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One Thousand Club
This is not a grimdark fantasy game, nor is it in a system created by a pathfinder fanboy who really likes making you roll thirty dice to simply continue breathing. To preface everything, this will be a comedic, simple, and quick game focused on fun and imagination, no obtuse bylaws and contradicting rulebooks. If that sounds like your thing, then journey on, on THE SUPERDEATH HIGHWAY!
In the ashes and dust of the Mojave desert lies a road leading North. It is the one road, the remains of a long-dead world of hope and prosperity. It is the one road, beset on all sides by mutants, warlords, and the mostly carnivorous. It is the one road, stretching on forever, perhaps into hope, perhaps into darkness. Here you stand, at the end of the road, in a small village with no name, gazing down the road. It's waiting for you, the tantalizing prize suspended far beyond the horizon, at the end of Superdeath Highway. Others want what lies at the end of Superdeath, and will do anything to get it.
This is, in summary, a post-apocalyptic game taking place in a world inspired by movies like Mad Max, Zardoz, A Boy and His Dog, and other staples of the over-the-top apocalypse style of the eighties and nineties, where you play as one of a few archetypes in the genre. Play will mostly be character based, speaking directly with other players and occasionally with NPCs, with a few random events happening, including raider attacks, radiation storms, etc. The main point of the game is trust and deception. You can lie about anything to everyone, and you have secrets you must keep. Alliances will be made, people will die. Your closest allies will do anything to win, even if it means betraying you.
Each player has attributes, abilities, and secrets decided by the character they choose and by the roll of a die. Your goal in the game is to complete your character's objectives however you can, typically three specific objectives for your character, three secret objectives that nobody else knows, and one final objective.
It's going to be a short game, potentially lasting as short as five turns, allowing new players each game. It would be quickest and easiest to do over discord, but it can be done through a thread and PMs here on RPN. If you're interested, post below.
In the ashes and dust of the Mojave desert lies a road leading North. It is the one road, the remains of a long-dead world of hope and prosperity. It is the one road, beset on all sides by mutants, warlords, and the mostly carnivorous. It is the one road, stretching on forever, perhaps into hope, perhaps into darkness. Here you stand, at the end of the road, in a small village with no name, gazing down the road. It's waiting for you, the tantalizing prize suspended far beyond the horizon, at the end of Superdeath Highway. Others want what lies at the end of Superdeath, and will do anything to get it.
This is, in summary, a post-apocalyptic game taking place in a world inspired by movies like Mad Max, Zardoz, A Boy and His Dog, and other staples of the over-the-top apocalypse style of the eighties and nineties, where you play as one of a few archetypes in the genre. Play will mostly be character based, speaking directly with other players and occasionally with NPCs, with a few random events happening, including raider attacks, radiation storms, etc. The main point of the game is trust and deception. You can lie about anything to everyone, and you have secrets you must keep. Alliances will be made, people will die. Your closest allies will do anything to win, even if it means betraying you.
Each player has attributes, abilities, and secrets decided by the character they choose and by the roll of a die. Your goal in the game is to complete your character's objectives however you can, typically three specific objectives for your character, three secret objectives that nobody else knows, and one final objective.
It's going to be a short game, potentially lasting as short as five turns, allowing new players each game. It would be quickest and easiest to do over discord, but it can be done through a thread and PMs here on RPN. If you're interested, post below.
Each player has 7 total objectives. Completing these are required to win the game. Failing to perform any objectives by the time that someone else wins the game will usually mean you lose the game.
The 7 objectives are three established by your archetype, three secret objectives decided by a dice roll, and one final objective decided by you. You must complete all six objectives before completing your final objective. You may choose to reveal your final objectives at any point, but the secret objectives must be completed in secret. Once the objective is complete, you may not even tell others you have completed a secret objective.
Many objectives are abstract, like Eat a Human or Save an Innocent. Others with an asterik are completed once you complete your final objective under specific conditions.
The 7 objectives are three established by your archetype, three secret objectives decided by a dice roll, and one final objective decided by you. You must complete all six objectives before completing your final objective. You may choose to reveal your final objectives at any point, but the secret objectives must be completed in secret. Once the objective is complete, you may not even tell others you have completed a secret objective.
Many objectives are abstract, like Eat a Human or Save an Innocent. Others with an asterik are completed once you complete your final objective under specific conditions.
Each Archetype is a sort of character. Some are classified as Good, Evil, or Innocent, but do not decide how you play your character. You do not, at any point, have to reveal your archetype to anyone else in the game, and you may lie about your archetype. If you are a Special, the Good/Evil/Innocent tag of your Special Form overrides your main archetype's tag.
The Hero: [GOOD]
It's your destiny to do good. You're suave, strong, and good-natured.
You believe that the salvation for humanity is through God, or gods, or whatever forces you believe in.
You're willing to do what it takes to reach your goals, even if it involves taking from others.
Your DNA changed by the radiation, you're powerful, but prone to psychotic breakdowns and shunned by society.
You're Man's best friend, with a surprising fortitude and an unexplained power of intelligence.
You're always the last man standing. You're ready for anything the world throws at you.
You're a small family of no less than three people, trying to get by. You have one secret objective for every family member and one special Family final objective.
You are a Zealot, Survivor, Hero, Canine, or Scoundrel, with a secret other form, be it werewolf, vampire, or alien, decided at random. Each one has a special final objective and a special set of secret objectives and abilities for their alternate form. With the exception of the Alien, you can choose to take this alternate form any night.
Wildcard: [RANDOM]
You're playing everything at random, a pure creation of the wasteland. Take three abilities at random, six secret objectives at random, and a final objective at random. For every character you meet, you must decide at random whether they are an ally or enemy. You must also take a good, evil, or innocent tag at random.
Ranger:
You're a grizzled traveler of the highway, having an intimate knowledge of the dangers ahead.
You're in tune with spirits and the old Gods, giving you unexplained powers.
The Hero: [GOOD]
It's your destiny to do good. You're suave, strong, and good-natured.
- Objectives:
- Save an Innocent
- Fight an Evil
- Do a Quest
- Abilities:
- Lucky
- Fighter
- Friendly
You believe that the salvation for humanity is through God, or gods, or whatever forces you believe in.
- Objectives:
- Find a Relic
- Show the Way to a Stranger
- Heal a party member
- Abilities:
- Healer
- Bound
- Prepared
You're willing to do what it takes to reach your goals, even if it involves taking from others.
- Objectives:
- Take something valuable
- Betray someone
- Do a Quest
- Abilities:
- Lucky
- Fighter
- Friendly
Your DNA changed by the radiation, you're powerful, but prone to psychotic breakdowns and shunned by society.
- Objectives:
- Make an Ally or Kill an Enemy
- Eat a Human
- Fight an Evil or Fight a Good
- Abilities:
- Mutant
- Fighter
- Crazy
You're Man's best friend, with a surprising fortitude and an unexplained power of intelligence.
- Objectives:
- Make an Ally
- Don't Betray anyone (*)
- Complete an Ally's Objective
- Abilities:
- Fighter
- Quick
- Sensitive
You're always the last man standing. You're ready for anything the world throws at you.
- Objectives:
- Reach the End of the Road (*)
- Escape a Danger
- Don't get Hurt (*)
- Abilities:
- Prepared
- Healer
- Stable
You're a small family of no less than three people, trying to get by. You have one secret objective for every family member and one special Family final objective.
- Abilities:
- Pick one at random for each family member.
You are a Zealot, Survivor, Hero, Canine, or Scoundrel, with a secret other form, be it werewolf, vampire, or alien, decided at random. Each one has a special final objective and a special set of secret objectives and abilities for their alternate form. With the exception of the Alien, you can choose to take this alternate form any night.
Vampire: [EVIL]
You gain power by drinking the blood of non-mutated Humans, tapping into an occult force.
You're an unwilling servant of bloodlust.
You're an invader on Earth, trying to take over what remains of Humanity.
You gain power by drinking the blood of non-mutated Humans, tapping into an occult force.
- Secret Objectives:
- Kill and devour two humans at night
- Find a Relic
- Kill a party member at night
- Night Abilities:
- Superpowered
- Healer
- Fighter
- Bonus Abilities:
- Bound
- Crazy
You're an unwilling servant of bloodlust.
- Secret Objectives:
- Keep your identity secret (*)
- Allow yourself to go primal three times
- Night Abilities:
- Primal
- Superpowered
You're an invader on Earth, trying to take over what remains of Humanity.
- Secret Objectives:
- Keep your identity secret (*)
- Lay your eggs in every party member
- Bonus Abilities:
- Superpowered
You're playing everything at random, a pure creation of the wasteland. Take three abilities at random, six secret objectives at random, and a final objective at random. For every character you meet, you must decide at random whether they are an ally or enemy. You must also take a good, evil, or innocent tag at random.
Ranger:
You're a grizzled traveler of the highway, having an intimate knowledge of the dangers ahead.
- Objectives:
- Find a Relic or Valuable
- Don't become Crazy, Special, or Mutated.
- Help an Ally win or make an Enemy lose (*)
- Abilities:
- Prepared
- Fighter
- Seeing
You're in tune with spirits and the old Gods, giving you unexplained powers.
- Objectives:
- Commune with the Dead
- Discover an Evil
- Find or Destroy a Relic
- Abilities:
- Seeing
- Bound
- Occult
- Objectives:
- Reveal your identity
- Discover 3 secrets
- Be betrayed
- Abilities:
- Seeing
- Fighter
- Detective
These abilities are abstract things that your character is good at or is an attribute they have. They typically make any action involving that ability work better or allows you to do something others cannot. They're listed below.
Bound: You're bound to a God or an occult force. When you please them, things tend to go well for you.
Crazy: You're insane, often making you lose control or not think logically.
Healer: You can heal yourself or others using simple materials, magic, or mutation.
Fighter: You can use weapons or superior strength to fight others.
Friendly: It's easy for you to convince others to do what you say, because you're likable.
Lucky: You always manage to find your way out of a scrape at the last minute.
Mutant: You have extreme physical power, but suffer from stupidity and are often shunned by society.
Occult: In the night, you can communicate with dead party members while you sleep or make a sacrifice to learn a secret. You can attempt contact with a god, but it is often risky.
Quick: You're fast, making it harder to get hit and making you move faster.
Seeing: Every turn, you can choose to see a random encounter before it happens, know what another player is doing while you sleep, or investigate something somebody said.
Sensitive: You have incredibly senses of hearing, smelling, and empathy.
Stable: You are immune to insanity and emotion, making you impossible to manipulate.
Superpowered: You have unexplained and extremely powerful abilities that vary from archetype to archetype and character to character.
Prepared: You often happen to have just the right tool for any job.
Primal: You have no control over your actions, and can only act directly towards completing an objective or fulfilling an instinct.
Bound: You're bound to a God or an occult force. When you please them, things tend to go well for you.
Crazy: You're insane, often making you lose control or not think logically.
Healer: You can heal yourself or others using simple materials, magic, or mutation.
Fighter: You can use weapons or superior strength to fight others.
Friendly: It's easy for you to convince others to do what you say, because you're likable.
Lucky: You always manage to find your way out of a scrape at the last minute.
Mutant: You have extreme physical power, but suffer from stupidity and are often shunned by society.
Occult: In the night, you can communicate with dead party members while you sleep or make a sacrifice to learn a secret. You can attempt contact with a god, but it is often risky.
Quick: You're fast, making it harder to get hit and making you move faster.
Seeing: Every turn, you can choose to see a random encounter before it happens, know what another player is doing while you sleep, or investigate something somebody said.
Sensitive: You have incredibly senses of hearing, smelling, and empathy.
Stable: You are immune to insanity and emotion, making you impossible to manipulate.
Superpowered: You have unexplained and extremely powerful abilities that vary from archetype to archetype and character to character.
Prepared: You often happen to have just the right tool for any job.
Primal: You have no control over your actions, and can only act directly towards completing an objective or fulfilling an instinct.
These objectives cannot be told to anyone unless they are an Ally and are required for victory. They cannot contradict one of your normal objectives or another secret objective. To get your objectives, roll a d6 for your first digit (6 being a 0) and a d10 for your second digit three times. A 0 for one of your objective rolls means that you do not have to take any secret objectives.
- Betray someone
- Make a sacrifice
- Kill a party member
- Kill an Innocent
- Die
- Make someone fail an objective
- Eat a human
- Defeat an Evil
- Kill an Ally
- Kill an Enemy
- Destroy a Relic
- Make an Ally
- Make an Enemy
- Keep your identity a secret (*)
- Find a gun
- Don't get hurt (*)
- Help someone complete a Final Objective
- Convince the party to take on a Danger
- Make a Sacrifice
- Fight an NPC
- Hug every party member
- Make an obscure pop culture reference
- Discover a secret
- Accuse a party member of betrayal
- Start a Dungeon
- Cause an argument over the rules of the game
- Lie about the outcome of a die roll (but not to the DM)
- Never reveal a secret objective (*)
- Befriend an NPC
- Provoke an NPC
- Make the entire party move forward during the night
- Make an Innocent no longer innocent
- Backstab an NPC
- Seduce a Stranger
- Save a party member's life
- Remove a human's heart
- Pretend to be another archetype (*)
- Lie to an Ally
- Tell a secret to an Enemy
- Make a wild accusation of a party member
- Make someone else make a sacrifice
- Cause harm to yourself
- Nearly die, but don't
- Steal a valuable
- Steal a relic
- Make a false relic
- Convince the party that you have won the game
- Make the DM laugh
- Make up a rule and have the players fall for it
- Convince the party to eat a party member
- Sing a song and get at least one party member to join in
- Openly distrust a party member
- Convince a party member to abandon the party
- Don't say any swear words (*)
- Make a racially insensitive joke
- Don't intentionally use an ability
- Fail to solve three problems
- Avoid all dangers (*)
- Make somebody accidentally reveal a secret objective
These objectives decide who wins the game and when. Upon completion, all without an asterik end the game, granting a victory to the person who achieved it. You may reveal your final objective, but only after the game has begun. No discussion beforehand is allowed. After ten days, you can change your final objective, but you must complete all of your normal objectives again before winning. You can choose these after or before receiving your secret objectives, but must be chosen before the game begins.
- Survive 15 days on the highway(*)
- Abandon your party (*)
- Kill your party
- Reach the End of the Road
- Be the Last One Standing
- Have at least half of your party survive to the end of the game
- Find the true identities of every party member (*)
- Convince the party to abandon or kill one random member (*)
- Sacrifice yourself (*)
- Make another player quit the game
- Fight every NPC and Player you meet before you die
- Kill a Superpowered party member (without superpowers) (*)
- Convince the party to head back down the road
- Complete your objectives as well as three more objectives and two more secret objectives (*)
- Avoid all Dangers to the end of the game
- Have no evil players in your party survive to the end of the game
- Make every player laugh at once
- Survive 5 Dangers (*)
- Make a party member reveal all their secrets (*)
- Eat three humans (*)
- Do something badass
- Appease a God
- Finish a Dungeon
- Cheat at the game without the DM noticing and survive to the end of the game
- Make the game End prematurely
Abandon: Leave party members behind on the road or in a dungeon. You are far more vulnerable in smaller numbers, so leaving behind a single party member or going off alone will usually result in insanity or death.
Alien eggs: Once per night, an Alien can make contact with a sleeping or unconcious party member to lay their eggs. After 5 turns, the character will become another Alien.
Ally: You can designate party members as Allies, allowing you to share secret objectives or identities and converse privately at night. You cannot Fight an ally, but you can Backstab or Betray them. Any allies can see all communication you have with the DM.
Backstab: You can take people by surprise in combat. If successful, you are more likely to incapacitate them without taking damage.
Betray: Actively and openly perform any action that would either harm, kill, or make victory impossible for a character without directly acting on them.
Canines: Dogs, wolves, or coyotes. They are generally non-intelligent innocent creatures, unless they are a player character.
Creature: Any living thing.
Danger: Any fight or situation that poses a fatal risk to the party or to any player character.
Defeat an Evil: Either win a fight against an Evil character, do something to make an Evil character no longer evil, or defeat an evil force or god.
Defeat a Good: Either win a fight against a Good character, do something to make a Good character no longer good, or defeat a good force or god.
Detective: The Detective has the special ability to, every night, either a) watch a player (in case they do something other than sleep), b) learn one random secret objective among the team, or c) spend three consecutive nights investigating one person. On the third night, you learn their identity. All three of these prevent you from sleeping.
Devour: For Vampires, Werewolves, and Aliens, you can eat human meat or blood to heal yourself or grant yourself super abilities.
Dungeons: Ocassionally, you can stumble upon a building, cave, or city, with some great object of value, but many rigorous trials in your way. They are very difficult and require teamwork and trust. They will often take several turns to get through, but beating a dungeon will end the game and reward all players who survived to the end with a victory as long as they completed all non-secret objectives and they did not fail their final objective. You can usually quit a dungeon at any time, but the entire party must agree on starting or quitting a dungeon, unless someone is abandoned or abandons the party.
End of the Road: The end of the Superdeath Highway. Reaching this generally ends the game. If you have not completed your objectives before reaching the end of the road, you lose.
Enemy: You can designate party members as Enemies, preventing them from approaching you during the night or using abilities on you. All allies must agree on designating an enemy. If your enemy wins the game, you lose, even if you had the same objectives.
Evil: Any character who is naturally evil or an evil force or god.
Fight: With the Fighter ability, you can fight characters, allowing you to risk damage in order to damage others.
Good: Any character who is naturally good or a good force or god.
Gun: A specific valuable that can be used six times to instantly kill any creature. Superpowered creatures require the use of four shots to kill.
The Highway: The titular highway. The ultimate ending to the game lies at the end of the highway. You can travel forward or backward along the highway as much as you want, and the length varies from game to game. The length of the road decides the rate of travel. Going backwards lessens the chances of bad things happening and allows you to revisit NPCs or locations from earlier.
Human: Any non-mutated and non-magical human.
Innocent: Any character who has not done anything evil, is naturally incapable of deciding to be evil or good, or has no concept of evil or good.
Item: An abstract non-valuable non-relic non-gun that can be used to harm someone, solve a problem, or do a job, but only once.
Night: The second half of every turn is night. For human and normal canine characters, you must sleep all night once every two days or face disadvantages for every day you don't sleep. However, sleeping means that you can't do things during the night, including speaking to allies, moving down the road, or perform night abilities. Werewolves, Aliens, and Vampires gain their special forms during the night and have special abilities that can only be activated during the night.
Party: All player characters or NPCS that have joined the journey.
Person: Any sentient character.
Quest: Occasionally, an NPC will give you an additional objective that you can complete to get a reward from the NPC in question. If the NPC dies, you cannot complete the Quest.
Relic: Any item of religious or occult value. It can be used as a tool to cure an illness or harm a Vampire or Werewolf in their Special Form. Three Relics can be sacrificed to revive a dead party member unless they are a Special.
Sacrifice: To sacrifice, you can offer up the destruction of a relic or valuable, a self-sacrifice, or the death of an innocent for assistance from a god or fulfillment of an objective.
Secret: Any secret objective or identity for players or secret held by an NPC.
Stranger: Any NPC that you are not well-acquainted with.
Turn: A turn represents one day and one night. You can move one section on the road for every day or night, and every time you move you activate a random encounter.
Valuable: Any item with extreme monetary or sentimental value.
The Way: A Zealot's religious beliefs or the pathway to appeasing a god or force.
Alien eggs: Once per night, an Alien can make contact with a sleeping or unconcious party member to lay their eggs. After 5 turns, the character will become another Alien.
Ally: You can designate party members as Allies, allowing you to share secret objectives or identities and converse privately at night. You cannot Fight an ally, but you can Backstab or Betray them. Any allies can see all communication you have with the DM.
Backstab: You can take people by surprise in combat. If successful, you are more likely to incapacitate them without taking damage.
Betray: Actively and openly perform any action that would either harm, kill, or make victory impossible for a character without directly acting on them.
Canines: Dogs, wolves, or coyotes. They are generally non-intelligent innocent creatures, unless they are a player character.
Creature: Any living thing.
Danger: Any fight or situation that poses a fatal risk to the party or to any player character.
Defeat an Evil: Either win a fight against an Evil character, do something to make an Evil character no longer evil, or defeat an evil force or god.
Defeat a Good: Either win a fight against a Good character, do something to make a Good character no longer good, or defeat a good force or god.
Detective: The Detective has the special ability to, every night, either a) watch a player (in case they do something other than sleep), b) learn one random secret objective among the team, or c) spend three consecutive nights investigating one person. On the third night, you learn their identity. All three of these prevent you from sleeping.
Devour: For Vampires, Werewolves, and Aliens, you can eat human meat or blood to heal yourself or grant yourself super abilities.
Dungeons: Ocassionally, you can stumble upon a building, cave, or city, with some great object of value, but many rigorous trials in your way. They are very difficult and require teamwork and trust. They will often take several turns to get through, but beating a dungeon will end the game and reward all players who survived to the end with a victory as long as they completed all non-secret objectives and they did not fail their final objective. You can usually quit a dungeon at any time, but the entire party must agree on starting or quitting a dungeon, unless someone is abandoned or abandons the party.
End of the Road: The end of the Superdeath Highway. Reaching this generally ends the game. If you have not completed your objectives before reaching the end of the road, you lose.
Enemy: You can designate party members as Enemies, preventing them from approaching you during the night or using abilities on you. All allies must agree on designating an enemy. If your enemy wins the game, you lose, even if you had the same objectives.
Evil: Any character who is naturally evil or an evil force or god.
Fight: With the Fighter ability, you can fight characters, allowing you to risk damage in order to damage others.
Good: Any character who is naturally good or a good force or god.
Gun: A specific valuable that can be used six times to instantly kill any creature. Superpowered creatures require the use of four shots to kill.
The Highway: The titular highway. The ultimate ending to the game lies at the end of the highway. You can travel forward or backward along the highway as much as you want, and the length varies from game to game. The length of the road decides the rate of travel. Going backwards lessens the chances of bad things happening and allows you to revisit NPCs or locations from earlier.
Human: Any non-mutated and non-magical human.
Innocent: Any character who has not done anything evil, is naturally incapable of deciding to be evil or good, or has no concept of evil or good.
Item: An abstract non-valuable non-relic non-gun that can be used to harm someone, solve a problem, or do a job, but only once.
Night: The second half of every turn is night. For human and normal canine characters, you must sleep all night once every two days or face disadvantages for every day you don't sleep. However, sleeping means that you can't do things during the night, including speaking to allies, moving down the road, or perform night abilities. Werewolves, Aliens, and Vampires gain their special forms during the night and have special abilities that can only be activated during the night.
Party: All player characters or NPCS that have joined the journey.
Person: Any sentient character.
Quest: Occasionally, an NPC will give you an additional objective that you can complete to get a reward from the NPC in question. If the NPC dies, you cannot complete the Quest.
Relic: Any item of religious or occult value. It can be used as a tool to cure an illness or harm a Vampire or Werewolf in their Special Form. Three Relics can be sacrificed to revive a dead party member unless they are a Special.
Sacrifice: To sacrifice, you can offer up the destruction of a relic or valuable, a self-sacrifice, or the death of an innocent for assistance from a god or fulfillment of an objective.
Secret: Any secret objective or identity for players or secret held by an NPC.
Stranger: Any NPC that you are not well-acquainted with.
Turn: A turn represents one day and one night. You can move one section on the road for every day or night, and every time you move you activate a random encounter.
Valuable: Any item with extreme monetary or sentimental value.
The Way: A Zealot's religious beliefs or the pathway to appeasing a god or force.
