GENERIC ROLE-PLAYING SYSTEM

DARK WAR

PABLO LÓPEZ
First edition: June 2023

Created by: Pablo López

Twitter: @yopablotv
Web: https://yopablo.itch.io

ATTRIBUTIONS
Portada: Foto de Nathan Anderson en Unsplash (modificada)

Designed for La Desbandá 1937

Based on Cthulhu Dark© created by Graham Walmsley

Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International

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DARK WAR

WHAT IS A ROLE-PLAYING GAME?

«A role-playing game is a theater piece where only the director knows
the plot, and only the players know the dialogues.»

Imagine a group of people sitting around a table (or connected

online), where one of them, whom we'll call the game master,
begins to tell a story in which the rest of the people, whom we'll
call players, are the protagonists through characters, whom we’ll
call PCs (Playable characters), that they have created before
starting.

Now imagine that during the story, the players themselves decide
what their characters do as the story unfolds.

That's a role-playing game.

In this case, the player taking on the role of the game master must
have a detailed understanding of the setting and story they want
to narrate in order to guide the narrative thread of that story. The
other players will create a character using the rules described here
to progress through the story.

DARK WAR
"Dark War" is an adaptation of the "Cthulhu Dark"© system created
by Graham Walmsley, in which the investigative and horror
elements have been replaced with more generic mechanics
adapted to survival during war.

Although it was created for the role-playing game "La Desbandá

1937"1, it is quite versatile and can be used in any role-playing game
or scenario where a focus on storytelling is desired with light rules."

1
https://yopablo.itch.io/la-desbanda

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WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAY?
To play, you will need one person to act as the game master and
between 3 and 5 additional players who will play the characters. It
is possible to play with just 2 players plus the game master,
although there may not be as many synergies between the
players. You can also play with more than 5 players plus the game
master, but there is a risk that managing the story may become
complicated and some players may have limited participation.

Additionally, you will need 3 six-sided dice (referred to as D6 from

now on), with one of them preferably being a different color (the
Break die)."

CREATING A CHARACTER
Before starting the game, each player must create their character.
To do this, they simply need to choose a name and occupation and
write it down on a character sheet:

Name: Break (1-6): 1

Occupation:

Background:

For a deeper experience, you can develop your character's

background by answering the following questions:
✓ Character's occupation and age.
✓ Brief description of their life up to this point.
✓ The personal environment they live in.
✓ A secret, trauma, or fear they carry with them.
✓ An object that always accompanies them.

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RULES
To play, the game master must narrate the story, providing details
about the location of the characters and what is happening in
each situation, as if it were a scene.

At a certain point, the players can suggest actions to take, or the

game master can ask them what their characters do in response
to the challenge presented in the scene.

BREAK
"The level of Break of a character represents how broken they are
morally and physically. All characters start with a Break level of 1.

When a character goes through a traumatic experience (for

example, taking damage or witnessing someone's death), they
must roll a D6. If the roll is higher than their current Break value,
they must increase it by 1 and interpret that moment of pain.

PERFORMING ACTIONS
When a character is about to perform a non-trivial action, the
player must roll:
✓ 1D6 to determine how the action unfolds.
✓ If the task is related to the character's profession or
background knowledge, an additional 1D6 may be rolled.
✓ If the player wants to take a risk for better chances of
success, they can also add the Break die.

Therefore, to perform any action, the player will roll 1 to 3 dice. If

the result of the Break die is higher than the others, they must also
make a Break roll.

The die with the highest value indicates how well the action is
performed:
✓ With a 1, the minimum success is achieved.
✓ With a 6, the result is brilliant, but it brings you closer to the
Breakdown (and possibly involves making a Break roll).

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Example:
Game master: "While you're hiding in the room of the ruined
building, you hear threatening shouts and gunshots. From what
you can gather, they seem to be enemies, and they're getting
closer to your location. What do you do?"

Player: "I think I'll try to escape through the window" - The player
rolls 1D6:
➢ On a 1, they crash onto a nearby roof and attract the
attention of anyone in the vicinity.
➢ On a 4, they land silently on the roof but leave traces that
their pursuers can follow.
➢ On a 6, they escape without being seen after setting fire to
the building, hearing their pursuers’ terrified screams as
they die inside engulfed by the flames (and then make a
Break roll).

REPEAT ROLLS
If the player included their Break die in the roll and is not satisfied
with the result, they can repeat the roll (with all the dice). If they
didn't include it before, they can add it now and roll again.

If the result of the Break die is higher than any other die, make a
Break roll, even if you have already made one after the previous
roll."

COOPERATING AND COMPETING

When multiple players want to cooperate in an action, all those
who cooperate will roll their dice. The highest result determines
the outcome.

When multiple players want to compete in an action, all those who

compete roll their dice. The player with the highest roll wins. In
case of a tie, the player with the highest Break value wins. If there
is another tie, another roll is made.

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COMBAT
In "Dark War," PCs do not have hit points; instead, they have a
Break value. For this reason, combat is resolved narratively,
emphasizing the description of actions and their outcomes.

When a PC needs to engage in combat with an enemy, the action

is resolved with a roll of performing actions. Based on the result
obtained, the game master will determine the outcome of the
combat, more or less favorably for the PC:
➢ On a roll of 1, the attack fails, and the enemy retaliates,
causing damage to the PC or their surroundings.
➢ On a roll of 6, the attack is successful, and the enemy is
killed or severely wounded.
➢ On a roll of 6, they perform a successful attack in a way that
defies rationality, leaving the enemy dead or severely
wounded (which may involve making a Break roll).

In cases where a PC takes damage, they must make a Break roll.

If the PC is the one being attacked, they must decide how they
want to defend themselves and make a roll based on the chosen
action, which often involves hiding or fleeing.

As a general tip, combat does not always have to end with one of
the parties eliminated. Sometimes, it is more interesting for the
enemy to flee.

RECONCILIATION
When a character's Break reaches 5, it can be reduced by taking
an action that helps reconcile with the past or present. Some
examples include:
✓ Piecing things from the past together.
✓ Taking a moment to reflect and find peace.
✓ Helping someone in need.

Each time a character performs such an action, they will roll their
Break die. If the result is lower than their Break value, it will be
reduced by 1. The player can continue to Reconcile until their
Break falls below 5.

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BREAKDOWN
When a character's Break reaches 6, they shatter from within and
can no longer continue. This is a special moment: all attention is
focused on that character and the moment their mind and body
exhaust. The player must decide if their character:
✓ Takes their own life at that moment.
✓ Deserts and abandons any purpose they were pursuing in
the game, accepting the consequences that may entail.

In either case, they should act as they see fit: fight, scream, run, or
collapse. In the case of abandonment, they can narrate an
epilogue at that moment or later, detailing the consequences of
their departure.

If desired, the player can then create a new character and

incorporate them into the game alongside the other characters.