She calls herself 'Gidget Starseeker' because, as she explained, her real name sounds vaguely like Gidget and the rest is unpronouceable by Humans. Fair enough. I promised that if she helped me to better grok this game I would make her a Character Sheet and possibly chronicle some of her adventures.
He goes nothing...
The base mechanic of the game is very simple: when the outcome of a judgement would be variable, unclear, and especially dramatic, the player rolls 1 six-sided die and adds their character's appropriate Attribute and Skill to the result. If the final number meets or beats a Target Number the action succeeds. If not, the actions fails. Unless...well we'll get to that.
Attribute (Stat) + Skill + 1D6 Result = Total Roll
Now here's where things get interesting and the game shows its commitment to the Space Opera genre. Space Opera Heroes don't fail very often. In fact, they often succeed with epic effect! To this end, each judgement roll of your six-sided die is an Exploding Six-sided Die! That's right, the 1D6 you roll on every action check explodes on a 6!
For those unfamiliar with the Exploding Die concept; If you roll a 6 you add the result to your Stat+Skill and roll again, adding the next result to your total. If that number is a 6 you roll again, repeating the process until you don't roll a 6.
For every 5 points over the Target Number the roll achieves, the character is able to do +1 Damage and/or gain an additional benefit of varying degrees. According to the rules it would look something like this:
Roll is < The Target Number = Failure. (Unless...see below)
Roll is = or > than the Target Number = Success!
Roll is > the Target Number +5 = Effective Success. +1 Damage or Situation Benefit.
Roll is > the Target Number +10 = Critical Success. +2 Damage or 2 Situation Benefits.
Roll is > the Target Number +15 = Extraordinary Success. +3 Damage or 3 Benefits.
Roll is > the Target Number +20 or more = Legendary Success. +4 Damage or 4 Benefits.
If it is appropriate to the scene you can split the Damage and Benefits so that, for example, an Extraordinary Success could be +4 Damage and 2 Situation Benefits. Likewise it could be +2 Damage and 4 Benefits. Only one point of Damage and one Benefit may be exchanged in this way.
What the Situation Benefits are should be discussed between the Space Opera Master and PC Hero. Maybe your Laser Gun shoots one Pirate and he falls back, knocking another Pirate off his feet. Perhaps you hack into a Computer System to shut down the Alarm and you discovered the fastest path to your target. Benefits can translate to getting more information if you are performing a Sensor scan or asking Scientific questions.
The Target Numbers in general are as follows:
3 - Very Easy (Usually not worth rolling for)
4 - Fairly Easy
6 - Easy
8 - Standard
9 - Tricky. Slightly Difficult.
10 - Difficult
12 - Very Difficult
15 - Extremely Difficult
In some situations the player may get to roll more than 1D6. When doing so, you identify which one of your dice is the Base Die, the one representing the PC and the only one that Explodes. The other dice come from outside the PC (explained below) and are rolled along with the Base Die but only the Highest Score Rolled Counts. Again, if that roll is a 6 on the Base Die, you roll again as per the Exploding Die rules above.
Why would the PC get extra dice? There are a number of reasons but the most commons ones are:
The PC getting as assist from other PCs or a Major NPC.
The PC's Starship has a Special Feature that grants a bonus die.
The PC has Special Gear or a Special Ability like Psychic Power or Cybernetics.
Here's a play example:
Gidget is trying to scan a Biological Sample held in an illegal lab. The bad guys are trying to get in but she's used the computer to lock the door. Scanning with her Multi-Scanner is Easy (Target Number 6) but she is in a hurry. Her enemies will break in soon enough. That's a difficulty increase to 7.
Gidget's Intellect is 3 and her Sensors and Biology Skills are both 2. We'll say its Sensors. So she's rolling 1D6 + 3 + 2. Here we go...oops. A 1. That's a 6 Total, one less than she needs. Before she finishes her scan the villains open the door and point their Ray Guns at her.
Example Two:
Same situation but Gidget isn't alone. She is with her robot companion, GUS (Guardian Utility Scout). While she is scanning, GUS is overriding the door controls so the enemy can't open it without blowing the door off but they don't know that right away.
Once again, Gidget rolls her Intellect + Sensors + 1D6 but now she gets an extra 1D6 thanks to GUS' assistance. So 3 + 2 + a 2D6 roll, resulting in...oh wow. A 5 and a 6 on the Base Die. I roll again. 6. Again and I get a 1. Great Galaxies! 3+2+6+6+1 = 18! The Target Number was 7 and she beat it by 11 so that's a Critical Success! She not only Succeeds in scanning the sample but also manages to erase the data in the bad guys' computer and gets herself and GUS to a hatch in the ceiling for their escape.
Now, I've been mentioning that if you don't meet the Target Number you Fail your action 'Unless'...well that unless is if you spend a Hero Point. If you Fail and spend a Hero Point you Succeed with a Consequence. Things work but don't go exactly as planned. Maybe a new problem arises. Like many other Japanese TRPGs, Success after Fail comes with a cost and makes things a bit more complicated (and interesting).
Lastly...
Hero Points
Hero Points are pretty awesome in this game, generally allowing the PCs to be as hard to defeat as a Space Opera Hero in the genre fiction show be. At the same time, Space Opera Heroes are famous from getting out of the frying pan and into the fire; getting away from a corridor full of Stormtroopers can land you in a Trash Compactor with a garbage squid and walls that will crush you flat.
Here's what they can be used for:
Fail a Judgement Roll for any Action Check, spend 1 HP and Success w/ Consequence
Spend 1 HP, an Attack against your PC misses. Beware! Something or someone got hit.
Otherwise, spend 1 HP to lower the Damage Rank your character has taken.
Spend 1, take an Attack meant for someone else. You take damage. Spend 1 to reduce.
Spend 1 to have a one time item you need. You find it near by or in your pack.
Spend 1 to gain Skill you don't already have. Must be related to one on your sheet.
Some of these have particulars that I should to go into greater detail about, so expect to see that soon.
I'd like to thank you all for coming by and checking this out. I'd also like to thank Gidget for all her help. GUS too. You might be hearing a lot more from them in the near future.
Ah, Future! Get it?
Later days,
AD
Barking Alien
Origin of the Title: 'Operation Future' was a Science Fiction Short Story and Exerpt Collection published by Permabooks in 1955. The anthology was edited by Groff Conklin.
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