ARCLIGHT REVELATION TIANMAR

A 24 -HOUR RP G BY LOW ELL FRANCIS

ARCLIGHT REVELATION TIANMAR

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I: V ICTORY OV ER MARS II: BASICS III: CHARACTER CREATION IV: CONFLICTS AND ACTIONS V: STEAMLARKS V I: GM: ADV ENTURES AND MISCELLANY V II: GM: SOURCES AND SECRETS CHARACTER SHEET PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE PAGE 1 3 3 7 12 14 19 21

Arclight Revelation Tianmar is a 24 Hour RPG created for the RPG Geek 2012 Contest. It is released under the standard Creative Commons Share-Alike License. Quotations from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds are taken from the public domain edition of that text. All art and artwork used here is drawn from the Public Domain or Creative Commons Resources. Shareware font "Steamwreck" used for the Title Font. World War One images come from the public domain image repository Images of the Great War. Child labor images come from The History Place: Child Labor in America 1908 1912. This game was written by Lowell Francis beginning at 4pm Sunday, October 28th through 4pm Monday October 29th, 2012.

Visit his blog at http://ageofravens.blogspot.com/

Dedicated to Sherri L. Stewart.

I. V ICTORY OV ER MARS

I go to London and see the busy multitudes in Fleet Street and the Strand, and it comes across my mind that they are but the ghosts of the past, haunting the streets that I have seen silent and wretched, going to and fro, phantasms in a dead city, the mockery of life in a galvanised body. And strange, too, it is to stand on Primrose Hill, as I did but a day before writing this last chapter, to see the great province of houses, dim and blue through the haze of the smoke and mist, vanishing at last into the vague lower sky, to see the people walking to and fro among the flower beds on the hill, to see the sight-seers about the Martian machine that stands there still, to hear the tumult of playing children, and to recall the time when I saw it all bright and clear-cut, hard and silent, under the dawn of that last great day H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds In 1898 the Martian Invasion came, struck down terrestrial armies, overwhelmed all of mankind, and then collapsed- destroyed apparently by the tiniest defenders. The Earth had won and had beaten back the alien menace. From the ruins, the great centers of industry and life shattered, humanity declared that victory had come. But perhaps it had not. Just as our own biosphere had offered a poison to the Martians in time, what they had brought to Earth offered an equally deadly toxin. The Red Weed did not simply vanish with the passing of the Invaders. It seemed briefly to pause and then it returned with a vengeance. What should have been a time of rebuilding became a brief respite before a longer and more insidious war began. No one knows exactly when the Weed Swarm mutated, when it became some different. Rumors had come from the life-choked countryside, of small animals, insects, birds which had been changed- infected by tendrils from the plants. These crimson animals seemed crazed, rushing towards settlements only to be put down. It drips and drabs it began with a few, then a handful, then a pack off maddened animals. And then after seasons the Weed Swarms became smartintelligently striking at targets. But even more dangerous were the hybrids and the fusions. Greater beats and monsters- grafted together out of red weed, animal flesh, scrap, and metal. The people of Earth fight a war against this roving menace- utilizing all of the industrial technology they can bring to bear.

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mechanized armored suits or mecha, codenamed Steamlarks. Many hope that these will be the salvation of the Empire and the means for hunting down and destroying the Swarms dens.

PREMISE

Andsome saythat is the problem.

There are rumors, dark rumors that the red Weed did not simply awaken itself. They say that experiments, delvings, researches by scientists and engineers across the planet created this threat. The Martians had died but left behind their technology, their organic science, their bodies, and their war machines. How could mankind resist the siren lure? How could they not adapt those techniques to make transports, steam conveyors, high-temperature furnaces, medical advancements, and, of course, weapons?

In Arclight Revelation Tianmar players take the role of teens recruited by The Crystal Palace to pilot Steamlarks. They will human civilization against the predations of the mutated remnants of the Martian Invasion of 1898. The Red Weed, once a simple symptom of the alien encroachment, has gained sentience, polluting and corrupting native flora and fauna. Weed Swarm now comes in many forms and monstrous shapes. To secretly raise and train pilots for the Steamlarks, The Crystal Palace has co-opted the Spencer House Academy. Those who possess the mental talent necessary to pilot the Steamlarks are brought to South Londonone of several splintered enclaves made up from the once great city. The Divided by walls, the eleven London subdistricts are a mix of bordering holdings and towns separated by Weedlands. The Crystal Palace operates in secret from the hidden Crystal Palace Development Fortress (CPDF). They need pilots with discipline, but also balance in their lives. Military-like living conditions and training resulted in catastrophe. Instead the staff have taken a more psychological approach- splitting pilots lives between a public face of school-children as a secret existence of training and field operations. But even this is a strain on these young men and women- who must face the awful horror of the Weedswarm and still hope for normal lives. Can they survive?

LONDON 1916

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Great Britain still stands, overseen by her Majesty Queen Victoria. She has lost many of her colonies, but remains stronger and more intact than other besieged nations such as Austro-Hungary, The Ottomon Empire, and Czarist Russia. The British have led the way in the adaptation of Martian technologies, using those to fight back against the Weed Swarm and its many and varied minions. The newest secret weapon in the crowns arsenal are the

II. Basics

Arclight Revelation Tianmar (ART) offers simple mechanics. Characters primarily have skills, distinctions, and damage tracks. Skills represent that a characters better at something. Distinctions are special unique talents the characters possess. The damage tracks measure of damage a character has taken; they have several parts to it: Physical Threshold, Composure Threshold, Shocks, and Sufferings. ART is a game about characters put in awful situations- so measuring and dealing with damage should present a real challenge to the characters. This game uses two die types: d10s and d6s. Youll need a couple of both. When a character performs an action, the GM has to decide if they should roll for it. Generally only have players roll if it would be interesting, especially if failure could be notable and painful. If an action isnt difficult or only modestly difficult but the player has some skill with the area, then give that to the players. They will have plenty of opportunity to fail later. When players attempt an action, the GM declares the difficulty. The player then rolls 1d10, attempting to beat that difficulty. If the player has a skill or a beneficial circumstance, they may add 1d6 to their roll. Other options allow for further dice or even a d10 to be added. For example the rules allow players or party members to take damage on themselves to gain an additional d6. Players may always opt to add a +2 to a roll instead of rolling added d6s.

III. Character Creation

Characters in Arclight Revelation Tianmar are all young people, recruited by The Crystal Palace, to pilot mechas aka Steamlarks in defense of human civilization against the predations of the mutated remnants of the Martian Invasion of 1898. The teen characters have been recruited by a secret method- selecting those who possess the strange talent to pilot the Steamlarks. To maintain secrecy and stability for the pilots, they have been enrolled in a private academy, near the hidden Crystal Palace Development Fortress (CPDF). The PCs have to balance their livesbetween school days, trying to master their unruly mecha, and fighting the Weed Swarm and its various manifestations.

DISTINCTIONS

Generally, to perform a standard action, with no pressure requires a character roll a 7+.

The teenage characters have been thrust into this dangerous world- strange, foreign, and outside of their control. To make it easy to put together a character, players begin with a three stage process of selecting distinctions. Below youll find three lists- A, B, and C. Roll a die to see which player gets to pick first. That player chooses a distinction from list A. Then the next player clockwise does so. The last player to pick then also chooses a distinction from list B and the choice moves back counterclockwise. The last player in that round then chooses a distinction from list C and it goes back clockwise. In the end, each player will end up with three distinctions which act as a phrase describing their character. Each distinction has a tangible effect- with those from list B being negative. Each distinction may only be taken once. So for example, a Sneaky Hotheaded Athlete or a Famous Arrogant Church-Goer.

Some actions may require special experience or training- like programming a calculation engine or flying a biplane. It is up to the player and GM to negotiate about whether the player has such experience. If they have the skill on their sheet, thats great. If not, theyd better be able to spin a story about why they might be familiar with the task. The GM should feel free to radically increase the difficulty of a task where the player has no experience.

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LIST A

Adaptable: When you spend threshold to add a d6 to your own tests, you may roll two dice and take the higher. Agile: Add +1 to all Dodge rolls. Beautiful/Handsome: You have a benefit when trying to manipulate those who would be physically attracted to you. Brainy: Add +1 to all Academic and Research rolls. Calculating: If youre picked to act last in a round, you may pick yourself to go first in the following round.

LIST B

Angry: When you fail a social test, you take a point of Composure threshold

Arrogant: When a player sacrifices for you, roll 1d6. If odd, you dont give them a bond.

Cautious: When you add dice to a roll, you must use at least half of them (round up) at their optional bonus instead of rolling them. Cold: Subtract 1 from all Presence rolls. Desperate: You have -2 to all rolls to set up romances or friendships.

Clever: You gain +2 to attempts to read people or sense their motivations. Elite: Add +2 to all Status rolls.

Gullible: You are easily mislead. Take a point of Composure damage to see through fabrications. Hormonal: You are driven by lust and passion, always trying to catch a glimpse of skin or access to naughty bits. Hotheaded: If challenged, you must accept or take a point of Composure damage. Lone Wolf: You cannot sacrifice for other players, nor can they sacrifice for you. Jealous: When someone else gains recognition, you must attempt to downplay or undercut it. Milquetoast: You may not take Willpower, Leader, Mecha Control, or Self-Assurance skills. Nervous: Reduce Composure Threshold by 2. Shy: You may take the friends skill. You have a -2 to all public presentation tests.

Cute: Social attacks on you will trigger reprisals from your protectors. Experienced: You may change one of your skills into an Expert skill. Famous: Add +2 to all check to make friends and establish romances. Fearsome: You do +1d mental damage. Friendly: When taking mental damage, you have a base resistance of 2 and increase the number needed to do damage to you by 1. Funny: You do +1d social damage. Keen-eyed: Add +1 to all perception type rolls. Lucky: Once per scene you may reroll 1d6. Reliable: Begin with +2 Composure Threshold. Sneaky: Add +1 to all sneaking, stealth, and lying rolls. Strong-Willed: When taking mental damage, you have a base resistance of 2 and increase the number needed to do damage to you by 1. Swift: When you make a move action on foot, you may move two blocks instead of one. Tough: You gain +1 physical resistance.

Subservient: You may not take the Self Assurance or Willpower skills. You must make a test to go against group consensus. Timid: Subtract 1 from all Fighting rolls. Uncultured: Subtract 2 from tests of arts , literature, performances, dancing, and the like. Uneducated: Subtract 1 from all Brains rolls. Untrustworthy: Given the opportunity, the GM may require you to take a point of Composure threshold to avoid betraying someone. Weird: You begin with a Composure Breakdown at the start, taking a second one forces your character to retire. Wounded: Reduce Physical Threshold by 2.

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LIST C

Athlete: Gain the Athletics skill for free.

SKILLS

Bookworm: You begin the game with four obscure areas of knowledge you have mastery of (Ancient Greek, Wallpaper Designs in the Regency Period). You may define these in play to give yourself a benefit. Church-Goer: Gain +2 Composure Threshold. Class Clown: When you take a Composure Shock or Suffering, you may reduce the damage taken by an additional point. Comrade: When you spend threshold to aid an ally, they roll 1d10 instead of 1d6. Directors Child: You have 12 points instead of 10 to spend on your Steamlark suit. Enigma: You may change one of your skills to another one between each session. Expert: Change one skill into an Expert skill.

Skills fall into four categories: Fighting, Physique, Presence, and Brains. Usually if you have a skill, you roll +1d6 when making a test in that area. Optionally, you can add a flat +2 instead of rolling. Each category has a number of skills associated with it. These are general suggestions, players and GMs may wish to add other skills to the list. Some skills are Mecha Skills meaning that theyre used when piloting or working with the Steamlarks. Players may also have Expert Skills- meaning that when the player uses the skill, they may roll +1d10 instead of 1d6. Optionally, they may add +4 to their roll. Players pick skills in each of the categories. One category gets three skills One category gets two skills One category gets one skill One category gets an Expert skill and three other skills

Hero: When you spend threshold to aid an ally, roll 1d10. If you roll a 10, you may clear a threshold damage instead. Leader: Gain a benefit to all attempts to lead or command. Noble: Gain the Status skill for free.

Rogue: You gain +1 with all non-mecha combat tests. Shootist: You do +1d with all ranged attacks. Social Butterfly: You gain +4 to all checks to defend against social attacks. Streetfighter: You do +1d with all unarmed attacks.

Survivor: Begin with +2 Physical Threshold.

Teachers Pet: You gain +1 to all school-work related tests and have

Urchin: You grew up in the streets, giving you a +1 to Thief and Streetwise checks. You also gain a =1 to all attempts to escape or flee. Warrior: You do +1d with all armed melee attacks. World Traveler: You have built up an immunity to Red Weed toxins and poisons.

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FIGHTING SKILLS

Fisticuffs: Unarmed combat punches and kicks Grapple: Grappling and holds Guns: From pistols to rifles Melee: Armed HTH combat

impersonation and the like.

Read People: Getting a sense of peoples motivations and needs.

Self-Assurance: Ability to resist mental pressure and social attacks. Society: You know about the rules of groups, bureaucracy, and fitting in. Streetwise: You know how to gather rumors, survive on the means streets, and establish a fagin-like network of tuffs. Status: Social place- used to manipulate others. Also reflects wealth.

Parry: Blocking melee or slow ranged attacks Mecha Parry: Blocking non-ranged strikes Mecha Shooting: Use of equipped ranged weapons on Steamlarks

Mecha HTH: With equipped melee weapons, limbs or picked up objects.

PHYSIQUE SKILLS

Acrobatics: Tumbling, rolling, circus-folk hijinks. Climbing: Trees or whatnot. Dodge: Evading incoming attacks. Jumping: Mind the gap.

Mecha Control: Steamlarks can have a mind of their own- pilots must exert mental control.

BRAINS SKILLS

Academics: Most importantly, knowledge of how to finish homework rapidly. Culture: Arts, literature, and manners. Detection: Used to investigate, search and assemble clews. First Aid: My spleen!

Feats of Strength: Bend bars, lift gates. Running: Faster than your companions.

Sports: All of them- I mean, if you take this skill you ought to get your moneys worth. Stealth: Being sneaky and quiet. GMs may also wish to have this as a Brains skill. Swimming: You wont take this, and youll feel stupid about that later. Mecha Evasion: Getting out of the way of attacks in your Steamlark. Mecha Pilot: Fancy tricks in your Steamlark.

Driving: Operating any kind of vehicle- GM may alternately allow this under Physique. Mechanics: All kinds of fixing things.

Observation: The passive perception skill. Survival: What not to eat.

Science: Knowledge of things like chemistry, aeronautics, maths. Thief: Includes locking picking, b&e, fencing. Trivia: The catch-all knowing things skill. Willpower: Resisting emotional pressure and mind control.

PRESENCE SKILLS
Charm: Being nice. Friends: Contacts and having a circle of friends who look out for you. Intimidate: Being scary- not just yelling at people. Leadership: Commanding demeanor.

Mecha Engineering: Ability to fix and repair your mecha. Used to jerry-rig your Steamlark when things go pear-shaped.

DAMAGE TRACKS

Lie: Making your deceptions more palatable.

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Performance: Art, dance, singing, entertaining, etc. A generous GM might use this for

Every character begins with 5 points each in their Physical and Composure damage tracks. They then have five more points they can divide between those two tracks as they see fit.

IV. CONFLICT AND ACTIONS

Arclight Revelations Tainmar handles like a standard rpg- with players and the GM exchanging details and negotiating results. When a result is uncertain and important, players go to the dice. On your turn you can move and do something (operate a device, shoot, hunt through rubble, move again).

can accept the argument, ask for an additional roll to check, require an additional action to set up the benefit for their next action, or say no. *Equipment: Super-cool equipment can offer a benefit. *Distinctions: Certain distinctions may offer a bonus, depending on the action.

ORDER OF ACTIONS

When conflict breaks out and order of actions is important, one player and the GM should both roll a d10. If the players win, then they should dice off to see which of their side goes first. If the GM wins, then one of the opposition acts first. After someone has taken an action, they select who goes next. They may only choose someone who has not yet acted this round. Characters may not delay when picked. The last character acting on a round picks the first character of the following round, but may not choose themselves. If the GM won initiative or went first in a round, they must pick a PC next. Otherwise, the GM may only have a number of NPCs go equal to the number of PCs who just went in sequence. For example, Scott goes first and then picks Derek to go next. Derek goes and then selects an NPC Opponent to act next. The GM may only have that NPC and one other go before selecting a PC again. This rule does not apply if the only remaining choices are NPCs, in this case, the GM may activate them all in sequence.

*Pushing It: A character may mark off a box of their Composure or Physical Threshold to gain a bonus. *Assistance: An ally may spend their action to add to the characters effect. *Sacrifice: A fellow party member may mark off a box of their Composure or Physical Threshold to give a bonus- this does not take an action.

A player may add a bonus from each of these areas only once per attempt. The benefit is either +1d6 added to the roll or a flat +2. If a player uses an Expert Skill, they add +1d10 or +4 instead. If, after all is said and done, you beat the difficulty declared by the GM you succeed.

SETTING DIFFICULTIES

STANDARD ACTIONS

When attempting an action, the player declares what they want to accomplish and how. The GM then sets the difficulty for the action. This is the number the player must roll above for success. The standard roll uses 1d10. Players can increase their chances by employing the following factors: *Having a related skill: The GM decides which skill fits with the action. *Beneficial circumstances: The player can make an argument that something important about the set up and scene gives them a bonus: higher ground, secret knowledge, cover, etc. The GM

The base difficulty for an action is 7+. As a rule of thumb, the GM should consider all of the things which make the situation more complicated: player wounds, bad footing, heavy rain, light in their eyes, unfamiliarity with the location, darkness, etc.- and add +2 or +3 to the difficulty for each one. Players have many resources to call upon and over time youll get used to putting things just enough out of their reach that they have to work for it. Honestly, thats the GMs job- being a reasonably fair a**hole. Firing into a melee, hitting a precise point, etc- all of these ought to be covered by this.

If the action affects an active and opposing NPC, the situations handled slightly differently. Most of the time, this revolves around combat- social, mental, or physical. The resolution system presented here is player-facing. NPCs operate differently. NPCs have an Attack and Defense Number; often they have different values for different kinds of combat. With these characters,

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the GM takes that value, rolls 1d6 and tells the player. The GM may add bonuses to the roll based on the circumstances. Thats the number the player has to beat.

For example, Pattis having a showdown with her rival, Kaitlyn St. Augustine, at a School Party. Kaitlyn attempts to make a social attack to embarrass. She has a Social Attack of 4. The GM rolls a 4. This means that Patti must roll a 9+ to resist or deflect the witty barb. If, for example, Kaitlyn has arranged to have her circle of close friends around her to heckle, the GM might give her a +2 bonus, meaning that Patti would need to roll an 11+ to resist.

combat, this will be an extra die of damage. But you may also request something happen to your opponent (knocked down, armor weakened), a free move, a bonus to your next action, new information, etc.

SCALE

COMP LICATING FACTORS FUMBLES

If you roll a majority of 1s on your die roll, you have fumbled. For fumble evaluation purposes, taking a +2 on a 1d6 instead of rolling counts as a 2. If you fumble, you have two choices. Either take two points of Threshold (which track is players choice) or allow the GM to declare some awful results to the action.

Especially for physical combats, the map should be broken into blocks. The actual size of these shouldnt matter. Characters within a block can hit anyone else in it with a ranged or melee attack. Characters in an adjacent block can be hit with ranged attacks of any kind. Characters more than a block away can only be hit by long range attacks (guns and bow mostly, not knives). Generally, anything on the map can be targeted by long range attacks- but if the target is several blocks away or if theres junk or cover in the way, the GM should increase the difficulty.

WIN BIG

Players may move from one block to another with a move action. They can position themselves freely within a zone as a move action as well.

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For every full three points you beat a test by, you can gain an extra effect. Commonly in

ALL OUT DEFENSE

A character who is only defending, rolls an additional +1d6 to any defense checks.

Pv P

If two players are opposing one another, the action is contested, with both players making rolls. All those involved roll 1d10. The low roller must declare what factor theyre applying to their roll, then the next highest declares, and so on. This continues until all players pass and have no more factors to add. The players then roll and the highest wins and has control of the results.

W EAPONS
Unarmed Knives

2+2d 1+4d 2+3d 2+4d 3+3d 1+5d 4+3d 3+5d 2+5d 3+6d 1+7d 10d 2+4d 3+3d 1+5d

Clubs/Staff Maces/Axe Sword Spear

LONGER ACTIONS

2H Sword Great Axe Pistol Rifle

Some actions will obviously take longer- the GM may decide to have a series or rolls or one aggregate roll at the end.

CONFLICT AND DAMAGE

A conflict happens any time someone or something tries to cause composure or physical damage to a target. Most RPG conflicts are physical- punching, stabbing, and smashing opponents into submission. But conflicts can also be social- insulting, destroying reputation, humiliating or mental- frightening, intimidating, or torturing. In all of these cases, a successful hit will cause damage. Any attack has base damage, usually determined by the weapon. A weapons damage is written as X + Yd. A weapon always does X points of damage. It also can do extra damage, based on rolling Yd10s. How much damage depends on the target. A target has armor with two factors # to damage and resistance (R). The resistance is subtracted from all damage done.

Shotgun Bow

Lightning Gun Crossbow

Rock/Slingstone

So a pistol hitting someone in a leather jacket would do base 2 damage plus roll 5d10. For every six or better rolled, it would do one more point. After rolling and totaling, the jacket would reduce the damage done by one point.

ARMOR
Clothing Leather Jacket

6+ 6+ 7+ 7+ 7+ 8+

Reinforced Flight Suit Chain or Scale Mail Plated Armor Guard Specialist Armor

R1 R1 R2 R1

What about social and mental combat? The GM will have to eyeball the situation, but generally such attacks among peers do 2+4d damage. By default, the attacker needs 6+ to do damage. Circumstances will modify this. For example the skills Self-Assurance and Willpower should raise the number needed to do damage and/or act as Resistance. Having friends around to support you could also help mitigate the effects. On the reverse side, skills like Intimidate and Status might be applied offensively, increasing damage. The circumstances- who is present, what the relative ranks are, the social ties, should all be a factor in this. For more classic mental effects- like frights and confusion, the events themselves should determine the damage done. For example, a PC will take less fright damage from seeing a horde of glowing-eyed rats than from seeing a corpse rise up and then explode in a shower of gore.
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SHOCKS AND SUFFERING

Players will take a lot of damage. Life in South London deals plenty of hard knocks. The Academy is a place of rivalries, petty-infighting, social calamities, and wicked cliques. The Crystal Palace team constantly pushes pilots to their limits, with little concern about emotional state- despite statements to the contrary. The inner circle will alternate withholds affection and actively punishes for failings. Petty humiliations will take their toll. And thats not considering damage taken in the field.

period. Players should decide and narrate what the effect will be to the GM. If they accept the offer, the player may reduce the damage by up to six points. If a player cannot come up with something, but still wants to reduce damage from the hit, roll 1d6 on one of the two following tables:

PHYSICAL

1: Random limb crushed or crippled. 2: Blinded: Increases all difficulties. 3: Verge of Unconsciousness: roll a test each round or pass out. 4: Bleeding: take one point each round until medical treatment can be performed. 5: Weakened: Number to wound you physically and resistance are reduced by one. All damage you do is reduced by 2 points.

When characters take damage, they mark it on their Composure and Physical Threshold track. When they run out of boxes on either side, they have a breakdown. This can be a collapse or a psychotic break. If in a relatively safe place, they can recover after a brief GM-narrated interlude of awfulness and tragedy. Once they do so, they gain a permanent negative effect- a trait or detail which remains. Physical maladies could be a weakened constitution, a missing hand, loss of an eye, or a limp. Composure maladies could be an obsessive behavior, fear of something, situational paralysis, hallucinations, or amnesia. Players may choose or let the GM decide. If a character suffers a second breakdown of the same type, then they must retire- with the GM narrating a bad end for them. If a player has a breakdown in a dangerous place- while in the field or abandoned and alone, they may be retired or die. Players who have not suffered a breakdown may be called on to rescue broken players, making for an even more challenging situation. Thankfully, PCs have a couple of ways to offset this. When they take damage, they may take either a Shock or a Suffering to reduce the final damage. A Shock temporarily limits use of a skill. If taking physical damage, the lost skill will be from the Physique or Fighting category. If social or mental, it will be from the Brains or Presence category. The GM randomizes which skill is lost. Choosing to do this reduces the damage taken by three points.
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6: Disoriented: Roll two d10 for any physical test and take the lowest.

COMPOSURE

1: Loss of Status: Reduce maximum Composure Threshold by two. 2: Alienation: Friend or ally turns on you. 3. Unsure: Roll two d10 for any mental/social test and take the lowest. 5. Forgotten: Loss the benefit of a List A or C Distinction.

4. Black Mark: Additional difficulty to all social tests. 6. Loss of Face: Number to wound your composure and resistance are reduced by one. All composure damage you do is reduced by 2 points.

A Suffering, on the other hand, is a problem which stays with the character for a longer

BONDS

When a character sacrifices for another character, they create a bond. Theres a space on each characters sheet to record the names of everyone in the party. When you sacrifice, mark the box to show youve created a bond. Bonds can help in several ways. In later scenes you can spend that bond to give yourself an advantage to a social interaction or conflict, provided that character is present. As well, bonds can be used to recover Composure damage.

one point per hour in a pleasant and calm environment. However if the character has any Shocks, they always keep at least one Composure threshold box marked. If they have any Sufferings, they keep another Composure threshold box marked. Thus, players cannot recover fully until theyve dealt with those.

RECOV ERY

Physical damage threshold recovers at a rate of one point per hour of rest. Bed rest or medical treatment halves that time. A character may make a first aid check on themselves or another character to recover one point of Physical Threshold immediately. Formal medical treatment can recover one Shocked skill per day, randomly determined. Recovering a suffering takes a week. Composure damage is more complicated. Composure threshold also recovers at a rate of

Players can clear shocks in two ways. In any scene after theyve received the Shock, they may spend a bond to clear a Shock. Second, they may clear a Shock or a Suffering Composure effect via a social success. They must best a rival, make a new friend, do well on an important test, be elected class representative, join a private group, gain an admirer, win recognition from someone important, gain praise from a figure they respect, and so on. The GM and player should negotiate and figure out how much they want to play out these elements. In part they should be an encouragement for characters to make contacts and develop bonds with NPCs at the Academy and The Crystal Palace.

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IV. STEAMLARKS

Every character has a Mecha, more commonly known as a Steamlark. These mechanical suits operate with revolutionary technology harvested from the Martians. Many of the deepest principles of that technology remain the secret province of the Crystal Palace staff and researchers. Other divisions within Her Majestys Government, as well as foreign powers would love to get their hands on the technology. What is known is that the size of the control chamber for the suits as well as the Psycholumiferous Connections work best with young adults. They can issues mental commands to their suits and have them act with lightning speed.

For mecha actions, players use the Mecha skills rather than their own.

Steamlarks are heavy and can easily fall through rickety areas. GMs can randomize the number of damage dice taken from such falls. Characters with Mecha Engineering can repair 1d3 damage points in the field with time. The GM may also let them fix critical hits with a roll, depending on the circumstance. Any more substantial damage must be repaired back at The Crystal Palace facility.

Steamlark suits range from 12 to 16 feet tall. They have a strange mix of ornate brass retrotechnology, practical grey steel industrial design of the 1910s, and strange adapted Martian elements like lenses and silvery metal. These suits generally operate attached to an energy tether- a reinforced cable which can be strung along from a great Steam Carriage following them. Detached from the carriage and cable, the suits will only operate for about an hour before safety relays shut them down. The suits can be temperamental- requiring the pilots remain calm and stable while operating them. This means constant pressure to train and daily testing at Crystal Palace.

Players may boost their mecha for an action by making a Mecha Control roll. If they succeed they can gain an advantage or raise a detail (like speed or dice of damage) on their action. If they fail, the mecha takes a point of damage. If they fumble, they lose their action as well. Mechas are big and therefore easier for nonmecha opponents to hit.

BUILDING SUITS

All Steamlarks begin with the following set up: Speed: 1 Block Move (15 mph) Armor: 7+/2R Unarmed Damage: 2+4d Damage Threshold: 10 Players then have ten points to spend to buy upgrades for their suits. Each item listed below costs one point or the number in parenthesis. Each may only be taken once, unless otherwise listed.

RULES

The Steamlark suits are powerful weapons, highly useful against the forces of the Weedswarm. Generally theyre a scale larger than normal people and conventional weapons. To reflect this, all damage done to Steamlark suits by conventional attack is halved before applying resistance. Some larger Weedswarm creatures also have this benefit. Steamlark weapons are particularly nasty- so when applied to normal people, double the damage before rolling and applying Resistance. Mecha have only one Threshold Track- Damage. They do not take Composure damage, but their pilots still can. Any physical attacks on the Mecha do damage to the suit first.
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SYSTEMS

Air Canisters: The suit has a built in 30 minute air supply. Armor: Increase the suits resistance by 1. This may be taken twice. Calculational Reflexers: The suit has an advantage for dodge tests. (2) Custom Weapon: One weapon does +2d damage.

Extra Ammo: An extra complete load of ammo for one weapon. If randomly rolled as the effect for a critical hit, roll two more critical hits.

Gyro-Stabilizers: If knocked down, the suit may stand up as a Move rather than a full action. Iron Sights: The suit has an attack advantage with one weapon. Jumping Legs: The suit may make amazing leaps- launching upwards vertically up to twice its height. Nocturnal Illuminators: The pilot can see in the dark. Plating: The suit may raise the number to be damaged by one. (2)

SYSTEM DAMAGE

Mecha damage can be offset in two ways. First, a pilot may take two Physical Threshold damage to reduce damage to their Mecha by one. Second, pilots may opt to take a critical hit to reduce damage done to their suit. Each critical hit reduces damage taken by up to five points. If a player chooses this option, roll on the table below. If the suit takes all of its Damage Threshold, it shuts down. 2: Suit shuts down immediately. 3,4: Pilot takes five points of Physical Threshold 5,6: Sights skewed; subtract 2 from all combat tests. 7,8: Mechanicals skewed; subtract 2 from all maneuver tests. 11,12: Random weapon disabled. 13: Suit skips next turn. 14, 15: Movement Speed halved. 16, 17: Suit Immobilized 18,19: Suit goes haywire and out of control (see GMs section). 20: Suit takes six points of Damage Threshold 9,10: Random non-weapon system disabled.

Pressurizers: Steamlark suits are strong, but this suit can lift incredible weights. Reversers: The suit may move backwards while firing and facing forwards. Shield: The suit has an advantage with parry tests. Smoke Launcher: The suit can launch smoke in an area, making attacks and spotting harder. Telescope: The suit has an advantage for perception tests and can see long distances.

Superstructure: Increase Damage Threshold by 2. This may be taken up to four times. Velocipedic: The suit may move an additional block with any move action.

W EAPONS

Blades: 2+4d damage. Unlimited ammo, HTH. Cannon: 4+7d. Cannot fire at target in same block. 4 shots. Grappler: No damage. Target is held and easier to hit (1/2 normal defense). Grappler cannot move and is also easier to hit (+2). Short range. Guns: 2+5d. Runs out of ammo on a fumble.

Grenades: 1+6d. Short range. Multiple targets. 4 Shots. Heat Beam: 3+7d. Same or adjacent zone only. Unlimited ammo. Each shot does one damage to the Steamlark. Long Guns: 3+6d. 8 shots. Rockets: 12d. 4 shots. -2 to hit.
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V. GM: ADV ENTURES AND MISCELLANY

population to move more easily.

the seeds which the Martians (intentionally or accidentally) brought with them gave rise in all cases to red-coloured growths. Only that known popularly as the red weed, however, gained any footing in competition with terrestrial forms. The red creeper was quite a transitory growth, and few people have seen it growing. For a time, however, the red weed grew with astonishing vigour and luxuriance. It spread up the sides of the pit by the third or fourth day of our imprisonment, and its cactus-like branches formed a carmine fringe to the edges of our triangular window. And afterwards I found it broadcast throughout the country, and especially wherever there was a stream of water H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds Arclight Revelations Tainmar characters have three primary arenas for adventures: out in the field in their Steamlarks, battling against the Weed Swarm; in The Crystal Palace Facility training for combat, uncovering secrets, and gaining approval; and at school and home, interacting with peers their own age and trying to lead something close to a normal life.

The region surrounding London has many industrial and agricultural communities- fenced and watched. The development of vat farming has eased the threat of starvation, at the expense of a certain blandness. Fishing remains an important source of protein as the Weed Swarm has not yet affected that ecosystem. Cold Weather and winter makes travel easier or at least less dangerous. The Red Weed fades slightly in autumn and freezes seem to put it into some kind of hibernation. Swarm Beasts can still be encountered at this time, but theyre more sluggish, easily evaded, and run in smaller groups. As dangerous as Swarm Beasts may be, there are still raiders and bandits who know the land and prey on unwary travelers. Often these are exiles from towns and enclaves, marked for transgressions. Within the cities and towns, England does its best to maintain a sense of decorum. The populace has clung to a sense of Victorian values as an answer to the trials facing them. Theres still art, society, commerce, and scholarship- but often combined with a strange fatalism. Political movements, anarchists, radicals, and free thinkers exist but the State has moved to quash these when they get out of hand. To handle civil matters in a swift and direct manner, a number of Free Judges operate within an area. They have the right to arrest, judge, and administer punishment in the field. The Crystal Palace still works as best it can in secret. Eventually it realized that scattered witnesses will spread stories about the Steamlarks. It works to spread disinformation about that where possible. Most operations take place in the Weedlands. The massive transport drives the pilots and mecha out into the field and sets up the tethers. The mecha then carry out an patrol or specific operation within the area before returning to the transport and heading back home. The transport itself has a range of about sixty miles before it needs refueling. On tethers, the Steamlarks can run for about four hours; off tethers, the system shuts the mechs down after an hour.

BROKEN LONDON

The most classic adventures will take place with the Steamlark Team heading outside the walls of isolated South London, into the Weedlands. South Londons the most isolated of the eleven enclaves of the city, and one of four sections South of the Thames. The other three are Bexleyheath to the east, Hounslow to the West, and Lambeth to the North. Three bridges, one of them a newly erected industrial monstrosity, cross the river. The area south of the river has the widest swath of Weedlands. These areas are a mix of ruins, wild overgrowth, and Weeded sections. Persons travelling across go in caravans or with guards if they can. Merchants and shippers use armored transports. There are some Warbuses, armored steam beasts, which take passengers around the various sections of the city. However these have an irregular schedule. Many of the northern enclaves have connecting walls and gates, allowing the
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KEY NP Cs

Brandon Haekels, Grumbly Transport Driver Sara-Lynne Smythe, Obsessive Field Test Supervisor The Witchet, Crazed Weedland Hermit

COMP LICATIONS
Bizarre Malady Communications Broken Human Bandits

Field Command Injured/Killed Large Swarm Beast Misinformation

TYPICAL FIELD MISSIONS

Clear an area of debris Hunt Down a Swarmbeat

Military Intervention Natural Disaster/Weather Strange Malfunction Transport Problems Witnesses Swarm Zombie Host

Protect a Convoy Secretly

Protect a Crystal Palace Research Team Search for a McGuffin in a Ruin Survey and Map a Zone Test Equipment Spray zone with chemicals to reduce Red Weed

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THE CRYSTAL PALACE

The Crystal Palace Development Fortress is a large, underground complex. Above ground, it connects to a large theater supposedly undergoing renovations. There are several secret entrances there and nearby to make it easier for pilots to enter unobserved. Theres also a factory nearby which manufactures basic and nonsecret parts, goods, and materials for the CPDF. It has a staff of workers, some of whom know that it operates under a government mandate. Elevators and tunnels allow the transport of the Steamlarks up from the special chambers in which they are stored. Off mission, the suits require special treatment which is kept out of sight of the pilots. Instead they will mostly see the medical facilities, training centers, test labs, public quarters, engineering bays, and weapon development centers. Many areas remain offlimits to them- super-cooled labs, restricted zones, the calculational engines at complex's heart, and the legendary Protocol Twelve room.

POSSIBLE BASE EV ENTS

Competitive Games Crossing Paths with Rival Pilots Rescuing Friend

Ferreting Out Something Strange Sneaking Around

Stealing Food or Interesting Bits Strange Medical Testing Throwing a Party Taking New Pilot Around Tracking Down Friendly Staff Trying out New Weapons Uncovering the Nature of the Suits

Working with the Steamlarks to Improve Connection

COMP LICATIONS

The staff is a mix of military personnel, theoretical researchers, practical engineers, handyman support staff, secretaries, specialists, doctors, and unique visionaries. The pilots are generally treated with some deference, or at least apathy and avoidance. A few resent them for their privileges and some worry for them because they know how dangerous the work is and how easily they could be snuffed out. Senior Staff are privy to the Master Plan for Ideal Pilot Development. This involves pushing the pilots to their limits, while allowing them the social and psychic release valve of school and life outside the facility. Theres active manipulation of the pilots to create bonds of affection and longing for approval. In a sense many of the senior staff will be playing good cop/bad cop with the PCs.

Changed Personality/Memories Dangerous Substance Released Followed Infiltrator

Lockdown/Power Failure Shiny New Thing Strange Visions Swarm Attack

Punishment/Unpleasant Duties Staff Member Missing

Therapy Session

KEY NP CS

Dr. Damien Iscariot, Project Director and Distant Father Figure Julia Quartz, Pilot Liaison and Softhearted Advocate
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Angus Blacklaw, Cold-Hearted Security Chief

SPENCER HOUSE ACADEMY

The Spencer House Academy is a progressive, co-educational University preparatory school for the children of the wealthy, well-positioned, and influential in South London. While many important people in the government work in the northern enclaves, they often send their children off to such schools. The pilots and children of staff from The Crystal Palace often stick out like sore thumbs in the school. There is a constant battle for status, identity, and recognition here every day.

Local Festival

New Kid Arrives Prank Campaign Romances School Play

Test Preparation

COMP LICATIONS
Conflict with Duty Illness Enmity of a Popular Student Irritated Instructor Local Panic Rivalries Peer Pressure Sabotage

The Academy has several buildings- including a gymnasium, administrative offices, main school, teachers quarters, deans abode, the supposedly haunted old house, and others. Several small dorms are also on the grounds. PC pilots will have their own small half-filled dorm, overseen by a matron. Most students will be crowded into the other single-sex dorms. A few elite children live off-campus with their families or in private rooms. Students attend class five days of the week and non-pilots have a curfew. Though frowned upon, students will often sneak over the walls and into town to buy things or hell around.

Secret Admirer Teachers Pet

Suspicious Friend Whispering Campaign

KEY NP CS

TECHNOLOGY

Martin Chuzzlethorpe, Self-Important Headmaster

Miss Collingbrow, Vindictive Classics Master

Oscar Westbrook, Distractible Groundskeeper

COMMON SCHOOL P LOTS

Athletic Competition Big School Project Bullies Dance Class Elections Double Dog Dares Friend Ostracized Hanging Out Hijinks Hiding Secrets

The world of Arclight Revelations Tainmar has steampunk-level technology, but with a GasMask Chic aesthetic. The suffering and strain one people has resulted in darker, more practical, and more brutal designs. People often wear protective gear, goggles, and make-shift masks when going outside to protect themselves from the Swarm. This is more superstition than solid practice. The GM will decide exactly what might be available and the difficulty of Status checks to obtain those items. There are three kinds of technology and equipment. First, period acceptable. Anything used up through the 1920s ought to be fair game for this. Second, classic steampunk devices. This includes dirigibles, servant automotons, velocipedes, voltaic guns, and the like. These are harder to come by. Their designs arise from the boost technology given from study of the Martians in general. Third, specific and secret Martian and Alien devices- including heat beams, organic

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computers, bioenhancements, and the like. These are the rarest and different nations may have access to different technologies. These are kept as proprietary secrets and have spurred the dispatch of spies around the globe.

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT
Clear a Shock or Suffering. Add a new skill.

If a session went well, the GM may award an experience point. Such points can be used to:

dangerous are possessed humans, who can use use tools and weapons. The freshly tuned can even fool other people briefly. Weed Beasts attack with their natural weapons, complimented by toxins and poisons. They dont feed per se, but instead will drag bodies back to sites for infestation. Weed beasts can be dispatched by disrupting their weakened structure and/or or blowing them up with ordinance.

Change an existing skill to an expertise. Add a point to spend on a characters Steamlark. Increase a characters threshold of one type (this may be taken a total of five times).

ENEMIES

While other predators and opponents exist in the Weedlands, the most dangerous are the Weed Spawn. These can take many forms. Weeds are vulnerable to fire; cold-based attacks will also slow them down. The telltale sign of the Weed is its reddish hue. Weed Enemies take three basic forms:

Weed Matter: This can take the form or swirling clouds, slowly gripping plant tendrils, tumbleweeds and the like. They can be dispatched by conventional means and simple protective measures can keep them from hurting someone. If they do catch a victim, they will attempt to smother or poison them. Weed toxins very- with some having plague-like symptoms. Suffers can become toxic to be around, but the effects arent airborne. Some crazed wanderers who have ingested enough Weed Matter have developed an immunity to it. Weed Beast: These are living or once living creatures which have been infested and possessed by the Weed. Usually a certain volume of creature is needed to carry the Weedso rats are vulnerable, but not mice. Insects, fish, smaller birds and bats are immune as well. A Weed Beast will often have an intelligence akin to what it possessed in life. Possessed wolves will still have the instinct to hunt in packs. Most

Weed Monstrosities: No one is certain how these abominations form. They may represent some throwback niche from the Martian ecosystem. These creatures are huge and come in varied forms: tripods, bipedal, rolling along. Theyre made up of a mix of Red Weed, terrestrial vegetation, flesh from victims, and even bits of metal and debris to give their forms support and structure. The can also have strange and bizarre powers associated with them, though some suggest thats a rumor. These creatures are on the same scale as the Steamlarks and follow the same rules for damage- taking half from and doing double to conventional opponents. The tallest recorded Weed Monster was 40 feet tall.

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close to post-apocalyptic vibe and have the players be members of a dangerous and admired force. Theres nothing wrong with that approach.

But if you want to hew closer to the darkness at the heart of many of these stories, then youre going to have dark secrets revealed and betrayals on the table. Below I present two lists of suggestions for those. The first presents some individual dark revelations. Some of these could be talked about with the player ahead of time, something they know about and can play off of. Some of them are awful surprises- depending on your players you may want to warn them that something like that is in the cards. The second list offers some campaign-bending big arc secrets to frame your story. Feel free to use these to make your story wicked.

THIRTEEN CHARACTER SECRETS

A staff member, teacher, or other important NPC is secretly their mother or father. A relative is a traitor of some kind.

Theyre a clone- replicated by Martian tech to replace an earlier promising candidate.

V II. GM: SOURCES AND SECRETS

Arclight Revelation Tianmar obviously takes some of its inspiration from the various giant mecha anime series, including the big grim one Neon Genesis Evangelion. But Id also point to RahXephon, Read or Die, Blue Gender, Gasaraki, Blue Seed, Escaflowne, Full Metal Panic, and Betterman as important anime and manga for understanding the ethos. Many of those are particularly dark or take a turn for the dark towards the middle. The characters are often put through the ringer emotionally, spiritually, romantically, and physically. Part of the intent of this rpg is to allow the GM to emulate that. That being said, theres another approach possible as well- one which dials back on the darkness and inside focuses on the school days, cool mecha, and relationships. This kind of game borrows more from something like Sakura Wars (which is set in a parallel time period not unlike this one). It would be easy to relax on the

They have psychic visions or contact with the Weed Swarm. Their memories of the past are false. They were directly or indirectly responsible for a scarring tragedy.

They have been infected with a Weed Swarm disease and have hidden it. Theyre being blackmailed by someone, perhaps a spy. Theyve sworn vengeance on someone. They have episodes of missing time.

They have a false identity, taking the place of someone who died.

They have hallucinations or visions, perhaps of the future, perhaps of ghosts. Theyre secretly related to the Royal House

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SEV EN CAMPAIGN SECRETS

Director Iscariot is behind the rise of the Weed Swarm. He plans to eventually use the weed to create a planetary consciousness network, which he will then move in to occupy and command. The Steamlark programme has given him access to the kinds of tools and resources he needs to complete this. The Psycholumiferous Connections units are protoypes for how he plans to do this. The sentience within the Steamlarks are the brains of Martian Organic Computers, something like AIs. Alternately, they are the actual brains of Martian bodies who went into a protective coma when they became sickened. Later The Crystal Place team dissected them and used them as control mechanisms. Either the Steamlarks will eventually corrupt the pilots or they will corrupt and control staff at the facility. Their agenda beyond that is up to the GM. Her Majesty Queen Victoria has been kept alive by Martian Science and that has corrupted her or driven her mad. At some point she decides the Steamlark Programme is a threat and orders her military to destroy The Crystal Palace. The PCs now have to go on the run and into hiding. A variation on the above, the Mad Queen has decided that the key to Englands success must be an invasion of Mars. The Steamlarks will be the first line in that assault. She hopes to create most dangerous Steamlark supersoliders through automated machines or war or else implanting the brains of children into the mecha. Can they stop Victoria or will they have to go to war? The Crystal Palace has built much of their success from having captured something big, ancient, and powerful. Perhaps it is a Martian Overlord, perhaps an alien Angel, perhaps a member of a cryptic watcher civilization. The researchers have it buried beneath the base and are constantly experimenting on it. Thats why the Weed Swarm has been actively attempting to destroy London. Perhaps the being has been contacting the PCs.
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Foreign spies have been infiltrating South London for some time, putting students into the Academy and suborning members of the Crystal Palace team. Now they have invaded- armed with their own unique Martian-based tech, taking over the facility and city- forcing the PCs to operate a guerilla campaign against them. The Steamlark Pilots are only able to pilot their mecha because they have been secretly transformed into Martian/Human hybrids through injections and transfusions. However the process has begun to accelerate beyond The Crystal Palaces expectations, giving the players new powers and perhaps drawbacks. If discovered, the facility staff will have no choice but to hunt them down for extermination.

MECHA CONTROL

How you define the nature of the Steamlarks technology affects how and when it goes Out of Control. Most concretely, this can happen when the suit takes an 18 or 19 result critical hit. But you may want to begin the campaign with the suits more temperamental. If so, the players will have to spend time with them to figure out how to command them. The suits may also have a sense of self-preservation. This can be dark if the suits controls panic when it takes significant damage. It could be more benign and mysterious if the suit occasionally responds to things the pilot cant see- keeping them from stepping into an ambush or onto a weakened floor. A characters mental state- represented by Composure Shocks or Sufferings or just by recent reversals in their social life- could also trigger a reaction from the suit. In any case, checks made to control the Steamlark suits should be mysterious- dont tell the player whats going to happen, just what they need to beat to gain control. Dont overdo this element and wear the characters out or make them gunshy.

Consider what happens when a mech spends more than an hour off of the tether. Does it run out of power? Or does the system shut things down to avoid the suit running wild or going crazy? How difficult is it for characters to bypass these safeties?

ARCLIGHT REVELATION TIANMAR

NAME DISTINCTIONS PHYSIQUE

PRESENCE

FIGHTING
PHYSICAL THRESHOLD

BRAINS

breakdown

COMPOSURE THRESHOLD

EQUIPMENT

DAMAGE:

ARMOR:

STEAMLARK

. . . afterwards I discov ered that it was caused by the tropical exuberance of the red w eed. Direct ly this extraordinary growth encountered water it straight way became gigantic and of unparalleled fecundity. Its seeds w ere simp ly poured dow n into the water of the W ey and Thames, and its swift ly growing and Titanic water fronds speedily choked both those riv ers.
H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds