GRAVEROBBERS Bare Bones Edition - update 0.2 patch notes

The latest update to the Bare Bones Edition of GRAVEROBBERS is up now. Download the new version for free here.

Patch notes:

- Changes to the Fence

Revamped the Fence, which now gets two pouches, and switched drugs for glue which is more gameable and also still drugs if you really want. It’s also now called the Grifter, which goes some way to fixing the issue I mentioned in the last patch notes.

- Changes to the Burglar

The Burglar now gets a crowbar, their lockpick is one-use, and no more knife, again because of issues mentioned last time. Should be a bit more interesting now?

- Changes to the Vagrant
Knife removed, added waterskin. More gameable!

- Text changes

The single line of text that forms the game’s only mechanical form of progression has been reworded for clarity. A few other minor word changes.

Cowboy Bebop RPG

Ok 3, 2, 1

Let’s Jam

Use my Bell Peppers and Beef money mechanic.

Starting Money:

1. 0

2/3: 1

4/5: 2

6: 3, must spend at least 1.

Start with one ship, spend 1 Money on smaller sub-ships (during character creation only - normally, ships are super expensive).

Can spend into negative numbers at any time - while in negative you are in debt and must complete missions to gain a positive Money score. (Positive Money score needed for any purchase.)

Call 1 Money “a couple thousand woolongs”.

Use a base of the GRAVEROBBERS system, with the following changes:

Characters have a fifth Odd, called Fortune. Your Fortune is the number on the other side of the die fro the value of your lowest Odd.

(Optional: reroll 1d6 for a new max fortune every mission, or each time you visit a fortune teller/online mystic/etc.)

Or:

(Optional: spend 1 Fortune to make a lucky thing happen. Do not restore spent Fortune.)

Crimes are now The Past. What did you do that you can’t escape from?

1. Syndicate. Revolver, +1 Violence

2. Lowlife. Knife, +1 Will

3. Cop. Metal arm or revolver, +1 Fortitude

4. Gambler. +1 starting Money score, +1 Finesse

5. Hacker. +1 Finesse, +1 Will

6. Drifter. Always reroll Fortune and take the higher

When Luck runs out, The Past catches up with you. Roll Fortune to survive (restore Luck and reduce max Luck by 1). If max Luck = 0 or you don’t survive... You gotta carry that weight.

Prep Phases are time spent aboard ship or in ports between jobs. Job Phases see you and your crew trying to apprehend bounty heads. Structure tends to be: get a hit on a general location and go there, investigate, locate, aim to apprehend leading to fight/chase/escape/scheme/peril.

Shucks Howdy! A Bounty Generator:

Draw from a full deck, or from your Prep Deck for extra spice (replace cards after)

1. Gambler, reward 2 Money

2. Lowlife, reward 1 Money

3. Crooked Cop, reward 3 Money if word doesn’t get out

4. Hacker, reward 2 Money

5. Con Artist, reward 2 Money

6. Joyrider, reward 1 Money

7. Eco-Terrorist, reward 3 Money

8. Ex-Syndicate, reward 3 Money

9. Syndicate, reward 4 Money

10. Someone from The Past...

Hearts: You know some key info

Diamonds: +1 Money for the reward

Clubs: Their weapons/loot are fair game

Spades: You’ve got a read on their ship

J: Draw again, -1 Money

Q: Draw again, -1 Fortune (each)

K: Draw again, -1 Money for the reward

A: Draw again, +1 Money for the reward

Main ship: 6 Hull (works as Luck, 1 Money for a full repair). Odds are Endure, Evade, Escape and Engage.

Sub-ships: work off the pilot’s Odds: Finesse to manoeuvre, chase and race, Violence to attack, Will to do something stupid that just might work, Fortitude when the ship could go down (succeed and keep flying - the ship will need 1 Money for a full repair either way)

the smallest adventure game

Because I don’t already have enough projects to be getting on with*, I’ve come up with a small (ha!) personal project I’m going to be undertaking in my spare time**. Using the framework of my “borrowers”-style game, it’ll be a solo version for one young person to play on their own. I’ll print it very small, fold it up, put it in a mints tin with the tiniest dice I can find and all the Starting Items, and probably keep it or give it away for free at a convention if i ever do one.


* a disgusting lie
** not a real thing that exists

The rules

Pretty much the Exact same as the original game, will tweak resolution mechanic to support some Stats. Don’t really need much more to make it work solo since the D the DM would be M’ing is pre-M’d.

(Sidenote: Someone translated the original game into French?! So that’s a thing that’s on the internet somewhere. Don’t remember what the name was but it was a solid translation choice from “borrower”. I miss G+.)

Character creation

A fun quiz that also functions to fit the character to the Dungeon and makes sense in-fiction. So questions like “If your home has pets, get +1 Animal Friend for each pet; if not, get +1 People-Dodger for each person”

or

“Get +1 Climber; also, imagine you were very small and decide what the easiest thing in your home would be to climb to the top of. This is probably what the Brownie practiced their climbing on, so get +2 __ Climber (Bookshelf Climber if it’s a bookshelf, Armchair Climber if it’s an armchair, etc)”.

Starting items

Literal items in the mints tin. A button, a needle, some thread, an old board game piece, etc. No descriptors like how the needle “is” a sword - it’s not, it’s just a needle - so the player can more easily make up a load of mischievous uses for each item. The Brownie can do whatever makes sense with them.

also

Maybe a figurine or some tiny clothes/furniture or something as a fun surprise