TWERPS: The GENRE-MATIC
Author’s note: This is the first, untested and uncorrected draft of the
last of my many TWERPS supplements. It remains unfinished, but there
should be enough here for you to use it as a setting. Perhaps more
than any other TWERPS supplement it benefits from the addition of
other books in the line. Genre-Matic is based loosely on the Dream
Park novels of Larry Niven and Steven Barnes, which were also made
into a pretty good (but flawed) RPG by R. Talsorian games a decade
ago. I’m presenting this unedited, although I do hope to get back to it
and offer a finished, revised version some time. Maybe. Here’s one
optional rule I just thought of: Have your players empty their pockets,
and for each quarter they give you let their character begin the game
with an extra quarter. There, now you can have a fun evening and still
turn a profit.
1. INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a place where adventure is for sale. Welcome to a
place where accountants rule the galaxy in their spare time. Welcome
to a place where you can defeat dragons, fight alongside the heroes of
history and myth and still be sure of getting a frosty cola and warm
pizza slice… as long as you don’t run out of quarters.
Welcome to the world of the GENRE-MATIC.
TWERPS GENRE-MATIC is a role-playing game set in the most
advanced theme park ever built, a real life amusement arcade where
ordinary people go to play the hero for a few hours and act out their
heroic fantasies under the guidance of the supercomputer PAL-9000.
This campaign pack takes a few liberties with the TWERPS rules but is
still useable with any other TWERPS set. Only the Basic Rules are
necessary to play.
2. CHARACTER GENERATION
Unlike a regular TWERPS character (if indeed there is such a
creature) the inhabitants of the GENRE-MATIC world are ordinary
people who go to the park to pretend to be heroes, making this one of
the very few games where your character can get caught in the
holiday traffic and never make it to the adventure.
Roll up your character using the procedure in the Basic Rules,
then reduce your Strength by one point. Next, choose a character
template from PAL-9000’s stock list:
1. RICH KID: Not exactly a character template, this person simply has a
lot of money. You bring 40 quarters to the park instead of the standard
20.
2. WARRIOR: Whatever the era, Warriors are the ultimate fighting
machines. Whatever the challenge, Warriors are the ones trying to club
it to death with a big stick. Begin the game with one personal weapon
and take a +1 to hit with any attack.
3. EGG-HEAD: These boffins prize knowledge above brute force (Hm,
does that sound like a role-player to you? Didn’t think so). +1 to all
actions involving logic or specialised knowledge.
4. SUPER POWER: Potentially the most appealing option, Super Power
covers most of the effects obtainable with magic, psi-abilities or comic
book powers. However, these effects are expensive… and if you run
out of quarters you run out of power. N.B. You must choose ONE power
(e.g. Flight, Stun Blast etc). Further powers require taking this option
again.
5. NATURAL BORN COWARD: One of nature’s survivors, +1 to Dodge,
Run Away, Hide Under Tables and do other craven things you really
ought to be ashamed of.
6. THE CHARMER: A true leader, or maybe a con-artist. +1 to deceive,
persuade and charm. This includes rolling to persuade other characters
to lend you quarters.
All characters are given (loaned) one costume appropriate (or
maybe not) to their type and to the genre chosen. In the case of
Charmers this will invariably be of rather better cut and quality than
everyone else’s. All Super Power characters have a power focus
(crystal amulet, magic staff, bullet-proof lingerie or whatever) without
which they cannot use their ability.
EQUIPMENT
All equipment costs quarters. Furthermore, it costs quarters to
run as well as to buy, and it is here that PAL-9000 uses a neat trick to
balance the characters a little. The actual cost of equipment, in many
cases, is up to the player! So, if you want to pay just one quarter for
that Plasma Bazooka then go ahead.
Of course, there might be a catch…
Each time you use an item it costs you one quarter (instead of
energy or ammunition) and you must roll (Equipment Cost + 1d10)
Vs. (Character Strength + 1d10). In some cases the TWERPS
MASTER may opt to have the roll be (Equipment Cost + 1d10) Vs.
(Difficulty Level + 1d10). If the Equipment roll is lower than the
Strength or Difficulty roll then the item fails to operate, maybe broken
or perhaps jammed or out of power. Note that in the case of weapons
one quarter buys you a short burst rather than a single shot, so
TWERPS MASTERS might like to reduce these rolls to once per battle,
or simply whenever you think it’ll be most awkward for the players. A
tie means that the equipment will work if you immediately pay another
quarter. Otherwise, everything works just fine. Or at least as well as
can be expected for a piece of plastic, foam and papier-mache.
The only items which have a fixed cost and do not require a roll
are simple non-mechanical things like swords, armour and so forth. All
such items have no special bonuses. If a weapon they use no ammo or
energy and cause 2 hits; armour has a defence of 2. Obviously you can
create magic swords or whatnot, but these then follow the regular
equipment rules. Mr Big Shot Paladin better have his bag of quarters
ready if he wants that +5 Wholly Defender to do more than shine
prettily… These rules mean that weaker characters can actually get
better equipment for less, but this is a computer controlled artificial
setting and PAL-9000 likes a level playing field. All special equipment
has a little slot on the side labelled “Insert Coin.”
Each PC begins with 20 quarters. Don’t spend ‘em all at once.
3. THE COMBAT SYSTEM
Mounted / Vehicular combat: As the GENRE-MATIC setting is
utterly artificial it is possible to ride sea unicorns into battle against
nuclear subs or roar through space with you rocket pack to take on a
swarm of galactic space-dragons with equal aplomb. Reality ain’t in it,
sunshine.
Unless the character provides the motive power (as with a
bicycle) then the VEHICLE strength determines the order of movement.
The Strength of the driver determines the order of attack, unless the
vehicle is self-controlled in which case it is effectively a character.
Passengers may attack normally but drivers can only use vehicular
weapons.
Collision Damage: 1d10 to each vehicle, 2 points to each
passenger.
… and that’s it. If there was ever any more written I’m afraid that it is
currently missing. Still, I hope you’ll find enough there to let you run a
game, since the regular TWERPS rules should fill in very nicely for
those areas not covered. There are a few glaring problems in these
rules, but then this is the first draft. Please feel free to post any
feedback or additions to this supplement.
© 1995 – 2003 Jon Hancock. Permission to reproduce this text is
granted for personal use only. This semi-supplement was not edited by
Niels Erickson, and dear me it certainly shows.