Table of contents

Introduction to GM-less play (3)

Introduction to Sword and Planet genre (4 – 6)
Referee tables (7)
Rules (8 – 12)
Use of solo play tables (13 – 14)
Procedures of the game (15 – 17)
Mission procedures (18 – 24)
Monsters (25 – 28)
Thanks to & Copyright (29)
 Introduction to GM-less play
Blade and Raygun is a GM-less (primarily solo)
game. Players in this type of RPGs control their
characters and the world, but they don't control the
world at will - they ask the Referee Tables questions
and interpret the answers. It's sort of like
divination, but about the fictional world.
 Introduction to Sword and Planet genre
1. The world is (usually) both advanced and
primitive
Genetically modified warriors fight with swords and
spears, airboats deliver adventurers to explore
forgotten ruins, nobles fight on duels with rayguns.
Worlds of sword and planet fiction combine spirit of
fantasy and scientific wonders of sci-fi.
How did this happen? Well, there are options:
- This world simply developed technologically faster
than socially
- This world was once developed but since then an
apocalypse had happened
- This is a space colony that hasn't fully developed
yet
- Some arcane technology makes seemingly archaic
ways more reasonable than modern ones
- Because of rule of cool
2. The world is cruel
Here blade and raygun rule the land. Slavers roam
the deserts, warlords duel over ancient fusion
reactors, and survival frequently depends on quick
blade. This may happen because of scarcity of
resources, because of culture, because of will of
cruel gods and in many other ways.
3. The world is diverse
Forget planets of hats - here every nation and
maybe every city are unique. Some cities may be
steampunk dystopias while others are theocracies
worshipping ancient AI.
4. The world is ripe for dangerous adventures
Adventurers are always in demand here to fight in
endless wars and to uncover mysteries of the
planet.
5. No magic!
Nothing truly supernatural happens in sword and
planet stories, safe for miraculous transportation.
However, some people possess psychic powers that
can fill the narrative role.
6. There be monsters
Fauna and flora of the world is exotic and
oftentimes dangerous. Every non-magical monster
you can conceive of is appropriate here.
7. Science!
Scientific wonders are usually all around this world.
Don't worry too much about plausibility though -
gadgets work because they seem cool.
8. On the question of non-human races
Personally I don't use them in my campaign because
the common execution has racist origins. However
if you think you can handle it you are free to include
all kinds of non-humans.
 Referee tables
Yes/no (for general questions), on 1d6
Guaranteed 2+
Probable 3+
50/50 4+
Improbable 5+
Impossible 6+
- Extent die – more is more.
Pacing event (use them when the story is too slow or
predictable or to start an adventure)
1 Problem
2 Discovery
3 Non-player character
4 Conflict
5 Opportunity
6 Obstacle

Action (what does it Theme (what is it about?)

do?)
1 Help 1 Allies
2 Harm 2 Enemies
3 Change 3 Neutral
forces/Community
4 Reveal 4 Power
5 Pursue 5 Knowledge
6 Make 6 Resource
 Rules
Character creation
Each character has 3 stats – Might (strength,
dexterity), Wits (skills, intelligence) and Spirit
(charisma, will). From 0 to 3.
Take two six-sided dice (2d6) and roll them for each
stat and then compare the result to the table below
(dice value – stat value):
12 – 3 (superhuman)
10-11 – 2 (above average)
7-9 – 1 (average)
2-6 – 0 (below average).
Then distribute additional 2 points between stats.
Choose 4 foci from the following list of 9:
Athletics For feats of physical
prowess
Awareness For noticing things and
gathering information
Craft For crafting, picking locks
and disarming traps
Healing For mending wounds
Knowledge For recalling information
Stealth For sneaking around
Survival For navigating the
wilderness
Charisma For influencing others
Willpower For resisting outside
influence and hardships
Your character has 2 harm, which is how many
wounds they can take before collapsing.
You begin the game with 5 Adventure Points, more
on them later. In group play, your adventure points
form a single pool.
For example, I rolled Might 0, Wits 0, and Spirit 2. I
then distribute two points to get Might 1, Wits 1,
Spirit 2. I then choose foci – Charisma, Athletics,
Knowledge, Awareness. I decide on a name – Cass.
Lastly, I give them a backstory – they were a soldier
of a Benedetti family but got fired for failing to
prevent the assassination of their son.
The game
Test (when your character is trying to do something
dangerous or hard): 2d6+appropriate stat+focus
(that’s +2 if you have it)+bonuses and compare with
the table:
10+: Full success
7-9: partial success
6-: failure;
Natural 2 on the dice is always a failure.
Bonuses
Strong advantage +2
Noticeable advantage +1
Nothing 0
Noticeable disadvantage -1
Strong disadvantage -2

If you absolutely need a binary result, consider 7+ to

be a success.
You may use adventure points to reroll failed tests.
One reroll consumes 1 point. You may waste as
much as you need.
If you describe how your character is doing
something you get a +1 bonus.
Combat is a test of Might. Full success – you hit
your opponent, partial success – you hit each other
or nothing happens, failure – the opponent hits you.
One hit deals one Harm. You roll only once and only
for your character, monsters only react. Depending
on which side has the numerical advantage, you get
a +1 or -1 to attacks. Most enemies have 1 Harm,
bosses have 3.
Psychic powers are always available for all
characters, but they are limited to healing and
bodily enhancement or temporarily shutting down
certain functions of organisms, but the last bit is
harder and takes time, so it can’t be used in
combat.
Healing – roll 2d6+Wits+Healing: on 7+ you heal 1
Harm. You can heal indefinitely, but only one
attempt per wound.
Enhancement – roll 2d6+Wits: on 7+, you get a +1
bonus to a task for a short time. You can only do it 5
times a day.
There are little rules for equipment in this game. If
you are uncertain if your character has necessary
tools, ask the die.
Harm is restored after rest or by psychic powers,
Adventure Points are restored after each
adventure.
 Advancement
After each successful adventure, roll 2d6 – on 10+
increase the maximum of your Adventure Points by
1.
 Use of solo play tables
The referee tables are the heart of any solo game.
In this section I will explain how to use them.
The most important is the one for simple yes/no
questions. For example, “Are there bars on the
windows in the mansion of the baroness?” or “Does
this criminal have any relation to the recent
murder?” Simply decide on the probability, roll 1d6
and consult the table.
The second by frequency of use is the table of
Pacing Events. They reflect the “black swan factor”
in your adventures. Roll 1d6 and consult the table.
Use them when you feel like the action is lacking. I
also use them when I get a partial success but can’t
figure out the consequences.
Third table – Theme. It is used for Random Events,
and also to figure out the theme of something (for
example, a conversation or a finding). Roll 1d6 and
consult the table.
Fourth table – Action. Used almost exclusively in
generating Random Events. Roll 1d6 and consult the
table.
Almost all tables are abstract. This is how it ought to
be – you need to think in associations when using
them. For example, Change+Power may mean the
death of old lord or elections into the city council,
anything.
 Procedures of the game
Below are the procedures that may be not obvious
to new players. But all of them rely on the same
basic rules.
Aiming – 2d6+Wits+bonuses
10+: get +2 to the next attack
7-9: you get +1 to the next attack

Backstab – 2d6+Might+bonuses
10+: you kill the target
7-9: you deal twice the amount of damage
6-: you deal a normal amount of damage

Reaction roll – 2d6+Spirit+bonuses (when the

attitude of a non-playable character is unknown)
10+: curious
7-9: neutral
6-: animosity

Trap deactivation – 2d6+Wits+Craft+bonuses

10+: the trap is deactivated
7-9: the trap is deactivated and you suffer 1 Harm
6-: the trap is deactivated and you suffer 2 Harm

Looking for clues – 2d6+Wits+Awareness+bonuses

10+: +2 clues
7-9: +1 clue

Preparing for a heist – 2d6+Wits+bonuses

10+: +3 flashbacks
7-9: +1 flashback

Traversing the wilderness –

2d6+Wits+Survival+bonuses
10+: you get there without adventures
7-9: you have to resolve 1 Pacing Event before you
get there
6-: you have to resolve 2 pacing events before you
realize that you are lost
Persuade – 2d6+Spirit+Charisma+bonuses
10+: the NPC will do what you ask
7-9: they will only do it for an appropriate price
6-: they won’t do it and may turn hostile
 Mission procedures
Not all games can be fit into a template, but some
can. Below are the most common missions and
rules for them.
Dungeon exploration
What is a role playing game without dungeons
(winks)? Dungeons are constructions with hostile
conditions – inside are monsters and traps, but also
treasure and adventures. Abandoned palace or old
mines – all of these are dungeons.
Firstly, decide on the type of dungeon:
1 Palace
2 Caverns
3 Mines
4 Military object
5 Lived space
6 Tomb
Now decide the number of rooms – small ones
usually have 6, big ones may have over 20. Draw
map – it doesn’t have to be detailed, just place
dots-rooms and connect them.
After this decide on the monster factions. Small
ones have 2, big ones have 2 in starting area alone
(aside from factions there may be solitary
monsters). Determine their motivation:
1 Dominate
2 Explore
3 Protect
4 Get
5 Expand
6 Revenge

For example, I pick a dungeon – caverns with 14

rooms and 2 factions. The goal of the first is to
expand, of the second – to protect. First faction is
the clan of sapient ground sharks that wants to
expand their hunting grounds. The second faction is
cave people who want to protect their home and
treasure. Aside from them there are solitary rumbes.
When you approach the dungeon there always is a
Pacing Event.
In the dungeon, the rooms are structured this way:
1 room Monster and treasure
2 room Seemingly empty
3 room Boss monster without
treasure
4 room Trapped or hidden
 treasure
Repeat.
The number of monsters: roll 2d6 and consult the
table
10+ ½ of your party
(minimum 1)
7-9 Equal to your party
6- Twice the size of your
party

The amount of treasure is determined this way –

roll 1d6. This is the amount of P you get. If you roll a
6, that’s an artifact instead of money.
1P is roughly enough to modestly live for a week.
Also while exploring a room, roll 1d6. On 4+, there
is something notable. Use this table to determine
what:
1-3 New information
4-5 Unusual room dressings
6 Object
Use the table of Themes for clarifications.
In each room of the dungeon a Pacing Event
happens on 4+.
If during dungeon exploration you suffered Harm,
you may want to rest. Of course, you can’t rest in a
dungeon – the monsters are there! So you have to
rest somewhere nearby but outside. During the rest
roll 1d6 – on 4+ a Pacing Event happens. Also a
Pacing Event happens when you return to your last
room.
Investigation
Investigation starts with determining the crime and
the victim. After this, roll on the Theme table to get
the first clue. After this you may roll to search for
more clues, as described in the procedures section.
Acting in the role of your character, find out who is
guilty.
Escort
Escort missions are about escorting someone or
something through wilderness. The rules are the
same as for exploration.
Heist
Flashbacks (see procedures) allow you to simulate
preparations, like in cool movies. When you meet a
problem, you may say “But I predicted this”,
describe how did you prepare for it, spend a
flashback, pass a Wits test – and the problem is
solved.
For example, the door to the archive is guarded. I
say “But I predicted this – I came when the guards
are changed”, spend a flashback, pass the Wits test
– and all, the guards go to rest, and I have several
minutes until new guards come.
After this comes the heist phase. During this phase
there is an awareness tracker. It starts with 0 and
has 5 sections. Every time you make yourself
known, even slightly, it goes up by 1 point. You also
may raise the tracker by 1 point as a consequence
to partial success. When the tracker reaches 3
points, you are known – to escape you will have to
pass tests of Wits and Might. When the tracker
reaches 5 points, the object is closed – you need to
pass the escape test with a -2 modifier. The test is
considered passed if you get at least partial success,
but if you want higher difficulty, partial success
means that near the exit a Pacing Event happens.
Failure means that you are caught. A fight starts.
You may be recognized if you aren’t masked.
Describe how does your character bypasses all the
difficulties, and may the dice be on your side!
 Assassination
Assassination works like heists but the goal is to kill
someone.
Reconnaissance in the enemy camp
Reconnaissance works like heists but the goal is to
obtain information.
Campaigns
You may play episodic games, but it’s more fun to
unite them into campaigns.
The flow of campaign is free-form in many ways,
but you may use trackers for structure.
To each faction give a tracker with a set amount of
sections. Trackers reflect how close they are to their
goal. Every time something that makes them closer
to their goal happens, they get a section filled.
Every time something that hinders them happens,
they lose a section.
After every mission or “move” in a campaign, roll
Random Events to determine what happens around
you or with every faction.
If you want to have an arch-enemy in the form of a
sapient being, roll on the following table:
Type of enemy
1 Fallen idealist
2 Ancient evil
3 Power-hungry ascendant
4 Fanatic
5 Conqueror from other
worlds
6 Combine two
The goal is usually obvious.
 Monsters
The monsters don’t have stats in usual sense, but
they have descriptions and special abilities.

Hred
Armored lizard, used as burden animal and a source
of pseudo-metal.

Fass
Small poisonous cat-like creature. Kept as a pet by
civilized nobles.

Glom
Fire-breathing insects, always a lot of them.

Haru
Carnivorous slim anthropoid, very stupid but can
use human tools.

Noom
Carnivorous bird.

Begib
Stealthy and aggressive ape.

Hypnotic dragon
Big reptile with ability to hypnotize its prey.

Warku
Big carnivorous "ostrich".

Glom Queen
Leader of glom swarm. Emits narcotic fumes.

Swamp machine
Mechanism of the past that swarms water bodies.
Not aggressive unless threatened. Elements of
swamp machines are highly priced.

Desak
Small but aggressive ungulate, lives in jungles.

Prso
Winged ungulate used by barbarians.

Gudi
A kind of armored dog, used by all people.

Zeko
Creature that resembles a legged snake.
Interdimensional being, usually seen at abandoned
locations.

Miru
Resembles a mix between a sheep and an opossum.
Used by all societies for wool and milk.

Rumbe
Predatory animated fungus, common in jungles. Has
very rudimentary nervous system.
Takka
Giant ape, very smart for an ape.

Woy
A type of reptilian horse, used by all people.
 Thanks to:
John Harper for World of Dungeons and Blades in
the Dark;
Primarchthemage for Chasing Adventure;
Marcia B. for Cinco!
Inflatable Studios for One Page Solo Engine.
Copyright:
This work is released under CC-BY-SA 4.0.