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197X: The Age of Funk.
d6: A regular six-sided die.
Check: Rolling dice to settle an argument.
Cool: How square or far-out you are.
ISBN: 978-0-557-63726-3
Joints
Handle
Dance-off: Cruise:
Boogie d6 + Boogie
(+ Groove)
d6 + Boogie
(- Junker)
Hair + Hip-Cattery (+ Wheelie)
vs. d6 + Boogie
(+ Groove) vs. d6 + Boogie
(+ Wheelie)
Pieces
Name Damage Ammo Special
Chapter 1:
Your bad-ass self
Funk
Funk is something that can’t be taken away. You might
not feel so funky after gettin’ shot, but funk is
inside, you dig? You know players in this game are the
funky-est cats on the planet. Funk is so important
it’s on the character sheet twice.
Hip-Cattery
Some brothers just got it. A hip cat can ease into any
crowd. This score don’t drop just because you do.
Scorin’
Hair:
Style is everything. When you want to turn a fine foxy
chick on or dance circles around that sucka, stone
cold players run a comb through their hair. Your Hair
score adds to your Boogie rating (see the next page).
Shades:
If you want a dumb mother to know you’re serious,
nothing beats whipping off your shades and giving them
a killer stare. They also add to your Tough rating.
Threds:
No doubt about it, threds are what separates the
players from the squares. Your Threds score adds to
your Tough rating. A set of superfly threds might even
add to your Boogie rating too!
You don’t have to pay for the Shades and Threds you
start with, so if you can’t wait to pick out your
duds, check out Chapter 4. But listen up: ain’t no
player alive ever start with duds that gave five
points of Threds.
Funk:
How down with it you are. Your Funk score determines
how much damage you can take, and how much you can
dish out.
Hip-Cattery:
Being hip to the scene no matter where you are. This
score also adds to your Boogie rating.
Funk
When you want to do something funky, like jump out a
window or bust out some kung-fu, the FunkMaster will
call on you to make a Funk check. You gotta roll a d6
and add your Funk rating. If you beat the other guy’s
Tough rating (or a number the FunkMaster decides on,
if there isn’t one already), you succeed.
Your Funk rating also shows how healthy you are. When
you start, your Funk rating (the big square box) is
the same as your Funk score (the small diamond). If
you get injured, your Funk rating goes down, and Funk
checks become harder. Once your Funk rating reaches
zero, you are out of the game until you get patched up
(in one week).
Boogie
When you need to get down at the disco or slide on in
to a new scene, make a Boogie check.
Other Actions
If you want to outrun someone, you both roll a d6 and
add your Tough ratings (and any Kung-fu points you
want to spend). The higher score wins. Tie goes to the
person being chased.
Cowboy
Not every cat on the scene is a
far-out, funky hipster. Cowboys
prefer bars to disco, Fords to
Ferraris and fistfights to dance-
offs. You’d best show them some
respect, else they just might
knock you out.
2 Kung-fu points
2 Groove points
2 Freak-out points
10 bucks
Detective
Detectives are hard-ass agents of
justice. He takes the law into his
own hands whenever he needs to and
don’t take shit from no one. When a
Detective’s on your ass he ain’t never
giving up.
3 Kung-fu points
1 Freak-out point
2 Wheelie points
20 bucks
Disco King
Disco Kings (and Disco Queens) know
how to get down, who to talk to,
and where to find the most far-out
threds. In they daylight he may not
be much, but under a disco ball those
rhinestones shine, baby!
1 Kung-fu point
4 Groove points
1 Freak-out point
10 bucks
Hustler
Hustlers are the pimps, players,
and bad motherfuckers of the
world. Whether they gotta bust
a sucka in the chops or cruise
around in their smooth rides,
every last one of them does it
with style.
2 Kung-fu points
3 Groove points
1 Wheelie point
20 bucks
Leftover
These far-out cats have been opening
their minds since the last decade, and
it shows. A Leftover’s preferred ride
is his trusty van, and his favorite
sport is parking on the grass.
1 Groove point
4 Freak-out points
1 Wheelie point
5 bucks
Long-Hauler
Ain’t nobody knows the open road like
the Long-Hauler. These dudes are tough
as nails and ain’t afraid to throw a
punch, so you best watch what you toss
in the truck-stop jukebox, sucka.
2 Kung-fu points
2 Freak-out points
2 Wheelie points
10 bucks
Motorhead
Some cats cruise for chicks, and
some cats jump motorcycles over
flaming buses. The Motorhead is
your drag racer, your stunt driver,
your grease monkey, and probably all
three at the same time, you dig?
1 Kung-fu point
2 Groove point
3 Wheelie points
10 bucks
New-Ager
Whether it’s astrology, auras, or aliens,
New-Agers are into a lot of far-out bags.
You won’t find him without his crystals
and spiritual guides, but he can always
chill out a room with a mellow vibe.
2 Groove points
3 Freak-out points
1 Wheelie point
5 bucks
Wanderer
Some people are born in the Orient, and some down-
home hustlers are born with the spirit of the dragon
inside them. These mysterious cats wander the world,
looking for some heavy ideas like enlightenment and
finding plenty of action along the way.
4 Kung-fu points
1 Groove point
1 Freak-out point
Example:
Curtis busts out some kung-fu and takes out the thugs
in the warehouse, but his Funk rating drops to 1 and
the FunkMaster decides that his threds are ruined.
Curtis takes his torn and blood-stained shirt off,
and his Threds score drops to 0 (and his Tough rating
drops by 3).
Accessories
A solid cat can boost his Tough rating with some fine
accessories. They can be worn with any other threds.
Some of them raise more than your Tough rating.
Threds
$10 Square Threds
Threds score: 1
Only suckas wear Square Threds, dummy!
Headwear
Cowboy Hat
$50
Threds score: 1
This hat says you’re a serious player.
Neckwear
Gold Chain
$50
Threds score: 1
A little gold goes a long way, baby. But not
too much: only the first Gold Chain counts
toward your Threds score.
Special Threds
Special Threds are special, get it? No player is gonna
start out with these threds; a cat’s gotta earn ‘em
the hard way.
Disco Threds
$200
Threds score: 2
Disco threds are tight and outta sight. These
ain’t for walkin’ around, dig? Any honky that
wears these threds outside a disco has his Funk
rating halved. But when you need to bust out on
the dance floor, Disco Threds up your Boogie
rating by 1.
Leisure Suit
$100
Threds score: 1
A leisure suit lets you get down at the disco,
but you can still wear it in public like any
boss outfit. Your Boogie rating gets upped by 1,
and you don’t lose any funk!
Kung-fu Threds
Special
Threds score: 4
Headwear
Plain Headband
$10
Threds score: 1
Only cats with at least 4 Kung-fu points (total,
not current) can benefit from this headband.
Kung-fu Headband
Special
Threds score: 1
Just like Kung-fu Threds, the Kung-fu Headband
can’t be bought. And just like the Plain
Headband, only cats with at least 4 Kung-fu
points can benefit. Tying on this mystic
headband ups your Funk by 1. Solid.
Neckwear
Medallion
$50
Threds score: 0
A medallion ain’t gonna raise your Thread score,
but it ups your Boogie rating by 1. It’s gravy,
baby!
Hippie Beads
Special
Threds score: 0
This relic of the ‘60s has been imbued with
cosmic insight. In the hands of someone trying
to Maintain, it grants an extra Freak-out point.
Footwear
Boogie Shoes
$150
Threds score: 0
Boogie Shoes are strictly for the dance floor.
Your Tough rating drops by 1 when they’re on
your feet, but your Boogie rating goes up a
point.
Cowboy Boots
$100
Threds score: 1
A serious player needs some serious kicks.
Motorcycle Boots
$200
Threds score: 1
These solid boots can take the heat. They up
your Threds rating, sure, but they also add +1
to all your Drive checks.
Heat & ‘chucks
$20 Pistol Ammo: 6 Damage: 6
$5 Switchblade Damage: 6
Cruising Wheels
$300
Green 2
Hippie Van
$30
Yellow 3
Motorcycle
$200
Green 1
When you gotta hit the road, get on your hog and jam
on the gas. If you’re on a bike you get +1 to all your
Cruise and Drive checks.
Muscle Car
$500
Green 3
When you’re in this ride, you can jam on the pedal and
get +2 to all Driving checks. But Smokey ain’t gonna
pass up chasin’ down that sweet paint job: when you’re
behind the wheel your cool meter is one step farther
from The Man.
Plain Ride
$30
Yellow 5
Stretch Limousine
$500
Green 2
Shag Wagon
$200
Green 1
Pick-up Truck
$50
Green 3
Squaremobile
$20
Yellow 2
Rule 2:
*EEEEE-EEEEE-EEEEE-EEEEE-KKKKKKSHHHHHHHHHHH-
EEEEEEEEEEE-SHHHHHHHHHHH-VRRRRRRRRR-SHHHH*
Monty leaned in, his face reflecting in the murky gray curve
of glass, characters bathing his features in monochromatic
green. The ][E purred underneath the monitor as the light
flickered, all 110 ks of data crossing over at a speed he
wouldn’t have even dreamed of five years ago. He spun his
chair around and checked the television monitor. Somebody
had Astley’d him - Monty kicked back and watched the
flickering rendition, feet tapping along to the approximated
midi beat.
She slammed the door, kicking up the paper taped to the inside. A dot-
matrix rendition of Mary Lou Retton with the caption NOT! fluttered and
settled back down.
“They fucking passed it! This is so fucking not cool.” She tossed the
box of disks in her hand onto his lap and leaned over him to tap out
a cybersite code. His nostrils were infused with the scent of L.A. Looks.
“Stare hard, retard,” she murmured hoarsely, the fabric of her t-shirt
stretching as she pressed into him.
The cursor blinked for a few seconds before the screen flooded with letters,
as a four-color image of the Big Cheese filled in the top right corner.
“So what’s on the disks?” Monty asked, leaning back to read over the
side of Christie’s hair. On the screen, the characters spelled out the end
of the free world. Everything in this room was now punishable by fines,
jail time, forcible service, or exportation to one of the corporate colonies
overseas to spend a few years plugging code at gunpoint. The Man had
finally come down on what the kids had been up to in the last decade or
so, ever since the grad students at MIT and their home tape readers.
“Birthday present,” she said, stretching back up. “I want a smoke. Let’s
go outside.”
Monty glanced at her as she moved toward the door, then to the box,
now slightly tilted on his lap, before picking it up and setting it on the
desk. He tapped out an exit command as Christie bent down to relace her
boot. The computer honked at him and he glanced back at the screen,
retyping the command.
QUIT EVERYTHING?
Y/N
Out on the street, Monty slouched along past nearly-naked mannequins
and giant screens blaring ads. The scrolling lines on the screens made
his brain ache. The press of traffic on the sidewalk buffeted him from side
to side as Christie strode next to him, oblivious to the people that parted
around her. She took a drag and blew an acrid cloud into the face of a
streetside laserdisc vendor that tried to stop her, driving him back cursing,
the copy of Moonwalker tumbling to the ground.
The giant screens on the Panasonic building were showing loops of smiles
and handshakes. Twenty feet in front of him, a pair of thugs in riot gear
pummeled a couple of afro-headed kids while a third smashed open their
plastic case, sending floppy discs fluttering to the ground. The wind caught
some and sent them cartwheeling into traffic. As the sheep approached
they knotted up, crossing in two neat single-file lines, eyes straight ahead.
Monty caught a blip of a garbled protest from one of the kids through a
mouth of blood.
The street was mostly empty - the ones that could afford to drive around
didn’t do it during the daytime around here, where they were as likely
to be carjacked as have their tires slashed at an intersection. Monty tried
to remember the last time that he had ridden in a car. His parents had
owned one, back before the Arabs started pinching off the oil.
It had come at a bad time. Poor people that would have spent their
meager earnings on immediate gratifications could get their entertainment for
free if they knew how. The technology was already out there, and people
had the incentive to learn. The entertainment industry was drying up, and
as more people turned to pirated information, the cycle was... what?
Exponential?
If you’re reading this, I’m going to assume that you already know how
shit got to be this way. I’ve heard some people call it bogue, but
that’s just putting a sticker on it. Whatever you want to call it doesn’t
explain the fallout in Hanoi or why you can’t buy a tank of gas without
a MasterCard or why you need a permit to own a computer.
Anyway, you know the drill. Pick your handle (or better yet, do
something to earn one). Do your time in the sneakernet. Ditch class.
Don’t trust anyone older than you. Put together some toys and take
them on a bombing run. Get laid. Crack the system. Break the country.
> 2X7u53r
> 10/8/86
Modempunk is played using a single 12-sided die, referred to as
“the d12”.
Every stat is rated on a scale between 1-10. Roll the d12; if you
get your stat or less you succeed.
The Unique stat is different. You don’t put any points into it when
creating your character, and your Unique stat is always 10.
The equipment you use (and the equipment your adversaries use)
brings your stats up and down for the purpose of that attempt. A
modified Walkman with a few nebulously described features may
raise your Phreaking stat by 2 when the GM says it’s applicable.
Heavy government security on an army mainframe would lower your
Computers stat by 5 whenever you tried to hack into it.
-----------
The pay phone lowers her Phreaking stat by 1, so for the purposes
of this check her final stat is 9 (7+3-1).
Christie rolls the d12 and gets a 5. She puts her Red Box tape
and holds the earphones up to the telephone, and a moment later
the operator comes on asking where she wants to connect to.
-----------
Automatic Success:
If your total modifiers bring a stat to 12 or higher, the attempt is
an automatic success with no need to roll the d12.
Automatic Failure:
A 1 is not always a success. If the number needed for success
is less than 1, then the task is impossible for that character, no
matter what they roll on the d12.
YOUR STATS
These eight numbers sum up what your character is good and bad
at. A stat of 6 is average, meaning the character will succeed in
the action about half the time.
-----------
ATHLETICS
Athletics involves running, skateboarding, punching, swimming, and
pretty much any other type of physical activity.
Example: Mikey sprints down the street clutching the cardboard box
to his chest. Behind the thumping of blood in his ears, he can
hear the police yelling and whistling. As he rounds the corner, the
topmost disks slide off the stacks and tumble away.
-----------
COMPUTERS
Computers involves writing codes, hacking, and general knowledge of
systems and software.
-----------
GUNS
Guns are things you shoot.
-----------
HEALTH
Health covers your stamina (from overexertion, poison, alcohol, or
bullets).
Example: Wade tips his eighth shot back and taps the glass against
the half-empty bottle. “Your turn.”
-----------
PHREAKING
Phreaking involves subverting infrastructure like telephones to your
own ends.
Ex: Lucy slips into the alley and quietly pries open the router box
bolted to the side of the building. Humming to herself, she clips a
pair of wires to it and presses the PLAY button on her autodialer.
“Hope you lame-oids didn’t need your phone today,” she smirks
as she dials the police station.
-----------
PRESENCE
Presence is how commanding and interest-capturing you are.
-----------
TALKING
Talking measures your ability to bullshit, either in real life or over a
modem.
Ex: Henry squints as the cop shines the flashlight from the back
seat and his face. “I’m just borrowing my mom’s car, and uh,
these tapes are all stuff that goes to the bookmobile.”
-----------
UNIQUE
Your Unique stat lets you pull off something awesome that your
character could conceivably do, like whipping out a floppy with
a virus on it at just the right time, or disguising yourself as a
secretary to infiltrate a business. The GM can decide whether or
not what you want is possible.
You can roll your Unique stat twice per game. Unlike other stats,
your Unique stat is always 10 (before any modifiers). You don’t
need to specify what your Unique stat is - it’s something to call
on when you need a miracle.
-----------
COMBAT
Every character has Life points. Your life point total is equal to
your Health stat +3, and decreases when you are injured.
If you fail, roll the d12 and divide by 2. You wake up after that
many hours with one life point.
If you lose your last Life point from being shot or stabbed, you’re
toast. It’s up to the GM to decide what happens at that point. If
you aren’t dead, you’d better have a good excuse.
Every weapon has a modifier that changes the stat you use
to attack with it. Brawling weapons like clubs and knives have
modifiers that change your Athletics stat. Guns have modifiers that
change your Guns stat.
-----------
FIGHTING:
Ex: Charlie pulls out her switchblade and slashes at the grinning
dusthead. Her Athletics stat is 6, and her knife raises it to 9. She
rolls the d12 and gets a 4. She successfully slashes at him.
She rolls the d12 for damage, and it comes up 7. She divides this
by two (rounding down), which gives her 3, then adds the knife’s
damage (+2). Her switchblade slices open his stomach and he
collapses into an overflowing trash can.
-----------
GUNS:
Every gun has a modifier to your Guns stat. Usually, this raises
your Guns stat, making it more likely that your roll will be equal or
less than your stat. Every gun has a modifier to its Damage.
To fire a gun, you roll your Guns skill (adding any modifier from
your gun to your Guns stat). If you succeed, you roll the d12 and
add your gun’s Damage. Don’t divide your roll’s result - guns do
the full d12 damage.
-----------
WEAPON Athletics Damage
Club +2 +2
Garrote +2 +4
Knife +3 +2
Sword +1 +3
-----------
WEAPON Guns Damage
Machine gun -3 +5
Pistol +1 +1
Rifle +2 +2
Shotgun +3 +3
Uzi -1 +3
FINISHING TOUCHES
-----------
DESIGNING GEAR:
-----------
WEAPONS AS GEAR
Guns cost their damage (so owning a shotgun means that you
get one more +1 worth of gear, and machine guns are unavailable
when starting out).
-----------
BODY ARMOR
-----------
YOUR SHEET
Reputation is literally what other people you know think of you. Are
you a closeted weirdo that girls point and laugh at, or are you the
most popular girl in detention hall?
There isn’t much to say here. If you’ve made it this far, you probably
have a good idea of what this game is all about.
Keep it fast-paced. Don’t get bogged down with modifiers. The player
figures out their stat modifier; you decide if there’s a penalty.
“Who shoots first?” depends on what the GM decides. You can rule
that one party gets the drop on the other, or make both sides roll an
Athletics or Guns check and say the side with the better roll goes first,
or just make everyone roll the d12 for acting order. In that last case,
remember that tied results can be pretty dramatic and/or hilarious.
ATMOSPHERE NOTES:
Home computer monitors are usually two- or four-color, but adapters can
be made to allow televisions to be used as screens.
Pop culture is essentially the same in this world as in ours - the same
cultural figures, brand names, etc.
The kids have come up with a lot of novel workarounds for technology
limitations. The players should have some leeway with regard to what
their electronics can do. Floppy disks can hold as much or as little as
the story calls for.
Electronic bootlegs are lower quality than “official” media, but they’re free
and uncensored.
-----------
Here’s how the probabilities of the d12 break down, if you’re interested:
Chance of
# Success
1 8.3%
2 16%
3 25%
4 33%
5 42%
6 50%
7 58%
8 66%
9 75%
10 83%
11 92%
12 100%