Contenders - PoD10 - A Role-Playing Game of Blood & Sweat, Pain & Hope
Contenders - PoD10 - A Role-Playing Game of Blood & Sweat, Pain & Hope
By JJ Prince
Contenders
1,
2,
3,
Im kneeling as the ref gets to seven, I can see in his eyes that he
doesn't expect me to get up. Why would I?
Now I see her, in the front row, tears black with mascara streaming
down her face, Im drawn to the eyes, deep pools, reflecting the pain.
My pain.
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CONTENTS
OVEWRVIEW 4
STATS 4
TRAITS 5
CONTENDER CREATION 6
FIGHT SCENES 10
BOXING MATCHES 11
ENDGAME 13
EPILOGUES 14
CHARACTER SHEET 15
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CONTENDERS is a role-playing PAIN
game dealing with the shady and PAIN is central to the game and
painful world of boxing. the themes explored.
PAIN represents far more than
Each player takes on the role of a mere physical suffering. PAIN is a
boxer, a would be CONTENDER. reflection of the despair and rage
However, time is running out for each contender feels. PAIN is
these pugilists, its now or never. integral to each CONTENDERS
existence. PAIN helps one fight
SETTING harder but ultimately leads to
The game can be set in any self-destruction.
country or era in which the sport
of boxing is prominent and HOPE
represents a means of escape HOPE is the light counter-balance
from the gutter. Boxing tends to to PAIN . HOPE keeps our
have quite a gritty urban feel, so CONTENDERS going, its the HOPE
its useful if the setting reflects of something better that helps
that. Some suggestions are: Las them deal with the PAIN. In
Vegas (any era), Brooklyn during CONTENDERS, HOPE springs
the great depression, South from a CONTENDERS
London in the seventies; an CONNECTIONS and winning
Eastern block country during the boxing matches.
Cold War.
CASH
A CONTENDERS life is governed It may be the root of all evil but
by four things: we all need cash. In
PAIN CONTENDERS, CASH does not
HOPE just represent money, CASH also
CASH represents time and energy. But
in all honesty its mostly about
REP
the green backs. CASH fluctuates
a lot over the course of the game.
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REP
A boxers reputation is all POWER
important. The better known you Pretty self-explanatory, powerful
are the more CASH you can earn pugilists hit hard and often win
from boxing matches. by means of knock-out (KO).
TECHNIQUE
This refers to the CONTENDERS
technical ability to land blows
and out-box their opponent.
Accurate fighters, with good
hand-speed and reach will have a
high TECHNIQUE score.
COVER
This trait refers to a
CONTENDERS defensive abilities,
how well they cover up and avoid
taking damage. Boxers with good
footwork tend to have high
COVER scores.
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CONTENDER CREATION E.g. Bobs group have decided to set
Once the setting has been the game in contemporary Glasgow.
decided upon then each player Bob comes up with the idea of a
needs to create their hard-faced wiry boxer called James
CONTENDER. McGray aka Jimmy the Fist.
Jimmy is a local boy, desperate to
N ot e t h e r e i s n o G M f o r
escape from the rest of the schemies.
CONTENDERS, each player runs a
CONTENDER and plays NPCs as the
need arises. Although if youre more CONNECTIONS
comfortable with the traditional role- C ONNECTIONS represent a
playing approach then theres no po s i t i ve i nf l u e n c e in a
reason one player cant act as GM and CONTENDERS life, someone or
play all the NPCs. something that gives him HOPE.
Steps to CONTENDER creation: When a C O NNEC TIO N is
1. CONCEPT conceptualised the player must
2. CONNECTIONS determine what their
CONTENDERS eventual hope is
3. BEGINNING STATS
4. IN-RING STYLE for that CONNECTION and
conversely what their ultimate
CONCEPT fear is regarding the
Who is your contender? CONNECTION.
Where does he come from? However, nothing in this life is
Why does he fight? free an d a proviso for
What kind of an individual is he? C ON TE NDERS is that each
CONNECTION desperately needs
When you have the answers to CASH for some reason. Each
these questions write down your CONTENDER begins with a single
CONTENDERS name and some CONNECTION. Some examples of
back-story. Dont worry if you CONNECTIONS:
cant come up with much at this An ill family member, a priest, a
point. fianc in debt, a local orphan, a
One proviso is that your business venture, a hooker with a
CONTENDER must be relatively heart of gold; an elderly mentor.
poor, as thats part of the game.
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E.g. Bobs decides that Jimmys Players have 10 points to divide
connection is his brother Jonathon. amongst the four in-ring traits.
Jimmys relationship with Jonathon Each must be at least 1. Traits
gives him hope in the bonds of will fluctuate during play but can
family. Jimmys ultimate hope is that never fall below 1 or above 9.
he and Jon can set up their own little
bar in a nice area of town. However E.g. Bobs assigns Jimmys scores as
Jon is a heroin user and requires follows:
money to pay off his dealers and feed Technique 3
the monkey on his back. Jimmys Cover 2
ultimate fear is that Jon will throw Power 2
his life away for the junk. Conditioning 3
BEGINNING STATS
Each player sets their NPC POOL
CONTENDER S starting PAIN , After all players have created
HOPE, CASH & REP. Players have their contender, each player is
6 points to divide between the encouraged to design a non-
Stats. player character (NPC) boxer to
Each Stat must be at least 1. function as an opponent for the
PCs.
E.g. Bobs assigns his points as
follows: When creating NPC boxers
Pain 2 dont bother naming them or
Hope 2 coming up with a back-story,
Cash 1 just assign Stats and in-ring
Rep 1 traits.
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PLAYING THE GAME
Each player in turn gets to set a Establishing anew
scene for their CONTENDER. This CONNECTION is fairly
can be done in any order, but straightforward, the player sets
each player gets a scene before the scene and describes who/
any player gets a second scene. what the new CONNECTION is
How each scene turns out will and their hopes and fears
affect a CONTENDERS regarding the CONNECTION.
development. The player then role-plays a
The active player can narrate scene to show their
other CONTENDERS into their CONTENDERS involvement with
scenes if they wish. the CONNECTION.
If NPCs are present during the
scene determine who will play Visiting an e st ab l i s he d
them , if there is any C O N N E C T I O N is s lig htl y
disagreement then the player to different. In order to provide
the left of the active player makes hope, the CONNECTION needs
the final decision. CASH. The player determines
how much CASH they are
SCENE TYPES spending on the CONNECTION
Connection this visit. Once again, the player
Thug Work sets the scene. The player then
Training draws a number of cards equal
Promotion to the amount of CASH they
Fight spent. Every red card counts as
Miscellaneous a success. The player to their
left, representing the forces of
CONNECTION SCENES adversity, draws a number of
These are important scenes as cards equal to the active players
they provide a contender with PAIN, each red card counts as a
HOPE. There are two types of success. If the CONTENDER has
CONNECTION scene: establishing more successes, then there is a
a new CONNECTION or visiting hopeful outcome. The
an established CONNECTION. contender gains a point of
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HOPE and the rest of the scene his current PAIN, red cards are
should be role-played out to successes. The forces of
reflect this positive outcome. adversity oppose this PAIN check
If the CONTENDER does not gain by drawing a number of cards
more successes, but gains at least equal to the amount of CASH a
one or if no-one gains any CONTENDER is trying to earn
successes then the scene has an from thug work. If the
ambivalent outcome. The contender wins the check then
contender gains a point of HOPE the job goes well, they get the
and a point of PAIN. The rest of CASH. If the check is tied, then
the scene should be role-played the scene has an ambivalent
out to reflect this. outcome, the job is done CASH
If the CONTENDER gets no is gained but a point of PAIN is
successes, and the forces of also gained. If the contender
adversity get at least one then the loses the check then the job
scene has a bad outcome for the goes badly, no CASH is gained
CONTENDER. They gain a point but PAIN increases by 1. The
of PAIN and no HOPE. Again, the outcome should be role-played
rest of the scene should be role- appropriately.
played out appropriately.
TRAINING SCENES
THUG WORK SCENES CONTENDERS have gotta put
These relate to the CONTENDER time in down the gym. Training
taking shady jobs for ready CASH. scenes are pretty
Typically this involves some sort straightforward, the player sets
of work as a heavy. The player the scene, spends CASH equal to
sets the scene for thug work, the in-ring trait they want to
narrating who gave them the job improve and narrates a training
and what the job is. Thug work montage (Eye of the Tiger is
c annot invo lve another optional). The CONTENDERS
CONTENDER or one of their appropriate trait improves by 1.
CONNECTIONS. The active player Anytime a CONTENDER trains
draws a number of cards equal to pick an NPC template and add
+1 to one of their in-ring traits.
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PROMOTION SCENES FIGHT SCENES
These scenes always precede a Fight scenes are incredibly
fight. Basically during a important, after all thats what
promotion scene a CONTENDER the game is about.
meets up with boxing promoters
and gets themselves booked in a CONTENDERS can gamble CASH
match. The opponent can either on matches. All wagers must be
b e an ot he r o f t he PC announced clearly before the
CONTENDERS (they must be in start of a match and to keep
the promotion scene), or an NPC things simple the odds are
boxer. The fight purse split is also always 1:1. For every 1 you
negotiated during a promotion gamble youll get 2 back if you
scene. The purse will be half the win.
number of rounds scheduled,
with the majority going to the CONTENDERS may also bet
victor. As with other scenes, the directly against one another if
active player gets to frame their they wish.
contenders promotion scenes. Try and involve all players in
each fight scene. If not boxing
MISCELLANEOUS SCENES then they can play NPCs or
Players are free to propose scenes have their CONTENDERS present
not covered by the other in the crowd, clutching betting
categories. The only restriction slips or perhaps giving a
on the players control of a personal commentary on the
miscellaneous scene is that no match.
scores may change.
A CONTENDER always receives a
CASH appearance fee for each
match they box. This fee is
equal to their REP (before the
match).
Each boxer also receives an After the big fights have been
amount of CASH equal to their concluded then the final act of
share of the fight purse plus their the game is each player
REP. If the match was drawn then narrating their contenders
both fighters receive the losers epilogue.
purse. If the match ended in a
DQ, then both fighters receive
one less CASH than normal.
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EPILOGUES If HOPE and PAIN are equal then
As mentioned previously, the the epilogue should retain an
final act of play for each player is air of ambivalence and
to narrate an epilogue for their uncertainty. The CONTENDERS
CONTENDER. eventual hopes for their
CONNECTIONS are not yet
There is one global constraint on realised. Nor are the
epilogues: they may not CONTENDERS ultimate fears.
deprotagonize another T his e pilo gu e can en d
CONTENDER. optimistically or darkly,
This means, an epilogue cannot depending upon the narrators
be narrated in such a way that preference.
undermines the emotional and
intellectual investment that other If PAIN is greater than HOPE
players may have in a given then the CONTENDERS tale
CONTENDERS endeavours. A ends in tragedy as their world
typical violation of this crashes down around them. The
constraint would be a player CONTENDERS ultimate fears
trying to narrate the death of regarding their CONNECTIONS
another CONTENDER or one of all come to pass. This is a dark
their CONNECTIONS. and downbeat ending for the
CONTENDER and the narrator is
A CONTENDERS epilogue is also encouraged to make it as
constrained based on their final emotional as possible.
values for HOPE and PAIN.
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NAME
BACK STORY
IN-RING TRAITS
PAIN TECHNIQUE
HOPE COVER
CASH POWER
REP CONDITIONING
CONNECTION
ULTIMATE HOPE
ULTIMATE FEAR
CONNECTION
ULTIMATE HOPE
ULTIMATE FEAR
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www.indie-rpgs.com
www.1km1kt.net/24hourrpg
2005
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