Universe Ball Anthology #1 (Sample)

Universe Ball Anthology #1 (Sample)
CREDITS: Game Design By: Dylan Assed Sami Jarbouh Writing, Art, Formatting By: Dylan Assed Special Thanks To: Heather Assed Play Tested By: Deniz Onmus Amerr Chtay Yazan Chtay Jordan Smien Case Smien Karum Alatrash George Young Alexa Garcia Chris Elliott Abhinav Karnati Note on the music in this game: We are not affiliated with, nor are we endorsed by any of the songs, song artists, or trademarked intellectual property referenced in this book. Welcome to THE WEIRD WORLD OF Universe Ball ANthology Universe Ball Anthology is a series of absurd, sci-fi tabletop roleplaying games. Our goal with these homebrew books is to provide a somewhat simplified version of tabletop roleplay in order to minimize the technical aspects of RPGs and to maximize on creative problem-solving while being stupid with your friends. The series is an anthology in that every book will provide two completely different stand- alone adventures: one long, multi-chapter campaign, and one short experimental adventure. The long campaigns are complete stories that will span over multiple play sessions, while the smaller adventures are short experimental games that revolve around a con- cept/mechanic that would probably break a longer campaign. The worlds within the books all exist within the same universe; however, every game will feature completely different stories that will require the creation of new characters and the introduction to new settings. Some games will be on alien planets, while others on Earth during a certain time period. Some games will even dip their toes into different genres. You never know what you’re gonna get, but at their core, they will all have absurd sci-fi elements. To stay up to date on future books, follow us on our social media pages. Q Instagram: @universe_ball_anthology D Twitter: @UB_Anthology R Reddit: Universe_Ball_TTRPG We hope you enjoy your journey... 1 2
THE S.S.O.S. MAIN CAMPAIGN A HEIST GAME 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS What is this Game? ............................................................................................. Game Assets ........................................................................................................ Premise ................................................................................................................ Make an Adobian .............................................................................................. Welcome Aboard the S.S.O.S. ........................................................................... Introduction ....................................................................................................... Main Deck ......................................................................................................... Sky Pool Deck .................................................................................................... Farm Deck ......................................................................................................... Engine Deck ...................................................................................................... Captain’s Deck .................................................................................................. The Mystery of the S.S.O.S. ............................................................................. Item List ............................................................................................................ Chemical Spray Paint Effects ............................................................................ NPC List ............................................................................................................ Yep, That’s Me (Mini Adventure) ...................................................................... 7 8 9 11 15 17 25 35 45 53 61 69 71 74 75 87 6
WHAT IS THIS GAME? Players will play as a crew of thieves and explore a strange space cruise ship in an attempt to heist its valuable fuel, all while dealing with an array of alien criminals and misfits. This game’s tone is cartoonishly surreal mixed with mystery elements. It’s designed to encourage creative problem-solving, roleplay, and exploration. The game is split up into six chapters total. First, an introductory chapter, then five sections called decks. To avoid burnout, it is recommended you split this game up into multiple play sessions that end every time a new deck is unlocked. • Six chapters. • Each chapter is 1-3 hours long. • 2-4 players. (Plus 1 GM) What Do I Need To Play?: All you really need to play is to know how to roll dice checks and the general flow of a basic tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG). You will also need TTRPG dice, or a dice-rolling website/app to play. If you don’t know how to play a TTRPG, you can read a How To Play instruction booklet attached to the Game Assets. Game Design: The game design can best be described as a dungeon/sandbox hy- brid. The overall progression of the game works like a giant dungeon, having players unlock areas of the ship in a specific order, however, each of these areas are open sandboxes that allow players to do as they wish and solve problems however they see fit. The game is somewhat Metroidvania-esque in that it’s about locks and keys. Not in the literal sense, I mean that there will be obstacles blockading progression to the next area that requires players to solve open-ended problems to move on. Players will start the game in a small secluded area and the ship will slowly open up to them as they explore more and more. As players move through the many areas, the mystery of the game will unfold and the story will build to a climax and resolution. How to Prepare: The Game Master (GM) should pre-read this book or at least the outlines before each chapter to get a summary of what’s going on within each deck. The GM should also read the NPC List pages and The Mystery of the S.S.O.S. pages to prepare. Please read the premise to players before making characters! GAME ASSETS In the final game, there’ll be a QR code you can scan to access printable game assets, including character designs, the NPC List, the Item List, and maps. It will also include simplified instructions on the basics of how to play a tabletop RPG if you never have. 7 8
World 1&2 - Super Mario Galaxy 2 Read this to players. PREMISE For the last eight years, your galaxy has been in a gradual decline after the arrival of a large, destruc- tive space creature known by its victims as the dreaded Duddel Pa. Duddel Pa has caused all life in your galaxy to go extinct… all except for a tiny population on your planet, Adobe, who barely survived the creature’s clutches after a local scientist discovered a substance that fended it off. Although the monster was thwarted, your planet was left in apocalyptic ruins with no proper resources to rebuild. Society even- tually crumbled, the government fell, and Adobe became a dangerous wasteland riddled with crime. The conditions of your planet have turned you into a small scale grifter, stealing food and clothing to scrape by. You’ve only survived the apocalypse this long thanks to the help of a retired, elderly jewel thief named Jem Dreamweaver who’s spent her entire stolen wealth to care for you and a few other bandits. Togeth- er, you have formed a band of thieves led by Jem herself. She’s taught you everything you know about thievery. Unfortunately, Duddel Pa has left Jem in a life-threatening condition in desperate need of a new heart. Your crew has made it their mission to get her a new one, however, hearts are very expensive, and Adobe no longer has anything worth stealing that’ll afford the organ. For what feels like ages, you’ve been down on your luck with dreams of a chance to save your beloved friend. Thesandof your fallenplanet isstill looseinyour shoes...
You will be playing as an Adobian. Adobians are a race of lizard-like aliens who’ve endured an apocalypse that wiped all life from their planet besides a small group of survivors. Without resources, their government has fallen, and society has completely broken down. Those who didn’t go insane have succumbed to thievery and other criminal activity in an attempt to survive. The main characters of the game are small-scale grift- ers who’ve been taken in and cared for by an elderly jewel thief (Jem Dreamweaver). Players will start making a character by choosing an archetype of criminal that they are, and will then mold it to be more personalized. The group’s shared goal of the game is to save Jem Dreamweaver, but they can also each have smaller personal character goals. WHAT IS AN ADOBIAN? CLASSES First, you will pick a class. Classes determine what unique skills a character has and ensures differentia- tion between players. If the players do not like the listed classes or skills, they can edit or change them with the mediation of the GM. Each class comes with a customizable Bonus Skill. Bonus Skills give the player an opportunity to be creative and invent a unique skill related to their character. Get as weird as you want without making said skill overpowered. If players do not wish to create a bonus skill, they do not have to. Players can each use one skill per turn and two per battle. The Brain: -Planning (+2 wisdom on perception checks) -Quickthinking (use to retroactively dodge an attack) -Deduction (roll advantage when trying to deduce if someone is lying) -BONUS SKILL The Muscle: -Intimidation (+2 charisma on intimidation rolls) -Athletics (+1 strength on attacks) -Flex (only take half the damage from a hit) -BONUS SKILL The Conman: -Deception (+1 charisma when lying) -Persuasion (+2 charisma when persuading) -Performance (+2 charisma when performing) -BONUS SKILL The Cat Burglar: -Stealth (+2 dexterity on stealth rolls) -Pickpocketing (roll advantage when pickpocketing) -Acrobatics (+3 dexterity on acrobatics) -BONUS SKILL The Wildcard: -Surprise (distract a character by doing something shocking and get them to roll disadvantage) -Catchphrase (Say one for +1 charisma on any type of roll) -Joke (command attention by telling a joke) -BONUS SKILL The New Guy: -Prove worth (do something noble to have a +2 charisma when interacting with teammates) -Coffee break (get everyone coffee to make your teammates roll advantage) -Small talk (distract NPC’s with vapid small talk) -BONUS SKILL Now it’s time to really make your character... First, pick a name, along with an alignment for the type of character you will play as. Look online for alignment charts if you do not know what this is. Then give your character a short, personalized de- scription of the type of person they are, from personality to pre-apocalypse occupation, hobbies, and background. It might also be beneficial to give them a thing that they personally want unrelated to saving Jem. Maybe they wanna open a bakery one day, or own a beach house. The more that this want relates to acquiring money, the better it will fit into the game. If you want to expand your character and connect them to the game even further, then you can invent something that Duddel Pa took from your character when the creature attacked the planet. Maybe a family member was murdered, or a dream went unfulfilled. You can also create a drawing of the character you’ve created if you’re feeling creative! CHARACTER HEALTH POINTS The base amount of health points a player starts with is determined and scaled based on how many people are playing the game. Use the chart below to figure out everyone’s base HP. Base HPs: -2 players= 40 HP each -3 players= 30 HP each -4 players= 25 HP each Once the base HP has been determined, you can add or subtract 5 points from each player’s base HP de- pending on how strong or weak their character is. If they chose The Muscle class for instance, they might add 5 to their base HP to represent that strength. If they chose The New Guy, they might subtract 5 from their base HP due to being weaker. STATS There are four stats in this game. Strength, Charis- ma, Wisdom, and Dexterity. (We have combined Intelligence and Wisdom and did away with Consti- tution all together for the sake of simplicity. Feel free to change this if you see fit, but don’t forget to invent stats for all of the NPC’s that need it). When fighting, players will roll a 4 die to attack until they find weapons. Each player starts with a base 10 for each stat, and has 7 extra points to disperse across them to make certain skills stronger (add these 7 points to the base, not the modifier). Use the chart below to figure out how changing the base stat affects your stat modifiers. If you wish to weaken a skill, you can also subtract points and invest them in another skill. Players don’t have to use all of their points if they don’t wish to. BASE 2-3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 MODIFIER (-4) (-3) (-2) (-1) (0) (+1) (+2) (+3) (+4) AAAAAAAAAAAAH! 12
Players get 5 inventory slots from the start of the game. Each player starts the game with a walkie-talkie in their inventory and should not start the game with weapons! These are import- ant to the game’s design. In addition to inventory slots, players also have a sep- arate bag slot used to carry any inventory expanding items that they find (like backpacks, or pouches). Each player can only hold one bag at a time to prevent stacking. Finally, players will need an armor slot. Any wear- able items that protect a player from damage are considered armor. They should not start with armor unless agreed to do so by the GM. Players can also start the game with any items from the list below that they wish to fill their inventory with. INVENTORY Choose From... -Duffel Bag (Increases inventory by +3 slots) -Stop watch -Pair of Gloves -Sunglasses -Electric Razor -Chewing Gum -Flashlight -Notebook & Pen -Rope -Music Chip Player (No music chips included) -Nail File -Black Jumpsuit -Box of Matches -Duct Tape When you’re done, your character sheet will probably look something like this… WHEN YOU’RE DONE WE’RE DOOMED!!! 14
Read this to players. Just when the fate of the Adobe people seemed to be at its bleakest, a mysterious golden cruise liner appeared from the heavens and claimed to be a rescue that was sent to fly your remaining population to the nearest habitable galaxy. With no other options, the remaining Adobians have agreed to teleport on board... WELCOME ABOARD THE S.S.O.S.
ROOM NAME Song Title - Artist or Origin CUE FIGHT GENERAL CHECK NPC NAME= character summary (alignment) Location of NPC STR: 10 (0) DEX: 10 (0) WIS: 10 (0) CHA: 10 (0) HP: 20 Item Box -Item -Item (IL) This is a room name box. Look for it to quickly find the information on any room in a deck. This symbol of Jem jamming to some tunes is a suggested song icon. We picked out songs you can play in certain areas to set the mood. You can find easy links to these songs in the Game Assets. When you see a general check icon, it will provide a bulleted list of additional visual details about the room players are in. Most rooms have general checks, however, not all. When you see this symbol, it means a fight has been triggered and players have entered battle mode. These are always accompanied with a new suggested song to play. These are stat boxes. When players meet an NPC, you will probably need to use stats to interact with the players. These boxes do not have the NPC’s personality within them, however, they each have 2-3 word summa- ries of the character’s personality as well as alignments to remind you how to play them. For more info on each NPC, you will need to turn to the NPC List page. These are item boxes. Certain rooms and NPCs will have items with them that players can acquire (either by finding them in a room or doing a quest). If items have the initials (IL) beside them, it means that there is necessary info relating to how the item works that you can find by turning to the Item List page. SYMBOL KEY This chapter is designed to introduce the game’s world and tone. Roleplay is always an awkward thing to dive into, so it is nice to have an introduction to help get you past those first few minutes of asking “uh… what do I do?” This is the most linear part of the game and is designed this way to ensure players encounter the inciting incident of the story. Once players get past this intro, the real game will begin. 1. Players will first arrive in the crowded lobby of the ship which they will be encouraged to rob. There are four valuable things that players can steal here. Each of these four items possess their own unique challenge that introduce the absurdity of the ship. 2. As the players are thieving, Jem will be harassed by three punks who will pick a fight with the players. It will be an easy fight that players should not lose. 3. After fighting the punks, the lobby’s service robots will punish the players for their violent, unethical behavior by tele- porting them to a brig where their hands will be confiscated. If players are violent prior to this fight, the robots will react in the same way. This establishes that the service robots will be an obstacle in the future. 4. In the brig, players will meet an ancient pirate who introduces them to the main goal of the game: the fuel heist. PROGRESSION AREA NPCS • Jem Dreamweaver • Tobeep • Sanitizer • Tobeep • Service Bots • Gloogon • Tershiav Bon INTRODUCTION SUMMARY 5. Players then must break out of the brig by getting their stolen hands back from an alien guard. 18
CROWDED LOBBY • In the east end of the lobby is a potted plant with a single, seductive, luminescent fruit that appears highly sellable. Coiled around the plant is a snake-like alien who is suspiciously encouraging passerby’s to pick the fruit. 3. LUMINESCENT FRUIT 4. CLOCK HANDS TOBEEP FIGHT1. CHANDELIER CRYSTALS 2. WINE BOTTLES Whisper Fate - Kuedo Let the players scope out the room for valuables. Rolling for a perception check is mostly unnecessary in this part. There are four visibly valuable things that players can steal... If players walk on this floor it will creepi- ly encourage them to keep stepping on it. The GM does not have to act this out if they don’t want to, they can simply describe the event. Once players pick up the wine bottle(s), the tiles of the floor will vibrate in ecstasy causing the players’ balance to be thrown off. They must roll dexterity and beat a 12 to not slip. If they slip, they’ll drop the bottle and the soul inside will spill everywhere and stain their clothing. If a player is stained with soul, the stain will whisper ad- vice to them that contradicts their alignment until they remove said clothing. GAME START Players will have to find a way to retrieve the crystals. This may require dexterity rolls to accomplish. Jem starts getting harassed by a crew of three middle-aged punks named Tobeep, Sanitizer, and Tobeep (Tobeep is a common name on Adobe). If the players brought Jem along with them to loot, then she needs to go missing when they aren’t paying attention to her. Note: If players behave violently prior to this fight, the robots will send them to the brig early and the fight can be skipped. This is meant to fool the players into assum- ing the fruit is a trap, but in reality, there are no consequences to doing so. It turns out that the snake creature just really likes to share and has always been self-conscious about his suspicious tone of voice. After all the players have attempted their acts of thievery... The three men (who call themselves the Tobeep’s) pick a fight with the players like grade-school bullies. Gear Getaway - Super Smash Bros. TOBEEP= Cocky Hooligan (chaotic neutral) In the Crowd STR: 8 (-1) DEX: 9 (-1) WIS: 6 (-2) CHA: 7 (-2) HP: 20 CUE FIGHT By noticing the clock, players will literally just forget what they were doing and walk away. • A dented pole is erected from the center of the floor and up into the ceiling through a half-shattered chandelier. The chandelier is made up of hundreds of expensive-looking crystals ripe for the snatching. • You see a rack of classy wine bottles from all over the universe. The bottles are not labeled as being filled with wine, but with the bottled souls of ancient spirits that have been collected in a liquid form. There is a square of red tiles underneath this rack, and propped on top of these tiles is a yellow, bifold sign that reads, Caution, Horny Floor! Your crew and Jem are currently stand- ing in the ship’s large, circular lobby sur- rounded by your fellow refugees whose murmurs echo a mixture of excitement and confusion. The room would look elegant was it not for the harsh indica- tions of aging. The walls are made out of a rusted golden metal. Little robots dressed in scratches are whizzing about, confiscating weaponry. The ship seems excessively luxurious... like the perfect opportunity to pocket some trinkets to raise the money for Jem. What to loot first? • On the wall is a clock with shiny, emerald hands ticking in every direction. As you stare at the allur- ing hands of the clock, you find the linearity of time begins to vanish. You start to see time as a single en- tity with no beginning or end. Your thoughts jumble and are no longer organized in any particular order. When you were younger, you considered learning how to play the piano, and without the framing of time, you confuse this past thought for one you just had and decide to do that instead. You hear Jem shouting through the crowd in distress. You look over to find three middle-aged men dressed like high schoolers statured over her. They seem to be giving her a wet willy. 20
BRIG The three men suddenly disappear into the crowd. As this happens, five robots rupture through the busy room and surround your gang with mechanical claws raised at your faces. One speaks and says... Robot: “Violence is strictly prohibited on this ship. You have behaved unethi- cally and shall now be punished.” World 6 - Super Mario Galaxy 2 SANITIZER= Wildcard Hooligan (chaotic neutral) In the Crowd STR: 8 (-1) DEX: 9 (-1) WIS: 6 (-2) CHA: 7 (-2) HP: 20 TOBEEP= Sensitive Hooligan (chaotic neutral) In the Crowd STR: 8 (-1) DEX: 9 (-1) WIS: 6 (-2) CHA: 7 (-2) HP: 20 Do not let the Tobeep’s die! They’re meant to be very easy to beat, but once they’re roughed up, have them slip away. Don’t let their HP reach 0. The service robots on the S.S.O.S. have all been built with ethical chips, meaning they are designed to oppose violence. They police the ship, and if players are caught being openly violent, the robots will use their mechanical claws to touch and teleport- them to the brig. The players cannot evade the robots’ cap- ture no matter what they try. If they try to attack or escape, it must be established that the robots are too quick. They will be teleported away even if they comply. If players avoid getting involved in this fight, have them get attacked by the Tobeeps. The robots will still count this as them being vioent. As punishment for attempting to rob the ship, the players along with Jem are teleported into a brig with their hands confiscated from their bodies. The room has a single door which is unlocked, but the knob is pro- ducing a saliva-like lube so that it cannot be opened without hands. The lack of hands is pretty much the only obstacle keeping them trapped here. Once players arrive in the brig, they will meet a friendly, alien pirate (Gloogon) who’s imprisoned as well. He’s been trapped on the ship for centuries and has grown lonely over the years. He was captured after his pirate crew robbed the ship’s fuel and escaped without him. Gloogon will tell players about the ship’s valuable fuel (the Universe Balls) and en- courages them to heist it. He is the source of information that establishes the goal of the game, so make sure players understand that the fuel can buy Jem a new heart. Gloogon is enamored by Jem and the two will hit it off. GLOOGON= Lonely Ancient Pirate (lawful good) In Brig STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 10 (0) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 8 (-1) HP: 15 • Who are you? or Why are you here? Gloogon needs to inform and nudge the players into heisting the ship’s fuel. If players don’t ask these questions, Gloogon will tell the players about where their hands are and how to escape the brig on his own. • Where’s the fuel on the ship? Gloogon: “The fuel is in the engine room on the way lower decks. You’re gonna need maps before heading down or you’ll certainly get lost. I can’t remember much else, it’s been so long.” Jem tries to wink at Gloogon, but her eyes are already sealed shut by the dry layer of crust. THINGS PLAYERS MIGHT ASK Your entire crew is teleported into a warm cobblestone room with walls covered in thousands of tick marks. As you try to regain your balance post-tele- portation, you see a wrinkled, crusta- cean-like man ahead of you. As soon as he notices your presence, a warm smile breaks loose the dry flakes of his crusty face. He lunges forward to shake your hands only to pause and realize you all don’t have any. Gloogon: “Oh, right. I forgot about the hand thing. Welcome to the brig. What are ya in for?” GENERAL CHECK • The room has a single door who’s knob is dripping with a viscous, saliva-like liquid. Gloogon: “Used to be in a gang of pi- rates. My crew raided the ship’s fuel but I… I was too slow. Here I am rotting in a cell for eternity while my crew got out, set for life. See, the fuel on this ship isn’t the normal stuff. It’s special. I’m talking billions of credits on the black market special. So who’s the peach in the wheelchair?” Jem tells the man her name and blushes with what little blood flow she can mus- ter to her face. 22
HAND TORTURE CHAMBER The room is cramped with hundreds of disembodied hands chained up along the walls by their wrists. They’re squirming about in terror like frantic spiders. In the corner of the room is a three-eyed alien guard using a tiny whip to flog the imprisoned hands. She’s slowly moving across the back wall to ensure every hand receives it’s fair share of punishment. You finally open the lubed door to find nothing but a silver wall behind it. Gloogon: “Just step through and you’ll be teleported back into the lobby.” Captain Flash: “Hello, animals. This is your captain speaking. Before we take off, I’d just like to make some things clear. Don’t break shit. Seriously. And try not to piss everywhere. The robots’ll clean it but still. I don’t conceptually want that. Basically I’m doing you a huge solid here so just try not to screw things up for yourself. Just relax. Play shuffleboard. Go for a swim or something. And remember... our motto here on the S.S.O.S. is you can’t spell refu- gee without fug, which when translated from the dialect of the people of Hor- nox means fun.” You can feel yourself traveling through an expansive void. As you’re phasing back into the lobby, you hear a short, muffled arrangement of bells sound on an intercom... WHEN PLAYERS GET HANDS The guard is distracted while whipping the hands. Players can deal with her as creatively or violently as they wish. • Why don’t you escape with us? Gloogon: “This room works like a stasis cube. You can’t die in here and I’ve been trapped for centuries. If I walk out now I’ll just turn to dust. Jem can keep me company though. I mean if she wants.” Jem folds her arm nubs over her heart. You can’t tell if she’s flattered or having a heart attack. The remote on the guard’s waist can unlock any hand by turning the knob like a combi- nation lock. The correlating combinations are tattooed onto the chained hands. TERSHIAV BON= Unfriendly Guard (lawful evil) In Hand Torture Chamber STR: 14 (+2) DEX: 8 (-1) WIS: 13 (+1) CHA: 8 (-1) HP: 20 • Where are our hands? Gloogon walks over to a loose brick in the wall and skillfully uses the nubs of his arms to wobble it out, leaving a hole just wide enough for bodies to fit through. Gloogon: “If you want them back, you just gotta go through this tunnel. There’s a guard who keeps watch of all the captured hands in the room over. If you can get to the remote hanging on her belt, you can set them free.” Gloogon smiles at Jem causing her to giggle in-between spurts of wheezy coughs. The tunnel will lead players to the Hand Torture Chamber. Jem is incapable of crawling through the tunnel and will not follow the players. • In the corner of the room on top of a crate are a stack of four medical kits. Jem refuses to leave the brig with the players because she’s too old and sickly to heist anymore. She’d prefer to stay with Gloogon and will communicate with players using a walkie-talkie for the rest of the game. Once players step through the door... END CHAPTER With their hands back, they can now open the exit door back in the brig. Entering this doorway will teleport the players into the lobby. When players get back to the brig and open the lubed door... Players do not have to take their own hands back, they can steal someone else’s. Let them tell you what kind of hands they want. The only limitation is that the hands can’t be weapons of any sort. GENERAL CHECK • Hanging on the guard’s waist is a small silver remote with a single red knob. 24
Your SAMPLE JOURNEY HAS COME TO AN END This was only the introductory chapter of the first of two games in the book. There are still five more chapters and a secondary one-shot game to explore. If you’d like to experience the book in its entirity or just help us reach our goal in funding the printing of 1000 softcover copies, you can support us on Kickstarter and get the book for yourself (PDF and physical copies available). To stay up to date on our Kickstarter, follow our pre-launch page at: Universe Ball Anthology Or join our email list at our website: www.UniverseBallAnthology.com You can also follow us on our social media pages: Q Instagram: @universe_ball_anthology D Twitter: @UB_Anthology R Reddit: Universe_Ball_TTRPG 93 94

Universe Ball Anthology #1 (Sample)

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