! racing and roleplaying in the 26th century In the latter half of the 20th century, Mankind The racing machines developed for these tracks was gripped by the fear of being invaded by used the very latest in super-magnetic technology extraterrestrials. They referred to extraterrestrial and were designed to travel without wheels, hovering spacecraft as UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). one foot above the course track. Now, to those of us in this day and age, this sounds When the first Grand Prix race was held, people like a fairy tale. were angered at the brutality of the competition. The It is now the year 2560, and due to the human organizers had, during construction, placed various race’s countless encounters with alien life forms obstacles and traps along the raceway. But as time throughout the Universe, Earth’s social framework passed, and people grew to these dangers, they has expanded to cosmic proportions. Now, trade, soon demanded even more excitement in the race. technology transfer and cultural interchange are In time, winning this race meant earning the highest carried out on an interplanetary basis. honor that could be bestowed on anyone in the The multibillionaires who earned their enormous Universe. wealth through intergalactic trade, while satisfied In a very short time, people came to call this with their rich lifestyles, also yearned for a new Grand Prix simply, “F-ZERO”. entertainment to stimulate their lazy lives. Their wishes were met by a call for a new project based upon a seemingly simple premise-"Why not hold, on a galactic scale, some competition like the F-1 races once held on Earth centuries ago?” At once, everyone jumped at this idea. Rich merchants from cities in the clouds or asteroids with almost uninhabitable environments invested their wealth in the construction of racing circuits. These racing circuits were located as high up the f-zero rpg as 300 feet above grounds and held in place by 2012 viral games anti-gravitational guide beams on both sides of the F-ZERO © 1990, 2012 Nintendo course. The F-Zero RPG uses the ABCDE rating system chapter 1: Common Equipment Sidearm (Shooting) A: d12 Character Attributes Armor (Blocking) start your Shock glove (Striking) B: d10 AACE AADD Robot servant (Mechanics) C: d8 ABBE ABCD machines! Hacking kit (Larceny) ACCC BBBD Emotion detector (Savvy) D: d6 Wardrobe (Influence) BBCC Cybernetics (Balance) E: d4 Hologram disguise (Lying) your pilot

To create your pilot, determine their name, age, species (Human, Every time you finish a game session you gain one skill point that Takoraian, etc.), appearance and background. can be spent to increase the modifier for a specific skill. Bonuses cost a number of points equal to the total bonus after purchase. Your pilot has four attributes that distinguish their character: Aim, Each increase must be paid for separately. For example, increasing Nerve, Brain and Flair. Choose a rating set from the Character a bonus from +0 (the default bonus) to +3 costs 6 points (from Attributes table and arrange them as you wish. Your Aim must be at +0 to +1, +1 to +2, and finally +2 to +3). Your pilot may have a least C to compete in the F-Zero tournament. Most F-Zero pilots have maximum bonus of +4 in each skill. Aim A or B. Your pilot also starts with two pieces of useful equipment with their Each attribute has four key skills. The attribute's rating is rolled own ratings. Each piece of equipment is used with a specific skill. whenever a skill is attempted. If a character has any modifiers for a When you use a piece of personal equipment you roll your skill and skill they are added to the roll. For example, a character with Flair A the equipment's rating and keep the higher result. (d12) and a +2 bonus for Influence rolls a d12 and adds 2 to the result for all Influence rolls. You may design one piece of B equipment and one piece of D equipment at the beginning of the game. Other equipment may be You may assign three +1 modifiers to your pilot's skills at the purchased or constructed during the course of the game. You may beginning of the game. You must assign each +1 to a different skill. have as much equipment as you like but you may only have three pieces at hand during a scene. You may not use personal equipment during an official F-Zero race. your machine Your machine's base weight Base Weight To begin designing your machine Machine Ratings affects its acceleration and max decide on a suitable name and Body Weight speed. You may decide how concept for it (ultralight racer, much your machine weighs in wrecking machine, etc). The engine AAE ABD A 1800-2000 kg kilograms within the confines of type is largely thematic and has no ACC BBC B 1600-1800 its weight category. applicable effect when racing. C 1400-1600 D 1200-1400 Your machine's acceleration is Repair Bonus Your machine has three essential determined by its Boost and attributes, Body, Boost and Grip, rated E 1000-1200 Body. Look at the ratings for Body rating Extra from A to E. Choose a set of ratings these two attributes (Boost first, A +0 from the Machine Ratings table and then Body) on the Acceleration table. The result is B +1 arrange them in any order. your machine's acceleration before the first Piloting Once your machine has ratings boost roll of each section. C +2 you may determine its other body Acceleration D +3 qualities. Machines weighing Boost & Body Acceleration E +4 less than 100 kg A A 50 km/h Your machine's power bar above the lowest weight A B 60 has 12 boxes. Machines in their rating increase A C 70 lose power from their listed Acceleration A D 80 Impact Damage impacts and boosts. by 20 km/h. Body roll Boxes lost Machines with high A E 90 B A 40 1-3 3 Body resist impact Machines weighing damage more readily more than 100 kg above B B 50 4-6 2 than machines with low Body. the lowest weight in their B C 60 7+ 1 grip rating increase their listed B D 70 Pit areas restore power when your Max Speed by 20 km/h. C A 30 machine passes through them: 4 boxes C B 40 plus your Repair Bonus. If your machine runs out of power due to an Machines weighing exactly 100 kg C C 50 impact you are immediately disqualified. above the lowest weight increase both D A 20 Acceleration and Max Speed by 10 km/h. D B 30 E A 10 Your machine's max speed is determined by its Your machine's handling affects your Handling Body and Grip. Look at the ratings for these two Max Speed Piloting rolls. A machine's attributes (in either order) on the Max handling is determined by its Grip & Boost Piloting mod Body & Grip Speed Speed table. The result is your machine's Grip and Boost. Look at the A A +0 max speed. AA 480 km/h ratings for these two attributes (Grip A B +0 AB 470 first, then Boost) on the Handling A C +1 Your boost lasts for a number of moves equal table. The result is the modifier to to your machine's Boost - Body on the Boost AC 460 your Piloting rolls. A D +1 Duration table. For example, a machine with AD 450 A E +2 Boost A (5) and Body C (3) maintains a boost AE 440 To personalize your machine, you may B A +0 for two moves: the move when it is declared and add or subtract up to your Grip die BB 460 B B +0 the next move thereafter. The Piloting roll at the x10 kg to your machine's base weight. B C +0 beginning of a section does not count as a move. BC 450 For example, a machine with Grip C B D +1 (d8) may add or subtract up to 80 kg. BD 440 C A -1 The minimum boost Boost Duration CC 440 C B +0 Boost - Body duration is 1 move (the This additional Grip weight does not move it is declared on) affect acceleration or max speed. C C +0 A 5 regardless of the table's result. D A -1 B 4 Boost Max Your total weight D B -1 Your machine's maximum boosting Body Boost (including additional E A -2 C 3 speed is determined by its Body Grip weight) is used to A 40 km/h 60 D 2 and Boost. Look at the Boost Max determine your starting table. Add the speeds listed for your B 30 50 rank in races. E 1 machine's Body and Boost to your C 20 40 normal max speed. For example, a D 10 30 machine with Body B and Boost C adds 30 km/h and 40 E 0 20 km/h to its normal max speed.

To determine your machine's boost accel, add the speed listed for your machine's Boost on the Boost Max table to its normal acceleration. APPEARANCE PILOT NAME MACHINE:

ENGINE UNIT: AGE

POWER SPECIES Repair Bonus Pit area repairs 4 + Repair Bonus WINNINGS VEHICLE DESIGN BACKGROUND

PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

Boost Accel Boost Max

Boost Duration Balance Striking + Handling BODY Weight Shooting Blocking Acceleration Piloting NERVE Dodging Max Speed Passing Ramming Number of moves boosting

Accelerate BOOST Handling GRIP AIM BRAIN before Piloting Add to Piloting

Sideswiping Cheating UPGRADES Accolades FLAIR Mechanics Influence Larceny Lying Savvy When a character attempts an action, roll the die for that attribute character scale rules rating and add any skill points. Most conflicts are either opposed rolls with other characters or a minimum needed result decided by the Announcer. If your result is at least equal to the minimum When two or more characters attempt to act first, everyone involved required you succeed. In the event of a tie the defending result wins. makes a Nerve roll (without any modifiers). Move order is decided by the results, from highest to lowest. Each character may normally attempt one action during their move. A character may attempt two actions during their move, but the first Reroll any ties to decide which roll acts first. For example, if four roll is penalized by 1 rating and the second roll is penalized by 2 characters made Nerve rolls and the results are 8, 7, 7 and 5, ratings. For example, a character with Aim B (d10) who attempts the two characters with 7s reroll to decide which of them acts to dodge and shoot rolls a d8 (C) for dodging and a d6 (D) for immediately after the character with the 8. shooting. A character who fails to counter an attack either loses one piece of If the rating is penalized below E the task is impossible for that personal equipment or reduces their Aim or Nerve rating by one character. (player's choice).

The target may attempt to counter an action during the aggressor's Equipment must be reacquired but your pilot's Aim or Nerve may move if it immediately affects them. If the target attempts to counter only be restored by racing. Each time you finish a lap or race in Rank two actions, they may make the first roll with no penalty and the 1 your pilot regains one lost rating to a maximum of the attribute's second roll with a 1-rating penalty. For example, a character with original rating. Nerve B (d10) who attempts to dodge a Shooting attack and block a Striking attack in the same move rolls a d10 for Dodging and a d8 If your pilot's Aim or Nerve falls below E they must retire. for Blocking. A character may use the same skill twice to counter two actions. A player character may attempt to influence or lie to another player character. The target may attempt to counter using Savvy. If the A character may opt to substitute a different attribute for a roll once target fails they are susceptible to the other character's words. The per race or scene. The rating for this roll is one lower than normal. Announcer is advised to forbid players from using the Influence skill For example, a character with Nerve A could use their Nerve in place against other players' pilots. of an Aim roll to shoot someone, but the die rolled would be a d10 (B) instead of a d12 (A). The next page describes Character-Scale (CS) skills in more detail.

There are two types of conflict rules in the F-Zero RPG : The Announcer may decide that certain acts such as spotting a clue character-scale (CS) and vehicle-scale (VS). do not require skill rolls if the acts enhance the story. Balance: Coordination and athletic ability. Use Balance to jump Mechanics: Creating improvements to your machine or personal over obstacles, climb chains, outrun opponents, and cross narrow equipment purchased with winnings. Upgrades cannot be added pathways. Balance is also used to escape inanimate dangers like during a race. The Announcer may decide that certain upgrades are exploding bombs. not available through normal channels. Mechanics is also used to operate or repair unknown machinery. Blocking: Parrying and shielding attacks. Use Blocking to counter A character may attempt to construct their own upgrades using the Shooting and Striking. The Announcer may decide that certain Mechanics skill. The character must pay one-half the upgrade's attacks like nets cannot be countered with cost (rounded up) for supplies. See Blocking. Attempts to counter these attacks Equipment, Minions and Upgrades with Blocking always fail. for more information.

Dodging: Leaping and rolling to avoid Shooting: Firing and launching attacks. Use Dodging to counter Shooting projectiles. Use Shooting with and Striking. guns, bows and thrown rocks. The target may attempt to counter with Influence: Personal magnetism and Blocking or Dodging. An improvised commanding presence. Use Influence projectile counts as E-rated equipment to threaten authority figures and sway (Shooting). The Announcer may decide crowds. The target(s) may attempt to certain objects cannot be used with counter with Savvy. Crowds and mobs are Shooting attempts. You must have generally assigned a collective minimum Shooting equipment to use this skill. number required to persuade them to act. Striking: Physical and close-combat Larceny: Theft and burglary. Use Larceny attacks. Use Striking with swords, clubs, to steal a wallet or unlock a door without fists, and claws. The target may attempt triggering alarms. The target may attempt to counter with Larceny. to counter with Blocking or Dodging. An improvised hand weapon counts as E-rated equipment (Striking). The Announcer may decide certain objects cannot be used with Striking attempts. Lying: Telling falsehoods and tricking others. Use Lying to bluff your way past guards and disguise your voice. The target(s) may attempt to counter with Savvy. Savvy: Detecting falsehoods and subterfuge. Use Savvy to counter Lying and Persuasion. After all Piloting rolls are made everyone still in the race begins vehicle scale rules making their moves. The move order for a section is determined by the positions of the pilots at the beginning of the section Your pilot may only use certain skills during race scenes. These are (before anyone has made their Piloting roll) from last rank to first Piloting, Passing, Ramming, Dodging, Blocking, Sideswiping, rank. A pilot may choose to skip their move if they do not want to Cheating and Accolades. Your Savvy skill may also be used to attempt any action during it. counter certain rolls. A pilot may normally only target those in the ranks immediately During racing scenes, Rank is used to indicate each machine's ahead of or next to them. You may only pass, ram or sideswipe a position on the track. The machine in Rank 1 is in the lead. Only one machine in front of you if its current speed is no greater than 20 machine may be in each rank at a time. Starting rank is determined km/h above your machine's current speed. Your by machine weight. The heaviest vehicle begins the race in Rank 1 Accidents roll is made with a -1 penalty per 10 km/h below and the lightest machine is last. Move order is the target's speed (minimum penalty of 0) determined by the rank each machine is in at 1 Heavy failure: The machines in the two ranks the beginning of the section: the pilot in the last behind you immediately pass you, and your machine Any time a pilot rolls a 1 during an attempted rank acts first. Pilots maintain this move order takes Impact damage. This move is over. action they must immediately roll a d6 on the for the entire section, even if machines change 2 Moderate failure: The machine in the rank Accident table and suffer the resulting effects. ranks during the section. behind you immediately passes you, and your Any action that previously occurs during the machine loses 1 power box. This move is over. move is ignored in favor of the Accident's result. When the race begins, all machines immediately Rolling a 1 on the Accident table does not incur 3 Light failure: The machine in the rank behind accelerate to 300 km/h. Each machine you immediately passes you, and your machine an accident. accelerates on its own at the beginning of each loses 1 power box. This action is over. section before any Piloting rolls are made. If a Accidents incurred from hitting obstacles during machine's current speed falls below 300 km/h 4 Static: Your machine loses 1 power box. This the section's Piloting phase occur before the action is over. the pilot may only make Piloting rolls. beginning of the section's move phase. 5 Accidental success: You immediately pass the At the beginning of every section (including the machine in the rank ahead of you. Your machine A boosting machine may be passed by a non- starting section), each pilot rolls their Piloting loses 1 power box then accelerates by its boost boosting machine if the boosting pilot rolls accel (up to its max speed, or boost max if skill one at a time from Rank 1 backward. Pilots boosting). This action is over. a 1,2,or 3 on the Accidents table. A move cut who roll below the minimum required suffer the short by an accident counts as a full move for listed failure effect. 6 Amazing success: You immediately pass the two determining boost durations. machines ahead of you. Your machine takes Impact Pilots must declare whether or not they are damage then begins moving at its max speed, or The next page describes Vehicle-Scale (VS) boost max if boosting. This action is over. braking before this roll is made. See Braking skills in greater detail. and Boosting for more information. Accolades: Performing crowd-pleasing stunts. If you are within the Passing: Switching ranks with the machine in front of you. A slower current lap's Target Rank after your Piloting roll, you may attempt pilot may attempt to pass but the Passing roll is penalized by -1 to garner accolades as an action during your move. If the result is for every 10 km/h below the target's speed. You may not attempt at least equal to the required Piloting roll for the current section, to pass a machine if its current speed is more than 20 km/h above you are awarded additional points for your rank at the end of the yours. The target may attempt to counter using Blocking if their lap equal to the required Piloting roll for that section x100. If your speed is lower than yours or using Blocking or Passing if their Accolades roll is less than the required Piloting roll for the current speed is equal to or higher than yours. The target may attempt a section you suffer the listed failure effect. Sideswiping or Ramming when being passed if their speed is no less than 20 km/h below your speed. If your machine's speed falls below Blocking: Stopping another machine from passing you. If you the other machine's speed the passing attempt fails. succeed you block the other machine, your machine accelerates by its listed Acceleration up to its normal max speed and the other Ramming: Illegally hitting another machine. The target may attempt machine decelerates by 20 km/h. If you fail you are passed. to counter using Dodging. If you succeed the target takes Impact damage +1 additional box. If you fail the target takes no damage. Cheating: Exploiting flaws in the course for your own benefit. Any Rammings carry a 200-point penalty per attempt. You may also non-Straight section with a Jump Plate or guide rails is vulnerable to attempt to force the machine behind you to impact your machine cheating. The pilot must decide to cheat using Jump Plates before by slamming your brakes. When attempting a brakeslam you brake their Piloting roll at the beginning of the current section. Instead to 20 km/h below the target's current speed. If you succeed both of Piloting, the pilot makes a Cheating roll. The pilot may decide machines take impact damage. If you fail the other machine passes to cheat using guide rails during their move. Instead of any other you. Brakeslams are penalized like rammings. You may not attempt a action during their move the pilot makes a Cheating roll. ramming and a brakeslam during the same move.

Jump Plates: If the result is at least 2x the required Piloting roll for Savvy: Using inherent knowledge to your advantage. You may use that section the pilot immediately passes the two machines in front your Brain die (without skill points) to reroll one of your actions. of them. If not, the pilot incurs a foul and is manually moved back 2 You may do this once per race plus once per point of Savvy. You may ranks to a minimum rank equal to the Target Rank for that lap. not use Savvy to reroll Accidents but rolling a 1 with a Savvy reroll causes an accident. You may also sacrifice one of your Savvy rerolls Guide rails: If the result is at least equal to the required Piloting roll to negate another pilot's Savvy reroll if it immediately affects you. for that section your machine loses 1 power box and immediately passes the machine in front of it. If you fail your machine takes Sideswiping: Covertly forcing an opponent into obstacles or off Impact damage and falls back one rank. the track. The target may attempt to counter using Dodging. If you succeed the target incurs the same consequences as a failed Piloting Dodging: Avoiding a collision with another machine. If you succeed roll for that section. If you fail you incur the consequences instead. you avoid the other machine. If you fail you suffer the consequence You do not incur a penalty for attempted or successful sideswipings. of the attempt. braking and boosting damage and repair You may choose to brake while passing through a section, but Impact: Every time a machine is damaged from impacting another you must declare if you are doing so before you make your initial machine, the track boundaries, or another obstacle, the machine's Piloting roll. Braking gives you a bonus to your Piloting roll for that pilot must roll their Body attribute and look at the Impact Damage section: +1 per 20 km/h of deceleration. table to determine power loss.

The maximum bonus for braking is +2.

You may use your machine's boost at any point after the first lap. Your machine immediately accelerates by its Boost Accel that move and every successive move up to its listed Boost Max. You may declare that you are boosting your own move as well as the moves immediately before and after it.

Each time you boost your machine loses 3 power boxes. If you have fewer than 3 boxes you may not use your boost. If you lose speed while boosting (from impact damage, etc.) you accelerate every successive move according to your machine's listed Boost Accel up to its Boost Max. Your machine's current speed drops by 20 km/h per box lost. This is cumulative with any other speed lost. Power lost from boosting does A non-boosting pilot has a -4 penalty to all Blocking, Ramming and not reduce your machine's current speed. Sideswiping rolls against boosting pilots. If a boosting machine is blocked by a nonboosting machine the blocking machine takes If your machine's power falls to 0 from impacts, you are immediately Impact damage. disqualified. If your machine's power falls to 0 because of a boost, any further damage will result in disqualification. If your machine is currently at its Boost Max you may attempt to pass other machines regardless of their speed difference. Pit Areas: Pit areas restore your machine's power boxes when you drive through them. Your machine automatically regains 4 boxes You may not use successive boosts until the current boost ends. You by driving through the pit area plus extra boxes based on your may not end a boost early. machine's Body on the Repair Bonus table. the finish line Glossary Target Ranks: Your pilot must remain above a certain Target Ranks Accident: The result of a pilot rolling a 1 during a move. rank each lap to remain in the race. Any machines Action: Rolling a die using your Aim, Nerve, Brain or Flair and below the Target Rank at the end of the lap are Lap 1: top 10 adding any modifiers for skill points or other factors. disqualified. Any machine that falls below Rank 20 is Lap 2: top 7 immediately disqualified. Lap 3: top 5 Announcer: The being who oversees the game. Lap 4: top 3 Lap: One completed circuit around the track. A pilot completes Lap Points: You are awarded points for crossing the a lap when they complete every section on the track once. finish line each lap. You may also gain additional points through use of the Accolades skill during the race. Move: An individual pilot's turn to attempt actions. A racer may attempt up to two actions during their move. Each character normally receives one move each segment. Winnings: You are rewarded with Lap Points Move order: The sequence of moves by each pilot during cash prizes, endorsements, or other a section of track from trailing rank to lead rank. monetary rewards called Winnings Points Awarded For Laps 1-4 by performing well. These take many 1st place: 900 pts Pilot: The character controlled by a player. forms, but for simplicity's sake they 2nd place: 600 pts are referred to collectively. Winnings 3rd place: 400 pts Round: The duration of an move order sequence. A round ends may be used to fund upgrades or 4th or below: 200 pts after the last pilot in move order has acted. equipment. Section: A segment of a race track. Most tracks are made of 3-5 Points Awarded For Final Lap You receive a Winning every time you sections. Completing a section takes one round. accumulate 5,000 points during your 1st place: 2500 pts racing career. You also receive multiple 2nd place: 1500 pts Scene: Prolonged action or drama set in a specific location. Winnings for placing first overall in 3rd place: 1000 pts A racetrack and a wedding ceremony are both scenes. The Announcer determines when the scene changes. F-Zero tournaments. Target Rank: The minimum rank needed to avoid disqualification. The Announcer may also award you with Winnings for other actions outside of the track. Track: The course on which a race is conducted. A track is normally comprised of three to five sections with various obstacles. equipment, minions and upgrades Equipment: New equipment costs a number of Winnings equal to Upgrades: Upgrades are treated like equipment but are installed in half its rating die. For example, a new piece of B (d10) equipment machines and may be used with skills during races. An upgrade costs costs 5 Winnings. a number of Winnings equal to its rating die +1. For example, an C (d8) upgrade that affects Ramming costs 9 Winnings. You may also add a +1 bonus to a piece of personal equipment's rating that is added to the die's result in a manner similar to skill Machines may have a maximum of 3 Upgrades at any time. A points. This costs a number of winnings equal to the total bonus machine may only have one version of each of these upgrades after purchase. Each increase must be paid for separately. For installed at any time. For example, a pilot with a D (Piloting) and a C example, increasing a bonus from (Piloting) upgrade may not +0 (the default bonus) to +3 costs have both installed at the 6 Winnings (from +0 to +1, +1 to same time. +2, and finally +2 to +3). A piece of equipment may not have a bonus higher A character may attempt than +4. You may add a bonus to to construct their own equipment at a later date. Upgrades using the Mechanics skill. Upgrades Minions: Minions, assistants and constructed in this way cost fans are created using the same rules half the normal Winnings as equipment. A minion or group of (rounded up). For example, minions has a single rating and a an E (d4) Blocking upgrade specific skill they may be used with. These characters are generally that costs 5 Winnings to purchase costs 3 Winnings to construct. for background flavor only. Important characters may be created like The result is the maximum rating die possible. For example, a result other pilots. of 8 when attempting to construct a Blocking upgrade allows the character to construct a C (d8), D (d6) or E (d4) Blocking upgrade. Characters may acquire other vehicles like spaceships. Large Upgrades may be sold for half their normal cost (rounded down). structures are treated like equipment but cost their rating dice in Winnings. For example, a C (d8) spaceship costs 8 Winnings. The character may choose to abandon the project before spending Damage to a structure reduces its rating by one. Structures may be Winnings if they are not satisfied with the roll's result. You may not repaired at the cost of one Winning per rating lost. re-attempt a roll to construct a specific type of upgrade until your Mechanics skill increases. You may not increase an upgrade's rating The Announcer may decide that certain objects may be used as at a later date. improvised equipment. These are always rated E. You should announce the features and obstacles of each upcoming : section just before the players encounter it. Do not tell them any of chapter 2 the numbers needed for Piloting rolls. You should keep Boost Traps the announcer secret and announce them as Dash Zones. The following pages detail an assortment of different stock sections. These may be connected together to design a custom track. The If the players are not content simply racing Announcer is encouraged to adjust the sections' each other, NPC rivals may be added and attributes to increase their difficulty. Every section has a created with the same rules as player pilots. short statistics block detailing key information: The Announcer is encouraged to give these Type (Straight, Curved, etc.) plot-significant NPCs upgrades to make the Piloting roll players work for their success. Feature(s) (Pit Area, Jump Plate, Land Mines, etc.) Failure The race may also be padded out with lesser machines that serve as a constant threat to The Piloting roll is the minimum result needed from the players' ranks. These machines' Body, a Piloting roll to successfully navigate each section. Boost and Grip are all C. If the result is lower than the minimum required the pilot suffers the Failure effect listed. If the Piloting The majority of NPC machines are generally roll is listed as "Automatic" the section's difficulty behind the players' machines for much of the is considered trivial, but the roll is still required to avoid or make race, with the players' pilots being the only serious contenders. contact with track features. For a more elaborate racing scenario in the style of the original The number listed after a Feature is the minimum number needed F-Zero, the Announcer may opt to use an alternate rule for passing to avoid or make contact with the feature. The player may choose to NPCs: a player may pass a number of plot-insignificant NPC machines avoid a "beneficial" feature like a Dash Zone if their Piloting result equal to their Piloting roll's success. For example, a pilot who rolls is high enough to make contact with it. The effects of most features a 9 on a section with a Piloting requirement of 5 may pass four NPC like Land Mines and Jump Plates occur during the Piloting phase. machines.

For a faster race, shorten the number of laps to 3 or even 2. Determine points awarded and target rank by reading the tables as if the race started on Lap 2 or Lap 3. racing step-by-step

starting line Every pilot rolls their Piloting 2 At the beginning of the section The pilots' machines are lined up at every machine accelerates skill, starting with the pilot in the starting line in order by weight according to its Acceleration Rank 1. Each pilot must specify success with the heaviest machine in Rank listing to a maximum of the if they are braking through the 1. The machines accelerate from the machine's max speed. current section before they roll. starting line to 300 km/h. The Announcer decides if they successfully navigate the section.

1 failure

The pilot's machine contacts or race actions avoids features as determined by their Piloting roll.

Initial roll The pilot's machine suffers the listed Failure effect for the current section. 3 Piloting or Cheating When the last pilot in the move order If the machine is still in the race it is finished with their move the action decelerates by 20 km/h per box of moves on to the next section. power lost. Accolades Counter with

Passing Blocking

Each pilot makes their move in order If the action or actions affect another from last rank forward. A pilot may Sideswiping machine (for passing, ramming, etc.) the attempt one or two actions during Dodging target may attempt to counter the action their move. If a 1 is rolled the Ramming during the aggressor's move. If a 1 is pilot must immediately roll on the 5 rolled the pilot must immediately roll Accident table before proceding. on the Accident table before proceding. 4 A: d12 B: d10 C: d8 D: d6 E: d4 vehicle specifications Handling ratings Acceleration occurs Grip & Boost Piloting mod every section Acceleration A A +0 A B +0 Boost & Body Acceleration Character Attributes A C +1 A A 50 km/h Read in A D +1 AACE AADD A B 60 A E +2 A C 70 either order ABBE ABCD Read as Boost B A +0 first, then Body A D 80 B B +0 ACCC BBBD A E 90 B C +0 B A 40 Max Speed BBCC B D +1 B B 50 Body & Grip Speed C A -1 Pick a set and B C 60 AA 480 km/h C B +0 B D 70 arrange them to fit AB 470 C C +0 Machine Ratings C A 30 D A -1 C B 40 AC 460 AD 450 D B -1 AAE ABD C C 50 E A -2 D A 20 AE 440 ACC BBC D B 30 BB 460 E A 10 BC 450 BD 440 Boost max = Body + A: d12 CC 440 Boost + max speed B: d10 Weight Weight influences acceleration and Body Weight C: d8 max speed Boost Max D: A 1800-2000 kg Body Boost d6 B 1600-1800 A 40 km/h 60 E: d4 C 1400-1600 D 1200-1400 B 30 50 E 1000-1200 C 20 40 Boost accel = D 10 30 Boost + accel E 0 20 race specifics Impact Damage Accidents Body roll Boxes lost 1-3 3 Lap Points 1 Heavy failure: The machines in the two ranks behind you immediately pass you, and 4-6 2 -20 km/h Points Awarded For Laps 1-4 your machine takes Impact damage. This move 7+ 1 per box lost 1st place: 900 pts is over. 2nd place: 600 pts 3rd place: 400 pts 2 Moderate failure: The machine in the rank 4th or below: 200 pts behind you immediately passes you, and your Repair Bonus machine loses 1 power box. This move is over. Body rating Extra Points Awarded For Final Lap 1st place: 2500 pts 3 Light failure: A +0 Accolades adds The machine in the rank 2nd place: 1500 pts behind you immediately passes you, and your points to this B +1 3rd place: 1000 pts machine loses 1 power box. This action is over. C +2 4 Static: Your machine loses 1 power box. This D +3 action is over. E +4 Target Ranks Boost starts during 5 Accidental success: You immediately pass Lap 1: top 10 the move in which you the machine in the rank ahead of you. Your Lap 2: top 7 Boost Duration declare it machine loses 1 power box then accelerates by Lap 3: top 5 its boost accel (up to its max speed, or boost Boost - Body Lap 4: top 3 max if boosting). This action is over. A 5 6 Amazing success: You immediately pass B 4 Minimum duration the two machines ahead of you. Your machine C 3 is one move Machines below this takes Impact damage then begins moving at D 2 rank at the end of its max speed, or boost max if boosting. This the lap are DQ'd. action is over. E 1 features and obstacles Inverse Pipe: Track built along the outer surface of a pipe. Pilots on The following are several of the most common track features. Most an inverse pipe have a -4 penalty to Blocking rolls. If a pilot boosts track features have a minimum Piloting result needed to make contact on an inverse pipe they must immediately make a Piloting roll. If the with or to avoid. Some features change the conditions of the track or result is not at least 3 they are immediately disqualified. impose specific penalties to certain actions.

The effect of each feature is handled separately. For example, a pilot that fails to avoid both Land Mines and a Boost Trap must make a separate Impact roll for both the Land Mines and the Boost Trap.

Pilots are affected by features in the order the features are listed in.

Boost Trap: A Dash Zone positioned to fling cars into a damaging Jump Plate: Magnetic ramp triggered by contact. Making contact situation (usually the guide rails). Any pilot that fails to clear a Boost with a Jump Plate launches your machine into the air, allowing you Trap begins boosting and must roll on the Impact Damage table. to clear gaps or other obstacles. Using a jump plate makes your machine accelerate by its listed Boost Accel. When a machine ends Dash Zone: Area of the track that accelerate your machine. Each the jump its current speed may not be higher than its listed max Dash Zone you contact increases your machine's speed by its listed speed. Boost Accel up to its listed Boost Max. Your machine remains at boosting speed until the end of your move. During this time your Land Mines: Explosive obstacles triggered by contact. Passing over machine is considered to be boosting. Passing over a Dash Zone does a land mine results in a roll on the Impact Damage table and inflicts not reduce your machine's power. 1 additional box of damage. You must also roll on the Accidents table. If you roll a 1 on the Accidents table you pass over another Gap: Open space between areas of the track. Failure to clear a gap mine and must roll again (in addition to any other result). results in immediate disqualification. Gaps are always preceded by at least one Jump Plate. Magnets: Banks of magnetic plates on the track surface. Passing over them pulls a machine downward. No Rails: A section without guide rails. A pilot may attempt to knock Split Track: Forks in the road. Pilots may ram or sideswipe only an opponent off the track with a Ramming or Sideswiping roll. The the machines on their path. A pilot may attempt to pass multiple target may attempt to dodge but the minimum result needed is the machines on other paths if there is not a machine in the next rank on aggressor's result +2. A failed attempt that would normally result in their path. The pilot makes a Passing roll with a -1 penalty for each an impact instead causes the machine to fall off the track. rank between them and the target. The target makes a Passing roll instead of a Blocking roll to counter. The slower pilot's Passing roll is Pit Area: Area provided to restore machine power. Pit Areas are penalized by -1 for every 10 km/h below their opponent's speed. usually found near the starting line. Your machine gains 4 power boxes plus your Repair Bonus from the pit area. You may not attempt to pass a machine if its current speed is greater than 20 km/h above yours. Pipe: Areas of track enclosed in a tube. Pilots passing through a pipe incur a -4 penalty to Blocking rolls.

Rough: Areas of track treated to reduce speed. Machines passing over Rough have their maximum speed or boost max temporarily reduced depending on the A pilot may attempt to pass the machine in front of them on their type of Rough: 50 km/h for Sparse Rough and 100 km/h for Thick path even if it is not in the rank ahead of them by making a Passing Rough. Your Piloting roll is not improved from the effect of Rough. roll with a -1 penalty for each rank between them and the target. Pilots on other paths may not intervene in this case. If Slip Zone: Areas of track successful, you take the target's rank and all other pilots treated to reduce traction. fall back 1 rank. Pilots passing through a Slip Zone incur a -2 penalty to You may not boost during another pilot's move unless Blocking and Dodging rolls. you are both on the same path.

Wind: Heavy atmospheric disturbance. Pilots on a windy section incur a roll on the Accident table whenever they roll a 1 or 2 during their move. Gap Jump sample track sections Type: Gap Feature: Jump Plate (3) Feature: Gap (3) Boost Run Piloting roll: 3 Type: Straight Failure: Disqualification Feature: Dash Plate (3) Feature: Dash Plate (5) A Gap Jump sends pilots hurtling over a missing area of track. Piloting roll: Automatic (2) Failure to clear the gap results in immediate disqualification.

A Boost Run is similar to a Straightaway but has several Dash Gentle Curves Plates built into the track. The first Dash Plate is relatively easy Type: Curved to contact, but successive Dash Plates are often positioned to Feature: Sparse Rough (4) make them harder to reach. Piloting roll: 3 Failure: Impact

Boost Trap This section is comprised of gentle curves that are easy to Type: Straight navigate. The presence of Sparse Rough may slow pilots who Feature: Boost Trap (3) fail to roll the minimum needed to avoid it. Feature: Jump Plate (5) Piloting roll: 5 Hard Curves Failure: Impact + 1 box Type: Curved Feature: Heavy Rough (6) A Boost Trap appears similar to a Boost Run but contains a Piloting roll: 6 Boost Trap to smash unwary pilots into the guide rails or other Failure: Impact obstacles. Most Boost Traps are installed on straight sections, but they are also found on curved sections. This section has tight, winding curves that virtually guarantee machines will not come through unscathed. Heavy Rough slows even the best pilots. Jump Slip Curves Type: Straight Type: Curved Feature: Jump Plate (3) Feature: Sparse Rough (4) Piloting roll: Automatic (2) Feature: Slip Zone (5) Piloting roll: 3 This section contains a Jump Plate and no other features. An Failure: Impact alternate Jump is built around a curved section and allows crafty pilots the opportunity to cheat. This section is fairly easy to navigate but contains areas of track that may hinder unwary pilots. Minefield Type: Straight Straightaway Feature: Land Mines (3) Type: Straight Piloting roll: 2 Feature: Pit area (2) Failure: Impact + 1 box Piloting roll: Automatic (2)

This section appears simple save for the presence of land This is the simplest type of section: a straight section of mines. They are spread out in this section, but an alternate track with no obstacles. Straightaways are often seen at the section may have more tightly-spaced areas of land mines that beginning of a track with a pit area located just after the are more difficult to avoid. starting line.

Mine Jump Wind Run Type: Curved Type: Straight Feature: Jump Plate (5) Feature: Dash Zone (6) Feature: Land Mines (5) Feature: Wind Piloting roll: 3 Piloting roll: 5 Failure: Impact + 1 box Failure: Impact

Many sections have obstacles that may only be avoided by Jump A Wind Run is a simple and easy to navigate section... except Plates. Failure to contact the Jump Plate means passing over at for the presence of fierce winds that blow machines all over the least one land mine. track. Not surprisingly, Death Wind's tracks are famous for these types of sections. Adversaries: Street criminals, vicious animals, rogue robots, etc. non-player characters Adversaries are characters created solely to menace the pilots. They have a single rating die used for determining move order and for There are five types of characters in the F-Zero RPG: attacking and countering attacks. Some adversaries have a modifier after their rating. This modifier is added to the adversary's roll. For Player characters: Pilots created by the players. Player characters example, an adversary rated D+2 rolls a d6 and adds 2 to the result. have four attributes and 16 skills. When an adversary fails to counter an attack their rating is reduced by 1. For example, a D+2 gangster who fails to counter an attack becomes an E+2 gangster. If their rating falls below E (ignoring modifiers) they are subdued or destroyed.

If your attack result is at least 2x the adversary's rating die you instantly defeat them. For example, an E (d4) adversary will be instantly defeated if your attack result is at least 8. If the adversary's die has a modifier it is applied after the 2x. For example, an E+3 adversary will only be instantly defeated on a result of 11 or higher. Minions: Trivial characters employed by the players' pilots. Minions are treated like pieces of equipment and usable for only one type of Adversaries with A or B ratings should be reserved for "boss battles" skill roll (specified when the minion is created). They have a single or other significantly dangerous situations. The Announcer may rating from A to E that may include a modifier of +1 to +4. decide that certain adversaries are resistant or immune to specific types of damage such as fire or cold and increase their rating or Minions may be lost like equipment when a pilot fails to counter an bonus against those attacks or rule that they inflict no damage. attack, but cannot otherwise be "damaged". Certain adversaries have equipment of their own treated like normal Important NPCs: Rivals or counterparts to the player characters' equipment. This equipment is generally unusable by the player pilots. Important NPCs are created and treated exactly like player characters and is almost always destroyed when its owner is beaten. characters. The Announcer may create "seasoned" NPCs with extra skill points or equipment. Extras: Any other characters that need to be represented with game statistics. These characters are treated like Adversaries and given a single rating but are not inherently antagonistic. captain falcon

3 Balance Striking 4 4 Shooting Blocking 3 4 Piloting NERVE Dodging 2 4 Passing Ramming b samurai goroh 3 Balance Striking 3 AIM a c BRAIN 1 Shooting Blocking 3 d 4 Piloting Dodging 2 Sideswiping Cheating NERVE 4 Passing Ramming 3 Accolades FLAIR Mechanics 4 b 3 Influence Larceny Lying Savvy 4 AIM a b BRAIN e 2 Sideswiping Cheating 3 Accolades FLAIR Mechanics 1 2 Influence Larceny 3 3 Lying Savvy 2 From: Port Town Age: Unknown (rumored to be in his early 30s) Besides being an accomplished F-ZERO pilot, he is a renowned and talented bounty hunter. Not much is known about his past. From: Unknown (believed to be Japanese-American) Age: Unknown (believed to be in his early 40s) The leader of a renegade band of thieves known to hide out in Red Canyon. equipment: It is known that he participates in the Grand Prix under an alias, and it is also rumored that his machine is stolen property. Blaster pistol (Shooting) A+3 Body armor (Blocking) B Robot servant (Mechanics) B+2 equipment: Falcon Flyer (spaceship) A Katana (Striking) A+2 Burglary kit (Larceny) B+1 Gang of thieves (Larceny) C dr. stewart pico From: Death Wind 4 Balance Striking Age: 34 Shooting Blocking 2 Believed to be an ex-soldier who worked in the Polipoto Army’s 4 Piloting NERVE Dodging 4 4 Passing Ramming Special Fighting Unit. He is a highly aggressive pilot, and his cold heart is a perfect complement to this. Officially, his occupation is an e F-ZERO pilot, but, it is rumored that he is also a competent hit-man. AIM a b BRAIN

b 4 Balance Striking 4 Sideswiping Cheating 4 Shooting Blocking 2 Accolades Mechanics 3 FLAIR 3 Piloting Dodging 4 Influence Larceny NERVE 2 Passing Ramming 4 Lying Savvy 2 a AIM a c BRAIN From: Mute City e Age: 31 Sideswiping Cheating 3 Though he had followed the lifestyle of the elite as an accomplished Accolades FLAIR Mechanics 1 and well respected medical doctor, he has participated in the Influence Larceny 3 Savvy F-ZERO Grand Prix as the pilot of the Golden Fox since the death of 2 Lying 3 his father the scientist, Professor Kevin Stuart. equipment: : equipment Sniper rifle (Shooting) A+4 Diploma (Influence) A+3 samus aran "big time" brannigan

4 Balance Striking 3 4 Balance Striking 1 4 Shooting Blocking 2 4 Shooting Blocking 2 3 Piloting NERVE Dodging 4 2 Piloting NERVE Dodging 4 Passing Ramming Passing Ramming b b AIM a c BRAIN AIM a c BRAIN d d Sideswiping Cheating 3 Sideswiping Cheating 2 Accolades FLAIR Mechanics 3 Accolades FLAIR Mechanics 2 Larceny 3 Influence 3 2 Influence Larceny 4 Lying Savvy 2 4 2 Lying Savvy 3

equipment: From: Unknown Age: Unknown Power suit (Blocking) A+4 The alien bounty hunter called "Big Time" Power beam (Shooting) A+4 Brannigan boasts a 100% efficiency Hunter-class gunship A rating and is one of the top hunters in the Universe.

equipment: From: K-2L Power armor (Blocking) A+2 Age: Unknown (presumed to be in her mid to late 20s) Samus is a famous bounty hunter often employed by the Power cannon (Shooting) A+4 Galactic Federation to combat dangerous threats to the Universe. She has a fierce hatred for the Space Pirates, but will take almost any assignment if the pay is right. adversaries

Every adversary is given a short writeup containing the following: name, type, rating, and information. The name is simply the adversary's common label. The type is a shorthand reference like "Thug" or "Metroid". See Types below for more information. An adversary's rating indicates the size of the die they initially use to attack, defend, and use skills. The information blurb contains suggestions for the Announcer and other useful facts.

Metroid: Metroids are artificial life forms that hatch from eggs. They are largely invulnerable to everything but extreme cold. Metroids drain energy from living creatures - they can also drain energy from F-Zero machines!

Thug: Thugs are fighters who make their living with weapons or their fists. Thugs are almost never magical or psychic.

Monster: This is a catch-all term for fierce barbaric alien creatures. They may or may not be intelligent but they are always dangerous.

Flying Monster: These are monsters that can fly to reach high places or fleeing characters.

Robot: Most robot adversaries have a low rating but a high bonus. This makes them hard to crack but easy to put out of commission. hired gunman infant metroid Thug C+1 Metroid E+1

Mercenaries and thugs are often paid to act as muscle by crime bosses. They are often found in groups of two or three. Infant Metroids hatch from eggs and are inquisitive and fairly harmless for a few moments before attacking. They are easily destroyed by very low temperatures.

giant animal Monster A+3 Fierce alien lifeforms may be found on worlds throughout skree the Universe. They are usually relentless and attack until Flying Monster D+2 dead or driven off.

These creatures hang from cave ceilings and dive-bomb anything that resembles prey. gimmick fighter Thug B+1 Special Gimmick fighters have a single piece rogue robot of B- or C-rated equipment that Robot D+4 makes them formidable opponents. Some common equipment includes Rogue robots are persistent rocket boots (Dodging), force adversaries. They are not fields (Blocking), or hand-mounted particularly dangerous but blasters (Shooting). their +4 bonus makes them hard to vanquish.

sentry robot space ranger Thug A+1 Robot E+4 Special Space Rangers are a cut above Sentry robots are often deployed Gimmick Fighters. Each one carries a to prevent beings from entering piece of B- and C-rated equipment. restricted areas. They will warn They may be found solo, in pairs, or in nearby allies or central command squads of 10 or more. Space Rangers unless taken by surprise. Sentry have a strong code of honor and may robots tend to remain in a specific occasionally be persuaded to aid just area or follow a specific path. causes. inspiration the big thank-you list: You don't need anything other than this rulebook to jump into a breakneck F-Zero race, but when you want more action here are The following people were absolutely necessary in making this game some great places to get inspiration for your pilot, your track and what it is. They ran endless laps playtesting track bugs, churned out rogue robot your game! dozens of pilots to expand character options, and came up with a ton of great ideas for rules. Film and television: Cowboy Bebop: Mainly the CS part. Altasaire Mack Hatchet Death Race 2000: The original murdercar movie! Boris Makarov Mack McCoy Knight Rider: Shades of Captain Falcon! Brian Andromeda Mack Targann Redline: The anime, not the American movie. BruneiGuy Marl CaesarSalad Michelle Cuunis Speed Racer : This classic cartoon has a bunch of great ideas for Announcers to steal for their own games. Casadon Namillus Wacky Races: Eclectic racers in outlandish machines? Eli Nap Elric Nekowaffle Literature: Ernst Kapplan Nibbles Why Johnny Can't Speed: Alan Dean Foster's short story about a world where arguments are settled on the freeway. FiremanPrime Nothing Man Hootings PresentPresence The Racer: Ib Melchior's short story of a racer paid to murder Iggy Whight Return0fDjango pedestrians was the basis for the cult classic InquisitorFrollo Toastmonster Death Race 2000. Jeb Kerman Wreckingfist RPGs: LaBambaMan Yavinos Car Wars: The classic Steve Jackson tabletop wargame largely Lisandra Brave Xankek inspired by Why Johnny Can't Speed. GorkaMorka: A Warhammer 40,000 setting primarily focused on vehicular combat.

Video games: Battle Cars, Extreme G, the F-Zero series (obviously!), Jet Moto, Interstate '76, Star Wars Pod Racer, Vigilante 8, Wipeout