WARNING

This game is inspired by the movie Crank produced in 2006 and starring
Jason Statham. This film contains strong language, nudity, sexuality,
frenetic action scenes as well as graphic and bloody violence. You may be
tempted to reproduce some of the scenes contained in this film.

Be sure, however, to define the Limits and the Veils not to be crossed as
explained in the section Before You Begin ...

PRESS PLAY
“What's shaking, douchebag? Thought I'd give you the heads up. You're dead.
Yeah ... If you're watching this video that means I kind of resisted the urge to
dismember you and throw the pieces in the garbage chute ...
I decided to play it smart instead and poisoned you in your sleep! Why? Well
for two main reasons: Uno, you killed some pretty influential people and
there's even more influential people that want to see you dead. Also, for the
satisfaction of watching you squirm out your last minutes knowing it was me
that did it to you, and there's nothing you can do about it!
That thing I gave you is some fucking state-of-the-art Chinese synthetic shit
and honestly, even I don't know what it is. All I know is that once that shit
binds to your blood cells, you're fucked ...and believe me, it's already bound.
By now you should start to feel your joints stiffen ... you'll soon have trouble
breathing. Your heartbeat will slow down like there's rust running through
your veins ... basically you'll become like the tin man in the Wizard of Oz...”
Well now you're fucked! That little shit, Diaz, gave you the Beijing Cocktail ...
very nasty ... works on your adrenal gland, blocking your receptors. The only
way to slow it down is to keep the flow of Adrenaline constant. Everything
goes!
You should take this opportunity to find Diaz and throw him off a building
before you kick the bucket because one thing is certain ... it's that you're going
to die, but the choice's yours:
Are you gonna die a fucking loser or a hero?
LOS ANGELES
Ahhh! City of Angels! Also called El Pueblo, Hollywood, La-La Land and
Gangland to name a few! Four million souls living there and that shit had
to fall on you! Well you're in luck!
L.A. is recognized worldwide for its cultural activity, particularly through
film production in Hollywood. Los Angeles is also one of the most
important points of entry into the United States for immigration. Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the largest airport in the western
United States by number of passengers.
More than 140 nationalities are represented in Los Angeles and no less
than 224 languages ​are spoken there. In addition to the Caucasian
population, there is also (in order of importance) Hispanic, Chinese,
Japanese, Iranian, Armenian, Cambodian, Filipino, Guatemalan, Israeli,
Korean, Mexican and Hungarian populations.
Our dear friends from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), watch
over the city which hosts several criminal gangs which has given it the
nickname of Gangland. Although new measures have made it possible to
draw up a positive assessment of crime in The City of Angels since the
90s, there are still on average more than 40,000 acts of violence
(including around 500 homicides) per year ... But with you on the streets,
it's a safe bet that these numbers will be on the rise soon!
According to a study in the early 2000s, Los Angeles County is home to
more than 1,300 gangs that encompass more than 152,000 individuals!
That makes a lot of screwheads to ice!
Generally, it is not recommended to go to the districts in the south,
southeast and east of the city center (Inglewood, Florence, Compton,
East Los Angeles). The city center itself is not recommended after dark.
Conversely, safe areas are located north, northwest and west of
downtown (Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Venice, Cheviot Hills,
Hollywood Boulevard).

So are you ready? You don't have much time left to find the motherfucker
who injected you with that poison!
 BEFORE YOU START
Before starting, it is important to define the lines (Limits) that should not
be crossed. If a situation described by the game master during a game
session creates discomfort, pause the game or be kind and rewind.
It is also possible to establish a list of subjects that can be implied (Veils).
For example, in the case of a film, the Veils are those events that take
place off-camera. The game master implies the action and moves on to
another scene.
Make sure at all times that the players around the table are comfortable
with the direction the story is going.
PLAYING CRANK IT UP!
To play, you will need :
- A copy of Crank It Up!
- A set of polyhedral dices (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20)
- A copy of the Player’s Passport
- Paper, pen, eraser (AKA the usual!)
POLYHEDRAL DICES
One person is the game master (GM), the others are players.
Game Master : Your role is to describe the context as well as the setting
and to interpret all non-player characters (characters that are not
managed by a player). You must also ensure that the rules of the game
are understood and followed by other players.
Player: Your role is to narrate and describe your character's actions,
perform skill checks when the situation calls for it, give other players a
chance to shine, and with the help of the game master, help bring the
game world to life.
SKILL TESTS
When a challenge must be overcome, make a skill test to see how events
unfold for your character. It is necessary to test only if the attempted
action is considered risky. The game master begins by announcing the
risks associated with your action. Then, choose an appropriate skill and
roll the die that corresponds to its value.
1.0 POSSIBLE RESULTS OF A SKILL TEST
Result Effect
1-2 You fail, and something wrong happens / +1 Stress if 0 Adrenaline
3-4 You succeed, but at a cost / +1 Stress si 0 Adrenaline
5 et plus You succeed. The higher the result, the better the effect.
ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE
Sometimes a skill test can be easier or harder depending on different
factors like the environment or the help given.
For example, if an ally helps you while making a skill test, he too rolls the
appropriate die for his skill, but shares the same risks as your character.
The game master then considers the highest roll and interprets the
results.
Conversely, if you attempt to make a skill roll in a stressful environment,
the game master may declare that you are at a disadvantage. In this case,
make 2 skill tests and only the lowest roll is considered and interpreted.
SKILLS DETERIORATION
Surviving with that shit running through your veins is tough, especially
since sleeping is not an option! To reflect fatigue, every skill test reduce
the value of the die to the next lower die, whether the skill test is
successful or not.
d12 ➡ d10 ➡ d8 ➡ d6 ➡ d4
Skills cannot drop below d4.
d
CATCHING YOUR BREATH
To reset all your skills to their initial values, you can ask the game master
at any time (even in combat) to let the character Catch His Breath. This
action creates a brief break in the tension of the scene.
In a movie, one could compare the action of catching one's breath to the
moment when, in a fight, the hero asks his opponents a time out and the
latter, in a moment of confusion, decides not to do anything and waits
until the hero is ready to fight again!
When a character catches their breath, the game master introduces a
new complication appropriate to the current scene and reduces the
character's Adrenaline by 1 (see Stress and Adrenaline for details).
LOOT CHECKS
To find Diaz and make him pay for what he did, you will need all the
resources at your disposal.
When the situation is appropriate, a character can search a scene for
tools, weapons, medkits, stims, and more! To search, the player rolls d20
and consults Table 1.1 :
1.1 POSSIBLE RESULTS OF SEARCHING
Result Effect
You find nothing and something bad happens.
1
15-16 You find a d6 item.
17-18 You find a d8 item.
19-20 You find a d10 item OR a first aid kit OR stims*
 EQUIPMENT
Given the circumstances, your character's little journey was a bit rushed!
Therefore you only carry the following:
-Mobile phone (d8)
-Credit card (d8)
-An item of your choice (d10) (to be discussed with the GM)
During the game sessions, your character can also carry up to 3
additional objects, found over the scenes.
Items your character is carrying can be used instead of their skills, and a
dice value is assigned to the items. As with skills, the value decreases
after each use. When an item reaches d4, the item breaks, gets lost, or
fades from the storyline until it becomes relevant again or at the game
master's choice.
FIRST AID KIT
A first aid kit contains everything needed to disinfect, treat and dress
wounds. It also contains painkillers and various pharmaceutical
products.
Using a first aid kit reduces Stress by 2.
STIMS
The term stimulant (or stims) is used as a generic term in Crank It Up! It
encompasses anything that can raise the Adrenaline level of a character.
Here are some examples of stims:
● Booster Cables: +1 Stress/+1 Adrenaline.
● Nasal Spray: +1 Adrenaline.
● Energy drink: +1 Adrenaline.
● Automatic defibrillator: +1 Stress/+1 Adrenaline.
● Epinephrine Syringe: +3 Adrenaline.
There are also non-material ways to gain Adrenaline. See the Stress and
Adrenaline section for some examples.
FEAT
Rather than using a skill, a character can summon all their willpower to
attempt a feat. To attempt a feat, the player always rolls d12 to
determine the success of the skill test.
Once used, however, the character will have to Catch Their Breath to use
it again.
FLASHBACK
A Flashback can be triggered anywhere, anytime as long as it is declared
and only one flashback is allowed per player/per session. It allows a
player to add a new information that becomes true and now exists in the
game world. The GM must now take this new information into account.
To determine to which extent did the player's Flashback is accurate, the
GM rolls a D12:
1.2 POSSIBLE RESULTS OF A FLASHBACK
Résultat Effet
The Flashback is highly inaccurate and the GM can use the new
1-2
information provided to introduce a complication.
The Flashback is fairly accurate but the GM can introduce a
3-4 complication (if desired).
The Flashback is 100% accurate and the higher the result, the
5 et plus better it helps in the current scene.
EXAMPLE: FLASHBACK
In a playtest, my son used his mobile phone to contact a powerful ally.
Without wishing to railroad him, I decided that he was not going to answer
the phone. He used his Flashback to recall that that ally also had a pager
for emergencies and that he always answers messages on his pager, no
matter what ...
So in the end, he was able to reach his ally and ask for a favor.
POISON
In this game, players are poisoned by a state-of-the-art Chinese
synthetic crap called Beijing Cocktail. This poison acts on the adrenal
gland and blocks the characters' receptors.
To stop the poison from spreading, you have to slow down the
progression of the poison by keeping your Adrenaline level as high as
possible and don't even think about sleeping! Besides, the world record
without sleep is 11 days so that gives the characters enough time to find
Diaz right?
See the Stress and Adrenaline section for more information on how
Adrenaline can slow poison progression and effects.
STRESS
When you are faced with a consequence following one of your actions,
the game master can decide to inflict 1 Stress on your character. If your
character reaches 5 Stress, it becomes "vulnerable". When vulnerable,
failing a dangerous action could mean being knocked out or dying.
You can use a first aid kit to clear 2 Stress. You can also Lay Low in a safe
place for a while to clear 1 Stress but note that laying low also costs
Adrenaline ...
 ADRENALINE GAMING AIDS
This table allows the game master to quickly generate a weapon,
Adrenaline is essential to your survival in Crank It Up! It must be kept whether it's in an opponent's hand or found during a loot search.
filled at all times since when the Adrenaline reserve is empty, each skill
test with a result of 1 to 4 increases the character's Stress level by 1. You
also lose 1 level of Adrenaline (game master's choice) as a complication if 1.3 WEAPONS (Roll d20)
you Catch Your Breath or Lay Low. 1 bat/staff/cane 11 knife (various)
2 machete/sword/cleaver 12 stun gun/taser
Fortunately, the options to increase your Adrenaline level are numerous:
3 pistol/revolver 13 hunting rifle
By practicing a so-called dangerous activity such as parachuting from a 4 machinegun 14 sub-machinegun
skyscraper, jumping from the top of a building into a swimming pool, 5 shotgun 15 bow/crossbow
driving towards another car traveling in the opposite direction, theft, car
racing, etc. 6 rocket launcher 16 assault rifle
7 brick/rock 17 brass knuckle
It is also possible to earn Adrenaline by using a stimulant (as mentioned 8 tool (hammer, saw, pliers) 18 chainsaw
in the Equipment section) such as booster cables, nasal spray, energy
9 garrote/metal wire 19 drill
drinks, automatic defibrillator, epinephrine syringe and more.
10 grenade/molotov cocktail 20 baseball/billiard ball
Players are also invited to come up with other creative ways of acquiring
Adrenaline. These new ways are subject to game master's approval This table generates loot that players can find by searching a victim's
though. pockets or by pickpocketing.

PLAYER’S PASSPORT 1.4 VICTIM LOOT (Roll d20)

On your passport, you must write the name and pronouns of your 1 US 20.00$ 11 disinfectant
character. By default, all skills have a value of d4.
2 religious symbol 12 wedding ring
3 mobile phone 13 drug (relaxing)
Assign one d10, one d8, and two d6 to four skills you want your
character to be good at. 4 food 14 swiss knife
5 nasal spray 15 press card/business card
All characters have 7 skills: 6 keys (house and/or car) 16 cigarettes/vape
Skills Actions 7 credit card 17 handcuffs
Bash wreck, move, force 8 pepper spray 18 condom(s)/sex toy
Dash run, jump, climb 9 emergency whistle 19 wallet

Sneak hide, skulk, lurk 10 mints 20 stims

Shoot track, throw, fire

This table is here to save your life! It allows you to generate a random
Think perceive, analyze, repair name. Names from 1 to 10 are masculine while names from 11 to 20 are
Sway charm, manipulate, intimidate feminine.

Pilot drive, operate, steer

1.5 NAMES (Roll d20)
You also have in your possession a mobile phone (d8), a credit card (d8) 1 Greg 11 Emma
as well as an object that you could have picked up before leaving the 2 Dale 12 Gina
house and add it to your equipment in the form of a d10 object.. 3 James 13 Xiu
4 Don 14 Maria
5 Hu 15 Ayelen
6 Leoncio 16 Alina
7 Mickey 17 Frida
8 Laurentino 18 Mariko
9 Arkady 19 Atsumi
10 Dmitry 20 Kimika
 SCENES
The following scenes have been created to help the game master. They
can serve as the skeleton of a series of scenes that will ultimately lead to
Diaz or simply as inspiration. The hours indicated are there as
timestamps but, the game master can use them or not as he desires.
1. SIN CITY DECIPLES CLUBHOUSE, 5h00 PM
"You know that Eli from the Sin City Deciples motorcycle club is one of Diaz's
close contacts and you decide to pay him and his gang a visit at their bar.
Maybe will he be able to tell you where he is? One thing is sure by seeing the
looks on you as you enter the bar, you're not welcomed …"
OBJECTIVE: Talk to Eli, discover where’s Diaz and, optionally, get out of the
bar alive.
SCENE: A black building, devoid of any particular features other than the
Sin City Deciples logo on the facade: a biker on a chopper-like
motorcycle. Inside, a simple bar consists of a counter that runs the length
of the room, a few tables and a pool table.
COMPLICATIONS:
● Negotiations turn sour and a fight breaks out.
● One of the bikers calls Diaz who sends men.
● Eli misleads the players.
2. FOLLOWING DIAZ’S FOOTSTEPS, 8h00 PM
"Ultimately, you find out that Diaz is supposed to be attending the Toxic
Wolves concert tonight at The Echo on Sunset Boulevard. Hopefully you'll find
Diaz there before he returns to his hiding place."
OBJECTIVE: Reach Diaz during the concert to prevent him from reaching
his hideout.
SCENE: Located on Sunset Boulevard on the second floor of a building, The
Echo is a low-key performance venue that can accommodate up to 350
people. The band, Toxic Wolves, is an indie rock band and Diaz is near the
stage, guarded by five henchmen. As the characters arrive, two of the
henchmen leave through an emergency exit with Diaz while the other
three block the way and draw knives ...
COMPLICATIONS:
● People from the crowd sides with Diaz’s men.
● Adrenaline level -1.
● Among all the chaos, lights go out.
3. THE CONTACT, 11h00 PM
"A while after your trip to The Echo, you get a text from your buddy Klaus
asking if you're okay. After briefly explaining the situation to him, he invites
you to meet him at his apartment in West Hollywood, located about twenty
minutes by car. When you arrive, there is a catch: Diaz must have learned that
you were going there because he posted some of his men there. You could fight
them, but you could also try to reach Klaus without being seen."
OBJECTIVE: Try to find a way to reach Klaus’ apartment.
SCENE:It is a three-storey apartment building located within a fenced
compound. In the parking lot and on the street, there are at least two
members of Diaz's gang waiting for your arrival. They are armed with
bats and other melee weapons. Klaus has his apartment on the second
floor.
COMPLICATIONS:
● A curious neighbor sees the scene and contacts the LAPD.
● One of Diaz's men call for backup.
● The player triggers a car alarm system.
4. HIGH SPEED CHASE, 2h00 AM
"Whether it's because you ran away from Klaus' place or because you finally
talked to him and are now heading to Long Beach Port to destroy his small
luxury car import business to catch his attention, you're on the highway and
driving. You then notice in your rearview mirror that a car has been following
you for a while. You try a few maneuvers and indeed, it is following you … you
know what you have to do."
OBJECTIVE: Try to outrun the car following you by all means.
SCENE: Even though it is nighttime, traffic is heavy in the
City-That-Never-Sleeps. It is possible to zig zag between the cars but it
will be difficult to outrun the car following you. The easiest way will be to
accelerate, but the risks of causing an accident are great.
COMPLICATIONS:
● A wrong move causes the player's car to overturn.
● Another car joins the chase.
● A tire explodes and makes controlling the car hazardous.
5. LUXURY CARS IMPORT “BUSINESS”, 4h00 AM
"You finally reach Long Beach Port. Even at night there is activity in the port.
You reach warehouse 42 where Diaz's men, more specifically, Carlito, operate
a luxury car trafficking business."
OBJECTIVE: Destroy Diaz’s business to catch his attention and force him
out of his hideout.
SCENE: A huge warehouse, tons and tons of steel containers stacked on
top of each other and regularly, luxury cars arriving and being directed
into containers. Diaz's henchmen are everywhere and heavily armed.
COMPLICATIONS:
● You're discovered before you can blow it all up.
● Your plan goes wrong in the worst possible way.
● Adrenaline level -1.
6. SAVING KLAUS IN CHINATOWN, 6h00 AM
"Destroying Diaz's little business had the intended effect: you got his
attention. You get a video call from him explaining that he has Klaus (or any
other contact or love interest) and that if you want to see her alive again, you
have to go to Chinatown at Fu King Sushis, a restaurant that belongs to his
brother, Tristán. It's a safe bet that the place will be watched and the rescue
can be done in two ways: subtly OR by making as much noise as possible!”
OBJECTIVE: Reach Fu King Sushis and save Klaus (or any other contact)
without dying.
SCENE: A large street that begins to fill with merchants and comes to life,
bicycles, cars, pedestrians and Peking duck. The restaurant itself is a
small, seedy establishment located in an alley and can seat a maximum of
25 people. The place is owned by Tristán, Diaz's brother. Obviously, at
this hour, no one is there except for Diaz's henchmen and his brother.
COMPLICATIONS:
● A blunder attracts the wrath of the hatchet gang.
● Diaz's men spots you.
● You are too late, your ally is already dead.
7. THE ELEVATOR, 7h00 AM
"Based on a photo and other clues in Tristán's mobile phone, you arrive at the
Maybourne Beverly Hills, one of the most luxurious hotel in LA. You step into
the elevator and you know for a fact that things can't be that easy and you're
right: A few floors up, the door opens and three of Diaz's men rush into the
elevator before the doors shut."
OBJECTIVE: Survive while reaching the presidential suite.
SCENE: It's a classic elevator: an empty steel cube, suspended by steel
cables above the void. Inside, a panel of buttons, an emergency stop, an
emergency telephone and mirrors for a more luxurious look.
COMPLICATIONS:
● The elevator makes a stop and reinforcement enters …
● An opponent hits the emergency stop.
● The elevator breaks down.
8. THE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE, 7h15 AM
"The elevator finally opens inside the Maybourne presidential suite. The place
is quiet and for once, nobody's there to try to kill you ... You're tired. It's been a
wild ride so far."
OBJECTIF: Kill Diaz.
SCÈNE: The presidential suite is undoubtedly one of the most luxurious in
Los Angeles: sleek decor, pale colors, wooden floors and accents. Grand
piano, fireplace, dining room with a marble and wood dining table. Diaz is
on the balcony: he's eating his breakfast and is turning his back to you.
That's when you also notice that two bodyguards are on the balcony and
equipped with guns with silencers ... They see you but they're not
moving.
COMPLICATIONS:
● It's not Diaz, it's a paid actor.
● Diaz flees up the stairs to the roof.
● Adrenaline -1
9. THE GRAND FINALE
"The service staircase leads to the roof, when you arrive, Diaz is running
towards a helicopter whose engines start to spin."
OBJECTIF: Kill Diaz, Take 2
SCÈNE: The roof of the Maybourne is devoid of decorations. Only a
helipad and a helicopter are present. The only people on the roof are
Diaz, the pilot, and the character(s).
COMPLICATIONS:
● The helicopter takes off with Diaz on board.
● The pilot gets involved.
● Diaz injects you with another dose of poison.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE GAME MASTER
Don't underestimate the power of the mobile phone in the game! In a
timeout, you can use this to allow an ally to contact the character to give
them a lead on where Diaz is for example!
Diaz makes sure his hit gets around quickly, and news of the characters'
"deaths" travels among the various crime groups in town. Imagine their
surprise to see the characters alive! This news can also be used to justify
some allies calling to confirm the news.
In Crank It Up! sleep is potentially fatal but even if the characters do not
sleep, it has been proven that a human can still survive at least 11 days
25 minutes. This is the longest time spent without sleep by a human
being. A record never officially beaten, won without the help of
stimulants in 1964 by Randy Gardner, a student in San Diego at the time,
for a science project.
To stretch the game over several game sessions, it is possible to make
each session worth around 1 or 2 hours of in-game time.
If you find losing Adrenaline too easy, you can opt to offer players the
option to trade an achievement for 1 level of Adrenaline with the same
conditions to recover the achievement.
Here is an optional rule that takes into consideration the immense stress
the heart experiences from being constantly exposed to Adrenaline
spikes. The GM may (or may not) use this table to determine whether or
not the player's heart can withstand the stress and whether the player
dies of a heart attack. For example, a GM might decide to start using this
table after 24 hours of in-game time (accumulation of fatigue, stress,
etc.)
1.6 RISKS OF A HEART ATTACK (Roll d12)
Result Effect
Fill the Stress bar and the character is Disadvantaged until at
1 least 1 point of Stress is healed.
2-3 Severe palpitations +1 Stress (or more, GM’s choice).
4 et plus Discomfort. No ill effect.
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF ADRENALINE
 PLAYER’S PASSPORT
NAME PRONOUNS
PROFESSION
SKILLS (assign D10, D8 and 2x D6) EQUIPMENT (minimum value D6)

BASH D D Mobile phone D8 D

DASH D D Credit card D8 D
SNEAK D D D10 D
SHOOT D D D D
THINK D D D D
SWAY D D D D
PILOT D D D D

STRESS 〇〇〇〇〇 FEAT ☐

ADRENALINE 〇〇〇 FLASHBACK ☐
GAME NOTES
 CREDIT
Author: Patrick Dubuc (Tiki Games)
Game Mechanics: René-Pier Deshaies (Fari RPGs)
Playtesters: Nathan Dubuc, Félix Bergeron, Marcel Brunelle, Maxime
Turcotte
Graphic Design: Patrick Dubuc (Tiki Games)
Illustrations:
Picture of Los Angeles (original) par Cedric Letsch (Unsplash)

Crank It Up! is a narrative roleplaying game based on This Is Breathless,

produced by Fari RPGs, developed and written by René-Pier
Deshaies-Gélinas, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK

First and foremost, I would like to thank my fiancée, Hélène, for
supporting me and my creative mind. To always have the right words to
keep me going and kick my ass when I give up. I love you!

Thanks also to my testers! I was last minute but you took the time to
read Crank It Up! and/or to play it and I want you to know that I
appreciate it!

Thanks to René-Pier Deshaies-Gélinas for allowing the use of his This Is

Breathless game system to the entire community for free. Thanks also to
the creator community on Discord for the tips and advice.

And finally, thanks to you, who just downloaded this game. Without you,
this game would have no reason to exist! Enjoy it and have fun!

CONTACT
If you have questions or comments, don’t hesitate to send me an email!

You can do it HERE.

LOS ANGELES BY NIGHT