Core mechanics, game phases, main characters and points

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.“

– Perturabo, primarch of the IVth Legion

The Emperor of Mankind conquered Terra, uniting humanity under the banner of reason, advancement and… survival. Nothing short of undisputed dominance of the human race can stand in the face of countless dangers the Universe breeds. Combined might of Terra and Mars – the greatest technological civilisation stars have ever witnessed – allowed the Emperor to fulfil his goal of creating perfect warriors, Adeptes Astartes, alongside their godlike generals: Primarchs.

Still, not everything ever comes exactly to the plan, even one prepared by the most daring visionary.

Not all former human colonies, lost to Terra and undivided mankind due to Old Night, are eager to rejoin their own homeworld’s new Empire. Xeno species are still pushing back against inevitable advance of Expeditionary Fleets and the further Emperor’s sons venture into unknown regions of Space, the darker its dangers and secrets become…

That’s where you enter as a small cog in gargantuan machine. As ordinary as any unaugmented human is when compared to marvellous and flawless Astartes, you have been chosen to join the Great Crusade for a reason. Be it your exceptional skill in particular field, unique quality of character or mind – it its something of value for the cause, quest, Legion, maybe even for the Emperor himself?

How much value, however? Well… Time, Space, duty and your deeds will tell.

Who are you really? Dutiful soldier carrying the banner with Imperial Aquila to cruel, hostile worlds re-conquered for the Emperor and humanity? Faithful adept of Mechanicum, tasked with rediscovering ancient technology? An artist, of skill so prodigious, that you were specifically chosen to accompany one of the Legions, so its superhuman heroes would never forget for what are they truly fighting for? A psycher, a vagabond… or something else entirely?

Weather the Great Crusade wronged you or elevated you, weather you are an ally or an enemy to everything what spreads from Terra towards the stars, you will have a part in the great theatre of fate. Make it count, because in the grim darkness of the 30th millennium, there is no horror greater, than failure.

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All threads related to the most important parts of this RPG system – mechanics, combat, predefined characters, character sheet, personality test, weapon tables etc. – are divided into separate bookmarks which you can choose in the menu.

Information about gamepieces, rules, points and other mechanics can be found among general descriptions, fluff and fable. To make them easier for you to notice, they will be highlighted, underlined and stamped with the sigil of Adeptus Mechanicum.

Before starting their first session of the campaign, each player has to fill the personality test. The results will show 3 preset characters, out of which at least 2 must be used by the player either as “Main”, “Sidekick” or “Support” character (with slight adjustments to personal preference). Original ideas are also available with full character creation. This requirement comes with the game’s division into phases and general deadliness of the galaxy unravelling between participants of the Great Crusade.

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“MAIN” – is the primary character of the player, roleplayed and developed at all times, the main pivot of the campaign’s scenario. Action Phase is the one in which he shines the most.

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“SIDEKICK” is the backup character for the player in case of Main’s death, related to him storywise, working towards Main’s goals and expanding player’s influence or interactions with various faction at many theatres of the game. Sidekick can be occasionally played by either the player or GM, usually during Tactical and / or Travel Phase. He can gather resources, items or even limited Upgrade Points for the Main and himself, also developing those of his skills, which were tested during his Phase.

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“SUPPORT” is basically a NPC in service of the Main character. He is never roleplayed, his actions are described only in Tactical and / or Travel Phase, briefly and mostly in relation to a single issue, task or tested feature. Storywise he is loosely related to the Main character, or as a sidekick of the Sidekick. He is not upgraded unless the Main perishes, being replaced by the secondary character, when Support takes the role of the original Sidekick.

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Each game session consists of 4 individual blocks – Phases, in which different activities are undertaken by the players and their characters. These segments are meant to keep the adventure in the vastest Universe of all in orderly fashion, separating strictly mechanical parts (advancements, upgrades, granting points, gathering resources) from the core of dynamic storyline and roleplay. This also allows to show the scale of the galaxy in more tactical and comprehensive way, with all interactions and undertakings of independent factions working on their own, regardless of our player’s best efforts, giving proper context to grand scheme of things and setting the stage for hero’s private goals and quests.

TACTICAL PHASE

Before anyone can do anything about anything, they need to plan for it first, assessing risk, gathering resources and measuring their own strength. Tactical Phase opens each new game session and summarises previous one, granting players points and rewards for their progress, reminding most important events and their consequences. It is also the time for careful planning of next actions, preparing travels and letting secondary characters act to their Main’s benefit. It consists of following steps:

1. SIDEKICK’S ACTIONS – secondary characters working in the background, performing their actions with all most relevant tests and short pieces of role-play, if necessary for particular side-quest.
   
2. SUPPORT’S ACTIONS – tertiary characters working towards single goal, providing additional resources, information or points for Mains and Sidekicks. They are not roleplayed, they perform only necessary tests after declaring their actions and position.
   
3. UPGRADES – summarising all points gained by all characters during last Action Phase, levelling up Skills and Attributes, gaining new gear, ships, crew, Talents etc. The time for players and GM to discuss achievements, failures, basic and additional rewards and their consequences.
   
4. TRAVEL PLANNING – setting the course for whichever way of journeying you’ll choose for your characters. Checking routes, coordinates, technical requirements, potential dangers, gathering supplies, manpower etc., before “setting up the sail” for the next Phase.

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TRAVEL PHASE

Before anyone can do anything about anything, they need to actually get there in the first place. Even with incredible technologies of Warp engines and entire might of imperial expeditionary fleets, journeying through the stars is neither easy nor safe. Travel Phase starts after Tactical Phase, when all points are summarised, statistics upgraded, and new gear acquired. It should be executed for all characters in following order:

1. WARP TRAVEL – there is no actual steering or manoeuvring inside the Warp. In there, each spacecraft is like a bullet shot from reality through the chaos of unknown, often illogical dimension, where physics, machinery, minds and bodies can act… differently. There is a lot of potential for catastrophe here – Navigator loosing his focus, causing the ship or entire fleet to transition in wrong star system; time dilatation, making you arrive at intended destination many years after (or before) the objective; failure of the Gellar Field, a protective bauble of reality which encapsulates the ship during its journey through the Immaterium, shielding it and its passengers from physical and psychic distress or harm caused by mysterious Warp-forces… and entities. Should the crew (and players in particular) survive and endure this intriguing endeavour, they can actually appear in the real space, mark their position on the galaxy map and proceed towards reaching their objectives.
   
   For each separate journey the players take towards different destinations, a card is drawn by the GM from the Warp Encounters deck. Any tests and events describe by the card are resolved unless discarded by the players, should they pay the Astronomicon Points cost marked on the card. If they do, the GM resolves the rest of the journey according to previous events, player’s performance and his own unadulterated malice.
   
2. INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL – after reaching endless void of firm reality, things don’t really get that much better for any “cosmonauts”. Even with most sophisticated technology Mechanicum can offer, sailing through space towards your planet of interest is time-consuming and dangerous. Steering the ship through asteroid fields, deadly radiation of neutron stars, enormous gravitational fields and bombardments of micro-meteors can be quite demanding for you, your ship and its crew. Transition points for the Warp jumps are few and far between, not all planets can be approached or landed on easily and their autochthon xenos, non-compliant human inhabitants or even occasional space pirates won’t always site idle, waiting for your spacecraft to make a safe landing.
   
   Each personal spacecraft has different void capabilities, speed, armaments and crew requirements, resulting in various distances they can manage during single Travel Phase (check how many fields on Void Map can you cross with different ships im “The Galaxy” chapter). Each complication occurring as a result of any “space-faring” Skill test causes you to draw and resolve a card from Void Encounters deck.
   
3. PLANETARY TRAVEL – when you’ve finally reached your planet of choice (or simply didn’t left it yet) you usually need to travel somewhere and somehow, however current environment dictates. Whether you need to go across the globe, move between two hive-cities or to reach the extraction point in the middle of the jungle on a death-world, perform any relevant tests during this Phase.

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ACTION PHASE

The true core of the game, where the story unravels and expands while players dive deeper into their Main roles, completing quests, fulfilling personal objectives and gaining Upgrade Points for further development of their character’s statistics. The real game session begins here, without Sidekicks, Supports, pawns and maps, with direct interactions, dialogues, combat etc.

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CRUSADE PHASE

No matter their achievements and failures, the players are just tiny cogs in gargantuan machine of conquest, tiny sparks of significance among infinite starts and endless darkness of the galaxy. Much bigger forces are in motion, despite or in spite of protagonists, making an impact on much grander, wider scale. To represent those forces and give proper context to events occurring outside player’s awareness, the GM draws an event card from each of decks listed below, in following order:

1. XENOS ACTIVITY – alien species respond to Imperium’s (or heroe’s) actions on their planet, in their star system or entire galaxy sector. Unexpected skirmishes or even grand space battles may occur in this step, sabotaging player’s plans, changing final outcomes of activities undertaken during Action Phase or altering the main plot.
   
2. IMPERIAL ACIVITY – the Imperium of Man moves its other gamepieces over the board, reacting to most important xenos challenges or simply advancing the Crusade to further planets and stars. Fleets change their positions and objectives, Legions or armies are redeployed, Mechanicum adjusts their goals and demands, while everyone is either supported or hindered by laborious proceedings of the Administratum.
   
3. WARP ACTIVITY – mysterious tides of the Great Ocean, as the XV Legion tends to call the Immaterium, are unpredictable and vicious, potentially destructive to all, who travel through the dimension. All psychers, Astropaths and Navigators are also sensitive to warpstorms raging in the vicinity, being empowered by Warp’s influence or driven mad by it. Ships my be destroyed, entire fleets trapped within this impossible dimension or outside it, without any chances to travel to their intended destination during Travel Phase.

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Below you’ll find several most basic and common game mechanics, that will be mentioned and described more thoroughly in other chapters. Here you can get a grip of test rolls, points specification and levels of success or failure.

Almost all tests in the game are made with 1d12 (Fate Die) + Xd6 (Skill Die), where X = the level of tested Skill. To see if a character succeeds in an action, they need to equalise or exceed the Target Number (TN) of a test set by Game Master.

RESULTS ON THE FATE DIE (d12) range from 1 to 10, where number 11 (The Eye of Terror) counts as 0 and always causes Complications (even if the test is passed). Moreover, should the character fail to beat the TN of a test, the GM gains 1 Ruin Point.

THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE RESULT ON THE FATE DIE – 12 (The Imperial Aquila) – ensures basic level of Success in every test, no matter the TN and the overall results on other dices. It may also grant 1 Astronomicon Point to the player who made the roll, however then the d12 is rerolled again, cancelling the “automatic success” of the previously scored 12.

EACH 6 ON A SKILL DIE (d6) counts as an “Extra”, adding 1 additional level of success (Extra Success) to the passed test, changing the final effect of player’s action or even allowing them to describe the situation and their action’s consequences in GM’s stead (in case of 3 or more Extra Successes). Tests passed with 3+ Extra Successes also grand 1 Astronomicon Point.

Test passed without any “Extras”, just meeting or beating given Target Number (no matter by how much) = 1 level of Success (or Basic level). Players may decide to add the value of their Attribute (related to tested Skill) to the final score of a test, should they come short of beating TN. If they do, all “Extras” shown on d6 are treated just as +6 to total score and only basic level of Success can be gained.

COMPLICATIONS occur whenever a Fate Die (d12) produces The Eye of Terror (11), nullifying its value for the total score in a test vs given TN. You can still succeed in said test, if the total score of your Skill Dice equals or surpasses TN. In such case your action goes “almost” as you’ve intended, BUT… something else happens as well. Should you fail the test with a Complication, not only dire consequences occur, usually contradictory to your initial intent, but also the GM gets 1 Ruin Point.

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These very special points are awarded to the players or GM on rare occasions and can be used to alter the course of the game significantly. The rules for each of the two are as follows:

ASTRONOMICON POINTS

Can be gained:

1. Whenever a player rolls a 12 (Imperial Aquila) on the Fate Die (d12) during a test and decides to reroll it, keeping the Astronomicon Point instead of getting automatic success with the original score
   
2. Whenever a player gains 3 or more Extra Successes in a single test
   
3. Whenever GM decides to reward a player for exceptional role-play, outstanding and unconventional action planning, game-changing decision etc.
   
4. Whenever a player prepares a report from the previous game session and presents it at the beginning of the next Tactical Phase
   
5. Whenever a card drawn by GM grants them to the players

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Can be spend:

1. To make the GM or any player (including themselves) reroll any test, paying 1 Astronomicon Point for each 1 level of Success gained in the original score
   
2. To succeed in a single action without a test, automatically gaining Basic (1) level of success before the test is made
   
3. To gain 4 Upgrade Points for chosen Skill Group during Tactical Phase
   
4. To perform any action during Control Phase of the Psychic Powers test without paying any costs
   
5. To make GM exchange already revealed card of any kind for a new one from the same deck, paying number of Astronomicon Points shown in the card’s cost (if it has one). Players are allowed to pay such costs collectively

Maximum number of Astronomicon Points a player can have during a game session and keep between game sessions = Psyche level of their Main character. Astronomicon Points gained beyond that level are lost (unless spent immediately)

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RUIN POINTS

Can be gained:

1. Whenever a player fails a test with a Complication (The Eye of Terror)
   
2. Whenever a PC dies
   
3. Whenever all players decide to reward the GM for exceptional role-play, outstanding narration, mind-blowing scene etc.
   
4. Whenever X Astronomicon Points are spent during single game session where X = number of players
   
5. Whenever a card drawn by GM grants them any

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Can be spend:

1. To make the GM or any player reroll any test, paying 1 Ruin Point for each 1 level of Success gained in the original score
   
2. To make an NPC succeed in a single action without a test, automatically gaining Basic (1) level of success before the test is made
   
3. To decrease level of Damage taken by a PC or NPC by 1 for each 1 Ruin Point spent
   
4. To perform any action during Control Phase of the Psychic Powers test without paying any costs
   
5. To exchange already revealed card of any kind for a new one, chosen personally from the same deck, paying number of Ruin Points equal to the chosen card’s cost (if it has one).

Maximum number of Ruin Points the GM can have during a game session and keep between game sessions = 4. Ruin Points gained beyond that level withdraw 1 Astronomicon Point from the pool of a player with the greatest number of those.

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There are several card decks included for the game, each containing data relevant for particular game Phase, usage of Psychic Powers, random encounters or simply a handout with statics of an equipment a character has. These game pieces are meant to make the gameplay easier and more attractive, yet they can be replaced with dice rolls and value tables if necessary.