Renegades SRD

Breathless for grand space opera adventures

Renegades Preface

Renegades is a Breathless game set in a sci-fi used future where you play as rebels who want to overthrow an evil empire called the Federation. Inspired by Star Wars related medias, this was the first ever Breathless hack I did. This was published it in the scope of the first Breathless Jam in 2022.

Mechanically, this game diverges from Breathless in the following ways:

There are no concepts of items , no looting , and no stunt mechanics. Those weren’t reinforcing the themes of the game, so I got rid of them and replaced them with something else.
To reinforce space opera tropes as much as possible, the game adds the declare a truth mechanic which gives a lot of narrative freedom to the player by allowing them to establish new facts in the fiction once per refocus (“catch your breath”).
This is the first Breathless game I designed that is “kit-based”. Here, players have to pick a certain type of character archetype, which determines the kind of die ratings they start with.

Website: https://fari-rpgs.itch.io/renegades

Renegades SRD

It Started When…

the Federation took control of the galaxy. They now govern with an iron grasp, leveraging the power of tyranny and propaganda to prevent anyone from overthrowing their ruthless empire. There are rumors in the mists about pockets of rebellion. Renegades who haven’t lost hope in the face of impossible odds. The Federation is not invincible. They have flaws, and with a bit of luck, we might overthrow their regime.

Before We Start

Before you start, define lines that should not be crossed. Pause or rewind the game if something uncomfortable happens during a session. Always make sure everyone is comfortable with the direction of the story.

The Game

One person is the game master (GM), the rest are players.

GM : Guide the story, and present challenges to the group. Make them meet friendly and shady NPCs. Design villains who think they are the good guys. Be a fan of the players. Ask them questions, fill the world with their answers. If it’s cool, let them try. Split complex challenges into multiple checks. Encourage players to change what is true in the fiction.

Player : Narrate what your renegade does. Make checks when things are risky. Give everyone a time to shine. Fill the world with your ideas. Take risks, and rise up from failures. Interact with the world, and assist the GM in finding interesting complications and plot twists

Checks

When there’s a challenge that needs to be overcome, you make a check to see how it plays out. You only need to roll if what you are doing is risky.

The GM telegraphs the risk of your action, you then pick a skill , and roll the die that matches its rating. If an ally helps you, they also make a check , but share the same risks as you.

Take the highest die and interpret the results.

On a 1-2 , you fail , and there’s an additional complication.
On a 3-4 , you succeed , but there’s a complication.
On a 5+ , you succeed. The higher the result, the better the effect.

Fighting the Federation is hard and tedious work. Everyone who rolled reduces the rating of the skill they used by one level: d12 » d10 » d8 » d6 » d4. Skills cannot go lower than a d4.

The GM can disclaim decision-making by testing for luck. To do so, pick a die rating simply based on the odds of a thing happening, roll, and interpret the results.

Refocus

To reset all your skills to their original rating, you can ask to “ refocus ”.

This is a brief break in tension. It can be done at any time, even during combat, escapes, or dog fights.

When a character refocuses, the GM looks at the scene and introduces a new complication to the group.

Choose A Kit

THE PILOT is always aware of their surroundings, and can remain calm under pressure. They are incredible flyers and are accompanied by an astro-droid. Pilots get the extra Focus skill , set at a d10.

THE MYTHIC is a member of a strange society, and is connected to the world in ways others just aren’t. They are passive, just, and empathetic. They wield peculiar weapons, and wear long robes. Mythics get the extra Feel skill , set at a d10.

THE SCAVENGER is smart, practical, and capable. They carry around their tool belt, which gives them many options to solve the many problems coming their way. Scavengers get the extra Tinker skill , set at a d10.

THE SENATOR is intellectual, eloquent and emanates trust. They know how to influence people to get what they want, and always have a plan in case things go wrong — which they will. Senators get the extra Sense skill , set at a d10.

THE SMUGGLER is talented, resourceful, and reckless. They have numerous contacts and relations from their criminal background, which acts as a two-edged sword. Smugglers get an extra Contacts skill , set at a d10.

THE DROID is knowledgeable, pragmatic, and calculated. They know a lot about the different cultures and customs in the galaxy, and can make complex calculations in record times. Droids get the extra Lore skill , set at a d10.

THE EX-SOLDIER is loyal, selfless, and courageous. Their military background from the old-days makes them very competent and knowledgeable on the battlefield. Ex-soldiers get an extra Tactical skill , set at a d10.

Your Renegade

On your character sheet, write down your kit , your character’s name, and preferred pronouns.

By default, skills have a d4 rating. Assign a d10 , a d8 , and a d6 to three skills you think your character is good at.

Characters have a total of 6 skills:

Bash : wreck, move, force.
Dash : run, jump, climb.
Sneak : hide, skulk, lurk.
Shoot : track, throw, fire.
Think : perceive, analyze, repair.
Sway : charm, manipulate, intimidate.

Declare A Truth

When the situation is dire, or if you are looking for a way out, you can declare a new truth about the world. If your fact is a small truth , it just happens, but for big truths the GM adds a “but…” afterwards.

The GM gets the final say on this, so work with them to make sure your fact works well with what has already been established. Once used, you’ll need to “ refocus ” to declare a new truth.

Stress

When you face a complication as a result of one of your actions, the GM can decide that you take 1 stress. If your character reaches 4 stress , they become “ vulnerable ”. When vulnerable , failing a dangerous action could mean being taken out, being captured, or worse.

Healing

To heal up and clear your stress track , you need to lay low someplace secure awhile. Look at the fiction and work with the GM to decide how much stress you clear when you rest.

Rolling Tables

Renegades Design Points

Your Truths

Declaring new truths is what makes Renegades truly unique. It allows the player to take a lot of agency over the narrative and declare new facts about the fiction. The GM could throw a very complex obstacle, like a heavily guarded checkpoint, and a player could come up with a creative solution on the fly and simply say, “I know one of the guards currently on duty at the checkpoint and actually saved their partner’s life from the local raiders. They still owe me for this!”

For your game, think about how truths are introduced. Is there a cost to doing so? How big and impactful can the new fact be? Does it relate only to the player character or can it also affect the setting as a whole?

Your Kits

Kits allow games to easily reinforce the classic tropes and archetypes of a specific genre of media. They are the starting points for players and one of the first things presented to them. Every single option should matter and be a core piece of what makes the world and setting interesting. In Renegades, they guide players into that archetype even more by providing a unique skill that nobody else has.

For your game, what constitutes a kit? Is it just a description and a unique skill, or does a kit also set the other die ratings like bash, dash, sneak, shoot, think, and sway? How many kits will there be? Can someone design their own kits using tables or other means? Is everything in the kit already pre-established, or can some pieces be randomly generated (like background, details, goals, etc.)?