder comes rolling towards you, the situation is pretty dire. The Fortune Master decides that failure implies getting turned to mush.

D etermin e the difficulty of the D anger Just like with Challenges, most Dangers you will face in your daily adventuring are Critical Dangers, and Basic Dangers are really a problem only when they pile up on you. Extreme Dangers are rare and they represent the limits of what is humanly possible to survive. Impossible Dangers should only be faced in the most desperate of times, or when too many Dangers get added together. If a parapet suddenly breaks, it puts you in a Basic Danger, while a blade that comes swinging at full speed from a wall is a Critical Danger. It’s up to the Fortune Master to determine the difficulty of a Danger by calculating not what is at stake, but how likely the Adventurers are to avoid the Danger. If you have any doubt, towards the end of the chapter you can find some examples of Dangers and their difficulty. For example, when the boulder starts rolling toward the Adventurers, the Fortune Master might say it is a Critical Danger. The Adventurers will need a Critical Success to escape it.

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With Dangers, unlike what you saw for Challenges, the Fortune Master must always establish the difficulty ahead of time.

C hoosing a S kill Like with normal Challenges, the Fortune Master might want to suggest to the Adventurers which Skill they can put to the test to escape a Danger. However, in this case Adventurers might also suggest alternative ways to face the Danger by testing a different Skill and explaining their choice with the steps they aim to take. The Fortune Master will still have the last word on whether a Skill is actually applicable to a situation and if it is used outside of the normal Field. For example, to escape the rolling boulder the Fortune Master might request a Stunt (Action) task to be rolled. But one of the Adventurers decides they want to jump and hold onto the ceiling, asking if they may roll the task as Tough (Wild). A second Adventurer would like to roll a Shoot (Guts) task to try and fracture the rolling boulder, but the Fortune Master decides that it’s better for them not to use that Skill.

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R oll the dice

1x3

When facing a Danger, a Critical Success is equal to three Basic Successes, and an Extreme Success is equal to three Critical Successes. In the same way, an Impossible Success is equal to three Extreme Successes. So, if you roll a Higher Success, you can use it to avoid ALL Dangers of a lower difficulty. Just remember that if you’re facing one Critical Danger and two Basic Dangers and you only roll a single Critical Danger, you will need to choose whether to use it to escape the single Critical Danger or the two Basic Dangers, it won’t cover all three.

Once you’ve established the stakes, the difficulty of the Danger and the Skill you’ll use to face it, you’re ready for action. Gather your d6, adding any Advantages and Disadvantages as you already know, and maybe try to Risk or Re-roll. Good luck!

M ultiple dangers

So now you feel as if you know everything and you think you can go out there and face the world, as if only a few rolling boulders stood between you and your Treasure. Sorry to disappoint. Dangers have the bad habit of popping up in groups, so you might find yourself having to deal with several Dangers in one roll. This means you might have to face two or three Dangers at a time, and even if each Danger will have their own stakes and difficulty, you’ll have to choose a single Skill to roll to get all the Successes you need. For example, let’s say you’re crossing a rope bridge with your trusty machete in hand and a holy stone in the other. The rope bridge breaks, as they do, and you’re in a pickle. The Fortune Master decides you’re facing 3 Dangers at once! The first is a Critical Danger and if you fail, you’ll fall down and that’s that. The second is a Basic Danger and if you fail, you’ll lose the machete you were recklessly holding in your hand. The third is another Basic Danger, and if you fail, you’ll lose the holy stone.

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So, to overcome this task, you will need to have two Basic and one Critical Success with the same roll. And for each failure, you’ll have to face the specific consequences, but it’s up to you to decide how to use your Successes. Keep in mind you can also choose to use a Critical Success to pass all Basic Dangers and an Extreme Success to overcome all Critical and Basic Dangers in one fell swoop.

T hree dangers at a time

As you might have guessed, around here when it rains, it pours! If “Plunging down a waterfall” is a Critical Danger and “Dodging arrows” is a Basic Danger, then “Plunging down a waterfall while dodging arrows” is a Critical Danger plus a Basic Danger. It might be a small comfort to you, our unlucky Adventurer, but there’s a limit to the amount of Dangers you can face at one time. And this rule is NO MORE THAN 3 Dangers at a time. Not one more. If you find yourself facing four Basic Dangers in a single scene, they all combine into a Critical Danger, and so on. What matters is that in the end, there should be three Dangers or fewer.

FAILING IN THE FACE OF DANGER

If you face a Danger and fail, tough luck. If the stakes were losing an object, your Bag or your Backpack, well sorry but it’s lost. Deal with it! If your life or physical integrity was at stake, maybe all is not lost!

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LET ME HELP

When a group of two or more Adventurers faces the same Danger, they can try to help each other. By helping a friend you practically gift them some of your Successes as you choose. The only condition is that to help somebody else, you first need to pass all Dangers that have your life at stake. You’ll find it quite hard to help anybody while you’re falling in the void! During a Danger, Adventurers can only receive help from their friends. If an Adventurer is receiving help themselves, they can’t help anybody else.

SCENE #6 - SEVERAL DANGERS FORTUNE MASTER You lift the gem from its stony pedestal. For a second you think you’re in the clear, but as soon as you turn around the stone emits a loud “CLANK” and lowers a few inches. It only takes a brief moment for the whole room to start shaking, almost like an earthquake. The only way out is through the hallway, but the ground is starting to crumble under your feet. JAKE I look at the gem smiling. They’ve been making such a fuss about it, but it was a piece of cake. Then I hear that oh-so-typical trap sound and I realize that I have been counting my chickens before they hatched. No time to lose. I grip the gem and start running towards the exit, hoping to get out before the floor crumbles completely. FORTUNE MASTER And you’re right to run, since the floor is already falling apart under your feet. In order to reach the other side, you’ll need to jump from tile to tile. There’s much at stake here: for one, you risk falling down to your bitter end [CRITICAL Danger], and on top of that, you also risk losing the gem you worked so hard to get [BASIC Danger]. JAKE [Rolls a STUNT task. Rolls 6 dice (3 for the Diamonds in ACTION, 3 for those in STUNT) and gets 1 CRITICAL and 1 BASIC Success] Without looking back, I hold the gem to my chest as if my life depended on it. As soon as I see my friends I shout “Get out! It’s falling apart!”

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FORTUNE MASTER You have a successful escape and finally see the literal light at the end of the tunnel while your friends are already safe and sound. Unlucky for you, the temple has one last trap in store, and it has been activated by the cave in! As you keep running and the floor keeps crumbling under your feet, a volley of poison darts come hurtling out of the walls in your direction. The stakes keep getting higher. Now, on top of the risk of falling down [CRITICAL Danger] and losing the gem [BASIC Danger], you also risk being hit by the darts [BASIC Danger]. There are 3 Dangers! JAKE [Rolls a Stunt task and gets 2 CRITICAL Successes. A true stroke of Luck] I hold the gem under my jacket and keep my head down as I run through the volley of darts. As soon as the exit is close enough, I jump headfirst towards the light. I’ve had enough of this damned temple! FORTUNE MASTER Your first CRITICAL Success leads you sprinting through the corridor before it can crumble completely, the other allows you to easily navigate all other BASIC Dangers. A volley of darts passes inches away from your nose, the other hissing behind your ears. You heroically get out of the temple, throwing yourself past the threshold that crumbles to a pile of rubble mere seconds after you get out. You can finally take a Break. The gem is safe in your hands!

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IT TAKES LUCK Let’s get one thing straight. You wouldn’t be alive if you weren’t on Luck’s good side. The only unlucky Adventurers are those hat-wearing skeletons you find here and there, skewered in traps along the way. When a normal person faces Danger, there are two options: they either step up or face the bitter end. You, however, you’re an Adventurer. You can rely on a good dose of Luck to help you get through even the most hopeless of situations. Every time you fail a task while facing a Danger with serious harm or life at stake, your Luck comes to the rescue.

LUCK POINTS

On your Sheet you have ten Luck Points in the form of ten white dots. And your life depends on those. When you fail in the face of Dangers, you lose a number of Luck Points tied to the difficulty of it and come out unscathed, thanking your lucky star. Here’s how it works:

BASIC DANGER: You lose 1 Luck Point CRITICAL DANGER: You lose 3 Luck Points EXTREME DANGER: You lose 9 Luck Points IMPOSSIBLE DANGER: You end up Out of Luck and need to use a Luck Coin to survive.

Long story short, so long as you have Luck Points, you can’t really fail and you always manage to somehow get out in one piece. For example, if you take a leap off a cliff and try to grab a vine in order not to end up mushed on the ground, failing doesn’t necessarily mean you bite the dust. If you have enough Luck Points, you spend them to change the failure into a success. Maybe you don’t grab the vine you were aiming for, but while falling you get caught on another one. Pure blind Luck! Every time you fail while facing a Danger or an Enemy, you lose Luck and fill in one or more dots on your Sheet, starting from the left. Once they’re all full, you’re Out of Luck. Now that’s ugly. Even Luck has its limits though. Remember that Luck can only come into play when your life or safety are at risk, it won’t help you when you only risk losing a weapon or some item... unless it is a KEY item. We will talk about this in the relative chapter of Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures. Additionally, Luck Points won’t help you escape Bad Feelings inflicted by those Dangers and Enemies when you fail.

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OUT OF LUCK

Should you ever lose all or more Luck Points than you have remaining, simply fill in all remaining dots. From then on, you’re officially Out of Luck. The good news is that so long as you have at least one Luck Point remaining, you can still survive one Danger of any kind. For example, if you fail while facing three Critical Dangers, you’re nine Luck Points shorter. If you have less than nine (but more than one), you fill in all remaining Luck Points and are Out of Luck. Being Out of Luck, you can no longer rely on Luck to save your life. If you fail again when facing Danger, then you’re really putting your life on the line. The only way to escape Certain Death is to use a Luck Coin.

DAMAGE CONTROL

If you can’t overcome a Danger, you can always try to do some Damage Control. For Damage Control you can use Successes you rolled to avoid losing part of your Luck, even though you can’t complete the task you rolled for. For each Basic Success you recover 1 Luck Point and for each Critical Success, you recover 3. So, if you fail a Critical Danger but roll a Basic Success, you only lose 2 Luck Points instead of 3, and if you roll 2 Basic Successes, you only lose 1 Luck Point. If you fail an Extreme Danger but roll a Critical Success, you only lose 6 Luck Points instead of 9, and so on! But you can’t do Damage Control when facing an Impossible Danger. And in any way, you can never avoid damage entirely. If an Adventurer manages to do enough damage control that they would lose no Luck, they still lose 1 Luck Point. Fair’s fair!

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RECOVERING LUCK

Call it statistics, call it karma, call it magic, call it fate. No idea how or why, but at some point, Luck turns her back and you’re left on your own. The only way to recover Luck is to get yourself out of the troubles you put yourself in. Thank goodness Luck Points are fully recovered when you’re out of dodge and can breathe a sigh of relief.

A B reak

At the end of a sequence, for example after getting out of a temple filled with traps and pitfalls, the Fortune Master might declare that the Adventurers can take a Break and recover all their expended Luck Points. After all, Adventurers deserve to take a Break after surviving many dangers, when they can actually let their guard down and relax without risking their life for a second. In some cases, the Fortune Master might allow Adventurers to take a Break after facing a series of Dangers and before another batch comes in. Maybe after you’ve parachuted from a flaming plane, while you wait for the armed mercenaries that have been tailing you, the Fortune Master might declare you get a Break to recover your Luck. This won’t always be possible, so take the chance when you get it!

A S afe P lace

Safe Places are houses, hotels or even camps where you can rest and fully recover your Luck Points. We will talk about how to create and manage Safe Places in the relative chapter of Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures!

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LUCK COINS Your Luck Coin is your best friend, your ace in the hole and your lifeline all wrapped in one! If you’re Out of Luck and you fail an additional Danger roll, you just need to use a Luck Coin to save your skin. To use a Luck Coin you just need to tell your Fortune Master about it. That’s all. After using a Luck Coin, you need to flip a coin to find out if your Luck Coin remains with you or if it’s used and goes to the Fortune Master.

TAILS: Lucky dog! You took a chance and you made it. Not only did

you manage to dodge a danger thanks to your Luck Coin, you also get to keep it. HEAD: Let’s look at the bright side, your Luck Coin did its job anyways. Now you have to wave it goodbye and pass it to the Fortune Master, you’ll have to find another one.

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THE MANY USES OF LUCK COINS

Far from only being there to save you from your bitter end after one too many failures, your Luck Coin can be used in a multitude of ways. You can use a Luck Coin to: • • • • • •

Save yourself from Certain Death when you are Out of Luck Achieve an Extreme Success without rolling any dice Remove or avoid a Bad Feeling Keep hold of one Item Save a Vehicle from destruction Get a Clue you didn’t find

Not too shabby, huh? If you use your Luck Coin to escape Certain Death, some serendipitous accident happens or one of your friends intervenes to save you by the skin of your teeth at the last second. For example, if you set off a trap, a blade comes swinging towards you at full speed, and you’ve lost all hope of survival, you have to use a Luck Coin. If you do so, the blade may stop one inch in front of your nose... You’re off the hook! Clearly, few things are better than managing to get back home on your own two feet, but the other uses of Luck Coins are almost as good. If you find yourself facing a Challenge that’s too great, you can choose to not roll dice at all, use your Luck Coin and enjoy the benefits of an Extreme Success, no risks attached. Must have been your lucky day. Similarly, if you have to deal with a Bad Feeling, or maybe you’ve been dealing with one long enough to be done with it, you can rely on your Luck Coin to be rid of it, and that’s not to be sniffed at either. Or when, in the midst of an Accident, you find yourself losing your grip on an item, your Bag, or even your Backpack, you can call on your Luck Coin to deal with it. Same goes for those occasions when your Vehicle should go Out of Commission and you really don’t feel like pushing it to the nearest town. And last but not least, you can use your Luck Coin when you find yourself lost after skipping an important Clue to show you the way to the Treasure. I know you haven’t heard about Vehicles and Clues yet, it’s okay, we will talk about it in Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures.

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GAINING A LUCK COIN

GIFTING A LUCK COIN

Luck Coins belong to you and they can’t be given to anyone for any reason. However, if an Adventurer is facing Certain Death and has no Luck Coins to save themselves, you can decide to use your Luck Coin to help a friend last minute. By doing so, you sacrifice your Luck Coin and give it directly to the Fortune Master, without flipping it and with no possibility to keep it. Respect.

While filling in your Adventurer Sheet and setting out on your journey, you have one Luck Coin, same as your friends. At the same time, the Fortune Master has one Luck Coin for each Adventurer. In sum, we can say that in every Series there are always twice as many Luck Coins as there are Adventurers. As the Adventure progresses, every time an Adventurer uses their Luck Coin, they flip a coin and, if it lands on heads, the Luck Coin goes to the Fortune Master. The Fortune Master has no use for Luck Coins, but they can choose to give them to Adventurers as a reward for their achievements, good ideas, strokes of luck, and in any other occasions when they feel the need to mark the importance of their actions or Oscar-worthy role-playing. Once the Fortune Master has no Luck Coins, they can’t give any more to Adventurers until they use or lose one, putting it back in the Fortune Master’s pool. Having a Luck Coin is a safety net, but do not rely on your rabbit foot too much. The rabbit had four and look where they brought it!

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W hen to give a L uck C oin

The Words an Adventurer Lives By aren’t just a fancy saying on their Sheet. Those are words these men and women build their lives around. When you act in accordance with your Words to Live By even if it goes against your personal gain, when it makes you face hard choices or live like a true hero... Those are the perfect moments for the Fortune Master to give you a Luck Coin. Broadly speaking, the Fortune Master should give away Luck Coins to reward fair play or meaningful actions, when, for example, an Adventurer accomplishes something amazing, they turn the whole Episode (maybe the whole Season!) upside down thanks to a brilliant idea, or when they evoke true feelings with a role-playing moment worthy of a movie. A good rule of thumb for Fortune Masters is to follow their heart rather than their head, let instinct guide you. Other good benchmarks to understand if what you just witnessed deserves a Luck Coin are popular request and the opinion of other Adventurers. Finally, when Adventurers succeed against all odds and play their hands admirably, maybe by rolling an Extreme Success with just four dice, they might deserve a Luck Coin for it. The rule above all other rules is that when an Adventurer uses their Luck Coin to carry out a task, however crucial and wonderful it may be, they can’t gain another Luck Coin for it. That’s just not how it goes.

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SCENE #7 - FAILURE AND LUCK FORTUNE MASTER In front of you, a rock spur extends above the overhang of a waterfall. Behind you, four jeeps loaded with soldiers shouldering their rifles. Seems like this day is off to an awful start. DIDI I look at the spur, then at the soldiers in my rear-view mirror. There’s no other way. I slam my foot on the gas and drive at full speed toward the edge. Maybe if I build up enough speed, I can make the jump. Well, I’d much rather try my luck than sit here and take those bullets! FORTUNE MASTER As you get closer to the spur, your jeep revs up, coming to its top speed. The gap between you and safety is large enough to be an EXTREME Danger, while the soldiers shooting at you have gone down to a CRITICAL Danger, since they’ve already slowed down and they’re further away. It seems they’re not as crazy as you and have no intentions of getting that close to the overhang. DIDI I lower my head and don’t even look in the rear-view mirror, there’s no mirror anyway, bullets have taken it down! I just try to hold the steering wheel steady and my eyes on the destination. I stomp the pedal with all my strength, even though I’d already been flooring it. I have to do it. [Makes a DRIVE task. Rolls 5 dice (3 for the Diamonds in GUTS, 2 for those in Drive) and gets 1 CRITICAL Success].

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FORTUNE MASTER With your CRITICAL success, you only avoid the CRITICAL Danger. Your enemies’ bullets hit the ground all around, kicking up a giant dust cloud. Some ricochet off the jeep’s body, but you’re untouched. However, you failed to pass the EXTREME Danger! As the jump comes closer, you realize you can’t do it. Panic takes hold of you for a second and you subconsciously slow down. When you reach the end of the overhang it’s impossible for you to make the jump. You must thank your lucky star because seconds before the wheels leave the ground, one of the Enemies decides to shoot at you with a rocket gun! They miss you, but the rocket explodes with a bang a foot or so behind your rear wheels. You almost feel light for a second, then a gust of hot air whips your hair around. The blast from the explosion has generated enough of a shock wave to hurl your jeep to the other side of the waterfall. You LOSE 9 Luck Points, but you get to the other side with a smoking wreck that might still work. DIDI I close my eyes, ready to say goodbye to the World. When the explosion hits my back, I’m certain that I’m done for. Then I feel the jeep hit the ground, open my eyes and I’m still behind the wheel. The soldiers behind me can’t believe this any more than I can. It’s on days like this I remember why I love this job... to think that back home they didn’t even renew my license!

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TRAPS There will be times when Danger comes unexpectedly, with really nobody to blame. But it’s more likely for Dangers to be placed where they are for a reason: people like you. I’m referring to traps, those devilish contraptions thought and created by grinning people who, 100, 500, or 1000 years ago went around chuckling at the thought of the poor sod who’ll come trying to steal the Treasure.

C hekhov 's trap

Traps can be avoided thanks to clues and strokes of luck or genius. But if there’s a trap on your way, rest assured it’s going to trigger some way. It might be defective and trigger suddenly, it might start shooting randomly once you’ve got the Treasure, or maybe you’ll set it off on purpose to distract your Rival’s goons. One thing’s sure, a Trap is a promise, and promises must never be broken. If there’s a trap, sooner or later it must be triggered.

DIFFICULTY OF A TRAP

Traps are Dangers and can be categorized in the same way. Usually, traps that let loose a volley of darts, like the classic arrows coming out of the walls, are considered as two or three Basic Dangers, while larger traps - say a nice curved blade going back and forth and blocking the corridor - represent a Critical Danger. When the blades become two or three, well, then you’re facing two or three Critical Dangers. Some traps might trigger suddenly and the only thing you can do is try to dodge them, usually using Skills such as Stunt or Alert depending on the situation. Others might have no immediate consequence when triggered. For example, if the ceiling starts lowering, you can’t really dodge that. You must find a way to stop it. In these situations, you’ll most likely have to rely on your Tech and Observation Skills, although it always depends on the situation and how you deal with it. You can find examples of traps and their difficulty at the end of this Section.

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WHAT 'S AT STAKE

The nice thing about traps is that they’re both classic and diverse, and just plain fun (well, if you survive them), so the Fortune Master has to be inventive in order to create new, complex traps. A good way to do this is to put at stake something that isn’t the same old “life and safety”. You can spice it up by adding to the stakes the risk of gaining a Bad Feeling in case of failure, as you’ll see soon. Other interesting things to put at stake include a valuable item, a Bag or a Backpack. In such cases a single trap can represent two or more Dangers, and failure might result in either the loss of an item or Luck Points. Such is the case for a bridge giving way under your feet, forcing you to jump haphazardly, potentially losing hold of your pistol. The rule of thumb for such situations is that at least one of the things at stakes should be your safety, and that you can’t lose Luck Points to avoid losing an item. Similarly, you can’t choose to use a Success to keep hold of an item if the same Success could save your Luck Points. Let’s say that the bridge gives way and you’re about to fall (Critical) and lose your pistol (Basic), if you rolled a Critical Success, you must use it to save your life and avoid burning Luck Points. If instead you rolled a Basic Success only, then you lose Luck Points and can keep your pistol. Yes, Luck favors the bold, but you have to save yourself first.

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ENEMIES You’re almost ready to go, but there’s one last thing I want to warn you about: you’re not the only one who wants to get their hands on the Treasure! There’s plenty of people out there willing to do anything in order to steal the work of a lifetime from under your nose, and most of them have enough money to pay even more armed goons to do their bidding. Catch my drift? But don’t lose heart: you see, if the Challenge is a task that could go any way, and a Danger is a Challenge with your life at stake, an Enemy is a Danger you can shoot at. It’s always a matter of perspective.

AN ENEMY 'S STRENGTH

Enemies are like Dangers in every way, and just like Dangers there may be Basic, Critical, Extreme, and very, very rarely, Impossible Enemies. So, the first thing to do when facing an Enemy is to understand what kind of Danger they put you in.

BASIC: A couple of brawlers, a civilian with a gun, a small group of people shooting at you from far away, a guard dog

CRITICAL: A couple of mercenaries, a substantial group of drunken brawlers,

some trained goons shooting at you, a single, very large or very armed brute, a pair of wolves

EXTREME: A group of fully armed soldiers, a military heavy vehicle or chopper, one extremely well trained soldier, an angry grizzly

IMPOSSIBLE: A battalion of soldiers, a last-gen tank, one single person

with superhuman abilities, a great white shark that tasted blood (well, only if you’re in the water, on land I’d say you’re pretty safe from the last one)

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As you might have noticed, an Enemy is not necessarily a single individual. More often than not, an Enemy is actually a group of people or animals that pose a threat to the Adventurers. The Fortune Master is tasked with describing the Enemies in a way that is both thrilling and spectacular, the actual number is secondary. It doesn’t matter if you’re facing four soldiers or five wolves, the important thing is that you are surrounded by armed man or bared teeth. Long story short, a Critical Enemy could be a single soldier, two to three soldiers or even seven of them, shooting at you with the laughable aim of classic movie bad guys. Just like with Dangers, most Enemies you will face are Critical Enemies, and you can face up to three of them at once. Basic Enemies are more of a nuisance than a problem, and you usually have to face two to three of them at a time. Extreme Enemies, as you’ll understand, are pretty rare: if you ever meet one, you probably know you’ve been asking for it. Impossible Enemies are even rarer, and I really hope you’ll never meet one of them. To sum it up, once the Fortune Master has described the Enemies as if they were setting the scene for a movie, not really focusing on number, they declare the difficulties. For example, “1 Critical Enemy”, “3 Basic Enemies”, or “2 Basic Enemies and 1 Critical Enemy”. Once all is clear, we can roll the scene. Anyways, at the end of this Section you will find a list of Enemies and their difficulty so you can have a rough measure, but nothing’s set in stone!

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FACING AN ENEMY

Once you’ve established what kind of Enemies you’re dealing with, you can start teaching them a lesson... well, you can try. In brief, Enemies can be faced two ways: in a Brawl or in a Shoot-out.

HE SHOT FIRST!

Someone’s trying to play you for a fool or worse, or you’re trying to trick them, maybe even for a worthy cause. There’s a multitude of situations, but they all tend to end up with things getting tense and punches and bullets start flying! When the fight begins, the Fortune Master has to decide who shot first or who threw the first punch. During combat, the Adventurers decide their order and how to best move to coordinate their actions, but they all act before or after the Enemies depending on who moves first!

During a Brawl you face Enemies in melee range, with no chance for cover. During a Shoot-out, you and your Enemies keep the distance and alternate shooting at each other and taking cover. The main difference between a Brawl and a Shoot-out is this: during a brawl you roll once to determine both whether you hit or get hit, while during a Shoot-out these two “turns” are separate. The Adventurers can engage or run away during their turn and have to defend themselves from Enemy attacks in the next. But more on that later.

W hat S kill do I roll?

During a Brawl the most obvious skill to use is Fight. In a Shoot-out, you’ll use your Shoot Skill to attack and the Stunt Skill to dodge bullets. As always, you can suggest an alternative course of action as you would do with Dangers, a way to put a different Skill to the test. For example, you could roll Eloquence to create a diversion, or Tech to bring a whole chandelier crashing to the ground in the middle of the room. The final decision is in the hands of the Fortune Master and the group’s common sense.

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B eating an E n emy

To hit a Basic Enemy, you need a Basic Success, to hit a Critical Enemy you need a Critical Success and so on. If you roll 2 Basic Successes while facing a Basic Enemy, it means you hit them twice. Each enemy can resist up to 3 hits before going KO. Once an Enemy has been hit 3 times, they’ve had enough. Either they run away, they’re KO or the joke’s on them. Within the story, if the Fortune Master described a group of soldiers as a Critical Enemy and you hit them once, the Fortune Master could say a couple of them are down, or maybe one is down and another one is taking them away, or simply you’ve beaten them enough that they’re starting to lose confidence. If you don’t have the patience to hit your enemies three times, there are a couple ways to get rid of them quickly:

HEADSHOT!: If you roll a Higher Success than needed (i.e. a Critical Success

against a Basic Enemy, or an Extreme Success against a Critical Enemy) it means you hit their weak spot. The Enemy goes KO with a single, well placed blow.

TELL ME YOU SAW THAT!: If you roll a Higher Success two levels above

the one you need (Extreme Success against Basic Enemies, Impossible Success against a Critical one) you manage to knock out ALL Enemies of that kind in one fell swoop. You might have shot an explosive barrel or demolished the scaffolding they were standing on. Doesn’t matter, you better hope somebody saw you doing that. That stuff doesn’t happen every day.

C atching a beating

If an Enemy hits you, you lose the appropriate number of Luck Points depending on their difficulty, as if you were dealing with a Danger. Some Enemies are particularly dangerous or well-equipped and they can inflict Bad Feelings, but let’s put a pin in that. Keep in mind that Adventurers who fail rely on their Luck to dodge the consequences. So you could describe it as an Adventurer not getting hit, successfully deflecting the blow, getting grazed by a bullet, or overall not being afflicted by the hit.

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BRAWL Each time you face an Enemy in hand to hand combat, with or without weapons, you’re in a Brawl. And I say face because if all you want to do is run, that is not a Brawl but an assault, and you’re dealing more with a Danger to avoid than with an Enemy. Anyway, if you find yourself in the middle of a Brawl and want to fight, all you need to do is choose a Skill, roll your dice with all applicable Advantages and Disadvantages as you normally would. With this one roll you’ll determine whether you manage to hit the enemy or if you’re the one to take the lumps. First of all, you have to understand who’s participating in the Brawl. In some situations, Adventurers might have the chance to choose whether to enter the fray or not, other times the Fortune Master might decide that you’re all caught in the flurry of blows, ready or not. Be it as it may, there’s only one rule to these fights: if you try to hit, you risk being hit. So, if all Adventurers are facing a Critical Enemy together and they ALL decide to fight, they ALL risk being hit and have to defend themselves. Each Adventurer taking part in the Brawl rolls the dice. If they get a Success that is equal or higher than needed, it means they hit the Enemy or even knock them out. If they don’t get the required Success, they risk being seriously hurt and have to lose Luck Points as if they had failed when facing a Danger. The normal rules for Damage Control still apply. Once all Adventurers have rolled the dice, if an Enemy is still standing, then they go for another round (or attempt to escape).

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If an Adventurer remains out of the Brawl but have a ranged weapon, they can try to hit the Enemies by rolling a Shoot Task. To do this, they get 2 Disadvantages and, in case of failure, all Adventurers within the Brawl lose one Luck Point.

U nusual S kills

Usually, during a fight, you use the Fight Skill. I’m stating the obvious here because it’s not necessarily true. If an Adventurer wants to face the Brawl using a creative approach, they might ask the Fortune Master to roll for a different Skill to try and not get hurt, or even to hurt the Enemies. For example, when the Enemies attack, you may decide to put your hands up and go, “Now, gentlemen, there is no need for violence here”. If the Fortune Master thinks your Enemy is stupid enough, or drunk enough to fall for it, they could ask you to roll an Eloquence task (maybe in the Guts Field!). Otherwise they can say that trained soldiers or a bear don’t really pay attention to what you say, and they’ll have you fall back on the classic Fight roll. If you do roll for Eloquence and get the necessary Success, it means you weren’t hit. The Fortune Master might even say that you distracted the Enemy enough that somebody else manages to take them from behind: congratulations, your Eloquence reaped a victim. You should generally avoid turning to unusual Skills just to roll a couple more dice. The final decision falls on the Fortune Master and the other Players, who must use their logic and common sense. Usually, if something seems right, it probably is, and if it doesn’t sound so good... roll for Fight. One last thing: if the Adventurers are not the first to throw a punch, or if the Brawl takes them by surprise, the first roll must always be a Fight task.

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ENEMIES, BIG ONES

LENDING A HAND DURING A BRAWL

If you and a friend are in a Brawl together, you can try to help each other as you would with normal Dangers, but there’s a difference. If one of you rolls 2 Successes and the other rolled none, the one who succeeds can choose whether to hit twice and let their friend catch a beating, or they can choose to use one of the Successes to protect them. In the end you only hit the Enemy once, but both of you manage not to lose Luck Points. If an Adventurer rolls a Higher Success, they can choose whether to knockout an Enemy or protect all their friends.

At the worst possible time, when you feel like you barely got away with it, here comes the big bald guy, ripping his shirt off and squaring up to you. People like him are worth two or three normal goons, and it’s not just a figure of speech. In cases like this, a single opponent might actually count as two or three Enemies on their own. You manage these Enemies like all the others, it’s just about how you describe it. When an opponent is big enough to be two or three Enemies, you need to act exactly as if you were facing two or three Enemies. For example, a brute that’s 7 feet tall and just as wide is worth 3 Critical Enemies, so you deal with him as you would deal with 3 separate Critical Enemies. If you roll a Critical Success you hit him once, and if you roll an Extreme Success you hit him bad enough that he’s down to being 2 Critical Enemies. And if you roll an Impossible Success, you knock him out with one blow. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am.

BRINGING A GUN TO A FISTFIGHT

You can fight in a Brawl bare-handed or with a weapon, usually it makes no difference, but if you wield a weapon you have Expertise with it will allow you to use a Re-roll. Additionally, if an unarmed Adventurer is facing many Enemies, they might get a

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Disadvantage and, on the other hand, an Adventurer with a weapon fighting against an unarmed Enemy might get an Advantage. You can also use guns (except rifles) during a Brawl. In such cases your reflexes are more important than your aim, and for this reason you will need to roll under Fight rather than the usual Shoot Skill. Using a gun in a Brawl, you can Empty the Mag to gain an Advantage, or end up with a useless weapon if you fail. Yes, so long as the Brawl is ongoing you cannot reload your weapon. You can, however, use a Basic Success or higher to draw another gun out and use a Critical Success to draw two of them, so long as you also succeeded against your Enemy. Otherwise you’re kind of too busy to do that. Remember, fighting bare-handed allows you to knockout an enemy without killing them. Weapons of whatever kind are always lethal and leave a mess. Don’t get me started on the mess a firearm makes!

SHOOT-OUT You know the situation where someone shouts “Freeze!”, but you draw your gun, grit your teeth and roll behind a fence as it gets riddled with bullets, waiting for the right moment to return fire? Those situations are what we call Shoot-outs. Shoot-outs are divided into two turns. One for you to shoot, one for you to dodge the bullets and stay alive. Quite easy, right? After you and the Fortune Master decided who shot first, you and your Enemy are ready to roll.

WE SHOOT

When you shoot at an Enemy, you roll a Shoot Task trying to hit them. As before, if you want to do something different or unusual, you can roll a Shoot task in a different Field. For example, if you try to shoot at the hook of some heavy machinery to have it fall on the enemies, you could roll a Shoot task under Knowledge. In some, rarer, circumstances, you can even find ways to hit far away enemies without using a ranged weapon, hence using another Skill for the roll. For example, you could send a car rolling at full speed from a ramp to have it collide with the Enemies and jump off of it at the last second, and it would be a very clever Drive task to roll during a Shoot-out. But don’t go getting ideas. If you fail to reach the required Success to hit at least one Enemy, you won’t lose Luck Points, but ammunition. If you’re using a firearm, this means you run out of bullets and need to change the mag. If you were using a car... Well, sorry to say but it won’t be drivable anymore. I hope you had insurance, but as an Adventurer I doubt it. People like you probably aren’t eligible for insurance anymore. If you roll several Successes, you can hit an Enemy multiple times, but you can always choose to use your Successes to do something else. For example, you can use a Basic Success to reach

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partial Cover or recharge a weapon by using a mag you keep in your Pockets or Bag, or one you have at hand (not in the Backpack). You can also use a Basic Success to exchange weapons, pick up a weapon from the ground or carry out simple secondary actions. If you want to reach total Cover during a turn, you don’t need any Successes, but you can’t attack the Enemy. You can, however, do something else. Any action taken during the same turn as you are getting behind total Cover gets one Disadvantage, as do any movement actions you take while remaining behind total Cover. There are different kinds of ranged weapons: they can be hand-held or cumbersome, they can be silent or... explosive. The rule here is that any heavy automatic weapon, namely all weapons you can’t lift from the ground or can’t carry because of their weight, always offer 2 Advantages, and explosive weapons can even grant 3. These weapons also have a cartridge, which is the same as one mag, or single-use ammunitions (like grenades, rockets, etc.) and you need to keep track of them.

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E mptying the mag

GUNS AKIMBO

You just learned how to use a gun and you already want to go dual wielding? I knew I liked you for a reason! To go guns akimbo, you need an Expertise with one kind of firearm, be it Pistol or Revolver, either will allow you to do it. When wielding two guns, you can’t take any action requiring a free hand, like holding onto a rope. On the other hand, you can keep shooting for as long as you have one loaded gun, and you can even choose to empty both clips simultaneously, gaining two Advantages. Isn’t that cool?

It doesn’t matter how many bullets you shoot and how many you have left. So long as you Succeed, your weapon keeps shooting and that’s fine. Failure in a Shoot task means you Emptied the Mag and didn’t manage to hit the target or that you are just plain shot out. You need to reload! But there are times when you can choose to Empty the Mag on purpose and with positive results. If you say you want to Empty the Mag, you get an Advantage for your next task but, it goes without saying, you will also find yourself out of bullets on the next turn and you’ll need to reload. The good news is this Advantage might be the one you needed to get the Basic Success that will allow you to reload, so long as you have another mag at hand. Or not. Another good reason to Empty the Mag on purpose is to give someone Cover Fire. To provide Cover Fire, you need to Empty the Mag but you get no Advantage, on the contrary you have to shoot at a Disadvantage. But in return, all your friends who didn’t reach Cover, still have the same advantages they would have gotten if they did. But careful: you don’t.

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THEY SHOOT

You can’t always be the one doing the shooting. Your turn will come to be the target. After you and your friends have taken your turn, or when your enemies are the ones to set off the Shoot-out, they get a turn to try shooting at you. During your Enemies’ turn, the Fortune Master will decide what happens and the Adventurers need to roll the appropriate tasks to avoid being hit, losing Luck Points, or worse. Here the typical Skill used to get behind cover, throw yourself to the ground and generally to dodge bullets is Stunt. As before, you can always try to describe an unusual action that will allow you to use the Stunt Skill in a different Field, or to use a different Skill entirely. This is not so common, but they do happen from time to time and are completely dependent on the surrounding terrain and the Adventurers’ creativity. For example, if you’re being shot at and you try to jump aside, you have to use the Stunt Skill in the Action Field, but if you jump off a bridge and into the river you might have to use the Stunt Skill in the Wild Field. And if you want to lower the lever to have a load of crates fall between you and the bullets, then you might have to use the Dexterity Skill in the Guts Field. Whichever Skill you put to the test; you need to roll for the required Success to avoid losing Luck Points. If you get a Higher Success, you might even manage to counter the Enemy fire with your own, so long as you have a loaded weapon or any way to hurt them. And, as always, you can use an extra Basic Success to reload, pick up or change a weapon.

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HELP DURING A SHOOT-OUT

Even during a Shoot-out, you can try to help your friends. During your turn to shoot, the only thing you can do is use a Basic Success to toss a weapon to someone, or a Critical Success to throw a friend behind Partial Cover. During the enemy’s turn, you can use your own Successes to protect friends just like you would during a brawl. We literally talked about it one page ago, go read it if you forgot. During a Shoot-out, you can also jump in front of a bullet that would hit one of your friends, so long as you rolled the necessary Success and they didn’t. If you do it, you lose the same amount of Luck Points they would have and get the Bad Feeling “Bleeding” on top of it. If you were already “Bleeding”, you get an additional relevant Bad Feeling.

G etting behind C over

Very well, now that you’ve shot your shot, don’t just stand there looking at the bullets coming your way. You know your Enemies didn’t really appreciate the lead and probably will want to return the favor. In your shoes, I’d try to reach Cover as soon as possible if you want to survive! If you take no other action, or if you roll an additional Basic Success, you can choose to reach Cover. Being behind Cover gives you several important advantages that can be crucial to your survival in a shoot-out. There are two fundamental types of cover: partial and total. Partial Cover protects you less, but leaves you more freedom of action, while Total Cover protects you completely so long as you sit tight.

Partial C over

Using a Basic Success you can reach Partial Cover, by rolling behind a fence, flipping a sturdy table, crouching behind a car or even grabbing a poor passerby and using them as a human shield. So long as you are behind Partial Cover, you gain one Advantage during the Enemy’s turn to shoot. If you decide to reach Cover, you’re almost certainly going to use the Stunt Skill, since Enemies are shooting at you as you finish your turn and go behind cover. Depending on the type of cover available, you might also need to roll for different Skills, like Tough or Fight to grab a human shield. When you start your turn behind Partial Cover, you can choose to remain there and

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make your attack with a Disadvantage, or leave Cover and act normally, while hoping to roll that additional Basic Success to reach a different Cover.

Total C over

Total Cover is something like a thick wall, a statue, or any other large obstacle that hides you completely while standing between you and the Enemy. During your turn to shoot, you can choose not to attack and try to reach Total Cover, if it is available. If you choose to do this, you can take any action that isn’t attacking the enemy, and you can only move with a Disadvantage. While behind Total Cover, you take no action during the Enemy’s turn to shoot and they can’t hit you in any way unless they move toward you. In addition, you can reach items and mags in your Backpack. If you start your attack turn behind Total Cover, you can take any action that isn’t attacking the Enemy without losing the benefits of the Cover and with no Disadvantage. If you want, you can freely move to get away or move around the enemies, but if you face any Challenge during this movement (for example, if you need to climb) you have to roll for it with a Disadvantage or find yourself out in the open.

R un

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SNEAK ATTACK

If you attack an unaware Enemy, whether with your bare hands or with a firearm, the truth is, you aren’t even facing an Enemy. To make a sneak attack you need to face a Challenge with the goal to knock your opponent out. In this situation, the Fortune Master decides the difficulty of the Challenge, and can make it public or not. Succeeding in passing this Challenge means you knocked the opponent out without the need to hit them three times or roll for a higher Success.

SCENE #8 - FIGHT FORTUNE MASTER “Why, thank you.” you hear your Rival coming into the cave with a handful of armed men. “We couldn’t have done it without you. Now, if you don’t mind, hand me the manuscript.” LAURA I put the manuscript in my bag and grab my gun. STONE “Come and get it if you really want.” I try to keep him occupied as I step to the rock where I left my rifle. LAURA “What are you doing?” FORTUNE MASTER “Ah, yes. See, I don’t think you’re in the position to make demands,” the Rival gestures to his men and you find yourselves looking down the barrels of several rifles: “There’s two of you and ten of us...” Meanwhile, Stone has reached his rifle behind a boulder and nobody but Laura has noticed. LAURA I see what he wants to do. I don’t want to give him away, but I try to shake my head “no”. That’s not a good idea.

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STONE I reply to Laura’s worried look with a wink and talk to the Rival “To tell you the truth, there’s three of us! Me, Doctor Benoit... and my little friend.” I shoulder the rifle and shoot at the men. Just to be sure, I’ll Empty the Clip on them! [Rolls a SHOOT task. Rolls 7 dice (5 for his Diamonds, 1 for the Advantage granted by the rifle, and 1 for Emptying the mag) and gets 2 CRITICAL Successes]. FORTUNE MASTER Your Rival’s men are a CRITICAL Enemy and so you hit twice! You’re out of bullets, but the barrage takes Enemies by surprise. Three to four of them fall to ground and those still standing are eager to return It’s their turn to shoot!

them the the fire.

STONE [Chooses to roll a STUNT task to dodge the bullets. Rolls 5 dice (3 for the Diamonds in ACTION, 2 for those in STUNT) and gets 1 CRITICAL and 1 BASIC Success] Didn’t expect anything less. I roll behind the rock. With my CRITICAL Success, I dodge the bullets and I use the BASIC Success to reach Partial Cover! LAURA I hug my bag and try to roll behind cover too. [Chooses to roll a STUNT task. Rolls 5 dice (2 for the Diamonds in ACTION, 3 for those in STUNT) and gets 2 BASIC. Given the situation, she decides to Risk it, but gets no additional Successes, hence losing one of her BASIC Successes. Final result: 1 BASIC Success]

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FORTUNE MASTER Laura, you needed a CRITICAL Success, so this is a failure! You get low to the ground, trying to avoid the bullets, but don’t make it in time and find yourself out in the open. One of the enemies is aiming at you, finger on the trigger and ready to shoot, but your Rival’s hand stops them, lowering the rifle. “Idiot, you’d risk ruining the manuscript!” That’s the only reason you’re safe, and you owe it to your lucky star and your enemy. You should lose 3 Luck Points but since you rolled a BASIC Success, you only lose 2! The Rival shouts at their men, “Stop shooting! Get me that damned book!” The men lower their rifles and move in. Even unarmed, they’re still a CRITICAL Enemy. STONE “Take the book away! I’ll deal with them.” I step between Laura and the enemies to cover her retreat. LAURA I don’t want to leave Stone, but I can’t risk the Rival getting their hands on the manuscript either. I nod and run away, but instead of leaving him I want to hide behind the first large rock I find. [Makes a STEALTH task. Rolls 5 dice (2 for the Diamonds in CRIME, 3 for those in STEALTH) and gets 1 CRITICAL and 1 BASIC Success] With the CRITICAL Success I get out of harm’s way and hide somewhere. Since I also rolled a BASIC Success, I use it to open the manuscript and start reading. I could lose this at any moment, so I better take advantage of every second! STONE I’m not going to back down just because I’m outnumbered. I try to fight them best as I can with the unloaded rifle and dodge their punches. Doesn’t matter if I get hit, I’m just playing decoy.

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[Makes a FIGHT task. Rolls 5 dice (6 for his Diamonds, minus 1 for the Disadvantage he gets for being so greatly outnum bered by armed Enemies) and gets 1 CRITICAL Success] FORTUNE MASTER You both Succeeded. Laura manages to hide, open the manuscript and start reading. The pages are written in some ancient language, looks like Sumerian. It’ll take some time (and a good roll for Culture) to decipher anything. Meanwhile, Stone rolled a CRITICAL Success, that’s enough to parry the enemy attacks and deal some in return. This is the third and final blow this Enemy can withstand! Despite their num ber, the Rival’s men fall one after the other under Stone’s well-placed kicks and punches. The enemies are beat, and they fall all around, while he still stands, staggering. Your Rival won’t give up yet, though. More men come from the tunnel “Come on, you useless idiots! Can’t you see they’re getting away?” Better start running.

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DANGERS AND ENEMIES THAT HURT I see you smiling there. Think you already know everything and you can’t get hurt so long as Luck’s on your side, right? Well, when you think you know it all and feel like you’re completely safe, you’re usually wrong. As you are now. It’s true that often the worst that can happen to you when you fail is losing some Luck Points or, if you’re in really big trouble, you have to use a Luck Coin. But sometimes, Luck can only do so much, and after a failure you find yourself with a Bad Feeling. Don’t you pout at me. You don’t know what would have happened to you were it not for the lucky star watching over you. If you fail when facing Critical or higher Challenges, Dangers or Enemies, the Fortune Master might decide that losing Luck Points is not enough, and what happens leaves you with a Bad Feeling. For example, if you fail a Cool task you could become Scared, and if you fail when trying to help a friend, the results might leave you Shocked. If a rocket explodes a few yards off and sends you flying in the air, you can easily end up Broken, and if a crocodile gets a hold of your leg, you bet you’re going to be Bleeding. General rule here is that the Fortune Master should inflict Bad Feelings when an Adventurer fails miserably at the task, when there’s really no way they come out from the experience unscathed, or when the situation is so dire that, all in all, you can call yourself lucky for escaping with just a Bad Feeling. Consider, as a guideline, that Dangers and Enemies that could pierce through an Adventurer - like traps with big stakes or a Gatling gun - can inflict the Bad Feeling “Bleeding”, as can Enemies armed with sharp weapons and the techniques to use them. Dangers and Enemies that involve hard impacts, like a fall from a great height or an armored truck hitting you at full speed, the shock-wave from

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an explosion or a huge boxer from Russia who “must break you”, can all inflict the “Broken” Feeling. Bad Feelings aren’t just there to give you Disadvantages, they are, all in all, the only indicator of the physical conditions your Adventurer is in. Getting a Bad Feeling is also a good way to remember that even Luck has its limits, and that if you bite off more than you can chew, you’re going to have trouble swallowing the consequences. So be careful!

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EXAMPLES OF DANGERS AND ENEMIES The specific shape of a Danger or an Enemy only matters to the plot, so Dangers and Enemies could be of any difficulty depending on the circumstances. As a rule of thumb, you can’t go wrong with one or two Critical Enemies/Dangers, but in the long run they get boring, so here are a few examples. A small trap door that opens suddenly [1 Basic Danger] A pack of rabid dogs surrounds you [3 Basic Enemies] A beam falls on you and you have to do your best to get dodge our of the way. Meanwhile, a guy of dubious ethics draws a gun to shoot at you [1 Basic + 1 Critical Dangers] A punk pulls out their brass knuckles and cracks their neck [1 Basic Enemy] A couple mercenaries knock their pistols and attack you [1 Critical Enemy] Two huge blades come out of the walls and crisscross the corridor repeatedly [2 Critical Dangers] A jeep comes towards you and tries to run you over, while a soldier is shooting at you with a machine gun from the car roof [1 Basic Danger + 1 Critical Enemy, being run over leaves you Broken] You’re walking on a thin wooden beam with a bag of gold in each hand. The beam breaks and you have to jump to the other side [1 Critical Danger, + 2 Basic Dangers, each regarding your grip on one of the bags of gold] A dozen gun-wielding men of ill intentions break in, guns blazing [3 Critical Enemies]

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A thug steals your Key and jumps off a waterfall. You follow suit without hesitation to get them [1 Critical Danger + 1 Critical Enemy] An armored mercenary grabs the handles of a Gatling gun and takes position right in front of the only exit [3 Critical Enemies, if you don’t roll at least 2 Critical Successes, you become Bleeding] The armored mercenary with the Gatling has a friend, as big as the first one [1 Extreme Enemy, if they hit you, you become Bleeding] Fire comes spewing out of the walls in huge blazes, burning the air [1 Extreme Danger that can cause Shocked or Scared] A soldier who’s clearly over it grabs a rocket launcher and fires at you [1 Extreme Danger, if you’re hit, you become Broken] A guy built like a tank and his goons get out their metal bats and come at you [1 Extreme + 2 Basic Enemies] As you’re running away from the palace, the road is sinking into a river of magma and the enemy artillery is not holding back either [2 Extreme Dangers, if you fail, you become Bleeding] A chopper hits the ground, rolling like a ball of fire in your direction... While you’re busy having a fistfight with a soldier that looks more like a bear [1 Extreme Danger + 2 Critical Enemies] The room seals up and is filling with water. You are on a ship that is already more than 100 meters underneath the surface [1 Impossible Danger, if you fail, you become Shocked] A spotlight strikes you. You’re surrounded by an army of soldiers and armed tanks [1 Impossible Enemy, if you fail, you become Bleeding or Broken]

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END OF AN ADVENTURER We both knew this chapter had to come sooner or later. By now I’m quite fond of your arrogant grin and that smug weasel face, I’d be saddened to hear you went out only to find the end of your road. Still, such is life in the World: for every hundred who go Adventuring, only one gets to the Treasure! When you’re Out of Luck and you’ve finished your Luck Coins, you can’t afford to make any mistakes. If you Fail when facing a Danger or an Enemy, then it’s the end for real. I’m talking Certain Death.

CERTAIN DEATH

Adventurers who face Certain Death maybe fell down a bottomless precipice, got stuck in the chopper as it went crashing into the ground or got hit by one too many bullets. To put it bluntly, their Adventure has come to an end. At this time more than ever, the Fortune Master should consult the Adventurers, especially the Adventurer facing Certain Death, and let them have a heroic, memorable end. Adventurers don’t just die, they fight to the end, and even when they lose, they lose like heroes! When an Adventurer faces Certain Death, the Player gives the Sheet to the Fortune Master for future memory and can choose to join the Adventure in the guise of a new Adventurer or take control of one of the Extras previously introduced by the Fortune Master.

COMING BACK FROM THE DEAD

The funny thing about Certain Death is that it’s all but certain. An Adventurer is never really gone until they’ve been buried six feet under. That’s why most Adventurers prefer throwing themselves down a precipice or disappearing in the ocean and, generally, they go to great lengths to make it so their bodies are never found.

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If an Adventurer faces Certain Death, the only thing that’s sure is that we won’t be seeing them for a while. But nothing stops them from coming back from the dead with a hell of a story about their miraculous survival. This sort of thing happens all the time! But we will talk about this in the “Growth” chapter of Section 5 - Hunting for Treasures.

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SECTION 5 HUNTING FOR TREASURES HUNTING FOR TREASURES

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THE JOURNEY BEGINS Look at you! A few chapters ago you were just a pup full of hopes with no idea of where to start, and now you already know how to fill out your Sheet and face Challenges, Dangers and Enemies. I knew it. You’re a born Adventurer, and how could you be any less? You have and know all you need to get out there and show the world what you’re made of. But now for the fun part! If you’re ready, we can open the door and take a look at what awaits you out there. Who are your friends, what Treasure are you looking for and why? Where does your journey begin, where will it take you and what roads will you travel? How many traps and Enemies are scattered along the road to your destiny? And who has the guts and the nerve to be your Rival? We will answer these questions one at a time, blazing the trail until all that’s left is for you to travel it. Remember, it’s not about where you come from or where you’re going: the important thing is what you’re looking for. Numbers do not define you: your actions in the game and the Risks you’re willing to face to go home with the Treasure say much more about you. Journey, discover and act, don’t fret too much about your past or future. What matters is the Adventure, and the Adventure is now!

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WHAT 'S IN STORE

This section of the rulebook has all you need to know to create and face a great Adventure. Over the coming pages we will see:

EPISODES AND SEASONS: Each game session for BROKEN COMPASS is called an Episode. A cohesive set of Episodes makes up

a Season. We’ll look at the best way to structure Episodes and Seasons, in order to keep your players coming back to the table and make each story a success.

GROWTH: The Story shapes the Adventurers just as much as they

shape the Story. A breathtaking journey has its consequences: beautiful Experiences and terrible Scars will change you forever. Growth will make you better, stronger, and ready to face new adventures.

RIVALS AND EXTRAS: Adventurers aren’t the only ones traveling

through jungles and snowy mountains. You’ll meet several others, some friendly and some less so. Extras are all the secondary characters, both allies and enemies, created by the Fortune Master. The most fearsome among your opponents is going to be your Rival.

CLUES AND TREASURE: A good Treasure is like the horizon:

self-evident and unreachable. Clues are the only way to reach the Treasure and complete your life’s work. No Clues means no Treasure, and no Treasure means no Adventure.

TRAVEL DIARY: To keep track of all that has happened in the past

Episodes, of the Clues, Extras and Rivals you found, and of your most important Assets, you’ll need a Travel Diary: a group sheet that sums up the whole Adventure in just one page.

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ACTION! I’ll say it one last time: you’re not at the movies, but it’s like you’re in a movie. Your Adventure will be fast-paced, action-packed, and adrenaline-charged, and most importantly, it never stops. What’s going to happen to you will be so engaging that you’re going to feel like you’re in an Episode of your favorite TV series. Whenever you and your friends sit at the table with the Fortune Master to go Treasure hunting, you are all part of an Episode. A typical Broken Compass Episode lasts between 2 and 4 hours, but it can last any amount of time depending on your other commitments, your life and your preference. A series of Episodes one after the other makes up a Season, a self-standing story that usually takes you in search of a specific Treasure. Ideally, a Season lasts 3 to 6 Episodes, and can be easily linked to a Sequel, Prequel, or Spin-off. Many Seasons with the same Adventurers as protagonists or following the same story are like a movie saga that can last decades, or until you run out of stories to tell. The Fortune Master has the task of organizing the Episodes and the Season in such a way as to give the Adventurers a unique and engaging story to live. However, a good Episode or a well-crafted Season are built with enough adaptability that they can make room for any choices and suggestions from the Players. The key is to understand what the fundamental elements of the story are, what makes an Episode exciting, what keeps them coming. Don’t worry, we will talk about this in a second. But first...

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IMPROVISE. ADAPT. OVERCOME.

It’s only right for a Fortune Master to know this. And it’s better for me to tell you now, than for you to learn about it when you’re up to your neck in troubles. You are not Destiny. More like, a sort of Fate that’s also at the mercy of Fate. Your job is not writing a whole story and making sure it runs just like you planned. Each Player has their part to play, and yours is just a little different. But you’re still here to have fun, above all, to suggest ideas and listen to others. You don’t have all the power, you don’t carry all the weight, and this is good because, believe me: nothing goes as planned! Even the best written, most organized Episode can go askew. There’s no taming the Adventure, so why even try? The Fortune Master doesn’t need to know it all, but they must be ready for anything! No shade: Adventurers are just like that, you never know what they’re going to poke their noses into or which lead they’re going to follow. There is not one way to be a good Fortune Master, but there are three rules to help you stand up to the challenge.

IMPROVISE: Explore beyond limits, make it up as you go. If you’re

struggling to come up with something, don’t panic! Ask the Adventurers or just take a deep breath. The beauty of the game is that everyone can chime in, and they all know you’re not all-knowing. Why would they expect that?

ADAPT: Follow the Adventurers’ reasoning, humor their ideas and

play with them. If they take a completely different road from what you planned, it’s not a mistake! Just an excuse to follow the first rule.

OVERCOME: Whatever you do, do not stop. Add irons to the fire,

take a note of it and press on. Your first idea doesn’t have to be perfect; you can always make adjustments along the way. Once you’ve reached the other side of the problem, you can take your time to puzzle it out together. Everything will make sense in the end, and if it doesn’t, it’s not the end of the world.

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EPISODES Every time you and your friends get together to continue the story and spend some hours Adventuring, you’re playing an Episode. A good Episode in BROKEN COMPASS is like the column of a temple: it must be well-grounded and self-standing. Each Scene is like a stone block, placed on top of its predecessor while trying not to cause a collapse. These stacking stone blocks represent the EPISODIC PLOT of an Episode. They are, in other words, the fundamental facts that compose the beginning, middle and end of a single Episode. An Episode with a good episodic plot can “stand on its own”, making it easier for it to be entertaining and memorable. If you manage to put a finely decorated capital on top of the pillar, something exciting in the finale, well, then you did your job to perfection. It doesn’t matter if the temple will never be finished, a good column is still a piece of art worth admiring! When you decide you want to build a set of columns one after the other, building them as self-standing won’t be enough. The Episodes need to be able to support a RUNNING PLOT. Just like a massive architrave placed on top of a colonnade, the running plot goes through all the Episodes and can only be appreciated in its entirety by going through the whole Season. Episodes with a good running plot are like a series of well-lined columns, they all play an equal part in supporting the weight of the architrave. Discovering such a well-crafted temple, where stories big and small come one after the other, pieced together to create a strong storyline, is a rare and unforgettable experience.

Too much episodic , too much running

An Episode containing too much episodic plot might seem majestic, like a column reaching for the sky, but is not a good support to build the rest of the temple on. This type of Episode can work really well as a stand-alone, not as

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part of a Season, where it runs the risk of becoming awkward and breaking the pace of the running plot. An Episode containing too much running plot, on the other hand, is like a metal beam. It might hold the architrave up exactly in the right place, but it’s an eyesore! If an Episode holds too much running plot, you run the risk of it being useful only as a steppingstone for revelations and plot twists in the Episodes to come. But BROKEN COMPASS is a game that hinges on Adventure, and the Adventure is now! Adventurers really can’t sit and wait patiently to see how the storyline unfolds while twiddling their thumbs.

T he right balance

A good Episode holds equal elements of running and episodic plot, allowing Players to find interesting things to live in the present that are tied to the past and projected into the future. For example, an Episode might show a team of Adventurers taking on a dangerous job and being betrayed by their employer (episodic plot), and in the same Episode the Adventurers might discover a thousand-year-old cult, seeking the Treasure (running plot). The next Episode might tell about how, after the betrayal, the Adventurers find themselves lost in the jungle and meeting with an indigenous tribe who worship the Treasure (running plot). This tribe, however, has been enslaved and is being exploited, so the Adventurers have to free them (episodic plot).

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PILOT I don’t quite remember: Did I tell you already about how BROKEN COMPASS hinges on Adventure and Adventure is now? So, while we’re here wasting time, the Adventure is out there, and nothing can stop it. If you’re sure about who you are and where you’re going, all the better, but if you still have any doubts there is one thing you shouldn’t do: stop and think about it as the Adventure escapes. What you can do is start playing a Pilot. Pilots are special introductory Episodes that can take place months or years before the rest of the Season. They usually explore the reason that led you to become an Adventurer or drove your crew together for the journey. The best thing about the Pilot is that it can be improvised in a few easy steps.

1. C hoose a location and time

The Fortune Master might suggest a few options for the Adventurers to choose from, or better yet let them decide and just enjoy the ride. You can choose a very specific location (i.e. Panama), something vague (i.e. China), or just a general environment (i.e. somewhere cold and icy) You can chose a time that has been explored in our manuals (like 1999 and Golden Age), or any other historical period. Choosing a location and time should only take a few seconds: think about it as if you had a last-minute offer for a plane to take you anywhere you want in time and space... But that only lasts for a minute!

2. F ill in your S heet

Now each Adventurer can fill in their Sheet based on just four pieces of information: where they are, when they are, what they want and what the other players want. As the Adventurers fill in their Diamonds and choose Expertises, the Fortune Master has a few minutes to crack an encyclopedia open and read up on the place and time you chose (if they need it).

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3. C hoose a T reasure

Once you’re all reasonably sure of who you are, where and when you’re going, it’s time to decide why you’re all traveling there. You should come together and decide on the Treasure you’re searching for. You can call on what you know, what you can imagine or what the Fortune Master found during their encyclopedia dive. The Treasure can be something very specific (i.e. the Holy Grail) or something vague (i.e. the source of eternal life), and it can be based on something historical or be your own creation. In Section 6 - 1999, you can find all you need to randomly choose a Treasure compatible with that era.

4. K now your R ival

If there’s a Treasure, there’s someone who already thought about grabbing it, especially since you all started your journey some four minutes ago. It’s up to the Adventurers to decide who’s their rival, or they can choose to leave it up to fate and roll a couple of dice with the table you can find further on. The Fortune Master can decide whether the Adventurers already know their Rival by fame or previous encounters, or not.

5. D ecide your relationships

Going around the table, each Adventurer can say a couple of sentences to clarify their relationship with one or more of their friends. For example, one Adventurer might say “I’ve been best friends with Stone since forever”. Anything they say in this phase is automatically true, but this is not to say that, on his turn, Stone can’t say “That one has been following me since forever, saying we’re best friends, and I don’t know how to get rid of them”.

6. F inal touches

To conclude, each Adventurer can ask for a single object they think will be useful or interesting in the story, and the Fortune Master can distribute other items that will be relevant to the plot.

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7. F inal review

A RIGHT NOT TO KNOW

As the Fortune Master, you should try not to panic and to have fun with all the others. As an Adventurer, you should keep in mind that a few minutes ago the Fortune Master had no idea about the story behind the Pilot, so they won’t have all the answers and they won’t know everything. This is true when you’re playing the Pilot, but also for all other Episodes. Adventurers are responsible for the story they are creating together, and they must realize the Fortune Master is probably making it up as they go, and rightly so!

The previous six steps should take you no more than fifteen minutes, since, if it wasn’t already clear, the Adventure is now. Not in half an hour. After all is said and done, the Fortune Master has to take a deep breath and a couple of minutes to evaluate all the information at their disposal. They should sum up in a few sentences the starting point of the story and present all the elements you have decided together to set in motion the first scene of the Pilot. The beauty of a Pilot is that nothing is final and you can always change details, even after it is finished. After the Pilot, the Players can decide if they want to develop a Season from it, they can each point out something they didn’t like and suggest improvements to make the story more cohesive. At the same time, after the Pilot, the Adventurers can choose to change their Tags, Expertises or Personal Data as they see fit. After all, Pilots are made for a reason: to see what works and what doesn’t before you roll out a whole Season. If you want one example of ready-to-play Pilot, which you can still customize to your liking, well, you’re in luck. You can find it at the end of this book.

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TOO MANY, ALONE If you ask me, the right number of Players for a game of BROKEN COMPASS is between 4 and 5 (Fortune Master included). If there’s more or fewer of you, well, no problem. You just need to take a couple of small steps to ensure you have the best experience.

A C rowd of A dventurers

If at your table there are 5 Adventurers, you should be careful on how you allocate Tags, and you should try and make it so no Adventurers share a Tag with someone else as they fill in their Sheets. This way it will be easier for each of you to have their moment in the spotlight. With 6 or more Adventurers the best thing to do is act as if you were two separate groups of 3 to 4 Adventurers, at least when you’ll be facing Dangers and Enemies. Dividing the Adventurers into two groups simplifies the help network and makes fights easier and more streamlined, creating two smaller Brawls or Shoot-outs instead of a giant, complex one. This separation is a small alteration to the normal way of playing but allows you to keep a better balance with the Dangers and eases the calculations regarding Difficulties.

A lon e A dventurer

If you only have 2 Adventurers, well no biggie, they’ll manage! But if you have a lone Adventurer, the situation might get tricky for them fast. If a Fortune Master plays with a single Adventurer, they need to first of all make sure to create a story compatible with the Adventurer’s skills, or vice versa. Next, the Fortune Master might grant a trusty helper to the Adventurer, which is a Sidekick. A Sidekick is an Extra with an Adventurer Sheet. So long as they are not needed, the Fortune Master will move them like a normal Extra, but once the dice start rolling, they get into play. In these moments, the Adventurer will decide the Sidekick’s actions and roll dice for them. HUNTING FOR TREASURES

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SEASON Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t unveil all the city’s secrets in a single Episode. If you decide to set off on a long journey and live great Adventures like you saw in the movies, you have to embark on a Season. In BROKEN COMPASS, a Season is what you get when you string together all the Episodes that share a running plot, like the search for the same Treasure. A typical Season is between 3 and 6 Episodes long, but with some tweaks, it could last a lot more. When you play a Season, all Episodes matter, but the most important ones are the first and last one.

THE FIRST EPISODE

The first Episode in a Season sets the tone for the Adventurers’ relationships and motivations, and as such it is the load-bearing column of the plot. A good first Episode needs to set up some involving scenes before the Adventurers (either as a group or individuals) that will allow them to immediately show what they’re made of. How does an Adventurer react to unjust provocation? What is their priority: the Treasure or their friends? How do they face defeat? Do they trust others? The first Episode should contain scenes aimed at answering important questions like these. You won’t need a large background or complex sequences, sometimes, you just need to bump into some distracted fellow and have them shout “Watch where you’re going!” in your face. Your reaction will be worth a thousand descriptions. The first Episode also has a fundamental role in the Adventurers’ Growth. By the end of this Episode, all Adventurers should have gotten to know each other and will have the chance to move 2 Skill Diamonds as they see fit, regardless of their Tags.

P itch

As we said, if you and your friends don’t really know what you want, you can always play through a Pilot to settle things once and for all. If you completely trust your Fortune Master and leave it in their hands to come up with a plot and all the details, you might need a brief Pitch to establish the situation. A Pitch is a short presentation that shouldn’t last more than 10/15 minutes and is a chance for the Fortune Master to tell you (without spoilers!) what they have in mind for the Season. A Pitch is a great way to hear the opinion of all Adventurers and bake some of their requests into the plot, or to responsibly manage the presence of touchy subjects and difficult circumstances that could stunt the players’ fun.

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SEASON FINALE

The last Episode of a Season is usually the most memorable of all and takes the glorious title of Season Finale. A Season Finale should be so packed full of revelations and twists that you could find yourselves having to divide it in Part I and Part II and spend two game sessions playing it. Even if this happens, the Finale will still count as a single Episode when it comes to rules regarding Adventurers’ Growth. The Finale has the hard task of pulling together all the narrative lines and giving a very present meaning to all the adventures lived in past Episodes, while still projecting them into the future! It’s obvious that a Finale is never really the end, so it should always hold some elements that can pull players into the next Season. The Season Finale is also a fundamental Episode with regards to Adventurers’ Growth. At the beginning of the final Episode, all Adventurers receive new Diamonds to use for their Skills and new Expertises that represent the path traveled to reach the final confrontation. We will talk about it over the next few pages.

M id- S eason F inale

As hinted above, a longer Season might need a few tweaks to bring everything together. When you and your friends decide to live through a story that will require more than 6 Episodes, what you need is a nice Mid-Season Finale! A Mid-Season Finale is the Episode you find right in the middle of your story and it plays two roles: first of all, it is there to give the Fortune Master the chance to tie up a few loose ends and avoid carrying on too many subplots while running the risk of losing or forgetting them. In addition, the Mid-Season Finale works exactly as a Finale with regards to Adventurers’ Growth. This allows the Adventurers to gain new Diamonds and Expertises twice within a single Season.

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S02E01

At the end of Season 1, the Players might hang up the dice and take off their dusty Adventurer clothes. But maybe they won’t! After Season 1 you can start a Season 2 and so on, having your Adventurers come back together a few years later for a new discovery. The transition between Seasons is also the perfect time to retire an Adventurer and meet a new one, or to pass the Fortune Master’s hat to another Player. The second Season usually takes place after the first and with the same protagonists... but it’s not a given!

P requel

A Prequel Season takes place some years before Season 1 and features younger, less experienced Adventurers. Or it could be set in a different era and follow the Adventures of their parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. The only rule for a Prequel is that an Adventurer who has Grown can never go back. So if the Adventurer gained new Diamonds and Expertises in Season 1, they will have them in the Prequel. This does not apply to Scars and Experiences, which will be marked with an X and be temporarily discarded. Additionally, during a Prequel an Adventurer might gain the Young Tag, or lose the Old Tag, if applicable. It might sound weird, but it’s how it works in movies! The adventurers become ever stronger.

S pin-off/C rossover

If at the end of a Season you don’t want to immediately jump on the next one, you could also try for a Spin-off. This is a Season that follows a different group of Adventurers, which might have been simple Extras in Season 1. You just need to define these protagonists by filling in their Sheet, and you’ll be ready to roll. But if one of the former Adventurers appears in a Spin-off Season, they get to keep any Diamonds and Expertises they gained in the first Season. It’s not their fault if they’ve been the protagonist longer! Finally, after playing several Seasons, you can try to create a Crossover. This is an Episode or Season during which Adventurers from different story lines come together for an epic journey. You’ve got to try that.

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GROWTH OF AN ADVENTURER You’re an Adventurer. People like you are men and women of action who already wield all the Skills they need to face great challenges and frightful dangers. But Adventure has the power to change people and maybe, if they work for it, make them better. A journey is always a chance for growth, and twice as much if you’re an Adventurer.

NEW DIAMONDS, NEW EXPERTISES

Whether you’re playing a Pilot or a first Episode, in the end, you will know your Adventurers and the story better. After the first Episode, all Adventurers should have gained a better understanding of who they are and what they’re looking for. As such, they have a chance to alter their Adventurers Sheet to better suit them. Between the first and second Episode, each Adventurer can move 2 Skill Diamonds as they see fit, regardless of their Tags, and they can also change their third Expertise for something more suitable. During a Season, you will also learn new Skills and Expertises. Fieldwork is the best teacher. This is why, at the beginning of a Season Finale, you can fill in 2 additional Skill Diamonds and choose an extra Expertise to use during the last Episode. Same goes for the Mid-Season Finale, if you’re playing one. You can grow this way up to three times, gaining up to 6 additional Diamonds and 3 extra Expertises. Once you’ve reached 24 Skill Diamonds and 6 Expertises, you stop growing normally. But, if you reach a new Season Finale, you can choose to move 2 Skill Diamonds and substitute any one of your Expertises with another one of your choice.

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NEW PLACES TO CALL HOME

In the beginning, you call three different places Home, representing your family heritage, the place where you grew up, and the one you often visit for work or other travels. But as you go Treasure hunting, you can meet new cultures and visit new places. You could even find out that your roots are not where you always thought them to be. If, at the end of a Season, both you and the Fortune Master agree that the discoveries you made and what you felt gave you a new place to call Home, you can add it to your Sheet in one of the three sections. There’s nothing like the feeling of looking at a globe and being home!

PEOPLE CHANGE

There could be gaps of several years between one Season and the next, and Adventurers might come back different than how you left them. If you think the time and experiences you lived through changed you enough, you can completely redo your Adventurer Sheet, keeping only your Name and the Places to call Home, and changing Tags, Words to Live by and everything else (or any combination of these). For example, the Gunslinger Action Hero we meet in Season 1 could come back ten years later and still be a Gunslinger Action Hero. But it’s just as likely for the years to have changed them into an Old Rebel Hunter, who lost that confident spark in their eyes.

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SCARS & EXPERIENCES The time has come to speak about that corner at the bottom of your Sheet where you can note your Scars and Experiences. Setting off on your journey you know you won’t only learn new skills: you’ll also discover many things about others and yourself. Some of these might leave you richer, others might leave their mark.

E xperiences

An Experience is a short sentence that sums up what happened or something you’ve learned, that might be useful down the road and will change the way you behave and relate to others. Some examples of Experiences might be “I can rely on others” or “I bested a bear” and “I’m not buying it”. The Fortune Master might grant an Experience after something big and memorable happens, and Adventurers can call onto them to gain Advantages in certain situations. For example, the Experience “I can rely on others” can be granted to a particularly wary Adventurer who trusted their friends for the first time and received a great help, and it could offer them an Advantage when they act as a team player. “I bested a bear” is a pretty self-explanatory Experience that could grant an Advantage when the Adventurer finds themselves facing in single combat an enemy which is weaker than a bear this or that way. “I’m not buying it” could be the right Experience for a typically naive Adventurer who uncovers a lie or becomes more careful, and it could give them an Advantage against people trying to swindle them.

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S cars

Scars are like Experiences, but they are inflicted by traumatic events and remain as a permanent mark on an Adventurer’s heart. Some examples of Scars might be “I hate snakes” or “I’ve seen things...” and “I’m not what I used to be”. The Fortune Master might inflict Scars after something traumatic and disenchanting happens, and they can then call onto them to give a Disadvantage to the Adventurer in certain situations. For example, the Scar “I hate snakes” could be inflicted after an Adventurer gets sealed in a tomb alone with hundreds of slithering reptiles, and could impose a Disadvantage to all snake-related tasks. The scar “I’ve seen things...” could befall an Adventurer after they’ve witnessed something terrible or supernatural that scared them to the point of giving them a Disadvantage every time they have to roll tasks that relate or seem to relate to something unnatural. “I’m not what I used to be” could be a scar left on an Old Adventurer who miserably fails at a task, maybe risking their friends’ lives, and could give them a Disadvantage any time they have to take on responsibilities alone.

MANAGING SCARS & EXPERIENCES

During a Season, each Adventurer should gain one Scar and one Experience. However, if the Fortune Master feels they are required, they can assign more. There’s not really a set rule for this: an Adventurer could get both their Scar and Experience in the first Episode, just as they could live through a whole Season without any. Usually, an Adventurer gets a Scar or an Experience when they’re in the spotlight, when they are protagonist of a scene, so the Fortune Master can use these tactics to ensure that each Player has the right amount of space in a Season. For example, if by the third Episode all but one Adventurer have already gained an Experience, it might be time to focus on them for a while and give them a moment of glory. If the Season is long enough for you to play through a Mid-Season Finale, you should make sure that all Adventurers have either an Experience or a Scar by the time Mid-Season comes.

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CONSEQUENCES TO ACTIONS

The best Scars and Experiences are direct consequences of the Adventurers’ actions and they don’t just come out of the blue. To an Adventurer, Scars and Experiences are like stepping stones to their Adventure. They are what gives weight to their actions. To the Fortune Master, Scars and Experiences should be a means of driving an Adventurer towards their destiny, of showing them how the road they’ve walked up until now has changed them and where it will take them next.

Once they’re on the Sheet, Scars and Experiences are just as important as an Adventurer’s Words to Live by for them to remain in-character and to decide when they’ll be rewarded with a precious Luck Coin. Scars and Experiences can be lost if the Fortune Master decides the Adventurer is acting as if they didn’t learn the lesson, or they overcome their trauma. For example, the Experience “I can rely on others” could be lost if the Adventurer repeatedly displays hostile and untrusting behavior to their friends. Similarly, the Scar “I hate snakes” could be lost if the Adventurer brilliantly and heroically solves a problem regarding reptiles. You can have up to 6 Scars and Experiences. Should you get any other Scars, you’ll have to erase one of your Experiences to make space. If you should get any other Experiences, you can substitute them to other Experiences or even Scars, provided that both the Fortune Master and other Players feel like the substitution is pertinent and right. For example an Experience like “I can rely on others” could substitute the Scar “I’m not what I used to be” to symbolize how an Adventurer has learned that they’ll need somebody’s help from time to time.

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BACK FROM THE DEAD

You already know that if you happen to lose all your Luck Points and Luck Coins and face Certain Death, all is not lost. We all know Adventurers can come back from Certain Death with some brilliant plot-twist during the Season or Mid-Season Finale or come back ready for the next Season. How this return goes down should be agreed between the Adventurer and the Fortune Master, but there should always be a surprising fact, an unbelievable story they can tell all the others about how they managed to come back from the dead! Coming back from Certain Death, you gain a Luck Coin and a relevant Scar. If all Luck Coins are already in play, one of the other Adventurers might give you theirs: otherwise, sorry buddy!

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A SAFE PLACE Normal people go home in the evening, feed their cat and need only to worry about locking the door, but you’re an Adventurer: people like you are always in the eye of the storm. If you need more than a Break here and there, you’ll have to find a Safe Place where you can finally unbuckle your holster and rest for a while. A Safe Place is a house where you feel at ease, but it can also be a rundown motel room, or a campsite in the middle of the jungle. You just need someone to be there and stand guard. Getting to a Safe Place is important because it allows you to regain all your Luck Points, but most of all, it’s the only way you have to rest for a while and get rid of most Bad Feelings.

Being in a Safe Place is not as exciting as delving through cursed temples and underground pyramids, but it’s still a pivotal moment of your journey. When they’re in a Safe Place, Adventurers can freely interact with one another, talk it out and digest what just happened. It’s also the best moment for the Fortune Master to listen carefully and take note of their feelings, ideas and intuitions, so they can understand what’s really important and interesting to them. A good moment to play out a Safe Place scene could be the beginning of the Episode, when it can be a chance to gather ideas and recap what happened before, but this shouldn’t become too predictable: sometimes it’s good to start with an action scene. Another, equally good, option, is to put a Safe Place at the end of an Episode, so Adventurers have time to stop and catch their breath in a Safe Place, having time to celebrate or be sad after a particularly crucial event. It might seem weird, but the exact center of an Episode is also a great moment to get to a Safe Place, especially if your plans for the Episode start in one location and end up in another one, or when the episodic plot is divided into

two separate parts. This last solution is well suited for longer Episodes since it gives all Players time to take a breather when passing from one action-packed scene to the next. Not all Episodes need to involve a Safe Place. Actually, it’s best to only use Safe Places when you really need them, and even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll find one. For the same reason, it’s best if Adventurers don’t come back to the same Safe Place twice in an Episode. This isn’t a relaxing holiday, after all!

WHAT TO DO IN A SAFE PLACE

Once you get to a Safe Place, things work somewhat differently. During a night or a half-day spent in a Safe Place, you and your friends have 2 turns at your disposal. Each of you can take a single action that requires quite some time, and after everyone has taken their turns, you can start from the top for the second one. Making a call, searching for information or speaking to someone are all great example of actions that you can take in a Safe Place. All these actions can pose Challenges or require Skill rolls, but not necessarily. Some tasks always require dice to be rolled in order to be undertaken: repairing a Vehicle or another object, giving medical care and deciphering an old text, just off the top of my head. To repair a Vehicle, you need to use your Tech Skill, and for each Critical Success, the vehicle regains one Luck Point (more on this later). When you treat someone, you need to roll the First Aid Skill, and for each Critical Success you can remove a Bad Feeling like Broken or Bleeding. I’m warning you, for this last case, both the medic and the patient need to use one action, but at least they get to have a chat between the two of them as well. Don’t underestimate the power of words! Talking about what happened is the only way to get rid of Bad Feelings like Shocked or Scared... So long as someone has the time to listen to you and they’re not all too busy doing something else.

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SAFE, ALMOST

Let’s put it like this: some Safe Places aren’t really safe. More like potentially safe. Sites like a refuge, a campsite, a motel room or a studio you rented are all places where you could be safe, but you don’t know them well enough to be sure. In these occasions, you need someone to stand guard. Basically, someone standing guard spends both their actions to make sure that others can be safe, and they stay at the door or walk the perimeter for as long as needed.

ACTING FOOLISH

The Adventurer or Adventurers standing guard face an Alert Challenge if they’re in an urban environment, or a Survival Challenge in the wild. The difficulty of this Challenge equals one Basic Success for each Adventurer in the Safe Place who is not standing guard. So, if you decide you stand guard for your three friends while you’re camping in the woods, you will need to roll 3 Basic Successes in a Survival task. If there’s 4 of them, you’ll need a Critical Success, if there are 5, you need one Critical and a Basic, and so on. If you roll all the Successes you need, everything will go smoothly. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with some Accident or there will be consequences, either while the group is resting or later.

Adventurers choosing to act foolishly will not take part in the Episode or in the next Episode, depending on when they do the foolish thing. This is a good gimmick to use when a Player can’t be present for the Episode and you need to justify the Adventurer’s absence in some way.

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In addition to the two standard actions, an Adventurer in a Safe Place can also decide to wait until everyone’s backs are turned and go out to do something foolish, like sneaking into the Rival’s camp, or going back to explore the ruins alone.

When the player gets back, so does the Adventurer. Maybe they’ve been rescued, maybe they just pop out from an unexpected corner. Let’s just hope they don’t make a habit of it!

THE TREASURE There you go again, I see that glimmer in your eyes... I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. You’re a true Adventurer: the mere mention of a Treasure gets your blood pumping, bringing a smug grin to your face and a dreamy look to your eyes. Just think how you’ll feel when you finally find it! A Treasure is something lost or forgotten that belongs to nobody, and lays hidden, awaiting to be found and become the fortune of whoever discovered it. To you, it is priceless. You’d risk your own life just to hold it in your hands. A Treasure can take many shapes. It is usually made of gold and gems, but sometimes it could just be the cup of a carpenter, a cure that could save thousands of lives or a key piece of information to reveal the past.

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The heart of the matter is that without a Treasure, you could be an explorer, a mercenary, an archaeologist, but never an Adventurer. Without a Treasure there is simply no Adventure. Once you discover that the old legends are true, that Shangri-La exists, that your father is still alive somewhere, or that the natives hid their holy stones, well, then you’ve caught a glimpse of the Treasure. Your whole life now hinges on it. You don’t care how far you’ll need to go: you are ready.

TO EACH THEIR TREASURE

You and your friends didn’t necessarily set out on an Adventure for the same reason, you just know you have the same goal. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to find out the truth about your father and your friend just wants to get rich. What’s sure is that there’s a Treasure out there you can reach for together and that will take both of you to your objective. That’s all you need to live a thrilling, excitement-packed Adventure to the end. By the time you reach the last Episode, things might have changed. You could find yourself having to choose between what’s important to you and other people’s priorities. Whatever you choose, keep your guard up. Adventurers won’t necessarily go home empty-handed, but they rarely get home with the Treasure they went looking for.

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THE JOURNEY MATTERS MORE THAN THE END

You might set out with a clear idea of what Treasure you’re looking for, or you might need to leaf through an encyclopedia and do some research. Other times, you’ll just want to come up with your own Treasure, as you’d do for a movie. All good options! But if you’re coming up short on ideas and want to let fate decide, each Broken Compass setting will suggest some Treasures in line with the Era to start your Adventure right away. Take a look at the 1999 Treasures further on, in Section 6!

KEYS

If you think that people who spent their lives building traps are weird, you’ll be bummed to find out that those who hid Treasures are even worse. Luckily, this might play in your favor. I’ll have you know that the same person who set out to make the Treasure near-impossible to find usually also leaves a series of clues, maps, items and riddles to solve, so that someone can one day find it. I know this sounds strange, but it happens constantly! During your Adventure, you’ll encounter items that will be more or less instrumental to finding the Treasure. We call these items KEYS. A KEY is what you need to enter somewhere, reach some unreachable place, overcome a deadly trap, or solve a century-old riddle. It is usually the most precious thing you’ll find, short of the Treasure itself. Basically, you’ll have to spend the Season going around the world gathering Keys and following Clues just so you can draw the map that will lead you to your goal. When the Fortune Master says you find a KEY, you can usually note it down in your inventory and draw a small key right beside it, so you can remember it’s not a normal item.

Whether the KEY takes the form of a sealed box, a statue, a ritual dagger, a map, a medallion, or maybe, you know, a key, it will be very important to your story and you will need to hold onto it or fetch it in order to get to the Treasure before your Rival. The good thing is that Keys are so important you can even use your Luck Points to avoid losing them or having them stolen, pretty much like you can do to save your life from Dangers (well, at least until you get captured). Remember that the Fortune Master might decide an item stops being a KEY after having fulfilled its role, and that you could find several KEYS during a single Season. Also, although the Treasure isn’t usually a KEY, the Fortune Master could decide it becomes one.

CLUES TO THE TREASURE

A SMALL TREASURE

Treasure is something that you only get at the end of the journey, if you get it at all! Clues and KEYS are the real prizes an Adventurer gains along the way, they are the fruit of their labor and must be regarded as such.

If the Adventurers come out of a trap-infested temple with nothing to show for it, they won’t be walking away with a happy heart. But if they find a Clue or even a KEY, well, then they know they’re on the right path and they’re one step closer to the Treasure.

Listen closely: as you’re traveling, especially when you’re somewhere you’ve never seen before, you better keep your eyes peeled and your ears pricked. Talk to the locals, gather intel, get to know their customs and traditions, look around and try to get the best possible read. Even the smallest detail could hide a Clue you’ll need to remember in order to find the Treasure. A Clue is any piece of information that will become essential when you least expect it, and will help you solve a riddle, escape a trap, or even help you find the way to a KEY or show you what to do to use it correctly. For example, if you stop to talk with the old lady selling flowers at the side of the road, you might learn that your parents were born there, among the last people to know ancient traditions. Maybe by the end of your conversation, she will proudly tear up and gift you a red flower “like the eye of our god”. That is a Clue, and the Fortune Master should make it very clear to you, so you can write it down and remember. Perhaps, further down the road, you’ll find yourself at the entrance of the temple, in front of its great stone doors. On the stone, you see a depiction of that god, looking at you with empty eyes, and around the room lay scattered big gems of different colors. Thanks to the Clue, you’ll know that you have to pick up the rubies and put them in the stone to act as the god’s eyes. Who knows what would have happened if you put the wrong gem in there...

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Remember, the Fortune Master has to make it clear that you found a Clue, but it’s up to you to realize when the Clue will become relevant. Anyway, the Clue might be something clear or enigmatic, it could be useful very soon or in several Episodes, but it’s something quite concrete, like “red-eyed god”. In your Travel Diary there’s a section dedicated to noting down Clues you gather along the way, but more on this later. If a Clue won’t be useful anymore, the Fortune Master might tell you to erase it to leave room for other Clues.

D id I miss something?

Let’s say you’ve reached a point where you don’t know how to continue. It’s clear you missed a Clue somewhere, and you’ll have a hard time going on without it. Well, even normal people can experience epiphanies and suddenly recall a piece of information or detail they hadn’t noticed as they experienced it. And with you being an Adventurer and all the rest, you can have this kind of revelation any time. In brief, if you’re lost and at your wits’ end, you can always use a Luck Coin to get a Clue you’ve missed and recall it or have a stroke of genius.

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CLUES CREATE THE WORLD

The Clues aren’t just a reward for the Adventurers or a gimmick to allow the story to continue, they’re also a way for the world to show itself. They might come from an encyclopedia or your imagination, but Clues are small sentences of great weight that the Fortune Master reveals to Adventurers to let them discover something more about their world. They’re a big deal!

N.P.C.

NOT A PROTAGONIST, CLEARLY Not all characters who appear in the story can be protagonists. No need to pull that face! I’m clearly not talking about you, but about the other characters, both friendly and not, that the Fortune Master will have you meet along the way. Extras are, to put it briefly, those characters in the story who are moved by the Fortune Master and are not Adventurers. They might be a help you or a hindrance on your way to the Treasure, depending on their own interests. Extras can be managed in three ways. Most often they won’t need any specific statistics, just a name and a face, and their action will be freely described by the Fortune Master. There is also a small, simplified Sheet for Extras in the Travel Diary. This will allow you to manage them during Challenges and Dangers without wasting time to roll dice. Finally, there are Extras with an important role in the Adventure who may even merit a full Adventurer Sheet, to be managed by the Fortune Master.

EXTRA SHEET

The Extra Sheet is very simple: it just consists of a square for the portrait, a line for their name and a small section where you can mark Fields and Luck.

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Extras don’t have all the Skills of a full-fledged Adventurer, but they rely only on the six Fields. So, they will shoot by rolling Guts, and repair things with their Knowledge. Extras can have up to 3 Diamonds in each Field, indicating not how many dice they will roll under it, but the level of Success they automatically get in it.

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 o Successes. An Extra with just one Diamond will fail all N Challenges and Dangers in that Field. Basic Success. When facing a Challenge or Danger in that Field, the Extra gets a single Basic Success every time.  ritical Success. When facing a Challenge or Danger in that C Field, the Extra gets a single Critical Success every time. If an Extra fails before an Enemy or Danger, they lose one Luck Point. For example, if an Extra has a Critical Success against an Extreme Enemy, they lose one point. But they also lose a single point against three Critical Enemies. Extras have 3 Luck Points total, and should they lose all three, they will have to face Certain Death... Who knows if we’ll ever meet them again! Extras regain one Luck Point during Breaks and all Luck Points when they get to a Safe Place. This Sheet can also be useful to represent a whole group of guides or mercenaries acting as a unit.

SACRIFICE AND BETRAYAL

It’s true what they say, “A friend is a treasure”, but remember that “it is better to be alone than in bad company”. When the Fortune Master, or the majority of Adventurers, think it would be fitting, an Extra can choose to sacrifice themselves for the good of their friends. By doing so, they obtain a Higher Success than normal. So if they have 2 Diamonds, they get a Critical Success, and if they have 3, they get an Extreme Success... Before facing Certain Death or tragically exiting the stage. Extras can also choose to betray you, and that’s when you can find yourself in a pickle, since after changing sides, all their Successes mysteriously double and you have to face them as an Enemy. This means that an Extra with 2 Diamonds in Action and 3 in Guts, after betraying you will be an Enemy requiring 2 Basic Successes during a Brawl and 2 Critical in a Shoot-out.

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YOUR RIVAL I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you’re not the only one with their eyes on the Treasure. Amid the two-bit grave-robbers and the bored collectors dreaming of getting their paws on ancient artifacts, there’s a few really dangerous people. At least one of them has decided to search for the same Treasure you want. That’s a bummer! A Rival is an Adventurer with the same objective as you, but with completely different and incompatible motives. If you want to get that statue to the museum, your Rival wants to sell it on the black market. If they want to attain some mystical power, you probably think no human should wield it. In short, it’s impossible for you two to find a viable compromise.

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Add to this that your Rival always has more money, more men, more means, and generally more assets than you do. Don’t ask me how, you’re the one who made the life decisions that made you a penniless Adventurer! In a nutshell, if both you and your Rival could cooperate to reach the Treasure it would be a no-brainer. But that’s impossible. So you’ll have to try and exploit one another, throw spanners in each other’s works, butt heads repeatedly and maybe even cooperate for an hour or two, but no more. Usually Rivals are snotty, arrogant archaeologists working for some rich collector, or maybe local warlords that know the jungle like the back of their hands, or even bored billionaires who just want to change the World (for the worse). All people you don’t really want to deal with. But they also have their own motives and their own story. Do not underestimate them. As the Season progresses, you might find Clues regarding them and try to understand how to leverage their past and their wishes against them, and just maybe you’ll get them to change course. I wouldn’t count on it, though. On the next page you’ll also find a table to generate a Rival randomly with a few dice rolls!

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THE CRONIES

You’re an Adventurer and as such, you throw yourself into the fray and trudge through the jungle with muddy boots and a dusty coat. Your Rival wouldn’t even dream of doing such things! They might be a seasoned veteran, an art dealer or just a spoiled dandy, but your Rival always has some Cronies by their side, ready to do the dirty work in their stead. These Cronies are more than simple Extras, as you’ll realize very soon, since you’ll most likely have to get to the Rival over their dead bodies.

THE RIVAL'S STRENGTH

All Rivals are rich and well connected, but they all have their specific flavor. Your standard Rival has two of the following things on their side: The law turning a blind eye, control over a local mob, a native tribe as their subjects, a whole private army, eldritch knowledge and finally their own physical or mental prowess. For example, they could be a burly military leader or a mob boss with a mania for the supernatural. In some cases, your Rival might be particularly fearsome and have three or even four of the characteristics above on their side!

FACING RIVALS AND CRONIES

A Rival and their Cronies can have an Extra Sheet where the Fortune Master keeps track of their abilities, but it’s usually better for them to be managed more organically, deciding for each encounter what kind of Danger they pose depending on the circumstances and the gear at their disposal. Anyway, Cronies and Rivals are often flanked by groups of Enemies that will increase their level of difficulty, and even when faced alone, they might be worth two. Once per Season (maybe twice in longer Seasons) a Crony that gets defeated might be kissed by his lucky star and find some hazardous path to safety. Similarly, a Rival might be caught, but they can never die or be completely written off before the Season Finale. And if they do, rest assured that a new, even more dangerous Rival will immediately take their place.

CLUES ON THE RIVAL

By gathering information during your travels and paying attention, you might find Clues on something other than the Treasure: your Rival. These Clues can be just as precious to you, since they will allow you a better understanding of their motives and you can try to use them to get the upper hand in crucial situations. For example, if your Rival is looking for the Spring of Life and you discover they’re doing it for their terminally ill daughter, that’s a Clue. During the final showdown you might shout to them “And what would your daughter think about this?”

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THE ACCIDENTAL RIVAL They are

Their C ronies are

They're from

Their opinion of the Adventurers

1 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

A bored billionaire A survivor A visionary An old friend A lunatic A member of the “Society”

North America South America Europe Africa Asia Oceania

Their reason for seeking the Treasure 1 2 3 4 5

Glory To save someone For themselves To sell it Because they believe the legends 6 To change the world

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1 2 3 4 5 6

Mercenaries Faithful followers People without a choice One is their lover One is their relative Traitors

1 2 3 4

The Adventurers are inferior The Adventurers are a threat They have a score to settle They’re in love with an Adventurer 5 The Adventurers are worthy of respect 6 They want to see the Adventurers suffer

What they can rely on (roll 2 to 4 dice) 1 Law enforcement 2 The mob 3 The local tribe 4 A private army 5 Eldritch knowledge 6 Themselves

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TRAVEL DIARY Episodes, Season, Rival, Extras, Treasure, Clues... There’s a lot of things you need to keep track of during an Adventure. If you and your friends decide to play through a real Season, you’ll need a Travel Diary. This is a special Sheet that doesn’t relate to any character, but to the journey as a whole. Keep in mind, you don’t have to keep a Travel Diary, but it could be very useful!

CLUES, TIME AND ASSETS

Here is what your Travel Diary looks like. If you decide to use it, one of the Adventurers will take on the responsibility and honor of keeping it together with their Sheet and filling it in with the others’ help. The Travel Diary is divided into three main sections:

CLUES: The first part of the Diary is a space where you can take notes regarding the Treasure you’re seeking and the Rival you’re facing. There’s also room for the Clues gathered along the way.

TIME: In this section, you can note the title of your Season, its number and the era in which it is set. Immediately below, you can jot down a brief sentence about what happened in each Episode, so you can follow the storyline. Last but not least, in the Time section, you find the Doomsday Clock, but more on this on the next page.

ASSETS: The final section of the Diary is reserved for your assets. Here you

find two Extra Sheets where you can note any guides and helpers, and a Vehicle Sheet for your trusty means of transportation. The most important element of this section is the Pyramid of Wealth, that shows what you can and can’t afford. But more on Wealth and Vehicles in a few pages.

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TRAVEL DIARY We ' re looking for But so is

TREASURE CLUES

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ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

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ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

DOOMSDAY CLOCK Without a Rival, you’d have time unlimited to search the world for the Treasure. Unluckily for you, you do have a Rival on your hands, so you’d better get a move on! In the race for the Treasure there is no prize for second place: you either get there first, or you go home empty handed. The Doomsday Clock is an imaginary timepiece that tracks how much Time is left in your Adventure. On its face you see twelve white dots that we symbolically call Hours. Each time you fill in an Hour, your Rival is one step closer to getting the Treasure. The use of a Doomsday Clock is totally optional, and it’s recommended only for Seasons lasting more than four Episodes. The first Hour of the Doomsday Clock is always filled in the Travel Diary. At the beginning of the Adventure, whoever has the Travel Diary must fill in an Hour on the Doomsday Clock for each Adventurer. The more Adventurers in the group, the more time Luck will have needed to get you all in the same place, and in turn, the less Time you will have at your disposal. The Hours you have left are among the most important assets in your kit, and you have to be careful to use them right. When the Doomsday Clock strikes twelve, then you’re Too Late.

MANAGING TIME, LOSING TIME

I said the Hours on the Doomsday Clock are an asset. This means you can use them to your advantage when the situation gets dire or when you want to avoid calling upon other assets, like your money fund. Every time your group is faced with a problem that can be solved by investing some time, you can choose to fill in an Hour and voilà, done deal! For example, if your Vehicle is now Out of Commission and you want to pull it to town by hand, if you need to recover all your strengths and heal from all Bad Feelings without the limitations of a Safe Place, or if you want to embark on a long journey with little to no money and you have to do a

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thousand layovers, or even if you want to go back to town to gather supplies for the next expedition, you can do so just by spending Time. Basically, each Hour is a chance you have to take your time and do things the slow way, even in the middle of the Adventure. On the other hand, you could also lose Time against your wishes. In some cases, the Fortune Master might ask you to fill in an Hour after a sequence or an Episode that sees you defeated. For example, if you crash a plane and have to walk to your destination, if you get captured, lost or go the wrong way, if you linger too long to try and settle things that might be important, but don’t take you closer to the Treasure, in any of these situations, the Fortune Master can ask you to fill in an Hour that will be forever lost.

IT 'S TOO LATE

When the clock strikes twelve, you can no longer decide to invest your time as you want, and if you do something that results in losing Hours, you’ll have to face major accidents. If, at the beginning of your Season Finale the Doomsday Clock is at twelve, it means you’re Too Late and you start the Episode or get to the destination only to find yourselves in the middle of a bad situation. Your Rival hasn’t won yet, but they’ve done something irreparable and you’ll have to deal with the consequences of their actions. At the beginning of the Finale, for each two hours left on the Doomsday Clock, an Adventurer of the group’s choice is awarded a Luck Coin. Additionally, during the Season Finale it’s impossible to use or lose Time in any way. If the story includes a Mid-Season Finale, the Fortune Master can draw a line on the face of the clock to indicate the Hour that will be regarded as the “midnight” of the Mid-Season Finale.

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VEHICLES A seaplane traveling both in the sky and on the sea, a custom bike haphazardly traversing the jungle, an old 70s van, a rubber raft that fell from the sky to plough through the rapids. On your Adventure, you’ll have the chance to encounter and drive the most diverse ensemble of Vehicles to their bitter end! A Vehicle is considered a piece of equipment that allows you to travel by land, sky or sea. If you chose the Pilot Tag, you own one from the beginning, otherwise you’ll have to buy or... procure one some other way.

V ehicle S heet

The Vehicle Sheet is even simpler than an Extra Sheet, and it can be easily divided into three sections. First you have a place where you can note the name, make and model of your Vehicle. And depending on how sappy you feel, you can have a vehicle that is a “Short S.23 Empire” called either “Seaplane” or “Old Betsy”. Beside the name, you see three small Diamonds which represent Earth, Water and Air. Filling them in accounts for the mediums your Vehicle is designed to travel. For example, in Old Betsy’s sheet, you should mark the Diamonds for Air and Water. Remember, if you have no relevant Expertise, you always roll tasks to drive air and water borne Vehicles at a Disadvantage. Finally, each Vehicle has three white dots on its sheet that represent its Luck Points.

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Just like Extras, Vehicles have three Luck Points at their disposal, representing how lucky you are to own it. When a Vehicle loses the fourth Luck Point, it goes Out of Commission instead. Keep in mind that most Vehicles you can

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steal or improvise won’t be in the best conditions and, either at the Fortune Master’s discretion or as the result of the Challenge you face to procure them, they might already have some Luck Points filled in. A Vehicle loses Luck Points each time its pilot fails a Drive task, when it gets attacked, hit or tampered with, and when some Accident occurs due to the Adventurers’ failings during Challenges. In some cases, the integrity of a Vehicle can be one of the many things at stake when facing a Danger. For example, if you try an emergency landing, you have to face two Dangers: one with the passengers’ lives at stake, and another risking sending the Vehicle Out of Commission. The person driving a Vehicle can choose to spend one of its Luck Points to gain an Advantage when doing a risky maneuver. To restore a Luck Point to the Vehicle, you need to get to a Safe Place and roll a Critical Success in a Tech task.

V ehicles O ut of C ommission

Once a Vehicle is Out of Commission, you can no longer repair it normally and, in most cases, you’ll have to bid it farewell. If you’re particularly fond of that piece of junk, you might find a way to get it back into shape. In those cases, it’s up to the Fortune Master to decide what kind of action or actions you need to take to recover Vehicle once it’s Out of Commission. For example, you might just need to take it to a good garage and invest some time and money into having it repaired, or you might need to get specific spare parts, and maybe the only place you can find them is in your Rival’s camp. So, yes, if you really want to get your trusty vehicle back on track, it’s going to be something of a challenge.

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THE PYRAMID OF WEALTH If you’re playing a stand-alone Episode, you don’t really need to keep track of your Wealth, so it’s probably better to manage money as it pertains to the story and only base the narrative on the Adventurers’ personal data. But if you and your friends are playing through a Season, it could be interesting to see your Wealth rise and fall as the story progresses. That’s when the Pyramid of Wealth comes into play. The Pyramid of Wealth is a tower of ten ingots at the bottom of your Travel Diary. Each ingot contains a small square that represents a Wealth Point. At the start of your Adventure, you have 6 Wealth Points. In general, the ingots on the Pyramid of Wealth are divided into four levels, representing your Status: Getting By, Well-Off, Rich, Loaded. Filling in the first Wealth Point in a level, you reach that Status. Losing all Points in a level, you get demoted to the previous Status. Wealth Points can be used to acquire goods and services or to gain Advantages, while your Status represents what you can easily afford without spending Points.

KNOW YOUR STATUS

Normally, your group starts the Adventure as Well-Off people, and you can afford to get most common objects and services without pinching pennies every time. During the story, however, you Status will rise and fall depending on how you manage your Wealth and how lucky you get. If things go terribly wrong, you could find yourselves with zero Wealth and become Paupers midway through the Adventure. Let me tell you how the Status affects you while in play. But first, I have to let you know that here, “objects” is more of a catch-all term for Items, Gear and Weapons. When it comes to ammo, you can say that 2 Mags are equal to an object as far as your buying power is concerned, and each weapon is sold loaded.

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PAUPER: Your wallet contains nothing but moths and you can’t afford anything. If you need anything, you’ll have to beg, borrow or steal it. You might have trouble even finding a warm meal and a place to sleep.

GETTING BY: Well it’s clear that your clothes have seen better days, but you

can eke out a living. When you’re Getting By, you can only eat and sleep in the worst joints and any extra expense has its toll, even if you travel low-cost. Each Episode you can choose to buy one object: anything else will require you to spend Wealth Points.

WELL-OFF: You’re comfortable and can indulge in something now and then.

While you’re Well-Off, you don’t have to worry about your next meal and can easily find a motel for the night, and you can afford to travel if you don’t mind having a couple of layovers here and there (and investing some Time in them). Each Episode you can choose to buy one object for each Adventurer, and for everything else you’ll need to spend Wealth Points.

RICH: You’re doing well for yourselves, that’s for sure. If you’re Rich, there’s

really little you have to worry about, and you can always afford to go out for a fancy dinner and sleep in a nice hotel. Nice direct flights are also comfortably within your budget, and you can flaunt your money and bribe and tip people here and there, with the possible advantages and complications this can bring. For each Episode, you can buy two objects for each Adventurer or a Vehicle. If that’s not enough, you can draw your platinum card and use Wealth Points.

LOADED: You can afford almost anything and you’re practically at peak

wealth: good for you! If you’re Loaded, you can live on lobsters and caviar and have a bottle of champagne waiting in every imperial suite. If your chauffeur is not enough, you can probably just rent a boat or a private jet to take you anywhere in the world. It doesn’t matter how low you try to fly, your money will attract unwanted attentions and greedy fingers. Anyway, each Episode you can buy as many objects as you want and one Vehicle per Episode. If that’s not enough, you can always call your friend at the bank and use your Wealth Points.

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WEALTH POINTS

AFFLUENT ADVENTURERS

If you’re an Adventurer with a fat wallet, you can choose to obtain the Rich Tag, which you can write in front of your other Tags. If you do so, you start the Adventure without the normal Luck Coin since you’ve clearly had your good fortune already! In exchange, you get an additional object and you and your friends start the Adventure with 8 Wealth Points. So long as the group is at least in the Well-Off Status, you have the last word on how the money gets spent (since it’s probably yours). Having more than one Rich Adventurer doesn’t give additional Wealth Points to the group.

Wealth Points represent your buying power, and they regulate how much money you have on hand and in the bank. These points don’t show how much property you own or any checking accounts that aren’t easily accessible, but only what wealth you can call upon in any moment during your Adventure. Each time your group gets their hands on a lump sum of money, you sell something of great value, or receive a substantial reward, the Fortune Master might decide you’ve earned a Wealth Point. Clearly, the higher your Status, the more difficult it is to gain new points, because the richer you are, the less value you give to money. For example, if you’re Getting By and sell a couple of weapons in mint conditions, you gain a Wealth Point, but if you’re Rich, that would be too little money to make a difference. Wealth Points are an asset much like Time, which can be invested or lost. Each time you get captured or robbed, the Fortune Master might decide you lost one or several Wealth Points. On the other hand, each time you want to bribe or hire someone, when you want to pay for a long direct flight and not lose Time, you can instead use one of your Wealth Points. Additionally, if during an Episode you have already bought all objects your Status allows you to buy, you can choose to reset that amount by spending a single Wealth Point. So, if you’re Getting By, and spend one Wealth Point like this, you can buy an extra

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item. If you’re Well Off, you can buy another object for each Adventurer and so on! Keep in mind that some roads might be closed on the basis of your Status, whatever your Point total. For example, if you’re Getting By and want to bribe the chief of security of a luxury hotel, your money won’t really get you far. More often than not, money and time are two forces you need to balance, and you’ll have to choose which one you use in any given situation. With a little imagination, you can always find a way to ask the fortune master to fill in an Hour on the Doomsday Clock instead of spending a Wealth Points or vice-versa. For example, a direct flight will be a blow to your Wealth and save you Time, and a flight with four layovers will use your Time and cost you nothing. It’s about priorities!

D ividing W ealth

So long as the Adventurers are together, the Pyramid of Wealth represents the collective finances of the group. If they ever split up, however, it’s a different matter. Often the best thing is to manage your separate Wealth completely via narration, deciding together with your Adventurers who carries the money and the credit cards. Alternatively, rather than filling in the squares, you can write the initial of the Adventurer it belongs to inside. This way, whenever the Adventurers split, it’s always easy to determine which part of the wealth they can spend during their separate Adventures.

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HARDMODE These pages are reserved for the Fortune Master. I know you’re surrounded by boasting, bragging Adventurers that think they can take on the world and come out smiling. And to your frustration, they’re always right. In BROKEN COMPASS, the Fortune Master doesn’t play against the Adventurers, they’re a Player just like them, interpreting the role of Extras and the Rival instead of a Protagonist. That’s all. But if you feel like throwing a curve ball or two, you can suggest playing the Adventure in Hardmode. Here’s how you do it. A Hardmode Season is like any other, but it’s vastly more difficult because they have less Luck Points and money, Time is flying by and their Rival is deeply evil. Seems like I’ve piqued your interest.

L uck

To start off, not all Adventurers will have a Luck Coin as usual, only half of them have one. So, if you play with four Adventurers, only two of them will begin the story with a Luck Coin, and you’ll have to draw lots for who gets one and who doesn’t. If there are five Adventurers, you won’t need to give half a coin. One of them will simply be excluded from the ballot and they’ll have to toss a coin instead. Tails, they get a Luck Coin. Heads, sorry, see you next time. Furthermore, the total number of Luck Coin in play becomes equal to the number of Adventurers and not double that. Pity! Unlucky you!

T ime

After filling in an Hour on the Doomsday Clock for each Adventurer as usual, the Fortune Master fills in two additional Hours, since your Rival is apparently an early riser. If you do have a Mid-Season Finale, the line for it lies on the Hour right after the one when you start the story. Better start running.

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M on ey

Adventurers start the story with 4 Wealth Points instead of 6, and they are of Getting By Status. If at least one of them has the Rich Tag, they might be better off, starting with 6 points and the Well-Off Status.

R ival

The Rival is particularly vicious, having four strengths at their disposal rather than the usual two. Additionally, they have at least two Cronies, and each of them can have up to two bail outs after being defeated. That’s all you need to put any Adventurers to a hard test, but remember that from great dangers come great rewards.

THE CAPYBARA

The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, Linnaeus 1766), also known as carpincho, chigüiro or ronsoco, is the largest rodent on the globe. The capybara is a great swimmer and lives on the banks of rivers, lakes, and swamps in the temperate and tropical regions of South America. The adult capybara can reach up to 105 and 135 cm in length and up to 35, okay I think it’s safe now. There’s little time, but I have to warn you about another type of danger. Something very different from what we discussed before. I can’t say much, but know this: not all those in search of the Treasure and with the strength to find it are good-hearted Adventurers like you. There’s a group of heartless people who aim to undermine the world order. You must keep an eye out for them. They go by the name Hiram Society, or simply Hiram, but people only call them “the Society”. Hiram isn’t searching for Treasures to preserve the memory and legacy of the past, but just to accrue their riches and political power. I can’t begin to tell you how many entrepreneurs, senators, generals and famous people of all eras are part of the Society, but know this: they are many, they are dangerous, and they will stop at nothing until they have control over the entire world. Many members of the Society think that there’s some truth to the legends and the ancient Treasures hide shards of otherworldly power that, in their hands, could be the weapon to bring the world to its knees. As you can clearly see, you can’t reason with this kind of people. But one step at a time. At the basis of the Society there are Apprentices. They are the people that seek entrance to the Hiram and to be accepted within the circle, essentially pawns who know nothing about the secrets of Hiram. After the apprenticeship you can become a Fellow, a full-fledged member of the Society, part and parcel of the entire operation. Above the Fellows there are seven Masters, keepers of all secrets of the Society, who live so deep undercover they

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don’t even know each other. The only one who knows the identity of all Masters is the so-called Grand Master, an almost legendary individual who nobody has truly seen. Depending on the era your Adventure takes place in, the Hiram might take on a different appearance or name and it can have many forms. It might even seem harmless. Don’t be fooled: you’re an Adventurer, and people like you search for Treasure to defend the legacy of our roots, preserve traditions, cultures and beliefs that could go lost. The people from the Society are the complete opposite: they manipulate the power of the past to pitch the people one against the other. I have faith in you, but I can’t tell you anything else. You probably have many questions, I know, but to get the answer you need to reach 65kg, with the larger specimens reaching up to 70. The Capybara has a heavy head, a squared snout and body, with a cleft upper lip. Their squat shape and stocky build clash with their small ears and beady, bulging eyes. They have extremely short legs, with tough, partially webbed feet and thick nails. Their tail is short and almost invisible under their thick bristly coat of brown fur. Their character is extremely calm. Capybaras usually spend the day rolling in mud puddles or laying along the banks of rivers in their typical sphinx-like pose.

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SECTION 6 1999

1999 Welcome to your first game era: the nostalgic 90s. I’ll start by saying this is a bit of a gray area, since this is a whole decade and some, but I’ve still decided to call it 1999 because that is a very symbolic number. 1999 looks like the meter at the gas pump that has almost turned to 2000 but you’re too short on cash to pay that little more. It’s a transitioning period, a millennial divide, the brink of the looming and inevitable ravine of globalization. At the end of 1989, the Berlin wall falls, and if you didn’t know, David Hasselhoff was standing on top of it singing Looking for Freedom. With that picture, the clocks struck the midnight of January First, 1990, and if that wasn’t foreshadowing... The 90s were the starting block for the race to open borders and the eagerness of citizens of the world to get to meet and know each other. This is why 1999 is a critical era in the history of exploration. People like you can take the stones from those walls and build bridges through time and even space, bringing together societies, past and present, in their search for common roots.

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In 1999, the world looked really small. Some people were even skeptical about the need for Adventurers, since there was clearly nothing left to discover. If airliners, tourist helicopter rides and cruises couldn’t reach it, at least the early reflex digital cameras and 56 kbit/s Internet connections could take the majority of the world’s population on a tour of those wild, exotic and uncontaminated places. Maps grew fuller and fuller, leaving less space for people like you. If you still don’t have a clear picture of when you are, imagine CD players, headphones with wires, torn, wide-leg jeans reaching under your feet, roller skates and skateboards, virtual pets and Titanic in the movie theaters.

YOUR 1999

Enough with the history lessons! You’re an Adventurer, people like you aren’t satisfied with reading about History. They make it! 1999 for BROKEN COMPASS is not a year, but an era, and even more than that, an idea. 1999 is the middle-world where you can freely travel, but globalization hasn’t fully engulfed everything, and you can still feel the thrill of discovery that a wonderful exotic place brings. It’s an almost fantasy time, where technology allows you to communicate across great distances, but the answers to all questions can’t fit in your pocket yet. After embracing the spirit of 1999, feel free to get inspired by what you know about History, study, and broaden your horizons, but don’t be afraid to make things up and build a realistic world that isn’t real, like in the movies. To put it simply: the US president is whoever you decide they are and around the world you can find small, unknown nations that are ripe for your story. It doesn’t have to be always accurate, what matters is that you share the World with the other Players and live a great Adventure!

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TECHNOLOGY 1999 has it all, technology is ready for the jump towards the marvel of the third millennium. The key word of the era is telecommunication: people have never been closer than now, with mobile telephones and the Internet at their disposal. Everybody has a phone in their pocket, an instrument to call any place on the globe and, if there’s no coverage, you can always count on the small handheld devices known as radios. As if that wasn’t enough, you just need to get to a city to gain access to the Internet and, with some patience, you can find almost any information there. Laptops are everyday commodities and there’s even people going around with small palmtops, the smartest technology this side of the millennium divide. If you feel brave, you can even clip one onto your belt like a badge, but that’s a personal choice. Other typical sights of 1999 are last-generation helicopters that can take you wherever you want, while blowing up only most of the time and not every time. And if you want to listen to some music during your journey, you can pop on a CD and enjoy the same 9-10 songs on loop, since that’s the best technology can offer. Or you can carry around a nice voluminous folder with all kinds of disks for different occasions. Every friend group has a person like that! If you really think about it, 1999 pretty much has everything, with the exception of smartphones, mp3 readers, fiber optic Internet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, high-speed trains in every city, a common European currency, the concept of last-minute flights, flat screens in all homes, tablets, social networks, Wikipedia, human genome mapping and USB drives... Still, the cartoons are bomb.

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THERE 'S NEVER CELL COVERAGE HERE

The real plight of 1999 is not the amount of technology at your disposal, but how little of that is serviceable. The truth is, you simply can’t rely on technology 100% because it’s most likely going to bail on you at the worst possible time. Cellphones only have reliable coverage in the cities. If you’re in the middle of the desert, the forest, jungle or out in the ocean or somewhere on a mountain top, what you have is really a hammer with no handle. On top of that, international and intercontinental calls cost a fortune and Internet navigation is so slow, you’d find results faster in a book. And even if batteries lasted longer than today, sooner or later they run out and you won’t have easy or free access to electricity in every place on the planet. Each country has their own makes and components, so sometimes buying a new device is easier than finding spare parts. So, yeah, technology in 1999 can be a good shortcut when you’re looking for a quick solution to an easy problem, but don’t rely on that. Know that in your moment of need, you’re going to be on your own and have no coverage to call for customer support!

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1999 ITEMS

In 1999 you can choose from a vast array of telecommunication devices that people in earlier years could hardly dream of. Mobile phones (even palmtops), walkie-talkies and portable radios are probably available on the market at a reasonable price. If earlier eras saw lock picks and spanners as the main tools, 1999 sees the rise of a new accessory, the undisputed symbol of cutting-edge Techs: the laptop. Thanks to this modern high-tech tool, experienced pirates of the web known as hackers, who are all the craze these days, can get their hands on classified information, find encrypted Clues and even tamper with those next-gen security systems that are what this day and age calls Traps.

The 90s saw technologies the military wielded in the earlier decades evolve and become more reliable and most importantly, available to the public. Among these, for example, the latest camo patterns for combat fatigues around the world, the bulletproof vest and the taser, a non-lethal gun built to shoot small electrified darts up to a distance of 6 to 7 meters (20-25 ft). In this era at the turn of the millennium, science allows you to explore the world as never before, producing gear that can withstand underwater environments and wingsuits that allow humans to take to the skies as never before!

1999 W eapons & G ear

Scuba tank and mask: Allow you to breathe underwater. Harpoon: Two handed. Allows you to shoot under water. Much like a bow, it requires specific ammunition and a quiver Bulletproof vest: Gives you one Advantage when dodging bullets Digital camera: Allows you to shoot photos and see them Scuba suit: Protects you from cold underwater environments Taser: Silent, non-lethal. Allows you to shoot only at short range. Uses up a Mag for each shot. You can’t empty the mag with it Wingsuit: Allows you to glide. Equipped with parachute Combat fatigues: Gives you an Advantage to hiding in a specific environment. Models include forest, jungle, urban, desert, arctic Parachute: Allows you to survive falls from great heights

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SUPERNATURAL I don’t know if the Supernatural exists in 1999. But I’ve heard rumors around here, stuff that would make anyone’s skin crawl. Normal people only see those things in movies, but you’re an Adventurer, people like you know firsthand that you can find something unexplainable behind every corner. The rule is that in 1999, everything can be explained until it can’t. This means you can easily find a somewhat rational explanation for what happens, but sometimes you’ll be faced with some things that are so fast and ravaging that you won’t have time to check. You can just walk away with the everlasting doubt of whether you were witness to something truly magical. If in 1999, people wanted to see a mummy rise from the tomb in the flesh and trying to destroy the world, they went to the movies to see The Mummy, which you can clearly see isn’t set in the 90s. That’s because in 1999, the Supernatural is not embodied by some monster with strange powers, roaming the city center, but more subtle, mysterious things. In an era where people have digital cameras to record anything they see, people have stopped believing in fairytales, and it looks like there’s a scientific, or pseudo-scientific explanation for everything. Let’s put it this way: everything can be studied and understood. If you can’t understand it, it’s just because you haven’t had the time to study it properly. For example, if you’re ambushed by a warrior tribe of people with shiny eyes and super-human strength who are said to be cooperating with an evil spirit, after going deeper into their

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lands, you might discover that in the region grows a bioluminescent plant that, in great quantities, can fog the mind and increase physical capabilities. Clearly, there was a logical explanation, and there is no evil spirit of any kind... although, after your Rival defiled their temple and stole a sacred stone, some great shadow seemed to engulf them and turn them to ash. However, you were too busy running, since the temple was collapsing. If you just had the time to check, you might have understood what happened... but you’ll have to live with your doubts instead. Such is the way of life in 1999: no truth is absolute, and everyone is free to choose what they believe in. After all, one version is as good as the next.

TREASURES A Treasure is a Treasure, no matter the era or place. 1999 is a good time for travelers, who find themselves with a thousand more possibilities to journey than people in earlier eras. So, if you’re setting off for an Adventure in 1999, rest assured that there is no limit to the Treasures you can discover. However, there are Treasures that feel more in line with each era, or some that simply you couldn’t hope to reach in the past. For example, 1999 is known as a time of somewhat more muted supernatural events and as such, it is the right era to search Treasure linked more with mystery than real full-blown magic. Much in the same way, the urban jungle of this era is the perfect setting for

Treasure hunting among the tall skyscrapers and in metropolises, rather than in the woods. Outside of the cities, 1999 offers unlimited chances to explore thanks to modern vehicles and gear that allow Adventurers to scour both the skies and the ocean depths to unprecedented levels. And finally, I’ll have you know that while some Treasures are ancient as the earth, others are but fifty years old. Hidden bank accounts, ancient artifacts and hard cold money from the fallen regimes and great powers of World War II are still out there, waiting to be uncovered and brought back to light by someone like you. The following pages look into six Treasures that, in my humble opinion, would suit 1999 to a T (for Treasure), each in their own way. You can read through them at your own pace, choose the one you like best and set off on your journey... Or you can roll a die, as you prefer. I haven’t made a table for this, but I figure you can manage it: there’s just six of them, after all.

ATLANTIS

the Sunken City “There was an island situated in front of the straits which are by you called the Pillars of Heracles; the island was larger than Libya and Asia put together […] . But afterwards there occurred violent earthquakes and floods; and in a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea.” Plato

In the dialogue called Timaeus, Plato speaks for the first time about a legendary island, a naval power as never seen before, whose ports laid beyond the Pillars of Hercules. It was named after the first king of that land, Atlas, son of Poseidon and Cleito (not the titan, a different one!). According to Plato, Atlantis waged war on Athens, trying and failing to invade the Greek polis and, after losing favor with the gods, sank around 9600 BC. Over the course of history, many have wondered about the true nature of Atlantis, and for each historian who only sees it as a myth or an allegory, there’s an explorer who’s certain it’s somewhere out there, at the bottom of the sea, waiting to be discovered. According to some, it’s a utopia, others think it holds technology never seen before, others still think it’s the place the ancient Maya came from, or maybe the cradle of all humanity. If you’re setting off in search of the sunken city, there are many seas to explore: some accounts say the island was located in the Mediterranean Sea; according to others it was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; a third school of thought suggests it might have been in the Antarctic. The Nazis thought they could find it in the Northern Sea, since that was apparently convenient for them, but you never know!

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GJALLARHORN Heimdall’s Horn

“When these tidings come to pass, then shall Heimdall rise up and blow mightily in the Gjallarhorn, and awaken all the gods; and they shall hold council together.” Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 51

According to Norse mythology, Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, who holds guard over Bifröst from his seat at the threshold of the sky. His senses are so developed, that although he only has one ear, he can hear the grass growing. Should a danger large enough to threaten Asgard ever arise, Heimdall will surely be the first to know, and his duty is to warn Odin and the other gods. To

proclaim the incoming threats, Heimdall has been gifted with a powerful horn by the name of Gjallarhorn, literally translated as “the resounding horn”, whose blast can be heard across all worlds. According to legend, when Ragnarök (the apocalypse of Norse mythology) comes, Heimdall shall blow into Gjallarhorn to call the gods for the final battle for the fate of humanity.

If every legend holds a kernel of truth, Gjallarhorn must be hidden somewhere together with other unearthly treasures from Norse tradition, and it would be a key artifact of ancient eras. With all the maniacs around these days, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone was searching for the horn to bring on who knows what, or even to prevent it from being blown on the eve of Ragnarök, wanting the earth to be completely annihilated. It would be nice if such people didn’t exist, but they do, and you know it.

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THE LOST CITY OF THE KALAHARI “A relic, may be, of a glorious past, A city once grand and sublime, Destroyed by earthquake, defaced by the blast, Swept away by the hand of time.” William Leonard Hunt

These words were used by William Leonard Hunt in his 1886 book titled “Through the Kalahari Desert”. The explorer describes coming upon the ruins of an ancient and majestic city in the middle of an African desert. Hunt became a real celebrity after publishing this book on his extraordinary discovery, and became famous all over the world under the pseudonym “The Great Farini” as an inventor and tightrope walker, who was able to cross over the Niagara Falls (blindfolded!), but also as a military engineer during the American Civil War, when he fought for the Union, and because he was the first westerner to cross the Kalahari desert on foot and survive. However, nobody managed to find anything about this lost city of his. Over the following years, many people attempted to find the Kalahari desert’s lost city, or at least a reasonable explanation for it, and from 1932 onwards twenty-five expeditions were called, all of them failures. By the end, few believed that Hunt had actually seen proof of an unidentified civilization, and, according to the explorer A.J. Clement, Hunt was probably misled by natural dolerite formation, as this specific igneous rock has been known to take shapes vaguely similar to buildings. So, many left on the journey and came back empty-handed, but I tell you, the Great Farini knew the difference between a lost city and a couple of square rocks!

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THE FLAMING PEARL “We do not discuss the dragon’s pearl.”

Mao Zedong

In eastern cultures, dragons aren’t fire-breathing worms with bat wings who consort with demons only to be heroically slain by the first knight to come around. Asian dragons are godly, benevolent beings who lord over skies and waters. In China, these creatures are loved and respected to the point that for years they’ve been held as a symbol of the nation, as well as of the emperor, and even today the people call themselves “Descendants of the Dragon”. The dragon is considered a good omen, and it is said to have many virtues, but you don’t really care about this, right? You’re here for a real Treasure. You might have noticed that in China, dragons are often represented battling over a pearl or wrapped around one as they hold it beneath their chin. There are several theories regarding the Flaming Pearl, but most agree that this jewel has the power to grant wishes to those holding it. Now that’s interesting! The Flaming Pearl is kept in different places, depending on which traditions you pay heed to. According to some, it is also tied to other, similarly powerful jewels in other cultures: the Chintamani stone of Buddhist lore and the Naga king’s magic jewel in Hindu legends, for example. There is one legend, often told throughout of China, that seems to refer to the Flaming Stone, while actually talking of two sea pearls held by the dragon-god Ryujin. According to this version, Kanju and Manju (such are the names of the jewels) control the ebb and flow of the tides respectively. In the III century, this power was allegedly given to the empress Jingū, to aid her in the war against the Korean navy. It doesn’t matter what power this pearl or pair of pearls hold that are apparently cared for by dragons: what’s sure is that there’s some kernel of truth in such a legend, and a centuryold pearl as big as a man’s fist will probably grant many wishes, with or without magic.

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MONTEZUMA’S GOLD “There is not the slimmest thread of reality in this story which is common throughout Mexico and the southwestern United States.” Thomas Pennfield

In February 1519, six hundred conquistadors led by Hernán Cortéz docked their fleet on the coast of Mexico. They aimed to conquer the land, convert its people to Christianity and, since there was a lot of it going around, they decided that all the gold belonged to them now. An ancient prophecy of Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent who was the Aztec sun god, told that the gods would return to Earth in the shape of men with shining hair and white skin... So, we can all see how emperor Montezuma could be led to greet the invaders with kingly gifts, hoping they’d leave him on the throne. Unluckily for him, those presents piqued the attention of Cortéz, directing his attention towards Tenochtitlán (today’s Mexico City), the Aztec capital. In November 1519, the conquistadors entered the palace as gods and deposed the emperor. After imprisoning Montezuma, Cortéz and his men pillaged the city, finding a secret chamber filled with so much treasure that it took them three days just to bring it all out into the sun. And still, it wasn’t enough to satiate their greed. After months spent raiding, during a night that would later be known as La Noche Triste, the Spaniards were attacked and slaughtered by the Aztecs, and they were forced to retreat, leaving the treasure behind. The survivors never stopped searching for those riches, and they found no peace, as Montezuma’s gold disappeared forever. According to some, a priest led more than two thousand men and women in their exodus to the North, bringing the treasure with them to the least expected destination: Utah! Others tell about how the gold was probably buried in Lake Tezcuco, just so the conquistadors couldn’t have it, while the archaeologist Thomas Gann says it probably went south, to the heart of the Guatemalan jungle. What’s sure is it’s somewhere out there...

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THE TEMPLAR TREASURE “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give glory” Motto of the Knight Templar

The order of “the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon”, best known as the Knights Templar, was one of the most famous knightly and religious orders to ever exist. The first Templar order was founded at the beginning of the XII century by the Flemish knight Goeffrey de Saint-Omer and the first Grand Master Hugues de Payns. They were among the protagonists of the crusades for more than two hundred years, until they were disbanded in 1312. Despite calling themselves “poor fellow-soldiers”, the Templars were almost revoltingly rich, due not only to the mountains of riches gathered during their military expeditions in the Holy Land, but also — and above all — to the fact they acted as intermediaries and banks to the most important and richest Christians... Also receiving hefty donations from the worshipers. Indeed, it’s widely believed that King Philippe IV “the Fair” had the order disbanded with the specific goal of erasing his debts and taking a hold of their riches. But that’s where history ends and legend begins. The last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, cast a terrible curse from the executioner’s block (that later came true), and 18 galleys loaded with God-knowswhat sailed from the harbor, never to be found. Over the centuries, it seems that Templars reorganized themselves in different ways, partly thanks to their near-infinite treasure that granted them the control over whole nations, or even the World. Some say that the Templar Treasure is still in Paris, or even in Acre’s citadel in the Holy Land. Others think it sailed off to the new world following a mysterious Viking route, or even on Christopher Columbus’s caravels, arriving in the neighborhood of Oak Island or even in Canada!

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EXTRAS 1999 is a strange time, filled with strange people ready for Adventure. Here in the following pages, I have gathered information about eleven Extras that might be useful to your Season and who you can use in one of two ways. Each Extra is a character you can meet and maybe choose to take along on your journey, on the basis of what little information I found about them. If not, each Extra has a set of statistics and a keyword representing their general character, something like “the Detective” or “the Tough Chick”. As a Fortune Master, if you want to create your own extra to play one of these roles, you can feel free to use the statistics and ignore everything else. There’s all kinds of detectives and tough chicks around the world!

THE GUIDES

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

The Guides are a small group of people you can hire pretty much anywhere around the globe to take you through a wild place you don’t know and help you avoid ugly surprises. The nice thing about guides is they’re used to going through jungles, savannas, or mountains just as much as they’re used to chatting with tourists and travelers. As such, they’re always a good source of stories and important info. Some guides are loyal, others will try to exploit you, but there’s one thing they all have in common: there’s no chance in hell they’re going to get killed for this stupid Treasure you’re searching. When the situation turns sour, you can be sure they’re going to leave you hanging: no hard feelings!

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THE PILOT

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Bernard “Bernie” Beauregard is a famous plane and helicopter pilot who’s been working in this sector for years and mainly works in the Middle East. He’s a rough guy who speaks curtly, but his gruff charm has given him a well-earned reputation as veteran playboy. Funnily enough, despite his love for the fairer sex and the fact that Bernie has been known to do almost anything to help a pretty lady, his one true love has a petrol engine and weighs eight tons. Just to be clear, we’re talking about a soviet leftover of the Afghan war, a Mil Mi-24 “Hind” D helicopter he calls “BOB”, and for which Bernie would give his life.

THE BEST FRIEND

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

King is a smart German shepherd in great shape. Behind his big puppy eyes, a troubled past lies hidden. His strength and discipline are obviously the result of near-perfect military training, and his vast experience clearly shows he’s taken part in his fair share of field missions for who-knowswhat army. After being separated from his unit, King started wandering alone, accidentally finding his way through a series of ruins and hidden temples one after the other, quickly becoming renowned among Adventurers. They say he can smell Adventure a mile away, and there’s more than one young explorer who owes him their life.

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THE RODENTS

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Indiana and Montana are a couple of extremely curious white mice who live in the pocket of their Adventurer sidekick. “Indy” is smart and agile and can easily get in or out of any cage or room. People who witness Indy’s deeds say that he wears a small fedora between his ears and that he would face the greatest dangers just to save his trusty hat. “Monty” is larger, arrogant and burly, he never shies away from a fight. Aside from that, he’s easily distinguishable from his friend thanks to his thick tail and the, crazy, I know, small red Hawaiian shirt from the 80s he wears. Together, they’re an unstoppable team, with them being rats and all!

THE TOUGH CHICK

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Clara “Calamity” Turner was born and bred in Australia and fears nothing. It doesn’t matter how big of a danger she’s facing; she’s going to charge it head on with her two guns, brazen cheek and a good dose of courage, landing her square in reckless territory. As a driver, she doesn’t know where the brakes are; as a player, she plays to win. Where others falter, she always knows just what to do, and while others think, she’s already acting. Nobody can tell her what to do, and if someone is stupid enough to try, rest assured there won’t be a second time. If she’s your enemy, you better watch your back. But if she’s your friend, I’d still tread carefully and think before I spoke, she has a mean right hook. She’s the boss.

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THE DETECTIVE

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Grown in the midst of a guerrilla cell in South America, Francisco “Sisco” Navarro has learned many things and is known for his efficiency, but there are things in his past that he’s not proud of. On the run from a past that is still pursuing him, Sisco is a new man in search of redemption. People in the know describe him as a private eye who only takes on the most desperate and worst paid cases and always gets the job done. He’s half investigator and half vigilante, living in accordance with a strict code of honor. Sisco always does what’s right, no matter the cost. His only hope is that the good deeds of today might offset the sins of his old life.

THE HACKER

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Nobody’s ever heard of Fabius Teller, a simple boy born somewhere in Italy to British parents. On the other hand, everyone who knows anything about IT has heard the name Harlock. An invisible Hacker that no one can catch, with great talent and just as much fame. Both Fabius and Harlock aim to bring the great corporations ruining the planet with their reckless policies to their knees. Activist by vocation and Adventurer by necessity, Harlock has gained entrance to many top-secret databases, uncovering secrets that should have remained hidden. Now he can’t just sit and watch, he’s determined to solve the problem at its root. The planet must be saved!

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MERCENARIES

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Mercenaries are people who embody the phrase “it’s just business”. These groups of soldiers without an army or flag sell their service to the best bidder and act as bodyguards or escorts, sometimes even dealing with less savory business. If during your journey you need an armed wing who won’t ask many questions or leave you at the first sign of hardship, mercenaries are what you’re looking for. But don’t expect anything more from them. They might seem like friendly people, but they’re still in it only for the money. Some mercenaries are cheap, some are quite pricey, but take a word of advice: pay them more than your Rival will. You never know with those folks.

THE SERGEANT

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Everyone knows about the great deeds of Sergeant Gabriel Admintorn. About how he discovered this and that Treasure with a hand tied behind his back. It’s not by chance that all stories describe him as a ruthless and efficient guerrilla fighter. In person, Gabriel is an easy-going and amiable guy. He likes making dirty jokes in front of a good beer (and he won’t turn down a bad one either), and he’s nothing but an Adventurer trying to make his fortune. But in truth, Sergeant Admintorn is a great expert of the occult, who devoted his life to his foolish expeditions and won’t hesitate to betray his employers or friends to defend ancient powers... Or get his hands on them.

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THE GRAVE ROBBER

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

The dead hide many secrets, but most importantly they have really no use for the gold that has been buried beside them. These are known facts for the professional grave robber Seleste Okoro, who’s been roaming for years through southern Africa in search of treasure. Local authorities see her as a serial criminal who should be locked in jail for life. But the truth, as always, is more complicated than that. Seleste doesn’t steal for her gain (not always at least), but to aid families and villages in need. She aims to preserve local culture and tribal traditions and doesn’t want to see them buried and forgotten like the tombs she steals from.

THE BLOGGER

ACTION GUTS Knowledge society Wild crime

Most young Adventurers know and frequent the Flying Explosive Monkey blog, born from the work of an intrepid reporter. The actual flying explosive monkey behind the blog is a British bloke by the name of Francis Clarke. He’s an interesting dude, with a true mania for all things supernatural. His articles that almost look like fiction have quickly earned him the respect of his peers and the rep of being a lunatic who’ll probably end up dead sooner rather than later. Whether the legends are true or not, the only thing that’s sure is that the Flying Explosive Monkey will be the first in line to get an answer!

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PILOT INTO THE STORM

THE FIRST STEP Look at you! Happily strutting about with your backpack on and your feet almost dancing with your eagerness to start. Now I’m really out of tips and tricks, all that’s left is for you to go out there and show the World what you’re made of. Why are you still here? Are you having a moment of hesitation? The World is huge, the Story never-ending and the Treasure beyond imagination. It’s true that the first step is the hardest one. But not to worry: here’s an Adventure ready to be played. A Pilot to start you off on your great journey. In the next few pages, you’ll find everything you need to play without needing too much preparation or information. All you need to do is choose an Adventurer, define your context and... well. That’s all!

ON-DEMAND EPISODES

The introductory Pilot doesn’t take place in a specific time or place. It just happens. That’s because this Pilot is an On-Demand Episode, a structure with no context you can mold to any story and any circumstance. In future expansions, like BROKEN COMPASS: GOLDEN AGE, you can find whole On-Demand Seasons! Those are Seasons made of a number of Episodes you can either play as stand-alones or one after the other, specifically planned to adapt to your own Adventure. In On-Demand Episodes, the Context is made up of variables you can easily change: the Rival, the Treasure and the Locations. You and your friends can choose all of these freely. For example, you won’t find instructions such as “this Episode takes place in a pre-Colombian temple lost in the jungle”. Instead, you might read that the Episode begins in some RUINS at the heart of a WILD PLACE.

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You and your friends will need to decide if the RUINS are a castle or a lost submarine, and if the WILD PLACE is a snowy mountaintop or the bottom of the ocean! The Adventure is yours and yours alone, nobody can write it for you. What you need to play is ready to roll, all the prep is done. You just need to unleash your imagination and set the course of your story!

READY-TO-ROLL ADVENTURERS

One of the best ways to set out on the Pilot is to choose which of the ready-toroll Adventurers you want to play as. Each of them was created with the Tags we discussed above, and you can find their Adventurer Sheets at the end of this manual. All ready-to-roll Adventurers, just like any good Adventurer, have no past and no set objective. They only need a couple of Tags, Words to live by and a healthy itch for action! After all Players have chosen their Adventurer, take a seat at the table and go around deciding your goals and your relationships with each other. For example, the first Player might say “I’ve been searching this Treasure for years, found a new lead and decided to hire the others” or “I only know one of my companions and they’re the reason I’m here”. You only need a short, clear sentence to decide your relationship with the other Adventurers for the moment. Before going on, let’s take a look at the four Adventurers in the next pages.

INTO THE STORM

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JAKE O'DONNELL

DAREDEVIL ACTION HERO

DONNIE "DIDI " DALTON OLD CHEATER WINGMAN

“I’ve been through worse!”

“Two in the hand...”

If you like the adrenaline rush and prefer to act first, think later, Jake is the right Adventurer for you! Put on a grin and take out your gun.

If you like having the situation under control and think you can talk your way out of anything, Didi is your man. Grab a cigar and get ready with the “I told you so”.

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DR. LAURA BENOIT

CALEB STONE

EXPLORER PROFESSOR

HUNK SOLDIER

“You must finish what you started”

“No one gets left behind”

If you feel like the only way to have a job well done is to do it yourself, and you shouldn’t speak about what you haven’t studied, Dr Benoit is ready for you. Follow the compass, find the answers.

If you think you can wrestle with any problem and you know how to find your way around a jungle armed with just a knife and an attitude, choose Stone.

INTO THE STORM

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DEFINE THE CONTEXT All On-Demand Episodes are designed to be adaptable within any story and be played either as stand-alones or as part of a Season. This allows you to always have a few hours of game ready to go without needing to prepare much beforehand! To help you tailor all On-Demand Episodes to your Adventure, you will find that they have an established structure but no context. We define context as the sum of the details that make your story unique. By defining the context once you’re all at the table, you can modify the Episode an infinite amount of times for all styles and preferences. Some details regarding the context are chosen by all players, as we discussed in Section 5, and they’re usually those that only need to be defined once for the whole Season: where and when, the Treasure, your Rival. Other elements, on the other hand, will only come into play for some Episodes, and as such it’s best if the Fortune Master decides what they are to avoid spoilers. Once all is decided and everyone is satisfied, the Fortune Master is in charge of summing up everything you’ve decided and trying to tell the story that brought the Adventurers together in this journey. Sit tight: the Episode is about to begin!

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INTO THE STORM The last ad has aired. The opening credits are about to roll. The Adventure is starting. Go to the next page only if you’re going to be the Fortune Master, because from here on you’ll find the script for an On-Demand Pilot with the title Into the Storm. To play this Episode you need to establish:

THE ERA: For now, it may be best to stick with the 1999 theme but if

you feel knowledgeable enough, you are free to explore History. THE TREASURE: You’re clearly not finding it today, but it’s best if you know what you’re looking for before you set off on your quest. THE RIVAL: Who else is interested in the Treasure? More importantly, what Cronies can they rely on? Did they hire an army of mercenaries or a gang of rogues? THE WILD PLACE: The heart of the Amazonian forest, the snowy peaks of Nepal, the Sahara Desert. Any hard to reach and explore location filled with dangers is good enough! THE ANCIENT RUINS: A cursed temple, a looming castle, a buried pyramid. Any building from a distant past. THE KEY: A ring, an amulet, a book, a statuette: in brief, any physical object that might be needed to open the way to the Treasure. THE MAP: A piece of paper or parchment or any other artifact that holds the information one would need to reach the place where the Treasure is hidden or, just as often, to another map, which will lead to another, and so on... After you answer these few questions, you are ready to turn the page and set off on your Adventure. If you have no set ideas, don’t worry. After the Pilot you will find a small present: an entire Context ready to be played titled The Quetzalcoatl’s fury. The plan’s ironclad! INTO THE STORM

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SCENE 1 - SHELTER, WILD PLACE: - INT/DAY

There’s a storm coming. The Adventurers’ car stops in front of a solitary shelter in the middle of a WILD PLACE. They have the KEY and they’re looking for someone who can interpret it. CUT The Adventurers are squeezed into the old shelter. On the other side of the table, an Old man with a weathered face is pouring himself a drink, ignoring them. If they try to speak to him, he answers calmly, but in some lost language. When the Adventurers give him the KEY, the Old man studies it with his hands. Only then he speaks some strained words you understand. OLD MAN Where... Where did you find this? His blind eyes pierce through the Adventurers without seeing them. A single tear runs down his cheek. His shelter is dusty and cluttered: he’s clearly been alone here for a long time. Outside the small room, the storm is picking up. OLD MAN After so many years. How many have died for this KEY? Many friends of mine... He pauses. He grasps the hand of the closest Adventurer in distress, pushing the KEY back into their grasp. He doesn’t let go but looks them straight in the eye. OLD MAN You’re in great danger. You must go, quick! The KEY will open the way. Take it to... There’s a loud clap of thunder. The Old man’s eyes widen as he stutters and falls to the ground. A bullet has hit him in the back. Soon after, a hail of bullets pierces the shelter walls [2 BASIC Dangers]. A group of armed men and heavy-duty vehicles is closing in at the same pace as the storm. The RIVAL’s cronies. The Adventurers need to get the KEY and run.

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SCENE 2 - WILD PLACE: - EXT/DAY

Not a minute to breathe. The Adventurers need to reach their vehicle as soon as possible if they hope to escape their pursuers. You can all feel the storm curling the hair on your neck, the air is filled with lead and tension. CRONIES Don’t let them get away! Get that KEY! They have several vehicles and all look heavily armed. They split into two groups and try to attack the Adventurers from both left and right [2 CRITICAL Enemies]. The driver won’t just need to get you all out of there, but also avoid getting the vehicle stranded in the wilderness [+1 BASIC Danger: your Vehicle is at stake here]. If the Adventurers find themselves stranded and on foot, they each have one Disadvantage on all tasks against their pursuers. After 3 rounds of chase, or after all Enemies have been defeated, the storm hits the Adventurers. The conditions become so hostile it’s almost impossible to communicate. Passing through the storm is a tough feat [3 BASIC Dangers] and the Adventurers need to be wary of the obstacles they find along the way, as well of the danger of being swept away by the wind. As the storm progresses, it becomes unbearable and anything that is not firmly anchored to the ground will be lifted and scattered along the way as if it fell from the sky. After 2 rounds or after an Adventurer uses a Luck Coin, the situation rapidly goes downhill. The Adventurers, or at least one of them, seems to slip and the ground crumbles under their feet, opening up a sinkhole. The unlucky ones plunge several feet to the ground and feel BROKEN by the fall. Anyone left on the surface has little choice but to jump down to avoid being taken by the storm [BASIC Challenge]. Falling into this large underground cave has taken the Adventurers to a place that seems safe from both the storm and the enemies, so they can all recover their Luck.

INTO THE STORM

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SCENE 3 - ANCIENT RUINS: - INT/DAY The huge cave goes further into the depth of the WILD PLACE. A careful Adventurer [BASIC Challenge] can spot that the walls of the cave are natural, but its floor has been leveled by human hands. As they walk, the Adventurers can hear the storm roaring above them. Only someone with a deathwish would go out now. As they go on, watching their step on the rough terrain, the Adventurers come face to face with the entrance to some ANCIENT RUINS. The wide archway that once led into the ruins has collapsed over time and is now just a pile of rubble, but on the stones is still barely visible the same symbol that you find on the KEY: could this be the place the Old man was talking about? By analyzing the way the rubble is scattered [BASIC Challenge], you realize the ANCIENT RUINS have been demolished by someone. It looks as if they tried to bury a dangerous secret forever, or maybe prevent someone from getting in or out. You need to find a way to make it through the rubble, whether climbing over or digging under it: either way, you really need to roll up your sleeves [CRITICAL Challenge]. CUT Beyond the rubble, the ANCIENT RUINS continue with a long hallway. On the flaking walls you see repeated the same symbol that is on the KEY. Under one of these symbols there’s the skeleton of a man that left one last message from the past. MESSAGE This is the end. Nobody will find the TREASURE. I will die here with this terrible curse. It seems the man died of hunger or an illness. From there on the ANCIENT RUINS go ever deeper and the rooms get ever wider. Darkness falls quickly and without a light source the Adventurers will suffer one Disadvantage to any tasks. At the end of the hallway the ceiling disappears above you and the floor drops abruptly into a ravine. Peering over the edge, you can barely see the bottom. Reaching the other side with a jump might not be impossible [EXTREME Danger], but there has to be a safer way forward. On the wall

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you find an old mechanism. Once you manage to put it into action, the earth seems to tremble and from the ravine comes a stone walkway, held by a single central pillar. On the closer end of the bridge a sharp eyed Adventurer might notice [BASIC Challenge] a faded engraving. If the Adventurers manage to translate it [CRITICAL Challenge] it reads something like this: ETCHING Abandon your friends and family. This is a very precious CLUE. To proceed safely, the Adventurers must go one at a time. If two or more people step on the bridge at the same time, the walkway will begin to spin on its fulcrum and sharp blades will emerge from the floor [2 CRITICAL Dangers] Furthermore, anyone holding a light source risks letting it fall [+1 BASIC Danger. Your light source is at stake here]. If the Adventurers get the CLUE and proceed one at a time, they can all easily avoid the trap. At least, all but one. The bridge is very old and battered and the mechanism has been still for centuries. When the last Adventurer crosses it not only do all traps trigger out of order, but the whole structure starts falling under their feet. [3 CRITICAL Dangers]. CUT The ANCIENT RUINS run downward, deeper and deeper. Without a flashlight, the path proceeds in complete darkness. The Adventurers can’t stop to catch their breath: clearly the ANCIENT RUINS could crumble any moment, and the storm’s wails penetrate through the cracks in the walls. The only way out is forward. Another large hallway takes them to a small round room.

INTO THE STORM

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SCENE SCENE 4 - TREASURE CHAMBER: - INT/DAY The abandoned chamber contains a large brazier and all you need to light a fire. Once it has been lit, the flames go forward in a maze of small drains that spread across the walls, lighting the chamber from all sides with a spiral of fire. The circles of light drawn on the floor converge towards a single place: a stone pedestal branded with the same symbol from the KEY. Now that it has been lit, the chamber appears well preserved. Along the walls and on the floor lie a multitude of dusty skeletons. Carefully analyzing the remains [CRITICAL Challenge], you can see that they’ve all been killed from behind by other people, maybe the same ones that destroyed the entrance to the ANCIENT RUINS. It looks like they really wanted to prevent the TREASURE being discovered by anyone. Among the skeletons, one still has a dagger stuck between its vertebrae and lies on the floor in a strange position. It appears to be holding a hand to its mouth. If an Adventurer decides to search the skeleton’s bag, they risk being SCARED (or ASHAMED, depending on the reaction) after they put their hand on a large insect [CRITICAL Cool Challenge] After a moment of shock, somebody can notice a message held between the teeth of the skeleton. This is a CLUE regarding the TREASURE. CLUE Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Breaking the light beam where it strikes the ground has no effect. The spiraling light is a hard CLUE showing where you should NOT step to remain safe. To reach the other side safely, Adventurers need to step only in the shadows. To make it through the largest circle, they only need a little caution. If one foot is set in the light, it triggers the first trap and two large scythes come out of the walls, swinging like pendulums back and forth before lodging back in their nooks [2 CRITICAL Dangers] The closer you get to the pedestal, the closer the circles get to one another, and the less shade you have to step in. You must proceed with great caution [CRITICAL Stealth Challenge] to avoid stepping on the wrong spot. If an Adventurer sets

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foot in the light, they’ll be enveloped for a couple of seconds in a line of flames sprouting from the pedestal [1 CRITICAL Danger] and will need to be careful not to drop the KEY [+1 BASIC Danger. Your grip on the KEY is at stake here]. On top of the pedestal there’s a dusty hole that, once cleaned, appears to be in the shape of the KEY. After inserting the KEY, the ANCIENT RUINS shudder and rock fragments fall from the walls. Ten small gems reach the surface of the pedestal, each of a different color. The only way to open the lock is pressing on the gems in the right order. The combination is “Blue. Green. Red. Yellow.” and can be understood from the CLUE. If the Adventurers insert the wrong combination, flames rise again on the pedestal. Once the right combination has been inserted, the pedestal lowers into the floor together with the KEY and the gems. The chamber shudders as if there were an earthquake. The ceiling unfurls like petals of a flower. Large pieces of stone crash to the floor. The storm lashes down furiously into the chamber and anyone who doesn’t manage to hold on tight is at risk of being blown against a wall and losing their equipment [3 BASIC Dangers. Failing all three means losing both Bag and Backpack]. Seeping through long fissures in the walls, the storm winds activate another heavy mechanism that pushes up a second pedestal and shuts the ceiling overhead. On the golden pedestal there’s another precious artifact: a cryptic MAP that will lead to the TREASURE. And in that moment, dozens upon dozens of armed men barge into the chamber. Their ranks open to let through their leader, the RIVAL. RIVAL Why, thank you. I guess I’ll take this. End of the Episode.

INTO THE STORM

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THE QUETZALCOATL'S FURY CONTEXT FOR "INTO THE STORM " ERA: 1999 WILD PLACE: Mexican jungle ANCIENT RUINS: Quetzalcoatl buried pyramid KEY: A golden dagger with a Quetzalcoatl effigy TREASURE: Montezuma’s gold RIVAL: Julio Romero, former army colonel dishonorably discharged for his crimes

The Adventurers start the Pilot seated on a jeep struggling to proceed into the jungle. They somehow got a hold of a golden dagger with an effigy of the plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl and believe this is the key to find Montezuma’s gold from the legends. One of their contacts assured them that the only person that can help them decipher the engravings on the dagger is an old hermit living far from civilization. After hours spent going around in circles until the tank is almost empty, the Adventurers glimpse the humble red and yellow tent where they hope to find some answers. The sky is getting dark fast, heralding the incoming rain. Outside of the tent there’s a small, empty garden. Inside there’s a strong smell of tobacco coming from a handmade cigar in the hands of an old native man. The old man only speaks an obscure Uto-Aztecan language. When the Adventurers ask him questions, he only emits unintelligible grunts while grinning annoyingly. He is completely blind but doesn’t show it since he’s completely at home in his tent. As soon as he touches the dagger, he stammer out something regarding the Quetzalcoatl before being brutally murdered by a bullet through the back. The ones who opened fire are soldiers, wearing the typical green uniform of the Mexican army and driving military trucks with the insignia of a black

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lightning bolt. An Adventurer who knows the location well can easily recognize the rebel unit lead by a war criminal, former colonel Julio Romero. Six military grade trucks follow the Adventurers, three on their left, three on the right, while the rain starts beating down on them heavily, adding even more complications to the winding jungle road. After a few seconds, the rain becomes a true tropical storm, falling on the Adventurers like a load of bricks and luckily collapsing the ground under their feet into a natural cave where they find the ruins of an ancient pyramid dedicated to Quetzalcoatl. The skeletons inside the temple are those of Spanish Conquistadors, who seem to have killed each other. Apparently, they had found the hiding place of Montezuma’s gold but, maybe scared by the curse placed upon it, they turned against one another. It seems some of the Conquistadors killed the others and later collapsed the entrance to the pyramid to make sure the gold would never be found. The Map to Montezuma’s gold is a stone coin large as a man’s hand. On one side it shows the face of Quetzalcoatl, and on the other there are two mountains with a river snaking between them. Carefully examining the coin, you notice a deep golden chink running through it like a lightning bolt and pointing to a location in the middle of a mountain.

INTO THE STORM

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I am JAKE

O’DONNELL

Call me if you n e e d a DAREDEVIL Plac es I call Home



IRELAND

ACTION HERO U.S.A.

BRASIL

H eritag e Home lan d Workplac e

I’ve been through worse! Words to live by

LEADERSHIP

LUCK

co

in

Luc

FIGHT

k

ACTION

1

STUNT

GUTS COOL

I FEEL

DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE

POWERFUL

+

DARING

ACTION

BLEEDING

¯

+

GUTS

SHOCKED

¯

FOCUSED

+

KNOWLEDGE

DIZZY

¯

CONFIDENT

+

SOCIETY

FIERCE

+

WILD

BROKEN

¯

UNTOUCHABLE +

CRIME

SCARED

¯

HEIGHTS HEROISM PISTOL

EMBARRASSED ¯



+



¯



+



¯

EXPERTISE

OBSERVATION

WILD SCOUT SURVIVAL TOUGH

WEAPONS & GEAR PISTOL

Allows you to shoot

GRAPPLING HOOK

With attached rope. Can be hooked to climb or swing

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Pockets

Backpack

Knife

Pistol

SCARS AND EXPERIENCES

Bag

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Pockets Bag Backpack

2

Mags

/2

/2

/9

I am DONNIE

“DIDI” DALTON

Call me if you n e e d a OLD Plac es I call Home

CHEATER WINGMAN

L AKOTA

U.S.A.

BRASIL

H eritag e Home lan d Workplac e

Two in the hand...



Words to live by

FIGHT

k

ACTION

in

Luc

LUCK

LEADERSHIP

co

1

STUNT

GUTS COOL

I FEEL

DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE

POWERFUL

+

DARING

ACTION

BLEEDING

¯

+

GUTS

SHOCKED

¯

FOCUSED

+

KNOWLEDGE

DIZZY

¯

CONFIDENT

+

SOCIETY

FIERCE

+

WILD

BROKEN

¯

UNTOUCHABLE +

CRIME

SCARED

¯

CONTRABAND LIES LOCKPICKING

EMBARRASSED ¯



+

OLD



+



SUPPORT

¯ ¯

EXPERTISE

OBSERVATION

WEAPONS & GEAR

WILD SCOUT SURVIVAL TOUGH

PISTOL

Allows you to shoot

STRAW HAT

protects from the sun

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Pockets Obsession is a weakness (E)

Backpack

Lighter Cigar

Lockpicks Flask Binoculars SCARS AND EXPERIENCES

INTO THE STORM

Bag

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Pistol

Pockets Bag Backpack

Mags

2

2

/2

/2

/9

I am DR.

LAURA BENOIT

Call me if you n e e d a EXPLORER Plac es I call Home



FRANCE

PROFESSOR

CANADA

FRANCE

H eritag e Home lan d Workplac e

You must finish what you started Words to live by

LEADERSHIP

LUCK

co

in

Luc

FIGHT

k

ACTION

1

STUNT

GUTS COOL

I FEEL

DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE

POWERFUL

+

DARING

ACTION

BLEEDING

¯

+

GUTS

SHOCKED

¯

FOCUSED

+

KNOWLEDGE

DIZZY

¯

CONFIDENT

+

SOCIETY

FIERCE

+

WILD

BROKEN

¯

UNTOUCHABLE +

CRIME

SCARED

¯

ARCHAEOLOGY ORIENTEERING CLIMBING

EMBARRASSED ¯



+



¯



+



¯

EXPERTISE

OBSERVATION

WILD SCOUT SURVIVAL

WEAPONS & GEAR PISTOL

Allows you to shoot

TOUGH

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Pockets

Backpack

Compass

Diary Map Archaeological tools SCARS AND EXPERIENCES

Bag

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Pistol

Pockets Bag Backpack

2

Mags

/2

/2

/9

I am CALEB

STONE

Call me if you n e e d a HUNK Plac es I call Home

SOLDIER

SAMOA

U.S.A.

FRANCE

H eritag e Home lan d Workplac e

No one gets left behind



Words to live by

FIGHT

k

ACTION

in

Luc

LUCK

LEADERSHIP

co

1

STUNT

GUTS COOL

I FEEL

DRIVE SHOOT

KNOWLEDGE CULTURE FIRST AID TECH

SOCIETY CHARM ELOQUENCE

POWERFUL

+

DARING

ACTION

BLEEDING

¯

+

GUTS

SHOCKED

¯

FOCUSED

+

KNOWLEDGE

DIZZY

¯

CONFIDENT

+

SOCIETY

FIERCE

+

WILD

BROKEN

¯

UNTOUCHABLE +

CRIME

SCARED

¯

STRENGTH MILITARY BRAWL

EMBARRASSED ¯



+



¯



+



¯

EXPERTISE

OBSERVATION

WEAPONS & GEAR

WILD SCOUT SURVIVAL TOUGH

REVOLVER

Allows you to shoot

MACHETE

Cuts through the vegetation

CRIME ALERT DEXTERITY STEALTH

Pockets

Backpack

Revolver

SCARS AND EXPERIENCES

INTO THE STORM

Bag

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Pockets Bag Backpack

2

Mags

/2

/2

/9

GOOD LUCK! Look at you. It feels like only yesterday when we met and here we are, each going their way. I’ve shown you all I know. I’ve warned you of the dangers of an Adventure and the greed of your Rivals. Did I teach you anything? No, of course. You know way better than me how to do your work. People like me spend their life doing a lot of things, but you’re an Adventurer. Yours is the privilege to set off on a great journey any time you want. I’ll miss that rebel grin and punchable face, and something tells me you’ll get your share of beatings along the way. You never learn those lessons, do you? That’s why I like you. You’ve read a whole book about wild places, deadly traps, unsolvable riddles, enemy armies, cruel rivals, savage beasts, deep scars, extreme challenges, all that, with just the vague hope of finding a Treasure on the other plate of the scales. But the only thing you heard is “Treasure” and it couldn’t be otherwise. Oh, come on. Don’t pull that face with me, this isn’t goodbye. Here, take this diary with you on your Adventures. This way, if you have any doubts, you’ll find me in there, always by your side. Maybe I’ll be somewhat tattered, but still ready to do my small part. Travel, discover, and act. Remember, whatever happens, eyes on the Treasure and keep going. Your past is an experience now, and your future is in the hands of Lady Luck, but today is yours alone: Adventure is now! Let’s call it quits with platitudes and clichés, we’ve been stalling enough. Go and show the world what you’re made of. Good luck, Adventurer!

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HALL OF FAME Adriano Delle Donne as Adrian Nash Alessio Scaccioni as Alex “ Mimmo” Stacciani Andrea Garrone as Adohorn, il Collezionista Bernardo Tacchini as Bernard “Bernie” Beauregarde Daniel Mulato as Sir Daniel Montague III Fabio Maria Piacentini as Fabius “Harlock” Teller Francesco Chirico as Francis Clarke Francesco Panitti as Francisco “Sisco” Navarro Giacomo Petrucci as Sir William Charles Briggs Giorgio Giuliani as George “Jay” Dreamer Iacopo Ciardelli as The Magnificent Manaraja Paolo Pigozzi as Paul McBear Sabrina Normani as Filomela Redmiller

Thanks to

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THANKS TO _featherweather, _Morg_(Gabriele), 3rik de πrik, 7thPawn, Aaron Buttery, Aaron Sissom, Ackinty, Adam, Adam, Adam Fisher, Adam Coleman, Adam Longley, Adam Stein, AdamDork, Adrian “Eldor” Skowroń, aikar Alain Stephens, Alberto, Alessio, Alex D., Alex Touchette, Alexander, Alexander Pearce, Alexandria Brady, Allan Sugarbaker, Amanda & Eric, Amanda Atkins, ANALOG GAMES, Andrea Andreo Alemanno, Andrea Aparo, Andrea Ceravolo, Andrea Micozzi, Andrea Ortale, Andreas Sewe, Andrew, Andrew Beal, Andrew Carter, Andrew Eugene Mauney, Andrew R H Girdwood, Angus Abranson / Chronicle City, Angus MacDonald, Anna D, Anne Steffens, anonymous1453, Antariuk, Anthony Walker, Anton Belov, Aref Dyer, Arethwyn, Arik Aslanyan, Armin Sykes, Attila Bodor, Austin F, Bachgames, Bapf, Bart Wolles, beckerzs, Beliyah, Ben Phelps, Benedict Daniels, Benjamin Madsen-Larsen, Bill Robertson, Blake Taylor, Brad, Brad Davies, Brian Fitzgerald, Brian Gracey, Brian Koonce, Brian Reeves, Bruce Kroeze, Bryan Botz, Cameron Edinger, Cameron Switzer ,Carl Fredrik Moen, Carlo Cagnazzi, Carroll J Hunter, CB Ash, Cecelia Rafferty, Chad Walter, Chema, Chris Armour, Chris Gath, Chris Giesy, Chris Jahn, Chris S. aka Pepsiman, Christian Knoeppler, Christian Leezer, Christian Lindke, Christian Nord, christine, Christopher Baker, Christopher James, Chuck Dee, Chuck McCalla, Cirlot, CJ Prokop, Clayton Armstrong, Clemens du Bellier, CM Morgado, Cody Grandi, Cole, Commodore Erickson, Conlan Brown, Constantinos Demetriades, Contesse, Corrado Rosen, Craig Griffith, cuco fernandez, Dan Atwell, Dan Culliton, Daniel Lyne, Daniel Nimitz, Daniel Philpin, Daniele, Daniele Provinciali, Danny, Danny Atwood, Dany, Dario Lazzari, Darren Struble, Dasor, Dave Stoeckel, Dávid, David Bythewood, David campbell, David Daniels, David Ford, David Jackson, David Karoski, David Kenny, David Paul Guzmán, David Stephenson, Davide Paoluzzi, Davide Ragona, DD (aka André), Dean Kaneshiro, Denis Gaty, Derek Howard, Devan, Diego, DiPa, Direlda - Kitsune of the Obsidian Order,

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Dmitrii Tretyakov, Domenico Amoroso, Donnie Hanby, Doug “Dhomal” Raas, Douglas Jessup, Drake Sunryder, Drew Laxton, Drew Wendorf, Karl Druid, Dustin Laughlin, Dylan Grozdanich, E Blaine, Edward Kabara, Elenath, Emanuele, Emanuele Pane, Emisario, enrico brunetti, Epic Party Games, Eric, Eric Mette, Eric Schubert, Eric Troup, Erwan Gas, Eva MONGNE-OLIVIER, Ewan Martin, Ewan Spence, Fabiano Ferramosca, Fabio Bottoni, Fabrice Gatille, Federico, Federico Fondacci, Federico Giordano, Felix, Kirchfeld, Ferfer Gimf, Fleo8, Fraiser, Francesco Felici, Francesco Raimondi, Francis Helie, Franz Janson, Frazer Gault, Frederic S. Bacon IV, Frederick Chambers, furstenberger, Gabriel, Gabriel Duden, Gabriel Garcia, Gabriele Albertini, Game Dave, Gareth Morgan, Gareth Wilson, Garrett, Ge Horcht, Geefax, Gentleman Berserker, Gerald Kuster, Giacomo Prudenziati, Gianvito, Gin Boozeby, Giorgio Correnti, Glenn Welser, Gord Cranford, GRAY WOLF’S DEN, Greg Maroda, Gregory Harsh, Gregory Scaux, Guido ‘Maicol’ Campanini, Guoccamolé, Gus Ortega, Guy Lévi-Bochi, Hall Hood, Henry Pfeiffer, hidden traitor, Howard Leather, Hudson Shock, I. J. Betty, Ian, Ian B., Ida, incandescens, irsonjr, J.C. Connors, Jack Gulick, Jack Puppo, Jacob Banda, Jacopo Limonta, jacqui richardson, Jake Cook, Jambolti414, James Callahan, James Hogshead, James Tejeda, jamie, Jason, Jason, Jay B, JediPrzemo, Jeff, Jeff Anderson, Jeff Hessell, Jeff Mone, Jeff Workman, Jeffrey Kyer, Jekan, Jennifer Maglio, Jens Oliver Murer, Jeremy Allen, Jeremy Cointin, Jeremy Wasik, jesper, Jesse Busch, Jesse Kimmel-Freeman, Jesse Nuñez, Jim Hart, Jim Hohmann. Joachim Jungner, jobreath, John Desmarais, John Taber, Jon, Jon Smejkal, Jon Terry, Jonathan, Jonathan Hardin, Jonathan Harmon, Jörg Hartinger, José Luis Porfírio, Jose Placeres, Joseph Johnson, Joseph Provenzano, Josh, Joshua Gardiner, Joshua Gopal-Boyd, Josiah Ilgenfritz, Jozsef Lorincz, Julen Marcos Santamaría, Julian Aldinger, Justin Batson, Justin Prazen, Kacey3, Kaladin Stormblessed, Kanaris, Karsten Schulmann, Kat Tow, Keith Leonard, Ken Broman, Kenneth Leyden, Kevin Oliver, Kickbacker, Kim Grønvig Hansn, Kirschbaum, Kraig Przybylski, Kuba Markowski, Kurt Ellison, Kurt McMahon, kustenjaeger, Laszlo Stadler, Laura, Laura Sempere, Lawrence Anderson, Leanne Opaskar, Lee Murphy, Leif Mogren, Leó Páll Hrafnsson, Licenser, Lisa Padol, Lisa Wright, Logan Dustin Whitney, Lorenzo Cecalupo, Luca Bacciarelli, Luca Beltrami, Luca Papagna, Luca Zago, Thanks to

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Luigi Coccia, Lukas Kreis, Luke, Lyttleton L Callender, MAC, Mack Schmaltz, Madita, Manlio, Manuel Raza, Marcel Hauptmann, Marco, Marco Camin, Marcus Overtoom, Mario Gauthier, Mark, Mark, Mark Finn, Mark Mekkes, Mark Solino, Mark Tresidder, Markus “Rhylthar” Busse, Markus Plötz, Martin, Martin Legg, Martin Průcha, Martin Rosales, Marty Chodorek, Marvin Langenberg, Mateusz, Matt, Matt Blanchet, Matt Good, Matt Gregory, Matt Holzman, Matt Martinez, Matt Sherman, Matt Wester, Matteo, Matthew B, Matthew Gray, Matthias Bolte, Matthias Janßen, MauriCave, Mauro Longo, Max Moraes, Max Motherway, Maxime Lemaire, MetalBeowulf89, Mgallimore, Michael Knoerzer, Michael Kosmatka, Michael Peter, Michael Schwartz, Michael Stevens, Microberust, Mike F., Mike Ratliff, Mike Trisevic, Mike Welham, Mirco, Miyagiyoda, MK, MMR, MoDragonf lies, MOLINET Régis, Mollie E. Reeder, Mr.Float, Murray Smith, naaba, Nasekunibert, Neale Carter, Nessalantha, Nicholas Clements, Nicholas Robinson, Nick Hopkins, Nicki, Nicolas “Gulix” Ronvel, Nicolò, nilo_core, Obstacle Kid, Oliver Korpilla, Ols Jonas Petter Olsson, Owlglass, P Tracy, pairatime, paolo0083, Patrice Mermoud, Patrick Alan DeMinico, Patrick Flood III, Patrick Romanet, Patrick Schwieren, Patrick Spedding, Paul, Paul Ippolito, Pedro R. Martínez Pérez, Peter Hollinghurst, Peter Lapp, peterwallis, PHedrick, Philip S. Bolger, Phillip Bailey, Phillip McGregor, Piergiuseppe, Pierre Waldfried, Pietro Federico Vergani, PPanda Piriya, Puchisty, Puckett, Questor Thorn, QuirkyAI, R.G., R1artwork, Randall Wall, Randall Wright, randomcitizenx, Rebecca Curran, Rebekkah, René Schultze, Rennarda, Revyl, Richard Barnhouse, Richard Bilsker, Ricky Broome, Rob Wieland, Robert Bull, Robert Cavric, Robert Cosplay, Robert Davis, Robert Murray, Robertgadling, Robineau Olivier, Ross, Ross Nendick, Ross Salerno, Runeslinger, Ryan Bond, Ryan Lester Isaacson, Sablons Paul, Sam Benke, Sam Blanchard, Sam Hing, Sam Steingart, Samantha Leigh, Samuel Larsén, Sandor, Sandrine FOUNGUI, Sarah, Sarah Dillon, Sarah Filkorn, Sarah Hayward,Sarah Williams, Scalpyonekenobi, Schaeffer Tolliver, Scott, Scott Allen, Scott D, Forsyth, Scott Maynard, Scott Rhymer, Sean Donnelly, Sean Jack, Sean McConeghy, Sean Nicolson, Sean Veira, Sean Walsh, Sebastian D., Sebastian Kehrle, Sebastian Padilla, secondrevan, Shane Stewart,

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Sheogorath, Sheri Bryan, Simon Boris Danielsen Christensen, Simone Meconi, Sir Robert Bombalier, SNAKE P., Søren Berthelsen Holm, Stacy Forsythe, Stefano Bichicchi, Stefano Repetto, Stephen Lazenby, Stephen Sale, Steve Arensberg, Steve Parksmith, Steven, Steven Watkins, Stuart Chaplin, SuperDéfi, Tailball, talal alyouha, Taliskerr, Tanner Wilson, Tariq Ghareeb, The Freelancing Roleplayer, The Rangdo of Arg, Thien Duc “Hazenaizel” Tien, Thomas, Thomas Lind Schmidt, Thorsten G., Tiest Vilee, Tim Kings, Tim Rumpel, Timothy Davis, Timothy G Smith, Tobias, Tobias Hadin, Tomás Alarnes Piñeiro, Tony B, Travis Hartland, Travis Smithson, Troy Ellis, Tyler Barnes, Tyler Brunette, Tyrell, Tyron Couch, Valerio F, VAQUIER Franck, Vesala, Victoria Johnsen, Victoria Sieglen, Ville Ojanperä, Volker Weinzheimer, WaspEater, Wes Baker, Will Farman Emigh, Will Triumph, Williams Rodriguez, Wollenberg, Wytchwood, Xavier Spinat, Zachary, Zachary Leonard, Zachary Saragosa, Zachery Bir, Zassimick, Zoltán Déry

Thanks to

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