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Anglers From Planet X
Anglers From Planet X
Editing Sort of Done by the Staff of RTG All characters, incidents, and situations portrayed within are
fictional, and any similarity without satirical content to actual
Art by Bryant Velenz and P.D. O’Main fishing or to individuals living or dead is strictly coincidental.
1
ophy.
e pride in our “one and done” philos
Here at R. Talsorian Games, we tak
out of the gutter!
No, not like that. Get your minds
want to buy, you
out supplements you’ll absolutely
What we mean is, while we’ll put e rule book. We work
games. All you need is the cor
don’t need them to play one of our you need to play
chock full of all the rules and lore
hard to cram those core rulebooks the Alp habetically
Tome of the RefereeMaster or
without forcing you to also buy the
Ordered Collection of Monsters.
to it.
That’s our brand and we’re sticking
out just last
me ss up som etim es, as superfan 10wnzurm0mz pointed
Still, eve n we h Real Weirdies
in a tex t me ssa ge to the inte rn we assigned the task of dealing wit
week
from the Internet.
> fshng rls lol? wht
ssu p! y 3 ed s f tfo s <bu tt emoji> <no sign emoji
wa
knd f jrpg s ths?
.
mz. A compelling question, indeed
A compelling question, 10wnzurm0
que way, why
flue nt in tex tlis h, 10w nzurm0mz asked, in their own uni
For tho se not sing what is argu-
nag ers from Out er Spa ce, a Jap anese anime-inspired TRPG, is mis
Tee e.
s of any Japanese Roleplaying Gam
ably one of the most core aspect
Fishing.
Space,
pite rele asi ng thre e differe nt editions of Teenagers from Outer
That’s right! Des ing minigame in the
trating yet strangely addicting fish
we’ve never once included a frus
core rulebook.
That’s our bad. We messed up.
ble supplement for
ma ke up for this ove rsig ht, we’ re putting out this free downloada
To
itled Anglers from Planet X.
Teenagers from Outer Space, ent
. Anyone can.
r Tee nag ers don ’t nee d to be from Planet X to go fishing
To be clea r, you d or an ocean
is a fish ing rod and a pla ce to fish. Preferably, a lake or a pon
All they nee d food section
ing . Don ’t go fish ing in you r nei ghbor’s koi fountain or the frozen
or someth
of the grocery store.
It won’t end well.
Seriously. Don’t do it.
happens next is all on you.
Okay. Well, we warned you. What
w Houses,
, afte r hou rs of pla ying Ste llar rain Gulley and Flame Crest: Rainbo e dinner,
Anyway reel in som
stlines so we can cast a line and
all the while ignoring the main que be the highlight of you r nex t Tee nagers from
fide nt the se fish ing rule s will
we’re con
Outer Space game.
2
It might be a class assignment. It might be because Why are you asking us? It’s your game. We didn’t
your parent forced you onto a boat in the middle of “I force you to run it.
can’t get service, please help me!” nowhere for part
of some sort of “family bonding” trip. Heck, there’s a Oh. Right. We’re the ones writing this thing. Yeah.
faint possibility you might enjoy it. Okay. We’ve got you covered. When the inevitable
fishpocylpse happens in your TFOS game, just use the
But sooner or later, every Teenager goes fishing. following rules.
Fishing is an ancient art. Since the dawn of time,
humans and aliens have been battling to capture fish
(and alien fish).
Step One: Casting
(and we don’t mean spells!)
They do it not just for sustenance but for glory!
After all, it is widely known, the being who catches the What’s your preferred casting technique? Do
biggest, most legendary fish (or alien fish) gets all the you back-cast, blind cast, dead-stick, feather, flip,
smooches from their sweetheart(s) of choice (usually freespool, or sling-shot? It doesn’t matter because we
after they shower and get rid of the fish funk). aren’t writing a different set of rules for every possible
way you can cast your line. In the end, you’re getting
“But,” you the Referee might be asking right at this your hook and bait into the water so the fish can bite
moment, “How do I handle fishing in my game of and you can catch them. The how doesn’t matter.
Teenagers from Outer Space?”
3
If you succeeded, congratulations! You’re on target
and ready to fish in your chosen spot. If you failed,
The Fishing Hole what happens next is a roll of the dice.
Referees, for Anglers from Planet X you’ll 1. Good job! You hooked yourself and probably
need a map of your fishing hole with the comically yanked down your pants in the pro-
sections marked. We’re including one with this cess.
supplement, but feel free to make your own.
All you need is a piece of paper and some- 2. Your hook landed one section north of your
thing to draw with. We like crayons, personally. intended location.
3. Your hook landed one section to the east of your
intended location.
To cast your line, first determine where you’re going 4. Your hook landed one section to the west of
to drop your hook. Each area of a fishing hole has its your intended location.
advantages and disadvantages.
5. Your hook landed one section to the south of
Hitting the Weeds is easy. Heck, you’ll probably hit your intended location.
them more often than not, anyway! If your hook lands
in the weeds, chances are you’ll pull up, you guessed 6. You cast backward and hooked something
it, weeds. But you never know. They say the Fish of comically appropriate, like your rival’s hair or a
Legend lives down there beneath the vegetation. passing car. Enjoy the trip!
Casting into the Shallows isn’t too tricky but there’s If your hook can’t land in the location indicated by
a lot of trash there. Still, if you suck at fishing but want the roll, perhaps because your original spot was on
a chance to reel in a Prize Winner, the shallows might the edge of the fishing hole, it ends up in the weeds.
be your only chance.
Should your Referee be feeling merciful, they can al-
The Deep. Now we’re talking. It isn’t that easy to low you to roll your LUCK after you fail in your casting.
cast to but there’s not much chance you’ll snag a If you succeed, somehow, your hook ends up dropping
piece of garbage here! You’re 50/50 on catching in the Perfect Spot despite all the odds. Sometimes
something big enough to be at least Perfect for Grill- dumb luck helps.
ing.
And then there’s the Perfect Spot. That’s the one
place where there’s nothing but fish all the way down.
It can be hard to nail, but if you land your hook in the Knacks and Fishing
perfect spot you know you’ll catch something good. The other players laughed at you when you
Maybe even the Fish of Legend! took God of Fishing as one of your Knacks.
Once you’ve figured out where you’re aiming for, the Well, who’s laughing now?
time has come to calculate angles and velocities and Still them. Seriously. You took fishing as a
force vectors. That’s right! Forget instinct. Forget mus- Knack.
cle memory. In TFOS, we cast using Math!
The point is Knacks count for this minig-
ame. If your Referee thinks they make sense,
Casting Your Line go for it and add them to your rolls.
1d6 + SMARTS vs. 1d6 + Difficulty based on location Today is your day, God of Fishing! Seize it!
(The Weeds: 2 • The Shallows: 4 • The Deep: 6 •
The Perfect Spot: 8)
4
Part Two: The Boring Bit (Ugh!)
Weeds: Kelp, algae, seaweed, river weeds. Some-
You’re a Teenager. That means sitting perfectly still thing like that. A big goopy mass of green vegetation.
while watching for a little red and white ball to bob Gives a slight tug when hooked. FISH BOD 1.
up and down is nothing short of pure torture. In other BONK: 1
words, waiting for a fish to take the bait and grab a
nibble is a special kind of hell and the hardest part of Also Weeds: Same as before, but this time it gives a
this minigame. moderate tug when hooked. FISH BOD 2. BONK: 1
Trash: An old shoe, maybe, or a can of pop (or soda
Waiting for a Nibble or fizzy wizz bang or whatever you call it). Gives a
moderate tug when hooked. FISH BOD 2. BONK: 1
1d6 + COOL vs. 1d6 + 10
More Trash: A boot or a tire. Something that gives a
What happens if, despite the odds, you manage to big tug when hooked. FISH BOD 3. BONK: 1
enter an angler’s zen and become one with the fish,
succeeding at your roll? Small Fry: A tiny fish that you’ll probably be em-
barrassed to have caught. Gives a slight tug when
Down below is the Nibble Table. The entries on the hooked. FISH BOD 1. BONK: 2
tables range from bad stuff (weeds and trash) to the
good stuff (huge fish!). If you succeed, the Referee Perfect for Grilling: Yum! You caught dinner! Just
rolls twice on the appropriate table and picks the best the right size to throw on the barbecue! Gives a mod-
result. If you fail? The Referee rolls twice on the table erate tug when hooked. FISH BOD 2. BONK: 3
and chooses the worst outcome. Prize Winner: You know how sometimes people
Remember, seaweed is nutritious, and there’s no take selfies while holding a fish because it is so awe-
shame in eating it. Don’t eat the trash, though. some? That’s this. Gives a big tug when hooked.
FISH BOD 3. BONK: 4
Referees, consult the Nibble Table we just wrote
about. Roll 1d6 twice, then check the column for the Fish of Legend: The old anglers speak of this fish
location the Teenager cast to. Then pick either the late at night, telling stories of the one that got away.
best or worst of the two rolls depending on their suc- They say it is the devil incarnated into fish form, and
cess or failure on the Waiting for a Nibble roll. anyone who catches it gains eternal good fortune. Or,
it could just be a really, really, really big fish. Gives a
We’ll talk about each of the entries afterward, along big tug when hooked, but you know this is the fish of
with their FISH BOD and BONK (which you’ll use in the legend. Know it in your bones. FISH BOD 5. BONK: 5
next part).
Nibble Table
Die Roll The Weeds The Shallows The Deep Perfect Spot
1 Weeds Trash Trash Small Fry
2 Also Weeds More Trash Small Fry Perfect for Grilling
3 Small Fry Small Fry Perfect for Grilling Perfect for Grilling
4 Small Fry Perfect for Grilling Perfect for Grilling Prize Winner
5 Perfect for Grilling Perfect for Grilling Prize Winner Prize Winner
6 Fish of Legend Prize Winner Prize Winner Fish of Legend
5
A Fishing Target is a circular target, five inches in
Section C: Reeling ‘Em In! diameter, with different marked zones marked. To use
one, place it flat on a surface. Then hold a d6 roughly
Congratulations, mighty hunter! Your prey has fallen two feet above the Target and let it drop. Once the die
into your trap! Now all that remains is to reel that fish finishes bouncing, note where it has landed and re-
in! cord the results in terms of how much BONK the fish
takes and how much BONK you take.
Reeling in Your Catch How do you take BONK while fishing? Maybe you
whap yourself in the head with the pole by tugging too
1d6 + BOD vs. 1d6 + FISH BOD
hard. Maybe you are dragged around the shoreline
by the fish. Perhaps you drop into a deep existen-
Why BOD? Because DRIVING and RWP didn’t seem tial angst, pondering the true nature of the soul and
to fit the bill. Neither did LOOKS but, now that we think whether fishing is a metaphor for your struggle with
about it… life and addiction.
Huh. Use your imagination!
New sidebar. Take note, if the die bounces off the Fishing Tar-
get entirely, that’s 1 BONK for you and none for the
fish. Kind, sweet, loving Referees will put up barriers
aQUATIC ALIENS around the Target to help prevent that from happen-
ing. Sadistic ones will just smile and watch the die
If you’re from an aquatic alien species, you fling itself off the table in nihilistic joy.
can use LOOKS instead of BOD to for the
Reeling in Your Catch roll. You gorgeous fish
person you!
That’s it, right? You just make the roll and, if you
succeed, you catch the fish, and if you fail, you
don’t. Right?
Nope!
What kind of fiddly, frustrating, and yet oddly
addictive minigame would this be if it were that
easy?
If you succeed at your Reeling in Your Catch roll,
you get to drop 3 dice onto the Fishing Target. If
you fail at the roll, you only get to drop 2 dice. See?
Even if you fail, you still have a chance to catch
your fish. Aren’t we nice? We like cookies if you’re
feeling appreciative.
6
Fishing Gear
What About Powers? Yes, you can net fish and spear fish and dynamite
Personally, we think using Powers while fish and gravity gun fish, but we wrote these rules for
engaged in the ancient and noble sport of fish- real fishing. Rod. Line. Hook. Bait. That’s it. All this
ing to be cheating but, hey, we aren’t running means if you’re going to go fishing, you need to stop
your game! The Referee makes the call about by the mall and visit Slick’s Sporting Goods. Old Slick
how using a Power helps you while you’re will get you set up or you don’t get your money back!
fishing. Maybe it lowers the target for casting Fishing Rod ($5): Your basic fishing rod. You can
or gives you another roll on the Nibble Table or use it for fishing. The line will probably get tangled at
even another die to drop on the Fishing Target. some point.
That’s their call, not ours.
Fishing Rod Xtreme! ($100): The ultimate fishing
We’re not going to mess with your Referee. rod. Slick promises this one’s a steal at only $100! It
They scare us. gives you one additional die to drop on the Fishing
Target and does 1 BONK if used as a weapon on land.
Bait ($5): Anglers used to use boring old earth-
worms for fishing. Now they use Planet X Brand
You only reel in your fish if you’ve reduced its BONK Worms! If these wrigglers detect the bait can isn’t full,
to 0. If you run out of dice to drop before that hap- they go into an asexual reproductive frenzy to make
pens, the line snaps and the fish gets away with the new worms. That means the bait can is never empty.
bait and a story to tell its friends about the stupid
Teenager who thought they had what it took. If your Siren Crickets ($5): These strange little critters sit
BONK reaches 0, the same thing happens, but you on the hook and emit a hypersonic signal that draws
also get a new obsession: hunting down the fish fish to them like black hair dye to a goth. The price is
that made you unable to act for a round. Maybe two. per cricket, but using one gives you one additional die
(You’ll get that fish, someday. You swear it!) drop on the Fishing Target.
Referees, use the Small Fry Fishing Target for Angler’s Outfit ($20): The vest with all the pockets.
Weeds. Use the Perfect for Grilling Target for Also The hat covered in hooks. The big rubber boots. This
Weeds and Trash. Use the Prize Winner Target for outfit doesn’t help you catch fish, but it might con-
More Trash. You’ll notice we don’t mark the Targets vince everyone else that you know what you’re doing!
with those names. That way, your Teenager can shout
and whoop in excitement as they reel in what they
think is a fish, then groan in actual physical pain, tears
in their eyes, as you describe the mass of kelp or the
rusted hubcap they yanked up instead.
It Was This Big!
Teenagers being Teenagers, eventually
Weeds and trash only have a BONK of 1, but we they’ll start comparing the size of their… fish.
recommend making the player drop each of their d6s Here’s the basics: Perfect for Grilling are
just to heighten the comedic tension. If they pass out bigger than Small Fry. Then Prize WInners.
due to losing all their BONK, they should do so while Then Fish of Legend. If you need to compare
giving one last desperate tug on their rod and watch- two fish within the same category, have each
ing, helplessly, as the vegetation or garbage rises from participant roll 1d6. Highest wins. If they tie,
the water and smacks them in the face to send them they’ve caught identical fish, which is probably
spiraling down to the ground in pain and shame. a result of the Aquatic Cloning Facility and
quite possibly the first clue they’ll get about
Now, that’s comedy! Professor Nemo’s evil marine plot for world
conquest.
7
Appendix θ: Fish Lifepath
We had just finished playtesting these rules when What’s a Lifepath?
our poor intern in charge of dealing with Real Weirdies Players of our Cyberpunk, Mekton, and
from the Internet got another text from 10wnzurm- Witcher TRPGs will already know the answer
0mz. to this question! Everyone else? Go play those
wtf w <fish emoji> nms? smoll fry? fsh f games! They’re wicked awesome!
lgnd? i wnt rl nms lol!
Also, a Lifepath is a series of tables you
Translation: What the <bleep> is up with the fish move through, rolling (or choosing if you’re not
names? Small fry? Fish of legend? I want real names! feeling adventurous) to generate a world-spe-
cific background for your character.
10wnzurm0mz, never let it be said we didn’t give you
anything for the holidays. In fact, we’ve gone a step A bit of a humble brag here. A lot of games
further. Who needs a collection of just fish names these days include Lifepaths as part of their
when you can have an entire Fish Lifepath to give character generation system but we originat-
them personality, motivation, and history! To use the ed (and named!) the idea way back in the dark,
Fish Lifepath, start at the beginning with Origins and distant 1980s.
Personal Style and follow the prompts to the end. It is
that simple!
AQUATIC ORIGINS
Once upon a time, you found freshwater fish in freshwater and saltwater fish in saltwater and alien fish in
alienwater but in the age of Teenagers from Outer Space, that’s all gone out the window. Roll to determine
where your fish comes from. How did that fish get to your fishing hole and how does it survive there? Maybe
you should ask it!
GO TO PERSONAL STYLE
8
PERSONAL STYLE
It doesn’t matter how good your fish tastes if it looks good when you take a selfie with it! Roll 1d6 three times
(once per column) to decide what your fish’s style is!
GO TO FAMILY BACKGROUND
9
Family Background
Your fish didn’t spontaneously generate. Probably. They came from a family! They had moms and dads and
siblings and a whole life! And here you are tearing them out of the water, ripping them away from their entire
support structure. For what? So you can eat them? You monster!
FAMILY RANKING
Roll 1d6 to determine your fish’s family’s ranking in fish society.
GO TO PARENTS
PARENTS
Roll 1d6.
10
FAMILY STATUS
Will this roll of 1d6 be weal or woe?
FAMILY TRAGEDY
Gasp! We’re on the edge of our seat! Quick! Roll 1d6!
GO TO CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT
SOMETHING HAPPENED TO THE FISH’S PARENTS
What could have happened?!? Roll 1d6 to find out!
GO TO CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT
11
CHILDHOOD ENVIRONMENT
Roll 1d10! We’re kidding. Roll 1d6.
GO TO SIBLINGS
SIBLINGS
Roll 1d6. On a roll of 1 to 5, multiply the number by 10, and that’s how many siblings your fish has. On a roll of
6, they’re an only child.
If you really want to, you can roll (and roll and roll and roll) for the relative age of each sibling and how they
feel about your fish.
Age: On a 1 to 2, they hatched before your fish. On a 3 to 4, they hatched after your fish. On a 6, they hatched
at the same time as your fish.
Feelings About Your Fish: On a 1, they dislike your fish. On a 2, they like your fish. On a 3, they’re neutral. On
a 4, they worship your fish like a hero. On a 5, they hate your fish. On a 6, it doesn’t matter because you’re going
to eat your fish anyway.
12
Personality and Motivations
Your fish is just like you! Your fish has hopes and dreams and things and people they cherish! Lot of good
that did them! Start with Personality Traits.
PERSONALITY TRAITS
Let’s find out about your fish’s personality! Roll 1d6.
13
CONCEPT YOUR FISH VALUES MOST
What idea inspires your fish? Roll 1d6 to find out!
14
YOUR FISH’S MOST VALUED POSSESSION
You know the drill! Roll 1d6.
GO TO LIFE EVENTS
Life Events
How many Life Events should your fish have? Are you having fun? Then roll until you aren’t! It probably doesn’t
matter anyway.
Unless your Referee decides to be evil and your fully realized fish escapes your grasp, vows revenge, and
ends up teaching your math class!
We had a nightmare like that once. When you’ve decided on your fish’s Life Events, go to Name That Fish!
Roll 1d6 to see what kind of Life Event your fish had.
15
BIG PROBLEMS, BIG WINS
Roll 1d6 to see how your fish’s life event’s gone.
If you rolled even, your fish got lucky. Roll 1d6 to see how!
OR
You rolled odd! Oh, bad luck for your fish! Roll 1d6!
16
FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
Did your fish make a friend or an enemy? Roll 1d6 to find out!
You rolled even? Hurry! Roll 1d6 and find out who your fish’s friend is!
OR
You rolled odd. That means an enemy! We can’t look! Roll 1d6 for us and tell us the results.
17
ROMANTIC INVOLVEMENT
Fish can be just as sappy and randy as anyone else! Roll 1d6. On a 1, your fish had a happy love affair. That’s
boring, so there are no further details. On a 2 to 3, go to Tragic Love Affair. Now we’re talking! On a 4 to 5, go to
Love Affair with Problems. And on a 6 they played the field. No further rolls needed. We honestly don’t want to
know.
It was a Tragic Love Affair. Would you kindly roll 1d6?
It was a Love Affair with Problems. We’ve got the popcorn! Go ahead and roll 1d6!
18
Name that Fish!
Just to keep 10wnzurm0mz happy, you can use the following table to determine the name of the species of
fish you caught. This method only works for Small Fry, Perfect for Grilling, and Prize Winners. Fish of Legend
should be named something epic by the Referee like the Old Man of Lake Muckamuck or Charlie.
Roll once on each column, then string the three words together to get the name of your fish’s species.
19
The Weeds
The Perfect Spot
The Deep
The Shallows
The Swimming Hole
20
Fishing Targets
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 2 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Small Fry
21
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 2 Bonk
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
22
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 2 Bonk
Fish: 2 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Prize Winner
23
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 0 Bonk
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 0 Bonk
Fish: 1 Bonk
Teenager: 1 Bonk
Fish: 0 Bonk
Fish of Legend
24
The Supplem en t Y o u D id n ’t K n o w Y o u N ee d ed ...
T he battle had been the stuff of legends. Man versus fish in the sort of
epic struggle that had defined virility since the dawn of time. There had
been moments when it seemed as if the fish would get away but Tommy
Tanaka dug down deep, gave it a hundred and ten percent, and cheated by
blowing his entire allowance on an entire bag full of siren crickets and the
latest model of Fishing Rod Xtreme! Sure, his arms felt like cooked ramen
and there was a raging forest fire in his lungs but it didn’t matter. He had
caught it. He had caught the fabled Big Fish of Makeout Point.
T he mermaid showed up less than a minute later, slammed him over the
head with a hyperdimensional hammer, and told him off for catching her
pet porgifish. By the time Tommy recovered from the wrath of the mermaid,
both she and the fabled Big Fish of Makeout Point were gone.
om Planet X, the
Welcome to Anglers fr ment for the
le
fishing minigame supp ing game of
pl ay
amazingly weird role
Teenagers from
anime comedy action:
Outer Space.
is carefully
Inside the pages of th
will find
crafted document you at your
th
everything you need so freshwater,
ng in
Teenagers can go fishi
or the school
saltwater, alienwater,
fish tank!
om Outer Space is
After all, Teenagers fr (inspired) role-
se
(sorta kinda) a Japane
t sort of JRPG
playing game! And wha inigame?
m
doesn’t have a fishing
... Fo r th e G a m e Y o u Fo r g o t Y o u O w n ed !