Alternity and Disclaimer This text in this fast-play rules folder was originally developed by...

Alternity Science Fiction Roleplaying Game

Fast-Play Rules

Introduction and Disclaimer

This text in this fast-play rules folder was originally developed by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. to introduce players to Alternity, their science-fiction roleplaying game. This edition has been altered by a fan for the TV show Cleopatra 2525. This work is offered free of charge to all interested parties and is not to be sold in any form. The Fast-Play Rules are presented as originally written by Bill Slavicsek and Richard Baker, with minor editing and additions by Jeff Ibach, a fan unassociated with Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The enclosed Cleopatra 2525 adventure is solely the work of Jeff Ibach. Alternity is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Cleopatra 2525 is a registered trademark of Studios USA. Wizards of the Coast, Inc and Jeff Ibach are not in any way associated with Studios USA or Renaissance Pictures. This work was not authorized by Wizards of the Coast, Inc., Studios USA or Renaissance Pictures and makes no challenge to their intellectual property. It is Jeff Ibach’s hopes that fans of the TV show Cleopatra 2525 can make use of the rules as presented to play out the Fast-Play adventure on their own and will look into purchas-ing the Alternity Adventure Game Boxed Set (TSR11510) the Alternity Player’s Handbook (2800) and the Gamemaster’s Guide (2801) from Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Wizards of the Coast, Inc.: http://www.wizards.com

Studios USA Cleopatra 2525: http://www.studiosusa.com/cleopatra2525/intro.html

Continuing support for this document and further Cleopatra 2525 game adventures can be found by contacting Jeff Ibach or visiting his Alternity web site.

E-Mail: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.harvestmoon.freeservers.com

PLAY

ER’S

FAS

T-PL

AY R

ULES

GGGGeneral note:eneral note:eneral note:eneral note: When the text refers to a bonus or a penalty of a specific amount (-1 bo-nus, +2 penalty, etc.), the number represents steps on the Situation Die Steps Scale Situation Die Steps Scale Situation Die Steps Scale Situation Die Steps Scale (shown below). For instance, if the situation die is +d4 and a -1 bonus is applied, the

situation die becomes +d0. If a +2 penalty is applied, the situation die becomes +d8. The number does not represent an alteration to the result of a die roll. The number does not represent an alteration to the result of a die roll. The number does not represent an alteration to the result of a die roll. The number does not represent an alteration to the result of a die roll.

PLAYER'S FAST-PLAY RULES This preview version of the Al-ternity® Science Fiction Role-playing Game provides players with a chance to try this new game system without risk or ob-ligation. This special edition has been created to offer fans of the syndicated television se-ries Cleopatra 2525 to play out games set in this far-future set-ting. Afterward, look to the Al-ternity Player's Handbook for all the rules you need to play out adventures in any genre of sci-ence fiction. THE PLAYER'S ROLE As a player, your primary job in any Alternity game is to portray one of the heroes in the story your group decides to play out You could play one of the he-roes from the show or create a new team of your own. The he-roes are the stars of the unfold-ing adventures that make up a Gamemaster's ongoing science fiction campaign. To do this, you need to create a hero -- an imaginary character who serves as your "connection" with the Game-master's setting and the other players' heroes. Your hero starts out as a collection of numbers and descriptive terms; from then on it's up to you to make that hero come alive through roleplaying. By reacting as you think your hero would react and interact-ing with the other characters

using your hero's voice and opinions, you're doing your job as a player. KEY CONCEPTS Let's take a look at the key con-cepts behind the Alternity game. These concepts include basic game mechanics, funda-mental character information, and a few special terms that players need to become famil-iar with. HeroHeroHeroHero: An imaginary character controlled by a player. GamemasterGamemasterGamemasterGamemaster: The participant in the game who acts as the moderator, narrating adven-tures and representing other characters involved in the ad-venture who aren't controlled by the players. Supporting CastSupporting CastSupporting CastSupporting Cast: These are the aforementioned "other charac-ters," including the heroes' friends and enemies, as well as any other characters the he-roes come into contact with. It's important to understand from the start that although the he-roes are the stars of the show, it's possible for members of the supporting cast to be just as powerful as the heroes -- or even more powerful than they are. SettingSettingSettingSetting: The Alternity rules can be used to create adventures in any modern to far-future set-ting. Players and Gamemasters need to decide what type of set-ting they want to use before he-roes are created. A setting can be a modern techno-thriller, a darkly sinister near future mys-

tery, a far-future post apocalyp-tic tragedy, or any other type of science fiction milieu you can imagine. It’s perfectly adapt-able nature lets you easily simulate anything you see on Cleopatra 2525 into game rules. The fast-play adventure pre-sented in the Gamemaster's Fast-Play Rules section of this document takes place in an ac-tion-packed area of the Under-world that’s part of Cleo’s uni-verse. AdventureAdventureAdventureAdventure: A scenario in which the heroes interact with the supporting cast to create a group story. Every adventure is built around a situation (typically a problem the heroes need to solve), and it concludes when the heroes have either achieved their goal or failed to do so. ProfessionProfessionProfessionProfession: Every hero in the Alternity game is built around a profession. A profession is an overarching occupation under which specific careers are grouped. It's the first defining concept associated with a hero. The four basic profes-sions -- Combat Spec, Diplo-mat, Free Agent, and Tech Op -- are introduced in these fast-play rules. AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities: All characters (heroes and members of the supporting cast) have six Abilities. These are Strength, Dexterity, Consti-tution, Intelligence, Will, and Personality. Ability ScoresAbility ScoresAbility ScoresAbility Scores: Each Ability is expressed as a number, called the Ability Score. Each profes-

PLAYER’S FAST-PLAY RULES

sion has two Abilities associ-ated with it. To belong to a pro-fession, a hero must meet the minimum scores in that profes-sion's relevant Abilities. SkillsSkillsSkillsSkills: What's your hero good at doing? This question is an-swered by the skills he pos-sesses. Every Ability and every profession has skills related to it. A hero's proficiency with a skill is expressed as a number, known as the skill score. ActionsActionsActionsActions: When a hero wants to use one of his skills or one of his other characteristics to ac-complish something, he at-tempts an action. There are dif-ferent types of actions, each in-volving the use of different skills and characteristics. DiceDiceDiceDice: When the outcome of an action is in doubt, or when the Gamemaster needs to meas-ure a hero's degree of success, dice are rolled. The Alternity game uses two kinds of dice: a single control die and situation dice of various sizes. The control die and a particular situation die are rolled to deter-mine the outcome of an action. NoteNoteNoteNote: The lower the roll, the better the chance that the hero succeeded in what he tried to do. More information on how to use the dice is given in "Playing the Game" in this section of the document. CLEOPATRA 2525 HEROES Use the fast-play rules in this booklet to learn the key con-cepts of the game. Although it’s possible to play out a number of adventures using just these rules, after you get the hang of things use the full rules as pre-sented in the Alternity Player's Handbook.

1 Profession 1 Profession 1 Profession 1 Profession Four distinct hero professions are available in these fast-play rules.

Combat Specs Combat Specs Combat Specs Combat Specs (short for spe-cialists) are war-riors who rely on physical power and endurance

to supplement their training in the tactics and techniques of battle. Sarge is a good exam-ple of a Combat Spec.

DiplomatsDiplomatsDiplomatsDiplomats are negotiators, managers, deal-makers, mer-chants, clergy, or any others

who use interaction skills and personal resolve to accomplish their jobs. As leader of the team, Hel would make a good Diplomat.

Free Agents Free Agents Free Agents Free Agents are troubleshooters or field opera-tives who rely on agility, interac-tion skills, and

their natural independence to get a job done. They're agents who may be ops for hire, or they may have ties to a specific government or organization, but in general they work better alone or in small groups than as units in a large force. It’s a good bet Cleopatra would make a great Free Agent.

Tech Ops Tech Ops Tech Ops Tech Ops (technical op-eratives) are skilled in the use of particular

equipment or have been spe-cially trained to create or main-tain high-tech equipment. They rely on natural genius, agility, and expert training. Mauser would make a fine Tech Op. Pick a profession that fits the kind of hero you want to play, then select one of the corre-sponding fast-play character templates (Combat Spec, Dip-lomat, Free Agent, or Tech Op). Coming up just before the Ad-venture are the members of Hel’s team translated to Alter-nity game mechanics. Much more detailed versions of these characters are available at the Harvest Moon Web Site. Any of the templates can be used with the fast-play adventure which is included in this booklet.

2 Name 2 Name 2 Name 2 Name Though each character tem-plate has been prepared in ad-vance, you still get to select a name for your hero. Your hero can be male or female, and you can assign any personality you choose. The name you se-lect can reflect the hero's per-sonality or career (such as "Hunter" for a Combat Spec or Free Agent), or it can be the complete opposite of it (such as "Bruiser" for a Diplomat or Tech Op).

3 Ability Scores 3 Ability Scores 3 Ability Scores 3 Ability Scores Every hero has six Abilities. StrengthStrengthStrengthStrength (STR) defines a hero's physical power and prowess. DexterityDexterityDexterityDexterity (DEX) measures the quality of a hero's agility, coor-dination, and reflexes.

PLAY

ER’S

FAS

T-PL

AY R

ULES

ConstitutionConstitutionConstitutionConstitution (CON) describes a hero's overall physical fitness and toughness. IntelligenceIntelligenceIntelligenceIntelligence (INT) indicates a hero's mental quickness and learning ability. WillWillWillWill (WIL) gauges a hero's men-tal fortitude and intuitive capac-ity. PersonalityPersonalityPersonalityPersonality (PER) indicates a hero's social abilities and cha-risma. The fast-play system features only human heroes. Humans have Ability Scores ranging from 4 to 14. UntrainedUntrainedUntrainedUntrained: The "Untrained" score is equal to one-half of the full score, rounded down. Use this score when your hero at-tempts an action that requires a skill he doesn't possess. Resistance ModifiersResistance ModifiersResistance ModifiersResistance Modifiers: Resis-tance modifiers affect the type of dice your hero's opponents roll when confronting your hero. Positive modifiers (such as +1 step) are good for your hero, because they provide a penalty to the opponent; a negative modifier (such as -1 step) is bad, because it makes it easier for your hero's oppo-nent to succeed. Example: A character with a Dexterity score of 11 has a +1 step resistance modifier for that Ability. If an opponent fires a pistol at her, that +1 step is ap-plied as a penalty to the oppo-nent's chance of successfully hitting his target.

4 Action Check 4 Action Check 4 Action Check 4 Action Check A hero's action check score is determined by adding his Dex-terity and Intelligence scores, dividing the sum by 2 (rounding down), then adding a profes-sion bonus. This has already been done on the templates. MarginalMarginalMarginalMarginal, OrdinaryOrdinaryOrdinaryOrdinary, GoodGoodGoodGood, and AmazingAmazingAmazingAmazing are the degrees of success attainable on an ac-tion check. How well you suc-ceed when making an action check determines how soon your hero can take an action. The actions per round number is based on the hero's Constitu-tion and Will scores, and has already been determined for you.

5 Durability5 Durability5 Durability5 Durability The "Durability" section of each character template provides a means for keeping track of any damage your hero might sus-tain over the course of an ad-venture. Your hero's stun and wound ratings are equal to his Constitution score. Your hero's mortal rating is equal to one-half this score, rounded up. As your hero suffers damage during an adventure, mark off open boxes to keep track of how much damage he has sus-tained and how much more he can afford to take. The next section, "Playing the Game," has information about the ef-fects of damage and recover-ing from damage.

6 Skills6 Skills6 Skills6 Skills Each character template has a selection of skills printed on it. There are two kinds of skills,

broad skills and specialty skills. Specialty skills are printed in italic type to differentiate them from broad skills. A character must possess a broad skill to also possess a specialty skill associated with it. If a hero wants to try something but doesn't have the proper skill, he must use his untrained score for the associated Ability. Broad skills have scores equal to their associated Abilities. Specialty skills add their ranks (a measure of improvement) to achieve their scores. All scores are presented with the full score, half that score, and one-quarter that score. This repre-sents the numbers needed to achieve Ordinary, Good, or Amazing successes. Example: A skill score of 12/6/3 means that a roll of 12 or lower represents an Ordinary suc-cess, 6 or lower a Good suc-cess, and 3 or lower an Amaz-ing success. Skill Descriptions This fast-play rules booklet doesn't have enough space to contain details of what a par-ticular skill enables a hero to do. Those details are provided in the Alternity Player's Hand-book. However, for the purpose of learning how the game system works (and for putting heroes through the fast-play adven-ture), complete skill descrip-tions aren't necessary. You and your Gamemaster should have


little trouble determining when a certain skill might come into play. The other section of this book-let -- the Gamemaster's Fast-Play Rules -- does provide spe-cific information on how the first aid skill and the Medical Science skill should be used, because it's important for the Gamemaster to know how he-roes can recover after suffering damage. In other cases, the name of a skill is a pretty strong clue to when and how the skill can be used. For example, a hero with the Resolve broad skill has a form of inner strength that en-ables him or her to withstand or shrug off hardships that other heroes might succumb to, ei-ther of a physical or a mental nature. A hero with the Manipu-lation broad skill is talented at performing actions that require a high degree of eye-hand co-ordination, such as picking a lock. Above all, don't get bogged down in details at this point. What's important is to learn how the game works and to have fun playing a hero.

7 Equipment7 Equipment7 Equipment7 Equipment Each character template in-cludes a selection of equip-ment the hero has access to -- one or more weapons, some type of armor, and other gear. The game data given for weap-ons and armor is explained be-low. The numbers on the line identi-fying a weapon indicate how

much damage the weapon in-flicts on an Ordinary, Good, or Amazing success. This dam-age is either stun (s), wound (w), or mortal (m) damage. On the next line, "Range" gives the distance at which a weapon can strike a target, either "Personal" if physical contact is necessary, or a series of num-bers representing short/medium/long range (in meters) for a weapon that fires projec-tiles or energy beams. The range at which a weapon is used often has an effect on the attacker's chance of hitting the target, as explained in the Ga-memaster's Fast-Play Rules. "Type" refers to the kind of dam-age a weapon inflicts, either low impact (LI), high impact (HI), or energy (En). For armor, the die ranges pre-ceding "LI," "HI," and "En" indi-cate the amount of damage the armor stops when the wearer is hit by a weapon that does this type of damage. If a subtrac-tion from a die roll produces a result less than 1, the armor failed to block any damage on that attack. For personal defense shields generated by the Combat Gauntlet, there will be a num-ber of attacks you can simply ignore until you must start ap-plying the armor rules. Simply mark off one circle each time you are hit. If you use your shield to defend you and some-one next to you, it takes off two points, not one. PLAYING THE GAME The basic rule at the foundation

of the Alternity game is a sim-ple one. Your hero has some important game statistics, in-cluding Ability Scores, skill scores, and his action check score. In many cases, when your hero attempts to accom-plish something, the Game-master asks you to roll dice. You then try to roll a number that's equal to or less than the appropriate score. If you roll higher than your hero's score, your hero fails. Whenever a hero tries to do something that might fail, this dice roll deter-mines if he succeeds. Rolling DiceRolling DiceRolling DiceRolling Dice The Most Important Rule: Not every action requires a dice roll! Your Gamemaster will only call for dice rolls in dramatic situa-tions to determine the success of an action whose outcome is in doubt, or when he or she needs to judge the degree of an action's success. For instance, if your hero wants to walk across a street or carry a small pack, no dice rolls are necessary. But if he wants to cross the street while carrying a wounded companion, being shot at by snipers, and targeted by insane motorists, then the situation is a dramatic one, and dice should be rolled. The Control Die and Situation The Control Die and Situation The Control Die and Situation The Control Die and Situation Dice Dice Dice Dice The Alternity game uses two kinds of dice: a control die and a situation die. Whenever the Gamemaster calls for a dice roll, you roll one control die and one situation die. The numbers

PLAY

ER’S

FAS

T-PL

AY R

ULES

that come up on these dice combine to indicate a success or a failure. When you roll the dice, in game terms you're making a check for your hero -- in effect, "checking" to see how the dice roll compares to one of your hero's scores. If you're comparing the roll to your hero's action check score to see how soon he gets to at-tempt his next action, the roll is an action check. If your hero uses a skill (comparing the roll to his skill score), this roll is a skill check. If you're checking against one of his Ability Scores, then the roll is a feat check. In any case, you're looking to get as low a result as possible-the lower the roll, the better the chance that your hero suc-ceeds at what he's trying to do. The control die is always a 20-sided die (referred to as a d20). The situation die for any par-ticular check is one of the fol-lowing: a four-sided die (d4), a six-sided die (d6), an eight-sided die (d8), a 12-sided die(d12), or a 20-sided die (d20). There's also a d0, a place-holder to represent the situa-tion die in a case where suc-cess is determined by only the roll of the control die. Further, the situation die on any check is designated as either a

plus die or a minus die. A plus die, such as +d4, is bad for the roller, because it tends to pro-duce a higher result. A minus die, such as -d6, is good for the roller, because it helps to achieve a lower result. Add or subtract the situation die from the control die as in-structed by the Gamemaster. If the result is equal to or less than the score related to the hero's action, the action suc-ceeds. If the result is greater than the score, the action fails . The degrees of success are ex-plained later. Example: Your hero wants to make a quick repair to his mo-torcycle so he can stay on the trail of the fleeing criminals. This action is a skill check using your hero's score in the Techni-cal Science-juryrig skill. The Gamemaster tells you to roll the control die and a -d4 (the situation is in your hero's favor, so the d4 roll is subtracted from the d20 roll). Your hero's juryrig skill score is 13. You roll the dice, and the fol-lowing numbers come up: 14 on the control die, 3 on the situation die. The result is 11 (14 - 3 = 11), which is lower than your hero's juryrig score. The action succeeds -- but note that if the situation die had been +d4, or even +d0, the 14 on the control die would have made the outcome a failure, because 14 is greater than your hero's score.

Situation Die Steps Situation Die Steps Situation Die Steps Situation Die Steps The Situation Die Steps Scale has been designed to help you quickly determine what situa-tion die to roll with the control die. It's printed below and on the hero sheet. Your Gamemaster tells you what bonus or penalty your hero receives when you make a roll to see if your hero can per-form a certain action. A +1 step situation penalty means you start with your hero's base situation die (see the sidebar below) and move one step in the "Penalty" direc-tion to find the die you'll be roll-ing. For instance, if your hero's base situation die for an action is +d4, then a +1 step situation penalty changes the die to +d6. A -2 step situation bonus means you find your hero's base situation die on the scale and move two steps in the "Bonus" direction. For example, if your hero's base situation die for an action is +d4, then a -2 step situation bonus changes the die to -d4. The Base Situation Die The Base Situation Die The Base Situation Die The Base Situation Die Before you can use the Situa-tion Die Steps Scale, you need to know where to start on the scale. That starting point is known as the base situation die. For a skill check involving a broad skill or a feat check, the base situation die is +d4 -- roll


the control die and a d4, add-ing the results together. For a skill check involving a specialty skill or an action check, the base situation die is +d0 -- just roll the control die. If your Gamemaster tells you to apply a bonus or a penalty to your hero's situation die, start at the base point and move the proper number of steps in the correct direction to determine which situation die to roll. Degrees of SuccessDegrees of SuccessDegrees of SuccessDegrees of Success Every dice roll has one of five possible results: Critical Fail-ure, Failure, Ordinary success, Good success, or Amazing suc-cess. The lower your dice roll, the greater the degree of suc-cess your hero achieves. The three numbers associated with every skill score and ac-tion check score (the base score and two smaller num-bers), represent the dividing points between the degrees of success. Regardless of what number comes up on the situa-tion die, a roll of 20 on the con-trol die always produces a Critical Failure. Generally, this means that some sort of bad luck has befallen the hero, and no matter how high his skill score is, this particular action doesn't succeed. A result greater than the base score (as we've already ex-plained) is a Failure. A result equal to or less than the score is an Ordinary success; equal to or less than the second num-ber is a Good success; and a result equal to or less than the smallest of the three numbers is an Amazing success.

On the character templates in this booklet, the "Action Check Score" line begins with a num-ber that represents a Marginal result. A hero can't get a Fail-ure or a Critical Failure out-come when he makes an ac-tion check; if the dice roll yields a number greater than his ac-tion check score, the "Failure" is considered to be a Marginal result instead. ScenesScenesScenesScenes Every adventure your Game-master sets up is built out of scenes. A scene is a distinct episode that has a clear begin-ning and ending. The three types of scenes are combat, encounter, and challenge. A combat scene lasts from the start of a battle to its conclu-sion. An encounter scene lasts from the moment characters meet to when they part com-pany. A challenge scene lasts as long as it takes the heroes to identify the challenge, and then overcome it or be defeated by it. Action RoundsAction RoundsAction RoundsAction Rounds For the purpose of determining who acts when in a scene, every scene is divided into ac-tion rounds. During an action round, every hero performs one or more actions. Each round is divided into four phases. Each phase corre-sponds to one of the degrees of success: Amazing, Good, Ordi-nary, and Marginal, in order from the first phase to the last. Each hero can attempt only one action in a phase. To determine who acts first in a

round, every participant makes an action check by rolling a d20. The result determines the earliest phase in which a char-acter can act. So, if a hero rolls a Good action check, the earli-est phase he can act in is the second, or Good, phase. All actions in a phase are con-sidered to occur simultane-ously, with the results of those actions being applied at the end of the phase. Your hero can act in as many phases as he has actions per round: two actions per round means he can act in up to two phases of a round. But if an ac-tion check result indicates that your hero can't act until the Marginal phase, then he can only act once in the round (in the Marginal phase). Example: Your hero has an ac-tion check score of 11 and two actions per round. At the begin-ning of a round, the Gamemas-ter calls for action checks. If you roll a 5 (a Good success for a score of 11), the earliest phase in which your hero can act is the Good phase. Since he has two actions, he can act once in the Good phase and once in the Ordinary phase, or he can save his second action for the Marginal phase. If you roll a 13 (a Marginal suc-cess), your hero can't act until the Marginal phase (the last phase of the round). In this case, he can only act once, los-ing his second action because he didn't react quickly enough. DamageDamageDamageDamage Heroes lead challenging and

PLAY

ER’S

FAS

T-PL

AY R

ULES

sometimes dangerous lives. Eventually, your hero is going to suffer damage. As indicated on the character templates, damage in the fast-play system comes in three forms: stun, wound, mortal, and fatigue Stun DamageStun DamageStun DamageStun Damage Stun damage is the lightest type of damage your hero can sustain. It represents shocks and bruises that rattle a hero but don't result in lasting inju-ries. When your hero suffers stun damage, mark off one stun box for each point of stun dam-age she sustained in the phase that just ended. KnockoutKnockoutKnockoutKnockout: When all of her stun boxes are marked, your hero is knocked out and can perform no actions until she recovers. Wound DamageWound DamageWound DamageWound Damage Wound damage Wound dam-age is more serious than stun damage. It represents injuries that cause lasting harm to the body. When your hero receives wound damage, mark off one wound box for each point of wound damage he sustained in the phase that just ended. Secondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary Damage: Wound damage causes secondary stun damage. For every 2 points of wound damage in-flicted on your hero, he also re-ceives 1 point of stun damage. Mortal DamageMortal DamageMortal DamageMortal Damage Mortal damage Mortal damage is the most severe form of dam-age. It represents massive inju-ries to vital body parts. When your hero receives mortal dam-age, mark off one mortal box for each point of mortal dam-

age she sustained in the phase that just ended. Secondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary Damage: Mortal damage causes secondary stun damage and wound dam-age. For every 2 points of mor-tal damage inflicted on your hero, she also receives 1 point of wound and 1 point of stun. DazedDazedDazedDazed: Mortal damage takes a toll on a hero immediately. For every mortal box marked, your hero receives a +1 step situa-tion penalty to any actions she attempts. DeathDeathDeathDeath: When all of your hero's mortal boxes are marked off, she dies. RecoveryRecoveryRecoveryRecovery How your hero recovers from damage depends on his condi-tion (conscious or knocked out) and the type of damage he has suffered. • Stun damage is fleeting. It disappears at the end of a scene. It can be repaired dur-ing a scene by the use of Knowledge-first aid, Medical Science, or some other form of medical treatment. • Wounds remains until it is healed with rest and/or medical attention. • Mortal damage requires the Medical Science-surgery skill and extensive medical atten-tion to repair. • Knockout: In the fast-play rules system, assume that if a hero is knocked out from stun damage, he remains uncon-scious for the rest of the round

in which he was knocked out and all of the following round. At the start of the round after that, he recovers 1 stun point and awakens. If a character is knocked out from wound damage, he can't awaken until at least 1 point of his wound damage is healed. READY TO GO? Now that you understand how the basic structure of the Alter-nity game works, you're ready to send your hero into action. You'll probably be going through the adventure pre-sented in the Gamemaster's Fast-Play Rules (the other half of this document), but if your Gamemaster has experience in designing original adventures, he may have something else planned for you and your com-panions. Is there something that doesn't seem as clear as it should? Sometimes you can solve a problem by simply rereading the section of text that's giving you trouble. Often, an even easier way to clear things up is to jump right in -- sit down with your friends, get an adventure under way, and start rolling dice. It won't be long before you'll start to see how the game system works.


SO YOU WANT TO BE THE GAMEMASTER? This section of the fast-play rules document provides an overview of the Gamemaster's role in an Alternity game. It contains a short adventure that you can use to introduce your players to the game and famil-iarize yourself with moderating a roleplaying session. The Player's Fast-Play Rules, which you need to read first, presents the bare bones of the rules system. Read that section of the document if you haven't done so, and then come back here. What doesWhat doesWhat doesWhat does a Gamemaster do? a Gamemaster do? a Gamemaster do? a Gamemaster do? Basically, he presents adven-tures for the players to run their heroes through (think of the Gamemaster as “Voice”), and acts as the moderator of the rules. In this section of the fast-play rules document, you'll find an introduction to the Alternity game that can get you off to a good start for your first game session. The Role of the Gamemaster As the Gamemaster, you have a number of jobs to handle dur-ing and between game ses-sions. Unlike other types of games that have strict rules and deal with limited situations, a roleplaying game such as the Alternity game is as wide open as the players' imaginations. For this reason, the presence of a game moderator to act as referee, story designer, and

narrator is essential. The players interact with each other and the game environ-ment through the actions of their characters, the heroes. The Gamemaster describes each scene, directs the action, and plays the roles of the sup-porting cast members -- vil-lains, allies, and extras who in-habit the campaign world. However, the Gamemaster isn't competing against the players. When the Gamemaster and the players get together to tell a fun and exciting group story, every-body wins. That's the power and appeal of role playing. KEY CONCEPTSKEY CONCEPTSKEY CONCEPTSKEY CONCEPTS Let's take a look at some of the key concepts behind moderat-ing the Alternity game. Some of these terms have also been de-fined in the Player's Fast-Play Rules, but they're repeated here for the sake of complete-ness within this section. GamemasterGamemasterGamemasterGamemaster: The participant in the game who acts as the moderator, narrating adven-tures and controlling charac-ters who are involved in the story but aren't under the direct control of the players. HeroHeroHeroHero: An imaginary character controlled by a player. Supporting CastSupporting CastSupporting CastSupporting Cast: The other characters who appear in every story: friends, enemies,

and incidental characters whom the heroes interact with. Members of the supporting cast are controlled by the Ga-memaster. SettingSettingSettingSetting: The imaginary context and environment within which the heroes interact with situa-tions. Using the Alternity game rules, any modern to far future science fiction setting can be created. In this document we explore the possibilities of play-ing out Cleopatra 2525 adven-tures. AdventureAdventureAdventureAdventure: A scenario in which the heroes interact to create a group story. As Gamemaster, you present an opening situa-tion or scene (called the "trigger"). The rest of the adven-ture unfolds through the actions of the heroes (as dictated by their players) and the modera-tion of the Gamemaster (through story events and the supporting cast). CampaignCampaignCampaignCampaign: A continuing series of adventures that takes place in a single setting and focuses on the same group of heroes. A campaign can be finite, ending after as many adventures as necessary to tell the complete story; or it can be an ongoing tale, progressing like a televi-sion or comic book series. Group StoryGroup StoryGroup StoryGroup Story: While a regular story, such as found in a movie or a book, features a set begin-ning, middle, and ending, a

GAM

EMAS

TER’

S FA

ST-P

LAY

RULE

S

group story is more dynamic. The Gamemaster has an out-line that provides a series of encounters and events, and a few possible ways the adven-ture could end. The dynamic comes from the group -- the players and Gamemaster -- who determine the course of the story and its outcome through the interaction of their imaginary characters. In a group story, no one -- not even the Gamemaster -- knows ex-actly how it all will end. Game SessionGame SessionGame SessionGame Session: One distinct period of game play; a time when you gather your friends to play the Alternity game. Some adventures can be completed in a single session; others might require several sessions to reach a conclusion. PRESENTING AN ADVENTURE A roleplaying game's action takes place in an adventure, or mission. Within its structure, the participants create the group story. The Gamemaster's role in the adventure centers around presenting and narrat-ing the story, portraying sup-porting cast members, and moving the story along at a sat-isfying pace. Whether you use published adventures (such as Cauldron Station, presented at the end of this section) or you create your own epics, the Ga-memaster's role remains the same. NarrationNarrationNarrationNarration The heroes can't perform he-roic actions or daring deeds in a vacuum. They need to be in-volved in a story during which they act, react, and create a

fulfilling tale. A story consists of a beginning, a middle, and an end, and each story should be filled with conflicts and goals-in other words, obstacles for the heroes to overcome and objec-tives for them to achieve. It's up to the Gamemaster to have the basics of a story ready when the game session begins. Remember, though, that the story will be completed by the group-through the actions of the heroes and their interaction with your supporting cast. The heroes play an important part in determining how a story takes shape, and you should make swarthier decisions play a part in the process. You must develop a basic plot (or use a plot from a published product), provide motivations and objectives for the heroes, and have an exciting idea for the ending. A plot requires enough background material so that the story feels like it fits the campaign setting. Other

elements that make a good ba-sic plot include a major antago-nist (the villain), the antago-nist's nefarious scheme, and motivations to make the heroes want to get involved. These ele-ments come together in the ad-venture's opening scene-called the trigger. The Cleopatra 2525 adventure included provides an example of how these elements work to-gether. Supporting CastSupporting CastSupporting CastSupporting Cast Each of the players controls one hero at any given time. The Gamemaster controls all other characters in the adventure. The most important supporting cast member is the major an-tagonist. A good villain sets the mood of a story and can even make the heroes more memo-rable-no one recalls who rounded up the spaceport thugs, but everyone remembers the heroes who took down Cap-tain Blackstar, the scourge of the Frontier!

GAMEM

ASTER’S FAST-PLAY RULES

Supporting cast members in-clude the major villain; his or her associates and hired hands; the authority figures who command or employ the heroes; the informants, wit-nesses, and shop owners the heroes interact with; and the valued friends, hirelings, and allies ready to help the heroes at a moment's notice. The Ga-memaster needs to be ready to run these characters as they are called upon, or to impro-vise as the need arises. It's important for the Gamemas-ter to give each supporting cast member-especially major op-ponents and allies-much the same consideration players give their heroes when they create them. Some supporting cast mem-bers should be fully developed, with a complete set of skills and vital game statistics. Other characters, such as mi-nor opponents, experts, and bystanders, need only the skill scores and statistics that might come into play during a scene. For example, give a common thug a combat skill or two, du-rability ratings, and a weapon; give an expert just the skill scores needed to use his ex-pertise on the heroes' behalf. The best part about controlling the supporting cast is that you get to create all kinds of per-sonalities during the course of play. Ham it up, play it straight, or go for the dramatic-depending on the mood of the adventure and the personality of the character in question.

If you want, use a unique voice for each character by doing ac-cents (a French Combat Spec, a Russian Diplomat), employ-ing different styles of speech (a formal-sounding Free Agent, a Tech Op who uses lots of slang expressions), or giving charac-ters signature phrases (such as an informant who always spouts, "Whatever you say, Boss, whatever you say"). Remember, you're not compet-ing against the players! If any-thing, the heroes should get a break now and then just be-cause they're heroes. So, be impartial - don't favor the sup-porting cast over the heroes. That just decreases the all-important fun factor for every-one involved. PacingPacingPacingPacing Another aspect of presenting an adventure is the pacing of the story. The story shouldn't artificially push the heroes to meet some imaginary sched-ule. Instead, watch how the scenes play out. When a scene starts to drag and the fun factor begins to flag, that's when the Gamemaster steps in to give the scene a boost. How? Have a supporting character show up with a clue, a nudge in the right direction, or a chip on his shoulder that might lead to a combat scene. See Cauldron Station for examples of scene boosters. Don't create an adventure out-line that's so complete the he-roes can't make any decisions without violating your plot. Start the adventure with action, and have lots of other action ideas ready to insert into the flow as

the game session progresses. Use combat, challenges, en-counters, conflict, tension, hu-mor, and mystery to keep an adventure moving toward its dramatic conclusion. The basic rule for pacing is that as long as the players are hav-ing fun, stay in the current scene. When the action bogs down, then the Gamemaster must help the pacing by getting things moving again. Moderating the RulesModerating the RulesModerating the RulesModerating the Rules The Player's Fast-Play Rules section of this document gives you the basic mechanics of the Alternity game. That's all you need to introduce your players to the game system and run the adventure in this section. In play, it's up to the Gamemaster to moderate the game so that everyone has fun, plays fair, and is challenged. Of all these, the emphasis is always on fun. If a rule gets in the way of eve-ryone's enjoyment, change it. But change it consistently and after some consideration. Don't just change a rule for the sake of change. Final decisions are always left to the Gamemaster. Can the heroes perform a particular ac-tion? Can they even try it? That's up to you. Make your de-cision based on the need to keep the story moving, your in-terpretation of the rules, and whether or not the action fits the story and increases every-one's enjoyment of the game. Be fair and impartial in your treatment of heroes and sup-porting characters. Challenge the players and their heroes. The players want to see their

GAM

EMAS

TER’

S FA

ST-P

LAY

RULE

S

heroes tested, to experience the thrill of competing against the odds and coming out on top. Heroes do this sort of thing all the time! Just make sure the players have decisions to make and options to choose from as the adventure unfolds. If someone disagrees with a decision, call a time out and discuss it with the group. You still get to make the final call, but you can reduce the possi-bility of hard feelings if you moderate the game fairly. The goal is to tell a good group story and to have fun, not to abuse the heroes. Sometimes the dice are just go-ing to fall the wrong way. That's okay. But you might want to give the players a break now and then. After all, it's no fun for a player to lose a hero in a stu-pid and random way. Be leni-ent when determining the diffi-culty of a particular action, or change the result before re-vealing the outcome to the players. This sort of manipula-tion is the Gamemaster's pre-rogative, but use it sparingly-and always in the interest of keeping the story moving and the fun factor high. THE SETTINGTHE SETTINGTHE SETTINGTHE SETTING The Gamemaster determines the setting for his campaign. Depending on the features of a particular setting (such as tech-nology, genre, and scope), cer-tain portions of the rules-high-tech gear, psionics, and aliens, for instance-may or may not be used. For example, a space op-era setting usually has faster-than-light spaceships, energy weapons, and tons of nonstop

action. A near-future techno-thriller setting, however, has a gritty, hard-edged feel, more familiar technology, and only deals with the problems of a single world. In the Gamemaster Guide, the process of creating settings is discussed in more detail. The Cauldron Station adventure in this document takes place in a traditional space opera setting. USING THE GAME MECHANICUSING THE GAME MECHANICUSING THE GAME MECHANICUSING THE GAME MECHANIC The Alternity game is built around a core mechanic that has nearly universal applica-tion. All heroic actions in the game can be resolved by roll-ing just two dice: a control die and a situation die. A control die is always a d20; a situation die can be a d4, d6, d8, d12, or d20. Depending on how hard or easy a particular task is, the situation die is added to or sub-tracted from the control die, as detailed in the Player's Fast-Play Rules. You can use the dice in varying ways, though the mechanic is always the same: Roll two dice

to achieve a number that's equal to or less than a charac-ter's appropriate score. If the task is associated with a skill, then the skill score is used. If it's a feat, then the associated Ability Score is used. In all uses of dice during a game session-except when rolling for dam-age-low results are better than high ones. Use the mechanic to determine the success of an attack, using an appropriate combat skill; to overcome a challenge, using a physical or mental skill; or to determine the outcome of an encounter, using a Personality skill in conjunction with good roleplaying. The Most Important Rule Not every action requires a dice roll. Repeat this sentence and apply it often. When the heroes attempt normal, every-day tasks, they should accom-plish them without consulting the dice. In heroic situations, when the outcome is in doubt and the result could mean life or death, then have the players roll dice.

Examples of Situation Modifiers Weapon RangeWeapon RangeWeapon RangeWeapon Range Short Short Short Short Medium Medium Medium Medium LongLongLongLong Pistol -1 step +1 step +3 steps Rifle -1 step None +1 step Target Has CoverTarget Has CoverTarget Has CoverTarget Has Cover Light cover +1 step penalty Medium cover +2 step penalty Heavy cover +3 step penalty SituationSituationSituationSituation Amazing difficulty +3 steps Amazing ease -3 steps Good difficulty +2 steps Good ease -2 steps Ordinary difficulty +1 step Ordinary ease -1 step Marginal difficulty None Marginal ease None

GAMEM


Situation Die StepsSituation Die StepsSituation Die StepsSituation Die Steps The best tool you have as the Gamemaster is your ability to set the odds of any given task. You can do this by adding bo-nuses or penalties for given situations and counting in the appropriate direction on the Situation Die Steps Scale (presented in the Player's Fast-Play Rules). Or, if you're more inclined toward quick resolu-tions, simply eyeball it; select the modifier that gets closest to how difficult or easy you want the task to be. Putting It IPutting It IPutting It IPutting It Into Practicento Practicento Practicento Practice What do you actually do with this information?That depends. Here are examples of both methods in action. Use either method or a combination of the two, as you see fit. The StepThe StepThe StepThe Step----bybybyby----step Method: step Method: step Method: step Method: Vicki's hero, Sarge, wants to take a shot at the villainous bounty hunter. Jade has the pis-tol skill, so she has abase situa-tion die of +d0. The bounty hunter is at medium range (+1 step penalty) and has light cover (+1 step penalty). In ad-dition, because Sarge is stand-ing atop a moving aircar, you declare that the situation has a Good level of difficulty (+2 steps). By counting out the steps on the Situation Die Steps Scale, the Gamemaster determines that Sarge has a final situation die of +d12. Vicki rolls d20+d2, hoping to achieve a total that's equal to or less than Sarge's pistol score. If she succeeds, then Sarge hits her target, scoring either an Ordi-nary, Good, or Amazing suc-cess, as detailed in the Player's Fast-Play Rules.

Eyeballing ItEyeballing ItEyeballing ItEyeballing It: Jenn's hero, Cleo-patra, needs to slip past the customs official. Since Cleo doesn't have the sneak spe-cialty skill, her base situation die is +d4. You decide that the official is particularly vigilant today. This makes the situation Hard, causing Cleo to take a +2 step penalty. Jenn has to roll d20+d8, hoping for a result equal to or less than Cleo's Stealth skill score. Action RoundsAction RoundsAction RoundsAction Rounds How action rounds work is de-scribed in the Player's Fast-Play Rules. Although actions in a phase are considered to occur simultaneously, you don't want everyone rolling dice at the same time. Instead, all charac-ters who are entitled to an ac-tion in the same phase should act in the order of their action check scores-highest score first. The results of their actions(such as damage) are applied at the end of the phase, thus simulating simultaneous activ-ity. Example: Sarge, Cleopatra, and the bounty hunter Kreet each achieve a Good action check result. Their action check scores are 13, 10, and 15, re-spectively. For ease of play, Kreet acts first in the Good phase, followed by Sarge, then

Cleo. The results of each char-acter's action are applied after everyone has acted, taking ef-fect in the Ordinary phase. If the characters have actions re-maining, they perform them in the same order in the Ordinary phase. DamageDamageDamageDamage Damage comes in four types, as described in the Player's Fast-Play Rules: stun, wound, mortal, and fatigue. If a charac-ter is targeted by an attack or other damage-causing condi-tion, the degree of success that attack achieves determines the type and amount of damage suffered by a character. "Gear for Fast-Play Heroes" in the Player's Fast-Play Rules lists some examples of weapons and armor, and includes their important statistics. Example: Kreet fires his 11mm charge pistol at Cleo. He achieves a Good success against Cleo. The damage range for a Good success with that weapon is d6+2w. Since Kreet is a member of the sup-porting cast, you (as the Game-master) roll to determine how much damage Kreet inflicts. The most he can do is 8 points of wound damage on a roll of 6.

Eyeballing It Situation DescriptionSituation DescriptionSituation DescriptionSituation Description ModifierModifierModifierModifier Situation DieSituation DieSituation DieSituation Die Extremely easy -3 steps -d8 Very easy -2 steps -d6 Easy -1 step -d4 Average None +d0 Tough +1 step +d4 Hard +2 steps +d6 Challenging +3 steps +d8

GAM

EMAS

TER’

S FA

ST-P

LAY

RULE

S

Secondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary DamageSecondary Damage Serious, lasting injuries -- mor-tal damage and wound dam-age -- cause secondary dam-age to the character who is in-jured. For every 2 points of wound damage inflicted on a character, that character also suffers 1 point of stun damage. For every 2 points of mortal damage a character receives, that character also suffers 1 point of wound damage and 1 point of stun damage. Example: Cleo returns fire with her 11mm charge rifle and gets an Amazing success against Kreet. The damage range for an Amazing success with her weapon is d6+1m. Cleo's player, Jenn, rolls d6 and gets a result of 4. Kreet suffers 5 points of mortal damage (4 + 1 = 5) plus secondary damage of 2 wounds and 2 stuns. ArmorArmorArmorArmor Characters can wear armor to protect them from the dangers of battle. Armor reduces the amount of primary damage a hero receives-but armor has no effect on secondary damage.

Armor comes into play only when personal defence shields are depleted. Example: Cleo is wearing a CF long coat when Kreet hits Cleo for 8 wounds. Now Jenn gets to roll to see how well Cleo's ar-mor protects her hero. The CF coat blocks high impact (HI) damage at a rate of d4+1. Jenn rolls d4 and gets a result of 3, for a total of 4 (3 + 1 = 4), so the number of wounds is re-duced by 4 points. Jenn marks off 4 wound boxes on Cleo's hero sheet (8 - 4 = 4). RecoveryRecoveryRecoveryRecovery After a character suffers dam-age, he or she can get back to full health in a number of differ-ent ways: Wound damage, but not mortal damage, can heal naturally at a rate of 2 wound points per week of rest and recuperation. The KnowledgeKnowledgeKnowledgeKnowledge----first aid first aid first aid first aid skill can heal stun damage on con-scious patients, restoring 2, 3, or 4 stun points depending on the degree of success achieved

on the first aid skill check (Ordinary, Good, or Amazing). First aid can also be used to revive a character who was knocked out due to stun dam-age, restoring 1, 2, or 3 stun points depending on the de-gree of success. This skill can be used to heal wound damage; any success restores 1 wound point. The Medical Science Medical Science Medical Science Medical Science broad skill or the treatment specialty skill can be used to heal stun damage on conscious patients, as per first aid above. Medical Science or treatment can also be used to revive a character who was knocked out due to stun damage, restor-ing 2, 3, or 4 stun points de-pending on the degree of suc-cess. This skill can be used to heal wound damage; any success restores 2 wound points. The Medical Science-surgery skill can be used to heal wound damage and mortal damage; a success restores 1 point of mor-tal and 2 points of wound dam-age. This skill can be used on a specific patient once every hour. If a Critical Failure is achieved, the patient suffers an additional point of mortal dam-age. Any remaining stun damage disappears at the end of a scene. READY TO ROLL! You are all set to start playing Alternity Cleopatra 2525. Choose a character template!

GAMEM


Alternity Science Fiction Roleplaying

Character Template

Hero’s Name Hel Player

Profession Diplomat Career Team Leader

Ability Score Untrained Res. Mod. Strength Dexterity Constitution Intelligence Will Personality

ACTION CHECK SCORE Actions per round: 2

Marginal 12+ Ordinary 11 Good 5 Amazing 2 DURABILITY Stun 9 Wound 9 Mortal 5 SKILLS RANK SCORE STR Athletics 10/5/2 Jump 3 13/6/3 Unarmed Attack 10/5/2 Power Martial Arts 3 13/6/3 DEX Acrobatics 11/5/2 Fall 2 13/6/3 Dodge 2 13/6/3 Modern Ranged Weapons 11/5/2 Battle Gauntlet 3 14/7/3 Stealth 11/5/2 Hide 1 12/6/3 CON Stamina 9/4/2 INT Knowledge 10/5/2 Computer Operation 1 11/5/2 WIL Awareness 9/4/2 PER Interaction 11/5/2 Leadership 11/5/2 Command 2 13/6/3

Bonus –d20 | -d12 | -d8 | -d6 | -d4 | +d0 | +d4 | +d6 | +d8 | +d12 | +d20 | +2d20 | etc. Penalty Alternity is a registered trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

© 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission granted to photocopy for personal use.

Weapons Battle Gauntlet d6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1m Range (S/M/L) 20/40/200 Type: En Unarmed (martial arts) d6s / d6+2s / d4w Armor Personal Defense Shield O O O O O O O O O O Battle Jacket d6-1 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d4-1 (En)


Character Template

Hero’s Name Sarge Player

Profession Combat Spec Career Warrior



Marginal 13+ Ordinary 12 Good 6 Amazing 3 DURABILITY Stun 10 Wound 10 Mortal 5 SKILLS RANK SCORE STR Athletics 12/6/3 Jump 1 13/6/3 Unarmed Attack 12/6/3 Power Martial Arts 3 15/7/3 DEX Acrobatics 10/5/2 Fall 2 12/6/3 Dodge 2 12/6/3 Modern Ranged Weapons 10/5/2 Battle Gauntlet 4 14/7/3 CON Stamina 10/5/2 Endurance 1 11/5/2 INT Knowledge 9/4/2 First Aid 1 10/5/2 Tactics 9/4/2 WIL Awareness 9/4/2 Perception 1 10/5/2 PER Interaction 10/5/2 Intimidate 1 11/5/2



Weapons Battle Gauntlet d6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1m Range (S/M/L) 20/40/200 Type: En Unarmed (martial arts) d6+1s / d6+3s / d4+1w Armor Personal Defense Shield O O O O O O O O O O Battle Jacket d6-1 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d4-1 (En)

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

10 11 9 10 9 11

5 5 4 5 4 5

0 +1 0 0 0 +1

12 10 10 9 9 10

6 5 5 4 4 5

+1 0 0 0 0 0

FAST-PLAY RULES Alternity

Science Fiction Roleplaying Character Template

Hero’s Name Cleopatra Player

Profession Free Agent Career Exotic Dancer



Marginal 13+ Ordinary 12 Good 6 Amazing 3 DURABILITY Stun 9 Wound 9 Mortal 5 SKILLS RANK SCORE STR Athletics 9/4/2 DEX Acrobatics 11/5/2 Dodge 1 12/6/3 Modern Ranged Weapons 11/5/2 Battle Gauntlet 1 12/6/3 CON Stamina 9/4/2 INT Knowledge 9/4/2 First Aid 1 10/5/2 WIL Awareness 10/5/2 PER Culture 12/6/3 Diplomacy 1 13/6/3 Deception 12/6/3 Bluff 1 13/6/3 Entertainment 12/6/3 Dance 3 15/7/3 Interaction 12/6/3 Seduce 3 15/6/3 Leadership 12/6/3 Inspire 2 14/7/3



Weapons Battle Gauntlet d6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1m Range (S/M/L) 20/40/200 Type: En Unarmed (untrained) d4s / d4+1s / d4+2s

Armor Personal Defense Shield O O O O O O O O O O Battle Jacket d6-1 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d4-1 (En)


Character Template

Hero’s Name Mauser Player

Profession Tech Op Career Android



Marginal 11+ Ordinary 11 Good 1 Amazing 1 DURABILITY Stun 10 Wound 10 Mortal 5 SKILLS RANK SCORE STR Athletics 11/5/2 Unarmed Attack 11/5/2 Brawl 1 12/6/3 DEX Acrobatics 10/5/2 Fall 1 11/5/2 Modern Ranged Weapons 10/5/2 Laser Pistol 2 12/6/3 CON Stamina 10/5/2 INT Computer Science 12/6/3 Hacking 1 13/6/3 Hardware 2 14/7/3 Knowledge 12/6/3 Medical Science 12/6/3 Medical Knowledge 1 13/6/3 Technical Science 12/6/3 Juryrig 2 14/7/3 Repair 2 14/7/3 Technical Knowledge 2 14/7/3 WIL Awareness 8/4/2 PER



Weapons Laser Pistol d6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1m Range (S/M/L) 20/40/200 Type: En Unarmed (brawling) d4+1s / d4+2s / d4+3s Armor Battle Jacket d6-1 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d4-1 (En)

9 11 9 9 9 13

4 5 4 4 4 6

0 +1 0 0 0 +2

11 10 10 12 8 9

5 5 5 6 4 4

+1 0 0 +1 0 0

A CLEOPATRA 2525 Fast-Play Adventure

Cleo’s World: Background In the year 2525, monstrous heavily-armored airborne creatures known as the Bailies rule the surface of the world and humanity has been driven underground in order to survive. Over the centuries of Bailey domination, mankind's sub-terranean universe has grown into an immense labyrinth of shafts, corridors and spaces on countless levels within the Earth. Housed on these levels are distinctly different worlds, ranging from beautifully simulated surface environ-ments to toxic waste dumps. The human popula-tions inhabiting these do-mains have evolved inde-pendently over hundreds of years, giving rise to a vast array of diverse cultures in the underground grid. Within the passing of gen-erations, life in this complex netherworld has become increasingly chaotic. Fright-ening part-human part-animal mutants have prolif-erated through uncontrolled genetic experimentation. Mercenaries troll the unsta-ble levels looking for oppor-tunities to cash in on the black market. Bailey-engineered Betrayer robots, outwardly indistinguishable

from humans, live secretly among the people at the beck and call of their mas-ters. Though most of humanity has abandoned hope of ever reclaiming the surface of the Earth, there are indi-viduals within the subterra-nean world still fiercely committed to that cause. Among these brave souls are the female warriors Hel and Sarge. The exotic dancer, Cleo-patra - cryogenically frozen in the year 2001 - awakens five centuries later only to find herself in an organ-harvesting lab. She is found by Hel and Sarge whilst they are being pursued by a Betrayer robot, robots that are outwardly indistinguish-able from humans but are at the beck and call of their masters, the Bailies. In the ensuing battle, Cleopatra's acting skills prove unex-pectedly useful, prompting the two rebel heroines to take her under their wing. Armed with hi-tech weap-ons, and with help from the mysterious Voice that Hel hears through a receptor planted in her jaw, the three join together to try and re-claim the surface of the earth for mankind. In the year 2525…

SSSSpecial Rules:pecial Rules:pecial Rules:pecial Rules: The Battle GauntletsThe Battle GauntletsThe Battle GauntletsThe Battle Gauntlets

The battle gauntlets of Cleopatra The battle gauntlets of Cleopatra The battle gauntlets of Cleopatra The battle gauntlets of Cleopatra 2525 seem to be all that stands 2525 seem to be all that stands 2525 seem to be all that stands 2525 seem to be all that stands between the team and theirbetween the team and theirbetween the team and theirbetween the team and their foes at foes at foes at foes at times. They are indeed potent times. They are indeed potent times. They are indeed potent times. They are indeed potent devices. Besides acting as cell devices. Besides acting as cell devices. Besides acting as cell devices. Besides acting as cell phones they also have:phones they also have:phones they also have:phones they also have: •••• Laser blasts. Fast Laser blasts. Fast Laser blasts. Fast Laser blasts. Fast----shooting andshooting andshooting andshooting and packing quite a punch, the laser packing quite a punch, the laser packing quite a punch, the laser packing quite a punch, the laser blast has all the properties of a lblast has all the properties of a lblast has all the properties of a lblast has all the properties of a la-a-a-a-ser pistol but the damage of a lser pistol but the damage of a lser pistol but the damage of a lser pistol but the damage of a la-a-a-a-ser rifle as per the Alternity rules.ser rifle as per the Alternity rules.ser rifle as per the Alternity rules.ser rifle as per the Alternity rules. •••• Personal defense shield. While Personal defense shield. While Personal defense shield. While Personal defense shield. While the battle gauntlet is tuned to shoot the battle gauntlet is tuned to shoot the battle gauntlet is tuned to shoot the battle gauntlet is tuned to shoot it’s own blasts out, a limited peit’s own blasts out, a limited peit’s own blasts out, a limited peit’s own blasts out, a limited per-r-r-r-sonal defense shield can be raised sonal defense shield can be raised sonal defense shield can be raised sonal defense shield can be raised that absorbs any energy attack. that absorbs any energy attack. that absorbs any energy attack. that absorbs any energy attack. The gauntlet can be set to a wider The gauntlet can be set to a wider The gauntlet can be set to a wider The gauntlet can be set to a wider range to protect the wearerange to protect the wearerange to protect the wearerange to protect the wearer and r and r and r and one other person, at the expense one other person, at the expense one other person, at the expense one other person, at the expense of draining extra power (2 units iof draining extra power (2 units iof draining extra power (2 units iof draining extra power (2 units in-n-n-n-stead of 1). It can be recharged at stead of 1). It can be recharged at stead of 1). It can be recharged at stead of 1). It can be recharged at the team’s lab.the team’s lab.the team’s lab.the team’s lab. •••• 3D Laser Tactical Generator. 3D Laser Tactical Generator. 3D Laser Tactical Generator. 3D Laser Tactical Generator. Most of the explored territories that Most of the explored territories that Most of the explored territories that Most of the explored territories that the tethe tethe tethe team has been to have been am has been to have been am has been to have been am has been to have been uploaded as a personal directory/uploaded as a personal directory/uploaded as a personal directory/uploaded as a personal directory/map that can be called up in a 3D map that can be called up in a 3D map that can be called up in a 3D map that can be called up in a 3D laser hologram that pops up out of laser hologram that pops up out of laser hologram that pops up out of laser hologram that pops up out of the gauntlet to help folks track the gauntlet to help folks track the gauntlet to help folks track the gauntlet to help folks track other gauntleted members and other gauntleted members and other gauntleted members and other gauntleted members and find their way.find their way.find their way.find their way. •••• Web Spinneret. The gauntlet can Web Spinneret. The gauntlet can Web Spinneret. The gauntlet can Web Spinneret. The gauntlet can shoot forth a shoot forth a shoot forth a shoot forth a webbed lining/rope webbed lining/rope webbed lining/rope webbed lining/rope that can stick to any surface allothat can stick to any surface allothat can stick to any surface allothat can stick to any surface allow-w-w-w-ing swinging, pulling, and the like. ing swinging, pulling, and the like. ing swinging, pulling, and the like. ing swinging, pulling, and the like. A single strand can support up to A single strand can support up to A single strand can support up to A single strand can support up to 400 pounds at a time.400 pounds at a time.400 pounds at a time.400 pounds at a time.

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

Story Synopsis The team returns from a scouting mission only to find Mauser stunned and their lab in a shambles. They soon find out that their data files were accessed. A digital map representing a certain classified level that the team was meaning to check out for Voice had been downloaded and the Bailiey weapon that the team recovered in the first episode “Quest for Fire-power” stolen! In reality, the Bailies want their weapon back, and they found a dis-tressed, paranoid lone team member trying to find his way. Doing their re-search, the Bailies created a betrayer robot to look like the distressed team mem-ber’s long lost brother, with a plan to steal the weapon. In their quest to return the weapon and solve the mys-tery, the team finds an amusement park level and plenty of action! Section Objectives • Swing across a shaft to their lab. • Discover what’s been taken from their lab and get started on the trail. • The dangerous journey to the amusement park. • The amusement park in-terior. • The encounter with the mad team member. • The battle with the be-trayer robot.

Each of these sections is described in more detail below. In all cases boxed text should be read or para-phrased aloud to the play-ers, while the GM’s Notes sections contain all the info needed to run the scene.

Section 1: Return to the Lab.

This first scene starts with the team of Hel, Sarge and Cleo just returning from an-other mission. Mauser is in the lab, and will make his appearance in a moment. They’ve made their way through the tunnels and have come out at a landing opposite their lab across a shaft. Read or paraphrase the following to the players: Your last mission com-pleted, you took the long way home, and even had time to stop off at a bar where Cleo insisted on in-structing the bartender on how to make a chocolate shake. Now you come to an open landing leading into one of the many endless underworld shafts. Across the way from here is your team’s lab. Suddenly Voice crackles in Hel’s ear… GM NoteGM NoteGM NoteGM Note: Try to put a nice British accent on this for ef-fect. Heck, even a bad one would do! “Hel, hand Cleopatra one of your gauntlets. It’s time she gauged returning to the lab herself. You and Sarge then swing across.”

FAST-PLAY RULES SSSSpecial Rules:pecial Rules:pecial Rules:pecial Rules:

Combat Maneuvers in 2525Combat Maneuvers in 2525Combat Maneuvers in 2525Combat Maneuvers in 2525 Dodging: Most team members and Dodging: Most team members and Dodging: Most team members and Dodging: Most team members and some of their foes have a skill some of their foes have a skill some of their foes have a skill some of their foes have a skill called dodge, here’s how called dodge, here’s how called dodge, here’s how called dodge, here’s how it works it works it works it works in play. It doesn’t matter what the in play. It doesn’t matter what the in play. It doesn’t matter what the in play. It doesn’t matter what the dodge actually is (be creative, Hel dodge actually is (be creative, Hel dodge actually is (be creative, Hel dodge actually is (be creative, Hel jumps around a curved section of jumps around a curved section of jumps around a curved section of jumps around a curved section of wall, Sarge lewall, Sarge lewall, Sarge lewall, Sarge leaps over to a line of aps over to a line of aps over to a line of aps over to a line of rolling barrels, etc.), the effect is rolling barrels, etc.), the effect is rolling barrels, etc.), the effect is rolling barrels, etc.), the effect is basically the same. The player in basically the same. The player in basically the same. The player in basically the same. The player in question forgoes her attack for thquestion forgoes her attack for thquestion forgoes her attack for thquestion forgoes her attack for that at at at action and instead rolls her dodge action and instead rolls her dodge action and instead rolls her dodge action and instead rolls her dodge skill. On an Ordinary success foes skill. On an Ordinary success foes skill. On an Ordinary success foes skill. On an Ordinary success foes must add a +1 penalty to try and must add a +1 penalty to try and must add a +1 penalty to try and must add a +1 penalty to try and hit her. On a Good suchit her. On a Good suchit her. On a Good suchit her. On a Good success +2, cess +2, cess +2, cess +2, and on an Amazing success +3. If and on an Amazing success +3. If and on an Amazing success +3. If and on an Amazing success +3. If a 20 is rolled, the dodge failed a 20 is rolled, the dodge failed a 20 is rolled, the dodge failed a 20 is rolled, the dodge failed quite badly, leaving the hero vuquite badly, leaving the hero vuquite badly, leaving the hero vuquite badly, leaving the hero vul-l-l-l-nerable, and opponents get a nerable, and opponents get a nerable, and opponents get a nerable, and opponents get a ––––2 2 2 2 bonus to hit her!bonus to hit her!bonus to hit her!bonus to hit her! Firing Two Weapons: You’ve seen Firing Two Weapons: You’ve seen Firing Two Weapons: You’ve seen Firing Two Weapons: You’ve seen in the Cleopatra 2525 show where in the Cleopatra 2525 show where in the Cleopatra 2525 show where in the Cleopatra 2525 show where some charactsome charactsome charactsome characters fire 2 weapons at ers fire 2 weapons at ers fire 2 weapons at ers fire 2 weapons at the same time. If a hero is wearing the same time. If a hero is wearing the same time. If a hero is wearing the same time. If a hero is wearing 2 battle gauntlets, for example, 2 battle gauntlets, for example, 2 battle gauntlets, for example, 2 battle gauntlets, for example, they are certainly welcome to try to they are certainly welcome to try to they are certainly welcome to try to they are certainly welcome to try to fir them both at the same time. But fir them both at the same time. But fir them both at the same time. But fir them both at the same time. But it’s not as easy as it looks! The off it’s not as easy as it looks! The off it’s not as easy as it looks! The off it’s not as easy as it looks! The off hand shot gets a +4 penalty and hand shot gets a +4 penalty and hand shot gets a +4 penalty and hand shot gets a +4 penalty and the skilled hand shotthe skilled hand shotthe skilled hand shotthe skilled hand shot gets a +2 gets a +2 gets a +2 gets a +2 penalty. penalty. penalty. penalty. Amazing Acrobatics: You’ve seen Amazing Acrobatics: You’ve seen Amazing Acrobatics: You’ve seen Amazing Acrobatics: You’ve seen some of the amazing flips, jumps, some of the amazing flips, jumps, some of the amazing flips, jumps, some of the amazing flips, jumps, and graceful maneuvers tried on and graceful maneuvers tried on and graceful maneuvers tried on and graceful maneuvers tried on the showthe showthe showthe show. This is one place where . This is one place where . This is one place where . This is one place where the Alternity Engine truly shines the Alternity Engine truly shines the Alternity Engine truly shines the Alternity Engine truly shines making itself a perfect tool for making itself a perfect tool for making itself a perfect tool for making itself a perfect tool for plaplaplaplayyyying Cleopatra 2525 adveing Cleopatra 2525 adveing Cleopatra 2525 adveing Cleopatra 2525 adven-n-n-n-tures. The Gamemaster has free tures. The Gamemaster has free tures. The Gamemaster has free tures. The Gamemaster has free reign to ask for a die roll for the reign to ask for a die roll for the reign to ask for a die roll for the reign to ask for a die roll for the player who wishes to try something player who wishes to try something player who wishes to try something player who wishes to try something creative. creative. creative. creative. For example, HFor example, HFor example, HFor example, Hel is being pursued el is being pursued el is being pursued el is being pursued by a mutant. She wants to run up a by a mutant. She wants to run up a by a mutant. She wants to run up a by a mutant. She wants to run up a wall and leap backwards to land wall and leap backwards to land wall and leap backwards to land wall and leap backwards to land behind the mutant. The GM checks behind the mutant. The GM checks behind the mutant. The GM checks behind the mutant. The GM checks Hel’s shHel’s shHel’s shHel’s sheet and decides that’s an eet and decides that’s an eet and decides that’s an eet and decides that’s an acrobatics check. Or maybe it’s a acrobatics check. Or maybe it’s a acrobatics check. Or maybe it’s a acrobatics check. Or maybe it’s a dodge. Or maybe just a Dexterity dodge. Or maybe just a Dexterity dodge. Or maybe just a Dexterity dodge. Or maybe just a Dexterity check. It’s your call!check. It’s your call!check. It’s your call!check. It’s your call!

Challenge Scene The team members must swing across the chasm to the illusionary wall landing that leads to their lab. Let Hel and Sarge go first. They are very used to doing this, and are very skilled at us-ing their gauntlets. Allow them a –3 step bonus (d20 minus d12) to succeed. Although Cleo has tried her hand at this once or twice before, it is hardly a routine maneuver for her. But she has done it before. Allow her a +0 modifier to her gauntlet skill roll (an un-modified d20). In the event that Cleo’s player makes the roll, encourage her to gloat all she wants! If she falls in the shaft, encourage screaming instead! The other team members should try to rescue Cleo. They have had to do this so often before assume they succeed at the roll and hoist her back up to the lab.

Section 2: A wrecked room.

Read or paraphrase the fol-lowing to the players: Stepping through the com-puter generated illusionary wall your eyes fall upon a terrible sight. The lab is nearly wrecked! Pieces of equipment are smoking in places while many contain-ers and drawers are pulled open and ransacked. In the far corner lies Mauser just about to awaken. GM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s Note: Describe to

Mauser at this point how 2 men came into the lab. One had a hand-held disruptor that caused many of the machines to overload. One of the men wanted to kill Mauser, but the other man, one wearing a battle gaunt-let, wouldn’t let that hap-pen, and simply stunned Mauser instead. He can then relay that to the team if necessary. GM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s Note: If Mauser’s player objects to being stunned, remind him that although he went for a weapon, they used some sort of disruptor that imme-diately effected his android systems. Challenge Scene The group needs to find out what happened and what the men wanted. If Mauser asks what they looked like, tell them: Well, they were both fairly tall. Similar features, dark hair and square jaws. One of them wore a battle gauntlet. That one was paranoid and fidgety while the other one was calm and calculating. GM NoteGM NoteGM NoteGM Note: This describes the paranoid, delusional team member and the be-trayer robot, but don’t con-firm any suspicions at this time, let the group consider these facts. At this point the group should decide to find out what the intruders came for. If they don’t pick up on this,

remind them that things are in disarray as if someone was hurriedly looking for something. Perhaps Voice can suggest this. If some-one suggests looking for clues, allow them and any other an Awareness-Perception roll. Only Sarge has the specialty skill Per-ception, so the others will have to make rolls against their Awareness scores with the customary +1 penalty (+d4) for using a broad skill. Sarge’s player can roll hers on an unmodified d20. The best (lowest) score finds the hardest clue: There are some dirty finger-prints across the keypad of the main computer. It looks like someone was access-ing your main database. You power up the device and within minutes you dis-cover the computer’s log, showing that a map was accessed. With a few com-mands, you bring up a 3D holographic map of an area. Someone charted out the quickest way through the tunnels from the lab to a large door. GM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s NoteGM’s Note: Voice speaks to Hel again: Hel, that door leads to the very level you were sup-posed to investigate next week. The level with the amusement park. How odd. It seems as though the in-truders specifically sought out that level, the news re-garding it was spreading fast. It’s possible the infor-mation was leaked.

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

If anyone questions the amusement level, tell them that it’s a level where a nighttime amusement park, circa year 1955 on earth, is simulated in perfect detail for the folks who live there. The person who gets the next best score while searching discovers that the safe that the Bailiey weapon that the team liber-ated a few weeks back has been cut open with a laser torch. The Bailiey weapon is missing! Upon hearing this, Voice speaks again: Hel, things have changed. Normally we would do some more planning, but this is serious and we need to get that weapon back right away. I want you to take Mauser with you. These folks sound danger-ous, and Mauser is the only one who really knows the Bailiey weapon inside and out. Prepare your team. At this point, allow the team to roleplay getting ready. Remind them of the tight deadline if they start to dawdle. On the other hand, if Cleo hears they are going to a 1950’s amusement level, she may want to try and dig up a short skirt or two, some sidesaddles shoes, and some bubble gum! Although some of that might be hard to find, let her player improvise what she can. When the team is ready to roll, describe the team at the ledge and jumping down the shaft just like they do in the show.

Section 3: A dangerous trek.

Read or paraphrase: You freefall down the shaft heading towards the amusement level. It won’t be easy, as it runs through a particularly seedy section of tunnels inhabited by mu-tant outcasts. But what could be that hard when you’re falling down a nearly infinite chasm!? Challenge Scene Although there is no real danger due to the practice the team has (and the fact that they all have the Acro-batics-Fall specialty skill...except Cleo), it could be fun to ask Cleo to make an un-trained Dex check (d20 +d4) to see if she starts to tumble. Currently, Sarge has both her gauntlets and Hal and Cleo each have one. It’s al-ready assumed one of them

team would pick up Mauser when the landing came. If Cleo starts to tumble, the team again may have to straighten her out to fly right. Let whoever helps make an Acrobatics-Fall check to set Cleo straight. Then read the following: Dusting yourself off from the long fall, you find your-selves staring down a deso-late tunnel. Cleopatra sees this as the worst part of a big city subway system. Oil and muck cover the floor, the lighting is bad, and rub-bish is scattered about. There are even some squat-ters laying around. Quite a nasty sight to be sure. Describe a short journey through a few more twists and turns. The group should not get lost, but if someone thinks to use their gauntlet’s 3D holographic mapping program all the better. Soon, they come to the illusionary wall that

Mutant GoonsMutant GoonsMutant GoonsMutant Goons Nonprofessional BrawlersNonprofessional BrawlersNonprofessional BrawlersNonprofessional Brawlers STRSTRSTRSTR 10101010 INTINTINTINT 8888 DEXDEXDEXDEX 9999 WILWILWILWIL 9999 CONCONCONCON 10101010 PERPERPERPER 8888 Durability: 10/10/5Durability: 10/10/5Durability: 10/10/5Durability: 10/10/5 Action Check: 9+ / 8 / 4 Action Check: 9+ / 8 / 4 Action Check: 9+ / 8 / 4 Action Check: 9+ / 8 / 4 / 2 / 2 / 2 / 2 # of Actions: 2# of Actions: 2# of Actions: 2# of Actions: 2 AttacksAttacksAttacksAttacks Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 11/5/2Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 11/5/2Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 11/5/2Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 11/5/2 d4s / d4+1s / d4+2sd4s / d4+1s / d4+2sd4s / d4+1s / d4+2sd4s / d4+1s / d4+2s Melee Weapons: Bludgeon: 11/5/2Melee Weapons: Bludgeon: 11/5/2Melee Weapons: Bludgeon: 11/5/2Melee Weapons: Bludgeon: 11/5/2 d4+1s / d4w / dd4+1s / d4w / dd4+1s / d4w / dd4+1s / d4w / d4+1w4+1w4+1w4+1w And 2 of them should have laser pistolsAnd 2 of them should have laser pistolsAnd 2 of them should have laser pistolsAnd 2 of them should have laser pistols Ranged Weapons: pistol: 10/5/2Ranged Weapons: pistol: 10/5/2Ranged Weapons: pistol: 10/5/2Ranged Weapons: pistol: 10/5/2 d4+1w / d6+1w / d4md4+1w / d6+1w / d4md4+1w / d6+1w / d4md4+1w / d6+1w / d4m No other skills of measuarableNo other skills of measuarableNo other skills of measuarableNo other skills of measuarable worth. worth. worth. worth.

FAST-PLAY RULES

hides the entrance to the amusement level. Unfortu-nately, the Betrayer robot bribed a few mutants to keep ‘Any women that come by here wearing bat-tle gauntlets’ out of the way, by any means necessary. Combat Scene In this scene, a handful of mutants pop up out of no-where intent on battle! Show the enclosed map on this page to the players to let them see the scene. Roll for initiative and conduct the battle. Try to keep the battle fast and loose. These are unshielded mutants, and are typically made fast work of in Cleopatra 2525. Mutant stats are included on the previous page. GM’s NotesGM’s NotesGM’s NotesGM’s Notes: There should be 8 mutants who attack, 2 for each of the team. While this might seem overwhelm-

ing, the team has many ad-vantages. If any mutant takes any mortal hit, or any Amazing hit, he flees if he’s still alive. On the other hand, with two of the goons having laser pistols, the team might want to try to take them out first so they don’t deplete their personal defense shields too early. Remember that Mauser has no battle gauntlet and does not use one, and that the personal defense shields deflect energy attacks only, the mutants fists and clubs will go right through them! The mutants don’t know The mutants don’t know The mutants don’t know The mutants don’t know about the secret entranceabout the secret entranceabout the secret entranceabout the secret entrance and the team should not and the team should not and the team should not and the team should not give that away!give that away!give that away!give that away!

Section 4: The amusement park.

Read or paraphrase:

Making sure no one is watching, you all carefully step up to the illusion and activate the code. It shim-mers as you step through to a breathtaking sight. Neon lights, a star-filled sky and the smell of popcorn as-saults your senses. It ap-pears to be a cool summer evening, and in the dis-tance kids are yelling on a ride. People are every-where, dressed in the fash-ions of the 1950’s. Kids are running with balloons and clowns are everywhere. Integrate whatever feels comfortable here for you and your players. Let Cleo’s character take a breath of nostalgia. She wasn’t even alive in 1955 but her grand-parents were and surely they had pictures and such. Plus TV of her time had plenty of visuals. And surely a carnival is still a carnival!

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

While the team tries to lo-cate the missing thieves, a number of interesting things may happen: Encounter Scenes • If the group passes by a shooting gallery, let Cleo challenge another member if she wants. Could be fun. • Clowns passing by jug-gling things and trying to take a coin out of a random team member’s ear. • A little girl is lost. As the crowd got thicker, she sim-ply mistook a skirt of an-other woman as her mother and wandered off in the wrong direction. If the group searches for a few minutes they should find the thankful mother. If asked, she might remember see-ing a man ‘wearing a thing on his arm just like you’. She’s referring to the rogue team member. She remem-bers seeing him near the funhouse. • If any member of the team thinks to start asking folks about the thieves, have them make appropri-ate Personality-Interaction or applicable checks. Sarge for example has In-timidate. Cleo has Seduce (flirting would do). Poor Mauser just has his good looks and isn’t very skilled at interaction. Encourage the players to act out how they’ll ask. As soon as one of them makes a success, they are pointed

towards the fun house.

Section 5: The un-fun house.

By now the team will have come to the fun house. Within are their objectives: Harrin Jex, the paranoid team member, the betrayer robot, and the bailie gun. Read the following: Working through the crowd, you come to the fun house. A giant insect head made of wood glares down upon all who would enter, as a caller and ticket man tries to lure folks to his attraction. The team won’t be able to

enter without buying a ticket, unless the team wants to try to convince him using an Personality-Interaction or applicable skill. He’s not too interested in loosing money, so the team will need a Good suc-cess or better. Still, if they draw a weapon or threaten him, he’ll back down quick! As you enter the gloomy tunnel, your senses are aroused by flashing lights, creaking noises, and strange wax figures. It’s fairly dim. In general describe a few scenes from your own imaginat ion. Pass ing

BBBBetrayer Robotetrayer Robotetrayer Robotetrayer Robot STRSTRSTRSTR 13131313 +2+2+2+2 INTINTINTINT 9999 DEXDEXDEXDEX 12121212 +1+1+1+1 WILWILWILWIL 8888 CONCONCONCON 20202020 PERPERPERPER 8888 Durability: 20/20/10 Action Check: 14+ / 7 / 3 / 2 # ofDurability: 20/20/10 Action Check: 14+ / 7 / 3 / 2 # ofDurability: 20/20/10 Action Check: 14+ / 7 / 3 / 2 # ofDurability: 20/20/10 Action Check: 14+ / 7 / 3 / 2 # of Actions: 2 Actions: 2 Actions: 2 Actions: 2 AttacksAttacksAttacksAttacks Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3 d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s Ranged Weapons: laser arms: 13/6/3 Ranged Weapons: laser arms: 13/6/3 Ranged Weapons: laser arms: 13/6/3 Ranged Weapons: laser arms: 13/6/3 d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m d4+1w / d6+1w / d4m Special: The betrayer robot makes 2 attacks each time it’s turn to Special: The betrayer robot makes 2 attacks each time it’s turn to Special: The betrayer robot makes 2 attacks each time it’s turn to Special: The betrayer robot makes 2 attacks each time it’s turn to act comes up. It is so skilled it getact comes up. It is so skilled it getact comes up. It is so skilled it getact comes up. It is so skilled it gets no penalty for firing 2 shots. He s no penalty for firing 2 shots. He s no penalty for firing 2 shots. He s no penalty for firing 2 shots. He may aim them at 2 different target or both at one target.may aim them at 2 different target or both at one target.may aim them at 2 different target or both at one target.may aim them at 2 different target or both at one target. Armor: Ceremetal Equivalent d6+1Armor: Ceremetal Equivalent d6+1Armor: Ceremetal Equivalent d6+1Armor: Ceremetal Equivalent d6+1 (LI) / d8+1 (HI) / d6 (En) (LI) / d8+1 (HI) / d6 (En) (LI) / d8+1 (HI) / d6 (En) (LI) / d8+1 (HI) / d6 (En) Other skills: Acrobatics [12]Other skills: Acrobatics [12]Other skills: Acrobatics [12]Other skills: Acrobatics [12]----dodge [13]; Stamina [13]; Awareness dodge [13]; Stamina [13]; Awareness dodge [13]; Stamina [13]; Awareness dodge [13]; Stamina [13]; Awareness [8][8][8][8]----perception [9]perception [9]perception [9]perception [9] Mission: ThisMission: ThisMission: ThisMission: This betrayer robot is on a special two betrayer robot is on a special two betrayer robot is on a special two betrayer robot is on a special two----part mission. First part mission. First part mission. First part mission. First off, he’s to get back the weapon stolen from the bailies by Hel’s off, he’s to get back the weapon stolen from the bailies by Hel’s off, he’s to get back the weapon stolen from the bailies by Hel’s off, he’s to get back the weapon stolen from the bailies by Hel’s team. team. team. team. Second, he wants to bring Harrin Jax to the surface to be Second, he wants to bring Harrin Jax to the surface to be Second, he wants to bring Harrin Jax to the surface to be Second, he wants to bring Harrin Jax to the surface to be turned into a betrayer to then infiltrate the resistance undeturned into a betrayer to then infiltrate the resistance undeturned into a betrayer to then infiltrate the resistance undeturned into a betrayer to then infiltrate the resistance under-r-r-r-ground. Convincing the paranoid Harrin to get the bailiey weapon ground. Convincing the paranoid Harrin to get the bailiey weapon ground. Convincing the paranoid Harrin to get the bailiey weapon ground. Convincing the paranoid Harrin to get the bailiey weapon to keep them both safe has been all too easy.to keep them both safe has been all too easy.to keep them both safe has been all too easy.to keep them both safe has been all too easy.

FAST-PLAY RULES

through a hall of mirrors is certainly a must! The team should get a real kick out of that. Eventually they’ll hear a whimpering sound. Fol-lowing it though a few tun-nels they come to a per-fectly circular room! Sitting in the center of the room, curled up in a ball, is Harrin Jex, wearing a team battle gauntlet. Standing over him is another man who looks similar to him, but is carrying the Bailiey weapon. It’s he who speaks first, in even, steady tones: “Come, brother, we are

safe here. We’ll wait a few days to be certain we were not followed and then try to work our way to the sur-face.” That’s when the sitting man speaks (wild-eyed): “The surface! Yes! No! No! It’s too dangerous! I lost my whole team on the surface. I must never go back!” The standing man rebuffs: “It will be fine. You will be safe with me.” What do you do?

It’s up to the team to take action. It’s obvious to them that the whimpering man is actually the last survivor of another freedom fighting team that had a bad experi-ence. And why the other man should claim the sur-face is safe must sound bi-zarre too. Regardless if the team steps out to negotiate or comes out blasting, the result is the same. Read the following: The larger man standing tall looks up as you make yourselves known. With a coy smile, he holds up his arms, which morph into deadly blasters right before your eyes! Combat Scene In this scene, the team must fight the betrayer robot. The man, Harrin, will no doubt panic when he realizes he’s been tricked. He won’t fight unless one of the team can think of something inspiring to say to him to get him to help, otherwise it’s a battle to the death! The betrayer robot can’t make use of the Bailie’s weapon, but Mauser can (if the players think of this on their own). The team can try to get the weapon away from the betrayer in any creative way if they think about it (shoot it out of his hands, try and grab it, etc). Mauser then has a potent new weapon:

Bailie weapon: d4+3w / d6+4w / d6+1m

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

HHHHarrin Jexarrin Jexarrin Jexarrin Jex

Former professional team memberFormer professional team memberFormer professional team memberFormer professional team member STRSTRSTRSTR 12121212 +2+2+2+2 INTINTINTINT 10101010 DEXDEXDEXDEX 11111111 +1+1+1+1 WILWILWILWIL 7777 CONCONCONCON 10101010 PERPERPERPER 10101010 Durability: 10/10/5 Action Durability: 10/10/5 Action Durability: 10/10/5 Action Durability: 10/10/5 Action Check: 13+ / 6 / 3 / 2 # of Actions: 2Check: 13+ / 6 / 3 / 2 # of Actions: 2Check: 13+ / 6 / 3 / 2 # of Actions: 2Check: 13+ / 6 / 3 / 2 # of Actions: 2 AttacksAttacksAttacksAttacks Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3Unarmed Attack: Brawl: 14/7/3 d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s d4+2s / d4+3s / d4+4s Ranged WeaponRanged WeaponRanged WeaponRanged Weapons: s: s: s: Battle gauntlet: Battle gauntlet: Battle gauntlet: Battle gauntlet: 13/6/3 13/6/3 13/6/3 13/6/3 d6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1md6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1md6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1md6+1w / d6+3w / d4+1m Armor: Armor: Armor: Armor: Battle Jacket d6Battle Jacket d6Battle Jacket d6Battle Jacket d6----1 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d41 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d41 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d41 (LI), d4+1 (HI), d4----1 (En)1 (En)1 (En)1 (En) NOTE: NOTE: NOTE: NOTE: Harrin’s gauntlet personal defense shield was used up a Harrin’s gauntlet personal defense shield was used up a Harrin’s gauntlet personal defense shield was used up a Harrin’s gauntlet personal defense shield was used up a while ago, just one more reason he’s poranoid.while ago, just one more reason he’s poranoid.while ago, just one more reason he’s poranoid.while ago, just one more reason he’s poranoid. NOTE: Harrin has suffered some traumatic battle moments rNOTE: Harrin has suffered some traumatic battle moments rNOTE: Harrin has suffered some traumatic battle moments rNOTE: Harrin has suffered some traumatic battle moments re-e-e-e-cently, and it’s still hard for him to deal with. Each round of cocently, and it’s still hard for him to deal with. Each round of cocently, and it’s still hard for him to deal with. Each round of cocently, and it’s still hard for him to deal with. Each round of com-m-m-m-bat, he must make a Will test on a d20. If he makes it, he can act bat, he must make a Will test on a d20. If he makes it, he can act bat, he must make a Will test on a d20. If he makes it, he can act bat, he must make a Will test on a d20. If he makes it, he can act normally. If he fails, he can act, but with a +2 penalty to all his anormally. If he fails, he can act, but with a +2 penalty to all his anormally. If he fails, he can act, but with a +2 penalty to all his anormally. If he fails, he can act, but with a +2 penalty to all his ac-c-c-c-tions. On a critical failure (20) he drops to the ground and covers tions. On a critical failure (20) he drops to the ground and covers tions. On a critical failure (20) he drops to the ground and covers tions. On a critical failure (20) he drops to the ground and covers his head for the rest of the battle! He does not mean the rehis head for the rest of the battle! He does not mean the rehis head for the rest of the battle! He does not mean the rehis head for the rest of the battle! He does not mean the resistance sistance sistance sistance any harm but may do so if the betrayer’s plans succeed. He saw any harm but may do so if the betrayer’s plans succeed. He saw any harm but may do so if the betrayer’s plans succeed. He saw any harm but may do so if the betrayer’s plans succeed. He saw his team slaughtered under his command, and simply “losthis team slaughtered under his command, and simply “losthis team slaughtered under his command, and simply “losthis team slaughtered under his command, and simply “lost it”. it”. it”. it”. Other skills: Acrobatics [11]Other skills: Acrobatics [11]Other skills: Acrobatics [11]Other skills: Acrobatics [11]----dodge [12]; Stamina [10]; Awarenes dodge [12]; Stamina [10]; Awarenes dodge [12]; Stamina [10]; Awarenes dodge [12]; Stamina [10]; Awarenes [7][7][7][7]----perception [8], Knowledge [10]perception [8], Knowledge [10]perception [8], Knowledge [10]perception [8], Knowledge [10]----computer operations computer operations computer operations computer operations [11][11][11][11]

Wrapping up Once the battle is over, Harrin will be very distraught, but thankful. If he dies, the team may be quite disappointed, but in the long run perhaps Harrin wasn’t suited to be a good team member after all. If he lives and the GM is feeling corny, let him catch the eye of a nice girl at the carnival and de-cide to stay. Of course Hel will have to relieve him of his gaunt-let. As an interesting twist on this tale, you can add in one more interesting hooks: What about Harrin’s own “Voice”. After his team was slaughtered did it think him dead too and aban-don him? In a battle with Bailies did his receiver get damaged and so he lost contact? Or worse, was his “Voice” compro-mised by the agents of the Bail-ies and used to set him and his team up? The choice is up to you. For the team’s trek back home, the GM is encouraged to make it quick and simple, using vis-ual descriptions from the show for reference. Cleopatra 2525 is a vibrant world with a specific visual attached to it. Transfer-ring that to the game helps eve-ryone imagine the setting! What’s Next? Ask the players if they had fun. More important, would they like to try another adventure? With the full Alternity rules you can make full-fledged Cleopatra 2525 heroes and design your own adventures. Read on to see what this game system has in store for you and why it’s the best engine for the job!

THE ALTERNITY GAME Tomorrow is out there. It can be as close as the next dawn or as distant as humanity's twilight, when the Earth expends its last, dying gasp. What tomorrow waits beyond the dawn? The possibilities are as endless as your imagination -- and that's what the AlternityAlternityAlternityAlternity game is all about. The fast-play rules have introduced you to the system. But the Alternity has a lot to of-fer you in expanding your Cleo-patra 2525 game. Here’s a brief look at what's contained in the two hardcover rulebooks, the Player's Handbook and the Ga-memaster Guide!

HERO CREATION The material in Chapter 2 of the Player's Handbook allows you to create any type of modern to far-future hero you can imag-ine. The process is much more detailed than the fast-play rules, providing you with more choices and plenty of decisions to make as you create your hero. After developing the con-cept of what you want your hero to be, you select a spe-cies. Five alien species are pre-sented in the Player's Hand-book, and the Gamemaster Guide offers guidelines for de-signing new species of your own. Next, you assign Ability Scores and purchase skills.

The important thing to remem-ber throughout the hero crea-tion process is that you're in charge. All of your hero's char-acteristics and attributes -- the qualities that make him differ-ent from every other character in the world -- are the result of decisions you make. SUPPORTING CAST One of the Gamemaster's re-wards is the opportunity to cre-ate and portray intelligent sup-porting characters. Chapter 6 of the Gamemaster Guide de-scribes supporting characters that serve an array of purposes in your game. Realistic motiva-tions, appropriate game stats, and believable personalities are all crucial components of a supporting character. Villains concoct schemes, ob-stacles, and complications. Sidekicks, controlled by the players, and allies, controlled by the Gamemasters, contrib-ute extra skills and firepower. Employees and followers han-dle jobs that heroes and villains don't have time for. Experts tackle questions and problems that heroes cannot. Finally, ex-tras add spice, color, and detail to your world. The last section of Chapter 6 provides a selection of support-ing character templates that can be used to quickly intro-duce all sorts of supporting cast members, complete with Ability Scores and skills, into the adventure. HEROES IN ACTION Chapter 3 of the Player's Hand-book begins with a general dis-cussion of the different styles you can use to portray your hero in action, and moves into

FAST-PLAY RULES

full explanations of some of the concepts that were introduced in the fast-play rules. You'll get another level of detail in the Al-ternity game system -- compre-hensive rules for dealing dam-age and recovering from dam-age, movement, throwing gre-nades, and getting the drop on the bad guys, to name a few. The corresponding chapter in the Gamemaster Guide dis-cusses the most commonly used rules of the game. You'll find ways to resolve actions, combat, and hazards. This chapter also contains a discus-sion of planetary environments (gravity, radiation, atmosphere, pressure, and heat) and their effect on characters during play. SKILLS

Skills are the heart of the Alter-nity game system. Most of what a hero is capable of doing -- fighting an opponent, piloting a spacecraft, closing a big busi-ness deal, developing a vac-

cine for a deadly virus -- is gov-erned by what skills the hero possesses and how accom-plished he is at using those skills. Chapter 4 of the Player's Handbook begins with an ex-planation of how skills are used and how they are organized. After that, each separate skill is described in detail. The Game-master Guide provides addi-tional detail on the use of skills. ROLEPLAYING EXTRAS Perks and Flaws provide a hero with advantages and disadvan-tages. Each perk and flaw represents one extra handle for a skilled player to use in bring-ing his character to life. No one remembers the Combat Spec who plunges into battle -- that's what Combat Specs are for. But everyone remembers the Combat Spec who purchased Celebrity and enjoys galaxy-wide fame, and no one can for-get the Free Agent created with the Powerful Enemy flaw who's constantly being hunted by his lifelong nemesis. Descriptions of perks and flaws appear in Chapter 5 of the Player's Hand-book.

Careers, complete with con-cepts, suggested skills, and "signature" equipment, appear in Chapter 6 of the Player's Handbook. Careers represent specialization of focus within each profession introduced in the fast-play rules. For exam-ple, possible careers within the

Tech Op profession include doctor, pilot, engineer, and sci-entist. Attributes -- motivation, moral attitude, and character traits -- are tags and hooks that pro-vide definition and detail to a hero. They're used to make he-roes and the supporting cast more than just an accumulation of statistics and equipment, to flesh out these individuals and give them depth. Attributes also serve as an aid and an encour-agement to good roleplaying, which should be the goal of every player. Attributes are de-scribed in Chapter 7 of the Player's Handbook. ACHIEVEMENTS As heroes complete adven-tures, the Gamemaster awards them achievement points based on the magnitude of their accomplishments and how well they succeeded in ro-leplaying their characters. Players and Gamemasters need a way to measure how well the heroes have done. Chapter 8 describes the Alter-nity rules for achievement lev-

It’s quite possible that all 3 members of the team have a perk called ‘Good Looks’...and is it possible that Cleopatra has a flaw called ‘Spineless’ while Sarge may have a flaw called ‘Temper’!

Didn’t agree with some of the skills assigned to the 4 main characters in this fast-play game? To teach the basics, they were boiled down to their basic forms, with the Alternity Players Handbook you can as-sign any skills you see fit for the character to have.

FAST

-PLA

Y RU

LES

els and achievement points.

EQUIPMENT A big part of what makes a hero distinctive is the gear he owns or carries. The hotshot star pilot needs a ship and a reliable sidearm to complete his image, just as the gun-fighter in an old Western needs a horse and a trusty .45 re-volver. Of course, a hero can still be a formidable character if he loses his pistol or his com-puter gauntlet or his trauma pack in the course of a story, but his trademark equipment is as much a part of his makeup as his physical features and his attitude. Chapters 9, 10, and 11 of the Player's Handbook de-scribe the fundamental tools, equipment, services, com-puters, weapons, armor, and other accessories that heroes can purchase. Chapter 9 also provides an overview of Pro-gress Levels, which is the framework the Alternity game uses to define when and if a certain piece of equipment is available. VEHICLES & SPACESHIPS Adventures often require travel -- across cities, countries, or galaxies. Chapter 12 of the Player's Handbook describes some of the vehicles available

in the Alternity universe, from primitive rafts to star-spanning spaceships. Each of the land, water, air, and space vehicles is a stock vehicle, with average characteristics. You'll find rules for using these vehicles in chases and in combat. Chap-ters 10 and 11 of the Game-master Guide contain rules for customizing vehicles and con-structing spaceships with weapons, sensors, defensive systems, and many other ac-cessories.

GAME OPTIONS The Alternity game system in-cludes several options you can use to add diversity to any game style or genre. Chapter 13 of the Player's Handbook contains rules for mutations and mutant heroes. Chapter 14 includes psionic powers, skills, and mindwalker heroes. Chap-ter 15 covers cybernetic gear and rules for acquiring it and using it. In the Gamemaster Guide, Chapter 16 has guide-lines to help you decide which game options to use in your campaign.

CAMPAIGN &ADVENTURE DESIGN One of the Gamemaster's most creative exercises is the con-struction of an imaginary world or universe. In your universe, you decide everything. What genre does your setting fall into? Which Progress Level or technical innovations can de-fine it? What kinds of aliens are present for use as heroes or potential villains? How is the world organized? Who's in charge, and why? Although an-swering these questions could seem to be a complex and diffi-cult task, an organized ap-proach to campaign design lightens the load considerably. Chapters 13 and 14 of the Ga-memaster Guide contain ad-vice on building an exciting set-ting and administering it over the lifetime of your campaign setting. They also have infor-mation on putting together the physical details of your setting: galaxies, planets, and civiliza-tions. Chapter 15 follows this discussion with suggestions for the design of your own adven-tures, filled with exciting begin-nings, compelling action, and a satisfying resolution for every-one. Special tools also used in

creating this package: • Profantasy Map Making software:

http://www. profantasy.com • The Alternity Character Manager: http://www.thecastle.com/walter.html

Special thanks:

• The Unofficial Cleopatra 2525 page:

http://cleopatra2525.katgyrl.com/

FAST-PLAY RULES

Alternity Science Fiction Roleplaying Game

Fast-Play Rules

The Alternity game offers:

Player-driven character creation that gives you a choice of six character species, five professions, dozens of skills, and optional materials such as psionics and cybernetics. One adaptable core mechanic used for resolving all combat and skill checks in the game. Broad and specialty skills to reflect any kind of hero, from a combat specialist to a fast-talking diplomat. Weapons, armor, equipment, and computer tech to reflect any technology level from the modern day to the far future. A vehicle and spaceship construction and combat system that works in both roleplaying and tactical situations. Gamemaster guidance for creating campaigns and settings from modern-day espionage to starfaring exploration and combat!

These Fast-Play Rules give you a chance to take the Alternity

game system out for a test-drive. These rules are intended to get you playing the Alternity game right away. You'll get the basics of what goes into an Alternity game hero, how the core mechanic of the game works, and how the game plays in combat, challenge,

and encounter scenes.

Alternity and Disclaimer This text in this fast-play rules folder was originally developed by...

Documents

Transcript of Alternity and Disclaimer This text in this fast-play rules folder was originally developed by...