Over_the_Edge_Players'_Survival_Guide

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CHAPTER 0 Over the Edge ously misleading. If so, she is under no obligation to tell her players about these changes until the PCs themselves find out. Things That Will Come in Handy Over the Edge uses only six-sided dice; you might want as many as six of them. Those dice with the skulls in place of the 1’s are handy because if you roll all 1’s when attempting to accomplish something, you screw up (an optional rule). Paper and pencil are also necessary. As a player, you will want to write down names, clues, addresses, phone numbers, quotes, and other tidbits that will help you sort out the secrets of Al Amarja. Honestly, keep good records. I can’t tell you how many important clues slipped through my players’ fingers because they didn’t write them down. Photocopies of game material are also valuable, including character sheets, character logs, and facsimiles of material that the characters find when they travel to Al Amarja (Atlas Games permits you and your GM to make copies of such things for personal use only). Inspirational text and video can stimulate the imagination of both the players and the GM. Depending on your bent, you might look into the writings of William S. Burroughs and Philip K. Dick, or some of the stranger movies that Hollywood has offered us, or you might prefer the offerings of supermarket tabloids. Miniatures can aid in marking out where characters are in relation to each other, but their use is strictly a matter of taste. By the way, good luck finding modern miniatures without firearms. Disclaimer “All references to vices and to the supernatural contained in this game are for entertainment purposes only. Over the Edge does not promote satanism, belief in magic, drug use, violence, sexual deviation, body piercing, cynical attitudes toward the government, freedom of expression, or any other action or belief not condoned by the authorities.” Before every game of OTE, you and all the players should strip naked and intone the above disclaimer while each holding a single white candle in a darkened room. 6 Glossary of Game Terms Bonus Die — An extra die rolled with the normal dice for an attempted action when the character has some advantage. Drop out the lowest die before tallying the total for the roll. Experience Pool — The number of dice that a character can use as bonus dice each game. They double as a measure of experience and can be “spent” to improve or develop traits. Fringe Powers — Powers not readily recognized as possible by the mundane world, including abilities that could be classified as psychic or magical. Game Moderator (GM) — The person who coordinates the series, referred to in the text as “she” to differentiate the GM from the players. GMC — Game Moderator Character (= NPC, or non-player-character), a character run by the game moderator. Hit Points — A measure of a character’s ability to take damage and punishment. If reduced to 0 hit points, you’re down and out of the fight. A character deep in the negatives is either dead or will die without medical care. Round — In combat, or other intense encounters, a unit of time in which a character can generally take one action. Represents about 3 seconds of time in the game world. Penalty Die — An extra die rolled with the normal dice when the character has some disadvantage. Drop out the highest die before totalling the roll. PC — Player character, a character run by one of the players. Referred to as “he” to differentiate the PC from the GM. Psychic Pool — Represents how many times per day a character can use psychic or fringe powers. Series — A string of related game sessions, a “campaign.” Trait — A feature of a character, representing a skill, personal characteristic, fringe power, talent, or aspect of one’s background. Traits are usually good, but some (called “flaws”) are bad.
Players’ Survival Guide Chapter 1 Character Creation CHARACTER CREATION In Over the Edge, you play a modern-day person in a strange environment. You have great freedom in determining what kind of person you will portray in the game. The more wisely you use this freedom, the more fun you will have. In creating a character for play, please keep in mind a few rules of thumb. 1) Create a character that engages you, someone you care about or identify with in some way. 2) Create a character who is danger-worthy. Your character is likely to be put into danger from time to time, and he should have the resources to cope with it. 3) Use your imagination! I’ve sometimes had to restrict players’ creations to keep them reasonable, but mostly I’ve let them get away with more than they first thought possible. As you will see, the rules for character creation are loose and easy, so take advantage of that freedom. Don’t take the lists in this chapter as definitive; they merely stimulate your own creativity. 4) Follow the GM’s lead. Your GM’s series may be zany, high-powered, mundane, or whatever else she wants it to be. If you develop a character that does not fit the series that the GM has in mind, change your concept to fit. If you don’t, the GM will have a hard time fitting your PC easily into the series, and the PC may have a hard time surviving as a result. 5) Be independent. There are several ways you can mess yourself up by creating a character who is somehow dependent on other PCs or limited events in the game world. For instance, it might be interesting to run a PC who is tailing another PC and reporting back to “headquarters” on the other PC’s actions, but what do you do when the player of that character doesn’t show up for a game session, and you have nothing to do? Or what happens when the other PC gets killed and your mission is over? 6) Be cooperative. If you intend your character to interact regularly with other PCs, have a character who is open to working with others. If your reason for coming to the island is so secret that you’ll never allow others (other PCs) to help you, or you won’t work with them, then you’re in for a potentially boring game. 7) Hook up. A hook is a detail of your character that encourages him to get involved in the action. By providing a hook in your character, you can help the GM decide how to draw your character into the various plots of her series. The hook can relate to a trait, a secret, or motivation, or it can just be additional information about your PC. Hooks can include looking for someone (or something), hiding from someone (or something), or investigating someone (or something). 8) Consider the group. The PCs in your series may have a focus (see “The PC Group” on p. 25). If so, design your PC to fit. Creating Your First Characters Since your imagination and your GM’s mercy are the only limits to the type of character you can create, it can be a challenge to fix on a concept for your first few characters. The GM, however, has three readyto-play adventures that she can use to get your series rolling. Each of these adventures describes certain types of characters that would be most appropriate, which may make developing your first characters easier. Once you have experienced the world, the rules, and the process of creating a character, doing so with less guidance shouldn’t be a problem. Concept First, get an idea of the character you will portray. It might help to look over the steps detailed below. Have a good idea of who you want to be before you start any details. 7
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Chapter Four The Props The followin
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WELCOME TO THE EDGE Welcome you tou
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Protected by SAFE N SOUND CESAR’S
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CHARACTER LOG Date Events, Names, P
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