ARE YOU READY FOR

2400
SOME THINGS ARE

ADVENTURE?
PRETTY SCARY …
RUNNING AN RPG
$2
DOESN’T HAVE TO BE!
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ret nd
REMEMBER GUIDE CONVERSATION! Say what the characters

o
P
WASTELAND
perceive. Ask, “What do you do?” (and “Why?” if not
TO PACK obvious). Make sure all get “screen time.” Check in Ga
mes
YOUR… FIELD during & after tough scenes. Offer quick rulings to
cover gaps in rules; when in doubt, favor players’

GUIDE expectations. If things get slow, roll d6 to check for

(1–2) trouble now or (3–4) signs of trouble soon! LO-FI SCI-FI RPG
2
$ FINDS! PORTRAY ENEMIES! No “stats,” just…
NUCLEAR FAMILY
FRIENDS! Drives behind behind actions (like hunger).
Risks they present if faced (like being shot).
FOES! Obstacles (if any!) that might prevent taking BY JASON TOCCI
them out in one roll (like armor).

MINIMAL PREP! Ask kindly strangers for “good
post-apocalyptic adventures” to run, or improvise
your own! On a real-world map, pick a spot for
Rust, a settlement with folks who need favors or
jobs done — quests! Then pick wasteland sites —
unexplored ruins, trading posts, “The Arena,” etc.
— each with some hazard (gas, flooding, radiation,
overgrowth, traps, cave-in), encounters (robots,
raiders, scavengers, cultists, bugs, trogs, gaunts,
Templars), and valuables — like those below!
I’M READY! Please send me vague prompts
to inspire MY adventures! I need ideas for…
BEWARE OF RISK! In play, warn players of risks
before they roll. Don’t hold back — they can alter
course or break armor! Need ideas? Think HARD!
HINDRANCES (fallen, dizzy, limping, bleeding)
ATTENTION (noticed, exposed, pursued)
RESOURCES (broken, dropped, out of ammo)
DELAY (miss deadlines, need food, need rest)
Kris & Chrissy
“Fussy & Feisty” Tinkers
Got junk? We’re buying!

❏ Salvage (junk, clothes, or goods worth $d4)

❏ Armor (leather, kevlar, SCRAP, RIOT GEAR) Doc Blister
❏ Melee weapons (knife, baton, ROCKET SLEDGE) Needs YOU for a hospital run!
❏ Guns (pistol, RIFLE, SHOTGUN, MINIGUN)
❏ Ammo (for whatever you’re using!) Come for a checkup —
or bring supplies for $$$!
❏ Explosives (grenade, mine, C-4, mini-nuke)
❏ Food (Hastycakes, Megatonic, SoupCan, etc.)
❏ Tools (hammer, crowbar, shovel, drill, etc.) L o u’s Atomic Death
❏ Meds (use up to heal from a minor injury)
❏ Chems (help 1 skillset, hinder another) Emporium
❏ Hazardous fluid (oil, acid, “holy” water) Now hiring CARAVAN GUARDS – ask for LOU!
❏ Outdoor gear (binoculars, lantern, rope, TENT)
❏ Hazmat gear (SUIT, gas mask, geiger counter) SALVAGERS NEEDED: SEALED, PRE-WAR BUNKER
❏ Data tapes (entertainment, maps, or clues!) LOCATED. SHARES OF ANY LOOT FOUND WITHIN TO BE
❏ Wrist terminal (tape deck, helps hack)
SPLIT EVENLY. SEE TRUSTY GRIFF IN RUST FOR DETAILS.
❏ Invisibattery (1-min. stealth field)
❏
❏
Raygun (6+ vaporizes, wrong target on 1–2)
POWER ARMOR (bullet- & rad-proof; helps
Wanted: Hork
Murder - Kidnapping - “The Arena”
Brawn, hinders Zip)
See EVA in RUST to collect bounty
Version 1.0 • Cover art by Paul Orban, colored & edited by Jason Tocci • Permission is granted to reproduce for personal use
NUCLEAR FAMILY
A NEW LIFE AWAITS! Travel the wasteland with a
ragtag gang of misfits — your own nuclear family!
HOW? The game moderator describes a situation.
You take turns describing actions; the GM clarifies
if it’s impossible, demands extra steps or costs, or
presents a risk you might avoid. No risk, no roll! You
can also change your mind & try another approach
if you don’t like the sound of the risks or costs.
ROLL! Roll a fitting skillset (Brains, Brawn, Moxie,
or Zip), unless hindered by injury, circumstances,
or carrying 2+ HEAVY items — then roll d4 instead! If
helped by circumstances, get an extra d6 in your
roll; if helped by an ally, they roll a skillset & share
the risk. Use the highest die — no sums in this game!
1–2 Disaster! Suffer the full risk. If it’s mutually
exclusive with your goal (GM’s call!), you fail.
3–4 Setback! Get a lesser consequence or partial
success (e.g., injured instead of dead).
5+ Success! Risk averted! The higher, the better.
If success isn’t enough (a hit — but it’s bulletproof!),
you still get useful info or set up an advantage.
GEAR UP! Items (and mutations!) usually expand
what you can do, not what dice you roll — but you can
break a weapon or use up its ammo to help a roll, or
break armor (up to 2× if HEAVY) as defense, taking a
brief hindrance (stumbling) instead of injury. Trade
is in salvage ($); pay a tinker $1 to fix all your gear.
Write HEAVY items in caps; cross out broken items.
HEAL UP! A minor illness or injury (e.g., a twisted
ankle, or dizziness) hinders until you sleep or take
medicine. Pay a doctor $1 to heal serious injuries &
illness (e.g., rad sickness, or a broken bone). Get
killed? Your new character’s in the next room!
QUEST! When you all agree you finished a quest
(however you define it), mark (or invent) a talent or
mutation. If the quest helped one of you realize your
dream or resolve an issue from your past, raise one
❏ Ammo box
skillset you have a talent in (d6 ➡d8 ➡d10 ➡d12).
❏ Armored vest or coat
TELL TALES! Anyone in the group can pause, fast- ❏
forward, rewind, or call for other edits for pacing & ❏
safety. (Gore? Slavery? Harm to kids? Veto away!) ❏ Flashlight or lantern
START! As a group, pick an ideal! Individually…
◦ Determine how you were born and raised!
◦ Choose or invent your own trademark!
◦ Take $2 in goods or salvage, a canteen, and a
few days of pre-war snack foods.
◦ Brains, Brawn, Moxie, Zip are d6; pick 1 as d8.
◦ Mark 1 talent in your d8 skillset, or a mutation.
◦ Gonna play a lot? Give some thought (eventually)
to your dream, or why you left your past behind!
◦ Come up with a name — and play nice!
❏ Altruism: Make the wastes a better place!
❏ Survival: Watch each other’s backs.
❏ Mayhem: Cathartic! ⚠ But only if ALL agree! ⚠
❏ Human: Raise another skillset to d8.
❏ Mutant: Mark or invent 1–2 mutations. (1 might
be hidden; 2 may get stares; 3 may get hostility.)
❏ Robot: Limbs & case can be broken as defense.
Get 2 upgrades (goods, mutations, or something
you make up), but not items from being “raised.”
❏ Cultist: Worn HAZMAT SUIT, “holy” water (☢).
❏ Isolate: Military fatigues, scary-looking RIFLE.
❏ Raider: SCRAP ARMOR, sawed-off shotgun.
❏ Sheltered: Snappy coverall, wrist terminal.
❏ Pariah: Belt & rags, 1 mutation.
❏ Settler: Dusty work clothes, $1 in misc. scrap.
❏ Outlandish hair ❏ Old-timey voice
❏ Tire pauldron ❏ Brain under glass
❏ Cracked glasses ❏ Spray-painted face
❏ Goggle eyepatch ❏ Red plastic arm
❏ Cryo-stasis burns ❏ Jaunty hat
❏ Knife or BAT
❏ Meds
Bedroll or TENT ❏ RIFLE or SHOTGUN
Crowbar or SHOVEL ❏ Rope or CHAIN
❏ 9mm or revolver
❏
❏
Acid spit
Antennae
❏
❏
Rabbit ears
Radiation absorption
❏ Bioluminescence ❏ Razor-sharp claws
❏ Bug wings (hover) ❏ Regeneration (1 injury/day)
❏ Cat eyes ❏ Resize (raise Brawn or Zip)
❏ Eel skin (shocking!) ❏ Skunk spray
❏ Extra limbs (you pick) ❏ Slug slime (slick/adhesive)
❏ Eyestalks ❏ Stretchy limbs
❏ Frog tongue ❏ Telekinesis
❏ Gills & webbing ❏ Telepathy
❏ Projectile quills ❏ Venomous bite
❏ Awareness: Spot all traps, ambushes & tails.
❏ Dividends: Break down salvage for +$1 a day.
❏ Expertise: Pick a topic (e.g., bugs, hacking, lock
picking). Get an extra Brains die in related rolls.
❏ Field Care: Use up $1 to clear a serious injury.
❏ Field Repairs: Use up $1 to repair a broken item.
❏ Jack of All Trades: Roll at least d8 for mundane
tasks outside combat.
❏ Judgment: You sense lies, guilt & ill intent.
❏ Little Pharma: Turn meds or $1 into d4 doses of
chems (help 1 skillset awhile, hinder another).
❏ Modding: Use up $1 to add 1 extra effect (like a
sword that’s on fire) or a d6 help die to an item.
❏ Squirreling: Replace $1 with an item you could
conceivably have kept in your pocket.
❏ Battle Rage: When you incapacitate an enemy
up close, strike another in reach just as hard.
❏ Endurance: Carry 2 heavy items comfortably.
❏ Guard Up: Break as defense once per fight.
❏ Martial Arts: Follow any 3+ hand-to-hand roll
with a grab, disarm, throw, trip, or the like.
❏ Oh Yeah!: If a barrier can be busted through, you
do it easily and/or terrifyingly.
❏ Second Wind: Ignore all hindrances until you
catch your breath. Rest a few hours to reuse.
❏ Tanking: You can take all consequences on a 1-
4 roll when getting or giving help in combat.
❏ Tough Break: Being injured helps you fight.
❏ Viselike Grip: Nothing escapes your grasp.
❏ Voided Warranty: When you break a weapon for
a bonus, roll an extra d12 instead of a d6.
❏ Arresting Gaze: Characters controlled by the
GM won’t willingly break eye contact with you.
❏ Counsel: Offer words to help any task using your
Moxie, without sharing in risk.
❏ Disguise: You’re only recognized when you
want to be. Imitate others with the right props.
❏ Fast Talking: The gullible or unwary believe or
do what you say, at least briefly.
❏ The Nod: Strangers try talking before attacking.
❏ Rep: Ask the group what (in)famous act you’re
known for. It may help, hinder, or mitigate risk.
❏ Sidekick: Gain a pet or a follower. They’ll follow
your lead as long as you treat them right.
❏ Sincerity: People may or may not believe you’re
right, but they always believe you’re honest.
❏ Wheeling & Dealing: Get a little extra thrown in
(within reason) whenever you make a deal.
❏ Winning Smile: In every group of strangers, at
least one person badly wants you to like them.
❏ Blending In: Be unseen in crowds & darkness.
❏ Filching: Pickpocket & palm items risk-free.
❏ First Move: Who acts or gets there first? You do.
❏ Get Up & Go: If there’s a way out, you can flee or
disengage risk-free, and help allies to do so.
❏ Impatience: Rushing in helps your next roll.
❏ Interception: Safely catch any object in midair
that moves more slowly than a bullet.
❏ Nine Lives: Narrowly sidestep death 8 times.
❏ Sharpshooting: Fire trick shots or at multiple
targets as easily as others pull a trigger.
❏ Sneak Attack: Silently take out an unwary foe. If
risk is unavoidable, roll an extra d12.
❏ Tumbling: Falls that hurt others only slow you.
Recover instantly when knocked down.
NAME ......................................... PRONOUNS ............
INVENTORY ...............................................................
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