FUDGE Invasion Player Sourcebook

Fudge Invasion Player Sourcebook
by Russ Brown (brownr@mei.com)
May 1, 1995

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FUDGE INVASION
Player Sourcebook
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OVERVIEW

The following are rules in addition to the basic Fudge system to be used in the Fudge Invasion Setting. This document provides details to assist the player in generating their characters, as well as a few embellishments to the basic Fudge system.

Unless new systems are provided in the Fudge Invasion sourcebooks, the systems in the basic Fudge documents apply. Notable suggestions for changes/additions to the Fudge system occur in the areas or combat, wounds and skill development - which is now influenced by attributes. Fudge documents were available at the time of this writing from ftp.csua.berkeley.edu in /pub/fudge.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Additional Fudge rules, options, and background material presented in this document are copyright 1995 by Russ Brown (brownr@mei.com). They may be freely copied and distributed as long as this copyright notice is included with each copy. No charge may be made for this material without written permission from the author.

FUDGE INVASION SETTING
CHARACTER GENERATION
ATTRIBUTES
SKILLS
GIFTS/FAULTS
EXPERIENCE
MONEY
SAMPLE CHARACTERS

1. FUDGE INVASION SETTING

Fudge Invasion is a campaign setting for an invasion of Earth by extraterrestrials. The bulk of the information is provided in the Fudge Invasion GM Sourcebook for the GM's use only, to be revealed to the players as the campaign progresses.

Fudge Invasion is set in the year 2008. Human technology differs mainly in the widespread used of technology available on only a limited scale today, such as computers, personal communication, and space travel. The most notable new technologies are cybernetics and limited human genetic engineering.

Player characters should be human, but that is about the only limitation. However, the Game Master should closely monitor character backgrounds to insure that there is a believable way to bring the characters together with a common mission.

2. CHARACTER GENERATION

Fudge Space character generation is point based. 100 points are available to "build" up the qualities of an otherwise ordinary character.

Each character consists of ratings for nine mandatory traits, and any number of optional skills, gifts and faults. Attributes represent very basic qualities of the character, as well as the character's ability to improve skills. Skills represent more specific areas of knowledge or ability and increase with experience. The seven levels used to represent skills and attributes are as follows.

Superb +3

Great +2

Good +1

Fair 0

Mediocre -1

Poor -2

Terrible -3

All attributes start as FAIR. It costs 10 points to raise each to good, 20 more to great and another 40 to superb. Lowering the attribute regains 10 points for each level. So it would cost 70 points to raise an attribute all the way to Suberb, and a characer would "get back" 20 points for lowering an attribute to Poor.

Points are also spent to acquire skills. The skills listed in the sections below have three pieces of information with them - their primary attribute, their cost per level, and their default level. Every character starts with all skills at their default levels, and must pay the number of points listed for each level the skill is raised. After the skill reaches the level of the primary attribute, the point cost doubles at each level. A default level of NE means Non-Existent. There is no default level for such skills - without some training, the tasks involved are virtually impossible. The level in brackets next to the 'NE' is the level attained by paying the skills point cost for the first time. Examples of skill development are given in the SKILLS section below.

Note that point costs of gifts and faults are not listed. These should be discussed with the GM on an individual basis.

3. ATTRIBUTES

The following attributes are required for all FI players. They are rolled against for specific tasks, as well as determining the character's potential for certain skills.

ACA ACADEMIC APP APPEARANCE

SOC SOCIAL STR STRENGTH

TEC TECHNICAL TOU TOUGHNESS

PER PERCEPTION WIL WILL

DEX DEXTERITY AGI AGILITY

4. SKILLS

What follows is a set of sample skills which should cover most situations and give the GM a good idea how to assign attributes, costs and default levels for new skills. A skill's attribute determines the maximum level a skill can reach before it's cost doubles each time. The GM may also adjust the default for a skill down to the level of a character's attribute if it is lower than the default.

As an example of skill cost, a character with a Good DEX learning a (DEX-2-POOR) skill would start out with a Poor level for free and pay 2 points for each level up to Good, then 4 points to get to Great, and 8 points to get to Superb, for a total of 18 points. A character starting with Superb DEX would only pay 12 for the same skill, while a character with a Terrible attribute would start with a default of Terrible and have to pay 4 just to get to Poor, and a total of 252 points to reach Superb!

This listing does not deal with prerequisites for certain skills. For example, a surgeon should probably have some Anatomy skill. It is left up to the GM and the player the make sure the character's skills fit together logically.

ANIMAL:

	RIDING 			(DEX-1-POOR)
	TEAMSTER		(DEX-2-POOR)
	VETERINARIAN		(ACA-3-TERRIBLE)
	ANIMAL TRAINING		(ACA-2-POOR)
	HERDING			(ACA-1-POOR)
	ANIMAL HUSBANDRY	(ACA-2-POOR)
	FARMING			(ACA-2-POOR)

ARTISTIC:

	DRAW/PAINT		(PER-2-POOR)
	VIDEO PRODUCTION	(PER-2-NE)
	PHOTOGRAPHY		(PER-1-POOR)
	SCULPTING		(PER-2-POOR)
	MUSIC			(DEX-2-NE)
	SINGING			(PER-1-POOR)
	DANCE			(DEX-2-POOR)
	ACTING			(SOC-2-POOR)
	COOKING			(PER-2-MEDIOCRE)
	COSMETICS		(PER-2-POOR)

ATHLETIC:

	ACROBATICS		(AGI-2-POOR)
	JUMPING			(AGI-1-MEDIOCRE)
	RUNNING			(AGI-1-MEDIOCRE)
	SWIMMING		(AGI-1-POOR)
	SCUBA			(TEC-1-TERRIBLE)
	THROWING		(DEX-1-MEDIOCRE)
	CLIMBING		(AGI-1-POOR)
	CAVING			(AGI-1-POOR)
	ZERO-G			(AGI-1-POOR)
	PARACHUTING		(AGI-1-POOR)
	SPORT			(AGI-2-POOR)

BUSINESS:

	APPRAISAL		(PER-2-POOR)
	ACCOUNTING		(ACA-2-POOR)
	MARKETING		(SOC-2-POOR)
	SALES			(SOC-2-POOR)
	BARGAIN			(SOC-2-POOR)

COMBAT:

	AMBUSH			(WIL-1-POOR)
	DODGE			(DEX-2-MEDIOCRE)
	QUICK-DRAW		(DEX-1-POOR)
	SHIELD	PARRY		(DEX-1-POOR)
	PISTOL			(DEX-2-MED)
	RIFLE			(DEX-2-POOR)
	SUB-MACHINE GUN		(DEX-2-POOR)
	ASSAULT GUN		(DEX-2-POOR)
	SHOTGUN			(DEX-1-FAIR)
	KNIFE			(DEX-2-MEDIOCRE)
	KNIFE PARRY		(DEX-2-POOR)
	SWORD			(DEX-2-POOR)
	SWORD PARRY		(DEX-2-POOR)
	STUN WEAPONS		(DEX-1-MEDIOCRE)
	CLUB			(DEX-2-MEDIOCRE)
	CLUB PARRY		(DEX-2-POOR)
	UNARMED COMBAT		(DEX-3-MEDIOCRE)
	WRESTLING		(STR-2-POOR)
	TACTICS			(ACA-2-POOR)
	AIRCRAFT WEAPONS	(TEC-3-POOR)	Less for specific weapons
	SPACE  WEAPONS		(TEC-3-POOR)	Less for specific weapons
	NAVAL WEAPONS		(TEC-3-POOR)	Less for specific weapons
	DEMOLITION		(TEC-2-POOR)
	BOMB DISPOSAL		(TEC-2-POOR)
	POWERED ARMOR		(TEC-1-POOR)

COVERT:

	SECURITY SYSTEMS	(TEC-2-TERRIBLE)
	BREAKING AND ENTERING	(TEC-2-POOR)
	DISGUISE		(PER-2-POOR)
	FORGERY			(PER-2-POOR)
	SHADOWING		(PER-1-POOR)
	SLEIGHT OF HAND		(DEX-2-POOR)
	STEALTH			(AGI-2-POOR)
	CAMOUFLAGE		(PER-1-POOR)
	HIDE TRACKS		(PER-1-POOR)
	COMPUTER SECURITY	(TEC-2-NE)
	CRYPTOGRAPHY		(TEC-2-TERRIBLE)

CRAFT:

	MASONRY			(DEX-2-TERRIBLE)
	METALWORK		(DEX-2-TERRIBLE)
	WOODWORK		(DEX-2-TERRIBLE)
	COMPOSITEWORK		(DEX-2-TERRIBLE)
	TAILOR			(DEX-2-TERRIBLE)

ENGINEERING:

	MECHANICAL ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	COMPUTER ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	COMPUTER PROGRAMMING	(TEC-3-NE)
	ROBOTICS ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	CYBERNETICS ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	POWER ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	CHEMICAL ENGINEERING    (TEC-3-NE)
	MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING (TEC-3-NE)
	LIFE SUPPORT ENGINEERING(TEC-3-NE)
	AI ENGINEERING		(TEC-3-NE)
	AEROSPACE ENGINEERING	(TEC-3-NE)
	WEAPON SYSTEMS		(TEC-3-NE)
	AEROSPACE SYSTEMS	(TEC-3-NE)

INTERACTION:

	TELL LIE		(SOC-1-MEDIOCRE)
	DETECT LIE		(SOC-1-MEDIOCRE)
	INTERROGATE		(SOC-1-POOR)
	SEDUCE			(APP-1-POOR)
	INTIMIDATE		(WIL-1-POOR)
	PERSUADE		(SOC-2-POOR)
	LEADERSHIP		(SOC-2-POOR)
	DIPLOMACY		(SOC-1-POOR)
	TEACHING		(SOC-1-POOR)
	GAMBLING		(PER-1-POOR)

LANGUAGE:

	INDIVIDUAL LANGUAGE	(ACA-1-NE)
	LINGUISTICS		(ACA-2-POOR)
	WRITING FICTION		(PER-1-POOR)
	WRITING NON-FICTION	(ACA-1-POOR)
	JOURNALISM		(ACA-1-POOR)
	WRITING POETRY		(PER-1-POOR)
	LITERATURE		(ACA-2-POOR)
	RESEARCH		(ACA-2-POOR)

LIFE SCIENCES:

	BIOLOGY			(ACA-2-POOR)
	ZOOLOGY			(ACA-2-POOR)
	BOTANY			(ACA-2-POOR)
	ECOLOGY			(ACA-2-POOR)

MECHANICAL:

	DRIVE GROUND VEHICLE		(DEX-2-MEDIOCRE)
	ELECTRONICS CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	POWER SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	BUILDING CONSTRUCTION		(TEC-2-NE)
	AIRCRAFT CONSTRUCTION		(TEC-2-NE)
	SPACECRAFT CONSTRUCTION		(TEC-2-NE)
	GROUND VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	MARINE VEHICLE CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	WEAPON SYSTEM CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	CYBERNETICS CONSTRUCTION	(TEC-2-NE)
	LIFE SUPPORT CONSTRUCT-ON	(TEC-2-NE)
	ROBOT CONSTRUCTION		(TEC-2-NE)
	PILOT AIRCRAFT			(DEX-2-NE)
	PILOT SPACECRAFT		(TEC-2-NE)
	PILOT MARINE VEHICLE		(TEC-2-NE)
	REMOTE OPERATION		(DEX-1-POOR)
	SPACE SUIT			(TEC-1-TERRIBLE)
	POWER SYSTEMS OPERATION		(TEC-1-NE)

MEDICAL SCIENCES:

	ANATOMY				(ACA-2-POOR)
	PHYSIOLOGY			(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	MEDICAL RESEARCH		(TEC-2-TERRIBLE)
	GENETICS			(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	PSYCHOLOGY			(ACA-2-POOR)

MEDICINE:

	GENETIC ENGINEERING		(TEC-2-NE)
	CYBERNETICS			(TEC-3-NE)
	SURGERY				(DEX-3-NE)
	PHARMACOLOGY			(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	PATHOLOGY			(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	MEDICAL QUARANTINE		(ACA-1-TERRIBLE)
	DIAGNOSIS			(ACA-3-POOR)
	PSYCHIATRY			(ACA-3-NE)
	MEDICAL PRACTICE		(ACA-2-POOR)
	FIRST AID			(ACA-1-POOR)
	FORENSIC MEDICINE		(TEC-2-TERRIBLE)

OUTDOOR:

	FISHING		(ACA-2-POOR)
	FORAGING	(PER-2-POOR)
	HUNTING		(PER-2-POOR)
	SURVIVAL	(ACA-2-POOR)
	ANIMAL TRACKING (PER-2-POOR)

PHYSICAL SCIENCES:

	ADVANCED MATH	(ACA-2-NE)
	PHYSICS		(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	CHEMISTRY	(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	METEOROLOGY	(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	OCEANOGRAPHY	(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	GEOLOGY		(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	PLANETOLOGY	(ACA-2-NE)
	ASTRONOMY	(ACA-2-TERRIBLE)
	GEOGRAPHY	(ACA-2-POOR)

POLITICS AND LAW:

	POLITICS	(SOC-2-POOR)
	CRIMINAL LAW	(ACA-3-TERRIBLE)
	CIVIL LAW	(ACA-3-TERRIBLE)
	INTERNATIONAL LAW (ACA-3-TERRIBLE)
	LEGAL PROCEDURES(ACA-2-POOR)
	BUREAUCRACY	(ACA-2-POOR)

RELIGION:

	THEOLOGY		(ACA-2-POOR)
	OCCULT			(ACA-2-POOR)
	RELIGIOUS HISTORY	(ACA-2-POOR)
	RELIGIOUS PRACTICE	(ACA-2-POOR)

SOCIAL SCIENCES:

	SOCIOLOGY		(ACA-2-POOR)
	HISTORY			(ACA-2-POOR)
	AREA KNOWLEDGE		(ACA-1-TERRIBLE)
	ECONOMICS		(ACA-2-POOR)
	ARCHAEOLOGY		(ACA-2-POOR)

5. GIFTS/FAULTS

Here are some example faults/gifts. Costs will be determined by GM.

AMBIDEXTROUS (off-hand is normally two skill levels below good hand)
ADDICTION (WIL roll whenever tempted)
PATRON
ENEMY
REPUTATION (effects reaction/recognition rolls one way or the other)
DEPENDENT
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
CYBERNETICS
DISEASE RESISTANCE
WEALTH/POVERTY
MILITARY RANK
SECURITY CLEARANCE
GOAL/QUEST/OATH

6. EXPERIENCE

As the character's perform tasks and complete missions within the campaign, the GM will award them experience points. These can be spent immediately to improve attributes and skills, using the same costs as when initially generating the character.

The GM may also wish to award additional points, to be applied only to a skill or attribute which was extensively used. The GM always has the option of limiting the skills and attributes on which campaign experience points can be spent, possibly requiring formal training time to obtain experience in certain areas.

In any case, the points awarded for a particular adventure or series of gaming sessions should be around 10 for a moderate rate of development, higher if characters are intended to develop skills quickly for later adventures.

7. MONEY

This sourcebook gives no indication of the costs of items. It can be assumed that prices in 2008 are lower for small consumer technology items, with considerably more capability, but otherwise prices will have nearly doubled from the mid-1990's due to inflation. The GM Sourcebook contains more detailed information about prices in the Fudge Invasion setting.

By the same logic, wages will have nearly doubled, with proportionately more increase in information technology and entertainment areas, and less increase in general labor and service industries. Once the GM has helped a player determine the character's profession and salary, he should determine how much money the character has in savings. If saving habits don't change much over the next decade, savings will be about 5% of annual income, while unsecured debt could be 30%! (a single person making $30,000 with only $1500 in savings, but $9,000 in car loans and credit card debt is not unusual).

8. SAMPLE CHARACTERS

Lenny Banks

27 year old white American male
National Guard Lieutenant, college degree is in finance/accounting, ran a pawn shop in L.A. for three years before the invasion.

Attr/Skill                Cost

ACA  Fair
SOC  Good                 10
TEC  Good                 10
PER  Great                30
DEX  Fair
APP  Good                 10
STR  Fair
TOU  Fair
WIL  Mediocre            -10
AGI  Good                 10

Military Rank (1st Lt.)    5

Drive Hvy Truck   Good     4
Accounting        Fair     4
Appraisal         Great    8
Pistol            Fair     2
Rifle             Good     8
Tactics           Fair     4
Spanish           Fair     3
Leadership        Mediocre 2
                         ---
Total                    100

Elana Ritter

36 year old black American female
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) field pathologist. Divorced, no children.

Attr/Skill                Cost

ACA  Great                30
SOC  Fair
TEC  Good                 10
PER  Good                 10
DEX  Fair
APP  Fair
STR  Mediocre            -10
TOU  Fair
WIL  Fair
AGI  Mediocre            -10

Pathology         Great   10
Anatomy           Fair     4
Physiology        Good     8
Pharmacology      Fair     6
Medical Quar.     Good     4
Diagnosis         Fair     6
Medical Research  Good     8
Interrogate       Good     4
Intimidate        Good     4
Remote Operation  Fair     2
Bureaucracy       Mediocre 2
Hang Glider       Fair     3
Parachuting       Fair     3
First Aid         Good     3
Writing Non-Fict. Good     3
                         ---
Total                    100

ACA	ACADEMIC	APP	APPEARANCE
SOC	SOCIAL	STR	STRENGTH
TEC	TECHNICAL	TOU	TOUGHNESS
PER	PERCEPTION	WIL	WILL
DEX	DEXTERITY	AGI	AGILITY