A NGUYEN

A WHAT'S
CONDITIONS
SO COOL
ABOUT OPERATION
SPACE
 HACK

P I L O T ' S
X

L I G H T

BY KEVIN
THIEN VU
LONG
NGUYEN
PILOT'S LIGHT
A NGUYEN CONDITIONS OPERATION

BY KEVIN THIEN VU LONG NGUYEN

TWITTER: @KNIT_NACK | NGUYENCONDITIONS.ITCH.IO

A MECH TTRPG FOR 1 GM AND 3-4 PLAYERS

THAT USES 4-SIDED DICE

HACKED FROM THE 

WHATS SO COOL ABOUT OUTER SPACE FRAMEWORK

BY JARED SINCLAIR

FOR THE WHAT'S SO COOL ABOUT JAM

INSPIRATIONS
> TITANFALL 1 & 2
> DESTINY 1 & 2
> THE HALO SERIES
> JOHN SCALZI'S THE INTERDEPENDENCY SERIES
> LANCER

LAYOUT DONE ON CANVA.COM

WITH CANVA ASSETS

 !

SPECIAL & ENTHUSIASTIC THANKS TO:

VIDITYA  VOLETI 
TWITTER: @VIDITYAVOLETI | HTTPS://VIDITYAVOLETI.ITCH.IO/

ALEX GUERRERO
TWITTER: @AFRACTALDRAGON | HTTPS://FRACTALDRAGON.ITCH.IO/

J.R. ZAMBRANO
TWITTER: @JRRMUNGANDR | BELLOFLOSTSOULS.NET/AUTHOR/JAYARR

SIMON MOODY
TWITTER: @LUCHALIBRIS | HTTPS://COLORSPRAYGAMES.ITCH.IO/

RU PATEL
TWITTER: @CHERRYDROP

HANS CHUN 
TWITTER: @HANSCTWEETS | HTTPS://HANSCHUN.ITCH.IO/
 THE TTRPG SAFETY TOOLKIT

IS A RESOURCE CREATED

BY KIENNA SHAW

AND LAUREN BRYANT-MONK.

THE TTRPG SAFETY TOOLKIT

IS A COMPILATION OF SAFETY TOOLS

THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED

BY MEMBERS OF

THE TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING GAMES

COMMUNITY FOR USE

BY PLAYERS AND GMS

AT THE TABLE.

YOU CAN FIND IT AT

BIT.LY/TTRPGSAFETYTOOLKIT.
Make a Mech Pilot!
>GIVE YOUR PILOT A NAME! THE ONE THEY

WERE BORN WITH OR HAVE TAKEN THEMSELVES

ALONG THE WAY.

>GIVE YOUR PILOT SOME PRONOUNS! 

>GIVE YOUR PILOT A BACKGROUND & CULTURE!

EARTHER, SPACER, SYNTH, ALIEN, ETC. 

>GIVE YOUR PILOT A LOOK! BODY TYPE,

HAIR, SCARS, DEMEANOR,

POINT OF FASHION, ETC.

>GIVE YOUR PILOT A HOME!

SOMEWHERE ON EARTH,

A ROBOTICS LAB,

A EXTRAPLANAR COLONY,

BEYOND, ETC.
> GIVE YOUR PILOT SOME STUFF! ?

DESCRIBE THEIR: L.I.G.H.T.

Liminal Intelligence
UNIFORM & HELMET Guidance Hud Talisman.
Small floating computer
SIGNATURE WEAPON companions who act as
your information bank,
L.I.G.H.T. [GIVE THEM A UNIQUE NAME , communications relay,
and eye on your 6.
LOOK, & PERSONALITY]  We slot into mech
platforms to facilitate
your piloting maneuvers
SOME CONTRABAND to the complex
engineering and design
of the giant robots. so
you don't accidentally
>GIVE YOUR PILOT SOME TRAINING! rip yourself in half.

WRITE TWO SKILLS YOU THINK WOULD BE

USEFUL FOR A PILOT TO USE WITH BOOTS ON

THE GROUND. [EX. ASSAULT, COMPUTERS,

INFILTRATION, PARKOUR, MECH RODEO, SPACE

MAGIC, ETC.]

>ASK EVERYONE ELSE AT THE TABLE TO

DESIGNATE YOUR PILOT A CALLSIGN.

YOUR PILOT MUST TAKE IT WHETHER THEY

LIKE IT OR NOT. YOU THE PLAYER HAVE

ULTIMATE VETO POWER. 

 Make a Mech, Pilot!
> GIVE IT AN ENGINEER / MANUFACTURER'S

DESIGNATION.

> GIVE IT A NICKNAME.

> GIVE IT A LOOK.

THE BUILD, THE MODIFICATIONS, THE SCARS,

AND YOUR PERSONALIZATIONS.

> GIVE IT SOME TECHNICAL SPEC’S!

WRITE ONE THING YOUR MECH IS SPECIFICALLY

DESIGNED TO DO. [EX. ARTILLERY, FLIGHT,

SHIELD BUBBLES, CLOAKING, SKATING,

TRANSFORMING, ETC.]
Boots on the Ground!
LIFE IS ROUGH OUTSIDE THE ARMOR PLATED

COCKPIT OF YOUR MILITARIZED AUTOMATED

PLATFORMS.

NO MORE 18” OF PLASTISTEEL BETWEEN YOU AND

INCOMING FIRE.

ONLY YOUR TRAINING, FIRETEAM, AND L.I.G.H.T.

TO HELP YOU NOW.

WHEN YOU TRY TO DO SOMETHING RISKY &

DARING  [SHOOT, DODGE, HACK, STEAL, SNEAK,

FLIRT, ETC.] WHILE YOU HAVE BOOTS ON THE

GROUND... ROLL DICE.

WHEN YOU NEED TO ROLL DICE:

> DESCRIBE YOUR GOAL AND HOW YOU WANT TO

ACHIEVE IT.
^

> ROLL TWO 4-SIDED DICE. 4-sided dice. The

"spaciest" die according to
Research & Development.

> +1 BONUS TO YOUR ROLL RESULT FOR EACH

EDGE YOU HAVE IN THIS SITUATION.

[APPROPRIATE WEAPON/TOOL, POSITIONING,

TRAINING, ASSISTANCE FROM YOUR FIRETEAM,

ETC.]

> -1 BONUS TO YOUR ROLL RESULT FOR EACH

EDGE WORKING AGAINST YOU IN THIS SITUATION.

[INSUFFICIENT WEAPON/TOOL, POSITIONING,

LACK OF TRAINING, ELEVATED STRESS, INJURY,

FIRETEAM GOOFING OFF, ETC.]

DECRYPTING A ROLL:

IF THE TOTAL OF YOUR ROLL [+/- RELEVANT

EDGE] IS 7 OR MORE, YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL

IN THE WAY YOU WANTED TO ACHIEVE IT.

IF THE TOTAL OF YOUR ROLL [+/- RELEVANT

EDGE] IS LESS THAN 7, YOU EITHER FAIL TO

ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL, FAIL TO ACHIEVE IT THE

WAY YOU WANTED TO, OR BOTH.

EITHER WAY THE GM WILL TELL YOU WHAT

HAPPENS AS A RESULT.

HARM
IF YOU FAIL IN A DANGEROUS

ENOUGH SITUATION YOU MAY

TAKE HARM.

YOU CAN TAKE UP TO

5 HARM BEFORE DYING.

YOU RECOVER 1 HARM AT

THE END OF EACH MISSION.

 NOTCHES
MARKS OF EXPERIENCE YOU GAINED THROUGH

TRAINING AND ON THE FIELD.

TALLIES ON THE SIDE OF YOUR HELMET, TAGS

LIFTED FROM ENEMIES & ALLIES, SCARS

PAINTING YOUR TORSO.

NOTCHES CAN SAVE YOUR SKIN WHILE YOU HAVE

BOOTS ON THE GROUND, BUT THEY'RE ALSO YOUR

POOL OF ACTIONS WHEN YOU'RE GEARS UP IN

YOUR MECH.

YOU START WITH 5 NOTCHES, REFLECTING YOUR

NATURAL SKILL AND PILOT TRAINING.

GAINING NOTCHES

> ACCOMPLISH A MISSION, GAIN 3 NOTCHES.

> CHOOSE TO FAIL A ROLL WHILE YOU HAVE

BOOTS ON THE GROUND [BEFORE ROLLING] TO

GAIN 1 NOTCH.
 SPENDING NOTCHES

> SPEND 1 NOTCH TO TURN

! A FAILED ROLL INTO A SUCCESS.

Be careful!
Respawn too > SPEND 1 NOTCH TO HAVE YOUR L.I.G.H.T.
often or too
quickly and you RESPAWN YOUR PILOT SANS GEAR.
might catch
Respawn DON'T ASK HOW. DON'T.
Sickness! We
wouldn't want
that!

> SPEND 10 NOTCHES TO GAIN

ADDITIONAL PILOT TRAINING.

> SPEND 15 NOTCHES FOR ADDITIONAL

MECH SPECS.

> SPEND 1 NOTCH FOR MUNDANE GEAR.

> SPEND 10 NOTCHES FOR LEGENDARY GEAR.

[COMES WITH PERKS THAT EITHER ADD

A PERMANENT BONUS WHEN APPLICABLE,

ADD A PILOT SKILL, ETC.]

Gears Up!
BEING IN YOUR MECH IS AWESOME.

YOU’RE BIG. YOU’RE POWERFUL.

YOU’RE FUCKIN’ BEAUTIFUL. 

WHEN YOU'RE IN YOUR MECH YOU SPEND

NOTCHES TO DO COOL SHIT. [ATTACK, DEFEND,

USE THE ENVIRONMENT, SHOW OFF, ETC.] 

YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOUR MECH WAS

DESIGNED FOR WITHOUT SPENDING A NOTCH.

SOME ESPECIALLY COMPLICATED, RISKY, OR

BOMBASTIC MANEUVERS MAY REQUIRE MORE

THAN ONE NOTCH.

NEGOTIATE WITH THE GM TO DETERMINE

A FAIR COST/REWARD.
YOU WIN MECH ENCOUNTERS & SCENES EITHER

BY HAVING MORE NOTCHES THAN THE

ENEMY/CIRCUMSTANCE AT THE END OR BY

SOME FICTIONAL MEANS [CLAIMING THE

OBJECTIVE, ROUTING THE ENEMY, FIGURING

OUT THE PUZZLE, ETC.].

IN COMBAT, YOUR MECH IS DESTROYED IF YOU

RUN OUT OF NOTCHES BEFORE THE

ENEMY/CIRCUMSTANCE.

AT ANY TIME, YOU MAY RETREAT TO FIGHT

ANOTHER DAY BEFORE YOU RUN OUT OF

NOTCHES OR ARE K.I.A.

 Running Operations.
USE SAFETY TOOLS.

EXPLORE THE OPTIONS OFFERED IN

THE TTRPG SAFETY TOOL KIT AT

HTTP://BIT.LY/TTRPGSAFETYTOOLKIT

COMPILED BY KIENNA SHAW & LAUREN

BRYANT-MONK.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS NEGOTIABLE.

ATTENDANCE, SCHEDULING, RULES,

CHARACTERS, WHAT DOES AND DOESN’T

REQUIRE A ROLL, CONSEQUENCES, ALL OF IT.

IT’S ALL NEGOTIABLE.

NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH.

THE GOAL IS TO MAKE EVERYONE

COMFORTABLE, HAVE FUN, AND HAVE SOME

COOL MOMENTS IN-GAME.

 WHEN PILOTS ARE BOOTS ON THE GROUND,

STAKES SHOULD BE HIGH

& CONSEQUENCES DIRE.

THIS IS THE PHASE OF PLAY WHERE SCENES

SHOULD LOOK LIKE WAR HORROR.

THINK THE BEACH IN SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

THIS IS MEANT TO CONTRAST MECH SCENES

AND PILOTS HAVE TOOLS TO COMPENSATE FOR

THE CHALLENGE OF

BOOTS ON THE GROUND SCENES.

WHEN PILOTS ARE GEARS UP,

HOSTILES & CIRCUMSTANCES PIT AGAINST THE

FIRETEAM SHOULD HAVE ANYWHERE BETWEEN

3-15 NOTCHES FOR THE GM TO SPEND THE

SAME WAY PILOTS DO.

BE CONSERVATIVE WHEN ASSIGNING NOTCHES,

ESPECIALLY WHEN STARTING OUT.

MECH PLAY IS MEANT TO BE CINEMATIC

& HEROIC IN CONTRAST TO

THE GRIT & GRIME OF PILOT SCENES.

 ORDER OF PLAY

SHOULD BE DICTATED BY THE FICTION.

IF A PILOT WANTS TO DO SOMETHING,

AND ARE ABLE IN THE FICTION,

THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO.

THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY EITHER ANOTHER

PILOT OR THE NPCS, HOSTILES, OR

CIRCUMSTANCE.

CHARACTERS CAN INTERRUPT & INTERJECT

OTHER CHARACTER'S MOMENTS

BUT THIS SHOULD BE DONE

WITH CAUTION & RESPECT.

CHECK IN WITH THE PLAYER IF IT'S OKAY IF

YOUR PILOT JUMPS IN. ONLY HAVE NPCS &

HOSTILES INTERRUPT WHEN DRAMATICALLY

APPROPRIATE, AND SPARINGLY EVEN THEN.

EVERYONE SHOULD TRY AND WATCH OUT FOR

ANY ONE PERSON HOGGING THE SPOTLIGHT.

TRY TO SHARE SHIFTING IT AROUND.

ASK CLARIFYING QUESTIONS & OFFER IDEAS IF

THE PLAYER IS OPEN TO THEM.

BUT ALSO LET PEOPLE HAVE THEIR MOMENT.

Ready for drop, Pilot.
> IN THE OUTER LIMITS OF THE SYSTEM YOU ARE THE FIRST TO ENCOUNTER THE
VESPIDAE. THEY MAKE PLANET FALL AND BURROW INTO THE PLANET DIGGING OUT
THEIR HIVE, INFECTING THE PLANET, AND THE POPULOUS. GET DOWN THERE AND KILL
SOME BUGS, PILOT.

>THE SYNTH PILOT RECEIVES A SIGNAL IN THEIR NEURAL RELAYS. THAT’S NEVER
HAPPENED BEFORE. WITH SOME DECRYPTING THE SIGNAL READS AS COORDINATES IN
THE DEEP OCEANS OF CORE, DESIGNATED “HOME.” WHAT’RE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT
IT, PILOT?

> OFF MISSION YOU ENCOUNTER A ROGUE PILOT WHO'S RESPAWNED TOO MANY TIMES.
THEY'RE CHASING THE OTHER SIDE AND JEOPARDIZING MISSIONS IN THE PROCESS.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT HER, PILOT?

> YOU FIND A DERELICT SHIP WITH TECHNOLOGY FAR BEYOND CURRENT MEANS WITH
AN INTELLIGENT AI WHO REVEALS THEY ARE FROM A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN SYSTEM.
SUDDENLY, IMPERIAL PILOTS DROP ON YOUR LOCATION, WEAPONS HOT. WHAT DO YOU
DO, PILOT?

> THE WIZARDS ON THE MOON HAVE WOKEN UP THE WORM GOD. WHAT ARE YOU GOING
TO DO, PILOT?

> MILITIA EXTREMISTS ARE CLAIMING SECTORS OF THE PLANET AS THEIR OWN. GOING
FROM SAVIORS TO WARLORDS AND SMEARING THE MILITIA’S REPUTATION. WHAT ARE
YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, PILOT?

> OVERWHELMED BY SWARMS OF VESPIDAE, YOU TAKE UP A DESPERATE FORTIFIED

POSITION. MALACOSTRACA UNIT DROP IN JUST BEHIND YOU, VESPIDAE ON THEIR
DACTYL. THEY LOOK AT YOU WIT H HATE IN THEIR BEADY EYES & CURSE OVER COMMS
BUT DO NOT ATTACK, INSTEAD F ORTIFYING THE POSITION FROM THEIR SIDE. WHAT DO
YOU DO, PILOT?

> WRAPPING THINGS UP, YOU’RE WALKING BACK AND SEE YOUR MECH WALKING AWAY.
WITHOUT YOU. YOUR L.I.G.H.T. LOOKS AT YOU AND WOULD SHRUG IF IT COULD.
SOMEONE’S JACKED YOUR MECH. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, PILOT?

> YOUR  L.I.G.H.T. IS K.I.A. NO MORE MECH, NO MORE REVIVES. WHAT DO YOU DO,
PILOT(?)?

> YOU NEED TO HOLD THIS POINT WHILE EVAC IS ON ROUTE. THE WAVES OF
MALACOSTRACA DON’T SHOW ANY SIGNS OF STOPPING.
WHAT’RE YOU GOING TO DO, PILOT?

> YOUR PARTNER’S FIRETEAM IS TRAPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

MECHLESS, L,I,G,H,T,LESS, BOGIES CLOSING IN.
YOU'RE ORDERED TO STAND DOWN.
WHAT’RE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT, PILOT.

> RUMOR HAS IT, AN EMPEROX SURVEY TEAM HAVE

UNCOVERED SCHEMATICS TO THE FABLED GJALLARHORN PLATFORM.
YOU GOING TO LET THEM KEEP THAT, PILOT?