For this entry, and maybe one or two more, I want to highlight a great system that I discovered and ran a few times in 2022 - 24XX style games. The framework was designed by Jason Tocci, and is available here. The games are simple, usually three pages plus cover, of which commonly one deals with rules and the remaining two provide random generations tables that double in describing a specific, often very narrow setting. The 2400 suit contains several inter-compatible games, all together describing a kind of far distant Sci-Fi universe. Other people have picked up the framework, likely also due to Mr. Tocci providing a very cool SRD that doubles as design files for getting the same layout easily. By now there are more than a hundred variants available. I strongly recommend looking at them - many of the best games of this type remind me of poetry, RPG systems condensed to the maximum, with worldbuilding kind of hiding in the cracks, and also reduced to the essential bits. I like them a lot!
A helpful fact when deciding if one might want to look at the games might be that they tend to be very cheap, and many follow the example of 2400 and come with a lot of community copies for those who cannot or do not want to pay (yet). This is an approach I like a lot, especially since I met people online quite often for whom the typical RPG product presents a rather large investment. Still, I feel those like myself who are more fortunate would do well to pay the few bucks (often 2 to 5 dollars) developers ask for.
Here, I want to make a character for one of the games from the 2400 suite that started it all. Let’s go with The Venusian Job. I recommend getting the collection (also available on DTRPG if preferred). The Venusian Job is a bit unusual in that it dedicates a page to a simple map. You see, the PCs will try to rob a casino! The blurb establishes that the Aphrodite casino has a vault storing millions in valuables from the guests; it sits above the Venusian clouds, and based on the map is part of a beanstalk space elevator. Or a similar megastructure at least. I have played this one a few times, and it always comes with wild shenanigans and a lot of fun action. Highly recommended. Let’s look at the core mechanic, then make a character.
The basic dice roll means the player picks up a D6 and rolls. The die is replaced with a D4 when hindered, and a higher die if they have a corresponding skill. They roll a 1 or 2, bad things happen. A 3 or 4 means success with complications. And 6+ means full success. Done. For the Venusian Job, Character Generation starts with choosing a moniker, which also means choosing a package of skills. Let’s go with a Wildcard, which means I get to choose two skills at d8 and one at d10. And to choose them during play, when I think they might be relevant. This is the type of character that would be presented as a ‘problem solver’ or maybe '?' in many heist movies, the one the audience and most of the crew aren’t sure why they are there. Each moniker also comes with a general suggestion for a Surprise. This is specific to TVJ; Surprises are brief, vague statements of plot twists. They can be torn up to make them happen in play, or instead to automatically roll a 12 on a roll. Each moniker gets one type, plus a generic one. Wildcards get two generic ones in addition to the standard one, for three total. Let’s go with ‘A code bomb I placed earlier triggers a general alarm’, ‘We bought the guard earlier’, and ‘That is me in disguise’. Finally, I choose a kit to bring along, and I go with Subtle. This means I have a good disguise and can declare having one concealed item during play, like a keycard or bug.
To flesh the character out a bit I will call them Winona Winthorpe, who on first look seems like a bored socialite who obviously places a large importance on an athletic and appealing appearance. But this is obviously only a mask, and not even most of the crew know what they actually do…
Done. No sheet for this one, but have a summary:
“Winona Winthorpe”
- One skill at D8
- Another skill at D8
- One skill at D10
Subtle kit
- ‘A code bomb I placed earlier triggers a general alarm’
- ‘We bought the guard earlier’
- ‘That is me in disguise’.
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