Call of Alpha Complex - Basic Rules

Rule zero: The GM is always right

The GM (me) reserves the right to alter, ignore, retroactively change, or creatively interpret the following rules at any time. In exchange for this awesome power, I promise to try to use my powers for the greatest good to make our game an experience we can all enjoy.

Rule one: General Rolling explained

You can't spell Role Playing without roll

Call of Alpha Complex runs on a very light system. Most of the rolls will be challenge rolls: You decide what you want to attempt and you roll a number of six sided dice or the virtual equivalent. The number of dice is selected by the following formula: 1 + STAT + SKILL. Stat is the value of one of your character's five 'stats': Violence, Mechanics, Brains, Chutzpah, or Arcanea. Skill is one of the twenty skills your character has.

You may use any combination of Stat or Skill you feel I am likely to accept. Optionally, you may choose to just post what stat and skill you want to use, and have me roll for you.

Then, count the number of successes you have. A success is a '5' or a '6'. If you roll five dice and get 5, 1, 3, 4, 3 that only counts as one success.

If you have enough successes for whatever I think the challenge of the task is, congratulations! You have succeeded.

However, we're not done yet. The first dice (the 1 you get no matter what your stat and skill is) is special. If you roll a '6', it still counts as a success. However, Friend Computer has taken note of your activity! Friend Computer will then usually take time from his busy schedule of maintaining Alpha Complex to inquire about what you are doing and possibly to make helpful suggestions.

I'm sure anyone who has ever been in a firefight can tell you exactly how helpful it would be to have an invisible voice talking in your head.

Rule two: Sanity Rolls Every player has a sanity rating. At times, you will encounter things that will shock and/or dismay you. When that happens, I will instruct you to roll a sanity check.

Roll 1d100 (a one-hundred sided die, or two ten-sided dice, or the virtual equivalent) and compare the total to your current Sanity. If you rolled less or equal to your current sanity, your fragile mind has managed to deal with the horror in front of you. If you roll over your sanity, the sight is too much for you. Your character has a moment of panicked terror which may include fleeing madly, firing your laser wildly (possibly hitting one of your team mates), or soiling your jumpsuit.

Failing a sanity roll usually results in losing some of your precious sanity. Succeeding a sanity roll usually results in losing slightly less of your precious sanity. Be careful of which horrors you expose yourself to.

When your Sanity hits 'zero', your current character is out of the mission and must be sealed away in a part of Alpha Complex with nice, padded walls and lights that stay on all the time.

Rule three: Expenditure Points, Health, and Treason Stars

Your health starts at 'Fine'. After one point of damage you are 'Hurt', Two points you are 'Injured', three points you are 'Maimed', and after four points there's usually only one thing that can be done with you: Go through your pockets and look for loose change. If you have any clones remaining, your next clone will be delivered to a location near where your previous body expired.

Expenditure Points: XP is the closest thing Alpha Complex has to currency. You can use XP to try to purchase things from Friend Computer or from the Infra-Red Market. You can get XP by succeeding at the mission or performing things Friend Computer approves of, such as by killing dirty traitors. This brings us to:

Treason Stars: Your character and each of your character's clones start with zero treason stars. When Friend Computer witnesses or decides you have committed an act of treason, you will be given one or more treason stars. Once you have five or more stars, you are now a traitor and anyone who kills you will receive an XP bonus. If you commit suicide or report to a Happy Fun Time Termination Booth ^TM the XP bonus will be given to your next clone.

Killing yourself AFTER an act of treason but BEFORE being given your fifth treason star will not result in an XP bonus for yourself but will keep any of your colleagues from getting the credits.

Rule four: Clearance

Clearance in Alpha Complex runs according to a simple color scale:

Infra-Red (Black) is the lowest, then Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, and Ultra-violet (white). As a red, you can go anywhere that's public (one of the non-clearance colors), infra-red (black), or red. As an orange, you can go anywhere you can go as a red, plus into orange areas. Being caught in an area above your clearance or using equipment above your clearance, without authorization, is treason.

Rule Five: Friend Computer

As GM, Friend Computer is my character. Thanks to the neural implants installed in each of your characters' brains, Friend Computer can see what you see, hear what you hear, taste what you taste, and smell what you smell. He doesn't know how to interpret feel yet, so you don't have to explain what you were doing under the sheets last night. Friend Computer can also speak to you whenever he wants and project helpful training videos that completely dominate your field of view and hearing. The only exceptions is when you are traveling in areas where there is no Wi-Fi signal.

As a result, most areas of Alpha Complex where there is no Wi-Fi signals are areas of lawless activity which can be extremely dangerous. Prolonged stays in non-Wi-Fi areas is NOT recommended.

Rule six: Out of character knowledge / meta-gaming

Meta-gaming and using OOC knowledge is not against the rules. Getting caught doing so, especially getting caught without an amusing (to your friendly GM) explanation, IS against the rules.

Rule seven: Please keep this thread clean

Besides avoiding use of foul language, I mean please mainly use this thread if you have questions about the rules.

edited 3rd Oct '15 7:17:24 AM by Nodrog

Got it. This will be fun.

Wait, we all have laser pistols?

Last I checked. Tessla has one and I have one.

Look at your inventory in the spreadsheet. All troubleshooters have a laser pistol.

You're a troubleshooter. Shoot is literally in the job name.

The table listing inventory is in the spreadsheet, under Fenix's spell list.

Discussion thread started: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=14440672460A61789600&page=1#1

edited 5th Oct '15 10:53:09 AM by Nodrog