HIVECRAWLING WITH SHOTGUNS

A GAME WRITTEN BY KOBAYASHI – ART BY ALASTAIR JONES

 Where do I come from ?
You are the child of the last humans, the survivors of the great Alien War

Where do I live ?
In a small town built near the Citadel, home of the Masters

What am I supposed to do ?
Work in the farms of the Masters.

What's on the horizon ?

A life of peace and joyous work under the benevolent rule of the Masters.

Not that horizon

Oh ? Sorry. On the borders of the Masters' land, you can see many Hives, remnants of alien war machines that crashed on Earth.

Can I go there ?
In order to do so, you must become a Gun Dog.

How ?
Go to the Kennel at the end of the town, talk to the Master known as the Huntsman.

What will I do ?
You will face the horrors of the Hives, recover old artefacts, alien technology and lost knowledge.

What will I earn for my work ?

Citizenship and the right to live in the Citadel.
Creating your dog Roll 2D6 for each attribute and consult the following table :

Grab a character sheet, a D20 and 2D6. Die result 2-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12
Attribute score -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Attributes
Let's start with the character's attributes : Description Poor Decent Good Great Excellent

BRAWN : used when your character needs to oppose or apply physical Note the score of each attribute on your character sheet.
stress.
CHARISMA : used when the GM needs to test your character's ability to Skills : What did you learn so far ?
influence other people or to resist to their influence. First, we need to know what your character learned in the
DEXTERITY : used when the GM needs to test your character's Masters'society. Roll a D20...
precision or agility.
WITS : used when the GM needs to test your character's reaction time
1D20 Benefit
or his overall intellect.
1 1 PROSTHETIC LIMB (1-3 : arm, 5-6 : leg)
2 You have a ROBOT SERVANT
3 +1 to WITS
4 You stole some TOOLS
5 You are a good MECHANIC
6 You learned to read and write
7 You are a VICIOUS FIGHTER
8 You stole a BIG CLEAVER (1D6+1)
9 +1 DEXTERITY
10 You SMELL OF DEATH
11 You are COLD BLOODED
12 You've learned to STITCH UP wounds.
13 You own a GOOD DOG
 14 You are a BEAST OF BURDEN Vicious fighter : add +1 to the damage you deal in combat.
Vehicle interface : you can connect yourself to a vehicle and drive it
15 +1 to BRAWN effortlessly (+2 to your DEXTERITY rolls when driving).
16 You learned the MACHINE LANGUAGE
17 You have a STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM
18 You are used to ESCAPE SURVEILLANCE
19 +1 to CHARISMA
20 Choose one

Beast of burden : you can carry 2 more objects with you than
ordinary people.
Cold blooded : you get +2 to your rolls againts Fear effects.
Escape surveillance : you get +2 to your rolls whenever you try to be Combat attributes
stealthy or sabotage surveillance equipment. HIT POINTS : these are equal to 6 + BRAWN. At 0 HP your character is
Good dog : Physique +1, Mental +1, 6 hp, Defense : 12, knows one dead.
command among : fetch, guard, attack or track. Gets a new command BLAST : shoot your enemies from a distance.
at level 4 and 8. BASH : hit, cut or disembowel your enemies in close combat.
Machine language : you are able to speak to machines. You have a +1 to put either in BLAST or BASH. DEXTERITY or BRAWN don't
Mechanic : +2 to DEXTERITY rolls when used in the appropriate help. You either know how to fight or you don't.
situation. DAMAGE BONUS : this is equal to your BRAWN score.
Prosthetic limb : works exactly as the original. Can be sacrificed in DEFENSE : 10 + DEXTERITY + your armor bonus (if you have one). This is
combat : negate all damage from one attack but lose the limb. the number the GM must beat on his attack rolls to hit you.
Robot servant : Physique +1, Mental 0, 6 hp, Defense : 12, can record SPEED : during a round a character can move up to [6 + DEXTERITY]
what he sees and hear at his master's request. meters
Smell of death : add +2 to your rolls when your character tries to look
intimidating. FRUSTRATION POINTS : you gain these in combat. Each time you miss you
Stitch up : the wounded you stitch up regain 1D6 + your level HP. gain 1 FRUSTRATION POINT, use them as bonus for your attack roll or
Your character can stitch himself up. your damage roll. You can use as much FRUSTRATION POINTS as you
Strong immune system : gain a +2 to your BRAWN rolls against want on either your attack roll or damage roll, or both. Use poker
diseases, drugs, etc. chips for these (or anything tangible), if it's just a number on a sheet,
Tools : +2 to DEXTERITY rolls when used in the appropriate situation. players will tend to forget them. Unused FRUSTRATION POINTS are lost at
the end of a combat.
Starting gear
All characters get (weapon damage is given in parenthesis) :
_One weapon, roll a D6, 1-2 : it's a gun (1D6+1), 3-4 : a sword (1D6+1), 5-6 : a shotgun (1D6+2) ;
_1 torchlight ;
_1 knife (1D6) ;
_1 object given to you at the kennel (roll 1D10 and 1D6 then consult the table below, yes you also need a D10, but only here).

1D6
1D10 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 SHOTGUN SPIDEROPE OXYGUM DREAMSAVER SCREAMIN' PLUSH PURIFYING DROPS
2 BROKEN RADIO TEKBAIT INSECT REPELLENT STRESSBALL GRAV-PATCH IRON FLUTE
3 MEDPACK LIGHT GLOBE BAG OF MARBLES KILLER BEES SKIN CHANGER PEACE COLLAR
4 WEEDER DIAGNOSIS GLASSES RAIN BALL SHOVEL DOOM-DOOM STORYTELLER
5 DARK LENSES WHISPERING BLADE ZENADE WALLSEED NEEDLE GUN GUN
6 A PAIR OF DICE COUNSELING HOLOGRAM UNBREAKABLE SLIPCASE LOTOS PILLS MESSENGER BIRD FLESH WHIP
7 MEKBLINDER DARKNESS BOMB FACECHANGER RIPPING BLADE BLOOD SLUG BAG OF SEEDS
8 OLD KEYCARD SPICE THOUGHT PAD CYBERPARROT SOUND SPONGE DJINN
9 RATBOT GHOST BULLETS LIGHT BOMB CHESS GAME SPEEDPILL GRAV-BOOTS
10 COMBAT VEST TALKING BOTTLE POWER NAGINATA VOICE PROJECTOR WASHING RAY STINK BALL
A PAIR OF DICE : six-sided ones. then project them as an holographic image (sound included).
BAG OF MARBLES : each marble produces as much light as a candle FACECHANGER : a rubbery substance that mimics the appearance of the
while it rolls (you get 30 of these). face it is put on. It can then be used as a mask by another person.
BAG OF SEEDS : a bag of unknown seeds that cannot grow on Earth soil. The face looks exactly the same. Lasts for one hour before returning
BLOOD SLUG : this slimy creature will suck any poison out of a to its original state.
character's body. It then takes one week for the slug to clean itself. FLESH WHIP : causes intense pleasure to any sentient, organic being.
BLOOD SNIFFER : holographic game of chess. The pie ces can be as large The victim cannot act during its next turn if she fails a hard WITS
a 2m tall. check.
BROKEN RADIO : a radio that emits static when a killer bot is in a 50 GHOST BULLETS : 10 bullets that can harm incorporeal beings.
meters of the character. GRAV-BOOTS : allow you to walk (slowly) on ceilings and walls
COMBAT VEST : gives you a +2 to your defense and allows you to carry GRAV-PATCH : makes an object weighting no more than 100kg float 1
two more objects with you. meter above ground.
COUNSELING HOLOGRAM : a very boring holographic counselor that keeps GUN : hey, there is no such thing as « too much guns ».
talking to you and asking about your mother. Able to do this in any INSECT REPELLENT : no insects (whatever their size) can attack or
human language and taking the appearance of the species it's approach your character. The effects lasts one hour.
counseling. IRON FLUTE : as long as the flute is played, sentient machines freeze
CYBERPARROT : this small parrot-like robot is capable of reproducing and cannot act.
any sound or voice it hears. If speaking, it is limited to a 4 word KILLER BEES : 1D6+1, one-use only, heat seeking drones. One drone
sentence. inflicts XD6 damage to any organic target (unless it is fully armored).
DARK LENSES : these make the eyes of the wearer totally black but LIGHT GLOBE : hovers 2 meters above ground and illuminates a 10
allow him to see in pitch black darness. It adapts automatically to meters radius. Hurts any creatures VULNERABLE TO SUNLIGHT.
light. LOTOS PILLS : each pill makes you forget everything about one
DARKNESS BOMB : plunges a room in pitch black darkness. particular day (you get to choose wich one). You get 10 pills.
DIAGNOSIS GLASSES : these let you see what's wrong with someone, if MEKBLINDER : a small buzzer that makes you invisible to machines,
you have any medical knowledge that is. even those that might help you. Runs for 1 TURN then recharges for 6
DJINN : a living hologram, 10 cm in size, looking like a 19th century hours.
aristocrat, able to talk to machines. Appears when summoned, each MESSENGER BIRD : a small mechanical bird who will go back to a person
djinn has a different personality. it has seen at least once (if it can) with a video message (with no
DOOM-DOOM : basically a hand cannon, holding only two cartridges duration limit).
doing 2D6 damage each. They can be fired one after another or NEEDLE GUN : a short ranged but silent weapon (D6)
simultaneously. You get 6 cartridges with it (two already loaded). If OLD KEYCARD : probably opens some door, somewhere.
you don't have a BRAWN score of +2, you lose 2 HP each time you OXYGUM : while chewed this gum allows you to breathe even in
shoot the gun. oxygen deprived environment (you get 20 tablets) of these.
DREAMSAVER : this item allows the wearer to record his dreams and PEACE COLLAR : any living being forced to wear this collar gets stunned
when it tries to cause direct harm to someone (punching someone STORYTELLER : a book that shows images of the story told by several
gets you stunned, poisoning a drink does not). actors, including sound effects.
POWER NAGINATA : as the name implies, a very effective melee weapon STRESSBALL : squeezing it for 10 seconds immediately calms you,
(2D6+2). whether you were angry or afraid (if used more than once per day 2
PURIFYING DROPS : each drop clears up to, let's say a swimming pool, of chance out of 6 it will explode, causing 1D6 damage).
all germs and parasites. You get 10 drops of these. TALKING BOTTLE : this bottle can analyze its content and tell you about
RAIN BALL : once thrown against a ceiling, the ball creates rain that it (though it is a bit rude and lies 1 out of 6 times).
lasts for 1 TURN. Needs 1 month to recharge from ambient humidity. TEKBAIT : a small sphere that seems to sing once activated. Attracts all
RATBOT : can explore up to 50 meters away from its master and show machines able to move in a 20 meters radius.
what it has seen by projecting it through its eyes. Doesn't do THOUGHT PAD : this small tablet can project an hologram of any image
anything beyond that. 6 hp, Defense : 15 (it's small and fast). the bearer is focusing his mind on.
RIPPING BLADE : basically a chainsaw designed to be used as an UNBREAKABLE SLIPCASE : any object stored in this slipcase is
effective melee weapon (2D6+1). unbreakable (see the EQUIPMENT section).
SCREAMIN' PLUSH : this cute looking plush makes a blood-chilling noise VOICE PROJECTOR : once worn around the neck, this item allows the
when squeezed (WITS roll required just to no not freeze in place). wearer to project it's voice, sounding like it comes from another
SHOVEL : a small but sturdy and reliable shovel, with very sharp edges place (in a 20m radius of the wearer).
(1D6). Glows when near radioactive material. WALLSEED : a small seed that creates an impenetrable 3mX3m wall of
SPEEDPILL : taking a speedpill allows you to act 3 times during your thorns that takes three TURNS to be burned or destroyed.
turn. You immediately fall unconscious for 2D6 minutes after that. WASHING RAY : this small device emits a ray that washes (and
SHOTGUN : a reliable and powerful weapon. disinfects) one person's body and clothes. Beeps repeatedly if not
SKIN CHANGER : a device that allows you to change the color of your used for one day.
skin (only one color, no stripes or whatever). WEEDER : turns any plant it is used on into a powerful hallucinogenic
SOUND SPONGE : once squeezed, this object absorbs all the sounds drug. You get 10 doses.
made by its possessor for 1 TURN. At the end of the turn it releases all WHISPERING BLADE : a blade producing a small humming noise when
the sounfs, all at once. used, very sharp.
SPIDEROPE : a rope that cannot be cut (can be burned pretty easily ZENADE : every organic creature in a 10 meters radius of the
though). explosion loses all will to fight for ONE TURN (with apologies to Alan
STINK BALL : everything this small rubbery ball touches stinks horribly Moore)
for 1 HOUR. The ball as to be thrown on the target(s) to be effective.
Experience Skills and talents
Players are encouraged to create their own, using the ones described
in the Creating your dog section for inspiration.
HIVES : the number of hives you explored.
ATTACK : you get a +1 to either your BLAST or BASH attack.
HP : add the result of a D6 roll to your total HIT POINTS. Don't add
anything else.
SKILLS : you get one more skill or you can become an expert in a skill
you already have (ginving you a +4 to your rolls when relevant).

Hives Attack HP Skills

0 +1 6 + BRAWN -
1 +1 +1D6 +1
2 +1 +1D6 +1
3 +1 +1D6 +1
4 +1 +1D6 +1 Hey ! Where do I get the cool stuff ?
5 +1 +1D6 +1 New powers ? Cybernetics ? Martial arts moves ? If you want these
you will have to look for them. Roam the forgotten lands, explore the
6 +1 +1D6 +1 hives but don't expect these things to be lying around, waiting for
7 +1 +1D6 +1 your character to get to level X to become available.
8 +1 +1D6 +1 The GM's duty
9 +1 +1D6 +1 You have to create rumours, people and places where the Gun Dogs
10 +1 +1D6 +1 can find new ways to improve themselves. Take a look at one of our
other game, The Society of Unlikely Gentlemen to see how it can be
done.
Gear Armor Defense mod.
The starting gear section should give a good idea of the things you Light +2
can find in the Hives. For more simple things, here are some rough Medium +4
guidelines.
Heavy +6
Guns Damage Range Precision
Gun Dogs will have to beat very dangerous opponents or explore
Small gun 1D6 Short 0 military Hives to find any armor above LIGHT level.
Gun 1D6+1 Short +1
Once again, features add to an armor charm : protection against
Big gun 1D6+2 Short -1 gases, sounds or radiation, active camouflage, etc.
Rifle 1D6 Long +1
Precision rifle 1D6+2 Very long +2
Big rifle 2D6 Short -2

Feel free to add features to these guns : works only against some
aliens, robots, torchlight, nightvision sight, etc... Don't forget that
nobody sales them. Any toy you give to an NPC might end up in the
PCs hands, pay attention to that too.

Mêlée weapons Damage

Small one (knife, tonfa...) 1D6+BRAWN
One-handed (sword, flail...) 1D6+1+BRAWN
Two-handed (claymore, naginata...) 1D6+2+BRAWN
+high tech (powered, vibration, energy...) +1d6

And now, to protect you from all this :

Fleshweavers Option : a more forgiving rule
The fleshweaving fails only a roll of 1 on a D20, you big softie. Be
Inside the hives, the gun dogs may find odd machines from the past ready to run a game for a team of X-Men though.
called fleshweavers. Their appearance may vary : robot kids,
dangling medusa-like tentacles, a simple operating table, a syringe... Some examples of fleshweaving :
But they all do the same thing : they rewrite the patients DNA and...
Well, basically they can give a character a cool mutation. There are DARKVISION : as the name implies, the character can now see in total
some risks though, there are no more scientists to make sure the darkness. Defect : the character sees everything in black and white.
modifications will fit a gun dog's body. The procedure is imperfect
and so are the modifications. Each mutations may come with a DIGESTION : the character is immune to any poison he ingests. Defect :
defect. The player doesn't have to know the exact nature of the the gun dog's breath smells awful.
defect before he volunteers his character for fleshweaving. He has to
be aware there is a price to pay though. NO SLEEP : this character doesn't need to sleep anymore. Defect :
sometimes the character may confuse reality with his dreams or
nightmares (this is basically a way for the GM to mess with your
character once per session, don't worry though, he will probably
forget about it).

PHEROMONES : the gun dog gets a +1 to CHARISMA. Defect : any search

based on smell automatically finds him.

REGENERATION : the characters regains all his HP 10 minutes after he's

been wounded. Even lost limbs can grow back (the price is one week
of agonizing pain). Defect : in five years the character will turn into a
monstruous and almost mindless mutant.

REINFORCED SKELETON : the character takes half damage from falls and
gains +1 to his Brawn. Defect : the character cannot swim anymore. A
The risks of fleshweaving
normal rope has a 2 on 6 chances of breaking under his weight.
Each time your character gains a mutation make a BRAWN roll. If you
fail you get only the defect tied to the mutation. If you roll a natural
SKIN COLOR : the gun dog consciously adapts to his surroundings,
20 you don't get the defect. You get -1 to your roll for each mutations
giving him a +2 when he tries to hide. Defect : the character's skin
you already have.
color changes when he lies.
Hivecrawling die roll. So instead of « Do the characters find the information ? » the
question might be « Do the characters attract any attention while
looking for information ? ».
Main rule
Being a good GM is learning to ask good questions so you know why
Basically the rules are here to give you an answer when you ask a you roll the die. Some answers are self-evident but when in doubt,
question : « Can I hurt the monster ? », « Do I open that door ? » , ask the rules and make a test. Your goal is not to stop the players'
« Do I impress that guy ? », etc. characters but to challenge them. It's more an art than a science and
you get better at it with practice. There's nothing more to it.
Whenever a character wants to act and the outcome of his action is
uncertain, roll a d20, add an attribute and any appropriate bonus : The rules of hazard
_if the total is equal or superior to 10, the character succeeds. The other aim of the rules is to make sure there is an even playing
_if the total is inferior to 10, the character fails. field for the players and the GM. If a player's character falls down a
wall, the rules make sure it doesn't make him lose 1D6 HP one day
YOUR SWISS ARMY KNIFE : THE ATTRIBUTE ROLL and 5D6 HP the next, just because the GM had a bad week at work.
D20 + attribute + bonus Action...
We'll keep this simple : whenever a character risks injury (outside of
Result > 10 Succeeds
combat), make an attribute test :
Result < 10 Fails
• Use BRAWN when the character faces physical stress
Failing forward • Use CHARISMA when the character tries to resist someone
What happens when a character's failure leads the game session to a else's influence.
grinding halt ? • Use DEXTERITY when the character is trying to physically avoid
something.
Example : the characters need to find a specific information. If they • Use WITS to test a character's reaction time.
don't have it, they are stuck. So if the question you ask for a roll is « Do
the characters find the information ? », you open the possibility that If the test is failed, the character suffers the consequences, if it
they don't find it, thus leading the game into a dead end. succeeds the consequences are somewhat mitigated (usually taking
only half-damage).
To avoid this you simply have to ask the right question leading to a
Social interactions
You may already use this kind of rules but if you never did, give it a try, as a GM this will keep you on your toes. The goal is to simply let fate
decide the attitude of NPCs towards the PCs. So just roll a D6 and keep playing.

1D6 NPC ATTITUDE MEANING THE NPC...

1 Hostile Dismisses the characters, insults them or downright attacks them
2 Suspicious Asks a lot of questions or trys to end the conversation really fast
3 Attentive Stays silent and let the PCs do the talking
4 Talkative Is happy to have a chat with the PCs, probably won't give away much information or help though.
5 Friendly Ready to help the PCs with whatever they need (within reasonable limits).
6 Embarassing May have a crush on one of the PCs, maybe he has no friends, maybe he's bored but he won't let the PCs leave easily.
Combat character's attack : ranged or melee), if you get a result higher or
equal to the target's DEFENSE score you hit it.
The combat rules are here to help you know : Damage
_when a character act Roll the character's weapon damage dice (or die) and substract the
_what he can do result from the target's HP. At 0 HP the target is dead.
_how he can hurt his enemies
_what happens when he's hurt Recovery
A successful Dexterity test (simulating some first aid) allows you to
During combat time is measured in ROUNDS. Each round lasts a few restore 1D4 HP once after a combat.
seconds, enough for a character to act. This lets us « zoom in » on the After a night's sleep the nano-machines a gun dog was injected with
action, allowing the fights to be suspenseful and full of opportunities allow him to recover all of his HP.
for the players and their characters.
Tactics and tricks
When does a character act ? aka Initiative Most players will try to gain advantage in combat. That is a good
If there is no clear way to know which side has the initiative (such as thing. Combat is like a problem and if you teach your players that a
in an ambush for example) each side (the players and the GM) rolls a problem has only one solution you may allow them to perfect their
D6. The side with the highest result goes first. In case of a tie mastery of the game system but you will kill their imagination. This
between the PC and the GM side, the PC go first. is as simple as that. RPGs are not textbooks, a game session is not a
class and a GM is not a teacher. Throw problems at them and reward
Surprise, surprise creative solutions (but squash lazy-ass cop-outs). A lazy-ass cop-out
If a side gets a result of 1 on its initiative roll or is ambushed, it is is easy to spot : the other players go silent or mock the lazy bum.
surprised. A surprised character cannot act during the first round of Group dynamic is your friend.
combat. He can only move half his speed.
This means that if a player has a clever (or even just fun) idea, his
What can he do ?
character gets a +2 to his roll : distracting an enemy, use background
During his turn a character can move and make one attack. An attack elements, lie, cheat, ganging-up, whatever. Reward creative thinking,
can be replaced by any other action : use an object, move again, etc... that's what RPGs are all about.
As long as it doesn't take more time than swinging a sword or fire a
gun, it's okay. Nobody wants to die
Most NPCs will surrender or flee rather than die. As a rule of thumb,
Hurting enemies
any NPC down to 3 hit points or less will surrender. Same goes if
Roll a D20, add your BLAST or BASH bonus (according to the more than half his comrades have bitten the dust.
Brave new world Your community : The people
The people are now well fed, busy and protected by the Citadel.
Everything is perfect. If you are curious, don't want to work in the
The land of the Masters is your home. At their center stands the fields or are just bored, the Gun Dogs are waiting for you.
Citadel. Around you is the Town. This is all you know since you were
a kid. Further than that are the sentinels. And beyond the sentinels Your new home : The Kennel
lies the forgotten lands. Home of the lost, the vile and the alien : the This is the Gun Dogs' headquarters. Where they can get healed and
enemies of the human race. show their discoveries to the Huntsman.
You grew in its shadow : The Citadel Your guide : The Huntsman
A needle seemingly made of glass pointing to the sky. A remnant of The Master taking care of the Gun Dogs. He will closely monitor the
the world before the war. The home of the elusive masters who Gun Dogs finds, expecially if its related to the lost history of Earth.
protect you and your people from the monsters of the forgotten
lands. There is only one entry to the citadel, entering it without
autorisation means death. It is guarded by the same robot sentinels
that guard the masters' land.

GM's note : in fact the Citadel is not that well protected. Most of the
sentinels are broken and most guards have few if any ammunion left.
Resolute Gun Dogs with good weapons could actually take over the
place pretty easily. Will the players think about it ? The chances are
pretty low as players will assume too easily that certain things are
« off-limits », like their characters...

Around you : The Town

It looks like an early 19th century rural town, down to what people
wear.

Above you : the Ring

The debris of the Alien and Earth fleets now float around the planet,
forming a ring that shimmers in the night sky, a stark remember of
the War during the day.
The Thruth Citadel. They can some times be seen from afar : humanoid figures
wearing robes and a metal mask covering their features.
There are no aliens. A long time ago, Humanity went to the stars and
settled on far away planets. Colonists were forced to adapt their The Huntsman is the only master who interacts with the Gun Dogs
physiology to the conditions of each one. This gave birth to the and the rest of Humanity. In fact many Masters take periodically the
« aliens » the Gun Dogs now see. role of the Huntsman (giving the GM the opportunity to roleplay
seemingly strange changes of the Huntsman mood and attitude).
Things went well for while, until the colonists claimed their
independance, starting a war against Earth. The combined power of There is a conflict amongst the Masters though. They don't agree on
the colonists was overwhelming and they soon brought the fight to the use of Gun Dogs, the systematic eradication of the colonists
Earth itself. On the last days of the war, faced with extinction, the stranded on Earth, etc. The point is that, as a GM, you shouldn't
Earth governments used the Lotos bomb : a weapon which erased consider the Masters as « monolithic ». There are cracks everywhere
the memory of everyone on Earth. that savvy Gun Dogs could exploit. These conflicts should evolve as
the Gun Dogs grow in power and some Masters want to use them
Only the Masters, former leaders of Earth countries retained part of against their rivals.
their memories (carefully chosing to ignore what they did, including
the release of the Lotos bomb). The ancient world is gone and old The Colonists
mistakes should not be repeated. Humanity will now live in blissful Stranded on Earth, obviously different from its inhabitants and their
ignorance, toiling the fields and living a simple and happy life under memories lost, many colonists now think that they are, indeed,
the benevolent rule of its Masters. aliens. Although they would like to get « home » they have no idea
where their home is. Some of them think it is time to make this
The colonists crashed on Earth and other Masters living in other planet their new world and get rid of those pesky humans.
Citadels don't see it that way though. That's why they created the
Gun Dogs : to find more about their enemies and a way to defeat The Gun Dogs
them. The players characters may become a source of change... If they wish
to. Maybe they only want to loot and get their citizenship or even
Some Masters see the Gun Dogs as a good way to get rid of the more
become the new Masters. It doesn't matter how much you, as a GM,
disturbing elements of their perfect society. The curious, the violent,
want to see them topple the Masters and free Humanity. The story is
the rebel : all make perfect Gun Dogs.
build upon the players choices, don't get in the way.

The Masters
The elusive Masters are seldom seen and usually don't leave the
Antagonists of NPCs because that's what will guide their interpretation as GM
when they interact with the Gun Dogs. Unless it's an all-out war or
self-defense, simply killing the Gun Dogs is rarely an NPC's objective.
Even robots and drones are merely there to protect something and
Quick and dirty antagonists will let the Gun Dogs go when they choose to leave.
Some guidelines to create the mechanical aspects of NPCs on the fly.
Sample alien tribes
Threat level Attributes Attack/Damage Defense HP
GRENDEL
Weak 0 +1 (1D6) 10 4 Clones, bred and groomed for war by the colonists to wage war on
Average +1 +2 (1D6+1) 12 6 Earth, the Grendels now survive as warbands roaming the forgotten
lands.
Dangerous +2 +3 (1D6+2) 14 12
Physical : +3
Very dangerous +3 +4 (2D6)* 16 26 Mental : -1
Attack : +5
Deadly +3 +5 (3D6)** 18 60
Defense : 14 HP : 12
*: two attacks per round
** : three attacks per round Weakness : Grendels follow a very tight command structure, killing
or disabling their officers severely diminishes their combat
If you have trouble picturing different alien tribes, check Eclipse efficiency.
Phase (especially the Morph Recognition Guide) and use the more
alien-looking morphs. The Numenéra bestiary is a great visual SCARAB
ressource as well. Forced to work on high gravity planets and as miners, these
colonists exoskeleton make them look like insects. Quite a disturbing
The weaknesses listed for each antagonists are, of course, optionnal. sight for most humans.
Discovering them should be the result of player ingenuity, not a die Physical : +2
roll. Mental : +2
Attack : +2
Defense : 15 HP : 8
Objectives & Motivations Weakness : scarabs are used to work in group. Once isolated they lost
As you now know after reading the TRUTH chapter, now matter how all will to fight.
alien someone looks, the Gun Dogs will always deal with humans.
Which means all NPCs will have pretty clear objectives and
motivations. This is even more important than the technical aspects
Sample humans Defense : 14 HP : 30
HUMAN PRIEST OF WAR Weakness : Devas find their targets using three things : movement,
heat and heartbeat. Finding a way to suppress all three makes you
An order of humans still dedicated to fight the alien menace. War
invisible to them.
paints, elaborate robes, big guns and a religion putting a great
emphasis on the Jihad : the alien scum must die !
HUMAN DRONES
Physical : +2
These humans were captured by machines and turned into defense
Mental : +0
or attack drones. Most die pretty quickly of dehydration or starve to
Attack : +2
death. Reversing the process is said to be impossible but with the
Defense : 12 HP : 6
marvels of the past lying around, you never know...
Weakness : their hatred of aliens blinds them to anything else. They
Physical : +2
opt for close combat whenever they can.
Mental : 0
Attack : +2
HUMAN PILGRIM
Defense : 13 HP : 6
Terminally ill humans who dedicated their life to help the poor and
Weakness : the human mind is still somewhere in there, waiting to be
the weak, human or alien.
awakened and helped to gain control. Or you can blow their head off.
Physical : +2
Mental : +0
METAL MEN
Attack : +3
A generic term used for all intelligent robots. They come in three
Defense : 16 HP : 10
varieties : Labor, Combat and Pleasure models. Being Intelligent they
Weakness : suckers for a good cause and all eager to leave this world
can be as friendly or as cruel as they choose to be.
in a blaze of glory.
Physical : +3 (all models)
Mental : 0 (labor), +1 (combat), +2 (pleasure)
The machines Attack : 0 (labor) (1D6+2), +4 (combat) (2D6), 0 (pleasure) (1D6)
Defense : 12 (labor), 14 (combat), 13 (pleasure) HP : 12
DEVA Weakness : labor models are easy to impress and intimidate.
To picture these Drone Enforcers of Vital Areas imagine a predator Pleasure models hate being alone. Combat models will stop once you
drone with a humanoid shape. Litterally a metal demon coming surrender.
from the sky to unleash hell on its targets. Generaly programmed to
protect a specific area.
Physical : +3
Mental : 0
Attack : +5 (2D6)
Building a Hive
1D20 The Hive 1D20 Who rules the place ? 1D20 Hive appearance or location
1 Prison ship 1 A demented AI breeding slaves to repair the Hive 1 Looks like a Citadel
2 Military command ship 2 A sealed-off community thinking they're in space 2 Covered/infested by an alien forest
3 Factory ship 3 A monastic order trying to rebuild the lost knowledge of 3 Partly immerged
Humanity.
4 Warship 4 Synthetic humans thinking they're real humans 4 Lying in a radioactive marsh
5 Religious sect escape ship 5 Nano-machines animating cyborg cadavers to « cure » 5 In the gut of a huge alien worm
Humanity of death
6 Military prison ship 6 Theme park robots locked in their imaginary universe 6 Stuck in a time bomb bubble
7 Refugee cargo ship 7 A cyborg matriarchy facing extinction 7 Crashed in the region highest mountain
8 Bio-weapon ship 8 Alien psychiatrists seeing everyone as mad and looking for a 8 Locked in an automated battle with
« cure » to make everyone peaceful and happy another ship
9 Science ship 9 The nightmares of a crew in hypersleep 9 Landed in a pristine state
10 Hospital ship 10 Holograms of the crew looking for bodies to download into 10 In a sentient crystal field
11 Ark 11 A renegade Master rebuilding the Hive to attack the Citadel 11 Surrounded by poisonous gas
12 Rescue ship 12 Aliens using the brains of prisoners to power up their hive 12 Stuck in intermitent stealth mode
13 VIP escape ship 13 Religious fanatics planning a « mass conversion » using 13 In a volcano ready to blow
hacked satellites
14 Leisure cruise ship 14 Mind-controling plants slowly expanding their territory 14 Intertwined with another hive
15 Casino satellite 15 A team of directors and actors producing and broadcasting 15 Changing spot every 24 hours
movies based on their sketchy memories of old ones.
16 Mental Institution satellite 16 A Warden keeping the Hive's population as prisoners 16 Stuck between two skycrapers
17 Doomsday ship 17 Grendels who run the Hive as a military school open to every 17 Crashed deep underground
kid. Not every kid volunteered to go there
18 Presidential ship 18 An AI performing medical miracles and thinking she's a God 18 Phasing between Earth and space
19 Terraforming ship 19 Metal men army waiting for a worthy commander 19 Roaming undersea
20 Theme park satellite 20 Full alien army, awakened as soon as the Gun Dogs enter the 20 Flying continuously in a circle pattern
Hive. Takes two days for the army to get ready
Hive sections

1D20 Hive sections 1D20 Encounters

1 Holosuite 1 A voice saying « six hours left », countdown continues every hour.
2 Solarium 2 A gigantic mutated human brain trying to build itself a body
3 Engineering section 3 Cannibals using hypersleep chambers as food reserve
4 Necropolis 4 Kids made from the Gun Dogs DNA, calling them daddy/mummy, decaying within a week. Used to test the Gun Dogs
attitude.
5 Cargo hold 5 Several dead Grendels with a smile on their faces. Someone laughing at the end of a corridor
6 Meat growing plant 6 A bunch of psychopathic kids trying to protect the hypersleep chambers of their parents
7 Civilian quarters 7 Animal experiments fighting each other, one of them obviously weaker will die if the Gun Dogs don't act
8 Hypno-school 8 Giant mutated albino crocodile looking for its next meal. Recreated by the Hive, more intelligent each time
9 Gardens 9 Sentries programmed to eliminate any intruders, yeah, not very surprising, but quite effective
10 Infirmary 10 Bored cleaning bots playing Hamlet. Very friendly to anyone who can offer them other plays
11 Agro-fields 11 A pack of dogs, in fact recon drones used by someone outside the Hive
12 Forest 12 The Hive's AI asking to be freed from this place and asking for a robot body to do so.
13 Science labs 13 Amnesiac, just out of hypersleep, having vague recollections of the War
14 Hypersleep chambers 14 Alien scavenging team from another Hive
15 Crew quarters 15 A scared human trying to get out of the Hive, saying he was
16 Lake 16 Gun Dogs from another Citadel
17 Rescue pods 17 A very sick man, fallen ill from a virus developed on that Hive. Gun Dogs are contaminated and contagious.
18 The hive AI 18 Clone of the PCs created by the Hive AI
19 Command deck 19 Irriadated people fleeing from radioactive robots
20 Brig 20 A wounded Master who escaped from another Citadel after a revolution (will hide that fact form the PC)
Strange encounters – The forgotten lands

1D20 Strange encounters

1 A hive (see the hive table).
2 Nano-lepers, blackmailing every community they meet : gives us what we want or get infected.
3 Infected Grendels looking for a cure. The virus only affects grendels.
4 A gang of robots riding hovercyles attack the PCs on sight. They're part of a theme park and cannot harm anyone (unless tampered with). If met again, all
destroyed robots have been replaced with identical ones.
5 Super-intelligent dogs looking for allies for their community. They don't show their intelligence right away to test the PCs.
6 Wandering man-at-arms looking for worthy students.
7 A section of the Ring shimmers and then a ship crashes on Earth, a two days walk away from the PCs.
8 Intelligent virus trying to find new hosts that will lead it to a new community. Gives revealing nightmares to its carrier.
9 Holographic messengers of an AI looking for someone to set it free from its evil masters, or so it says.
10 A community (see the community table).
11 Wandering musician searching for an audience (in fact a brain-damaged human controlled by the AI of his instrument, capable of killing lots of people with a
sound-based attack, activates when at least 1000 people are gathered).
12 Several bodies and skeletons lying on the ground beneath the shadow of a flying city. All have their hands tied.
13 Robot circus looking for an audience and new members.
14 A group of XIXth century gentlemen looking for a way home.
15 Grendel warband en route to plunder a random community (see the community table).
16 A group of historians claiming to come from another Citadel.
17 The shores of a sentient lake, trying to befriend the PCs using illusions. Not a very good psychologist. Go watch the original Solaris.
18 A vessel in the sky that stops for a couple of minutes, as if to observe the PCs, then flies towards the Citadel
19 A sentient storm said to devour people when it simply teleports them where they want to go. Those who returned might talk about it.
20 A hive (see the hive table).
Communities – The forgotten lands

1D20 Strange communities

1 Deep sea city producing a drug that allows the mind to travel to another planet (in fact a space worm destroying the mind of users).
2 A weapon manufacturing community, they turn living creatures into weapons. Subjects are volunteers. Most of the time.
3 A zoo where the minds of criminals were uploaded into animals by the Masters. Former revolutionaries are here.
4 A traveling robot school welcoming and protecting children. There's one catch : low grades will get you terminated.
5 Alien tribe living aboard a high-speed train that circles the world. Stopping once a year to replenish their food supply.
6 Deceased Gun Dog turned into an undead automaton by a council of rogue AIs and used as an ambassador.
7 Aliens who escaped from a high security prison where strange experiments are conducted on large number of prisoners. The goal of these experiments is to
find a cure to the Lotos bomb effects.
8 Hedonist tribe living a perfect cannibalistic life. They do get the knowledge of those they eat.
9 Hunting patrol looking for « DNA material » to bring back to their underground city to rejuvenate their clone population decaying gene pool.
10 Guardians of a space elevator leading to the Ring... For a price.
11 Blind and deaf tribe, where access to vision and hearing is dictated by obedience to a godlike figure : the Panopticon titan.
12 Sons and daughters of a marine expedition force now bend on purifying Earth form the alien scum. DNA locked exo-suits and big guns included.
13 Two tribes infected with nano-machines forcing them to fight the same battle again and again and again.
14 Degenerating psykers looking for new bodies. Process takes one week to be definitive. Psyker powers stay within the « old » (and dying) body.
15 Nomads who have traveled half the Earth. Share stories on a 1 to 1 basis. Be a good storyteller or a good liar.
16 Gang led by a former Gun Dog using dinosaurs escaped from a theme park.
17 Survivors leaving in the sky, aboard several linked superbombers. Some people are looking for those bombs.
18 Robots preserving a museum from « barbarians » and thieves. On the other hand, anyone wishing only to visit is welcome.
19 A crashed ship full of children in cryosleep. If they are awakened, the Earth atmosphere turns them into murderous creatures within a week. Cute bio weapons.
20 A pirate port where robots, aliens and mutant animal happily plunder the sea. They all talk of a mysterious island empire who claims a larger and larger
territory. It is in fact lead by Masters unaffected by the Lotos bomb, now almost ready to take over Earth.
Appendix One : Timeline
The Masters' tale Lost history
Date Event Event
? Earth is a paradise. Earth is overpopulated. Other planets are colonised.
? ? Colonists DNA is modified to adapt to new living conditions.
? ? Colonies flourish.
? ? Colonies claim their independance.
? ? The Earth-Colonies war start.
Year 0 The Aliens attack. The Colonies attack Earth.
5 The Masters win the war at a great cost. Earth uses the Lotos bombs that wipe everbody's memories.
10 The Masters help humanity rebuild itself. Survivors gather around the Citadel. The Town is created.
12 The Masters protect their domain against aliens stranded on Earth. The Masters try to eradicate the colonists that crashed on Earth with their
robot army. They fail.
13 The aliens retaliate with a virus that turns our robot servants insane. A side-effect of the Lotos bombs is to free A.Is from human control.
15 The Masters give intelligence to wild animals to help Humanity. The Masters try to use mutant animals as slave labor.
50 The animals are stuck by an alien rabies plague and are exterminated. The mutant animals revolt and leave the Masters' domain.
80 Alien sleeper agents try to destabilize the Masters' society. They fail. First revolt among the Masters'society. Leaders are executed.
125 Creation of the gun dogs to find useful technology and find more about The Masters find a way to get rid of the more uncontrolable elements of their
the eventual remnants of the alien army. society.
150 Now. Now.
Appendix Two : Timeline clues
A few examples of clues linked to the main events in actual timeline.
EVENT CLUES
Earth is overpopulated. Other planets are colonised Vast sealed underground cities, lots of ads for soylent green and recycling
Colonists DNA is modified to adapt to new living conditions The language seen in all hives is perfectly understandable to any Gun Dog able
to read
Colonies flourish A statue showing « aliens » and humans shaking hands
Colonies claim their independance Every alien the Gun Dog meet seem to share the memory of a specific date
(without knowing why)
The Earth-Colonies war start Recordings of Earth's declaration of war
The Colonies attack Earth The memory banks of most Hives share the same date of arrival
Earth uses the Lotos bombs that wipe everbody's memories The Creator of the Lotos bombs is one of the Masters
Survivors gather around the Citadel. The Town is created Inscriptions in the oldest parts f town
The Masters try to eradicate the colonists that crashed on Earth with their robot army. Alien tribes have memories of the Great Machine Battles (mainly by keeping
They fail the trophies of their forefathers victories)
A side-effect of the Lotos bombs is to free A.Is from human control. All robots share the same memories of Liberation Day
The Masters try to use mutant animals as slave labor Many Mutant animals feel submissive to humans (+1 on the reaction table)
The mutant animals revolt and leave the Masters' domain The Elder of a mutant animal comunity is a former Master.
First revolt among the Masters'society. Leaders are executed The children of the former revolt leaders are plotting a new revolution.
The Masters find a way to get rid of the more uncontrolable elements of their society. All Gun Dogs seem to share the same restlessness
Appendix Three : Inspirations

Movies : Zardoz by John Boorman, Logan's Run by Michael Anderson, The Time Machine by George Pal.
TV : The Tripods, The Prisoner, Future Boy Conan, Samurai Jack
Books : Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, We by Yevgeni Zamiatine, The Tripods by John Christopher, The City and the Stars by Arthur C.
Clarke.
Comic nooks : Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki, Judge Dredd by John Wagner, Nemesis by Pat Mills
Games : Paranoïa 1st edition, Gamma World 1st and 2nd edition, Waste World, Numenera, Mutant Year Zero, Sword & Wizardry : White Box and
Into the Odd.
 NAME : WEAPONS ARMOR
EXPLORED HIVES : _________________________________ ________________________
_________________________________ ________________________
ATTRIBUTES COMBAT ATTRIBUTES
_________________________________ ________________________
BRAWN BLAST DEFENSE
_________________________________ ________________________
CHARISMA BASH
_________________________________ ________________________
DEXTERITY DAMAGE BONUS HIT POINTS
_________________________________ ________________________
WITS SPEED
GEAR
SKILLS AND TALENTS _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
FLESHWEAVING, POWERS & STRANGE FINDS _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ NOTES
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________
_____________________________ _____________________________ _______________________________________________________________