OTHER CREDITS: In addition, EABA owes a debt to the role-playing games that have gone before. These may have themselves had inspiration from other role-playing games, but I'm just crediting the ones that inspired me. Dungeons & Dragons®(1974), by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax, for starting the idea of formal role-playing systems, as well as for some of the most fundamental game mechanics like attributes, skill rolls, and so on. Every role-playing game owes something to Dungeons & Dragons. Champions®(1981), by George MacDonald and Steve Peterson, for internally consistent and intuitive game mechanics, point-based adventurer creation and attribute- based defaults. From beginning as a ™ EABA v1.0 superhero game it has morphed into ©2002 by Greg Porter the Hero System®(1984), a quite good ISBN 0-943891-38-8 universal system. BTRC#6101 Call of Cthulhu®(1981), by Sandy Published by: BTRC Petersen, for making a story-driven P.O. Box 1121 horror system that has taken on a life Collinsville VA 24078 USA of its own. The depth and detail of the [email protected] support material is a benchmark that www.btrc.net all role-playing games should strive for. Cover art: Greg Porter GURPS®(1986), by Steve Jackson, for Interior art: Paul Bourne being the first “universal system” that didn't have a particular genre welded Playtesters: Thomas Bagwell, Marc to it, and for making a strong effort to Carlson, Travis Casey, George Chisum, have rules that matched reality where Damien Dyon, Larry Fries, Viktor Haag, reality was needed. GURPS has more Ian Harac, Stephanie Hostman, William licensed fictional gameworlds than Hostman, Leszek Karlik, Robert Menard, any other role-playing game, and John McMullen, Peter Newman, that it works fairly well for all of them is Charles Reynolds, Bob Ritchey, Sean a testament to the utility of its game Simpson mechanics. Other useful comments: Phil McGregor Over the Edge™(1992), by Jonathan Special editing assistance: Neil Asato Tweet and Robin D. Laws, for blurring the categories of adventurer abilities EABA™ is a trademark of Blacksburg and encouraging a free-form play Tactical Research Center. All rights style less dependent on having a rule- reserved. Protected by the Universal book sitting in front of you. Copyright Convention. No part of this work may be reproduced without TimeLords™(1987), 3G3™(1988) and written permission from the publisher, CORPS™(1990), by Greg Porter. These though I suppose you could get are my own designs, and concepts I around that by killing the author and originated for these games and those then waiting seventy or so years for inspired from the above systems are the copyright to expire. part of EABA. WHERE DO I FIND INTRODUCTION ........................................4.2 SCALE....................................................4.2 SEQUENCING ..........................................4.2 IT? ADVANCED TOPIC: MULTIPLE ACTIONS........4.3 ADVANCED TOPIC: SEQUENCE MODIFIERS ...4.3 MOVEMENT ............................................4.3 ADVANCED TOPIC: MOVEMENT PENALTIES ...4.3 DODGING ..............................................4.4 MELEE COMBAT ......................................4.4 Doing Damage..........................4.4 BASIC COMBAT RANGED COMBAT ...................................4.5 Accuracy....................................4.5 Movement..................................4.5 Doing Damage..........................4.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: CALLED SHOTS .............4.6 DAMAGE................................................4.6 INJURY ...................................................4.7 Diminishing Returns ....................4.7 INTRODUCTION .........................................1.2 ADVANCED TOPIC: STUNNING ...................4.7 INTRODUCTION GAME CONCEPTS.....................................1.2 ADVANCED TOPIC: KNOCKOUTS ................4.8 WHAT YOU'LL NEED ..................................1.2 ADVANCED TOPIC: BLEEDING ....................4.8 WHAT IS ROLE-PLAYING? .........................1.3 ADVANCED TOPIC: HIT LOCATIONS ............4.8 SAMPLE ADVENTURER................................1.4 ARMOR..................................................4.9 Layers ..........................................4.9 RECOVERY..............................................4.9 INTRODUCTION ........................................2.2 SAMPLE COMBAT...................................4.10 POINT RANGES ........................................2.2 ATTRIBUTES..............................................2.3 Strength.......................................2.3 Agility...........................................2.3 Awareness ..................................2.4 Will ...............................................2.4 Health..........................................2.4 INTRODUCTION ........................................5.2 Fate .............................................2.4 ADVANCED TOPIC: GIMMES......................5.2 PURCHASING ATTRIBUTES ...........................2.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: REALISTIC COMBAT .......5.2 ADVENTURERS SKILLS ....................................................2.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: SIZING UP FOES ............5.3 ADVANCED TOPIC: ADVANCED SKILLS ........2.6 ADVANCED TOPIC: ALL OR NOTHING .........5.3 SKILL LIST................................................2.7 ADVANCED TOPIC: BLOCKS & PARRIES .......5.3 Free Skills .....................................2.7 ADVANCED TOPIC: BLOCKING DAMAGE .....5.3 ADVANCED TOPIC: HOBBIES....................2.10 ADVANCED TOPIC: SHIELDS.......................5.3 TRAITS..................................................2.11 ADVANCED TOPIC: ENHANCED WEAPONS ...5.4 ADVANCED TOPIC: GLOBAL TRAITS ..........2.17 ADVANCED TOPIC: ADVANCED TARGETING .5.4 CASH AND GOODS ...............................2.19 ADVANCED TOPIC: ROTTEN CONDITIONS.....5.4 ADVANCED COMBAT ADVANCED ADVANCED TOPIC: CONTINUOUS DAMAGE .5.4 ADVANCED TOPIC: BREAKING STUFF ...........5.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: GRABS & HOLDS ..........5.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: BASHING/FALLING ........5.5 ADVANCED TOPIC: THROWING THINGS........5.6 ADVANCED TOPIC: AUTOFIRE ....................5.6 ADVANCED TOPIC: SHOTGUNS...................5.6 ADVANCED TOPIC: AREA EFFECTS ..............5.7 ADVANCED TOPIC: EXPLOSIONS.................5.7 SKILL USE ADVANCED TOPIC: ARMOR TYPES ..............5.8 INTRODUCTION ........................................3.2 ADVANCED TOPIC: CRIPPLING INJURIES.......5.8 BEST THREE...............................................3.2 ADVANCED TOPIC: RECOVERY MODIFIERS ...5.8 DIFFICULTY ...............................................3.2 EABA UNIVERSAL CHART ..........................3.4 INTRODUCTION ........................................6.2 POWER USE ............................................6.3 BUYING POWERS......................................6.4 POWER DESCRIPTIONS...............................6.4 Damage types ..........................6.5 Shotgun/autofire effect ...........6.6 POWERS Prevents/reverses an effect .....6.8 Channeled effect .....................6.9 Additional/reduced effect.....6.10 Range & targeting...................6.10 Special effect...........................6.12 Power is resisted/threshold .....6.13 Affects only small targets........6.13 Area effects..............................6.14 Acts as natural phenom. ........6.15 GAMEMASTERING Acts as an Attribute.................6.16 INTRODUCTION ........................................8.2 Conveys movement................6.16 THINGS YOU SHOULD DO ...........................8.2 Alters/subverts Attribute..........6.17 WHAT IS GAMEMASTERING?......................8.3 Creates/alters item..................6.19 THE 36 PLOTS .........................................8.4 Conveys information...............6.20 GAMEMASTERING TRICKS ..........................8.4 Uncontrolled power ................6.21 GAMEMASTERING FAULTS ..........................8.7 Triggered power ......................6.21 PLAYER TYPES ..........................................8.8 Duration ....................................6.22 EXPERIENCE ............................................8.9 Requires minimum Fate ..........6.23 Training .......................................8.9 Concentration & aids..............6.24 WHAT IS THIS GAME?..............................8.10 Focus & modifiers.....................6.24 Damages user's Attributes ......6.27 Joint activation ........................6.28 Loanable to others ..................6.28 Side effects...............................6.29 Uses mundane skill...................6.29 Cannot be altered ..................6.29 Hierarchic power .....................6.30 Costs +3A..................................6.30 Preparation time......................6.30 Generic bonus/penalty ..........6.30 POWER FRAMEWORKS/SAMPLE POWERS.....6.31 SPELL LIST ............................................6.34 ENCHANTMENTS & GADGETS ...................6.42 GEAR & STUFF INTRODUCTION ........................................7.2 TECHNOLOGY ERAS..................................7.2 THE COST OF LIVING ................................7.6 SPOTTING THINGS ....................................7.7 INTRODUCTION ........................................9.2 BATTLE SYSTEM ........................................7.8 RANGED WEAPONS..................................9.3 BETTER LIVING THROUGH CHEMISTRY .........7.10 MELEE AND OTHER WEAPONS....................9.4 MINUTIA THE GREAT OUTDOORS ...........................7.12 ARMOR ..............................................9.5 Exertion .....................................7.12 GEAR ..............................................9.6 Temperature.............................7.13