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CowboyBebop Quickstart v2.5 Compactado Compactado
CowboyBebop Quickstart v2.5 Compactado Compactado
ROLEPLAYING GAME
QUICKSTART
All images and concepts used within this book from the anime series Cowboy Bebop are ©️ SUNRISE.
This product is licensed by SUNRISE, INC. to Don’t Panic Games.
THE THEMES
Collecting Bounties is always a necessity for a In this game, therefore, a Bounty is both
Bounty Hunter, but Spike and the rest of the someone to hunt down and an excuse to tell
crew often give up on collecting the millions a story. The narrator is helped in this by a
of Woolong they are due. In fact, a Bounty Session sheet that allows them to trace what
always turns out to be much more than just a the characters have discovered, what the
face on a poster: their tragic stories are revealed media say about the Bounty and, finally, what
before the eyes of our protagonists, who then choice they will face.
find themselves having to make moral choices
based on what they have discovered.
FOUNDATIONS
This is what this game is about: the heart and soul of the game you
will be playing and the kinds of stories you will be telling together.
FICTION
MONEY IS NEVER ENOUGH,
BUT IT’S NEVER A PROBLEM
Cowboy Bebop’s characters can’t afford to sit idle on their ship, but
despite always seeming to be broke, they never have a problem paying
Gate tolls, extending a bribe to an informant, or finding the right cos-
tume to go undercover at a party.
A Line is a hard limit: you cannot go beyond that point. For example, if the group decides not
to talk about torture, this topic should be avoided completely. This is a Line.
If, on the other hand, everyone feels comfortable acknowledging that torture exists in the game
world and that it might even occur during the game, then you can use a Veil: torture does exist,
but if it happens during play, the details will not be described, and no one will be forced to play
the situation. Integrate the Veil in your scene like the “fade to black” technique in a movie, or as
though someone has pushed the “fast forward” button on a television remote control.
It is essential to immediately point out to those playing with you if there is any subject you
are uncomfortable with or any topic you absolutely want to avoid. Stop the game: you can
integrate this as though someone has pushed the “stop” button on a television remote control.
Then remind everyone of the Line or the Veil, or create a new one. The well-being of each
player is so much more important than the game itself.
Also, remember that Cowboy Bebop is a work with mature themes, but it is never morbid or
voyeuristic about violence. It is always focused on keeping the story well-paced, engaging,
and enjoyable.
HOW TO PLAY
Cowboy Bebop Roleplaying Game is, well, a tabletop roleplaying
game, meaning that there is a game structure paired with a story.
The players make decisions about the story, using the game rules as
a guide, and they explain how the rules are reflected in the fiction.
The mechanics of the game influence the fiction and what happens in
the fiction influences decisions within and about the rules
All but one player takes the role of Bounty Hunter or BH: each one of
them will have a character sheet describing both the character they play
in the game fiction and a set of game rules specific to that character.
That BH will use these rules to play the game, making decisions about
how their character acts, thinks and feels. Will your characters capture
the Bounty or take their side? That’s for the BHs to decide.
One player takes the role of the Big Shot: they’re in charge of the setting,
the environment and every character other than the ones of the BHs.
While the BHs should show their characters through actions and
decisions, the Big Shot should set these decisions up, presenting
the other players with interesting situations and difficult choices.
The Bounty can be a merciless killer or an oppressed victin seeking for
revenge: it’s the Big Shot’s job to make it up.
OVERVIEW
The game is organized in Sessions, in a similar way to episodes of an
anime or a TV serial. Each one is about the characters hunting a
Bounty, finding out something about the Bounty and about them-
selves, in a tale filled with action and wonder, fights and dialogues,
introspection and chases.
You’ll need 1–2 hours to make a session, but it can take far less time to
create an action-packed one or slightly more for a more investigative
session, or if you are not familiar with the rules.
Each session is divided into three tabs. Each one relates to a particular
scene of your tale, in which the characters have a main objective to
achieve, maybe some secondary ones, and for sure some dangers to
avoid. As you play, each tab gives the players more and more options.
To achieve their goals BHs take turns deciding how each character
acts, and determining the outcome with Tests. Tests reward two game
currencies: hits, handled by the BH, and shocks, handled by the Big
Shot. Spending these currencies will bring the BHs closer to their
objectives… and the dangers as well.
You will need some 6-sided dice (D6, from now on) to play: usually
nine per each BH is enough. You’ll also need something to write on:
pen and paper, an electronic device, or anything you are comfortable
with will do. This quickstart has character sheets to quickly set up an
example session.
TESTS
The story you will tell is created through moments of play in which a character faces a challenge.
Whether they succeed or fail, their actions will generate new story twists, good results, and
interesting (or dangerous) consequences. The outcome of these risky actions is decided by Tests.
EXAMPLE
BIG SHOT: “You need to get to the Bounty before she enters the
vault in the villa of the crime boss. There is a bunch of armed and
quick-trigger security guards to pass before you can get inside the
villa. What do you do?”
Blues Approach: “Marcus takes a puff on his cigar and recalls his
time with the Bounty, trying to remember an old trick that she once
used to get inside the villa, so that he can use it himself.”
Jazz Approach: “‘I’d like not to spill any blood, especially mine!’ says
John, using his tech-binoculars to scan the area looking for a second-
ary and less guarded entrance.”
The Test will also produce a number of shocks equal to the number of 1s.
If there are no shocks, the BH adds one. Every Test will always result
in at least one shock.
At this point the BH spends the hits, while the Big Shot spends the
shocks. Both can be spent to:
• Pursue objectives or making dangers closer by ticking a clock
(p16).
• Alter the Difficulty of the tab for subsequent Tests. One hit
lowers the Difficulty by one; one shock increases it by one.
If you have more than one hit (or shock) you can spend them in the
same way, ticking a clock or changing the Difficulty twice or more.
Finally, the BH tells the story of how the character gets the results—
and the wounds—and the Big Shot narrates how the shocks affect the
fiction.
…WANNA BET?
If the BH doesn’t like the result of the Test, they can take a
Gamble, making the roll again with one extra die.
The first roll is ignored and the new roll gives the result.
If the new roll gets one or no hits, the BH wounds a trait from
the Test with a double slash, a hard wound:
you can’t use that trait until the end of the session,
when the trait is finally recovered.
EXAMPLE
The BH went for the Dance Approach in the previous example, and
it’s the second tab, so the pool is three dice: two dice for the tab and
one for the Steel Tear trait.
The BH rolls a 5, a 4, and a 2, for a total of 11: the Difficulty of the tab
is 10, so there is one hit. There were no 6s, so she can push the roll to
get that extra hit. Pushing means getting two shocks too, but as there
were no 1s on the roll,the BH would get one anyway; it’s just one
extra shock, so the BH decides to Push.
The BH then removes one shock by wounding the Steel Tear trait and
asks the Big Shot if they can leave the other to avoid taking a bullet.
The Big Shot approves, so the final total is two hits and one shock. The
BH uses one hit to pursue the Bounty and one to lower the Difficulty
of the tab, while the Big Shot spends one shock to move the Bounty
closer to the vault.
BH: “It’s quite the fight, but after some seconds the guards are down and
my character is facing them, Steel Tear covered in blood. That image shakes
her nerve and she will not be able to use her katana for a while.”
BIG SHOT: “Excellent. There was some screaming and that drew the
attention of anyone inside the villa, so it will be harder for you to proceed
unnoticed now.”
CLOCKS
Clocks are a tool to set up and clearly communicate how close a turning point is.
Clocks are usually circles divided into 4, 6 or 8 segments (also called 4-clocks, 6-clocks, and
8-clocks) and they are linked to an event. Hits and shocks can be spent to fill one segment of a
clock (“ticking a clock”) and, when all segments are filled, the event happens.
Clocks can be used to set up objectives: if the characters want to achieve something meaning-
ful they will need to spend hits to fill a clock for that.
Clocks can be used to build up pressure too. The Big Shot can spend shocks to fill clocks linked
to events the characters want to avoid, like a bomb exploding, their Bounty escaping the build-
ing, or a patrol finding them where they should not be. This helps to give a sense of impending
doom that will keep the game running.
A clock means “you need to tell that much story to do that thing: no more, no less.”
For each tab, the Big Shot should set up one clock for the main objective of the characters
and another that is tied to the failure of the scene. Any player can ask to open a clock for a
secondary objective—the Big Shot has the final call. The Big Shot should assign an approach
to each clock; the BHs must use the assigned approach to tick the last segment of the clock.
Remember: if you open a clock and you don’t close it by the end of the tab, whatever it was
meant to happen will not happen.
Remember the golden rule for clocks: never go back! Nothing can erase segments from a clock.
If someone wants to stop that bomb from exploding they’ll need to fill a different clock called
“the bomb is defused” which will remove the first clock from the game.
NOTE: usually the BHs spend their hits to fill the clock of their objective and the Big Shot
spends shocks to fill the clock of the failure—but that’s not set in stone. Sometimes plot twists
happen and the BHs can decide to change their objectives…
EXAMPLE
In the example above, there are two clocks on the tab. One is “the characters find the Bounty,”
which will result in a success for the characters, and the other is “the Bounty gets inside the
vault,” which is the failure of the tab. The BH spent one hit to fill one segment of the first
clock, while the Big Shot spent a shock to tick up the second one.
TABS
A gaming session is composed of three chapters, known as tabs.
Each tab has a base Difficulty, an objective for the characters to pursue, and dangerous stuff
waiting to happen. At the beginning of a tab the Big Shot will define a victory condition
(a clock to be filled by the BHs) and a loss condition (a clock representing a threat, usually
filled by the Big Shot with shocks). Each tab grants new options for both BHs (see p21-2-3)
and the Big Shot (see p28).
BOUNTY HUNTERS
As previously mentioned, all players but one will take the role of Bounty Hunters, or BHs.
Each BH has a character to play, and the BH decides how that character acts or reacts, choos-
ing which Approach and resources to use, and their role in the fiction. Each character has a
character sheet describing traits and other rules.
YOUR GOAL
Your goal as a BH is to choose your character’s objectives, weave their actions in with deci-
sions from other BHs, make your character pursue the objectives, and enjoy both victories
and defeats.
YOUR TOOLS
You’ll have a character sheet with all the tools you need to play:
Traits, Rhythm, Memory and Bullets.
TRAITS
Traits are the way you define how your character looks and acts. Traits
can be items your character carries around, their martial arts style, hair-
style, cyber-prosthetics—anything that shapes the style and personality
of the character in our anime series.
To use a trait in a Test, the trait must appear in the action you describe:
it doesn’t need to be related to the specific action, as long as it features
in your description of how it looks or how your character pulls it off.
A trait like “long ponytail” can be used in a Dance Test where the char-
acter is shooting with an automatic rifle, if you mention their “long
ponytail” in your description of what we see “on screen”.
A character begins the game with four traits, and no more than two
for each Approach. Later on, your character might get a Weight
they have to carry. This works like a trait: write it in a hex on your
character sheet and underline it. It can’t be used until it’s trans-
formed into a trait.
ED’S WISDOM
ON CREATING
TRAITS
You are not building a character now.
When you choose the traits, you are saying how the
character interacts with the world, with danger, with
people, and with their own feelings. An item will not tell
everyone why the character behaves in this way:
you will, through character’s actions.
This will give the character depth.
This will build character.
You usually start each session with 1D6 Rhythm, and you can buy extra
Rhythm from the Big Shot in exchange for extra Risk. You can have a
maximum of six Rhythm.
MEMORY &
BULLETS
Your Memory is a short sentence on your character sheet that describes
the past haunting your character. That past is not decided yet: it’ll
emerge from gameplay.
Your Memory is a burden but also a resource: you can tap into your
Memory by marking Bullets. Bullets are represented by the holes in a gun
barrel on your character sheet. Mark an empty hole with an X to add two
dice on a Test. When you do this, narrate a brief description of something
that happened in your character’s past and how that’s helping.
You’ll also sometimes mark a Bullet because of a shock from a Test. When
you do this, narrate a brief description of what compromised you.
When you mark your last Bullet, the tab endsbitterly for your charac-
ter, as they are overcome by their past. All players can work together
to figure out how. In the next session your character will face the past
knocking at the door!
GROOVE
Your character also has a Groove, a special talent that shows how your character is exceptional
and gives them the ability to do extraordinary things.
The Groove has two parts: a title that frames how it affects the fiction, and a rule that describes
how you change the rules of the game.
The Groove should be unique: if two characters have the same Groove weird things could happen.
Beware!
WHAT CAN I DO?
You can make Tests, by making decisions about what your character
does in the fiction and how they try to achieve their goals.
For each Test you can spend hits to tick a clock or to lower the Difficulty
of the tab by one.
During a Test, you have options you can use to change your chances of
success:
• Push: immediately after rolling the dice, if you didn’t get the
maximum of two hits, you can add two shocks and one hit:
your character can achieve greater things if you’re willing to
pay the price.
• Show off: spend one Rhythm to get one hit with a spectacular
action that involves your Groove. You can do this only once
during a session.
• Show your wounds: describe how the character’s wounds
are making things hard for them, and roll with disadvantage.
Then, at the end of the Test, clear up to two wounds from your
character sheet.
• Gamble: place a bet on one of your traits to ignore the results
of a Test and roll again with one extra die. If you don’t get both
hits (by beat the tab Difficulty and rolling two 6s) mark a hard
wound on the trait you bet. Either way, use the new roll to
resolve the Test.
During the Let’s Jam tab you also have this option:
• Jammin’: works like help, but you also grant the use of your
Groove to the other BH’s Test.
…WAIT, PETS?
You can also choose to do something unusual and play a pet, a
non-human character. Everything works out pretty much the
same but your selection of iconic items can be a bit narrow.
The Big Shot doesn’t have an assigned character but controls every
other character in the story. The Big Shot introduces each tab,
describing the situation, spending Risk to set it up, and making things
interesting, dangerous and feral.
Each gaming session, like every Cowboy Bebop episode, is called a ses-
sion. Each session is a story that develops in three acts, called tabs,
each one with a special name and special rules. A tab ends when its
objective clock is filled (usually by characters spending hits), when
its failure clock is filled (by the Big Shot, spending shocks) or when a
character fills the barrel of their memory.
YOUR GOAL
Your goal as the Big Shot is to present situations with tasty objec-
tives and tantalizing stakes so that the players can make interesting
decisions.
You play against the characters for the enjoyment of all players, your-
self included.
YOUR TOOLS
The game provides you tools to set up these interesting objectives and
stakes: clocks, Risk, genre, traits, the secret, and Groove.
CLOCKS AND
FRAMING
You are the one who manages clocks: you decide if an objective is
worthy of a clock, what dangers are facing the characters, and what
successes or failures cause the story to move forward. When a tab
starts you must tell all the players what objective must be completed
to succeed at the tab and what dangers can cause a tab to fail, pre-
paring a clock for each one.
You must associate each clock with a specific Approach: the BHs will
need at least one hit from that Approach to tick the last section of the
clock and close it. They can be flexible and work in their own way, roll-
ing whatever they want, but the last effort is yours to broadly direct.
You must also tell the players the starting Difficulty of the tab:
• 5 for G.E.S.T.
• 10 for 3, 2, 1…
• 15 for Let’s Jam!
As the Big Shot, you can increase it by spending Risk (see p27).
This job of deciding how each tab ends, setting clear goals and decid-
ing the Difficulty of the situation is called framing the scene, and
you should communicate this information clearly. Don’t be afraid to
reveal this information in advance: the game and the other players
will surprise you anyway, let them do that.
GENRE
At the beginning of the session, a BH who rolled a 6 for Rhythm must
choose the genre. If no BH rolled a 6, you’ll choose.
The genre is one of the five Approaches: Rock, Blues, Jazz, Tango or
Dance. During this session, all Tests using that Approach roll one
extra die. The genre also determines what kind of secret the BHs must
discover (see below).
TRAITS &
THE SECRET
You can give traits to the session, similar to character traits, to repre-
sent something the characters have gained. All the BHs’ characters
can use these traits. If they end a tab successfully, write down a trait
for an Approach of your choice that they can use later on in the game.
That trait can’t be wounded.
The Bounty also has a secret, a trait linked to the genre of the session.
The BHs can’t capture the Bounty until they find the secret.
The BHs can find the secret and gain it as a session trait by success-
fully completing the 3, 2, 1… tab.
You’ll start the game with Risk equal to the number of players (you included) plus one.
You can spend 1 Risk to add 1 shock to a Test, and you can spend one shock to stash a Risk
to use later.
You gain shocks from BH’s Tests, and you must spend them immediately to increase the
Difficulty of the current tab, tick a clock or stash 1 Risk.
GROOVE
Like the BHs, the Bounty also has a Groove, a special talent that reveals exceptional qualities
and explains why they’re so hard to catch. This Groove has a fiction effect—a reason why the
BHs can’t capture the Bounty—and a special rule.
When the secret is discovered, the fiction effect is suppressed and the Bounty can be captured.
WHAT CAN I DO?
• At the beginning of the session you may choose the genre
and the title of the session. If a BH rolls a 6, that BH should
choose—give some assistance.
• At the beginning of each tab you can frame the scene,
declaring how to win and how to fail, and spend Risk to
increase the base Difficulty.
• Describe the situation at the beginning of a tab and after
each Test, providing context to the BHs.
• Choose which BH is going to act. Until you feel confident
with the system, just start with the one at your left and move
clockwise: that’ll be fine.
• Ask a BH “What do we see on screen?” to introduce a Test.
• For each clock, you can decide the Approach required to
close it.
• You can spend one Risk to add one shock to the result of a
Test.
• You can spend one shock to:
- tick a clock;
- increase the Difficulty of the current tab by one;
- stash a Risk.
QUICKSTART
This quickstart gives you a session sheet with prepared clocks and
handouts with suggestions for two genres: Rock and Blues.
ED’S WISDOM
ON PLAYING
THE BIG SHOT
You should be a fan of characters and put them in dangerous,
tense situations, because it’s in these situations that characters can be cool,
charming, adorable and all players can fall in love with them.
Don’t pull your punches: make them enjoyable.
NOTE: character development is not about filling all traits but about
facing their past. Rules on character pasts, Weights, and many more
aspects of the game are in the complete rulebook.
After that, it’s time to finish and debrief: talk to each other outlining
what you enjoyed and what you didn’t like. Listening to an ending
song together can help.
SESSION SETUP
(FOR THE BIG SHOT)
• Read the Bounty’s Groove and their secrets.
• Play a brief slice-of-life scene to introduce the session.
• Let the BHs roll for Rhythm: any BH that rolls a 6 can
choose the genre of the session, influencing the Bounty’s
secrets and Groove.
• Give the session a title—something associated with the
musical genre.
• Enjoy the game with the other players.
SUGGESTIONS:
TRAITS
1. Flashy necklace
2. Rifle
3. Old revolver
4. Mirrors hades
5. Handgun
6. Mask
7. Flask of scotch
8. Notepad
9. Pack of cigarettes
10. Cyber-prosthetic
11. Vial of red-eye
12. Blue blazer
13. Brass knuckles
14. Hidden blade
15. Lockpicking device
16. Companion animal
17. Sharp katana
18. Hat
19. .44 Magnum
20. Provocative clothes
21. Derringer
22. Datapad
23. Goggles
SUGGESTIONS:
MEMORIES
• My old clan is looking for me
• My family is no longer with me
• I was a cop
• I don’t remember my past
• I was left alone
• I escaped the laboratory
Concept Suggested Traits
Brute Bandana, Flashy necklace, Rifle, Muscular body
Detective Cigar, Flask of scotch, Notepad, Deep black eyes
Ex-Cop Old badge, Old revolver, Mirror shades,
Cyber-prosthetic
Ex-Mobster Elegant dress, Brass knuckles, Frightening scar
Former Handgun, Sea rat’s mask
Terrorist
Gunslinger Handgun, Pack of cigarettes, Quick fingers
Pet Collar, Soft fur, Puppy eyes
Sheriff Hat, .44 Magnum,Strong accent
Socialite Derringer, Provocative dress, Charming smile
Techie Datapad, Goggles, Shabby red hair
Weirdo Katana, Unusual animal, Vial of red-eye
GROOVES
• “Faster than the eye:” can use Jazz traits for Rock or Dance Tests.
• “Loose handcuffs:” can use Tango traits for Dance or Jazz Tests.
• “Out of the box:” take one shock to turn a 2, 3, 4, or 5 result on a
die to a 6.
• “Against the odds:” when rolling with disadvantage, every pair of
dice with the same number counts as an extra hit (this can raise
max hits beyond the usual two).
• “Utter determination:” when rolling with disadvantage, wounded
traits from any Approach can be used to add dice to the pool.
BOUNTY: TED BOWER
Ted is a terrorist who hides explosives inside harmless objects to destroy his targets.
GROOVE:
MASTER EXPLODER
Fiction effect: Ted has a bomb hidden wherever it’s most convenient, and he’s ready to make it
explode at just the right moment.
Special rule: Spend one Risk to activate: until the end of the tab, BHs roll one less die on every
in-genre Test, and every non-genre Test gives a minimum of two shocks.
SECRET
• Rock: Ted’s target is the mayor, who killed their family.
• Dance: Everyone thought Ted was dead, killed by the Chief of Police. Something
doesn’t add up.
• Blues: Ted hates capitalism, but their reasons are unknown.
• Tango: Ted is in love with the victim of the local crime kingpin.
• Jazz: A rich philanthrope financed Ted, but then screwed him over.
TIPS
• Kick off the first tab by activating the Bounty’s Groove and give
the BHs an explosive playground.
• Ted can get a hostage with a booby trap.
• Give some meaning to the objects Ted places bombs in, even if
it’s not revealed.
• Rules for using two Approaches for the session genre will be
explained in detail in the core rulebook.
or
1. The crew gets really close to catching Ted, but a rival bounty
hunter or group meddles with them;
2. The crew follows the trail—but so does the rival, and there
is a fight;
3. At the final showdown the crews resolve their rivalry while
the Bounty… wait, where is Ted?
Anime reference: to play the character from the anime you need the
Blues genre and some creative use of clocks as alternative objectives
to represent the efforts of a rival bounty hunter. Bombs are hidden in
teddy bears.
LESSON-LESSON:
IF YOU SEE A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER,
FOLLOW HIM.
WHO: Theodore Bower GROOVE: Master Exploder
Ted always has a bomb in the right place,
WHAT: Teddy bear bombs waiting for the right moment to explode.
Spend one risk to activate: until the end
WHERE: Station / Bank / City Hall of the tab, BHs roll one less die on every
in-genre Test, and every non-genre Test
WHEN: Mayor’s Grand Ball gives a minimum of two shocks.
K S Z
C E Z
O U A
R L J
B
Ted’s target is the mayor, Ted hates capitalism, but A rich philanthrope finan-
who killed their family their reasons are unknown. ced Ted, but then screwed
him over.
E O
C G
N N
A A
D T
CLOCK: Every tab has its own clock, as well every secondary ob-
jective. In order for characters to be successful, the players should fill
these clocks. Clock can be divided in 4, 6 or 8 segments. One hit or
one shock can be spent to color one segment. When all segments are
filled the event happens.
DISADVANTAGE: Add one extra die to the dice pool. Remove the
highest die rolled before counting. A BH can choose to get disadvan-
tage on a Test by Showing Your wounds.
HARD WOUND: Mark a trait on your character sheet with a double strikethrough as result
of a Gamble not giving two hits. Hard wounds are removed only at the end of the session.…
RISK: A resource the Big Shot can stash and spend. You can spend
one Risk to add one shock to a Test. You can spend one shock to stash
a Risk to use later.
SESSION: An episode of your collective story divided in three different tabs (see Tab Typology),
that ends with a finale named “See you space cowboy.”
SESSION SHEET: A tool where you track the development of the story and the tab that
you’re playing. The sheet is useful to track the Difficulty of the tab, its special rules, and every
active or closed clock.
SHOCK: As a result of a Test, the Big Shot gets a number of shocks equal to the 1s rolled. The
Big Shot can spend each one to increase the Difficulty of a tab, tick a clock or stash one Risk.
SHOW OFF (BH’S OPTION): Spend 1 Rhythm to get one hit with a spectacular action
that involves your Groove. You can do this only once during a session.
SHOW YOUR WOUNDS (BH’S OPTION): Describe how your
wounds are making things hard for your character, and roll with dis-
advantage. At the end of the Test, clear up to two wounds from your
character sheet.
TAB: Represents the development of the story. The BHs need to fill
the tab clock if they want to complete a tab successfully, and they can
fail the tab if the Big Shot fills the opposing clock. Each tab has a
Difficulty (see Tab Typology). The Big Shot can spend shocks to in-
crease the Difficulty of a tab and BHs can spend hits to decrease it.
TAB TYPOLOGY:
• G.E.S.T.: where the Big Shot sets the initial scene, and
introduces characters and the Bounty. Difficulty starts at 5.
The base dice is 1D6.
• 3, 2, 1…: the characters get more involved, discover heart of the
problem and understand the related dangers. Difficulty starts at
10. The base dice pool is 2D6.
• Let’s Jam!: it’s time for the final confrontation. Difficulty starts
at 15. The base dice pool is 3D6.
G.E.S.T.
8
3, 2, 1…
9
Target Secondary Danger BH - Help:
10 Target any BH can spend
1 Rhythm to help another
BH with a Test.
11
Roll with advantage: add
1D6 to the dice pool , and
12 remove the lowest scoring
die from the result.
13
Bounty’s Groove:
14 as above.
15 LET’S JAM!
18 Bounty’s Groove:
as above.
19
20
SEE YOU SPACE COWBOY
And the end of the session, all the players narrate the ending of the story together. The Big
Shot explains what has happened to the Bounty, and the BHs narrates how their characters
react and what they do next to finish off the story.
• Success: each BH can get a new trait or change a Weight into a trait.
• Failure: one BH gets a Weight. This works like a trait: write it in a hex on your
character sheet and underline it. It can’t be used until it’s transformed into a trait.
• Personal failure: if a character marks all their Bullets, that BH marks a hard wound on a
trait that will remain for the next session. The next session is about that character’s past.
You handle the flow of the game, transitions from one part to anthe other, and answer questions
about the environment and the other characters. If answering these questions can get the char-
acters in trouble, it’s time to roll a Test!
FLOW
3 SEE YOU
INTRO TAB SETUP TAB PLAY
SPACE COWBOY
1, 2
Rock Blues
G.E.S.T. Obj: Chase him! Obj: Find out the clue
Danger: the station collapses Danger: there was a second bomb!
3, 2, 1 … Obj: Find out what was stolen Obj: Find out what was stolen
Sec Obj: Save the hostages Sec Obj: Save the hostages
Danger: Boom! Danger: Boom!
Let’s Jam! Obj: Get inside the mayor’s house Obj: talk Bounty out of his plans
Sec Obj: Discover the hidden Obj: Kill the Bounty
treasure Danger: Boom boom
Danger: Boom boom
RISK
G.E.S.T.
Throw the characters straight into the action!
“The explosion is huge and the docks you just landed on start crumbling, while the people all
over the bay area start screaming in panic and running away. You can see someone on the roof
of the port authorities building who looks a lot like the Bounty you saw on TV. There’s money
over there, just behind the flames!”
The Bounty escapes at the end, but the BHs snatch something valuable off him, leading them
to the bank….
3, 2, 1…
“As you approach the bank everything seems pretty normal but once you enter, suddenly, all
the lights turn red and the floor under the feet of several of the customers clicks and lowers
a bit. ‘‘I’m sorry for the inconvenience,’ a voice says on the speaker.. ‘‘I placed explosive booby
traps in some places around the building and someone seems to have stepped on’e m. Please,
don’t move, the cops will come soon and will save you. Probably. Just, please, don’t move.’’
The speaker clicks and everyone is paralysed in terror. Some people on pressures plates start
crying.”
In the end, did the Bounty really place explosives under the bank or it was a trick?
The characters find a single clue, directing them to the mayor’s villa.!
LET’S JAM
“The mayor’s villa is large and well-guarded. You know your Bounty is there—you just have to
find out why. The villa guards are unusual: you recognize a bandit when you see one. Getting in
won’t be a walk in the park.”
Be ready for the final confrontation. The hidden treasure can be anything you seem fit, from
proof of the crimes committed by the mayor to the Bounty’s kidnapped son. Let’s find out where
the line fis or the characters.
BLUES
Secret: the Bounty is fighting against capitalism. His reasons are unknown.
G.E.S.T.
Time for an investigation
“There is a big Bounty in this place: a explosive pyromaniac who keeps destroying big build-
ings in the city. The last explosion happened at the docks, and you’re there now, hoping to find
a fresh trail. There are still people trapped under the ruins and the cops are trying to search the
scene of the crime. Neither the medics nor the cops will like your interference”
One way or another the characters will snatch a valuable clue the Bounty has left behind, lead-
ing to the bank. If things go wrong, they will be held responsible for the explosion…
3, 2, 1…
“As you approach the bank everything seems pretty normal but as you enter, suddenly,
all the lights turn red and the floor under the feet of many people clicks and lowers a bit.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience - a voice says on the speaker - I placed explosive booby
traps in some places around the building and someone seems to have stepped on them.
Please, don’t move, the cops will come soon and will save you. Probably. Just, please, don’t
move”. The speaker clicks and everyone is paralyzed in terror, some people on a pressure
plate starts crying.”
In the end, did the Bounty really placed explosives under the bank or it was a trick?
The characters will find a single clue, directing them to the Szornov Tower.!
LET’S JAM
“The Szornov Tower is the tallest building in the city, a symbol of the wealth and power of the
great companies that really rule things around here. The view from the roof is stunning, but that
isn’t what catches your eye. Your Bounty stands in front of you, smoking a cigarette. ‘Welcome.
I’d tell you to run away, but I’m afraid it’s too late for that…’”
The bomb is ticking and it’s up to the characters to find a way to stop the explosion. They can
talk the Bounty out of this madness, they can kill him and take the remote command from his
very dead body or… well, they must do whatever they think is right.
THE BOUNTY HUNTER
You play a character in a story, as do all the other players except the Big Shot. The Big Shot’s role
is to describe a scene for you as a group. You should the others what your character does, by taking
a Test. Be awesome!
Wanna show your wounds? Use up to two wounded traits in your description.
Wanna show your past? Use something from your Memory to color your description of the action.
G.E.S.T.
EACH
TRAIT
3, 2, 1… +
LET’S JAM! 1 X
Wanna show your wounds? Take one extra die.
Wanna show your past? Mark a Bullet and take two extra dice.
REMEMBER: if you mark all your Bullets the session will go awry for your character (but
you might be amazed at the results).
Wanna show your wounds? Before counting, remove the highest scoring die.
5. SPEND RESULTS
Spend hits:
• to lower the Difficulty by 1
• to tick a clock and fill 1 segment
Spend shocks (if there are no shocks, add one now and spend it): WOUND A TRAIT
• 1 to wound a trait
You can ask the Big Shot if you can
• 1 to mark a Bullet skip either of these steps, and give
them the shock to use themselves
• Give the remaining shocks to the Big Sh.ot
WANNA BET? X
If you don’t like the result, ignore it! You can Gamble: bet one of your traits and repeat
the roll with one extra die.
If you don’t get both hits—one from beating the Difficulty and one from rolling two
6s—mark a hard wound on the trait you bet. You can’t remove hard wounds during a session.
Regardless of whether it’s better or worse, use the new result.
MARK A BULLET
CHARACTER SHEET
Here you can find the character sheet to create your own Bounty Hunter,
or take advantage of the five pregen characters we have designed for you!
COWBOY BEBOP ROLEPLAYING GAME - QUICKSTART
“I was a cop”
Veteran Gunslinger
Windswept,
Flowing Hair Cowboy Hat Old Revolver
Cigar
“Battleaxe”
Faster than the eye:
can use Jazz traits
Assault Ship
for Rock
or Dance Tests
Plasma
Cannon
The Elder
Hardened
Combat Suit
Brass Knuckles
Goggles Datapad
“Oldie”
Utter determination:
when rolling with disad- Tanker Ship
vantage you can use any
wounded trait to add dice
to the roll
Roomy
Custom
Container
Former Mobster
Stockpile of
Instant Noodles
Aikido Martial
Style Derringer Mirror-shades
“Lucien III”
Loose handcuffs:
can use Tango traits for
Support Vessel
Dance or Jazz Tests
Ion Powered
Shields
Space Samurai
“Pequeña”
the Condor Red lipstick
companion
animal
“WHACK”
Out of the box:
take one shock to turn a 2,
Lander Pod
3, 4, or 5 result on a die
to a 6
Fast landing
system
Enhanced Octopus
Lockpicking
Device