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.
For Immediate Release
HEROIC JOURNEY PUBLICATIONS LAUNCHED TO HELP DESIGNERS PRODUCE ROLE PLAYING GAMES
October 23, 2008 St. Paul, MN
Gaming industry veterans Mark Reed and Zac Ashmore are proud to announce the launch of their joint role playing publishing venture: Heroic Journey Publishing. Heroic Journey Publishing’s mission is to help role playing game designers realize their dreams by providing services which take a role playing game from manuscript to finished product.
These services include editing a game manuscript, illustrating it, laying the game out, marketing the role playing game, and getting it into well-known distribution channels. This assistance will come from Reed, Ashmore, and their team of skilled industry professionals. Currently, Heroic Journey Publishing is focused specifically on digital publishing. This means that Heroic Journey Publishing’s catalog will be released as Print on Demand (POD) books and PDFs.
“I am excited that Heroic Journey Publishing is here. I have wanted to contribute to the community and provide a service which I feel is sorely needed. There are a lot of talented game designers out there and they shouldn’t have to learn how to publish, just to get a quality book out there” stated Reed.
Heroic Journey Publishing’s first title, Bounty Head Bebop, is slated for release in time for the holidays.
Find out more about Heroic Journey Publishing at http://www.heroic-journey.net/ and more about Bounty Head Bebop at http://www.bountyheadbebop.com/
ABOUT MARK REED
Reed is a professional layout and design artist and a long-time player of role playing games. He has done layout on several of Atlas Games’ Northern Crown D20 product line and has done playtesting for them as well. Reed has been a podcaster since 2006 and is now a member of Kore New Media. Reed can be reached via email at heroicjourney@gmail.com
ABOUT ZAC ASHMORE
Ashmore is Heroic Journey Publishing’s Art Director. He grew up in Starkville, MS. He is a technical advisor for Video Magic 1, where he does video editing. He is currently attending Mississippi State University earning a Dual bachelors Degree in drawing and painting. His experience in editing led to a co-host role with Reed on The Groovecast, a gaming podcast. He enjoys live action role playing (LARP) and is a member of the Camarilla Club. He is also a member of Kore New Media.
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Press Contact:
Chris Perrin
commondialog@commondialog.net
Just wanted to give this some publicity. We are announcing the release of a Preview Edition of the Bounty Head Bebop RPG. This Preview Edition gives a glimpse of the Inverted20 system used in BHB, and also a brief backdrop of the setting found within. The Regular Edition will be released in December.
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Hey Cowboys & Cowgirls,
On a short vacation until Wednesday. The book is looking good. I am about a third of the way done with the layout and so far the response from the early treatments has been positive. So we are moving forward with certain designs. I have laid the ground work for an early release at The Source here in the Twin Cities. Still not set in stone but there is interest. My current plans is a full PDF & POD availability by early December, with the book available in limited Print release in Mid November at The Source and possible select Store in the US. Maybe. Head on over to The Comlink for new maps, NPC Ideas and other Bounty Head Bebop downloads.
Well all the interior art is in and I am somewhere in the vaciity of 5 chapters of the layout done and well on my way to completion. I am still waiting on the cover art, but is all goes well I am planning to have an early release at My FLGS… Things are still in early planning stages but if things continue like they are Bounty Head Bebop will hit the shelves before Christmas