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Table of Contents
∵ Credits 4
∵ Introduction 5
∵ Setting 6
∵ Character Creation 40
∵ Basic Mechanic 59
∵ Combat 61
∵ Campaign 75
∵ GM Section 90
∵ Example Characters 106
∵ Kickstarter Thanks 121

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 Credits
Design and Writing By

Magnus T. Hansen

Additional Writing By

Victoria Egebjerg and Alvhild Sagadatter

Cover Art by

Thomas Mulligan

Interior Art by

Mitchell Nolte

Map Design by

Casper Starostka

Editing by

Chris Ramdeen

Layout by

Francita Soto

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 Introduction
Welcome to the Red Rook Commune! It was an oasis of freedom, equality and
autonomy, where all worked for the good of all. But today, its people raise
arms against the encroaching evil of the Imperium Alarum, whose factories
choke the sky with soot. Spurred by imperial slave-camps in its lands and
imperial abuses of their people, the Commune has taken up the ancient arts
of demonology and violence to throw the invaders from their land. Fighting for
their land, their people, and their families, they hope their camaraderie and
friendship can keep the Dark Powers they wield from overwhelming them.

You play these revolutionaries, fighting the empire with guns and swords, and
fighting your own demons with friendship and camaraderie.

Red Rook Revolt is a roleplaying game for 3-5 players and a Game Master
(“GM”). To play, you will each need a single 6-sided die (d6) and a copy of the
character sheet at the back of the book, as well as pens, probably some scrap
paper, and a good sense of camaraderie and friendship. The game assumes you
are familiar with the basic operation of a roleplaying game.

Welcome, comrade, to the Red Rook Revolt. Pick up a gun, and fight for a
better day.

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 Setting
A Hearth Rite to the Ancestors
The building is long and low; a single floor, the ground beneath them tightly-
packed dirt. Furs and carpets criss-cross and overlap, with a fire-pit in the
very center. The leather covers are drawn over the window-holes. The room
is left in darkness, save for the flicker of the cooking fire, and here, in the
northern edge, the hearth-fire in the stone shrine.

There are sounds of living. People moving, going along. Somewhere, in the
distance, a child cries out in delight at some joyful surprise. But by the
shrine, there is silence. The warriors are seated here, communing. They are
adorned with feathers, holding rifles across their knees.

They admire their new uniforms, shipped from further south. Red, like the
stone and wooden carved sculptures in the shrine.

“Rooks of old,” murmurs their leader. He sits, kneeling. His hands raised.
He’s facing them.
“Rooks who gather. Rooks who fly, and Rooks who protect. Hear us. See us.
See our family.”

There’s a distant rustle of wings, somewhere, outside. Or perhaps just the

wind.

More laughter, shared among the adults outside. One of the soldiers glances
back, cheeks slightly reddened — they overheard what the joke was about.

“We have come together, now, to ask your favour. You have taken us in, all of
us. We need your wings. We need your eyes. We need your thirst.” The leader
raises their hands, palms up, as they all draw breath together. In the hearth,
a branch pops and splinters with a loud crack, embers flaring, fire rising. The
scent of birch sap and burnt elderberry fills their nostrils.

“We go to war, O Rooks of old. To protect the family. To protect our homes.
To drive out those who would steal our lands and gods and ancestors for
themselves.”

The wooden bowl is passed. The sticky paste is used to mark them — and to
hide them in the night. Like the dark red of their uniforms will blend with the
shadows.

As the rustle of wings — or just the wind — grows louder outside, they all
feel it. The brief sensation of falling, a flutter in the stomach. Even those who
are not soldiers pause for a moment, and look to the shrine. They are all one,
together. Drawing strength from each other. Drawing love from each other.

“Tonight, we fly, my family,” The leader intones.

“For the Red Rook Revolt.”

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The world of The Red Rook Revolt is a fantastical
place, and a place which draws on many different
inspirations. It mixes nineteenth-century guns
and technology with totemic religions, ancient
social structures and dark magic.

Rebel forces bind demons to rifles and pistols to

stand against their oppressors. Imperial families
claim kinship with the birds of the sky while they
run their operations like cold and calculating
corporations, grinding their workers to death for
money and wealth. Ancient communal rituals
bless soldiers, miners and workers alike, but
secret magics keep the powerful in power.

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9
 Technology
In Red Rook Revolt, the world’s technology and
social structure take inspiration from the early
nineteenth century, with militarist empires buoyed by
technological supremacy.

Smog and Industry

Foundries and factories blacken the sky with soot
and crush workers ruthlessly between their gears.
All throughout the Imperium Alarum, the industrial
machinery of war runs day and night to supply its
voracious appetite with the tools for conquest.

Not all factories produce the tools of war, of course.

Even the most militaristic empire needs clothes and
dyes and food. Cans and shirts and tools and shoes
and iron pots and much more flows constantly from
the factories. The workers themselves, however, are
impoverished and sickly; toxic fumes, black smoke
and metal dust fills their lungs and food throughout
the day. Heat robs them of what little water they
get in the summer; in the winter, they barely have
enough to keep out the cold, and people freeze to
death in squalid apartments.

In the Red Rook Commune and elsewhere, mines

churn constantly. Underpaid and exploited workers
ruin their lungs to dig up coal, tin, iron, gold and
other precious metals. Most precious among them is
aether: a soft, golden material with a brassy sheen,
formed from the blood of demons in the time before
even the Kingdom of Iron. It resonates with the great
spirits and is the perfect material for magic and
religious purposes. It is with medals of aether that
the legions march to war, granting them the much-
feared strength of the Imperium Alarum.

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 The Railroad
It is not just production that has been built on the backs of
workers and conquest. New rails cut across idyllic meadows
and through mountain passes, transporting goods and people
and news at hitherto-untold speed from the heartland of the
empire to the unceasing border wars. The empire, which has
always felt big and expansive to its people, now seems to
shrink with every track laid. The borders are growing closer,
even as it conquers more and more territory. This spurs on
even more conquests as the far reaches become manageable
from the heartland.

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 Taking to the Sky
The railroad is not the only new form of transport to have emerged.
Hot air balloons and zeppelins are becoming an increasingly
common sight in the skies above the Imperium Alarum, to the
joy and wonder of its citizens. The people of the empire still tell
ancient stories of their ancestors, born to the birds of the sky,
and they still consider the sparrow, the eagle, the osprey and the
rook to be very distant kin. Seeing their machines fly through the
air takes on a special significance, and balloons and zeppelins
are regarded with almost religious reverence. Perhaps this is
the reason that, despite the empire’s monopoly on air travel, the
generals have not sent zeppelins to the battlefield, or even used
balloons to spy upon their victims in foreign lands. The mere
thought seems sacrilegious.

Weapons and War

The revolver, the sabre, and the bayonet are the
backbone of the Winged Legions, the army of the
Imperium Alarum. Infantry and cavalry are what
drives their conquest. Artillery is light and low
calibre, as the empire tends to preserve cities for
their future occupation and exploitation. The most
advanced weapon is the Eagle Gun, a hand-cranked
machine gun mounted on wheels.

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 Magic
Magic is everywhere in the world of The Red Rook Revolt. Put simply,
magic is the spiritual affecting the physical world. It is often subtle,
no more than folk medicine and rites to grant you lucky days. But
powerful magicians or spirits can evoke grouts of fire, miraculous
transformations and much more.

As told by the people of the sky, magic is an ancient gift from the
gods and ancestors, a balm and a blessing to carry them through
dark times. It is a power that flows back and forth between people
and spirits, or at least spirituality. It is in the sight of a raven in
flight, black and looming against a stark sky, and it is in the offerings
given upon private and public altars to the ancestors. It is a magician
commanding the spirits of air and fire to follow his bidding. And it
is the rituals performed by priest and wizards to bind and force the
gods of their enemies. But it is also in the quiet sharing of food in
the factory, the home, and upon the battlefield, and in the songs
that workers sing in the factory or in the fields. It is written upon the
uniforms of the Armati Imperialis as it marches to the conquest of
foreign lands. It is every time the spirits act upon our world and every
time the people act upon the spirits.

There is magic wherever anyone connects to their ancestors and

their people. There is, of course, magic where people are in contact
with their ancestors through religion, but magic also exists where
simple traditions connect people to their past. You can taste it
in the traditions of communal stews and soups. It runs through
institutions and societies that stretch into the past, like the legions of
the Imperium Alarum or the families of old. In all these ways, people
reach out to the spirits and call their power into the world.

Of course, spirits can act on their own, as well. A bird in flight can be
a messenger from beyond, and those in close contact with the past
of their people often receive blessings from them, even if they do not
notice. But ancestors are not the only spirits to grant power. Older,
more dangerous traditions summon up the spirits of the howling void,
demons of myth and legend, for power or for knowledge—more on
that, later.

Talismans and Amulets are common in the Imperium Alarum, but the
most precious ones, mostly used in the outfitting of the great houses’
troops and armies, are made of Aether. Aether is a soft, golden metal
with a brassy sheen, formed from the blood of demons in the most
ancient times. As such, it has a special religious significance as a
symbol of the power of the gods, and their potent blessings bind easily
to it. It is the Talismans and medals of Aether which wreathe the
armies of the imperium in magical invincibility.

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 Magic in Daily Life
For most people, magic is a small part of their daily
life: a sense of fortification after a hearty meal, a lucky
day after a sacrifice to the ancestors. It is a prayer for
health in a time of sickness and a thanksgiving sacrifice
when illness passes you over. Minor as it is, though, it
is a matter of fierce pride. Everywhere throughout the
Imperium, magic falls along cultural lines; rituals and
prayers and small everyday acts differ slightly from place
to place. These small variations in culture pass also to
the magic they create.
At Luguvalium, the furthest north of the imperial
heartlands, the local stew, made from potatoes and other
roots, fortifies against cold and wind. Further south, at
Corvum, stew keeps people working throughout the day
and banishes exhaustion. At Sturnus in the east, whose
people claim kinship with starlings, they are known for
their efficacious prayers against sickness and their wards
against fever. All throughout the Imperium, each town
and city has its own little magics, its own variations on
practices that are common everywhere in the Imperium
Alarum.

The people of the sky derive their magic from their

kinship with birds. After death, Honored ancestors join
with the birds. To the common people of the empire,
birds are often thought to be harbingers of omens,
bringers of blessings or curses. In this, they are entirely
correct.
Though often missed by the unaware, it is not
uncommon for a bird against a backdrop of stars to be
an omen sent to whoever sees it. A lost child asking for
help will often be led back to their family by their family
bird.
Particularly pious people have been known to see more
drastic intervention, though this is rare. For example,
in the Red Rook Commune, the rebels tell stories of the
time the Imperium tried to starve them out, only for a
huge parliament of red rooks to bring them grain from
the empire’s stores. In Sturnus, a recent story in the
Eastern Express tells of an old man who had been saved
from a mugging by a flock of doves descending from the
sky to shield him.

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One of the more common ways magic shows itself is on the
chests and medals of the imperial legions and local guards.
Powerful magic swirls around their aetherite charms, fueled by
hundreds and thousands of sacrifices performed throughout
the year. When these charms enter the battlefield, an
insurgent’s gun may backfire, or wind may rise to dissuade
their bullet, sure shots bending in the air to only graze their
mark. Thanks to imperial magic, legionnaires march with
unrivaled confidence, enjoying long and prosperous careers.

The last way people ordinarily interact with magic is through

the temples.
People will occasionally make sacrifices there for small
requests, for good luck, or to avoid the anger of the spirits if
they fear they have incurred it.
Most people, impoverished by the rapacious greed of the
landlord, the taxman, the factory-owner and a hundred
other expenses, do not have the money for the rather lavish
sacrifices most temples deem necessary, and so, outside of
charity, sacrifices are mostly the magic of the rich.

No, ordinary people mostly enjoy temple magic during the

holidays, of which there are many. Some, such as harvest
holidays, are celebrated everywhere with minor variation, and
some are regional or local to a particular village or city. On
these days, sacrifices are made for the entire community, and
the ancestors and bird-spirits draw close to the world. Prayers
are made and blessings given freely; the sick are brought forth
and often healed. In most places, marriages, name-giving, and
mourning are local holidays, and each babe in a village will be
named at once, or young lovers will be wed throughout a town
or city. Even mourning and sacrifices for the recently dead are
done communally, on sad, dark days. It is a near certainty that
such days will bring rain even in the driest summer.

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 Magicians
Some people have greater access to magic than the common
folk, through training, study, and skill.
Most of these people serve a religious function as priests and
priestesses, touched by the spirits beyond. Their skills are
modest, but not unworkable, and mostly revolve around their
roles as religious figures—they may be able to heal or bless, for
example, or in some cases summon up birds and spirits to aid
them more directly.
Similarly, while not necessarily part of the organized priesthood,
respected elders with a spiritual bent are often able to manifest
slight magic as well. This still requires training, study and
skill, however, which comes in the form of well-preserved
oral tradition, self-reflection, and spirituality. These are not
inherently inferior to the learned scholarship of priests, but the
empire has generally attempted to subsume local traditions into
the organized temples, and with them, the cultural connection
and magic inherent in them.

Rarer are those magicians who gain magic through non-

religious means.
For this, one must either be at the centre of a vast amount
of institutional magic and influence, have a deep personal
connection to the spirits and an extensive understanding of
magic and its nature, or both.

The great families, the armies, temples and other ancient

institutions serve as a powerful connection to the past, and as
a focal point for many kinds of magic and sacrifice. As such,
people such as generals, political leaders, and oligarchs are
at the centre of webs of history and magic. These are not all
powerful magicians, but if they have the temperament for
learning and a knack for the spiritual, they have easy access
to large amounts of magic through their position. Offerings to
the health and fortune of the armies, sacrifices to spirits of war
and conquest, individual sacrifices for each soldier, the proud
songs the soldiers sing, the ancient traditions of the army, pride
in wearing the uniforms of one’s ancestors, all of this connects
people to their culture and ancestors, and thus all of this carries
magic. Likewise sacrifices for political leaders, family traditions,
and so on help political leaders and oligarchs.
Such magic still requires that a general or leader has the
inclination and the knowledge to use it properly. Of course,
knowledge and training is far more widely available to the rich.
With the right knowledge — the proper rituals and sacrifices,

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the myths, the secret names to be uttered and songs to be sung —
the magic that such people can do can be expansive. Many can fly
or transform themselves or others; others cloak themselves in great
splendor to awe their audience, manipulate the weather, or curse their
opponents.

The great general Hadriana, for example, was known to scout the
enemy with her personal guard from the sky, transformed into a watch
of shrikes, then land as a fully armed and armored formation of elite
guards — backed, of course, by her powerful magic.
The political leader and reformist Nonus Epidius would grow the great
wings of a bird of paradise, and his words were known to nourish his
listeners like bread and wine. His reforms were never quite undone, but
he was beaten to death outside of the senate by a mob of angry farmers.

Certain magicians, however, have no great important position and no

special access to the magical infrastructure of the Imperium Alarum.
Those who grow truly powerful are the ones who have much time to
study.
These people cultivate a personal connection with the spirit world and
with their ancestors and gods, the birds of the sky. They strengthen
and nourish their inner spirits and through ritual, prayer and spiritual
discipline build up an intuitive connection to the spirits. However,
while many of them do make strong connections with individual spirits
related to their studies, history, or culture, they are not dependent on
the spirits themselves for power. On the contrary, due to their strong
personal power and their knowledge of spirits, these magicians are
often the best to deal with unruly spirits, if they will not be calmed by
sacrifice or if you do not know the right sacrifices and rituals.
The skills and the particular magics of these magicians vary widely with
their knowledge, culture, inclination and training. Some magicians let
spirits access their bodies or bring their power to the world through
repetition of myth and ritual. Others may affect the weather or fertility,
leave their bodies to travel the world as a bird, venture into dreams, or
command fire.

In many ways, magicians of all sorts, though particularly those with

neither religious nor infrastructural power, sit in a strange in-between
space for the people of the sky. They have great power, and they share
a deep part of the cultural magic of the people. But they can also often
challenge the simpler view of the relationship between gods and men,
and even enforce their will on the divine. Even as they grow powerful
from the long and strong traditions of magic and ritual, they also
free themselves from the necessity of their community and become
independently powerful. It is a conundrum and paradox the people of
the sky have grappled with for ages, and will grapple with for ages more.

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 Goetia
There are other spirits than the great birds the people of the sky claim descent
from. Ancient, hungry ones, things that slumber and slither fitfully about deep
below. The people of the sky have no general dealings with these spirits or
entities, but they do have a history, ancient rituals of summoning and binding,
and a deep-seated distrust.

The people of the sky call them demons, and as they tell it, they are ancient
hungry spirits. In antiquity, the ancient heroes of the people of the sky were
demonologists, binding themselves to dark spirits and winning freedom from
their oppressors. But only through their great will, their shared purpose, and
their heroic spirits did those ancient demonologists remain free of the influence
of the demons’ hungers.

Because there is no general magic for the people of the sky to draw on when
dealing with demons, each demonologist makes a personal connection with
whatever demon they work with, summoning it up and binding to it. Each
demon must also be paid personally, and they are hungry, starving things that
want sacrifices in blood.

The sacrifices are not the worst thing about the demons, however. As the
people of the sky tell it, they are jealous, because they are not worshipped
as gods, nor do they have families as do humans. Therefore, they seek to
twist people against themselves, souring their relationships, separating them
from friends and family. Demonologists turn into lonely, sad creatures over
time: isolated, afraid to lose their power, seeing betrayal everywhere, loathing
themselves and imagining that everyone else must loathe them too. At least,
that is the popular conception.

Why would you practice Goetia then? For those who do, it is a matter of
power. Demonic magic is very strong, and can cut through protective magic.
Demonologists can teleport, summon up fire and shadow, quicken their sword
to parry bullets, and entirely ignore the layers of protective magic around
imperial soldiers and guards. For this reason, it is a very attractive form of
magic to men and women of violence. And of course, running a blade through
your enemy is a potent sacrifice to your demon.
Demons, however, are not the spirits of the people, do not connect you to the
ancestors and are hated by the great birds. To summon them turns from the
traditions of the people, and denies you the many blessings of the gods. It cuts
you off from the magic of your ancestors and, ultimately, from your people. Or
that is, at least, the common story.

In reality, the practice of Goetia does connect you to some of the ancestors: the
ancient heroes who stood against the Kingdom of Iron did, after all, summon
demons to aid in their revolt. They drew upon that Dark Power in defense of the
people and in glory to the great gods. And those who follow in their footsteps,
who wield the power of demons in defense of the people might still find the
gods’ blessings upon them. But all the meanwhile, the demons whisper cruel
lies that tear even noble demonologists away from their people, their friends
and their communities.

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 The Imperium Alarum
History
As the Imperium Alarum tells it, the history of the empire starts with a
rebellion. A thousand years ago, the people of the sky were enslaved by the
so-called Kingdom of Iron. At the time, the people of the sky were one people,
united in their shared worship of the great bird-spirits as ancestors. But the
Kingdom stripped the slaves of their rituals and limited their contact with the
bird spirits. By the Goetic arts, the people of the sky called up ancient demons,
deep and dangerous powers of the earth, and rebelled against the Kingdom of
Iron.
With dark blades and black magic, the people of the sky eventually overthrew
their oppressors and shattered their kingdom. Few of these figures are
spoken of by name. Ixon the falcon was said to be born with a falcon’s wings.
Inmussilus and his hundred warriors famously gave their lives and let a
thousand others escape. Beyond a few remaining legends, however, the heroes
of this time have largely been forgotten, and are honored and remembered as
the Nameless Ancestors.

This story is at the centre of the cultural identity of the Imperium Alarum.
Most major cultural institutions and traditions call back to this story for their
legitimacy. To this day, the Imperium has no king as their ancient enemies did.
The empire boasts that everyone, high or low, eats the same stew passed down
from the ancestors who made the best of their meagre slave rations. When they
take new territory they claim to be liberators, continuing the long tradition of
liberation their ancestors started.

Following the liberation and the fall of the Kingdom of Iron, the people spread
out in the area around it, forming minor city-states, communes, republics
and other communities. Generally, the people settled along ancient family
and religious lines. Those who claimed descent from sterlings settled together,
as did those who claimed kinship with eagles or sparrowhawks, crows or
cranes. Others, whose families were small or who had lost all records of their
kinship in their enslavement, were adopted into other families or simply settled
some place, began worshipping the local birds and spirits, and took them as
ancestor-patrons.

The empire calls this time of expansion, building, and coexistence the age of
nests or the age of eggs, likening the growing cities to eggs waiting to hatch or
young birds waiting to take flight. Many of the modern cultures of the empire
evolved during this age. While the people of the sky shared a culture and a
language, each city and realm also held particular cultural expressions. Their
scholars, leaders and priests interpreted the same central ideas and rituals in
different ways. As famine, war, plague and politics pushed their histories in
new and divergent directions. It was a time for each of the many peoples of the
sky to discover and define themselves.

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 As the empire tells it, this is also when many of the people
went astray. Mixing with the remnants of the Kingdom of
Iron, both those who had been part of the ruling group and
other peoples conquered by them or held in bondage, the
people of the sky incorporated new ideas, new customs
and new rituals into their daily life, and people came to
disrespect and ignore the ways of their ancestors and the
will of their gods.

It is during this age that the empire has its roots. The
city-state of Aquilia, which claimed descent from the great
eagles, secured strong alliances on its eastern borders.
With their domestic safety ensured, Aquilia conquered
their western neighbours, who they claimed had turned
into kingdoms and thereby committed grave blasphemies
against the ancestors. This conquest was the first of many,
as the city-state of Aquilia, the city of eagles, slowly grew
into the Imperium Alarum. As they did, their mission also
turned into one of unification. Their early successes were,
they claimed, proof they held the favour of the gods, and it
was only right that all the people of the sky would be united
under their banner.

That is not to say that the imperium expanded only by

force. Several city-states and small nations saw great
promise in uniting with the empire, and the idea of a
unified whole for the people of the sky was attractive to
many people. Other places secured strong alliances but
remained, for a time, independent. As the empire grew,
such independence became mere formality as imperial
suzerainty became governance, and imperial law, culture,
and religious hegemony replaced local customs and laws.
Even so, several places in the empire still enjoy some
privileges promised in ancient pacts, such as exemptions
from certain taxes or levies, monopolies on certain goods,
or religious freedoms or privileges. The Red Rook Commune
still retains their own ancient laws, for example. And the
city of Corvus in the heartlands of the empire remains the
only place necromancy may be legally practiced.

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This time of expansion, which is in many ways still ongoing,
was a slow process. It took centuries of war and diplomacy
for the Imperium Alarum to reach its current size. As
it grew, its conquests became less and less peaceful in
proportion to the overwhelming might of its legions, the
strength of magic from all its conquered peoples, and the
efficiency of its infrastructure. Further, as its borders
expanded, the people they conquered shared less and less
culture and religion with the empire’s heartlands, and the
empire more easily justified conquest by the sword. In the
modern day, the peoples at the edge of the empire are no
longer of the sky, but true foreigners, worshipping strange
and different gods, and claiming descent and kinship with
bears and Lions, or the moon and sun. To the people of the
heartlands, these barbarians are hardly people, much less
worthy of alliance and diplomacy. The brutality with which
the empire enforces its culture against these new enemies
is a far cry from the slow propaganda of old.

Recently, the empire has been facing another conflict as

well. Internally, working conditions and the exploitation
of the working class has been an increasingly prominent
source of tensions, with workers forming “work-families”
across factories to strike and negotiate better pay, only
to be brutally suppressed by the Aristocracy. This idea
of ‘work-families,’ along with tactics likes strikes, sit-ins
and picket-lines, originated in the Red Rook Commune, a
resource-rich territory at the edge of the heartlands. There,
such tensions have led to open revolt against the Imperium.
Despite the empire granting the commune its relative
independence and acceding to its requests for certain
economic freedoms, the people of the commune have
rejected peace and raised their banner in open war against
the empire.

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 Religion
The religion of the people of the sky centers around a single particular belief:
that they, as a people, are descended from and can claim kinship with, the
great spirits of the sky.
As such, the religion, which has no name, has elements of ancestor worship,
animism, and polytheism, depending on who you ask and where in the empire
you are.

Originally, the religion had more of an animist bend, focusing on the local
bird-spirits and one’s personal ancestors. To most people, particularly in
rural areas, that is still how the religion is practiced. Familial ancestors are
worshipped privately, and whichever spirits your local community claims
kinship with are worshipped communally.

In practice, the distinction between ‘bird spirits’ and ‘ancestors’ is hazy. The
birds are ancestors to all, and ancestor spirits look like birds in their rare
appearances. It is unclear if the ancestors were reborn as birds or underwent
some transformation. To most people, it matters not. It is enough to know
that their ancestors joined the great spirits of the sky. The only distinction
that matters is that some ancestors are directly related to your family. Among
peasants, this usually goes no further back than a dear grandmother or great
grandmother, though the great ruling Families will sometimes honor specific
ancestors many, many generations back.

The official practice of the religion is controlled by the temples, which are in
turn controlled by the great families as extensions of their family worship.
As a part of that control, the religion as promulgated by the temples focuses
more on great spirits as abstract, singular entities. Each city and great Family
sponsors various temples to promote their particular patron spirit, with a
particular eye toward supplanting local, communal traditions. As such, the
temples often worship not “the ancestors” or “the eagles” but “The Great Eagle”
or The Great Falcon, or Crane or whichever particular spirit they consider
their patron. To encourage such worship, and to advance their personal patron
spirits, each city or great family is also increasingly presenting the gods as gods
of particular things.

While certain spirits have always been associated with particular things, and
some more than others, the idea that The Great Eagle is the protector of the
family, or that The Crow is the ordainer of endings, is a new development.
Spurred on by the increasing focus on singular divine spirits and cities,
communities and families now boast of their patron spirit’s importance and
power.

In urban communities, where the great families hold more cultural power,
this conception is spreading, particularly in the imperial heartlands. There,
many people have added shrines to the local oligarchs’ ancestors and heroes
to their personal familial altars, or even replaced their familial spirits with the
heroes of the Great Family which rules their local community. Further from the
heartlands, more traditional religious conceptions still hold sway, even as they
are slowly being turned towards more modern forms of worship.

22
 Family and society
The entire social order of the imperium alarum ties into one central idea: the
family. To the people of the empire, the family is the fundamental societal unit.
Family, in this sense, means a rigidly structured social, economic, religious
and magical unit, which exists on both a private level and as extensions of the
oligarchic great families.

On the private level, the family is the extended family, controlled and ruled by
its oldest living member, who also serves as the main focal point of ancestor
worship. For bigger families, the matriarch or patriarch likely has several adult
children who live separately, and sometimes even adult grand-children. In
those cases, the oldest adult in that family takes over some responsibility and
power from their elders, but are still under their authority — at least until
they, themselves, become elders. Beyond being a religious and social unit, the
family is also an economic unit. If one part of it falls on hard economic times,
local elders will often organize the rest of the family to offer aid. Further, many
things are traditionally made inside the family by children and adults not
working the land or a trade. These things include shoes, clothes, preserved
foods, some (but not all) tools and the repair and maintenance of various
household goods and furniture. All of these things are lent and shared freely
among the extended family, or given as gifts; the economic output of the
extended family is a necessary and integral part of most people’s economic
lives.

In rural sections of the empire, which are still large and important, this
traditional family structure generally remains in place, though people are
increasingly leaving rural communities for job opportunities offered in the
cities. If this is far enough that communication and contact becomes difficult,
these young families either move in with relatives in the city or start from
scratch on their own.

In urban environments, the traditional family structure is slowly weakening.

Its economic activities are increasingly moved out of the home into factories,
canneries, repair-shops and more. Economic support within the family
increasingly takes the form of money moving between siblings or cousins rather
than homemade goods.
Further, as religion in the city shifts, familial elders are losing power. City
families remain highly hierarchical, but often the role of leader, economic
authority and religious focal point moves from the elders to the oldest or most
“productive” working adult. However, where elders retain control of the family
finances, they also often retain control over the family.

There are other families than the local, private one, however. The empire is
ruled by a collection of great oligarchic families. These great families present
themselves as being the same as everyone else’s, but they are not.
Each great family is structured around a core nucleus: a political leader and
their immediate family. Elders serve as religious focal points and advisors.
This leader and their close family controls the finances, political and economic
capital, and magic of the great family. Beyond them are a veritable swarm of
grand-uncles, great grand uncles, first and second and third cousins however

23
 far removed, niblings, etc. These share in the family’s power, wealth and
magic. They act as functionaries and agents of the family, handling day-to-day
operations of the family’s holdings, and vying for influence and favor with the
family’s core nucleus.

These family holdings were traditionally land, farms, temples and military
organizations, but increasingly they also include factories, workshops,
canneries, railroads, cotton mills, rolling stock and so on. Most common
people work at a factory, mine, farm or railroad owned by a great family and
supervised by a distant relative, and their hard labour puts gold in the pocket
of some oligarch.

The families, of course, seek to expand and compete against each other
for control of industry economic functions of society. They do this both
by recruiting skilled people, offering adoption to competent workers and
managers, and funding the various innovative forms of business or invention
its idle members come up with. The invention of the railroad, for example, can
be attributed to the leader of the Juntinus family — a formerly weak great
family — providing monetary support to a second cousin twice removed to
great success. Increasingly, innovation in business, that is to say mechanical
invention and more efficient means of exploiting the workers, shape the
fortunes of the great houses.

But such innovation is not without risk! The ancestors are set in their ways,
and changes to the family’s traditional business forms risk their anger, and
so in the modern empire, the great families are torn between the risks and
benefits of breaking with tradition.

24
 Governance
The territory of the Imperium Alarum is divided into
twelve prefectures, loosely corresponding to the kinship
of the people who live there. In Equrum they claim
descent from horses and in Ursurum so it is for bears.
The prefectures are the most important administrative
units, and everything smaller are simply subdivisions
for ease of use. Schools, railroads and hospitals are
funded and administered on the prefectural level,
while temples are usually privately funded but must
be registered with prefectural officials. Prefectural
schools are monolingual and so is all prefectural
administration. Suggestions to allow dialects and
minority languages in administration are met with
strong condemnations of imperial disunity and
federalism.

The democratically elected legislature of the Imperium

Alarum — the Imperial Senate — is chosen not by
individual citizens, but by the families of the empire.
Any family that passes a certain wealth threshold
is permitted to vote, usually resulting in a suffrage
composed of old money and nouveau riche families.
On paper, every family above the wealth threshold has
a single vote cast by the family elder, but in practice
it is not uncommon for older aristocratic families to
have accumulated one, two or even three additional
votes from other, now-extinct families whose votes
passed into their inheritance through marriage. Being
elected to the Imperial Senate is largely seen as a
chore that requires constant commuting to Aquilia and
membership is largely unpaid. After all, why should
the most honourable families of the Imperium Alarum
have to subsidize the desire of their poorer members to
play politics?

25
 There is no formal executive branch of government in
the Imperium Alarum. The only governing authority
is the Imperial Senate. In practice, this role is taken
up by the Special Imperial Council, a committee
of about fifty members created at the formation of
a new Imperial Senate following an election. The
Special Magisterial Council contains a number of
Senators — about thirty five — and is otherwise
composed of ex officio members of other branches
and ministries: members of the Principal Council,
representatives of armies and families involved in
the production of military equipment, the heads
of the scientific academies and the deputies of the
chambers of commerce. Together, these form the
effective executive branch of the Imperium Alarum,
shaping and guiding the policies of the empire.

To the average person of the empire, the judiciary

of the Imperium Alarum is the most readily-felt
aspect of imperial governance. The principle of
governance most prevalent in the Imperium Alarum
is that of an indivisible state and immutable law.
Since the majority of the empire do not possess
legal citizenship, this has created an awkward
dualist system. Citizen courts dot the empire from
heartland to frontier. While these courts are generally
consistent and fair, non-citizens must contend with
a system of promagisterial courts run by bureaucrats
rather than judges. Such courts are occasionally
advised by natives but remain inconsistent and
frequently blatantly corrupt. This legal system is
largely a patchwork and when a case includes both
a citizen and a non-citizen, courts can frequently
become locked in ruinously expensive bureaucratic
deadlocks lasting decades or more. On the margins
of society, there are no real civil policing systems and
courts are far more frequently a matter of temporary
military tribunals, where soldiers set up desks in the
street and hand out swift justice.

26
 Economics
On paper, the economy of the Imperium Alarum is a free
market with a moderate amount of state intervention. On
paper, the Imperium Alarum is a single and unitary economy
experiencing a tide of growth as a result of industrialization.
These statements could not be more wrong in practice. In
practice, every single prefecture is economically its own
country. Despite pretensions of all-pervading imperial unity,
the economic disparity between those pseudo-countries is
very real and has devastating effects every single day. And
while the imperial economy is indeed a free market, it is also
one in which the government frequently invests in and saves
failed business ventures to maintain the economic dominance
of industrialized prefectures.

The largest contractor in the Imperium Alarum is the military.

Contracts are issued to construct the massive network
of railroads that carry about legions from place to place,
to build machine guns, weapons and military industries,
to supply soldiers with freshly canned goods and rations
needed for campaigns, and to weave legionary uniforms in
churning textile factories where children work for wages set
by diktat. Work-family strikes are broken by the might of the
very military the factories supply. Individual legions often
maintain their own contracts with different factory-owners to
ensure whatever unique demands that legion has.

Economically, the heartland prefectures of Imperium Alarum

are also the industrial centres of the empire. The industrialist
conglomerates that run the great factories of the heartlands
are essentially small states of their own. These industrial
dynasties benefit from the patronage and close proximity of
the Imperial Senate, which enact protectionist policies that
safeguard their profits and monopolies against the outer
periphery. Frequently the close alliance between the military,
government and commercial sectors permits such economic
“feudatories” to acquire small enclaves of land all around the
empire in which corporate guidelines become law. Contrary
to lesser companies, these cores of industry can afford to
present a friendly face to workers through social programs,
accident and life insurance, recreational parks and even
housing. In return, workers are expected to be obedient,
complacent and loyal to the end.

27
 Military
The military of the Imperium Alarum is a defining aspect of the state and until
very recently took up as much as seventy percent of the total state budget.
While both the army and the navy are incorporated into the armed forces of
the empire, the army holds primacy. The navy largely serves to defend the
vital internal trade networks of the empire, keep the seas clean and ensure the
safe movement of the army around the empire where rail cannot make way.
In contrast, the army guards the borders of the Imperium Alarum, puts down
rebellions, serves in border skirmishes and polices communities. There is no
doubt that the empire is carried on the backs of its soldiers.

The core of the landbound army is the so-called “legionary system”. Legions
are associated with specific geographical regions and frequently with a specific
patron spirit. Permanently established, they are responsible for hiring, training
and administering the career of every man under arms in that legion. Every
legion keeps their own standards, traditions, history and even rivals among the
other legions. A legion, comprising a thousand soldiers, isn’t a full army of its
own and serves as the smallest divisible tactical unit. Legions also maintain a
number of extra-legionary institutions and often act autonomously on a local
scale, providing policing services from their permanently-established garrison
headquarters.

However, as a result of this system, it is not uncommon for commanders to

form old boys’ clubs and internal networks of power or to endanger a mission
when put side by side with a rival legion.

The core to the army’s military success is undoubtedly the Principal Council:
a centralized staff organization with the purpose of planning and preparing
future military engagements. While the army was plenty successful without
it — as any army can be — the development of the Principal Council served to
ensure that the army could analytically handle its successes and failures in
the past and preserve institutional knowledge. However, the Principal Council
is also largely unconnected to the concerns of the common soldier and has
experienced more and more frequent conflicts with the Imperial Senate over
military policy. After all, why should the most accomplished military leaders of
the nation listen to a civilian government with little idea of war?

While it isn’t the core of the military, the navy also serves a vital role to the
empire. Largely still based on wooden sailing ships occasionally aided by
steam, the navy is a frequent — yet underfunded — innovator, even as the
army is showered with praise. This has led to a long rivalry between the
two services and has created a hawkish streak in naval command. It is not
uncommon for the navy to turn a border engagement into an open conflict to
demonstrate its power, and with the recent forays into iron-hulled ships it has
become more and more convinced that the future of the Imperium Alarum will
be defined by its sea-power.

28
29
 The Red Rook Commune
History
The history of the Red Rook Commune traces back to the
time just past the fall of the Kingdom of Iron, at the very start
of the age of nests. During the revolt, many, many families of
the people were split up and dislocated, many children were
orphaned and many ancient names and rituals were lost
forever. The Kingdom of Iron often, purposefully destroyed the
rites of the people and separated them from their ancestors
and their families.
Most of these orphaned people, disconnected from their
heritage, integrated into local culture by joining the other
families of the people of the sky or founding new families of
their own. But not all were so lucky. Those without a place
fled south to the sparsely inhabited mountains now known as
the Red Rook Commune

As the Kingdom of Iron fell, these orphaned people had

few resources and little left of their spiritual history. In
desperation and need, they turned to the local spirits, the
red rooks of Mount Corax. The red rooks met in their great
rare parliament, several thousand of them, blanketing the
southern slope of the mountain and cawing for days until
they reached their decision. Then, by divine benevolence and
grace they adopted the multitude of orphans as their own.

This is the foundation of the history and society of the Red

Rook Commune. With ancestral spirits of their own, the
people of the commune could form families, hold marriages
and funerals; create their own rites of healing and harvest,
initiate their children into adulthood, and much, much more.

From this sprung the first families of the commune, and

the people spread throughout the valley. It was, at the time,
sparsely populated: a few straggling villages and enclaves
of the people of iron, but nothing more. There were minor
battles, but for the most part these small populations
were absorbed into the more numerous people of the sky.
Though their former enemies were not always treated well
nor accepted gracefully, there were no such mass murders
as were found elsewhere, where entire civilian populations
were put to the sword as the people of the sky sought revenge
against their former masters.

Over the next few centuries, the people of the mountains

prospered. They formed a self-governing network of villages

30
throughout the valleys, with cities like Walden, Ardea
and Petronia serving as trading ports at lakes and on
the coast. With newly formed families and no strong
hierarchies, villages formed Parliaments to air grievances,
settle issues of debt or contracts, and set laws,
occasionally meeting in Great Parliaments to discuss
issues which might affect the entire region. For the most
part, however, the people of the mountains had no real
sense of themselves as one united entity other than in a
vague sense as the people adopted by the rooks.

It was five hundred years ago the Red Rook Commune

first took that name and acted together. Having
conquered Cygnum and much of the Tigris area, the
empire sent its envoys to barter for the great mineral
wealth of the commune, but their demands were
laughable. When no compromise could be reached, the
empire attempted to force the issue.

The empire invaded the town of Walden, to the great

outrage of the rest of the commune who rallied to
counterattack. While the empire’s legions were mighty,
they were ill-adapted to warfare in the mountains. The
people of the mountains used this advantage to cut the
empire’s supply lines and drove the legions back.

Since then, the people of the mountains have called

themselves the Red Rook Commune. While they have
not always acted as one, they have often united for the
common goal of independence from the empire.
The Imperium Alarum, however, have more tools than
brute force, and have used their cultural, economic
and religious might, along with promises of citizenship,
to gradually gain access to the Red Rook Commune’s
mineral wealth. Citizenship in the Imperium means
access to education, resources the commune lacked, a
shared network of support and humanitarian aid, and,
most importantly, access to religious rituals and magic.

No single treaty has ever declared the commune imperial

territory, but over the years military engagements, trade
agreements, cultural exchange and politics have slowly
made the commune imperial in many ways. Imperial coin
is the currency of trade, imperial heroes and gods are
worshipped alongside local ancestors, and so on.

This seesawing conflict with the imperium has defined

much of the commune’s history. Its fleet has blockaded
Walden more than once, and established permanent
forts there; Petronia Novum started as one of them. One
of the most important acts of magic in commune history
was against the imperium, when thousands of red rooks

31
 descended upon an imperial camp during a military
skirmish and flew off with their rations, forcing a quick
surrender. That place is still marked by the Memorial of
a Thousand Fallen Feathers.

Over time, the great families have, through the legions

and their various corporations, claimed more and
more of the commune as their territory to the great
dismay of the locals. The great families have used
force, unfair bargains and outright lies to gain access,
often unsuccessfully attempting to break up local
communities to establish themselves.
In response, the people of the commune have created
work-families. Through strikes, picket lines, and direct
sabotage the commune’s work families have stood their
ground well for much of the last century.

Ten years ago, desperate for the magical material

Aether, as well as iron and coal to feed its new
machinery of war, the Imperium brought prisoners
to the mountains to work the imperial mines. Unable
to bring its full force to bear on the Commune, and
unwilling to bargain with the “pugnacious” and
“stubborn” locals, the empire saw this as the only
economically feasible way to staff its dangerous mines.

This not only pushed many locals out of their

occupations, but angered many in the commune on
principle — the people of the sky had been slaves once,
and prisoners forced to work and die in the mines was
far too much like slavery for them. Over the last decade,
there have been an increasing number of guerilla
attacks on the imperium’s infrastructure and attempts
to free the prisoners, many of whom were prisoners
of war from the empire’s conquests. In response, the
empire tightened its grip and brought more and more
imperial legions as “security” and “peace-keepers.”

Seven months ago, this conflict came to a head when

imperial authorities began sending prisoners taken from
the Red Rook Communes to the mines, particularly
those arrested for “insurrection” or “disruption of the
imperial peace” — imperial code for trying to help the
prisoners — to work themselves to death in the mines.
This was too much of an outrage for the Red Rook
Commune to bear. Within a few days, mass strikes
were organized, and a grand parliament in Petronia
Novum was called. After just a few days of argument,
they came to an agreement and sent their demands to
the Imperium. The commune demanded closure of the
prison camps, amnesty to everyone tried for resistance
to them, the abolishment of imperial prisons in the

32
Commune, and freedom to every prisoner. The
imperium sent in their troops in response, but met
massive resistance and quickly retreated.

For the next two months, things stalled. Direct action

in the Red Rook Commune destroyed several imperial
holdings and both prisons in Petronia Novum. The
imperium attempted unsuccessfully to negotiate
and were unwilling to force the issue. However,
some unrest spread to the rest of the empire. People
elsewhere flocked to the commune in support, or
organized strikes and protests in their own cities in
solidarity and the empire grew worried.
Soon, defeated enemies of the imperium, guerilla
leaders from their conquests at the outskirts,
generals and failed rebels, flocked to the commune’s
banner. At this revelation, the empire offered new
terms. They would acquiesce to all of the Commune’s
demands, except freedom for prisoners and, in trade,
the Commune would have to hand over those former
enemies of the empire who hid among them. The
empire warned that this was the final offer, and they
would send in their legions if needed. Two months,
after all, had been plenty of time to gather them from
the far reaches of the empire.

The question was deliberated in the great parliament

and in many smaller ones for many, many days.
On one hand the slave-like institution of the prison
camps would be abolished. On the other hand, they
would have to abandon their new allies, who had
come to them for protection, and the many people
around the empire who had protested and striked in
solidarity. Some thought the offer was the best they
could hope for, but the vast majority of the commune
had long harbored embers of anger and rage toward
the empire. Eventually, the commune came to one
conclusion: they would not hand their allies to the
empire. Its evil practices were too great to abide, and
the only remaining option was full-scale revolution.
They would tear the empire down entirely, as their
ancestors had torn down the Kingdom of Iron in their
day.

They sent their reply to the empire not with a

messenger, but with a rag-tag army bearing the
Blood-stained-crow that was the ancient war-banner
of the Commune, thousands of red birds flying above
them. And with that, the Red Rook Revolt was begun.

33
 Religion
The religion of the Red Rook Commune is not substantially different from that
of the empire. Like the rest of the people of the sky, they honor the birds as
ancestors and gods, and worship at family altars and in the temples.

As with other people of the sky, there are certain spirits they honor above
others. These are the Red Rooks, who by grace and benevolence adopted
the people of the commune and became their ancestors, consistently
showing benevolence to the people of the commune. As patron spirits of the
commune, they are honored in great communal sacrifices and rituals, as well
as in personal rituals of thanksgiving or prayer. Their will and way of life is
considered to have shaped the culture and history of the commune, and living
like the Rooks is what sets the commune apart from the rest of the empire. As
is the common belief of people of the sky, those in the commune will join the
rooks when they die.

The people of the Commune also worship the many spirits and birds of the
empire; they invoke the great crows of Corvus for their funeral rites and make
prayers to the starling for good health, as people do everywhere throughout the
empire. Access to the magics of these far-off places, united in the Imperium
Alarum, has been one of the main benefits the commune has gained through
citizenship in the empire. The Great Families’ push to move the Commune’s
religion toward the spirits of the temples and away from the Commune’s
ancestors, however, holds little sway the the Red Rook Commune.

In fact, the temples as a whole are rather different in the Red Rook Commune.
There are no local great families, and while the families of the empire claim
more and more land and economic control, the Commune has strongly resisted
their influence on the temples. The temples of the Commune are smaller,
staffed by locals and supported by the community rather than by a great
house. That said, most temples do have arrangements with families of the
empire, paying a tithe and getting access to the rites and magic of the foreign
spirits. Even so, temples of the commune serve their community and distribute
blessings far more generously than the temples of the empire, which require
expensive donations.

34
 Family and society
The society of the Red Rook Commune, like the society of the empire, is shaped
around the family as its fundamental unit. As in the empire, each family is an
economic, religious and social unit. And, as in the empire, there are smaller
and greater families. That is, however, where much of the similarity ends.

A family of the Red Rook Commune is an extended family, including cousins,

uncles, nephews, great-uncles and so on, ranging from a dozen or so, to rather
large, hundred-people clans. Where the families of the empire are hierarchical,
however, the families of the Red Rook Commune are decidedly egalitarian.
Each adult has an equal say in all that affects the whole family, including
economic and spiritual matters. There is still some hierarchy, though not
much. Elders of the family are given increased respect and deference, and it
is rare that younger members will speak out against them. Further, the oldest
member of the family serves as the speaker for the family to the spirits, being,
as it were, closest to them.
Families, however, are not simply matters of blood. Adoption is a common
and well-regarded phenomenon, and many, many people get adopted into a
new family during the course of their lives. If one has a particular predilection
for fashion or accounting, seeking an adoption in a family skilled in those
fields is a common occurrence depending on the community. In big cities
such as Walden and Petronia Novum, it’s practically expected that you will
seek adoption in a new family when you come of age, while the practice is less
common and takes longer in more rural areas.

This common practice of specializing within a family and seeking families

to develop a trade has empowered the Work-Families to become the closest
thing the Red Rook Commune has to Great Families. Growing out of simple
agreements between families within the same trade, they are a means by
which families can work together to organize on a broad scale. Though they
originally resembled guilds to some degree, the explosion of infrastructure and
industrialization has led them to include a large number of industrial workers,
who use them to organize direct action such as strikes, sit-ins, demonstrations,
and work slowdowns. These Work-Families serve as the overarching social
structure of the Red Rook Commune, and the way families relate to one
another within it.

35
 Governance
The Red Rook Commune has no overarching government and no
ruling class. Each village is self-governing, usually through direct
democracy. Villagers of age will meet and decide on matters
by a vote, most often a simple majority vote, though it is not
uncommon for some place to have a charter or a constitution to
limit certain votes to a supermajority or consensus. Some places
also require that a majority of families must be represented for
certain issues.

Outside of villages, in towns and cities, Work-Families become

the major focus of political activity and action. Each factory or
collection of workshops is self-organized and self-ruling, and
work together through the Work-Families to establish rules and
laws. This is generally done with minimal bureaucracy and extra
oversight. Bureaucratic positions usually do not have much
power, and are subject to democratic oversight and replacement.
For town- and city-wide rules and laws — laws about crimes
or responses to emergencies on a large scale, such as natural
disaster, raids by the empire, famine, etc. — the Work-Families
convene a parliament, with each sending its own representatives.
While a few work-families may have standing representatives,
most do not, and in any case the representatives cannot exceed
the very specific authority granted at their appointment. Nearly
every major town has a charter listing certain rules regarding its
parliament, minimum attendance for the caucus, and so on.

Though rare, parliaments from different cities and towns can

convene Grand Parliaments. On very rare occasions — it has so
far happened half a dozen times in the history of the Red Rook
Commune — every major town and city and collection of villages
will send a representative to such a Grand Parliament. This has
happened only once in living Memory, a mere seven months ago:
the parliament that led to the Red Rook Revolt.

At no level does the Commune employ permanent armed police.

When necessary, Work-Families and parliaments raise temporary
militias, and most major towns and cities maintain a corps of
investigators to investigate burglaries, theft, rapes, murders and
other crimes, as well as negotiators and peacekeepers to handle
violent situations. These institutions are empowered to summon
militias if they need it in an emergency, but such powers are
rarely used. If someone is suspected of a violent crime, the
investigators will usually inform the work family, which will
organize protection for them. There is little organized crime in the
Red Rook Commune, and where it exists, local Work-Families are
likely to attempt to address the issue rather than employ brute
force.

36
 Economics
The Red Rook Commune functions broadly as a single economy,
though a rather fractured one. Each city and village handles its
economic output slightly differently, as determined by consensus
or direct democracy. In general excess production and resources
are stockpiled and shared freely to the needy, houses are built for
the homeless, food given to the hungry, and so on, and stockpiles
are maintained in case of famine or sickness. In villages and small
towns, populations are often small enough that this is handled
between families; if one suffers hardship, others will support it, on
the understanding that help will be returned later. In larger towns,
the help may instead be taken from the common good, and the
value of the goods or services given will be recorded in labour-hours.
Repayment when possible is then encouraged, though in most places,
each family will already have paid much into the common good by the
time they need help.

In big cities, things are more formalized. In Walden and Petronia

Novum, each family is provided for from the common stock which all
contribute to, and workers further receive labour-vouchers measuring
the time they have spent, with twenty percent deducted from the total.
A worker working ten hours will receive a labour voucher for eight
hours, the last two representing his contribution to the common good
and the reproduction of society. These they can then present to any
work-family in Walden and receive goods representing eight hours
of labour, including rare food, particular clothing, spices, tobacco,
books, specialty items, jewelry, and so on. That is not to say, however,
that without such labour-vouchers, the people of Walden subsist on
gruel and wear ratty sacks — people are provided for as well as can
be, given good clothes and fresh vegetables, meat, eggs, beer, and so
on.
Labour vouchers are also the means of trade with other work-families
and parliaments within the Red Rook Commune, though disputes do
occur when one family doubts the worth of another’s labour vouchers.

Labour vouchers are not generally supposed to be traded between

individuals, but that does not mean it does not happen, particularly
to acquire particularly rare or luxurious items, or items which are in
vogue. A beautiful silk gown or rare blend of tobacco might require
20 hours of labour to create or acquire by the Work-Family and so
require labour vouchers for twenty hours of work when requested.
However, since some people enjoy fine clothes a good deal and others
less, someone might well be willing to trade many many more hours
worth of labour vouchers for the item in question. The Work-Families
do try to avoid this by allowing people with a known interest in a
certain thing or subject to put in a request first, but when a particular
style of food or clothing comes into vogue, or when supplies of some
material are limited, the work-families accept some such trade as a
way of ensuring that those who will have the most joy from a thing
acquires the thing.

37
 Military
The Red Rook Commune has a large volunteer army, or rather
armies. Each city or town usually raises its own militia when
needed, or together through a Work-Family or a parliament.
Since the last parliament and the declaration of war, however,
every town and village has been sending as many volunteers
as they can to the main force organized in Walden, which
communicates with the other large armies raised in Petronia
Novum, Petronia and Ardea.
Within each army, each squad elects its own sergeant and
lieutenant, and participates with others to elect colonels and
generals. They can be recalled at any time except in the midst
of fighting. These officers serve as strategists and tacticians,
and make both the final decisions in case of a tie as well as any
decisions that cannot wait for a vote. They do not, however,
gain any special privileges, better accommodations or any other
reward.

With such a large volunteer army and a ground-up system of

authority, each army is fundamentally autonomous, acting on
its own recognizance, as is each squad within. However, since
officers are democratically elected, squads will usually trust their
officers and follow direction, as organized in Walden. When a
squad rarely does break rank with Walden, they are usually left
to their own devices, as long as they do not oppose or interfere
with those plans. When they do, the squad is relieved of arms
and reprimanded, and can no longer rely on the Commune’s
support unless they disperse and reintegrate in other squads.

The Red Rooks are not as well-trained or equipped as the

imperial legions, but they know their home well and fight
voraciously to defend it. They have met the imperial legions on
the field a few times now, and won costly, narrow victories. The
Rooks fight with guerilla tactics: they cut supply lines, strike
from ambush, and keep the imperials from making inroads.
For now, they’ve managed to push the empire out of the major
cities of the commune, but many roads and blockades remain
imperial-controlled.
So long as the revolution remains in the mountains, their short
supply lines, high morale, and knowledge of the terrain proves
them superior to the imperial armies. Once the Commune has
been retaken, however, the revolt faces a difficult proposition:
many want to see the empire fall and all in it liberated. But the
imperial armies are powerful and pushing to the imperial capital
of Aquila will not be easy.

One thing, however, gives the Red Rook Revolt an edge against
the superior imperial legions no matter the terrain. A small band
of heroes, affectionately called the ‘Rooks,’ have taken up the
Goetic magic of the old slave rebellions, bloodying their blades in

38
dark sacrifice and summoning demons to their aid.
With their Dark Power, they can penetrate the imperium’s protective magic,
cut swaths through soldiers, infiltrate imperial factories and headquarters,
and operate behind enemy lines. Working in small, independent squads, they
target key infrastructure, assassinate generals, and spread propaganda. With a
powerful counter to the imperial legions’ magic and more people taking up the
Goetia every day, the Rooks can yet turn the tide and win the war for the Red
Rook Commune. The only question is whether their friendship and camaraderie
is enough to keep their dark Corruption at bay even as they feed the demons
again and again.

39
 Character Creation
Adoption into the Commune of an Ursurum War Prisoner

A stranger stands before the commune, all gathered in this low building
near the hearthfire. Wounds were incurred in the raid on the prison camp,
the burial rites fresh in mind. Ashes still drift on the evening breeze. From
the beds in the corners, an occasional moan of pain.

They are the first to be brought before the adults of the commune. The
stranger still wears their matted fur, a precious treasure from home. They
were favoured by their ancestors; thick of frame and full of hair. It’s on
their arms, their chest, their shoulders. It flows a rich chestnut-brown
down their scalp. The first thing they did upon coming here was wash the
dirt and smudge from it. The residue of the mines. Sometimes, they worry
they’ll never be clean again.

“The Imperium lies,” states one before them. The elder, nominally, of this
particular commune. “They claim that by blood and birthright, they rule
the world. They claim that their wings will stretch over all the sky, and that
everyone — especially we land-bound folk — must serve. That this is the
way of things. That they are chosen. Special.”

He spits into the fire. The saliva sizzles.

“I say it is not so. I say every heart that beats, every person who draws
breath is chosen and that all they need are family.”

There are murmurs of assent.

“You have come from far away, Birkna. You have lost your family. But
if you will join with us, we will support you. If you will fight with us, we
will lend you our strength. And if you will share our stew… The Rooks
will brush their feathers over you, and make you one of their own.” They
gesture to their own feathered cloak.

Just days ago, Birkna was broken. Battered by hard labour and abused
by the cruelty of the Eagle-folk. For a bear to ally with rooks is an act of
desperation. But they are right. Birkna is alone here, forced apart from kin.
And there is much work to be done.

Outside, the ancestors caw, questioning. They have gathered to hear

Birkna’s decision.

Birkna feels the bowl in their hand, warm with the stew. They raise it to
their lips and drink deeply, feeling strength rush through their limbs. A
raucous celebration erupts from human and bird alike. It is joyous and
bright, and lasts well past the twilight hours.

The Heroes of the Red Rook Revolt come from all across the empire, all

40
seeking to fight for a better, freer, life. Each of them have relationships in the
Red Rook Commune: families, lovers, friends, even rivals who they would not
see bound and dragged off to the mine or the factory. Most of those who take
up the fight and toss themselves on the front lines are from the Red Rook
Commune, but not all.

Making a Hero of the Red Rook Revolt has two basic phases. In the first phase,
you give your character a connection to the people around them: a reason
to take the fight to the empire, to take up the darkest magic and fight for
their freedom. In the second, you create your character’s demon and magic,
shaping how they fight and the supernatural abilities they bring to bear against
the empire. As you follow the steps below, you will record the information
generated on your character sheet, which can be found on p. 126.

41
 Making a Revolutionary
Every revolutionary comes from somewhere. They have
friends, family, acquaintances and something they did
before they took up arms. Each revolutionary has formed
relationships not only with these figures from their own
communities, but also with their comrades-in-arms, their
rivals and others.

Character History
First, you must define your character’s history, doing so in
three Lines. A Line is a single sentence about a character
that can improve your results when your character
makes Challenge rolls (p. 78), and which is also used for
Advancement (p.88).

The first Line should be about your character’s family or

where they came from. Their birth-family, the village they
grew up in, how they spent their childhood, or who they
were before they joined the Red Rook Commune.

The second Line should relate to their work or occupation

before they became a revolutionary. Were they an
imprisoned miner, trader, a priest, an entertainer or some
other thing? Whatever you choose, it goes here. It’s generally
a good idea to add a bit more than just an occupation —
“Spent five years as a wandering priest, teaching others the
old stories” says more than just “trained as a priest.”

The third Line should relate to a member of your

character’s community. A parent or child, a lover, a nice old
lady who lost her daughter to the empire, an adoptee they
brought into their family. It should be about something
they did with that person or learned from that relationship.
“Helped Ms. Ava upkeep the village mechanical loom” would
work, as would “my uncle taught me to shoot.”

42
 Memories
Once you’ve written three Lines to define your character,
it’s time to define your character’s relationships with
their community and the other players’ characters. These
relationships exist primarily in your character’s Memories.

First, you name one character who represents the

community your character is fighting for. This should be the
same as the subject of your third Line above. Then write
down your character’s relationship with this person and two
Memories that communicate important things about it. Next
to each Memory, write down one word that describes what
“feeling” you attach to it. See Memories and Relationships
below for more details on how Memories work.

You also start with one Memory for each fellow

revolutionary. Take turns talking with the other players
about your relationships, then describe a shared Memory
with each. You each write your version of that shared
Memory down on your own sheets under that relationship.
Also write down the relevant feeling of each of those
Memories.

43
 Making a Demonologist
Many people are inspired to fight against the empire to protect
their loved ones. But not all take up the ancient magic of the
Nameless Ancestors and bind slithering demons to their hearts.
Your character did.

In this step, you will define your demon and make choices
about your character’s fighting style and combat capabilities.

44
 The Demon
Your demon is the source of your power, but also a
threat to your mind and your relationships. It is a
cruel, twisted, jealous thing. It is represented through
Dark Power and the Corruption mechanic, but there
is more to it than game mechanics.

First, give the demon a Name. This can be anything

you want. My suggestion is to google The Lesser Key
of Solomon and choose a name that sounds cool.
Another option is a descriptive name that tells you the
demon’s role or method. A name like “Turns-love-to-
hate,” or “Friendship-is-lies-bleeding.” These are mere
suggestions, however; name your demon whatever
you want.

Next up, you should give your demon a Description.

This can include a physical description — again,
The Lesser Key of Solomon is a great source of
inspiration — but primarily it should be about the
demon’s methods and how it corrupts. Some demons
feed on fear and anxiety to provoke paranoia and
suspicion. Others stoke embers of frustration into
anger and hatred. Still others cultivate self-hatred and
despondency, or towering arrogance. Whatever you
choose and however you describe it, write it down on
your sheet.

Your demon does not need to be grounded and

realistic. If playing with paranoia, self-hatred, anxiety
or anger management is hard, painful, or dangerous
to you, you are welcome to blow it up into theatrical
melodramatic Faustian bargains where the demon
demands certain actions for power. You could also
tone it down by making the demon a friendlier one
who might make you arrogant and self-assured,
but not despondent or paranoid — someone you
can dramatically refuse at appropriate times. How
you play the demon and its effects is always in your
hands, and you are encouraged to play it in whatever
way makes you comfortable and safe.

45
 Tricks, Equipment and HP
The other part of mechanically defining your character as
a demonologist and warrior is to decide on your magical
equipment and training. Your demon allows you to use the
power both to overcome the magical defenses of the imperial
legions, and to power the various Amulets and Talismans you
use.

First, choose a Gun. The gun defines the rhythm of combat

for you. Slower, more powerful weapons like the shotgun can
kill enemies in one shot but will require more time spent in
melee where your character is most in danger. Lighter, quicker
weapons, like pistols, will encourage moving in and out of
combat, and their lesser cost in Dark Power will mean you can
more easily afford to use more powerful Amulets.

Then, you choose two Amulets or Talismans. Amulets are

worn on your body and give you a new, powerful way to use
your Dark Power, like healing, teleportation, shields, and so
on. Talismans are hung on your weapons and allow you to use
your sword or gun in new ways or improve their efficiency or
strength. You may choose two among them, as you wish — two
Amulets, two sword Talismans, an Amulet and gun Talisman,
etc.

Now, choose a Trick. A Trick isn’t some demonic power, but

just a thing you can do as a result of your training, willpower,
or just pure, bull-headed revolutionary spirit. The Tricks are
also listed in the equipment section.

Lastly, you have Hit Points or HP. Each revolutionary has 3.

These are how much damage you take before possibly going
down or taking a Scar.

46
 Memories and Relationships
Many think that guns and bullets win wars; that freedom lies down the barrel
of a gun. But more than that, the oppressor can be defeated only by organizing
and working together. Each hero may be a powerful warrior and a threat to
the empire, but alone their hearts would falter and they would be overtaken by
their enemies or their own creeping demonic Corruption.

It is by their trust and support of each other and their strong bonds that
the heroes of the rebellion survive to fight on. That is not to say that every
relationship between the heroes is a stalwart friendship. Some are family,
rivals, allies of convenience, on-and-off again lovers, or any number of other
possibilities. While these relationships may be sources of frustration or
annoyance, it is rare for two heroes of the rebellion who hate one another to
work together. As such, heroes should not have outright negative relationships.

Each of these relationships manifests as Memories.

Memories are the core thing that makes up your relationships. These are past
events that inform your relationship with that character. For example, if one
of the other Heroes is your sister, you may have a Memory of coming home
one day to find that she threw you a surprise birthday party. Another might
be your Memory of comforting her with chocolate and ice cream, calming her
anxiety while her girlfriend was off fighting the rebellion.

Every Memory has a description next to it called a feeling, which is the thought
or emotions you associate with them. Each feeling is a one-word description
of a Memory’s general theme, the primary emotion associated with it. Does
the Memory of your birthday party fill you with a sense of gratitude for all the
things your sister has done for you? Or perhaps it reminds you of how she
always makes you smile, relax, and enjoy yourself? How about the Memory
of when you stayed with her while her girlfriend was away? Does it make
you feel protective of your sister, or perhaps supportive? Or do you silently
roll your eyes at her fretting over everything, or wish that she was better at
picking girlfriends? Be sure to consider how your demon might corrupt or taint
that feeling. A Memory does not need to be fully positive — it can be sad or
upsetting, if it needs to. But it should strengthen the relationship, not hurt it.

However you feel, each of your Memories should help you clarify where you
stand with the associated person and how it may impact play. For example,
one Memory which makes you feel like your sister has your back and another
that makes you feel that she will keep her word no matter what may tie into a
general feeling of trust.

This Feeling does not affect the mechanics of the game, but it may change
when a demon taints your Memories, turning positive associated feelings into
negative ones.

47
 Using Memories
During the game, Memories are used in two ways.

The first is when making a Challenge roll (p.78) during a mission. When you or
a friend is attempting a Challenge roll, either of you can use a single Memory to
grant a +1 bonus to the roll. Only one Memory can be used on a Challenge roll
in this way. You may do this once per Memory per mission.

The other time is when you resist Corruption. When you or an ally makes a roll
to remove Corruption Tokens, you must first identify a Memory on the sheet
of the person making the roll. This Memory is the primary one used to fight
the demon’s influence, and the one that may become Tainted if you fail. Next,
both you and your ally may call on as many Memories as you have in your
relationship to get a +1 on the roll for each Memory used. You can do so even
if you used these Memories on a Challenge roll previously, but using them to
resist Corruption means they will become either Exhausted or Tainted and
will be unavailable to you for the rest of the mission. All Exhausted Memories
will refresh during Downtime automatically, but Tainted Memories are more
difficult to heal. Resisting Corruption is described in more detail in the
Corruption chapter (p.72).

48
 Exhaustion and Taint
The demonic presence in the mind of the heroes, the source of their strength,
is also a source of grave danger. It seeks to separate the heroes from each
other, turn their love bitter and their trust to paranoia and fear. They do this
by Tainting your Memories of your friends and comrades. Once a Memory is
Tainted, it cannot be called on to help you for any roll.

Tainted Memories change their emotional tone, inverting and turning them
negative. This is represented on your sheet by changing the one word “feeling”
written above each Memory. Taint may turn a Memory of your brother helping
you build a house for your family out of love into a Memory of your brother
insinuating that you are weak and cannot do anything yourself. The actual
content of the Memory is unlikely to change, though some details may be
slightly altered, such as your brother’s smile seeming more sarcastic or his
encouragement feeling more urgent and annoyed. But what truly changes is
how you interpret and understand that Memory, and what it means for your
relationship.

The demons do not always succeed in tainting your relationships and fouling
them up with lies. Far more often, in fact, the camaraderie of the heroes and
their bonds of trust, loyalty, friendship and love show the empty lies as just
that — empty, worthless lies. Even so, the constant fight can be emotionally
exhausting. At times, even Memories can become Exhausted. That is not to
say that they are simply a resource to be spent, but that there is a strain in
constantly having to remind yourself of the time your friend saved your life to
rebuff a quiet voice calling them a traitor.

While a Memory is Exhausted, it can no longer be used for Challenge rolls or

when resisting Corruption for the rest of the mission. It will refresh when you
enter Downtime. For more on how Memories become Exhausted and what it
means long-term, see p. 72.

49
 Equipment
Guns

∵ Pistol

The pistol is the most basic Ranged

weapon, good for firing off several
single shots in succession.

The pistol has an Expected Range

of 2, and allows you to take the
following action:

Shoot!

Cost 1
Spend a Dark Power token, and make a Ranged Attack
using the Basic Ranged Attack table.

50
∵ Shotgun

A great weapon for close encounters, the

shotgun is slow but powerful.
The shotgun has an Expected Range of 1,
and allows you to take the following action:

Shoot!

Cost 2
Spend 2 Dark Power tokens, and make a Ranged Attack,
rolling on the following table:

Roll Result

6 Critical Hit! Do 3 damage

5 Hit. Do 2 damage
4 Hit. Do 2 damage
3 Graze. Do 1 damage
2 Miss. Do no damage
1 Miss. Do no damage

51
 ∵ Rifle

A long-range weapon, perfect for taking out

targets at a distance.
The rifle has an Expected Range of 3, and allows
you to take the following action:

Shoot!

Cost 1
Spend a Dark Power token and make a Ranged Attack using
the Basic Ranged Attack table. You cannot get more than +1
for being closer than the Expected Range, no matter how
close you are.

52
∵ Hand Cannon

The Hand Cannon is an ultra-heavy pistol that

damages as well as a shotgun. However, its
kickback is a significant drawback, and leaves
you open.
The Hand Cannon has an Expected Range of 1,
and allows you to take the following action:

Shoot!

Cost 1
Spend 2 Dark Power tokens, and make a Ranged Attack,
using the shotgun table. After each shot, you gain a -1
penalty to defense, which does not stack. If you are in Melee,
your target may Counterattack; roll on the Defense table.

53
 ∵ Heavy Rifle

The Heavy Rifle shoots powerful rounds able to pierce

one enemy and hit another behind it.
The Heavy Rifle has an Expected Range of 3 and
allows you to take the following action:

Shoot!

Cost 2
Spend 2 Dark Power tokens and make a Ranged Attack,
rolling on the Basic Ranged Attack table. If you hit, make
a second roll against another enemy in the same zone or a
zone behind it. Adjust range bonus or penalty as needed.
You cannot get more than +1 for being closer than the
Expected Range, no matter how close you are.

54
 Talismans
∵ Sword Talismans
Fury Fills the Blade

After you take the Strike! Action, reduce the cost of that action by one for the
rest of the round.

Parry the World

When you Dodge! or Evade! a Ranged Attack, you may deflect it back; roll on
the Basic Ranged Attack table.

Revelation of Blood

When you make a Melee Attack, you may gain an additional Dark Power token,
for a total of 3.

Ride the Dark Lightning

If you spend two Movement in a turn, you may make a free Melee Attack. This
is subject to Counterattack as usual.

Sanguine Response

You when you Evade! or Dodge! a Melee Attack, you may make a Melee Attack.
This attack is not subject to Counterattacks.

∵ Gun Talismans
Flies Straight And True With Great Wrath And Fury
You may spend extra Dark Power when taking the Shoot! Action. For each Dark
Power token you spend in this way, you get +1 to your roll. If you spend at least
3 more, your attack further does 1 extra damage.

Endless Motion

Gain 1 Action Point the first time in a turn you kill someone with a Ranged Attack.

55
 Born of Blood

If you have no Dark Power tokens, you may spend Hit Points to Shoot! instead.
If you spend your last, you roll on the Consequence table as usual, but One
Last Strike! and Rally count as Knocked out.

Poisonous Spite
If you hit an enemy, the targets of any of their attacks get +1 on their Defense
rolls until the end of your next turn.

Hellfire Response

If you are hit by a Melee Attack that isn’t a Counterattack, you may
immediately take a Shoot! action for free against that enemy. This still requires
Dark Power tokens as usual.

Amulets
Shield of Shadows

You gain the following action:

Invoke Shield

Cost 1
Spend 2 Dark Power tokens. Until the end of your next turn, get +2 on Defense
rolls.

Step of the Gods

You gain the following action:

Teleport

Cost 1
Spend 1 Dark Power token and place yourself in any zone, engaged with
anyone (or no one), no matter what lies in your way.

56
Hellfire Smoke

The first time you take the Shoot action in a turn, get +1 on your Defense rolls
until the start of your next turn.

Dark Renewal
You gain the following action:

Healing

Cost 2
Spend a Dark Power token. You and one friend regain a single lost Hit Point.

World-shaper

The cost of Interact with the Environment is reduced to 1, and you may spend
a Dark Power token to turn a failure into a success.

Tricks
Guerilla
Dodge! counts as Evade! when defending against Counterattacks.

Acrobat

You may move to adjacent zones that are otherwise inaccessible. For example,
running up a wall and jumping into a balcony, climbing across a chain-link
fence, or swinging by a chandelier to circumvent an obstacle. This costs
Movement as usual, but is otherwise free.

Disarm

When you Dodge! or Evade! a counter-attack, if you have an Action Point left,
you may disarm your opponent; they will have to spend 2 Action Points to
regain their Melee weapon next turn.

57
 Interpose

When an ally in your zone suffers an attack, you may choose to change the
target of that attack to yourself, making a Defense roll in your ally’s place.
Make the roll at a -1 penalty. If you do this for a Melee Attack, you are now also
engaged with that opponent if you weren’t before.

Taunt

You gain the following action:

Taunt your foe!

Cost: 1
Choose an enemy. On their next turn, they must move closer to you or attack
you before doing anything else.

Dodge and Weave

When you move into a new zone, get +1 on Defense rolls until the start of your
next turn.

Charge

When you move into a new zone, you may choose to engage an enemy of your
choice.

Hit and run

When you take the Strike! action, you may choose to immediately disengage
after the attack. If you do this, you are still Counterattacked, but take +1 on
the Defense roll.

58
 Basic Mechanic
A Woman and Her Gun
The betrayal is what stings the worst. It’s what always stings the worst. Beckett
sits, rifle laid out on the red cloth before her as she carefully dismantles it.

You know she’s meeting with him right now.

She hears its whispers in her mind. Knows she shouldn’t listen. Someone on
the inside is necessary to their mission. But her heart is raging. Her hands
shake as she brings the cloth rag to the mouth of the opened bottle, but the
scent of the oil works its soothing magic. Soon, her hands will quiet. But the
rage will not.

She’d do anything for the cause, she said.

Stripping, cleaning and rebuilding your gun becomes a ritual. And like any
ritual it holds its own magic — even if, to an outsider, it is just the comfort of
doing the same thing over and over. Beckett knows better. She knows it calms
her hands and heart. That it gives her purpose, if only for a moment.

Is he peeling her an apple, right now?

Right now, her soul is screaming. And she is in agony.

Her work-family wouldn’t understand, and that makes her cheeks blush even
worse. On a certain level, she knows this is irrational. But her feelings are her
feelings. And when her beloved dares to…

How dare she?

Her weapon understands. It purrs in her mind as her fingers dig the oiled
cloth in deep. Gets into every crevice of its intricate sigils. Makes the bleached
bone gleam. She pulls the hammer back, feels it catch perfectly, then carefully
releases it.

Once every piece is in its place, she loads the first bullet.

It wants her to act on the storm in her heart, on the fury in her soul. It
understands that she needs an outlet. Tonight, it will give her one.
Its proper sacrifice. In blood and fire.

59
 In Red Rook Revolt each player has their own die, a single d6. This is used for
the unifying mechanic of nearly every roll in the game:
A player — not the GM — rolls a single d6 on the appropriate table.
When attacked, a player rolls on the defense table. When attacking, a player
rolls on the attack table. When doing Downtime actions, you roll on the
appropriate Downtime table, and when solving challenges in a mission, you roll
on the table for that, too.

There are three ways to influence these rolls.

The first is modifiers. Sometimes, an Effect in the game will provide a modifier
to a roll, a bonus or a penalty. Simply add or subtract these from the result
when looking at the table. As a general rule, modifiers stack with one another.
If a bonus would result in a roll greater than 6, the roll is a 6. Similarly, if a
penalty would result in a roll below 1, the result is a 1. A common example of a
modifier is using a Memory to add +1 to a Challenge roll.

The second is by lending a die. When supporting one another, one player may
lend another player their die, which they can then use to resist Corruption or
to reroll an action they take that they failed. When rerolling, the player rerolling
may always keep the higher result. You’ll most commonly see this when using
the Aid an Ally action in combat.

The third is having a Line. When you make a Challenge roll during a mission,
you get access to better results on the table if you have a relevant Line. Lines
do not affect any other kind of roll.

60
 Combat
In the Heights of the Imperial City
Up this high, the peals of thunder deafen, and the lightning sometimes strikes
the metal rod on the rooftop I lay on. Too close. The hard rain is a gentle
background susurrus to my thoughts, my only company this close to the birds.

The skies are angry. Their fury paints the stone walls a darker hue, as imperial
eagles spew water through open beaks along the side of the Administratorium
Compound; all perfect circles and rectangles in chiseled stone.

I am here to commit a murder.

I am soaked to the skin as I lay on cold stone, my legs and genitals numb.
Only my eyes matter. My cap’s brim keeps the water out, even as a rivulet runs
down into my ear.

My rifle has no scope. I want intimacy. I aim down the barrel. Between my
talent, my eyesight, and my magic, I am certain of my success.

Three blocks over is the tallest building in the district, and tonight, the
Minister has agreed to see the nephew of the head of the Ovidus family. I don’t
know how Aleksei managed to fool them, but he has tricks of his own. Aleksei
says he draws on connection, and he can find it even with the staunchest of
imperials.

Aleksei needs to search the minister’s chambers and find their payroll ledgers.
But his magic will be of no use against the Minister’s wards, and that’s where I
come in.

The Minister will come to the window, and I will whisper his name with as
much hate as I can to my gun. I will feel the wood strain beneath my fingers,
see the steam rise up as the metal heats. The demon takes my anguish and
anger. My words become embers of spite and dread and anticipation, and the
shot is scored with the name of its target. The slug will scream down a barrel
twisted with the seething morass of my emotions.

And it will find a heart as hateful as mine.

61
 Turns and Rounds
Combat in Red Rook Revolt is divided into turns and rounds.
A turn is the time at which a single player acts; generally
enough time to move and perform actions like attacking in
melee or shooting. A round is the time it takes for everyone to
take a turn. When the last person in the turn order has acted,
the next round starts.
A player starts each turn with 3 Action Points and 2
Movement.

Advantage and Setback

At the start of combat, after Initiative and after enemies and
players are placed on the map, players spend Advantage and
the GM spends Setback. Advantage represents advantages
the player characters have gained during the lead-up to the
combat and the relevant preparation they’ve done. Setback
represents everything that makes the combat more difficult
for them, such as enemy intel, low morale, or flubbing a
previous part of the mission.

Starting with the GM, the GM and the players take turns
choosing a single option to spend Setback or Advantage,
each group making a single change to the encounter until all
Setback and Advantage have been spent.

Advantage can be spent in the following ways:

• 1 Advantage: move one allied character to a different

zone, anywhere on the map.
• 1 Advantage: give one character 1 additional Dark Power.
• 1 Advantage: give one character +1 Initiative. This can be
done only once for each character.
• 1 Advantage: move one grunt to any zone.
• 1 Advantage: declare one otherwise accessible zone
inaccessible.
• 1 Advantage: declare one otherwise inaccessible zone
accessible.
• 2 Advantage: move one allied character to a different
zone, and start them engaged with an enemy.
• 2 Advantage: give one character +1 Action Point in the
first round.
• 2 Advantage: move one non-grunt enemy to any zone.

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Setback can be spent in the following ways:

• 1 Setback: move one enemy to a different zone, anywhere

on the map.
• 1 Setback: give all attacks against one enemy a -1 penalty
the first round of combat.
• 1 Setback: declare that one additional grunt is coming as
backup (can be done multiple times).
• 1 Setback: give one enemy a +1 Initiative. This can be done
only once for each character.
• 1 Setback: declare one otherwise accessible zone
inaccessible.
• 1 Setback: declare one otherwise inaccessible zone
accessible
• 2 Setback: declare that one additional dragoon is coming as
backup (can be done once).
• 2 Setback: move one enemy to a different zone and start
them engaged with a player character.
• 2 Setback: give one non-grunt enemy +1 Action Point in the
first round.

Any grunts or dragoons coming as backup can be added to the

encounter by the GM at the start of any round. The GM does not
have to add them all at the same time, but may do so.

Placement
As a general rule, unless there is a narrative reason otherwise,
players all start in the same zone. Enemies start as makes sense
in the fiction, but should generally be spread out over at least
three zones.

Initiative
At the start of each combat, players roll their d6 to determine
the turn order. The turn order moves from the highest to the
lowest. In the case of a tie between an enemy and a player, the
player goes first. Enemies do not roll. Instead, a GM places one
enemy at Initiative 2, then 4, then 6, afterwards repeating with
1, 3, 5. If more than six enemies are present, restart from 2,
such that there are two enemies on Initiative 2, (then two on
Initiative 4, etc)

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 Actions and Action Points
Each combatant has Action Points, which they use to do
actions. Each action will list the amount of Action Points
they require. Action Points cannot be shared between
characters, and are lost at the end of the round. (but see
Movement below). Player characters have 3 Action Points
each round, unless a Trick or piece of equipment gives
them more.

Zones and Ranges

Every combat happens somewhere, and usually
somewhere interesting and exciting. For ease of use and
flow of combat, the battlefield is divided into zones. Each
zone should be a discrete area of the battlefield, though it
should not be too large.
If you’re fighting on top of a train, each car might be a
zone, as might the rocky patch of ice on one of them and
the platform at the end of it you climbed up from. If you’re
attacking the enemy camp under the cover of night, the
big tent might be a zone, as might the area around the
campfire, the hilltop beside the camp, and the gunpowder
cart beside it.

There is some room to move within each zone, so it also

matters whether you are Engaged with an enemy, which
is the most granular level of position the game tracks.
Being engaged with an enemy means you are within melee
range of it; close enough to strike it with your sword.

Which zone you are in compared to your target determines

your range to that target, which is relevant when attacking
with guns and other Ranged weaponry. If you are engaged
with the target, you are at range 0. If you are in the same
zone, range 1. If you are in a neighboring zone, you are
at range 2. If you’re in a zone that borders a neighboring
zone, you are at range 3, if you’re in a zone that borders
that zone, range 4, and so on.

64
 Movement
Each turn, you start with 2 Movement and various actions may grant you
more. One Movement lets you engage an enemy in the same zone, move to an
adjacent zone if you are unengaged, or disengage an enemy if you are engaged.
You can only move as a normal human would, unless some equipment or
Trick lets you do otherwise. For example, the balcony above a ballroom may be
adjacent to the ballroom, but without something to let you run up walls, you
might still have to move through other zones to get there.

The most common source of Movement is the Dash action, detailed below.

If you end your turn with at least 2 Movement, you start the next round with
an additional Action Point. Multiples of 2 do not provide additional Action
Points beyond the first.

Attacking
Players make two kinds of attacks in Red Rook Revolt: Ranged Attacks and
Melee Attacks.
Melee Attacks always hit. Simply describe your attack, and the enemy takes
damage. Melee Attacks carry both risk and reward. The risk is the enemy’s
Counterattack - if the enemy has not died, roll on the Defense table after
a Melee Attack. The reward is Dark Power. Each Melee Attack serves as a
sacrifice to your summoned demon, and gives you at least one Dark Power
token. You may also choose to gain an additional Dark Power token.

Ranged Attacks do not always hit, but also do not risk a Counterattack.
Ranged Attacks always require you to spend a Dark Power token. When you
fire most weapons at the weapon’s Expected Range, roll on the following table:

∵ Basic Ranged Attack:

Roll Result
6 Critical hit! Do 1 damage, and the
enemy loses one Action Point next
turn.
5 Hit. Do 1 damage.
4 Hit. Do 1 damage.
3 Grazing hit. Enemy loses one Action
Point next turn.
2 Miss. Do no damage.
1 Miss. Do no damage.

65
 Certain weapons may have their own attack table.

If you are closer to the target than your Expected Range, you get the difference
as a bonus on your die roll. If your pistol’s Expected Range is 2, for example,
and you are at range 1, you get a +1 to your roll.

Defending
When the enemy attacks, they do not roll to hit or to deal damage. Instead, the
players defend themselves by rolling on the Defense Table:

∵ Defense table:

Roll Result
6 Evade! You take no damage. If in
Melee with your attacker you may
disengage. If at range, you may gain
and use 1 Movement.
5 Dodge!. You take no damage.
4 Dodge!. You take no damage.
3 Grazing hit. You suffer the Effect.
2 Hit. You take damage.
1 Critical Hit! You take both damage
and Effect!

An enemy’s description tells you the Effect and damage of its attacks. If they
are not specified, the Effect is a -1 penalty to all of your Defense rolls until the
end of your next turn and the attack deals only 1 damage.
Enemies with Ranged Attacks will list the range in their description. Their
Ranged Attacks cannot be used outside that range, and there are no bonuses
for being closer.

Dark Power
Dark power is the power of your demon welling up in response to violence
and blood. When you get a Dark Power token, place it on your sheet. Various
actions require you to spend Dark Power tokens. When you do so, do not
return it to the common pot or GM; instead, set them aside next to your sheet.
At the end of combat, your Dark Power tokens can turn into Corruption tokens
and threaten to stain and corrupt you. More on that in the next chapter.

66
At the start of each encounter, you always start with at least 2 Dark Power
tokens, though if 2 or more carry over from a previous encounter, you do not
gain any additional Dark Power.

Actions
Each turn, a player or a monster takes actions by using their Action Points.
Actions have the following components:

Name - This is the name of the action.

Cost - This is the cost of the action in Action Points.
Effect - This is what the action does. Some have an additional cost listed. You
cannot take an action without paying that cost.

These are the basic actions that are available to all characters. Note, as
described above, that player and enemy attacks do not work in the same way,
even though they use the same action.

Strike!

Cost 2

Make a Melee Attack.

Dash

Cost 1

Gain 1 Movement.

Seize the Initiative

Cost 1

Set your Initiative to one higher than the current highest.

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 Aid Your Comrade

Cost 1

Choose a friend in the same zone. Once before the next round, you may lend
them your die to reroll any roll. Each of you may also remove 1 spent Dark
Power token. Removed tokens do not count for the purposes of Corruption after
combat or a mission.

Defend

Cost 2
Spend 1 Movement. Gain +1 to your Defense rolls for the rest of the round, and
heal 1 HP.

Interact with the Environment

Cost 2
You attempt to shift the environment in your favor. Roll your die: on a 4+, you
may create a path from your current zone to an otherwise inaccessible zone, or
cut off your current zone from any one adjacent zone. You may spend a Dark
Power token to do this for a zone other than the one you are in.

Shoot!

Shoot isn’t so much a single action as it is a kind of action. Each weapon has
its own Shoot! action, but they all require you to spend a Dark Power token,
and allow you to make a Ranged Attack. Certain weapons have their own
Ranged Attack tables.

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 Damage and Consequences
Each player character has 3 Hit Points, absent Tricks or equipment that give
them more, and most successful attacks do 1 damage. Once you lose your last
Hit Point, you roll on the Consequence table:

Roll Result
6 Rally! Gain 1 Hit Point, then take a Melee
Attack or a Shoot! action for free.
5 One last strike! Take a Strike! or Shoot! action
for free, then fall unconscious.
4 Knocked out. You fall unconscious.
3 Knocked out. You fall unconscious.
2 A dangerous wound! Take a Minor Scar.
1 A deadly wound! Take a Major Scar.

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 Death and Heroic Sacrifices

Player characters in Red Rook Revolt only die when their players think the
moment makes sense and serves the story. In combat, this is through a Heroic
Sacrifice.
When a player rolls below a 6 on the Consequence table, they may choose
to make a Heroic Sacrifice. If they did not already do so as a result of their
Consequence roll, they may immediately take a Strike! or Shoot! action for free.
They may spend as much Dark Power as they want, even if they do not have
any Dark Power; their death is a sacrifice to their demon. Further, they pick
one of the following options:

• All other players are restored to full health, even if currently unconscious.
• All other players get +1 Action Points every round for the rest of the
combat.
• All other players do +1 damage with all attacks for the rest of the combat.
• One player is fully healed, gets +1 Action Point every round, and does
+1 damage with all attacks for the rest of the combat. This player
automatically wins the roll to resist Corruption at the end of this combat.

Once a character has died, they are out of commission for the rest of the
session. The player can take temporary control of an NPC if they like, but their
new character should be made using the standard character creation rules
and enter play as soon as possible the following session. Their new character
retains the Advancements earned by the previous one: they will have as many
Lines as the previous character, as many Memories, the same number of Tricks
and Amulets, etc. The player is free to change the specifics up — perhaps
this character has another Amulet instead of a Trick — as long as the total
number of Lines spent remains the same.

End of combat
Combat ends one of two ways: either side achieves their objective, or either side
becomes unable to fight. For enemies, they will usually give up once all their
leaders are dead or defeated, but most revolutionaries are willing to fight to the
bitter end. “Achieves their objective” usually means “defeats the other side,” but
sometimes the revolutionaries may be simply trying to get a person to safety or
get through a gate; in those cases, combat ends once that is achieved.

What happens to the defeated side depends on the actions of the victors. Rebels
may be taken directly to prison, in which case they fail the mission and will
need to be freed by their companions in the revolution. Sometimes, however,
they’ll wake up on the way and have a chance to break free and complete the
mission. If they simply failed to meet their objective, they may need to find a
new way around the problem, or they may have failed their mission, depending
on the exact nature of the combat and the mission.

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 Corruption
To win their freedom and beat back their enemies, the great
heroes of the rebellion are constantly putting themselves
and their minds at risk of Corruption. The demons in their
weapons unceasingly whisper to them of their friends’ evil
designs or their lovers’ secret hatred, all to separate them
from their comrades.

After each combat, each player rolls their die and compares
it to the number of Dark Power tokens they have, spent
and unspent combined. IIf the roll is higher, you succeed
in beating down that Corruption. Remove all of the Dark
Power tokens, and the Corruption from that combat is now
resolved.

71
 If, on the other hand, your roll is less than or equal to the
amount of Dark Power tokens, the Corruption is not yet
resolved. A number of Dark Power tokens equal to your
roll turn into Corruption tokens and are set aside. The
remaining Dark Power carries over to the next encounter,
even if they had been spent previously. That is, you can
regain power this way.

Each time you gain a new set of Corruption tokens, set

that aside as its own “pool.”

When the mission phase is over and the players enter

Downtime, every player counts the number of pools
of Corruption tokens they have. For each pool, the
player must select a Memory they have and Taint it.
Its emotional tenor and feeling changes, darkens into
something that, instead of binding you together, pushes
you apart. The facts of the Memory itself usually do not
change, but you interpret it differently now. Cross out
the one-word “feeling” you wrote next to that Memory and
replace it with the new, warped feeling. Tainted Memories
no longer benefit you in any way, and take some effort
to repair. For more on how this works, see Taint under
Memories and Relationships, page 47.

You cannot stop this from happening, but your allies can.
Once per period of Freeform Play and once just before
entering Downtime, a friend may lend you their die to
roll against this pool of Corruption tokens. To do so, they
must select a Memory you have written on your sheet
under your relationship with them which is not Tainted
or Exhausted. If your relationship with someone doesn’t
have any Untainted, Unexhausted Memories, that person
cannot help you.

72
While reminding you of this Memory, they also do something in the present to
support you emotionally. This can mean any number of things, such as giving
you verbal reassurance and comfort, standing up for you when someone gives
you shit, holding you tight when you need a hug, or any number of other ways
one could show support. With the right sort of relationship, it could even mean
telling you that you better beat this because they’ll expect you to be at your
best when they show you up during the mission.

This support should correspond with the Memory the ally chose. Sometimes,
the association is obvious — if someone reminds you that they’re there for you,
then a Memory of when you relied on them is the obvious Memory to draw
on. Regardless of what the ally does, they will be able to use that Untainted,
Unexhausted Memory to lend you their die.

If you are facing a difficult roll, either of you may choose to call on more
Memories from the same relationship. Each such extra Memory provides a +1
to your roll.

If you fail, the Memory your friend called on initially, but not any others you
used for bonuses, becomes Tainted as described above.

If you succeed, that pool of Corruption tokens is removed. However, that

Memory and any used for bonuses are Exhausted, and cannot be used for
Corruption or Challenge rolls until they are refreshed at the start of Downtime.
Your fight against the demon’s insidious whispers tires you out emotionally,
even though it doesn’t manage to taint your judgement and turn you against
your friends. Until you have a chance to relax, those Memories won’t give you
any further edge during your mission.

73
 You may repeat this process for every pool of Corruption tokens that every
player has during any period of Freeform Play, but remember that the person
making the roll must always have at least one Memory left that is not Tainted
or Exhausted to accept a lent die.

If you have any Dark Power remaining at the end of the mission phase (e.g. you
generate Dark Power during your roll to resolve it after the final combat of a
mission ends), discard it.

If every Memory ends up Tainted at the end of a mission, your character is

no longer fit to be a revolutionary. They either run off, paranoid, suspicious
and afraid, or their friends and family in the commune take them off active
duty and intervene to help them. In either case, you will need to make a new
character.
If you prefer, your old character may return after at least 3 missions have
passed, with all benefits (Lines, extra Memories etc) gained by their new
character, but the details of this are left to the group.

Scars
The HP you track during combat doesn’t correspond to direct physical damage
so much as your ability to stay in the fight: your luck, skill, tenacity, and
grit. Bruises, scrapes, and shallow cuts are the worst you get from mere HP
damage. It is only once you lose your last HP and roll on the damage and
Consequence table that you take lasting damage, which comes in the form of
Scars. These are serious wounds that take time to fully heal, if they ever do.
Players choose what each Scar looks like and what kind of defense the Scar
is associated with — Melee, Ranged or Counterattack. The Scar then applies
certain negative Effects when making that Defense roll in the future. You can
only have one Scar associated with each kind of defense.

Scars exist in two phases.They are Raw when first inflicted and become Faded
when the mission is over. Raw Scars alone apply a constant -1 penalty to their
associated Defense roll. Both Raw and Faded Scars intensify the Effect of an
enemy attack: if a Defense roll associated with either a Raw Scar or a Faded
Scar applies an Effect (i.e. the Defense roll results in a Crit or Graze), the player
further suffers from another -1 penalty to that Defense roll until the end of
their next turn.

Scars also have two levels of severity: Minor and Major. Minor and Major Scars
do not have different Effects in combat; instead, they heal differently. For more
on Scars and healing, see p. 81 and 83.

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 Campaign
Necromancy and Crows
The woods are quiet now. The animals who remain are tense, worried. Sensing
his presence.

The wrongness.

He does not care.

No.

He cares too much.

The grass of the glade still has deep furrows, a path blazed by the Imperium
Alarum’s war machines. The ambush was partially successful: a rusting metal
hulk is turned on its side, displacing a centuries-old tree.

Here lie a dozen shallow graves. A spiteful act by the Imperial commander,
burying his opponents away from the Sky. To honour the dead is to put them
up high, on display, so the crows may feast upon them before the eye of the
sun and the gaze of the moon.

His heart aches with grief. A dozen brothers died here, a fortnight ago. They
had planned carefully, but not for the commander’s magic. Not the sudden
darkness of the stormclouds. Not the lightning strikes, decimating them with
pinpoint precision. In the face of unbridled brutality, they died in the woods.

He alone escaped. And now he’s come back, with new magics. To right this
wrong with another.

He pours the mixture of salt and brimstone, forming a circle. He sets down
the candles. He sings that old song to the skies. Already, he can feel the voices
joining the round, as they would have in life.

As the black candles flicker, he hears the rustle of wings.

He hears the clicking of their beaks. The soft caws.

He sees dozens of black, beady eyes witness him from the surrounding
treetops.

He chants of his love. He chants of his fury. He chants of vengeance.

The crows peck at the dirt, rending the earth in violent sprays. Then, the first
hand joins them. It bursts through the soil, with two nail-torn, broken fingers

The others soon follow.

75
 Overview
A game of Red Rook Revolt is divided into two kinds of time: missions and
Downtime. Missions are what your characters do for the Red Rook Commune.
They consist of a series of combat encounters, with non-combat challenges
providing ways to affect those encounters before they start and tying them
together into a coherent narrative.

Downtime takes place between missions. During Downtime, Rooks return to

their friends and family, lick their wounds, regroup, share in the spoils of war,
and prepare for their next mission. It’s the time you heal, reconnect with your
community, and care for your body and soul.

If you fail your mission, you do not experience Downtime. Instead, you get
tossed into a gruelling fight to defend the commune. These battles are called
Barricade Fights.

Missions advance the cause of the revolution, allowing the revolutionaries to

liberate new cities, gather allies, rally support, and so on. Failing a mission
is neutral — you do not gain or lose ground against the empire, though your
characters have expended resources and possibly accumulated Corruption for
nothing. If you fail a mission and also fail the subsequent Barricade Fight, the
revolution loses ground. The next mission will have to be about recapturing
the lost city. Alternatively, you may cede the ground to the imperialists and
attempt to advance along a different route, capturing a different city.

This game assumes that you’ll capture a city with almost every mission. You’ll
need to capture five cities before you can assault the capital and lead the
revolution to triumph.

Mission
The story of the Red Rook Revolt is a long and arduous struggle against
imperialism and colonialism. Each step of this struggle is called a mission.
Each mission concerns an important objective for the Red Rook Revolt:
assassinating an imperial general, rescuing political prisoners, spreading
propaganda, etc. While missions can involve anything that aids in the
revolution against the empire, the ultimate goal of each mission will be to
liberate another city from its cruel oppressors.

Make sure it is clear before setting out what exactly the objective is and what
will determine whether the mission is a success. Further, lay out the general
difficulty of the mission. The average mission will have 3 combat encounters;
if the mission has more than that, or the encounters are especially difficult,
mention that it’s likely to be a difficult mission. On the other hand, if you have
fewer encounters, or expect them to be less difficult, make clear that this one
will probably be easier than usual.

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 Structure
Each mission is structured as a series of combat encounters interspaced with
other types of challenges, all of which are called obstacles. Each obstacle
creates Advantage and Setback, which players and the GM can use to influence
subsequent combat encounters (see p. 62). Obstacles are strung together with
freeform play. Freeform play is a more loosely organized phase where players
explore the world, make decisions about how to approach their target, chat
with each other and interact with NPCs. Importantly, during freeform play
characters have some quiet time to spend helping each other battle their inner
demons. By drawing on Memories, players can resist Corruption and clear their
pools of Corruption tokens.

Freeform play continues until the players encounter an Obstacle. They can ask
questions and examine the situation, but once they try to solve it or cross it,
the dice come out and you move to Challenge rolls.

77
 Obstacles and Challenge Rolls
Each mission has obstacles barring the way to your goal. Some of these will
be fights, but more of them will be matters of athleticism, diplomacy, stealth,
strength, endurance or other challenges not necessarily resolved by combat.
How well you manage these challenges is as important as how well you handle
your sabre in a fight. In Red Rook Revolt, these challenges are solved with a
Challenge roll. As with all other rolls, every Challenge roll is a d6.

Before rolling, have a look at your history on your character sheet. Is this
something touched on in one of your character’s Lines? This is a question for
the player to decide. Once you have decided, you roll on the following table.

Roll With a relevant Line: Without a relevant Line:

6 You succeed greatly! You You succeed greatly! You
accomplish your intended goal accomplish your intended goal in
in a particularly impressive way. a way that helps you more than
Gain 2 Advantage. expected. Gain 2 Advantage or 1
Advantage and a Line.
5 You succeed! You accomplish You succeed! You accomplish your
your intended goal. Gain 1 intended goal. Gain 1 Advantage
Advantage
4 You succeed! You accomplish You partially succeed! You
your intended goal. Gain 1 accomplish most of what you
Advantage. attempt, but someone else must
step in to finish the job, making a
new Challenge roll or supporting
you with a Memory. You gain
1 Advantage, the GM gains 1
Setback.
3 You partially succeed! You Partial Failure. You fail at your
accomplish most of what you goal, but still achieve something,
attempt, but someone else must though not the thing you set
step in to finish the job, making a out to accomplish. You gain 1
new Challenge roll or supporting Advantage, but the GM gains 2
you with a Memory. You gain Setback.
one Advantage, the GM gains 1
Setback.
2 Partial Failure. You fail to Partial Failure. You fail to
accomplish your intended goal, accomplish your intended goal,
but make progress toward but make progress toward
a different one. You gain 1 a different one. You gain 1
Advantage, but the GM gains 2 Advantage, but the GM gains 2
Setback. Setback.

1 Failure. You entirely fail at what Failure. You entirely fail at what
you try to do. The GM gains 2 you try to do. The GM gains 2
Setback. Setback. But you learn from your
mistake, gaining a Line.

78
After you roll, note whether the players and GM gained Advantage or Setback.
The player who succeeded or gained Advantage narrates clearly what happens
in the fiction to give your characters a better chance during the next encounter,
and the GM narrates what happens to sour their chances if that player failed
or gained Setback. Most of the time, this means the player and GM will need to
negotiate the result.

Two things to remember:

• As mentioned under Using Relationships (page 42), you or one of your

allies can call on a single Memory to add a +1 bonus to your roll. You must
do this before rolling.
• If you roll a partial success, the person who steps in attempts to overcome
the obstacle themselves, rolling against it as normal. They must change
their tactics compared to you. If you attempted to bribe an official, for
example, whoever steps in must instead threaten him, flatter him, or
otherwise vary the approach.
• If you are stepping in to help someone, a result that would grant a partial
success is enough to accomplish what you wanted, but you and the GM
still get the Advantage and Setback of that result, respectively.

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 Downtime
Downtime is the space between missions, where characters spend time with
each other and the people of the commune. More rarely, they defend the
commune directly, fighting on the barricades. Players may use Memories to
help them in these activities as they do during missions, as Memories are
refreshed both at the start and end of Downtime.
Downtime has three phases: Reconnection, Reinforcement (or Man the
Barricades), and Advancement.
During Reconnection, some things heal immediately and you reduce
Corruption.
The next phase depends on whether your mission was a success or a failure:
If you succeeded, you do Reinforcement. During reinforcement you can aid
the commune, work to further reduce your Corruption, seek healing for old
Scars, train and more.
If you failed, you Man the Barricades, defending the commune from the dogs
of the empire!
Either way, you move on to Advancement, wherein you choose which Lines to
keep and how to spend excess Lines.

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 Reconnection
Reconnection is the first phase of Downtime, and automatically happens as
soon as you finish your mission.
First, every Raw Scar immediately turns into a Faded Scar.
Second, upon reconnecting with friends and family who will set you straight,
a Tainted Memory of your choice returns to its original state. Your time spent
with friends, the local priest, or your family shows you how the demon has lied
to you. Tell the table who you talk to, and how they help you out.

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 Reinforcement
Reinforcement is the second phase of Downtime. During this phase, you may
take three actions, setting a short scene for each. For each action, you can get
a +1 to your roll by invoking an appropriate relationship with an Untainted
Memory. You can only use each Memory once, but you can make the choice
after you’ve rolled.
These are the possible actions:

• Seek healing for your Scars

• Get emotional support
• Aid the commune
• Prepare for war
• Train with other rooks

If you want, you can attempt each action more than once.

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∵ Seek healing for your Scars
When you seek healing for your Scars, you contact the commune’s healers,
doctors, wizards or priests to have them work their craft or healing magic
for you. Choose a scar that did not turn Faded during this downtime’s
reconnection, and roll your die on the following table. Note that Effects are
different for minor and Major Scars.

Roll Result
Hale and Strong:
Major Scar: The Scar turns into a Minor Scar, and remains Faded.
6
The Scar is healed, and the healing aids your mind; get a +1 to your
next roll to get emotional support as Reinforcement.
Healing the Scars:
Major Scar: The Scar turns into a Minor Scar, but the process is
5
painful. You cannot seek healing for it until the next Downtime.
Minor Scar: The Scar is healed.
Healing the Scars:
Major Scar: The Scar turns into a Minor Scar, but the process is
4
painful. You cannot seek healing for it until the next Downtime.
Minor Scar: The Scar is healed.
Healing the Scars:
Major Scar: The Scar turns into a Minor Scar, but the process is
3
painful. You cannot seek healing for it until the next Downtime.
Minor Scar: The Scar is healed.
Painful Healing:
Major Scar: The Scar turns into a Minor Scar, but the process
requires surgery or extremely unpleasant magics. You cannot seek
healing for it until the next Downtime, and take a -1 penalty to your
2
next roll to get emotional support.
Minor Scar: The Scar is healed, but the pain of the process feeds
your demon. Take a -1 penalty to your next roll to get emotional
support.
Something Goes Wrong!
Minor & Major Scar: A very painful procedure does nothing to heal
1
your Scars. Take a -1 penalty to your next roll to get emotional
support.

83
 ∵ Get Emotional Support
When you seek emotional support, you find a friend, ally, rival, lover, or
other confidant and they help you see your Memories objectively again, to set
you straight and see through the lies of your demon. To do this, you use a
Memory as if you were invoking it for a +1 bonus. Remember that you have
relationships (and Memories) with a member of the commune.
Roll your die on the following table:

Roll Effect
The heart grows stronger:
6 Choose a Memory. It becomes Untainted. You have +1 to your
next roll to receive healing.
The mind is soothed:
5
Choose a Memory. It becomes Untainted.
The mind is soothed:
4
Choose a Memory. It becomes Untainted.
The mind is soothed:
3
Choose a Memory. It becomes Untainted.
Painful realization:
Choose a Memory. It becomes Untainted. The process, however,
2 is painful and weakens your physical health from a lack of sleep
and the emotional toll. Take a -1 penalty to your next roll to
seek healing.
Pain and hurt:
You fail to do anything to defeat the demon’s lies, and it instead
1
feeds on your pain and anguish. The Memory you called on to
make this roll is now also Tainted.

84
∵ Aid the Commune
When you Aid the Commune, you build up your relationships with its members
and your comrades, help stock up on resources, recruit revolutionaries, take
care of the sick, and so on. When you do, you generate Goodwill, which can
be used like Lines to gain Memories related to the person you improved your
relationship with, or like Advantage during Man The Barricades! This action
can be used in any part of the commune, including liberated cities.
Roll on the following table:

Roll Result
6 Gain 3 Goodwill and start with 1 Advantage on your next mission.
5 Gain 3 Goodwill.
4 Gain 2 Goodwill.
3 Gain 2 Goodwill.
2 Gain 1 Goodwill.
1 Gain 1 Goodwill.

∵ Prepare for War

When you Prepare for War, you spend time getting ready for your next mission.
You gather intel, stock up on ammunition, communicate with spies and allies,
secure weapons caches, reinforce supply lines and so on.
Roll on the following table:

Roll Result
Gain 3 Advantage for your next mission. Further, in the course of
6
your aid, you lift the spirit of the people; gain 1 Goodwill.
5 Gain 3 Advantage for your next mission
4 Gain 2 Advantage for your next mission
3 Gain 2 Advantage for your next mission
2 Gain 1 Advantage for your next mission
1 Gain 1 Advantage for your next mission

85
 ∵ Train with other Rooks
When you train with other rooks, you participate in
revolutionary training. Training may include things like
physical conditioning, fencing, mock battles, development
of new tactics, studying demonology, political action, and
enemy intel.
When you train, you get Lines based on how many Lines
you currently have. If you have more than six, you get one
Line. If you have less than six, you gain two Lines.

To the Barricades
If you fail in your mission, instead of Reinforcement, you
have a To the Barricades scene. Here, your character man
the commune’s barricades to defend it from the empire,
which is able to advance its troops on the commune due to
your failure.
The scene itself is a standard combat scene, except that
you can spend Goodwill as Advantage, and there is no
Setback. The GM’s chapter will have more advice on
running To The Barricades combats.

After the scene, if you succeed in the battle, each player

can take a single Downtime action, as above.

86
87
 Advancement
Once everyone has done their Downtime actions, or the
encounter is finished, you move on to Advancement.
Advancement has two phases: First you advance the
state of the revolution if you succeed in your mission,
then you advance your characters.

∵ Advancing the Revolution

Advancing the state of the revolution is easy. The

mission should have made it clear which city or area
your mission affected, but your actions alone are not
enough to liberate a city. In this phase, each player
describes what you did to aid the liberation after
the mission. Were you on the front lines? Did you
coordinate with the work-families of the city to provide
food and shelter when supply lines were cut? Were you
giving directions to rooks and other revolutionaries?
Storming the prison and freeing prisoners of war?

Once everyone has explained how they helped, add the

city to the list of those liberated. I suggest keeping a
piece of scrap paper around for this purpose, or using a
Google Doc.

88
∵ Advancing your Characters

Next, each player advances their character. To do this, you spend Lines to
acquire new Memories, Tricks and Equipment. You can always acquire new
Memories in this phase, but you may only acquire new Tricks and Equipment if
your last mission was a success. Each Line you spend represents learning from
your past, but also moving forward and being shaped by your adventures. Once
you are done spending Lines, you must have at least three remaining.

Now, just because you move on doesn’t make your history irrelevant. If you have
a Line you want to spend but which is important to the character, put it in your
notes so you still have a complete record of your character’s relevant history.

The costs are as follows:

• Each Memory costs 1 Line. If you already have three or more Memories
in that relationship, increase the cost by 1. If a relationship has 2 more
Memories than any other, increase the cost by 1 more. Both characters in a
relationship must acquire a new Memory simultaneously, and they must be
a Memory of the same event.
• Tricks, Amulets and Talismans cost 2 Lines each.

You can have a maximum of 5 Amulets and Talismans, and 2 Tricks. During
Advancement, you can also replace your Tricks, Amulets, and even your gun.
You can replace a Trick with another Trick, an Amulet or Talisman with another
Amulet or Talisman, and your gun with another gun.

89
 GM Section
A Raid on a Prison Camp
Birkna is making their way out from beneath the ground, through tunnels that
force them to hunch over. The fur they wear is matted with dirt from above
and mud from below, and their broad frame blocks out the light of the lamps
as they move along dug-out walls, the stone occasionally gleaming with water
or iron streaks. They are a treasured prisoner, for their size and strength and
endurance. Able to drag entire carts by themselves. Able to hack with pickaxe
against stone for hours on end. Able to take any punishment.

They endure, for what else is there to do? They lost two siblings when the
Imperium declared a breach of the peace treaty, up north. They lost their
heart-wife when the rot-lung took her the first winter here, in the mud and the
rains. They lost their children, who will be raised as Imperial conscripts in a
different province entirely.

They endure, because most days they are lost in their own mind. Because it
numbs the pain. Because it helps to stay away.

Today is no different, and perhaps that is why they make it all the way to the
entrance before they notice the shouting and the lights.

Fire. One of the guard-towers is on fire. Splinters burst outwards as a gaping

hole appears in the thick trunks of the southern wall, with licks of flame and
smoldering embers illuminating charging, crimson silhouettes. The clash of
steel and the shouts and the sound of gunfire is overwhelming.

Slugs whizz past Birkna in the darkness, whistling (cackling?) holes into the
prison guards. They hear the songs of an angry people, the shouts and cries
of triumph. They feel their heart sing. They feel their blood rise with that
communion, and they make their choice. Birkna starts toward the barracks,
stumbling over bodies lit by muzzle flashes; unnatural hues of hellfire.

Finally, they reach the iron-barred, exposed front wall of the prisoner barracks,

Where Birkna sees the pale, frightened face of Warden Septimus. He holds that
familiar bloodied whip tight to his chest. Another earth-shaking blast sends
him stumbling back in shock, into pairs of grasping, hungry hands reaching
out from between the iron bars. A shiv glints in the moonlight, and it stabs him
in the gut. Again. And again. And again.

90
Septimus hits the ground, lifeless, and Birkna regards the people staring at
them from behind the bars. Locked in for the night, for another shift that will
never come. The lock is made of ward-treated imperial iron, and keeping the
massive bar in place is a thick and angled shaft as heavy as the might of the
Imperium itself. But the ancestors have always favored Birkna.

So Birkna moves, and uses that strength, and that endurance. Hears the
song of their people in their blood. They strain, and they feel their heart beat
against their neck, pulsing in the veins in their throat. They feel their muscles
begin to ache as the wood creaks and the iron protests. But the ward’s sigils
flare with a sickly green light, draining the strength of the great bear.

A thunderous roar suddenly fills their ears, and metal pings on metal, making
Birkna flinch. Looking behind them, they see a tiny, lithe figure in a beaked
mask, an audacious feathered cap, and a long red coat, raising the smoking
pistol in their hand in a cocky salute.

Birkna nods back. The bullet embedded in the lock draws in the green light
and crumbles to dust. The strength of the North takes care of the rest.

For years, Birkna has had a soul-deep ache in their body and muscles, worked
to the bone every day.

They hear the cries of joy and liberation, as the door pushes aside and their
fellow prisoners rush out, and for the first time in so, so long...

That ache feels good.

91
 Encounters
Throughout the game, you’ll be responsible for running the encounters and
giving the players interesting tactical and martial challenges.
Each mission should have 3-4 combats. For the first mission it may be
reasonable to start with just 2 to get your players used to the game and
to account for the players having fewer Memories they can use to resist
corruption early on.

Each encounter needs to be interesting in its own right and to avoid over-taxing
the player’s resources. Here are some guidelines for achieving those goals:

• For each encounter, plan for about 6-8 HP worth of enemies per
player, or 2-3 enemies per player. As a rule of thumb, players will gain 1
Dark Power for every 2 HP the enemies have. This means players will gain
about 3-4 Dark Power per encounter, and you should adjust as necessary
to keep them in that range as the players gain Tricks and affinity with
the system. Dark Power defines the arc of conflict with the demon, the
central personal conflict for each player character, and as such, dialling
the amount gained for each encounter up and down will define that arc for
every player. On the moment-to-moment level in the fight, deploying fewer,
stronger enemies will usually make for a better balanced and paced fight
than many weaker ones.
• Consider terrain. Make sure not every zone is equally accessible,
especially if any of your players have the Acrobat stunt or any of your
enemies can fly. Movement back and forth is an important part of the
game, so restricting access to some zones will make for more interesting
battlefield layouts. Also consider where your players and the enemies start,
so they can make the most of those zones. Lastly, consider the length
of the battlefield. In general, 3-4 zones is a good length, especially if the
players have rifles or heavy rifles. Shorter battlefields favor pistols and
shotguns, while longer battlefields delay the rooks getting into melee and
kicking the fight off proper.

92
• Use abilities well. When putting the encounter together, consider which
special abilities to choose for each enemy and how they go together. A
necromancer priest with a complement of bodyguards and an officer with
the Celeres ability is very different from a priest-exorcist supported by
riflemen and a shotgun-wielding officer. The first is a challenge of isolating
a clear desirable target; the second a matter of prioritizing the right targets
as both present equally pressing threats.
• Adjust during the encounter. There’s supposed to be a tactical challenge
to the encounters, but if a streak of bad luck or a miscalculation on your
part results in the players getting trounced and they aren’t having fun, you
can let the enemies make bad decisions, or forget an ability you’d actually
planned for them to have. By the same token, if the boss-battle is being
wiped real fast, it’s not necessarily wrong to have an officer bust through
the windows as back up. It’s important to do this sparingly, so you aren’t
just playing theatre with the players. If a player’s high-risk gamble doesn’t
pay off, let them live with the Consequences, and if the players lose to a
difficult boss, that’s fine, they don’t need to succeed on every mission. But
if you’ve grossly underestimated the strength of an officer, or if a player
didn’t show up and the party is outmatched, it’s fine to go easy on them.

Enemies
This section contains the rules for running enemies in combat, including their
stats and unique actions.
In Red Rook Revolt, enemies follow the same turn structure as players and
have the same basic stats: Hit Points, Action Points, Initiative.
Beyond these basic statistics, however, many things work slightly differently
for enemies. Enemies never roll, do not have access to the full range of actions
players do, follow different rules for their attacks and damage, and cannot gain
Dark Power.

93
 Enemy Actions
Enemies have access to the following actions, with some modifications:
Dash: Same as the players.
Seize the Initiative: Same as the players.
Defend: Enemies with access to Movement can defend, imposing a -1 penalty to
all attacks against them. They do not heal.
Interact with the Environment: Enemies do not roll when interacting with the
environment, but they must take this action on two consecutive turns for it to
have effect.
Shoot!: The cost, Effect, and damage of an enemy’s Ranged Attack is defined
in its stat block. Enemies cannot take more than one Ranged Attack in a
turn.
Strike!: The cost, Effect and damage of an enemy’s Ranged Attack is defined in
its stat block.

Enemy Damage
Enemies take damage exactly as player characters, but with one difference.
Enemies never roll on the Consequence table. When an enemy hits 0 HP, they
are instead immediately taken out of combat.

94
 Reading Enemy Statblocks
Each enemy has 5 lines in their stat block, describing its abilities in combat.

HP: How many Hit Points the enemy has in an encounter.

AP: How many Action Points the enemy has each round. Note that enemies do
not start with free Movement as players do, instead spending AP on the Dash
action to gain Movement.
Attack: This lists the enemy’s attacks. In parenthesis, it will list the AP cost to
take the relevant action (Shoot! Or Strike!), as well as any special Effects and
additional damage it imposes on its target. If no Effect is listed, assume the
action works the same way as described in the combat chapter (see p. 67)
Other actions: Some enemies have their own special actions, which will be
listed here.
Special rules: Some enemies have a special rule; it will be listed here.
Abilities: Each enemy has a number of possible abilities listed. When the GM
deploys this enemy in battle, they assign the enemy one or two abilities from
this list.

95
 ∵ Grunts

Grunts are the simplest and most common foes, present in nearly every battle.
Grunts are city guardsmen, military footsoldiers, criminal goons, and other
relatively unskilled combatants. They are weaker than player characters by far,
and usually easily dealt with. Supported by others, or in groups, they become
more dangerous. Grunts usually give up if their commanding officers have been
beaten and only few remain.

HP: 2
AP: 2
Attacks: Melee (1 AP), Ranged (1 AP, range 2)
Other actions: None
Special rules: None
Abilities:

• Rifleman: Cannot Counterattack, enemies take -1 penalty against Ranged

Attacks.
• Brawler: No Ranged Attack, Effect changes to +1 damage.
• Bodyguard: When an ally in the same zone is attacked, the Grunt may
suffer the damage, after it has been determined.

96
∵ Dragoons
Dragoons are the empire’s shock troops and elite squads, dangerous at range
and quicker and more versatile than grunts up close. In groups or supported
by officers and priests, they are a significant threat. Alone, they are out-
matched by the revolutionaries’ goetic might.

HP: 2
AP: 3
Attacks: Melee (1 AP, Effect: +1 damage), Ranged (1 AP, range 2)
Other actions: None
Special rules: None
Abilities:

• Bayonet Charge: The dragoon gains one free Movement every round.
• Discipline: Players take -1 on Attack rolls when attacking a dragoon who
shares a zone with another dragoon.
• Loyalty: When a dragoon’s non-grunt ally in the same zone dies, player
characters take a -1 penalty to Defense rolls against that dragoon until the
end of their next turn.
• Blessings of the birds: Gain the following Action:

Blessing of the Birds

Cost 1

The dragoon gets +1 damage as an additional Effect until the end of their next
turn.

• Sniper: The dragoon loses Effect: +1 damage on Melee Attacks, but gains
Effect: +1 damage on Ranged Attacks.

97
 ∵ Officers

Officers are usually battle-tested soldiers with a good grasp of tactics and
strategy. Officers maneuver themselves and their soldiers while impeding
the players’ Movement. Each officer is powerful, but they need grunts and
dragoons to command to be a true danger. Some officers have enough skill and
insight to be able to perform the magic of the empire, transforming into their
patron birds.

HP: 3
AP: 3
Attacks: Melee (1 AP, Effect: -1 Movement next turn), Ranged (1 AP, Effect:
Officer gains and spends 1 Movement, range 3)
Other actions:

Command

Cost 1

One other character immediately makes a Melee Attack.

Special rules: Whenever an officer forces a player to roll on the Consequence

table, they gain +1 AP they can use to make an additional attack.

98
Abilities:
• Celeres: Instead of 3 AP, the officer has 2 AP, 2 Movement and no Ranged
Attack.
• Shapeshift: Gain the following action:

Shapeshift

Cost 3

When the officer takes this action, they shifts into the shape of an eagle. In this
shape, they cannot use the Command action or make Ranged Attacks, but get
+1 Movement and can fly.

• Tactician: When engaged with a player, that player takes a -1 on all

defense rolls.
• Inspiring leader: When using Command, the player targeted by the attack
takes a -1 to the Defense roll.
• Shotgun: The cost of Ranged Attacks increases to 2 AP, and the damage
increases to 2.

99
 ∵ Priests/Magicians

Priests and chaplains are common throughout the armies of the Imperium
Alarum and beyond. Each army fields chaplains to bless their troops and curse
the enemy. This statblock can also represent the various other magicians and
wizardly types the army employs.

HP: 3
AP: 3
Attacks: Melee (2 AP)
Other actions:

Ancestor’s Blessing

Cost 2

One ally adds +1 damage to the Effect of all of their attacks until the end of the
next round, in addition to any other Effects.

Curse of the Hawk

Cost 1

One player gets a -1 penalty to Defense rolls until the end of their next turn.

100
Special rules: None
Abilities:
• Weather Worker: Gain the following Action:

Weather Worker
Cost 3

Choose one zone, which becomes either Foggy or Stormy. If a zone is Foggy,
the ranges of all Ranged Attacks made from the zone are reduced by one, and
if you shoot into it, enemies in the zone count as one further zone away than
usual for purposes of calculating range..
If a zone is Stormy, anyone who starts their turn in that zone with Movement
starts with one less, and the cost of moving into or out of the zone is doubled.
This lasts until the priest uses Weather Working to undo it.

• Exorcist: Gain the following Action:

Exorcism
Cost 2

Choose one player, then choose one:

• Until the end of the next turn, that enemy cannot make Ranged Attacks.
• Until the end of the next turn, that enemy cannot use Dark Power except
for Ranged Attacks.

• Necromancer: When a character in the same or an adjacent zone dies, the

priest gets +1 AP every round for the rest of the fight. This stacks.
• Divine Judge: Gain the following Shoot! action:

Shoot!

Cost 3

Make a Ranged Attack with the following damage and Effect:

2 damage.
Effect: The target gains 1 Movement which the priest immediately spends for
them, choosing how they move.
Range 3

• Shield of Spectral Wings: The priest can only be the target of a Melee
Attack once a round.

101
 ∵ Generals
Generals are the top ranks of the Imperium’s armies, and supremely dangerous
foes. Callous disregard for their inferiors can be a powerful shield, and their
high stations in the great families and imperial legions grant many of them
access to powerful magic. This statblock represents only the most battle-
hardened and competent that have attained the rank of General.

HP: 4
AP: 3
Attacks: Melee (1 AP, Effect: +1 damage and -1 to the target’s Defense rolls
until the end of their next turn), Ranged (1 AP, range 2, Effect: target starts
with 1 less Movement next round.)
Other actions: None
Special rules: The first time in each turn the general is hit by an attack, he
can redirect it to an ally in the same zone. If the attack is a Melee Attack, the
attacker is then engaged with the new target of the attack.
Generals have their own list of abilities, but can choose abilities from the priest
and officer lists as well.
Abilities:

• Tactical Divination: Gain the following action:

Tactical Divination

Cost 2

Choose two players and name an action and target for each of them (Ranged
Attack against Grunt Two, move into the Balcony zone, attempt to Seize the
Initiative, etc). If the targets take the named action before the end of the
general’s next turn, the general immediately gains a free Ranged Attack against
them.

• Right of the Great Families: Gain the following action:

Sacrifice

Cost 3

The general chooses an ally in the same zone. The ally dies, but the general
gains their remaining HP. This can go above the general’s starting HP.

102
• Steal the Thunder: Gain the following action:

Steal the Thunder

Cost 2

Choose two players. For each unused Movement they have remaining at the
end of their turn, the general gains +1 AP at the start of his next turn.

General’s Guard: Gain the following action:

Transform

Cost 1

Choose one ally. They transform into an eagle. In this shape, they cannot use
any special abilities or make Ranged Attacks, but get +1 Movement and can fly.
They remain transformed until the general uses this action on them again.

Favored One: Enemies in the same zone as the general suffer a -1 penalty to
their Attack rolls.

103
 General Advice
Pace the Story
As the GM, one of your main duties is to pace the story, both for individual
missions and the whole campaign. Red Rook Revolt is a game written for
relatively short campaigns, a blitz where you push the capital and take it by
skill, force, and revolutionary fervor. Spend one or two missions on freeing
the commune itself, then move on. Don’t let the story get bogged down in one
place, or dwell on one city for too long.

Be Inventive
The setting of Red Rook Revolt is sketched in broad terms, with history and
culture as a main focus. Many details — names of cities, generals, specific
rituals, sayings, historic details — are left to the GM to colour in using the
setting materials from this book as a starting point. The setting uses early to
middle Victorian iconography heavily as a byword for ‘decadent empire.’ The
point here is not Victorian high society, but the brutality of the army marching
to conquest in India and Africa, the deadliness and squalor of the city and
the factory. Likewise, it uses roman elements to emphasize the Imperium’s
pretended ancient glory, not as a signifier of ‘culture’ and ‘civilization.’ When
you invent things, when you colour in the details of the setting, consider it from
this angle, from the angle of those hurt and oppressed. If the players ask about
a noble house or the name of a general, consider the people hurt by the noble
or the general.

Use the Map

One easy way to generate both details and mission ideas is to use the map
of the Commune. The map is littered with adventure opportunities. Blocked
passageways, half-built railways, secured encampments, strategic forts begging
to be taken out. This is most useful at the early stage of the game, but even
later, the map can help establish a sense of place. The historical places,
monuments and landmarks you find on it can be used as inspiration for
building further setting material. The players ask about a noble house? Choose
a place on the map they have ravaged, a project they support, or a monument
honoring the victims of an attack they commited.

104
 Give Time for Memories
The game assumes that each mission has a certain amount of quiet time for
scenes focusing on the characters and their relationships: a dinner before the
attack, a tense hour hurrying through the sewer. Provide the time necessary to
have these scenes, but let the players initiate them. When they do, be careful
not to let these scenes drag on. If necessary, ask leading questions: “Is anyone
talking to your comrade about how he went berserk spending Dark Power to
defeat the General?” is a perfectly valid question as a GM.

Be a Revolutionary
Red Rook Revolt is a game about revolution. The world may be dark, but
better things are possible. The struggle is not futile, and there are alternatives
to the oppressive workings of the empire. Don’t downplay the success of the
Red Rook Commune even before the revolution, don’t villainize the people
fighting for their freedom, and don’t mire the setting in bleakness. Embrace the
revolutionary fervor! Better days are possible, brighter dawns will come beyond
the barricades. The old is crumbling, the pillars of the world are shaking, and
the Red Rook Commune serves as a blueprint for the better world — the world
after the Red Rook Revolt!

105
 Example Characters:
Julia

She/her Pistol

Julia is a young woman of the Red Rook Commune. All her life, she has lived
at the foot of Mt. Corax, where the Red Rooks first accepted the people of the
commune as their children, and first laid down the great parliament. She has
seen the people of her hometown driven out, forced to abandon their homes
and their livelihood for the sake of the empire’s mines and railroads, and she
has seen the dust rising from slave-camps by the foot of that holy mountain.
Young and proud, Julia argued fiercely for the Revolt. She was among the first
to join it, and to take up the ancient Goetic arts.

Before the rebellion, Julia was a farmer, like the rest of her family. She grew up
listening to the stories of her uncle, a cart-driver carrying goods between the
villages on the north side of Mt. Corax. Now, when she returns from the front
lines, she looks for him. He always sets her straight if her demon gets in her
head, and they reminisce about when he took her to the big city for the first
time and she got to try shaved ice and toffee.

Her demon is Count Vinea, Earl of Hell, Overthrower of Walls, manifesting in

her dreams as a snake carried in the mouth of a lion. With him coiled around
her heart and a pistol in her hands, she faces the imperialist dogs invading her
land with fire and fury.

106
Ride the Dark Lightning If you spend 2 Movement in a turn, you may
make a free Melee attack. This is subject to
Counterattack as usual.

Endless Motion
Gain 1 Action Point the first time in a turn
you kill someone with a ranged attack.

Dodge and Weave

When you move into a new zone, get +1 on Defense

rolls until the start of your next turn.

Attack Table Defense Table

Critical hit! Do 1 damage, Evade! You take no damage. If in
melee with your attacker you may
6 and enemy loses 1 Action 6 disengage. If at range, you may
Point next turn. gain and use 1 Movement.

5 Dodge!. You take no

5 Hit. Do 1 damage.
damage.

Dodge!. You take no

4 Hit. Do 1 damage. 4 damage.

Grazing hit. Enemy loses Grazing hit. You suffer

3 3
1 Action Point next turn. the effect.

2 Miss. Do no damage. 2 Hit. You take damage.

Critical Hit! You take

1 Miss. Do no damage. 1
both damage and Effect!

Lines
Born and raised in the shadow of Mt. Corax

Proud and fiery farmer in the commune

Rode everywhere with my uncle

107
 Relationships and Memories
My uncle, who i love: joy e
t
“When we got ice
cream together when
i was young”

Franciscum, a gratitude e
t
mentor:

“When they taught me

to shoot a gun”

Caecilius, my good joyful friendship e

t
friend:

“He played music for

me when i dispaired”

Ahumm, a welcome protectiveness e

t
outsider:

“I taught him the folk-

dance of my family”

Gertrudis, a rival good-natured rivalry e

t
and friend:

“I won a cake-eating
competition”

108
 Franciscum

They/them Shotgun

Franciscum is a gruff old revolutionary. In his youth, they were a builder in

the town of Walden, and participated in strikes and sit-ins with his work-
family when the empire tried to muscle in and enforce compliance. When
the empire started operating slave-camps in his beloved commune, however,
Franciscumhad enough and joined a band of guerillas freeing prisoner-slaves
and striking at imperial infrastructure. Here, they also met their wife-to-be,
Petra, who they freed from the slave-camps.
When the Commune declared rebellion, they eagerly met its call, and took up
his old shotgun once more. Suspicious about the old magic, they nevertheless
recognized that the commune needed the edge, and summoned up a demon of
his own.

Despite being a prisoner of war, Petra was never much of a warrior. Now, she
ferries messages to others of her people across the imperium, as well as other
oppressed people empowered and emboldened by the revolution. Whenever
Franciscum is back in the commune, they make sure to find her, and they take
long walks in the oak tree grove where they first fell in love.

Franciscum summoned Vepar, a serpent of the seas, who stokes in his chest
the flames of bitterness and resentment towards those elders in the Commune
whose excess “caution” slowed the start of the revolution. Steeling his heart
against its whispers, they wields his gun and fights for his freedom, his wife,
and his people.

109
 Hellfire Smoke The first time you take the Shoot action in a
turn, get +1 on your Defense rolls until the
start of your next turn.

Revelation of Blood
When you make a Melee attack, you may
gain an additional Dark Power token, for a
total of 3.

Guerilla

Dodge! counts as Evade! when defending against

Counterattacks

Attack Table Defense Table

Evade! You take no damage. If in
6 Critical hit! Do 3 damage melee with your attacker you may
6 disengage. If at range, you may
gain and use 1 Movement.

5 Hit. Do 2 damage 5 Dodge!. You take no

damage.

Hit. Do 2 damage Dodge!. You take no

4 4 damage.

Grazing hit. You suffer

3 Graze. Do 1 damage 3
the Effect.

2 Miss. Do no damage 2 Hit. You take damage.

1 Critical Hit! You take

Miss. Do no damage 1
both damage and Effect!

Lines
I was a Builder and Architect in Walden

I spent years as a guerilla fighter

My wife taught me patience and caution

110
 Relationships and Memories
Petra, my lovely wife: love e
t
“Going for long
walks in the parks of
Walden”

Julia, a young pride e

t
protogé:

“when she quickly

mastered the pistol i
gave her”

Caecilius, an bemused patience e

t
annoying musician:

“When he got drunk

and i had to take care
of him”

Ahumm, a fellow willing obligation e

t
guerilla:
“When i found him and
the others in the woods
and brought them
home”

Gertrudis, a young gratitude: e

t
revolutionary:

“When she saved my

life on a mission”

111
 Caecilius

He/him Heavy pistol

Caecilius has lived all his life in the hustle and bustle of Petronia Novum. Free-
spirited and musical, he joined a family of musicians, a part of the work-family
of entertainers in the city.
Caecilius has always been happy to live in the commune, but not always the
most committed to its ideals. He has often been happy to play not just in the
commune’s taverns and concerts, but for visiting imperials and merchants,
savoring their wine and spending their coin on fine clothes, much to the
consternation of his work-family.
As rebellion simmered, however, he noticed many artists in his family…
disappear. Those who sang loud songs of rebellion, who fanned the flames and
decried the horrors of the empire. This is what drove him to take up arms. He
may be lazy at times, and content to coast through life, but he would rather
stand tall than see his family threatened.

Caecilius’s heart is in the right place, and he has always known why. Ever
since he was young, he has had a friend and mentor in an old priest of the red
rooks, an aging musician now tending to the spiritual well-being of his family.
He still remembers how the old man taught him to play, how his music needed
to speak to real things: love, friendship, passion, right and wrong. When in
doubt or struggling with demons, he visits his old friend and mentor once
more.

Since taking up the cause of the revolution, he has heard the whispers of
Amdusias, who tells him that he is weak and uncommitted, that his comrades
do not trust him and will leave him behind. For now, he banishes these
thoughts with false bravado and trust in his friends, striding into battle with
his heavy pistol and his saber, side by side with his comrades.

112
 Step of the Gods You gain the Teleport action:
Cost 1
Spend 1 Dark Power token and place yourself in
any zone, engaged with anyone (or no one), no
matter what lies in your way.
Sanguine Response
You when you Evade! or Dodge! a Melee
attack, you may make a Melee attack. This
attack is not subject to Counterattacks.

Disarm

When you Dodge! or Evade! a Counterattack, if you

have an Action Point left, you may disarm your
opponent; they will have to spend 2 Action Points
to regain their melee weapon next turn.

Attack Table Defense Table

Evade! You take no damage. If in
6 Critical hit! Do 3 damage melee with your attacker you may
6 disengage. If at range, you may
gain and use 1 Movement.

5 Hit. Do 2 damage 5 Dodge!. You take no

damage.

Hit. Do 2 damage Dodge!. You take no

4 4 damage.

Grazing hit. You suffer

3 Graze. Do 1 damage 3
the Effect.

2 Miss. Do no damage 2 Hit. You take damage.

1 Critical Hit! You take

Miss. Do no damage 1
both damage and Efect!

Lines
I have played to imperial nobles and poor workers alike

I have friends in every port

Johannus taught me how rituals, songs, and the lore of the red rooks

113
 Relationships and Memories
Johannus, my old affection e
t
mentor:
“When he taught me
to play my first song”

Julia, my good patient support e

t
friend:

“playing music for her

after the natural death
of her grandmother”

Franciscum, a fellow gratitude e

t
guerilla:

“When they took care

of me, drunk out of
my mind”

Ahumm, a victim admiration e

t
of the empire:
“When he drove away
the imperial troops
about to capture me
with sword and skill”

Gertrudis, a a crush e
t
beautiful foreigner:

“When we spent the

night dancing and
laughing at a ball after
she came here”

114
 Ahumm

He/him Rifle

Ahumm was once a rebel leader. With others of his syndicate, he struggled
against the empire’s conquest of the Hatm islands, which it now calls ‘Pistris’.
But his band could not overcome the might of the empire, and those who were
not killed were dragged away in chains and sent to be killed the slow way,
working the mines.
In the mines, Ahumm conspired with other prisoners and staged a break-
out. They overthrew the guards and ran for the hills. Before the guards could
recover and track them down, however, they were found by members of the
Commune, who whisked them away to safety.
Some of the prisoners, saved by the commune, joined their families as
adoptees. Ahumm did not. He is deeply grateful for the commune shielding him
and refusing to toss his people to the wind, but he still has an island and a
town to return to once the capital is taken and the back of the empire broken.

He has made many friends among his new allies, but his closest confidant is
Laurentius, the first to invite him into his house and feed him from his table.
Often, when Ahumm misses his home, he finds Laurentius, and they talk long
into the night, staring at the skies. Laurentius always reminds him of their first
long talk, when Ahumm swore that he would return to his home and rebuild it,
freed from the yoke of the empire.

Suspicious at first, Ahumm has taken up his new allies’ strange art, and now
marches into battle with Haagenti. The demon comes to him as a griffon-bull
in his dreams, whispering that his new allies do not care about Hatm — and it
eagerly reminds him that they call it ‘Pistris.’ It whispers to him that they will
abandon his people to the empire to save themselves. But remembering their
openness, their friendliness, and the food they shared freely, Ahumm ignores
the whispers and reloads his rifle.

115
 Shield of Shadows You gain the following action:
Invoke Shield
Cost 1
Flies Straight And Spend 2 Dark Power tokens. Until the end of your
next turn, get +2 on Defense rolls.
True With Great
Wrath And Fury You may spend extra Dark Power when taking
the Shoot! Action. For each Dark Power token
you spend in this way, you get +1 to your roll. If
you spend at least 3 more, your attack further
does 1 extra damage.

Acrobat

You may move to adjacent zones that are otherwise inaccessible. For
example, running up a wall and jumping into a balcony, climbing
across a chain-link fence, or swinging by a chandelier to circumvent an
obstacle. This costs Movement as usual, but is otherwise free.

Attack Table Defense Table

Critical hit! Do one damage, Evade! You take no damage. If in
6 and enemy loses 1 Action melee with your attacker you may
6 disengage. If at range, you may
Point next turn. gain and use 1 Movement.

5 Hit. Do one damage. 5 Dodge!. You take no

damage.

Hit. Do one damage. Dodge!. You take no

4 4 damage.

Grazing hit. Enemy loses Grazing hit. You suffer

3 3
one Action Point next turn. the effect.

2 Miss. Do no damage. 2 Hit. You take damage.

1 Critical Hit! You take

Miss. Do no damage. 1
both damage and effect!

Lines
I have been a revolutionary all my life

I have slaved in the mines of the empire

Laurentius has taught me the ways of the empire and the commune

116
 Relationships and Memories
Laurentius, my close comraderie e
t
confidant:
“When he fed me
from his table and
made me feel at
home”

Julia, a young gratitude e

t
revolutionary:

“when she taught

me the dances of her
people”

Franciscum, an old deep friendship e

t
revolutionary dog:

“When they found me

and my friends in the
woods and brought me
to the commune”

Caecilius, a protectiveness e
t
musician from
the commune:
“When I saved him
from the empire with
my rifle and steel.”

Gertrudis, a worker rivalry: e

t
from the empire:

“When we raced each

other to catch a fleeing
lieutenant of the
empire”

117
 Gertrudis

She/her Heavy Rifle

Gertrudis has lived all her life as a citizen of the empire, though she remembers
her great-grandmother telling her grand stories of the time before their people
were invaded. Working in smog-filled factories all her life, seeing men, women
and children get sick or die in the machinery, she joined a work-family. With
them, she has fought for her and others’ right to dignity and to the produce
of their own labour. Nevertheless, the ruthless violence of the empire and the
fickle treachery of strikebreakers and scabs forced them to concede again and
again. And so, when word through her work family came of rebellion, she took
heart, kissed her mother goodbye, and left her family for the commune. The
commune welcomed her with open arms, as they welcome all with a stout heart
and a hatred of oppression.

Among her many new comrades, Leonia has been her closest friend. A matronly
woman of forty or fifty, she has helped Gertrudis adapt to the very different
lifestyle of the commune. Despite the friendliness of the rebels, Gertrudis spent
her early weeks feeling outside and alone until Leonia invited her to her house
for stew. Leonia listened long, then advised her to help with the cooking and
share her family’s stews with the commune. She invited the young Gertrudis
over another night, and many thereafter. Now, when Gertrudis needs help or
advice, she finds old Leonia and shares her stew with the smiling old matron.

Gertrudis hears the whispers of the demon Ronove in her heart while she
marches with her new comrades. Ronove tells her that the empire is too
strong, that she, a lowly factory-worker, cannot change the course of history.
It whispers that she is not truly one of these great rebels, and that they resent
her and will feed her to the empire for their cause. But Gertrudis has a heavy
rifle on her shoulder, a sword in her hand, and dogs of the empire to kill. She
does not have time for Ronove’s whispers.

118
 Parry the World When you Dodge! or Evade a ranged attack,
you may deflect it back; roll on the Basic
Ranged Attack table.

Born of Blood
If you have no Dark Power tokens, you may spend
hit points to shoot instead. If you spend your last,
you roll on the consequence table as usual, but
One Last Strike and Rally count as Knocked out.

Interpose

When an ally in your zone suffers an attack, you may choose to

change the target of that attack to yourself, making a Defense
roll in your ally’s place. Make the roll at a -1 penalty. If you
do this for a melee attack, you are now also engaged with that
opponent if you weren’t before.

Attack Table Defense Table

Critical hit! Do one Evade! You take no damage. If in
6 melee with your attacker you may
damage, and enemy loses 6 disengage. If at range, you may
one Action Point next turn. gain and use 1 Movement.

5 Hit. Do one damage. 5 Dodge!. You take no

damage.

Hit. Do one damage. Dodge!. You take no

4 4 damage.

Grazing hit. Enemy loses Grazing hit. You suffer

3 3
one Action Point next turn. the Effect.

2 Miss. Do no damage. 2 Hit. You take damage.

1 Critical Hit! You take

Miss. Do no damage. 1
both damage and Effect!

Lines
I’m used to the smog and exploitation of the factory

I’ve worked with the work-families in the empire

Leonia’s taught me excellent cooking

119
 Relationships and Memories
Leonia, a kind old Shared e
t
witch:
Joy “When she
helped me find
my place in the
commune”

Julia, a rival and good-natured rivalry e

t
friend:

“I won a cake-eating
competition”

Franciscum, Protectiveness e
t
an elder of the

commune: “When i saved the old

dog’s life”

Caecilius, a a crush e
t
handsome hero of

the commune:
“When we danced the
night away to music”

Ahumm, a foreigner Rivalry e

t
in the commune:

“When we raced
to catch a fleeing
luitenant”

120
 Kickstarter Thanks
I would like to thank the many backers of my kickstarter for their support,
generosity and patience. I could not have brought this project to life without
them.

Rebels:
ProfessorCirno Cassie the Bunny

Ian McFarlin Luke Bailey

Clarity Morrison Chris Chambers

Flimflamberge Christopher J Gibson

Paul “Ettin” Matijevic Nathan Self

Ben Brimm Mr.Misfit

Steven Warble cassa61

Andrew Doucet caraig

Steven Barrett Corvo

Dev Purkayastha Aven McConnaughey

Alex Maskill David Buzaglo

Nikolaj Munk Colin Packenham

Marx Shepherd Jesse Norris

Andrew Mauney Cottar Bort

Joseph Bant Hjortkayre

Jon Mei Cleo “Thorn” Schmitz

Josh H. Noël

Rose Storr Michael Bowman

Violet Henderson Vincent Berry

Alex N. Matthew Edwards

Jón Björgvinsson James Love

tony peterson Matthew Ice

121
 Greg Walters Aaron Rennex
Logan Sam
Eric Seth Johnson
Jack Coven Nezumi
TariBear Amy Hall
John Steinmann Drew Rosenheim
Perrydotto Chris W.
Blair McKenzie Terry Gilbert
Kevin Veale Vonigner
Spiky Ditto Chris Longhurst
Mikaela Irish Joshua Crowe
Jayson Stevens Jørgen Sætermo
Patrick Grym Comics

Rooks:

Josh Crider Shafer Gilson

Wrestlepig Russ Brown
Nick Kenny Thomas
Joseph Pechovnik Annemarie Wolken
Andrew Fox Nick D.
Commodore Jeep-Eep Jasmine Barlow
Anthony Damiani Aaron Lim
Søren Jønsson Are Akselsen
Legend Gerry Dr. Alexander Bustos
Luke Rule Justo Diaz
Riklurt Tim Voves
Daniel A Samuelson Blu Legender

122
Owen Wright Gareth Williams
The Rangdo of Arg Phil King
Kelly Digges adumbratus
Joshua Chewning Rafe Richards
Charles “Revlid” Raspin Morten Brøsted
Stew Wilson Sabina Walter
M stephen
Vance Rawson Nick Cadigan
DivNull Productions Daemn
David Merz Dave Agnew
Steve Nicoll Rom Rom
Bartimaeus Jonathan Korman
Andreas Miller J.r. Lonergan
Rob Donoghue Georgie Bats
Ratley17 Federico Sohns

Red Rooks:
Hannah Pentreath Jake adamo

Luca Beltrami Smith

Jesper Laugesen Angel Garcia “Hijos del Rol”

Chuck Dee Jim Jacobson

H Lynnea Dan Moran

Nicholas Arroyo Heather Rusk

Elliot Wilson Javier Alemán

Nicholas Johnson Caspar Gregers Jensen

Cirlot Xavid

Jon Garrad Brandon Wu

Peter Smyk Phillip McGregor

123
 Jason Schinji Phillip Ames

Dyer Rose Jerry Sköld

Conor Ben Hale

Brad Elliott

Revolutionaries!
Jarret T. Coyle Adam

Luke Zondervan Roger Long

Benjamin King ClockworkGadget

Jermaine Kanhai Gábor Bobula

Bram Gotink zwodder

Tom Fowler Jonathan Ly Davis

Jarvis Blorg³

Chris Daranouvong Daniel Smith

Matthew Lind Corey de Danann

Zomborgon
Nanna
Sarah Jacobs
Erik Bernhardt
Taylor Radican
Lindsey
David Dalton
Lukas Drax
Travis Stout
K.G. Orphanides
Ryan Percy
Andrew Cherry
Keith Stanley
Cassie Spookiatrault
Frédéri “V.K. Friedrich”
Ian Horswill POCHARD

Ryo Andrew Gill

Rafael Carneiro Vasques Nikolaj Gedionsen

Christopher Mangum Ludovico Alves

124
 Ancient Ancestors:
Lupin Chevalier

Rudder Sails

Tracy Parks

William Burns

Alan Beck

James Telfer

Alasdair Forbes

Nickoten

Drew Wendorf

Hekla Björk Kummer

Heros of the Revolution!

Ouro

FlawlessLosses

Troels Fenger Palm

Jacob Bernard Hess

125