TEXT: Page �  of �
  1
  43
  
  Page �  of �
  2
  43
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  Introduction
  3 
  The Challenge system
  4 
  Character creation
  24 
  Solo gaming tools
  33 
  Designer notes
  41 
  
  Page �  of �
  3
  43
  BLADE & LOCKPICK 
  INTRODUCTIONS 
  Blade & Lock-pick is a collection of mechanics that together form a simple role playing system, 
  intended especially for solo gamers and “one player, one game master” situations.
  It can also be played as a conventional group game.  
  THE COMPONENTS 
  The rules consist of three distinct components, each of which can be used individually or all 
  together.
  The Challenge section explains how to use the resolution mechanics.
  The Character section details how to build characters speciﬁcally for this system.
  Finally, we include a Solo section, oﬀering an Oracle and other mechanics of interest to solo 
  gamers.
  The components are intended to be modular, allowing you to use one, two or all three modules 
  in your gaming.
  GENERAL NOTES 
  We have assumed that players are familiar with the concept of role playing games already.
  Likewise, we assume that this is not your ﬁrst solo oriented game.
  Many games have served as inspiration, but it seems almost all solo gaming material owes a 
  debt to the Mythic Game Master Emulator and this product is no diﬀerent.
  The mechanics for game resolution are inspired by Tunnels & Trolls and GW’s Lord of the Rings 
  miniatures game, as well as my old work on the Fast and Dirty miniatures rules.
  Most of these rules were written while listening to Cytotoxin, Crystallion and the Dragon Age 
  Origins sound track. If you like all three of these, you’re probably a weirdo. I approve. 
  All feedback and suggestions can be forwarded to the author at 
  nordicweaselgames@icloud.com 
  Feel free to ping me on google plus as well. 
  Love and Peace 
  Ivan Sorensen  
  
  Page �  of �
  4
  43
  THE CHALLENGE 
  SYSTEM 
  
  Page �  of �
  5
  43
  CHALLENGES 
  Purpose 
  A quick system for resolving situations in role-playing games.
  Intended users 
  *Groups desiring a very simple game system.
  *Groups desiring a more group-oriented resolution system.
  *Solo or “one player one GM” gaming situations.
  *Games where each player controls multiple characters.
  *Groups that favor quick resolution over blow-by-blow details.
  Presentation 
  First, we present the Fundamental rules. (Page 5)
  Then we delve into explanations and details. (Page 7)
  Third, we oﬀer a wealth of variations, suggestions and mechanics to tailor the system (Page 
  12).
  A sub-system for handling magic is available. (Page 21)
  At the end, we present the Fundamentals again, but with all the options written into the system.
  This serves as a solid, one page reference guide (Page 22)
  Where possible, rules terms are presented in bold to help distinguish from regular use of terms 
  such as “group” or “challenge”.
  
  Page �  of �
  6
  43
  THE SYSTEM 
  Fundamentals 
  When the outcome of a situation is in doubt, it is considered to be a Challenge and is resolved 
  using the system provided here.
  When a Challenge takes place, simply work through the following steps one at a time. 
  The process looks intimidating on paper, but works very quickly in practice.
  All dice are D6. 
  Step 1 - Type of Challenge 
  Any Challenge will have two opposing forces.
  One of these will be a Group of characters (a 
  Group can one or more individual characters).
  The other may be a Group of characters or it may 
  be an Obstacle. 
  Obstacles are passive diﬃculties to be 
  overcome.
  Obstacles must be established as Simple or 
  Complex.
  Examples: 
  If the players are trying to get past a security 
  guard, it’s a Group. 
  If we’re trying to pick the lock, it’s an Obstacle. 
  Step 2 A - Determine dice pools 
  Each Group in the Challenge receives a pool of 
  dice.
  The basic dice pool is 1D for each character able 
  to contribute to the contest.
  Step 2 B - Determine Diﬃculty 
  An Obstacle will have a Diﬃculty set from 3 to 7.
  Step 3 - Roll dice 
  Roll the dice for each Group.
  Pick out the single highest roll. Set the remaining 
  dice aside.
  Step 4 - Compare results 
  Compare the highest score for each Group.
  Obstacles use their Diﬃculty.
  If the results are equal, the contest is a Draw. 
  Otherwise, the lower side Loses. 
  Step 5 - Apply results 
  A Losing Group must remove one of its 
  characters from the Challenge.
  A Losing Obstacle is Resolved if it is Simple. 
  A Losing Obstacle lowers its Diﬃculty by 2 if it 
  is Complex.
  If Diﬃculty is reduced to 0, the Obstacle is 
  Resolved. 
  On a Draw, both sides Lose.
  Step 6 - Establish victory 
  If an Obstacle is Resolved, the Group 
  Challenging it has won.
  If a Group has all its characters removed, it has 
  lost and the opposition wins.
  If Victory is not established, begin again at Step 
  2. 
  
  Page �  of �
  7
  43
  Game Example 
  An adventuring party of 4 characters need to get inside a crumbling castle and decide to hack 
  their way through the walls.  
  The GM sets this as a Complex Obstacle with a Diﬃculty of 5. 
  The players roll 4 dice, getting 2, 3, 5, 5. 
  As the two sides are evenly matched, it’s a Draw and both lose. 
  The Diﬃculty drops to 3 as the party makes head-way but one of the characters must be 
  removed, probably exhausted or suﬀering a minor injury.  
  Next round, they roll 3 dice, scoring 1, 4, 5. 
  The diﬃculty is now only 3, so they win, reducing the diﬃculty to 1. 
  At this point, there’s no chance of failure, since even if they rolled all 1’s, they’d still have 2 
  characters left and the diﬃculty would reach 0.  
  The party makes their way through the wall and are ready to continue the adventure. 
  Game Example 
  Our 4 characters run into 3 goblins that try to rob them. Arrows ﬂy and swords are drawn. 
  The players roll 4 dice, scoring a 1, 3, 3, 6. 
  The goblins roll 3 dice, scoring 3, 5, 5. 
  As the highest player die beats the goblins score, one of the goblins is struck by an arrow and 
  falls. 
  For the second round, the players roll 1, 2, 5, 5 while the goblins score 2, 3. 
  The ﬁghter smites one of the creates with a mighty blow, leaving one standing. 
  The ﬁnal roll is 1, 2, 3, 6 while the goblin scores a 6. 
  As a draw requires both sides to remove a character, we narrate that the last goblin ﬂees but 
  one of our heroes stumbles. Turns out one of the initial volley of arrows struck them and they 
  had just managed to retain their footing for a few minutes.  
  
  Page �  of �
  8
  43
  THE DETAILS 
  This chapter provides suggestions on how to handle the various elements of the system. 
  Consider it as a set of guide-lines except where suggested otherwise.
  Run away! 
  Typically, either Group can end a Challenge 
  after any round has been ﬁnished.
  This generally means the Group opts to 
  concede the Challenge but prefers to avoid 
  a worse outcome by sticking it out to the 
  death.
  If the Group initiated the Challenge, it fails 
  to attain its goals.
  What else can I do? 
  It’s customary to check for desired actions 
  between each round.
  A character may have an item that could turn 
  the tide of a battle or a coward may wish to 
  ﬂee the scene, leaving their comrades to slug 
  it out.
  A pair of characters may wish to go after the 
  opposing commander, while an evil wizard 
  may summon additional reinforcements.
  In a group game, ask each player for any 
  desired actions and then adjudicate them as 
  you would in any other role playing game.
  Often, such actions may produce 
  Advantage or Deception (see the following 
  chapter) or cause two larger groups to split 
  into smaller Groups for the next round of a 
  Challenge. 
  Talk it up! 
  The system is intended to be narrative, 
  meaning each roll, round and character 
  removal should be accompanied by 
  narration.
  In a conventional game, the GM typically 
  does this, though there’s no inherent reason 
  you can’t let the players do it for themselves.  
  If you are playing solo, you can obviously 
  narrate things any way you like.
  Since we’re playing a role-playing game, 
  narration is what elevates the proceedings 
  from a mechanical system to a story. (Of 
  course, you may prefer a mechanical 
  system, if so, skip this step as you see ﬁt!).
  Consider the diﬀerence between “Rath the 
  Dwarf is removed from the ﬁght” 
  and 
  “As Rath charges the raiders, a blow to his 
  helmet sends him staggering backwards. 
  After a few stumbled steps, he collapses in a 
  heap”. 
  Who rolls the dice? 
  If you have a single player, this is easy of 
  course: 
  Tally up the dice and roll them.
  In a group game, it’s often more satisfying if 
  each player rolls their own dice, though that 
  can make the game move a little slower.
  If a particular character is in charge of a 
  given action, you may consider letting that 
  player roll the dice pool.
  Other groups may prefer just taking turns to 
  roll the pool. 
  Establish whatever norms work for you.
  
  Page �  of �
  9
  43
  Who can contribute? 
  The ﬁrst question any Challenge will present 
  is: “How many characters can be involved?”.
  In many cases, the answer is “the entire 
  group”. 
  If the party is crossing a mountain chain and 
  have to roll to progress safely, then everyone 
  will be contributing.
  In a battle against the orc raiders, everyone 
  is at risk and will roll dice.
  But what about picking a lock? 
  Persuading a guard? 
  Researching in a language only one 
  character speaks?
  It is ﬁne if a test relies on only a single 
  character, though be advised this 
  dramatically increases the chance of the 
  Challenge failing. 
  In most cases, it’s easy to justify a second 
  characters involvement:
  Browbeating a guard is a lot easier if your 
  warrior friend is looking menacing behind 
  you, while the thief could “acquire” a few 
  books to help out the scholar do their 
  research.
  Likewise, a crafter could have fashioned 
  some high-quality lock-picks for the thief to 
  use.
  In general, lean on the side of permitting at 
  least two characters to be involved, if at all 
  possible.
  It is ﬁne to establish a maximum number of 
  involved characters.
  Expecting 8 people to all huddle around a 
  book is probably unrealistic, but it might well 
  be feasible for a large work-party doing 
  manual work.
  When is an Obstacle Simple or Complex? 
  A Simple Obstacle is one that can be 
  resolved in a single dice roll.
  This typically assumes a high chance of 
  success. 
  Thematically, it is often a binary task: 
  Either the heroes make it or they fail. 
  The outcome may rely on a snap decision or 
  it may come down to the party lacking a 
  required resource or knowledge.
  Examples might include avoiding a trap, 
  picking a lock or talking your way past a 
  sentry.
  Complex Obstacles are by deﬁnition 
  extended rolls that require multiple tests.
  This works well for tasks that take a 
  signiﬁcant amount of time, represent a high 
  degree of attrition or which are time 
  sensitive.
  Examples might include traveling through 
  inhospitable territory, ﬁghting an opposing 
  squad or researching an ancient document 
  before the evil wizard ﬁnishes their ritual.
  
  Page �
   of �
  10
  43
  How are Diﬃculties assigned? 
  As a rule of thumb, Diﬃculties of 3 or 4 
  should be assigned to Obstacles that are of 
  modest or average diﬃculty.
  Such Obstacles will take two rounds to 
  overcome if they are Complex and a party 
  with 3 or more dice can generally expect to 
  succeed.
  This is a good “standard” Diﬃculty level for 
  many in-game situations.
  Diﬃculties of 5 or 6 have a signiﬁcantly 
  increased chance of failure. 
  If they are Complex, they will require a 
  minimum of three rounds to overcome.
  7 is the highest Diﬃculty possible. 
  This will require a Group with signiﬁcant 
  manpower to throw at the problem as well as 
  speciﬁc skill sets.
  Use this level only sparingly and for tasks 
  you don’t expect the party to succeed with.
  What does it mean when a character is 
  removed? 
  A removed character cannot contribute to 
  the Challenge any longer, whether by dice or 
  other mechanics.
  Depending on the nature of the Challenge, 
  this might mean they are no longer capable 
  of assisting, though it might also mean that 
  they have reached the limits of their abilities 
  or endurance.
  In a battle, a character may be wounded or 
  knocked out, while when picking a lock, a 
  character may realize the complexity of the 
  device is beyond their talents.
  In group-endurance oriented Challenges, 
  you will ﬁnd characters getting exhausted 
  and struggling on as long as a few remaining 
  motivators remain. 
  Who decides who to remove? 
  Any method you feel like.
  The players may agree on it (or vote), you 
  might pick someone based on the narrative 
  so far or you might roll at random.
  We generally assume that groups of bad 
  guys will remove the least valuable members 
  of the group ﬁrst (ruthlessly sacriﬁcing the 
  minions to save the boss). 
  What does it mean to win? 
  Winning over an Obstacle means the party 
  overcame the problem and got what they 
  wanted.
  In most cases, an Obstacle will not need to 
  be overcome again later, once it has been 
  Resolved. 
  For example, if they managed to climb the 
  castle-wall, they can climb back out again 
  without rolling dice. 
  When defeating an opposing Group, that 
  Group loses the ability to oppose or hinder 
  the party. 
  They must rest, recover and regroup before it 
  can be regained.
  It is up to the GM to determine how “ﬁnal” 
  any such defeat is. 
  Defeating a bunch of cannon-fodder minions 
  might result in most of them being dead, 
  with survivors ﬂeeing in panic never to 
  return.
  A squad of tough, veteran soldiers on the 
  other hand may have taken a few losses, but 
  have retreated in good order.
  They won’t present any hindrance currently, 
  but could show up again in the future.
  
  Page �
   of �
  11
  43
  What does it mean to lose? 
  When a Challenge is lost, it means the 
  players must face the results of failure.
  If a Challenge was instigated by the players, 
  it typically means they do not get what they 
  were hoping to get.
  Failing to make it through the lock means 
  you have to go around for example. 
  Be resistant to the idea of simply trying 
  again: The party needs to ﬁnd a new 
  method, approach or tactic. 
  It helps to look at the larger picture of the 
  scene: 
  If the goal is to get inside the mansion and 
  bluﬃng the guard didn’t work, you could try 
  climbing the wall, picking the lock on a back-
  door or simply knocking the guard out and 
  storming the building through the front door.
  What you cannot do however is the same 
  action, with a slightly diﬀerent wording.  
  If “bluﬃng” the guard didn’t work, “fast 
  talking” or “charming” won’t work either.
  Losing a Challenge forced on the party can 
  be more dire. 
  A party that loses a combat encounter may 
  be captured or they may be ﬂeeing in a 
  panic.
  If you failed to bluﬀ the guard when they 
  came for you, you’re probably in chains.
  It is strongly encouraged to establish what 
  the outcomes are going to be before rolling. 
  That way you avoid ill feelings when the 
  players expected one thing and another 
  happened.
  Where possible, aim for Loss conditions that 
  present an interesting story possibility:
  Having the guards execute the party in the 
  street ends the game. 
  Having the party arrested instead is pretty 
  typical adventure stuﬀ.
  The end of the line 
  If a Challenge has the potential to end the 
  game or end the primary objective of the 
  party, then two new rules kick in:
  The loss condition MUST be clearly stated 
  up front. 
  The players MUST be given the chance to 
  avoid the confrontation.
  If you are GM’ing the game, you don’t have 
  to explicitly tell them what alternatives they 
  have, let them ﬁgure that out and be open to 
  their suggestions.
  Likewise, you’re not required to give them 
  alternatives that they will like:
  If it’s the show down with the epic villain and 
  they opt to run away and let him rule the 
  world, they won’t like what happens next but 
  it’s still a choice they can exercise. 
  Be careful about using such scenes too 
  frequently: 
  We suggest no more than once per 
  adventure, typically at a climax or ﬁnale. 
  Of course, if the players insist on throwing 
  themselves into such encounters, let them 
  live dangerously. 
  Some players prefer high stakes and if so, 
  there’s no reason not to indulge them.
  
  Page �
   of �
  12
  43
  Large Groups 
  Due to the nature of the dice mechanics, 
  once a Group has 5 or more members, the 
  beneﬁt of throwing more bodies at the 
  problem tends to simply be endurance. 
  More importantly, the dice mechanics can 
  get a bit predictable between big Groups, as 
  most rolls will end in a draw.
  The simplest way to handle this is to simply 
  break up the Groups into smaller ones:
  Instead of resolving a battle between 8 
  heroes and 11 goblins, you might create 3 
  Groups of heroes and 3 Groups of goblins.
  Then each Group can resolve their own 
  Challenge.
  This works well when characters are 
  engaged in diﬀerent activities, are separated 
  or would face diﬀerent opposition. 
  If characters from one Group come to the 
  aid of another, simply add them to the Group 
  from the next round onwards. 
  Keeping your head down 
  If the situation warrants it, a character can 
  usually keep their head down and avoid 
  taking part in a Challenge.
  This may be for a single round or for several.
  Some Challenges may not allow this as an 
  option, though we suggest allowing at least 
  one character in the Group to stay in the 
  back. 
  If a character is heads down, they cannot 
  contribute any character beneﬁts but cannot 
  become removed either. 
  Note that this cannot be used to delay a 
  loss, unless the players come up with an 
  extremely good explanation. 
  If you’re the last man standing, expect that 
  you will have to contest the Challenge. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  13
  43
  MECHANICS 
  This chapter oﬀers various mechanics to detail (and complicate) your game as much as you 
  want.
  Abilities 
  Abilities refer to the innate qualities of a 
  given character.
  Whether a character is particularly strong, 
  fast or clever, it’s an Ability.
  Each Ability should be listed with one or two 
  keywords on your character record sheet. 
  Abilities are by nature open-ended: 
  You can come up with most anything that ﬁts 
  the character as a descriptor, though if you 
  are uncertain, you can use the ability scores/
  statistics/characteristics of almost any 
  existing role-playing game as inspiration.
  Don’t hesitate to be creative though: 
  Being “Patient” is an Ability as much as 
  being “Strong”.
  When a Group engages in a Challenge, if 
  any member of the Group has an Ability that 
  would be an asset in the type of Challenge, 
  they receive the following beneﬁt:
  When the dice for the Group have been 
  rolled, they may pick up any die that scored 
  a 1 and roll it again.
  The new roll stands, even if it’s another 1 
  (Everyone can have a bad day).
  This beneﬁt applies to all dice, as long as 
  one Group member has a relevant Ability.
  Multiple characters with relevant Abilities do 
  not grant an additional beneﬁt, however such 
  a Group may retain the beneﬁt even if one of 
  the characters are removed, making them 
  more robust.
  Examples: 
  A “Clever” character would grant a beneﬁt to 
  solving a problem while a “Strong” character 
  would grant a beneﬁt to knocking down a 
  door. 
  It is often better to apply Abilities somewhat 
  narrowly, rather than trying to make tortured 
  explanations for why being “Lucky” will 
  assist every possible Challenge. 
  Advantage 
  A Group that can claim a situational 
  Advantage in a Challenge may add 1 
  additional D6 to the pool.
  This may stem from organization, surprise, 
  planning, equipment or any other factor you 
  can think of.
  It is possible for both sides to claim 
  Advantage. 
  For example, a surprise attack against an 
  enemy in a fortiﬁed position. 
  An Obstacle can have Advantage in some 
  cases. 
  In this case, roll a single D6 and use the 
  higher of the D6 roll or the Diﬃculty.
  The GM may judge an Advantage to be 
  Momentary (aﬀects one roll) or Persistent 
  (lasts until removed).
  A Persistent Advantage can be removed 
  instead of removing a character. 
  Example: 
  We manage to sneak up on the bandits, 
  gaining us Advantage in the ensuing ﬁght. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  14
  43
  The GM might rule that the Advantage is 
  Momentary and lasts only for one roll, 
  particularly if the enemy was expecting 
  trouble in any event. 
  If the bandits are caught completely 
  unaware, the Advantage might Persist until 
  we opt to remove it when losing a round. 
  This might represent the bandits regrouping 
  to face us.  
  Assistance 
  The simplest way of handling assistance 
  from a remote character is through letting 
  them contribute to the Challenge.
  This can be used in cases where a character 
  has received extensive instruction on how to 
  tackle a particular problem, the action 
  depends on the success of another 
  character elsewhere or the character is in 
  constant communication with a coordinating 
  ally. 
  Such an Assistant can provide a bonus die 
  and be removed from the Challenge (the 
  beneﬁt of their advice runs out) but CANNOT 
  provide any other mechanical advantages, 
  including Abilities, Skills or any additional 
  dice beyond one.
  Bystanders 
  You may have a situation where a character 
  is present to help, but doesn’t realistically 
  have a chance of contributing.
  An example might include a non-combatant 
  in a battle or an apprentice to a researcher. 
  Such characters are Bystanders.
  They are assumed to always roll a 0 on their 
  die but can be removed in the event of a 
  Loss.
  It’s convenient to place a D10, with the 0 
  facing up, to track them.
  Mechanically, they essentially act as an 
  ablative shield. 
  Be wary of players trying to set up a situation 
  herding along 20 villagers and claiming them 
  all as Bystanders.
  Typically, don’t permit more than one or two 
  Bystanders to count. 
  The rest will get in each others way, stand 
  around looking stupid or simply run away.
  Cannon fodder 
  In some genres of gaming, it is custom to 
  have “mooks”: 
  Disposable enemies that the heroes can 
  chop to bits in droves.
  We call this Cannon Fodder.
  Simply treat 3-5 Cannon Fodder characters 
  as one character for game purposes. 
  This “character” is known as a Blob.
  For example, a Blob of 4 goblins might roll a 
  single die in a battle and if they are selected 
  for removal, they are all removed.
  Typically, killing one or two members of a 
  Cannon Fodder Blob causes the rest to run 
  away, but feel free to let player describe 
  mangling and eviscerating the lot, if you 
  prefer.
  
  Page �
   of �
  15
  43
  Consequences 
  Typically, a removed character may have no 
  ill eﬀects.
  If the character is removed from a research 
  Challenge, they may just have come to the 
  end of their talents and have sat around 
  doing little of value.
  Meanwhile, being removed while scaling 
  mountains or battling a dragon might be a lot 
  more risky.
  If you wish to add risk, use one of the tables 
  below for any character that was removed. 
  It’s usually easier to roll after a Challenge is 
  completely resolved.
  There are four outcomes possible:
  Trivial Consequence  
  The character is inconvenienced but 
  otherwise unaﬀected. 
  They may haven roughed up or their ego 
  may be smarting a bit.
  Minor Consequence 
  Minor injuries or a bit hesitant.
  This should factor into roleplaying and may 
  provide an Advantage to the opposition in a 
  similar Challenge.
  Major Consequence  
  A character is seriously wounded, ostracized 
  or severely shaken in their conﬁdence. 
  This will often cause the character to be 
  unable to contribute to the same type of 
  Challenge again.
  Fatal Consequence 
  The character is grievously wounded, slain, 
  exiled or falls into a deep depression.
  Typically, this removes the character from the 
  campaign.
  Typically, Major Consequences will take 
  until the next adventure to recover from, 
  while Minor Consequences require a week 
  or so to get over. 
  Adjust as appropriate.
  Deception 
  Trickery can usually be handled as an 
  Advantage, however, if you prefer a more 
  distinct mechanic, allow a Group employing 
  some sort of deception or trick may pick up 
  one of the opposing dice and roll it again.
   
  The new score applies, even if it turns out to 
  be better than it was before: 
  Sometimes a clever plan can indeed 
  backﬁre.
  Deception doesn’t aﬀect Obstacles (since 
  they don’t employ dice).
  If the party engages in some particularly 
  witty trickery that ought to still beneﬁt them, 
  treat it as an Advantage instead.
  It’s completely possible for two groups to 
  Deceive each other.
  Roll
  Easy
  Moderate
  Hard
  Punishing
  1
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Trivial
  2
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Minor
  3
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Major
  4
  Trivial
  Trivial
  Minor
  Major
  5
  Trivial
  Minor
  Major
  Fatal
  6
  Minor
  Major
  Fatal
  Fatal
  
  Page �
   of �
  16
  43
  Double-dice system 
  If you want to have fewer rounds in a 
  Challenge or are concerned about large 
  groups being “grindy” to defeat, you can use 
  the two highest dice for each side.
  Compare the highest die to the highest die 
  and the second highest die to the second 
  highest die.
  With this approach, you will see at least two 
  characters removed each turn, which can 
  whittle down larger groups rather quickly.
  For a player-friendly twist, roll for the 
  enemies ﬁrst, pick out the two highest dice 
  they get, then let the players assign their two 
  highest dice as they see ﬁt.
  This method won’t tend to work well if you 
  are breaking the Challenge up into several 
  smaller groups.
  Endurance 
  It can feel unsatisfactory for an epic monster 
  battle to be over in a single round.
  If so, assign Endurance to the character.
  An Enduring character removes a single die 
  when it is selected for removal.
  Thus, a 4 die troll would require four defeats 
  to lose a Challenge.
  You can adjust the rate of loss, to adjust the 
  toughness of an individual creature (or length 
  of encounter).
  Example:  
  A troll with Monster 4 and Endurance (-1) has 
  4 dice and loses 1 each time it’s selected for 
  removal. 
  A troll with Monster 4 and Endurance (-2) has 
  4 dice but loses 2 each time it’s selected for 
  removal. 
  You could apply Endurance to player 
  characters in general, if you are playing a 
  very high-powered, fantastical or super-hero 
  inspired game. 
  Do note that Endurance only matters for 
  characters with multiple dice to begin with.
  If you wish to grant some survivability to a 1 
  die character, use Resistance instead.
  
  Page �
   of �
  17
  43
  Epic battles 
  When you have particularly large Groups 
  facing each other, you will be faced with the 
  dice totals often being a draw at the end of 
  each round.
  This leads to a slow repetitive attrition as 
  each Group takes a removal then dices 
  again.
  As discussed earlier, this is often handled 
  better by splitting the Groups into several 
  smaller aﬀairs, then having them face oﬀ 
  individually.
  Another option is to declare the Challenge 
  to be Epic.
  An Epic Challenge is determined as normal, 
  but add up the two highest dice (instead of 
  picking the single highest).
  Skills are still only eligible to provide a +1 
  bonus.
  The losing side must suﬀer two removals, 
  while on a draw, each side suﬀers 1 removal 
  as before. 
  The GM must determine at what stage the 
  battle is no longer Epic and transitions to the 
  normal system.
  You may wish to institute a Very Epic stage 
  above even that.  
  In a Very Epic Challenge, do not add up 
  more than two dice, but each side suﬀers 
  two removals on a draw and three removals 
  on a loss.
  If your Groups are shaping up to be 
  unwieldy even at that scale, it’s a good sign 
  they need to be broken down into smaller 
  Groups instead.
  Equipment considerations 
  Most Challenges assume that the 
  characters have any equipment they need.
  If the Group as a whole is under-equipped 
  for the task at hand, raise the Diﬃculty of an 
  Obstacle or grant Advantage dice to the 
  opposition.
  If a single character lacks required 
  equipment (such as being unarmed in a gun 
  battle) they can’t contribute to the Challenge 
  though they could be Removed as a loss. 
  If the limitations of equipment is a hindrance 
  but does not prevent a character from 
  contributing, the best solution is typically to 
  prevent them from adding any Skill beneﬁts 
  (including Expertise or Mastery).
  Superior equipment can be treated as a 
  Talent if it is far above the expectations of 
  the Challenge.
  This is the typical way to handle enchanted 
  items, though it can also apply to the type of 
  item.
  A fully plate-armored knight ﬁghting a group 
  wearing leather armor might well count 
  “Plate” as a Talent.
  
  Page �
   of �
  18
  43
  Henchmen 
  If a character has a henchman, follower or 
  servant, they can rely on them in Challenges 
  as appropriate.
  If the particular capabilities of the 
  Henchman aren’t signiﬁcant (a butler when 
  trying to ﬁght a werewolf), simply count them 
  as a Bystander.
  A Henchman with relevant training or 
  experience grants an additional die that 
  always rolls a 3.
  Simply take an extra die and put it on the 
  table with a 3 showing.
  A character cannot beneﬁt from more than 
  one Henchman and the Group as a whole 
  shouldn’t include more than two. 
  Minions 
  Any proper villain needs minions to do their 
  bidding. 
  Minions are handled the same way as 
  Henchmen:
  Each Minion adds a die that always rolls a 3.
  Simply place a die with 3 side showing.
  Unlike Henchmen, a given villain may have 
  multiple Minions and will of course gleefully 
  sacriﬁce them for the cause.
  Monsters and epic characters 
  The core system assumes relatively human-
  level characters, but many game settings 
  require monsters that can ﬁght an entire 
  party on its own, while other worlds have 
  epic heroes that can single-handedly defeat 
  a small horde.
  Such an entity is simply given a Monster or 
  Epic rating which is expressed numerically.
  In a Challenge, roll as many dice as the 
  Monster/Epic rating.
  For example, a troll with Monster 3 has 3 
  dice to roll. 
  This makes it easy to adapt creatures from 
  games that use “Levels” as a way to gauge 
  power: A “level 4” monster could simply be 
  given 4 dice. 
  We strongly suggest reviewing the 
  Endurance rule if using Monsters.
  
  Page �
   of �
  19
  43
  Resistance 
  A monster, alien or creature that is 
  particularly resilient to a given attack form (or 
  all attacks) receive a number of Resistance 
  dice. 
  This mechanic may also be ﬁtting for robots, 
  troopers in powered armor suits or those 
  with magical defenses.
  Each Resistance die is a virtual die that 
  always rolls a 0. 
  When rolling your dice, place a D10 with the 
  0 showing for every point of Resistance.
  Resistance then cannot win Challenges but 
  these dice can be removed individually 
  instead of removing a character.
  Example: 
  A Troll might have Resistance 1 because it 
  regenerates wounds.  
  This means the ﬁrst time it loses a round, it 
  could give up the virtual die obtained from 
  Resistance. 
  Resistances should always be narrated and 
  are speciﬁc: 
  A zealot who is willing to die for the cause 
  may be Resistant to persuasion attempts 
  while our regenerating troll is Resistant to 
  physical injury (except from ﬁre or acid).
  Skills 
  Skills refer to the learned and practiced 
  qualities of a character.
  Many role-playing games use skills in some 
  form, so this should be a familiar concept. 
  As with Abilities, they function as keywords 
  such as “Fighting”, “Riding”, “Lock Picking” 
  and so forth.
  When a Group engages in a Challenge, if 
  any member of the Group has a Skill that 
  would be an asset, you may add +1 to the 
  ﬁnal die score. 
  Note that as with Abilities, only a single +1 is 
  permitted.
  Multiple Skilled characters simply makes the 
  Group more robust against character 
  removal.
  For a given game, you may prefer a very 
  wide Skill system (here your combat skill 
  may be Fighting) or a more narrow and 
  speciﬁc one (where your combat skills may 
  be Sword or Spear).
  The author ﬁnds that character-oriented 
  skills tend to work great. 
  A soldier may have a Soldier Skill, usable for 
  any common activities related to that 
  profession.
  Experts 
  A character with an unusually high level of 
  expertise is termed an Expert.
  In addition to qualifying the Group for the +1 
  Skill bonus listed above, it also permits an 
  additional die to be rolled, as long as the 
  character is contributing to the Group.
  Mastery 
  Complete Mastery of a skill allows the 
  beneﬁts of being an Expert, but permits an 
  additional die to be added on top.
  This means the character contributes a total 
  of 3 dice. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  20
  43
  Multiple characters CAN contribute Expert 
  and Mastery dice to the pool. 
  Example: 
  A Group has 5 characters, two of which are 
  Experts at Basket Weaving. 
  When the Group enters into the galactic 
  basket weaving tournament, they would roll 7 
  dice (5 characters, plus a die for each Expert) 
  and add +1 to the ﬁnal score. 
  When a character is removed from a 
  Challenge, all their dice are lost.
  Stunts 
  The default system does not typically allow 
  you to target speciﬁc enemies, though this 
  can be a vital tactic in a real-life encounter.
  If a Group rolls more than a single 6 and 
  wins, it may pick the removal target.
  For particularly large Groups (or Epic 
  conﬂicts) you may prefer to require three 6’s 
  to trigger this ability).
  This is also worth considering if you’d like 
  the Stunt option to be less commonplace.
  It can be recommend to oﬀer this rule to the 
  players but not their enemies. 
  Example: 
  We are facing an orc warlord (Epic 3) and 4 of 
  his minions. 
   
  We manage to roll a pair of 6’s, allowing us to 
  select the target for removal and opt to go 
  after the warlord, seriously reducing the 
  enemy dice pool. 
   
  We narrate this as the groups ﬁghter 
  stepping up to challenge the warlord to a 
  one-on-one duel and smiting him in single 
  combat. 
  Talents 
  Characters may have all manner of innate 
  knacks, species traits, supernatural 
  capabilities and magical/technological 
  widgets to aid them.
   
  We broadly call these Talents.
  Every suitable Talent a character has will 
  add 1 die to the Group total.
  A character could contribute multiple Talent 
  dice and multiple characters may all 
  contribute Talent dice.
  Note that we suggest interpreting Talents 
  somewhat narrowly. 
  If the same Talent keeps being invoked for 
  wildly diﬀerent types of Challenge, it’s a 
  good sign you are being too generous. 
  However, if you desire a more heroic-feeling 
  game, you could issue every major character 
  a Heroic Talent that DOES apply to every 
  action they take. 
  This can work particularly well for an action-
  movie scenario with relatively few 
  characters.
  If a Talented character is removed from a 
  Challenge, their dice are lost.
  
  Page �
   of �
  21
  43
  Vulnerability 
  A character or monster may be Vulnerable 
  to a particular threat, approach or weapon.
  This is a common combat ability but an 
  alcoholic might be Vulnerable to an oﬀer of 
  booze, while a locked door is Vulnerable to 
  an enchanted lock pick.
  A Vulnerable character cannot remove 
  Resistance dice and must remove an 
  additional die per defeat if they are 
  Enduring. 
  Example: 
  A sword of Troll slaying would prevent trolls 
  from discarding Resistance dice when I 
  defeat them. 
  If the trolls had Endurance (-2) they would be 
  treated as Endurance (-3). 
  In most situations, if a Group has access to 
  a Vulnerability, it is applied even if only a 
  single character beneﬁts from it.
  For example if a party of 4 adventurers have 
  a sword of Troll Slaying. 
  Even if rolling all 4 dice, the eﬀects of the 
  sword can still be applied.
  This can get a little messy if the opposing 
  Group is only partly Vulnerable.
  If a Group of orcs and trolls opts to take a 
  removal on an orc, then the beneﬁts of the 
  troll slaying sword won’t apply. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  22
  43
  MAGIC AND MIRACLE 
  The Basics 
  Many settings involve mystical and magical 
  abilities such as psionics, spell-casting, 
  super powers or more. 
  These can be handled in a few diﬀerent ways 
  presented below.
  Treat them as a Talent 
  Smaller magical acts can be handled as 
  Talents, granting a bonus die to relevant 
  situations.
  A petty wizard with a Talent for “Trickery” 
  might be able to utilize small illusions, tricks 
  of voice and subtle social manipulations for 
  example.
  This has the advantage of being very simple 
  to use mechanically and uses an existing 
  rules option.
  Treat them as a Skill 
  An alternative is to consider each brand of 
  magic as a Skill set, with all the rules that 
  apply to such.
  A magic user may be Skilled, Expert or 
  Master of a given type of magic the same 
  way you may be Skilled, Expert or Master of 
  any other craft or trade.
  For this to work, magic types typically have 
  to be fairly well deﬁned. 
  Many game worlds have schools or 
  philosophies of magic that serve this 
  purpose:
  For example an Expert in spirit magic would 
  add +1 and a bonus die, if the group is trying 
  to get information from a ghost.
  Grant Magic Dice 
  If you prefer magic to be more distinctive, 
  give magic wielders Magic Dice.
  At the beginning of the gaming session, roll 
  3-6 dice (depending on level of magical skill), 
  and track the results.
  Whenever the Group enters in a Challenge, 
  after making all of their dice rolls, the magic 
  user may add any of their Magic Dice to the 
  rolled scores as additional dice.
  Magic Dice are committed after the dice for 
  both sides are rolled and any re-rolls have 
  taken place.
  If the Group takes a loss, two un-used Magic 
  Dice can be sacriﬁced instead of taking a 
  Removal.
  In both cases, the use of magic must of 
  course be narrated appropriately. 
  It’s all about the story 
  Magic use (and any traits resembling it) 
  should always be clearly deﬁned for each 
  character, unless you wish for a game that is 
  VERY open-ended.
  If a character learned their magic from the 
  spirits of the forest, they won’t be able to 
  apply those traits to hacking into a computer 
  system, but they could probably turn into a 
  wolf and sniﬀ out a trail. 
  Be consistent even with something as 
  ephemeral as spell slinging.  
  
  Page �
   of �
  23
  43
  SUMMARY OF OPTIONS 
  In this chapter, we present the system again, but with the various options included.
  Note that this may give the impression you are intended to use every option. This is not the 
  case.
  We have simply included them here, for the sake of thoroughness.
  Step 1 - Type of Challenge 
  Group 
  Simple Obstacle
  Complex Obstacle
  Step 2 A - Determine dice pools 
  1D6 per Character or Blob.
  1D6 per Assistant (does not qualify for other 
  bonuses)
  1D6 per Monster or Epic rating.
  +1D6 per Expert or Talent.
  +2D6 per Master.
  +1D6 for Advantage.
  Each Minion or Henchman adds a (3)
  Each Bystander adds a (0)
  Each Resistance adds a (0)
  Step 2 B - Determine Diﬃculty 
  Obstacle Diﬃculty from 3-7
  Step 3 - Roll dice 
  Roll all dice. 
  Re-roll 1’s with suitable Ability.
  Opponent may force re-roll of 1 die with 
  Deception.
  Step 4 - Compare results 
  Pick highest die.
  Epic battle, pick two highest dice and add 
  together.
  Add +1 with suitable Skill.
  Obstacle counts the Diﬃculty. 
  Step 5 - Apply results 
  Lower score loses.
  On a Draw, both sides lose.
  On a Loss: 
  Simple Obstacle is Resolved.
  Complex Obstacle reduces Diﬃculty by 2.
  Group must: Remove a character / 
  Advantage / Resistance / Lose a die from 
  Enduring character.
  If winner scores two or more 6’s (optional 3) 
  they may pick target for removal.
  Epic battle loser must take two removals.
  Epic battle draw each take one removal.
  Step 6 - Establish victory 
  If an Obstacle is Resolved, the Group 
  Challenging it has won.
  If a Group has all its characters removed, it 
  has lost and the opposition wins.
  If Victory is not established, begin again at 
  Step 2 unless either Group Concedes. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  24
  43
  THE CHARACTER  
  CREATION  
  SYSTEM 
  
  Page �
   of �
  25
  43
  CHARACTER CREATION 
  Purpose 
  A simple character creation system intended for use with the Blades and Lock-Picks resolution 
  system.
  The aim is to allow a player to quickly create multiple characters on the ﬂy.
  Intended users 
  *Players wishing for characters deﬁned by keywords rather than numeric values.
  *Solo or “one player one GM” gaming situations where multiple extensive character sheets are 
  impractical.
  *Story oriented players.
  Presentation 
  First, we will present the building blocks of a character, along with examples. (Page 24)
  We also summarize the rules function of each building block.
  You will receive three methods for creating a character. (Page 26)
  Finally we oﬀer a character progression system. (Page 28)
  Where possible, rules terms are presented in bold to help distinguish from regular usage of the 
  same word. 
    
  
  Page �
   of �
  26
  43
  THE FUNDAMENTALS 
  Building blocks of a character 
  Characters consist of a number of “building 
  blocks” that provide a complete picture of 
  who the individual is. 
  There’s no inherent reason every character 
  must possess every type of building block, 
  though for primary or main characters it is 
  customary.
  Abilities 
  The key characteristics of a character are the 
  Abilities.
  These are broad attributes such Strong, 
  Agile, Charming and Cunning. 
  An Ability covers a fundamental keystone of 
  the character, often something that becomes 
  readily apparent to anyone interacting with 
  them.
  Abilities are best described in a single word 
  and should be concise and clear, so it is 
  clear what type of situation it will apply to.
  In the Blades&Lockpicks system, a relevant 
  Ability permits the group to re-roll all 1’s on 
  their dice.
  Skills 
  A Skill covers an area of expertise, training 
  or practice. 
  Decide if you wish to use wide Skills (e.g. 
  Fighting. Outdoors. Athletics) or more 
  speciﬁc Moderate Skills (e.g. Fencing. 
  Tracking. Running).
  A popular choice is occupation skills such as 
  Woodsman, Knight and Fire Fighter.
  In the Blades&Lock-picks system, a relevant 
  Skill permits the Group to add a +1 to their 
  ﬁnal score.
  A character that qualiﬁes as an Expert may 
  also add an additional die to the dice pool.
  A character that qualiﬁes as a Master may 
  add two additional dice to the pool.
  Talents 
  Talents cover all aspects of the character 
  that cannot be quantiﬁed above. 
   
  Some Talents may be an unusual knack for 
  a given activity. A character that has 
  unusually keen senses may have the Talent 
  Sharp Senses for example.
  In more fantastical games, characters often 
  have unusual abilities even beyond this.
  An elf ranger may have a Talent for moving 
  quietly in the woods while an Orc may have a 
  Talent related to berserk rage. 
  In the Blades&Lock-picks system, each 
  relevant Talent permits one die to be added 
  to the Group dice pool. 
  Flair 
  There’s more to role playing than the 
  mechanical side.
  Any details that are relevant to your 
  character but which aren’t reﬂected in a 
  game mechanic is considered Flair.
  Flair can be unusual habits, a style of dress, 
  a noteworthy appearance and a favorite 
  drink.
  Even if Flair isn’t reﬂected in the game rules, 
  in a creative game, it’s not inconceivable that 
  your fate could end up depending on it some 
  day.
  
  Page �
   of �
  27
  43
  Flaws 
  What makes a character stand out is often 
  not their areas of mastery, but where they fall 
  utterly short.
  A Flaw might be physical, such as missing 
  an arm or it might be psychological, such as 
  being unable to hold your alcohol.
  In some settings, Flaws may even take the 
  shape of a code of conduct such as the 
  warrior code of a knight or samurai.
  Such a character would not view their Flaw 
  as a hindrance at all, quite to the contrary, 
  but to the game rules, we term all these 
  Flaws.
  A Flaw should be stated in a word or three.
  In the Blades&Lock-picks system, if a Flaw 
  applies to a given situation, the character 
  can contribute no other mechanical 
  advantages to a Challenge: 
  Their Abilities, Skills and Talents are all 
  cancelled. 
  Connections 
  Nobody exists in a vacuum and good 
  gaming tends to come from a well-
  connected character.
  A Connection is a link between your 
  character and the world they exist in.
  This can be heavily setting-dependent, but 
  examples of Connections include people 
  above or below you in a hierarchy, mentors 
  and enemies, favors owed, organizations you 
  belong to and organizations you wish to 
  bring down.
  Connections tend not to factor into the 
  Challenge mechanics but can be vital to 
  creating an interesting story.
  Having an interesting Connection may 
  suggest a future scene, a course of action or 
  even an entire story line. 
  
  Page �
   of �
  28
  43
  CHARACTER CREATION 
  Power levels 
  Campaigns, and indeed characters, can exist 
  in a variety of power levels.
  We primarily govern that through the number 
  of things that go on the character sheet.
  It should be noted that due to the group 
  oriented system, highly proﬁcient characters 
  tend to become widely ﬂexible, rather than 
  ever-increasing paragons of a single skill or 
  in-game expression.
  We use four fundamental power levels:
  Mundane. 
  Veteran 
  Elite 
  Champion 
  The table below oﬀers how many choices 
  you get from each of the three main building 
  blocks
  If the game will use very wide Skills, reduce 
  the Skill total by 1. 
  For a more high-powered, exotic or 
  fantastical game, raise the number of Talents 
  by 1. 
  Characters that are Veteran and Elite may 
  trade their Talent for upgrading a Skill to 
  Expert.
  Champions may trade both Talents for 
  upgrading a Skill to Master.
  Flair 
  Each character should have 4 pieces of Flair 
  assigned, whether mannerisms, 
  appearances, habits or trinkets. 
  Flaws 
  Assign a single Flaw to each character (2 if 
  playing a more comedic game). 
  Connections 
  Each character should have 2-3 Connections 
  to people, places or organizations. 
  Going above and beyond 
  Review the Challenge rule options for Epic, 
  Resistant and Enduring characters if they 
  would be applicable to your character 
  concept.
  A caped super hero will likely need to be 
  Epic, while a werewolf should have some 
  Resistances (and Vulnerabilities).
  Abilities
  Skills
  Talents
  Mundane
  1
  2
  0
  Veteran
  1
  3
  1
  Elite
  2
  4
  1
  Champion
  2
  5
  2
  
  Page �
   of �
  29
  43
  The notepad method 
  A way of guiding character creation is to 
  simply write out a paragraph or two detailing 
  the characters strongest characteristics, 
  occupation or prior training, physical 
  appearance and a few facts you would 
  notice upon interacting with them
  Think of this as a character bio for an online 
  encyclopedia.
  When you are done, simply underline the 
  keywords and then assign them as Skills, 
  Abilities or Talents as needed.
  Anything that seems like it adds character 
  can be a Flair.
  This method is ideal if you are a bit of a 
  writer. It can also be great for people who 
  aren’t sure how to go about assigning 
  mechanical traits to their character concept. 
  The character path 
  This is a more structured approach to 
  character building, without inhibiting your 
  ability to create what you wish.
  Simply proceed through each stage and 
  ﬁnish the sentences with as much or little 
  detail as you like.
  In many cases, especially if you are creating 
  an entire adventuring party, there’s no need 
  to answer in long paragraphs. A line or two is 
  usually all you need to move on.
  Flair can be assigned at the conclusion or 
  you may assign a piece at each stage 
  beyond the ﬁrst. 
  Phase
  Mundane
  Veteran
  Elite
  Champion
  “I grew up in…”
  Select 1 Connection
  Select 1 
  Connection
  Select 1 
  Connection
  Select 1 
  Connection
  “When I got older, I 
  decided to…”
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Skill
  “However, events 
  beyond my control 
  resulted in me..”
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Talent
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Talent
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Talent
  “Everything was 
  going great until…”
  Select 1 Flaw
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Flaw
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Flaw
  Select 1 Ability
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Talent
  Select 1 Flaw
  “And now I am …”
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 Connection
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 
  Connection
  Select 1 Skill
  Select 1 
  Connection
  Select 2 Skills
  Select 1 
  Connection
  
  Page �
   of �
  30
  43
  CHARACTER PROGRESSION 
  As characters adventure, we expect them to 
  grow, change and develop.
  We oﬀer several systems for doing so. Pick 
  the one that ﬁts your campaign the best.
  Narrative experience 
  In a Narrative system, simply make changes 
  to the character sheet when it seems 
  appropriate:
  If a character saved the day, found 
  themselves in a position to learn something, 
  met a mentor or had a revelation review their 
  character sheet.
  New Skills or Abilities can be added as a 
  result of experiences had (and survived) 
  while Talents typically require something 
  signiﬁcant to have happened in the story.
  Sometimes, a character may lose a feature 
  or replace it with something else. 
  A character might turn their back on their 
  own lifestyle and embrace something new. 
  If so, simply cross oﬀ the old Skill and add a 
  new one that ﬁts better.
  This can also work when you realize that you 
  made a choice that feels wrong. 
  Sometimes when you start playing, the 
  image you have of your character will end up 
  being dramatically diﬀerent from what you 
  had in mind when you wrote it.
  If so, adjust as you need, though be wary of 
  changing traits that have come up in game-
  play.
  A more realistic campaign may demand 
  training times and extensive practice to 
  manifest a given trait, while a more 
  fantastical one can justify sweeping changes 
  with relatively little set-up.
  Single player games 
  If a single player is handling a party of 
  characters, a good rule of thumb is that each 
  play session you can add one trait and 
  change one trait anywhere in the group. 
  This could be the same or two diﬀerent 
  characters as desired.
  Group games 
  With a group of players, permit each player 
  to add a trait or change one after each 
  session.
  We recommend the use of the Prep Time rule 
  below in group games.
  Prep time option 
  Any new trait to be acquired is explained and 
  written down, however it does not actually 
  take eﬀect until after the FOLLOWING 
  gaming session.
  This is an abstraction to reﬂect the time 
  needed to practice, train, familiarize yourself 
  or go through the lesson plan.
  Experience interval 
  We assume relatively long gaming sessions 
  where players get to “level up” each time.
  However, if you prefer a slower-paced game, 
  have shorter gaming sessions or want to 
  limit the number of things on the character 
  sheet, you might instead award experience 
  very 2, 3 or even 4 sessions.
  
  Page �
   of �
  31
  43
  Milestone based experience 
  Under this system, characters grow when 
  they experience a signiﬁcant Milestone in 
  their existence (or in the campaign).
  This system is excellent for smaller groups of 
  characters or for games where you want to 
  get a bit deeper into the role-playing.
  It will also tend to shape the nature of your 
  campaigns a little, which is completely 
  intentional.
  If you typically run a very particular style of 
  game, you will want to create some 
  Milestones of your own. 
  A super hero game would have very diﬀerent 
  Milestones from a gritty war drama, for 
  example.
  Milestones can exist for a particular 
  character and for the group as a whole.
  Some examples include:
  *Defeat, overcome or persuade a lifelong rival 
  *Experience a harsh lesson in life 
  *Lose a lifelong friend 
  *Discover something about the universe 
  *Save your home from threat 
  *Change the world (a tiny bit) 
  *Achieve a lifelong ambition 
  *Realize you were wrong all along 
  *Do something that shouldn’t be possible 
  *Defend the innocent. 
  *Punish the guilty. 
  With practice, you can often estimate 
  Milestones on the ﬂy, rather than have an 
  exact list.
  Writing them down in advance can work 
  wonders to guide the game however.
  Points based experience 
  This system uses Experience Points (XP) to 
  purchase modiﬁcations to your character.
  XP are awarded for each gaming session you 
  play. 
  Short gaming session	
  	
  	
  30 XP
  Long gaming session	
  	
  	
  50 XP
  Overcame a signiﬁcant threat	
  	
  10 XP
  Progressed a major plot point	
  	
  15 XP
  Resolved a major plot point	
  	
  30 XP
  It is up to the group or GM to determine what 
  constitutes a Short or a Long session. 
  In a group game, if a player is particularly 
  creative or really pushes the game to new 
  heights, they can be awarded from 5-20 
  bonus XP. 
  If the group would have been doomed, lost 
  or defeated without the eﬀorts of a single, 
  particular character, that character may 
  receive 25 bonus XP for fore-sight in 
  character design.
  
  Page �
   of �
  32
  43
  XP can be spent to purchase upgrades and 
  changes:
  Change Ability	 	
  	
  50 XP
  New Ability	
  	
  	
  100 XP
  Change Skill	
  	
  	
  75 XP
  New Skill	
  	
  	
  150 XP
  Improve Skill to Expert	 	
  150 XP
  Improve Expert to Master	
  150 XP
  Change Talent	 	
  	
  100 XP
  New Talent	
  	
  	
  200 XP
  Gain highly unusual trait		
  300 XP
  Gain Magic Dice	
  	
  100 XP 
  (+ 25 XP for each Magic Die already known)
  If a desired trait is very wide-ranging, open-
  ended or magical in nature, increase the cost 
  by 50%.
  More realistic campaigns will expect that 
  new Abilities and Skills are matched to 
  events in the game.
  If so, charge a 25 XP premium cost for any 
  Ability, Skill or Talent that is not justiﬁed by 
  the on-going story.  
  
  Page �
   of �
  33
  43
  SOLO   
  GAMING  
  TOOLS 
  
  Page �
   of �
  34
  43
  SOLO GAME MECHANICS 
  Purpose 
  Mechanics and tables to conduct a solo or collaborative role playing game.
  Intended users 
  *Solo gamers.
  *Players wishing to run a game without a conventional Game Master.
  *GM’s wanting to experiment with a more spontaneous game experience.
  Presentation 
  The ﬁrst tool presented is a set of tables for setting up a brand new game.
  If you already have a setting or story idea in mind, this can be skipped. (Page 32)
  The second tool is an “Oracle”: The corner stone of solo gaming. (Page 34)
  Third, we provide some random event tables. (Page 35)
  Finally we oﬀer tools to help structure the on-going story as it unfolds. (Page 37)
  Where possible, rules terms are marked in bold to avoid confusion.
  Players notes 
  Throughout we assume that you are familiar with the basic concepts of how to play a solo role 
  playing game.
  
  Page �
   of �
  35
  43
  THE GAME BUILDER 
  Basics 
  This section can be used if you wish to set 
  up a new campaign completely from scratch.
  It will help you set up a genre of game play, 
  along with key words to get you started.
  If you are stuck and inspiration just seems to 
  be evading you, give it a spin.
  If you already know exactly what you want to 
  play, go ahead and skip this chapter.
  It is very likely that a given player or group 
  may have no interest in particular genres or 
  themes or wish for a diﬀerent distribution of 
  probabilities.
   
  For this reason, we’ve added a blank column 
  so you can print out the rules and pencil in 
  your own dice roll tables instead.
  Genre 
  The Genre of a game tends to deﬁne a lot of 
  other aspects, such as the type of characters  
  to expect.
  Fantasy Genres may roll again:
  1-45	
  	
  Low Fantasy
  46-90 	
  High Fantasy
  91-100	
  Historical or Folklore Fantasy
  Low Fantasy tends to take place in a world 
  that’s recognizable without the magical 
  aspects while High Fantasy tend to have 
  fantastical elements as a core foundation.
  Game of Thrones vs Lord of the Rings is a 
  good example. 
  Science Fiction Genres may roll again:
  1-20	
  	
  “Hard” sci-ﬁ
  21-50 	
  Space Opera
  51-80 	
  Space Fantasy
  81-100	
  Cyberpunk
  Space Opera is typically deﬁned by “cool” 
  over “practical”. Fireﬂy or Trigun are 
  examples of Space Opera.
  Space Fantasy is things like Star Wars or the 
  Destiny video games. 
  Historical Genres may roll again:
  1-10	
  	
  Pre-Medieval
  11-40	 	
  Medieval
  41-60 	
  Black Powder
  61-80 	
  Industrial Age
  81-100	
  20th Century
  The Black Powder period covers the era of 
  musketry and swashbuckling from roughly 
  the 1500’s to the Napoleonic Wars.
  The Industrial Age covers the mid 1800’s 
  through to the outbreak of the ﬁrst world war.
  You can roll on this sub-table to deﬁne a 
  Historical Fantasy.
  Add a 25% chance of the Historical Genre 
  being “Pulpy”. (Indiana Jones or The 
  Mummy)
  D100 roll
  Your 
  rolls 
  here
  Genre
  1-25
  Fantasy
  26-50
  Science Fiction
  51-65
  Historical
  66-75
  Contemporary
  76-90
  Urban fantasy
  91-100
  Horror
  
  Page �
   of �
  36
  43
  Urban Fantasy may roll again:
  1-50
  	
  Secret societies
  51-75	 	
  Super Hero
  76-100	
  Magical world
  A Magical World is one where the 
  supernatural is widely understood and 
  known (many Young Adult novels, arguably 
  Harry Potter), while a Secret Societies world 
  is one where the supernatural is secret and 
  concealed (Such as the Blade or Underworld 
  movies)
  Horror Genres may roll again to ﬁnd the base 
  Genre (such as Horror Sci-ﬁ or Urban 
  Horror).
  Theme 
  The theme can be thought of the type of 
  scenario you will be playing.
  Some themes may be best suited to 
  particular genres but we have opted to make 
  each table function independently.
  Mood 
  The mood table can establish an intended 
  tone. 
  Some moods can seem diﬃcult ﬁts, but give 
  it a bit of thought. 
  As an example the ﬁlm Saving Private Ryan 
  would be a Gritty War story, while Black 
  Adder Goes Forth would be a Comedic War 
  story.
  D100 roll
  Your 
  rolls 
  here
  Theme
  1-10
  Exploration
  11-20
  Mystery
  21-30
  Treasure hunt
  31-39
  Special mission
  40-48
  War
  49-58
  Survival
  59-66
  Heist
  67-74
  Revenge
  75-80
  Character drama
  81-91
  Epic quest
  92-100
  Intrigue
  D100 roll
  Your 
  rolls 
  here
  Mood
  1-13
  High adventure
  14-26
  Gritty
  27-37
  Comedic
  38-51
  Dark
  52-65
  Light-hearted
  66-78
  Serious
  79-90
  Fantastical
  91-100
  Dramatic
  
  Page �
   of �
  37
  43
  THE ORACLE 
  These rules assume you are familiar with the idea of an Oracle in solo-roleplaying but we will 
  provide a small introduction:
  When establishing facts in the game world, you frame a Yes/No question to the Oracle and roll 
  the dice to obtain an answer.
  In most cases, it is best to use 3-4 questions to establish the scene, then set up any likely 
  outcomes once you have a good idea.
  You can always drop back into the Oracle later in the scene, if you need new information.
  For example if our characters are approaching the bridge to an occupied village, a good 
  question might be “Is the bridge guarded?”. 
  If the answer is “Yes” we may want to make a follow up question such as “Are the guards 
  heavily armed?”. 
  Almost any piece of information you need about the game world can be established on the ﬂy 
  using the Oracle and any player can frame a question.
  Oracles work best if you do not try to “game” the system (“Do I randomly ﬁnd the epic sword 
  of monster slaying in my backyard?”) or ask repeated variations of the same questions. 
  Note that the table is weighted slightly towards Yes answers. 
  All examples use “Yes” for simplicity. 
  Yes
  The answer is a Yes.
  Yes But	
  The answer is a Yes but with a condition, modifying factor or limitation.
  Likely Yes	
  If Yes is the most likely or plausible answer, the answer is Yes.
  Deﬁnite Yes	 A strong Yes.
  Example question “is the bridge guarded?” 
  Yes - There are guards on the bridge. 
  Yes But - There are guards but they are not very attentive. 
  Likely Yes - Given the location, it seems likely the bridge should be guarded, so it is guarded. 
  Deﬁnite Yes - It’s heavily guarded with sentries and check points. 
  Roll
  Answer is
  Roll
  Answer is
  1-5
  Deﬁnite No
  46-60
  Likely Yes
  6-25
  No
  61-70
  Yes But
  26-35
  No But
  71-95
  Yes
  36-45
  Likely No
  96-100
  Deﬁnite Yes
  
  Page �
   of �
  38
  43
  THE WORLD ISN’T STANDING STILL 
  The characters exist in a living, breathing world that has an agenda of its own.
  In a conventional role playing game, this is injected by the GM, however in a solo game, it can 
  tend to feel like nothing happens unless you are there to witness it.
  The tables in this chapter can help create the illusion of activity.
  Intended for a multitude of settings, worlds and realities, they must of course be quite generic 
  and open-ended. 
  Event rolls can be ﬁt in whenever it seems needed, such as during a period of down time or 
  after a short adventure has been completed. 
  If an event seems to dramatic for your campaign, it can always be something heard about from 
  far-away lands/planets.
  Roll
  Character events
  Roll
  Background event
  1-5
  Receive a message
  1-5
  Change of leadership
  6-10
  Meet an old friend
  6-10
  Threat of conﬂict
  11-15
  Meet an old rival
  11-15
  Disease epidemic
  16-20
  Catch a minor disease
  16-20
  New philosophy or religion
  21-25
  Make a local friend
  21-25
  Political disorder
  26-30
  Make a local rival
  26-30
  Natural disaster
  31-35
  Make a bit of money
  31-35
  Scandal among the rich and famous
  36-40
  Witness an injustice
  36-40
  Social disorder
  41-45
  Witness a crime
  41-45
  Peace and quiet
  46-50
  Hear a rumor
  46-50
  Discovery
  51-55
  Oﬀered a job
  51-55
  Unusual person becomes famous
  56-60
  Asked for help
  56-60
  Fad of music or fashion
  61-65
  Victim of crime
  61-65
  Festival or celebration
  66-70
  Friend in trouble
  66-70
  Outspoken activist
  71-75
  Mysterious event
  71-75
  Tensions boiling over
  76-80
  Premonition
  76-80
  Mass hysteria
  81-85
  Learn something interesting
  81-85
  Heated political debate
  86-90
  See something strange
  86-90
  Crime spree
  91-95
  Gain a strange item
  91-95
  Abundance of resource
  96-100
  A moment of introspection
  96-100
  Shortage of resource
  
  Page �
   of �
  39
  43
  These events can be as dramatic or minor as you see ﬁt and should be interpreted with your 
  campaign style in mind. 
  The two tables below oﬀers results for enemy forces, if you wish to get surprised at what your 
  arch rivals might be up to, as well as results for large organizations your party may be involved 
  with.
  Roll
  Enemy actions
  Roll
  Organization events
  1-10
  Inactive
  1-29
  No event
  11-19
  Direct attack on characters
  30-31
  Splinter group
  20-28
  Indirect attack on characters
  32-36
  Gain allies or support
  29-37
  Enemy gathers allies
  37-41
  Lose allies or support
  38-46
  Enemy fortiﬁes or gathers support
  42-46
  Gain popularity
  47-55
  Allies of characters attacked directly
  47-51
  Lose popularity
  56-64
  Allies of characters attacked indirectly
  52-55
  Leadership struggle
  65-73
  Sabotage or espionage
  56-60
  Conﬂict with another organization
  74-82
  Subversion of allies
  61-66
  Players make a new Connection within 
  the organization
  83-91
  Attempt to deprive characters of 
  support or resources
  67-72
  Players make a new Connection with a 
  rival of the organization
  92-100
  Show of strength
  73-75
  Change of leadership
  76-77
  New rival organization
  78-81
  Corruption or disorganization
  82-84
  Organization is inﬁltrated
  85-92
  Organization needs something done
  93-96
  Internal reforms
  97-100
  Improvement in loyalty
  
  Page �
   of �
  40
  43
  SCENE BY SCENE 
  Games usually progress in a series of scenes. 
  As each scene is completed, take a moment to write down any Story Threads that have been 
  created.
  This may be people you’ve heard of, possible plot hooks, potential risks, areas of interest and 
  so forth.
  In the verbiage of video games, think of these as “side quests”.
  If a given Story Thread was resolved in the scene you just played, cross it oﬀ the list.
  Establish what the next scene is going to be: Typically this depends on what you want the 
  characters to do, though in some scenarios, a course of action may be dictated by the story.
  Use of the random event tables can also trigger a scene that you may not have expected.
  When you’ve established what you intend to do and where it is going to take place, roll below 
  to determine if things go as you expected.
  Complicated	 	
  
  The scene is made more confusing or chaotic, usually by the presence of someone or 
  something unexpected.
  Unlucky	
  	
  
  The scene will be more diﬃcult than expected.
  Lucky		
  	
  
  The scene will be easier than expected.
  Opportunity
  The scene will have an unexpected chance to advance the plot.
  Interrupted	
  	
  
  Events, forces or happenstance interferes and causes a diﬀerent scene.
  Exactly as planned	 
  Play the scene as you intended to.
  Example: 
  After ﬁghting our way past the guards, our next scene is going to be inﬁltrating the occupied 
  village and ﬁnding our contact. 
  Complicated - Allied artillery are planning to shell the village within the hour. 
  Unlucky - The town is particularly well defended. 
  Lucky - The villagers are extremely angry with the occupiers and will help us. 
  Opportunity - An enemy intelligence oﬃcer is visiting the town right now. 
  Interrupted - An enemy patrol spots us as we’re nearing the town and we must escape. 
  Roll
  Next scene is
  Roll
  Next scene is
  1-4
  Complicated
  13-16
  Opportunity
  5-8
  Unlucky
  17-20
  Interrupted
  9-12
  Lucky
  21-100
  Exactly as planned
  
  Page �
   of �
  41
  43
  DESIGNER NOTES 
  So why does this entire thing exist?
  Largely out of three impulses:
  First, I have really enjoyed a lot of the work and creativity of the solo gaming communities 
  online, especially the Lone Wolf Roleplaying Google + community. 
  I wanted to contribute something meaningful myself, with the modest hope that it’d end up 
  improving the gaming experience of someone out there.
  Second, I often become frustrated with running conventional RPG systems solo.
  It’s strange, I can GM a 5 player Rolemaster battle no problem, but the second I am in charge 
  of the characters, shuﬄing character-sheets becomes an annoyance for me. 
  I wanted something that would let me play with a full party of characters, while keeping 
  everything potentially on one piece of paper (or a couple of index cards).
  Thirdly, having read and experimented with, but never played “proper” Tunnels & Trolls, I was 
  intrigued by how it handled combat as a group activity: Each character on both sides 
  contributes to an overall “pool” and then you compare to the bad guys to see who got beat up.
  This got me thinking: What if you could extend that to everything in the game? 
  This meant ﬁnding a dice mechanic and I didn’t have to look too long. 
  I didn’t want to add the dice together, the way T&T had done, because it can create situations 
  where one side is overmatched and stands no chance. 
  This isn’t automatically a bad thing, but in a solo oriented game, I felt it would be boring. 
  The solution came from a few sources simultaneously: The Games Workshop Lord of the Rings 
  miniatures game as well as my old design work on the Fast and Dirty war game rules:
  Roll the dice, pick the highest and then compare.
  This both creates a nice averaging eﬀect where large groups will typically perform as expected, 
  but also puts two groups within the same theoretical frame work (a 1 to 7 range in our case).
  Perfect!
  With a pretty universal mechanic in place, it was just a case of ﬁlling it all the fringe cases: 
  What if the bad guys has cannon fodder minions? What if you ﬁght a troll? What if you are a 
  ninja master? All that stuﬀ.
  I included a few random tables I’ve been using for my own solo games. Knowing that solo 
  gamers tend to ﬁnd a tool set they like and stick to it, I wanted to make sure each component 
  of the game rules was as modular as possible.
  As such, there’s nothing stopping you from using the resolution mechanics along with another 
  oracle such as Mythic. Or for that matter using my oracle with a conventional game system.
  After all, if you’re playing solo, who is going to tell you no?
  Best wishes and happy gaming 
  Ivan Sorensen 
  
  Page �
   of �
  42
  43
  SAMPLE CHARACTERS 
  This section presents a few sample characters, created using the Veteran template for a 
  fantasy campaign:
  Sir Arren  
  Noble knight. 
  Abilities: 	
  Fortitude.
  Skills:	 	
  Swordsman. Horseman. Chivalry.
  Talents:	
  Willpower.
  Flair:	
  	
  Uneasy around law-breakers. Prefers green clothing. 
  	
  	
  Strokes beard when thinking. Carves wood ﬁgurines. 
  Flaws:	 	
  Afraid of swimming.
  Connections:	 Local duke. Old priest. Forbidden love. 	
  	
  
  Miriam 
  Cut-throat mercenary. 
  Abilities: 	
  Speed.
  Skills:	 	
  Soldiering. Dirty ﬁghting. Foraging.
  Talents:	
  Looting.
  Flair:	
  	
  Swears constantly. Hates elves.
  	
  	
  Always carries a dagger. Doesn’t drink.
  Flaws:	 	
  No tact.
  Connections:	 Former commander. Local thief. Crazy old man.
  “Ferret”  
  Street urchin. 
  Abilities: 	
  Charisma.
  Skills:	 	
  Sneaking. Thievery. Persuasion.
  Talents:	
  Avoid detection.
  Flair:	
  	
  Nervous. Always hungry.
  	
  	
  Quiet. Eager for approval.
  Flaws:	 	
  Physically weak.
  Connections:	 Beggar king. Step father. Friendly monk. 	
  
  
  Page �
   of �
  43
  43
  CHARACTER CREATION EXAMPLE 
  We set out to build a Veteran character, using the Path system.
  We have an idea of a forest-dwelling ranger type, so we start with “I grew up in..” And ﬁnish the 
  sentence with “The deep forest, raised by elves”.
  This gives us a connection, which we’ll take as an “Elven Mentor”.
  The next step is “When I got older, I decided to…” which we ﬁnish as “roam the land, looking 
  for adventure”.
  We get our Ability from this, so something like Perception would ﬁt well. 
  Next step is “However, events beyond my control resulted in me…”. 
  This is the step to add a bit of tragedy so we’ll say that “..being cast out due to a false 
  accusation”. Ouch!
  This gives us a Talent and a Skill, so we’re going to pick up the Stealth skill and a Talent for 
  Revenge. The former will be generally handy and with the Talent, we can justify a bonus die on 
  all manner of things relating to our past.
  “Everything was going great until..”. Since we went a bit dramatic, we reason that our character 
  found the wandering life to his liking, maybe picking up odd jobs scouting and tracking.
  We’ll ﬁnish that as “I met a group of adventurers”. 
  If this is our current adventuring party, it adds a little bit of light-hearted fun to the proceedings, 
  which is ﬁne: We don’t want our character to be a brooding type.
  We get another skill here, so we’ll take some Archery. The adventurers probably took an 
  interest in our martial skills.
  For a ﬂaw, we’re going to take Trust Issues. This might hinder us if we have to make certain 
  social rolls, but seems ﬁtting and interesting.
  Final step “And now I am…” “Searching for my place in life”. Boom. We now have a reason to 
  adventure.
  Our ﬁnal skill will be Tracking and we’ll take a Connection to a Loyal inn-keep we’ve met in 
  our travels. 
  Now we just need to assign some Flair and we’re good to go.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Solo/2. GM Emulators & Generic Solo Rules/Blade And Lockpick.pdf