Revenant’s

Hack
Sigve Solvaag
Revenant’s
Hack
A Free Kriegsspiel roleplaying game written
by Sigve Solvaag.
How the game is played
Revenant’s Hack requires 2 to 5 players and a
handful of six-sided dice. One player takes
the role of a Referee. The Referee describes
and controls the world and its non-player
beings. The remaining players create player
characters (or PCs), which they play within
the Referee’s world by describing their
actions and rolling dice when called for.
If the rules are unclear or come in the way,
the Referee can make a ruling and decide
how something happens in the game.
Rulings are not set in stone and may be
revised between sessions or replaced with a
better way of playing.
Player Characters
Player characters have three abilities,
starting with 1 point in each. Players are free
to distribute 2 points over the abilities.
• Cunning: How good the character is at
sneaking, aiming, balancing and
jumping out of or into danger.
• Smart: How good the character is at
reading, talking, perceiving and
recalling things.
• Strong: How good the character is at
hitting things, heavy lifting or resisting
harmful effects.
Player characters start with 6 Luck. If
someone’s Luck is reduced to 0, they fall
unconscious or possibly die. If a player
character spends the night resting in a safe
location, they regain all lost Luck.
Dice rolls
The Referee should only call for dice rolls if
it is unclear if the player character’s action
could succeed. Do not make dice rolls if the
Referee does not know how the outcome of
the action would look like, nor if the action
is routine or safe to perform multiple times.
If the Referee calls for a dice roll, the player
should roll an amount of dice equal to their
relevant ability. The Referee rolls an amount
of dice equal to the difficulty they set for the
action. The player character’s action
succeeds if the player’s highest dice is equal
to or higher than the Referee’s highest dice
roll. If the player character’s action does not
succeed, the Referee should narrate an
approriate outcome.
Difficulty
Some actions are more difficult than others.
As mentioned, the Referee rolls an amount
of dice based on the difficulty they set. Some
sample difficulties can be found below:
• Simple - 1 die
• Moderate - 2 dice
• Demanding - 3 dice
• Hard - 4 dice
Dangerous actions
If the action is dangerous, then the player
character loses 1 Luck for each die roll the
Referee makes that is higher than the
player’s best die roll.
Using items
When asked to make a dice roll for an action,
the player can include extra dice based on
items being used. These dice should have a
separate colors. The player does not have to
use all of the bonus dice an item provides.
Items
Items can be useful in various situations. A
Some NPCs have special rules, which apply
under certain conditions. Most NPCs come
with descriptions that are meant to be useful
rifle can be useful for hunting, while a toolkit
for the Referee to describe their behavior.
could be handy if a machine breaks down.
When items are used as part of an action,
Fighting NPCs
they provide a number of bonus dice (use
Since some NPCs are dangerous, the player
separate colors). Most items have a Quality
characters may attempt to defeat them. To
stat, which determines how often it can be
attack an NPC, the player should roll using
used before it must be repaired or replaced.
Cunning for ranged attacks, or Strong for
When an item’s bonus dice show the
melee attacks. If the player beats the
numbers 1 or 2, the item loses 1 Quality.
Referee’s roll, the NPC loses an amount of
Items break if they are reduced to 0 Quality.
Luck based on the weapon’s Harm value, or
just 1 Luck if the PC is unarmed.
Weapons
There is no detailed list of weapons. Referees
Fights are played in rounds. The participants
are encouraged to judge how much Harm a
in the fight can do two unique actions in a
weapon should do. Generally, weapons have
round, including moving, attacking,
3 Quality and add 1 bonus die to actions
drinking a potion, using an item or drawing
when fighting. The following are guidelines
a weapon. All the players get to play their
for how much Harm a weapon should deal in
actions first, and afterward, the Referee plays
fights:
the actions for the NPCs.
• Unarmed - 1 Harm
Morale Tests
• Hand to hand weapons - 2 Harm If the NPCs suffer setbacks, such as losing a
• Pistols, bows, slings - 3 Harm lot of Luck or sustaining casualties, the
• Two-handed weapons, rifles - 4 Harm Referee should make a Morale test and roll
2d6. If the sum of the dice is higher than the
• Cannons, bombs, explosives - 8 Harm
NPC’s best Morale value, they will surrender
Inventory or flee from the situation.
Players must describe where their PCs store
Companions
their items. Referees should penalize PCs
with more than 12 items in their inventory. If there are fewer than 3 player characters in
the group, the Referee should consider
Non-Player Characters adding some NPC companions to the group.
The players should control the companions,
Players will likely encounter Non-Player but if the companion is faced with
Characters (or NPCs). NPCs can be friends dangerous situations it cannot handle, the
and allies, enemies and neutral creatures.
Referee should make a Morale test.
NPCs have the following statistics:
Companions will often ask for a fair share in
the valuables the group finds, and they will
• Ability - how capable and dangerous the abandon the player characters if they feel
NPC is. they are not rewarded properly or the
• Morale - how brave the NPC is. adventures are too dangerous.
• Luck - works in the same way as the player
character’s Luck.