# Wastewalkers tags: #game/rpg/wastewalkers ![[Wastewalkers (cover).jpg]] Welcome to the Wasteland, a delightful vacation spot where the water glows and the neighbors want to eat you. _Wastewalkers_ is a "rules-bright" (because "rules-light" isn't hipster enough) roleplaying game where you scrounge for scraps in a rugged world populated by colorful outlaws and charmingly ramshackle outposts. You play as one of the survivors: an **Orbiter** (a coward hiding in space), a **Hollower** (a tunnel rat), a **Duner** (a nomad with sand in places sand shouldn't be), or a **Streeter** (a slum lord in training). You ride around in **Chasers** powered by "Blighted blood" (which sounds perfectly sanitary) and try not to become a snack for the local fauna. The goal? Survive, loot, and maybe become a legend before you die of radiation poisoning. ## Core Mechanics The game uses a standard **d20** and a **deck of playing cards** because why use one randomization method when you can complicate things with two? ### Trial Roll When you attempt something daring (read: stupid), you make a **Trial Roll**: 1. **Choose an Attribute:** Tough, Fast, Smart, or Human. 2. **Difficulty Rating (DR):** The GM sets a base DR (9, 12, or 15). 3. **The Twist:** The GM reveals cards from the deck based on the region's **Risk Rating**. For every **Black Card** drawn, the DR increases by **2**. 4. **The Roll:** Roll a **d20** + Attribute Modifier. - **Success:** You do the thing. You also get to keep one of the revealed cards for your hand (Red cards are better, because of course they are). - **Setback:** You fail. The GM narrates how badly you messed up, and you might take damage or a condition. But hey, you get XP. ### Luck Roll For when the outcome is uncertain but not immediately life-threatening. It's a Trial Roll without the card drawing nonsense. ### Attributes You have four attributes, because complexity is for people with pre-war education: - **Tough:** Smashing things. - **Fast:** Running away from things you failed to smash. - **Smart:** Thinking about why you smashed the thing. - **Human:** Charming the thing you didn't smash. ### Card Mechanics You hoard cards in your hand like a squirrel preparing for winter. You can **Burn** them to cheat fate: - **Press On:** +2 to a roll. - **Aid an Ally:** +2 to someone else's roll. - **Turn the Table:** Turn a Setback into a Success (but with a new consequence). - **Come Prepared:** Magically produce an item you "forgot" to write down. ### Waste Crawl You generate the map by throwing dice at a piece of paper and drawing circles. Each region has a **Risk Rating** (1-3) determined by drawing a card, which dictates how many cards are drawn to ruin your day during Trial Rolls. ## Edition Changes The provided file is a pamphlet-sized game based on the _Songs and Sagas_ system by Fari RPGs. It appears to be a standalone, singular edition designed for game jams or quick play. There are no "editions" to speak of, unless you count the inevitable typos fixed in the PDF update. ## References If you feel the need to acquire this particular flavor of doom: - [Wastewalkers on Itch.io](https://farirpgs.itch.io/wastewalkers "null") - [Fari RPGs Official Site](https://farirpgs.com/ "null")