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Project
VANGUARD playtest files 27 July 2009
Gimme the elevator pitch!
It’s the far future. You’re part of the crew of a ship, in
Project Vanguard. Your mission is to protect the people of
the planet Caliban and its colonies. You’ll travel to strange
worlds, discover mysteries, trade, negotiate and fight with
aliens, and explore the ruins the Solar Federation, a great
society of humankind that spanned thousands of worlds
and now lies in ruins.
Along the way, as you set aside your differences and
learn to trust one another, you will hopefully find a way
to stop the deadly Scourge.

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 Welcome!

Introduction
Part 1
Starships in dubious battle over alien worlds. Lost
civilizations.
An unfathomable evil. The fate of humankind in the
balance.
Remarkable acts of courage. Risk and sacrifice. Hope.
These are the elements of Vanguard, the space-fantasy
game you’re holding in your hands. With Vanguard, you
and your friends take on the roles of a starship crew who
undertake perilous quests. You’ll send your crew around
the galaxy, to confront strange aliens, explore ancient
ruins and battle for their lives. You’ll create stories that
involve danger, excitement, friendship, maybe love and
betrayal. You’ll have fun.
Can your crew stop the deadly Scourge from
returning and destroying all humankind? Perhaps they
can, but at what cost? That’s what you’ll find out when
you play.

How to Use This Book

The information on these pages is a combination rules
manual and strategy guide. It’ll tell you things like the
order of play, who says what, when to roll dice and all the
usual rule booklet stuff. But it also tells you how and why,
things to consider when playing, choices other players
have made—including me, the author—and the results
of those choices.
There are four parts to the book, ordered like so.

Part One: Introduction to Vanguard. This is what

you’re reading now. It’s a quick overview of the game’s
purpose, a taste of the setting and rules.

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Part Two: A Galaxy in Ruin. This section describes the
setting of Vanguard. It’s the far future, and you and your
friends will want to make sure you’re imagining the same
stuff when you play. Is there artificial gravity? How do
people travel between worlds? Who’s in charge? Do killer
robots prowl the stars? Are there laser guns? Read this
section and find out.
Part Three Setting Up. This section is where you start
putting your own creative talents to use. Create the crew
of a starship. Invent the movers and shakers of the galaxy.
Design worlds. Put the characters in danger. Read this
section to find out how.
Part Four: The Game in Motion. This section explains
how to create the story that involves the characters. How
do you agree on what happens? Who gets to say things
about what’s going on? How do you know when the
story’s over? Read this section to learn how.
What Do You Do?
You’re playing operatives in Project Vanguard, assigned
with protecting the Commonwealth. You have very few
resources, and fewer allies, but the Scourge is coming, the
mythical destroyer of humankind. You may be the only
ones who can stop it.
Your characters will travel to alien worlds, explore
ancient ruins, face off against deadly foes, and hopefully
come to terms with their differences. If you’re brave and
lucky, you can defeat the Scourge.
What Do You Need?
In addition to this book, you’ll need a few additional
items in order to play.
Friends. It’s amazing how useful friends are. For this
game, you’ll want four or five people in the group
altogether. Having three or six people in the group will
run you into some difficulty, but it’s doable. If you happen
to get eight people together, congratulations on having so
many friends who want to play. I suggest splitting up into
two groups in such case.
Dice. Vanguard uses dice of all kinds, the kind you’ll
find in special hobby stores or online at places like www.
chessex.com. Each player in the group should have some
to roll.
Paper and pens or pencils. If you have an Internet
connection, you can visit [website] and download some
handy record sheets. Even then, having some blank paper
is useful for taking notes.
The GM
The GM has different responsibilities than the other
players:
The GM needs to to prep work before you play. If you
can commit to taking extra time, you might be a good
GM.
The GM needs to be an arbitrator, a judge. If you
think you can learn the rules and apply them fairly, you
might be a good GM.
Instead of playing an agent of Project Vanguard, the
GM plays all the non-characters, aliens, monsters and
other things in the game. If you don’t mind not playing
the hero, you might make a good GM.
The GM is a facilitator, making sure everyone
participates. If you think you can get everyone to pay
attention to you, you might make a good GM.
It can take a little extra work to be GM, but it’s
not necessarily hard work; it can be a very rewarding
experience.
The Time
Each time you play, we call that a session. Sort of like how
bands talk about “jam sessions,” you get together and
jam but with spaceships instead of electric guitars, and
the neighbors don’t complain as much. One session of
Vanguard will probably take 2-3 hours. Completing the
game takes a lot of sessions. You can play this for a long
time if you want and not worry about getting to the end.
The best thing about a game like this is that it gets better
as you play. Just as TV shows get better as the writers and
actors get a sense of the characters, Vanguard will get
better as you get to know the setting and the story.
Dice and Tests
When something or someone is in the character’s way,
the GM will ask you to make a test by rolling a die or dice.
When you roll, it’s about what your character is doing. Can
you leap out of the way? Can you provide a convincing
explanation? Can you bypass the security system? Those
are all examples of tests you might be asked to make.
The GM won’t ask you to make a test unless there’s a
meaningful consequence at risk. Can you remember to
take out the garbage? There’s nothing about that to really
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drive tension. Can you remember the passcode before
the alarm goes off? That’s a moment of crisis. That’s
when you roll the dice.
Which dice you roll depends on your character’s
training. You have seven areas of training, and the GM
will tell you which one to use based on what you say
you’re doing. If you get a 4 or higher on your roll, your
character is successful.

Vincent says his character Belecia is trying to ambush an alien

thug. The GM says that action uses Covert Ops. Belecia has a
d8 in that training. Vincent rolls and gets a 6. Success!

An Example of Play
Are you wondering what it’s like? It differs from group to
group, but here’s how it looks when Emily, Joshua, Julia
and Vincent play. Julia is the GM. Emily is playing Iona,
a scout and the ship’s captain. Joshua is playing Pranav,
a stylish trader. Vincent is playing Belecia , a technical
whiz.
Julia: The landing site looks like it was hit with a massive
explosion. As Iona brings the ship down you can see the
wreckage of the landing craft.
Emily: But I’m still picking up that emergency signal.
Julia: Yeah, there’s some kind of structure below. It’s a big
cylinder sticking up out of the ground at a shallow angle.
Vincent: Can I tell what it is?
Julia: It’s definitely not Commonwealth. It looks a lot like
some Federation-era buildings in your archives. In fact,
it matches some designs you’ve seen for research facilities.
Long ago, the ancient Federation put a lot of them
underground on desolate worlds, for privacy.
Joshua: Sounds like this place is going to be full of good loot!
Emily: Sure, just sitting out in the open, ready for us to take.
Joshua: Of course! It’s always that easy.
Julia: You know that these facilities are often well-protected
by automated defenses, like turrets and other things.
Vincent: Other things? That sounds ominous.
Emily: (as her character Iona) All right, crew, let’s load
up. There could be Commonwealth survivors in there
somewhere, and they won’t last long if we don’t get
moving.
Joshua: (as his character Pranav) Captain, I do believe any
opposition we meet will regret it severely.
Vincent: (as his character Belecia) You always say that.
Joshua: (as Pranav) and they always do regret it, don’t they?
Eventually.
Julia: So what’s your next move, everyone?
Emily: J, is Pranav taking his rifle?
Joshua: Naturally.
Emily: Okay, then Pranav takes the lead, and we jog across
to the structure, keeping a watch in case any of those
marauders decided to stick around.
Vincent: Belecia is hiding behind Iona as much as possible.
Emily: How did you ever get accepted into the program
without a spine?
Vincent: As a scientist, Belecia understands the value of
human life, especially her own.
Julia: The ground is blackened. It’s like walking on charcoal.
No sign of trouble as you march across to the structure,

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 which looms above you without a scratch. Soil erosion has player. They’re enjoying what’s happening and cheering
left the hatch, large enough for a vehicle, about a meter off each other on, but they’re also comfortable with a little
the ground. side chatter.
Joshua: Huh. Maybe we should get the rover.
Emily: (as Iona) No time now. We need to get this hatch
open.
Vincent: I can do that!
Julia: There’s some kind of electonic keypad-like thing to one
side. It still has power. There’s a small screen with softly
glowing icons. You’ve seen enough of these to recognize a
fairly complex security system in place.
Vincent: Okay, I grab a couple tools off my tool harness.
Julia: Defeating the security mechanism is a Technology roll.
Vincent: Hmm. Okay, That’s a d10, and I’m already using
my tools for another d8. [he rolls] A mixed hit.
Julia: Hmm. Okay, you get the hatch open. A tunnel descends
into the darkness. The air is dry, cool and musty, a strong
contrast from the heavy air outside.
Vincent: What happens because of the mixed hit?
Julia: (raising an eyebrow) Nothing yet.
Joshua: Okay, I’m switching on my light and creeping
forward.
Emily: (as Iona) Everybody stay sharp.
Julia: The tunnel descends two hundred meters down, or
thereabouts, and then opens up into a larger area, maybe
the size of an underground parking garage. There’s what
looks like a lift across from you, and a couple parked
vehicles, the big all terrain type sort of like hum vees. You’re
right out in the open when the robots come swarning out of
the ventilation ducts.
Emily: Oh no!
Julia: They’re bone white, a bit like headless skeletons. One
slams into Belecia, sending her bowling over. Belecia, you
feel a sharp pain lance up your arm.
When this group plays, there’s a lot of switching back
and forth between speaking as the character and as the

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 What’s this

A Galaxy in Ruin
Part 2
Stuff?
This is a quick-start guide to the setting of Vanguard.
Eight pages, with plenty of artwork.
• Caliban: Home of humankind
• The Prophet Isabel: A mythical figure, or more than
that?
• Project Vanguard: the organization your characters are
a part of.
• The Remnants: Ruins of the ancient Solar Federation,
now inhabited by clans of aliens.
• Alien Species: hundreds of different kinds, all with
their own opinions about humans.
• Galactic factions: the movers and shakers of the
galaxy.
• Lost Technology: the wonders that you might find
when exploring distant worlds and strange ruins.
• Space Travel: a primer on travel between worlds.

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Galactipedia
The Planet Caliban
Caliban has been the home of humankind for at least a
thousand years, probably much longer. Up until the last
century it was assumed to be humanity’s origin. For all
its flaws, it is still the only place in the galaxy humans
can really call Civilization. Every once in a while a space
traveler likes to return home and get a taste of the finer
things, such as familiar food or water that hasn’t been
reprocessed through the ship’s systems a hundred times.
Physical description
Caliban is a dry, rocky world, the fourth planet out from a
yellow-white star called Prospero. The surface is primarily
mountains, glaciers and shrublands, with temperate areas
limited to the equatorial region. The equator is also home
to the world’s only saltwater sea. The remainder of surface
water is glacial ice or numerous rivers that feed into the
sea.
Political Geography
Approximately 400 million people live on Caliban. The
world is divided into hundreds of Territories, isolationist
city-state governments numbering between a few
tens of thousands and several million. Most are fairly
small, while thirteen have been recognized as “greater”
territories. The latter wield significant political, economic
and military power, especially in current times, as only
the greater territories have the means to colonize worlds
independently.
The territories have, since time immemorial, been
rivals over Caliban’s limited resources. Until the
founding of the Commonwealth many had been fighting
openly for generations. Many believe that the most bitter
of enemies still fight one another through the use of
spies and sabotage.
Places of Interest
Ban Shi City. The capital of The Gausaan Protectorate, 
Ban Shi City is the largest city on Caliban, with a
population of more than 3 million within the city confines.
Built into the side of the Black Mountains overlooking
the Yanyi River, the city consists of a series of terraces,
tunnels and bridges. The mountains provide significant
raw materials and industry, while the river brings in food
from the nearby Yukai Valley.
Unity Orbital Station. Home of the Commonwealth,
Unity Orbital Station is one of dozens of stations
occupying Caliban’s orbital space.  Representatives from
Caliban’s territories meet here regularly to bicker and
point fingers. The Commonwealth Secretary General
resides on the station, which hosts a variety of cutting-
edge defenses.
The Wastes. Caliban’s inhospitable polar regions are
known collectively as the Wastes. The Church of Isabel
maintains secretive monasteries throughout the Wastes,
and rumors abound of ruins and wreckage from the time
of Isabel.
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Galactipedia
The Prophet Isabel
Every religion on Caliban credits Isabel with the saving of
humankind from extinction. A prophet, she foresaw the
coming of the Scourge and led her followers away from
the destruction to start anew. Purely a myth? Or is the
derelict starship in distant orbit a vessel she captained
aeons ago? Did she colonize Caliban long before the
dawn of recorded history with the last survivors of the
human race?
If Isabel was a real person, no trace of her survives now.
Ancient scrolls speak no more of her after telling how she
founded the new city of Naugab. No Territory claims to
be her final resting place. There are no writings, no bones,
not even a wisp of legend about where she went.
Religion on Caliban
The people of Caliban are no more and no less spiritual
than their ancient ancestors in 21st Century Earth. Many
of them believe in an afterlife and in a power greater
than themselves. Millenia of change has re-shaped these
beliefs to something like a mixture of Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism and Taoism.
Providence
In distant orbit, among the asteroids of the Reef, the
Providence rested quietly for millenia, pitted and gutted
by micrometeors, blasted by the solar wind. What’s left of
the ship remains in its original orbit as a sort of historical
site. The Commonwealth maintains it in cooperation
with a handful of larger religious organizations.
The Monasteries of the Wastes
Scattered across Caliban’s more inhospitable regions,
monasteries of the Brotherhood of Stavros may hide
many secrets assumed lost. Deep in the Wastes,
ancient monasteries may hide lost knowledge of Isabel’s
whereabouts. While the monasteries rarely open their
doors to those outside the faith, their traveling monks
often preach about the dangers of technology and space
travel.
The Scourge
Ancient scrolls describe the Scourge leveling cities and
reducing the great empire of Sulaa Betereesh to utter ruin.
Religious groups occasionally call the Scourge the wrath
of the divine. Scholars sometimes speculate that it was
a plague or perhaps a war. Like any information dating
back to the shadow years, details of the Scourge are sorely
lacking.
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Galactipedia
Project Vanguard
“You have your ships, your crew, and your wits. Do
what you must.”
—Secretary General Yasuo Foote
Caliban’s dozens of Territories don’t like each other.
They’ve been fighting for ages. If it weren’t for the discovery
of the Providence, they’d probably still be fighting openly
right now, but their curiosity won out. No Caliban-built
spacecraft had yet traveled out to the Reef, and no crewed
spacecraft had traveled farther than Caliban’s moons. To
learn the secrets of the Providence, the territories would
have no choice but to work together.
Thus the Commonwealth was born. All 12 greater
territories contributed heavily to the Providence mission,
designing and producing a spacecraft capable of traveling
the distance in only 11 years. A remarkable feat, it built
relationships that paved the way for increased trade
and a spike in scientific and economic development.
Humankind rose from a dark age into a new era of
enlightenment and prosperity. Caliban enjoyed a period
of relative peace.
That peace slowly died as the Territories began to
unlock the secrets of the ancient spacecraft. They built
their own starships and founded colonies on lush green
worlds. Their newfound resources helped to rekindle
the old rivalries, and their faith in the Commonwealth
began to fade. Now, the Commonwealth is weak, and
humankind’s enemies are numerous. Fast approaching
its 25th anniversary, the Commonwealth has little
power of its own. It enforces trade agreements and
interterritorial justice.
After a band of alien marauders led a devastating
attack on Auringonnousu, the Commonwealth
Council met to discuss a plan for improved interstellar
intelligence. If the territories were ill equipped to defend
their individual holdings from marauders, then they
would most certainly fail against an organized force
from a hostile alien clan. Agents of the Commonwealth
would need to take measures to prevent such an attack
from happening. As commitment from the territories
remained minimal, any initiative would require a
minimal budget. Further, the demonstrated inferiority
of Commonwealth military technology meant that
sustained operations would need a layer of deniability
that would prevent retaliation from hostile aliens.
Their solution: Project Vanguard. Individuals would
be recruited to form starship crews, operating under
a functional cover that would allow them various
intelligence capabilities. The cover would ideally be
self sustaining, so that the Commonwealth would only
provide occasional, indirect support.
Vanguard crews have three mission objectives.
• Strengthen the Commonwealth. Increase trade, recruit
allies, and recover valuable technology.
• Weaken the Enemies of the Commonwealth. Destroy
their ships, sabotage their industry, break their
alliances, and sow dissent among their ranks.
• Investigate the Scourge. Confirm its existence. Evaluate
its threat to the Commonwealth and humankind.
A dozen crews have been assembled from the best and
brightest humankind has to offer. Time will tell if their
mission is successful.
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Galactipedia
The Remnants
Long ago, the Solar Federation spread humankind across
the galaxy, with technology far beyond the wildest dreams
of the people of the Commonwealth. Now all that’s left
of it is a great expanse of ruins: the Remnants. World
after world, human travelers have found no trace of the
former occupants. What happened to the Federation and
all its people remains a mystery. The Scourge? No one is
certain. Most of these worlds are presently occupied – or
claimed – by clans of aliens, and they rarely cooperate
with humans.
Commonwealth reports estimate that the territory of
the Remnant Clans covers over 20 billion cubic parsecs,
all but ensuring that human starships will encounter
Remnant aliens sooner or later. They are powerful,
numerous, and unpredictable. Ship crews are advised to
exercise extreme caution in their presence.
Remnant aliens are divided into clan-like states,
typically at the planetary level. A clan may be composed
of multiple species, and the same species may populate
multiple clans. Clans may trade with one another, but
explorers from Caliban have yet to find two clans in
open alliance. This is fortunate for humankind, as many
of these clans are hostile toward humans, and even an
attack from a single clan could overwhelm Caliban and
its colonies.
The various clans of the Remnants occupy numerous
worlds that were formerly part of the Solar Federation.
A given clan’s territory may be scattered within the ruins
of cities, settlements and various production facilities.
Depending on the outlook of the clan, these locations
may be occupied, ignored or cordoned off as holy or
cursed places.
While the risks of traveling in the Remnants are
great, so are the rewards. Explorers have returned with
their holds full of valuable relics and lost knowledge.
The territories will pay great sums to adventurers brave
enough to find them advanced technology.
Places of Interest
The Drift. A seemingly endless collection of ruined
hulks, welded together into a gigantic, sprawling space
station floating deep in the void between worlds. It serves
as a meeting place, as neutral ground for negotiations,
as a hideout for anyone who wants to disappear, and a
thriving market in goods and services.
The Core. The Core is what the remnant aliens all call it.
It’s an area of space on the far side of the remnants from
Caliban. Every single clan avoids it as a dangerous place
full of unnamed terrors. It may actually be the heart of the
old Federation, or it may an area where the Scourge or
something equally terrible lurks. Very few human ships
have ventured in. None has yet returned.
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Galactipedia
Alien Species
The galaxy is full of life. Many worlds are believed to have
been biologically altered by the scientists of the Solar
Federation, but many more have developed life all on
their own. That includes intelligent, cunning, building,
deceiving, weapon-pointing life just like us.
Almost all intelligent life in the vicinity of Caliban
is made up of the Remnant Clans, tribal societies that
emerged from the wreckage of the Federation. When
the Scourge ravaged humankind, these aliens were left
physically unharmed, but they were socially devastated
by the fallout. Over the millennia, the Remnant aliens
have developed complex technological societies, on par
with or superior to humankind. Any given Clan will be
comprised of numerous alien species of the same types
as most other Clans.
Customs
As nearly all Remnant aliens are descended from species
that were firmly integrated into the Federation, they
will often have customs and behaviors in common with
humans from Caliban. The similarities may include
religious beliefs, social gatherings, family organization,
rights and responsibilities. In fact, travelers from Caliban
may discover that there is more cultural variation within
the human territories than outside them. In some cases,
Remnant clans may more closely resemble modern day
civilization than humans from Caliban.
Clans are commonly led by a Zektiv, an elected
official.
Attitudes
Travelers never know what to expect from Remnant
aliens. Almost all of them have historical references to
human beings, either integrated into their mythology or
preserved in scraps of ancient knowledge. Many Clans
are indifferent and treat humans as they would any other
spacefarers. Some believe that humans are the bringers
of death and destruction. Such beliefs may prompt
clanmembers to flee or attack, depending on their nature.
Other clans believe that humans are destined to bring
about a new era of enlightenment.
Alien Language
Just like the humans of Caliban, most clans speak a
language descended from the universal language of the
Federation, which itself was an amalgam of various Earth
languages (especially Mandarin, English and Spanish),
modified for ease of use by various alien mouths and
voiceboxes. A thousand or more years of drift means that
communication is usually difficult despite the common
heritage, but most travelers can pick up Clan dialects
quickly.
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Galactipedia
Galactic Factions
Despite Caliban’s small contribution to the galactic
population, humankind has established its fair share
of movers and shakers. Clans remain the biggest, most
influential groups by a wide margin, but human groups
are often more diverse and specialized.
As a handful of people on a small ship, Vanguard
operatives will find cooperation with one or more of the
various galactic factions an inevitability. The challenge
for each crew will be in determining which groups they
can tolerate, and which ones require too high a cost.
Solopgan Mining Consortium. The new era of
exploration and colonization that followed the
development of the jump drive has put a great demand
on raw materials, especially processed ore. Solopgan Dal
is a few steps ahead of Caliban’s other Territories, with
well established operations on several worlds.
The Ladder. A few of Caliban’s more affluent Territories
– ones who don’t absolutely despise each other – have
established the Ladder as a private research concern.
Although the articles of the Commonwealth encourage and
enforce the shared development of technology, members
of the Ladder allocate funds for development above and
beyond those required by the Commonwealth.
The Wheel. Smaller Territories often lack the resources
to defend their colonies effectively, so they hire out to
mercenary groups like the Wheel. This one in particular
is strong enough to scare off Remnant marauders, but
organized operations might prove too much for them.
The White Wind. This mysterious band of covert agents
serves the needs of xenophobic clan Covri, declared
enemy of humankind and just about every other Remnant
clan. They believe humankind must be removed from the
galaxy in order for the age of enlightenment to begin.
Recognizable only by their crescent moon medallions,
they operate in secret throughout the Remnants.
The Chain. In the darkest corners of taverns on remote
Remnant worlds, in hushed whispers, you might hear
mention of the Chain. They are reputed to be a merciless
and secretive group of slave traders who prey on careless
travelers and defenseless worlds, selling labor to the
powerful and unscrupulous. They operate from a fortress
called the Citadel, built into a large asteroid in a remote
star system. In this fortress one might find more thana
few unfortunate humans, but the Commonwealth is in no
position to begin an inquiry, let alone demand release.
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Galactipedia
Lost Technology
Caliban’s technology is founded on reliability. Compared
to the sleek and graceful designs of the ancient Federation,
it’s bulky, simple and crude. It does what it needs to,
consistently, and it’s easy to repair in the rare event that
it does break down. Machines and gadgets are most
often designed with a single localized purpose, avoiding
catastrophe for Caliban’s large rural and independent-
minded population.
Scientists from Caliban often have a difficult time
understanding the technology of the Federation. Most
recovered items are treated like wild animals, with
researchers wary but curious. Objects that seem delicate
and artistic may turn out to be highly explosive.
The alien clans of the Remnants wield a strange
mix of advanced and primitive tech. Some clans have
made great advances, while others utterly shun some
technologies out of superstition or religious belief.
Energy
Fusion power has been available on Caliban since the
beginning of recorded history. It’s most likely a technology
that was never lost during the fall. The Providence and
other Federation discoveries tend to confirm this. Their
designs were smaller and more efficient, but the principles
remain similar.
Computers
Federation technology reached the point where Virtual
Intelligences (VI) were commonplace. While not capable
of true independent thought, VIs exhibit humanlike
behavior and are capable of complex processes. They
often function as a sort of “customer service” interface,
providing answers on a specific range of topics.
Rumors abound of more powerful, self-aware
computers, but no evidence exists.
Medicine
One of the most incredible discoveries in the Remnants
has been a medical serum referred to commonly as
regen. Scientists believe it’s a kind of nanotechnological
solution. In any case, it possesses the ability to rapidly
regenerate damaged tissue, even nerve damage. No one
has successfully replicated it, so governments and wealthy
individuals will pay great sums to receive a dose.
Warfare
The weapons recovered from ruins – and those sometimes
wielded by Remnant marauders – are energy based. In
practice they’re far more accurate than Caliban’s chemical
slugthrowers, and they’re usually more compact. They’re
often difficult to maintain, however, so most space
travelers prefer to stick with something reliable.
The Solar Federation is believed to have had fine
control over force fields, allowing for individual energy
shields. None has been found yet.
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Galactipedia
Space Travel
Space travel is a booming business nowadays, and the
galaxy is full of ships, ranging from small work pods to
gargantuan jump-barges. Human beings account for a
substantial portion of the ships out there, despite their
relatively small slice of the galactic population. Most
species have the good sense to remain on solid ground,
in a breathable atmosphere, protected from cosmic rays,
debris and nightmare temperatures. Not so with human
beings. The territories, their militaries and their numerous
trading guilds have now filled the skies with starships of
all types.
The Quantum Jump Drive • Jumping a ship into unexplored territory is dangerous.
Barely understood technology acquired from the derelict • Travelers have discovered habitable worlds roughly
spacecraft Providence, the jump drive allows ships to once every 100–200 parsecs.
travel instantaneously from one location to another. The • In 10 days a typical ship can travel up to 500 parsecs.
drive requires massive amounts of power, which usually Along well charted routes ships can travel much faster.
requires several minutes to charge up in a capacitor. • It takes about 15 minutes to charge up the drive for a
Gravity makes the operation of the drive difficult and jump.
dangerous; scientists speculate that in the complete
absence of a gravitational pull the drive’s range might be
unlimited. Ships from the Federation may have visited
other galaxies.
Space Travel Factoids
• It takes about 8 jumps for a ship to reach the outer edge
of a solar system.
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 How to

Getting Started
Part 3
Begin
The first time you play, you’re going to decide who the
characters are and what their ship is like. You’re going
to learn a little bit about the setting, and you’re going to
come up with some ingredients for upcoming missions,
things like worlds, factions and goals.
GM, you’re the facilitator for all this. Your job here is
to keep the process moving. Everyone else, your job is
to listen to everyone else’s contributions and make sure
you’re thinking about the game as a group.

Game Prep Checklist

• (Players) Create Vanguard Operatives
• (Players) Customize the Triad L-117
• (Everyone) Create Worlds and other Locations
• (Everyone) Create Factions
• (GM) Create the first mission
• (Players) Come up with a mission goal

16
Creating
Adanbre. The smallest of the greater territories, Adanbre
borders Caliban’s extensive equatorial Wastes. This
Operatives
location has helped them develop a better relationship
with a few of the reclusive desert monasteries.
People from Adanbre tend to be fairly devout
followers of the Scrolls of Isabel.
Everyone except the GM plays one Vanguard operative.
This character is highly trained in many areas that allow The Gausaan Protectorate. Home to Ban Shi City,
him or her to complete a variety of missions. This the largest city on Caliban, this territory acquired its
character may not be an expert at everything, but he or technological and industrial advantage long ago through
she is definitely among the best and brightest that Caliban the ruthless conquest of several neighbors.
has to offer. People from Gausaan are likely to be well educated
and equally likely to seem arrogant.
How to create an Nusurai. Nearly crushed by its enemies before the
operative: founding of the Commonwealth, Nusurai has taken an
aggressive stance toward the colonization of new worlds.
• Choose a Home Territory People from Nusurai are often very disciplined and
• Choose a background can seem stern to those from other territories.
• Assign training
• Choose gear The Polar League. One of the few territories in Caliban’s
• Choose an ally southern regions, the Polar League is accustomed to
• Assign tension isolationism, and old habits die hard.
People from the Polar League often come across as
aloof and formal to those from other territories.
Home Territory
The Republic of Leban. A small, well-defended territory
Caliban is not exactly a garden paradise. Resources are in the Tsur-ha Mountains, Leban has a reputation for
scarce, and in a technological dark age that leads to a lot excellent research facilities.
of fighting and distrust. Even though the Commonwealth People from Leban can appear distracted and absent
has put a stop to outright fighting, no two Territories minded.
would call each other pals.
There are 12 greater territories and dozens of lesser Solopgan Dal. This territory controls some of the most
territories. Choose one from the list below, or come up fertile farmland on the planet, which has often made them
with your own. a pawn in the games of larger territories.
People from Solapgan Dal often seem rustic and
primitive to those from other territories.
Background
Your exceptional performance in a previous job is what
led to your recruitment into this program. Choose one of
these backgrounds.
Ambassador. You’ve spent time on alien worlds and
know how to deal with strange peoples and their customs.
Training: Diplomacy 1d10, Academics 1d8. Gear: nice
wardrobe 1d6.
Bodyguard. You’re tough and alert. Knowing how to be
discrete in a tense situation makes you a valuable asset.
Training: Battle 1d10, Covert ops 1d8. Gear: concealed
armor 1d6.
Bounty Hunter. Few people can surprise you, and when
they do, it’s usually not enough to stop you. Training:
Covert ops 1d10, Battle 1d8; Gear: tracking device 1d6.
Bush Pilot. Flying a ship out on the frontier is different
than being some shuttle jockey. For one thing, you tend to
get shot at a lot more often. Training: Spacefaring 1d10,
Battle 1d8; gear: Flight Suit 1d6.
Deep Space Salvage. Recovering ancient technology
means slogging around in dangerous old ruins. It’s not for
everyone. Training: Technology 1d10, Exploration 1d8;
Gear: tools 1d6.
Planetary Survey. Forget those losers in the lab. You
get your feet dirty, and you study those razor sharp teeth
17
up close and personal. Training: Exploration 1d10,
Academics 1d8; Gear: field survey kit 1d6.
Professor. You’re an expert on just about everything, and
that includes wining and dining the people with grant
money. Training: Academics 1d10, Diplomacy 1d8;
Gear: Galactipedia 1d6.
Research Scientist. Unlike the professor, you shunned
the classroom in favor of the laboratory, devoting your life
to science itself. Training: Academics 1d10, Technology
1d8; Gear: Portable Lab 1d6.
Security Specialist. Businesses and individuals have
hired you to test security systems. It might not always
have been legal. You might not have asked. Training:
Technology 1d10, Covert Ops 1d8; Gear: B&E Kit 1d6.
Scout. They sent you to faraway worlds on a tiny ship, and
you always came back alive. Not like the others. Training:
Exploration 1d10, Spacefaring 1d8; Gear: Survival kit
1d6.
Soldier. They hand you a rifle and drop you on some
bug-infested swamp world. Same old, same old. Training:
Battle 1d10, Exploration 1d8; Gear: Rifle 1d6.
Spacehand. You’ve worked on starships pretty much
your whole life. You know their systems backward and
forward. Training: Spacefaring 1d10, Technology 1d8;
Gear: ??? 1d6
Trader. Traveling around the galaxy in a ship, buying and
selling goods. Some people would call that crazy. Not
you. Training: Diplomacy 1d10, Spacefaring 1d8; Gear:
??? 1d6.
Pranav’s background as an ambassador gives him excellent interpersonal
skills and expensive tastes.
Undercover Agent. You know how to steal secrets, either
through stealth or charm. Sometimes both. Training:
Covert ops 1d10, Diplomacy 1d8; Gear: stealth suit 1d6.
Training
All Vanguard operatives receive at least minimal training
in the required areas. They aren’t about to put you on a
valuable ship like the L-117 if you don’t know how to fly
it, and they aren’t going to send you to a remote jungle
planet if you’re going to catch some strange infection in
the first 15 minutes after planetfall. You’re better than
that.
Your training score tells you just how well trained
you are in any given area. 1d6 means you’re pretty
competent. 1d8 and 1d10 are areas of expertise for you.
1d4 means you’re just barely qualified, and in a crisis you
might have trouble.
Assigning Your Training Scores
Your background provides two training scores. For the
rest, choose one at 1d8, three at 1d6, and one at 1d4.
Academics. Education, general knowledge, research
skills and critical thinking.
Battle. Tactics, self defense, use of firearms and other
weapons, coolness under fire.
Covert Ops. Stealth, ambush, security systems,
alertness.
Diplomacy. Etiquette, negotiation, understanding of
body language.
Exploration. Survival skills, fitness, climbing,
swimming.
Spacefaring. Operation of various starship systems,
getting around in microgravity, spacesuit training.
18
Technology. Identification, repair, modification and
operation.
Examples
Emily decides that her character used to be a scout.
That gives her two training scores: Exploration 1d10 and
Spacefaring 1d8. She gets one more exceptional score,
so Emily checks in with everyone else to see what they’re
choosing. They all agree that Emily’s character will be
the ship’s captain, so Emily assigns the remaining 1d8 to
Diplomacy. Her weak stat will be Technology at 1d4.
Vincent’s character has Deep Space Salvage as her
background. That provides Technology at 1d10 and
Exploration at 1d8. Vincent figures his character probably
learned a thing or two about staying hidden among
dangerous alien ruins and assigns the remaining 1d8 to
Covert Ops. He assigns the 1d4 to Battle. Let someone else
do the fighting.
Joshua’s character used to be an Ambassador, all fancy
and pompous. That gives him a 1d10 in Diplomacy and a
1d8 in Academics. He decides this character used to own a
private space yacht and assigns the 1d8 to Spacefaring. This
character’s weak stat is Covert ops at 1d4. Sneaking around
is uncouth!
Gear
Vanguard takes a people-first approach to equipment.
Gadgets sometimes come in handy, but they will never
make as much of an impact as skills and training. Still,
every once in a while they might provide that slight edge
that you need to pull through.
All Vanguard operatives receive the following gear:
• Vollard Cosmos-1 pressure suit (1d6).
• Mansourtech V-series hand comm (1d6).
Scale
• Syndico 1029e pistol (1d6).
• Each character background also provides a special
piece of gear.
one
• Choose one additional item of gear rated at 1d6.
Allies
group
Allies allow characters to overcome threats on a large
scale. If you want to rescue the entire population of a
world, for example, you can’t do it on your own. You need
help. That’s where allies come in.
Allies are rated by scale. Trying to resolve a threat or community
obstacle at too large a scale is simply impossible without
the help of an ally at a similar scale. The graph below
explains:
faction
One. one person or a handful of individuals and their
equivalent resources. A trio of thugs.
Group. People or beings measured in dozens. A small
will be difficult. See part 4, The Game in Motion for an
warship. The crew of an outpost. The members of a
explanation of how to use allies.
mercenary band.
Choose an ally, at group scale, rated at 1d6. Allies
always provide a d6.
Community. The combined resources of people measured
by the hundreds. A large warship or a task force of smaller
ships. A young colony. A criminal organization.
Tension
Faction. People and resources on the scale of
Crews of Vanguard operatives are assembled from an
governments and equally large organizations. The entire
almost countless number of Territories and colonies.
Commonwealth army. A Remnant clan homeworld.
They all carry with them eons’ worth of mistrust. Prior to
the founding of the Commonwealth, they waged endless
If you want to affect anything at the community level,
war with one another. Now they’ve been cast together,
you need an ally of at least group scale. Even then, it
19
forced to put aside the rivalry and work together for the
greater good.
Maybe your characters can put aside those old
rivalries and cooperate, but rest assured that when you
spend enough time on a tiny ship with other people,
you’ll begin to form strong opinions about them.
Tension between your character and other characters
is a state of unrest. There are feelings that haven’t been
fully addressed or resolved. Maybe they’re bad feelings,
like “Pranav is such an annoying know-it-all.” Maybe
they’re good feelings, like “I am so totally in love with
Iona.” Either way, they draw attention to the relationship,
and that’s a good thing from the perspective of the
audience.
world, and b) a way to support their ongoing operations.
They need a cover.
The most common covers are of independent traders
and explorers, but they are absolutely not the only
choices available to a crew. Choose a cover that takes
advantage of your characters’ abilities.
Emily, Joshua and Vincent decide that their crew
operates as a technology recovery crew, exploring worlds,
locating caches of Federation technology, and selling it. This
cover takes advantage of Iona’s explorer skills, Belecia’s
understanding of technology and Pranav’s charm.

Assigning Tension
Rather than write down “this is what our tension is
about” on the sheet, do a little kibbitzing with the other
players about the sorts of things that might cause tension
between any two characters. People are complicated, and
so are their relationships. When play begins, you’ll see the
tension between characters develop naturally.
Tension between all characters begins at zero, but
you’ll find that it changes quickly once you start playing.

Cover
Operatives in Project Vanguard carry no official
Commonwealth ID. They have no direct line to resources.
They will not be protected by the Commonwealth if their
operations are discovered. For their mission to work, they
need a) a plausible reason to be travelling from world to

20
The Triad
L-117
Every Vanguard crew is assigned their own configured
Triad L-117 Multipurpose Light Interstellar Utility Craft.
It’s an ideal ship for the program for three reasons.
First and foremost, the Triad L-117 Multipurpose
craft is inexpensive, as starships go. Lacking the budget
to form its own spacefleet, the Commonwealth had no
choice but to consider cost when outfitting Vanguard
crews.
Second, the L-117 is an unremarkable, widely used
design. It won’t stick out, at least not any more than
human ships do in the Remnants. It has no warship- Subsystems: Gas scoop and fuel processor; lifeboat;
grade systems. It won’t be perceived as a threat. Usually. external spotlight; workshop; laboratory
Third, as a multipurpose craft it’s easy to personalize
to the needs and cover of each crew. The craft comes in
a variety of standard configurations, including trader, Ship Systems
scout and even yacht.
The standard model provides seven systems rated at 1d6.
Technical Specifications Hull: Ceram Composite. Designed to withstand heat
Overall Length: 46 m up to 2000 K, the L-117’s hull is not combat rated and
Width: 18.5 m will prove ineffective against the lightest ship-grade
Mass (unloaded): 66,800 kg weaponry. Can be upgraded to incorporate a CNT
Fuel: LH2 26,500 L Matrix sandwiched between two ceram layers (1d8).
Capacity: 6 persons, 40 standard days Engines: Two Proteus Mk II Multithrusters.
Cargo: 50 cubic meters Generating 966 kN each in full thruster mode (just
under 3G unloaded), these engines support full jet/
scramjet operation and allow VTOL operations. Can
be upgraded to Mk III engines at 1,298 kN thrust each
(1d8).
Power Plant: 2.6 MW fusion turbine. Charges the
jump drive in just over 17 minutes. Can be upgraded to a
3.2 MW turbine (1d8).
Computer Database: Selito 966. 9.66 MHz, 640K
RAM. Can be upgraded to a Selito 1225, @ 12.2 Mhz,
with 2MB RAM (1d8).
Communications Array: Nebulon 14 Radio/Laser
Combo. 300,000 km general broadcast range, virtually
unlimited tight-beam. Can be upgraded to include
Quantum transceiver with 18 pc range (1d8).
Sensor Array: Kaamat-Bao 226, includes adaptive
radar and energy sensors at 1.0 LS active range. Can be
upgraded to Pandril Hi-Scan with increased accuracy
and sensitivity (1d8).
Armament: Syndico Electromax 20mm gauss
autocannon. Can be upgraded to Malik B-series 25mm
gauss autocannon (1d8).
21

Configuring your ship
Choose one of the packages below.
Scout. Upgraded Sensors & Computer. Storage for
medium vehicle. 10 cubic meters of cargo.
Trader. Upgraded Power Plant and Engines. Full cargo
space.
Yacht. Upgraded Engines and Communications.
Accomodations for 4 more passengers. Luxury provisions.
Full entertainment suite. 10 cubic meters of cargo.
Paramilitary. Upgraded Hull and Armament.
Accomodations for 8 more passengers. 10 cubic meters
of cargo.
Vincent, Emily and Joshua are a technology recovery crew. A
trader or a scout would probably be the best configuration for
their needs. They opt for a scout, agreeing that it’s better to go
in quietly than risk it all for a bigger cargo.
Who’s the Captain?
Someone is nominally in charge of the ship. Who’s it
going to be? Operatives don’t have uniforms or insignia,
and there’s no real rank structure, but the Commonwealth
will assign one person with the overall responsibility for
the ship.
Worlds &
Someone Important. Name a VIP in this organization.
examples: Warleader Xigfor Alayt, Secretary Talion Ondape,
Factions
General Curpt.
Want. What does this organization want? examples:
Every player creates a world or a faction for the GM to wealth, power, control, justice, peace.
bring into play. Keep the information very light and
high level. On an index card, write the following, if it’s a
world:
World Name. examples: Vayaron, Ontos Ve, Dith Aba Vu,
Culcorsis.
Environment. Most worlds you visit will have breathable
atmospheres. The jump drive lets explorers skip past the
more hostile worlds. examples: Jungle, canyons, high winds,
archipelago, very cold.
Settlement. Who’s there, and why? examples: human
colony world, research outpost, Clan holy site, mining
operations.
Rumor. What has been said about this world? examples:
the White Wind have a secret base, guerilla fighters are being
funded by Clan Obor.
Write this if it’s a faction:
Faction Name. examples: The Hammers, the Sunbi Trade
Guild.
Description. What’s the organization’s purpose?
examples: Remnant Clan, Human Crime Syndicate,
Mercenary Band.
22
Creating
a Mission
Missions focus on the three directives of Vanguard
operatives:
• Strengthen the Commonwealth. Increase trade, recruit
allies, and recover valuable technology.
• Weaken the Enemies of the Commonwealth. Destroy
their ships, sabotage their industry, break their
alliances, and sow dissent among their ranks.
• Investigate the Scourge. Confirm its existence. Evaluate
its threat to the Commonwealth and humankind.
• The unspoken directive, of course, is fight the Scourge
and prevent it from destroying all of humankind,
because of course it exists and of course it’s a threat.
Every mission involves a world. It can be a world one of
the players created, one of the worlds described in this
document, or one you make up on your own.
Every mission also involves at least two factions.
Again, factions can be player created, stock ones, or
factions you create just for this mission.
Use at least one player-created world or faction per
adventure. If you don’t use a world, then use one of the
factions, or vice versa.
Mission Assignment
For each mission, the ship receives a coded transmission
from the Commonwealth assigning them to a world.
Sometimes the Commonwealth has a few vague directions,
which will be tied into the information on world and
faction cards. For example, if someone creates a world
with the rumor “secret Federation-era base somewhere on
the planet” then the Commonwealth assignment might
be “investigate rumors of possible Federation-era base.”
Sometimes the Commonwealth is less specific and will
just say “investigate value of world for Commonwealth
interests.” In the latter case, it usually means the GM has
something unusual to throw at the crew.
The Crisis
Worlds are always in a state of unrest when the ships
arrive. Just like Earth in 2009, no world is completely at
peace. There’s something going on that the crew can use
to their advantage.
It’s important to set up the crisis, whatever it is, so that
it lacks any implicit morality judgment. The crew should
be free to take whatever actions they deem necessary
to follow their three directives. Otherwise villainous
groups might be made allies, if the crew decide they’re
necessary to strengthen the commonwealth.
Scale
Factoring in scale means thinking about who’s affected
by the crisis. If the problem exists on a planet-wide scale,
then the operatives won’t be able to effect a change on
their own.
That means you need to make sure the characters
potentially have the means to solve the crisis, either
directly or through allies.
23
 Action

The Game in Motion

Part 4
The GM asks a player to make a roll when an obstacle
blocks the character’s path or when someone or
something is actively threatening the character. Success
(4+) on a die means the obstacle is circumvented or the
threat is averted.

Which Dice Do I roll?

• One die from training (GM decides)
• Maybe another die from supporting training (you
decide)
• Maybe a d6 from appropriate gear (you decide)
• Maybe a d6 from an ally (you decide)

Dice from Training

Players roll one die for the training that best covers the
action they describe. The GM decides which training is
applicable to each roll, using the guidelines below.

Academics. Decipher an alien language; learn the

customs of an alien clan; determine what killed an alien
you found dead; create an antidote for a deadly poison;
know things about science, medicine, history, linguistics
and mythology.

Battle. Throw a punch, fire a gun or swing a sword; use

a starship’s weapons or defenses; shout orders; drive a
military vehicle; know things about strategy and tactics.

Covert Ops. Set up an ambush; surprise an opponent with

a concealed weapon; distract someone; sneak around;
know things about security systems and defenses.

24
Diplomacy. Fight in a ceremonial duel; get someone
to like you more; talk your way into an exclusive party;
negotiate a treaty; know things about who’s who and
politics.
Exploration. Hunt ferocious beasts; avoid fatigue; build
a shelter; patch up an injury; run, jump, climb and swim.
Spacefaring. Operate any of a starship’s systems; know
things about star systems; get into a spacesuit while the
ship is violently decompressing; maneuver gracefully in
microgravity.
Technology. Operate computers and other unusual
gadgets; repair things; defeat security systems; find a
weak spot on an enemy starship.
Supporting Abilities
Players can supplement their rolls with dice from one
additional training stat so long as they can explain why
the training applies. Exploration, for example, probably
comes in handy when a character is attempting covert
operations in a dense jungle.
Joshua has gotten Pranav involved in a duel with Gargoz,
an acclaimed swordfighter. Pranav’s Battle training is decent
but surely not enough. Joshua says he wants to use Pranav’s
Academics training to help him out. He says Pranav has
studied recordings of Gargoz to look for a weakness. Now
when Joshua rolls, he uses the d6 for Pranav’s Battle and the
d8 for Pranav’s Academics.
Gear
When characters have appropriate gear, they can roll that
item’s die for support as well.
Pranav is using his trusty duelling saber for an additional d6
on his roll.
Allies
Allies support rolls just like training and gear, with an
additional benefit. They allow characters to overcome
threats and obstacles that would otherwise have been too
big for them.
Characters can attempt to roll against obstacles one
step larger than they are in scale (group scale), but at a -2
to the result on each die. That means players need to roll
6 or better. By using an ally at group scale, the characters
can cancel out the penalty.
Rolling against an obstacle or threat two steps larger
is impossible. Characters must find allies to help them
against problems that big.
Iona is a friend of Clan Comahr at Group scale. That
means she can call upon limited support from the Clan.
If she wants to take on an enemy warship using only the
Juniper, Emily will have to roll a 6 or better. By enlisting
the Clan’s help, she can drop the target number back to
4 and roll an additional d6. The Clan might also lend her
enough support to attempt a similar attack against a task
force of ships (Community Scale), but then her target
number would again be 6. Attacking the entire space
force of a Remnant Clan would still be completely out of
the question.
Help from operatives
To aid another operative, roll the same training as the
operative taking initial action. If the result includes a
mishap (see below) the GM can decide to apply it to the
helping character.
Results and
Consequences
For a character’s action to succeed, one die must come up
4 or higher. A player rolling their character’s best training
die (a d10) has a 70 percent chance of success. Adding in
a d8 from supporting abilities increases the likelihood to
Success! No consequences. No side effects.
Success with a mishap
Failure! A consequence.
Failure! A consequence and
two mishaps.
almost 90 percent.
If at least one die does not come up 4 or higher, the
action has failed, and the GM can assign a consequence.
If the player rolls more than one die, and at least
one does not come up 4 or higher, then the character
suffers a mishap of some kind. The intended action still
succeeds, but an unfortunate side effect occurs.
25
Consequences
Failure is bad news. When all dice come up 3 or less, the
GM is free to deliver consequences.
First and foremost, what the character is trying to do
doesn’t happen. Failure to do that may provide obvious
consequences (e.g. if you’re trying to protect someone).
If not, then the GM has a list of them to choose from:
Split the Characters Up. This is usually a prelude to
some future, sinister maneuver. Get a character alone and
create an upleasant threat. When characters are split up,
assume they can’t help one another.
Take Someone Prisoner. Being hauled off in chains
makes for a satisfyingly bad consequence for botched
negotiations, covert operations or a fight. When you’re
taken prisoner, you don’t have access to help from other
characters or your gear. Allies might provide help via
flashback.
Raise the Stakes. Whatever they didn’t manage to stop
has now expanded to even greater consequences. Start
backing them into a corner. A plasma fire raging out of
control is now spreading across the city. The virus just
mutated to something more deadly. Jobasa rejects your
insulting counter offer and now wants double the original
amount.
Do Something Bad to an NPC. Vanguard operatives
enjoy a certain amount of protection from instant
disintegration. The GM can’t just decide that they’re
dead and gone. NPCs are an entirely different story. On a
failure they can be subjected to all kinds of terrible things.
Death might not be the worst thing you can decide on.
Assign Harm. Every Vanguard character has a harm
tracker on their character sheet. If the GM chooses harm
as a consequence, the character ticks off one of the harm
boxes. The sixth box equals death unless another character
can step in with emergency medical aid.
Mishaps
As opposed to outright failure, a mishap is more along
the lines of “that didn’t go quite as smoothly as planned.”
Assign a mishap for each die that rolls 3 or less.
Assign Harm. Protecting someone else from harm is a
great way to take some yourself. If it makes sense, you can
stack this with harm you assigned as a consequence.
Impair Gear. This one is good when they just used the
equipment for the roll. Gun’s out of ammo. Spilled wine
on that fancy outfit. When gear is impaired, you can no
longer use it for rolls.
Impair an ally. If characters bring in allies and things don’t
go well, it’s going to hurt the relationship. When allies are
impaired they drop in scale. The clan navy is no longer
willing to commit its entire force after that disaster, surely
you understand. If an ally at personal scale is impaired,
that relationship is severed. Use allies wisely.
Start a countdown. Something bad is going to happen
soon. Maybe they tripped an alarm. Maybe they jogged
someone’s memory. Maybe a guard escaped to warn
Jobasa that you’re in his warehouse. This isn’t a secret
countdown. This is something uncomfortably obvious.
Introduce a new threat. Use a mishap as another
opportunity for the player to roll. Best if it’s something
that requires different training.
Harm and Impairment
The harm tracker looks like this:
It represents bruising, injury, stress… anything that will
wear a character down. When the GM says “you take
harm,” fill in one of the little boxes, like this:
x
Filling in the last box puts a character at death’s door. He
or she will die if some other character doesn’t leap to the
rescue and perform some vigorous CPR.
As a player, you have the option of impairing a stat on
your sheet instead of checking off one of those boxes. It
must be training that the character used in their action.
You can’t impair Academics after botching a repair
unless you rolled Academics as support training.
Healing
Recovering from harm is a slow and costly process.
• If you’ve taken 1-2 harm, a successful Explorer roll can
remove one. GM: assigning harm on a failed medical
roll is mean. I didn’t say you can’t do it, but come on.
• If you’ve taken 3 or more, you’ll have to wait for it to
heal on its own or else spend Fortune to heal it up
quickly.
26
Tension
When your character acts to develop tension in play,
another player (the GM or anybody) can award you a re-
roll. I suggest tracking them with pennies.
When you’re with that character, or when your action
is relevant to that character somehow, you can spend
your re-roll to do just that: re-roll any die, yours or the
other player’s.
If you decide to use your re-roll after failing, that
failure has still happened, but the goal is still attainable.
Tell the GM you want to use the re-roll, and he or she
will adjust the consequences so that you can still save the
day.
You can also spend a re-roll on the character you have
tension with. You can allow them to re-roll a failure, or­
you can force them to re-roll a success.
Either way, the influence you have over the character’s
roll is indirect. It doesn’t mean you’re directly interfering.
It means the tension between you is affecting what they
do.
Re-roll Rules:
• You can only re-roll once per action.
• You can’t “bank” re-rolls. The most you can have with
another character is one at a time.
• As soon as you spend a re-roll, you’re eligible to earn
another one.
Hazard
Hazard is the GM’s resource for a rise and fall in action.
GM, you start the game with 3 hazard tokens plus 1d6 per
player (not counting you). Spend them when you want a
threat to be more of a threat, an obstacle to be more of an
obstacle.
When you spend 1 hazard, the threat/obstacle
requires the player to make two successful rolls before
making two failed rolls (i.e. best two out of three). Spend
2 hazard to require three successful rolls before three
failed rolls (best three out of five).
While it can actually improve the character’s overall
odds of success, the drawback in play is that characters
still suffer consequences if they fail a single roll. Their
goal is still attainable, but they’re getting beat up along
the way.
Starships
When characters are aboard the L-117, they can
supplement their actions with appropriate ship systems.
The GM can assign harm directly to the ship when it
makes sense to do so. The ship has a harm tracker that
looks just like the one for characters. Players who bring
about the harm can choose to impair systems instead.
Ship systems, as with gear, become unusable when
they’re impaired. On a ship that’s pretty dangerous. The
ship can’t maneuver without engines. The hull won’t
hold air. The sensors will be blind, and so on.
Repairs
Fixing a ship is expensive. There’s no getting around it.
Even if the characters can do a few repairs themselves, it’s
going to cost them.
• The first step of repair costs 1 Fortune
• The second step of repair costs 2 Fortune
• The third and remaining steps of repair cost 3 fortune
each.
If you’re doing the math, you’ll see that a ship that has
taken 3 harm will cost 6 Fortune to repair fully.
Fortune
The economy among the remnant worlds, and even
among the Territories to some extent, bears a great
resemblance to trade in the ancient world. There’s no
standard currency, no set of exchange rates, and little or
no established law to ensure that trade and exchange is
fair and just.
Since Vanguard crews are expected to subsidize their
missions through a cover operation, they’ll have to
understand what typically costs what.
First things first: nobody wants to keep track of how
many coins you have in your pocket or how many goats
there are in the cargo hold. Vanguard goes abstract for
such things, tracking wealth in Fortune.
Things Worth 1 Fortune
• 10 days of ship maintenance, life support, etc.
• any basic d6 gear
• 1 harm worth of healing, on the spot
• 1 step recovery of an impaired training stat, on the
spot
• A night of revelry
• Enough of a bribe to help you establish relations with
a potential ally.
• Hiring a group of mercenaries for a day (counts as 1d6
ally)
Things that cost more
• an item of gear worth 1d8: 3 fortune
27

• an item of gear worth 1d10, assuming you can find it:
6 fortune
• For those allies who enjoy wealth, enough to restore
your status* to group from individual: 2
• …to restore your status from group to community: 3
• …to restore your status from community to faction: 5
*You can often buy your way back into someone’s good graces,
but this isn’t the way to gain all new allies.
Earning Fortune
Characters can earn Fortune by doing jobs, trading
goods, even stealing loot. GM, every time you blow a
Hazard token, roll a d4. That’s Fortune that you can award
the characters when an opportunity presents itself in the
story.
Building Allies
Allies are essential to a victory over the Scourge. Getting
them to be your allies usually requires doing something
for them. Chocolates and a card will not be enough.
Characters work their way in with allies, starting with
an individual. Maybe this person is important in the
organization. Maybe what the crew did means she likes
them enough to help out, but she won’t commit the
resources of the group she’s part of. But if the operative
does something important for her, then she will return
the favor.
Earning Favor
To get allies to like you enough to be your allies, you’ll
have to do things for them. Each scale has a Hazard cost.
That’s Hazard the GM doesn’t roll for Fortune. It just
counts toward this favor you did, sticking your neck out
like that.
• Getting an individual ally requires 1 Hazard worth
of effort. Send the character on an errand of that
magnitude.
• Getting that ally to increase to group scale will require
an additional 2 Hazard worth of effort.
• Increasing the ally to a community level will require an
additional 3 Hazard worth of effort.
• Finally, getting the ally up to a faction level requires
another 5 Hazard worth of effort.
GM, divide up the higher-level ally favors into multiple
chores. Allies might sometimes require just one thing
from a character, but sometimes they’ll need to do a few
things. Besides, eating up 3 Hazard at once is 7-8 Fortune
that the group would probably like to have on hand.
Improving Scores
On every roll, if there’s at least one 1 showing, tick off a
box on the improvement track.
When that track fills up, choose something from the
improvement list. You can only choose each option
once.
Improvement list:
• Increase a d4 trait to a d6
• Increase a d6 trait to a d8
• Increase a d6 trait to a d8
• Increase a d8 trait to a d10
• Increase a d10 trait to a d12
• Windfall: get 5 fortune
• Uncommon Bond: get a new group ally
A Few
Notes
This game by Matt Wilson yadda yadda copyright etc.
Furiously, terribly inspired by the likes of Trollbabe and
Apocalypse World. Vincent told me he would endorse a
total knockoff of his game, so we’re cool, no need to rat
me out. John Harper hardly ever gave me a really good
idea, except for basically all of them. There’s probably
something in here from Mouse Guard that I’m not even
consciously aware of.
You don’t have to squint much to see Galactic. Same
setting (but much less of it), slightly different situation,
much faster setup, and a slim, zippy set of rules. You
can probably play this on the fly. I think it might need
some prep time, but then I thought that about Primetime
Adventures. What do I know?
Many inspirations, including Firefly, Battlestar
Galactica, the computer game Homeworld, and some
other things I can’t think of offhand.
The awesome art is by Leo Lingas, Bill Mudron, Ed
Heil, Kennon James and Ricky Hunter. Jennifer Rodgers
did that fantastic color piece.
Colophon
For a playtest? Oh why not. The body text is Arno. Headers
are Korataki. The handwritten looking comic notes
are done in Fold and Staple.
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Project Improvement List

VANGUARD Player Sheet

Character

Increase a d4 trait to a d6

Player Increase a d6 trait to a d8

Increase a d6 trait to a d8

Position
Increase a d8 trait to a d10

Academics Increase a d10 trait to a d12

Background

Windfall: get 6 fortune

Covert Ops Harm Uncommon Bond: new group ally

Diplomacy

Exploration
Training Fortune Character
Describe your action. The GM
will tell you which training to roll.
Spend Fortune on new
Spacefaring
Check a box whenever you roll a 1
gear, healing, ship repairs
and other services. Character

Technology
Character

Warfare
Character

Tension
Spend the tension between your character
and the other characters to re-roll your dice
or theirs when you’re in a scene together.
Award tension to other players when you
see it come up in play.

i
g Rolling Dice
4+ on any die is a success.
c
3 or less on any die is a mishap
f
A 1 on your training die, check a box
i
g

Gear Allies c
Harm
If you don’t want to check harm, you can
impair the appropriate training by one
f
step.
i
Rolling gear dice along with your Allies help you beat obstacles g
training will increase your chance that would otherwise be much Improvement
of success while creating new risks too large for you to overcome c Check a box whenever you roll at least
f one 1 on any roll. After 6 checks,
choose something from the list.
i
g
Recovery
c Recover 1 harm for free at the end of
f a mission. Recover 1 harm with an
i Explorer roll. Otherwise pay Fortune.
g
Scale
c Even the best character can’t take
f on the whole system single handedly.
i Gain allies at large scales so you can
g fight armies with armies.

c
f
Project
VANGUARD Ship Sheet
Ship Name

Configuration

Harm

Roll this die when the ship is in battle

Armament
Roll this die when the ship
is attempting complex maneuvers

Engines
Roll this die when you’re pushing
the ship’s systems to their limits

Power

Roll this die when you’re attempting

to make complex calculations

Computer

Roll this die when the ship is

attempting to make radio contact

Comms Hull
Roll this die when the ship is taking fire
or under great stress

Sensors

Roll this die when the ship is

scanning for enemy ships

30