Brian Lai (Order #13107706)

Cardboard Dreams

Elsewhere High

A Tabletop Role-Playing Game

By:
Matt Beer, Wyatt Elseberry,
Justin John, John Martel

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Brian Lai (Order #13107706)
 Acknowledgements
Thank you to Professor Sean Boyle for his guidence and feedback.
Also thank you to our friends and testers who aided in the development of this game.
Thank you to our formative high school peers who molded us physically and mentally.
Typography credit: http://www.fontspace.com/abdulmakesfonts/high-school-usa

Copyright 2017 Matthew Beer, Wyatt Elsberry, Justin John, John Martel
All Rights Reserved
Version 1.0.0.0

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, smoke signal, or otherwise, without the prior express permission of the
publisher.

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 Table of Contents
Elsewhere Highschool.......................4 Alchemical Concoctions.............19
Reloading.......................................19
Change Position...........................19
Chapter 1: Game Concepts...............6 Bail..................................................19
What is Elsewhere High?...................6 Use an Item...................................19
What is a Roleplaying Game?...........6 Health and Damage.....................20
Who are you?........................................6
Who is the PA?.....................................6
Chapter 4: Running the Game.......21
What do you do?..................................6
Things to Know.................................21
What do you need to play?................6
Before Starting the Adventure......21
How do you play?................................6
During the Campaign.......................21
Elsewhere, USA...................................6
Player Advancement
and Rewads..............................21
Chapter 2: Character Creation........8 PA Tools...............................................21
Core Classes..........................................8 Non-Player Characters..............21
Electives................................................8 Enemies..........................................21
PE Electives ....................................8 Difficulty of Skill Checks...........22
LA Electives ....................................9 PA Tips................................................22
Sci Electives....................................9 Sample Adventure.............................22
EC Electives....................................9
Cliques...................................................9
Populars...........................................9
Elsewhere High
Artists...............................................9 Student Report Card..............24
Geeks..............................................10
Outsiders.......................................10 Glossary...............................................25
Semesters and Credit Hours..........11
Derived Stats......................................11
Homelife..............................................12 Index....................................................26
Gear and Items...................................12
Weapons.........................................13
Black Magic Foci.........................13
Alchemical Tools..........................13
Armor..............................................13
Miscellaneous...............................13

Chapter 3: Playing the Game.........16

Skill Checks........................................16
Full-Credit, Half-Credit,
and Extra Credit.....................16
Examples.............................................16
Combat.................................................17
Battle Formation.........................17
Turn Structure.............................18
Attacking.......................................18

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 Elsewhere Highschool
Elsewhere High has been at the forefront of education for centuries, and is one of the oldest educational establish-
ments in the world. We are committed to providing the highest level of education for our students, giving them a wide variety
of skills and talents in order to set them on the path of excellence. We here at Elsewhere High believe that through a strict
regimen of rigorous study and self-imposed discipline, every student will rise up and seize the great opportunities that come
in life
As a student here at Elsewhere High, you will be expected to follow the rules and guidelines put forth by this hand-
book, push yourself to new extremes, and become well rounded capable young adults. As recognition of your acceptance
of the rules outlined in this book, we the faculty of Elsewhere High please ask that you sign the bottom of this page in blue
or black ink, and we would like to welcome you to Elsewhere High.

Your Name:_______________________________________________________________________

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 This page is intentionally left blank.

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Brian Lai (Order #13107706)
 Chapter 1: Game Concepts
What is Elsewhere High?
Elsewhere High is a roleplaying game in which
players take on the role of students dealing with the perils
of high school life in the 1980s, in addition to surviving and
interacting with the supernatural creatures and strange
events that are omnipresent around this strange school.
What is a Roleplaying Game?
A Roleplaying game is a pen and paper game
where, unlike other games, most of the game takes place
in the imaginations of the players. Elsewhere High focuses
on role playing, meaning that you, as a player, will do your
best to think, act and speak like the character you create.
Who are you?
You are your character, and you decide all aspects
of your character. Think of your character as a real person.
He/she has strengths, weaknesses, personality, and quirks.
These small details will help you to really step into his/
her shoes and play their role. Your character is a student
attending Elsewhere High School. They can be a jock, a
nerd, a delinquent, etc. They have all the responsibilities
and everyday woes of students. You will be mostly normal
human teenagers, though exaggerated, goofy characters
are encouraged. Elsewhere High is designed to be played
with a group of players numbering between four and six.
You can play with any number you like, but the rules are
designed with these numbers in mind. The group works
together to solve problems and maybe even save the world.
One player will serve as the PA: a storyteller figure who
reveals the world to the other players.
Who is the PA?
The PA serves as Elsewhere Highs storyteller role.
Whereas other players are only responsible for their own
characters, the PA is responsible for everything else, such
as controlling the monsters and putting obstacles in the
groups way. This does not mean, however, that the PA is
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playing Elsewhere High against the other players. Their task
is to create the world around the players, drive the storytell-
ing, and make the game fun for everyone involved. Since
this role is significantly harder than that of the other players
we recommend someone experienced with Elsewhere High
or another roleplaying game takes this position. We also
have a section of helpful guidance for the PA starting in
Chapter 4: Running the Game.
What do you do?
You have infinite options. This is a difficult concept
to understand, especially when coming from traditional
games. Put yourself in your characters shoes, imagine
being in their exact situation. Anything you could do if you
were actually there is completely valid. However, oppor-
tunity is not the same as ability; you might fail. The main
purpose of the game mechanics detailed later in this book
is to determine how likely you are to succeed at tasks.
What do you need to play?
Elsewhere High is a game that is played with few
tools. To play you will need a paper and pencil and some
type of die. Any die will work, six-sided dice, 20-sided dice,
even coins, anything with an even number of faces will
work.
How do you play?
To determine whether or not you succeed at a
course of action you roll dice. Unlike most games the
kind of dice used does not matter in Elsewhere High.
When rolling dice, you either collect passes or fails.
Any even numbers on the dice are passes and will go
towards succeeding at the task. Often, you will earn a
number of automatic passes based on your character.
 Elsewhere, USA
Elsewhere High is an American style high school
during the 1980s filled with wacky hijinks and formative
experiences. However, on top of the normal trials and tribu-
lations of life in high school, there are strange phenomena
in and around the town. Crop-circles, UFOs, Bigfoot, the
dragon in the boiler room, they all seem drawn to and highly
concentrated around the town of Elsewhere, especially the
high school. There is also the mysteriously knowledgeable,
omnipresent PA system, which some people can hear,
regardless of location, despite the fact that there is no PA
room. These supernatural oddities are often apparent and
obvious, though it seems as if none of the residents of
Elsewhere either perceive or care about them.
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It is rumored that Elsewhere lies squarely on top of
ancient, powerful ground. Some say its a conflux of power-
ful ley lines, others claim that it was once the site of ancient
blood rituals in days long past. Some say that there is an
alternate dimension of madness and magic layered on top
of our reality, controlled and populated by humanitys col-
lective unconscious. Those people claim that the intangible
barrier between these two realities is thinnest at Elsewhere,
USA, so thin that the realities blend into one another, but
the Veil between the two worlds hides abnormalities from
their inhabitants. But everyone in Elsewhere knows all of
this to simply be urban legend.
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 Chapter 2: Character Creation
Students at Elsewhere High fall into one of four
cliques. They will take on roles within these cliques in order
to better define themselves. A students clique and role may
influence their actions and demeanor, but no one should
feel a need to fit to a stereotype. Your abilities are defined
by the amount of credit-hours invested into your core class-
es and electives.
Example 1) Johnny wants to play Gragnar the
brutal barbarian.
Example 2) Salley wants to play Janet, an angsty
goth.
Core Classes
Every student in Elsewhere High attends four
core classes: Physical Education, Liberal Arts, Sciences,
and Extracurriculars. Each class has three associated
electives. When creating a character, start with one point in
each Core Class.
Physical Education (PE): This determines your
aptitude for combat with mundane weapons, running,
dodging, throwing objects, lifting heavy objects, and other
physical actions.
Liberal Arts (LA): This covers more mental activi-
ties such as: black magic, bluffing, disguising oneself, infor-
mation gathering, and recollection of obscure knowledge.
Sciences (Sci): Among other things, this defines
your ability to perform alchemy, understand and manipulate
mechanical or electronic devices, and analyze peoples
behavior.
Core Classes
Table 2.1 PE LA
Extracurriculars (EC): All illegal, questionable,
or covert acts like stealing, hiding or smuggling, or sneaking
fall under this core class.
When overcoming obstacles, you will roll a num-
ber of dice equal to your rating in the related core class.
Ex1) Since Gragnar is suppose to be incredibly strong,
Johnny remembers that he will need to focus on PE.
Ex2) Janet is supposed to love Edgar Allen Poe, so
LA is likely something Sally will want to put points into.
Electives
Electives are the major representation of the
students skill in a scenario. When using an elective to
overcome an obstacle, you will add a number of successes
equal to your rating in that elective to your roll. There are
twelve electives offered at Elsewhere High, organized by
the core class they are associated with. While it is important
to understand Electives and their role in the game, we dont
recommend spending credit hours in electives just yet.
PE Electives
Weights: Weights measures your physical strength,
and is used for any task requiring brute force. This is your
primary skill when using melee weapons.
Gymnastics: Gymnastics describes your ability to
climb, jump, balance, or maneuver in any difficult or specific way.
Track & Field: Track & Field describes your speed
and accuracy. It is the primary skill for ranged weapons, and
other thrown objects. It also includes feats of endurance
Sci EC

Weights English Chemistry Trespassing

Electives

Gymnastics History Tech Ed Concealment

Track & Field Theater Psychology Petty Theft

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 and speed like catching up with a fleeing opponent.
LA Electives
English: English describes your ability to weave
tales and articulate complicated ideas. It is the primary skill
for black magic, and any use of black magic requires at
least one credit hour in English.
History: History represents how much you know
about people, places, and events. In game terms, this is
the chance that your character knows something about the
subject at hand. It is the primary skill for recognizing and
understanding the world around you, both mundane and
magical.
Theater: Theater describes your ability to control
what other people see when they look at you. It includes
the ability to bluff and deceiving those around you.
Sci Electives
Chemisty: Chemistry describes your ability to
mix ingredients and identify unknown substances. It is the
primary skill for Alchemy. Any use of Alchemy requires at
least one credit hour in Chemistry.
Technical Education: Technical Education is your
knowledge of technology, whether it is mechanical, elec-
trical, and electronic. It gives you more than the average
familiarity with cars and engines, computers, radios, and
other modern inventions.
Psychology: Psychology describes your ability to
follow trains of thought in order to discover hidden intentions
and catch lies. Its also used to bring someone around to your
point of view, as long as you are being honest with them.
EC Electives
Trespassing: Trespassing describes your ability
to get from point A to point B without being detected. This
includes getting into places youre not supposed to be, by-
pass locked doors, move quietly, and stick to the shadows.
Concealment: Concealment describes your ability
to hide yourself, as well as hide items on your person
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Petty Theft: Petty Theft describes your sleight of
hand, as well as your ability to take things that other people
dont want you to, or manipulate objects without being
noticed.
Ex1) Johnny definitly wants Gragnar to focus
in on Weights so that he can hit as hard as possible.
Ex2) Salley now realizes that Janets in-
terest in gothic literature makes her a magic user.
Cliques
Populars
Sports are a popular pastime at Elsewhere High,
and those who participate in physical activities tend to rise
to the top of the social ladder.
The four roles in the Popular clique are: Athlete,
Prep, Academic, and Cheerleader.
All Pops get +1 PE.
Athlete: Athletes are gifted and well trained stu-
dents who participate in sports. They receive 1 bonus credit
hour for one PE elective.
Prep: Preps are the trendsetters and money hold-
ers in any high school. They receive 1 bonus credit hour for
one LA elective.
Academic: Academics are students who spend
the majority of their time focused on studying. They receive
1 bonus credit hour for one Sci elective.
Cheerleader: Cheerleaders lead students by cre-
ating a feeling of cheer and school spirit. They receive 1
bonus credit hour for one EC elective.
Artists
Artists use their fantastical gifts to create wonderful
and amazing projects during their career in Elsewhere High.
The four roles in the Artist clique are: Sketch Artist,
Creative Writer, Musician, and Thespian.
All Artists get +1 LA.
Sketch Artist: Sketch Artists are students who use
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 Table Cliques
2.2
Populars Artists Geeks Outsiders
+1 PE +1 LA +1 Sci +1 EC

+1 PE
Athlete Sketch Artist LARPer Punk
Elective

+1 LA
Prep Creative Writer Bookwyrm Goth
Roles

Elective

+1 Sci
Academic Musician Nerd Druggie
Elective

+1 EC
Cheerleader Thespian Hacker Burnout
Elective

pencil and paper to create intricate and detailed drawings.
They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one PE elective.
Creative Writer: Writers create new worlds in their
minds, or record critical observations of the world around
them. They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one LA elective.
Musician: Musicians inspire their friends and
demoralize their enemies with the power of song. They
receive 1 bonus credit hour for one Sci elective.
Thespian: Thespians perform amazing tricks and
illusions while hiding in the wings of the theater stage. They
receive 1 bonus credit hour for one EC elective.
Geeks
The academic students at Elsewhere High are
exceedingly gifted in math and science, and flourish under
the guidance of competent Elsewhere High faculty.
The four roles in the Geek clique are: LARPer,
Bookwyrm, Nerd, and Hacker.
All Geeks get +1 Sci.
LARPer: LARPers have taken their niche love to
new heights; choosing to physically emulate the fictional
extravagance in their beloved stories. They receive 1 bonus
credit hour for one PE elective.
Bookwyrm: Bookwyrms spend as much time
as they can buried in between the pages of their favorite
books. They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one LA elective.
Nerd: Nerds spend an excess of time on unpopular
activities, often letting physical and social skills fall to the
wayside. They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one Sci elec-
tive.
Hacker: Hackers are geeks who have taken their
extreme focus to computers and other technical skills. They
receive 1 bonus credit hour for one EC elective.
Outsiders
Outsiders are those students who choose to spend
their time outside of class and filling their heads with rock
and roll and other nonsense.
The four roles in the Outsider clique are: Punks,
Goths, Druggies, and Burnouts.
All Outsiders get +1 EC.
Punk: Angry, angsty, and aggressive, punks are
often wandering around campus looking for their next fight.
They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one PE elective.
Goth: Goths find comfort in the dark stories of
old poets and morbid places around town. They receive 1

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 bonus credit hour for one LA elective.
Druggie: Surprisingly aware and knowledgeable
about a great many things, Druggies allegedly collect and
redistribute the illicit substances on Elsewhere Highs cam-
pus. They receive 1 bonus credit hour for one Sci elective.
Burnout: Burnouts have all but left school,
choosing to focus instead on whatever substance
or activity has taken their attention instead. They
receive 1 bonus credit hour for one EC elective.
Ex1) Johnny decides that Gragnar is clearly an
amazing football player, so he decides that Gragnar is an
Athlete. He puts a 1 in his PE and 1 in Weights for his free
elective.
Ex2) Salley is happy that Goth is a preset, and
chooses that straight away, putting a one in Janets LA and
a 1 in her English.
Semesters and Credit Hours
Once you have chosen your clique and role, and
gotten your bonus Core Class and Elective credits, it is time
to choose what other classes you will prioritize for the se-
mester. How many credit hours you have depends on how
long you have been at Elsewhere High and can be seen in
the chart below. For example, a first semester freshman at
Elsewhere High will have 15 credit hours to spend on their
classes and electives. Putting a credit hour into a class or
credit increases your rating in that class by one to a point.
Depending on the time your student has spent at Elsewhere
High, there is a cost bump. The number of credit hours you
can have in a particular class before the cost increases is
equal to: the number of semesters your student has spent
Table 2.3 1st Semester
Year Credit Hours Cost Bump
1 15
2 45
3 75
4 105
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at Elsewhere High plus three. For example, a first semester
freshman can have a P.E. score of three, but in order to have
a P.E. of four they must pay two credit hours instead of one.
Additionally, the number of credit hours spent in an
elective may never exceed the number of credit hours in the
associated core class.
Any unspent credit hours are simply lost this se-
mester so make sure you spend your time efficiently.
Once you finish spending your credit hours, youll
be able to figure out your derived stats, so go ahead and fill
those out.
Ex1) Gragnar is a 2nd semester 1st year, and thus
has 30 credit hours to spend. Johnny wants only weights, so
he leaves everything but PE at 1, going over the bump each
time. His first 15 hours work out so that he has a 6 in PE
and a 5 in Weights costing him 13 credit hours, then Johnny
throws away the rest. His second 15 credit hours he dumps
in PE and Weights again, bringing PE to 9 and Weights to
8 at a cost of 12 hours. Afterwords he once again, throws
away the last few hours.
Ex2) Janet is a Freshman, and so has 15 credit
hours. She takes a 3 in LA and a 3 in English, costing 3
hours. Because Janet is an Outsider, Salley decides she
should put 3 hours in EC and 3 in Trespassing costing 5
hours for a total spent of 8 hours. Salley puts 3 in Theater
and History, before putting Janets last point in PE for a 2 in
that class so that she is not totally physically inept.
Derived Stats
There are other stats you have that are derived
from one or more of your Core Classes. These include
Angst, Stress, Initiative and Attention. These are important
concepts to understand, but dont add them up quite yet.
2nd Semester
Credit Hours Cost Bump
3 30 4
5 60 6
7 90 8
9 120 10
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 Table 2.4
Derived Stats
Angst
Stress
Initiative
Attention
These values will change as your Core Classes change, so
you should add them up at the end of character creation.
Angst: This describes how much damage you can
shrug off due to youthful anxiety and dread about the state
of the world. Your angst returns to you after a brief rest. To
determine your Angst, add your EC with your LA.
Stress: This describes the amount of damage,
physical or mental, that you can withstand without having
a breakdown. It takes significantly longer to heal stress. To
determine your Stress, add your EC with your PE.
Initiative: This describes how quickly you react
to situations, and determines how early you take your turn
in combat. The higher this number, the faster you go. To
determine your Initiative, add your Sci with your PE.
Attention: This describes your eye for detail, and
helps you spot things that are out of place. The higher this
number, the better you are at perceiving your surroundings.
To determine your Attention, add your Sci with your LA.
Angst, Stress and Initiative are mostly combat
stats, and will be described in greater detail in the Combat
section, under Mechanics.
Ex1) Gragnar has a PE of 9 and all of his other
core classes are at 1. This means that his Angst total
is 2, his Stress is at 10, Initiative 10, and Attention 2.
Ex2) Janets Angst is at 6, her stress is at 5, Initia-
tive 3, and Attention 4.
Homelife
While most of the game will take place during
school, students are more than just their school careers.
In Elsewhere High, this is represented with Homelife. Your
Homelife describes your situation at home and with your
family. In a situation in which your Homelife is relevant,
you get an additional 1 die to roll in your dice pool when
performing skill checks, at your PAs discretion.
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EC + LA
EC + PE
Sci + PE
Sci + LA
Homelife gives your characters backstory a little
more relevance in the game, so be creative with them. Be-
low are listed several example Homelife, but any Homelife
your PA approves is ok.
Flower Child: Your parents are the cool parents.
Theyre extremely laidback and relaxed.
Military Brat: Your household is a military one.
Your parents value discipline and are extremely formal and
uptight.
Criminal: Your parents trend on the wrong side of
the law. They have a general disrespect for authority, but
probably want a better life for you.
Helicopter Parents: You are your parents special
child, and as a result, they are always overbearing and
nearby.
Ghost Parents: Your house is always empty, but
things seem like they get done. Theres dinner in the oven,
and the trash gets taken out, but otherwise your parents are
nearly non-existent.
Ex1) Johnny decides Gragnar was frozen in a
glaciar before the start of the term, and thus is a wandering
caveman when not at school. He runs the idea by the PA
and the PA accepts this plan.
Ex2) Salley wants Janet to be a rebel, and chooses
the Military Brat preset.
Gear and Items
Initially when creating your character, you may
choose up to $25 worth of equipment. You keep any excess
money and save it for later. If you are creating a character
at a higher grade level, you may start with an additional $30
per completed semester.
You may only wield one weapon, focus, or tool at
one time. Switching to a different weapon, focus, or tool
requires an action.
 With many of these items, the specific form
is left up to your imagination so that you can choose
equipment that fits your character. This means that a
Heavy Melee weapon can be whatever you want it to be,
within PAs discretion, including a baseball bat, a hockey
stick or a English longsword.

Weapons:
Weapons increase the potency of attacks. Us-
ing a Heavy Melee or Ranged weapon pre-
vents holding anything in your other hand.

Black Magic Foci:

Black Magic Foci increase your maximum mana,
and enable the use of Black Magic attacks. You may only
benefit from one Focus at a time, regardless of how many
you are carrying.

Alchemical Tools:
Alchemical Tools increase the number and/or level
of alchemical concoctions you can prepare, and serve as a
portable kit to create them. You may only benefit from one
Tool at a time, regardless of how many you are carrying.

Armor:
Armor increases your defense against attacks by
increasing your effective core classes when attacked. You
may only wear one type of armor at a time.

Miscellaneous:
These items dont necessarily have a mechanical
benefit, but may still be useful to creative thinkers.

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 Table 2.5
Weapon Type Damage Ammo Examples Cost
Unarmed +1 N/A Fist N/A
Light Melee (1 Hand- Baseball Bats, Tennis
+2 N/A $5
ed) Rackets
Heavy Melee (2 Hockey Sticks, Golf
+3 N/A $10
Handed) Clubs
Light Ranged +1 8 Golf Ball sized $5
Medium Ranged +2 4 Baseball sized $10
Bowling Balls, Jave-
Heavy Ranged +3 2 $15
lins, Shot Put

Table 2.6
Foci Type Mana Bonus Cost
Pamphlet +3 $10
Book +6 $85
Tome +9 $200

Table 2.7
Tool Type Resource Bonus Cost
Jr. Scientist Kit +3 $10
Doctors Bag +6 $85
Portable Laboratory +9 $200

Table 2.8
Armor Type Defense Cost
Light Padding +1 PE $10
Medium Padding +2 PE $75
Heavy Padding +3 PE $120
Light Ward +1 LA $10
Medium Ward +2 LA $65
Heavy Ward +3 LA $120
Light Armor +1 PE, +1 LA $65
Heavy Armor +2 PE, +2 LA $200

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 Table 2.9 Notes Cost
Miscellaneous Items
Bicycle Lock and helmet included $40
Binoculars $7
Boombox Plays cassette tapes and AM/FM radio $10
Calculator 4-function, solar powered $6
Compass $2
Flashlight 150ft. Range $3
Hand Mirror $3
Lighter $5
Lockpick Enables Tresspasing rolls to pick locks $5
Magnet $3
Makeup Bag Reroll 1 die on Theater rolls affecting your appearance $5
Pet Food $1
Pocket Knife Too small for use as a weapon $5
Rope 20ft. Supports up to 200 lbs. $4
Snacks $2
Tool Kit Contains screwdrivers, hammer, wrench, pliers, WD-40, and duct $20
tape.
Walkie-Talkie 6 Channels, 900ft. range voice, 1 mile range Morse code. $20
Water Bottle Plastic, holds 1 liter. $2
Yo-yo $1

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 Chapter 3: Playing the Game
Now that youve determined your characters statistics, you Examples
need to know how those are used to determine whether or Example 1:
not your character succeeds at something they try to do. Grognar is attempting to make a milkshake.
He wishes for it to taste delicious, so the PA tells him to
Skill Checks roll a Chemistry check to determine how delicious it is.
Elsewhere High uses a dice pool system based on
Unfortunately, Grognar is completely illiterate, and has
your Core Classes and Electives. Any kind of dice is valid,
a base Science score of 1, and a Chemistry score of 0.
as long as there are an even number of faces. An even
Therefore he rolls 1 die and has no automatic successes.
number is a success, while an odd is a failure.
His max roll is a 1 for deliciousness. Good thing multiple
Skill checks should be rolled by rolling a number
concussions have stunted Grognars sense of taste.
of dice equal to the most relevant core class, and add a
number of successes equal to the most relevant elective
Example 2:
to the roll. The PA should decide which core + elective is
Janet and her friends are trapped in the backstage
the most relevant to what the player is attempting to do,
utility locker while the janitor is being eaten by zombies.
but should remain open minded and encourage creative
Fortunately, before he succumbed to their undead embrace,
thinking among the players.
he dropped the keys on the ground. Unfortunately, they are
just out of reach. Janet sees a wire coat hanger, a stick of
Full-Credit, Half-Credit, gum and a legal pad, and thinks maybe she could fashion
and Extra Credit a contraption to retrieve the keys. The PA tells her to roll
If a skill check demands that you roll a certain,
a Shop check, but Janet has no points in Shop. However,
specific skill and you use that skill to attempt to overcome it,
Janet notices that she has a skill of 6 in Petty Theft. She
you receive Full Credit.
wonders if its possible if she could use her knowledge of
stealing things from hard to reach places to aid her in the
Full Credit: Roll the relevant Core Class and add
creation of this device, as its express purpose is retrieving
a number of auto successes based on your skill in the
an item from a hard to reach place. The PA considers it and
relevant Elective
allows her to roll with Half-Credit. This means she can make
Half Credit: If you can convince the PA of the rele-
the roll, but add a different elective at additional difficulty.
vance of another applicable skill through creative problem
Janet rolls a number of dice equal to her Science skill, and
solving skills, you receive Half Credit. Roll the same Core
adds half of her Petty Theft to her roll. Janet creates the de-
Class and add a number of successes equal to half of the
vice and retrieves the keys, allowing her and her friends to
new Elective, rounded down.
escape while the zombies are preoccupied with the janitors
Extra Credit: If you have Full Credit or Half Credit
quadriceps. Never skip leg day!
on a skill check, but do an excellent job of role playing, or
come up with a creative solution to a problem, and sufficiently
Example 3:
impress the PA, you receive Extra Credit. Roll an additional
Hugo needs to get dressed for his big date, but the
number of dice equal to half the Core Class, rounded down.
area around his house has mysteriously reversed gravity,
causing his mothers decorative lawn flamingos, as well
as the family cat, Mrs.Cattington, to fall off the face of the

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 planet. He is forced to run to the gypsy thrift store to attempt Appropriate Battle Formations
to assemble an acceptable outfit. He asks what he should
roll to see if he succeeds, but cannot figure out what class
is most relevant. He and the PA discuss and decide that
he should roll Theater. Hugo really gets into character role
playing finding an outfit, and goes into great detail about
the clothes he decides on. The PA recognizes his efforts to
role play and gives him Extra Credit. Hugo rolls a number
of dice equal to his Liberal Arts score. He then rolls an addi-
tional number of dice equal to half of his Liberal Arts score,
rounded down. Finally, he adds his Theater skill. Hugo looks
better than a ice-cold glass of lemonade on a warm day. Too
bad the suit he picked up is the site of a microbial Native
American burial ground, and is exceedingly haunted.

Combat
We here at Elsewhere High do not condone vio-
lence, but sometimes when your back is against a wall, you
will need to fight. Its times like those that you will need to
following information.

Battle Formation
Combat takes place in an imaginary rank and file
system. Combatants line up across from each other at the
start of combat, forming a Front Line and a Back Line. In
order to be in the Back Line, you must declare an ally in the
Front Line to be behind. Only one person can be behind
another person, unless otherwise stated. Players with me-
lee weapons can target only the enemy Front Line. Players
with ranged weapons or magic can target both the Front
Line and the Back Line. If a combatant in the Front Line is
removed from combat, any person behind them is moved to
the Front Line.
Below is a diagram of valid formations for groups
with 4 players, where the top of the image is the Front Line,
and the bottom is the Back Line.

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 Turn Structure to your Track & Field skill).

Combat in Elsewhere High is turn-based, which If you roll higher than your targets PE, then you hit!

means every combatant gets their own slot of time in which To determine damage, roll your PE and add a num-

they get to take their action. When engaging in combat, the ber of auto successes equal to your Weapons damage.

very first thing that needs to be done is determine the order Each attack with a ranged weapon consumes 1

in which people make their moves. ammo. If you run out of ammo, you can take a reload action

First all combatants should compare their Initiative to recover ammo.

numbers. Combat order is determined by sorting the initia- Black Magic: Attacking with Black Magic requires

tives of all combatants from highest to lowest, with highest you to be holding a Black Magic focus.

going first and lowest going last. Ties will be resolved by Assign a number of Mana up to the amount you

going in alphabetical order from last name, or you may use have in your Mana pool to your attack.

a coin toss, or die roll. The order in which enemies with the
same initiative and name attack is arbitrary. Roll an English check (Roll your LA score and add

On their turn a combatant may make a single ac- a number of auto successes equal to your English skill).

tion: Attack, Reload, Change Position, Bail, or Use an Item. If you roll lower than your targets LA, then you can

Once all combatants have taken their turn, the turn order decide to siphon off mana assigned to the spell in order to

returns to the highest Initiative and the order continues in a reroll a number of dice equal to the amount of siphoned

descending order once again. Combatants that are Dead or mana.

Breaking Down are removed from the order. If you roll higher than your targets Liberal Arts, then
you hit!

Attacking The amount of damage you deal is equal to the

Attacking is very similar to rolling skill checks, but amount of Mana in the attack.

varies slightly depending on the kind of attack you are per- You can restore mana by taking a reload action.

forming. Alchemy: At any point you have some free time

and access to materials and tools, you can create a concoc-

Melee Attacks: Roll a Weights skill check (Roll tion from a list.

your PE score and add a number of auto successes equal You may assign an amount of Resources to an item

to your Weights skill). based on your Resource pool.

If you roll higher than your targets PE, then you hit! Resource points do not return to your pool until

To determine damage, roll your PE and add a num- the Concoction is used or dismantled. Dismantling a

ber of auto successes equal to your Weapons damage. Concoction simply returns the points to your pool with no

Alternatively, before rolling, you may choose to effect. Other players can use your Concoctions, but need

Shove your opponent. If you hit, they are forced to switch to be given them first. Using, Dismantling or handing off a

positions with anyone behind them in the enemy battle concoction is an action.

formation. This does no damage, and has no effect if there In combat, you can use your turn to craft a Concoc-

is no one behind them. tion from your list with a reload action.

Ranged Attacks: Roll a Track & Field check (Roll

your PE score and add a number of auto successes equal

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 Alchemical Concoctions
Item Name
Healing Tincture
Hot Sauce
Cherry Bomb
Pocket Sand
Energy Drink
Reloading
Many forms of attacking rely on some form of
ammunition. In longer fights, you may need to take time to
recover in order to continue using them. When taking a
reload action, you must choose to recover ammo, restore
mana, or mix an alchemical concoction.
To recover ammo for a ranged weapon, roll a num-
ber of dice equal to your Track & Field score and gain a
number of ammo equal to the number of successes up to
your weapons max ammo.
To restore mana, roll a number of dice equal to
your English score and gain an amount of mana equal
to the number of successes up to your maximum Mana.
Effect
Heal a number of Stress equal to the level of this item.
Heal a number of Angst equal to the level of this item.
Gain a single-use, ranged weapon that deals a number of
damage equal to the level of this item, divided evenly
rounded down to 1-3 enemies adjacent to one another.
Roll a number of dice equal to the level of this item
rounded down. The number of successes is how many
turns an enemy is stunned. A stunned enemy cannot take
actions.
The user of this item gains a number of successes on their
next roll equal to the level of this item.
Bail
As an action, you can decide to flee the fight. Make
a Track & Field check against a difficulty decided by the PA.
If successful, you are able to run away, and are removed
from combat. Hopefully your friends will make it without
you.
Use an Item
Switching to a different weapon, tool, or focus is an
action, as well any interaction with an object more complex
than simply dropping it.

You can take your turn to craft a Concoction from

your list, but can only assign half of your currently available
Resource points to it.

Change Position
As an action, you may swap positions with some-
one else in the battle formation. Both players must agree
to the change. This also changes who is behind who.
Alternatively, you may move behind someone in the Front
Line, or from the Back Line to the Front Line. The formation
must be valid after your move.

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 Health and Damage
When you get hit by an attack, you take damage
in Stress. Your angst score determines how much Stress
you can withstand before it starts to wear at you. After your
Angst is depleted, Stress damage starts to pile up, until it
reaches your max. At this point, you have a breakdown.
Angst starts at full and ticks down as you take
damage. Angst recovers to full after 10 minutes of being out
of combat.
Stress starts at empty and fills up as you take
damage. Stress damage stays with you longer, but will be
removed after a full nights rest.
When you have full stress, you suffer a Breakdown.
What exactly happens depends on the PA. This means that
you are at least incapacitated, and removed from combat.
You will be unable to contribute until you remove some
Stress and have a full nights rest. Consequences may be
more serious depending on the tone of the game and the
PAs decision.

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 Chapter 4: Running the Game
Most often a positive role playing game experi-
ence is dependant upon the person pulling the strings. It
is the job of this person, hereby referred to as the Public
Announcement System (The PA), to craft the people,
places, and things the group of players will encounter.
The PA should be there to help the players with the
more technical details of the game and to encourage
interesting and collaborative ways to solve problems.
Things to Know
Elsewhere, USA can be anywhere that you want it
to be. It can be a big urban city or a tiny rural town in the
middle of nowhere, the only important thing is that the town
has some paranormal occurrences centered on the school.
The reason for these supernatural elements of the game is
the school itself, it exists in a place where fantasy creatures
and magic leaks through what is known as the Veil. The Veil
is essentially a hole in reality where just about anything can
slip through into an otherwise mundane reality. Feel free to
use any fantasy creatures you want or make up your own
fun entities.
Before Starting the Adventure
Much like road trips, the key to a successful cam-
paign is successfully meeting the needs and expectations
of everyone along for the ride. It can be very helpful in the
shaping of your adventure to know just what the party wants
to do. Theres no shame in asking your players what they
want from the experience. A group interested in combat will
probably not much care for your grand plot and mystery.
During the Campaign
Often you will find that the nicely paved narrative
that you have set for your players will be ignored, avoided,
or even downright attacked. It is important to plan ahead for
just about any reaction your players will have to the plot.
Other times it will simply be luck, either good or bad, that
throws the plot awry. So it is always in your best interest to
have many paths to the same solution.
Brian Lai (Order #13107706)
Player Advancement
and Rewads
Players can gain more Credit Hours during the
course of the adventure. Usually this is tied to the starting
of a new Semester or Academic Year, but you can feel free
to advance your players along if you feel like your players
need to be rewarded for their hard work. Just remember
that the enemies and challenges need to become more
difficult to keep up. Players may also receive money from
fallen foes or completed challenges. Make sure that you
give them time to find a vendor if the cash is piling up.
PA Tools
Non-Player Characters (NPCs)
NPCs will often only need to have Core Classes,
Health, Initiative, and some inventory.. Try to think about
the NPCs relationship to the players based on clique, social
status and homelife. If the NPC is another student, and the
player trying to interact with them is not within their same
clique, consider having them roll a simple social check to
determine if the NPC will mingle outside of their social circle.
Remember that Elsewhere High is a role playing game,
with an emphasis on role playing. Try to make your NPCs
truly unique and consistent with the theme of the world.
They can be mundane other students or fantastical crea-
tures and faculty, make the world as interesting as you want.
Give them strengths, weaknesses, quirks, and personality.
Enemies
Enemies will often only need Core Classes. Be
sure to give foes strengths and weaknesses, for example,
an enemy with high PE would probably be vulnerable to
Science or Liberal Arts attacks. Balanced characters should
be saved for the harder encounters. Singular Boss enemies
should have a high health pool or many underlings in or-
der to make the fight more challenging. Below are some
pre-constructed enemies balanced for a 1st semester group
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 of 4 players.
2x Melee enemy: PE: 4 LA: 2 Sci: 2 EC: 3 HP: 12 Init: 6
Weapon: Crude clubs (+1 damage)
3x Ranged enemy: PE: 2 LA: 3 Sci: 3 EC: 2 HP: 9 Init: 5
Weapon: Thrown rocks (+1 Damage)
1x Leader enemy PE: 3 LA: 4 Sci: 2 EC: 4 HP: 15 Init: 5
Weapon: (+2 damage)
Here is an example of a Boss enemy:
The Calcu-Litch, Master of the Triginomicon ( PE: 5 LA: 10
SCI: 12 EC: 3 HP: 40 Init: 7)
Remember, avoid making enemies that can be hit by the
auto successes of your group if at all possible, otherwise
the fight can get boring. For large mobs of enemies howev-
er, feel free to let them have lower stats, just make sure they
have a chance to hit the players.
Difficulty of Skill Checks
A good metric for skill check difficulty is to
use the skill bump for the semester the players are on
plus one as average difficulty. Refer to the above table
for a basic guide on difficulty class over semesters.
Very Easy Easy Average
Skill Bump -1 Skill Bump Skill Bump +1
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Brian Lai (Order #13107706)
PA Tips
A Breakdown does not necessarily mean that
players will return the next day, or at all. It can mean what
you want it to mean, which includes character death on one
end of the spectrum, or simply removal from combat on the
other end. Just remember that you shouldnt throw your
players a curveball and change what Breakdowns mean
without cluing them in.
Item descriptions are intentionally vague, so that players
can decide what theyre using as a light ranged weapon.
As far as item bonuses goes, a +1 bonus is great for year
1, and a +2 bonus is great for year 2, etc, in terms of game
balance.
Sample Adventure
Base Challenge for Level 1: (Level bump at 3)
Easy: less than or equal to 3
Normal: 4
Hard: Higher than 4
You and your friends have been sent to
detention, (explain what you did or did not do)
Alt:
Jimmy Clydes tried to pick a fight in the lunchroom and
somehow you all were blamed for it. Jimmy(PE 4, LA 2, Sci
1, EC 3, HP 14, Initiative 5)
In Detention the group may overhear (Perception
5) some prep kids talking about a party at Susie Fields
house. The group may try and talk to Claire Smith and Mary
Johnson to gain more information. Must clear LA-Theater
4 to get a straight answer, 2 to get a vague response, any
lower and they are ignored or told off. Unless they are prep
and notice that Claire and Mary are also prep, Sci-History 2.
The party is at Susies house and her parents arent
home. None of the group knows Susie and the party is invite
only. They must find a way to get invited (or Sneak in).
Hard Very Hard
Skill Bump +2 Skill Bump +3
 The party is Tonight at 9pm at 369 Greenway St,
Elsewhere. Susies Boyfriend Mark Samson is invited along
with his football buddies, as are her friends Sarah Goldberg,
Heather Clark, and Tammy Clydes, Jimmys Sister.
Group can learn of any of the names out of context
with a LA-Theater 2, know her boyfriend at 3, and Tammy at
4. Sci-Hist Tammy relation at 3.
Susie(PE 1, LA 4, Sci 3, EC 2, HP 10, Initiative 2)
can be found (by chance if stagnation) with a LA-Theater 4
or Sci-History 4. Will flat deny group unless LA-Theater 4+.
Group can try to fight Susie, but will end up scaring her off
and cause her boyfriend to pursue with football team.
Group can attempt to steal from Susie to try and
found out more information, must clear a 4 EC-Theft to get
time and address, 3 only gets Time.
If inquired about a way to get invited and met prev
req, Susie will mention a stalker. STALKER wears a hooded
sweater and has followed Susie for the past few weeks and
even found her home. She wants him to stop following her
and her boyfriend is busy with football.
STALKER(PE 3, Lib 4, Sci 3, Xtra 1, HP 20, Initia-
tive 13) -- ENCOUNTER(HIST 3)
Susies Stalker is actually a Wraith bent on us-
ing her party to steal the souls of Susie and her friends.
At first the Stalker will attempt to flee by phasing into the
walls or simply slipping into the dark. So long as there is an
abundance of light or sunlight the Wraith will not approach
the group. The Wraith can either be chased into the base-
ment of the school (Track 2) or if the group loses it, they
can find out that it has been seen going into the basement
by other students (Hist 2/Lib 2). If the group does follow
the Stalker into the basement they will be forced to fight it.
Brian Lai (Order #13107706)
Upon defeating the Stalker the group will find 10
dollars and be able to take any piece of sports equipment
they want from the basement of the gym. Upon returning
to Susie and telling her that they defeated the Stalker, she
will be grateful and allow them to attend her party if they
promise not to tell anyone else about it.
BLACK MARKET KID(Theater 5 or 30 dollars)
Should your group start to run out of options to
find out about this party, they could attempt to find Tommy
The Rat Smythe who will sell them tickets for 30 dol-
lars or can be convinced to lower the price to 20 dollars
if they pass a Theatre check of 5 or higher. All important
details about the party will be written on the Invitation.
SNEAK INTO PARTY(Conceal 4, Theater 5 if caught)
Entire group must roll a Conceal 4 or higher to successful-
ly sneak into the party. However if any one of the members
of the group get caught the entire group must roll Theater 5
or higher to convince the guests that they were invited. The
party continues as normal until the Stalker shows up and
starts draining the party guests of their souls, unless the
group had already beaten the Stalker, in which case they
just get to enjoy a mediocre High School party.
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 Elsewhere High Student Report Card
Name:________________ Year/Semester: ___________________
Clique:________________ Angst: ____/___ = ___ EC + ___ LA
Role:_________________ Stress: ____/___ = ___ EC + ___ PE
Homelife:______________ Initiative: _____ = ___ Sci + ___ PE
Attention: _____ = ___ Sci + ___ LA
___ Phys Ed
___ Weights
___ Gymnastics Mana: __/__=__ LA + __ English + __ Book
___ Track & Field
Resources:
___ Liberal Arts Max: __ = __ Sci + __ Chem + __ Tool
___ English Item: Power:
___ History __________________________ ______
___ Theater
__________________________ ______
__________________________ ______
___ Science
___ Chemistry
Character Description:
___ Tech Ed
___ Psychology
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
___ Extracurricular ________________________________
___ Tresspassing ________________________________
___ Concealment
________________________________
___ Petty Theft
________________________________
Gear: Cash: $_____ Notes
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________
_________________ ________________

Brian Lai (Order #13107706)

 Glossary
Alchemy - The ability to craft items that grant powerful Roles - This represents the role you play in your characters
boons and debuffs. social circle. Its more specific than a clique, but is
still fairly generic.
Angst - How much damage you can shrug off due to youthful
anxiety and dread about the state of the world. Semester - This is the period of time when the PA decides
players have completed enough to progress
Attention - Your eye for detail, and your ability to spot
things that are out of place. Stress - The amount of damage, physical or mental, that
you can withstand without having a breakdown.
Black Magic - The ability to cast offensive, ranged magic
attacks.

Breakdown - When your character takes enough stress

damage that they reach their max, they suffer a
breakdown. This can mean several different things
depending on the kind of game youre playing,
ranging from passing out to dying.

Cliques - This represents your characters social circle,

and is the most generic descriptor of your character.

Core Classes - These are your characters core stats

Credit Hours - These represent the amount of skill your

character has, skill points, if you will

Electives - These are your characters skill in more specific

areas

Group - This is what we refer to the player party as.

Initiative - How quickly you react to situations, and

determines how early you take your turn in combat.

Mana - The resource pool for Black Magic.

Public Announcement System - The Game Master of

Elsewhere High

Report Card - This is your character sheet, and a handy

place to record important details about your character,
such as stats, items, and background.

Resources - The resource pool for Alchemy.

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 Index
Alchemy 18
Ammunition 19
Angst 12, 20
Armor 14
Attention 12
Bail 19
Battle formation 17
Black Magic 18
Breakdown 20
Cliques 9
Concoctions 19
Core Classes 8
Cost bump 11
Credit hours 11
Electives 8
Extra credit 16
Full credit 16
Half credit 16
Homelife 12
Initiative 12
Mana 18, 19
Melee attacks 18
Non-Combat items 15
Non-Player Characters 21
Public Announcement System 6, 21
Ranged attacks 18
Reload 19
Report Card 24
Resources 18
Roles 8
Semester 11
Stress 12, 20
Skill check 16
Turn structure 18
Weapons 13

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Brian Lai (Order #13107706)