LUCHA LIBRE CONTRA A game of luchador action and adventure, Written by Dave Glide 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Agendas & Principles; GM Moves; World & Adventures CHARACTER CREATION ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 9 Concept; Stats; Roles; Moves; History; Fatigue; Glory; Experience & Reputation Levels CHARACTER ROLES ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Tecnico; Rudo; Monstruo; High-Flyer; Extrema; Exotico GENERICO MOVES ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 Rookie; Journeyman; Professional; Champion; Legend ADVANCED CHARACTER OPTIONS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 25 Starting Above “Rookie;” Cross-Role Moves; Alternative Characters; Character Creation Example TAKING ACTION …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 29 Combat & Non-Combat Moves LUCHA COMBAT and CULTURE NOTES ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 41 Match Rules; Lucha Terminology; Optional Rules ENEMIES OF THE LUCHADORES …………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 48 Monster Stats; Henchman; Mythology and Death Traps SAMPLE VILLAINS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 52 SAMPLE DEATH TRAPS ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 56 INSPIRATION ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 58 FINAL WORD ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 59 2 THE WORLD OF LUCHA LIBRE CONTRA In Lucha Libre Contra, players take on heroes. Young fans could thrill to El Santo’s the role of luchadores: masked Mexican adventures in his fumetto comics, then head to professional wrestlers. Where other wrestling the cinema and see him team up with Blue games focus on the life and drama of in-ring Demon to battle mad scientists in Atlantis. competition, Lucha Libre Contra is a game that Then, they could head to Arena Mexico and see emulates one of the most unique and classic their actual hero do battle with living, breathing aspects of the luchador: their long-running opponents- or at least, know that he was an cinematic feud with the criminals and monsters actual person who existed as surely as they did. of sci-fi and horror films. Modern audiences still find some Lucha Libre films were quickly made entertainment in these films, when they can be adventure stories that took their protagonists found. Lucha libre films are considered a classic (generally real-life luchadores such as El Santo, of camp, retro entertainment cinema, with their Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras) and pitted them larger-than-life characters and over-the-top, against the likes of Dracula, The Wolf-Man, The utterly unironic glory. The movies present a Blob and other famous monsters of filmland. world in which a folk hero like El Santo can sit Without regard for their own well-being or down at a restaurant in a tan suit, pressed tie international copyright law, these masked and bright silver mask, and everyone takes that heroes would throw themselves into at face value. Where a mad scientist can adventures that were light on plots or special unleash a horrible monster on the city streets, effects spectacle but created larger-than-life and the first person the police are inclined to personas lasting decades. call is Blue Demon, the National Welterweight Champion of Mexico. It’s a world of straight- For their contemporary audiences, faced adventure, two-fisted exploration and these films provided fun, melodramatic masked 3 dramatic personas to thrill and laugh along schlocky B-movie. The GM will present them with, and Lucha Libre Contra looks to bring that with the details that build the world they live in, world to the gaming table. the nonplayer characters they encounter, and the villains they will be faced against. The individual action characters take is called a Move and will be described in almost obnoxious detail in the following pages. For now, it’s enough to know that the basic mechanic goes as follows: the player rolls 2d6+Stat (decided by the GM or the Move), added together. On a 10+, the action is a complete success and the character gains a benefit. A result of 7-9 is considered a partial hit, and usually gains the character a lesser LUCHA-POWERED APOCALYPSE result or some form of compromise. Results of 6 or below are called Misses, and generally result Lucha Libre Contra, like many games in the GM deciding on a penalty for the that are Powered by The Apocalypse, is built Character, based on what is happening in the from a rules system called Apocalypse World, fictional world of the game. developed by D. Vincent & Meguey Baker. More specifically, it draws inspiration from two The actions of the heroes, and their similar RPGs, Nathan D. Paoletta’s World Wide reactions to their successes and failures, are the Wrestling and Worlds in Peril, a superhero meat and potatoes of a game of Lucha Libre game by Ken White. For players looking to run a Contra. However, the framework for the more realistic game about professional adventure (plot, supporting characters, wrestling, World Wide Wrestling is one of the consequences) is the garnish and spice, best on the market. If players are looking for a provided by the GM. more American superhero style game, Worlds in Peril is an excellent choice for that. Like other games that are Powered by The Apocalypse, Lucha Libre Contra focuses on storytelling. Instead of complex formulas and equations, the game works off a roll of 2d6, usually modified by a simple statistic. This mechanic covers all moves and actions a character can take while interacting with the world the Game Master [referred to as the GM] presents. The GM’s position is a special one, AGENDAS AND PRINCIPLES OF GAMEPLAY within the game. While the other players will be The GM’s Agendas are guidelines that taking on the role of various luchadores they can help to run a game of Lucha Libre Contra will conceive and develop through the course of smoothly. Try to keep these Agendas in mind play, the GM acts as the director of their while doing the pre-game work of running a 4 session. These Agendas are, essentially, the for an idea, or a failed roll will have them reasons that you and your group are sitting coming up empty on a lead. In any event, the down to play this game. action of the game needs a bit of a nudge to get moving, again. At these times, the GM may Principles are ideals that the GM should need to make a GM Move. keep in mind while running the game. Mostly, they’re simple suggestions that would be a GM Moves are “actions” that a GM good fit for running any roleplaying game. takes to enact something on the players within Agendas help the GM to set the game up, while the fiction, to ramp up the drama and keep the Principles are the ideas that make the game run ball rolling. Use these Moves to keep the action smoothly. coming, but try not to rely on them too much, or to railroad the players with them. GM Moves AGENDAS for Lucha Libre Contra include: - Make the players’ lives not boring - Separate them - Play the game to find out what happens - Bring them together - Recreate the fun of wrestling and B- - Put someone in a high-stakes situation Movies - Trade harm for harm (as established) PRINCIPLES - Deal harm (as established) - Announce off-screen badness - Sprinkle evocative details everywhere - Announce future badness - Build a bigger world through play - Take away one of their Things - Create interesting dilemmas, not - Give them a difficult decision to make interesting plots - Tell them the possible consequences - Address yourself to the characters, not and ask players - Turn their Move back on them - Make your move, but misdirect - Make a Move from Dangers or Bigger - Make your move, but never speak its Pictures name - Capture some or all of them - Look at your NPC’s and ideas through - Capture someone close to them crosshairs - Name everyone, make everyone human THE WORLD OF LUCHA LIBRE - Ask provocative questions, build on the So, with the task being on the GM to answers provide the world for these luchadores, what - Respond with challenging kind of world would that be? The default setting circumstances and occasional rewards of Lucha Libre Contra is meant to reflect the - Be a fan of the players’ characters classic 1950’s-70’s lucha libre films of El Santo, - Think offscreen, too Blue Demon and their contemporaries. The - Sometimes, reflect a question back to trappings of this world can involve period the players details: heroes driving el Caminos, men of all - Build a fun, engaging, four-color world walks wearing suits, ranch-style adobe houses GM MOVES and surf rock and somewhat limited technology can all help to reinforce that retro vibe. Go for Sometimes, in the course of a game, the feel over accuracy and play elements of the action may get slow. The players may be stuck world itself straight. 5 The key conceit of the world, however, the match outcome. This could be a title or hair, and one of the most important things that helps but the most dramatic wager is the mask. a Lucha Libre Contra story run smoothly, is the Losing a mask in such a match could be the end idea that luchadores are heroes and are of the luchadores’ career as it is. They must give accepted by the culture around them. A lot of the mask to their foe, and announce to the the fun of the genre comes from juxtaposing world their true name, their hometown, and these dramatic, muscle-bound fighters in tights how long ago they began wrestling. Wrestling and masks with dramatic names against a careers may continue after such a loss, but the regular world. Have your heroes in their masks, luchadores themselves are never the same standing in line for the movies. Have them again. Even hated rudos, the bad guys of the sitting around at home between missions, wrestling world, have reduced crowds to tears enmascarado, playing chess while wearing when they are forced to give up a long-standing cardigans.