Game System: Copyright 2015 Owlman Press

Characters, Environments, and History: Copyright Creative Commons 4.0 BY-SA

Published by: Dryden House
ISBN:
Cover Art: Gavin Revitt
Other Art: Gavin Revitt, Tracy Vincent, Charlotte Garneau, Don VanAusdoll, Nigel Kerr
Story Elements: Dan Hunt, Joel Stottlemire, Charlotte Garneau, Nicholas William Moll PhD.
Game Design: Nicholas William Moll PhD.
Table of Contents
Many Thanks! ............................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Welcome Rebel! ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Role of the Players .................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Management ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2
The Primer: 2503 ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Traits ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Other Traits............................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Gameplay ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Ms. Okuda (Elite) .................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Rolling ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Catastrophic Outcome.......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Cosmology ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Gravy Roll.............................................................................................................................................................................. 8
Multitasking .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Corporations ............................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Combat ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Roll Intuition ......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Rolling for Extras ................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Action.................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Melee or Ranged Combat ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Damage & Death ................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Manoeuvres ........................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Hazards ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Other Entities.......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Armoury ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Yella (Elite) .......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Travel .................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Starships ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Engine (E) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Firepower (F) ...................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Structure (S) ........................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Utility (U) ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20
Crewing Starships ................................................................................................................................................................... 21
 Starships ..............................................................................................................................................................................21
Using Starships ........................................................................................................................................................................21
Starship Upgrades ...................................................................................................................................................................22
Starship Actions.......................................................................................................................................................................22
Entering Frames ..................................................................................................................................................................23
Starship Combat ..................................................................................................................................................................23
Extras ...........................................................................................................................................................................................27
Robert Gustav Mulhultz III (Elite) ........................................................................................................................................27
Grunts, Troopers and Elites .....................................................................................................................................................27
Grunts ..................................................................................................................................................................................27
Troopers ..............................................................................................................................................................................27
Elites ....................................................................................................................................................................................27
The Future ...................................................................................................................................................................................30
Timeline of The Dryden Experiment ...................................................................................................................................31
Glossary .......................................................................................................................................................................................34
Character Sheet ...........................................................................................................................................................................36
Prebuilt Scenario: Surly Carp Vs. Leviathan ...............................................................................................................................37
Cell: The Crew of the Surly Carp ..............................................................................................................................................37
Patron ......................................................................................................................................................................................37
Lin ........................................................................................................................................................................................37
Guy Chabot de Hanzo ..........................................................................................................................................................38
Maurice Morris ....................................................................................................................................................................39
Jane Scumbag037 Hancock ..............................................................................................................................................40
Sally MacLaine .....................................................................................................................................................................41
Adventure: Leviathan ..............................................................................................................................................................42
Approaching the Martel ......................................................................................................................................................42
The Situation Aboard ..........................................................................................................................................................42
Moving About ......................................................................................................................................................................42
Exit ...........................................................................................................................................................................................44
Wait what about? .............................................................................................................................................................44
Thomas Leviathan (Elite) .............................................................................................................................................................44
Bill Smithers (Grunt) ....................................................................................................................................................................45
Pirates (Grunt) .............................................................................................................................................................................46
Many Thanks!

Game development is basically impossible without the support of friends, family, play testers, pets, and random
commentators. Owlman Press and Dryden House would like to extend very special thanks to the following people.

Manhattan, Kansas Playtest group:

Kevin Alejo-Morgan

Tim Prickett

Kaleb Prickett

Krista Dix

Tony Ochoa

Ciaran Prickett

Chelsi Warden

Salmon, Idaho Playtest group:

Linda Johnson

John Gneiting

Laura VanAusdoll

Don VanAusdoll

Ballarat, Australia Playtest Group

Earl Leonard

Daniel Weightman

Aaron Vissers

Patrick Courtney

Patrick Stoney

Beth Mooney

Special thanks to Boom Comics, Manhattan, Kansas for making play space available after hours.
Welcome Rebel!
What you have in your hands is most of the coolest role playing
games you will ever encounter. This pre-release version of the game
includes, all the rules, all the art, many the Kick ass NPCS. In fact, the
only thing thats really missing is the character creation rules. Please,
read gameplay, admire the art and fiction rules, play the included
scenario. If you like it, come back for the full version. Character
creation is simple but the skins and packages available in the full
version rock! Youll love them.
Big Damn Dryden is an unusual fusion of skills and resources. The
system is built on and driven by the Big Damn Sci-fi game system by
Nicholas and Stacey Moll from Owlman press. Owlman Press is a small
press role-playing game producer, with a philosophy of art who
approaches the tabletop roleplay experience as literature. The setting
is drawn from and part of the Dryden Experiment Science Fiction
Universe. The Dryden Experiment science fiction Universe has been
made wholly available for use and development under Creative
Commons for anyone who will agree to make their contribution
available under Creative Commons as well.
An adaption on two fronts, Big Damn Dryden acclimatizes Big Damn
Sci-Fi to the hard sci-fi Primer era of the Dryden Universe and
familiarizes the Dryden Experiments universe with the conventions of
a tabletop role-play setting. Put together, you get an edgy, fast paced
RPG thats a snap to set up in a remarkably vast and complex universe
with almost unlimited backstory and environments for play.
Role of the Players
Players in Big Damn Dryden take on the role of Cubies, corporate
bounty hunters, pirates, and assassins in a high tech quest for profits
and glory. The role of a Cubie is to seek solutions to the problems of
their patron Corporation. In the process, many Cubies become rich
and retire. But just as many die after just a few frantic, short years of
corporate espionage, high wages, and lush lifestyle. The mixture of
danger, adventure, luxury, and excess makes a Cubies life a
seemingly romantic one when viewed from the outside, and many
corporate wage-slaves dream of the day they can run and gun across
the Galaxy. The universe itself that Cubies inhabit is vast, with
Humanity expanded out hundreds of light years from Sol. The growth
happens under the watchful eye of the ruling corporations: Lin, Syrch
and Terra Corp. In this universe, the bread and butter of a Cubies
work comes from the simmering conflict between these corporations
with each competing to rule the future of Humanity.
This is it, lets turn the page and get started playing Big Damn Dryden!
1|Page
Alfrunt Goodwin stomped down the
passageways of the Terra Corp model CRO
light cargo ship The Vort. She was his ship,
at least she would be if he could ever get his
contract paid off. He cursed to himself as he
adjusted the holster of the MGE fletchette
submachine gun slung across his chest. How
had he ever gotten himself stuck in a contract
with a bunch of corporate goons? Oh, yeah,
the voice in his head reminded him, so he
could have a ship.
He stopped at a hatchway and mashed the
button to open it. Inside, his giant first mate
lay sprawled across his bunk. His tiny, toy
poodle tucked in his arms like a fluffy white
rat. God, Goodwin hated that dog.
Wake up. Goodwin barked. Weve got
trouble.
Lawler, the mate, woke instantly to combat
readiness. The poodle shivered, the little bell
around its neck tinkling. What kind of
trouble?
Not sure. Bring some Boom. Goodwin
nodded to the rack of pistols and rifles over
Lawlers desk. And leave the damn dog.
Goodwin stomped to the main hatch, not
waiting for Lawler to gear up. On instinct, he
checked the external cameras before going
out. You wouldnt expect trouble at a major
spaceport like Moodo Hona but, you could
never tell. He exited the ship and marched
across the wide, clean expanse of the hanger.
There werent many people around the ships
at that hour of the morning but, as he passed
under the giant, round Terra Corp. logo into
the main ring of the station, he found himself
in the midst of a busy shopping district.
Vendors and coffee shops lined the walls,
electric taxis whisked back and forth and
people were everywhere.
Management
In Big Damn Dryden the Game Master is in charge of countless worlds
teeming with inhabitants, three mega-corporations and numerous
smaller ones, political and government entities, gravity, physics, and
countless details big and small. The roll of the Game Master for Big
Damn Dryden lies somewhere between a storyteller and referee,
crafting the narrative its setting and Extras and mediating the
players interactions with it and each other.
A Campaign is the culmination of a series of individual game sessions
and adventures in the Dryden Universe. Generally speaking a campaign
will have a single narrative, divided into chunks of play through
individual game sessions. A Campaign can be as big or as small as the
Game Master and players like, running for one or two game sessions or
else with years of play. By far the cardinal rules of a Campaign in the
Dryden Universe, however, are focus and repetition.
Focus for a Campaign typically occurs in terms of narrative. Every
Campaign should have a story, a place or point where the narratives of
each individual game session culminate and meet. The focus of a
Campaign doesnt necessarily need to be complicated. Indeed, simple
focuses tend to work the best, allowing complications and back steps to
develop in individual game sessions through Game Master design or the
actions of the Cubies themselves. Some examples include:
Castaway: Perhaps a stock-standard science fiction trope, the Cell crash
lands on an isolated planet. From there they must survive while
attempting to repair their ship. Individual game sessions could focus on
the latest hurdle nature throws against the Cell, such as dangerous
wildlife or weather. This Campaign could be complicated by the
revelation that the Cell didnt crash by accident but sabotaged on
purpose.
Pursuit: A deceptively simple Campaign, the Cell is given the job of
hunting down a fugitive on the run from their Patron. The reasons for
this can be varied, and are probably best left as a secret until well into
the Campaign. In this campaign, the fugitive is always one step ahead of
the Cell seemingly leaving a mess on every planet they visit for the
Cubies to stumble into.
Revolution: Outside the Main Line, a planets current government is
working against corporate interests. The Cell has been dispatched to
foster a revolution. While seemingly a simple assassination mission to
2|Page
Above, giant bay windows gave a stellar view
of Make and Dark Companion, the planetary
pair that Moodo Hona orbited. They were
close in among the core systems, only six light
years from Sol and the space around the two
planets bustled with ships of all sizes and
shapes.
Goodwin kept his eye on the crowd. He had
reason to be worried. The simple
assignment theyd been given, to retrieve a
scientist who was trying to defect to another
corporation, had been anything but simple.
First, the scientist wasnt where he was
supposed to be. Second - when Goodwin had
caught up with the scientists ship in orbit
around Luyten, the ship had been under
attack by independent raiders. As if that
wasnt enough, when theyd gotten aboard,
theyd found him under the protection of a
terrifying female assassin whod come after
them with a sword. A sword!
Although theyd managed to bring the
professor back, they were late, over budget,
had a damaged ship and three crew members
in need of skin grafts or other repairs. Worse,
Goodwin half expected the assassin to come
leaping out of the crowd at him. She didnt
seem the forgiving type.
The Contractor Relations office was just
across from the hanger. It was a boring office
building with short carpet on the floor and
soft coloured paintings on the walls. Goodwin
was immediately referred to a room down a
hallway. He nodded at Lawler who was a
few steps behind him, rat dog and rifle under
arm, and made for the room.
Oh shit. He grunted opening the door.
Firefight? Asked Lawler, the rat dog
growling at Goodwin.
Worse. Glowered Goodwin as he stepped
into the room filled with suit clad men and
women. Staff meeting.
 start with, the Cell must ensure that
whatever leader comes to power next
The Primer: 2503
is friendly to the Corporation. The Cell
The hard science era of the Primer begins the day after tomorrow and runs
must also make sure that the planets
until the early 26th century by the Gregorian calendar. By 2503, the
infrastructure remains stable enough
assumed date of Big Damn Dryden, humans have been capable of
to be profitable.
interstellar travel for almost 200 years thanks to framing technology,
sometimes called the Insanity Crystal. As for repetition, the Cell should keep
encountering some of the same Extras
Using framing drives, humans have colonized a strip of star systems 300 light
and Settings from one session to the
years long and 100 light years wide roughly centered on Sol and following
next. This can be as simple as their
the curve of our spiral arm of the Galaxy. Exploration craft have ventured
handler, who provides a face for and
much further into the surrounding galaxy but limitations in communication
embodiment of the Cells Patron
make it difficult to track or follow this exploration in any detail.
corporation. It can also include an
There several large corporations, and countless clusters of smaller single-to- antagonist who continually presents
multi-star system entities. The largest and most powerful corporations are themselves as the source or at least an
Syrch, Terra Corp, and Lin. Among "Main Line" systems, governance is aggravator of the Cells problems.
mostly by the controlling corporation and the very idea of the Main Line is Remember, however, that all Extras in
defined by Lin, Syrch, and Terras presence. The outer star systems vary a Campaign should have a role,
from small colonies, to independent single planet nations. In theory, all function or purpose to play. Maybe the
planets with human inhabitants are protected under the League of Planets only reason the Cubies partner keeps
(LOP). This organization has little real power. Most of the governance is popping up as a major character is so
done either by the local corporation, subsidiary or by the local governing they can be kidnapped later by the
body. antagonist. But that in itself is enough
to give the kidnapping and possible
Already, humans have begun adapting to their host planets. People from death of an Extra resonance,
planets with high gravity tend to be short and stocky with dense muscle and transforming a typical rescue mission
bone structures, while humans living in relatively gravity free environments into a personal quest. Settings,
tend to develop long, lean bodies with low muscle density. likewise, are like Extras in that they are
Humans are not alone in the galaxy. In any given star system, there is about characters in and of themselves.
a 65% chance that there will be at least one life bearing planet. In about 8% Repeated visitations to a setting, even
of star systems there are two or more life bearing worlds. These range from if it simply the bar where the Cell
highly complex biospheres like Earth to planets entirely covered in Methane, unwinds after a mission, can be used
and Hexane eating sludges. Humans are also not the first interstellar species to add layers and depth to the Dryden
in the Galaxy. Archaeological evidence suggests that one interstellar species Universe as the Game Master presents
or another has colonized this part of the Galaxy every 100,000 to 500,000 it for their players. It can also be used
years. The home worlds of these species and the reason for their downfall as the source of adventures and
have never been uncovered. The evidence of previous civilizations is so narratives within game session. Maybe
scant that some humans believe they are a hoax. There have been several that small time hoodlum the Cubie had
fringe encounters with alien species, but their home worlds and desires a whirlwind love affair with on the
remain largely unknown to humans. Main Line big city wound up dead
calling the Cell back to the planet?
This is the age for political schemers, bold star ship captains, and ruthless
noir.

3|Page
4|Page
5|Page
Traits
Arcana

Arcana denotes Cubies inner energy, mental fortitude and proficiency with their own mind. As such, the Arcana score also
governs the Cubies resistance to psychic invasions and such affects.

Intuition

Intuition describes your Cubies intuition, sense, perception and intelligence. Intuition increases a Cubies ability to find
food, track and hide.

Shatter

Shatter is your Cubies raw muscle power, reflexes, coordination and balance. A Cubies rating in Shatter thus determines its
ability to hit and cause damage to other Cubies as well as their potential for collateral damage to their surroundings.

Vitality

Vitality represents a Cubies health and stamina. High Vitality increases the amount of Wounds a Cubie may suffer.

Other Traits
Barrier (Psychic Defence)

Barrier is the level of resistance the Cubie has to psychic attacks and encounters. The Cubies Barrier is determined by the
sum of the Cubies Arcana and Intuition Traits added together and then halved.

Defence

Defence is the Cubies ability to resist physical attacks, such as blows, lasers blasts, knives and the like. Defence is
determined by the sum of the Cubies Shatter and Intuition Traits added together and then halved.

Indentured

Corporations of the galaxy are often are happy to provide payment plans and loan regimes to prospective individuals who
wish to access their goods and services. As the corporations colonization has expanded across the universe, so have their
loan schemes evolving into a loose neo-feudal alignment. At the start of every game session, the debt acquires interest
and increases by 1. Moreover, the debt must be paid back and the Cubie may contribute Experience Points from those
gained in the course of an adventure to reducing this debt. For example, a Cubie who contributes 2 Experience Points to
reducing the debt after the first adventure reduces their Indentured debt from 5 to 3. Should the Cubie fail to do so each
game session, they have missed a payment and the Corporation will and repossess Armory items totalling twice the debt.

Wounds

Wounds are the level of damage and abuse the Cubies body may take. Wounds are determined by the sum of the Cubies
Shatter and Vitality Traits added together. Unlike Barrier and Defence, this number is not halved. Each time the Cubie is
successfully struck in combat or other violent situations they are Wounded and loose a Wound. When a Cubie is reduced to
0 Wounds, they are dead. Cubies may make a Vitality roll each day, regaining 1 point of Wounds for each success. A Cubie
may never regain more Wounds than they originally possessed.

6|Page
Gameplay Ms. Okuda (Elite)
Everyone knows that corporate intrigues
are sometimes best solved with the help of
Rolling an outside hand. Next time youre looking
Moments of high drama and action - such as intense business negotiations, to get a target eliminated, consider Ms.
piloting a Starship at top speed through an asteroid field or shooting it out in Okuda. From the time we put her on a job
the local bar are the times that define a Cubie and are typically the most until the job is finished, every neural
intense and fun moments of play. They are also times when failure can lead connection her brain makes is mapped and
to disaster and success to jubilation. In these moments, the Game Master is recorded. Once you confirm the job is
likely to ask the players to roll some dice for their Cubie. Rolls in Big Damn done, we push a button and, Presto, Ms.
Dryden consist of a D6. Players roll one die per point in their Cubies Okudas brain returns to the state it was in
appropriate Trait. Each 5 or 6 is a success. Each 1, 2 3, or 4 is a failure. ten seconds before she got the job.
Sometimes, a Cubies action passes so long as the player rolls one success. Advanced nanobots sever each and every
Other times, the player may need a certain number of successes to neural connection made from job start to
overcome an obstacle. On still other occasions, a player may make multiple job end. Talk about confidentiality! She
actions, provided they have a success for each action they wish to thinks she went shopping!
undertake.
Ms. Okuda is a wholly owned resource of
Catastrophic Outcome M-Prove Carnival Supply. The corporate
When undertaking a roll, every 1 a player rolls represents one minor mistake world is a circus. Let M-Prove be your
their Cubie has made while performing their related task. Maybe the Cubie ringmaster.
rushed in taking their shot and the rifles stock wasnt set squarely against
their shoulder, for instance, throwing their aim off slightly. Perhaps the -M-Prove Brochure
hacker missed one security protocol before they retrieved the files. Ms. Lucy Okuda has built herself a
Whatever the mistake was, on its own it generally isnt even noticeable in reputation as the top-of-line assassin. In
the heat of the moment. But should these mistakes add up, they can result addition to a full suite of combat skills, she
in disaster for the Cubie and the Cell. has been enhanced and adjusted by M-
Any time a player rolls more 1s than successes, their Cubie suffers a Prove through nanobots and a neuron
Catastrophic Outcome. Not only does the roll fail, but the Cubie suffers a interweave across her brain. Ms. Okuda
dire and wholly negative consequence that comes as a result of the roll. The literally forgets the contract including the
details of this outcome are left up to the Game Master to determine. assassination itself. While she knows shes
However, as a guide, the Game Master should consider the following an assassin, she has no idea when she last
outcomes: pulled a job. She just knows the bank
account is full.
Additional Extras: If the Catastrophic Outcome alerts the Cells foes
to their presence, the Game Master may wish to initiate combat Context Skins: Adjusted, Juiced, Prodigy
(Weapon).
with or add an additional Extra to a current or planned combat per 1
rolled. Path Skins: Gunslinger, Soldier, Warrior.
Armoury: Armoury items might break down and require an Intuition
Arcana 3, Intuition 6, Shatter 4, Vitality 6
roll to repair or, if the quantity of 1s rolled exceeds the Armoury
items bonus, it might be outright destroyed. Starships damaged in Barrier 4, Defence 6 (5 unarmored),
this way will lose systems (Engine or Firepower, for instance). Wounds 10
Damage: A Catastrophic Outcome might inflict a point of damage for Armory: Desperado Pistol (+3), E35 Dagger
each 1 rolled. (+1), EFS Leather Armour (+1), HOT
Shotgun (+3), ZSC Scanner-eye (+3).

7|Page

Cosmology
By 2503 humankind's understanding of the
universe is fundamentally different than it is
in the 21st century.
It is generally understood that the universe
perceived by humanity is actually a hyper-
dimensional sphere. While we perceive that
we look out into space in straight lines, we
are in fact looking around the surface of a
sphere that we can't perceive. One way to
understand this is to image that we are
standing inside the skin of a soap
bubble. Due to limitations in our perceptive
ability, we cannot look into the center of the
bubble. We can only look out along the
skin. If we able to see far enough around the
surface of the bubble, we would eventually
notice a figures standing, apparently far out in
front of us, when in fact, we had looked all
the way around the bubble and were seeing
the back of our own heads. If we could see
even further, we would see two full
circumferences of the bubble and notice yet
another individual even further away.
While humans perceive that they can look out
in all directions in a straight line back to the
big bang, they are in fact looking around and
around the surface of an expanding
sphere. Like the analogy above, we see
ourselves again, except as we looked millions
or even billions of years ago. While the
movement of galaxies across the surface of
the sphere makes it difficult to identify its
exact size, the unique signature of the black
hole at the center of the Milky Way, pulsars,
and other long lived objects have allowed
scientist to identify many objects one full
circumference and sometimes as many as six
circumferences ago. It is generally agreed that
the universe is an expanding sphere currently
about 1.2 billion light years across.
8|Page
Narrative: The Game Master may wish to give the Cell some bad
luck in the event of a Catastrophic Outcome, inflicting a negative
narrative consequence per 1 rolled.
Gravy Roll
Whenever a player rolls a 6, their Cubie has done some aspect of
their task or action particularly well exceeding their typical efforts
and granting the Cubie a Gravy Roll. On gaining a Gravy Roll, the
player may gain an additional dice, rolling it instantly for the current
task. Any 5s or 6s on this roll are counted as successes and any
further 6s may add further Gravy Rolls. Any 1s rolled on a Gravy Roll
are ignored for the purposes of a Catastrophic Outcome. It is possible
to succeed at a task on a Gravy Roll whilst also failing as a result of a
Catastrophic Outcome.
Multitasking
Generally speaking, a single roll relates to a single action. That is to
say, if a Cubie wants to hack a security system, then breaking into the
system requires a roll. Likewise, climbing a wall, kicking in a door or
repairing an item of equipment all constitute single actions that
relate to a single roll. When a Cubie wants to do multiple things, such
as hack a security system, issue a fake general evacuation order over
the intercom, and shut down the buildings internal and external
communications, that constitutes multiple actions. While Cubies
might have the time it takes to perform one action and then the next,
in the heat of the action there are moments of high drama when the
bullets are flying and the buildings are falling. At these times a Cubie
cannot take the time to do each action to their fullest. In these
moments, the Cubie should make their roll as normal but a single
success is required for each item. For instance, after stealing a data
chip from Syrch Johnny Crest finds himself pursued by office security.
The security staff corner Johnny on a roof-top and he leaps off,
fumbling in mid-air and losing grip on the data chip. Johnnys partner
in crime, Rebecca Element, is piloting a Skycar outside the building
and sees Johnny falling. Rebecca wants to manoeuvre the Skycar so
that it catches Johnny and put herself in a position to catch the data
chip. Thus, Rebecca requires two successes one to catch Johnny and
the other to catch the data chip. Should the players roll not gain the
required number of successes, the Game Master determines which
actions fail.
If a roll conducted for multiple actions ever requires a mixture of
Traits i.e. one action requiring Intuition, the other Vitality add up
the total quantity of dice used for both Traits, taking into account the
rating along with any bonus Dice from Skins or Armoury items, and
use the smallest quantity. While in Combat, any successes dedicated
to a particular task do not contribute to attacks.
Combat
When characters start shooting lasers and swinging swords
its inevitable that they should come to blows with dastardly
villains, alien monsters, and even other characters. On their
turn each character declares and resolves an action.
Roll Intuition
At the start of combat, each player rolls their characters
Intuition. The Game Master also rolls for each opponent the
Cubies face. The character with the most successes goes
first, followed by the second most successes, third, fourth
and so forth. In the case of ties, the character with the most
initiative acts.
Rolling for Extras
Sometimes the Game Master will have many Extras to roll for
creating a vastly complicated combat. In these instances, it
may be prudent for the Game Master to simply roll
Inititiative for all Extras of a similar type rolling one dice for
all the Grunts, another for the Troopers and a third for the
Elites. If there are variant groups with differing Intuition,
simply average the quantity of dice between them.
Action
On their turn, each Cubie may perform one short action
during combat. This action could be to move into close
combat (or out of it), flee, attack, hack a computer terminal
or just about anything else. The only restriction is the Cubie is
limited to one action. While a Cubie may attempt to
multitask, each additional action they attempt to perform
after the first inflicts a -1 die penalty on the roll. For example,
a Cubie may attempt to charge and swing a punch. Charging
is their first action, swinging a punch the second the Cubie
suffer a -1 penalty on their Shatter roll to punch their target.
Melee or Ranged Combat
Characters are either in Melee Combat or Ranged Combat. If
there is essentially no distance between them and their
target i.e. side by side, they are considered to be in melee
combat. If they have some distance between themselves and
their opponents they are engaged in Ranged Combat. A
character may change this distance as their action in combat.
Melee Attack
Melee attacks are hand-to-hand combat. A character must be
in Close Combat to perform a Melee Attack. Each character
may attack an opponent once per round. To do this they roll
their Shatter. One point of damage is dealt to the target if the
9|Page
Corporations
Life in the Primer era is shaped by how corporations
make goods and services available. The economic
structure of most main line worlds is generally quite
similar, with similar goods, services, and high levels
of availability featured on most worlds. Stepping out
of the Main Line, however, there is a high demand
for goods and services but little actual capital beyond
labor or natural resources to exchange for corporate
products. This relationship builds a vicious
production cycle where all labor both the gathering
of raw materials and the manufacturing of goods -
occurs on planets where it is cheapest, but the items
and services themselves are sold where they yield
the most profit - that is to say, the mainline systems
where monetary wealth and a certain standard of
lifestyle inflate costs. While resource gathering and
manufacturing occurs both within and outside of the
Main Line systems, the nature of the arrangement
means that only the mainline systems enjoy some
level of equity in the relationship.
While the big three are colossal, there are many
smaller players. At one extreme, these smaller
corporations are strictly local entities, operating on a
single planet. At the other, they are multi-planet
entities not quite as big or vast as Lin, Syrch or Terra
but large enough to give them cause for concern.
These smaller corporations tend to operate on the
side, working within a few or a single niche market.
Many are independent operators but just as many
are subsidiaries of the larger three corporations.
Given the monolithic nature of Lin, Syrch and Terra
one would be easily fooled into thinking that
corporations own and control everything within the
Main Line systems. Yet, there are many entities,
powers, groups and organizations within these
systems and beyond that operate within their own
spheres of influence and possess their own
resources. The LOP, pure exploration organizations,
cybernetic space-whales, religions, governments,
alien interests, independent planets the list goes
on.

Lin Corp.
Lin traces its history all the way back to Qin the first
permanent Moon colony, established by China in 2056.
Seen as a highly trustworthy brand, Lins reputation is
much more than advertising hype. The company has a
strong code of conduct coupled with a culture of
discipline and order. For Lin, there is a right way and a
wrong way to do things and this feeds into notions of
profit and employee conduct. The structure of Lin is
one that is strongly hierarchical, but based specifically
on notions of merit, initiative, and results. For a Lin
employee, positive outcomes within the specific
parameters of conduct are the path for success and
advancement up the hierarchy. In this fashion, Lin is the
least class-biased of the big three corporations, with all
employees starting at the bottom and poor results seen
as a reflection of a poor work ethic.
Syrch
Syrch Corp is the youngest of the big three
corporations, Syrch has grown rapidly largely through
adopting a doggedly profit-driven ideology. Syrch
makes low quality, cheap products, sourced from cheap
materials that are acquired in vast quantities and
manufactured at break-neck production rates for
minimum wage.
Described as wholly unethical, Syrch displays little
concern for its employees, customers or its impact on
the environments and societies of the planets with
which it interacts. Syrchs profit driven nature is noted
to be relentless, even to the point of being self-
defeating.
10 | P a g e
number of successes is equal to targets Defence. One point
of additional point damage is dealt to the target for each
success over the targets Defence. If the quantity of
successes does not equal or exceed the targets Defence
then the character has missed.
Did Attackers Successes = the Targets Defence?
No. Miss.
Did Attackers Successes = the Targets Defence?
Yes, 1 Damage.
Additional Damage = Attackers Successes Rolled
Targets Defence
Ranged Attack
Ranged attacks are fire fights and require a ranged weapon.
A character cannot be in Close Combat while performing a
Ranged Attack. Each character may attack an opponent
once per round. To do this they roll their Intuition. One
point of damage is dealt to the target if the number of
successes is equal to targets Defence. One point of
additional point damage is dealt to the target for each
success over the targets Defence. If the quantity of
successes does not equal or exceed the targets Defence
then the character has missed.
Did Attackers Successes = the Targets Defence?
No. Miss.
Did Attackers Successes = the Targets Defence?
Yes, 1 Damage.
Additional Damage = Attackers Successes Rolled
Targets Defence
Damage & Death
When a character has suffered damage equal to their
Wounds they are dead.
Manoeuvres
During combat, any character may perform a manoeuvre
such as throw handfuls of dust into a foes eyes, move to
high ground, hurl a distracting object at an opponent or any
other action the player can devise and the Game Master
deems appropriate. Generally speaking, Manoeuvres add 2
dice to any attack rolls or 2 additional points to the Defence
or Other Trait. Should the Game Master allow it,
Manoeuvers may reduce the quantity of dice on an Attack
roll to against a targets unmodified (i.e. without Armour) Failures of equipment and machinery are common.
Defence. While the specifics of all Manoeuvers are left to They have even had issues with entire bio-domes failing,
the players imagination, a list of potential Manoeuvres resulting in dozens or hundreds of deaths. The company
include: has adopted a neo-feudal hierarchy. CEOs and other
Called Shot: Sometimes a Cubie may want to attack upper-management individuals rarely, if ever, set foot
on a planet preferring to live in opulent space based
a vulnerable area on a targets body. If a Geist
cities, while low level employees such as miners and
Marine isnt wearing their helmet, for instance,
factory workers live in abject poverty as the most
striking at the head is much more likely to succeed.
indentured, least represented people in the galaxy.
A Called Shot will ignore a targets Armour, but will
reduce the quantity of dice rolled on the attack roll TerraCorp.
by 2 for limbs, head or other substantially exposed
body parts (i.e. no armour or protection covering
the entire area). Should the Cubie wish to try and
attack a targets partially exposed body part (i.e.
helmets that cover the head and eyes but leave the
mouth, nose and chin exposed, exposed hands) the
penalty is 4 dice. The loss is made up for because
the Cubie may now ignore the Geist Marines
armour bonus.
Terra Corp is the great grandchild of the last
Cover: A Cubie hiding behind cover or laying prone
governments of Earth, founded in 2212 from the
might gain an additional 2 points to their Defence.
economic unification of several governments on Earth
Distraction: A Cubie may attempt to distract an
along with a number of key colonies on Mercury, Jupiter
opponent, performing a certain action such as and a handful of asteroids. After the fierce corporate
shouting or presenting an obvious target. To do so, competition between Lin and Terra developed into a
the Cubie must make an Intuition roll which, if series of short, yet intense, wars in the mid-to-late 23rd
successful, distracts the enemy. While the century, Terra Corp stood as master of Earths solar
distracting Cubie will be the focus of the enemys system. Terra has continued to expand and has even
next attack, any allies attacking the target gain a 2 began to have more than a few noted alien encounters.
dice bonus to their roll. Terra has a large, well respected Navy based in the Oort
Teamwork: Should a Cell wish to act in unison, and cloud of the Sol system. The hallmark of all things Terra
batter a single target with multiple attacks Corp is the Geist Marines. Terras signature soldiers, the
simultaneously, they may combine all dice from Geist Marines are the most augmented and advanced
their respective attack rolls into a single roll soldiers in the known universe. The Geists embody
everything that Terra especially excels at producing
adding all successes and 1s together. This must be
cybernetics and military technology.
done on a single Cubies action with the supporting
Cubie losing their next combat action as a result.
Touch: Should a Cubie wish to simply touch an
opponent without attacking or damaging them, they may roll against the unmodified (i.e. without Armour) Defence
of the target.

Hazards
While travelling across the Dryden Universe, Cubies are likely to encounter dangerous environments on the surface of alien
planets, ranging from noxious gases, toxic rains, poisonous water, low-oxygen air, radiation and other variable conditions.

11 | P a g e
 When encountering such Hazards, the Cubie suffers an
Other Entities instantaneous quantity of damage equal to the rating of the
Of course, the big three arent the only things in space. Hazard. However, the Cubie may make a Vitality roll, with
Sharing human space with them, and sometimes each success cancelling one point of damage inflicted by the
threatening them, are a host of other entities that range Hazard. All Hazards are rated between 1 and 6. Some
from single planet religious colonies to well organized, sample Hazards include:
universally recognized political organizations. Among
the biggest are: Exposure (Hazard 2).
Noxious Fumes (Hazard 2).
League of Planets
Sandstorm (Hazard 4).
Solar Flare (Hazard 6).
Stale Water (Hazard 2).

The frequency by which damage should be applied by a

Hazard depends on the nature of the effect. If the affect is
an ambient one that is to say, it is part of the environment
of the world or region, such as a radioactive landscape
apply the effect every day the Cell spends in the area
Born out of the need for a universal governing body for
without protection. If it is a more interactive and
international disputes, the LOP are also scientist,
circumstantial Environment or Situation such as a sudden
explorers, conservationist, and human rights activist.
toxic storm or single outburst of noxious gas apply the
While they wield little real power in corporate affairs,
effect every round a Cubie is in contact with it.
the big three will usually at least nod to the LOP and its
agenda. Their home system is League Prime.

The Interspecies Defence Fund

Born as a direct result of the accidental infection of the

planet Olive i 4 with a Terran virus that destroyed the
entire ecosystem, the IDF are radical, dangerous eco-
guerrillas. Using hit and run tactics, political intrigue,
and outright blackmail, the IDF seek to protect
ecosystems from the forces of industry and technology.
Sometimes aligned with the League of Planets, the IDF
have waged a decades long action to demand
ecological protection for life bearing worlds. While both
Lin and Terra Corp. have taken steps to minimize their
impact on the planets they inhabit, Syrch considers the
IDF public enemy number one.

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Armoury
Ile Soltaire
Generally, a Cubie will have a house and home filled with clothing,
magazines, books, televisual units, lights, lamps, sound systems, pens,
pencils, and the countless other possessions that make up the
characters day-to-day existence. While it is possible to use these
items in generally creative ways a Cell attempting to escape a fifth-
floor hotel room might strip down and construct a rope from their
clothing, for instance their use is generally not related directly to the
action and drama of gameplay in the same manner as a pistol or
cybernetic power armour. As such, a Cubie may possesses whatever A group of cetaceans and humans, after having
general possessions are appropriate for their character. A Cubie with worked together at a secret facility at Lake
the Representative Path Skin, for instance, probably has a lavish Vostok in Antarctica, Earth, left the planet in a
penthouse because it would reflect very poorly on their Corporation if ship of their own design. They have staked out
they lived in a cardboard box. a large section of space towards galactic center
and forbid any human ships from entering.
On the other hand, weapons, armour, and other equipment add a Their ways are largely mysterious to humans
bonus to the Cubies traits for particular circumstances and need to be but it is known that they are primarily scientist,
purchased using points. Aside from those listed here, other items of that they have successfully engineered both
equipment may be designed by the Game Master as necessary, human/cetacean hybrids, and species of whales
providing a bonus of +1, +2 and so forth to certain trait rolls for that are able to use framing technology to
specific tasks. A summary of Armoury types and the circumstances of travel in space. Their home world is Mere
their bonus is as follows: Ocean
Armour adds its bonus to the Cubies Defence. The Federation and the Consortium
Communications allows characters to talk to each other over
long distances. When the signal is blocked, disrupted or Two different governments that formed in the
distorted, Communications items add their bonus to Intuition same star cluster near the far edge of human
space, The Federation and the Consortium have
rolls to get their signal out. Communications items may also be
been at war for control of their piece of space
used to access restricted systems and undertake hacks.
for decades. Both sides buy military and other
Communications items can generally communicate with other
hardware from the inner systems. While it
communications items should the Cubie be aware of them. An
appears that the Federation have finally gained
entire Cell with Comm. Implants, for instance, can talk to each the upper hand, the battle has reversed
other no matter where they are on a planet. Generally directions unexpectedly before.
speaking, the range of a Communications item is restricted to
a planet and its orbit. For instance, a Cell can communicate
with their Starship from a planets surface. In the case of
Starship Communications, any Starship with Structure 3 or
higher may Communicate with other bodies in their current star system without issue. Starships below Structure 3
and other Communications items require an Intuition roll to boost their signal beyond standard broadcast range.

13 | P a g e

Yella (Elite)
Yella doesnt exist, at least not
officially. When the bio-dome failed over
mining facility AR-11, Scyrch wrote the
whole facility off, never mind that young
Yella survived after her mother hid her in
the pressurized ventilation tunnels under
the facility. Following the tunnels, Yella
emerged several days later in an
administrative dome. She tried to report
herself as a survivor but was alarmed to
learn that, once declared dead, insurance
issues prevented her from ever being
recognized as living. Without family,
resources or a claim to life, Yella eventually
gravitated to the grimy underworld of Axil
7. There she found work as a low level
courier and thief. Being dead made her
largely invisible to the automated systems
that track workers, giving her surprising
access to the secrets of a corporate
controlled world. As she aged, her skills
developed. Today she is a respected,
sometimes feared member of the Axil 7
underworld. Her life is as comfortable as it
can be for someone who lives off the grid
on a backwater world, but Yella has
ambitions of getting off the dirty mining
colony and onto larger conquests.
Context Skins: Adjusted, Convict, Ghost.
Path Skins: Hacker, Sneak.
Arcana 6, Intuition 6, Shatter 4, Vitality 1
Barrier 6, Defence 5, Wounds 5
Armoury: Raven HoCAP (+4), Y53523 Pistol
(+2).
successfully scanned. As a general rule of thumb, a Scanner will reveal one item of information per success as per
the Multitasking rules.
14 | P a g e
Cybernetic Armoury items are surgically bonded to the
body of their wielder. They cannot be removed, except through
surgery requiring an Intuition roll with a number of successes
equal to the bonus of the item to successfully separate the
Cybernetic Armoury from its host. While permanently armed,
Cybernetic items are powered directly from the host body.
While for a normal, healthy individual this isnt normally an
issue. When the body is under stress a character with Cybernetic
Armoury rolls one less die for all Vitality (or Intuition in the case
of Species with the Mechanical Feature) rolls to regain Wounds
(to a minimum of one). Cybernetic Armoury may be of any other
type.
The bonus of Enviro (Type) equipment is added to Intuition
rolls for the purposes of survival in the listed environment and
Shatter rolls for moving about the terrain. Examples of terrain
include extreme heat or cold, the vacuum of space, deep sea,
toxic or other hazardous environments.
Intoxicant (Trait) items modify a particular trait Arcana,
Intuition, Shatter and Vitality listed in brackets. Depressor
Intoxicants temporarily reduce a Cubies Trait by their items
Bonus (for one combat or scene). Stimulant Intoxicants
temporarily increase a Cubies Trait by their Bonus (for one
combat or scene). Increases or decreases to Traits from an
Intoxicant do not affect Other Traits. The duration of an
Intoxicant lasts for the duration of combat or one scene if
outside of combat.
A Scanners bonus is added to Intuition rolls for
investigation of the area, environment and surroundings.
Scanners can be used in one of two ways. Firstly, Scanners may
scan a general area such as a room, small area or in the case of
Starship Scanners, an entire planet. This reveals basic and
generalist information such contents, structure, basic faults and
weaknesses. A Scanner used in this manner may not necessarily
revealed secret or hidden features of an area but may point to
where they may be. The second way in which a Scanner may be
used is against specific objects areas such as a weapon, area of
wall, object or in the case of Starship Scanners individual
geographic feature of a planet. In this case, a Scanner will reveal
very specific and detailed information about that one item. If
there is a vile of drugs hidden in the hollow hilt of sword, for
instance, the scanner will reveal it if the sword is specifically and
 Armoury items listed as Use 1 are expendable resources and have only a single use before they are exhausted.
A Weapons bonus is added to Shatter (Melee) or Intuition (Ranged) rolls for the purposes of attacks.

All Cubies may start with items chosen from the Armoury with a total cost of 5. Should a player desire more equipment for
their Cubie, they may become Indentured.

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 Travel
The entire positive time universe was
formed through an inflation that occurred
at the big bang which, for a brief period,
expanded much faster than the speed of
light. While perceived in three dimensions
by human eyes, the universe is in fact a
hyper-dimensional sphere over which flow
ripples left over from the initial moment
of expansion. They still move about at
much faster than the speed of light. In
higher dimension, the universe is rippling
like the surface of an ocean.
The Framing Drive is the technology that
makes faster-than-light travel possible for
humans across the galaxy. The Drive grabs
the naturally occurring ripples, latching
onto one wave crest which folds, smacking
into the next wave crest a few fractions of
a second later. The travelling ship, grabs
the next crest and reenters normal space
at that location. Essentially, through the
Framing Drive, a starship will simply leap
from one location to the next across light
minutes of distance.
In practical terms, the Framing Drive is
self-limiting. Moving along the ripples
means moving along a curved path, and
the ripples themselves become
unpredictable the longer a starship stays
on them. To stay on course, a ripple must
be latched onto and then let go of
relatively rapidly or else the ship will be
pushed horribly off course. Most starships
never travel more than one or two light
minutes before returning to real space
and grabbing another ripple. Travel
between stars is thus a disjointed path of
stopping and re-adjusting, moving in off-
angled courses.
20 | P a g e
Starships
Starships travel across the vacuum of space. Some are small enough to
land on planets. Others are so large that landing would result in
ecological catastrophe. They range in size from two-man pod-vessels to
vast city-sized super-galleons. Starship is one of the more demanding
and complicated pieces of Armory a Cell can acquire, functioning in many
ways like a character in and of themselves. And indeed, like characters,
Starships possess four traits.
Engine (E)
A Starships Engine is the speed of the vessel in combat and other high
drama, short range situations. As such, Engine is the Starships ability to
manoeuvrer and position itself to get into and out of tight locations.
Firepower (F)
Firepower is the general offensive and defensive abilities of a Starship.
While a Starship may be equipped with a range of weapons, shields,
sensor jammers and other features, most of this is embodied in
Firepower (with the exception of specialist weapons that may be added
later).
Structure (S)
Structure measures the basic size and bulk of the starship, along with a
measure of the starships ability to cope with damage. Generally
speaking, a larger Starship will have the ability to lose sections and
systems of itself sealing them off areas and allowing backups to carry
the weight at least for a while.
Utility (U)
Generally speaking, a Starship contains a sensory array and broadcast
capacity. In game terms, this means a Starship functions as both a
Communications Armory Item and a Scanner. The ability and capacity of
a Starship to do this is measured by its Utility. A Starship may scan both
small items carried on a Cubie, such as a weapon, if they are within the
starship. Starships may also scan planets, space stations and other large
items external to it.
Crewing Starships
Generally speaking, a Starship can get by with half the listed Crew.
Anything below that half, the systems start to suffer with a -2 penalty
imposed on all rolls made for the Starship. If the number of crew drops
below one fourth the listed quantity, the penalty increases to -4.
Generally speaking, then, the actual number of crew on a Starship
reflects a listed roster, with various members of crew scheduled to be
on or off duty, able to get sick and have days off without such times
interfering with the daily running of the ship.
While Cubies are likely to book passage on various Starships in the
course of their missions, there may come a point in any campaign when
the Cell wishes to buy their own. When it comes to crewing Cubie-
owned Starships, the general cost of crew is paid like the cost of
Armory items in Experience points. The difference is with a crew, the
Cubies must pay an ongoing cost, essentially paying for having their
own starship crew. The cost of hiring crews of less than ten members is
1. Every increment of ten after that costs a further 1. Fully crewing a
Slepinir Carrier thus incurs a cost of 50 per game session. This cost must
be paid each and every game session and it can generally be assumed
that this cost contributes in a minute way to a monthly wage paid to the
individual crew members. While the Game Master may allow a captain
Cubie to make an inspiring speech or other gesture to keep their crew
on unpaid, payment must come through at some point or the Cell will
suffer abandonment, mutiny or worse.
It can be quite expensive and difficult to cover the cost of a fully crewed
Starship by Cubies. In many cases when it comes time for Cubies to crew
their Starships it requires their patron to carry some of the weight. In
these instances, while the Cell has command of the vessel, the patron
corporation directs the action. While a Starship owning Cell will certainly
still get their usual jobs from time to time, they will frequently be called
to deal with bigger threats such as pirate enclaves, smuggling runs,
outright attacks and other high-risk, high-firepower forays.
Using Starships
Starships will generally have one command control unit or area of
varying Structure per function in its command deck. This means there
will be a set of controls for Engine, Firepower, and Utility. Sometimes, a
Starship will split the Communications and Scanner function of its Utility
based on its Structure. Starships of Structure 3 or greater will have a
command deck containing three control consoles (Engine, Firepower
and Utility). Starships of Structure 4 or greater will also have a command
deck but and will have a control console for the Scanner and
Communications functions of Utility, along with Engine and Firepower.
Those of Structure 4 or greater will likely also have a Captains chair.
21 | P a g e
Starships
Generally speaking, most starships in the
Dryden universe run on nuclear power
plants. These plants operate the insanity
crystal, a specialized diamond in a carbon-
nanotube matrix that acts as a detection
device for ripples left over from the big
bang. From the point of detection, the
insanity crystal passes the edge of the
ripple to a series of wave guides that exist
in a circular form around all starships
creating what it known as the frame. This
configuration gives insanity crystals the
appearance of being encircled by a large
ring. These two features the insanity
crystal and the wave guide ring are stock
standard features of all starships with
everything else built within the ring and
around the crystal. Generally speaking, the
insanity crystal is open in the middle,
exposed to the naked cosmos. This is
because frames may occasionally be lost in
an act called frame shearing that causes a
radioactive cataclysm to occur. Being open
helps to shield the ship from the loss or
collapse of the frame, and generally the
areas in a vessel around the insanity crystal
are heavily shielded. Due to their size, most
starships are not capable of landing on a
planet or approaching one too closely.
Large stellar bodies, such as planets, flatten
out ripples, creating frameless areas.
Starships are also equipped with reaction
drives. Essentially, reaction drives allow a
starship to move and maneuver in an area
which would otherwise be considered
dead water for space travel.
 Starship Upgrades
Flat spots can also be created by ripplers:
Starship upgrades allows Cubies to personalize their starships. While the
framing drives held outside a planets orbit
Cell is free to purchase as many upgrades as they like, a Starship may
in a fixed location that grab and let go of not have more upgrades than their Structure (that means a Lin Viper
ripples in a random way. Any vessel Fighter may only have one upgrade, for example). A full list of Upgrades
attempting to frame into the vicinity finds is included in Big Damn Dryden.
it impossible to hold onto a frame as the
ripple is grabbed by another source then
abandoned. Ripplers are relatively easily
acquired and many planets and
installations use them extensively to force
vessels to approach slowly.

Gravity well generators are also considered

a core component of starships. These
devices create or disrupt the effects of
gravity, meaning they can be used to lift
objects off a planets surface or counter the
effects of pressure and acceleration in
starships.

The communications pony is also Starship Actions

considered stock-standard equipment for a Ships take actions on a Cubies turn as appropriate to their role on the
starship. Essentially a very large hard drive ship. For example, if a Cubie is piloting the gunnery station, then the
ship fires on their turn. If another Cubie is piloting the ship, then it
on very small starship, a communications
performs any special manoeuvres that turn. A ship will only do
pony carries vast sums of information on
something in an action if it has been ordered to by a Cubie as an action.
autopilot to a predetermined location. In Starships with multiple command consoles for its Traits are therefore
doing so, the pony overcomes the able to perform multiple actions simultaneously, so long as a crew
communications limitations of radio member is present to man the console.
signals, which travel at the speed of light
and are blocked by conventional obstacles
to radio transmission such as dust, gas or
physical objects.

22 | P a g e
Entering Frames
Perhaps the most basic or common starship manoeuver in the Dryden universe is for a ship to enter a Frame. Here the ship
can move faster than the speed of light, jumping from point to point. To do so, the ship must firstly be equipped with a
Framing Drive (as noted in the Notes section of its profile). Under normal conditions, a starship can enter a Frame without
too much effort and very little manoeuvring. For a trained starship pilot, engaging a Framing Drive is as about as difficult as
backing out of the driveway is for the average driver. Should the starship be under fire, badly damaged, in an asteroid field,
falling into a black hole or other problematic situation it requires a Manoeuvre roll from the ships pilot to safely enter the
ripple and move from point to point. Failure to do so means that the ship has is still in normal space, having caught the edge
of the ripple and incurs a point of damage to the starship for every 1 rolled.

Starship Combat
Starship combat works somewhat differently to person-to-person combat in Big Damn Dryden. While person-to-person
combat is based on the sole abilities of one combatant pitted against another, Starship combat can involve the efforts of
dozens, even hundreds, of crew members working together against similar numbers. In this sense, Starship combat is less a
brawl and more a grand test of will and wits. When two or more Starships enter combat with one and another, follow the
steps below:

Step 1: Captains Orders

At the start of a round of Starship combat, each Captain gives their orders, rolling their Intuition. If successful, the Captain
has successfully relayed a course of action to their Crew. Should the Captain fail on this roll or not undertake it (such as in
the case of an ambush) or, if the Starship has no Captain or leadership figure as such, the Crew suffer a 2 dice penalty on
their rolls in Step 2 and 3. Naturally, this penalty is also applied if the individual Crewman decides to disobey the Captains
orders. Additionally, if the Captain rolls a Catastrophic Outcome, increase the penalty by the quantity of 1s rolled by the
Captain (i.e. rolling a trio of 1s increases the penalty to -5). If the Captain has the Commander Context Skin, this step counts
as an order.

Regarding Fighters and other Starships with a single pilot, the lone crewman counts as both Captain and Crew for the
purposes of Steps 1, 2 and 3. The Game Master may allow exceptions, such as in the case of a wing of Fighters operating
under a single commander.

23 | P a g e
Step 2: Position
A single dot flared from the
The next stage is where Starships position themselves into a space that
Revenge as the first torpedo spun
allows an optimum firing position. In this instance, the Crew member toward Dark Companion and its
operating the command console for the Starships Engine rolls to do so. brooding protector, the Firthjof. At
Each success removes of the enemy Starships successes. I.e. rolling first the torpedo moved sluggishly
double 5s in this Step subtracts two successes from the enemy. In the forward but it gained speed rapidly.
case of combat with multiple Starships on each side, this Step is rolled Suddenly its frame drive burst of life
collectively for each fleet as each tries to out manoeuvre the other. and the torpedo raced toward Dark
The Starship with any remaining successes gains a bonus on their roll for Companion. At this distance it was
Step 3 equal to the quantity of successes remaining. Should a Starship
still a six-minute flight.
roll a Catastrophic Outcome on this Step, they have exposed themselves Battle Cruiser weapons are
to the enemy and grant their foes a bonus on Step 3 equal to the hot, the computer warned,
quantity of 1s rolled. Firing two, Lawson
pressed the launch key on the
Optional: Brace command console.
During Step 2 a Starship may elect to brace for impact. For Starships this Lawson held his breath as the
means simply battening down the hatches and preparing for impact. To two blips moved precipitously toward
do so, the crewman rolls Intuition with the Starships Structure instead Dark Companion. The Firthjof
of Engine. jumped to meet them. For a minute
Lawson thought the nuclear warhead
Targeting Framed Ships
in the first torpedo might get close
Shooting at a target in normal space is a relatively simple matter, a
enough to the Battle Cruiser to cause
vessels gunner needs simply to aim and press fire. Firing on a ship
some damage. But before the weapon
moving into and out of a Frame is a different matter. One needs to fire
entered effective range, a sheer burst
not at where a vessel is but where it will be. Doing so, imposes a -2 dice from the Firthjofs forward guns sent a
penalty on any Engine rolls undertaken in Step 2. lethal sheet of energy at the torpedo.
Step 3: Attack The torpedo detonated harmlessly, its
The final stage of Starship combat is to launch attacks. Rolling attacks warhead slagged before it could be
consists of an Intuition roll, adding dice equal to the ships Firepower activated.
along with any left over from Step 2. Again, the Cubie at the Firepower The Firthjofs energy
console makes this roll. Each success inflicts 1 point of Damage on the weapons fired and the second
enemy ship. In the case of battles between Fleets, each Starship projectile convulsed and tumbled
nominates its target and may target a number of ships with a single roll head over heel. It jarred off its
equal to their Firepower dividing successes evenly amongst them (thus planned course toward the Firthjof,
in this case, it is easy enough for a large battleship to take out a squad which flicked as its frame drive came
of Fighters).
to life again and the Battle Cruiser
began to move rapidly to intercept
Optional: Evasive Manoeuvers the Revenge. Firthjof fired again and
During Step 3 a Starship may elect to take Evasive Manoeuvers. For the bomb disintegrated uselessly.
Starships with a single crewman this means choosing to evade instead The Revenge strained as its
of firing. For Starships with multiple Crew, this means the crewman at fusion drive poured ragged propellant
the Engine console takes a second action, rolling the Starships Engine into space. The strain eased suddenly
with a -2 penalty for their second action. Each success cancels while as the frame drive took over and
undertaking Evasive Manoeuvers allows the Starship to ignore 1 point of Revenge started darting back toward
damage from enemy fire. interstellar space.
-Daniel B. Hunt Revenge

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25 | P a g e
26 | P a g e
Extras
Extras are all the people of a Big Damn Dryden adventure that arent
represented by players sitting around the table. These are the bartenders,
hitmen, outlaws, star pirates, and other notables of the Dryden universe.
Grunts, Troopers and Elites
There are three categories of Extra in Big Damn Dryden: Grunts, Troopers,
and Elites. While they are in many ways similar to Cubies, in terms of
facing them in combat and their importance to a narrative; Grunts,
Troopers and Elites represent three very different types of people.
Grunts
Grunts are unimportant minions and random encounters that the
characters might simply bump into out there in the universe or might be
tossed at as stock enemies. Grunts have the exact same statistics as a
player character except in regards to Defence and Wounds, of which
Grunts possesses a flat base rating of 1. Generally speaking, Grunts are
unnamed.
Troopers
Troopers are slightly more important characters, representing key
contacts, assistants, and notable henchmen of the main antagonist.
Troopers have the exact same statistics as a player character except in
regards to Wounds, of which Troopers possesses a flat base rating of 1.
Generally speaking, some key Troopers will have names.
Elites
Elites are the key players and important people in an adventure. Player
characters are Elites by default, as are key villains and allies. Elites have
the exact same statistics as Cubies with no exception. Most, if not all,
Elites have names.
27 | P a g e
Robert Gustav Mulhultz III (Elite)
Born to one of the leading families of Syrch
Corp., Mulhultz has never set foot on a
planet. Raised in the governing space
station for one of Syrchs mining systems,
he learned economic theory and etiquette
in primary school. While Robert officially
monitors ore shipments out of system, the
job is largely symbolic. The station is a
virtual Eden with every comfort known to
human kind. Robert has a full set of neural
jacks attached to his pleasure centres and
spends most of his time looking for new
and exciting ways to get stimulated.
Roberts dress is the latest fashion and all
of his friends are equally wealthy and
entirely vain. While Robert has an
expansive vocabulary and discerning taste,
most of the conflict in his life comes from
other members of Roberts peer group
showing up at parties wearing what he is
wearing.
Context Skins: Shipper.
Path Skins: Representative.
Arcana 1, Intuition 6, Shatter 1, Vitality 4
Barrier 3, Defence 3, Wounds 5
Armoury: None.
28 | P a g e
29 | P a g e
The Future
Whether humanity wishes to admit it or not, the future is alien. By the 2600s human dominance of local space will be
challenged by the Ile Solitaire and the strange sentient life in the oceans of Europa. This new age Belle Epoque will be
slower moving age filled with exotic living machines and organic spaceships. Lost human colonies will rise up and start their
own histories sometimes completely unaware that Sol was their home world. There will less of a focus on science and more
on the beauty of space and the strange creatures that swim in it. Although humans havent discovered them yet, the
terrifying technoprey are sleeping in the hearts of gas giant planets across the galaxy. Around the year 40,000 they will rise
up bringing with them, the Dark, an age of monstrosities and unguessed evil. Eventually, even that darkness will pass. What
strange new creatures will rise up in the far future? Who can say? The universe will go on, long after the dramas of man
are nothing more than relics and artifacts scattered across the galaxy.

30 | P a g e
 Timeline of The Dryden Experiment

2047 - 2049 The Extermination War: Simmering stress caused by over extended resources results in a short-massive
war with extensive use of and chemical weapons. Ends in a limited nuclear exchange. Much of North America and
Eurasia depopulated. Some areas remain uninhabitable for centuries.

2056/1/24 1st permanent lunar colony founded by Chinese. The base is named Qin.

2099/11/4 1st Mars Landing; China.

2106/4/22 First Venus Landing; New American Federation.

2110 1st Mars Colony; International Space Association.

2108 - 2117 2nd resource war. Original Chinese moon base destroyed. Rebuilt, named, Er Qin"

2118 - 2175 Period of global depression following 2nd resource war. Referred to as "Earth Twilight" because Earth's
resources past peak.

2175 Gravity well generators invented. They make inexpensive ground based space launches possible as well as
providing gravity for long distance space flight. Trade across planets within the solar system commercially feasible
for the first time. Dawn of regular spaceflight.

2180 - 2210 Period of rapid expansion within the solar system. Venus settled 2184, 1st Europa Colony 2188, many
asteroids settled, Jupiter Cloud colony founded 2210.

2184/5/13 University of Antarctica Grad Student Lachmi Dryden publishes Doctoral Thesis titled "The Effects of
Natural State Frame Fluctuations on Massed Objects." which outlines the principles for moving an object from one
point in space to another without passing through the points in between, effectively allowing faster than light
travel without violating e=mc2. The paper receives little attention.

2208/11/28 Events of Star Dust take place.

2211 Er Qin purchases a majority of Mars, Venus, and several asteroids, becomes first extra-terran mega corp.

2212 Terra Corp formed joining Earth the majority of Terra's economy, Europa, several asteroids, Mercury, and
the Jupiter Cloud Colony. Earth is effectively one economy.

2215/7/9 Er Qin tests the PTB 94, a prototype framing drive based on Drydens reseach, in deep space. While the
engine's failure is visible across the solar system, results indicate that the device jumped between points 2.3 light
seconds apart before destroying itself. Media invents term "Insanity Crystal" to describe the diamond and nano
tube lattice at the heart of the device.

2216 - 2223 Terra Corp. and Er Qin race to develop stable framing drives. Both claim success in 2223.

2219/12/4 - First reported contact between cetaceans and researchers at The University of Antarctica.

31 | P a g e
 2240 Captain Othall of Er Qin successfully pilots the Hai ou (Sea gull) from Mars to Earth and back using the Framing
Drive. While his average jump is only 3.6 light seconds, he completes the journey in, 84 hours hundreds of times
faster than conventional ships.

2243 Threat of war forces Er Qin off of the moon. They reorganize on Mars as Lin Corp.

2247 Undersea Ocean on Europa reached for the first time. Intense pressure and extreme temps. slow exploration.

2250 - 2296 Intense competition between Terra Corp and Lin Corp. occasionally boils over to open combat.

2253/2/20 - First space flight by a cetacean. Hides in Ferns secretly pilots U. of Antartica craft to Earths Moon
and back.

2297/1/1 Lin Corp stuns solar system by announcing that it has colonized 4th planet in Proxima Centari system and
has explored 3 other system. They reveal a secret base on "1st Stone" a 100 km wide object in the Oort cloud from
which they have built and launched ships capable of travels at speeds up to one light year per 500 hours.

2298/12/21 - Departure of "Ile Solataire" from Earth.

2305/1/4 Theiana Mason born, in the city of New Paris on Mars, to Derrik Markowitz and Patricia Mason.
Markowitzis a hydroponics engineer. Mason is a classical musician. The young Mason is trained as a musician.
However she is captivated by the discovery of life on Ninus 7 and enters the Sea of Tranquility University on the
moon as a biologist with a specialization in Exobiology.

2315/3/3 Lin Corp. announces the discovery of a life bearing planet in the Ninus system. There have been three
previous life bearing planets found. Ninus 7 is the first bearing complex multi-cellular life.

2317/8/6 Terra Corp. announces colonization of Tennus Star system.

2320 A series of nuclear "accidents" on Mars, Terra, and the Ingus asteroid result in Lin Corp. relocating to newly
colonized Romeo System. This change effectively gives Terra Corp. control of the Sol system.

2325/7/4 Tennus system declares independence.

2325/8/16 Parmer Chartered by Pim Corp.

2328/9/11 First recorded contact with The Eurpoean. An organism living in the depths of the ocean on Europa. It is
first clearly sentient exo-species.

2330/5/19 Events from Revenge take place.

2338/6/30 - League of Planets formed

2341/2/19 - Contact lost with colony Olive i-4. Later investigation reveals that a form of Terran Flu virus usually
carried by canines infected the local environment. The virus was able to infect all organisms on the planet
destroying the ecosystem and the atmosphere.

2341/3/11 - Theiana Mason and others form the Interspecies Defense Fund IDF. Initially, the goals of the IDF are
entirely peaceful. They establish protocols for the identification and protection of life bearing worlds.

2341/9/27 - League of Planets granted full control of Parmer 2 planet renamed League Prime

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 2346 - League of Planets launches series of deep space exploration craft. Among them is the legendary LOP Duster.

2355/10/1 - Syrch Corp. founded on Papen's World.

2358/2/14 Genrith System Chartered by Lin Corp.

2360 - Events from "Alder's World" take place.

2370/4/14 - First sighting of an "Ile Solataire" spaceship in deep space.

2380/2/27 - Group of IDF activists sign "The Charter" allowing for the use of violence to protect alien species.

2398/11/22 - First recorded attack on corporate interests by Mason's ship "The Moth."

2404/10/18 Ile Soltaire ship appears in orbit around League Prime, issues a short statement declaring thousands
of star systems toward galactic center off limits, vanishes.

2410/10/7- Events from Dark Side of Iapetus take place.

2414 Syrch secretly begins development of ring world around Skeelars Star at edege of Ile Soltaire no fly zone.

2435 - Events from Threshold take place.

2436 - Construction of the Opie Line begins.

2503 Start date of Big Damn Dryden.

2600 Having concluded that it will not survive the ecological changes brought on by humans, the European creates
a fleet of biological weapons and ships. It forces humans off of Europa and takes control of the Sol system. Ile
Soltaire, who have also been concerned about human expansion, fill many human star systems with ripplers,
effectively ending human control of Main Line. End of "The Primer." Belle Epoque begins. Human civilizations
begin to develop alongside alien societies around Milky Way

BE 20,000 Events of Demons Eye and A Matter of Trust take place

~BE 40,000 Technoprey wake and begin their swarm. End of Belle Epoque beginning of The Dark.

TD 88 The European fuses Technoprey technology with human and European technology. Birth of The Scourge.

TD 96 First appearance of Scourge species not created by the European. The European has lost control of
the Scourge.

TD 654 First appearance of the Blood Scourge.

TD 1200 Last humans retreat into hiding.

CD 0 Codex 2 begins an unknown amount of time later.

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Glossary
2503. The current year by the Gregorian Calendar.

Alien. Any non-human sentient Species.

Antarctic University. Premier research facility on Earth. Famed for producing the Framing Drive.

Baden Event. Moment when a sufficiently large percent of the Universe was in the counter-time state.

Big Three. Term used to describe the three largest corporations that rule and define the Main Line. Applied to Lin, Syrch and
Terra.

Consciencieusement Ignorer. Conscientiously ignore. Economic policy. Agreement, historically between Lin and Terra, to
avoid open, armed and militaristic conflict with each other or occupy the same physical spaces.

Corporate War. Cold war wherein each corporation battles for marketplace, resources and other forms of direct profit.

Corporation. Business based organization designed to benefit the mutual investment of its shareholders.

Cell. An organized team of Cubies, generally three-to-twelve.

Consortium. Planetary government outside the Main Line. At war with the Federation.

Cubie. Disposable corporate trouble shooters. Engaged in high-risk specialist operations on behalf of their corporate Patron.

Dark Energy. Form of energy postulated to act in opposition to gravity.

Dark Matter. Non-luminous material which is postulated to exist in space.

Earth. Planet. Home world of humanity, orbiting Sol.

Federation. Planetary government outside the Main Line. At war with the Consortium.

Framing Drive. Means of faster than light travel, allowing Starships to access the natural curves in the universe.
Galactic Centre. The center of the galaxy.

Ile Solitaire. Alien. Human-cetacean hybrids, enhanced through cybernetics exploring and dwelling towards the galactic center.
Perceived as Alien by Main Line Humans.

Interspecies Defense Fund. Activist organization with a mission to protect ecosystems and life forms from the Corporations.

Juice: Nanobots injected into and swarming in the recipients system, augmenting the bodys natural healing capabilities

League of Planets. Interplanetary organization of governments.

League Prime. Planet. League of Planets home world.

Lin. Corporation. Oldest and most venerable of the big three corporations.

Main Line. Core human space, defined by the presence of the Big Three.

Patron. A Cells corporation. Responsible for funding and directing the Cells activities.

Juiced: Heavily modified humans, typically denoting those with Juice.

Rippler. Framing drives held outside a planets orbit in a fixed location that grab and let go of ripples.

34 | P a g e
Sol. Star. Earths sun.

Sol System. Sol and the planets surrounding it.

Starship. Any vessel that travels in space outside a planets atmosphere.

Syrch. Corporation. Youngest of the big three corporations, infamous for its dirty business practices.

Technoprey. Alien. Gas giant dwelling energy beings, emerging every few thousand years.

Terra. Corporation. Militaristic inheritor of the governments and solar system of Earth. One of the Big Three.

Xenophile. Humans with a sexual fetish for Aliens.

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Character Sheet

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Prebuilt Scenario: Surly Carp Vs. Leviathan
Cell: The Crew of the Surly Carp
Patron: Lin.

The Crew of the Surly Carp is a Lin owned Cell. They are based or stationed on the Surly Carp, a cargo ship owned by
Maurice Morris and on paper, they are Couriers. For the most part thats what their jobs consist of acquiring dangerous
and illicit items from across the universe on behalf of Lin. Guy Chabot de Hanzo is listed as the Carps acquisitions officer.
The fact that he is a deadly swordsman makes the physical aspect of acquisition all the easier. Jane Scumbag037 acts as
the Surly Carps communications officer and, as an expert hacker, she can generally communicate with any other vessel or
individual whether they want her to or not. Sally MacLaine acts as the Surly Carps security officer and her job pretty much
is the only one that works as written keeping the Cell safe on mission through the use of deadly force, if necessary.

Patron
Patron is the Cubies corporate backer and supporter: the entity that sends them on jobs and pays them when the job is
done. Unlike, Traits, Armoury or Skins a Patron is not personally tied to an individual Cubie, but the Cell as a whole. Indeed,
the composition of the Cell is to a certain extent dictated by the Corporation itself. Generally speaking, Players choose a
single Patron collectively, employing it as a plot-device to bind their Cell together. However, while Patron is a collective
choice made by all players at the table, the Game Master is free to dictate or assign a particular Patron to the Cell based on
the narrative they have designed.

Each Patron will confer a distinct bonus to a Cell. In addition, the Cell gains a 1 point reduction on of the cost of all Armoury
items manufactured by their corporation (naturally, Freelancers gain no such bonus).

Lin
Lin is the oldest of the big three corporations. In many ways it is considered the most respectable and friendly, associated
with an idealized image of the human species and Earth as it was prior to the planets resources being depleted.

Lin Bonus: +2 Dice Bonus on all social based Arcana or Intuition rolls.

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Guy Chabot de Hanzo
Guy grew up on a rural planet within the Main Line. Part of Lins agricultural arm, Guys parents were the managers of an
entire region of the planet. His talents and tastes indulged, Guy demonstrated an affinity for martial arts from an early age
and had taken up swordplay by his teens. Freelancing early in his career, Guy worked for both criminal organizations and
the League of Planets before being called home. His sister, Julie, had taken a job as a Cubie and gone missing while on
mission. While Guy was the natural choice for her replacement in the corporations eyes, for Guy there was only one reason:
to find out what happened to his sister.

Context Skin: Prodigy (Weapons)

Path Skin: Mad Skillz (Sword).

Arcana 3, Intuition 3, Shatter 5, Vitality 4

Barrier 3, Defense 5 (4 unarmoured), Indentured 3, Wounds 9

Armory: Arthur Sword (+3), Minotaur Leather Armor (+1), Oliver Dagger (+1).
Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes
Arthur Sword 4 Lin Weapon +3 Melee.
Minotaur Leather Armour 2 Lin Armour +1
Oliver Dagger 2 Lin Weapon +1 Melee.

Mad Skillz

This Skin reflects a life time of training, dedication, natural talent with (not to mention a whole heap of psychological
fetishism of) a type of specific Armory item. While anyone who uses fights regularly might gain the Warrior Skin, chances
are a Cubie who has been formally trained in fencing is far more proficient with a sword. A Cubie using an Armory item for
which they possess formal Training thus increases the bonus of said item by two. For example, a Cubie trained in the use of
a Hand Scanner, and gain a +7 bonus when using a Midas (over the typical +5). For the purposes of this Skin, a Cubie may
choose a single specific type of item such as Flak, Pistol, Sword or in the case of Starships, Cargo or Fighter.

Prodigy

This Skin reflects a natural ability with a category of Armory item. While anyone who uses computer systems regularly might
have the Hacker Skin, a Prodigy Cubie was born knowinghow to use a computer. On gaining this Skin, the player selects one
type of Armory item for their character such as Armour, Starship, or Weapon. When using an Armory item from this
category, the items bonus is increased by one. For example, an Armour Prodigy Cubie wearing Minotaur Leather Armour
gains a +2 Bonus to Defence over the typical +1.

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Maurice Morris
Maurice Morris grew up on a small, industrialized, planet outside the Main Line. His mother was a local store clerk. His
father worked on his space ship, a Lin Gnome, that he was fixing up with dreams of becoming a Freelance Cubie-courier -
taking dangerous cargo to exotic locations across the galaxy. The dream was a pipe dream but after his mother died, his
fathers dream became an all-consuming passion. His father got in debt deep with Syrch. Unfortunately, on the first missed
payment, Syrch sent a Cell to exact repayment in blood. The Cell killed Maurices father and transferred the debt to the son.
On that day, Maurice became their pilot and his fathers starship their personal transport. It didnt matter how much
Maurice payed back working for the Cell, the debt didnt seem to budge until the day a representative of a Lin-owned shell-
corporation offered to pay a large chunk of Maurices debt in exchange for betraying his former Cell. Now, Maurice works
for Lin as part of a Cell not just their lackey. Maurice is sure his former comrades are out there somewhere, looking for
revenge and he knows theyll try to take it one day.

Context Skin: Formerly Indentured.

Path Skin: Pilot.

Arcana 1, Intuition 6, Shatter 4, Vitality 3

Barrier 3, Defense 5, Indentured 10, Wounds 7

Armory: 7AR0N3 Carbine (+1), Gnome Cargo Ship with Automated Upgrade, Goldfish Slipshot.
Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes
7AR0N3 Carbine 2 Syrch Weapon +1 Ranged, +2 if used 2 handed.

Ship Manufacturer Cost E F S U Cargo & Crew

The Surly Carp, Gnome Model Cargo Ship Lin 14 1 1 6 1 10 crew, total armoury bonus of +5 million.
Automated Systems: The Starship with this upgrade has had a portion of its functions automated, requiring 10 less Crew.
Should a Crewmans roll be required for an unmanned portion of the system, the Automated Systems contribute 1 Dice.
This upgrade has a cost of 15.

Formerly Indentured
Formerly Indentured to a corporation, the Cubie has long since paid their debt back. As a result of this Context Skin, the
Cubie gains additional Armory items to the value of +10 (in addition to their typical +5).

Pilot

Smuggler, fighter ace, navigator! The Cubie with this Path Skin has spent years at the help of starships and gains a +2 dice
bonus on Piloting rolls.

39 | P a g e
Jane Scumbag037 Hancock
Growing up homeless on a derelict space station, Jane learnt how to jury-rig her way around the communications
equipment. The skills served Jane well as a way off the station, but they didnt give her a resume. And while Jane failed to
secure legitimate employment, there were other people who didnt care where her skills came from. Besides, after a couple
of big scores and stints in the Ceres III Penal Colony, Jane had a different kind of resume. Janes life changed on a kidnapping
gone wrong. After kidnapping Charlie, the infant son of a Syrch CEO, the corporation refused to pay. Burdened with the
child, Janes employers traded her and the child to Lin. While Jane ended up raising Charlie as her own, the truth of his
circumstances eventually came out. Now Jane hopes that a series of jobs in a corporate Cell will earn her the bank balance
and legitimacy to make it up to Charlie and see her grandchildren.

Context Skin: Convict.

Path Skin: Hacker.

Arcana 6, Intuition 6, Shatter 1, Vitality 4

Barrier 6, Defense 3, Indentured 0, Wounds 5

Armory: Hermes Comm. Implant (+2), 23FEEE Scanner-Eye (+1).

Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes

23FEEE Scanner Eye 3 Syrch Scanner/Cybernetic +1
Hermes Communications Implant 6 Lin Communications/Cybernetic +2

Convict

Having served time in prison, the Cubies record tells the tale of a criminal past. Even if the character is now on the straight
and narrow (or was never a criminal to begin with), this record establishes their credibility amongst the outlaw syndicates,
crime families, gangs and other criminal organizations across the galaxy. As such, the Cubie with the Convict Context Skin
gains a +2 die bonus on all social rolls when dealing with criminals.

Hacker

The Cubie is adept at dealing with computers and other means of communication and information technology, gaining a +2
dice bonus on all attempts to hack or otherwise unlawfully access a computer, device or database.

40 | P a g e
Sally MacLaine
Sally MacLaines story is more or less a straightforward one. She was born and raised on an agricultural colony outside the
Main Line. Both her parents were part of the planets militia and taught her to shoot. They didnt die on mission, but from
old age last year. Sally left her home planet a decade or so before, working as a security officer for Lin at a public medical
research facility on a rural planet in the Main Line. Happily married, Sally had all she wanted until the dreams started. The
voice in her head drove her to strive for more, pushing Sally to pursue promotion into a Cubie Cell. What the voices want or
who they belong to is a mystery to Sally. All she knows is they occasionally add other objectives to a mission.

Context Skin: Colonist.

Path Skin: Gunslinger.

Arcana 1, Intuition 4, Shatter 3, Vitality 4

Barrier 2, Defense 3, Indentured 3, Wounds 7

Armory: Artemis Rifle (+4), Cyclopes Occular Scope (+3).

Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes
Artemis Rifle 6 Lin Weapon +4 Ranged,
2 handed, Cant be used in Melee.
Cyclopes Occular Scope 4 Lin Scanner +3 May be attached to a Ranged Weapon
adding its bonus to attack rolls.

Colonist

While the broader template of Human existence - 9.80665 m/s2 gravity, 1,000 kg/m3 density water, etc - is attempted to
be replicated on numerous colonies, space stations and terraformed worlds variation does occur. Born on one of the many
worlds colonized by the Human race, a Cubie with the Colonial context is familiar with many distinct variations in flora,
fauna, water, oxygen, gravity and other staples of daily human existence. A Cubie from such a background gains a +1 Die
bonus rolls to deal with the effects of variant, poisonous or dangerous oxygen, gravity, landscapes or food.

Gunslinger

Be it in the military firing range or in their back yard aiming at a bunch of bottles, the Cubie with this Path Skin has been
trained or trained themselves to shoot with deadly accuracy. The Cubie with this Skin gains a +2 dice bonus on Intuition rolls
when undertaking a ranged attack.

41 | P a g e
Adventure: Leviathan
The game opens with the Cell roughly 70 light years outside the Main Line systems. Their Patron Corporation has picked up
a distress signal from the Martel, a covert research vessel currently orbiting the star, Rama. While the Martels monthly
Communications Pony to the corporation arrived as usual with news of a big success it was followed up three days later
with a distress. It is now two weeks later and the Cells mission is thus to locate the both data-cores of the Martel (in
command and the computer laboratory) and recover the last of the research, erasing the originals once the files are copied.
Additionally, Lin wants the crew of the Surly Carp to seek out and rescue any surviving crew.

The Martel itself is a retrofitted Gnome cargo vessel. This means it has all the standard features command deck from
which piloting, navigation, and weapons can be accessed, an engine room, crew quarters and supporting rooms such as
kitchen and bathroom, relatively small medical bay, docking bay for smaller vessels, docking port to meet with larger ones
and naturally, a cargo hold of a cargo ship. The cargo hold, however, has been sealed shut. While part of the cargo hold
remains as such (containing food, drink, clothing, uniforms, communications ponies and other such supplies), another series
of areas has been built within. The Martels cargo hold features a number of small laboratories and a main operating
theatre, along with prison cells, a morgue, blood bank and sample storage facility, vivisection museum (with human
displays), a vault, computer laboratory and officer workspace with its own data-core separate from the Martels main core.

Approaching the Martel

The Cell, it can be assumed, use Maurice Morris Cargo Ship to arrive at the Martel. As the Cells vessel approach the Martel,
it is apparent that they are not the only ones who have come to investigate. The South Star, a pirate vessel, has also
noticed. Depending on the Cells actions, the Pirates may negotiate or deal with the characters diplomatically. But any
sudden action or signs of aggression, however, see the Pirates attack instantly.

The Situation Aboard

Once aboard the Martel, the Cell can set to work. The purpose of the Martel was to produce a new type of Geist Marine. For
Terra Corp, this new type was to be an improvement on the existing model stronger, faster, and most of all
unquestioningly loyal and relentless. For Lin and Syrch, the experiments carried out aboard the Martel were to create a new
type of Heavy Infantry aimed at exceed the capabilities of Terras Geists. The experiments had an outcome, but their effect
is questionable. Test subject E-56, also known as Thomas Leviathan, became reduced to a state of nature lashing out
with psychopathic violence. Single handed, Thomas slaughtered most of the crew aboard the Martel.

Once the Cell are aboard, three things occur. Any Cubie with Scanner or Communications type Armory items begin to
receive signals from the crew quarters. The signals are in a pattern of four short bursts of scrambled data followed by a
pause. A second short burst of scrambled data comes through, followed by a second pause. The pattern continues with a
long burst of scrambled data followed by a pause again in a series of bursts and a pause before it starts over again. One or
more Intuition rolls (use the Multitasking rules for a single roll) to unscramble the data finds:

The data is nothing but adware and pornography.

Understands the pattern realizes that it is Morse Code for H-E-L-P.
Pinpoints the location of the data in the storage facility.

Moving About
As the Cell moves about the Martel, have Thomas Leviathan stalk them. If the Cell ever split up, Leviathan will trail the
smaller party rather than the larger. And attempt to target the weakest or less combat able of the Cell first before
proceeding to the bigger prey.

Command

42 | P a g e
The command centre of the Martel is largely a wreck. Leviathan has been here and smashed most of the consoles. An
Intuition roll can be used to repair or otherwise fix some of the console functions. As it stands, while the Martel has Engines,
Firepower and a variety of other traits, the means to control these systems are dead. Use the Multitasking rules for this,
with each success restoring one of the following systems: Propulsion (Engines), weapons (Firepower), intercom (any
computer console or wall-panel in the Martel can be used as a +2 Communications Armory item and may project the
Cubies voice anywhere in the ship), surveillance (a Cubie at this console can observe any space within the Martel Intuition
roll required to find someone specific), artificial gravity (turning it off imposes a -2 dice penalty on all Shatter based rolls),
and access to the data core which can reveal what was happening aboard the Martel but nothing of its research. Life
support is also available, but the Cubie may roll to gain control of it turning it off in select portions of the Martel. Turning it
off, however, results in all Oxygen production ceasing for the Martel and the players have an hour of real world time before
the ship is out of Oxygen. Without Oxygen, the Cell and Leviathan must make a Vitality roll each round to hold their breath.
Each failed roll inflicts a point of Damage on the Cubie and a -1 penalty on the next Vitality roll. At this time, a catastrophic
failure inflicts one point of damage per 1. A Cubie may also uncover details of Thomas Leviathan and the nature of the
Martels mission. Have the Cubie undertaking repairs announce each system they wish to turn back on in the order they are
undertaking repairs. Any Catastrophic Outcome resulting in that system. Should this be the smaller group of Cubies,
Thomas Leviathan attacks just after the first roll.

Computer lab

While this area once contained twenty or so large computer terminals, they have all been smashed by Leviathan, as has the
data-core. The data-core can be repaired and recovered with an Intuition roll and if investigated, can inform the Cell about
the tests on Thomas Leviathan and their hideous results. While broken, the data-core is not erased and it will require a
terminal to be repaired before any information can be wiped.

Storage facility

The storage facility is locked from the outside. The lock is electronic and requires an Intuition roll to hack the terminal or a
Shatter roll with a -2 dice penalty (the door is big, heavy and secure) to break the door down. Once inside, the Cell find signs
of violence and shooting. The Cell also finds a hacked communications terminal broadcasting the Morse Code on a loop and
four corpses. An intuition roll to investigate the corpses reveals one of the following facts (in order) per success: the corpses
are of scientists, the corpses have been partially eaten, the corpses have been decaying for about week, despite the time
the corpses have been in the storage facility some of the bite marks are fresh.

Additionally, the moment the Cell enters the storage facility Bill Smithers flees. The Cell may make an Intuition roll to spot
Bill escaping. Bill is one of the scientists stationed aboard the Martel. In the panic of Leviathans escape, Bill and about three
other scientists hid in the storage facility and were locked in there by Thomas to starve to death. The other scientists didnt
get time to starve as Bill snapped, driven mad by the carnage he witnessed, and attacked them. Since then, Bill has been
living on the bodies of his former colleagues. Bill, for the most part, hides from both the Cell and Thomas and will not fight if
confronted but instead attempt to flee and hide. Bill may, if followed, attempt to ambush lone Cubies or small groups.
Most of all, however, Bill will attempt to steal whatever means of transport the Cell have used to get aboard the Martel. Use
the Scientist Extra profile for Bill.

Vault

The Vault is where the Martel kept all its sensitive records and research outcomes, including blood samples such as that of
Thomas Leviathan, E-56. While the Game Master is encouraged to play up the creepy menagerie of horrors and mad science
paraphernalia that is undoubtedly located in this area of the Martel, there is nothing special about it. The blood on the
other hand will draw Leviathan to whichever Cubie is carrying it and from that moment on, that Cubie alone is his target
until they are dead or no longer carry the blood.
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Exit
Once the Cell have achieved both their objectives in both locations, they are free to leave the Martel. In doing so, however,
Leviathan will attempt to beat the Cell to their means of exit and sabotage it.

Wait what about?

Does Guy find his sister? Do Maurices former Cell come looking for revenge? Does Jane reconnect with Charlie? And who or
what is voice in Sallys head? Those questions and more will have to wait for another time. If you want to pursue them, go
pick up a copy of Big Damn Dryden!

Thomas Leviathan (Elite)

For all intents and purposes of the rules, Thomas Leviathan is an enhanced Super-Heavy infantryman with the addition of
the Adjusted Skin (in general terms, the Adjusted Skin represents Leviathans uncanny ability to sense the Cell throughout
the Martel). While Thomas does wear Power Armour, he does not currently have a helmet on. Downplay the effectiveness
of attempts to appeal to him, however, even imposing a -4 penalty. If successful, Leviathan isnt about to let the Cell leave
he just might not kill them himself.

Context Skins: Adjusted, Juiced.

Path Skins: Guerrilla, Soldier.

Arcana 2, Intuition 4, Shatter 12 (6 unarmoured), Vitality 4

Barrier 3, Defence 11 (5 unarmoured), Wounds 1

Armoury: KNL Rifle (+4), Oliver Dagger (+1), Y53523 Pistol (+2), Titan Heavy Power Armour (+6), 23FEEE Scanner-Eye (+1).

Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes

23FEEE Scanner Eye 3 Syrch Scanner/Cybernetic +1
KNL Rifle 6 Terra Weapon +4 Ranged, 2 handed, Cant be used in Melee.
Oliver Dagger 2 Lin Weapon +1 Melee.
Titan Heavy Power 18 Lin Armour/Cybernetic/Intoxicant +6 Stimulant.
Armour (Shatter)
Y53523 Pistol 3 Syrch Weapon
+2 Ranged

Adjusted

It is known that the human brain can be Adjusted to develop some rudimentary psychic powers. This is typically the work of
corporate experiments or strange alien creatures. A Cubie with an Adjusted brain may make an Arcana roll to read a single
target. For each success equal to and in excess of the targets Barrier, however, the Adjusted Cubie may gain one piece of
information about the target. Typically, this reading occurs roughly in terms of mood and other surface feelings. Direct
thoughts, motives, plots and plans are not generally conveyed. In terms of range, a reading works over similar distances and
areas as a Scanner Armory item. Should the Adjusted Cubie read an entire room or space, they gain a generalistic feeling
of the mood or extreme moods within the area but nothing specific such as the third person on the right is very angry
and lonely. Should the Cubie read a specific individual, however, they may gain detailed information. Reading an individual
detained on suspicion of possessing illegal goods, for instance, might turn over that the man is not only lying but worried
and scared as well.

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Guerrilla

Guerrilla fighters are generally small, irregular, civilian forces who employ examples of petty warfare to harass and wear
down the enemy rather than face them head-on. When planning an act of guerrilla war action such as a raid, sabotage
mission, hit-and-run or other action the Game Master deems appropriate, a Cubie with this Path Skin may make an Intuition
roll. The Cubie creates a pool of dice equal to the quantity of successes. Any rolls made by the Cubie and any allies
conducting the action may employ a 1 Dice bonus if the Cubie wishes. Doing so depletes the quantity of available bonus die.
Once the dice pool is depleted no further bonus dice may be drawn. When the action is over, any bonus dice are
automatically depleted.

Juiced

Juice is nanobots drunk or injected that rebuild, transform, and reshape the recipients body at a constant rate. Swarming
through the subjects body, the nanobots swiftly repair any wound suffered, knitting broken bones together and rebuilding
lost limbs. Thanks to the nanobots in their circulatory system and bloodstream, the Cubie with this Skin regains 1 Wound
every day in addition to those regained with a Vitality roll.

Soldier

This Path Skin represents professional combat training as a solider, both in terms of melee and ranged combat. The Cubie
with this Skin gains a +1 dice bonus on attack rolls, be they ranged or melee combat.

Bill Smithers (Grunt)

Context Skins: Formerly Indentured (covered cost of study).

Path Skins: Scientist (Bio-engineering).

Arcana 5, Intuition 5, Shatter 1, Vitality 1

Barrier 5, Defence 1, Wounds 1

Armory: House Scalpel.

Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes

House Scalpel 3 Lin Weapon +2 Melee

Formerly Indentured
See Maurice Morris entry

Scientist

A Scientist is a person who is studying or has expert knowledge of one or more of the natural or physical sciences. With this
Path Skin a player may pick an area of Science for their Cubie, gaining a +2 dice bonus on Intuition and other rolls based on
this area. While the specifics of the area are up to the player and the Game Master examples include: archaeology,
andragogy, biology, geratology, physics, neurology and so forth.

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Pirates (Grunt)
The South Star carries on it a crew of 65. Operating under half crew, the South Star imposes -2 penalty on any rolls made by
crew to pilot, navigate, shoot or otherwise utilize the ship. However, their superior firepower and manoevability makes the
South Stars crew and captian overconfident when dealing with the Surly Carp. At the Game Masters discretion, one of the
Pirate crew may be a Captain, with the Command Skin and of the Trooper Rank (Defence 5).

Context Skins: Convict.

Path Skins: Pilot, Soldier.

Arcana 2, Intuition 4, Shatter 6, Vitality 3

Barrier 3, Defence 1, Wounds 1

Armory: ADF51 Hand Scanner (+5), Y53523 Pistol (+2).

Item Cost Manufacturer Type Bonus Notes

ADF51 Hand Scanner 7 Syrch Scanner +5
Y53523 Pistol 3 Syrch Weapon
+2 Ranged

Ship Manufacturer Cost E F S U Cargo & Crew

South Star, T03R51I Model Cruiser Syrch 12 2 2 3 1 200 crew.

Commander

Corporate manager, mercenary squad leader, starship captain whatever they are in charge of, a Cubie with this Path Skin
is large and in charge. Whenever the Commander gives an allied Cubie be it an Extra or player Cubie an order, the
commanding Cubie may make an Arcana roll. For each success, the ally gains a bonus die on their first roll associated with
the command (i.e. 3 successes becomes a +3 bonus).

Convict

See Jane Scumbag037 Hancocks entry.

Pilot

Smuggler, fighter ace, navigator! The Cubie with this Path Skin has spent years at the help of starships and gains a +2 dice
bonus on Piloting rolls.

Soldier

See above.

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