New Player Primer
From SSDC, Inc.
Introduction
Welcome to Battlelords of the Twenty-Third Century! The year is 2279 and the future is still wide open and really not all that different from today. Oh sure there are flying cars, laser guns and incredible advances in modern medicine and technology. But we still have all the crime, grime and scummy politicians, just on an intergalactic scale! So, what kind of role can you play in the galactic power struggle? Well that depends on your Battlemaster, but the game is generally built around the concept that the player characters (PC’s) are a team of freelance mercenaries hired by one corporation or another to do their dirty work. Risks are high and the pay isn’t great, but it beats flipping burgers or killing yourself climbing the corporate ladder. At the very least, it’s a lot more exciting (and the booty is much better)!
What do you need to play? Well to begin you need dice. You will need two 10-sided dice and two each of 4, 6, and 8 sided dice. Check with your local game store if you don’t know what you’re looking for and they should be more than happy to help. Then you’ll need some paper and writing utensils, something erasable is definitely recommended. Last, you’ll need some other players, preferably up to four for the purposes of this Primer and someone to be the Battlemaster. The Battlemaster (aka BM) is the person who runs the game; i.e. – sets up scenarios, writes up the NPC’s and doles out the rewards in the end. Be nice to your BM, because the BM has to do a lot of work prepping and running the game. Don’t worry; the BM will have his own Primer/Starting Module to work through while you are reading through this primer.
In the back of this Primer is a collection of four pre-generated characters. Remove or photocopy these sheets and decide who is going to play each character. In the meantime, the BM should be reading through the BM’s Primer and the starting mini-adventure. Take some time now and familiarize yourself with the sheet while the BM is reading up on the rules he has to know. Once you’ve had the basic run-down on the character sheet we can look at the rules, starting with the basics of the Skill and Combat system. Then we’ll get into Armor, Weapons, and SMR’s and at the last, Matrix Using. After that, we’ll touch briefly on tracking your characters progress, i.e. gaining new skills and other adjustments made after a successful mission. Your Battlemaster should have a brief module to run for you by the time you get done reading this primer.
Please note that this is only a beginner’s guide to the game and as such we have left out several of the more advanced rules, particularly those concerning combat. As you flip through the main rule book you will see more detailed rules and explanations that will liven up the game and probably answer most of your questions.
