# Contenders tags: #game/rpg/contenders ![[Contenders (cover).jpg]] So, you want to be a boxer. Not the kind with a fancy robe and a multi-million dollar pay-per-view deal. No, **Contenders** is a role-playing game about being the other kind of boxer: the one whose best days are probably behind him, fighting in smoky backrooms for gas money. It's a game about the grim, desperate, and frankly painful world of a pugilist trying to claw their way out of the gutter. You'll juggle your mounting **PAIN** with the flickering flame of **HOPE**, all while desperately trying to earn enough **CASH** to live and build the **REP** needed for one last shot at the title. It’s a feel-good story, assuming you feel good about moral decay, questionable life choices, and getting repeatedly punched in the head. The core mechanic, blessedly, does not involve dice. You'll need a standard deck of playing cards. For most actions outside the ring, like trying to get a loan or helping out one of your sad-sack **CONNECTIONS**, resolution is determined by a simple card draw. You'll draw a number of cards based on an appropriate stat (like your **PAIN** or the **CASH** you're spending), and every red card you draw counts as a success. This is often opposed by an adversary draw representing the crushing indifference of the universe. Fights, however, are a more intricate dance. At the start of each round, you and your opponent secretly choose one of four tactics, represented by a card suit: an aggressive flurry (Hearts), a balanced jab-based approach (Spades), a defensive bob-and-weave (Diamonds), or just fighting dirty (Clubs). This choice determines your base values for dominating the round and dealing damage. First, you make a **DOMINATION** check (your tactic's value + your **TECHNIQUE**) to see who gets the upper hand. The winner of that check then gets to make a **DAMAGE** check (tactic's value + your **POWER**) against the opponent's ability to **COVER**. The more successes you get, the more Victory Points you score, and with enough of a beating, you can score a knockout. You can also channel your misery by **BRINGING THE PAIN** to get a bonus based on your **PAIN** stat, or **BURNING HOPE** to permanently sacrifice a piece of your soul to stay in the fight. It's a brutal, tactical system that perfectly simulates the feeling of being one bad decision away from waking up on the canvas. There is only one edition of **Contenders**, released in 2006 after winning a 24-hour RPG design contest. It is a self-contained product of its time and has not been subsequently updated. ## References - [Buy Contenders - DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/20233/contenders) - [The Ronnies 2005 Win](http://indie-rpgs.com/archive/index.php?topic=17287.0)