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Please send any comments to Dudi Rippel drippel@iil.intel.com

The Darker Days rules I designed were made to be as intuitive as possible. This allows the GM to improvise when a certain rule isn't provided (rules for special circumstances are not provided intentionally in order for the rules system not to be too cumbersome). The system is very simplified and fluent, but doesn't loose too much with regarding to simulating reality. Of course the system is not meant to simulate real life, because role playing game looses something when a character gets killed when he is hit with a single bullet.

Darker Days is based on these rules, but only as long as they don't interfere with the game. If you find any rule to be too difficult to use, simply don't use it. The rules are merely a suggestion of how to put a little order into the game and should not become the game. If any rule seems unfit or unfair, please let me know so I can change it for everyone's benefit.

Anyhow, what follows is a VERY brief overview of the system. I only have the rules in the shortened version which is suitable for gamers who already know how to play role playing games. I am working on providing a more detailed version of the rules, for starting role-players.

Characters:
Character creation is point based. Each character has 6 attributes rated from 1-5. These are: Strength, Dexterity, Perception, Intelligence, Technical and Operation. Each of the attributes has a list skills which are related to that attribute. The skill level of each skill equals to the it's attribute level. When a skill is improved, the skill's level raises above it's attribute by the number of points invested in it.

Actions:
Actions are resolved by rolling 2D6 and adding the skill level. A roll of 12 or better is needed for the action to succeed. Easier tasks get positive bonuses and harder tasks get negative modifiers to the roll.

Combat:
Initiative uses a 1D6+Dexterity to determine who goes first in the combat turn.
Attacking uses the same 2D6+skill method of action resolving, only the range is used to determine the difficulty of the attack (the modifier). The defender's dodge skill is used to increase the target number (12+Dodge).
Damage is 1D6 for every damage level of the weapon. The defender's body resistance skill and armor are reduced from this number. The remaining is the damage taken by the target.

Wounds and Healing:
Characters have Hits and Stuns to reflect their physical and mental resistance. When a character is hit he is losing both Hits and Stuns (through not always at the same rate).
When a character's Stuns are reduced to 0, he falls unconscious. When a character's Hits are reduced to 0 he is bleeding to death - loosing 1 hit every minute until his Hits are reduced to -Strength when he dies.

Computers:
Some VERY simplified computer related rules are also provided to allow netrunning, which is a very important part of the cyberpunk genre.

Vehicles:
Simple rules for vehicle combat (relaying on the same combat system as for human combat) is also provided just in case the characters would get into one.

Psionics:
Psionics are part of the special world of Darker Days. The psionics rules are also based on the basic task resolution system (2D6+skill). Each psionics ability has it's own difficulty to activate.