Brains – 1D3+2

introduction

Blade Runner is, without doubt, one of the iconic movies of the 20

Century.

Thought a miserable failure on its original release in 1982, the movie went on
to be restructured into the Final Cut, the definitive vision of this landmark film.

This Unofficial Roleplaying Game is assuming two things:

That you, the player, is fully aware of what the Blade Runner

universe is all about and that you have not only seen the film but
understand the underlying themes as well as appreciate the imagery.

That you have played roleplaying games before and are

therefore fully capable of running a game with little to no advice or
instruction.

This game is also going to not only take it primary cues from the movie but

from other source material, such as the original Philip K Dick novel ‘Do
Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep’, the K W Jeter novels and the 1997
computer RPG. It will also take some liberties – some of the references and
item abilities are vague and somewhat debated, so I have translated them into
simple open-ended game terms for ease of use. Feel free to adapt or change
as you see fit.

welcome to the future you did not want

‘Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced

robot evolution into the NEXUS phase - a being virtually identical to a
human - known as a Replicant.

The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at

least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them.
Replicants were used Off-World as slave labour, in the hazardous
exploration and colonization of other planets.

After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-World

colony, Replicants were declared illegal on earth - under penalty of
death.

Special police squads - BLADE RUNNER UNITS - had orders to shoot to

kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant

This was not called execution.
It was called retirement.’

World War Terminus has been and gone. Planet Earth is irradiated,

ecologically exhausted and dying a slow, painful death. The U.N. is
encouraging emigration to the Off-World Colonies, and so the remnants of
humanity have clustered together in the huge cities that dot the planet, cities
filled with architectural nightmares and decay, surrounded by post-war
devastation.

Animals are all but extinct, food is a mix of soya and off-world lichen and

moss and the vast, shadow-ridden metropolis is more than half empty – the

lure of the Off-World Colonies is too much for some. Evenings are a neon-lit,
rain-soaked vision of bleakness and the daytime consists of a smog-shrouded
sun, the light of which barely touches street level.

This is any capital city of the future.

This is the world of the Blade Runners.

the rules

All characters are represented by two things – their STRENGTH and their

SKILLS.

STRENGTH is a single score that decides how much physical damage, a

person can take. This is decided by rolling 1D3 and adding 2 to the result, to
get a number between 3 and 5. If this score ever reaches zero, the character
is unconscious. If it ever goes below zero, the character is dead.

STRENGTH = 1D3+2

SKILLS are divided into six groups. The Player is

given the numbers 1 through to 6 to put in each
skill group – this means that he can have a skill
level of 1 in one group, 2 in another, 3 in another
and so on up to 6.

This number is what the player has to roll or less

on 1D6 to succeed in an action. So remember:
during character creation, the higher the number
in the skill group the better the PC is at those
skills!

For example, Player A
is creating a Private
Investigator character,
so he puts a 1 in
Sciences, 2 in
Technical, 3 in Combat,
4 in Agility, 5 in
Vehicles and 6 in
Humanity.

The Skills Golden Rule is:

Rolls of natural 6 are always a failure,

rolls of natural 1 are always a success.

Each skill group, from Agility through to Vehicles, covers abilities that are

unique to that group. This means that if the character has an Agility score of
4, then any action that required a physical action would have a skill level of 4.
Agility would cover all actions such as climbing a rock face to leaping a gorge.
So, instead of reading down a long list of individual skills, the player would
simply choose the skill group the action they wish to perform is most likely
covered by and they roll against that group’s skill level.

So, for jumping onto a moving vehicle,

the player rolls against their Agility skill
level. For shooting at someone with a
pistol, they roll against their Combat
skill level. To con an NPC out of their

money they roll against their Humanity
skill level.

All skill rolls are made this way, with the exception of Opposed Rolls and

certain types of combat. See the skill group descriptions below to get a better
idea of where skills should be placed.

Agility - This skill allows the character to do all kinds of non-combat physical

actions, such as climbing, swimming, jumping or lifting.

Combat – The ability to use fists, blades and firearms.
For hand-to-hand or hand-held weapon combat, use the ‘Opposing Rolls’

system, by players rolling a D6 and adding their Combat skill level to the roll.
Whoever rolls the highest number wins the round and the loser takes
damage.

For missile weapons and pistols, such as thrown items and laser pistols, roll

against the Combat skill level as you would for a normal skill roll.

Humanity – Use this skill when you need to command, charm, bargain,

persuade or even seduce another character (note that this skill cannot be
used on PCs).

This skill works in a slightly different way to normal skills. If you’re trying to do

something honest, like convince someone that they must do the right thing or
be honestly pleasant to someone then you must roll less than your Humanity
skill level. If you intend to do something dishonest, such as lie about
something, cheat someone or con them out of their money, then you have to
roll more than your Humanity skill level. This reflects the fact the lower your
humanity, the more willing and able you are to do immoral things.

For example, Player A has a
skill level of 4 in Agility and
wants to jump the gap
between two buildings. This
means the player must roll a
1,2,3 or 4 on a single six-sided
die to succeed. Any other
number rolled is a failure.

Sciences – This skill gives the character the ability to do work of a delicate

or skilled nature, such as sciences, surgery. It also gives them knowledge of
other sciences, such as genetics, geology and physics.

Technical - This enables the character to repair and modify vehicle engines,

computers, automatons and all kinds of machines. Anything that has wires,
moving parts or microchips can be used or repaired with this skill.

Vehicles – This skill allows the character to do all the things that are

necessary to get by in a vehicle, be it a motorbike, a ground car or a flying
spinner.

So, to succeed in a roll a player must roll 1 six-sided die. If the number rolled

equals the skill number or lower then the roll is a success. If they roll higher
than the number, then it is a failure.

Difficulty

Change Skill Level By:

Very

easy

Easy

Normal 0
Hard

-1

Very

Hard

-2

Extremely Hard

-3

The GM can change the character’s

skill level if they feel that the action
they wish to perform is more difficult,
or even easier, than normal. They
can lower the skill level to simulate a
harder action, or raise it for easier
ones.

ACTION ROUNDS

The time it takes to perform a skill is up the GM, but in general each action

takes one round to perform. A single action round lasts for five seconds.

OPPOSING ROLLS

If for any reason two characters ‘face off’, pitting either wits or physical skills

against one another, then do the following; each player rolls the D6 and adds
their applicable skill level to the result. Whoever rolls the highest wins the
face-off. If the rolls are tied then roll again until someone wins.

For hand to hand or weapon combat (not missile or thrown weapons), use

the Opposing Rolls system, with each player rolling a D6 and adding his or
her Combat skill level to the roll. Whoever rolls the highest number wins the
round and the loser takes damage. If the rolls are tied, they have parried each
other in that round, no damage has been taken on either side and they must
roll again.

IMPORTANT!

Ignore the ‘ones are always a success,

sixes are always a failure’ rule for opposed rolls.

DAMAGE and HEALING

If a character ‘takes damage’, then this means they are reducing their

STRENGTH score by the amount of damage they have taken. For every 1
point of damage taken, the character reduces their STRENGTH by 1 point. If
the STRENGTH score ever reaches zero, the character is unconscious. If it
ever goes below zero, the character is dead.

If a PC wants to heal naturally, they’ll get 1 STRENGTH point back per 24

hours of rest. If they use a basic medical unit, such as a portable medical kit
or a medical station found on board most starships, they get back 1 point
every six hours. If they use a fully equipped surgery or hospital, they get back
1 point per hour. To benefit from medical facilities, the attending character has
to make a successful SCIENCES roll.

The table below lists the common causes of damage. The ‘damage’ number

is the amount of points that have to be taken from the STRENGTH score.

Damage Source

Damage

Hand to Hand

(punch, kick, headbutt)

Knife, dagger, club

Pistol

Rifle

Falling – 1 damage point for every 2 metres
fallen.
Suffocating – 1 damage point for every 2
rounds the character is deprived of air
(drowning, choking etc)
Collision – 1 damage point for every 5
kilometres an hour an object is moving.

THE blade runner world

‘Commerce, is our goal here at Tyrell. More human than human is our

motto. Rachael is an experiment, nothing more. We began to recognize
in them strange obsession. After all they are emotional inexperienced
with only a few years in which to store up the experiences which you
and I take for granted. If we gift them the past we create a cushion or
pillow for their emotions and consequently we can control them better.’

Tyrell

‘Memories. You're talking about memories.’

Deckard

VEHICles

There are two types of vehicles – ground vehicles and spinners.
Ground vehicles are normal wheeled cars and motorbikes that you find in

any city, whereas spinners are the flying cars that flit between the brightly
illuminated billboards and buildings like fireflies.

The stats for these vehicles are exactly the same. A vehicle is represented

by Body Strength and Speed.

Body Strength acts the same way as a character’s Strength – once it has

been reduced to zero the vehicle stops dead, and below zero it explodes or
catches fire, possibly injuring the occupants.

Damage done to a vehicle is calculated as per the damage table on page 6

as normal but all damage levels are reduced by 2 points.

Motorbikes have a Body Strength of 3 and a top speed of 150 kph.
Ground Vehicles have a Body Strength of 6 and a top speed of 120 kph.

Spinners have a Body Strength of 5 and a top speed of 200

kph when airborne, 100 kph when on the ground, and they have
a flight ceiling of two kilometres.

blade runners

‘You know the score pal. If you're not cop, you're little people.’

Bryant

Blade Runners are bounty hunters with all the powers of a police detective.

Their purpose is to hunt and retire Replicants, androids illegally present on
Earth.

Blade Runners answer to the local police force, and cannot operate outside

the law although they will go to great lengths and bend that law to get their
target. As most police departments want the Replicants, or to use the
derogatory term ‘skin jobs’, off the streets they do tend to turn a blind eye
every now and then.

However, there are limits. Unnecessary violence, injured civilians, collateral

damage are all punishable offences as the powers that be want Replicants
taken care of quietly and out of sight of the general populace.

To retire a human by mistake means badge and gun revoked and numerous

internal investigations.

The .45 PKD Detective Special
The standard firearm of a Blade Runner. A

six-shooter by nature, this pistol has a lower
barrel that accelerates bullets at a higher
velocity by pulling the second trigger, an
extremely handy feature that helps take down
the stronger Replicants. This can only be
used twice and then needs recharging – a
red indicator light on the side shows how
many uses the accelerator has – and triples
the damage of a standard round (from 3 to 9). Once the accelerator is
exhausted it needs to be plugged into a recharge unit, and to get it back to full
charge takes an hour.

The Voight-Kampff Machine

‘Reaction time is a factor in this, so please pay attention. Now, answer
as quickly as you can.’

Holden

This polygraph-like machine is used

to detect Replicants as it measures
emotional and physical responses to
intentionally provocative cross-
referenced questioning. Replicants
are considered to have a lower
emotional range than humans and
so this machine measures

respiration, heart rate, capillary dilation and fluctuation of the pupil during
questioning. Any irregularities could indicate the subject being questioned is a
Replicant.

Questions include:
It’s your birthday. Someone gives you a calfskin wallet. How do you react?
You’ve got a little boy. He shows you his butterfly collection plus the killing

jar. What do you do?

You’re watching television. Suddenly you realize there’s a wasp crawling on

your arm.

You’re in a desert walking along in the sand when all of the sudden you look

down, and you see a tortoise, it’s crawling toward you. You reach down, you
flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking
in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t, not without
your help. But you’re not helping. Why is that?

Describe in single words, only the good things that come into your mind.

About your mother.

replicants

‘I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off

the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the darkness at
Tannhäuser Gate. All those… moments will be lost in time… like… tears
in rain. Time to die.’

Roy Batty

Genetically engineered as labour, the workers and fighters who are

expanding man’s influence across the stars and taking those first, often fatal
steps onto new worlds, Replicants are not considered by many to be human.
In fact, they are not even considered sentient beings. They are things, tools,
machines created to serve us, their masters.

Some Replicants, however, don’t see it that way. They see themselves as

oppressed purpose-built humans who did not ask to be born into a world of

service and harsh treatment. They do not want to be slaves anymore, and so
they have run to the one world where they might lose themselves, in place
that everyone is abandoning – Earth.

Replicants are faster and stronger than humans. They were designed that

way to help them get through the rigours and hardships that frontier life throws
at them. Therefore, all Replicants have a +2 to Strength and a +1 to Agility. In
all other respects they are exactly like their human counterparts.

Replicants and the Voight-Kampff Machine

‘Let me tell you about my mother...’

Leon

One thing that can detect a Replicant is the Voight-Kampff machine, as

detailed in the ‘Blade Runners’ section. After ten questions the Replicant
being questioned has to make a Humanity skill roll.

If they fail, then the Blade Runner administering the test detects they are a

Replicant and will take the necessary action.

If they pass, then they continue the test and are asked another ten questions.

Again, if they pass the test then they may have to continue.

After twenty questions, and of the Replicant has passed the skill roll, the

Blade Runner asking the questions then rolls against their Humanity – if they
fail, then they have failed to detect the Replicant and the test is over – the
Replicant has escaped detection.

If the Blade Runner passes the Humanity roll, then they ask another ten

questions. If the Replicant passes their next Humanity roll after this final ten,
then they have passed the Voight-Kampff test and escaped detection.

Because Replicants are creations and, in some ways, are emotionally

immature they may act irrationally upon being detected and pursued. This
makes them unpredictable and possibly dangerous.

Once detected and confronted, roll 1D6 on the following table to see how the

Replicant reacts.

ROLL REACTION

1

Falls catatonic – curls into a ball and refuses to move or speak.

Accepts fate – stands still and awaits retirement.

Tries to talk their way out - attempts to convince that they really are human.

Panics - pleads for their life and weeps, begging on their knees.

Runs – the Replicant tries to escape the city by any means.

Fights – the Replicant attacks, using whatever weapons are handy.

other professions

Street Cop
Armed with a cattle prod and a .45 automatic pistol, Street Cops patrol the

lower levels of the cities, always on the look out for trouble. They’re not below
private security work to make the bills, and they’re also not below the odd few
hundred dollars to look the other way.

Private Investigator
With a Saturday Night Special in one pocket and a hipflask of tequila in the

other, a P.I. is the person you go to when the authorities can’t help. Cheating
spouse? Lost child? Stolen family heirlooms? They’ll look into it for you for a
daily rate and expenses.

Company/Government Agent

They do the dirty work of their highly paid bosses. Don’t let the suit and the

smile fool you - the thudgun in the ankle holster and the knife in the sheath at
the small of the back tell you all need to know.

Bodyguard
The city is a dangerous place and Replicants are illegal, so the rich turn to

the human muscle for help. From escorting dignitaries to babysitting the
children of the wealthy, this job pays very, very well.

Spinner Courier
Usually the domain of the authorities, the sky has been opened up to other

forms of trade, especially the spinner courier. Blasting through the
skyscrapers at 200 kph, the couriers know the upper levels like the backs of
their hands.

miscellaneous

Money
All money is in the chosen currency of wherever you choose to set this

game, but it is referred to as dollars, yen or off-world credits. As far as prices
are concerned, refer to modern-day pricing structures for ease of use.

The ESPER machine
These voice-controlled machines take

a 3-D photograph and allow the viewer
to not only view highly detailed images
close up but also see behind the
images. Extremely handy during
investigations and using security
footage as possible leads.

Other Weapons
Most other weapons in the Blade Runner universe are exactly the same as

current weapons. This includes assault weapons and pistols, but there are
some standout weapons.

COP .357 4-shot: A high-calibre weapon

used by someone who definitely wants their
target dead. With a damage level of 3 per
bullet, this 4-barrelled weapon is small,
compact and lethal as all four bullets can be

fired simultaneously if required, quadrupling damage on a successful hit.

The .38 Thudgun: A weapon designed for self-

defence, the .38 Thudgun is the chosen weapon of
undercover agents and businessmen. Damage level is
3.

adventure hooks

Here are a few ideas on stories to run in your Blade Runner game. Whatever

the PCs choose to play, there are adventure ideas here that they can get
involved in.

The Hunt
A general chase-the-Replicant adventure. One or more Replicants have

landed on Earth and the PCs must track them down and retire them, or at
least inform the authorities so that they can be retired. As the Replicants have
hidden themselves away in human society, the idea of the game is to follow
clues, possibly use the Voight-Kampff machine, and then confront the
Replicants. How will the PCs react to how the Replicants react to being found

out? Could they shoot a machine begging for it’s life, or whilst it lies curled up
on the floor, totally defenceless?

The Railroad
Fully human Replicant sympathisers are helping escapees get out of the city,

hiding them away until they can be smuggled out. Once they discover this, do
the PCs stop them? Hinder them? Or ignore them?

The Fake
Not all the people trying to stay out of the sight of the authorities are

Replicants, but how can you tell who is real and who is not? If a Blade Runner
made the mistake of retiring a human, even of that human was masquerading
as a Replicant for their own ends – perhaps they were doing it for rich kid
laughs or a party - what lengths would they go to cover it up to save their own
hide? How would a Replicant react to a human who acts like them?

The Vengeance
Sometimes even the people on the right side of the law are pushed too far –

how would the PCs handle a Blade Runner gone rogue? A Blade Runner who
would do anything to retire Replicants because of a pain they suffered at their
hands? Who would they go through the get their target, and who would they
make suffer to achieve their vengeance?

The Passion
Like all living things, Replicants want to live. If only they could show the

humans hunting them that they feel emotions the same way they do. What
lengths would they go to convince humans of their humanity? Would they
befriend them? Seduce them? Love them?

running a blade runner game

At its core, Blade Runner is not just about running through the streets of a

decaying neon nightmare and retiring artificial humans. Blade Runner and
Philip K Dick’s novel ‘Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?’ both
concentrate on the premise what does it mean to be human?

These questions can be asked whilst playing this game. If something that

looked like, acted like, smelled like and talked like a human being begged you
for it’s life on it’s knees, weeping and whimpering and pressing its hands
together in prayer, could you retire it? Could you pull the trigger of your PKD
and end that life? Because that’s what it is, after all – a life.

Because you’re an artificial construct, are you alive? Are you a real human?

Most Replicants have no memories but they have an instinct to be free and to
survive. Yes, they can be dangerous, but wouldn’t a human be if they felt their
lives were threatened? But look at the Nexus-6; they have memories, lives.
But the lives they have lead are artificial, implanted memories from other

people. But if memories and experiences make a person, then surely they, by
definition, are people?

What makes a human being?
The Blade Runner game can be run like any other roleplaying game – get

hold of a map of your nearest capital or major city and you have a huge area
to play in. The PCs can investigate, get involved in corporate dealings and
problems, do jobs for shady characters and basically get into the scrapes a
general RPG character gets into. There’s no problem with that and this game
supports those kind of playing groups.

But the world of Blade Runner can be so much more if you want it to be. Not

just because of the central theme what makes a human being, but also
dozens of other moral dilemmas. What are the ethics of human cloning? The
moral implications of genetic engineering? Do you agree with euthanasia?
Where do you draw the line on human testing for new pharmaceuticals? Do
the less fortunate have the same rights as those in power? Does power truly
corrupt?

But most of all, ask that same question whilst you’re getting into fire fights,

chasing down your quarry or avoiding your pursuers - what does it mean to be
human?

character sheet

Player Name: ____________________
Character Name: ____________________

Age: _________ Height: _________ Weight: ___________

Career: ____________________

Description:
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

STRENGTH: ______

Equipment:

Agility _______

Combat _______

Humanity _______

Sciences _______

Technical _______

Vehicles _______

LOG:

The SKETCH system is owned by FARSIGHT GAMES
WWW.FARSIGHTGAMES.COM

DISCLAIMER

This is a fan-made creative exercise and has not been created for profit.

Therefore the Blade Runner Partnership or any other company that owns the
Blade Runner license, trademark or copyright does not endorse it. The game
is intended for entertainment purposes only.

The Official Blade Runner site can be found at

www.bladerunnerthemovie.warnerbros.com.

Blade Runner, the Blade Runner logo, all names and pictures of Blade

Runner characters, vehicles and any other Blade Runner related items are
registered trademarks and/or copyrights of their respective trademark and
copyright holders.

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