Steampunk Mafia

A RED 8 System game

By Jay Steven Uy Anyong
jast@mydestiny.net

Outline:

I. Introduction
II. The City of New Providence
III. The Heroes and Villains of New Providence
IV. Kodiaks
V. Systems
VI. GM Advice

Introduction

Terry looked down on the city of New Providence below them, the
wind whipping his hair as he squinted to get a better view.
Already the smoke from the burning buildings down below began to
mar the beauty of the city, his city. Swearing, Terry turned
from the opening of the Police Zeppelin’s launch bay to Edgar,
his mechanic.

“Is she ready?” Terry snapped impatiently, as the sound of

gunfire rattled down below. There wasn’t much time. The
Corbolli family had to be stopped.

Inside the launch bay, Edgar was hurriedly making some last
minute checks to Terry’s Kodiak power armor, the Enforcer,
slapping down one last lever, Edgar gave a grunt, “That should do
it, Terry!” The engineer gave a thumbs-up sign, “Hop in and give
‘em hell!”

Terry took out a small, fist-sized metal punch card and stepped
into the Enforcer’s torso cockpit. Strapping himself in, Terry
slid the punch card into the ignition slot and pulled on the
activation lever. The Mitchell-Connor Hydrogen Engine thrummed
to life, various gauges dancing as the Enforcer began to power up.
Giving Edgar a salute, Terry pulled on the sealing lever, and the
3-ton steam-powered Kodiak groaned, metal plates sliding over to
encase Terry, steam hissing outwards from the steam vents on the
Kodiak’s shoulders and back to bring the Kodiak into a standing
position.

“All systems go.” Terry’s voice squawked through the Kodiak’s

built-in intercom. Before the Enforcer lumbered forward towards
the Zeppelin’s launch bay, and with a powerful blast of Steam-
propulsion jets, hurled itself into the New Providence sky,
raining a hail of hot lead down to the Corbolli family’s
legbreakers.
Welcome to Steampunk Mafia.

In case you haven’t figured it out, this is a game about two things: Steampunk devices,
and the Mafia.

To help you get a better grip as to what we’re talking about, I’ll break this down to its
component parts and discuss each one briefly.

Steampunk – Is a particular sub-genre of speculative fiction (or Sci-Fi if you prefer),

involving a bizarre mix of the romantic wonder of steam power with the gritty and grim
settings of Cyberpunk. Think Johnny Mnemonic or Blade Runner with steam engines,
and you’ve got the idea.

The Mafia – is a catch all term for a particular “family oriented” form of organized crime.
Their origins were Italian in origin when they fought back against oppressors in a sort of
city vigilante kind of way. They won the respect and love of the common people, and are
popular anti-heroes and villains of a lot of books and movies such as the Godfather and
the Untouchables.

Why put these two together? Well… for one thing, it’s unique. The second is the fact
that despite how different these are, they have the spirit of romance and potential for
stories that I find invigorating. Gritty tales of Brotherhood and Betrayal, set against a
backdrop of steamtech that only accentuates the feeling of mystery that already surrounds
the Mafia.

There’s also the potential to play the good guys. Like Elliot Ness and the Untouchables,
players can also be the police of New Providence, fighting with everything they’ve got,
from fists, to their wits to 12-foot tall steamtech mecha all in the name of justice.

Interested? Keep reading.

The City of New Providence

New providence is a stereotypical American city in the 1920’s, with a twist. Thanks to
the discovery of a cheap and abundant supply of energy with the invention of the famous
Mitchell-Connor Hydrogen Engine, steam power became the choice power source for the
world. Now the cityscape in marked with gentle clouds of steam that come from the
underground vents of the New Providence Power Plant.

Mechanical wonders practically sprung up overnight, with the invention of newer and
better automobiles, manufacturing machines, and the 12-foot tall, humanoid mechs
known as Kodiaks. Originally designed to assist in loading cargo in and out of the ships
that dock in New Providence, some these hulking iron giants were stolen by the Mafia
and modified, turning them to criminal uses. A crime wave of unparalleled proportions
hit the city, as the emboldened Mafia gangs stole entire armored trucks with their
Kodiaks, impervious to most police gunfire.

It was only a matter of time before New Providence’s Chief of Police gave the go signal
to come up with a counter-Kodiak force of specially trained police officers. These brave
men and women were the city’s only chance to stem the tide of Kodiak related crimes
that threaten to bring the once peaceful city to its knees.

The Heroes and Villains of New Providence

Steampunk Mafia recognizes the fact that in this kind of struggle, it’s tempting to side
with either the devious Mafia criminals or the stalwart police force that fight against them.
As such, we’re leaving the option of what side the players will be entirely up to them.
Since this is a role-playing game, the first step is to define what role you’ll play. This is
done by creating a character.

First of all, it’s important to note how characters are defined. Each character has a set
number of Stats:

Body – The body stat reflects the over-all physical health and strength of a character
Dexterity – Dexterity determines the coordination and grace of a character
Charm – Charm is how personable the character is, and how good her people skills are
Intelligence – Determines that character’s wit and raw intellect, as well as perception
Will – Is the measurement of a character’s ability to push himself beyond his limits

Each Stat begins with a score of +0. This doesn’t mean that a character is inept, but
merely average in each category. Each character has 4 points that they can add to their
Stats. Players may choose to put all 4 points in one Stat, or distribute it among the Stats
according to their concept of the character. Players may also choose to decrease a Stat
below 0 in order to gain points that they would like to spend on another Stat.

In addition, each character will also have one or more Descriptors, which are usually
Nouns or Adjectives that modify a particular skill or ability. These can be specializations,
broad descriptions and other adjectives that will shape a character. For example, a Mafia
assassin might have Stealthy as a descriptor, or perhaps a Police detective might have
Perceptive as a descriptor. Mechanically, descriptors serve as a bonus to actions that will
involve that adjective, if the character is attempting it. Like Stats, a player has 5 points to
distribute among their character’s descriptors.

As an option, a player can choose to add a Negative Descriptor which penalizes a

character’s ability in exchange for a point that they can add to either a Stat or Descriptor.
This exchange is done on a 1:1 ratio, to a maximum of 3 points. For example, the Mafia
legbreaker might have the Negative Descriptor, Dim-Witted: -2 but gets an additional 2
points to either add to his Stats or Descriptors.

Example:

Bob wants to make a character for the Steampunk Mafia. He decides that he wants a
strong, Mafia Thug named Eddie for a character. Starting with 4 points on Stats, he
decides that his best bet is to put a lot of points into his body and willpower. Putting 3 in
body and 1 in Willpower, Eddie is a powerful character who refuses to give up.

Satisfied for now, Bob moves on to descriptors. He decides that Eddie is a master of
grappling techniques, and so adds “Grappling” as a descriptor followed by +3, a bonus
worthy of his skills. Bob also decides to put a +1 to both “Lifting” and “Intimidation” as
Eddie is fond of picking up his opponents, and is a fearsome wrestler.

Looking over Eddie’s stats, Bob thinks that he wants more points to add to Eddie’s Stats
and Descriptors. To compensate, Bob decides to add a –1 Negative modifier to Eddie’s
Charm stat, and add a +1 to Dexterity, since Eddie is a fairly unappealing individual, but
has the quickness to help him get the jump on his opponent. As for descriptors, Bob
gives Eddie a –2 for “Lying” as Eddie isn’t very convincing when he tries to lie. To
balance it out, he adds +1 to both “Lifting” and “Intimidation” again to make sure that
Eddie makes an impact.

Finishing it up with a history of his character, Bob finishes Eddie and has a final
character sheet that looks like this:

Stats:
Body +3
Dex +1
Cha -1
Int +0
Will +1

Descriptors:
Grappling +3
Lifting +2
Intimidation +2
Lying –2

All humans start with a Health Chart:

-2
-3
-4
Each box is marked off according to the number of damage taken. More on this will be
explained in the Combat chapter.

With all these modifiers for stats, descriptors, and weapons, it’s easy to lose track of what
you’re doing. Hence we recommend that you keep a running total for each of your most
used actions. Something like:
Weapon
Action Stat Descriptor Bonus Total Mod
Attack w/ Pistol Dex +2 Firearms +2 +2 6
Punch Dex +2 Martial Arts +2 NA 4
Haggle Cha +2 Personable +1 0 3
Dodge Dex +2 Martial Arts +2 NA 4
Lift Str -1 Weakling -1 NA -2

This way, you won’t lose track of the bonuses and save time, simply roll your two dice
and add the total for the action you’re performing.

Kodiaks

Kodiaks are 12-foot tall, 3 ton iron giants piloted by a single individual. Once used only
for commercial purposes, they have been stolen and used by the Mafia families as
walking tanks used in their overt operations. When outfitted with tommy guns and
howitzer cannons, combined by their speed, strength and tough armor, they can keep an
entire squad of pistol wielding police officers at bay. Since these hulking weapons carry
a miniature version of the Mitchell-Connor Hydrogen Engine, they are easy to maintain,
and have an operative range comparable to that of an airplane.

Body: The toughness of internal functions of a Kodiak, protected by its Armor Rating.
Spd: The speed by which a Kodiak can move.
AR: The toughness of a Kodiak’s Armor. Damage done to a Kodiak in a turn is reduced
by its armor rating. Any extra damage spills over to the Kodiak’s Body.

Mafia Kodiaks are really patched together in some hidden warehouse rather than mass
produced. This gives the Mafia an edge as well as a disadvantage. While they can
salvage captured Kodiaks for parts and find a way to add new and unconventional
weapons to their Kodiaks, repair is more costly, and their technology is insufficient to
allow for the more advanced systems found in police Kodiaks.

A Mafia Kodiak starts with a base of:

Body: 10
Spd: 5 hexes
AR: 6

Each Mafia Kodiak can begin with any number of weapons, with a total size no greater
than 10.
The Law enforcement Kodiaks are another creature altogether, working with the
scientists responsible for several industrial marvels, the lighter armored Police Kodiaks
do not have the customizable traits of the Mafia Kodiak, but feature several unique
systems such as Steam Jump Jets, and readily available replacements and standard parts.

A Police Kodiak has a base of:

Body: 10
Spd: 6 hexes
AR: 5

Each Police Kodiak can begin with 1 equipment package.

Kodiak Weapons:

Weapons have several stats:

Range: The maximum distance where this weapon can hit, splash indicates size of
explosion.
Size: This is the amount of space consumed by the weapon
Shots: The number of shots in a clip for this weapon
Defense: This modifier is added or subtracted from the character’s defense roll
Accuracy: This modifier is added or subtracted from the character’s attack roll
Damage: This is the amount of damage that the weapon does

Kodiak Tommy Guns (range 8)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
4 20 +0 3k

Kodiak Magnum (range 4)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
3 6 +0 2k

Mortar (range 12, splash 3 hex)*

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
6 1 -1 6k

Kodiak Grenade (range 6, splash 2 hex)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
1 1 -1 3k

Buzz-Saw (Melee)
Size Defense Accuracy Damage
2 +1 +0 3k

Taser Baton (Melee)

Size Defense Accuracy Damage
2 +2 +0 Special

Kodiak Sniper Rifle (range 15)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
5 5 +2 4k

*Mortars take a full round to reload.

The k added after damage is a measure of a Kodiak scale. Kodiak Scale weapons deal
twice the listed amount of damage when used on humans. The reverse is also true,
human scale weapons do half the listed amount of damage on Kodiaks.

Equipment packages:

Sniper Package:
Kodiak Sniper Rifle (with 6 extra clips)
Heat Signature Mask

Assault Package:
Tommy Gun (with 2 extra clips)
Taser Baton
Steam Jump Jets

Scout Package:
Kodiak Magnum (2 extra clips)
Guardian Radar Package

Package Enhancements:

Heat Signature Mask – This device covers the latent Heat signature found in Active
Kodiaks. By improving the cooling system and using a special type of alloy armor, the
Sniper Police Kodiak can remain undetectable by Kodiak heat sensors. This grants a -3
penalty in rolls to locate the Kodiak if it is currently not in motion.

Steam Jump Jets – By far the most intimidating enhancement that the Police Kodiaks
have at their disposal, they hypercharged Steam Jump Jets enable Kodiaks to clear nearly
Stories of height on a single jump, decelerate from a fall, or increase their Spd to three
times their horizontal movement distance. Each “jump” can boost a Police Kodiak’s Spd
from 6 to 18 hexes. A Kodiak equipped with Steam Jump Jets may only Jump a total of
three times before the Jump Jets will require maintenance.

Guardian Radar Package- The Guardian Radar is a wide range, sound-based detection
system that can be used for a variety of missions. The equipment is sensitive enough to
pick up and record voices, while monitoring the latent “humming” of Mitchell-Connor
Hydrogen Engines commonly used in Kodiaks. The Radar Package requires special
training to use, and requires that the pilot spend an entire turn to operate it. The benefit
however, is that the pilot will be able to locate all powered up Kodiaks within a 15 hex
radius.

Game Mechanics:

The Red 8 system requires the use of 2 six-sided dice (2d6). For adjudicating situations
where the character might fail, the Game Master (GM) will assign a Difficulty Number
(DN) ranging from 3 – 17. With 3 being the easiest and 17 being the hardest. Most tasks
of average difficulty are set at a default of 6. In order for his character to succeed, he
must roll the 2 dice and get a total higher than or equal to the DN set.

Characters also have certain Descriptors, which can modify certain rolls made by a player
when resolving situations where these descriptors are applicable. The value next to the
descriptor is added to the die roll totals whenever a character uses that Descriptor.

For Example:

Melanie Wei, a Lady Cop is trying to follow a suspect through a crowd. The GM decides
that it’s a very large crowd in the middle of rush hour and sets his difficulty number (DN)
at 8, an above average task. Melanie Wei’s Character Sheet has the Descriptor:
perceptive +2. Melanie’s player now rolls her 2 dice and tries to beat the DN. She rolls
a 4 and a 6 for a total of 10 and adds her perceptive descriptor bonus of +2 for a final
result of 12! She easily beats the DN of 8 and Melanie manages to keep an eye on the
suspect, following him through he jam-packed crowds of rush hour.

It’s very easy to remember the basic rule: The GM assigns a Difficulty number, and you
roll equal to or higher than it to succeed. If you have a descriptor that applies to the
situation, then you also add your skill to the total of your roll, making it easier for you to
do the things that your character is good at.

The “Snake Eyes” and “Lucky Eight” rules

The Red 8 system has two special rules for dice, called “Snake Eyes” and “Lucky Eight”.
A “Snake Eyes” is when a player (or GM playing an NPC) rolls two 1’s on his dice.
When a player rolls a Snake Eyes, it means that the character makes a very big mistake
that will often lead to trouble. This can mean anything from missing the person you’re
punching and hitting the wall behind him instead, to accidentally tripping when you’re
chasing after someone. Overall, what it really means is that your character has fumbled
in a really bad way, and is usually in trouble. Your GM will decide what kind of trouble
this will be.

For Example:

Melanie Wei sees the suspect duck into a side alley and enter a seedy-looking bar. She
tries to follow, but a large and dangerous looking bouncer stops her from going in. Not
wanting to cause any trouble, Melanie tries to sweet talk the bouncer into letting her in.
The GM declares that the DN to convince the bouncer is only a 6 as he has no reason to
be overly alarmed by Melanie’s appearance. Melanie’s player rolls and gets two 1’s,
Snake Eyes! Melanie tries to sweet talk the bouncer but accidentally mentions that she’s
a police officer! The bouncer’s eyes narrow and he calls out a warning to his fellow
guards!

Like Yin and Yang, the Snake Eyes rule has an opposite… the Lucky Eight roll. The
Lucky Eight rule is when a player rolls two 4’s. It only works when you get two 4’s, any
other roll that results in a total of 8 does not count for a Lucky Eight. When a player rolls
a Lucky Eight, it means that no matter how difficult a certain task is, the character
automatically succeeds, and does so in the coolest way possible. When you roll a Lucky
eight, feel free to describe every detail of how well you manage to succeed in the task.

Should it happen that opposing rolls both turn out at a Lucky Eight, it is considered a tie,
and both players re-roll. However the GM should describe the actions in vivid detail as if
both players (even the loser) benefited from the Lucky Eight. This rule remains in effect
even if the second roll results in a Snake Eyes.

For Example:

Melanie Wei is in trouble, now that the bouncer has called out for help, more goons will
be coming in soon! Melanie’s player tells the GM that she’s going to try to escape and
hide from the Bouncer. The GM then rules that trying to run away isn’t going to be easy
and sets the DN at 12! Melanie’s player let’s out a whistle and rolls her two dice to see
how well she can succeed. She rolls two 4’s… a Lucky Eight! Since she rolled so well,
the GM declares that Melanie manages to outrun the bouncer and hide in the shadows.
As soon as the bouncer runs past her hiding place, Melanie quietly makes her way back
to the bar entrance and lets herself inside…

Difficulty ratings:

DN: Type: Examples:

2-4 Easy Driving in an empty street
5-6 Average Driving in normal traffic
7-10 Difficult Driving at full speed down the wrong lane
11-12 Heroic Driving at full speed in zero visibility while being shot
13-16 Insane Driving with no brakes down a mountain blindfolded

Combat:

Sometimes words fail you and the only way to resolve a dangerous situation is to fight.
Characters might find themselves in the middle of furious melee combat, or frenzied
gunfights. To simulate the dangers of combat, we’ve established a few rules.
Combat is often a very messy and disorganized affair, but since this is a game, we’re
going to pace things in rounds, which consist of each player’s turns. Each turn lasts for
around 3-5 seconds, and is long enough to perform a few actions.

In combat, each combatant rolls 2d6. The person who rolls highest gets his turn to act
first, followed by the next highest, and so on.

During each turn, the Player can choose to perform any of the following actions:

Moving and Attacking with Melee Weapon

Moving and Attacking with Ranged Weapon
Performing a non-combat Action

Take note that the Player is not required to move, if a player wants to remain in place and
attack or perform a non-combat Action, they are free to do so. A character can move 2
hexes if their Dex score is up to +1, 3 hexes if +2 or higher.

Attack Roll:
1) Declare your target (must be within range)
2) Roll your two dice
3) Add any relevant Descriptor and/or Weapon bonus to your roll
4) Tell the GM your total

When a character is attacked in Melee, the character can attempt to defend himself from
the attack. The Defense roll happens immediately after the Melee Attack has been
resolved (the attack total has been told to the GM)

Defense Roll:
1) Roll your two dice
2) Add any relevant Descriptor and/or Weapon bonus to your roll
3) Tell the GM your total

If the Attack Roll total exceeds the Defense roll total, then the attack succeeds, and the
weapon hits. If the Defense Roll is higher than or equal to the Attack Roll, then the
Character being attacked manages to stop himself from getting hit.

Doing Damage:

If the Attack Roll total exceeded the Defense roll, the attack manages to pierce through
the target’s defense and the attacker does damage equal to the damage rating of the
weapon he is using. The target then crosses out a number of boxes of his health to denote
that he has been injured to that point.

Some boxes may have negative modifiers beside them. These negative modifiers apply
to all rolls being made by the character, to reflect the loss of concentration and overall
performance from an injured individual. Take note that this in no way invalidates a Snake
Eyes or a Lucky Eight roll:

Ex:
X X X X
X -2
-3
-4

If a character were hit enough times to get five points of damage (as indicated by the
boxes with the X’s) the player would now have to apply a –2 to all his roll totals.

Guns, guns, guns

Revolver (range 4)
Size Shots Accuracy Damage
S 6 +0 2

Tommy Gun (range 6)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
M 20 +0 4

Rifle (range 8)
Size Shots Accuracy Damage
L 5 +1 4

Hand Grenade (range 6, Splash 1)

Size Shots Accuracy Damage
S 1 -1 5

Kodiak Combat

Combat rules are the same for Attack and Defense rolls, but a few things are different. A
Kodiak’s health is its Body Stat. If a Kodiak is reduced to 0 Body, then it is no longer
functional. Further damage done to a Kodiak with 0 Body will no longer be reduced by
its AR and will be treated as damage done to the human pilot.

A Kodiak can move a number of hexes equal to its Spd Stat.

For purposes of play, each Kodiak can lift up to 2 tons of weight. Kodiaks can combine
their efforts for lifting, adding an additional +1 ton per Kodiak assisting.
To repeat, human scale weapons only do half their listed damage to Kodiaks, while
Kodiak scale weapons do double their listed damage to humans.

GMing

Steampunk mafia is a game of conflict. It’s an anime-inspired, mecha busting, tommy

gun wielding world where anything can happen. However, it falls on your shoulders to
make it a reality.

It would be a good idea to start off a campaign with all the Players on the same side.
This will allow them to build up on teamwork and get into the swing of things. Keep
things moving, but make sure that you give them a sense of actually being in the game
rather than just observers.
Either side of the Steampunk Mafia offers a unique spin on the Players. They may
choose to be the stalwart defenders of New Providence, relying on their investigative
skills, their courage, or the iron might of their Kodiaks, they are the equivalent of our
reality’s counter-terrorists. Or they could pretty much turn the coin around and become
members of one of the many Mafia families, making their mark on the world with their
deeds of villainy, or honorable conduct in a world of crime and corruption.

Make sure that they players are the stars of the game. They are supposed to matter in this
world, otherwise their part in the struggle would be undervalued, and it wouldn’t be fun
being left as a stain on the ground after every game, right?

Kodiaks are killing machines, make no mistake about it. These should be used with
caution, and the chances of a lone person taking down a Kodiak alone will be slim.
Perhaps a well aimed shot (at DN 15?) to the eye slot of the Kodiak can kill or maim the
pilot, but it takes a lot of human scale firepower to drop a Kodiak. Don’t let this ruin the
fun however, if the players find a creative means to stop a Kodiak and it’s not covered by
these rules (which is likely), then let them give it a shot! It’s a game, after all, and I
certainly can’t tell you whether something is wrong or right.

Final Notes:

Well, here’s the first release of the Steampunk Mafia RPG. I’m pretty sure I’ve missed a
few things, but my eyes will skip them over without anyone else reading over it. So
here’s what. Drop me an e-mail at jast@mydestiny.net should you find any things that need
clarification and I’ll make sure to include it in the next version of this game.
 STEAMPUNK MAFIA
Name:
Player:

Stats:

Body
Dexterity
Charm
Intelligence
Willpower

Descriptor Bonus

Health:

-2
-3
-4

Notes: