3,2,1...Rules!

By Geo Collazo & John McGuire

“It’s all about the game and how you play it.”
- Lemmy
©2021 321ActionGames, LLC.
 CREDITS
Written by
John McGuire
and Geo Collazo

Art by
Cheese Hasselberger

Dev Editing by
Adam Rose

Story Editing by
Meghan Ball

Layout by
Tracey Steele

Additional Art by
Sally Cantirino
Dan Smith

Logo Design by
Christina Imperiale

©2021 321ActionGames, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction without the

written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden. 3,2,1...Action!
and the 3,2,1...Action! logo is a trade-mark of 321ActionGames, LLC.

All characters, names, places, items, art and text herein are copyrighted by
321Action, LLC. www.321actiongames.com

4
 PREFACE
Have you ever watched a scene in your favorite action movie and wondered
how you could make it work in an RPG? Have you ever wanted to drop a
Macho Man elbow on some Martians? Or fire a rocket launcher while
jumping off a skyscraper? Now you can!
3,2,1...Action! makes it simple with rules that run off a single d10. Just
let the Game Runner know what you want to do and make it so with just
one roll. 3,2,1...Action! is for everybody. And it’s the perfect system for
cinematic storytelling, whether it’s ‘80s Action, Crime Drama, Haunts, Heists,
Mysteries, Sci-Fi Space Operas or Weird Westerns — 3,2,1...Action! has got
you covered.
3,2,1...Action! is all about letting the Game Runner (much like a TV
showrunner) set the scene and the players declaring what they want to do
and then calling for ACTION! All challenges, damages and rolls are done on
a single d10, and bonuses and penalties are either a 3, a 2 or a 1. There is
minimal math, which means maximum fun. The ruleset also leaves plenty of
room for wild ideas and harebrained schemes, which are not only allowed
but welcomed. Anything is possible in 3,2,1...Action!

How To Play
There are two roles in 3,2,1...Action!
The Game Runner runs the show.
It’s their job is to set the scene, call
“action!” when the game starts, and
control all the monsters, traps, and
puzzles. Then there are the Players,
aka everybody else at the table. Your
players, through creativity and dice
rolling, will navigate the various
challenges and puzzles. We’ll get
further into what exactly these roles
require in the upcoming sections.

5
 THE GAME
RUNNER
The game is directed by the Game Runner. They will set each scene and
call for ACTION! when the game starts. They describe the setting, control
all monsters, traps, and NPCs (the nonplayer characters). It’s a role that
requires keeping a mental tally of quite a few moving parts.

The basic mechanics of the game are determined by a ten sided die (a
d10).

6
 TASKS
Most actions the players might try are rolled against one of the six character
stats, ranging from 2 (the lowest stat possible) to 9 (the highest stat possible).
The character stat being challenged must be met or rolled under to
successfully complete any task. When it comes to actions, always remember
the basic rule of 3,2,1: the lower the roll, the better the outcome. (We’ll get
into each of the individual stats later on in the player section.)
Most characters can accomplish simple tasks very easily. For example, a chef
can make an omelet with little effort. For mundane tasks done during a daily
routine there is no need to roll a challenge. But when it comes time for the
GR to challenge the players it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1 For a light challenge: Something a character could

accomplish with a little effort. Following the previous
example of a chef, they could make an egg in a nice
kitchen with no problem, but an omelet made on a skillet
around a campfire might be a little harder.

2 For a medium challenge: Something a character would

have some degree of difficulty doing. Now let’s see that
chef do it while holding a flashlight in their mouth during
a windstorm.

3 For a hard challenge: A monumental task. Chances are

they might fail on their best day. All the previous examples
with an angry bear ravaging the camp.

When the challenge is assigned by the GR the player adds it to their roll,
thereby making it harder to roll under their stat. 1,2,3 might not seem like
much but therein lies the beauty of this system. Because the stats are based
on a 2 to 9 scale, even a +1 can make or break an action.
The Game Runner can also do the opposite when applicable and give
players a boost of -1, -2, or -3 which is subtracted from their rolls to either
help move the story along, or as a reward when a player does something
particularly awesome, creative, or clever.
Figuring out how to assign challenge difficulty can be a little tricky for GR’s
but one rule can make it easier. All the player needs to do is..
7
 Fill The Plot Hole
In Two Sentences
This is the most principal rule of the 3,2,1...Action! system. It’s especially
handy because the one thing a GR can be certain of is that players will
always do the unexpected.

When players do something completely out of left field, the GR’s natural
impulse might be to try to keep the game from going off the rails at all costs,
or to at least try to find ways the player’s action couldn’t happen at all. This
is sometimes instinctual but a GR should always try to encourage creativity.
Boldness should be rewarded and zany ideas might have more merit than
you’d expect.

Let’s say your player wants to do something extraordinary but out of character
for their role. For example, your gruff heavy gunner needs to delicately
flambé a Bananas Foster because he knows it’s the enemy general’s favorite
food. This is the kind of gameplay that we want to encourage because it will
ramp up the excitement in the game and makes for a unique experience.
With that being said, we still want actions to make a semblance of sense.

The good news is that most plot holes can be filled with a quick explanation.
The great news is that the players will have the opportunity to do just that:
fill the plot hole in two sentences!

When we watch movies or TV shows we’ll often see a character stumble

across a motorcycle and ride it like Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, or use
a Power Loader like Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, or just about anything Tom
Cruise does in any of his movies. Moments like these are usually punctuated
with a supporting character asking, “How did you learn to dance like that?”
and answered by the main character saying, “My mom used to date Bob
Fosse! I heard tap dancing all night!”

If a player wants to try something out of character or extreme the Game

Runner will ask them to “fill the plot hole in two sentences” and will assign a
Bonus or Penalty to their roll based on the answer.

In our Bananas Foster example, your heavy gunner might say “Grandma
always had Julia Child on in the kitchen. I miss my grandma.”

8
A perfectly fine answer is worthy of a -1 to a roll.

A creative answer could garner a -2 to a roll.

And if a skill set and the corresponding answer are really super creative and
evokes roaring laughter, then by all means give a -3 to a roll.

This small bit of role playing will have a big impact not only on the game
but may also give the players the ability to further flesh out their characters.
If their explanation is significant enough to add depth to their character,
encourage them to update the info on their Character Sheet.

How a Turn Works

One thing that always perplexed me in most RPGs is how little action actually
occurs on a player’s turn. In most games you can move and take an action
but that’s it. One move. One action. There is a rigid order to the turn in which
more often than not some players toward the back of the line have to wait
a really long time to get their moment to shine. It’s also overly complicated
and usually requires someone to be in charge of the initiative order.

Where’s the fun in that? In 3,2,1...Action! we like to keep the fun flowing for
everybody. Instead of complicated initiative-based systems we encourage
everybody to work together and keep the turn order simple.
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 New Turn Order
1 The turn begins by the Game Runner reading the
flavor text.

2 The Game Runner asks the players what they would like
to do. In almost every scenario the players get to go first.
They could simply go around the table, or they could have
a de facto leader go first, or a mixture of the two. It’s really
up to the personal preference of the Game Runner and the
players. Some players like to wait to see what other people
do first and others like to jump right in. Once decided, the
Game Runner will devise an order of actions and describe
it to the players.

3 The monsters, creatures, or NPCs go next.

4 The players go again. This repetition will make up the

bulk of the combat in the game. When new monsters,
creatures, or NPCs enter combat they always do so on
their turn.

The only exceptions to players going first in turn order are Ambush and
Traps. On rare occasions, the monster, creature, or NPC will get the drop
on the party and act first. Then you would proceed to Step 2 and allow the
players to react.

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 HOW COMBAT WORKS
Our combat system, 3,2,1...Combat!, is extremely simple. Tell th e GR what you
are planning to do and your attack will always hit. That’s it. How much damage
(DMG) you’ll do is based on the modifier (+/-) assigned to your weapon and
the roll of a d10 (or multiple d10’s based on the type of weapon used).
For example, if you are using the Handgun (DMG -3) and you roll a 10, you’ll
have done 7 damage. If you roll a 3, then you do 0 damage. Anything under 0
is a 0.
If you want to punch, kick, fire a gun, or do a sweet Macho Man elbow drop
from the top of a crate onto your opponent, just say it out loud and make it so!
Nothing is off the table here so get weird, get wild, and don’t be afraid of
taking chances.
GR notes: Unless otherwise noted in the weapon description, each weapon
allows two attacks per each player’s turn or one Special Attack per player’s
turn. You can also target multiple creatures, monsters, or NPC’s on your turn
so you’ll be able to run the combat your way.
In 3,2,1 we did something a little different than most other TTRPGs. We
don’t use health points, hit points, life points, or any of those traditional
references to a player’s state of well being. We use Luck Points as a reference
to determine if a character lives or dies. The thought behind this is twofold.
First, a character literally dies when their luck runs out, and second, a person’s
state of well being is put in danger relative to the risk they take.

LUCK POINTS
Each player’s character starts with (20 + 1d10) base Luck Points. This is
their starting Luck Point total. When a player’s character takes damage it is
deducted from that Luck Point total. Once the player runs out of Luck (i.e.,
their Luck Points reach 0) they die.

Luck can also be used to adjust GR and player rolls. A player can expend as
many Luck Points as they want to adjust rolls in whichever direction (+ or -)
as they see fit. This could be a stat roll (like an Action Check, for example), or
an ammo roll (like adjusting how many shotgun shells you find). To use Luck
Points the player announces to the GR how many they would like to expend
after they roll. There is no maximum to the amount of Luck Points a player
can use. The only exception to this rule is a player cannot use Luck Points
to adjust weapon damage or to directly assist another player. They can
indirectly assist them but only through their own actions.
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 Luck Points can be earned
at the end of the episode,
gained through med kits or
other healing techniques,
or awarded by the GR at any
moment for being clever or
entertaining. There is no
maximum to the amount
of Luck Points a player can
have. A conservative player
could keep storing them up,
encounter after encounter,
and never expend one. It is
also possible for a player to
expend all their remaining
Luck Points resulting in
their own death, making a
heroic sacrifice to help their
friends survive.

Player Death - Let’s face

it, “sometimes you eat the
bar, and sometimes the bar
eats you”. When it’s time
to meet your maker you’ll
know it because your Luck
Points will drop to zero. Normally this would be a bummer if it happens mid-
game, but don’t fret. While the battle rages on you can pick another Pre-gen
Character or roll one up from scratch in the time it takes for the turn to come
back around to you. This will work until the very last encounter. At that point
you’re playing for keeps.

For the game runner, this could easily be explained as,

“another survivor washed up on a different part of the island
and here they are!” Most plot holes can be filled in two
sentences and lookie here, we did it in one!

12
 Rewarding the players
The End Of The Episode Wrap Up - At the end of each episode, players can
roll 1d10 to replenish Luck Points. They may always re-roll a 1. This should be
added to their tally and there is no maximum for Luck Points. Some people
are just that lucky.
They may also use first aid kits and perform battlefield medicine to boost
their Luck Points, though I would recommend doing this after they’ve rolled
for Luck Points.
End of the Episode Awards Ceremony - At
the end of each gaming session, during the
downtime before people leave to go home,
it’s nice to go over some of the highlights
of the game and reminisce about the fun
time everyone had. That’s
the perfect time to have the
End of the Episode Award
Ceremony. Most of these
can be voted on by the entire
group, giving out awards for:

Best Comedy +1 Luck Points

Best Action Sequence +2
Luck Points
Line of the Night +3 Luck
Points

Feel free to add to these

categories, with other ideas like
best dramatic moment, etc.

HOW MOVEMENT WORKS

A lot of what takes place in 3,2,1...Action! is going to be done in the theater
of the mind so there won’t be any counting squares or hexes. That being
said, each encounter should have a map with basic distances. Each player’s
character can move roughly 40 feet per turn. The limitation is based on
common sense rather than hard and fast rules. Remember story > physics
so if a character spots a guard snoozing 50 feet away and they wanna ninja
their way to attack, let them.

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 Equipped characters can move 10 feet per penalty of their weapon per
turn. For example, someone who is equipped with a combat knife (-4) can
move at 40 feet, deftly weaving through combat, or sneaking up to that
aforementioned guard tower.
Someone equipped with a handgun (-3) can move at 30 feet per their turn.
Compensating for the fraction of time it takes to aim.
Someone equipped with a Rifle (-2) can move 20 feet.
Someone equipped with a Shotgun (-1) can move 10 feet and shoot, having
to brace themselves from the kick-back.
Finally, heavy weapon equipped characters can move 5 feet, ideally just
two steps. A rail gun, minigun, or flamethrower requires too much effort to
move and fire well.
Movement rules are meant to balance the tactical advantage of weapons
and to enhance subtle game play. There’s no hexes or squares so the GR
will need to use their own intuition. Now a player might show the GR some
John Wick style YouTube videos with someone deftly running up a wall
and attacking with a shotgun, but just remember the intention of these
movement rules is to make someone who wields a knife just as deadly as
someone with a flamethrower. If someone does insist on a harebrained
scheme it’s okay to just have them roll for it. Remember the main tenet of
3,2,1 is story > physics.

THE
PLAYER

Each Player Character has six main stats that must be determined at the
beginning of the game. When a character describes what they would like to
do in a scene, the GR assigns a roll and whatever negative modifier applies to
one of these Player Stats. For example, a GR would suggest rolling an Action
Check if the player wants to throw a basketball into a hoop or a Brains Check
if they want to hack into a computer. These stat categories are broad to allow
the GR’s interpretation of what would be the best stat to roll for each unique
situation. Sometimes players will come up with something not covered by
these stats which is where the GR’s discretion would come into play. Use your
best judgment and choose whichever stat check is most appropriate.
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 PHYSICAL and MENTAL Stats
These stats are for the player influencing the world around them.
Action - Action is the general all purpose movement based stat. It
encompasses things like running, hiding, swimming, and climbing. All of
these things fall under this stat. A rule of thumb when determining if the
Action stat is applicable is to keep in mind if it’s something that takes a
character from point A to point B.
Brains - Brains covers both book smarts and street smarts; knowledge and
intuition. It’s a catchall that covers any sort of logic, reason, problem solving,
reading and comprehension, searching for clues, and math. Anything that
requires active brain power to solve.
Brawn - Brawn covers pure physical strength. This stat covers heavy lifting
and physical activity, including everything from shouldering open doors,
to wrenching open jars of pickles, to carrying an injured buddy off the
battlefield. Try and think of it as a stat that doesn’t require much mobility to
accomplish, just pure potential energy.
Charm - Trying to get your point across? Are you persuasive? Whether you
are a derelict or diplomat this is the stat you’ll roll.

SURVIVAL Stats
These stats are for the world influencing the player.
Cool - Cool is for mental fortitude. Can you keep your head about you when
the sky is falling? How about slowly walking through a field of zombies
covered in zombie guts, solely facing down a barbarian horde, or getting
in front of your third grade class to give a book report for a book you totally
didn’t read? Keeping your cool can help you stay on task and add a bonus to
your roll (or in the inverse, give you a penalty for losing it).
Guts - Guts is for intestinal fortitude and endurance. It covers how well the
player can handle physical stress and strain. Radiation, snake bites, zombie
bites, poisoning, eating a bad burrito, all of these could lead to a Guts Check.
Three failed Guts Check will result in an ongoing penalty to your other stats.
Imagine a sprained ankle, or a concussion, or torn ACL. None of these would
kill a character, per se, however, such an injury, no matter how minor, will
slow the character down a bit and impact not just their movement but also
their overall mood, demeanor, and ability to make decisions.
After three failed Guts Checks a character will lower all stats by 1, including
Guts. This will make everything you do, from looking for clues, to combat,
and even resisting further Guts Checks that much more difficult.
15
 After a fourth failed Guts Check, your character dies.
Failed Guts Checks can be reversed in two ways. One is by having a character
use Battlefield Medicine or a first aid kit to reverse one failed Guts Check.
The second is by using 5 Luck Points to reverse each failed Guts Check.

BUILDING A CHARACTER
Some players may want to create their own characters. Here are some quick
rules to do so.
Character creation starts with six d10 rolls. The results of these rolls are then
assigned to the stats you want them to correspond with based on the way
you want to play your character (factoring in any pluses or minuses based
on the character’s role but we’ll explain that in a bit).
No stat can be lower than 2 or higher than 9 because there should always be
a chance for absolute success and utter failure. When rolling your character,
a roll of 10 will drop down to 9 and a roll of 1 will bump up to 2.
Game Runners might also want to offer first time players the option to reroll
1’s when they are rolling up their character (seasoned players might want to
keep 1’s and try the game on “Hard Mode”).

If you have never rolled a character before, consider using

this standard array and adding your characters role
specific +/- to it.
Standard Array: 3,5,5,6,6,8

We recommend that you always put a higher roll in your “Action” stat as it
will be the one most used throughout the game.
Once you have rolled your stats, choose the character’s background (doctor,
firefighter, soldier, etc) and add +1 to a stat. The GR will apply a -1 to another
stat. They cannot subtract from the same stat you added to and this will
keep everyone honest. The rules above still apply, so a +/- 1 can’t be used to
raise a stat above 9, nor lower a stat to below 2. Nice try, though.

Some Sample Roles:

Doctor +1 to Brains / -1 to Charm Pilot +1 to Action / -1 to Brains
Driver +1 to Cool / -1 to Guts Scientist +1 to Brains / -1 to Brawn
Lawyer +1 to Brains / -1 to Brawn Soldier +1 to Action / -1 Charm

16
 A Backstory
In Three Sentences
Part of the reason why RPGs seem so daunting to many first time players is
that there is a certain unspoken expectation for a character to have a lavish
backstory.
Not here.
In 3,2,1...Action!, all character backgrounds start with just three sentences.
One based on their role, one based on their motivations, and one based on
what brought them to the adventure. That’s it.
Take Captain Theresa Gale for example:

A true woman of the sea, she’s

been in love with the ocean
ever since she was a small
child. Always curious about
the unknown, she’s been
sailing since she was a teen
and runs a tight ship. Growing
tired of the familiar waterways
of the Northeast, Captain Gale
“retired” and left New England
in search of new adventures
and oceans unmet in other
parts of the world.

1 - Captain Gale has been

sailing since she was a teen.
2 - She is a ship’s Captain.
3 - She “retired” and in search
of adventure.

The rest of the characterization

will come out through the “fill
the plot hole in two sentences”
mechanic and through riffing
off other characters.
One of the reasons Netflix is so successful at getting you to give a random
movie a shot is that they keep their descriptions short and simple. That’s all
you really need.

17
 INVENTORY
In almost any action movie, the hero/heroine is almost always traveling
light. In the spirit of this movie trope, you may only carry a max of four items
(or four slots) with you at any given time.
A standard array could be a handgun, a combat knife, a shotgun, and a tool
or med kit.
Ammunition is always counted as part of the weapon to which it belongs.
For example, the magazine to the handgun and the handgun are one item.
A bow and it’s arrows are one item, a bag filled with multiple pipe bombs is
one item (although a very dangerous one), and so forth.
Some heavy weapons or other heavy items, such as a bomb disposal suit,
can count as two items. For instance, a grenade launcher will take up two
item slots. These items will have this exception in their description.

WEAPONS

Weapons are divided into two groups. Melee weapons require you getting
up close and personal. Ranged weapons usually do greater damage, but
characters have to count their bullets.

WEAPONS TERMINOLOGY
DMG - Damage
MV - Movement in combat
Round - Ammunition
SA - Special Attack

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 MELEE WEAPONS
Melee (Fists, Kicks): MV 40ft DMG -6
SA: Knockout blow. With a successful Action Check to sneak up on a surprised
enemy, you get two attacks. If you can deal at least half the enemies Luck
Points with this Attack, you can effectively knock the target out. Normally
does not work on robots or ghosts. Well, maybe ghosts. Maybe robots too.

Brass Knuckles MV 40ft, DMG -5

SA: Adds +1 to Brawn Checks involving
breaking things. +1 to Charisma Checks
to Intimidate NPC’s. Cannot use ranged
weapons while wearing Brass Knuckles.

Combat Knife (Ka-Bar) MV 40ft, DMG -4

SA: A successful Action Check to sneak means you can make a Stealth Attack
and the DMG penalty drops to 0. If you don’t kill the creature outright it gets
to attack with a damage penalty of 0.

Machete MV 30ft DMG -3

SA: Can be used to cut through enemies weapons while in melee combat
as well as used to escape all traps made mostly from ropes, vines, or wood.

Samurai Sword (Katana) MV 30ft, DMG -2

SA: Can be used to sever limbs. If it deals half of the enemies remaining LP
then it can sever one limb. If it can reduce the target to 0 LP, it will deal a
killing blow by decapitation.
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 RANGED WEAPONS
M9 Handgun MV 30ft, 15 Round
Magazine, DMG -3
SA: Can be used to disarm an
enemy with a weapon. To disarm,
target the weapon and then make
a damage roll. As long as damage
is done any standard weapon will
be destroyed. It can also be used to
trigger environmental effects like
breaking chains, severing ropes
and triggering traps, or exploding
a flame thrower.

KAC Masterkey Shotgun (Attaches to M4 Rifle) MV

20ft, 8 Round Magazine, DMG -1
SA: When firing at point blank range the damage
bonus increases to +3, however if you don’t kill your
opponent outright they will immediately perform a
counterattack.

Compound Bow MV 30ft,

12 Arrow Quiver, DMG -3
*The hunting bow is a naturally
stealthy weapon, meaning firing it won’t
alert any other enemies in the area.
SA: Arrow can be lit on fire which drops the
Damage Penalty to 0. These can also combust any
flammable items.

M4 Rifle MV 20ft, 30 Round

Magazine, DMG -2
SA: When firing at point blank
range the damage penalty
drops to 0 and you will hit and
damage targets behind your
opponent. However, if you don’t
kill your opponent outright they
will attack and break your weapon.

20
 RANGED HEAVY WEAPONS
These weapons deal more damage or could have area of effect ammo but
generally they trade mobility for an increase in damage.

M2 Flamethrower (Decommissioned)
MV 5ft, 3 Charges, DMG +3
This is a heavy weapon which takes up 3
item slots and cannot be reloaded.
SA: Attack can affect multiple creatures in
a 5-foot area and will continue to burn.

MGL Grenade Launcher MV 5ft, 6

Rounds, DMG Explosive Rounds +4,
Buckshot Rounds -3, Beanbag Round
(Non-Lethal) -2, Smoke Round, Tear Gas
Round, Illumination Round. This is a heavy
weapon which takes up 2 item slots.

Players can choose

the type of round (6 in
cylinder, 6 more carried
on bandolier).

SA: Explosive rounds

will cause mass damage
but must be fired at a
distance as it will affect
anything in range upon
detonation.

SA: Buckshot rounds can hit two targets side by side.

SA: Beanbag rounds inflict damage temporarily and will render an opponent
unconscious if the damage is equal to or greater than 25% of their total LP.
Enemies will recover these Luck Points after combat if not slain during.

SA: Smoke rounds obscure vision in a 20 ft sphere. Ranged attacks through the
smoke get a -3 to damage.

SA: Tear Gas rounds force anybody caught inside the 20 ft sphere to take a -2
Penalty to Guts Checks.

SA: Illumination rounds set off a phosphorous flare which can be visible from
up to a mile away. Will combust any dry materials it is around.
21
 M67 Hand Grenade MV 5 ft , DMG +5
SA: Will injure all creatures in a 10 foot area. Players
must make a successful Action Check to throw it with
accuracy. Enemy combatants can make an Action
Check at a -5 to see if they can throw it back.
M24 Sniper Rifle MV 0ft, 10 Round Magazine, DMG -1
SA: Can potentially target enemies several maps ahead.
A miss might trigger an attack of all nearby enemies.

Makeshift or
Improvised Weapons
Barstool, pool cue, broken bottles; sometimes players want to grab
something handy, or for dramatic effect, and the GR should let them.
Damage and SA can be made up on the fly and is totally based on the GR’s
discretion. Have fun with it! Maybe a beer bottle could restore a Luck Point
or two if the character swigs it before breaking it over an enemy’s head or a
barstool could keep an attacker from melee on a successful hit.

ARMOR
Armor works by granting the person wearing it temporary Luck Points.
These points will be expended first before the player’s Luck Points and
once they are depleted the item is useless. Also, unless noted, each piece of
armor takes up one Item slot.
Flak Jacket +5 Luck Points
Picture of your sweetheart back home +4 Luck Points
Uncle Jack’s lucky Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card +3 Luck Points
A fallen friends dog tags +2 Luck Points
Kevin’s Lucky Rabbit Foot +1 Luck Points

22
 Rolling for Ammo
Because most weapons in the game will be found through exploring,
chances are they will always be low on ammo. When finding ammo in the
game, players will roll one d10 to see just how little they find. Exceptions to
this are specialized weapons like the flamethrower which will always have
their ammo/restrictions listed in their descriptions. For all other weapons,
see chart below.
M4 Rifle +1 M24 Sniper Rifle -6
M9 Handgun -1 MGL Grenade Launcher -8
KAC Masterkey Shotgun -3 M67 Hand Grenades -9
Arrows -4

Content Warnings, Lines,

Veils, and the “X”
An adventuring party is only good if everybody is having a good time. A
great way to make sure everyone is having fun is to make sure each person
feels comfortable before the game even starts. This is where Content
Warnings, Lines, and Veils come into play.
A Content Warning system can be used at the beginning of every session to
set player expectations and allow you, the Game Runner, to make sure your
team knows what they are getting themselves into. For example, Rocket
to Russia features action movie violence, blood, guts, and gore. Starting a
session by explaining “hey buddies, just FYI, there’s a little bit of chainsaw
body violence in today’s story. Just wanted to let you know.” can let everyone
be on the same page about what the story includes.
Some players may be into chainsaw body violence, while others might not
be (and it’s totally cool if they aren’t). Others may be cool with only some
of these things but not everything. You should always give everyone an
opportunity to draw their lines.
Lines are just what they sound like, lines in the sand that should not be
crossed. Some examples of this could be animal abuse, child death and
endangerment, and sexual assault. The players should never be subjected
to something that would make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe so you
should always take a moment to go around the table and see what kind of
lines the players wouldn’t like to cross. Also be sure to let them know that it’s
okay if they don’t want to share their lines publicly. Be sure to give everyone
a way to message you offline about them before you start. Once the players
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 declare what their lines are it is your job to make sure not to cross them. An
example of this might be a player saying ”I’m cool with whatever, but if the
dog dies I’m gonna be super mad.”

Next, ask the players for their veils. Veils are things that can be alluded to
but not dwelled upon. For instance, if a player dislikes spiders and you enter
a room with a massive spider-infested web you can bring it into view and
then quickly pull away from it. No reason to linger on something that might
upset a player.

Even after laying out lines and veils, a situation might arise where something
unforeseen in the game might pop up and cause a player discomfort or
distress. The best planning in the world might miss something. It’s a valid
player reaction and just because everyone is in the middle of the session
doesn’t mean they can’t call attention to something. This is where the X
comes into play

Players should always have the option to throw up an X, be it a hand signal,

text in a chat, physical card, or whatever was pre-established during set up.
X means stop, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars, and don’t make a
big deal about it. Just pull away from that scene immediately and move on.

Trust me when I say that taking a few minutes at the beginning of your
session to make sure everybody is comfortable can almost guarantee your
players will still be smiling at the end of it and looking forward to the next
one.

Lines and Veils were originally developed by Ron Edwards for a piece
called “Sex And Sorcery”. The “X Card” was originally developed by John
Stavropoulos. Read more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg

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 3,2,1...Quickplay!
Quick Start
Rules
The Game Runner (GR) - They will set each scene and call for ACTION! when
the game starts. They describe the setting, control all monsters, traps, and
NPCs.

Tasks - When the outcome of an action is uncertain, players roll a single

d10 against one of the six character stats, ranging from 2 (the lowest stat
possible) to 9 (the highest stat possible). The character stat being challenged
must be met or rolled under to successfully complete any task. When it
comes to actions, always remember the basic rule of 3,2,1: the lower the roll,
the better the outcome.

Fill The Plot Hole In Two Sentences - If a player wants to try something out
of character or extreme; the Game Runner will ask them to “fill the plot hole
in two sentences” and will assign a Bonus or Penalty to their roll based on
the answer.

For example, your gruff heavy gunner needs to delicately flambé a

Bananas Foster because he knows it’s the enemy general’s favorite
food. Your heavy gunner might say “Grandma always had Julia Child
on in the kitchen. I miss my grandma.” A perfectly fine answer is worthy
of a -1 to a roll. A creative answer could garner a -2 to a roll. And if a
skillset and the corresponding answer are really super creative and
evokes roaring laughter, then by all means give a -3 to a roll.

Turns - We encourage everyone to work together and keep the turn order
simple. The Game Runner asks the players what they would like to do. Once
decided, the Game Runner will devise an order of actions and describe it to
the players.

Movement - Each character can move roughly 40 feet per turn. The limitation
is based on common sense rather than hard and fast rules. Equipped
characters can move 10 feet per penalty of their weapon per turn.

For example, someone who is equipped with a combat knife (-4) can
move at 40 feet.

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 Combat - Tell the GR what you are planning to do and your attack will always
hit. That’s it. How much damage (DMG) you’ll do is based on the modifier
(+/-) assigned to your weapon and the roll of a d10.

For example, if you are using the Handgun (DMG -3) and you roll a
10, you’ll have done 7 damage. If you roll a 3, then you do 0 damage.
Anything under 0 is a 0.

Luck - Each character starts with (20 + 1d10) base Luck Points. When a
character takes damage it is deducted from that Luck Point total. Once the
character runs out of Luck (i.e., their Luck Points reach 0) they die.

Luck can also be used to adjust GR and player rolls. A player can expend as
many Luck Points as they want to adjust rolls in whichever direction (+ or -)
as they see fit. This could be a stat roll (like an Action Check, for example),
or an ammo roll (like adjusting how many shotgun shells you find). To use
Luck Points the player announces to the GR how many they would like to
expend after they roll. There is no maximum to the amount of Luck Points a
player can use.

Guts - Guts is for intestinal fortitude and endurance. It covers how well the
player can handle physical stress and strain. Radiation, snake bites, zombie
bites, poisoning, eating a bad burrito - all of these could lead to a Guts Check.
Three failed Guts Check will result in an ongoing penalty to your other stats.
Four failed Guts Checks and your character dies!

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