Daikaiju Die

Art: Gennifer Bone, LPJ Design, Black Hand Art, Garu Dupuis, Jeremy Hart,
Scortched Urf, Purple Duck, Rick Hershey.
Design: James ‘Grim’ Desborough
Written & Edited by: James ‘Grim’ Desborough

© 2016 Postmortem Studios (James Desborough)

This work is based on Fate Core System and Fate Accelerated Edition
(found at http://www.faterpg.com/), products of Evil Hat Productions, LLC,
developed, authored, and edited by Leonard Balsera, Brian Engard, Jeremy
Keller, Ryan Macklin, Mike Olson, Clark Valentine, Amanda Valentine, Fred
Hicks, and Rob Donoghue, and licensed for our use under the Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/3.0/).

Contents
Introduction: 1
The World: 2
Power: 4
Economic Megablocs: 5
Independent States: 22
Antagonists: 26
Technology: 32
Rise of the Monsters: 34
Designing Kaiju: 36
Designing Ridders: 42
Making Characters: 46
Arms Race: 47
Adventure Seeds: 48
Sample Adventure: 53
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to use in your games and personal
projects, as well as professionally if Daikaiju Die
you run your own small publishing Daikaiju Die! is a game about
house. beating up monsters in giant mecha
(called Ridders). The players take
the part of mecha pilots and their
support crew. They will fight giant
monsters and walk in their shadow.
They will establish rivalries and
defeat villains.

1
 They will uncover conspiracies and Between the swell of pride in human
lead the fight back against what innovation, in the gigantic machines
seems to be a world itself in rebellion that carry the flag of a defiant
against humanity. species and the huddled shame of
cowering in some dank basement
Mostly, though, they’ll smash as a monstrosity from the ocean
giant monsters to pieces in epic, destroys your life.
destructive fights.
Technology battles against nature.
Against the heat. Against the rising

The World of seas. Against extinction. Against

the shrinking poles. Against the
rising carbon. Against population

Daikaiju Die
It is ~2100 and the world has
overcrowding. Against starvation.
Against mutation. Against the
giant beasts which seem to be
changed. Not beyond recognition every apocalyptic problem writ
but beyond what we now know large, an embodiment of human
and in ways both predictable and precariousness.
unpredictable. Strides have been
taken towards a united humanity,
but these steps have only been Climate Change
taken under the extreme duress of The climate has changed massively,
catastrophic climate change and the far more than anyone predicted
emergent threat of Kaiju attacks. and in far worse and stranger ways.
Enormous power-blocs stand in Governments in the past could not
loose alliances, largely under the get organised enough to prevent it,
auspices of a stronger and more grandstanding and making a chain
militarised United Nations - but of broken promises until it was
there are still rivalries, clashes too late. Until millions of climate
and conflicts on various scales – it refugees were on the move, wars
is simply that no government or were breaking out over water or
bloc has reason to move to the full food, and troops were deployed at
measure of war when there is so the borders of the European state to
much more to fight, so many more stem the tide of humanity in the most
challenges to survive. extreme ways possible in a series of
desperate atrocities.
This is a brutal war of contrasts.
Between have and have not. Sea levels rose by over a metre,
Between living with wondrous temperatures rose by five degrees
technology and scraping for globally, dumping energy into the
something to eat. world’s weather systems. Deserts
grew and spread in some areas

2
while flooding afflicted others. Wealth was spent constantly putting
Tornadoes and hurricanes increased out ‘fires’ and maintaining control
massively in frequency and energy, without being able to provide for
battering the coasts, swallowing up investment in the future or long term
whole island nations and inundating solutions.
coastal cities in nations that couldn’t
afford to even try to protect them. Ecological causes which had grown
both extreme and unpopular in the
America’s ‘Tornado Alley’ is in a face of desperation, gradually regrew
constant state of storm-tossed in strength until 2048, which was a
upheaval with few towns or cities crisis year of food and water riots,
untouched and many all but massacres on the first world borders
abandoned with new nomads moving and an abrupt rise in the realisation
constantly to avoid the weather of just exactly how screwed the
patterns, mobile cities of tens of world was. A lid was kept on the
thousands – the opposite of storm violence through brutal policing and
chasers. in many cases martial law but it was
impossible to move back from that.
The gulf stream stopped,
compensating for the heat increase A cabal of industrialists and
– at least in Western Europe, but technical innovators finally had their
also making it drier. The British Isles, conscience pricked enough to move
once famous for their rain, now have on the problems themselves, even
a climate closer to southern France though public sentiment was as
in the 21st Century, dry and hot and – much against them as anyone else.
these days – parched. They founded a new nation, sea-
steading on the lost island nations,
Species died off in huge numbers, granting an enormous windfall to
the sea turned acid and bleached the the Polynesian diaspora. Their
reefs. The festering gyres of plastic money bought eager concessions
in the oceans grew thicker and more from desperate governments and
poisonous. Desperation for energy full recognition as a new state
drove developing and developed technocratic state – Polis.
nations alike to cut corners and
return to old sources. Coal, oil, Polis’ wealth and efforts picked up
gas – while they lasted. Burning off old science projects from before the
methane from landfills and hydrates, climate crisis along with the best
sacrificing increasingly scarce scientific talent that could be found.
cropland for fast-growing bio-fuel.

3
 The luxury and wealth of Polis
gave this new ‘Manhattan Project’ Power
the time, space, objectivity and The world is a mess, largely due to
distance to find solutions. Though the energy wars and desperation of
it came under constant attack the middle part of the 21st century.
by environmental terrorists and As the oil and gas ran out it was
desperate refugees its solutions to chased with increasing desperation
various problems began to emerge. and decreasing concern for the
environment. They poisoned the
Carbon sequestering, cheaper and water, caused subsidence, polluted
more effective tidal, solar, thermal massive areas of land and only
and geological power – even fusion managed to stave off the inevitable
power eventually. Cheaper launches for a short time for all that effort and
to orbit renewing humanity’s ability cost.
to launch into space. Effective
bio-printing and transgenic organ Nuclear power-plants were built with
production. Genetically modified startling rapidity and little oversight
food plants and livestock suited to in the desperate need for energy,
the new environments around the many of them failing – sometimes
globe, supplemented by vat-grown catastrophically – in the following
protein, aero and hydroponics, decades. Places rich in natural
vertical farming. There were power – solar, wind, tidal – couldn’t
further advances in encryption, keep up with demand and soon
compression, communication, couldn’t replace or build new panels
processing and other arenas or turbines due to a lack of rare
followed allowing further advances earths and other high tech parts from
in robotics, near artificial intelligence parts of the world that were now
and the knock-on effects that came hostile. Energy independent nations
from all that. Polis was hated and like Iceland tried to close their
resented by many, but its innovations borders and ended up facing threats
arrested the world’s slide into of invasion if they didn’t at least
destruction and anarchy and gave export some of what they had.
humanity a fighting chance – at least
until 2074 when the Kaiju and the The legacy of this is still found
other monsters began to emerge to everywhere, the process of clean-
an – initially – unbelieving public. up and replacement is still ongoing
and fusion plants are ruinously
expensive. Old nuclear plants still
potter along, renewables and clean-
coal picking up the slack as more
and more fusion plants come online.

4
The trouble with the fusion plants – European Federation
and the old nuclear plants – being The European Federation is a
that they are ruinously expensive powerful economic and social bloc of
and eminently vulnerable to Kaiju nations made up of an expanded and
attack. fully federalised European Union.
While most of the work was done in
There’s enough power, now, but it’s the late 20th and early 21st centuries,
precarious, especially in the poorer full federalisation and expansion
power blocs. Ridders take priority came about during the energy wars,
over civilian projects, their on-board mostly voluntarily – but not entirely.
fusion and fission plants being even To this day resistance and separatist
more expensive than those used to movements exist in the former
power cities – though their output United Kingdom (invaded by the EF
is smaller. New sources are still during the Energy Wars), the former
constantly being sought and new Nordic countries and several of the
ways to store power long term, from states bordering the Greater Russian
bacterial fuel-breeders to long term Republic and Europe also remain a
electrical storage and high capacity hotbed of ecological terrorism and
batteries. Innovation remains the key Malthusian tendencies.
to human advancement in this new
world and sacrifice in the now, for the With so many fractious elements
sake of the future has become a new and sharing borders with the
moral keystone. Caliphate and the GRR, internal
security is a huge concern for the
European Federation. It maintains
Economic Megablocs a large paramilitary police force
The world is not yet entirely united, across its territory, ready to respond
but it is much closer than it ever with near-military force to terrorist
has been in human history. Nothing incidents and has a highly effective
unites like common adversity and surveillance state and intelligence
between the monsters and the gathering network spread around
ongoing environmental catastrophes the globe. The EF prefers to operate
mankind finally has more reasons subtly, via spying, diplomacy and
to work together than apart. The economic sanction but despite this
trend of the 21st century of broader remains a pre-eminent military power
unification along economic and with close alliances to the NAU,
political lines has continued, PacCo and the independent states.
consolidating political, social and
economic power in several large
units.

5
 Europe can afford to maintain and and mass migration resulting from
operate around 35 Ridders to protect environmental disasters. This has
its territory against Kaiju and other caused a great many problems of
threats, but it also maintains a large conscience amongst its people which
and effective military – albeit it very manifests as denial, defensiveness
much on a defensive standing. and grandiose acts of charity
Especially powerful is the EF Navy, towards disasters elsewhere in the
a legacy of its older nations naval world but despite all this the EF’s
traditions, with six carrier groups and borders are now most definitely shut
a large number of powerful warships. to any and all outsiders, patrolled by
The EF army is much smaller, but drones and guarded by fences, walls
of extremely high quality and is and minefields.
one of the best-equipped armies in
the world, fixated upon high tech The EF is currently headed by
and low-risk solutions to military President Célie Mallarmé in her
problems in order to minimise second term, at the head of the
casualties. Gauche Nationale, a coalition
of centre left parties with a
EF citizens enjoy a high standard of concentration on European
living in the context of the world as affairs first – above all else, and a
it is, but it costs them a great deal commitment to the existing internal
in terms of taxation and constricted policies of control, safety and
freedoms in other ways. Stability security.
and security – socially as well as
financially – is one of the greatest The European Federation consists of
concerns of both the citizenry and the former nations – now states – of:
the government, though many Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium,
seek to challenge it through small Bosnia and Herzegovinia, Croatia,
or large acts of rebellion. Europe’s Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
population has stablised, much Denmark, Estonia, France,
lower than it was, and it tends to be Germany, Greece, Greenland,
ruled by an entrenched bureaucratic Holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
class of gerontocrats. The European Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova,
youth is outnumbered and its views Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania,
marginalised, rebellion of all kinds Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
tending to be crushed or – even Switzerland, Turkey and the United
worse – ignored as inconsequential. Kingdom.

The EF has been relatively

untouched by the environmental
disasters of recent decades but
suffered greatly in the energy
wars as well as from terrorism

6
 Airsuit
European The entire suit takes on air
Federation from its surroundings, filtering
through the rebreather for
Commando virtually unlimited safe oxygen
whether diving or in toxic
Light TacVest environments.
A simple set of light weight Traits: Safe Air.
ballistic-plastic combat
armour with integral
webbing.
Traits: +1 Armour, ‘Ready
Gear’.

Gecko Gloves/Boots
The surfaces of both gloves
and boots are treated with a
special coating allowing for
greater ease in climbing.
Traits: +1 to any climbing
rolls, ‘Sure Grip’.

7
 Greater Russian ironically and self-awarely calling
themselves ‘The Bourgeoisie’,
Republics a secret behind the nationalistic
Russia’s penchant for strong pomp, circumstance, militarism
leadership, throughout its history, and bombastic speeches. The
has made it a terrifying place to live Bourgeoisie mostly operate in line
for much of that history and little has with Polis policies, but always subtly,
changed in the 22nd Century. Russian even while a resentful and grudging
pride was severely harmed by the attitude is officially maintained
fall of the USSR and its diminished towards the techno-state.
place in the world. Throughout the
21st century that wounded pride and The GRR was especially hard-
desire for strength led the former ravaged by aspects of the
superpower to push and push and environmental disasters of the
push in a glacial reconquering of 21st century. It lost – until Polis’
its former territory under whatever biotechnology debuted – its ability
pretexts it could find. to feed itself. It’s northern areas
thawed and became toxic, methane-
When the energy wars hit the spewing swamps too unstable even
Russian Federation pushed harder, to provide power plants. To this day
rapidly steamrollering many of its huge swathes of its territory remain
former states – some of whom even relatively uninhabited with a massive
welcomed being brought back into relocation – still ongoing – into the
the fold given the dire straits of the cities away from the countryside.
situation. This reconquered state Mutations and Kaiju often range, with
was soon, however, bogged down relative impunity, across these empty
into border skirmishes with the wastelands.
Chinese and Islamic states, various
internal rebellions and terrorist The GRR more than any other bloc
groups and internal energy and food turned to nuclear power to stave
shortages. off its energy crisis and cut more
corners. The result was more than
If it hadn’t been for the intervention of one Chernobyl – or worse – and
Polis, the Greater Russian Republic large areas of radioactive wilderness.
would probably have fallen, torn The worst of these zones, and the
apart by internal strife, forced into largest, is named The Strugatsky
nastier and more repressive acts to Zone and is the single greatest
hold on to power. As it happened source of mutations and Kaiju on the
Polis struck deals with the Russian Eurasian continent.
oligarchs and kleptocrats to dispense
its advances and stabilise the state
behind the scenes. This group
secretly runs the bloc to this day,

8
Military strength is important to the The rest of their force is largely
GRR and more even than other armour and infantry, meant to take
states they make sacrifices for the and occupy even though they
sake of maintaining that strong have not followed through on their
military. Much of that strength is promises to expand their territory.
made up of conscripts – national
service is demanded of all adult The GRR is currently ‘headed’ by
citizens – but much is also made up Premier Anatoly Tretiakov and his
of a conventional military, large in close ring of advisors. Most are in
number but much more primitively the pocket of The Bourgeoisie and
armed than other blocs. The GRR the others are nationalistic hotheads
is only able to maintain and operate too fixated upon their own rank and
6 Ridders, concentrating on making waving the flag to understand how
them some of the toughest and most things really are.
durable in existence, since they can
ill afford to lose any of them. The GRR is made up of the old
states of:
Belarus, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine.

Zhurova Timurovna
A wanted bandit and pirate-
television broadcaster
operating from within the
Strugatsky Zone, Zhurova
is rumoured to be a psychic
‘witch’.

9
 New Caliphate The Caliphate has a small military,
Out of the disunity, fighting and very much focused on internal
weakness of the 21st century, the security and affairs due to continuing
terrorism, the struggles, the infighting terrorist attacks from religious
politically between secular and extremists and separatist groups,
Islamist groups in Islamic nations as well as maintaining security on
it seemed like the region – and their vulnerable desalination and
the faith – was doomed to endless solar plants. While it is not a poor
self-destruction. The attempts to state, the oil wealth is long gone
form a revolutionary caliphate in and desertification of much of its
the early part of the 21st century territory means it must spend a great
and the horrors that engendered – deal in order to feed its population.
on all sides – began a process of As a result The Caliphate can only
self-examination and the energy afford to maintain a small number of
wars (once the oil was tapped out) Ridders for protection, a grand total
removed wealthy monarchs and of 3, forcing The Caliphate to look to
foreign influence. That along with a more innovative and self-sacrificial
second Arab Spring allowed for an ways of combating the Kaiju or
Islamic reformation and liberalisation. relying on the United Nations for
support.
The Caliphate is a religious state,
there is no mistaking that, but it has The Caliphate is currently ruled by
a more liberal and less regressive Calipha Faraah Saah, supported
interpretation of Islam closer to that by a publicly elected executive
adhered to in the Islamic Golden and house of representatives,
Age. One of greater tolerance, along with an unelected house of
co-existence and more modern religious scholars. There is often
interpretations of the Sharia, tension between the secular and
women’s rights and other aspects. religious factions – many of the latter
The Caliphate is still traditionalist especially still objecting to a female
and relatively backward – socially – leader – but the Calipha has so far
compared to the NAU or the EF, but managed to steer a delicate path to
has made great strides nonetheless. maintain relative peace and continue
the slow process of modernisation.
Technologically the state is still
somewhat backward, but it is a net The Caliphate is fairly politically
exporter of energy thanks to its isolated, though the presence of
solar farms and furnaces. As well large Islamic minorities in several
as holding essential proprietary of the other power blocs makes
technological patents and expertise it important to deal with them
in desalination. Important technology diplomatically – as do their energy
in a world with ever-decreasing and water exports.
access to fresh water.

10
 Many Muslims in other blocs see The New Caliphate is made up of the
their primary allegiance to be to the former states of:
Caliphate, over and above whatever Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan,
bloc they call home – a fact that the Bangladesh, Brunei, Burkina-Faso,
Caliphate has so far not abused. Chad, Dijbouti, Egypt, Gambia,
Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait,
Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives,
Mali, Morocco, Niger, Oman,
Aaida Qasim Pakistan, Palestine (and the former
Born without fully developed Israeli territory), Saudi Arabia,
arms or legs Aaida volunteered Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
for military experimentation. Her Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey,
subsequent war-hero status has Turkmenistan, UAE, Uzbekistan,
allowed her to push further on Yemen.
women’s rights in the Caliphate.

CX-Suncaster
A vehicle-mounted weapon
(Scale 2) the Suncaster fires a
high-powered ultraviolet laser for
+2 damage.
Traits: Blisteringly Painful.

11
 North American Union Independence elements exist
The former United States suffered in practically every formerly
enormously during the energy independent nation of the NAU but
wars and political collapses. It are especially common in the former
was also horrendously affected regions of Texas, Quebec and Cuba
by the devastating changes in though sympathies to dissolution
climate, having denied or minimised are common throughout the bloc.
the problem for so many years. Despite that sympathy there’s little
America’s Tornado Corridor has sympathy for terrorism and NAU
been repeatedly torn apart by police and paramilitary forces retain
superstorms, its coastal regions public sympathy when it comes to
inundated, flooded and destroyed direct confrontations.
by hurricanes and its desert regions
growing. The final blow was the The NAU is still about the wealthiest
Great Quake of 2046 – a long and most resource rich bloc on
overdue megaquake along America’s Earth, able to field around 40
west coast, devastating the country Ridders and a considerable army,
from close to the Mexican border all navy and airforce still based
the way up to the Pacific Northwest around projected force and what
touching off volcanoes that were also is now called an ‘advanced carrier
overdue to erupt. group’, essentially a self-contained
invasion force centred around a
Even America’s wealth and combination of aircraft carrier and
independent spirit could not stand Ridder transport. The NAU is able
up to that and the barriers to greater to throw its weight around globally
economic and political unity across and through its close alliances
north America began to melt away. with the EF and PacCo it still acts,
Unification followed, stretching very much, as a world police force,
down in a new unification from bolstering other blocs when they
Canada down to Central America need aid against Kaiju, but always
with a common dollar, common extracting a price.
economy, common federal law and
– eventually – a single government. The NAU is a good example of how
The USA remains the dominant the future is ‘unevenly distributed’.
partner, but Mexico was able to It has a highly technological military
leverage resources and manpower and industrial base – concentrated
and Canada, protecting stores in the north – but its poor, of which
of dwindling energy resources there are many, live in virtual slums,
and rapidly becoming the new scraping by day to day through
breadbasket of the Western world, crime, barebones welfare, charity
could write its own cheques. and day-labour – of which there is
little.

12
The wealth divide is horrendous and Even the poor buy into the idea
barely addressed, the NAU never that they can be a success and buy
came to grips with the changing their way up and out but this almost
nature of business and technology never happens – especially since the
on society and never adapted, socially conscious rich founded Polis,
retaining a 20th century approach leaving the rest of the world to the
that has only made its societal depredations of the worst elements
problems worse. The solutions of the 0.1%
found elsewhere (make-work in the
GRR, African Commonwealth and The current NAU President is
Chinese Republic, basic income in Gillermo Manzano of the centre-left
the European Federation, USAN and Unification Party (successor to the
PacCo, are not viable in the NAU’s Democratic Party and soft-left parties
political climate. from the other participating nations.

The North American Union is made

up of the former states of:
Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba,
Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico,
Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico,
United States of America.

Rebellion
Many parts of the NAU rebel
against their unification and
against what they see as foreign
control. Fortunately their outdated
firearms and lack of proper
organisation make them relatively
insignificant as a threat.

13
 African Commonwealth The more things changed, the
The African Commonwealth is an more they stayed the same. For
economic and (looser) political union all African wealth now remained in
of African nations to form their own Africa and for all the writing off – or
power bloc to compete on the world refusal to pay – of international
stage with others. It is probably the debts, still the wealth collected in
least united and most fractious of the the hands of the ruling class who
economic blocs, riven with internal squandered it on personal palaces
divisions, resentment from the and other boondoggles. In time
European Federation over energy- the nationalist fervour of the 2050s
war era repatriation of its corporate began to erode and was replaced by
resources and undermined by large an even more vicious swing to the
Muslim minorities in many of its left. Where once the people rose up
territories who see their loyalty as against unfairness from economic
primarily to the Caliphate rather than oppression and colonial hangovers,
to their home nations or the African now they rose up against their own
Commonwealth. ruling classes and this was even
more bloody.
Africa reasserted itself during the
energy wars. With the former first- Out of that chaos, spearheaded by
world nations weakened and reeling South Africa and Nigeria – which
from their own internal struggles and had been relatively spared these
disasters, nationalist movements revoltions – came the African
across Africa rose up in a number Commonwealth, a moderating force
of bloody coups and forcibly took on the various emergent democratic,
over or destroyed western owned communist and other radical
facilities, repatriating their resources governments that had emerged,
to their nations. There were a investing massively in infrastructure
handful of brushfire wars, fought as and technology across the continent.
much by mercenaries as national Some nations tried to resist or
armies but in the end the nationalist sought other deals – including
fervour would not be quelled and selling land to Polis - but war torn
between atrocity and vehemence the and ravaged by social unrest there
continent was changed. was little choice but for cooler heads
to prevail and soon the African
Commonwealth spread and began to
become a true and proper power.

14
AfCo has no unified military per se, The African Commonwealth is made
though member nations loan troops up of the former nations of:
and material to a continental self- Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi,
defense force that is also used to Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central
guarantee peace against further African Republic, Comoros,
internal revolts. The African Defense Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Force also controls the African Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia,
continent’s five Ridders, similar in Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya,
design to those used in the GRR. Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius,
AfCo is fairly closely aligned to the Mozambique, Namibia, Niger,
GRR and the Chinese Republic Nigeria, Republic of the Congo,
thanks to its more recent history and Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe,
fairly hostile to the EF and NAU. Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa,
It maintains an uneasy peace and South Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania,
mutual relationship with Polis, which Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
holds territory in several former West
African nations as an independent
country of its own.

AfCo is currently administered

by Chairman Teleayo Taiwo, a
formidable woman of Marxist
tendencies who wishes to forge
AfCo into a stronger and more united
nation and who has taken a much
harder stance against the Caliphate
than her predecessor.

15
 Union of South The USAN is on relatively good
relations with all the other blocs,
American Nations economically tied to the NAU and EF,
The USAN is an old idea, finally politically and socially sympathetic
given form in the era following the to AfCo (providing biotechnology
energy wars and the environmental there) the GRR and the Chinese
collapse. The disparate nations Republic and intimately tied to Polis
of South America – like those as a testing ground, customer and
of other areas – were forced to provider of services. This makes
come together in order to survive. it a useful, neutral ground for
Wealthier and larger South negotiations and places it in a good
American nations risked being position internationally.
overrun with refugees as other
nations collapsed or were financially The USAN has a (barely) united
ruined, desperation was destroying military, armed largely with NAU and
what remained of the jungles at a GRR surplus equipment, combat
previously unmatched pace and proven but old and outdated. It has
unrest and revolution were rife. some of the best irregular and loyal
fighters of any bloc but is less able
Brazil and Argentina led the charge, to fight large scale, stand up battles.
leveraging their relative wealth USAN is caught in an impossible
and power to restore order, first in position, trying to renew its forests
their bordering countries and then which, in their own turn, provide
further afield. The end result was increasing cover for mutations and
a federated economic and political even Kaiju, making it that much
bloc, still dominated by these nations harder for even their expert jungle
– now states – in the USAN. fighters to combat the spread of
contamination.
The USAN is a much impoverished
bloc, ahead – and just barely – of The USAN military maintains a
the AfCo economically. The USAN highly mobile, largely airbourne force
is very much focused on rebuilding centred around helicopter cavalry
its economic, industrial and natural groups. To combat Kaiju they retain
resources with huge investment in a total of twelve Ridders made hardy,
biotechnology, replanting, genetically but relatively low technology and
modified crops and providing cheap better able to combat the relatively
labour to the other blocs. common incursions they suffer into
their urban areas.

16
 USAN’s current president is His USAN is made up of the former
Excellency President Alfonso nations and territories of:
Lousteau, an Argentinian nationalist Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
but a believer in the USAN project Columbia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands,
– albeit believing Argentina’s place French Guyana, Guyana, Paraguay,
is at the helm of that project. He Peru, Suriname, Venuzuela.
has been steering the bloc down
that path, dogged by allegations
of corruption that so far haven’t
managed to stick, but leading to a
very lopsided concentration of wealth Pneumo-Cannon
and regeneration within the bloc. This bulky weapon operates on
compressed air and carries a
heavy payload of dense blastic
USAN Pacifier ‘BB’ shot.
USAN’s urban areas are subject
Traits: +0 Damage, can lay
to a great deal of unrest and their
fire down over a whole ‘area’.
riot squads and urban pacification
‘Excrutiating Bruises’.
paramilitary police are second to
none.

UrbanGuard Armour
A heavy suit of armour providing
comprehensive protection with
optional anti-dazzle and gasmask.
Traits: Armour +3, ‘Heavy’,
‘Excellent Melee Protection’.

17
 Chinese Republic The cities are more liberal, the
China has changed little in over countryside more conservative. The
10,000 years. The names for cities are wired in and full of high
things alter from time to time, the technology, the countryside remains
set dressing changes, ‘Emperor’ largely the same as it has been for
is replaced by ‘Party Chairman’ millenia.
but things continue largely as they
always have. A sprawling, somewhat China’s greatest resources remains
corrupt, bureaucracy ruling over a its huge population and its ability
society that either ‘knows its place’ to produce material cheaply and
or keeps its head down and worries on a massive scale – though it now
about itself. has greater competition from AfCo
and USAN on those measures.
China’s change from a People’s China has an advantage they do
Republic, and the trappings of not though, in that it is capable of
Maoist Communism to the ‘Chinese independent survival in economic,
Republic’ was slow and gradual. By cultural, industrial and other terms.
the time the boom of the early 21st A fact that has led to increasing
century came to a halt there was a Chinese isolationism in this new age.
new oligarchy waiting in the wings to
take over from the party bureaucrats The Chinese Republic fields a large
as they aged and died off. Political military with a combination of some
orthodoxy and commitment of the lowest and highest technology
weakened while money retained its available with a risk-taking attitude to
power and through the medium of innovation that can pay off – or fail –
corruption wealth slowly bought its spectacularly. This is especially true
way into the Chinese government, of the Chinese Ridders which tend
loosened its economic constrictions to have wild and eccentric designs
but retained its social controls and weapon systems. The republic
and the apparatus – and outward can – and does – field an army
appearance - of the party. of 20 of these eccentric Ridders,
well distributed around their huge
China is now no longer the ‘People’s territory.
Republic’ and despite the upheavals
of the energy wars and the ravages The Chinese Republic is currently
of environmental problems and ruled by Ji Da-Xia, a Hong Kong
border wars it is a somewhat born media mogul, former model and
wealthier and freer country than it pop star who favours continuing the
has been in a considerable amount project of slow liberalisation and is
of time. As ever there is a sharp against the isolationist tendencies.
contrast between the rural areas
and the cities in terms of wealth,
technology and social conventions.

18
She is opposed and stymied by a The Chinese Republic is made up of
considerable bloc of isolationists and the former nations of:
paranoid party members within the Cambodia, China, Mongolia, North
National Congress. Even though her Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam.
personal brand is well regarded on
the international stage, turning that
into action is extremely difficult.

‘Compost’ - Category 1 Kaiju

Scale: 5, Concept: Amorphous Green Mass, Trouble: Flammable, Bonus:
Devouring.
Stunts: Photosynthetic: In direct sunlight it heals one point of stress (the
lowest) per turn.
Skills: Athletics +1, Fight +3, Notice +1, Armour: 2, Tentacles: +1
damage.
Stress: OOOOOOOOO
A ‘common’ form of Kaiju, the creature designated ‘Compost’ is a living
plant-mass that arises multiple times in the Mongolian territory.

19
 Pacific Coalition Technological solutions coming out
The Pacific Coalition (PacCo) of these nations – and eventually
is a loose, primarily economic Polis – lead to greener cities, vertical
association of Pacific nations not farming, mass desalinisation,
affiliated with the Chinese Republic bacterial food vats, insect farming,
or the New Calophate. Their primary massive irrigation and on the
concern is mutual defense and Australian continent enormous
economic security. The Pacific investment in wind and solar energy
arena, while financially fairly strong, to export throughout the Pacific
was hit extremely hard by climate Coalition.
change with many island nations
being lost, leading to a Polynesian When the Republic of China retook
diaspora and the loss of a great Taiwan and absorbed North Korea
many coastal cities and territories. the PacCo nearly got in a shooting
It also led to the creation of Polis, war defending its own allies in the
climate change bringing about the region and worrying about Chinese
circumstances that allowed Polis’ expansion, but since that period a
aggressive process of sea-steading fragile peace has been achieved
and its foundation as a new state in between the two powers, both of
the world. whom have their issues with the New
Caliphate.
The heart of the PacCo is made up
of the former states of Japan and PacCo has no single, unified military
Australia, both of whom have had to force but its own separate national
engage in radical efforts to secure forces exercise and work together
their populace and their way of life. where necessary. They drill together,
The loss of coastal regions in both operate together but retain their
nations caused massive economic own uniforms, equipment, structures
problems and further desertification and esprit de corps. The only truly
in Australia severely impacted its unified force is the support around
ability to feed itself – a problem the regions Ridder force, a total of
Japan had been wrestling with for 15 Ridders, part financed by Polis
some time before the energy wars which also has many interests in the
and the environmental collapses. region. The PacCo Ridders are some
of the most advanced in existence
and some of the best adapted to
battle at sea.

PacCo is ruled (or at least

administered) by a board of
representatives appointed by each
government in the region.

20
That board then selects a chairman The Pacific Coalition is made up of
from amongst its number and the the former states of:
current PacCo chairman is John Australia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia,
Hirst, an Australian politician and Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New
former businessman with a ruthless Guinea, Singapore, South Korea,
streak and a hard line against both Thailand.
the Chinese Republic and the New
Caliphate.

‘Daggy’ - Monster
Scale: 1, Concept: Relentless Pack Hunter, Trouble: Blind, Bonus: Acute
Sense of Smell.
Stunts: Double Strike: The Daggy’s rapidly moving tongue can make two
attacks in a turn.
Skills: Athletics +2, Fight +2, Notice +2, Armour: 1, Blade Tongue: +1
damage.
Stress: OOOO
‘Daggy’s’ emerge from the desertifying Australian outback to attack sheep
farms and smaller towns in large packs and often accompany Kaiju
assaults.

21
 Independent States However, part of the deal of coming
Outside the major blocs there is a together has been free movement
scattering of independent nations but and economic unification meaning
they have little influence as a whole. that participating states that are
Despite that fact several of them too repressive tend to bleed
soldier on, trading whatever scant citizens – especially wealthier and
resources and leverage they have more talented citizens – to their
for protection and economic access. neighbours.
Most of these independent nations
rely on a certain moral and legal The main point of Greater India
flexibility to get by, many of them is mutual defense and to allow
fully-fledged narco-states or reliant the participating states to remain
on the egos of their rulers and some independent of the other power
form of state control to continue as blocs. India allows a ‘middle way’
they are. between full (and often desperate)
independence, and being subsumed
Two exceptions are Greater India, into an economic bloc. Each nation
and Polis. involved retains its own military but
also contributes to a mutual defense
force which maintains 5 Ridders of
Greater India
outdated but reliable design.
India is almost a full power-bloc
in its own regard, though weaker
Greater India is presided over by its
than the others in many ways and
president Aadab Tripura, a diminutive
less technologically advanced – at
but fierce Bangladeshi woman
least in material science. India
pushing hard for social reforms
presented itself as a more palatable
across Greater India.
option to the Chinese Republic or
the New Caliphate – both of whom
Greater India is made up of the
it has issues with – and managed
former nations of:
to bring into itself other nations
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal,
that wanted to retain a measure of
Sri Lanka.
independence. A century after the
nation had its own independence
it had – ironically – become an Polis
Imperial power. Polis is a privately owned nation
state with territory scattered around
India allows its subsidiary nations the world from ocean-swallowed
a great deal of political autonomy, Polynesian islands to land purchases
not every nation that is a part of it is in West Africa and entirely new
even a democracy. sea-steadings that continue to be
constructed.

22
Polis was founded by a cabal of This has given Polis – for all the gifts
‘socially conscious’ multi-billionaires it has given to the world – a harsh
as a technological utopia and a place and unforgiving justice system (the
of free and unfettered technological ultimate sanction being exile) and
experimentation and advance. a military intensely focused on high
Many fortunes were sunk into its technology weapons and the cutting
founding and the advances it created edge of Ridder technology.
but along with that have come
persistent rumours about unethical Polis is a mystery to many and
experimentation, human subjects certainly not democratic. Rather it is
and all manner of nasty side effects a ‘shareholding’ democracy, where
and pollutants. the more shares you own the more
of a stake you have in the direction
Polis also operates an extremely of the country. Its rulers – however –
strict immigration policy in its maintain a controlling stake between
territory. There are a handful of them making it a plutocracy and a
ways to get into their territory and to de-facto oligarchy. While technically
become a Polis Citizen. someone could buy enough shares
to control the direction of the country
• Intelligence - having an IQ of it’s vanishingly unlikely. The current
145 or higher. largest shareholder and chairman of
• Having a necessary, the Polis board is Yakov Suess who
technical or rare skill. has used the leverage and wealth of
• Buying your way in – having the new Jewish diaspora to purchase
a personal wealth of a billion influence and to direct a great deal of
dollars or more. Polis policy to help others, scattered
• Polynesian Ancestry (parents by the fall of Israel.
or grandparents).
Despite its small population,
The family of inductees are also scattered around its various
extended an invitation to aid stability, territories, Polis maintains five brand-
but Polis – for all its appearance of new, high technology Ridders that
harmony, freedom and wealth, is a outclass anything fielded by any
surveillance state 24 hours a day, other nation. They also retain every
7 days a week in every aspect of model they’ve ever built – including
people’s lives. Its freedom is very old prototypes – in mothballs, where
narrow and as a small, high wealth other nations cannibalise and re-use
state it is constantly subjected to or upgrade old Ridders.
espionage and the threat of attack.

23
 Antarctic Free Port The UN maintains the Ridder that
Climate change has ‘defrosted’ guards the Port City, known as
large portions of Antarctica and ‘Great Scott’ is also acts as a beacon
while it is still an inhospitable and to shipping and an aid to vessels that
bleak landscape and still under are in trouble. The UN also maintains
international control and treaty, the a paramilitary peacekeeping force
resources present there made it within the port to deal with any
a key battleground in the Energy serious issues that arise.
Wars. Parts of the landscape were
rendered unusable by tactical United Nations
nuclear weapons and others more The United Nations was revealed
crudely gouged in resource grabs. to be an utterly contemptible and
Now the process is managed and toothless organisation during the
overseen by the United Nations who Energy Wars. Like the League of
also administer the Free Port. The Nations before it, it became apparent
only city on the whole continent, a that the United Nations was simply
high-rise port city only governed by not fit for purpose. Nonetheless the
international law and home to an organisation struggled on and, on the
ongoing prospecting rush where ground, won a great deal of support
fortune and ruination is made every from the people left behind in the
day. conflicts. For those who suffered the
most from the destruction of the war
The salvage from the war is another the UN was often the only help they
source of wealth. The dry and cold got, doing what it could to preserve
conditions have preserved many life and maintain supply lines.
Energy War weapons and machines
in near perfect and operable On a shoestring the UN managed
condition from tanks and APCs to to run refugee camps, maintain
downed aircraft and early robotic some semblance of order and to
soldiers. The bars of the port ring take on the deserting troops from
with legends of ‘big scores’ from the various factions who would don
rare-metal deposits at the melting a blue helmet in an attempt to avoid
frontier to experimental weapons and execution or repatriation. By the end
sunken nuclear-armed submarines. of the wars internationalism was
back on the table and nationalism
The AFP is managed by a council of had been pushed to the fringes.
interested parties, administered by
Governor Callum Marshall, a patient
and skilled Scottish diplomat formerly
employed in the EF’s diplomatic
corps.

24
Riding that popular wave and with The UN military is – by treaty –
the world now consolidated into smaller than any single bloc’s military
larger blocs the United Nations was but it tends to attract the best of
reformed, revamped and overhauled the best and to purchase the best
with a great will from the participating equipment. Analysts believes that it
blocs to make it work and to give it could successfully take on one of the
more independent power this time. blocs should it become necessary
and its technology is second only to
The United Nations is now a step that used by Polis – and supported
towards a true world government. and supplemented by Polis.
While it is bureaucratic and slow to
make laws it is much more nimble UN troops supplement national
when it comes to disasters and militaries at sites of Kaiju attack but
conflicts and in the face of the Kaiju rarely get directly involved, instead
threat has come into its own. The they provide support, evacuation and
UN has its own army, made up – support services and back-up in case
initially – of volunteers from the things go wrong.
militaries of the various blocs but it
is now self-sustaining, purchasing The UN operates three Ridders (in
its own standardised equipment, addition to Great Scott), comparable
vehicles and so forth. The UN is also in power to the previous generation
a state without any country, its staff of Polis machines. They are yet to
and troops can gain UN citizenship, be tested in combat however and
making them true citizens of the their crews have only fought in
world. simulations. It’s unclear how they will
perform if push comes to shove.

25
 More radical ACF groups refuse to
Antagonistic accept any legal jurisdiction over
themselves and even engage in
Groups acts of terrorism against government
While tensions exist between the institutions, groups, buildings and
various power blocs they rarely spill forces. Their slogan ‘Move Aside’
over into any sort of overt conflict. is found sprayed in ghettos and
Most fighting takes place against alleyways, especially at the sites of
the Kaiju and monster infestations their terrorist activities.
by various blocs and international
forces. There are, however, other Polis publicly denies any affiliation
forces at work. Terrorists, secretive with or support for ACF, but the ACF
organisations, militias. Some even frequently employs Polis weapons
claim that the force behind the Kaiju and technology which implies that
and monsters is something directed. even if they don’t explicitly support
Aliens perhaps, ancient powers, the ACF, that they harbour ACF
science gone wrong or even a sympathisers amongst their number.
planetary awareness turned against
us.
Bulldogs
When Britain was forcefully pulled
AnCapFer into the European Federation during
The Anarcho-Capitalist Fringe is the Energy Wars about half the
a loose, global revolutionary and population welcomed it as a ‘return
terrorist organisation that believes to the fold’ and a shared burden with
the time of governments is past and the rest of the continent. The other
that private groups and corporations half saw it as the first successful
will be the salvation of humanity. invasion of the country in centuries. A
Drawing inspiration from the resistance movement was inevitable
intervention of Polis, they believe though over the years it has faded
that breaking down government into a background hum of terrorist
structures and replacing them with attacks against European Federation
private companies and individuals soldiers and police.
working in their own self interest will
work better. To that end the ACF has The Bulldogs fly the Union Flag
been setting up camps ‘Gulches’ and their mascot is a cigar-chewing
where they can live according to bulldog, pissing on the European
their ideals and experimenting with star. They are a broad church of
their own forms of sea-steading nationalists, racists, right wing
and other settlement creation and political fringes and the descendants
independence declarations. of the elements of British forces
who fought against the European
Federation rather than laying down
arms.

26
The Bulldogs are now a shadow of Unlike the Bulldogs, there are a lot of
their former selves, little more than true believers who participate in The
a crime syndicate with delusions of Fathers or who support them. There
grandeur, running guns, drugs and is a significant amount of support
pushing extortion rackets in order the amongst ordinary people and even
pay for ‘the cause’. The number of – covertly – amongst politicians
‘true believers’ are now vanishingly and business leaders within the
small, but the pretense goes a very boundaries of the former USA,
long way. occasionally providing them with
more effective military hardware.
Fathers
The Fathers are the equivalent Their main efforts at present are
to the Bulldogs, but based in the concentrated on trying to gain
North American Union and centred (regain) independence for some of
around the former United States the larger islands in the California
of America – though they have Archipelago. Though the natives are
since spread throughout the NAU. not entirely sold on their ideas – at
The Fathers style themselves least not for the same reasons –
after the Founding Fathers and there is sympathy for independence
consider the NAU to be an absolute there. The Fathers are rapidly turning
betrayal of their nation. They are a broader NAU opinion against that
combination of old militias, right wing being a possibility.
groups, fundamentalist religious
organisations, malcontents and Grass
dissidents. They are as much divided Grass is a radical eco-terror
by their internal ideological schisms organisation with sympathisers all
as they are united by their hatred around the globe. They believe
for the concept of the NAU and – that humanity has screwed up the
outside that the United Nations which world and needs to return to a more
they see as an encroaching world natural existence. They’re not talking
government. about population reduction in the
way the Mathusians are, but they are
The Fathers are violent, unhinged, set upon accepting humanity’s new
but see themselves as liberators place in the food chain and living
and carriers of the ‘torch of freedom’ naturally with as little technology and
which – along with the eagle, is as little impact on the environment
their symbol. They favour violence as possible. To that end they set up
in the form of bombings, symbolic remote communes and commit acts
occupations and shootings to make of terror against sites of industry,
their point but often overestimate the mining and energy production.
effectiveness of their firearms and
tactics against organised, military

27
opposition.
 Grass have a special fixation upon Malthusians
Antarctica, which they regard – The Malthusians are a shadowy,
rightly – as being the last, relatively rumoured group that may not
unspoiled wilderness though this is even exist. Supposedly their
rapidly changing. aim is to drastically reduce the
human population and rumours
Independence Army also abound that they are also
The Independence Army is a bizarre responsible for at least some of the
artifact of African unification. The Kaiju and the monsters that now
changes wrought in the Energy plague humanity. The story goes
Wars displaced many warlords and that they are the flipside to Polis,
deposed many corrupt regimes another technological solution to the
across the continent. A great many problems the world was suffering.
revolutionary groups, warlords A drastic reduction of the human
and nationalists were thrown into population – leaving only an elite –
the air and rearranged. They have would have also allowed the planet
continued to be marginalised in the to heal. Now the – supposed –
emerging pan-African identity ever Malthusian plan stands in opposition
since. Those identities die as hard as to Polis’ technological salvation. If
old tribal rivalries did in the colonial any of this is true. If it is true there’s
era and there are significant groups nothing the Malthusians won’t do
and forces across Africa – and even from the use of WMDs to releasing
amongst nationalist groups in other diseases that might reduce the
blocs – that are unwilling to lay down human population and if it is true that
their arms and join the bright, shiny they have created the Kaiju there
new Africa. Their loose alliance, are bound to be more, and worse, of
based only around hatred of the their kind on the way.
new order of the world fights small
civil wars, engages in terrorism and Minju Jeonseon
even fights to hold various territories
openly throughout Africa, a marked (Democratic Front)
difference to the quiet, shiny, civilised When China took over North Korea it
‘new Africa’ found in other territories. was seen as a great betrayal by the
one nation that was anything even
remotely approaching an ally for that
rogue state. The occupying Chinese
– pre-empted by special forces who
were in-country as advisors and
trainers – exercised a blitzkrieg over
the border to take over the territory.

28
‘Dear Leader’ was deposed, but not The Fire Children have a legitimate
before being pushed out on national side, seeking to recover art and
television to welcome the Chinese. artefacts from around the world,
After that most of the army that was preserve languages and traditions
still attempting to resist folded and but also a more fierce side in the
the citizenry fell in line, especially old warrior traditions, acting as
once food began to flow in and enforcers and defenders of refugee
modernisation began. There were, communities. Even more extreme
however, still die-hards committed than that number, though with cover
to the old order who swallowed the and assistance from the other parts
pseudo-religious, ideological cult of the group, are small numbers of
hook line and sinker. Since then the terrorists who blame the developed
MJ – supplied with ex-NK weapons nations of old for what happened to
(including, rumour has it, some their people and islands. In practice
unaccounted for atomic bombs) has this makes them ecoterrorists
hooked up with hardline Communists and anti-corporatists, despite the
from China who believe that nation largesse and assistance Polis has
has lost touch with the ideology and given them.
want a new revolution to restore the
old order. They have been launching Otchuzhdayemaya (The
attacks on ‘traitors’ and capitalistic
interlopers. As of now their actions Alienated)
are limited to China and the Pacific The Alienated are a disparate group
nations but they may well expand. of people living in the irradiated
and toxic zones found across
the Russian territories away from
Ngā Mānawa (Fire governmental interferance (other
Children) than the occasional disaster tourist
Named for the Fire Children of Maori or military patrol). These are artists,
mythology this group is made up of counter-culture people, political
refugees from the diaspora of the dissidents, criminals, cultists and
pacific islanders from the various others, eking out a living in some of
bought up or flooded islands. While the most dangerous places on the
many found shelter in New Zealand planet. Strange illnesses, tumours
and other nations there has been and birth deformities are rampant,
a great loss of culture, tradition, Kaiju and other creatures often
identity and prestige. emerge from these zones and The
Alienated are often their first victims.

29
 Rumours abound that some of them has been officially made illegal world
have found ways to avoid, even wide, but there are many similar,
tame, some of the monsters – if not more moderate cults that provide
the Kaiju – but they seem as clueless cover for them - and they have
as any as to where most of them learned to be secretive.
come from. So long as they stay in
their zones the Russian government Ta’Rib (Arabisation)
doesn’t care about them, seeing The New Caliphate has fallen into
them as a way to help contain and a state of equilibrium with the other
control the problem and to keep powers, satisfactory to its own
troublesome people out of the way. ruling class but unsatisfactory to
Still, sometimes The Alienated move the more religious groups amongst
beyond their bounds and have been the population. To their mind the
implicated in acts of road piracy, lines on the map cannot be drawn
banditry and organised theft in in stone and they look to minority
inhabited areas adjoining the zones. Islamic communities in Chinese,
Russian and other territories to
People of the God assert themselves and demand
Monsters independence to expand New
The People of the God Monsters Caliphate territory. While not officially
are an international cult that has sanctioned Ta’Rib is not exactly
sprung up around the monsters and acting against the interests of the
Kaiju throughout the world. It has Caliphate – making it a useful
many schisms and many different way to deny responsibility for their
interpretations relating to local cults, actions even while, perhaps, quietly
traditions and events but they all approving of them. It also acts as a
share a common set of core beliefs safety valve, sending the Caliphate’s
that allows them to work together more radical elements abroad
when they need to. They believe the rather than having them at home,
Kaiju are divine in nature, sent by radicalising their own society. Ta’Rib
some cosmic force (opinions differ) practices a variety of tactics from
to judge mankind. They believe that ghettoisation and radicalisation to
fighting back against these creatures evangelism, emigration and acts
is blasphemous and when they’re of terror, all orchestrated with great
not hunting for artefacts and body skill to try and achieve its ends of
parts from the Kaiju to worshiip, expanding the Caliphate.
or founding secretive cults they’re
engaging in acts of sabotage and
assassination against the forces that
attempt to fight the Kaiju. Willing and
ready to engage in suicide attacks
and other horrendous tactics the cult

30
DIN (Dam Yehudi Part vigilante, part terrorist group
they tend to use low impact
Nakam) but effective tactics such as
Taking their name from an historical assassinations rather than bombings
group of anti-Nazi assassins, DIN or acts of outright terror. As the
is a militant group within the Jewish successors of MOSSAD they have a
diaspora dedicated to taking revenge reputation for uncompromising and
both upon the inheritors of the loss brutally effective action.
of their nation (The Caliphate) and
any who threaten or harm the Jewish
people anywhere in the world.

Cyberterrorism
The world is wired together on
an unprecedented scale forming
connections that can withstand
the devastation of Kaiju attacks.
While this is all highly secured,
skilled cyberterrorists also have
an unprecedented level of
access to hack the ‘real world’ in
a way previously impossible.

31
 Under AR the world is an even more
The Nooweb vibrant and colourful place with all
The Nooweb is the successor and kinds of additional data, especially
replacement to the Internet, built if you have emergency services or
atop it as a sort of primary network military access privileges.
for the whole world’s data. It is much
faster and more capable than the old
internet and capable of distributed Homefactories
computing, meaning that many Along with the Nooweb one of
devices do not need on board data the most important technological
processing any more, making them advances has been the explosion
lighter, less power consuming and in automated fabrication. Home
many times more powerful than fabricators that can form bioplastic or
is otherwise possible - even with sinter ceramic or metallic powder are
brand new portable computers. common and larger scale, communal
This distributed processing along home factories can be found in
with other technical advances apartment buildings or commercial
has made high powered mobile ones (with wider ranges of materials
computing available to a huge and processes) on street corners.
number of people in urban and This has helped create a whole new
suburban areas – though less so in economy of people creating and
more rural areas. This computing selling their designs and feuding over
revolution has some advantages – their intellectual property. Residual
the power and portability – and some sales on popular designs can make
disadvantages (data is vulnerable someone fabulously wealthy but
to being intercepted and scraped imitations are common and bitterly
from the servers). Some still choose hated.
to use portable machines with their
own on board processing, but such Another problem stemming from
gear is relatively expensive and hard homefactories is the spread of
to locate, being desired and needed homemade weapons. Completely
only by serious technophiles. untraceable firearms and blades
made using these machines. While
The main use of the Nooweb has the smaller communal and home
turned out to be augmented reality. factories can’t produce truly effective
Contact lenses and glasses hooked weaponry, most of the time that is
into personal relays or machines not needed. The larger and better
access the Nooweb and use location commercial machines are, however,
data as well as distributed computing very capable of churning out very
to overlay messaging services, dangerous weapons in a huge
alarms, localised data and so on variety of designs stored on the deep
seen in the ‘real world’. web.

32
Homefactories have brought
personalised goods and tailored Mutagenics
clothes into the hands of everyone, The presence of many Kaiju carry
but they have also annihilated many with them the taint of mutagenic
old business models, disrupted substances. These toxic substances
economies and flooded the streets – of various kinds - require extensive
with cheap, untraceable weapons. clean-up and have a very deleterious
effect upon living animals and plants
that come into contact with it. The
‘Noids mutagenic slurry is mostly simply
toxic, killing cells, breaking down
Noids, short for the various
configurations available (humanoid, membranes and scorching the
canoid, arachnoid and so on) are ground. In lower concentrations it
robots, drones and exoskeletons causes cancers, deformations and
used in construction, emergency birth defects. In ‘lucky’ instances
services and security services. with very, very low concentrations
These machines have also taken a mutagenics can ‘loosen’ the genetic
lot of work away from people and are structure and cause rapid mutations
often resented and even attacked, and changes, the onset and mixing
especially by shiftless young men. of animal and human traits. Even
The ‘noid frameworks use similar though this can be beneficial to
technology to that found – on a much the person affected, there is deep
larger scale – in the Ridders. Robotic prejudice and fear around the
machinery is now familiar, even in affected and they’re usually forced
far flung backwaters, better able to to live at the fringes of society. The
cope with the terrain and remoteness mutagenics also have profound and
than other machines. ‘Noids are not disturbing effects on local plant and
sentient in any way, just complexly animal life, twisting many of them
programed, capable of behaviour into new monsters alongside the
about as nuanced and intelligent as Kaiju and the smaller horrors that
rats and mice independently and come with them.
much more when a controller or
wearer is present.

33
 When it eventually emerged it

The Rise of destroyed two Anzac II class frigates

from the Australian navy and was
tracked and followed deeper out to

the Monsters
2074 was the first recorded Kaiju
sea using depth charges to drive it
forward and try to harm it.

attack. An unnamed Class One Nothing seemed to work. Eventually

Kaiju (a quadrupedal, squat lizard- the PacCo forces were forced to
like entity) emerged from the North appeal to the NAU for help and were
Pacific and laid waste to the small granted the use of a mothballed
Japanese city of Minamisoma. ASTOR nuclear torpedo. The crew
The military were unprepared and of the submarine Sheean were lost
virtually helpless against the creature using the weapon, but accomplished
and by the time an organised the destruction of the creature.
evacuation went ahead the creature
had already annihalted much of the For a time the world was in an
city, caused six thousand deaths and uproar. The atomic explosion and
had fled back into the sea. depth of the sea left little to examine.
After a while the hysteria died down
Confusion reigned over Japan and because this could only be a one-
much of the rest of the world as time event, surely?
such a creature was seen as both a
physical and scientific impossibility. It wasn’t.
It was considered for some time
to be mass hysteria, or a hoax. In the next attack a methane-
Phone camera and security footage hydrate processing plant outside
was initially not believed but the of Murmansk was overrun not by
insistence of survivors and a second a gigantic beast but by an army of
attack a week later at Iawanuma vicious, scuttling, prawn-like insect-
finally convinced the Japanese things. Survivors from the plant
government and the world that alerted the military who eventually
something really was happening. mobilised into the area. These
smaller creatures were resistant, but
A mass military mobilisation of vulnerable to smallarms but still put
PacCo forces followed with Korean, up a vicious fight – to the death in
Japanese and Australian forces every case. This made it clear that
patrolling the Japanese coast this problem was not limited to one
with ground and naval forces area or to a single event, though the
and attempting to hunt down the Russians played up the event as
creature. a massive victory they took heavy
losses and underwent some internal
military restructuring as a result.

34
Continued attacks kept happening, These innovations proved sufficient
all over the world, monsters large to make Ludwig victorious in its
and small, numerous and alone. battle against a gigantic snake-like
Conventional warfare was simply not creature in the Australian outback.
equipped to deal with these random The first truly clean victory over a
attacks and a pall of fear settled over Kaiju.
the world. The only effective way to
deal with the giant monsters was The attacks haven’t stopped, but
with tactical nuclear weapons and there is now an effective way to
each use rendered another small fight back. The Ridder technology
piece of the world uninhabitable. has also been used to advance
With the Kaiju attacking populated robotics, make smaller exo-suits
areas and in tandem with ongoing and construction machines. These
environmental disasters it was in turn have made it easier to fight
clear this was a losing prospect, the smaller creatures as well, able to
especially after the first Class Two go toe-to-toe with creatures that can
attack on Detroit and the necessary cleave a man in half.
deployment of a larger weapon to
take it out. Now there is breathing room to
ask the questions, to work out
2080 saw the first deployment of where these creatures come from
Polis’ prototype Ridder, the RX-001, and to attempt to put a stop to
dubbed ‘Defender’. It tackled a Class it. Investigation and research is
Two Kaiju off the coast of Cape now as important as defense and
Town in South Africa – an armoured, the new stability has allowed old
tentacled thing that rose out of the geopolitical divisions and conflicts to
water there. While the RX-001 was re-emerge, along with terrorism and
crippled in the battle and the Kaiju disruption at a grander and grander
was not killed, it was rendered scale. Environmental damage also
vulnerable enough for navy shelling continues, with natural disasters
with conventional arms to finish it about as common as unnatural ones.
off. It was a proof of concept – and it
worked. It’s an interesting time to be alive.

The RX-002 dubbed ‘Ludwig’

improved upon the RX-001 design
with greater power output, armour
plating and improved interface
technology as well as crude close-
combat weapons.

35
 f you’re attacking a tank with a
Designing Kaiju handgun – for example – that would
be +4 armour (3-1=2, 2x2=4) on
Scale top of whatever armour the tank
already has (almost certainly 3). The
With both Ridders and Kaiju the most
important factor is scale. Ridders chances of you hurting it at all are
and Kaiju are enormous, the size pretty slim. The other way around,
of aircraft carriers. They might also the difference in scale is added to
engage in combat with fighter jets, damage so a tank shooting a person
tanks and ships – not to mention with its main gun would get +2
units of soldiers. It’s important, then, damage.
to know how scale affects things and
alters the normal level of play. If you’re shooting at something
smaller than you, the difference
Daikaiju uses a scale of 1-5, 1 being in scale is a penalty to the roll. If
human scale and 5 being Ridder/ shooting at something larger, the
Kaiju scale. You can extrapolate difference in scale is a bonus to the
higher, large buildings – for example roll. So a tank firing at a Kaiju would
– might be scale 6 and whole small get +2 on its attack roll, while a Kaiju
towns scale 7. would suffer -2 to hit the tank. A
person shooting at a Kaiju is an idiot,
and would only get +4 anyway.
• Human Scale: 1
• Vehicle Scale: 2
•
•
Tank Scale: 3
Jumbo Jet Scale: 4 Kaiju
• Carrier Scale: 5 Before you design your Kaiju you
need a strong concept. Is it modeled
on a real world animal or fantasy
For anything larger than people, monster? What are its schticks?
keep the following in mind: Its signature attacks? What does
it move like, look like, what is
Scale adds to physical Stress. A its mission? Sheer destruction?
scale 5 Kaiju, before considering Scouting? Anti-Ridder? Is it attacking
armour or skills, is going to have alone or in a team?
seven stress boxes.
Codename: Start with a codename
If you’re attacking something bigger for your Kaiju. Something that sums
than you, the difference in scale it up in one go. The terms used for
counts as two points of extra armour Kaiju are usually pejoratives and
for them. I progress through the alphabet as the
encounters come in.

36
Aspects Everything Else
Concept Aspect: The concept Kaiju also have Skills, Armour and
aspect should sum up, in a brief Attacks to buy. These come out of
sentence, the central ‘point’ and a pool of points determined by their
distinguishing feature of the kaiju. Category (1 through 5). The category
scale is a loose rating system, as
Examples might include: “Force of much art as science, but primarily
nature,” “Terrifying presence,” or based on the sheer size and power
“It’s eighty metres long, how could it level the Kaiju seems to carry with
disappear?”. it. Smaller monsters are made using
the same process as designing
Trouble Aspect: The trouble aspect Kaiju, but they are smaller scale –
is some weakness that the kaiju has, scale 1-3 – while Kaiju are usually
turned into a more descriptive term. scale 4-5.
This is something that should act as
a vulnerability for the kaiju. • Monsters: 8-12 points.
• Category I: 10-14 points.
Examples might include: “Easily • Category II: 15-19 points.
confused,” “Fixated pursuit,” or “Soft • Category III: 20-24 points.
underbelly.” • Category IV: 25-29 points.
• Category V: 30+ points.
Bonus Aspect: A bonus aspect
is a free descriptor, allowing to Skills: Kaiju have Athletics, Fight,
personalise the kaiju a little more. Notice, Physique and Shoot skills.
Buying them is 1/1. Don’t forget to
This could be absolutely anything but increase stress according to their
it could include things like: “Surging Physique as per the main rule book.
with adrenalin,” “Frenzied in battle,”
or “Tough as nails.” Armour: Kaiju are naturally very
tough, but some are tougher than
Stunts others. 1 point of armour costs 1
Kaiju get a single stunt and the point, 2 points of armour costs 4
capabilities and capacities of that points and 3 points of armour costs 9
stunt are, as usual, up to the Games points. Remember, for Kaiju, armour
Master. also adds to stress.

Examples of stunts might include

things like: Building Smasher, +2
damage against inanimate objects
and terrain.

37
 Weapons: Kaiju’s weapons must Bonus Stunt: A kaiju can have a
be natural, claws, teeth, biological second stunt at a cost of 3 points.
acid vomit and so forth. Weapons
cost one point per bonus point of Bonus Aspect: A kaiju can have
damage, up to a maximum of +3. additional aspects at the cost of two
You can also buy aspects for a points each.
weapon for one point each.

‘Aggravator’
Category 1 Kaiju
Scale: 5,
Concept: Chest-Beating
Ape-Monster
Trouble: Easily Enraged
Bonus: Frenzied Strength.
Stunts: Scrambling
Climb: The Kaiju can climb
twice as fast as is normally
possible and with a +1
bonus.
Skills: Athletics +3, Fight
+3, Notice +2,
Armour: 1

38
Fists: +1 damage.
Stress: OOOOOOOO
 Bastard
Example Kaiju (Category I - Scale 5)
Smallfry Concept: Slinking scout
(Category Monster – Scale 1) Trouble: Slender as a snake.
Concept: Skittering Creature. Bonus: Quick on its feet
Trouble: Blind as a Bat. Stunt: Slippery Customer: +2 to
Bonus: Shockingly Fast. defend against ranged attacks.
Stunt: Venomous Bite: The Athletics: +3
creature’s bite does +2 extra damage Fight: +2
to living targets. Notice: +3
Athletics: +2 Physique: +1
Fight: +2 Weapons: +1 (Bone spurs)
Armour: 2 Stress: OOOOOOO
Weapons: Jaws +2
Stress: OOOO
Cantankerous
Antagonist (Category III - Scale 5)
Concept: Overwhelming brute.
(Category I - Scale 5) Trouble: Attacks without reservation.
Concept: Shock and Awe Bonus: Rending & tearing.
Trouble: Fixated on collateral Stunt: Dismembering: Damage is
damage counted as two higher when the
Bonus: Unearthly Terror. target is spending consequences to
Stunt: Utterly Horrifying: When reduce damage.
Antagonist causes stress to a person Stunt: Disappear: Cantankerous
or vehicle, the occupants take a can spend a FATE point to fade
single point of mental stress as well. from the sensors of its attackers or
Being ‘taken out’ on mental stress to play dead, utterly convincingly, in
indicates fleeing in terror. preparation for an ambush attack.
Athletics: +1 Athletics: +1
Fight: +3 Fight: +4
Notice: +1 Notice: +1
Physique: +3 Physique: +5
Armour: 2 Armour: +3
Weapons: +2 (Bone-ridge ‘axe’ Weapons: +3 (Massive horn), +1
head) (Claws)
Stress: OOOOOOOOOOO Stress: OOOOOOOOOOOO
(Additional mild consequence)

39
 Devastator Fester
(Category IV - Scale 5) (Category IV - Scale 5)
Concept: Living siege engine. Concept: Terror from the skies
Trouble: Slow and solid. Trouble: Light and hollow bones
Bonus: Demolisher Bonus: Fast as lightning
Stunt: Natural Disaster: +2 damage Stunt: Flight: Fester is capable of
bonus against buildings. flight and can even carry a Ridder or
Athletics: +2 another Kaiju.
Fight: +4 Stunt: Baby Carrier: (Carries a
Notice:+2 scale 3 version of itself, pregnant)
Physique: +4 Athletics: +5
Armour: 3 Fight: +5
Weapons: +2 (Tearing hooks) +2 Notice: +3
(Chin spike) Physique: +2
Stress: OOOOOOOOOOOO Shoot: +5
Armour: 1
Weapons: +3 (Claw Tail), +3 (Blue
Enemy vomit, Aspect: Acidic)
(Category IV - Scale 5) Stress: OOOOOOOOO
Concept: Rampaging shock trooper
Trouble: Reckless attacker
Bonus: Insanely powerful. Ghastly
Stunt: EMP Burst: Spend a FATE (Category IV - Scale 5)
point to create an area-effect blast Concept: Surprise assault
attack (shoot roll) that disables Trouble: Fish out of water
Ridders for success/turns. Bonus: Accelerate to ramming
Athletics: +3 speed!
Fight: +5 Bonus: Team Player
Notice: +3 Stunt: Aquatic: When swimming,
Physique: +5 Ghastly recieves a +2 bonus to
Shoot: +2 move, dodge etc.
Armour: 3 Athletics: +5
Weapons: +2 (Fists) Fight: +4
Stress: OOOOOOOOOOOO (Extra Notice: +4
minor consequence) Physique: +2
Armour: 2
Weapons: +3 (Ram head), +1
(Claws)
Stress: OOOOOOOOOO

40
 Horror Illness
(Category IV - Scale 5) (Category V - Scale 6)
Concept: Tsunami of claws and Concept: Weapon of Mass
teeth. Destruction.
Trouble: Predictable charge. Trouble: Overconfident.
Bonus: Rapid acceleration. Bonus: Unstoppable force
Stunt: Headlong charge: +2 Stunt: Ginormous: Illness is Scale
damage when charging, but -2 6.
defence. Athletics: +2
Athletics: +6 Fight: +5
Fight: +4 Notice: +2
Notice: +4 Physique: +5
Physique: +2 Shoot: +1
Armour: 2 Armour: 3
Weapons: +3 (Triple Jaw), +2 (Claw) Weapons: +3 (Triple Tail) +2
Stress: OOOOOOOOOO (Hammerhead) +1 (Sonic Roar)
Stress: OOOOOOOOOO (Extra
minor consequence)

‘Debtor’
Category 1 Kaiju
Scale: 5,
Concept: Death in the Sea
Trouble: Dries out Quickly
Bonus: Water Adapted.
Stunts: Like a Fish: The
Kaiju can swim twice as fast
as is normally possible and
with a +1 bonus.
Skills: Athletics +4, Fight
+2, Notice +2,
Armour: 1
Claws: +1 damage.
Stress: OOOOOOOO

41
 Trouble Aspect: The trouble aspect

Ridders
Ridders are gigantic, mechanical,
is some weakness that the Ridder
has, turned into a more descriptive
term. This is something that should
humanoid machines on the same act as a vulnerability for the machine.
size and scale as supercarriers.
They use cutting edge technology Examples might include: “Lacks
and neural links to handle a ‘body’ of safety apparatus,” “Prime target,” or
such bulk. Ridders are monstrously “Dangerously overpowered.”
expensive, monstrously powerful and
still only really capable of a holding Bonus Aspect: A bonus aspect
actions and damage mitigation is a free descriptor, allowing to
against the constant influx of Kaiju. personalise the Ridder a little more.

This could be absolutely anything but

Creating Ridders it could include things like: “Takes a
When creating a Ridder you need a kicking, keeps on ticking,” “Re-route
good, strong concept for it. You also power,” or “Easy to interface with.”
need to keep in mind that a Ridder
can have more than one pilot. Ideally
this should be another player and Stunts
you should cooperate on the design Ridders get a single stunt and the
of your Ridder. Otherwise the Games capabilities and capacities of that
Master can create any co-pilots or stunt are, as usual, up to the Games
the Ridder can have a single pilot Master. Examples of stunts might
with the other players playing the include things like:
support crew, staff, scientists and
other assistants. Death From Above: Light and agile
enough to climb larger and stronger
buildings the Ridder can make a leap
Aspects attack at Kaiju lower than it for +2 to
Concept Aspect: The concept its attack roll.
aspect should sum up, in a brief
sentence, the central ‘point’ and
distinguishing feature of the Ridder.

Examples might include: “Expensive

prototype,” “Modular design,” or
“Extensive line of merchandising”.

42
Everything Else RX-002 Ludwig
Ridders also have Skills, Armour and The first prototype Ridder to be taken
Attacks to buy. These come out of a into combat and to successfully take
pool of twenty points. Modernisations down a kaiju one-on-one. The RX-
do not necessarily mean new 002 Ludwig is currently on display in
Ridders are superior to the older the Ridder museum on Polis.
ones, they just represent changes Concept: Crude and tough.
in design and combat philosophy in Trouble: Unreliable prototype
the constant game of innovation and Bonus: Massively armoured
one-upmanship with the evolution of Stunt: Analog: Ludwig is unaffected
the Kaiju. by EMP and other high-tech attacks
of similar ilk.
Skills: Ridders have Athletics, Fight, Fight: +1
Notice, Physique and Shoot skills. Shoot: +1
Buying them is 1/1. Don’t forget to Armour: 1
increase stress according to their Weapons: +1 (Blades) +1 (Rockets)
Physique as per the main rule book. Stress: OOOOOOOO

Armour: Ridders are naturally very Ivanhoe

tough, but some are tougher than Concept: Brutal brawler.
others. 1 point of armour costs 1 Trouble: Lumbering brute
point, 2 points of armour costs 4 Bonus: Tough as old boots
points and 3 points of armour costs Stunt: Unbreakable: +1 Stress
9 points. Remember, for Ridders Fight: +2
armour also adds to stress. Physique: +5
Armour: 3
Weapons: Ridders weapons are Weapon: +3 (hydraulic fists, Aspect:
many and varied. Weapons cost one Shocking
point per bonus point of damage, up Stress: OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
to a maximum of +3. You can also (Extra minor consequence)
buy aspects for a weapon for one
point each.

Bonus Stunt: A Ridder can have a

second stunt at a cost of 3 points.

Bonus Aspect: A Ridder can have

additional aspects at the cost of one
point each.

43
 Ronin Bors
Concept: Wuxia fighter Concept: Rapid Reaction Ridder
Trouble: Eminently breakable Trouble: Highly radioactive
Bonus: Greased lightning Bonus: Light on its feet
Stunt: Jet Pack: Ronin can use its Stunt: Advanced Targetting: +2
jet pack to leap huge distances or to bonus to ranged attacks.
boost an attack by +2 Athletics: +2
Athletics: +1 Fighting: +2
Fight: +2 Shoot: +2
Armour: 0 Armour: 0
Weapon: +1 (Fang Blades), +1 Weapon: +1 (Ballistic mortars), +2
(Chest guns) (Energy caster)
Stress: OOOOOOO Stress: OOOOOOOOO

Gawain Paladin
Concept: Vigilant sentry Concept: Canny Street Fighter
Trouble: Sluggardly Trouble: Vulnerable subsystems
Bonus: Protected Conn-Pod Bonus: Walking wounded
Stunt: Full Auto: If Gawain doesn’t Stunt: Analog: Invulnerable to EMP
move it can make two ranged and similar high tech attacks.
attacks. Stunt: Expose Reactor: Spend a
Armour: 2 FATE point to expose the reactor and
Weapon: +1 (Gatling Chest) make a ‘chest beam’ attack for +5
Stress: OOOOOOOOO damage.
Athletics: +1
Fighting: +2
Brunhilde Shoot: +2
Concept: Headstrong Brawler. Physique: +2
Trouble: Slow reactions. Armour: 2
Bonus: Cold-adapted Weapon: +2 (Plasmacaster), +2
Stunt: Cold Killer: Any attack (Chainsword), +1 (Rocket Punch)
made by Brunhilde has the aspect Stress: OOOOOOOOOO
‘Freezing’.
Fighting: +1
Shoot: +1
Physique: +1
Armour: 1
Weapon: +1 (Cryo Cannon)
Stress: OOOOOOOOO

44
Guan Yu Shaka
Concept: Aggressive martial artist Concept: Bar brawler
Trouble: Complex systems Trouble: Complex systems
Bonus: All-round Vision Bonus: All-round Vision
Stunt: Triple Threat: Guan Yu can Stunt: Experimental: Once per
make two attacks in a turn. battle, Shaka can add +2 to a single
Athletics: +5 roll by activating experimental
Notice: +1 systems.
Fighting: +5 Athletics: +3
Shoot: +1 Notice: +3
Physique: +2 Fighting: +4
Armour: 1 Shoot: +5
Weapon: +3 (Plasma Caster), +2 Physique: +2
(Disc claws) Armour: 2
Stress: OOOOOOOOO Weapon: +2 (Sting Blades), +3
(Chest Cannon)
Stress: OOOOOOOOOO

Aramis
Concept: One Perfect
Shot.
Trouble: Easily Enraged
Bonus: Frenzied Strength.
Stunts: Targetting
Systems: With time to aim
Aramis gets a +2 bonus to
hit.
Skills: Athletics +2, Notice
+4, Fighting +2, Shoot +5,
Physique +2.
Armour: 1
Weapons: Supra Cannon:
+3, Fists +1
Stress: OOOOOOOOO

45
 EG: The Ridder Bors has a Fighting

Making skill of +3, its pilots have Fighting

skills of +2 and +4 respectively. That
drops it by one and boosts it by one,

Characters
While the focus of the game is very
taking it back to +3, where it started.

much on the Ridders and their

pilots (they can have more than
Extra Skill - Interface
The Interface skill is used to connect
one pilot working together via the
with the systems in a Ridder in order
neural link) there is plenty of room
to combine psyches and nervous
for other character types and thanks
systems with the Ridder and any
to FATE’s system scouts, scientists,
other pilots. The difficulty is set by
engineers and threat analysts can
how close the multiple pilots are
help by creating aspects, repairing
– emotionally - and both roll their
and tweaking Ridders and dealing
Interface skill, averaging the total
with human-scale threats. There’s
and comparing to the difficulty. The
plenty of characters that can seem
end result gives them a number
like ‘sidelined’ characters, but thanks
of temporary FATE points to use
to the system (accompanied by
while piloting the Ridder. Failing to
some effort from the Games Master)
meet the difficulty means all attacks
everyone can have a useful and
made by the Ridder are rolled at a -1
exciting role to play – indeed their
penalty.
help is going to be essential to be on
more than an equal footing with any
Kaiju. Relationship Difficulty
Lovers 1
Making characters is done as per Family 2
usual, but there are some extra Neutral 3
things to keep in mind for Ridder Dislike 4
pilots. Ridder statistics are a little Hatred 5
‘fluid’ and depend on the interaction Arch Enemies 6
between the pilots, the Ridder and Alien Mind 7
the neural interface.
A solo interface with a Ridder is
made against a difficulty of 3, with
If a character’s skill is higher than the
multiple pilots the roll is made
Ridder’s skill, then that skill counts
against the highest difficulty between
as one higher. If the character’s skill
them and the highest degree of
is lower, then the Ridder’s skill is
success is used.
reduced by one, and this is done for
both pilots (comparing to the original,
unmdified stats).

46
 1-3: Mechanics

Arms Race
Kaiju and Ridders are in a constant
1 Reduce Notice
2 Reduce Shoot
3 Reduce Armour
war of development and one- 4 Reduce Weapon
upmanship. Every development and 5 Reduce Fighting
tactic meets its counter over time. 6 Reduce Physique
In effect, Ridder’s become weaker
over time, needing constant repair, 4-6: Tactics
updates and innovations. 1 Remove Concept Aspect
2 Remove Bonus Aspect
Kaiju encounters occur far enough 3 Reduce Athletics
apart – normally – for new kaiju to be 4 Reduce Fighting
bred, or to emerge, based upon what 5 Reduce Physique
has been learned about the Ridders 6 Remove Stunt
and human defences.
In counter to this, the technical
Between each Kaiju battle, roll four team working on a Ridder can try
FATE dice and check the result. to update its works to anticipate
and counter the degradation in
0 or less: The Ridder doesn’t capabilities. They can make one roll
degrade. between encounters. The normal
1: The Ridder loses a single point. difficulty is three and anything
2-3: The Ridder loses two points. over that can be ‘spent’ as though
4: The Ridder loses three points, and designing the Ridder at the start to
roll again. increase skills, weapons, armour and
so forth in order to compensate for
the reduction in effectiveness.
What’s lost?
For this, you’ll need some regular EG: The Ridder Mulan has taken a
six-sided dice. If you roll something beating in recent fights against the
that already doesn’t exist on the Kaiju. It needs adaptations in order
Ridder or has been reduced to zero, to compete. Its technical team come
nothing happens for that reduction. up with a few ideas and set to work.
Simple Ridders can remain effective Their combined efforts result in a
for longer because of this. There’s total of seven, which gives them four
something to be said for cruder, points to spend. They could give it
more simplistic designs. a new stunt, but instead they fix the
armour back to level 2 (four points).
Unspent points can be saved up for
the next opportunity for updates,
relating to long-term research.

47
 Adventure Seeds 2. As the two Ridders move
Clash of the Titans to engage the characters
Premise: A new British Ridder are radioed to inform them
– Trafalgar – is undergoing that Bulldog terrorists have
trials in the English channel taken members of some of
when a traitor on the technical their families hostage. If they
crew aids the infiltration of don’t stand down the group is
a group of Bulldog terrorist threatening to kill those family
who take it over and begin members. It could be a bluff,
marching it towards France but whatever the case it’s
with the intent of doing as going to take some time to be
much damage as possible. sure. Time France can’t afford.
European Ridders are moving
to intercept but the characters 3. Trafalgar has been
are the closest force capable specifically designed to fight
of interceding before Trafalgar other Ridders. In this conflict
does some serious damage. – despite the lack of training
It’s down to them to beat down that its terrorist crew has – it
a fellow Ridder and prevent has a distinct advantage with
wholesale destruction and armour-piercing and EMP
death. attacks.

Twists:
1. Members of Bulldog
launch an armed attack on
the Ridder’s control vehicle
or bunker to disrupt support
operations in the fight. Support
staff will have to take up arms
and deal with the attack before
they can actively support the
Ridder in the field.

48
The Brains of the Outfit
Premise: Following a battle 2. The ‘dead’ Kaiju can speak
with a previously unseen type through the infected. While it
of Kaiju they are ordered offers little in the way of any
to return what remains useful information it will inform
of its carcass to base for them that the ‘time of humanity
analysis. This Kaiju, otherwise is over’ and that it is ‘time to
unremarkable and even go extinct’ it can and will also
somewhat weak in battle, has express disgust at the bodies
an enormous mass of neural it is inhabiting and will display
tissue attached to its head intelligence and problem
and back. Once returned for solving beyond that of the
analysis this mass detaches bodies it has infected.
from the body and explodes
into snake-like ribbons of 3. A ‘critical mass’ of infected
neural tissue which writhe bodies will join together to
through the base looking for form larger scale creatures.
people to infect and turning Four people can bind together
them against the others. The into a Scale 2 creature, four of
players and their support those into a Scale 3 creature
staff must fight for their lives and so forth. A sufficient
against their own people and mass of human flesh, bound
the ‘neural snakes’ writhing together, will make a truly
through the base. horrifying ‘Kaiju’ that they’ll
need to defeat again.
Twists:
1. People infected by the
snakes retain their own higher
brain functions even as their
bodies are taken over. They
can plead for help, beg for
mercy and demonstrate that
they are still the people they
once were, even as their
bodies attempt to fight and kill.

49
 Scavenger Hunt
Premise: Tasked to intercept a 2. The Otchuzhdayemaya are
Kaiju emerging from one of the camped out in an abandoned
Russian Zones of Alienation town nearby. They have
the battle leads them back anti-radiation medicines and
across the border into the radiation suits, used in their
abandoned land beyond. The scavenging, but making any
blood and bile of the creature sort of deal with them could
has a radioactive suppressant alienate the Russians and
effect which shuts down the they’ll want favours or trade
Ridder’s reactor not long after in exchange for their gear or
the battle ends, rendering it help.
helpless. In order to recover
their Ridder and exit the zone 3. A new Kaiju is gestating and
– the Russians will not allow emerging within the Zone of
anyone in, or anyone other Alienation and will emerge in a
than them out – they’ll need few hours. If the Ridder is not
to recover radioactives from powered up and ready to fight
one of the blown reactors that by the time it gets there, it’ll be
caused the zone. completely helpless and will
be destroyed. This lends some
Twists: urgency and desperation to
1. The closest reactor where getting it fixed.
they might be able to get fuel
rods is overrun by radioactive
monsters, mutated dog-like
creatures infesting it and
giving off an unnatural glow.
To get the rods they’ll have to
fight through them and try not
to get a lethal dose.

50
Gone to Ground
Premise: A new Kaiju To that end some of their
emerges from the Atlantic to fellow ‘warriors’ are infiltrating
attack New York, concentrating where they can, attacking first-
on causing damage to responders to the damage,
buildings and the street dredging in plant and animal
even when under attack by matter from the sea to their
a Ridder. When defeated it ‘hive’ and feeding the new
ruptures, sending skittering generation.
creatures in all directions,
infiltrating the metro network 2. A Kaiju cult has encountered
and sewers. Some of these some of these pupae and
creatures pupate and start to has gathered both to protect
form new Kaiju while others them and to steal away and
lurk in the tunnels ready to hide one of the pupae. The
fight to the death to protect the creatures seem to recognise
developing creatures. They’ll that the cult is on their side
have to be rooted out and and do not interfere wth them
– after the big Kaiju battle – but this means there will be
that’s going to take some room armed and dangerous people
to room fighting. as well as monsters to deal
with.
Twists:
1. The cocooned creatures 3. In the evacuated area of
need biomass in order to the city many have refused
develop and grow to their full to leave. Those that remain
size and to become full Kaiju. are looting and rioting, futher
If they do they will be able to causing problems for first
act en masse and overwhelm responders and clean-up
the Eastern coast of North crews entering the area. These
America. rival gangs of looters are
fighting it out with each other,
the creatures, security teams
and more.

51
 Monster Island
Premise: A series of recent 2. The site’s last line of
Kaiju attacks share a defence is an atomic bomb,
common signature in terms of buried in the laboratory. If the
mutagenics used and the base lab is truly compromised and
lifeforms they are derived from. the Malthusians believes they
Further analysis of the bodies cannot salvage the situation
and trace materials on them they will detonate the bomb,
has narrowed the origin down though it has a fifteen minute
to a remote Pacific island and safety delay.
the team and their Ridder are
detailed to seek and destroy 3. The Malthusians have an
any activity on that island. enormous stealth-submersible
The island itself is a base is a carrier for Kaiju or Ridders
for a scientific station run by (Scale 6). This mobile base
the Malthusians where they can be hinted at, at the end of
are engineering and creating the mission or in intelligence
their own Kaiju in an attempt gathered from the laboratory. A
to both understand them and hook for future adventures and
to continue the destruction of a rationale for my attacks by
humanity. artificial Kaiju.

Twists:
1. Monster Island is a dense
jungle island, riddled with
bunkers and other material
left over from World War II. It’s
also defended by several fully
capable ‘prototype’ Kaiju in the
seas around the island and
lurking in the jungles, ready
to defend it. The next attack
Kaiju is also, almost, ready to
‘launch’ from the laboratory
here.

52
 A hurried scramble to get dressed

Making Port and get down there is in order, where

their commander – Commander
Sturgeon – will brief them.
An Introductory
Read the following text aloud:
Adventure for The Commander struts into the
operations room and plucks off his
Daikaiju Die cap, handing it to his attendant.
The Briefing Various aides and assistants scuttle
The characters are a special into their positions and the Ops
operations group for the United Centre projection tank fires up, filling
Nations operating their Ridder from with the glowing blue of the slowly
a specialist Ridder Carrier, The UNS rotating United Nations symbol
Hammarskjöld. Their fusion-powered before it melts away into a map.
carrier which can travel at a steady
forty knots and is tended by two “Five hours ago a Class Three kaiju
escort frigates, the UNS Pearson emerged from the Celtic Sea and
and UNS Briceno. The carrier carries made rapidly for the Bristol Channel.
their Ridder – laying on its back – Conventional European Federation
on an elevator that can withdraw it forces engaged in an attempt to
below decks or elevate it and lean forestall its advance with limited
upward for deployment. They’re success.”
intended to be a rapid-reaction force,
deployable where they are needed The image in the tank changed
or to provide back-up to more local to show an abstract of the
forces. engagements, various ships
distributed across the channel in an
They’re roused from their slumber attempt to engage the kaiju, but it is
in their cabins by the sounding shown slipping rapidly through the
of alarms and the ship suddenly gaps before the ships can be moved
changing course, rattling everything into effective position.
on the shelves, sliding cups across
the tables. An ensign arrives at each “Despite the failure of this operation
of their doors to alert them (whether there was sufficient time to activate
they’re in bed, working on science the Ridder Haggard. The Haggard
or engineering projects or whatever time lured the kaiju – designated
else they’re doing) to alert them that ‘Dank’ – into Porbury Docks an
they’re needed in the Operations hour ago to contain the battle and
Centre. engaged.

53
 In the fight Haggard took To minimise further port damage we
catastrophic damage and both the need to close the gates, allow the
Ridder and the Kaiju have sunk toxins to build and hopefully drive the
beneath the surface of the dock’s Kaiju out of its cover into the open
water and haven’t been seen since – where your Ridder will take it down.
though there is a glow in the water.” A small team will need to invade
the docks while your Ridder stands
The image in the tank changes guard and activate each of the three
again, cycling through images of the gates manually. Interference from
fighting between the Haggard – an the Kaiju is also causing problems
older, more primitive design – and with long-distance communication,
the Kaiju, a gigantic sinuous creature so support staff will have to deploy
covered in glowing blue veins. in a forward position. That should,
hopefully, do the trick. Over to you.”
“Local forces have thrown a
cordon around the docks and other There isn’t much more information
Ridders are being prepared for to go on though characters with
action, however we can get there appropriate skills can attempt to
first – before anyone else is ready. anticipate and compensate for the
The Haggard’s pilots may be alive Kaiju they’ll be going up against in
and the Kaiju may have survived an hour when they get within battle
the previous assault. We’re not range. Some points that might be
sure if there are any other, smaller discovered and might provide the
monsters in the area but Haggard did upcoming fights with traits include:
report that ‘Dank’ used constriction
attacks and was able to drain power.” • Image analysis of the battle
might show glowing, giant
The tank returns to an overhead amoeba-like creatures
view, a map of the area with the dropping from the Kaiju’s
presumed location of the Kaiju body.
marked in the dock.
• Examining readings on
“Here’s the basic plan, though you the creature show that it is
have final authority. Several transport directly capable of draining
ships in the dock were transporting radioactive and electrical
toxic waste products to a processing power from sources close
plant before the Kaiju attack. Since to it and using that power to
the attack they have been leaking regenerate.
waste into the port water but the
dock gates are currently open,
allowing fresh water to infiltrate and
water down the toxin.

54
 • Extensive analysis of power- output to produce the Plasmoids that
ratings, scale and so forth are fanning out through the rest of
should reveal that this the docks, ready to infiltrate further
creature is bordering on a up-river. The area is supposed to be
Class 4 in rating. evacuated and – at a safe distance
(a couple of clicks) there is a ‘ring
• Combat analysis would of steel’ of tanks and helicopter
suggest that the creature gunships. Otherwise the area is
deliberately crippled supposed to be open and ready
Haggard rather than for any kind of operation – though
destroying it – for some they are supposed to try and limit
reason. damage.

Deployment Car Storage

The carrier stands off the shore and This is where the helicopter will land.
deploys the player’s Ridder within Row upon row of new cars are lined
‘walking’ distance of the port. The up here, ready to be transported
advanced team and support staff overseas. They’re all a basic,
will be able to deploy ahead by low-cost electric models and in the
helicopter, landing at the furthest part fight many have been displaced,
of the dock and moving to secure smashed or crushed by tossed cargo
the gates. If your gaming group containers.
lacks suitable characters for forward
deployment you can ignore that As the helicopter lands read the
whole part of the mission, leaving it following text aloud:
to a marine or special forces group. Aspects: Automotive Wreckage,
Otherwise the players can do it Burning Fuel Cells, Random Junk.
themselves, either alone or with a
handful of suitable combat-oriented The dock is a black spot in the night,
non-player characters with them and the lights from the city and stalled
under their command. ships around it making the black
void where the power is out more
obvious. Spotlights flick on from the
Operational Area helicopter as it descends, lighting
The area for this operation is a up a field of cars in all colours, in all
commercial dock, Porbury, near directions. Here and there fires burn
Bristol in the United Kingdom. It has and electricity crackles as electrical
several damaged or sunk cargo power cells short, burn and explode.
ships and is scarred by the previous Crumpled cargo containers are
battle. Haggard and the Kaiju are scattered amongst the cars, buckled
currently sunk down to the bottom and crushed like giant, discarded
of the dock with Haggard crippled beer cans.
and the Kaiju feeding on its energy

55
 There is really nothing and nobody Too many fights will slow down the
here, just the burning cars and the action, but two or three Plasmoids at
smashed shipping containers, the a time can be used to create impetus
contents of which are mixed in with for a running battle in the direction of
the wrecks – though there’s nothing the gate controls.
useful there. This makes a useful
staging area for the start of the Gates
action portion of the adventure even Read the following text aloud:
though there’s nothing here. A few Aspects: Grinding Gears, Waterside
plasmoids could be seeded around Grime.
if necessary, later on or when the
characters return to the helicopter to Each of the three gate buildings sits
make their escape. alongside the channel that leads into
the dock proper. Oil floats on top
Cargo Containers of the water along with polystyrene
Read the following text aloud: packaging and hundreds of dolls,
Aspects: Precipitous, Barely broken out of some shipping
Balanced, Random Junk, Blind container to drift in the muck. There’s
Alleys. no light, no power and these gates
look enormous and daunting. Can
Stacks of cargo containers rise up you even do this?
around you as tall as buildings.
Rusted yellow, red and blue, dull Each of the three gate buildings is
and dark. Here and there the few locked (Good +3 locks) and contains
lights that there are glint off shining controls that haven’t been used in
corners of torn metal. The fight has some years – everything having
smashed some of these containers been computer controlled for some
and knocked them down, blocking time. A generator will have to be
off these temporary alleys and filling started up and the machinery set into
them with scattered trash. A few motion. In each one.
bodies are littered here and there,
their features hidden in the dark. If you want to add complications
– besides breaking in – you can
Many of the Plasmoids have have some of the equipment require
squirrelled themselves away in repais (Good +3 difficulty), have
amongst the cargo containers. They one of the gate buildings occupied
can climb any surface and squeeze by a Plasmoid – laying in wait – or
into the tightest of gaps, making this survivors hiding in cover.
a perfect space for an ambush and
one they’ll use.

56
Another possibility, if you want to The Monsters
add it, is to have a unit of Bulldog
Kaiju: Dank
terrorists laying in wait to ambush the
Scale: 5
characters – who they see as part
Concept: Sinuous Constrictor.
of an occupying force and whose
Trouble: Long, Large Target.
‘incompetence’ could lead to popular
Bonus: Still & Patient.
discontent with the existing order.
Stunt: Constrictor: Successive,
successful attacks do +1 damage
The Water each turn (to a maximum of +2).
Read the following text aloud: Stunt: Power Drainer: If an attack
Aspects: Deep Water, Toxic Waste, succeeds ‘with style’ the Kaiju can
Glowing Blue Light. apply a ‘Power Drained’ negative
trait to a target that has power
The water of the dock is deep and systems and can heal its lowest
full of junk and debris. Far beneath stress damage.
the surface is a faint, throbbing Skills: Athletics +4, Fight +4, Notice
blue glow that seems to suffuse +2, Physique +4.
the whole dock, impossible to tell Armour: 2.
precisely where it is coming from. Weapons: Constriction Coils +1,
A rancid, nose-burning tang hangs Bite +2.
over the water in a miasma, toxic Stress: OOOOOOOOOO
waste from the smashed ships
sunk or sinking from the battle.
Monster: Plasmoids
Fragments of metal and chunks of
Scale: 1
bluish flesh are scattered around
Concept: Amorphous Goo.
the edges, remnants from the battle.
Trouble: Bursts Like a Balloon.
Somewhere beneath this toxic soup
Bonus: Tacky Like Taffy.
is a gigantic Kaiju. Waiting.
Stunt: Sticky Surface: The
Plamoids gain a +2 bonus to
The Kaiju is deep below the water
grapple, climbing and similar rolls
and wound around the shut-down
where stickiness is helpful.
and heavily damaged Ridder,
Skills: Athletics +1, Fight +2, Notice
Haggard. The crew are alive inside,
+1, Physique +2.
but cannot escape due to the Kaiju
Armour: 1.
wound around them blocking the
Weapons: Radioactive Slime +1
escape pod from being able to
Stress: OOOOO
release. It would technically be
possible for characters to dive down
and infiltrate the Ridder, find a way
to release the crew, but the water is
toxic, has Plasmoids in it and that’s
without even mentioning the Kaiju.

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