In a Strange Land

A Minimalist Roleplaying Game of Hex-Crawling Pulp Fantasy

Writing & Design by James D. Hargrove

Interior Art by David Lewis Johnson
Cover Art by Miguel Santos
Introduction what the item is, roll an additional 1d6 and
cross-reference the result with the appropriate
In a Strange Land is a roleplaying game letter code on the following table.
of hex-crawling pulp fantasy based, in large
part, on a solo-play board game of the early
1980s. In a Strange Land assumes that you 1 2 3 4 5 6

have prior familiarity with RPGs and, as such, A 0 1 2 3 4 5

skips the basic introductory stuff.
B 0 6 7 8 9 10

C 6 8 9 11 12 13
Character Creation
All characters are initially defined by
four traits: Fighting, Physique, Guile, and Having cross-referenced the appropriate
Wealth. Each such trait is further defined by a letter code with your die roll result, you will find
numeric value. To determine the starting value another numeric code. This code refers to a
of a trait, roll 2d6. The result of this die roll is special item on the equipment list located at the
the value of the trait. end of this document.
In order to determine exactly how many Finally, at this time, you can use your
silver coins your character begins play with, roll silver coins to purchase armor and weapons for
1d6 and cross-reference the result with your your character from the equipment list.
character’s Wealth score on the table below.
Combat Resolution
1 2 3 4 5 6 Combat is divided up into turns. Each
1 1 2 2 3 3
turn, a character may take one action (e.g.,
2
attack an opponent, retreat, etc).To determine
3 1 2 3 3 4 5 what characters act when, roll 1d6 for each
3 4 5 5 6 7 character involved in the combat and add their
4
Fighting score to the result. Characters act in
5 3 4+A 5 6+A 7 8+A order of their modified die roll results, from
6 4 5 6 7 8 9 highest to lowest. When ties occur, re-roll the
dice. The only exception to this determined
7 9 10 11 12 13
7 order of combat is when surprise occurs.
8 6 8+C 11+A 12 15+A 20 If your character attempts to catch an
opponent by surprise, you need to roll 2d6. If
9 11 13 15 17 19 21
this roll result is lower than your character’s
10 16 19 21 23 25 28 Guile, then they have surprised their opponent.
As a result, your character gets to strike before
11 20+A 22 24+B 26 28+B 30
their opponent during the first turn of combat,
12 23 27 29 31 33 37 regardless of acting order and they get to make
a ‘free’ attack on the first turn of combat in
A result on the above table that contains addition to their normal attack.
a letter in addition to a number denotes that To resolve attacks, subtract the Fighting
your character has in their possession a Special score of the attacker from the target’s Fighting
Item in addition to silver coins. To determine score and make a note of it. Next, roll 2d6 and

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modify the result by the number obtained by
comparing combatant Fighting scores and any
relevant equipment modifiers (see equipment
descriptions). Finally, apply any modifiers for
other conditions as deemed necessary by the
Referee, such as a -4 modifier for low visibility
in combat or a +10 modifier for attacking an
unconscious opponent.
After obtaining a final numeric value,
compare it to the table below. If the value is
shown on the table, then the specified number
of wounds have been dealt to the target of the
attack. If the value is not shown on the table,
then the attack has missed.
-6,-3,1,3,6 ,9 One Wound
11,13,14,18 Two Wounds
12 Three Wounds
15,16,19 Four Wounds
20+ Five Wounds
If, instead of attacking, you wish your
character to flee from combat, roll 2d6 as their
action. If the die result is less than their Guile
score, they have successfully escaped from the
battle. Any other result indicates a failed escape
attempt, and that your character has forfeited
their action for the turn.
Finally, if fighting sapient opponents,
you can attempt to frighten foes into fleeing by
physically intimidating them. Anytime that a foe
is killed on a combat turn, you may opt to roll
2d6 as your character’s action. If the die result
is less than your character’s Physique score, the
remaining enemy combatants will flee.
Wounds & Healing
Your character’s Physique determines
the number of wounds that they can sustain
before they are killed.
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When your character has sustained a
number of wounds equal to half of their
Physique score (rounded down), they have
become Seriously Injured and receive a -2
penalty to all die rolls made on their behalf.
When they have sustained wounds greater
than their Physique score but less than double
that score, they have been Knocked Out and
can take no action. When they have sustained
wounds equal to or greater than double their
Physique score, they are Dead.
For every 24 hours that a character
dedicates to rest without undertaking strenuous
activity, they heal one normal, non-poison,
wound. Additionally, some Special Items allow
a character to heal wounds, including poison
wounds (see equipment descriptions).
Travel & Transport
In a Strange Land is what many people
refer to as a “hex-crawl” system – overland
travel occurs on a hex map representing a
campaign setting. That said, the rules for travel
and transport are simple. First, it is important to
know how much terrain a group of characters
can cover in a 24-hour period.
If any character in the group is on foot,
then all characters must match his rate of
travel, covering one hex worth of terrain every
24-hour period. If all group members are
mounted, they can cover up to two hexes
worth of terrain in a 24-hour period. Finally, if
all of a group is riding aerial mounts, they can
cover up to three hexes worth of terrain in a
given 24-hour period.
In addition to ground and aerial travel,
a group may also traverse bodies of water (e.g.,
lakes, rivers, etc) on a raft or other watercraft,
provided they own such conveyance or spend
48-hours to fashion it from natural resources.
Such travel occurs at the rate of three hexes
per day on still water, four hexes per day if
moving with a current, or two hexes per day if
moving directly against a current (e.g., rafting
upstream on a river).
With regard to transport, a character
may carry a number of loads equal to their
Physique score. A land-based mount can carry
30 loads, and aerial mount can carry 20 loads,
and a watercraft can carry up to 40 loads,
depending upon its exact size (as determined
by the Referee; naturally a smaller watercraft
will carry a smaller number of loads).
Each pack of rations counts as one load,
as does every 100 coins or portion thereof
(e.g., 80 coins still counts as a load for the
purposes of transport). Individual items and
weapons count as one load each. Carrying a
person counts as 10 loads.
Food & Nourishment
Food plays an important role in the In a
Strange Land campaign – without it, your
character becomes progressively weaker and
less able to fend for oneself. Characters require
one ration of food each day to remain healthy,
while animal mounts, if unable to forage for
food, require two rations of food each day to
remain healthy.
One ration of food costs a single silver
coin. A typical ration consists of salted meat,
hard tack biscuit, and hard cheese. Better food
can be acquired at inns and taverns, but it must
be consumed on the spot as it does not keep
(that said, such meals still fulfill the nutritional
requirements mentioned above).
If you wish, your character can try his
hand at hunting, provided they are in an area
inhabited by wild game. Roll 2d6 and subtract
the result from your character’s Fighting score.
The modified die roll result is the number of
food rations worth of wild game procured. If
the die result is a negative value, then no wild
game has been procured.
If either a character or mount misses a
required daily meal, their Fighting score (if
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applicable) is reduced by one and their load
carrying capacity is halved (rounded down). If
they miss a second daily meal, their carrying
capacity is again halved and their Fighting
score again reduced by one. And so on. When
a character’s Fighting score is reduced to zero
in this manner, then their Physique score is
reduced by one point for each further day of
starvation, with such loss being treated as if the
starving party has been wounded.
When a starving character or mount
consumes a day’s worth of food as previously
discussed, the effects of one day of starvation
are reversed. Unfortunately, recovering from
starvation takes time – such effects may only
be reversed one day at a time.
Other Common Actions
During the course of an adventure, you
may want your character to do something
other than crush your enemies, see them
driven before you, and hear the lamentations
of their women. Rules are provided here for
common non-combat actions.
In some cases, you may find it useful to
hide from another character or creature. To do
so, roll 2d6. If the die roll result is less than
your character’s Guile score, they have hidden
and will remain so until they move. If they
move, a further die roll must be made to
remain hidden from view. Remaining hidden
while moving is not easy.
Locks pose a common obstacle to
characters, both on doors and on chests. You
can, if you so wish, attempt to pick a lock with
precision using thieve’s tools or use your brute
strength to force it open.
Picking a lock successfully both opens
the lock and bypasses any traps that may be
protecting it. To pick a lock, roll 2d6. If the die
roll result is less than your character’s Guile
score, they have successfully picked the lock.
Any other result indicates that the lock was not
picked, but also that no traps protecting the
lock (if applicable) were triggered.
Forcing open a lock both destroys the
lock and triggers any traps that may be
protecting it. To force a lock open, roll 2d6. If
the die result is less than your character’s
Physique score, the lock has been successfully
forced open and any traps protecting it are
triggered. Any other result indicates that the
lock remains intact, but any traps protecting it
are triggered (if applicable).
There are times when an application of
quick wit can be your saving grace. Whenever
you want your character to tell a convincing lie,
bribe somebody, convince somebody to join
your cause, or otherwise manipulate somebody
in a social fashion, roll 2d6. If the die result is
less than your character’s Guile score, then
their social gambit has been successful. Any
other result indicates that your character is less
clever than they anticipated.
The Sin of Sorcery
Sorcery is evil. Period. It is nothing less
than a sin against the gods. It is not your
character’s lot in life to wield sorcery, but to
extinguish its flame wherever it may be found.
Those who wield sorcery are dangerous foes –
but steel will conquer them in the end!
Sorcerers may choose to hurl balls of
arcane energy at characters in combat. As the
Referee, when a sorcerer attacks with arcane
energy, instead of resolving the attack using the
normal combat table, roll 1d6. If the result is 5
or 6, the sorcerer has struck the group with a
ball of crackling arcane energy. Roll another
1d6. The result of this second die roll is the
number of wounds that every character in the
target group takes.
Further, a sorcerer may use magic to
dominate other characters. As the Referee,
whenever a sorcerer attempts to dominate a
character as an action, instead of resolving the
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attack using the normal combat table, roll 2d6.
If the result of this roll is greater than the target
character’s Guile score, the targeted character
has been dominated and can take no action
until the sorcerer’s hold over him has been
broken. If all characters are dominated in this
manner, they have been captured by the
sorcerer. In order to break a sorcerer’s hold
over an ensorceled character, the character
must be wounded, shocking them back to
reality with the very real sensation of pain.
It’s a Trap!
As mentioned previously, traps are often
used to guard chests or doors, but the truth is
that the Referee may drop them anywhere that
they please. The following guidelines can be
used to aid you in quickly generating traps for
In a Strange Land campaigns.
First, two primary types of trap exist in
the world – lethal traps and non-lethal traps.
Examples of lethal traps include balloons of
poison gas hidden in chests, pit traps filled with
spikes, and so on. Examples of non-lethal
include urns of knock out gas or trip alarms
that alert nearby creatures of intruders.
Lethal traps can be further broken down
into two sub-types – those that inflict regular
wounds and those that inflict poison wounds.
Poison wounds, mentioned briefly earlier, are
really not much different than non-poison
wounds except that they do not heal without
the use of a special potion.
All lethal traps, whether they deal non-
poison wounds or poison wounds, deal a flat
number of wounds to a character who triggers
them or any characters caught in the area of
effect, as determined by the Referee. The exact
number of wounds dealt to characters by a
lethal trap is determined by exactly how lethal
it is, as seen on the table at the top of the
following page.
 Ho w L ethal? Woun ds D ealt Name Fighting Physique We alth

Not Very One Wound Amazon 7 6 5

Som ewhat Two Wounds Ba ndit 5 5 5

Pretty Darn Four Wounds Bandit King 6 6 8

Very, Very Eight Wounds Ghost 5 3 None

Giant 10 9 7
Non-lethal traps are an entirely different
Golem 7 9 None
matter. Like lethal traps, non-lethal traps have
a pre-determined effect but, obviously, those Griffon 8 7 None
effects don’t cause wounds. For instance, a
Lizardman 6 7 8
non-lethal trap that consists of the previous
example of an urn of knock out gas would Mercena ry 6 5 5
simply knock out any affected character or
Priest 4 4 12
creatures when triggered.
If the Referee is a sporting sort, they Skeleton 5 4 3
may allow you to roll 2d6 and, if you roll less
Sorcerer 5 5 12
than a trait they specify, further allow your
character to mitigate the effects of a given trap. Sphinx 10 9 11
For example, they may tell you to roll 2d6 and,
if you roll less than your character’s Physique Amazon: Amazons are very beautiful female
score, then your character may not succumb to warriors of legendary skill; better than any man
that knock out gas or take only half the number on the field of battle.
of wounds from those rotating knives.
For the most part, creating traps for In a Bandit: Bandits are everywhere in the world of
Strange Land campaigns is an endeavor of In a Strange Land, making a living by stealing
imagination, rather than actual rules. These from those too weak to fight back.
guidelines should get Referees where they need
to go without constraining them too much. Bandit King (or Queen): A man or woman
who has fought their way to the top of a given
Foes to Fight bandit group’s hierarchy. A tougher bandit.
The following is a short list of foes that
characters may encounter during In a Strange Ghost: An ethereal apparition. Often tethered
Land campaigns. Referees should feel free to to a specific place, defeating them in combat
expand upon this list of foes or alter the traits of may only dispel them temporarily. Often, a
these foes to better suit their own vision of quest must be undertaken to lay them to rest.
what the world of In a Strange Land and its
inhabitants look like. As was the case with Giant: Dim-witted, lumbering, humanoids of
traps, these are primarily guidelines, and should immense size, giants are extremely strong and,
serve to give the Referee a starting point for as such, do great damage in combat.
their own campaigns.

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Golem: An artificial construct, imbued with the
semblance of life by a Sorcerer, Golems are
powerful opponents in combat.

Griffon: A large, flying, creature with the head

and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. It
is possible to train them as mounts.

Lizardman: Many years ago, lizardmen were

once normal humans but were cursed by a
wicked sorcerer to wear the skin of a lizard.

Mercenary: A professional warrior whose deft

blade is for sale to anybody who can pay the
asking price.

Priest: Plutocrats whose power derives from

their wealth, priests are not great warriors, but
they surround themselves with bodyguards.

Sorcerer: As elucidated earlier, sorcerers can

command eldritch power to their benefit and,
like priests, are typically wealthy individuals
who can hire talented warriors to guard them.

Sphinx: Rare creatures of extreme power and

wisdom, Sphinxes can call upon sorcery as do
sorcerers and have a fondness for riddles.

Copyright © 2017 by M ystic Beard Gam es

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 The Equipment List
Weapon Name Description Cost in Silver

Club +1 Fighting versus plate armor, +2 Fighting versus unarmored opponent None

Dagger +1 Fighting versus leather or chain armor, +2 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 3

Sap +1 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 1

Mace +2 Fighting versus plate armor, +3 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 10

Broadsw ord +2 Fighting versus leather armor, +3 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 15

Grea tswo rd +3 Fighting versus leather armor, +4 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 30

Spear +2 Fighting versus leather or chain armor, +2 Fighting versus unarmored opponent 8

Net Successful attack completely immobilizes opponent for 1d6 turns 12

Sling +1 Fighting versus unarmored opponent at range 2

Armor Name Description Cost in Silver

Lea ther Jerk in +2 Physique for p urposes o f determining w oun ds. C oun ts as 2 loads fo r transport. 8

Ch ain Shirt +3 Physique for p urposes o f determining w oun ds. C oun ts as 4 loads fo r transport. 20

Plate Armor +4 Physique for p urposes o f determining w oun ds. C oun ts as 6 loads fo r transport. 40

Special Item Description Item Code

Healing Potion Can be used once. It heals all non -poison w oun ds 24 ho urs after imb ibing. 0

Cure Poison Potion Ca n be used once. It h eals all poison wounds 24 hou rs after imbibing. 1

Ch arm Ba uble This trinket can be used to re-roll any social manipulation roll once per day. 2

Belt of Endurance While wearing this belt, you do not need to eat or drink to stay healthy. 3

Anti-Sorcery Talisman Ma kes wearer im mu ne to all sorcerous attacks. 4

Assassin’s Dagger All wound s dealt by this dagger are treated as poison wound s. 5

Assassin’s Poison Can be applied to bladed w eapo ns. Deals one p oison w oun d before it dissipates. 6

Anti-Poison Talisman Converts any poison wound s that the wearer suffers to regu lar wou nds. 7

Trained Griffon You ha ve a trained griffon mo unt that allows you to travel by air. 8

Ring of Ch arm While wearing this ring, a character adds +1 to their Guile score. 9

Gas Bomb Hu rled w hen surprise is gained. Roll 1d6. On 1-4, all op pon ents are killed. 10

Ring of Deflection Roll 2d6 when hit with physical attack. If less than Physique, attack is deflected. 11

Ring of Resurrection If killed wearing this ring, character return to life 24 hours later with full Physique. 12

Shield of Deflection This shiny shield blinds opponents in combat, reducing their Fighting score by 2. 13