The Partisan A Supply Drop Playbook By Lawson Coleman For Austin Ramsay’s Beam Saber Credits & Required Texts This playbook was made on the unceded traditional territories of the Matsqui, Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations. The Partisan Designed & Written by: Lawson Coleman Playtested by: Juno Coleman The Partisan is an in-development playbook, and the design & layout in this PDF is subject to change for any multitude of reasons.Some Abilities or gear may be imbalanced, and your mileage may vary. There will be a more formal feedback system coming eventually after the release of the Partisan V0.2, but in the meantime you can either @ me on twitter or leave a comment on itch.io(please try to be respectful & patient if you do either of these things,& I will return the favor). If you are interested in following updates on the Partisan(and other things I make), you can follow me on twitter @TheLawsonC! The Game Mechanics listed in this playbook require a copy of Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay, which can be found here: Beam Saber by Austin Ramsay Thank you to Austin for Designing & Writing such an awesome game, and for cultivating a creative & positive culture around the beam saber community. I’ve had a great time running beam saber, and designing for it has been a refreshing exercise. Beam Saber is a Forged in the Dark Game, which is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/ ), product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/). Table of Contents 1: Touchstones/ Vehicle Gear 2: Starting Build/Play The Partisan if.../Pilot Gear 3: Starting Ability: Voice in your ear 4: Ability: Keep your friends close, and... 5: Ability: Champion 6: Ability: Zealous 7: Ability: Sponsored Ride 8: Ability: Call in a favour 9: Ability: Advocate 10: Ability: Requisitions 11: Ability: Veteran 12: Example Gather Information Questions 13: Example Allies and rivals/Example Handlers 14: The Scrapyard: Introduction 15: The Scrapyard: Ability: Bosses’ Favourite Touchstones Solid Snake(Metal gear solid), Shinji Ikari(Neon Genesis Evangelion), Fourteen Fifteen(Friends at the Table), The Master Chief(Halo), Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader(Star Wars), Jack Cooper & BT(Titanfall 2), James Bond, Agent 47(HITMAN) Banners, Flags And Regalia(1 Load): A collection of Stunning Decorations on your Vehicle that inspire most allies and intimidate most enemies of your Handler’s faction. A Fine Signature Melee Weapon(1 Load): A Unique Handheld Vehicle weapon, such as a Psionic Dagger, Laser Greatsword, or a Corrosive Halberd. Artillery Targeting System(1 Load, 1 use per mission): Onboard systems for marking a location from which to call in a bombing run, artillery strike, or an orbital bombardment from a distant location, so long as your handler has access to it. Fine Onboard Processing Systems(1 Load): A High-tech system for Interpreting and presenting battlefield data and information on the fly, complete with a Unique AI personality. Vehicle Gear 1 Starting Build +1 Sway, +1 Battle, +1 Bombard, Voice in your ear A Fine Revolver(1 Load): A Reliable Sidearm that can deal with lightly armored targets with ease. A symbol of your station(1 Load): A badge, Identification, icon, artefact, tattoo, or other indicator that can be shown to members of your handler’s faction to assuage doubts in loyalty or clearance. A Bribe(1 Load, once per mission): The assets needed for a standard bribe of materiel or personnel, paid for by your handler. A Fine Long-Range Transmitter & Receiver(0 Load): A high-quality device necessary for sending and receiving encrypted data and live comms(audio and visual) over distances greater than a few towns. Your Handler can contact you through this. Your own Custom Vehicle(0 Load): The vehicle assigned to you suitable to your needs. It’s represented by the Vehicle entry on your Pilot sheet. Pilot Gear Play The Partisan if... 2 Using This Move: For The GM: Discuss with the Player using this playbook about the faction the handler is from, and about the handler themselves. Both of these are going to be important parts of their character mechanically(and likely narratively as well). You don’t need a perfect blueprint laid out from the jump, but a fairly clear sketch/palette should be laid out ahead of time. Is the story here about intrigue & mystery? Service to a Great Cause? Power dynamics, institutional hierarchy and empire? Something different altogether? Additionally, speak with them about what boundaries they have regarding power dynamics & consent in the narrative regarding this playbook. The text of this playbook implies a level of leverage & institutional power that the handler has over the Partisan, but that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, or those sorts of narrative & mechanical consequences don’t have to come up. If the player using this playbook sets boundaries around how the Handler uses their power over the Partisan, do not undercut them. If your or your player’s first instinct is that there is no boundary(and that you can “just play”), that likely isn’t true and there’s probably an assumed boundary, which should be spoken about explicitly to avoid a mismatch during play, which can be a deeply unpleasant experience for the whole table. Starting Ability Voice in your ear: You have a handler -- your own personal direct superior. Your handler is connected to a faction which may or may not be your squad's patron. Take +1d on a type of action that represents the essential nature of that faction. They will call on you to serve: mark xp whenever you directly struggle from obeying your handler's orders. 3 Partisan Abilities Keep your friends close, and..: When you command, consort, cut loose with, or sway a perceived enemy, threat, or competitor to your handler or their faction, you learn one of the following: a vulnerability to their superiors, a useful secret, a piece of knowledge about your handler or their faction. Pick This Ability If: You are interested in espionage and mystery, and unravelling conspiracies. Using This Ability: During missions, this Ability can open up new narrative opportunities and routes to your objective. During downtime, it can be used to discover new information, perhaps even lay the ground for a new mission. For The GM: Be specific about the medium through which the information is given. Is it a tip from the handler? Is it a data drive, with stolen information? Is it a pamphlet, a keyphrase, or instructions? Try to find something flavourful & specific for the partisan to follow up on. 4 Partisan Abilities Champion: You heal an amount of stress equal to your squad's tier +1 when you complete a mission that furthers the goals of your handler's faction. You cannot overindulge from stress healed from this ability. Pick This Ability If: You want your Handler to give you missions and side objectives, or if you want another way to heal stress. Using This Ability: Try to push yourself even harder than usual with stress, especially in later sessions when your squad’s tier has grown. This Ability also pairs especially well with Zealous, which helps with how much stress you use as well. For The GM: If your player takes this Ability, try to have the handler offer side objectives and missions to the Partisan and their squad. If the Handler’s faction is not the squad’s patron, try to find side objectives just for the partisan. Find hidden documents, hit a secondary target, etc. 5 Partisan Abilities Zealous: When you take a desperate action in service of your handler’s direct orders, take +1d. resisting the consequences of these actions costs half as many stress or quirks. Pick This Ability If: You want to roleplay a character who would readily sacrifice their life for their handler’s cause, or if you want more mechanical incentive to follow your handler’s orders. Using This Ability: Remember that you can always exchange position for effect, and vice versa if you’re looking to take advantage of this Ability often. However, it’s worth remembering that you’re also putting yourself in a position to resist or otherwise deal with a desperate consequence. For The GM: Try to have the handler offer more dangerous side-objectives and direct orders, if it makes sense. If the partisan starts to really lean on this Ability, you can have the handler try to “reel them in”, if they’re the sort to do that sort of thing. 6 Partisan Abilities Sponsored ride: Your vehicle is insured for by your handler's faction. When it is destroyed, you receive a replacement vehicle at the end of the next mission. Whenever you recieve your “free” replacement, roll an extra entanglement. Pick this Ability if: You are reckless with your vehicle, and want to rely on your handler’s resources to bankroll the cost. Using This Ability: Think about how your character treats their vehicle. Are they disposable tools? Are you pushing the vehicle to its absolute limits in service of your goals? Are you just trying to bleed your handler’s wallet? Or are you just glad to know that there’s a backup vehicle, should you need it? For The GM: Ask Yourself and the Partisan what this new vehicle could be. Is it the same Load/Scale as the previous vehicle? Are its Quirks the same? Do upgrades carry over? This should be something discussed between both parties out of character, probably even before this Ability sees any sort of use. You don’t want a situation where expectations are mismatched, leading to frustration for either or both of you. 7 Partisan Abilities Call in a favor: Once per mission, you can call in a favor from your handler. They can provide you with one of the following: backup from a cohort they have access to, a key piece of intel, or a dead drop with a piece of gear. The quality, scale, and tier of anything gained from this Ability is determined by the tier of your handler's own squad. Pick This Ability if: You want support from your Handler during missions, or if you want to feel connected to your handler’s faction in a more material way. Using This Ability: When you use this Ability, consider what sort of power the handler has in the established fiction. Are they a spymaster? A general? A Guerilla Sergeant? How much resources do they have access to? That probably effects what they can provide, and what sort of actions you want to lean on for this Ability. If you aren’t sure, you can always discuss with your GM. For The GM: What does the “handler’s own squad” mean? Is it the Partisan’s squad? The organisation or bureau within their faction that they(the handler) represent? At the very least, you should figure out what tier & hold it has so you have a rough idea of what sort of weight the handler can throw around. 8 Partisan Abilities Advocate: Mark Xp at the end of a mission if your actions increased the public’s perception of your handler's faction. When you convince a character to fight for your handlers’ factions’ cause, gain increased effect on your next action. Pick this Ability if: You want another source of XP, or if your character aspires to be the face of their handler’s faction on the battlefield. Using This Ability: As mentioned in the For The GM section above, the interpretation of this Ability can vary. Depending on your case, try to find ways to represent your handler’s faction. Interact with civilians, make your mech visible on the battlefield, and stick flags in the ground. For The GM: Have a conversation with the player about what “increased the public’s perception” means. Is it necessarily positive? Is it reinforcing a reputation through terror? Being a poster child for the faction? This is something that should be figured out for what feels best for your group. 9 Partisan Abilities Requisitions: Once per downtime, gain +1d when collecting from a region controlled by your handler's faction, and ignore any entanglements as a result of this action. Your handler will deal with it. Pick this Ability if: You want your character to use your handler’s institutional power for their own gain, or if you already collect often during downtime. Using This Ability: Describe how you use your handler’s influence to get what you want without consequence. Are you strong-arming farmers? Requisitioning weapons from a military installation connected to the handler? How do you imagine the handler dealing with any potential fallout? For The GM: Make sure that the handler’s faction has at least one region that they have control or influence over. Depending on the tone of your game, I recommend letting the partisan use this Ability on regions not controlled by the handler’s faction, if there is some justification for the faction being able to exert some control to get resources from a particular region. 10 Partisan Abilities Veteran: Choose a special ability from another source. Can be taken up to three times. Using This Ability: The Partisan could really take Abilities out of any playbook, depending on your character’s specific flavour and skillset, as well as what elements you’re interested in. Here’s some guidance on what you might want to take from the beam saber core rulebook (though Abilities from other supply drops could be awesome too!) Is your partisan focused on intrigue, secrets, and subterfuge? Taking a Ability out of Envoy, Infiltrator, Empath, or hacker might be appropriate. Is your Partisan’s story about power & being a part of a faction’s hierarchy? Bureaucrat or Officer Abilities could be worth dipping into. Or is your Partisan more a skilled operative who is lead by a handler? Abilities from Ace, Soldier, Technician, or Scout could help specify what those skills are. 11 What Faction do they belong to? What is their rank? Does my handler know something about [X]? Who Can be convinced to do [X]? What’s really going on here? I can Convince them to fight for my cause. They’re a threat to my handler’s goals. I need to deal with that. I think they doubt my loyalties. I will show them otherwise. They don’t understand what it is I stand for. Example Gather Information Questions 12 Agent Higs, your handler’s most experienced operative. Euterpe, a weathered deserter Diederik, a shady informant Aeolus, a wavering soldier CENSU, an obfuscated Algorithm Adelhard, a proud Noble & Knight Corporate assistant Harlow, an exhausted Beaurocrat The Whispered Magister, a mysterious shadow broker Example Partisan Allies And Rivals Example Partisan Handlers 13 The Scrapyard The Following pages contain playtest content that is more half-baked, unpolished, and imbalanced than the rest of the playbook. In the future, it may include cut content or new stuff that I want to show to you for feedback, but don’t feel confident enough about to add to the “real” playbook. Use at your own(and your group’s) discretion & peril. 14 Partisan Abilities Bosses’ Favourite: Gain the Sponsor Squad Upgrade. Your Sponsor is your handler. Pick this Ability if: You want your handler to be relevant to the whole squad, or if you want to boost your squad’s tier increase rate. Using This Ability: Though your handler is now your squad’s sponsor, they are not your squadmates’ direct superior in the same way they are for you. Think about how your Partisan may react to this shift! Do they resent it? Are they excited to see the squad work more towards their handler’s goals? For The GM: Think about what this shift means fictionally, as well as mechanically. 15