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 Cloaked
vigilante
By Mark Hunt

Gangbusters rpg original concept Rick Krebs

Original System design Rick Krebs
Based on work by Rick Krebs and Mark Acres

This game is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any
reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited
without the express written permission of Mark Hunt.

1
 Rule Number One
The rules additions presented here are
guidelines, not laws and they do not cover
every possible situation that may arise
with their use. The game judge should
modify the added rules whenever he
deems it necessary to fit his game. While
the judge is the one who has the last word
when it comes to including these rules
and their interpretation good
communication is always needed with all
players on what is used and what is not.

The rules of this product were designed specifically to work with the
GANGBUSTERS RPG. This will allow you to mix and match new
options to add to you adventures.

2
 It was an age of the Black mask.
When the Roaring Twenties whimpered out on October
24, 1929, America awoke to a bleak cold reality. The
stock market had crashed. Businesses failed. Millions
were soon to be thrown out of formerly secure jobs.
Thanks to the experiment called Prohibition, organized
crime controlled many sectors of a now-faltering
economy. The gangster had been romanticized in
books and films and even pulp magazines like Gangster
Stories and The Underworld. Their bloody
depredations were tolerated, even celebrated, during
the good times because no one knew how to legislate
a thirst for alcohol out of existence.

Once the Depression settled over a frightened nation,

tolerance became a luxury. With Repeal in 1934, the
gangster no longer had an exclusive lock on the
lubrication of sorrow. He had become too powerful,
too brutal and the underworld was now moving into
more vicious territory- drugs and white slavery.

America began looking for heroes….

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Who are they, these masked crusaders for justice? Perhaps we
may never know! -The mayor of Rock Junction

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Players portray those mysterious figures who stalk the night the
night, as shadowy figures dedicating their life to fighting
criminals in the “Big City”. Having lost faith with the legal system
to enforce laws, there is but one thing for him to do "take the
law into his own hands," and launches his own, personal
crusade, functioning out- side the law, against injustice where
ever he may find it. He traditionally keeps his identity a secret,
to protect his public life and those relations he may keep in it,
for these would be obvious targets for his many enemies. With
his secrets secure He now battles evil head-on with a clenched
fist or a trusty pair of .45’s with little regard to the danger
involved.

Famous Cloaked Vigilantes are set in mythic 20th century' - a

historically grounded version of the world and is not about
worshipers of the otherworldly or practices seen as foul and
perverse, yet it must be mentioned here. Magic is the unknown
workings of things best left alone. This Knowledge in the arts will
always taint a user in the end.

In any case, the existence of powerful magic ought to be a rare

and unusual event, concentrated in the hands of a precious few.
Note that there is no magical skill available in the character
creation process. This ensures that only you, the judge can grant
access to magic in the game, should you want it.

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New Skill

Stage Magic: The character is familiar with the tricks of largescale

magic (disappearing, finger flashes, rope tricks, cutting people in half,
etc.) and may use the equipment required for such tricks. Given time
to work unobserved, the character may also improvise such illusions.

Note that the player is still required to tell the Judge what he or she
is going to do if an attempt to improvise is made. When stage magic
is combined with lockpicking, the character has the basic skills of an
escape artist. He or she will have a base 70% chance of slipping free
from ropes and other bindings. This does not include locks or
handcuffs as lockpicking skill is used for these. The character also has
a 60% chance of finding a secret panel or exit if the correct spot is
searched.

Cloaked Vigilante CAMPAIGNS

Cloaked Vigilante campaigns are similar to the regular Gang Busters

game; the main difference lies in the type of characters the players
portray. The Action hero is usually into the action, whether or not it
might involve something outside the law or those who operate that
way, while the Crime Fighting hero actively searches these things out
to end the lawless ways. Both types of heroes stop crime, but while
the Action hero usually encounters crime as an incidental condition,
the Cloaked Vigilante makes stamping it out a crusade, his life's work.
The Cloaked Vigilante will usually stay within strict guidelines in this
campaign against evil, often employing gadgets, a secret identity, and
a few loyal assistants to help him in his quest to remove crime from
the world. In many cases these Cloaked Vigilantes were victims of
crime, like The Avenger, The Batman or Mack Bolan. Sometimes they
were even former criminals themselves, like The Shadow. Whether
atoning for past wrongs or preventing what happened to them from

6
ever happening to anyone else again, the Cloaked Vigilante combats a
never-ending battle against those who break the law. Cloaked
Vigilantes are particularly well suited for Crime Fighting, with crime
posing the very reason for their secretive ways, whether for the
protection of innocents or merely to strike fear into the hearts of their
foes.

Organized crime offers a unique situation to the Cloaked Vigilante sub-

genre. These so-called "crime families" operate outside the law, often
with little or no regard for it at all. Their arms are long-reaching, as are
their memories. They possess their own private armies and arsenals,
while the Cloaked Vigilante usually operates against them alone, or
virtually so, with little help from anyone. These crime syndicates'
control reaches into the political offices of city, state, and often federal
governments. They have elected officials in their pockets, either by
bribery or through blackmail. In America, Prohibition opened up a
golden opportunity for black-market crime, and it became a booming
business. Even after Prohibition was repealed, the damage was done.
Criminals had carved their niche in society. A good example of the
Crime Fighting genre can be seen in the motion picture The
Untouchables, detailing the Chicago mob, and Elliot Ness' war against
Al Capone.

Movies to use as an example

The Shadow
The Phantom
Green Hornet
Zorro
Dick Tracy

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8
Creating a Cloaked vigilante
Generate your characters abilities just like the basic rules but instead
of picking a class you use the rules presented here. Select two skills
and roll 2d10 +30% for each to generate the starting skill levels.
Starting Skill choices.
Public relations Art Expertise
Forgery Stealth
Disguise Pick Pockets
Counterfeit detection Public speaking
Card Games Boxing
The following are tips for players with Cloaked Vigilante characters:

1. Become acquainted with as many PCs and NPCs as possible.

You never know when you might need a tip or a favor. Cloaked
vigilantes should make a point of becoming acquainted with the local
police, ward bosses, politicians, crime reporters, bootleggers and
secretaries in the offices of the high and mighty. They are valuable
sources of information.
2. Make good use of public information sources such as credit
bureaus, car license branches, city agencies which give building
permits, zoning changes, business licenses, etc. They are easy sources
of fast and often very important information.
3. Always protect your secret Identity. Essentially, this means
either keep your face covered, masked, or disguised some way or
eliminating, making sure they won’t talk or discrediting those who
happen to see it uncovered
Special case Encounters. There is a 65% chance each game week or
gaming session that they will uncover some type of criminal activity
that needs their special attention. The clues that leads them to the
activity depends upon the characters weekly actions, the amount of
activity of the Unknown going on in the campaign (both by PCs NPCs)
and the game judge's discretion.

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What you did before you donned the black mask
Your Origin what did you do before you donned the mask.

First roll a d10 to see which table to use.

D100 1-5 6-10

01-03 Academic Accountant
04-06 Acrobat Ambassador
07-10 Animal Handler Antique Dealer
11-13 Archeologist Architect
14-17 Athlete Athletic Manager/Coach
18-20 Athletic Trainer Attendant (Asylum)
21-24 Aviator Bail Bondsman
25-28 Barber Bartender
29-32 Book Dealer Boxer
33-36 Bored Civil Servant Bounty Hunter
37-40 Businessman Charter Boat Captain
41-44 Clerk Cook
45-48 Copywriter College Student
49-51 Cowboy Dentist
52-55 Driver Entertainer
56-59 Executive Explorer
60-63 Farm Hand Farmer
64-67 Film Crew Film Star
68-71 Gambler Foreign Correspondent
72-75 Golf Pro Jazz Musician
76-79 Librarian Military Veteran
80-83 Merchant Marine Missionary
84-87 Painter/Sculptor Pharmacist
88-91 Professional Athlete Politician
92-95 Professor Radio Announcer
96-99 Sailor Shopkeeper
00 Steamship Captain Military officer

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Name generator
Your cloaked hero should have a name that strikes fear and helps
provide a cover for his activities. Flimsy covers that wouldn't last five
minutes in the real world are so common and yet they somehow
stand up to the scrutiny of hostile and friendly intelligence agencies,
the media, police, friends, relatives, co-workers, employers, and
other heroes-no matter what.

Stuck for a name.

D10 First part Last part

1 Green knight
2 Silver Lama
3 Bronze Bat
4 Black Enforcer
5 Golden Avenger
6 Avenging Spider
7 King Devil
8 Midnight Tiger
9 Cobalt steel
10 Silent Justice

Example: Tom will play a guy known as the Bronze Enforcer.

Benefits of Gaining Levels.

Cloaked Vigilantes who go up in level gain the following special

benefits in addition to the normal benefits:

Level 2-the character's Presence score is temporarily increased by

(20) two points (to a maximum of 10) whenever he or she is dealing
with criminal NPCs.

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Level 4-the character’s Luck score is permanently increased by 1d10
points.

Level 6-the character can lose his secret only if convicted of a felony;
this prestige is enough to prevent local officials from revealing his
identity to the public unless he is convicted of a capital offense.

Level 8-the character gains the permanent friendship of any law

enforcement agency of his or her choice.

Killing Suspects.

If a Cloaked Vigilante kills a suspect while trying to arrest him, the

character earns experience points as though he had made the arrest.
The character does not earn X.P.s if the suspect was not guilty or if
the judge decides the character did not need to kill the suspect to
protect himself or the public.

Earn XP for XP earned

Arrest criminal for Felony 1,000xp x level of Criminal
Criminal convicted due to your An additional 1000 xp
actions
Crime stopped 500xp x lvl of the perpetrator
Solve a crime 1,000 xp x level of criminal
Rescue 200xp x lvl of the victim
Bust up a Conspiracy 3,000 xp
Stop a world class conspiracy 5,000 xp x level of criminal
Stop a Misdemeanor 100 xp x lvl of the perpetrator

Keeping the secret

If the player Keeps the characters Id secret during the adventure he

gains a 10% bonus to XP.

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Mystic

Seekers of Hidden Knowledge Beyond the Veils of Consciousness of

life beyond the grave.

With the death and destruction of the war to end all wars
Spiritualism was a means of coping with the horrendous loss death
and trauma. Men and women all over world tapped into this need for
those still trying to come to grips in the years following World War I.

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How to Play A Mystic

It is assumed that most PCs who play Mystics will play honest agents.
No matter how you play them you are a bit of a huckster or con
artist, you biggest aim is to have an air of mystery about yourself.
Here are a few tips to playing a mystic:

Become acquainted with as many PCs and NPCs as possible. You

never know when you might need a tip or a favor.

Try to keep the public trust, public opinion is your best tool.

Make good use of public information sources such as credit bureaus,

car license branches, city agencies which give building permits,
zoning changes, business licenses, etc. They are easy sources of fast
and often very important information.

Always get at least part of your fee in advance.

Try to have at least one person who will have your back no matter
the risk or implications

Select two skills and roll 2d10 +30% for each to generate the starting
skill levels.

Starting Skill choices.

Public relations Art Expertise
Forgery Stealth
Disguise Pick Pockets
Counterfeit detection Public speaking
Card Games Boxing

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Scam artist

The judge should assume 65% all NPC Mystics are dishonest. PC
Mystics should note this can make their job much more difficult as
people try to expose them as frauds. Dishonest mystics who are
caught can face charges of fraud or even conspiracy depending on
their actions.

Expenses

Mystics often need a place to work out of, they need a place to bring
clients. So, they must provide themselves with an office, a secretary,
and a city business license. These cost between $50 and $75 per
week, but all Mystics are assumed to earn enough money in minor
cases to cover these and other office expenses.

Special case Encounters. There is a 75% chance each game week or

gaming session that some person will seek them out actively seeking
information about a love one or some type of information. The
information the Mystic finds depends upon his actions, the amount
of activity of the Unknown going on in the campaign (both by PCs
NPCs) and the game judge's discretion.

If any Mystic goes four weeks without a special case, and does not
have at least $100 in reserve, that Mystic must get a special case the
next week or he will be unable to pay his expenses and will be kicked
out of his office.

At the beginning of the campaign a mystic makes a Luck check to

actually have ESP. If they fail, they do not have it but may still play a
mystic.

Mystics earn EXP just as a Cloaked vigilante.

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Extrasensory perception or ESP, also called sixth sense, includes
reception of information not gained through the recognized physical
senses but sensed with the mind. This skill starts at 2d10 + 19% and
can be improved like any other skill as they level.

Heightened Focus

Mystics have a Focus

discriminating sense of D10 The item
awareness and have 1 Crystal Skull
learned to read people 2 Deck of cards
by giving them 3 A set of 1d10 bells
4 Crystal ball
something to
5 Golden Brassier
concentrate on while
6 Tarot cards
they studied the 7 Chinese Gong
surroundings. 8 Old oil lamp
Each Mystic possess a 9 1d10 various bones and dice
10 Silver dagger
Focus that helps them us
this skill.

Observation + 10 so long as they have this item and can sit and
concentrate for 1d10 minutes.

After 1922

Cult and History knowledge, this will be able to answer questions

about Egyptology with a base roll of 35% This skill be raised like any
other skill gained.

This allows the Mystic to provide answers about various aspects of

ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture
and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native
religious practices in the 4th century AD.

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 Mysterious Powers

Each character has a 15% chance of having a mysterious power at

the start of the game. Percentile dice are rolled and if 01-15 is
obtained, that character has a mysterious, power. Of course, the
Judge can allow each player to have a power if they so choose.

Unlike the other skills, this power is randomly selected on a d10. The
possession of the power has nothing to do with the ability scores of
the character, although the effectiveness of the power does.

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 Mysterious Power Table

d10 Power

1 Command

2 Confusion

3 ESP

4 Foresight

5 Hypnotism

6 Invisibility

7 Luck

8 Fear

9 Shadow
Control

10 Luck

Command: With this power, the character can add +20 to his Presence
at will. When he does this, all of the character’s actions and checks
related to Presence are based on its new value. However, the use of
this power is more draining than normal Presence use – 10 points are
temporarily lost from the character’s Muscle every time this power is
used. The lost Muscle points are regained after a full night’s rest.

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Confusion: A character possessing this power can attempt to confuse
anyone within line of sight who has a Presence lower than the
character. To do so requires that the character have a focus and that
he be within 10 yards of those he is attempting to confuse.

The chance of success is equal to five times the character’s Presence.

If this number or less is rolled on percentile dice, the victim is
confused. Confused persons may not take any actions against the
character and will react as follows (roll 1d10):
D10 Effect

1-3 Does nothing, takes no actions

4-6 Retreats if possible

7-8 Attacks another person (determine randomly)

9 Acts in an irrational manner

10 Temporary Amnesia for 1d6 hours.

The Confusion power requires a full turn to activate and causes the
user to temporarily lose 10 points of Luck. Any number of people can
be affected by the Confuse power up to the user’s Presence score so
long as the victims meet the previously given conditions. Most of the
time, anyone who is familiar with the character’s power – that is,
anyone who knows the character well – will be unaffected by the
power. The only way in which someone who knows of the character’s
power will be affected by it is if the user concentrates solely upon the
target. The chance of success is double the user’s Presence.

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ESP: Under certain conditions, a character with this power may
attempt to discern the thoughts of others and sense hazy images of
the immediate surroundings of the person being scanned.

The power is sensitive to great activity or emotional distress and so the

character must first be able to relax and concentrate for 15 seconds,
before indicating the person he wants to scan. The chance of success
is equal to the target’s Luck plus the user’s Presence. If the results of
the percentile check is equal to or under this chance, the attempt has
been successful. If the percentile roll is 10 or more percentiles over the
chance of success, then not only has the user failed to scan the target,
he has in error scanned the mind of a random stranger anywhere up
to 1d6 miles away. (Such an error could be a good method to lead
characters into new adventures.)

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Thoughts obtained via ESP will seldom indicate the age, sex, or name
of the person being scanned whose true motives may also be carefully
hidden or buried. In general, ESP will only hint or suggest at what the
user is trying to learn, but this is often enough for a wily character!

Fear: Through the use of a focus, the character may cause unreasoning
panic in those who observe him. The chance of success is a percentage
equal to the average of the character’s Presence and current Luck. This
power requires that the character stand motionless for a full turn in
full view of his intended victims, concentrating on his focus.

When this time has passed – provided the character has not been shot
or otherwise had his concentration broken, everyone in sight of the
focus who either do not know the character or have some reason to
fear him must roll percentile dice. If the number rolled is equal to or
less than the character’s success number as figured above, that victim
will first attempt to flee, or failing that, do one of the following two
things, either cower or hide (Judge’s choice, attempting to avoid the
gaze of the character. Using the Fear power is a strain on the character,
both mentally and physically. Each time the character uses this power,
he suffers bruises equal to 1d10 Hit Points of damage, as if he had been
in a fist fight.

Foresight: Due to his mental training, this character is often aware of

things others might not notice. The character can also ask three ‘yes-
or-no’ questions of the Judge per adventure. These questions must
deal with some action that the character plans to take or be based
upon information that character might realistically know or suspect.

Hence, a question such as, “Is he the ringleader of the smuggling ring?”
would only be permissible if the character had some cause to suspect
that person. The questions have a 10% chance of being answered
incorrectly; this is secretly determined by the Judge.

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Hypnotism: This power can only be used in non-combat situations and
requires the use of a focus. By use of the focus, the victim is placed in
a light, sleep-like trance. While the victim is in this state, the character
can attempt to implant suggestions or extract information. To
determine the chance of success, subtract the victim’s Presence from
that of the character to obtain a plus or minus-number. If the resulting
number is negative, then the target is not affected, otherwise the
number is then multiplied by 10. If the number or less is rolled on
percentile dice, the attempt succeeds.

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Certain suggestions, particularly those that would result in the death
of the victim or someone close to that person, are more difficult to
plant successfully. For these, there is only a 10% chance that the
suggestion will be acted on after it has been made.

Invisibility: Use of this power automatically renders the character

invisible to most persons around him. No die roll is required, as the
success of the power is usually automatic.

However, the character is not actually invisible as those with an

Observation of 90 or higher will be able to see the invisible character
and will be able to direct others to that character. The act of
confounding the senses of others is a physical and mental strain, so
much so that the character suffers 1 Hit Point of damage in bruises for
every Round or part of a Round that character remains invisible. Hit
Points lost can be regained through rest, as if they were normal hand-
to-hand combat wounds.

Luck: A character with the power of Luck has certain automatic

advantages, provided that character’s ‘luck’ is determined to be ‘good’
for that adventure. At the start of an adventure, the Judge secretly
determines what the character’s luck is, with a 50% chance of it being
good, 40% normal, and 10% bad. ‘Good Luck’ gives the character a +10
to all chances to hit, whether in gun or hand-to-hand combat.
Furthermore, the character is allowed a die roll to see if he succeeds
in doing anything that would be feasible or remotely possible, even in
situations where such success would normally be considered nearly
impossible. It is up to the Judge to set the difficulty of the die roll. The
less chance there is that something could actually happen, the harder
the die roll will be to make. Hence, if a character with good luck were
to fall from a plane at 5,000 feet, there might be a 10% chance that he
could survive the fall relatively unhurt by landing in tree branches or a
deep lake. All die rolls of this nature should be made secretly by the

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Judge. This roll is in addition to the character’s normal Luck roll! The
Judge must also be careful to see that a character with the Luck power
does come to dominate the game, demanding die rolls for entirely
inappropriate situations and depending upon his good fortune rather
than on good roleplaying.

It is the responsibility of the player to suggest how such a lucky event

might come to pass. If he cannot think of a method, the Judge is not
required to give the character a luck die roll.

‘Bad Luck’ affects the character by reducing his gun and hand-to-hand
chances to hit by 10. Bad or normal luck will also decrease the
percentage chance of near-impossible success, perhaps (but not
necessarily) all the way to zero.

Shadow Control: When using this power, the character will appear to
be within a mass of inky shadows in which no clear features are
discernable. These shadows will move with the character as flitting
shapes. All attacks against a character using this form of the power will
be treated as if he were a concealed target. The character can also use
the power to create shadows of specific objects, even though the
particular object may not actually be present at the time, or to alter
the shadow cast by an object which is present. Both forms of the
power require a source of light and shadow, hence the power will not
be of use in a totally dark or shadowless area. Creating the shadows or
shadow images causes the temporary loss of 5 points of Luck for each
Round the power is maintained. Such losses can be regained through
rest at a rate of 5 points for eight hours’ sleep.

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Sight: A character who has the power of Sight has developed and
trained his senses to augment his sense of vision. He can see details of
objects at twice the distance for a normal character, thus doubling the
encounter distance (unless circumstances dictate otherwise). The
character is also able to sense his way through areas of total darkness,
smoke, or fog. Even if blindfolded, the character will be able to find the
general location of all objects or people within 10 feet of him. Attacks
made under such conditions will only suffer a -10 penalty on the
chance to hit. Furthermore, a character with Sight can notice smaller
details and has a +10 bonus to his Observation when searching for any
stated thing.

25
Cults can appear in regular cloaked adventure
This is a handy chart in creating names for the cult.
D10 First Part of the Name Second part
1 The Way of the Third eye
2 The Cult of the Blood eye
3 Sisterhood of the Broken sword
4 The Shining Fallen God
5 The Maddening Cursed One
6 The Brotherhood of the Burning Sea
7 The lost Black Hand
8 The followers of the Lost sheep
9 The Fallen children of the Burning Pit
10 The Shepard’s of the Eternal way

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 Why they do what they do

d100 Odd Even

01-05 Destroy a relationship Uphold an oath

06-10 Secure payment Satisfy a curiosity

11-15 Spy on another End a rivalry

16-20 Silence someone Escape punishment

21-25 Right a wrong Prove someone’s innocence

26-30 Usurp someone’s power Become infamous

31-35 Find a missing person Establish a relationship

36-40 Set an example Regain power

41-50 For fun Make someone envious

51-55 Subdue a movement Make someone succeed

56-60 Attract a following Find an antidote

61-65 Find a missing object Overturn a decision

66-70 Test someone’s limits Avoid responsibilities

71-75 Pay a debt Make someone angry

76-80 Establish a new identity Regain fame

81-85 Find a lost treasure Dominate an Organization

86-90 Damage another’s reputation Protect a reputation

91-95 Assume another’s identity Perform a religious ceremony

96-00 Find spiritual enlightenment Earn money

27
Traps

There are times when criminals boobytrap access to their still,

hide outs or the warehouse where they store their stash. These
traps can take many forms from Shotguns wired to blast
trespassers to spring loaded blades to trap doors that swing
open when a character walk over it. If any character does
something which could trigger a trap (such as walking over a
certain point), the trap will be sprung. The Judge should let
players make an observation or Luck check for each character
28
passing the spot until the trap is either sprung or safely passed
by all. Any trap that is triggered will automatic inflict damage or
its effects once sprung, and traps are not considered part of
combat. The Judge may allow a Saving throw to avoid the full
effect or reduced damage on a case by case basis.

Each trap will do a certain amount of damage based on the type

of trap. The trap could be falling bricks, a shot gun blast or even
poison gas but they all will fit on of the types below. The Judge
sets the type as they see fit for the situation.

Type of trap Damage inflicted

Minor hazard 2
Moderate hazard 4
Major hazard 6
Harrowing hazard 8

The Get away

Running from the law or in hot pursuit of a bootlegger, chances are the
characters will get into some sort of chase during the game. Whether it's a
run through crowded city streets, a duel between trucks on a lonely mountain
road, or a policeman riding horseback through the city parks, you need to
know how your character can stay ahead in a chase. The rules are the same
for all modes of travel from foot chases to high speed boat races.

29
Cars

In these rules, the word car means any type of motor vehicle. When
characters are traveling in a car, one character must be Driving.

Car Movement

all Vehicles have two speeds; slow and fast. The distance a car can move in
one turn is shown on the CAR MOVEMENT TABLE this is considered one length
for chase purposes.

Speed Feet 15’ map 5’ map

Slow 30 2 squares 6 squares
Fast 75 5 squares 15 squares

A car must move at slow speed for at least two turns before it can move at
fast speed. A car moving at fast speed can slow down (brake) to slow speed
at the end of any turn. A car moving at slow speed can stop at the end of its
move on any turn.

A car moving at fast speed can stop by braking to slow speed at the end of a
turn. It must then drive at slow speed or two turns, md can stop at the end of
the second turn.

Optional Movement Rates

Using these optional rules, cars can move at any speed that is an even
multiple of 10 miles per hour (10, 20, 30, 40, etc.).

A car moves 15 feet per turn for every 10 mph of its speed. For example, a car
traveling at 40 mph will move 60 feet per Game turn (4 X 16 = 60).

Traffic

Driving around town and chasing cars is of course affected by Traffic

density at various times of day. The amount of traffic found in

30
downtown areas at various times are shown on the TRAFFIC DENSITY
TABLE. The Effects of Traffic Density. Traffic density affects the chance
that a driver will crash. A character’s Driving score is modified by the
types of traffic as follows:

TRAFFIC DENSITY TABLE

Time of Day Type of traffic Modifier
1O:O1 p.m. to 6:OO a.m. Light +10
6:O1 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Heavy -20
9:31 a.m. to 12:OO noon Moderate 0
12:01 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Heavy -20
1:31 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Moderate 0
3:31 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Heavy -20
6:31 p.m. to 1O:OO p.m. Moderate 0

Keeping Track of Car Movement.

When used on the maps, the car counters should be placed so the front of
the counter is pointing in the direction the car is moving. When the car moves,
the counter is moved the appropriate number of squares on the map. (On the
15-feet-per-square map, the front half of the counter shows the position of
the car.

Who has the lead?

Most cases involve two sides, or two characters. In either case, the person or
group being chased is called the Leader, and the person or group doing the
chasing is called the Follower.

You need to know how far apart the Leader and the Follower are when a
chase begins. All chases use the term Lengths instead of squares as its
measurements. The number of lengths that the leader covers before the
Follower takes after him is called the leader’s head start. Roll 1d10 for length.

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HOW FAST IS EVERYBODY GOING?

From a stop
Add leaders head start + leaders move – follower move

Each turn moving

Leaders move – followers move = lengths ahead

Closing the gap: this can be done by:

Taking risk, such as taking a corner too fast, jumping over obstacles, flying too
low

Hazards

In a chase, there’s a bunch of different kinds of obstacles and complications

that can come up. Here’s a sample but not comprehensive list. In general,
the checks to pass these obstacles are at a -20. If you fail the check, you drop
back 1d10 lengths; if you roll a critical failure you take 5 bruise damage from
a collision or similar mishap.

Roll 1d10 for what type, or choose one:

1. law enforcement- run into cop or right through a police operation

2.Simple– barrels, gate, street vendor’s blanket, etc.
3.Barrier– fruit cart, unexpected turn
4.Wall – traditional “end of alley” wall, fence
5.Gap– ditch, open manhole, pit
6.Traffic– pedestrians, bootleggers, taxi
7.Squeeze – crawlspace, hole in wall, between two parked trucks
8.Water – river, wharf, pool, fountain
9.Terrain – gravel, mud bank, slick cobblestones
10. Construction Site- Piles of brick, workers, supply trucks

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Country Road Hazards
D10
1. law enforcement- run into cop or right through a police operation
2. Gap– ditch, washed out road, pit
3. Terrain – gravel, mud bank, snow
4.Swerve to make or miss– fruit cart, unexpected turn off
5. fallen tree or farm animals block the road
6. Slow moving tractor or horse cart
7. Herd of cattle, sheep or horses block the way
8. Barn raising had blocked the road with dozens of cars and wagons.
9. law enforcement- run into a cop chasing someone else!
10. Bootleggers loading trucks

Special Driving Actions

There are three-special driving actions: racing turns, bumping and cutting off.

Racing Turns.

A driver using a racing turn sends the car into a skid by slamming on the
brakes and then uses the skid to turn the car around 180 degrees. This action
can only be attempted at fast speed. It requires a Driving check with a
modifier of -30. Failing the Driving check means the car crashes. If you pull
this off you can gain 1d10 lengths.

Bumping.

Trying to force another car to crash by smashing into its side arrear is called
bumping. A car can bump at any speed. When a driver tries to bump another
car, both drivers must make Driving checks. The driver who is bumping checks
normally. The driver who is being bumped checks with a modifier of -30. If
both drivers try to bump at the same time, both check with modifiers of -30.
A driver can bump only once every three turns.

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Cutting Off.

Forcing another car off the road by passing it and then turning directly in
front of it is called cutting off. Cutting off can be done at any speed. The driver
who is cutting off the other car must make a Driving check. If the check fails,
neither car crashes. If the check is successful, the driver of the car being cut
off must make a Driving check with a modifier of -30.

Special Maneuvers

Special driving maneuvers can be attempted by the driver when the

car has all tires intact and is traveling at high speed.

Bootleg Reverse

A car making a bootleg reverse uses the brakes to cause the vehicle to
skid into a 180° turn and come to a complete stop. This maneuver is
often performed as a way to quickly reverse direction. The maneuver
takes two rounds to complete – one to turn to 90° and another to
complete the skid to 180°.

Firing guns from Cars

Driving a car takes two hands, so a character who is driving cannot fire
a gun. If the car is stopped, a driver who has a weapon must spend a
turn drawing it or picking it up from the seat before he can fire it.

Shooting At Cars

Shooting at cars is handled exactly as the basic game with one

exception. When a burst from an automatic weapon hits a car, the
attacker must check to see where each bullet hits. Bullets that hit the
windshield or a window will wound one passenger each. The game
judge determines which passenger each bullet hits, either choosing

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randomly or by considering the angle of the shot and the arrangement
of the passenger’s in the car.

Bulletproofing

Bulletproofing increases a car’s Hit Points by 10 and reduces its top

speed by 20 mph. The windshield and windows of a bulletproofed car
can withstand five single shots or one burst before shattering.
Bulletproofing costs one-half as much as the car being bullet-proofed.
Touring cars cannot be bulletproofed.

Vehicle Hits

When vehicles are hit, roll for hit location to determine the effect.
Roll Effects
1-2 Tire Hit: The vehicle takes 2 points of damage and suffers a Tire Blowout
and the driver must roll to not crash at a -30.
3-5 Internal Damage: The vehicle takes normal damage and the engine is
critically damaged and will stop in 1d10-1 rounds.
6-9 Body Hit: The vehicle takes normal damage. See also Passenger Injuries.
10 Windshield Hit: The vehicle takes a single point of damage and the window
is broken. (If there are no windshields, the vehicle takes no damage but
passenger injuries must still be resolved.)

Automobiles
Here is a list of classic American automobile types from the era.

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 Type Passengers Max speed Hit points
Coupe 1-3 50 mph 25 +d10
Limousine 1-7 70 mph 40+ 2d10
Sedan 1-4 60mph 35 +10
Sport 1-2 75mph 25+d10
Sport Touring 1-6 65mph 30 +d10
Touring 1-6 60mph 30+d10
Truck Light 1-3 50mph 50+2d10
Truck heavy 1-3 50mph 70 +3d10
Motorcycle 1-2 75mph 15+ d10
Other dangers

Pedestrians

Any pedestrian who is about to be hit by a car should be checked for

surprise on the turn before he will be hit. This check is not needed if
the pedestrian could see the car coming. If the pedestrian is not
surprised, he is allowed to make an Agility check on the next turn. A
success check means the pedestrian dodged just in time to avoid the
car. The pedestrian is hit if he fails his Agility check.

Any pedestrian who is hit by a car must roll on the CRASH DAMAGE
TABLE. The pedestrian is injured exactly as if he were a passenger in a
car crash. He is allowed to make a Luck check if the injuries are severe
enough to kill him. Hitting a pedestrian has no effect on a car.

Collisions with Pedestrians

A car colliding into a pedestrian takes no damage from the collision,

except cosmetic damage, while the passenger takes 4points of
damage per 10 mph the vehicle was travelling at.

Collisions with Other Vehicles

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A crash happens automatically whenever two cars are in the same
space at the same time during their normal movement.

In addition, the driver of a car must make a Driving check whenever

1. The driver is surprised;

2. The driver is injured by gunfire or struck in a fistfight,

3. One of the car’s tires is hit by gunfire;

4. The car goes through an intersection at fast speed;

5. The car is traveling at fast speed and makes a turn that is tighter
than 45 degrees;

6. The driver attempts a racing turn or tries to bump or cut off

another car (bumps, cut offs and racing turns are explained below).

A driver who fails one of these Driving checks must consult make a
nerve check or get into a crash and they then take damage based on
the nature of the collision.

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Head-On Collision: Combine the speeds of both vehicles. Each
vehicle takes 1d10 damage per 10 mph, while passengers in each
vehicle take 3 damage per 10 mph.

Sideswipe: A sideswipe does 1d10 damage to the vehicle hit and

1d10-1 damage to the attacking vehicle. Passengers in each vehicle
take 1d3-1 damage.

Rear End Collision: Subtract the speed of the vehicle hit from the
attacking vehicle. The vehicle hit takes 1d10 damage per 10 mph
while the attacking vehicle takes 1d6-1 damage per 10 mph.
Passengers in each vehicle take 3 damage per 10 mph.

T-Bone Collision: Use the speed of the attacking vehicle. The vehicle
hit takes 1d10 damage per 10 mph while the attacking vehicle takes
1d10-1 damage per 10 mph. Passengers in each vehicle take 3
damage per 10 mph.

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This is a handy list of the typical NPCs. The Judge can mix and match to
make countless NPCs or roll up new ones. The Judge should assign Levels
and skills as needed to fit the story they are telling. Of course, you can
always use the USUSAL SUSPECTS card set as a ready source of NPCs.

NPC Mu Ag Ob Pr Dr Lu HP
FBI Agent 80 85 90 7 88 30 22
Prohibition Agent 50 60 54 5 57 12 16
Patrolman 75 65 63 5 64 23 19
Police Sergeant 80 67 72 6 70 25 20
Police Captain 78 66 85 7 76 33 20
Detective 83 72 87 6 80 28 21
Private Investigator 73 68 89 6 78 42 20
Newspaper Reporter 55 60 93 4 77 16 17
Independent Punk 60 65 85 3 75 18 18
Gangster 73 58 57 5 59 14 19
Gangster Enforcer 98 72 43 8 58 12 22
Gangster Driver 37 92 88 3 90 09 18
Gangster Hit Man 71 88 83 5 86 15 21
Gangster Gun Moll 33 75 78 7 77 13 16
Syndicate Boss 62 54 89 9 72 39 17
District Attorney 51 48 90 8 69 40 15
Judge 45 39 96 9 68 26 16
Defense Lawyer 48 43 45 7 67 22 15
Store Clerk 50 55 65 3 50 14 15
Corporate Executive 48 52 74 6 59 16 20
Store Clerk 47 53 44 8 64 37 13
Blue Color Worker 83 62 82 6 53 20 15
Career Girl 28 43 65 5 63 22 16
Flapper 31 62 73 7 68 11 13
Ward Boss 61 49 83 8 66 24 16
Derelict 44 32 28 1 30 48 13

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