Effect: The defender is badly hurt; the bullet hits them dead on, and they’re losing a lot of blood and need professional care immediately or they’ll die; they’re unconscious and will be badly concussed when they wake up; the bone is broken.
Narrative Control: The attacker has full control over the narrative. They explain what the defender does in response to the attack — and how ineffective this attacker’s roll
response is.
is greater by
Effect: The defender is dead or quite nearly dead; 10 or more
the bullet hits them between the eyes and nothing can save them; they’re beaten so badly that only immediate medical attention can help — but there will be permanent effects.
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For Example: Elena and Jordan get into a physical fight over the car keys, since Elena thinks that they need to drive away and Jordan thinks that they need to stay and wait for their friends to get back. Both players agree that they’re comfortable with physical combat and that Jordan is going to attack Elena to try to take the keys from her. Jordan rolls their Fight (d12) and gets a 7. In response, Elena rolls her Brawn (d8) to see how bad the damage is to her. She rolls a 6, a difference of 1. Elena will be injured, but not badly. Since the fighting is mutual, Elena rolls her Fight (d10) and gets a 3. Jordan rolls their Brawn (d20), since they’re taking the hit, and gets a 9. Jordan won’t be injured, since their roll is greater than Elena’s attack roll.
At this point, they narrate what happens. Jordan describes that they try to sucker-punch Elena, but Elena says that she notices at the last second and moves her head to avoid taking too much of a hit. She then says that she swings back, but because Elena was startled, Jordan, the better fighter, is able to easily deflect the blow and land a few shots to Elena’s ribs, causing her to drop the key. While Elena is stunned, Jordan takes the key and puts it in their pocket. “We’re. Not. Going. Anywhere.
At least not until they get back,” they say. “Clear?” Elena, not badly hurt at all but winded, coughs a few times and nods.
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Since your game is likely going to take place in a town with a functioning monetary economy, you might, at some points, want to buy something to help you in your efforts.
It should be assumed that you have access to money. However, the degree of access you have depends on your age and in-game socio-economic status.
Children cannot have jobs and thus have almost no access to money beyond what is given to them. If they need to buy something, they almost certainly need to find someone to get it for them. Under rare circumstances, they might have saved enough to buy a small item. Remember, the exact amount depends on the era in which you’re playing and whether or not you have the Wealthy strength. It also is likely to depend on the age of the child. A six-year-old won’t have the same access to money that an eleven-year-old will.
Teens have limited access to money, but they can afford necessities for a few days, depending on their socio-economic status. Teens will not be able to buy a car, but they could certainly have enough saved to get a hotel room for a few nights — though that’d likely be about it. They might, though, be able to convince their parents to give them some money.
Adults have much more access to money than teens and can, within reason, buy what they want to buy. If they needed to buy a car in a pinch, they most likely could — though that might represent a significant sacrifice for them. In terms of money for adults, their group will have the most variance, which will be based on their job. But remember, in order to be wealthy, even an adult with a traditionally high-paying job must take the Wealthy strength.
Playing Multiple Sessions
While Kids on Bikes can be played as a single-session game, you and the other players might decide that you want to keep playing. If you do, the GM
will have more time to plan the story and can throw some more orchestrated surprises your way.
If you have decided to play multiple sessions, the GM might decide to end the session’s events on a cliffhanger (perhaps literally) so that you can pick up right where you left — or fell — off. That’s great, and will keep you anxious about the resolution from one session to the next! If you’re taking this approach, ignore the rest of this section.
But if at the end of your session you’ve reached a point where there will be some in-game time between the end of this session and the start of the next, you should work as a group to create a “coda” for the story. In classical music, a coda is the final portion of the work, one that brings the work to a close.
Here, you’ll do the same by telling everyone else how the events in the game thus far affect you in the weeks following the events. What changes for you?
Are you suddenly more confident and willing to walk back into middle school with your head held high? Does a rift between you and the other characters PAGE 38
manifest in the form of you sitting by your locker to eat lunch instead of with them? Are your children happier to have dinner all together now? Do you finally have the courage to leave him and not come back?
After developing your story, if you are planning to play multiple sessions, you and the GM should agree upon changes to the character as a result of the session (or sessions). There isn’t a “leveling up” mechanic in this game, but no interesting character is static over a series of sessions. Think carefully about what changes about you as a result of the session, as it relates to the mechanics of the game. Did you face a big fear that won’t be as much of a problem for you anymore? Or did something almost kill you that will now be a fear in the future? Does it make sense to keep the strengths that you had at the start, or did you learn a new trick? And, of course, if you sustained any serious injuries, how will those affect you going forward?
After discussing with the GM, if you both agree, make the changes to your character’s sheet.
Remember, if it makes narrative sense, gaining a strength does not mean losing another — but by the same token, losing a strength doesn’t mean gaining another, either. You and the GM should take care to make sure that you aren’t becoming too weak or too strong to face what comes next. Fear and tension can be fun, but hopelessness usually isn’t. So, be sure to keep your strengths, flaws, and fears in the right range — which will be different for each player and each game.
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- Powered Characters -
Players cannot create a character with powers to play throughout the campaign. But, early in the first session, the GM will introduce a powered character that will then be co-controlled by all of the players.
Introducing & Playing Powered Characters
When the powered character is first introduced, the GM will give each player a few deliberately selected traits for that character. These traits, called aspects, should be written on separate notecards. These aspects will provide information that helps players play the powered character, such as their personality traits, patterns in their behaviors, and, of course, their powers. We recommend two per player to start, but the GM can adapt that as they see fit.
The GM also establishes how much psychic energy the powered character has, represented by Psychic Energy Tokens (PE Tokens), and puts that many PE Tokens in the middle of the table. We suggest starting with 7.
When situations come up that relate to the aspects in front of a player, they’ll be in charge of the narration. In any other situations, players will share control of that character. As with the rest of the game, players share control of the narrative. If the GM gives you an aspect that you think you would have a difficult time incorporating, you can ask the GM to give that aspect to another player.
When an aspect becomes relevant, turn the card featuring that aspect sideways. This action helps to focus the table on who will be controlling the powered character. Any player may activate any aspect at the table, even one in front of another player, but the player with that aspect in front of them should be in charge of the narration related to that aspect. Thus, when another player activates an aspect in front of another player, they’re handing narrative control over to that player.
For Example: Sofia thinks that it would be a particularly good time for the powered character to use his telekinesis, but Gyasi controls that aspect. Sofia reaches over and turns the notecard indicating that power sideways, thus indicating that Gyasi has narrative control of the powered character and making a suggestion of what to do with that control. (If Gyasi disagrees, he could narrate without using the powered character’s telekinesis. Ultimately, it is up to the player controlling each aspect to determine how and when it is used.)
For a table of suggestions for the powered characters’ aspects, see Appendix D on page 62. You may, of course, create your own as you see fit
— and the GM should remember that the initial narrative path of the story should guide what powered character the players meet! When the players do meet them, the GM should also establish d4 and d20 stats for the powered character. The other four stats will be filled in by players as they discover who the powered character is and what they can do.
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Characters may flesh out the powered character as they see fit, adding desires, fears, and motivations as they go. Once a player introduces a new aspect to the powered character, players should go along with it unless there are issues with established behaviors or cards that players have. It also might be a good idea to create a notecard for that aspect, especially if you are planning to play multiple sessions. Remember, though: the only way new psychic powers can be added is through intervention of the GM. Players cannot, under any circumstances, give the powered character new powers.
For Example: The GM narrates a young boy, covered in blood, walking into a police station where the characters are. The GM then hands two cards to each player. To Andrea, the GM gives the aspects “loves kittens”
and “scared of bright lights.” To Doug, she gives the aspects “lashes out when touched” and “communicates only through grunts and gestures.”
To Jamie, she gives “this character mimics Andrea’s behavior.” and “able to move objects with his mind.” To Jon, she gives “loves a member of the group platonically” and “fiercely loyal to the group.” Finally, the GM
puts 8 PE Tokens in the middle of the table. Jon, Jamie, Doug, and Andrea will now narrate what the powered character does throughout the game in accord with what is on the cards they know about — and with correction from other players and the GM whenever necessary.
When playing the powered character, there should ideally be roughly equal input from each player and the GM. As a player, you should have enough information to make decisions about what the powered character does. If you don’t, ask the GM for more guidance — and remember that Kids on Bikes is a game where players have strong input over the direction of the narrative of the game. As long as you’re within the bounds of what other players want out of the game, your decisions are right!
As a GM, your control over the powered character should be used to drive the narrative toward exciting encounters and stressful situations. If players are unsure what to do or seem stuck, the GM could certainly have the powered character figure something out. If the characters need to be pushed toward the revelation of a secret that only the GM knows, the powered character could be very useful in this respect, too. Remember, though, that players’ input is important in the game — and if their ideas conflict with the plan, try to adapt.
Options for the Powered Character
Alternatively, for the element of surprise, the GM could wait to give out some aspects, especially the powered character’s powers, until they’re relevant.
For example, the young boy covered in blood walks into the police station.
While the characters are getting to know the powered character, they might not have access to the aspects dealing with his psychic powers. When the need to use them arises, though, the GM could hand out the notecards.
The GM should also feel free to give out additional aspects as the game goes on. Perhaps it is, as above, that the players discover a new aspect of PAGE 42
the powered character’s personality. But this could also be to get a player more involved with the control of the character. For example, if a player isn’t participating as much with narrating the powered character, the GM could give that player a new aspect card to give them more to do with the character, especially if that aspect is immediately relevant. Changes on the fly are a big part of what this game is all about, so as a player, expect to have those thrown at you!
Using the Character’s Powers
Using powers always has consequences. When using powers, the GM will establish a numerical difficulty for the action being attempted. This number should take into account how practiced the powered character is with using their psychic powers in this way and how significant an expenditure of psychic energy it would represent. Then, if the player choosing to take that action with the powered character wishes to still take that action, the powered character immediately spends one psychic energy (represented and tracked by PE Tokens) and the player rolls 2d4.
Subtract the roll on the dice from the GM-established difficulty value. If the result is zero or negative, the powered character suffers a very minor physical result (e.g., a very brief nosebleed, a muscle twitch, a momentary but painful headache). If, however, the result is one or greater, the player taking the action has two options: either the attempt fails or the player chooses to spend more PE Tokens to increase the roll, spending one PE Token for each
+1 to the roll. As soon as the roll plus the PE Tokens spend is equal to the difficulty value, the result becomes a success.
For Example: Jamie is controlling the powered character’s telekinesis.
She wants to use his powers to move a set of keys off a desk and over to Jamie’s hands so that she can let herself out of a pair of handcuffs.
The GM tells Jamie that the precision required for this task sets the difficulty at 5. Jamie spends one of the powered character’s PE Tokens and rolls 2d4, getting 4. She then has to decide whether the attempt fails (in which case the GM narrates the failure) or whether she wants to spend an additional PE Token (in which case she narrates the success).
If completing such an action reduces the powered character to zero or fewer PE Tokens (which could happen with the GM’s permission), very bad things happen to the character. Whatever their standard physical reaction to using powers is will be far worse (e.g., a violent, full-body seizure instead of a muscle twitch) and they will lapse into unconsciousness — or even die if they drop too far into negatives. The exact effects are up to the GM.
Replenishing Mental Energy
In order to replenish their mental energy, the powered character needs to rest, eat, or take other appropriate action. A full night’s rest should restore the character to full mental energy — unless they have dipped below zero. In that case, recovery should take more time, though the exact duration is up to the GM’s discretion.
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Also, there should be one or two things that can help the character recover without sleeping — or recover more quickly if they’ve dipped into negative psychic energy. Do they have a particular sweet tooth? Do foods that are high in iron help them more than other foods? Maybe it’s meditation or direct sunlight helps them to recover. In all situations, the powered character should be subtly drawn to these things to give players clues — but the GM should feel free to throw in some red herrings.
Powered Character Checkpoints
Just as your personal character develops, your powered character should develop in some way, too. And just as the individually controlled characters will develop through reaching goals that they’ve set for themselves and through the natural and unpredictable turns of the story, the same will happen for the powered character.
In terms of the natural changes to the character over the course of the story, a character the powered character fears standing up for them is likely to change how they feel about him. One of the characters betraying the powered character to save herself is likely to make the powered character mistrust the traitor. The GM should modify the character’s details as appropriate.
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In terms of major changes to the powered character, though, the GM should consider, when creating the character what the “Character Checkpoints” will be for the powered character. Character Checkpoints should be elements that are both narratively and mechanically significant, places where something triggers a meaningful change in the character. When determining these Checkpoints, think about how the causal event would influence the character.
For Example: If the powered character was given their powers in a lab, returning to that lab might be a Character Checkpoint. It could be that the character discovers a way to augment their powers — either gaining a new power or increasing the number of dice they roll in checks.
Perhaps they discover an important object or undergo a process similar to what they underwent to gain their powers. It could also be that, if the powered character had false memories, seeing the lab might reveal the old, actual ones to the character — which could trigger new powers or give the powered character a clearer understanding of what the next step in their journey is.
The GM should use these Checkpoints as some of the “big” moments of the game, moments when things change — but not necessarily for the better.
Such Checkpoints should be used to complicate the players’ lives. Perhaps they meet a key villain who is now aware of them, too. Perhaps the powered character becomes less stable — maybe rolling a d10 instead of 2d4 when making checks.
What’s important is that players, even though they’ll be pushed toward these Character Checkpoints, feel a sense of dread as they approach these pivotal moments. The clues that lead players to these moments will give their experience a structure, so that they aren’t just fumbling around in the world they helped to create — but they’ll also create the edge-of-your-seat, anything-could-happen moments that make games memorable.
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So, you’ve agreed to run the game for your friends. Thank you for facilitating their experience with the game! In this section, you’ll find some advice for how to best make that happen. If you’re an experienced GM, a lot of this section will cover material that you’ve probably heard of or thought through before. If you’re reading a section that seems like something you already know, feel free to skip to the next one. We won’t know — and if we did, we wouldn’t be hurt.
Player Safety
A key part of any role-playing experience is pulling players out of their comfort zones and, often, forcing them to make difficult decisions for their character. Will Arthur choose to disobey his parents and dive into the river, or will he let the raft that they’d tied off to a rock float away when it comes loose? Will Alex lie to their children or let them know just how much danger they’re all really in? However, as discussed in the “Setting Boundaries”
section, you don’t want to address any issue that players have agreed are out of bounds. So where’s the line between pushing players and overstepping the agreed-upon boundaries?
Our suggestion is to make sure that you’re steering quite clear of the topics players have agreed to avoid. If players feel strongly enough about them to mention them at the start, it might make them nervous to even approach them — but that’s something that you and the group should discuss at the start. However, if that conversation doesn’t happen at the beginning of the game, feel free to pause the action.
Also, even if you’re using a method to ensure that players have the chance to stop anything they’re finding unpleasant, don’t hesitate to take a step out of the game to make sure that everyone is still okay with things. When players get caught up in the story, they can sometimes roll right into things people find troubling, even if those things weren’t covered in the discussion of those boundaries. If it seems like this might be happening, it’s a good idea to pause, check in with everyone, and either continue or adjust as needed.
For example, some conflict between characters will help to drive the story and create tension. However, if there is increasing tension at the table and players — not just characters — seem to be getting frustrated with each other, it’s a good idea to make sure everyone’s still enjoying themselves.
Also, give some thought to the safety methods your group is using. We’ve recommended a slightly modified version of John Stavropoulos’s x-card for Kids on Bikes, but there are many others that can work well. Here are just two examples we like, but use what works best for your players:
• Brie Sheldon’s Script Change Tool — When something players want to avoid is occurring, they say “rewind,” “pause,” or “fast forward.” “Rewind”
means that a player is telling the group they want to go back a bit and PAGE 47
head in a different direction to avoid elements they don’t want in the game. “Pause” means that a player needs a break but that the game may continue in the same direction it was going. “Fast forward” means that a player wants to skip over a part of the game — that they’re okay with the event happening in the world of the game, but they’re not okay in hearing it described or playing it out. For more information, visit http://www.briecs.com/p/script-change-rpg-tool.html
• Ron Edwards’s Lines & Veils — Rather than establishing firm “off-limits”
topics at the start of play, players can address issues as they come up, drawing a “line” (a topic that a player does not want to address in the game) or drawing a “veil” (a topic that can occur in a game so long as it is “off camera” (similar to the fast forward described above). This is best used with players who are comfortable enough with each other and with role-playing to pause the game and address issues as they arise. It comes from Edwards’s 2003 game, Sex & Sorcery.
We’re sure there are numerous other approaches to making sure that everyone at the table feels safe and enjoys their experience. We encourage you to use whatever techniques work best for you — and adapt them as necessary.
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Starting to Craft the Story
In Kids on Bikes, the setup at the start of the game, where players create the town and establish the connections between each character, is vital to helping them craft a good story later. Let’s talk about the elements to pay attention to during the setup in order to have more hooks for the adventure and to get the inspiration you need for the upcoming game. Here are some questions to think about (and possibly take notes about) during the setup:
• Notable organizations: What are these organizations hiding? Is there something sinister about one of these organizations — or is one of them holding back a great evil?
• Notable landmarks: Is there more than meets the eye to one of these landmarks? What happened in the past that made this place such a nexus of attention — and how does it factor into the powered character’s back-story? Or how is the evil entity the characters will face trying to use this landmark for their own nefarious ends?
• Rumors about the town: Which rumor is true? Which rumor is completely false? Which rumor is only part of a much more complex story? Probably most importantly, which rumor gets all of the players excited? Is there one where other players almost involuntarily chime in to add to it — or say, “Oooh! That’s good!” If so, that’s the rumor to lean into, but in some unexpected way.
• Strengths and tropes: What are the characters going to generally be good at based on their strengths and tropes, either as a group or individually? For the things that multiple members of the group will be good at, those are a good way for the group to form at the start of the game, giving them all something that they can be successful at together.
For things that only one member of the group will be good at, later in the game, once the characters have learned to rely on each other more, this can be a good opportunity for specific characters to shine, especially if they haven’t had the chance to yet or if their player has been taking more of a passive role in the game.
• Relationship questions: Especially with the negative questions about how characters are connected, what are some “pressure points” you could press for the group to create tension? For questions about characters who don’t know each other, what truth is there to what they’ve heard —
and what isn’t true at all?
For Example: Think back to the sample responses to questions given on pages 6-7. Gautier, the GM for that game, might have jotted down the following questions about the game, listing possible points of tension and story elements as Carlos, Yasmin, and Emily collaboratively created the town:
• Mining: Do they unearth something while mining? What caused the mining accident? Will it happen again? Will the characters need to explore that collapsed mine for some reason? When they found the bodies, were there really bite marks? Did one of the men really do that to the others? Where are the other two bodies?
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• Candles: Why does the town want to drive out the darkness? Are they afraid of something?
• Economy: As characters get hard up for money, what starts to influence them?
• Elks: Why so popular? “Most of the adult men” is an interesting amount. What keeps some of the men out of the Elks? Is it really a front? Or is it actually the opposite, that they’re actually a powerful but secret force for good in the town?
• Diving cliff: Good place for a strong moment of tension? What time of year are we going to be playing in?
• Worthy/Yates: Are they actually an item? What if they’re meeting frequently to cook up some evil — or to share notes on some evil that they’re keeping an eye on? Does that have anything to do with the mining accident?
In thinking over his notes, Gautier thinks that making the rumor about only finding ten of the twelve miners the central part of the first story could be really cool. He noticed that there wasn’t much reaction from the other players when Carlos mentioned that the Elks might be a front, so that doesn’t seem to grab the players the way the mine did. But, he thinks that he’ll see if players start bringing it up in the game. If so, that might be something to lean into. Other than that, he sees the relationship between the two principals as something that might be worth pursuing — but he decides that taking it in a very different direction than the players might be expecting could be cool. He only has a rough idea: there are students in the schools who need to be kept under sur-veillance, which could be an interesting twist. If the characters follow them, he decides that he’ll let the characters see them meeting at the local diner and talking, but not in the way lovers might. That, he thinks, might be enough to interest them in sneaking in to find out more. He’ll see where things go, but he figures having two hooks is a good start.
As you look for ways to draw ideas out of the character creation, think back to the relationships established between Oswald, Isabella, and Yoon from pages 20-22. For the sake of this example, we’ll say they did the Complete Questions, where each character answers two questions about each other character they know and one question about each character they don’t know.
For each pairing, Maya, the GM, takes notes about points of tension in the relationship — or about ways to draw the characters together:
• Oswald/Yoon: Oswald is comfortable talking to Yoon, the mother of his best friend (if something happened to Daniel, they’d likely work together to fix it), similar love of fantasy novels, deep secret about the near affair between Yoon and Oswald’s dad (Oswald doesn’t know.
Does Oswald’s mom? Probably.)
• Oswald/Isabella: Isabella as a Wannabe and Oswald as a Loner Weirdo means that she wouldn’t want to be seen with him, old friends but not anymore, sweet that Oswald reminds Isabella of who she was, she PAGE 50
might be willing to help if Oswald needed her (especially if no one else would ever find out), Oswald seems like he would definitely be willing to help her if she asked
• Yoon/Isabella: Yoon as a Blue-Collar Worker and Isabella as a Wannabe who doesn’t know her means there’s not much here — Oswald seems to be the nexus, Isabella’s mom being the sheriff might be a way to connect the two (if Yoon goes to Isabella’s house to find her mom off hours, Isabella might overhear — good if something happens to Daniel) As you start to think about these possible hooks and points of tension, you’ll start to see directions to take the story. That’s good! You don’t need to narrow it down to just one, and you can dangle a few different hints and see which direction the players take. With the shared narrative control, it’s important to let the players also have a strong role in the direction that the story takes.
So if you’re feeling stuck in where to take the story to make it interesting for players, ask your players questions — even very open-ended ones, like, “Who are you surprised to find in the cave with you?” or “When the door creaks open, what do you find on the other side?” You don’t have to do all the work setting up the story!
Narrative Control
Depending on how many role-playing games you’ve enjoyed over the years, you might be used to different approaches for the GM (or DM, MC, or any number of other titles). In traditional role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, the GM directs a lot of the action and is almost always responsible for telling players what happens in response to their actions. As a result, with these approaches, each player is responsible for their own character’s actions, but not for the world around them. For example, “You reach into the dark portal that just opened on the wall and your hand feels warm suddenly. Although you want to withdraw your hand, you cannot. Something is holding you there, something that feels like a strong, skeletal hand.”
Many contemporary role-playing games take a different approach, letting players tell more of the story, with the GM as more of a facilitator. Rather than telling players what happens, the GM will often ask players what happens, relying on them to co-create the world they’re interacting with. As such, each player is responsible for their own character’s actions and some aspects of PAGE 51
the world around them. For example, “As you reach your hand through the dark portal that just opened on the wall, what do you feel that surprises you
— and why don’t you pull your hand out of the portal when you feel it?”
Typically, Kids on Bikes takes this approach. Sure, there will be times when you present something to the table that’s entirely from your imagination, but whenever possible, try to encourage the players to create the story with you, not just react to what’s going on around them. Continuing the example above, there might be a very good reason that there has to be a skeletal hand on the other side of the portal — and if there is, make sure that’s part of the story. But for the incidentals, leave those up to the players. Heck, even for the big stuff, sometimes, players should get to decide what happens.
Another way in Kids on Bikes that narrative control is removed from the GM
and players is through the dice rolls. When a character fails a stat check, both you and your players are bound in your decisions by an unalterable truth: that character failed the stat check.
As the GM, you can take some small liberties with the harshness of the penalties|for failure, and that character’s player can spend Adversity Tokens to the same end — but unless the player has enough Adversity Tokens to get over the needed value, the character has failed. Go with it. Take the story in unexpected directions when the most intimidating character at the table brandishes a gun at a small child and the child laughs at them. Think about why that is —
and ask the player to explain. Maybe they decide that they try to smoothly pull the gun from its holster menacingly but it gets stuck. Maybe the child is distracted by the large stain on the character’s pants from when they fell earlier. Players will surprise you with their creativity within these bounds.
All of this is especially true when it comes to the powered character. Each player will be controlling part of that character’s actions and reactions, and you’ll know things about the powered character that they don’t. Even if something doesn’t fit with your idea of the powered character, try to adapt to the changes players make to them. If you’d planned on having them hate chocolate but a player declares that they stuff an entire bar into their mouth and smile, ask yourself if that detail matters or if they could just as easily hate peanut butter.
To boil this section down to two main, simplified ideas: roll with the punches, and, as the GM, let your players throw some of those punches, too.
That said, some players really prefer a game where they only control their own character. As long as everyone agrees that’s how the players want to play the game, there’s nothing wrong with that! You could even control the powered character if that’s what all of the players want for their experience from the game.
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One of the most difficult elements of GMing is keeping consistency for the players without the game getting boring. There are two key elements that can be particularly difficult: tone and pace.
With respect to tone, players will discuss at the beginning of the game whether they want a serious game, a silly one, or something in the middle. However, especially in campaign-style games, having only serious, morose characters glumly struggling against the forces of evil can get old. So too can a cartoonish hodge-podge of characters absurdly gallivanting through unrealistic scenario after unrealistic scenario. Figuring out what the right balance is part of the art of GMing.
The same is true of the pace of the game. The world you’re helping to create will feel disjointed if it throws the players right into a conflict with a powered monster without any preamble every time they play. Spending twenty hours establishing characters and their relationships before they get even a hint as to any central conflict, too, will get boring. Again, variety is vital.
As a result, GMing often relies heavily on your ability to read the group and adjust the tone of the game. There are, however, a few suggestions that have generally worked for us in the past:
• Don’t feel like you have to role-play everything that happens in the world of the game. If the characters are driving for two hours to a neighboring town, you don’t need to have the characters narrate their conversation for those two hours. If the characters are going their separate ways, you can have them give quick snapshots of what they did during that time. Don’t feel like every moment has to be accounted for.
• Encourage players to tell you whether they want more or less of something, both before games and even during sessions. If the group is getting bored with the way the current game is going, work to give them more of what they want.
• Even more, encourage players to actively push the narrative toward what they want. In Kids on Bikes, players have control over more than just their characters’ reactions, so if they want some action to happen, let them make that action happen.
• If players seem to want different things, feel free to pause the game, discuss what’s happening on a meta level, and then step back into the game. For example, if Riku is really enjoying the slower-paced role-playing but Yasmin wants some action, discuss this. Is there a way for both of them to get what they want — or can one of them agree to hold off on what they want in exchange for more of that later on? Trust your players’
maturity.
• After particularly intense sessions (or parts of sessions), try to give the players a bit of a break. You’ve probably noticed in film that after big action scenes there’s usually a bit of a lull — especially if a character has suffered a big loss. Not only does this give the audience a break from frenetic action, but it also gives them time to process what the loss means going forward. Especially in a game where you want your players to take PAGE 53
ownership of the direction of the story, you need to give them time to think about what big events will mean going forward. However, you also don’t want to jump from a loss in the party to screwball comedy. Again, a big part of GMing is reading the room.
• You’re a player in the game, too. If you’re enjoying the pace and the tone, chances are the group is, too. When in doubt, just ask the other players if they are enjoying themselves as much as you are.
Failing a Stat Check
One of the key differences between Kids on Bikes and role-playing games that focus on combat is that, as in all stories, failure isn’t necessarily bad.
While it certainly means that the thing the character was trying to do doesn’t happen, it doesn’t mean that players have failed.
Think back to the source material that you’ve enjoyed and that you’re probably drawing inspiration from to run the game. In those stories, the characters don’t always succeed at what they’re trying to do right off the bat. If they did, it wouldn’t be a very interesting story. So when players aren’t successful, remember that this is an opportunity for creativity on their part (and, if necessary, on your part) to approach the problem from another angle. It is also a chance for the story to take an unexpected twist.
For Example: If Ida and Lucas are trying to break a coded message that they found in a secret government lab and fail their Brains rolls to solve it, what else could they do? Perhaps the code remains secret to them and they need to figure out another way to get to the bottom of what’s going on. Alternatively, though, they might seek out a non-player character who’s well-versed in codes... or one of their parents might walk by and notice something that gets them started. Don’t be afraid to use a little deus ex machina to keep things moving!
Or if Ida, Lucas, and the strange young girl they met in the woods are running from the men in dark suits chasing them, but their Flight rolls don’t come up the way they wanted, that might force a confrontation with the men in suits. As a result, the strange young girl might reveal that she can create and control fire sooner than you had been expecting her to. There’s nothing wrong with changing plans in the game, either!
Changing the Rules
As you know if you’ve looked at the modules that some of our amazingly creative friends have made for the game, we’re 100% okay with people changing the rules of the game. The purpose of playing is to make sure that everyone has fun and, with that in mind, if there’s something that would make it more fun for your group, we encourage you to add, alter, or discard rules to make Kids on Bikes the best experience it can be for you and your players.
PAGE 54
Early in the development process, our friend Nicholas Malinowski, whose work we consistently love and encourage everyone to check out, said, “I have an idea — but it would need to have a single player controlling the powered character. Is that okay?” It turned out to be one of the coolest early playtests we had of the game, and it really reinforced that if the experience is going to be made better through the addition, modification, or removal of rules, you should absolutely run with it.
Small changes, though, can have big consequences — so while it’s not possible to imagine all of the potential ripple effects, try to imagine them. And if you do change something and a clever player figures out an unexpected exploit, feel free either to tell them not to do that or to change the rule back or tweak it again.
PAGE 55
Appendix A - Relationship Questions
Character You Know - POSITIVE
1. What did this character do for you that makes you owe them a debt you can’t repay?
2. What do you admire about this character — but would never tell them?
3. What great kindness did this character do for you that they don’t even remember but you do?
4. What trait about this character that they despise do you genuinely appreciate?
5. Why do you care about this character more than they care about you?
6. What role did this character play in the best day of your life?
7. What plan do you and this character have that most excites you?
8. What is your private nickname for this character and why?
9. What is the kindest thing this character has ever done for you?
10. What is this character sacrificing to protect you?
11. What lengths would you go to in order to defend this character?
12. Why do you have a bond with this character that can never be broken?
13. What about this character always makes you happy?
14. What is the bravest thing you’ve ever seen this character do?
15. What do you and this character have a mutual, weird love of?
16. What would losing this character mean to you?
17. What aspect of this character’s personality do you try to use as a model for your own?
18. When did you first realize that you loved this character — either platonically or romantically?
19. What’s your first memory of this character?
20. What item did this character give you that you treasure?
Reminders:
• Roll a d20 and answer that question about the character you’re establishing a relationship with. If the question doesn’t fit what you have in mind for that relationship, feel free to reroll or choose another question.
• Once you’ve answered, remember to cross out the question so that you don’t answer that question about another character — and so that other players don’t answer the same question.
• If you roll a question that has already been answered, choose the question above or below, choose any question on the list, or reroll.
PAGE 56
Appendix A - Relationship Questions
Character You Know - NEGATIVE
1. What did this character do in the past that you still resent them for?
2. What secret are you keeping from this character that you would be devastated if they found out?
3. What could make you betray this character?
4. What are you sure this character is hiding from you?
5. What does this character have that you want to take from them?
6. What is this character doing, either knowingly or unknowingly, that hurts you?
7. What do you need to take from this character for their own good?
8. What role did this character play in the worst day of your life?
9. What is the most dishonest thing you’ve seen this character do?
10. What is this character doing that’s putting you both at risk?
11. What does this character do that makes you immediately lose your temper?
12. How far would you go to avoid being alone with this character?
13. What part of this character’s personality scares you?
14. What would this character have to do to get you to forgive them?
15. What insanity has this character shown warning signs of?
16. How far would you go to make this character suffer?
17. Why do you dislike this character when all the other characters seem to love them?
18. You hurt this character years ago. Why can’t you apologize?
19. What do you do to intentionally annoy this character?
20. How did this character betray you the last time you confided in them?
Reminders:
• Roll a d20 and answer that question about the character you’re establishing a relationship with. If the question doesn’t fit what you have in mind for that relationship, feel free to reroll or choose another question.
• Once you’ve answered, remember to cross out the question so that you don’t answer that question about another character — and so that other players don’t answer the same question.
• If you roll a question that has already been answered, choose the question above or below, choose any question on the list, or reroll.
PAGE 57
Appendix A - Relationship Questions
Character You Don’t Know
1. What good thing have you heard about this character that you can’t believe is true?
2. Why do some members of the town seek out this character?
3. What wonderful thing did this character do that the whole town was talking about?
4. What charming habit is this character known for throughout the town?
5. What strange record does this character hold in the town?
6. Why is this character’s family so important in the town?
7. Why was your only brief interaction with this character so positive?
8. Based on what you know, how is this character different from the rest of their family?
9. What volunteer work have you heard that this character does?
10. How far would you go to get to know this character and why?
11. What bad thing have you heard about this character that you can’t believe is true?
12. What do you hope to gain by humiliating this relative stranger?
13. What bad reputation does this character have around the town?
14. Who does this character have a very public feud with?
15. Why are so many townspeople afraid of this character?
16. What terrible loss did this character suffer?
17. What do you hope to learn about this character to manipulate them?
18. What is this character doing to threaten their family’s reputation?
19. What scandal in the town was this character involved with?
20. Why don’t you want to associate with this character?
Reminders:
• Roll a d20 and answer that question about the character you’re establishing a relationship with. If the question doesn’t fit what you have in mind for that relationship, feel free to reroll or choose another question.
• Once you’ve answered, remember to cross out the question so that you don’t answer that question about another character — and so that other players don’t answer the same question.
• If you roll a question that has already been answered, choose the question above or below, choose any question on the list, or reroll.
PAGE 58
The strengths commonly associated with your trope can be found on their sheet in the Playbook. In discussion with the GM, you may instead choose from the list below. Remember, you start the game with two strengths.
Strength
Description
Cool Under Pressure
May spend 1 Adversity Token to take half of your die’s value instead of rolling on a Snap Decision.
Easygoing
Gain 2 Adversity Tokens when you fail, instead of 1.
Gross
You have some kind of gross bodily trick (loud, qui-
et, smelly... up to you) that you can do on command.
Heroic
You do not need the GM’s permission to spend Adversity Tokens to ignore fears.
May spend 1 Adversity Token to ask the GM about
Intuitive
your surroundings, an NPC, or the like. The GM must
answer honestly.
Loyal
Each of the Adversity Tokens you spend to help your friends gives them a +2 instead of a +1.
Lucky
May spend 2 Adversity Tokens to reroll a stat check.
May spend 2 Adversity Tokens to just happen to Prepared
have one commonplace item with you (GM’s dis-
cretion).
Protective
Add +3 to rolls when defending one of your friends.
Quick Healing
(free for children;
You recover from injuries more quickly, and don’t available to
suffer lasting effects from most injuries.
teens & adults)
Rebellious
(free for and
Add +3 to rolls when persuading or resisting per-
available only
suasion from children. Add +3 to rolls when resist-
to teens)
ing persuasion from adults.
PAGE 59
Description
Skilled at ___
(free for adults;
Choose a skill (GM’s discretion). You are assumed
available to teens
to succeed when making even moderately difficult
and, at GM’s
checks (9 or less) involving this skill. If the GM
discretion,
determines that you do need to roll for a more to children)
difficult check, add up to +3 to your roll.
If you lose a combat roll, add +3 to the negative
Tough
number. You still lose the roll no matter what, but
could reduce your loss to -1.
Treasure Hunter
May spend 1 Adversity Token to find a useful item
in your surroundings.
Unassuming
May spend 2 Adversity Tokens to not be seen, within reason (GM’s discretion).
May spend money as though you were in a higher
age bracket. For example, a wealthy child is consid-
ered to have the disposable income of a typical teen, and a wealthy teen is considered to have the dis-Wealthy
posable income of a typical adult. A wealthy adult is considered to not have to worry too much about
money — they would certainly be able to buy
anything they need, and likely able to spend their
way out of a lot of situations.
PAGE 60
The flaws commonly associated with your trope can be found on their sheet in the Playbook. In discussion with the GM, you may instead choose from the list below. Remember, you start the game with two flaws.
Flaws
Absent-Minded
Neurotic
Blunt
Obnoxious
Boastful
Paranoid
Clumsy
Patronizing
Conceited
Perverse
Cowardly
Petty
Deceitful
Picky
Demanding
Prejudiced
Disloyal
Prim
Disobedient
Reckless
Dogmatic
Resentful
Envious
Restless
Flippant
Rude
Gloomy
Secretive
Greedy
Self-Centered
Hot-Tempered
Self-Pitying
Ignorant
Slovenly
Inconsiderate
Superstitious
Insecure
Vain
Irrational
Vindictive
PAGE 61
Appendix D - Possible Aspects for Powered Characters Type of Card
Pre-Generated Options
Aggressive
Borderline Pyromaniac
Communicates Only Through
Grunts and Gestures
Creative
Dexterous
Fascinated by Shiny Objects
Frequently Bursts Into Song
Gentle (Unless Provoked)
Good at Calming Others Down
Good at Hiding
Good at Reading People
Good Listener
Good Sense of Humor
Highly Concerned With Others
Ignorant of Social Norms
Impulsive
Lacks an Internal Monologue
Personality Trait Lashes Out When Touched
Loves Animals
Naive
Nearly Complete Amnesia
Never Wants to Be Alone
Obsessed With Cleanliness
Obsessed With Music
Obsessed With Solving Puzzles
Outgoing
Perfect Memory
Profoundly Claustrophobic
Quick (d20 Flight)
Rambles in an Unknown Language
Sarcastic
Scared of Being Inside
Scared of Bright Lights
PAGE 62
Pre-Generated Options
Scared of Dogs
Scared of Loud Noises
Scared of Middle-Aged Men,
Especially in Suits
Scared of the Dark
Scared of the Outdoors
Scrappy (d20 Fight)
Socially Adept (D20 Charm)
Strong (d20 Brawn)
Thinks They Are Being
Personality Trait Pursued by a Cult
Thinks They Are Being Pursued
by a Shadowy Corporation
Thinks They Are Being Pursued
by an Evil, Supernatural Force
Tough (d20 Grit)
Usually Hungry
Very Fidgety
Very Intelligent (d20 Brains)
Well Spoken
Type of Card
Pre-Generated Options
Afraid of a Member of the Group
Asks a Lot of Questions
Believes a Member of the Group
Is Also Being Pursued
Believes a Member of the Group
Is the “Chosen One”
RELATIONSHIP
Believes the Entire Group Has a
Special Destiny — But Only
Together
TO GROUP
Compelled to Help the Group
Solve Mundane Problems
Completely Trusting of a Member
of the Group
Demands Complete Respect or
Worship From the Group
PAGE 63
Pre-Generated Options
Distrusts a Member of the Group
Feigns Indifference Toward
the Group
Highly Protective of a Member
of the Group
Highly Protective of the
Entire Group
Immediately Bonded to a Member
of the Group
In Love, Platonically or
Romantically, With a Member
of the Group
Insists That the Group Remain
Non-Violent
Mimics a Member of the Group
Openly, but Not Physically, Hostile
RELATIONSHIP
Toward a Member of the Group
Playfully Aggressive With a
TO GROUP
Member of the Group
Talkative With Members of the
Group
Tries to Spread Forbidden
Knowledge
Tries to Turn Members of the
Group Against Each Other
Very Shy Around a Member of
the Group
Wants to Bring the Group to
Another Realm
Wants to Help a Member of
the Group
Willing to Sell the Use of Their
Powers
Type of Card
Pre-Generated Options
Able to Affect the Speed of Time
Able to Astrally Project
Psychic Power
Able to Become Invisible
Able to Block Others’ Senses
PAGE 64
Pre-Generated Options
Able to Change Their
Body’s Density
Able to Change Their Physical
Appearance
Able To Communicate
Telepathically With Animals
Able to Communicate
Telepathically With People
Able to Control Fire Telepathically
Able to Control Plants
Telepathically
Able To Control Technology
Telepathically
Able to Control the Weather
Able to Create False Memories
Able to Create Illusions
Able to Evoke Vivid (Often
Painful) Memories
Psychic Power
Able to Fire Bursts of Energy
From Their Hands
Able to Harm Others by
Touching Them
Able to Heal by Touching
Able to Hypnotize With Their Gaze
Able to Know an Object’s
History by Touch
Able to Lift Much More Than
Normal
Able to Move Faster Than Sight for
Short Bursts
Able to Move Objects With Their
Mind
Able to See Confusing Glimpses
of the Future
Able to Teleport Short Distances
These pre-generated options are the ones found in the Powered Character Deck. As the GM, you should feel free to add any options that make sense for your game. Don’t feel confined by these suggestions.
PAGE 65
Blue-Collar Worker
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Adult
Brawn
Fight
Grit
Charm
Brains
Flight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Blunt, Boastful,
To what extent do
What would it
Lucky, Prepared,
Disloyal, Disobedient,
you enjoy the work
mean for you if
Skilled at..., Tough,
Dogmatic, Envious,
you do?
you lost your job?
Treasure Hunter
Greedy, Ignorant,
Prejudiced, Reckless,
Slovenly, Superstitious
Brilliant Mathlete
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Brains
Flight
Grit
Charm
Fight
Brawn
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Gross, Intuitive, Loyal,
Absent-Minded,
Why do you get sat-
How does your
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Clumsy, Conceited,
isfaction from being
social isolation
Wealthy
Cowardly, Insecure,
good at math (or
manifest itself?
Neurotic, Obnoxious,
your other area of
Patronizing, Resentful, expertise)?
Rude, Self-Pitying,
Slovenly
Brutish Jock
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen
Brawn
Fight
Grit
Flight
Charm
Brains
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Gross, Heroic, Loyal,
Boastful,
Why do you get sat-
What does your
Protective, Skilled at..., Hot-Tempered,
isfaction from being
involvement with
Tough
Ignorant, Inconsiderate, good at sports?
sports keep you
Perverse, Petty,
from doing that
Prejudiced,
you wish you
Reckless, Restless,
could do?
Rude, Self-Centered,
Vindictive
PAGE 66
Instead of using this chart, you can also download the PDF Playbook from huntersbooks.com/downloads-kidsonbikes.
Bully
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Fight
Brawn
Filight
Grit
Brains
Charm
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Gross, Lucky,
Demanding,
What motivates your
How do you feel
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Disobedient, Envious,
bullying?
when you hurt
Tough, Wealthy
Hot-Tempered,
others?
Ignorant,
Inconsiderate,
Insecure, Irrational,
Obnoxious, Perverse,
Petty, Vindictive
conspiracy Theorist
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen/Adult
Brains
Fight
Flight
Grit
Charm
Brawn
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Heroic, Intuitive,
Blunt, Deceitful,
What do you think is
How far will you
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Demanding
happening in the town go to prove that
Treasure Hunter,
Inconsiderate,
that no one knows
you’re right?
Unassuming
Irrational, Neurotic,
about?
Paranoid, Prejudiced,
Restless, Secretive,
Slovenly, Superstitious
Funny Sidekick
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Charm
Brawn
Flight
Brains
Grit
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Easygoing, Gross,
Absent-Minded,
What do you do that
When does being
Heroic, Protective,
Boastful, Clumsy,
always lightens your
in the “sidekick”
Skilled at...,
Flippant, Neurotic,
friends’ moods?
role frustrate you?
Treasure Hunter
Obnoxious, Perverse,
Picky, Reckless,
Restless, Slovenly,
Superstitious
PAGE 67
Laid-back Slacker
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen/Adult
Flight
Charm
Brains
Grit
Brawn
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Absent-Minded, Blunt, What do you think of
What are you
Easygoing, Skilled at..., Clumsy, Cowardly,
people who try much
willing to go the
Treasure Hunter, Unas- Disloyal, Disobedient,
harder than you do?
extra mile for?
suming, Wealthy
Flippant, Ignorant,
Irrational, Reckless,
Secretive, Slovenly
Loner Weirdo
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Grit
Fight
Brawn
Brains
Flight
Charm
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Blunt, Deceitful,
Why are you happier
What part of the
Intuitive, Prepared,
Disloyal, Disobedient,
fending for yourself?
"cool kid” life do
Skilled at..., Tough,
Gloomy, Hot-Tempered,
you wish you had,
Unassuming
Inconsiderate,
just a little bit?
Obnoxious, Paranoid,
Reckless, Rude,
Secretive
Overprotective Parent
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Adult
Fight
Brains
Brawn
Charm
Flight
Grit
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Heroic, Loyal,
Demanding, Dogmatic, When do you feel
What would
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Gloomy, Insecure,
appreciated by your
losing your
Tough, Wealthy
Irrational, Neurotic,
child/children?
child/children
Paranoid, Patronizing,
mean to you?
Prim, Self-Pitying,
Superstitious, Vain
PAGE 68
Instead of using this chart, you can also download the PDF Playbook from huntersbooks.com/downloads-kidsonbikes.
Plastic Beauty
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen
Charm
Flight
Fight
Brains
Brawn
Grit
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Boastful, Conceited,
How does it feel to
What do you sac-
Intuitive, Lucky,
Demanding, Flippant,
have others think that rifice to remain
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Inconsiderate, Petty,
you're "beautiful but
beautiful?
Wealthy
Picky, Prim, Rude,
terrible"?
Self-Centered, Vain,
Vindictive
Popular Kid
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Charm
Flight
Brains
Grit
Brawn
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Conceited, Cowardly,
Beyond people want-
How do you treat
Easygoing, Loyal,
Deceitful, Demanding, ing to impress you
the unpopular
Lucky, Skilled at...,
Disloyal, Flippant,
and the social capital
kids?
Wealthy
Patronizing, Petty,
that brings, what do
Picky, Prim,
you like about being
Self-Centered, Vain
popular?
Reclusive Eccentric
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Adult
Flight
Brains
Grit
Brawn
Fight
Charm
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Prepared, Skilled
Absent-Minded, Blunt, What drove you away
What do you miss
at..., Tough, Treasure
Clumsy, Dogmatic,
from the world at
about being out
Hunter, Unassuming,
Gloomy, Inconsiderate, large?
in the world?
Wealthy
Neurotic, Obnoxious,
Paranoid, Rude,
Secretive,
Self-Centered
PAGE 69
Scout
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Child/Teen
Brains
Grit
Charm
Brawn
Flight
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Absent-Minded, Blunt, Who first got you into What do you Intuitive, Lucky,
Boastful, Conceited,
the Scouts (or, more
have to give up
Prepared, Skilled at...,
Dogmatic,
generally, the great
to spend as much
Treasure Hunter
Inconsiderate,
outdoors)?
time in nature as
Patronizing, Restless,
you do?
Slovenly, Superstitious,
Vain, Vindictive
Stoic Professional
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Adult
Grit
Brains
Charm
Brawn
Flight
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Cool Under Pressure,
Clumsy, Conceited,
To what extent do
What would you
Easygoing, Heroic,
Dogmatic, Flippant,
you enjoy the work
rather be doing?
Lucky, Prepared,
Gloomy, Greedy,
you do?
Skilled at...
Patronizing, Petty,
Resentful, Rude,
Secretive, Vindictive
Wannabe
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen
Flight
Brains
Charm
Grit
Brawn
Fight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Intuitive, Loyal,
Cowardly, Deceitful,
What would it mean to What would you
Prepared, Protective,
Disloyal, Envious,
be one of the popular
sacrifice to be
Skilled at...,
Gloomy, Insecure,
kids?
one of the cool
Unassuming
Paranoid, Petty,
kids?
Resentful, Secretive,
Self-Pitying, Vain
PAGE 70
Instead of using this chart, you can also download the PDF Playbook from huntersbooks.com/downloads-kidsonbikes.
Young Provider
Age
d20
d12
d10
d8
d6
d4
Teen
Grit
Brawn
Charm
Brains
Fight
Flight
Possible Strengths
Likely Flaws
Question 1
Question 2
Easygoing, Protective, Deceitful, Dogmatic,
How has working to
What have you
Skilled at..., Tough,
Greedy, Hot-Tempered, support your family
had to give up for
Treasure Hunter,
Ignorant, Insecure,
improved you as a
your family?
Unassuming
Irrational, Prejudiced,
person?
Resentful, Restless,
Self-Pitying,
Superstitious
PAGE 71
Appendix F - Difficulty Ratings and Consequences Difficulty
Explanation & Example
A task at which only the most incredible could even possibly succeed
— but if they succeed, it will be one of the most impressive things a 20
character has ever done. This is a nearly guaranteed failure.
Examples: Lifting a car off of someone trapped under it; solving a nearly impossible math problem just by glancing at it.
A task for which success would be incredible and impressive. This, too, is a nearly guaranteed failure.
17-19
Examples: Talking a police officer out of arresting you when you have clearly broken the law and have no relationship with the officer; breaking a school record in track.
A task where success is extraordinary — but decidedly possible for characters who are truly skilled at it.
13-16
Examples: A lucky character finding the right item on the first try; someone trained in espionage withstanding police interrogation.
A task where success is impressive — but completely expected for characters skilled at it.
10-12
Examples: A strong person prying open a heavy, locked door; a computer whiz repairing a computer quickly under pressure.
A task where success is certain for characters who are very skilled at it — but not for those who aren’t.
7-9
Examples: Convincing the principal that it wasn’t you and your friends who started the cafeteria food fight; running a message from one end of a building to the other in a very short time.
A task where success is likely for all characters except those who aren’t skilled or who have a low stat in that field.
3-6
Examples: A lucky person drawing a non-face card from a deck; a character silently withstanding a verbal berating.
A task where success is guaranteed, except in extreme cases.
1-2
Examples: A character lifting a 10-pound weight over their head; a character reciting a multiplication table.
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Guidelines for Failure or Success
(with applicable modifiers)
The character succeeds smoothly and easily. Likely, it looks like the character is just showing off, or that the task