The Crisp Line

the
Crisp Line
DNA is not Destiny
A WORLD OF
ADVENTURE FOR
Colleen O'Rourke
This adventure was made awesome thanks to our Patreon patrons at patreon.com/evilhat—thanks folks!
INSIDERS
__skwrl__ Chris Angelini Don Arnold J Hunter Joshua Lutz Mark Fentz Peter Schumacher Tara Zuber
A.D. Hardman Chris Flipse Dustin Evermore J Quincy Sperber Justin Evans Marty Chodorek Philippe Herve The Catholic Geeks
Adrian Christopher Hatty Ed Pegg Jamie Smith KT Matt and Rhel The Roach
Arias-Palomo Christopher Vollick Edward MacGregor Jan Heitger Katie Nykki Boersma Richard Bellingham Timothy Carroll
Andy Arminio Clifford Crate Frank Jason Cotton Berger Tremaine Matt Anderson Rick Tristan Smith
Arjun Comar Colin Mills Frédéri POCHARD Javier Velez Keith Mantell Mechizmo Rick Jakins Troy Ray
Arknon D.C. Upton Gavran Jeremy Tidwell Ken Ditto Michael Bowman Robert Hanz vargr1
Arlo B Evans Daniel George Harnish Joakim Andersson Kurt Blanco Michael Meriwn Ryan Singer Will Goring
Ben Mullen Gutiérrez Martínez Graham Owens Joe Trzos LilFluff Mike Lavery Sarah Vakos William J. White
Bob Ross David Dorward Graham Wills John Rogers Linda Larsson Mitchell Evans Scott Vesely William Lee
brian allred David Hayes Griffin Mitchell John Rudd MAINGUET Francois Morgan Ellis Sean M. Dunstan Zach
C.K. Lee Declan Feeney Howard Jon-Pierre Gentil Malc Arnold Nathan Hare Selene O'Rourke Zach Hunt
Charles Albrecht Demian Buckle M Thompson Joshua Forisha Mark Nicolas Marjanovic Stephen Rider
ADVENTURERS
A Person Charles Evans Drew James O'Neill Kaarchin MirrorKhaos Rebecca Hubbard Stephen Waugh
Adam Gutschenritter Chet Gray Duane Cathey James Odom Karl Thiebolt Mo Red Dice Diaries Steve Discont
Adam Rinehart Chip Dunning Duncan James Pacheco Katherine Malloy Mook Remy Sanchez Steve Kunec
Adrian Chaluppka Chloe Wandler Ebenezer Arvigenius James Winfield Katie Baker My Humble Assault Renzo Crispieri Steve Perpitch-Harvey
AJ Real Chris Jahn Edward Da Fonseca Jamie Wheeler Keith R. Potempa myrandomscribblings Richard Steve Radabaugh
Al Billings Chris Little Edward Sturges Janet Oblinger Keith Stanley Nat Richard Gilmore Steven Code
Alan Phillips Chris Newton Ehedei Jared Hunt Kent Snyen Nat Richard Greene Steven D Warble
Alan Timothy Rogers Chris Nolen Eirch Mascariatu Jarrett Kesh Nathan Barnes Rick LaRue Steven desJardins
Alan Twigg Christian Elizabeth Creegan Jason Bean Kevin Nathan Fritz Riggah Steven K. Watkins
Alessandro Gagliardi Christoph Thill Elsa S. Henry Jason Best Kevin L. Nault Neil Macbeth Rob Knop Steven Markley
Alexander Gräfe Christopher Allen Emmanuel Scholz Jason Pasch Kevin Lindgren Nichlas Dyhr Rob Meyers Stu Adams
Alexandros Tsourakis Christopher Avery Enrique Esturillo Cano Jason Penney Kevin McDermott Hummelsberger Robb Neumann Stuart Dollar
Alloyed Christopher Mangum eric Jayna Pavlin Kevin Payne Nicholas Hopkins Robert Bersch Svend Andersen
Amanda Valentine Christopher Mason Erich Lichnock Jeff Craig Kielo Maja Nicholas Pilon Robert Hebert Teppo Pennanen
Amazing Rando Christopher W. Dolunt Erik Ingersen Jeff Mahood Klaas Bock Nick Robert Huss Teresa O
Anders Jonsson Chuck Dee Ernie Sawyer Jeff Pitrman Kris Herzog Nick Daly Robert Rees Tevel Drinkwater
Andrew Clemens Schmitz Fabrice Breau Jeff Vincent Krista Nick pater Robert Slaughter The Older Avocado
Andrew Dacey Clyde Clark FelTK Jeffrey Boman Krzysztof Chyla Nick Reale Robinson Taylor The Vampires of
Andrew Grant Colin Matter Fide Jeffrey Collyer Kyle Nicola Urbinati Roger Carbol San Francisco
Andrew Horn Corey Johnston Florian Greß Jens Alfke Larry Hollis Nicolas Decomble Ron Fricke Thierry De Gagné
Angus Craig Maloney Francisco Castillo Jeremiah McCoy Laura Nikkelitous Ron Müller Thomas
Anthony Damiani Craig Mason Frank Beaver Jeremy Glick Lester Ward Nos Doughty Roy Thomas
Arthur Lace Creative Play and gamedave Jeremy Hamaker Liam Martinez Olav Müller Ruben Smith-Zempel Thomas Balls-Thies
ArthurDent Podcast Network Garrett Jes Jacobson Lore Graham Olivier Nisole Ryan C. Christiansen Thomas Maund
Ask Charly Leetham Curt Meyer Garrett Jones JF Paradis Loren Osye Pritchett Ryan Junk Thomas Ryan
B. Bredthauer Curtis Hay Gary Anastasio Jim Nicholson Luca Agosto paolo castelli Samuel Hart Tim Davis
Barac Wiley Dain Genevieve Joanna LunarBistro Paolo Jose Cruz Sarah Mayfield Timejammer
Becca Damon Richard Gentlefox Joe Levey Madelyn Chappell Patrice Hédé Sarah Williams Timothy Masamitsu
Ben Daniel Chapman Geoff Joe Mason Maia S Patrice Mermoud Schubacca Timothy Miller
Benj Daniel Ellingsen Lund Geoffrey Walter Joel Short Manfred Patrick Chapman Scot Ryder Todd Estabrook
Benjamin Cush Daniel Gallant Gian Domenico Facchini Johannes Oppermann Marc Kevin Hall Patrick Ewing Scott Acker Todd Willey
Benjamin Welke Daniel Kraemer Giuseppe D'Aristotile John Marcel Lotz Patrick Fittkau Scott Beattie Tom Lommel
Björn Steffen Daniel Ley Glenn Seiler John Marcel Wittram Patrick McElfresh Scott Dexter Tony Ewing
Bo Madsen Daniel Maberry Glynn Stewart John Beynon Marcus Paul Scott Greenleaf TR Merchen
Bob Hiestand Daniel Markwig Grant John Fiala Mario Dongu Paul Arezina Scott Millward Travis Stodter
Brandon Wiley Daniel Taylor Greg Matyola John Helmuth Mark Chu-Carroll Paul Maanen Scott Puckett Trevor Crosse
Brandt Bjornsen Darin Henley Gregg Workman John Lake Mark Tygart Paul Olson Sean O'Dell Tsht
Brendan Conway Dave Joria Guillermo Calvo John Lambert Markus Haberstock Paul Rivers Sean Smith Ty Volpo
Brent Ritch David Bellinger Gustavo Campanelli John Portley Markus Sauerbrey Pawel Ngei Sean Walsh Tyson Monagle
Brett Taylor David Bowers Haakon Thunestvedt John T Martin Deppe Peter Bingham Sean West Money Tyson Streich
Brian David Fergman Hal J Neat John Taber Martin Terrier Peter James Burczyk Serge Beaumont Urs Blumentritt
Brian Colin David Goodwin Harry Mills John Tobin Marty Gentillon Peter Kahle Seth Clayton Veronica Hamilton
Brian Creswick David Maple Heather John William McDonald Matt Houck Petri Leinonen Seth Hartley Victor Allen
Brian Paul David Millians Herman Duyker Jon Mayo Matt Landis Phil Groff Shadowmyre Kalyn Victor Serrano
Brian S. Holt David Morfin Hourousha Mokujin Jon Smejkal Matthew J. Hanson Philippe Marichal Shervyn von Hoerl Ville Lavonius
Brook Freeman David Olson Hugh Smalley Jonathan Matthew Price Philippe Saner Shijuro Vladimir Filipović
Bruce David Starner Ian Charlton Jonathan Finke Max Kaehn Phillip Webb Shoshana Kessock Volker Mantel
Bryan Botz David Thornley Indi Latrani Jonathan Korman Michael Pint Wakefield Simon Brunning waelcyrge
Bryan Brake Davide Orlandi Irene Strauss Jonathan Perrine Michael Bradford Piper Thunstrom Simon White Wayne Peacock
Bryan Gillispie Dennis Groome Ivan Begley Jose A. Michael Brewer Porter Sławomir Wrzesień William Hutton
Bryan Wiltgen Derek Hiemforth Jack Gulick Joseph Michael D. Ranalli Jr. R Roy Stefan Feltmann William Johnson
Bryce Perry DiceForBrains Jack Stephenson-Carr Joseph Formoso Michael Feldhusen Rachael Hixon Stefano Monachesi William McDuff
BurninChrome Dillard Jaime Tobar Josh Salyers Michael Friese Ralf Wagner Stephan World's Okayest GM
C Dirk Methner James Ballard Joshua Reubens Michael Hopcroft Randall Orndorff Stephanie Bryant Z. Daniel Esgate
Carl McLaughlin Don Bisdorf James Hoag Juan Francisco Gutierrez Michael Thompson Randall Wright (Mortaine) Zeb Walker
Carlos Martín Doug Blakeslee James Husum Juan Trillo Mike Vermont Raun Sedlock Stephen Figgins
Cerity Doug Bolden James Marz Julianna Backer Mirko Froehlich Rebecca Harbison Stephen Fleetwood
THE
CRISP LINE
A WORLD OF
ADVENTURE FOR
WRITING & ADVENTURE DESIGN

COLLEEN O'ROURKE
DEVELOPMENT
ROB DONOGHUE &
BRIAN ENGARD
EDITING
JOSHUA YEARSLEY
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SEAN NITTNER
ART DIRECTION
BRIAN PATTERSON
LAYOUT
FRED HICKS
INTERIOR & COVER ARTWORK
WILLIAM TEMPEST
MARKETING
CARRIE HARRIS
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
CHRIS HANRAHAN
An Evil Hat Productions Publication
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The Crisp Line

Copyright ©2018 Evil Hat Productions, LLC and Colleen O'Rourke.
All rights reserved.
First published in 2018 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.

10125 Colesville Rd #318, Silver Spring, MD 20901.
Evil Hat Productions and the Evil Hat and Fate logos are trademarks
owned by Evil Hat Productions, LLC. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
prior express permission of the publisher.
That said, if you’re doing it for personal use, knock yourself out.
That’s not only allowed, we encourage you to do it.
For those working at a copy shop and not at all sure if this means
the person standing at your counter can make copies of this thing, they can.
This is “express permission.” Carry on.
This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, terrible,

impossible, glorious things. All the characters and events portrayed
in this work are fictional. Any resemblance to real people, biohacker
laboratories, genetically-enhanced crime lords, corporate-sponsored genetic
aristocracies, anti-genoist activist groups, and the unexpected effects of
mis-transcribed nucleotides is purely coincidental, but kinda hilarious.
Disclaimer
The following is a work of science fiction. While CRISPR is a promising
technology, it is still developing, and there is still enough we don’t understand
about human genetics that we cannot predict CRISPR’s effects on a large
scale. Details of genetic engineering in this game have been simplified in
some areas and exaggerated in others to make it fun to play. Actual results
may vary; please do not attempt human genetic engineering at home.
CONTENTS
How It Starts...................................................................................... 2
Introduction ...................................................................................... 3
Inspirations and Related Works............................................................ 4
A Future History of Genetics........................................................... 5
A Planet Evolved..........................................................................................5
Ten Thousand Years of Genetic Revolution.......................................6
A Layman’s Guide to Modern Genetic Engineering.......................7
Brave New Gene-Altered World...................................................... 8
Genetically Modified Persons (GMPs)..................................................8
The Genetics of Class.................................................................................8
The Gene Market........................................................................................10
When Things Go Wrong........................................................................... 11
Why Do People Risk It?........................................................................... 12
What Happens After the Change?...................................................... 13
Deeper into the Unknown: The Icarids.............................................. 14
Climbing the Genetic Ladder.........................................................15
Aspects.......................................................................................................... 16
Skills................................................................................................................ 17
Stunts and Refresh.................................................................................... 18
Mutations...................................................................................................... 18
Advancing Your Genetic Package....................................................... 19
Adding Genetic Modification Packages............................................ 21
Genetic Reboot........................................................................................... 21
The Genetic Enhancement Packages........................................... 22
Axolotl........................................................................................................... 22
Cheetah......................................................................................................... 22
Eagle.............................................................................................................. 24
Gorilla............................................................................................................ 25
Octopus........................................................................................................ 26
Snake............................................................................................................. 27
Wolf................................................................................................................ 28
Custom Genetic Enhancement Packages........................................ 29
GM Tips and Resources..................................................................30
Choosing Your Setting............................................................................30
Adding Faces and Places........................................................................ 31
Becoming an Icarid.................................................................................. 32
Random Mission Generator................................................................... 33
Paying Out Players................................................................................... 33
Random Chip NPC Generator..............................................................34
City on the Brink.............................................................................. 36
Overview...................................................................................................... 36
Act 1: Introductions and Alliances...................................................... 37
Act 2: Explorations and Investigations.............................................46
Act 3: Climax............................................................................................... 52
HOW IT STARTS
By the time you went to sleep, you’d concluded that the treatment didn’t
work. Genetic engineers, so full of promises to hide their ignorance…. Losing
the money didn’t hurt as much as losing the hope. Hope for something better,
something new, something to break the chains coiled around the deadweight
of your life, heavy, weighing you down—
—And then your eyes snapped open in the darkness. The muscles of your
arms and legs lay frozen, your jaw spasmed shut. A scream burbled in your
throat, anger and fear that your inevitable end had finally arrived—
—Until the ice erupted into fire.
Hours later, waves of pain still receding like tidal waters, you climbed to your
feet and stumbled to the nearest reflective surface. Hands traced features
raw with new life. You sat that way awhile, assessing what you had become
with shock, horror, but no small amount of wonder.
For better or for worse, the bonds are broken.
What will you do now?
2 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

INTRODUCTION
The Crisp Line is, at its heart, a game about transhumanism. It posits how real
science currently being developed might be used to advance ourselves and change
human cultures, for better or worse.
It is also a game about power. Strict classes based on appearance and abilities
divide the world of this game. You’ll have the chance to upend that hierarchy by
seizing new enhancements for yourself, but this creates a paradoxical situation:
when your enhancements go wrong, you’ll be instantly plunged to the bottom
rungs of society, pitied and shunned by those above you. Yet, at the same time,
you have levels of power many of your so-called “betters” can only dream of.
Perhaps most importantly, it is a game about strength through diversity. Genetic
diversity is a key weapon in the survival of any species. You and your fellow play-
ers are a literal embodiment of that ideal as you extend yourselves to adapt and
build a community to conquer the challenges that arise.
Although much of this game is exaggerated for the sake of fun, its core social
issues are very much based on reality. The last hundred years of real history has
seen many groups of people—whether minority racial or ethnic groups, the
physically or economically disadvantaged, or those with nonconforming identi-
ties and expressions of sexuality and gender—struggling under the label of “less
than human.” This game aims to respectfully allegorize these and similar struggles
by presenting a new, fantastical setting in which players can explore and express
themselves in an antagonistic world. However, since some of these elements might
draw uncomfortable parallels to situations in the players’ own lives, we advise you
to take the time as a group to address these elements when they come up—either
before or during play—and adjust accordingly.
Since most RPGs are improvisational and you won’t know what will happen
till it happens, your game might go in a direction you or others don’t want. One
recommended strategy is using the X-Card. In short, you (or anyone else at the
table) can touch the X-Card during play to edit out any content you’re uncomfort-
able with. The X-Card was created by John Stavropoulos and is published under
the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0)
License. GMs, we encourage you to read the full document describing this tool
here: http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg
THE CRISP LINE 3
Inspirations and Related Works
The backbone of this setting is a society stratified by genetics. Easily the best
inspiration for this is the film GATTACA, which explores the class struggle
between the genetically enhanced and those born under random chance. Brave
New World has a very different tone but similar concepts, with different castes
of society defined by predetermined biology. More recently, the television show
Orphan Black explores ideas of human genetic manipulation and how they relate
to issues of personal identity.
The characters of The Crisp Line undergo and respond to significant changes
in identity and status. A good way to explore this theme is through stories of
“normal” people getting torn from their familiar lives and thrust into subcultures
of a highly technological society, which is common in many classic cyberpunk
stories, such as those of William Gibson and Philip K. Dick. For a more modern
take, the film District 9 explores sudden biological alteration of identity as well
as its personal implications in a highly stratified society.
For over a century, the possibilities of transhumanity have been explored across
myriad science-fiction works, but some exceptionally powerful examples to men-
tion are the Lilith’s Brood trilogy by Octavia Butler and the Hyperion Cantos series
by Dan Simmons. More recently, the independent video game 2064: Read Only
Memories explores many transhumanist themes very similar to those in this game,
but is set in a more traditional cyberpunk setting and focuses on the LGBTQ
experience.
Finally, it is important to note that the scientific inspiration for the game,
CRISPR/Cas9 technology, is real and developing rapidly. Many scientists are
already trying to anticipate the changes it might bring in the real world.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna, one of the creators of the technology, gave the TED talk
“How CRISPR lets us edit our DNA” about the moral and ethical responsibilities
of using it in the future.
https://www.ted.com/talks/
jennifer_doudna_we_can_now_edit_our_dna_but_let_s_do_it_wisely
For a more lighthearted—but still accurate—discussion, the YouTube series
Kurtzgesagt has an excellent video called “Genetic Engineering Will Change
Everything Forever – CRISPR.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAhjPd4uNFY

A FUTURE HISTORY OF GENETICS
A Planet Evolved
The United Nations announced the birth of the ten billionth human in 2047, but
the effects of such a massive global population have been an accepted reality for
decades. Across the world, climate shifts have turned forests into deserts, flood-
plains into swamps. Rising seas have swallowed millions of acres of coastal lands.
On every continent, climate refugees have fled ancestral lands and crammed into
already-crowded urban centers, scraping for new opportunities in the shadows of
the castes who held on to high ground.
But even those higher grounds are teetering. In many urban societies, the
middle class is on its dying breath, driven out by automation and profit-generating
interests. In the suburbs, escapist addictions—from top-end designer drugs to
immersive, mass-produced virtual-reality entertainment—distract oneself while
easing the slide down to the lower rungs of society.
But not everything is decay. By the late 2030s, in an eleventh-hour effort
by scientists and engineers around the world, advancements in solar and other
renewable energy technologies finally displaced the vast majority of fossil fuels.
Coupled with the development of hybrid supercapacitor batteries, this has led
to a new Electrical Revolution. Self-driving electric vehicles, augmented-reality
devices, smart technology embedded in everything from fashion to house fixtures,
all of this has become the accepted norm of everyday life.
Unfortunately, as always, the future is not evenly distributed. But one area of
technology shows unprecedented opportunities to change that.
THE CRISP LINE 5
Ten Thousand Years of Genetic Revolution
By most accounts, genetic engineering is humanity’s oldest technology. On a basic
level, genetically modifying an organism means changing its genetic code from
what would be found in the wild, and for thousands of years our ancestors have
done exactly that. Selective breeding allowed humans to create dogs from wolves,
corn from wild grass, and any number of domesticated species modified over time
to suit our needs. But though we used this tool, it took roughly ten thousand
years from the dawn of agriculture for us to finally understand how it worked.
By the end of the 20th century, massive advancements in the biological sci-
ences brought a new understanding of the structure of DNA and the function of
the genetic code. Almost immediately, our thoughts turned to how to alter this
code directly. Early efforts to “reprogram” the genetic code were promising, but
limited and prone to errors.
Then in the early 2010s, a revolutionary development appeared, inspired by the
cellular functioning of bacteria. Called CRISPR, it was the first in a series of genetic
engineering technologies that allowed for fine-tuned editing of the genetic code.
Rather than relying on clumsy enzymes to slice DNA at predetermined points,
CRISPR allowed genetic engineers to remove and insert DNA sequences wherever
they wanted. Essentially, it was a cut-and-paste feature for the blueprints of life.
In the early 2020s, the first clinical trials of CRISPR in humans focused on
curing diseases rooted in genetics. Using it to remove HIV genes from infected
white blood cells was surprisingly straightforward, leading to a permanent cure
for AIDS. Not long after, genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s
disease—once death sentences—were declared extinct as well. It wasn’t long,
though, before genetic engineers realized that while CRISPR could perform small
edits to an organism’s own genetic code, its real power came from cutting and
pasting DNA between different organisms, creating genetic combinations that
could never have occurred in nature.
By the end of the decade, the Genetic Age had officially begun. Around the
same time, climate shifts began to have significant, undeniable impacts on global
populations. Just as our early ancestors did, we created new organisms to suit
our evolving needs, only now it happened in a matter of months rather than
generations. Genetic engineering introduced new types of crops to grow food
in desertifying regions, heat- and acidity-tolerant zooxanthellae to preserve coral
reefs, upgraded genomes to help endangered species survive—and we even resur-
rected some extinct ones.
Of course, not all advancements were altruistic. Around the globe, “biohacker”
labs took advantage of murky regulations, experimenting with novel organisms
to sell for profit. Some labs created nothing more dramatic than novelty pets, but
some fell under the control of terrorist groups. In the fall of 2027, attacks with
the genetically engineered Barangaroo virus decimated the urban population of
Sydney and brought worldwide attention to the evolving dangers of bioterror-
ism. In response, many governments turned to the larger biotech companies to
develop countermeasures. As a result, today many biotech companies enjoy a
cabal of power and influence much like the railway, oil, and military–industrial
barons of the past.
It was these companies that first bucked decades of international ethical standards
6 to sell human genetic modifications directly to the general public.
A Layman’s Guide to Modern Genetic Engineering
Today, in the 2050s, gene-editing technology has far surpassed the early stages of
CRISPR. However, due to CRISPR’s early prominence in the public eye, all genetic
engineering since has been described with the slang term crisping. Genetically
modified DNA is also often described as having been crisped.
Early human crisping technology focused on embryos—changing the genes
of one cell before it divides to form the tissues of a whole individual—but more
recent advancements allow changes in the genetic code of adults. The most
common adult-human crisping techniques use domesticated strains of HIV and
herpes simplex viruses to inject DNA-modifying proteins and nucleotides into
the patient’s body cells. Depending on the severity of the genetic modification,
outward phenotypic—that is, observable characteristic—changes might appear
in a matter of hours to days.
Although genetic engineering is an accepted facet of modern life, crisping
technology is still plagued by flaws. Most commonly, the body might fight off
the crisping virus, preventing it from working at all. Because of the adaptability
of the human immune system, adult humans can only have their genes crisped
so many times before their body develops a resistance to the viruses. The most
dramatic crisping flaw, though, is unintended mutations. Crisping mutations
are most common in “back-alley” crisping jobs from cheap labs working with
discount viruses or poorly planned nucleotide sequences.
But as government warnings stress, crisping mutations can happen to anyone.
THE CRISP LINE 7
BRAVE NEW GENE-ALTERED WORLD
Genetically Modified Persons (GMPs)
By its technical definition, a GMP is anyone whose genetics have been artificially
altered for any reason. The most common modifications are relatively simple edits
to correct mutation errors or alleles with negative effects. Most of these crispings
are done before or soon after birth and are often covered by health insurance (for
those fortunate enough to have it). Fortunately for those who acquire money later
in life, genotype corrections are also possible in adults. Besides health treatments,
simple crisping in adults also includes changes to eye, skin, and hair color, and
even changes to one’s genetic sex, an ability which has opened up a host of new
questions and challenges in cultures across the globe.
But when people think of GMPs, what they really think of is human enhance-
ment. The practice began in labs that experimented with inserting “superior”
human genes copied from other humans. These enhancements are limited by the
natural range of human abilities, though, so much more common are transgenic
enhancements.
In transgenomic engineering, engineers draw upon the world’s genetic com-
mons—copying genes from the DNA code of other animals—then insert those
segments into human DNA. These treatments have far more spectacular effects,
and are far more controversial. Critics claim that in trying to move beyond the
limits of humanity, transgenic GMPs are actually making themselves less than
human, frying their DNA beyond repair in the process. As a result, many trans-
genic GMPs are derogatorily referred to as chips.
The Genetics of Class

Enhanced GMPs are generally classified into two groups depending on when they
got their genetic modification done: those crisped before they were born, and
those crisped at any time after. Crisping before birth is usually performed on the
eggs and sperm or the early fertilized zygote. Such people enhanced before they
were born are referred to as perizygotic GMPs, or simply perries.
Perizygotic crisping is efficient—since it only alters a few early cells rather than
the millions of cells in an adult organism—and is also the least prone to errors.
But it’s also extremely expensive. Much of the cost boils down to the extra in vitro
fertility treatments to conceive the engineered embryo, specialty medical care and/
or surrogates used during the pregnancy, and the legal costs needed to negotiate
the copyright of your baby’s genome with the biotech company that constructed
it. As a result, being a perry is usually an immediate sign of being upper-class.
Nearly all perries are enhanced to have ideal health and physical appearances
matching the cultural standards of beauty. Some parents tempted by greater
perfection also insert transgenic enhancements into their baby’s genome, but
fortunately the quality of perizygotic crisping means that side-effect mutations are
rare. As a result, perries may have superior levels of strength, speed, intelligence,
and reflexes, but outwardly they still have a normal human appearance (though
a strikingly beautiful one).

Worldwide, public opinion of perries is mixed. On the more colorful side,
conspiracy theorists in antique chatrooms often spread rumors of corporations
building private armies of vat-grown perry-humans with no legal status. To date,
none of these theories have been confirmed. More commonly, the general public
mistrusts perries out of fear of being outcompeted. As a result, many perries in
the public eye try to keep their genetic status a secret.
Although many envy perries’ wealth and perfection, the deepest source of
envy is their cells. Most people who get crisping treatments after they are born
can only change the genes of their body cells. The germline engineering used for
perries, though, changes all of their cells, including their eggs and sperm. This
means if parents purchase perizygotic enhancements for their children, the same
enhancements will get passed on to their grandkids, and great-grandkids, and so
on, without any further investment. Essentially, it creates an entirely new class
of generational wealth.
All other enhanced GMPs were crisped after they were born. Usually they’re
adults who elected for the procedure. Sometimes they’re children whose parents
wanted to correct a disease or some other “undesirable issue” that didn’t show up
until adolescence or later. Occasionally, stories circulate of people having crisping
forced upon them as part of an ever-evolving underworld of genetic crime, but
most wave these rumors off as urban myth.
Enhancing someone’s genes after they’re born is based on the traditional tech-
nique of somatic cell engineering, which makes genetic changes in a person’s
body cells without changing their eggs or sperm. For many chips who suffer
from side effects of crisping treatments gone wrong, this limit is a boon, since
it means their shame will end with them. Others lament it, since it also means
the enhancements they sacrificed for will not be passed on, so their children will
have to start over again.
THE CRISP LINE 9
The Gene Market
Today there are many types of genetic editing techniques, but they all work on
the same basic principles established by CRISPR almost half a century ago: The
genetic engineer tailors a virus to enter the host’s living cells and release pro-
grammed gene-altering proteins. These proteins read the genetic code, then edit
or insert nucleotides as needed. Over the course of the next few days, the virus
spreads its changes throughout every cell in the body, and the effects gradually
become visible. Complete genome alteration—and its effects—is achieved a few
days to a week from the initial treatment.
Recently, genetic companies have taken advantage of the ambiguous legality
of crisping to mass-produce enhancement packages and market them directly to
the consumer. Those who can afford it get their enhancements at high-end gene
spas, which have a permanent staff of doctors and genetic engineers, along with
hospitality staff so clients can have meditation sessions and massages while they
wait for their genetic changes to settle in. Most everyone else, though, needs
to find less-pricey options. Cheaper day clinics are popular among the upper
middle class, though these businesses don’t provide the same level of longer-term
personalized care as the high-end spas.
Even these clinics are fairly pricey, though, so the middle-to-low class customer
desperate for genetic enhancement must often resort to fly-by-night operations.
Underground labs, biohacker drug rings, and even lone genetic engineers fired
from the larger companies have been known to sell their own crisping packages
in order to make a quick buck. Although they’re considerably cheaper, the old
rule of “you get what you pay for” has never been more clear. These operations—
collectively referred to as chip-shops—often work with knock-off versions of
mainstream enhancement packages, cobbled together with second-rate labora-
tory procedures. As a result, the risk of complications from chip-shop crisping is
the highest. And for those who already scraped together everything they had to
purchase their enhancements, these complications can be devastating.

When Things Go Wrong
The first major reported—or at least publicly admitted—incident of a transgenic
mutation was in a woman whom the medical literature drolly identified as “Patient
Jane Wolfe.” Ms. Wolfe purchased one of the earliest mass-marketed enhancement
crisping packages, advertised to improve the client’s hearing and sense of smell
by inserting genes from Canis lupus lupus, the Eurasian grey wolf. Initially, the
treatment appeared to be a success, as Ms. Wolfe’s senses improved dramatically
over the next few days.
Then, a week after the injection, thick grey fur began growing across Ms. Wolfe’s
body, and her irises lightened to a piercing golden brown.
Since then, as the field of crisping enhancements has grown, reports of bizarre
mutations have become almost commonplace. Fur, feathers, and even scales can
erupt in patches across the body, sometimes in ways that are concealable, some-
times not. Habits can change suddenly, as people find new sensitivities to cold
or light, or desires for certain foods. But the most frightening are mutations that
change the very structure of the patient’s body. As the virus permeates their cells,
their bones and muscles can warp painfully, stretching their jaw into inhuman
shapes or elongating their limbs so far that they must walk on their toes. If caught
very early, serious mutations can often be stopped through immediate courses of
antiviral treatments, which is why high-end gene spas closely monitor a client’s
progress throughout their treatment. For most people, though, by the time they
realize what’s happening, it’s already too late. They must let the changes run their
course and see what they become.
Although many have researched the mutations, scientists still don’t understand
what causes them. A crisping treatment that works fine in one person can produce
severe side effects in another. People have blamed everything from epigenetic
effects in the environment, to unpredictable meta-genetic interactions with
other genes, to mutations in the viral vectors, to simply poor genetic design of
the treatment. In many cases, it’s likely a combination of these effects. No matter
the cause, some vocal opponents to genetic engineering claim that the mutations
are a sign of humanity’s scientific hubris and call for all transgenic crisping to
stop. So far, though, no ban has been put in place—mostly due to the influence
of larger genetic engineering companies—and despite the public’s awareness of
the risks, crisping continues to grow in popularity.
Unfortunately, the unpredictable nature of the mutations means their effects
are not easily reversed. Rather than using an off-the-shelf enhancement, a patient
with mutations would need to commission a crisping treatment tailored to restore
their own original genome, which does not come cheap. Moreover, they would
need a stable backup copy of the original genome to work from. Such a storage
service is included in the cost of many gene spas, but chip-shops often charge
an exorbitant fee for the same, essentially holding a client’s original genome for
ransom. The internet is also full of rumors of “black ladder” scams, where illicit
engineers will intentionally insert mutations into treatments in order to extort
the cost of repair.
Some newly mutated chips dedicate the rest of their lives trying to earn enough
and make the connections necessary to restore themselves to the way they once
were. Most settle in and accept their fate. But a few end up pushing themselves
deeper into the unknown. 11
Why Do People Risk It?
Human society has always evolved, but now in the 21st century things change
faster than ever before. Across the world, money has concentrated in exclusive
pools of power, and many traditional societal roles have crumbled under the
onslaught of automation. Across the spectrum of social classes, many do their
best to ignore these changes, finding palliative care in drugs and various forms of
immersive entertainment—at least, until the money runs out. But as throughout
human history, the daring, the brave, and the desperate reach for any chance at
a new opportunity.
The stories of those who accept the risks of crisping enhancements are as varied
as the genes they’re seeking to change. Flipping through the case log of a chip-
shop engineer might provide such a snapshot of lives in flux:
• A woman who spent the last of her law-school loans on high-end enhance-
ments, just enough to improve her manipulation skills and make junior
partner. Now, though, she’s worried about being displaced by up-and-
coming perry graduates and will do anything to keep her edge honed.
• A man working as one of the last of the private chauffeurs. He’s seen some
of the abilities his elite clients have taken home from the clinics, and he
can’t help but think about how much he always wanted to be a prizefighter.
• Warehouse workers laid off as even third-world jobs are replaced by auto-
mation. Forced into illegal mine work, they pool their money so at least
one of them can become strong enough to keep them all safe.
• A student artist jaded by the state of the world and the castes that human-
ity has encysted itself in. With a little money and nothing else to lose,
they decide to transform themself into a living monument to just how
far humanity can go.
Amongst these ranks of pioneers, there are a few who didn’t get a choice.
Children whose parents decided the way they were born wasn’t good enough, or
soldiers whose contracts required they submit to the whims of their government.
A few are already on the criminal underbelly of society and might find themselves
tricked by their fellow criminals, or forced into an intriguing, novel punishment.
Whatever their reasons for crisping or who they were before, these people soon
find themselves grouped into an entirely new class of humanity.

What Happens After the Change?
For most chips, once the physical manifestations of their genetic changes appear,
the lives they knew are over. In the worst cases, hatred and fear of their new con-
dition forces them to leave jobs, families, and communities they once depended
on. Genoism—genetics-based racism—is rampant in many modern cultures, in
some cases replacing traditional forms of ostracization. Unlike issues of race and
sexuality, getting one’s genes crisped is a choice, so many genoists feel that chips
deserve any bad results of those choices. But even in the best cases wherein their
community pledges its continued support, most chips begin to find themselves
isolated anyway. Friends stop by less often, job advancement suddenly stagnates,
even family looks at them differently. Slowly what many chips realize is that
looking less-than-human makes it easier for the world, and sometimes even the
best-intentioned, to treat them as such.
To adapt to their altered identities, many chips gradually develop new lives.
Those unable to keep their careers often fall into menial and service positions,
the sorts of jobs where being ignored is already expected. Ironically, although
most of these positions are still considered low-class, they are also some of the
few that can’t be automated away, which means many chips find themselves with
unexpected job security. This only increases tension with mainstream society as
the rest of the jobs slowly disappear.
More often, chips are pushed into less-than-legal options that capitalize on their
enhanced abilities. Many of these jobs prey on chips’ poor social status, forcing
them into unsavory or unsafe work. But even the upper-class tiers of crime—the
drug deals, the wet work, the corporate espionage plots between rival genetics
labs—are happy to ignore the chips’ surface and utilize their strengths within.
For the chip looking to collect a lot of money fast—to pay a debt, to help a
family member, to reverse their crisping enhancements or to add to them—any
of these jobs pay significantly better than most other work available to them on
the other side of the law.
As chips struggle with their evolving identities, they’ve begun to connect with
each other and form new systems of support. Many started with social networks
branching out through the internet, but as the number of chips has grown, real-
world gatherings and semi-secret clubs have sprung up as well. Chips rely on these
local connections to find work, a place to crash, and spaces to socialize freely with
others in similar situations to their own.
Even the chips able to cling to fragments of their old lives often eventually find
themselves forced to seek out others of their own kind, if not for company then
for protection. In the last few years, politicians the world over have leveraged
public mistrust of chips as a way to bolster their own power. Some have proposed
legislation to regulate chips, while others have proposed even more draconian
laws amounting to a neo-apartheid. In response, chips from all walks of life have
started forming political action groups to push back.
Many chips also face personal threats on a daily basis, as local genoist hate
groups gather power and are largely ignored by mainstream law enforcement.
There have also been rumors of chip disappearances, possibly because of criminal
jobs gone bad, but other theories range from hate crimes to secret government
research projects. Whatever the threats are, though, chip communities watch out
for each other, trade news, and protect themselves as best they can. 13
Deeper into the Unknown:
The Icarids
In the early days of human transgenic experimenta-
tion, some of the first enhancement experiments were
an attempt to realize humanity’s oldest dream: flight.
Different labs tried different approaches, most of them
tinkering severely with the Hox genes that control the
development of limbs and overall symmetry of an animal.
Unfortunately, none of these attempts produced a flying
human. At best, all the subjects developed was an odd
feathered growth on their back.
But at worst, the subjects became monsters.
Unexpected Hox gene mutations inevitably led to twisted,
asymmetrical changes in the body, sometimes occurring
before the geneticist’s eyes. Footage from some of these
experiments eventually leaked, blanketing the media
with images of people writhing in agony as their bodies
reshuffled like a Rubik’s cube. Public outcry picked up
where regulations hadn’t yet reached, and soon any
crisping work that delved too deeply into Hox genes was
halted. During the ensuing global discussion, a name
arose to describe those who had survived their proce-
dures: Icarids, the ones who flew too close to the sun.
In the decades since, the meaning of “Icarid” has
shifted. People who remembered the images of contorted,
gargoylesque horror from the early experiments started
to apply the term to any chip who became grossly unrec-
ognizable. At the same time, there has been a movement
within chip subculture to embrace one’s transhuman
identity by collecting as many enhancements as possible,
even from more than one species. Just as they embrace
new DNA, these people have embraced the name Icarid
to classify themselves and their evolving identities.
Today, Icarids represent the far extreme of the crisp-
ing spectrum, people who willingly bring in as many
changes to their genome as they can before their body
stops accepting treatments. Travellers on the furthest
reaches of the transhumanist frontier, they remain largely
out of public view—even to other chips—and rarely
talk about their motivations. In recent years Icarids
have carved out a place among the shadows, setting up
global networks to exchange news on issues affecting
chip society and launching secret research projects of
their own.
14
CLIMBING THE GENETIC LADDER
In The Crisp Line, your characters are non-perizygotic indi-
viduals who received transgenic enhancements and are a part
of the global chip community. Some may have hoped to
climb the corporate ladder, some sought to protect friends
or family, some looked for opportunities in the criminal
underworld, and some may simply have been curious, but
few expected the side effects that warped their bodies into
shadows of what they were before. Whether or not they
planned to enter the growing transhuman chip subculture,
they’ve found their way here.
While it’s important to develop your character and explore
their emotions, the best way to do both is to set concrete
goals and create challenges to overcome, such as:
• Running jobs and missions as a source of income
• Going on humanitarian or espionage missions that
help advance chip rights
• Helping each other accomplish specific character
goals
• Exploring the secrets of the chip underworld
• Trying to access rare technologies in order to accu-
mulate more enhancements
• Trying to earn enough money to genetically engineer
a way back to the lives they had before
GMs, when you’re constructing plots around these goals,
it is highly useful to add contrast by cycling through power
balances of the world. While the PCs’ enhancements give
them many exceptional skills, they may also find themselves
in situations where being genetically modified makes their
lives much harder. This might be something dramatic to the
plot, such as needing to sneak into a corporate headquarters
run by perries who don’t let chips in the front door. But
it can also appear in the everyday things that neither the
players nor characters think about much but which might
now be more difficult. How will people respond to them
walking down the street? What happens when they go to
a store and have to select food? How do their mutations
make their everyday lives harder to run? These don’t have
to be major plot points, but adding in small questions such
as these will do a lot to bring life to the world and make
the occasions when the PCs can use their new abilities to
their advantage stand out.
15
Aspects
Your character starts with a high concept, as in Fate Core. Your high concept
should indicate who your character is in 2050s society, specifically their profes-
sion, status, or social role. It can be based on who they were when they received
genetic enhancements, such as Teenage Retail Worker or Washed-up Pop
Star. It could also touch upon what’s happened to them since they were crisped,
such as Laid-off Mechanic or High School Teacher Turned Drug Dealer.
Your character also starts with a trouble, which is connected to their personality,
backstory, or life situation. It could be a thing that drove them to seek genetic
enhancements in the first place, such as A Pathological Drive to Succeed
or Must Save the Family Business at All Costs. It could also be something
that’s happened since getting crisped, such as Shunned by Friends and Family
or The Chip-Shop Lied to Me and I’m Out for Revenge.
STUCK?
If you’re stuck on your high concept or trouble, you might work back-
wards. Look ahead to the skills and stunts in the Genetic Enhancement
Packages (page 22), skim through, and decide which one you
want to use. Then consider why a person would select those en-
hancements. What are the details of their life that would make the
reward worth the risk?
Try for unlikely pairings, since they often lead to more interesting
stories. For example, the athletic enhancements of a gorilla package
might not seem appealing to an old, grey grandma, but it makes more
sense if you realize she’s been largely forgotten in an elder-care home
and will do anything to walk on her own again.
Your character also starts with at least one mutation aspect. For shorter games,
you might take on more than one mutation at the start, at the GM’s discretion.
The mutations that come from crisping aren’t just so your character can look
cool; they can—and should—provide advantages and disadvantages during play.
For example, claws can actually be used as claws, and fur can help protect against
burns. As for disadvantages, tails can get stuck in doors, delicate skin can get
damaged by just the sun, and even something as subtle as oddly colored eyes can
be noticed by others, making them treat you differently.
You don’t have to carefully word your mutations. Just describe what they
are—for example, “Bulky Gorilla Arms”—so you and your GM remember to
invoke and compel them.
If you pick up more mutations later, you can add them in as extra mutation
aspects, or for simplicity’s sake you can list them as cosmetic extras and just focus
on one or two mutations as aspects.
Finally, your character gets two free aspects, which you might use to add more
details about your character or to create a bond with a PC or NPC. Or you may
leave them blank and fill them in later with new mutations or other aspects as
your character develops.

Skills
Your character starts with one Superb (+5) skill, two Great (+4) skills, two
Good (+3) skills, three Fair (+2) skills, and four Average (+1) skills.
The skills you select will be influenced by your character’s selected Genetic
Enhancement Package (page 22). Each package preferentially enhances three
core skills.
To set your skill ratings, do the following:
1. Choose one Genetic Enhancement Package.
2. Choose one core skill from this package to set at Superb (+5).
3. Choose another core skill to set at Great (+4).
4. Choose a third core skill to set at Great (+4) or at Good (+3), which leaves
the second Great (+4) slot open for a non-core skill.
5. If you wish, you can fill in non-core skills at this time, or you can wait to
do this during play.
Maria decides to create a character with the Snake genetic package.

The core skills for this package are Empathy, Notice, and Will. Maria
sets her Notice at Superb (+5) and her Empathy at Great (+4). She
decides she wants Shoot—a non-core skill in this package—for her
second Great (+4) slot, so she takes that and sets her Will at Good (+3).
Skill List
The Crisp Line uses the skill list from Fate Core with a few changes, noted below:
Athletics Fight Provoke Stealth
Burglary Investigate Rapport Technology
Contacts Mechanics Resources Will
Deceive Notice Science
Empathy Physique Shoot
Mechanics combines Drive and Crafts. In the 2050s, driving has become a
hobbyist’s art rather than a daily necessity. The few people who bother to learn
to drive often do so because they are interested in a wide variety of mechanics
and robotics. Thus, someone with Mechanics may be able to drive vehicles, but
at higher skill ratings they may also be able to do anything from fix engines to
sabotage automated manufacturing plants.
Science includes knowledge about genetic engineering, medicine, and other
biological sciences, as well as skill in laboratory research. Higher skill ratings
may allow characters to develop their own crisping treatments, given access to
a proper lab.
Technology replaces Lore. Most characters are comfortable interacting with
the digital devices omnipresent in their world on a daily basis, but higher skill
ratings may allow them to program their own software or subvert security devices.
Note that Contacts, Mechanics, Science, Technology, and Resources are not
core skills in any enhancement package, since these are related to one’s background
and knowledge and cannot be advanced through genetic enhancement.
THE CRISP LINE 17
Stunts and Refresh
Your character begins with one stunt from their Genetic Enhancement Package
(page 22). You may also select one non-genetically enhanced stunt based on
your character’s backstory, profession, or other skills, at the GM’s discretion, as
in Fate Core.
Your character also begins with 3 refresh, which you can use to buy additional
non-genetically enhanced stunts. GMs, you’ll want to consider whether or not to
limit stunts powered by spending fate points to only genetically enhanced stunts
in order to keep the plot focused on the genetic aspects of the game.
Mutations
Your character must start with at least one mutation from their selected Genetic
Enhancement Package. These mutations will change their physical phenotype in
a noticeable way and will affect how they interact with the world around them,
as described in “Aspects” (page 16).
To add a mutation, roll one six-sided die (D6) on the table below to determine
which body feature is affected by the mutation. Then, check the mutation table
of your chosen Genetic Enhancement Package to find the specific mutation
effect (listed by D6 number). If you are rolling for multiple mutations and roll
the same slot twice, roll again.
MUTATION LOCATION
D6 Affected Body Feature
1 Skin (color, fur, feathers, scales)
2 Face (eyes, skull)
3 Main body axis (tail, posture)
4 Limbs
5 Hands
6 Special
ALTERNATE MUTATION SYSTEM

If you want your character to start with a specific look, such as
whole-body anthropomorphized features from a specific Genetic
Enhancement Package, you can simply make it so and ignore the
random mutation generation. But you still must include at least one
of your mutated features in your mutation aspects. Selecting and ad-
vancing core skills still proceeds as described. If you decide to branch
out and collect enhancements from other Genetic Enhancement
Packages, you will roll for random mutations, which may override
your initial, chosen mutations.
Crisping mutations often also lead to subtle changes in personality and behavior,
which are listed under each package as “Roleplay Suggestions” and are optional.

Advancing Your Genetic Package
Over the course of the game, you can advance your character’s Genetic Enhancement
Package by visiting a genetic engineer in order to be crisped again, increasing your
core skills and gaining more stunts from that package.
GMs, though each character’s actual ability to visit a gene clinic or chip-shop will
vary, we recommend allowing the players to advance their Genetic Enhancement
Packages at each significant milestone. You might increase this rate if you’re running
a shorter game and the players wish to explore their transhuman abilities more.
The human body tends to develop resistance to the viral vectors used in crisping,
so each attempt to advance the same Genetic Enhancement Package will face
increased difficulty. Note that even a failed crisping counts toward the number
of times you have attempted to advance a single package.
OPPOSITION TO ADVANCING A GENETIC PACKAGE

Attempt Opposition
First Great (+4)
Second Superb (+5)
Third or above Fantastic (+6)
If you are getting a crisping treatment yourself, you’ll roll Resources. If you’re
being given a treatment for free or being forced to accept one, whoever is provid-
ing the treatment will roll Science.
If you attempt to increase a core skill and gain a new stunt during the same
treatment, you’ll roll separately for each.
If you are using the Completed Job boost to add a Resources bonus, it applies
to both rolls during the same treatment. See “Paying Out Players” (page 33) for
more information on this boost.
To interpret your result, use the following table.
ADVANCING A GENETIC PACKAGE

Succeed w/Style Gain a new stunt from package, or add two ranks to
one core skill, or add one rank to two core skills.
Succeed Gain a new stunt from package, or add a rank to one
core skill.
Tie Crisping fails—do not gain a stunt or add ranks to a
core skill. If you choose to succeed at a cost, you gain
the moderate consequence Chip Flu as your body
fights off the viral vectors, which lasts till the end of
the current session, when it clears on its own.
Fail Acquire a new mutation. Roll on the Mutation Location
table until you get a slot you have not yet mutated,
or come up with a creative way to integrate the new
mutation into your current mutation for that location.
THE CRISP LINE 19
After playing for some time, Maria wants to try to improve her char-
acter’s enhancements. She already has the Infrared Vision stunt, but
now she wants Kiss of the Asp, so she brings her character to a chip-
shop. Since this is her second attempt at crisping using the snake
Genetic Enhancement Package, Maria rolls Resources against Great
(+4) opposition.
First, she rolls for the stunt and succeeds with a Superb (+5) result,
so she adds the Kiss of the Asp stunt she wants.
Feeling lucky, Maria also decides to try to raise her Will, a core skill,
and rolls again, also against Great (+4) opposition. This time, though,
she fails, so her character acquires a new mutation and must deal with
its consequences, and does not increase her WIll.
If Maria visits a chip-shop again in the future and wishes to acquire
more Snake stunts or raise her core skills, then she’ll roll against Superb
(+5) opposition, since it will be her third attempt.

Adding Genetic Modification Packages
Over time, you may acquire additional enhancement packages based on other
genetic sources in order to advance other core skills or pick up useful stunts.
If you wish to improve your core skills or gain new stunts from a new Genetic
Enhancement Package, you’ll roll to advance it as described in the previous section.
When determining the opposition to your roll, only count the number of times
that you have attempted to advance the new package, not all of your packages.
Mutations acquired from new enhancement packages may replace existing
mutations or merge with them to form an amalgam of your own creation, at
your discretion. The more erratic and complex your character’s mutations become,
though, the closer they get to being socially classified as an Icarid.
Maria’s character has been spending a lot of time in gunfights and

decides she needs to drop some hard cash on eagle enhancements.
She scrapes together enough Resources and visits the same chip-shop
where she got her enhancements before. Since this is her first attempt
at picking up enhancements from a new genetic package, she’ll roll
Resources against Great (+4) opposition.
First, Maria tries to get the eagle stunt Quick Draw. This roll fails,
so Maria must now roll to pick up an eagle mutation and work it into
her character.
Second, Maria wants to improve her Shoot rating. Since this is a core
skill in the eagle package, she rolls again against Great (+4) opposition.
This time she succeeds, so she increases her Shoot rating from Good
(+3) to Great (+4).
Genetic Reboot
Completely removing genetic mutations is extremely difficult, and extremely
expensive. Generally the process is confined to high-end gene spas. Many chip-
shop engineers claim to do full reversals, but few clients are foolish or desperate
enough to take them up on their offer.
The quest to return to “normal” may be the focal point of a character’s motiva-
tion. If so, it should be something difficult to attain, ideally over a longer plot
arc. In some cases the characters may need to earn Resources boosts to pay for
it, and in some cases they may need to work through multiple layers of leads to
find an engineer able to complete the process at all.
When the time comes to attempt the reversal, roll your Resources or the genetic
engineer’s Science against Legendary (+8) opposition. Success may remove one
or all of your mutations and genetically enhanced stunts. A complete genetic
reversal also decreases your package’s core skills to represent what they were pre-
enhancement, meaning none of them can exceed Great (+4). Failure may cause
consequences, such as new, bizarre mutations or an inability to be crisped ever again.
THE CRISP LINE 21
THE GENETIC ENHANCEMENT PACKAGES
Axolotl
Although it was declared extinct in the wild by 2025, the Mexican salamander
known as the axolotl is still bred in research labs around the world to study and
copy its amazing healing abilities. The enhancement package based on their
DNA was originally developed for military clients but has become popular with
the public in recent years as a sort of permanent health insurance. People with
axolotl enhancements are highly resistant to most diseases and infections, and
they can even regrow lost limbs.
If you create a character with the axolotl package (page 23), you must take
the stunt Gift of Mictlan and another stunt from the same package. Players who
take on axolotl enhancements later in the game choose just one stunt at a time,
as normal.
AXOLOTL MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Delicate, clammy, hairless skin across the body
2 Nose reduced to nostril slits; face smooth and rounded; teeth
reduced or nonexistent; black beady eyes that rarely blink
3 Short, thick, fleshy tail
4 Shortened and weakened arms and legs
5 Webbed hands and feet with no nails
6 Three pairs of external gill stalks grow out of the neck
Cheetah
The speed and cat-like reflexes of this package (page 23) often appeal to profes-
sional athletes and professional criminals alike.
CHEETAH MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Spotted fur covering the whole body
2 Feline features with reduced, broadened nose, catlike ears, elon-
gated canines, and amber-gold eyes with no whites
3 Long, thin tail covered in fur
4 Long, powerful legs with higher knees and shins elongated for
recurved look
5 Shortened, clawed fingers
6 Toes and feet shortened into furry paws

Axolotl
CORE SKILLS
None. Start out with the normal skill pyramid of one Great (+4), two
Good (+3), three Fair (+2), and four Average (+1) slots. You can advance
these skills as described in Fate Core (page 258).
ROLEPLAY SUGGESTIONS
Slow thought processes; tries to eat anything that can fit in mouth
STUNTS
Gift of Mictlan: The healing abilities of the axolotl can bring one back
from near-death, given enough time. You may recover from any physical
consequence without taking a recovery action. The consequence still takes
time to recover based on its severity, as normal. You also gain an extra
mild consequence slot. Though you can regrow limbs and cure diseases,
your powers do have limits—losing your head or being burned alive will
be deadly no matter what.
Heterothermic: You’re not really cold-blooded, but you are able to control
your metabolism at will. Slowing your metabolism reduces your body
temperature, making you nearly invisible to heat-sensing technology and
abilities, giving you a +4 bonus to Stealth in such situations. However, you
also suffer a -2 penalty to Athletics until you resume normal metabolism.
Tlaloc’s Breath: You may respire underwater for short periods of time—a
few minutes if you’re actively moving, or several minutes max if sitting
still. If you have the mutation giving you external gills, increase these
times by one step.
Cheetah
CORE SKILLS
Athletics, Fight, Stealth
Alert but skittish behavior; purring when pleased
STUNTS
Cat-Like Reflexes: In physical conflicts, you may roll Athletics instead of
Notice to establish the turn order.
Rustles in the Grass: +2 to Notice when identifying auditory clues, such
as picking out voices in a garbled recording or hearing someone lurking
behind a door.
Sprint: You may move up to two zones in an exchange without rolling, so
long as nothing is restricting your ability to run. Also, you may spend a fate
point to immediately win any contest involving short bursts of running.
THE CRISP LINE 23
Eagle
People acquiring this package pick up improved vision and a piercing mental
focus. It’s popular amongst law enforcement, soldiers, and anyone who wants to
improve their marksmanship.
Eagle
CORE SKILLS
Investigate, Notice, Shoot
Bird-like movements; frequent desire to preen
STUNTS
Eagle Eye: You are able to spot things at a distance with high precision.
Once per scene, you can spend your action and a fate point to place a
consequence in the lowest available consequence slot of someone you can
see. You get to write the consequence, which represents you landing a
single ranged shot, such as the mild consequence Pierced Hand or the
severe consequence Shot Through the Heart.
Quick Draw: Your nerves have adapted bird-like reflexes. +2 to Notice
when establishing turn order in a physical conflict, but your first action
must be a ranged attack.
Ultraviolet Vision: You are able to perceive light reflected in the ultravio-
let spectrum. This gives you an impressive range of color vision beyond
normal human perception, which gives you +2 to Notice when rolling
overcome to detect obscure things, such as art forgeries or subtle skin
changes brought on by genetic engineering. It also allows you to spot
body-fluid stains, even if they’ve been cleaned up.
EAGLE MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Feathers growing from body skin, either over whole body or in
large patches
2 Elongated avian skull shape; keratinized beak replacing toothed
jaw; feathers replacing hair; external ears missing
3 Fan-shaped feathered tail
4 Skinny, scaled legs with large talons on feet
5 Long feathers on arms, giving a nonfunctional wing-like
appearance
6 Amber-gold eyes with no whites; nictitating membrane

Gorilla
Due to the similarity between gorilla and human DNA, this was the first of the
transgenic enhancement packages available on the market. It tends to be selected
by people seeking improved athleticism and strength, though an unexpected,
common side effect is becoming vegetarian.
Gorilla
CORE SKILLS
Athletics, Physique, Provoke
Placid until provoked, then erupts in aggression; urge to beat chest
STUNTS
Climb: +2 to Athletics to climb obstacles or maneuver through precarious
high spaces, such as catwalks.
Intimidate: Your knuckle cracks are like gunshots. You may roll Physique
instead of Provoke in order to overcome a stubborn opponent, who
opposes with Will.
One-Punch Ape: Once per conflict, you may roll Physique instead of
Fight in order to attempt a knockout blow against your opponent. The
defender can only absorb shifts from this attack by taking consequence,
not by marking stress.
GORILLA MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Thickened, dark skin covered in dark black hair across the whole
body, silver-grey in adult males
2 Heavy jaw and brow; elongated canines; dark chestnut eyes with
no whites
3 Stooped, hulking posture
4 Long, heavily muscled arms and shorter, weaker legs
5 Thick, heavy muscled fingers, with thumbs moved lower on the
wrists
6 Large, heavy feet with shortened toes and functional foot-thumbs
THE CRISP LINE 25
Octopus
A newer package on the market whose skills are almost entirely used for crime.
However, the alienness of the mutations have also attracted performance artists
and body-modifiers trying to push the boundaries of humanity.
Octopus
CORE SKILLS
Burglary, Deceive, Stealth
Almost emotionless behavior; intense interest in puzzles and problem-solving
STUNTS
Clever Fingers: Sometimes, your hands seem to have a mind of their own.
When using one or both of your hands to overcome an obstacle, such as
picking locks or typing out commands, you may take another, simultane-
ous action, so long as it doesn’t interrupt your first action.
Ink Sac: You can spray ink at a target—you may decide where exactly the
ink comes from—rolling to create an advantage with two free invocations.
Which skill you roll depends on how you are using your ink. For example,
if you’re trying to subtly mark a target to identify later, roll Stealth. Or
if you’re trying to temporarily blind an opponent or camera, roll Shoot.
Shifting Skin: Special muscles and chromatophore cells in your skin allow
you to change its color and texture. By spending a fate point, you dramati-
cally change your appearance, such as to camouflage with a background
or to take on the facial features of another person. Write a situation aspect
representing this change, which you can keep as long as needed. When you
invoke this aspect for a bonus, you get +3 rather than +2. An opponent
who wishes to pierce your deception, removing your ability to invoke the
aspect against them or others in the know, must roll Notice against your
Deceive. Adopting another new appearance still costs a fate point, but
reverting to your normal appearance does not cost a fate point.
OCTOPUS MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Hairless, clammy skin with a subtle iridescence
2 Bulging eyes with bar-shaped pupils; reduced nose; weak jawline
and small teeth; external ears missing
3 Softened appearance; slouching posture with deceptively poor
visible muscle tone (does not hinder strength)
4 Hyperflexible arms and legs
5 Suckers on hands and feet; no fingernails or toenails
6 Tentacles grown from various parts of the body

Snake
Although often associated with the criminal underworld due to its more spectacu-
lar effects, this package at its root provides uncanny skills in observing human
behavior. Therapists and medical personnel have been known to seek its gifts.
Snake
CORE SKILLS
Empathy, Notice, Will
Cold, reptilian behavior; periods of intense focus; reclusiveness
STUNTS
Heterothermic: You’re not really cold-blooded, but you are able to control
your metabolism at will. Slowing your metabolism reduces your body
temperature, making you nearly invisible to heat-sensing technology and
abilities, giving you a +4 bonus to Stealth in such situations. However, you
also suffer a -2 penalty to Athletics until you resume normal metabolism.
Infrared Vision: You are able to perceive heat differences in the infrared
spectrum as visual images. You can ignore visual obstructions such as
darkness, smoke, or fog to perceive anything giving off heat energy. In a
social situation, you may create an advantage to see subtle temperature
changes in someone’s skin and detect when they’re lying or have changes
of mood, rolling Empathy against their Deceive. The GM can compel
aspects related to excess ambient heat in the area to say that your infrared
senses aren’t working properly.
Kiss of the Asp: If you bite an opponent and pierce skin, you may inject
venom into their flesh. The opponent gains the aspect Envenomed with
one free invoke, which could come in the form of immediate pain and/or
temporary paralysis. If you spend a fate point when you add the aspect,
the venom you inject will also have a stronger—possibly deadlier—effect,
dealing a Fantastic (+6) attack, defended against with Physique.
SNAKE MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Scales growing from body skin, either over the whole body or in
large patches; periodic shedding
2 Reptilian face with nostril slits; sharp teeth with narrow, elongat-
ed canine fangs; external ears missing; slit pupils; rare blinking;
forked tongue
3 Tapered, scaled prehensile tail
4 Underdeveloped limbs; hyperflexible joints with unsettling body
movements
5 Fingers long and thin; scales covering skin of hands and extend-
ing up past the wrists
6 Body temperature cool to the touch; unsettlingly wide mouth and
hyperextendable jaw
27
Wolf
Sometimes called the white-collar package, wolf enhancements are frequently
purchased by lawyers, financial traders, and businesspeople looking for an edge
in leadership—or manipulation. This package has become increasingly popular
as those same groups try to compete with perries on the corporate battlefield.
Wolf
CORE SKILLS
Empathy, Rapport, Will
Pack-like behavior when in groups; howling, barking, and growling
STUNTS
Pack Leader: Your presence and focus has a power all its own. You may roll
Will instead of Provoke to overcome a stubborn opponent, who opposes
with Will. If your opponent also has wolf-based genetic enhancements,
you gain +1 to the roll.
Scent of the Prey: +2 to Notice when identifying olfactory clues, such
as following a scent trail or sensing a chemical change in sweat when
someone is lying.
Thrill of the Hunt: When you succeed on an attack, you can immediately
clear one of your physical or mental stress boxes. You can use this stunt
once per scene, be it a battle of brawn or wits.
WOLF MUTATIONS
Part Description
1 Thick fur covering the body, color varying from whites to browns
to greys
2 Canine features with elongated muzzle, elongated canine teeth,
and canine ears higher on the head
3 Long, furry tail, which wags when you are happy or excited
4 Long, thin legs with higher knees and elongated shins for re-
curved look
5 Shortened, clawed fingers
6 Toes and feet shortened into furry paws

Custom Genetic Enhancement Packages
The premade Genetic Enhancement Packages are the most popular modifications
found in the world today, but rare and unusual modifications exist as well. The
easiest way to make custom packages is simply to reskin a premade package. The
eagle package could easily apply to many predatory birds, for example, and cheetah
could apply to any large cat, although the GM might recommend replacing the
Sprint stunt with something less species-specific.
For other terrestrial animal types not covered here—such as ungulate mammals,
quadruped reptiles, large flightless birds, and marsupials—players may wish to
create an original package, as follows:
1. Create six cosmetic mutations to fill out its mutations table (page 18).
2. Choose three core skills.
3. Choose or create at least one genetically enhanced stunt.
When selecting core skills, consider the biology of the animal and what they
might specialize in—for example, a species that is naturally a prey animal would
likely have Notice as a core skill. Also consider how the skills might work together
to create a role in the game. GMs, you might wish to work with the player on this
to make sure that the selections are balanced with the rest of the group. Recall that
Contacts, Mechanics, Science, Technology, and Resources cannot be core skills.
The stunt can be borrowed from one of the existing packages or created from
scratch, as in Fate Core. If you’re creating a stunt, you’ll work with the GM.
THE CRISP LINE 29
GM TIPS AND RESOURCES
Choosing Your Setting
Since this is a game set in the “real world” of the near future, it would be very
easy to set up an adventure in a location familiar to you and your players. Many
aspects of modern-day life—from technology and politics to landscape and local
businesses—may change, but it’s also conceivable that some of these things will
remain the same. Contrasting the new with the familiar can be its own source
of entertainment, especially if players contribute their own ideas of what your
shared world might look like.
This game may feel very different depending on its setting. Larger cities tend to
play for larger stakes, with big companies, diverse populations, and greater access
to resources. A smaller town might be less flashy, but it could also build much
more on interpersonal relationships. When creating your setting, think critically
about the benefits and challenges which define your chosen location and how
it might influence the nature of your game. Use these thoughts to create setting
aspects. For example, a large city might have the aspect Lost in the Crowd,
indicating how characters might have more autonomy but also fewer safety nets
to fall back on. By contrast, a smaller town might have the aspect of Everyone
Knows Your Name.

Adding Faces and Places
Their details will vary from place to place, but here are some useful places and
faces to provide challenges and resources for your players:
• “Chip spaces”—centralized locations that act as clubs or hangouts for chips.
The sort of place they go to connect with the rest of the chip community.
If these places are publicly known, they will probably be looked down
upon by non-GMP society.
• “Non-chip spaces”—places where chips might face outward discrimination.
Some of these may be high-class anti-GMP clubs that require a gene test
at the door. But many of these may be everyday sorts of places, like an
internet-terminal library or a hardware store, where chips have to go even
though they frequently face some level of genoism.
• Gangs or crime syndicates, some run by chips and some by non-GMPs.
Consider possible rivalries.
• Local politicians interested in chip affairs. Are they for or against chip
rights? Do they act one way publically and a different way privately? What
are their influences and motivations?
• Local chip allies. Basically a place where help could come from unexpect-
edly. These could be individuals or groups.
• Suppliers of illicit resources, if your PCs are involved in criminal activities.
Though perhaps you’ve decided that in your world they can order weapons
via same-day delivery drone.
• Low-quality chip-shops or independent genetic engineers.
• A mid-range chip-shop catering to the dwindling middle class. The sort
of place that would be wary of letting in obvious chips, for fear of being
associated with mutations, but which might be convinced with a high
enough Resources roll or other opposed roll.
• A very high-end genetic engineering clinic for the wealthy and the peri-
zygotic. This could be anything from major storefront in the middle of a
city to a fancy secluded resort in the nearby mountains.
THE CRISP LINE 31
Becoming an Icarid
Unlike the crisp line between an unmodified human
and a GMP, the line between chips and Icarids is
a blurry one. Generally, though, once someone
begins exhibiting mutations from more than one
Genetic Modification Package, even chip society
will find them unsettling and may start to avoid
them. Fortunately, just as the new Icarid’s life seems
irreparably upturned once again, they may find that
they’re approached by a stranger under a heavy cloak
with the offer of a new family to join.
The PCs could push themselves into Icarid territory
in various ways, so here’s how to handle each case:
• Some of the party simply wishes to collect
a lot of enhancements, and don’t care about
what it means to be an Icarid. In this case,
you might arbitrarily label them as Icarids,
subtly change how NPCs respond to them,
and then continue the game as normal.
• Some of the party wants to collect muta-
tions and actively explore becoming Icarids.
To avoid splitting the party, you might have a
scene in which the Icarid PCs are approached
by an Icarid NPC and informed of secret
Icarid networks and resources. The Icarid
PCs remain with the rest of the party but
now have Great (+4) Contacts when calling
upon the Icarid community for help.
• All of the party wishes to become Icarids.
This could then become a major theme of the
game for the players to explore together. Being
accepted into the ranks of the Icarids may
involve an initiation test or running some sort
of mission for the Icarid cause, often without
the PCs knowing the full implications of what
they’re doing. Succeeding at this mission is
only part of the test, as their Icarid “handlers”
will judge them more favorably the more they
use their transhuman abilities. If they pass, the
players may all increase their Contacts rating
and may be allowed to run more missions for
the cause or may be pulled deeper into the
secrets of Icarid society.
32
Random Mission Generator
The following table can be used to brainstorm paying missions or other quests for
the players to embark on. The details will vary depending on your setting. Each
column presents a general idea with both a more criminal and more egalitarian
slant. A mission can focus on just one at a time, or players can start out with
a mission thinking it’s from one column, just to have it suddenly twist to the
other along the way.
RANDOM MISSION GENERATOR

D6 Mission
1 Shut down a chip-shop run by a rival gang (crime) Shut down a
chip-shop known to be running black-ladder scams (community)
2 Collect information on a local politician to blackmail them
(crime) Try to convince local politician to help with chip issues
(community)
3 Find a certain chip who is on the run from local crime lords
(crime) Find a certain chip who disappeared and may have been
abducted for research (community)
4 Steal a prototype GMO crop that produces a new type of
recreational drug (crime) Steal a prototype GMO crop that
produces a new type of medicine (community)
5 Infiltrate a refugee slum to make connections with black-market
vendors hidden there (crime) Infiltrate a refugee slum to make
connections with local leaders and accomplish a humanitarian
mission (community)
6 Break into a high-end gene clinic to steal technology for a
rival lab (crime) Break into a high-end gene clinic to acquire a
treatment for a new bioweapon sweeping the city (community)
Paying Out Players

For many players, the draw for going on missions is to be paid. These payments
should be reflected in higher levels of Resources, which players will need for
better results if and when they decide to collect more genetic modifications. After
succeeding at a mission or missions, players may earn the boost Completed Job
with one free invoke, which provides +2 to Resources. This boost may be stacked.
If the players earn an unusually significant payout in some manner—enough
that they find themselves moving up in the world—they may also all increase
their Resources ratings permanently, at the GM’s discretion.
THE CRISP LINE 33
Random Chip NPC Generator
If you need to generate a chip NPC, follow the instructions in this section.
First, roll three fate dice to determine which Genetic Enhancement Package
this NPC has been crisped with (find them starting on page 22). To use this
triangle table, first count right the number of + you rolled, then count down
the number of -. Don’t move for any 0 rolls. For example, a roll of +--
would give Axolotl, and a roll of -00 would give Snake.
CHIP GENETIC ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE

0 + + +
0 Roll Again Cheetah Eagle Icarid**
- Snake Gorilla* Wolf
- Octopus Axolotl
- Icarid**
* Statistically the most common due to it being on the market longest

and thus the cheapest.
** Statistically the rarest. Roll at least twice more to determine which
genetic packages this Icarid person has combined.

Second, roll one fate die on the following table to select a stunt from those
listed in their chosen package. If you are creating an Icarid, select at least one
stunt from each of their enhancement packages.
CHIP STUNT
+ First stunt listed in package
- Second stunt listed in package
0 Third stunt listed in package
Third, roll on the Mutation Location table (page 18) and reference their
Genetic Enhancement Package to determine their physical mutations. If you
are creating an Icarid, select at least one mutation from each of their packages.
Fourth, if desired, give them skill ratings for at least the three core skills in
their package. If you are creating an Icarid, choose one “primary” package to fill
in the top skill slots, then use the other package(s) to fill in other slots, starting
from the highest available rating and working down.
Fifth, if desired, roll four fate dice on the following table to select their high
concept.
CHIP HIGH CONCEPT

0 + + + +
Aspiring,
Drifter Just Freelance
Day Self-Taught Community
0 Passing Software
Laborer Genetic Organizer
Through Engineer
Engineer
Con Teenage Homeless Private

-
Artist Runaway Refugee Detective
Laid-Off Body
Hacker
- White-Collar Modification
Anarchist
Worker Artist
Drug
- Thief
Dealer
- Mercenary
THE CRISP LINE 35
CITY ON THE BRINK
The following is a complete example adventure in the world of The Crisp Line,
set in a future version of the city of San Francisco. It can be used as a short cam-
paign by itself or form the backbone for a larger one. Details from this adventure
could also easily be adapted to other settings. The tone of this adventure leans
toward action-mystery and provides ample opportunities for players to use their
enhanced abilities, but more somber and introspective tones are equally possible
for games set in this world.
Overview
San Francisco, a city poised on the edge of the world and the cutting edge of change.
For generations, social and technological innovations have incubated in the lands
around the bay before rising up and spreading across the world. Unsurprisingly,
the city has remained a hub of genetic innovation into the 2050s. International
biotech companies claim corporate offices in the sparkling spires downtown, and
casual crisping—from bioluminescent tattoos to hybridized pets—are common
sights on the street. The Bay Area boasts one of the strongest chip cultures on
the planet, and many chips are drawn here in hopes of finding a community to
give them a new start.
But like any city, San Francisco also has problems. In the shadows of luxury,
unemployment and homelessness thrives, with permanent tent favelas claiming
huge chunks of the lower half of the city. Rising bay waters have begun eroding
waterfront properties around the peninsula, displacing many more who were
already pushed to the edge. Adding to the crush, climate refugees from other
drowned parts of the world have become common on Californian shores, and
many now live in converted container ships parked in the bay. Class tensions are
high, especially against the perizygotic, whom most assume are taking over the
business and political leadership of the city. Much of this aggression spills over
onto chips, no matter their economic status.
Even so, triumphs and failures are part of the pulsing spirit of San Francisco.
Many times throughout its history the city has fallen to ashes, but like the phoe-
nix on its flag it inevitably rises again. This hope continues to call people to its
heart, whether they’re looking to ride the next wave of success or simply find
their own sort of rebirth.

Act 1: Introductions and Alliances
Up in the Club
Scene Objective: The players meet each other and are briefly introduced to some
major features of the plot.
RESOURCE DOSSIER: THE EMPEROR NORTON CLUB (ENC)
Started as an artists’ collective in a warehouse at the edge of a tent favela on the
south side of the city, the ENC has expanded to become a de facto community
center for chips to meet, socialize, and find new job opportunities, both legal
and non.
Although the Emperor Norton Club is a regular gathering location in the local
chip community, twice a year the warehouse hosts a larger event inspired by vintage
outdoor festivals from the turn of the 21st century. The art, performances, and
music always draw a large crowd but this month pulls in even more chips than
usual. Eli Williams, a local figure in the chip community, has announced his bid
to run for city council—the first openly GMP person to do so—and many are
curious to hear him speak. Unfortunately, his speech has also drawn the atten-
tion of anti-chip activists. As the players approach the club, they will pass a small
cluster of Gaist protesters picketing across the street.
THREAT DOSSIER: GAIA PROTECTION FRONT
Also known as “Gaists,” a grassroots spiritual movement spawned from early
anti-GMO sentiments, this group frequently protests any modification of the human
genome. Most chips—and the players—probably know of them as hippies picket-
ing on street corners or shouting on the internet. However, as time has gone on,
the leadership of the group has secretly become more organized and has begun
using classic ecoterrorism tactics, bombing research labs and spreading fear of
chips among the general public.
Once the players enter the club, they have the chance to interact with NPCs
and each other. Although stymied somewhat by the presence of the protestors,
the overall mood of the crowd in the warehouse is optimistic. Though there is a
wide variety of chips from many walks of life present, there do not seem to be
any obvious Icarids in attendance, but if a player succeeds on a Notice roll against
Great (+4) difficulty, they may see a thin, shadowy figure with a whip-like tail
hanging around the catwalks overhead.
At some point, the players will catch the attention of Miriam Montenegro.
Though Montenegro often sends agents to recruit at the Emperor Norton Club,
she rarely attends herself, which makes her presence tonight worth commenting
on by people in the crowd, though no one laughs at her intentional wardrobe
choice of a Little Red Riding Hood–style cloak over her suit.
As they interact with the crowd, players will notice that a few non-GMP
humans also present. One stands out, an elderly Filipino man in dark clothes
and a priest’s collar whom others identify as Father Felix. Despite his odd pres-
ence, most passing chips seem friendly to him, and he in return. He frequently
hangs around drinking pints at the ENC bar and will likely go out of his way to
introduce himself to the players.
THE CRISP LINE 37
Miriam Montenegro
ASPECTS
High Concept: Infamous Local Chip Crime Lord
Trouble: Infamous Local Chip Crime Lord
Other Aspect: Opportunist
Mutations: Mane of Silver Fur Down Head and
Shoulders; Short Clawed Fingers; Long Furry
Tail (Wolf )
SKILLS
Superb (+5): Rapport
Great (+4): Contacts, Deceive, Resources
Good (+3): Empathy, Will
Fair (+2): Science, Shoot, Technology
Average (+1): Burglary, Fight, Investigate, Notice
STUNTS
Bodyguards: Even when they’re not visible, they’re
never far away. Once per conflict, you can spend a fate
point to instantly summon two bodyguards to your
aid, even if you already have bodyguards at your side.
Pack Leader: See the matching stunt for the wolf
(page 28).
STRESS
Physical [1][2]
Mental [1][2][3][4]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
The only daughter of an old business family in the
city, Miriam sought genetic enhancements to compete
with perry-run companies and fell into crime when her
mutations ruined a chance at legitimacy. She is stub-
bornly proud of her success in the chip world, though,
and thinks her silver-furred mutations are well suited
to her middle-aged features. However, her shortened
fingers make it difficult to interact with touchscreens
and gestural technologies, so to save face she often
has an assistant handle her electronics for her. When
interacting with other chips, she tends to be cordially
aloof while subtly assessing their usefulness.

Gaist Protestor Montenegro’s
ASPECTS Bodyguards
Radical Zealot
ASPECTS
SKILLS High Concept: Loyal Chip Thugs
Great (+4): Provoke
GENETIC ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE
Average (+1): Fight
Gorilla
Poor (-1): Empathy, Science, Will
MUTATIONS
STRESS
Assorted gorilla mutations, always
Physical [1][2]
physically impressive-looking.
Mental [1]
SKILLS
CONSEQUENCES
Superb (+5): Physique
Mild (2):
Great (+4): Athletics, Fight
Moderate (4):
Good (+3): Provoke, Shoot
Severe (6):
Poor (-1): Notice, Stealth
NOTES
STUNTS
Although loud and rude, their
Climb: See the matching stunt for
appearance is non-threatening,
the gorilla (page 25).
and many seem conscripted from
One-Punch Ape: See the matching
the favela. Their clothes are a mis-
stunt for the gorilla (page 25).
match of styles, any tech they carry
is cheap or out-of-date, and some STRESS
of their signs are hand-scrawled Physical [1][2][3][4]
on cardboard. They will argue Mental [1][2]
with passers-by and display a gross
CONSEQUENCES
misunderstanding of how genetic
Mild (2):
engineering actually works, but if
Mild Physical (2):
physically confronted they will bolt
Moderate (4):
and disappear into the alleys of the
Severe (6):
warehouse district. If the players
track them down to interrogate NOTES
them, they won’t know anything Miriam Montenegro hires diverse
more than the usual vitriol. and specialized employees. These
stats are simply for her default
bodyguards.
THE CRISP LINE 39
RESOURCE DOSSIER: FUTURO DEI
A semi-secret interfaith group started by Jesuit priests at the University of San
Francisco and which now includes some local rabbis and imams. They study
patterns of change in human genetics and view crisping technology as the next
evolution of humanity as directed by God. The group has both an activist and a
scholarly focus, and its members often provide assistance to chips in need, even
if it’s just a place to sleep for the night.
Father Felix Santos

ASPECTS
High Concept: Servant of the People, Founder
of Futuro Dei
Trouble: Defies Bureaucracy
SKILLS
Great (+4): Rapport
Good (+3): Empathy, Notice
Fair (+2): Contacts, Science, Will
Average (+1): Athletics, Investigate, Stealth, Technology
STUNTS
Meditation: When you begin your day with at least
a half-hour of quiet reflection, your mental stress
track gains an extra box until the end of the day.
(Treat Father Felix’s mental stress track as having
four boxes.)
STRESS
Physical [1][2]
Mental [1][2][3]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
Father Felix began his ministerial work while helping
the vast homeless populations of the city. He began to
focus on the needs of chips after he saw them shunned
by other aid groups and even some members of his own
church. A man of science as much as faith, he follows
advancements in crisping technologies and believes
that expanding the horizons of human potential brings
us closer to God.

The Raid
Scene Objective: The players get to use some of their enhanced abilities to fight
off a threat and escape the warehouse.
Just as Williams is beginning his speech, a loud bang rocks the warehouse.
Human figures with no visible mutations in unmarked tactical gear and gas
masks flood into the warehouse, lobbing smoke canisters and firing weapons over
the crowd. Their intent seems not to be to kill any particular target but to cause
chaos, and in this they are eminently successful. A strange gas fills the warehouse,
clogging lungs and obscuring vision as people stream to the exits.
WHAT’S UP WITH THE GAS?

The gas is a weaponized, aerosolized crisping virus. Besides temporarily
choking people, it will have no immediate effect. Over the next twenty-
four hours, though, the virus will work its way through a person’s body
and crisp their genome to make them susceptible to chemical weapon
NA-523, as described in “The Demon Within” (page 50).
You can give the players the situation aspect Gas Exposure or Possible
Gas Exposure, depending on the events of the warehouse.
If players have not yet met Miriam Montenegro, it might be useful to have
them assist her in her escape as her guards disappear to fight the attackers and
she is temporarily overcome with the gas.
As players fight the attackers or attempt to escape the warehouse, an unexpected
ally may come to their aid, an Icarid by the name of Sphinx, who was the figure
hiding in the warehouse rafters.
Once the gas has suffused the warehouse, any unrestrained attackers will
disappear into the surrounding maze of warehouses and drive off in unmarked
human-driven vehicles. You might encourage the players to leave the area by
noting the sounds of approaching sirens and news drones.
If the players hang around the warehouse long enough, eventually the police
will show up. Their first assumption might be that the chaos was caused by
pyrotechnics gone wrong. If any of the unidentified attackers have been captured,
the police will whisk them away for questioning and remain aloof about details.
Players may be led to think this is a sign the police are in on a conspiracy, but in
reality chip concerns are just, as always, the cops’ lowest priority.
THE CRISP LINE 41
WHAT DO THE COPS THINK ABOUT CHIPS?
SFPD’s official position on chips tends to be dismissive. Individual cops
may be more aggressive, but mandatory body cameras while on duty
keeps reported incidents low. Although some SFPD officers have secretly
sought genetic enhancement, those with visible mutations are treated with
suspicion by both the public and their comrades, and many eventually
resign. Thus, openly GMP SFPD officers are rare. All the officers that show
up to this warehouse appear to be regular humans and are wary of chips.
WHAT HAPPENED TO ELI?

During the chaos, Eli Williams also disappears. Players might be led to
believe he was kidnapped, but in reality Father Felix—anticipating this
very risk—whisked Eli away to hide out in a Futuro Dei safehouse. Eli will
remain out of sight until Father Felix gets a better idea of what’s going
on. Father Felix will be hesitant to reveal Eli’s location to people unless
he’s sure he can trust them.
Unidentified Attackers
ASPECTS
Professional Mercenaries; Cool and Collected; Gas-Masked
SKILLS
Great (+4): Athletics
Good (+3): Fight, Physique, Shoot
Fair (+2): Stealth, Technology
STRESS
Physical [1][2][3]
Mental [1][2]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
Unbeknownst to anyone at the club, these “mercenaries” are actually
trained operatives from the higher levels of the Gaia Protection Front.
They will try to prevent people from leaving the warehouse until the
gas has suffused throughout. They’ve been instructed to not use deadly
force unless necessary, but if attacked they will deem it necessary.

Sphinx
ASPECTS
High Concept: Icarid Agent
Trouble: Earnestness of Youth
Mutations: Leonine Face; Covered in Rich
Golden Fur with Patches of Emerald
Scales; Scales Covering Hands and
Forearm; Whip-Like Scaled Tail with
Patch of Gold Fur at the Tip (Custom
Lion, Snake)
SKILLS
Superb (+5): Notice, Stealth
Great (+4): Athletics, Contacts, Empathy
Good (+3): Fight, Technology, Will
Fair (+2): Physique, Science, Shoot
Average (+1): Burglary, Mechanics, Provoke,
Rapport
STUNTS
Cat-Like Reflexes: See the matching stunt for
the cheetah (page 23).
Infrared Vision: See the matching stunt for the
snake (page 27).
STRESS
Physical [1][2][3]
Mental [1][2][3][4]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
Sphinx is a relatively new Icarid and is low-ranked
within the local Icarid network. Sphinx’s job—
which she takes very seriously—is to collect
information without exposing herself. At the
same time, though, she desires human connec-
tion, and once the ice is broken she will happily
chat with chips, sometimes more than they’d
like. Sphinx will be hesitant about revealing
Icarid secrets, partially because she doesn’t know
many. Throughout most of the campaign, she will
shadow the players as she investigates the same
mysteries they are.
THE CRISP LINE 43
The Wolves’ Den
Scene Objective: Miriam Montenegro presents the players with a mission.
Sometime the next day, the players receive an invitation from Miriam
Montenegro to visit her at her home. Montenegro lives in a mid-20th-century
modern mansion sprawling high on the slopes of Twin Peaks, with commanding
eastward views over the city. Few chips are found in this affluent neighborhood,
but Montenegro seems intent to challenge the sensibilities of her neighbors by
stationing openly chip bodyguards outside the gates of her property.
Montenegro meets with the players and discusses the events of the night
before. Whether or not the players helped her during the attack, she noticed their
actions, was impressed, and hopes they will do some work for her. She suspects
city councilman Jonas Tran of being behind the attacks, since he is a known anti-
GMP activist and happens to be the incumbent on the city council seat that Eli
Williams is campaigning for. Montenegro has been studying Tran for a while and
suspects that, despite his anti-GMP rhetoric, he is secretly a perry. She wants the
players to gather proof of this to discredit him and make him lose the election.
Montenegro is willing to offer a good chunk of money in reward. For those
more altruistically minded players, she will also point out that Tran may have
planned the raid as cover for kidnapping Eli Williams. If anyone asks if Tran
has business interests that compete with Montenegro, she will wave off their
suspicions with a lupine smile.

Jonas Tran
ASPECTS
High Concept: Perizygotically Enhanced Politician
Trouble: Afraid of Change
GENETIC ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE
Axolotl
MUTATIONS
None visible.
SKILLS
Superb (+5): Resources
Great (+4): Deceive, Rapport
Good (+3): Contacts, Empathy, Will
Fair (+2): Provoke, Science, Technology
Average (+1): Burglary, Fight, Physique, Shoot
STUNTS
Gift of Mictlan: See the matching stunt for the axolotl (page 23).
STRESS
Physical [1][2][3]
Mental [1][2][3][4]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
A career politician with influence all over town and eyes on the mayor’s chair
and beyond. Like most born to the upper class, Tran is exceptionally attrac-
tive, but his parents also engineered him with axolotl enhancements so he’d
have exceptional health for his entire life. His enhanced abilities have given
him privileges, but deep down he fears chips because he knows that under
their mutations many of them have the same advantages as he and one day
may outcompete even him.
THE CRISP LINE 45
Act 2: Explorations and Investigations
Collecting Information
Scene Objectives: Players confirm that Jonas Tran is perizygotic and suspect he’s
been secretly funding the local anti-chip gang Nuclear Option.
Ideally, players will confirm that Tran is perizygotic through an infiltration
mission. All government data on Tran says he’s fully human, but he secretly keeps
copies of his parents’ pregnancy contracts on both DNA-encoded chemical-drives
and archaic paper. Players can break into his home—an elegant Victorian man-
sion on the north side of the city, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge—to try
to access copies. If they do so, security measures they might encounter include
infrared motion detectors and small hovering drones, all with Good (+3) Notice.
Security devices will not use lethal force, but they will summon the police within
about ten minutes of being activated.
HACKING CHEM-DRIVES
A chem-drive is a hard drive that encodes petabytes of information in
strings of chemically stabilized DNA rather than in digital bytes. Even in
the 2050s they are fairly rare—partly due to their slow read speeds—but
are popular among certain circles for long-term data storage because
they are difficult to crack. Hacking a chem-drive requires special labora-
tory equipment and time. If players want to crack it themselves, they’ll
roll Resources against Great (+4) difficulty to see if they can access or
purchase the correct equipment, and then roll Science against Great (+4)
difficulty to do the actual hacking.
FORENSIC FILES
Another way players might check Tran’s genetic identity is by obtaining
a sample of shed hair or other biological sample to test. Many perries are
afraid of this very thing, and tend to be fastidiously clean while in public.
They are more relaxed at home, though, which means that breaking into
Tran’s mansion might still be the best place to collect a sample.
During the mission, players will also discover evidence suggesting that Tran
had something to do with the attack on the ENC. It can be a typed message or
the uncorrupted part of a recorded video call, but it’s clearly from Tran, dated
recently, and says:
I’ve received reports that the gas canisters worked as anticipated. I expect
by now Agent Orange is safely secured in the Stacks. Inform my staff if you
require additional resources.

If the players report all this to Montenegro, she will immediately connect the
clues and suspect that Tran hired a gang called Nuclear Option to do the attack.
She will then send the players to the gang’s base of operations to collect even
more information to discredit him.
THREAT DOSSIER: NUCLEAR OPTION
A gang with chapters up and down the West Coast, formed largely from home-
less persons and climate refugees. They’re anti-GMP and often scuffle with chip
gangs. In San Francisco, they’ve basically taken over the stack boats parked in the
bay and run them as their own mini pirate empire. A vastly multicultural group,
they’ll accept pretty much any human who doesn’t have visible mutations. Their
gang color is orange.
A SECRET IRONY
In this case, “Agent Orange” is not the actual herbicide chemical weapon,
as players will soon discover. However, it may be interesting for Montenegro
to note the tragic irony of Tran using the term, since he is of Vietnamese
descent. Less than a hundred years ago, the real Agent Orange warped the
DNA of his grandparents’ generation, leaving cancer and other diseases
in its wake. The epigenetic effects on the DNA would have been passed
down to descendants, which may be part of the reason why Tran’s parents
decided to fix—and improve—his genes before he was born.
You can be flexible about how quickly the players go after Nuclear Option. In a
longer campaign, they can work through smaller missions—the Random Mission
Generator table (page 33) might be helpful—and pick up clues about Jonas
Tran along the way. In a shorter campaign, Montenegro can immediately suspect a
connection to Nuclear Option and tell the players to go straight to the next scene,
perhaps by suggesting that the gang is holding Eli Williams captive. Either way,
the players need to be sent to Nuclear Option’s base of operations out in the bay.
THE CRISP LINE 47
The Boat Job
Scene Objectives: Players raid a container ship in the bay to collect proof that
Tran has been funding the gang. Instead, they discover a genetics research lab
hidden in the bowels of the ship.
The stack boats are a fleet of decommissioned container ships permanently
anchored in the rising waters of the bay. Their containers have been emptied
but left in place and converted into precarious slum dwellings. Solar panels and
satellite-internet dishes bloom from the highest levels, and the interior is a warren
of towering, rusted shacks connected by ladders and bridges. Kids and dogs
scramble through the maze, and the air is thick with the stench of cooking and
old diesel. While bay winds carry away the worst of the stink, the water around
the ships can get a little ripe around low tide. People access the main deck of
the boats via stairways and small lifts welded to the side. Some ships have large
industrial cranes mounted to the bow for hauling larger loads and occasionally
shifting containers. The largest ship in the center of the fleet is Nuclear Option’s
main base of operations.
The people living in the stack boats are largely climate refugees and others with
few resources to their name. Their opinion of Nuclear Option ranges from neutral
to supportive, since the gang’s presence brings at least some sense of stability to
the community. Chips are rare, partly because the people here can’t afford even
bad crisping treatments, but also because Nuclear Option chases off any they find.
To explore a stack boat, players will need to avoid gang patrols, both on the
water and through the main corridors of the ship. If players are spotted, the gang
members will chase and shoot at them, but if the players run, the gangs won’t
follow beyond the edges of their waters. If players are captured, gang members
will tie them up and leave them with a single guard while the rest leave to find a
leader. If the players capture a gang member for questioning, the gang member
will be belligerent but won’t know anything about a gas attack on chips.
In their search—ideally on the main boat—players will eventually come upon
a genetics lab hidden deep within the ship. Unlike everything around it, this lab
is clean and advanced, filled with state-of-the-art equipment. At the moment, it’s
unstaffed. Searching the lab, players will find gas canisters matching the ones from
the ENC attack. They will also find chem-drives storing petabytes of research
data and hundreds of vials of some strange orange chemical labeled NA-523.
During the search of the secret lab, Sphinx shows up. It turns out she has been
following the players to monitor what they’ve been doing for Montenegro. She’s
just as mystified by the contents of the lab and takes one of the vials so some of
her contacts can analyze it later. Players may also steal some vials, gas canisters,
or chem-drives, but before they can analyze them too closely, the sounds of
approaching gang patrols hurry them away and off the ship.

THE VIALS
If you don’t want the plot to go off the rails, you might want to suggest that
no one touch the chemical in the vials. Perhaps the vials are labeled with
cautionary symbols such as a skull or biohazard mark. If they do touch it,
they are affected as described by “Threat Dossier: NA-523” (page 51).
COULD SPHINX SHOW UP SOONER?

Since Sphinx has been following the players since the attack on the ENC,
she theoretically could be pulled in to lend a hand at any point after the
attack. The important point for the plot is that she acquires some of
chemical NA-523 and disappears with it. If the players try to stop her, her
duty to her mission will supersede her friendship with the players, and
she will steal a vial and run.
Nuclear Option Gang Member

ASPECTS
Anything to Protect My Crew
SKILLS
Great (+4): Burglary
Good (+3): Fight, Shoot
Fair (+2): Athletics, Mechanics, Stealth
Average (+1): Empathy, Investigate, Notice
STRESS
Physical [1][2]
Mental [1][2]
CONSEQUENCES
Mild (2):
Moderate (4):
Severe (6):
NOTES
Their clothes are erratic and their weapons range from military surplus to
handmade. Most of them are young, in their late teens to early twenties, and
have inexperience to match. Altogether, they look and act very differently
from the unidentified attackers that raided the ENC.
THE CRISP LINE 49
The Demon Within
Scene Objective: Players discover the truth about what happened on the night
of the ENC attack and are faced with a choice on what to do about it.
Miriam Montenegro may have some contacts who could help the players
analyze what they took from the lab on the stack boat, but Father Felix—with
his connections to the University of San Francisco—definitely will. If the players
have access to a lab, they might try to analyze the chemical themselves, pitting
their Technology against cracking the data, or their Science against analyzing the
gas canister or chemical, all against Great (+4) difficulty. Whatever strategy they
choose, the analysis will take some time.
In the meantime, a horrible shock ripples through the local chip community:
Sphinx has been arrested and is under guard at the SFPD’s main facility downtown.
Footage arises of a frenzied Sphinx attacking pedestrians and police with mindless,
animal-like ferocity befitting her lioness side. In the wake of this, Jonas Tran’s
somber face plasters the media with calls to restrict crisping technology and track
Icarids, to prevent something like this from happening again. Many chips are
worried that these restrictions will spread to encompass the rest of them, while
others claim the Icarids never really belonged and can look out for themselves.
When the chemical analyses come back, the players will discover an even grimmer
picture: the gas canisters used in the attack on the ENC released an aerosolized
crisping virus, similar to bioweapons used in the past. However, instead of causing
immediate death, this unique virus changes certain neurotransmitter genes. Once
crisped, these genes continue to function normally unless activated by a separate
chemical trigger. The chemical trigger sends the genes into neurotransmitter
overdrive, causing instant aggression. The orange chemical NA-523 is that trigger.
Sphinx must have been accidentally exposed when the vial she was carrying broke.
If the players analyze the chem-drives from the secret lab, they will also dis-
cover the mastermind of this plot: not Tran, but the bioterrorist wing of the Gaia
Protection Front. The Gaists came up with this plan as a way to target specific
chips and incite public fear against them, then contacted Tran to secure funding.
He immediately agreed, since their plan helps his own campaign. The attack on
the ENC was intended to expose all of local chip community to the virus, then
later Gaist mercenaries would target Eli Williams with NA-523.
Hopefully, this revelation will lead to another realization: the players were also
exposed to the gas, which means that by now the same ticking time bomb might
be in their genes as well.

THREAT DOSSIER: NA-523
Standing for “Neuroagonist-523,” this orange chemical can be injected, con-
sumed, or absorbed through the skin. Most people—GMP or otherwise—will have
no reaction, but if they have the aspect Gas Exposure, then within a few minutes
they will fly into an uncontrollable rage. Players with Possible Gas Exposure
can be compelled by the GM or flip a coin to determine if they actually caught
the virus or not.
Affected characters get the situation aspect Chemical Rage, get +2 to Physique
and Fight rolls, and each round are compelled to attack the nearest humanoid.
earning a fate point in return. A player may spend a fate point to resist the compel
or direct their attack toward a defender of their choosing.
Whether a character with Chemical Rage is restrained or wanders off, the
Chemical Rage will eventually fade on its own, generally by the end of the scene
or when no more nearby targets are available, whichever comes first. Larger
doses of NA-523 may lead to longer rampages and cause the exposed player to
take Chemical Rage as a consequence.
THE CRISP LINE 51
Act 3: Climax
From here, players can choose what they want to do with this information and thus
where they want to take the rest of the story. A few possibilities are discussed below.
Option: Run Away

Right now, the only Gaist’s only source for NA-523 is the lab on the ship, so the
players could simply choose an anticlimactic option and leave town to get away
from it. However, with the gas and the chemical’s proven success, it’s only a matter
of time till its use expands to other Gaist cells. More importantly, players can’t
outrun the fear and hate it will eventually spread.
Option: Save Themselves

Players could seek to remove the crisped neurotransmitter gene from their own
bodies, rendering them immune to the effects of NA-523, but this will be very
tricky and expensive, as described in “Genetic Reboot” (page 21). Montenegro
might be willing to help, especially since she was also exposed to the gas. However,
as a price, she might first require that the players complete a climactic mission,
such as destroying the lab, or even assassinating Jonas Tran.
Option: Powers for Good, or Evil

Although NA-523 is frightening, it’s also unquestionably useful. With high enough
Will, players might be able to control its effects and harness its power. The players
might decide to take over the lab, controlling the supply of virus gas and NA-523
for themselves. From there, they could turn themselves into vigilantes for chip
justice, or set themselves up as their own criminal power.
Option: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Players might decide to go public with the evidence they’ve discovered, implicat-
ing both Jonas Tran and the Gaia Protection Front. Father Felix and Futuro Dei
might be good sources to set up the right media contacts for them. For a climactic
scene, Gaist agents could try to sabotage the meeting by attacking the players
with tranquilizer rounds loaded with NA-523. If the players are tired of action,
then the scene could instead be about the players making impassioned speeches
to convince the media of the truth and the importance of recognizing chips as
human beings deserving of rights.
Option: Rescue Sphinx

In any of these climaxes, players may also try to rescue Sphinx from jail, in the
hope that the Icarid underground will then whisk her away into hiding. She’s
being held in the SFPD’s headquarters downtown. Security systems will be similar
to what players may have already seen, but with higher difficulties. Any police
officers they meet can have the same stats as the unidentified attackers (page 42),
though the guards around Sphinx’s cell will likely be enhanced chips with stats
similar to Montenegro’s bodyguards (page 39). Alternately, if players want a
less flashy option, they could work with Futuro Dei to hire a good lawyer for
Sphinx. Either way, if the players succeed, the Icarids will be grateful and may
be willing to lend assistance in the players’ future plans.

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WRITING & ADVENTURE DESIGN

The Crisp Line

First published in 2018 by Evil Hat Productions, LLC.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval

This is a game where people make up stories about wonderful, terrible,

2 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

4 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

The Genetics of Class

8 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

10 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

12 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

16 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

Maria decides to create a character with the Snake genetic package.

ALTERNATE MUTATION SYSTEM

18 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

OPPOSITION TO ADVANCING A GENETIC PACKAGE

ADVANCING A GENETIC PACKAGE

20 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

Maria’s character has been spending a lot of time in gunfights and

22 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

24 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

26 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

28 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

30 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

RANDOM MISSION GENERATOR

Paying Out Players

CHIP GENETIC ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE

* Statistically the most common due to it being on the market longest

34 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

CHIP HIGH CONCEPT

Con Teenage Homeless Private

36 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

38 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

Father Felix Santos

40 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

WHAT’S UP WITH THE GAS?

WHAT HAPPENED TO ELI?

42 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

44 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

46 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

48 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

COULD SPHINX SHOW UP SOONER?

Nuclear Option Gang Member

50 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

Option: Run Away

Option: Save Themselves

Option: Powers for Good, or Evil

Option: The Truth Shall Set You Free

Option: Rescue Sphinx

52 FATE: WORLDS OF ADVENTURE

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