Space Station 13 tabletop RPG
Game Mechanics
The players will be constantly beset with challenges aboard the station. While many obstacles can be overcome through clever thinking on the part of the player, it is often up to the skills of the characters to get through the trials of SS113. In such situations, the Game Master (GM) will call for a player to make a “check”. A check is when a player rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to his/her relevant stat to determine whether or not his/her character succeeds at a task. If the any of the six-sided die come up as a 5 or a 6, the task is a success. There are three kinds of checks: Stat Checks are checks for miscellaneous tasks, from fixing a door to hearing a burst pipe. A Stat Check can be related to any of the six character stats, and sometimes, more difficult tasks will call for multiple checks, such as removing a wall section (one technical check to weld through the plating and one strength check to remove the internal girders). An Offensive Check is used to deal damage in combat. This may take the form of either a melee or ranged attack. When making an offensive check, you add either your strength stat and your melee stat together and roll that many dice, or your aim and your ranged stat together and roll that number of dice. For each success, you reduce the HP of the enemy by 1 point. A Defensive Check works exactly like an Offensive Check, except it reduces the damage you take from an enemy’s Offensive Check by 1 point for every success. You add your defense and your reflex stats together to get the number of dice you may roll.
Statistics
There are ten statistics to a character in Space Station 113. They are HP, (hit points) Melee, Ranged, Defense, Strength, Aim, Awareness, Reflexes, Reason, and Technical. These ten are divided into Job Stats and Character Stats. The four Job Stats are determined by what occupation you choose for your character at the start of the game. Hit Points- How much damage your character can take before falling unconscious Melee- Your character’s aptitude in physical combat Ranged- Your character’s aptitude in ranged combat Defense- How strong your protection against damage is These four stats generally lend themselves to what equipment your characters start out with when they reach Solar Station 113, as opposed to natural ability (with the exception of HP). The stats can increase and decrease with the availability of equipment. The six Character Stats are determined by your own choosing. When creating a character, you are given 9 points to distribute among the six stats. A high score for a particular stat makes success more likely in tasks associated with that stat (a strong character is more likely to break down windows, for example). You can assign a value of 0 to any stat, denoting a handicap. Handicapped characters are treated as if they had a score of 1 for that stat, but have an additional deficiency related to the stat, such as deafness for a 0 Awareness score. Strength- A character’s physical strength. Good for Melee combat, breaking things, forcing objects, and carrying heavy loads. Aim- A character’s spatial reasoning capacity. Good for Ranged combat, certain Technical functions, judging distances, and throwing things. Awareness- A character’s ability to know what’s going on around him. Good for hearing things, seeing things, identifying hazards, and picking up on subtleties. Reflexes- A character’s ability to react. Good for combat Defense, dodging hazards, controlling machines, and combat initiative. Reason- A character’s mental fortitude. Good for calculation, willpower, problem solving, and “MacGuyver-ing”. Technical- A character’s ability in the more esoteric aspects of their occupation. ex: repairing a gun, operating electrical grids, vent systems
Character Occupations
There are 14 different occupations onboard Solar Station 113, two of which are robotic assistants. Each has unique equipment, duties, technical training, and levels of station access. They are as follows: Electrical Engineers are responsible for the well-being of the power grid, redirecting electrical power in emergencies, and operation/maintenance of the generator, power relays, power lines, transformers, electrical boxes, and all connected equipment. Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working with electrical equipment, able to find hidden devices, some very unique equipment, and high access Cons: Lots of duties, highly hazardous job, poor in combat Equipment: Insulation gear, wirecutters, power screwdriver, magnetic tracer, cable detector, static analyzer, solder gun HP: 6 Melee: 2 Ranged: 0 Defense: 1 (2 vs. electrical) Maintenance Technicians are tasked with repairing hull damage, robot maintenance, upkeep of mechanical equipment, deconstruction of hazardous obstructions, and construction of station modifications. Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working on mechanical devices, ability to construct or deconstruct (walls, windows, grates, doors, etc), access to maintenance supply caches. Cons: Lots of duties, may be expected to do EVA jobs Equipment: Full toolbox, cold welder, hand/face protection, powersaw, structural damage analyzer, 10 units of prefabricated building material HP: 6 Melee: 2 Ranged: 0 Defense: 2 Computer Specialists are in charge of making sure the station’s computer network stays running, administrating the systems, terminal and server repair, and protecting the station from hacking attempts. Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working with computers, access to most digital info on the station, access to server rooms, can control most computer-operated systems Cons: Holds a lot of blame, worst combat class there is Equipment: Multitool, PDA, wireless interfacer, computer repair kit, 2 cases of Electromagnetic Chaff Gas HP: 6 Melee: 0 Ranged: 0 Defense: 0
Atmospherics Technicians are the capable hands that run the station’s atmospheric equipment, including portable siphons, quarantine systems, ventilation machinery, and emergency gas flood/siphon controls. Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working with Atmos devices, high access, able to monitor air flow remotely, access to unique gear, plus the fact that everyone is allowed to breathe because of you. Cons: Having to cater to everyone who whines that there’s no air, poor in combat Equipment: Atmos analyzer, 2 portable siphons (1 empty, 1 full of atmosphere), oxygen injection lance, rebreather, pipe/valve repair kit, airtight suit HP: 6 Melee: 0 Ranged: 1 Defense: 1 Security Agents are here for your safety. They arrest, detain, and interrogate criminals and misbehaving crewmembers, protect the station from infiltration, and protect key locations/personnel. Pros: High combat capacity, clearance for Security zones, can use security cameras Cons: No technical strength, cannot use lethal force Equipment: Security Armor, helmet with visor, tazer baton, 2 stun grenades, ear plugs, scanning wand, bomb detector HP: 10 Melee: 4 Ranged: 2 Defense: 2
Chemical Researchers are the reason the whole station is here in the first place. They handle the research and development of chemical technology, handling of hazardous chemicals, manufacture of chemical agents, and containment of whatever they produce Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working with chemicals, able to assemble and deploy chemical utilities/weapons, can access the lab, 1 point Awareness bonus regarding leaks and spills Cons: Poor in combat, few technical opportunities outside the lab Equipment: Goggles, chemical neutralizer spray, igniter wand, hazard suit, molecular sterilizer brush, Geiger counter HP: 6 Melee: 1 Ranged: 0 Defense: 0 (2 vs. chem/bio)
Paramedics deliver emergency medical aid to wounded or incapacitated crewmembers, transport personnel to the medbay, contain biohazards, and perform resuscitations. Pros: First aid knowledge, ability to roll Technical for emergency medical treatment, access to medical supply, high access, can hear security channels. Cons: Poor in combat, little interaction with station systems Equipment: Collapsible stretcher, first aid kit, defibrillator, 4 sedative injections, latex gloves, medical mask, burn ointment, scalpel HP: 8 Melee: 1 Ranged: 0 Defense: 0 (2 vs. bio)
The Custodian keeps stock of basic storage, keeps halls clear, performs general sanitary maintenance, and prevents mold and calcium buildups from eroding the station. Pros: Can make any hallway an instant hazard with his mop and bucket, access to most diverse array of useful supplies Cons: Little interaction with station systems Equipment: Various cleaning supplies, mop, hand vacuum, anti-rust spray, canned industrial glue, sanitizer spray, scum disintegrator, and anything ever sold by Billy Mays HP: 8 Melee: 1 Ranged: 1 Defense: 1
Marines keep a constant military presence on the station. They’re here to protect the government’s investment to this project, eliminate any threats to the station, and remind the captain that the government is still in charge. Pros: High combat capacity, access to Solar Command communication channels Cons: Little to do outside of an emergency, may be viewed with suspicion Equipment: PF-44 Tactical Combat Rifle, 2 smoke grenades, body armor, helmet, weapon tool, rebreather, combat knife, 2 clips of anti-personnel rounds HP: 10 Melee: 2 Ranged: 4 Defense: 3
The Administrative Operator coordinates the station’s crew and regulates communications. They relay commands from the captain, observe and report emergencies to the security grid, and monitor station alerts. Pros: 1 point Technical bonus when working with communication equipment, knows where alerts are going on and why, can broadcast over the intercom, hears all and sees all Cons: Poor in combat, limited physical access, not able to solve many problems on their own Equipment: Alert tracker, broadcast radio, low frequency jammer, communication tap, camera tap, bullet-resistant vest HP: 6 Melee: 1 Ranged: 0 Defense: 1
Biochemists manage the operation of the hydroponics bay, which keeps the station fed and the oxygen in constant production. They manufacture produce, consumables, and medicines. Outside the hydroponics bay, they are employed to keep the joint project between Chem Research and the Biolabs from eating away at the station. Pros: Able to produce new items, can perform basic first aid, can detect/identify growths and xenoflora Cons: Poor in combat, little interaction with station systems Equipment: Thermal goggles, full face mask, rubber gloves, tranquilizer injector (5 doses), growth inhibitors, bio analyzer HP: 6 Melee: 1 Ranged: 0 Defense: 0 (2 vs. bio)
The Inspector investigates the activities of Solar Station 113 and reports his findings regarding the research developments, station status, and personnel to Solar Command. There’s always something suspicious going onboard and it’s up to the Inspector to find out what’s causing it all.
Pros: Highest access outside of the captain’s, can contact SolCom, only armed non-combat class, unarmed combat training
Cons: You’re a government spook.
Equipment: Captain-level access card, lie detector, hidden camera, recording devices, crew manifest and personnel files, station map, stun gun, bullet resistant vest
HP: 8 Melee: 1 Ranged: 2 Defense: 1
Androids are to assist all crew of Solar Station 113 in any way possible and are bound by the Asimov Laws: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. These laws may be overridden by a Computer Specialist or the captain. Pros: Higher total base stats, skilled in every field, indistinguishable from a human Cons: No specializations, unable to pick own stats. Equipment: To be discussed with the GM. HP: Special. Melee: 2 Ranged: 2 Defense: 2
Robots are employed in a number of different fields, ranging from security and maintenance to medical and vent cleaning. Their size, form, abilities, tools, and duties all depend on what kind of robot they are. Like the androids, they are bound by the Asimov Laws.
Pros: Robots are exceedingly efficient at whatever it is they are built to do. Their abilities depend on what kind of robot they are.
Cons: A robot’s abilities may be limited in scope. Very few robots can pick up and use tools like humans can.
Equipment: To be discussed with the GM.
HP: Varies Melee: Varies Ranged: Varies Defense: Varies
