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\section{Introduction}

These are the rules for Derelict, a one-night game written by Laura
Baldwin, Jerry Marty, and rif, under the auspices of the MIT Assassin's
Guild.  This game makes use of the Standard Rules, available at
http://web.mit.edu/jemorris/Rules.  All rules in this document
supersede the Standard Rules.

\section{World Background}

The year is 2279.  Humans have colonized a sphere of approximately 20
light years in diameter known as the Earth Circle.  Initial
colonization used a slow FTL drive developed in the mid 2100s by the
Boeing/Microsoft/Mitsubishi Triad (known now, after several dozen
further mergers, as the Company).  Since the invention of the plasma
bottle in 2188, FTL has become commonplace, and the circle has
expanded rapidly.  Earth, and the planets of the Circle, are governed
by an elected Council, though only the most idealistic believe that
their votes are relevant.

Past decades have seen the Circle engulf and conquer several alien
cultures such as the Skole (completely unambitious lithovores from the
Epsilon Indi system), and the Merraul (a once-spacefaring race from 61
Cygni, ravaged by internal wars). Androids and genetically enhanced
animals have been created, only to become second-class citizens.
Additionally, several revolts have been brutally quashed by the
Circle's military, most recently fifteen years previous in Wolf 359
and its coreward neighbors.
%% I'm currently postulating the six directions of coreward, rimward,
%% spinward, antispinward, topward, and bottomward (based on a
%% right-hand-rule spin).  

For the past six years, however, humanity has been at war for its very
survival with the hideous Bugs.  What originally started as a dispute
along the spinward edge of the Circle has blown up into a full scale
war.  The Bugs have pushed the Circle's forces back by nearly six
light-years, and several systems have fallen, with few countering
victories to humanity.

At home, attempts to unify legal procedures across a number of
different planets, space colonies, and races, has led to a
proliferation of legalities rather than a simplification, and civil
liberties have been severely curtailed since the first of the
insurrections.  For some, both free-thinkers and profiteers, space
travel beyond the Circle's boundaries has proved some relief --- and
megacorporate agents hoping to evade the Circle's myriad regulations
have taken equal advantage.

For most, though, space is either a luxury or a battleground, and
planetside is both squalid and dangerous.  While the select and
private Utopias that corporate heads and Council members have built
for themselves may be nice places to visit, as for the rest --- you
wouldn't want to live there.

\section{Game Area}

The game area is all of buildings 24, 36, 34, and the first floor and
basement of 38.  The ONLY elevator in-game is the freight elevator
(the rightmost of the three elevators) in Building 36.  The Building
36 stairwell does not go to the 7th or 8th floors.

\section{Airlocks}

All doors leading to outside represent airlocks.  To use an airlock,
someone must stand with their hands pressed against the door for
thirty seconds.  This represents getting into and shutting the airlock
chamber.  At the end of the thirty seconds, anyone who wishes to may
go through the door, at which point it shuts.  The outer door opens
immediately thereafter, letting in vacuum.

\section{Locks}

Doors and objects that are indicated as locked can only be opened
using the appropriately numbered key (or by abilities that you know
about).  Locks cannot be set to be unlocked; the automatically lock
again after being opened.

\section{Stuff}

Items (and everything else) are marked with what day the run is.
If you find items from the previous run, don't use them.

Drugs are manila memory-packet-like packets.  They're still items.
Drugs marked with an ``F'' are for Friday's game, and ``S'' are for
Saturday's.  

\section{Searching}

Searching an uncooperative subject (including dead and unconscious
people) takes time; wait three minutes, then have the victim (if it's
a living player) hand you the items one-by-one, or take them
one-by-one from the pile of items under a dead body's badge.  In all
cases, announce in a medium-loud voice what you find --- announce the
type of item (i.e., ``A piece of paper''), but not any specific
information (i.e., what the piece of paper says).  If a subject
``cooperates'', they'll hand you their items, but you can't tell if
they're holding anything back \ldots

\section{Computers}

There are computers in game.  In general, they'll have instructions
explaining what you can do with them, and how to use them.  One thing
worthy of mention here is the data crystal, floppy disk of the future.
A data crystal consists of an item card attached to a small manila
envelope. A data crystal can hold up to three files (of arbitrary
size, for game purposes).  When you copy a file from a computer to a
data crystal, write the file ID and the one-sentence description of
the file on a slip of paper, and put it in the envelope.  To see
what's on a data crystal (i.e., to look in the envelope), you have to
be logged into a computer.

\section{Energy}

The sparq is the standard unit of energy, and, confusingly enough, a
common battery is known as a SPARC.  The (rarely-used) plural of SPARC
is SPARCs; either sparq or sparqs are acceptable pluralizations of
sparq.  

There are two kinds of SPARCs: shipbased SPARCs, which are immobile,
and will be in the same room as a computer, and portable SPARCs.  To
take sparq from a shipbased sparc, you must be logged into the
appropriate account on the computer in the same room; traditionally
the account that gives access to the battery is account \#1.  To put
sparqs into a SPARC requires an ability, but no computer access is
required.

Energy is often required to operate devices.  No special ability
(other than computer access for shipbased sparcs, see previous
paragraph) is required to transfer sparq from a SPARC to a device; the
reverse transfer requires an ability, and may involve some loss of
efficiency.

NOTE: Guns in game are lasers.  Bullets are NOT ``freely available.''
Each disc you load into a gun costs one sparq.

\section{Scanners}

Scanners are represented by Palm Pilots.  You must have an ability card
to use them.

\section{Lighting}

There are no light switches in game.  If a room is dark, deal
accordingly.  There are flashlights in game; you must have an item
card for one.  If your character starts with a flashlight, please
bring an appropriate physrep --- a small maglight is ideal, weaker
flashlights are acceptable, stronger ones are not.

\section{Things You May Want To Bring}

You are likely to have a use for a pen, some scratch paper, masking
tape, and a 4-function calculator (this last isn't absolutely
necessary, if you're reasonably good at multiplying three digit
numbers of paper).  You do not need an item card for any of these.  If
you write game information (other than mechanic-related numeric
calculations) on a piece of paper, it becomes a game item.

\section{Badge numbers}

Some mechanics may change your badge number.  Memory packets may
still be triggered by the original badge number, as well as by the new
badge number (so if you have to change your badge number, make sure
the original is still readable).

\section{Construction and Deconstruction}

Blueprints are plans for building thing.  Anyone can read a blueprint,
to see what RTIs and skills are needed to put something together.  To
do anything else requires an ability; if you have it, you'll know what
to do.

All built devices will be represented by an item card taped to an
envelope.  This envelope contains all the RTIs that are
``salvageable'' from the device in question; note that this will
generally be a proper subset of the RTIs needed to manufacture the
item in the first place.  You may look in the envelope to see what's
salvageable.  There are two choices for salvage --- slow and fast.  A
slow salvage requires three minutes of uninterrupted work.  At the end
of three minutes, remove two RTIs of your choice from the envelope.  A
fast salvage is instant.  You may immediately remove one RTI of your
choice from the envelope, and relabel half the remaining cards (choose
randomly, relabel the extra half) ``Bits o' junk.''  In either case,
after salvaging from a device, tear the item card in half to indicate
the device is no longer functional; leave the two halves attached to
the manila envelope for easy reactivation if the device is repaired.

\section{Combat}

\subsection{Martial Combat}

Derelict uses a standard MA, MD, M$\Delta$, HP system.  You attack one
target per round, your defense applies against the total amount of MA
directed at you.  If you're reduced to zero hit points through martial
damage, you're unconscious.  Further martial damage has no effect ---
once knocked unconcscious, you wake up five minutes after the last
time you take damage, at 1 hit point (to keep someone unconscious,
keep hitting them).  You may ``break'' out of a combat by saying
``break'' instead of ``martial attack'' at the start of a round, if no
one names you as the target of their attack that round.  An average
adult human would have combat stats a lot like $MA=5, MD=2, M\Delta=1,
HP=10$.

Some important differences: although HP heal at a rate of one per ten
minutes, you lose one HP {\em permanently} for every fight in which
you are damaged.  (This doesn't apply if you're beaten while
uncosncious, and you can recover these points post-game.)
Additionally, there is NO killing blow in this game.  Instead,
describe what you're doing, and, if you're curious, ask the player
what seems to have happened.  Example. ``I slit your throat.  What
happens?'' ``Blood spews everywhere.  I stop breathing, my eyes goes
glassy.  I appear to be dead.''

\subsection{Ranged Combat}

If you are shot in a limb, you lose functionality in that limb.  It
affects roleplay and movement accordingly.  If you lose both arms,
your MA and M$\Delta$ are reduced to zero, and your MD is reduced by
three points.

If you are shot in the torso, even once, you are dying.  With one shot
in the torso, drop what you're holding, you immediately fall down, but
are not unconscious.  You can get up and wander around.  You lose one
hit point every ten minutes, and will die at the end of an hour or
when your hit points go to zero, whichever happens first.  If you are
stabilized, you stop losing hit points, and will continue living, but
you've still been shot once for later calculation purposes, and all
hit points lost to the gun wound are permanent (will not heal normally
in game time).

If you've been shot two or more times, you're unconscious.  With two shots,
you'll die in five minutes without help.  With three or more shots, you'll
die in one minute without help.  You can possibly be saved by a medical
professional; if one gets to you, they'll tell you the effects.

\section{Acknowledgements}

The GMs would like to thank Bronwen Heap, Mike Person, Eon Harry, Tom
Giordano, Marleigh Norton, Jeremy Brown, Mark Maxwell, and Andrew
Twyman for all their help.  After that, we take off our hats and thank
Mike Person again for writing the amazing Palm Pilot mechanic.

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