Now, I know what you’re thinking. This whole I-20 thing, it’s all random. Everything you do as a bounty hunter’s all left to the fall of a single die. Like I said, if you wanna pack it up and head home now, I won’t tell your little girlie friend you washed out.

Still here? Whatever…

Here’s what I ain’t told you yet. In Bounty Head Bebop, it’s not always just the luck of the die. Sometimes you control just a little bit of your own destiny. But don’t get too cocky, yet. I said “sometimes.” If the die always landed exactly how you wanted, this wouldn’t be much of a game, now would it?

So that you rookies have a fighting chance out there, Bounty Head Bebop gives you Luck Points and Surge Points.

Luck Points are exactly what they sound like. Need a break? Want fate to deal you a better hand? Spend a Luck Point. Want to reduce your MTN? Spend a Luck Point? Want a Faulty Success rather than roll? Luck Point? Facing certain death? Spend a Luck Point. I think you get the point.

Surge Points are a little different. There’s something special in all of, yes even you newbie, that erupts when the bullets are whizzing by, the bad guys are closing in, but you still gotta win. With a Surge Point you can be stronger, interrupt your opponents or shake off attacks that would knock you out cold you. That’s the beauty of Bounty Head Bebop.

And no, I didn’t just complement you. These points are limited so if you decide to march into some mark’s compound and start shooting, you’re still gonna end up dead like everyone else.

So that’s it for the I-20 system. Next time, we start investigating the world of Bounty Head Bebop. There’s lots of danger out there. You better know what to expect.

Okay, take your seat. Let’s continue.

You want to catch bounties? Well, you ain’t gonna get much done in Bounty Head Bebop if you don’t roll the die once. Bounty Head Bebop uses what’s called the Inverted 20 or I-20 system. This means that the only thing you’re ever going to need is one twenty-sided die (they look like little circles), though having a handful won’t hurt. Beyond that, all you need to do is roll.

Now, you’re probably wondering what you’re looking for when you roll. Good question, rook.

Every roll has what we professional bounty hunters call a target number, or TN in I-20 speak. You find your TN by taking whatever ability makes sense: Strength, Agility, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Presence then add a base number (3, 5, or more) and then add your skill and whatever modifiers make sense. Here, let me write that down for you.

Ability + Base + Skill + Modifiers = TN

Once you know the TN, roll the die. If you roll under it, you probably do whatever you were attempting. There’s a few exceptions. Opposed rolls are one. In that case, you gotta roll higher than the other player.

Another case is when there is a Minimum Target Number (MTN). For challenges which are extraordinarily difficult, you may have to roll above the MTN, but below your TN. Good luck with that.

Oh, a few more things. If you roll a 1, it’s a Faulty Success. Yeah, you succeed, but it’s not as good as you would have liked. If you roll a 20, it’s a Botch. Not only do you fail, young bounty hunter, you fail in such a spectacular way your corpse is gonna make the evening news.

Of course, there is some hope. You might just roll exactly equal to your TN. That’s called a Critical Success. It means somehow, someway, you do something amazing. Good for you.

And that’s pretty much the basics. You’re all ready to tour this big bad galaxy of ours. Well except for Luck and Surge points. But that’s something for another day.

So you decided to come back. That’s not too surprising. If you make it to Day Two, you’ll make it until the end of the week before you drop out and head back to whatever hole or station you crawled out of. Don’t worry, we won’t tell Mary Jane back home that you washed out.

So you want to know what Bounty Head Bebop is all about. Well, pardon the history lesson, but it’s 2073. In 2023, a comet destroyed Earth’s moon, creating an unstable wormhole. Pieces of that comet were then use to create more wormholes which eventually got turned into gates. Now, anywhere in the system you wanna go, there’s probably a gate nearby. Boom! Instantaneous travel.

Most of the solar system is settled. From Mercury to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Even Pluto has a penal colony on it, but don’t visit there, rookie.

Some of the planets are run by the Mega-Corps, some by the Underworld (like the weapons dealers of Venus.) Sure, there a few real governments left. City-states rule Mars. The Inuit Nation does a pretty good job running some of what’s left on Earth, but even they’re pretty much the number two man behind the ArgentilŽ. I guess people want opium and slaves more than synthetic whale fat.

Then again, you knew all that, didn’t you? Hey, don’t get too cocky. You never know who your next target is going to be or where they’re gonna to come from. You better know the difference between leisure fishing in Europa and volcano climbing on Io ’cause if you forget to bring a hard radiation suit to one of ‘em, it don’t matter how good of a bounty hunter you are. The rads will kill you dead.

‘Cause in the end, that’s what Bounty Head Bebop is all about. It’s your skills as a bounty hunter against some of the worst scum in the universe.

Bet you want to know how to use those skills. Well for that, you’re gonna have to come back tomorrow.

Okay, listen up! The name’s Thomas. Thomas Edwin. If you’re here, it means you think you have what it takes to earn a bounty. You and everyone else.

Sure, being a bounty hunter sounds like fun and games. Maybe you think you’re special. That you’re gonna make it. Well, let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot better noobs come through here and they didn’t make it through their first job. They never even saw the bounty.

Still here? Well, let’s get on with it. That’s what they pay me for. Someone figures its cheaper to pay me to talk you out of this madness than it is to clean up after one of yous buys the farm.
Well, over the next couple of weeks, here’s what I’m going to tell you.

First, yer gonna get what Bounty Head Bebop is all about. Let you know who you’re going to be shooting at and who is going to be supplying the guns.

Then, we’ll talk about the I-20 System and how you move, shoot, fly space craft, and use psychic powers.

Next, I’ll show you some of the special features of Bounty Head Bebop so you know what makes it special.

After that, you’ll get up close and personal with the artists and writers of the game. Something you’ll never do with your bounty. Then you’ll get some Actual Play so you know what chasing a bounty is all about.

Once Bounty Head Bebop goes on sale, I’ll check back in. Make sure you all are doing okay out in the big bad world of professional bounty hunting. Who knows, maybe you’ll actually live. For a while.

Okay, so get ready your intro to Bounty Head Bebop.

Hey here are the preview art I had promised. These three pieces are supurb and really capture the feel and flavor of Bounty Head Bebop. Enjoy and let me know what you thinik eitehr here in the comments or head on over the our Bounty Head Bebop Fans Forums

In Bounty Head Bebop you get a chance to visit every planet in our Solar System. Each one is a unique place for a setting in its own right but its only a small part of the whole. So as a bonus to anyone following this here is a bit of a preview of what the planet Venus is like. Its a Wild place let me tell you.

Venus

Designation: Nation State (Franco-Venusian), Formidable defenses
Economy: (From the tourist brochure: Beautiful sunny Venus is the ideal stop for the care worn traveler. Come to the First Colony, where the days are longer than the years! Avail yourself of the always sunny, rolling paradise: Venus Vegas, the Sunset Kingdom®! Try your luck at our games of chance, or enjoy our fine dining and galaxy class entertainment. For the more discerning customer, we have accommodations to suit the most exotic tastes. “What happens on Venus, stays on Venus™”)
While Venus may indeed be a fine stop for the weary traveler, it is more often sought for its excellent reputation in weapons trade, in the fine French tradition. If you can’t meet your needs for reliable or even exotic ordinance on Venus, your problem is probably connections, not availability.
There is also a considerable trade in Intrusion Counter Electronic (ICE) specialists, who can hack into any system. Usually, such systems specialists are tied to one of the many syndicates, and are happy to help the less-than-scrupulous customer.

Therefore, all visits to the casinos and pleasure dens should be taken with the aforementioned facts in consideration. If something bad happens on Venus, you aren’t likely to leave Venus.

Environment: Near Earth gravity (“for your comfort and convenience”). Moderate tectonic slip and volcanic activity. Weather and biosphere is heavily terraformed, with an enormous, acidic (pH+ 5.8), ocean that was formed of the massive cloud cover the first colonists encountered. pH+ balanced inland seas are kept for fish and kelp farming. Helium in the atmosphere causes a slight raise in pitch of voice, (“which makes the French language that much more beautiful”).

Social: While the French are oft noted for their rudeness, it is born mostly of pragmatism. A tremendous amount of their cultural identity is tied to the subtleties of the language, and so it is best for visitors to speak French. If you cannot, Venus Vegas will accommodate any language, for a price.
Venusian politics and society is largely run by criminals. The “legitimate” criminals are quasi-legal, corporate entities known as Syndicates (e.g.: Le Messuer). Such Syndicates control the planet’s manufacturing and businesses, as well as the major population centers. They are all heavily armed, and coexist in a precarious balance of power.

Venusian government is essentially an oligarchy, controlled by a “Parliament” made up of the heads of the various Syndicates, both major and minor. The leader of the Pariliament is known as the “Sun King,” and he serves an eight-year term, after which a new Sun King is elected by the Parliament. The populous petitions the courts and representatives of their own contracted Syndicate in all matters. It amounts to little more than Feudalism in practice.
The less-than-legitimate criminals, who tend to run afoul of the SSPB whist dealing in Venus’ more exotic tastes, are almost universally associated with Venus Vegas. Venus Vegas itself is an enormous, mobile party, catering to epicurean delights of all manners. Vegas itself is run by clans, mobs (e.g.: Serpent Vert), and flamboyant entrepreneurs of all kinds. Through a Venusian engineering marvel, it rolls against the planetary rotation, always keeping itself aligned with the setting sun. It is referred to by the Syndicates as “The Sunset Kingdom®” (A registered trademark of Le Messuer).
Hazards: Volcanoes and Venusquakes claim the unwary traveler, but the greatest hazard is usually to your wallet. Beyond that, be sure of the political connections of the Venusians you contract with. Problems are notoriously solved with sudden and overwhelming violence.

Venus
1 Orbit of Sun About 225 Days
1 Rotation About 243 Days
Diameter 7,523 Miles
Gravity 100 lbs = 90 lbs (.9)
Escape Velocity 23,300 MPH
Distance From Sun 67 Million Miles
Average Temperature 85° F
New Atmosphere Nitrogen, Oxygen, Helium

And Welcome. This the publisher speaking. I would like to welcome all of you who come to our little corner of the web. This is Heroic Journey Publishing and it is my intention to keep people updated to what is happening here.

Some may wonder why the name. Well for me my life has been a journey and since I see the Hero’s journey as an important element not only to literature but also life, I felt the naiming of my venture into publishing should reflect that. I am new I admit that to the publisher world but I have years of production experience in publishing. So I plan on putting it to good use.

Today you will notice several posts announceing things. Well It is the first day for site to go up but a lot has been in the works for awhile. Please check back and see whats news that day here at HJP.

 Mark “Thayan” Reed - Publisher
heroicjourney@gmail.com