1 © Farsight Games

A ROLEPLAYING GAME OPEN DESIGN PROJECT

‘In Glorious 2D!’ (IG2D) is a science fiction roleplaying game that has been created with the designer
in mind. It has been written so that the bare bones of the rules, the rules presented in this document, can
be taken away by anyone and adapted, changed, modified and otherwise restructured. Basically, it’s a
game that you can help design.

The aim of the project is to get gamers, designers and potential designers involved with the rules design
process and create a game ruleset for the kind of science fiction games they play, be it cyberpunk,
stellar empires at war, dark sci-fi horror or exploration of the stars. This way, the system can be
adapted and modified to suit playing styles and campaigns for the multitude of gaming groups out
there. This will hopefully create a set of generic rules that anyone can use for any style of science
fiction game.

So where do you come in? Well, it’s simple:

- You take the IG2D rules and give them a read over.
- If there’s anything that you don’t like, you take it out or change it.
- Then you playtest it in your own chosen setting, either an established one or preferably one of
your own design, see what works and what doesn’t and see what else is needed.
- Then you post your rules changes, ideas and thoughts either on the dedicated Farsight Games
forum at www.ukroleplayers.com or wherever it is being discussed and share it with gamers.
- Then you take other ideas posted and try them in your own game, and listen to the feedback
on the ideas and changes that you previously posted.
- The exchange of ideas and opinions help build the system and rules into a game that anyone
can use for any kind of sci-fi game.

At some point in the future, once the project has been running for a while, the best rules and ideas will
be collected and put together in a basic rules document that anyone can download and create their own
games with. These rules can be used to play in your own games or, if you wish, can be used to power
your own science fiction roleplaying game that you can design, write and release as a saleable product
if you want.

That’s not to say that the game can be changed so much that it is unrecognisable from it’s original
design – taking out the attributes, changing the skills and getting rid of the skill resolution system or
changing it from 2D6 to 2D10 isn’t modifying the system, it’s creating a new one. The idea is to add,
remove and modify the existing system. The aim of the IG2D project is to keep to the basic system and
make it work. This way everyone is working from the same page and nobody is being thrown by rule
changes that are designed for what will tantamount to a new system.

And the cost of all this? Nothing at all - just your time and your creativity. If you decide to use the rules
for your own roleplaying game and release it to the paying market then go ahead and do so – there’ll be
no licensing charge or fees to pay because you helped design the game. The system will be available
for anyone to use in any capacity, privately or commercially.

You can add whatever you want to the system. You want to try out a life path character creation
system? Then design one, see if it fits. A more detailed combat resolution system? See what fits and
playtest it. Do you want a fully customisable starship creation system? Then do so – throw out the
starship rules here and start from scratch, if you feel you need to, as long as the basic IG2D system
remains the same. Everything in these pages is customisable. This game system has never been
playtested and has never been used for any setting whatsoever. These are just the bare bones, ready for
you to add some real guts to, put some flesh on and animate.
2 © Farsight Games

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Jonathan Hicks attempts to address the commonly asked questions about the ‘In Glorious 2D!’ open
design project.

Is this really free?

Absolutely. There are no charges whatsoever. There’s no charge for the download, no charge for using
the system, no charge for releasing the system in your own RPG as a saleable product. You can freely
try to make money from this project once you’re happy with a system you feel you can use for your
own game.

Will FARSIGHT GAMES have any creative control?

Nope – the creative control is in the hands of the gamers helping build the system. If there are any
serious deviations from the system then I might comment on the fact that people are getting away from
the core rules, but that depends on the situation and how serious the departure is.

Who owns the copyright on the system?

The basic ‘In Glorious 2D!’ system itself is copyrighted by FARSIGHT GAMES but it’s free for
anyone to use, kind of like an OGL but with no fees. You can’t copyright the system or any rules
changes you make that are used in the system as the basic rules and all derivatives belong to
FARSIGHT GAMES but you can use and adapt the system as you see fit to suit your setting at no
charge.

So what does FARSIGHT GAMES get out of it?

Well, as hard as it is to believe, nothing at all - I’m not looking to make any profit from this in any way
or form. The truth is that I’ve got this system and it has never been used and it seems a shame to let it
die on a computer hard drive. FARSIGHT GAMES will get exposure, that’s for sure, which can’t be
harmful to any sales I might want to try and make in the future, so if anything I’m getting publicity.
The truth is, I know that there are a lot of RPGs out there at the moment and it’d be a little insane for a
tiny games company such as FARSIGHT GAMES to even try and compete. A lot of the games want
gamers to buy into the world they have created and what I originally wanted to do was have the gamers
create the world themselves around a set of rules I wrote. Then, I figured, why not have the gamers
help create the rules as well? That way the whole project could be based around what the gamers like to
play and not what I want them to play. Also, potential game designers could sink their teeth into the
design and creation process and at the same time bounce ideas and thoughts off of other gamers.

What creative rights do I have?

As far as the campaign setting you design is concerned it’s completely your copyrightable property, but
you cannot copyright any rules or system changes you make as they will become the property of the
RPG community once you’ve put them on the forum and, let’s face it, you can’t copyright sections of
the rules you did design and not make public if they’re going to part of the primary free system that’s
copyrighted by FARSIGHT GAMES anyway! If you want to use the rules and release your own
science fiction RPG then you are more than welcome to do so, and you can copyright the game setting
and attribute it to your company as you see fit, but the system can be used in other people’s releases so
you cannot copyright the system itself.

What if I find something in the rules that’s seriously broken?

Then try and fix it or change the rule. Then communicate the change, or just the fact that you found the
broken rule, to the other gamers on the forum. Everyone can then band together to try and fix it, decide
on the best solution and then use the fix in their own games.

What if someone takes my setting ideas and uses them in their own published material?
It’s up to you if you want to publicly discuss your personal settings or not – the idea of the forums is to
discuss the rules and how they work for different science fiction genres. FARSIGHT GAMES has no
control over what you do and don’t discuss on the forums so any disputes over setting designs and
creations is completely between the individuals involved. Just remember that any rules ideas and
information you post on the forums is free for anyone to use in any capacity.

What if I seriously disagree with a rule change someone on the forum made?
I’m not looking to start any fights, here! If you disagree, then politely state your position and discuss
the issue. At the end of the day, if the rule works for them and not for you then so be it – they can use
3 © Farsight Games

the rule if they want to. The last thing I want are huge arguments about it. I’ll be monitoring the
discussions on the forum as an administrator so if I do see anything boiling I’ll point it out to all
concerned. The idea is for a free exchange of ideas, not a place for heated rows about who is right or
wrong.

Can I create a new genre with the rules? Such as a fantasy setting or a horror one?
Although the idea behind the project is science fiction, a genre I know a lot about and therefore feel
comfortable with, there’s no reason why you can’t rework the rules to suit another genre. Hopefully the
system is robust enough to handle other types of games. If you do then you can still post your ideas and
changes on the forum for everyone to use and that’ll help open whole new avenues of possibilities, and
bring other people into the discussion.

Hold on - aren’t you just getting the RPG community to do the design work for you?
Yes I am! For I am evil!
The reward for the RPG community is that they get a free set of rules that have been modified and
changed to suit just about every kind of RPG group, and they can do anything they want with those
rules once they’re done, or at least at a level they’re comfortable with. They’ll have a full set of
community playtested rules, they can use them to release their own RPG campaign setting to a paying
customer base and they don’t have to pay one penny to FARSIGHT GAMES or anyone else for the
privilege. That sounds like a bargain to me.

If you have any other questions then send an email to info@farsightgames.com and I’ll get back to you
as soon as possible.
4 © Farsight Games

THE RULES
There are three primary Attributes in the ‘In Glorious 2D!’ roleplaying game. These are:

Body - This score denotes how agile and dextrous the character is. A character with a high AG will be
able to fire weapons accurately, move faster than most and have quick reactions. It also covers the
overall fitness of a character and will determine how physically able the PC is, and how he will
withstand the rigours and pressure put upon the human body.
For feats of strength, the player must roll this number or less on 2D6.
Mind - This score is the characters brainpower, and generally covers their mental capability. A low
Mind score does not denote any kind of mental incapability. It just means that characters with low
Mind do not have access to the same educational sources as characters with high Mind, and therefore
do not respond to intellectual situations the same way. Characters with low Mind can still learn things
that will benefit them.
Soul - The social and personal skills of a character are very important to the role-playing aspect of the
game, and, after all, not every situation can be resolved with physical action. This score describes how
charismatic the character can be, and calculates the reaction of NPCs to the character.

Each player rolls 1D3 + 3 for each Attribute, to get a score between 4 and 6. The higher the number the
more competent the character is in that particular Attribute.

If a player wishes, they can take 1 point out of one Attribute and put it on another. So, let’s say they
have a Body of 5 and a Mind of 4, they can take 1 point out Body and put it into Mind, making Body 4
and Mind 5. They may do this only once, and Attribute scores cannot go above 6.

Once the Attributes have been rolled and changed, they cannot be increased or decreased at any time.

HIT POINTS

These points determine how much damage the character can take until death. The Hit Point total is the
Body Attribute multiplied by 4.
If the Hit Points score ever reaches zero, then the character is dead.

SKILLS

Each Attribute - Body, Mind and Soul – has a list of skills under them. Each of these skills are
available to the players and are worked out in the following way.

Take the Attribute number you initially rolled.

Enter this number at the head of each skill list.

This number at the head of each skill list is the skill level of every one of those skills. So, if your Body
was 4, all the skills under the Body heading would have a skill level of 4. This number is the number
you have to roll on 2D6. Rolling this number or less is a success in the intended action – rolling over
this number is a failure.

Now the player has 12 points to divide up between skills, and no more than 2 points can be spent on a
single skill unless that skill is rolled randomly. These points cannot be used to increase any of the
original three Attributes.

If a player wishes to create a bit of randomness and uncertainty to their character they may roll
randomly for each skill point spent to see which skill gets the increase. Doing it this way enables the
skill to be raised by more than 2 points if it’s rolled randomly.

Roll 1D3
1 Body
2 Mind
3 Soul

Then roll either 2D6 for random Body skill or 1D6 for random Mind or Soul skill.
5 © Farsight Games

Also, if the player wants a random beginning career for their character then go to the NPC section and
utilise the table. There are instructions there on how to roll randomly for a starting career and the
required skills. This takes some of the decision-making as far as skills are concerned out of the player’s
hands.

SKILLS AND SKILL ROLLS

Skills are what a character is capable of and must be rolled for every time a player wants to perform an
action. This is the skill roll.
The skill level is the number that must be rolled on 2D6 to successfully perform an action. If the
number rolled is the skill level or less, then the action is a success. If the number is higher, then the
action is a failure. A roll of double one is always a success, and a roll of double six is always a failure.

Actions performed by PC’s are not always dependent on their absolute skill level. There may be
contributing factors to the situation that will make their job easier… or even harder.
Difficulty modifiers reflect this by adding or subtracting numbers from the skill level. If the modifier is
a negative number it will, of course, make the action harder. If the modifier is a plus number, then the
action is easier.

Difficulty modifier to skill level

+6 for very easy
+3 for easy
0 for average
-3 for hard
-6 for very hard.

Always remember – for general skill rolls, a roll of double one is always a success, and a roll of double
six is always a failure, no matter what the skill level or modifier.

OPPOSING ROLLS

Sometimes a character will face off with another character, be it in a feat of strength, wills or simply
bargaining for the best deal. It is impossible to judge the outcome of one of these situations with just a
normal skill roll - after all, if both the characters succeed, how can you decide who won the battle? The
answer to this is simple - all the characters have to do is roll 1D6 and add it to the applicable skill or
Attribute they are trying to beat the other character with. When both the rolls are made, the scores are
totalled and the character with the highest score wins. If, at any time, the rolls are tied, then simply roll
again until someone wins.

SKILL LISTS

Following are the multitude of skills available to the players that they may find useful during an 2D
game. This list is split up into the relevant sections covering each of the Attributes and their applicable
skill list. They are all numbered to make it easier to work out the skill increases using the random skills
system.
Under each skill is a brief description and guidelines on how to use them in a game. These guidelines
include limitations, possible modifiers and other details you might find useful.

1- BODY
2. Brawling: A punch, a kick, a headbutt or a grapple – if you’re unarmed, this is the skill to use. You
can parry a successful Brawling attack by rolling against your own Brawling skill, but you can’t use it
to parry a Melee attack. If you roll double one for your attack, not only is it an automatic success but
you also double your damage roll.
3. Climb: The ability to climb trees, cliffs and rubble. Difficulty depends on handholds and angle. For
a 45 degree angle with plenty of handholds, anything from Very Easy to Easy. For a 90 degree angle
with very few places to grip, then use the Hard and Very Hard modifiers.
4. Dodge: Avoid enemy fire by diving out of the way – a successful dodge roll means you have
successfully ducked, dived and damn near died. NOTE: The dodge skill can never be increased by
more than three points, not even with the random skill system.
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5. Pilot: The ability to control ground and air vehicles, such as cars, motorbikes and airskippers. If you
want to dodge incoming fire, use this skill as you would the Dodge skill.
6. Fire Heavy Weapons: Heavy weapons include heavy laser guns, rocket launchers, artillery cannons
and anything mounted to a vehicle, such as a tank weapon or a starship weapon. You can get out of
harms way with a successful Dodge skill roll. If you roll double one for your attack, not only is it an
automatic success but you also double your damage roll.
7. Fire Small Arms: Use this skill to fire normal laser pistols, laser rifles and grenade launchers. You
can get out of harms way with a successful Dodge skill roll. If you roll double one for your attack, not
only is it an automatic success but you also double your damage roll.
8. Hide/sneak: A successful roll means you’ve managed to hide from those you would rather not be
seen by.
9. Leap: The ability to bound a great distance – you can jump up to two metres from a standing jump,
or four metres with a run up.
10. Melee: If you want to hit someone with a club, a chair, a sword or just a big stick of wood, this is
the skill to use. You can parry a successful Melee or Brawling attack by rolling against your own
Melee skill. If you roll double one for your attack, not only is it an automatic success but you also
double your damage roll.
11. Swim: Staying afloat in water is a skill everyone needs. You can swim a distance equal to your
Swim skill level multiplied by 50 in metres. After that you falter and must reach your destination
rounds equal to your Swim skill or you start to tire and sink. If this happens, refer to the ‘Other Sources
of Damage - Suffocation’ section.
12. Thrown: The ability to throw a rock, bottle, knife or grenade with accuracy. If you roll double one
for your attack, not only is it an automatic success but you also double your damage roll.

2 - MIND
1. Electronics: There are plenty of computers around and some may be needed for information or
communication. If you need to get into a secure computer difficulty modifier depends on the level of
security the computer has. As a guideline – Little Security: +3, Standard Security: 0, Government
Security: -3, Military Security –6. Need to hotwire a car or a door? Need to fix a broken radio or
computer? This is the skill to use. Difficulty depends on the type of equipment the item is: A simple
hand radio might be +3, a more complicated computer can be –3.
2. Engineering: The ability to fix a generator, a motor or a complete engine, gearbox or steering
system. The Engineering Skill helps get and keep a car running.
3. Medicine: The ability to perform first aid. A successful roll restores 2D6 hit points using a specially
formulated injection that must be slammed into the body in the right place. This skill cannot be used on
characters whose Hit Points are already below 0, as they’re dead.
4. Sciences: This skill covers every available science known to man. This is not split into areas of
expertise and covers all areas including chemistry, biology, archaeology, physics, astrophysics,
geology… whatever science the player can think of. Having a character that knows a lot about the
many sciences can often be a great advantage.
5. Starship Pilot: Travelling through space takes a lot of nerve. Most of the time a helmsman will just
plot the course and let the starship do the rest, but sometimes there may be a situation when the person
in charge of the vessel will have to make a quick manoeuvre to avoid danger. This is where the
Starship Pilot skill comes in. This skill covers vessels of all sizes. If you need to dodge enemy fire, use
the Starship Pilot skill as you would the Dodge skill.
6. Survival: The cold nights and dangerous weather is can be a threat. You must roll against this skill
when adverse weather strikes to successfully find shelter. If you fail to do so then you lose 1 hit point
per hour the weather continues. Storms last 4D6 hours and you are allowed to re-test every 6 hours.

3 - SOUL
1. Bargain: The ability to barter, haggle and trade with traders and other non-player characters. A
successful roll means you get what you need for less than the asking price. This skill cannot be used on
fellow PCs.
2. Charisma: The ability to impress and carouse – roll against this skill to get on someone’s good side.
This skill cannot be used on fellow PCs.
3. Con: Misdirection, misrepresentation and outright lies. If you want to convince someone that a lie is
the truth, then this is the skill to use. This skill cannot be used on fellow PCs.
4. Leadership: The ability to lead people – you can direct a number of people equal to your Leadership
skill level. If a roll is failed, the orders given are not met, such as completing an investigation or a dig,
defending a position or making it to a location in time. If rolls are consistently failed, the people might
7 © Farsight Games

even wander off or ignore you because you’re just not a very good leader. This skill cannot be used on
fellow PCs.
5. Perception: Awareness – what you notice or see around you that might be of some importance. If
the GM needs to direct a player character’s attention to something then they will ask you to make this
roll, or make it in private...
6. Persuasion: The ability to convince someone to do, say or reveal something, either with threats or
pleas. A successful roll gets one piece of information out of an NPC. The skill level gets a +3 if
violence is threatened a +6 is violence is used. This skill cannot be used on fellow PCs.

COMBAT

Combat is split up into rounds. Each round is 5 seconds long.

During a combat round a character is almost bound to move about somewhat, and the characters
Movement Rate reflect this. The Movement Rate of a character is not recorded on the character sheet
because it is quite simple to remember - if a character decides to walk during combat he can do so, at a
rate of 10 metres per round. If they wish to run, they can cover triple that, but will have a -2 penalty on
any other Body skill rolls they decide to perform.

The first step of combat is to decide who goes first. In any fight there will be a side that draws ‘first
blood’, and the side that wins initiative will do just that. When combat begins, each player rolls 1D6
and adds it to their initial Body Attribute. Whoever has the highest goes first, whoever has the next
highest goes next, and so on until the lowest roll is determined. If any scores are tied, then roll again -
whoever wins gets that turn and the loser goes next.

Rolling to hit targets with the Brawling, Melee and Fire skills is the same as any other skill roll.
If you successfully hit a target then you make a ‘damage roll’. The damage roll is different depending
on what weapon, if any, was used. Refer to the weapon descriptions to determine how much damage
has been inflicted.
The result of the damage roll is deducted from the target’s Hit Points score. If the Hit Points go below
zero at any time then that character is dead.
If you roll double one for your attack, not only is it an automatic success but you also double your
damage roll.

With ranged weapons there are other modifiers to take into consideration. This depends on range and
available cover. All modifiers are made to the skill level being used.
The further away a target is the less chance a character will have to hit it. This is reflected in the
weapon’s range. There are three ranges – Short, Medium and Long – and these ranges affect the chance
to hit. The ranges are represented by three numbers in the weapon description. So a pistol with a range
of 10/50/100 means that if the target is 10 metres or less away it is in Short range, from 10 metres to 50
metres it is in Medium range, and from 50 metres to 100 metres it is in Long range. Anything over 100
metres is out of range.

Range Modifier
Short +2
Medium 0
Long –3

Weapon – damage – range in metres (short/medium/long)

Personal:
Hand to hand (punch, kick, headbutt): 1D3 + Body Attribute
Blunt weapon (chair, staff, cudgel): 1D6 + Body Attribute
Bladed weapon (knife, dagger): 2D6 + Body Attribute

Thrown item: As weapon (Blunt, Bladed or Grenade) (5/20/40)

Small Arms:
Laser Pistol: 3D (10/50/100)
Laser Rifle: 4D (20/100/300)
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Sniper Laser Rifle: 5D – scope negates long-range modifier. If you aim for two rounds at a stationary
target you get automatic double damage.
Grenade: 4D + 5m burst. (5/20/40)
Grenade Launcher (can be mounted to rifle): 4D + 5m burst (10/40/80)

Heavy Weapons:
Laser Cannon: 5D (20/100/300)
Rocket Launcher: 6D + 10m burst (15/75/200)
Artillery (light): 7D + 10m burst (1km/5km/20km)
Artillery (heavy): 9D + 15m burst (2km/15km/35km)
Laser Cannon: 6D (100/750/1500)

Starship weapons:
Light Laser cannon: 5D (100/750/1500)
Heavy Laser cannon: 8D (100/750/1500)

OTHER MODIFIERS

Also, the position of the target must be taken into consideration, whether it is obscured or moving, Use
the following modifiers as a guideline.

Target is: Modifier

25% in cover -1
50% in cover -2
75% in cover -4
Running -2
Prone +2
Less than 1 meter in size -4
1 meter in size -2
1.5 -2 meters 0
2 - 3 meters +2
3 - 8 meters +4
8 - 50 meters +8
50 meters + +10

ARMOUR

For every –1D to a damage roll the player wants, the character gets a –1 to all Body skill levels up to a
maximum of –3D due to the bulkiness of the armour. Roll these dice when hit and deduct the score
from the damage points taken.
Each -1D of armour costs $2000.

DAMAGE AND HEALING

Every time a character takes a point of damage they subtract it from their Hit Points score. These
subtractions are cumulative. The more damage they take the less likely they are to survive the next hit.
Wounds can affect a character’s performance. When the Hit Points total goes below 10, the character
gets an automatic –1 to all skill rolls.
Once the Hit Points score reaches zero, then the character is dead.

If a character wishes he may opt to Stun an opponent with a weapon or strike. The attack is done the
same way as a normal attack, but any damage taken by the target is counted as Stun damage, which
means that there is no danger of serious injury, just unconsciousness. A punch or a strike with a cudgel
is realistic, but smashing an iron bar over someone’s head or shooting someone with a laser gun cannot
really be used as a Stun attack.

Violent conflict is not the only way a character can get hurt. Falling from great heights, being hit by a
vehicle or just having a household accident can affect the Hit Points of a character. The other common
sources of damage are listed below. These causes of damage also apply to vehicles and starships,
except for Suffocation.
9 © Farsight Games

Collision - Being hit by a speeding vehicle, or being hurled into a stationary object, is pretty dangerous.
The damage taken equals 1 point per 2km/hour.
Falling – The damage taken is 1 point per metre fallen.
Fire – Depending on the intensity of the fire, characters can take serious wound damage from burning.
The damage taken is 1D6 points per round of burning.
Suffocation - There are three ways a character can lose the ability to gather air - submersion in water
(drowning), vacuum (lack of atmosphere) and smothering (smoke inhalation etc). Characters take 1
point of damage per round of drowning/choking et al.

Healing is a simple procedure, thanks to medicinal advances made through alien technology. A
successful Medicine roll restores 2D6 hit points using a specially formulated injection that must be
slammed into the body in the right place. This skill cannot be used on characters whose Hit Points are
already below 0, as they’re dead.
If a character has to heal naturally, they regain 1D6 Hit Points per day.

VEHICLES

A player character seems to get into scrapes quite quickly, and lets face it, the faster they get there the
faster the problems can start.
Vehicles are modes of transportation ground and air based. The following rules are to use for deciding
the speed characters can travel overland, and, if necessary, the outcome of any conflict.

The Top Speed is calculated in kilometres an hour.

Range is how far the vehicle can go in kilometres on a full tank of fuel.
Armour is how many damage points are deducted from damage rolls; the number of damage points
remaining is taken from Body Points.
Body Points are basically Hit Points – if they reach zero the vehicle is destroyed and 1D6 must be
rolled. If 1 to 4 is rolled, then the vehicle just crashes if it is in movement. If 5 or 6 is rolled, then the
vehicle explodes with a blast radius equalling its initial Body Points in meters. The damage done to
anything in this radius will be the same as that of a grenade.
Armament is what the vehicle is equipped with regarding weapons.

Ground
Bike Car Van Truck Light Tank

Top Speed: 150 120 100 90 80

Range: 100 300 400 500 200
Armour: 10 15 15 15 25
Body Points: 25 50 50 65 80
Armament: 0 0 0 0 MG/RL

Air
Airskipper Military Skipper
Top Speed: 125 500
Range: 400 3000
Armour: 15 20
Body Points: 50 50
Armament: 0 1MG, 1RL

Sea
Small Boat Large Boat Cruiser
Top Speed: 50 60 50
Range: 200 1000 9000
Armour: 10 20 30
Body Points: 30 50 25
Armament: 0 0 2MG, 2RL
10 © Farsight Games

STARSHIPS

Although Starships follow pretty much the same rules as any other type of vehicle, they still require a
section of their own to cover some more interesting aspects. Travelling through space requires a lot of
nerve, and the proper attitude and the starships, being complicated pieces of machinery, require more
complicated rules.

STARSHIP STATISTICS
All space vessels have statistics in much the same way as normal vehicles, with some differences to
explain factors you will not find on planet-bound transports. This is a guide to designing your own
vessels as the designs vary from company to company much like any other vehicle industry, but there
are several stock examples for you to use later.
Also included are the costs involved in repairing and replacing starship systems. These details are in
italics. All repair times are cumulative.

LENGTH: The basic length of the vessel will decide much about what that ship is capable of and
designed for, where it can and cannot land/dock. For every 1 metre in length, ship gets 1 body point.
The initial cost of a starship is $5000 per metre.
SPEED: As with ground-based vehicles, starships have a speed statistic represented by a single
number. For every full 100 metres in length, the starship can travel at 500,000 kph. An engine costs
one-quarter of the starship initial Length cost.
FOLDDRIVE ENGINE?: A jump from star to star is instantaneous (or however long you decide for
your game), the vessel seems to blur and then disappears, appearing immediately at its destination. A
starship must be at least 50 metres in length to be able to carry a FoldDrive, and as such some vessels
are not equipped with one and so must depend on larger starships to carry them. A vessel must be at
least 5 million kilometres away from nearest gravity well to initiate a jump. A FoldDrive costs $1000
per metre length, and takes 12 hours to replace.
SHIELDING: This denotes what kind of energy shielding the vessels has and how much damage it can
deflect. Starships get 1D per 50 metres, minimum 1D. Roll this and minus it from damage roll as you
would with armour, but every roll minuses 1D from shields as they are depleted. Once the shields are
gone, starships begin to take Critical Damage with every hit. Only Heavy Weapons and Starship
Weapons can damage a starship. Initial cost and repair cost is $2000 per 1D of shields, and takes 2
hours per 1D to fix.
BODY POINTS: If any damage gets through the shields, then the hull takes damage. These points
work in exactly the same way as Hit Points. For every 1 metre in length, ship gets 1 body point. If these
points reach zero, the starship is destroyed and all crewmembers must make a SURVIVAL roll to
evacuate or go down with the ship. To repair a body point, the starship needs to dry-dock and it costs
$1000 per point restored. Each point takes one hour to repair.
CREW: How many personnel it takes to man the vessel. For every ten metres in length, a starship must
have 1 crewmember.
CARGO SPACE: Company vessels are usually cargo haulers, and all starships need some form of
cargo space to haul belongings and passengers. This space is worked out in metric tons. Simply take
the number of the ships length in meters and double it - the number you are left with is the ships cargo
space in metric tons. Therefore a vessel of 50 meters length will have 100 tons of cargo space. Vessels
designed specifically for cargo transport have quadruple this number.
WEAPONS: What the starship is armed with. This armament can only take the form of energy
cannons. For every 50 metres in length a starship gets one Light Laser Cannon (costs $10,000, 2 hours
to replace), or one Heavy Laser Cannon for every 100 metres (cost $15,000, 3 hours to replace). Each
must be manned separately. Pilots can fire one weapon at a time whilst in control of a starship.
SCANNERS/COMMUNICATIONS: The range and ability of a ships sensor and comms systems, used
to detect other ships, scan planets and other stellar bodies, and communicate with them. All vessels are
equipped with sensor/comms suites that can detect another vessel at a range of the vessel’s length x one
million kilometres. Therefore, a vessel 100 metres in length will have a 100 million km scanner range.
Cost is $50 per metre length of starship, and takes 3 hours to replace.
HANGARS: How many other vessels the starship may have docked. For every 100 metres, a starship
may have 1 shuttle or 1 fighter.
11 © Farsight Games

Example starships

Fighter: Length 20m - Top Speed 0.5m kph – FoldDrive? No – shields 1D – Body Points 20 – 2 crew -
Cargo 40 metric tons – 1 light laser cannon –Scanners/Comms 20 million km.
Shuttle: Length 30m - Top Speed 0.5m kph – FoldDrive? No – shields 1D – Body Points 30 – 3 crew -
Cargo 60 metric tons – 1 light laser cannon –Scanners/Comms 30 million km.
Hauler/Tugboat: Length 50m - Top Speed 0.5m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – shields 1D – Body Points 50
– 5 crew - Cargo 100 metric tons – 1 light laser cannon –Scanners/Comms 50 million km.
Light Freighter: Length 100m - Top Speed 0.5m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – shields 2D – Body Points
100 – 10 crew - Cargo 400 metric tons - 1 light laser cannon – Scanners/Comms 100 million km.
Heavy Freighter: Length 150 - Top Speed 0.5m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – shields 3D – Body Points
150 – 15 crew - Cargo 600 metric tons - 2 light, 1 heavy laser cannons –Scanners/Comms 150 million
km – 1 shuttle docked.
Cargo Ship: Length 200m – Top speed 1m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 4D – Body Points 200 –
20 Crew - Cargo 800 metric tons – 1 heavy laser cannon – Scanners/Comms 200 million km.
Survey vessel: Length 250m - Top speed 1m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 5D – Body Points 250 –
25 Crew - Cargo 500 metric tons – 2 heavy laser cannons – Scanners/Comms 250 million km – 2
shuttles docked.
Frigate: Length 300m – Top speed 1.5m kph– FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 6D – Body Points 300 – 30
Crew - Cargo 600 metric tons – 4 light laser cannons, 1 heavy laser cannons – Scanners/Comms 300
million km – 1 fighter docked.
Heavy Cargo Cruiser: Length 350m - Top speed 1.5m kph– FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 7D – Body
Points 350 – 35 Crew - Cargo 1400 metric tons – 2 light laser cannons – Scanners/Comms 350 million
km – 1 shuttle docked.
Cruiser: Length 400m – Top speed 2m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 8D – Body Points 400 – 40
Crew - Cargo 800 metric tons – 6 light laser cannons, 1 heavy laser cannon – Scanners/Comms 400
million km – 2 fighters docked.
Battleship: Length 500m – Top speed 2.5m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 10D – Body Points 500 –
50 Crew - Cargo 1000 metric tons – 6 light laser cannons, 2 heavy laser cannons – Scanners/Comms
500 million km – 1 shuttle docked.
Dreadnought: Length 600m – Top speed 3m kph – FoldDrive? Yes – Shields 12D – Body Points 600
– 60 Crew - Cargo 1200 metric tons – 6 light laser cannons, 3 heavy laser cannons – Scanners/Comms
600 million km – 4 fighters, 2 shuttles docked.

Starship weapons:
Light Laser cannon: 5D (100/750/1500)
Heavy Laser cannon: 8D (100/750/1500)

CRITICAL DAMAGE
Because a starship is riddled with systems and sub-systems they are quite prone to serious damage.
Once the shields are depleted, every subsequent hit inflicts a Critical Damage roll. Roll 1D6 and
consult the following chart.

Roll Effect
1 Engine knocked out – One hour to repair with a successful Engineering skill roll – with every
failed roll, +1 hour, may roll once per hour. Only one person may roll at any one time. If roll
fails three times, the engine needs to be replaced.
2 Weapon knocked out (decide randomly) – Needs to dock for repairs.
3 FoldDrive knocked out – Two hours to repair with a successful Engineering skill roll – with
every failed roll, +2 hours, may roll once every two hours. Only one person may roll at any
one time. If roll fails three times, the drive needs to be replaced.
4 Remaining Body Points halved (round down) - Needs to dock for repairs.
5 Scanners/Communications knocked out - One hour to repair with a successful Engineering
skill roll – with every failed roll, +1 hour, may roll once per hour. Only one person may roll at
any one time. If roll fails three times, the scanners need to be replaced.
6 Total shutdown - dead in space. Crew may only choose one functioning system to attempt to
repair: Engines, FoldDrive or Scanners/Communications. Refer to that system’s entry above.
12 © Farsight Games

NPCs

There are a lot NPCs of varying skills, so designing those ones that the PCs may come across during
the course of their adventure may be a good idea. The specialists and average citizens will dot the game
here and there. Having a few stock NPCs with the basics listed for their trade may be a good idea if you
see the game going in a certain direction and you need a character to get the PCs back on track or to
accompany them on their new course. Like a fully-fledged character, the stock NPC will have limited
details but enough to use within the confines of the game.

The NPCs below are detailed by a simple three-section entry. Each Attribute is listed in turn - Body
(B), Mind (M), Soul (S) - followed by any applicable skills under that Attribute that are pertinent to the
career the NPC has followed.

These lists can also be used to determine the original career of the player character if they so require.
Simply roll 5D6, read the result and consult the table below. Players can ignore the Attribute scores,
but they must spend the skill points to get to the relevant career skill levels before they can spend other
points on what they wish, or make other random rolls. If they don’t have enough points to meet all the
career’s skill levels then they must decide how high they want the relevant skills to go before they run
out of points, but they must put the points into those skills.

Roll Career

5. Average Citizen: B3;M3;S3;HP12;plus one random skill.

6. Bartender: B4 – Brawling 5;M4;S4 – Charisma 6;HP16
7. Bounty Hunter: B5 – Fire SA 6, Thrown 6;M4 – Starship Pilot 5;S4 – Persuasion 6;HP20
8. Computer Specialist: B4;M5 – Electronics 9;S4;HP16
9. Conman: B4 – Brawling 5;M4;S6 – Con 7;HP16
10. Corporate Executive: B4;M4;S5 – Bargain 7, Charisma 7;HP16
11. Customs Officer: B4;M4;S4 – Bargain 6, Perception 8: HP16
12. Engineer: B4;M5 – Electronics 6, Engineering 8;S4;HP16
13. Government Agent: B4 – Brawling 5, Fire SA 6, Hide/sneak 6;M4;S4 – Perception 6,
Persuasion 7;HP16
14. Labourer: B5;M4;S4
15. Mercenary: B5 – Brawling 6, Fire SA 6;M4;S4 – Bargain 6,
Persuasion 7;HP20
16. Military Officer: B6 – Brawling 7, Dodge 7, Fire SA 8, Fire HW 7,
Thrown 7, Melee 7;M4 – Survival 6;S4 – Leadership 6;HP24
17. Military Soldier: B5 – Brawling 6, Dodge 6, Fire SA 6, Fire HW 6,
Thrown 6, Melee 6;M4 – Survival 6;S84;HP20
18. Office Worker: B3;M4;S4
19. Pilot: B4 – Pilot 7;M4;S4;HP16
20. Pirate: B4 – Brawling 5, Dodge 5, Fire SA 6, Fire HW 5, Hide/sneak 5, Thrown 6, Melee
6;M4 – Starship Pilot 6, Survival 5;S4;HP16
21. Police Officer: B4 – Brawling 5, Fire SA 6;M4;S4 – Perception 7,
Persuasion 6;HP16
22. Politician: B4;M4;S5 – Bargain 7, Charisma 5, Con 6, Leadership 6;HP16
23. Scientist: B3;M5 – Sciences 10;S4;HP12
24. Security Guard: B4 – Brawling 5, Fire SA 5;M3;S4 – Perception 6;HP16
25. Shopkeeper: B4;M4;S4 – Bargain 7, Persuasion 5;HP16
26. Smuggler: B4 – Brawling 5, Fire SA 5, Hide/sneak 5;M4 – Starship Pilot 7, Survival 5;S4 –
Bargain 6, Con 5;HP18
27. Starship Pilot: B4 - Fire HW 6;M4 – Starship Pilot 9, Survival 5;S4;HP16
28. Survival Specialist: B5 – Climb 7, Leap 7;M4 – Survival 10;S4;HP20
29. Thief: B4 – Brawling 5, Hide/sneak 7;M4 – Electronics 6;S4 - Con 6;HP16
30. Trader: B3;M4 – Starship Pilot 5;S4 – Bargain 8, Persuasion 6;HP12
13 © Farsight Games

EXPERIENCE

The system is very simple. For every adventure the character completes - and if the GM thinks that the
player deserves it for good roleplaying, successful rolls and basically contributing to a good time at the
gaming table – the player receives 1 skill point. This skill point can be spent in three ways.

1. The player can raise a single skill by 1 point, up to a maximum of 12.

2. The player can save the point for use during a game. They can spend the point to automatically
succeed a skill roll. They do not have to make the roll and can declare automatic success. The use of
the point must be declared before any skill rolls are made; the player cannot fail a roll and then declare
that they will use the skill point to succeed. This only applies to their own skills – the point cannot be
used to influence the success of any other PCs or NPCs.
3. The player can save the point for use during a game. The player can use the point to inflict automatic
double damage on a single damage roll. The use of the point must be declared before the damage roll is
made. This only applies to their own damage rolls – the point cannot be used to influence the rolls of
any other PCs or NPCs.

Skill points can be saved for later but once spent, on a skill or a roll, the point is gone. Players cannot
change their minds later on once the skill has been raised or the action or damage roll is completed.
14 © Farsight Games

‘In Glorious 2D!’ System – Character Sheet (playtest)

Player name: __________________

BODY (1D 3+3) ____ Character name: _______________
MIND (1D 3+3) ____ Sex: ________
SOUL (1D 3+3) ____ Height: ______
Weight: ______
Description:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

HIT POINTS (Body X 4) ____

1. Body ____
2- Brawling ___
3- Climb ___
4- Dodge ___
5- Pilot ___
6- Fire Heavy Weapons ___
7- Fire Small Arms ___
8- Hide/Sneak ___
9- Leap ___
10- Melee ___
11- Swim ___
12- Thrown ___

2. Mind ____
1- Electronics ___
2- Engineering ___
3- Medicine ___
4- Sciences ___
5- Starship Pilot ___
6- Survival ___

3. Soul ____
1- Bargain ___
2- Charisma ___
3- Con ___
4- Leadership ___
5- Perception ___
6- Persuasion ___

Equipment