Writing & Design
Spencer Campbell
gilarpgs.com
Art
Galen Pejeau
nightjargames.itch.io
You are a Shard. Equipped with the latest suntech you strike out into the Dusk, a twisted region
where the light of the sunwells doesn’t shine.
The Dusk does not want you there. Good luck.
SHARDS
Each Shard has the following:
Approaches: How you act in the Dusk.
Sun: powerful, emotional, sweeping
Moon: reactive, quick, effective
Shade: precise, methodical, surgical
Health: The amount of damage you can take
before dying.
Cell: Amount of suntech you can power.
Suntech: Tools, weapons, and gadgets.
Each Shard starts with 1 point in each
Approach. Spend 4 points to increase them
as you’d like.
Each Shard starts with 1 point in Health and
Cell. Spend 6 points to increase them as
you’d like.
Learn How to Play
RULES
Play is a conversation between Shards and
GM. The GM will present challenges and
situations to the Shards, and the Shards will
respond. Most situations are resolved
through conversational play.
If a Shard attempts to do something where
there is risk of failure, they must spend a
resource of some kind.
The Shard describes their action, and then
spends one point of the Approach best
matching their intent. The action then
succeeds.
If the Shard wishes to spend a different
Approach than what is called for, the action
succeeds but with a minor complication.
If the Shard is unable to spend an Approach,
or wishes not to, the action succeeds but
with a major complication.
Some ideas for complications:
• Reducing the effect of the action
• Drawing unwanted attention
• Adding a whole new challenge
• An additional action is needed
• Cutting off other future options
• The Dusk…shifts
SUNTECH
Shards are defined by their suntech, powerful equipment developed in Helios. Suntech has a
cost in Cell listed in parentheses, and Shards can only carry pieces of suntech up to their Cell.
Suntech may require spending an Approach to use it, such as a weapon. Others can only be
used a certain number of times. However, most suntech just works when the Shard needs it.
Blade (1): Melee weapon.
Boost (1): Recover an Approach. Two uses.
Cargobot (1): Floating drone that carries up
to 3 items for you, but does not power them.
Cartodrone (1): Provides a simplistic map of
the surrounding area.
Climbing gear (1): Scale surfaces.
Drill (2): Dig through terrain.
Explosive (1): Timed or proximity based.
Flash grenade (1): Blinds nearby enemies.
Medkit (1): Recover 2 Health. Two uses.
Mobile cover (2): Provides cover in combat.
Personal shield (1): Ignore the first source
of damage each fight.
Reinforced armor (2): +3 Health.
Restraints (1): Restrains a subdued target.
Rifle (1): Range weapon.
Scanner (1): Analyzes terrain and tech.
Shelter (2): A place to hide or recover.
Signal flare (1): Signals for extraction,
backup, or just a distraction.
Taser (1): Melee nonlethal weapon.
Thumper (1): Creates a seismic distraction.
Trap (1): Captures a target.
 COMBAT MISSIONS
It is dangerous in the Dusk. If a fight breaks out, the Shards act first unless ambushed. Each Shards are sent into the Dusk for a number of reasons. At the start of the session, the GM will
Shard may move and do an action during their turn. An action involves using a piece of suntech, give the Shards their mission. Shards choose suntech up to their Load and deploy.
spending an Approach, or some similar activity.
Some missions to consider:
After each Shard, the GM chooses an enemy to
move and take an action. Enemy actions involve • Follow up on rumors of a sunshard nearby.
dealing damage to Shards, disrupting their suntech, • A Voyager probe is on the fritz and needs tending to.
and other challenges the Shards will need to overcome.
Most enemies deal 1 damage to Shards. • Extract valuable pre-nova data from a nearby ruined city
• Scout out nearby enemy force movement.
Characters are either at Melee or Range. • Escort a technician crew as they try to build a new sunwell.

Most enemies die from a single attack from a • Hold back an advancing enemy force until Spark reinforcements arrive.
suntech weapon. There are rare elites in the • Investigate new flora that is blooming in this region of the Dusk.
Dusk that may require more than one hit. • Respond to a Spark SOS signal.

At the end of a fight, the Shards may harvest a single point

of Health from each downed enemy, split between the squad.
At the end of a mission, each Shard may advance. They may either increase the value of any
Approach by 1 (maximum 5), or increase their Health or Cell by 1 (no max).
Shard Death
If a Shard reaches 0 Health, they are dying. In addition, some missions may unlock or uncover new pieces of suntech. Work together as a
Another Shard may reduce their current Cell by 1 table to create new options for the Shards.
in order to revive a dying ally. This may require
them to abandon a piece of suntech.
MODULAR
A dying Shard that takes damage is dead. That
player should make a new Shard for the next
session. The suntech of the dead Shard can be DUSK is a modular TTRPG. These core rules provide a minimalist framework for playing the
recovered, but only if you have Cell to power it. game. Future modules will expand or modify these rules.

You are free to use any combination of modules that you’d like to create the best version of
DUSK for your table.