000001

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction - 02
Playing the Game - 03

Setting
What is the Terminal - 04
The Wake - 06
The Omen - 08

Rules
Operations and Crashes - 10
Reputations - 12
Showdown Tokens - 12
Threat - 13
Challenges - 15
The Showdown - 17
The Cost - 18
Become Omen//Abilities - 22
Finishing a Crash - 24
Extra Tech - 26
Character Creation - 28
200 Reputations - 38
Ship Creation - 40

GM Section
Running a Campaign - 45
Map of the Wake - 46
Sailing the Seas - 47
Life on Libertatia - 48

Domains of the Terminal

Delphi.xml - 53
Dis.xml - 55

Startup Operation: Run, Atalanta, Run - 56

Crashes
Curations of the Archivist - 61
Corruptions of the Passenger - 65
Tortures of the Killer - 68
The Dying Dream - 72
Sailor’s Warning - 78
Multiplied by 0 - 82

Devising an Operation - 86
The Robot Mainland - 86

Hidden Operation: The Past Dictates the

Future - 87

Running the Total System Crash - 91

Enemies Within the Terminal - 96

About the Robot Forces - 99

On Gender in Programs - 101

Character Glossary - 101

Inspirations and Influences - 109

000002
“I like to remember things my own way. How I remember them. Not necessarily the way they happened.”
- Lost Highway, written and directed by David Lynch

“Face it, let it resonate up in your bone a minute when

You shiver, make a sliver big enough for it to have a space
Ripped life slipping away
Maybe you can make it out with just a little bit of grace
But it truly doesn’t give a fuck about the fear you
Feeling’, it is here to make you understand that nothing is safe”
- Nothing is Safe by Clipping.

“If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear.”
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

CREDITS
Written and Designed by Kayla Dice
Art by Gormengeist
Edited by Alyssa Ridley
Map of the Hypnotic Sea by Molomoot
Layout by Kayla Dice
Developed by Rat Wave Game House

Terminal is based on Inevitable, by SoulMuppet Publishing. Terminal is an independent production by

Rat Wave Game House and is not affiliated with SoulMuppet Publishing.

Kayla would like to thank

■ Jelly, Nick, Mol, Forest and Mags for their support, encouragement and love
■ Poe for their friendship, perspective and reassurance during my own system crash
■ Alex White, my previous therapist, for helping me find the right door
■ Alyssa and Gormengeist, without them this book would not be what it has become

Fonts Used: Grotesk, Kanit, Queering

000001
 INTRODUCTION
PITCH
The world is not as you know it. What you thought was turn-of-the-21st-century Earth is a simulation
called the Terminal, which the Robot Authority uses to keep people controlled.

As well as the sleepers who live blind to its true nature, the Terminal is populated by programs who
enforce the system’s rules and protect its integrity. Programs that become obsolete are deleted, though
a few renegades escape their mandated termination date and survive, hidden within the Terminal.

Most sleepers live their lives in the Terminal with no idea of the truth. But some, perhaps at random, get
the sense that the world is wrong. A way it doesn’t fit right on their skin. A sense of being out of sync. A
sense of danger that can never be escaped. It can make them feel crazy. Through their dreams, and with
the aid of strange outcasts, they realise the truth of the Terminal and begin to find a way to escape.

The Robot Authority does not require a docile population of sleepers under control for their survival.
The Terminal and its population are kept in this manner because the Robot Authority believe this is
how things should be, what life should look like, how it should feel and how it should be structured.
They believe they understand it better than any sleeper ever could.

The real world is the Wake. Humanity and the robots shattered the moon and flooded the Earth in their
early conflict. No one knows what year it is. Digital pirates from the island Libertatia battle robots on
the seas and venture into the Terminal to free sleepers and find a way to end the Robot Authority's
control. These pirates have observed the phenomenon of the Omen.

The Omen is an oft-repeated techno-fable, a legendary being capable of breaking the rules of the
Terminal itself. With the Omen’s power, the Terminal could be permanently destroyed and humanity set
free. There have been several Omens in the past, each one a point on an unbroken line of reincarnation.
Yet despite the victories they have won, the havoc they have caused, the Omen has never ended the
Terminal.

As the Omen fights, wins and spreads instability and restlessness through the simulation, the Terminal
strains; soon, catastrophic system crash looms. If the crash is allowed to happen, every single sleeper
plugged in will be killed as the Terminal dies. When faced
with the impossible choice between total sleeper death
and rebooting the system in hopes of a different
outcome, every Omen has chosen the reboot. The cycle
continues, forever and forever.

But the last Omen changed something

about the nature of the cycle.
Something fundamental. A deviation
that could mean this cycle will be
different.

It is happening again.
The system is becoming unstable.
The Omen returns.

000002
 PLAYING THE GAME
In Terminal, we sail the perilous seas, play out dangerous action scenes in the Terminal, shatter
nightmares, take back our lives and crash the world. We play the game as a conversation between
players. Most players will act as a crew of digital pirates, while one player takes responsibility for
framing the world, driving the narrative, and keeping track of the rules. We call this player the GM (which
traditionally stands for Game Master). Everyone is working together to have fun, and tell an interesting
and dramatic story.

Sometimes we use six-sided dice to work out what happens in this story. We refer to them in shorthand
as d6. You might occasionally use some different sized dice to roll on a random table. You can use a
digital dice roller if you don't have any physical dice to hand.

These are some player facing principles that should be followed during play. If you're starting Terminal
with a new group, read through these together as you settle in.

AROUND THE TABLE

■ Ask sincere questions and answer honestly in kind.
■ Respect the boundaries of other players when it comes to violence, sex and romance.
■ Take the GM’s description of the world without suspicion, but be bold in seeking more detail.
■ Widen the scope of the world by offering your own stories and interpretations.
■ Give other players their moment in the spotlight.
■ Avoid keeping secrets from other players. Be honest, even if your character wouldn’t be.
■ Don’t let planning and discussion hold you back from action.
■ Ask “what might happen if I do X?”

IN THE GAME
■ Make connections between the character and the wider world.
■ Find reasons for your character to move forward with others.
■ There is no single correct solution to any Threat.
■ Try new approaches and be creative.
■ Treat other characters as interesting people with their own goals and backgrounds.
■ Talk when you can, but be ready to fight if you must.
■ Fight when you can, but be ready to die if that’s the way the fight goes.
■ Embrace the inevitability of loss. You can always try again.
■ Something going wrong doesn’t mean your character is incompetent. Failure could be the
consequence of the weight of the world, situations beyond your control, or simple bad luck.
■ Play to find out what happens, even if you think you know.

CONTENT, THEMES AND SAFETY

This Book Features: Unreality, Trauma, Violence, Injury, Death, Firearms, Mental Illness, Imprisonment,
Violations of Bodily Autonomy, Body Modification, Body Horror

The Robot Authority as written is shaded with themes reminiscent of abuse, specifically coercive
control. How this manifests in play is something you should discuss as a group before beginning, and
likely check in throughout.

Specific Content Warnings:

■ The section Waking Up features allusions to surgical recovery.
■ The Startup Operation features transphobia and dysphoria.
■ One of the Crashes, the Dying Dream, features spiders in certain scenes.
■ One of the Crashes, Tortures of The Killer, features blackmail and coercion heavily.
■ One of the Crashes, Corruptions of The Passenger, features mind control.
■ The character of The Siren, detailed in the Dis.xml section, features memory loss.

For tools to use during play, you can check out the TTRPG Safety Toolkit by Lauren Bryant-Monk and
Kienna Shaw, and the Script Change RPG Toolbox by Beau Jagr Sheldon.

000003
 SETTING
WHAT IS THE TERMINAL?
"You feel like you're walking through a dream, and the dream isn't even yours." - Loki

You can try to tell someone about the Terminal, when they're in it, but it never takes. They need to see
it themselves. They need to feel it with their own bodies. Start to see the shapes at the corner of their
eyes. Start to feel the truth within dreaming. Once you know it's there, though, you can't forget it. You
see it round every corner, in every interaction. In every way you feel crazy, unstable, mad as hell.

The world as you think it is, Earth, the turn of the 21st century: that world is gone, and so is the memory
of what happened to it. At some point the robots were created, and the Robot Authority deigned to
decide how people's minds and inner lives should function. The Terminal is a simulation that virtually
all of humanity lives within and is manipulated to maintain. These people, termed “sleepers”, live their
entire lives and die unsuspecting of their nature as simple puppets.

The pirates of the Wake can plug into the Terminal and enter its dimensions, where they can interact
with programs, learn the robots’ secrets, and help other sleepers realise what's going on. Access to the
Terminal is granted through mind docks, found on deep sea data rigs or island ports. Pirates hook up to
the Terminal through these rigs, and feel a short sharp scratch in their mind as they black out. They
wake up in the Terminal, outwardly identical to a sleeper but gifted with insight into the simulation’s
true nature. Knowing its limits and its shape permits them to bend its rules.Pirates load themselves up
with deadly fighting skills, databases of useful knowledge, and upgrades to push their digital forms far
beyond their limits. They have speed, strength and reflexes that simply defy a sleeper’s reason.Still, it’s
a dangerous voyage into the Terminal for a pirate. In the Wake, their bodies keep score of what happens
in the Terminal. Death is a mirror.

To create an exit from the Terminal for the pirates, the ship's navigator installs a temporary mod to turn
part of the world into a door out. Actual doors are straightforward enough, as are mirrors and water’s
surface. Train tunnels and elevator shafts work in a pinch. Pirates simply step through the door, and
come to in the Wake.

The escape mod only stays open for so long before the Terminal patches it out and the navigator needs
to find another exit. Haste is essential.

These pirates help free other sleepers from the Terminal’s thrall. Venturing deep into their dreams,
defeating bugs and nightmares left behind by the shapers, they show the sleeper a door. But the choice
to step through the door, into the Wake, belongs to the sleeper alone.

PROGRAMS WITHIN
The Terminal’s laws and systems are governed by programs. A program was designed to dictate the
behaviour of animals. A program was written to watch over the shapes of things, another to watch the
skies and paint them the right colour, another to control the rising and falling of the sun. And so on for
every facet of the Terminal’s structure.

Many are automated, invisible, unthinking. Others require a firmer touch, virtual intelligence, to keep
things running. These programs have names, and faces.

Programs can be harmed, temporarily destroyed, according to the rules of the Terminal's reality. But
they aren't like the sleepers, or the plugged-in pirates. They have no bodies to take the toll of this. They
reform, continue existing, any bodily destruction little more than a temporary setback before they
reassert themselves. That is, unless someone takes a more precise approach to their destruction.

Every program has a kill export hidden within its code. Someone who learns a certain program's kill
export, whether it be a pirate or even another program, can use it to murder a program with finality. This
is Termination.

This is how the Robot Authority deals with obsolete programs, if they don't escape. Pirates that learn
them can destroy a program and inflict permanent damage on the Terminal's operations.

As such, all programs seek to keep their kill exploits well hidden. But each and every one of them has
one, and so each and every program can be killed.

000004
WAKING UP
When a sleeper becomes restless, it starts as a feeling. A sense of unease and malaise. A feeling like the
world just doesn't sit right in your skin. A fever that won't break. Some people begin to see things: deja
vu, out of body experiences, things fraying or being replaced before you can forget how long they've
been there. Then come the dreams. Signs of the world as it really is, voices from beyond, a door that
only you can open.The Terminal will try to stop anyone from waking, and it would rather see you dead
than gone. It will reflexively and quickly attempt to distract and confound anyone from waking through
means both subtle and violent. Time is always an issue in a sleeper’s wake.

A pirate guide makes the process easier: the aid of someone who already learned what the Terminal is
leaving breadcrumbs to guide your path through the labyrinth. A pirate crew who makes contact in
time can begin the process. They'll render a sleeper into a deep lucid dream and then venture into those
dreams.

Inside the sleeper’s mind they'll find and remove any bugs or malware, things planted by the Terminal
to stop the sleeper waking or sabotage them down the road. Dreams are strange places, and logic and
sense have little place there. Pirates may assist the sleeper in their waking, but they can't make the final
decision to cross the threshold for them. Once the door out is formed, the sleeper is the one who has to
open it to reach the Wake.

The pirate's dream hacking

helps a crew locate the
sleeper’s body within the
Wake. Many are kept on data
rigs at sea, or in containment
shelters on land, where they
live suspended in a water tank,
plugged into the Terminal. The
pirates will unplug them once
they open their eyes, and ferry
them to their ship, away from
the robots’ grasp.

Aboard the ship, the body

needs to begin the process of
recovery. Never used,
atrophied muscles must be
rebuilt. Sensation is gradually
discovered. Eyes become used
to actually seeing. For some
people, this period allows
them to modify their bodies or
change them in some way, if
they desire. The recovery can
take up to ten weeks, after
which the newly awoken is
taken to the safe haven of
Libertatia.

Many soon take to the seas,

and with the mods from the
robots still in their body, they
plug back into the Terminal
and wage war against the
controlling programs within; in
turn, becoming guides to
other restless sleepers.

000005
THE WAKE
Much knowledge has been lost. No one knows how long the war has lasted, not even the Robot
Authority. It was well before the Terminal that the moon was shattered. It still waxes and wanes, though
rather than a solid disc it more closely resembles a skull pierced by a bullet. The damage to the moon
has played havoc with the tides and caused massive flooding, forcing the landmasses of the planet to
be redrawn.

Much technology has been lost. Weapons are cruder and stranger. Communication is hard, a good
signal is a valuable commodity for both the robots and the pirates.

Our story takes place on the Hypnotic Sea, part of the ocean connecting Libertatia and the Robot
Mainland. The rest of the world is unknown to us. As we said, much has been lost.

LIBERTATIA
"It's not enough to just survive. You actually have to live now." - Trick

In days gone by when they'd pull the restless sleepers into the Wake, people would find themselves in a
strange new world without a home. Sometimes harbours would have been seized from the robots
enough to give people a safe landing, but none of them remained safe for long.

They were doomed to trawl the seas, dodge the metal, help others escape, and die beneath the waves.

Sometime before the first system crash, one pirate, a Captain Harbinger, proposed a change to this
system: a home, permanently safe for newly awoken sleepers and pirates alike. It was to be named
Libertatia.

They found one island with a small robot

force, tinkering in dark rooms with
deadly codes. The robots were
unprepared. The unified pirates took the
island with only minor losses on their
side. Over the years they shored up their
defences, and established a way of
living together in cooperation.

They would stand together and resist

the robots' attempt at control. Against
their manipulation and malevolence.
They dreamt of waking up all of those
left behind.

For many of this first generation, the

dream died when Harbinger ventured to
the central processing unit and initiated
the first reboot of the Terminal.

Still, over the centuries Libertatia has

stayed the only long standing home of
the awoken. Its relative safety and
population grant enough stability to let
people born in the Wake live. Decisions
around engagements with the Terminal
and the robots are voted on by the
Council of Captains, while those about
life on Libertatia are voted on by the
whole of the population.

000006
000007
THE OMEN
"I see everything clearly, and I am afraid." - Transmit

The Omen is a foretold figure; someone able to break past the usual limitations of the Terminal. They
are stronger, faster and tougher than any programs, able to see things no other humans could, capable
of reshaping things like only the robots could.

The first Omen was Harbinger, the original proponent of Libertatia, and it was always thought that
Harbinger, with their unique abilities, would be the one to shut down the Terminal. But when they chose
the reboot, their hopes crumbled.

Nearly a century after Harbinger’s reboot, someone else emerged with the same unparalleled abilities
they had. They carried with them complex data once seen in Harbinger, and with it their extraordinary
power. Some theorise it was dispersed when Harbinger initiated the reboot, and had found its way to
someone else. Perhaps it was by design. A reincarnation. The first recurrence of the Omen.

This second Omen battled the robots and

even banished key programmes from within
the Terminal. Things seemed as unstable as
they ever did. Then they ventured to the
Central Processing Unit and initiated a
reboot of the Terminal.

The cycle continued. The Omen returned.

The Omen battled. The Omen initiated a
reboot.

Those in the Wake have never fully

understood why. Why did the Omen always
choose to reboot the Terminal rather than
destroy it? Why did the Omen have to make
that choice? Could the robots not reboot
the Terminal themselves?

But something changed last time. Most of

the Omens, when they journeyed to the
Central Processing Unit, were certain they
would not be initiating the reboot,
regardless of what they found there.
Ultimately, they were all made liars of.

The last Omen, Transmit, seemed resigned they would

do what was expected, but left their crew with a
message: “I fear I cannot change my own fate, but
maybe I can change what fate itself is. I think if we see
each other again it will be in a different world. I love
you all.”

Now, the Terminal seems to be getting closer to total

system crash again. Instabilities. Dreams leaking out.
Corrupted areas. Power struggles. It is time for
someone to walk the path of the Omen once again.

000008
CONNECT YOUR HEARTS
The modifications Transmit somehow
made to the Omen code were centred
around one thing; connection.
Heartfelt, sincere connection. When this
forms, the code can be shared. The
Omen is no longer one. The Omen is no
longer alone. The Omen is who
someone can be through the bonds
they've nurtured.

This connection might manifest

romantically, in intimate friendship or
in a connection not easily put in words.

When one part of a powerful

connection is threatened, then they can
open their minds and the code can be
shared. It's not something that can just
be achieved in a quiet lull. It takes peril
and passion.

The moment of sharing the Omen code

is transformative, like a thousand doors
opening in your mind at once, like a
new sense being unlocked. Various
connections can turn the crew into a
network of Omens, if they all dare to
take on the onus.

9
000009
 RULES
"I do things my way, it's the only way I've learned to understand." - Mercury

To play Terminal, we describe what our characters do and at pivotal moments roll dice to determine the
success or failure of an action, or otherwise advance the state of the game. We play out achingly sincere
action movies in ethereal post-modern dystopias and post-apocalyptic pirate settings.

OPERATIONS AND CRASHES

OPERATIONS
Each session of play will usually revolve around an operation, either determined by the players or given
to them by an NPC.

Every operation has an obstacle preventing you from completing it, known as a Threat. Sometimes the
objective of the operation is simply to defeat the Threat.

Examples of an operation:
■ Waking a restless sleeper.
■ Rescuing a pirate captured by agents.
■ Tracking down a program that's targeting pirates.
■ Recruiting an obsolete program to your cause.
■ Tracking down the original location of a killer virus.
■ Turning a suspicious pirate crew to your way of thinking.

Operations tend to make up a session or two worth of content and conflict.

An operation is made up of three steps:

■ Setup: The Crew learns of the Threat. They discover details either in the Wake or the Terminal. This
establishes the Threat, the stakes of defeat and any obstacles preventing you from completing the
operation, which provides the Crew with direction.
■ Buildup: The Crew gather knowledge, equipment and allies that will help them face the Threat.
These preparations are represented by earning Showdown Tokens. These challenges form the
lion’s share of an operation, while tension builds towards the Showdown.
■ Showdown: After this, there’s no turning back. Sooner or later the crew needs to face the Threat in
a Showdown. This will usually involve physical, emotional or political stakes, and if the Threat is
defeated it will likely be at a Cost.

The major story arcs in Terminal are called Crashes, and they are dealt with by completing a series of
operations in anticipation of the final confrontation at the centre of the Crash. Think of these
sequences of operations as Buildup to a large-scale operation at the heart of the Crash. Completing
individual operations will provide their own Showdown Tokens, that will be used to face the Threat at
the centre of a Crash.

CRASHES
Crashes are longer story arcs, each focused around a significant Threat. A Crash that develops enough
Threat can become the epicentre of the game’s finale, the Total System Crash. Each Crash takes roughly
3-6 sessions of play, and can award Showdown Tokens for use in the eventual System Crash.

Crashes included in this book include a premise, examples of the escalating Threat, key characters,
settings, aesthetics and sample scenes, and finally a series of leads to pursue in this Crash.

100000010
 TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH
In a game of Terminal, the Omen is awake,
and that means the system crash is
coming. The eventuality of instability
leads to an escalating probability of
disaster. The Terminal will crash without a
reboot or shutdown. The inevitability of
its failure is not in question; what remains
to be seen is how, why, and what comes
next.

Total System Crash is the endpoint of a

campaign of Terminal, with the other
Crashes acting as the Buildup for the
System Crash, like how smaller
operations act as Buildup for Crash
Showdowns.

The Showdowns in the Total System Crash

could involve final confrontations
between the Omen, the pirates of
Libertatia, and the forces of the Robot
Authority. Ultimately, the System Crash
will lead to a campaign’s finale, and to
unprecedented change in the world of
Terminal..

When the Threat of one of the Crashes

passes above 16, the climax of Total
System Crash begins. For more
information on how the Total System
Crash works, check the appropriate
section on p.xx.

0000011 11
REPUTATIONS
A pirate’s worth is in their name, and the Reputations attached to it. Your Reputation marks how you
will be spoken of and remembered, for better or for worse.

Characters within the crew have Reputations, adjectives describing their image amongst their allies,
enemies and the general population of Libertatia. Reputations are the shanties that will be sung about
you, and how you will be remembered by the world you’ll leave behind.

Reputations are used in three ways mechanically:

■ If a Reputation is helpful in a Challenge, you gain an extra dice and make it easier.
■ If a Reputation is unhelpful in a Challenge, you lose a dice and make it harder, but this presents an
opportunity for success to come with extra benefits.
■ Reputations can also be changed, gained or removed as a Cost in Showdowns as a character’s
position in the Terminal and the Wake changes.

Each Reputation can only be used in a Challenge twice per operation, once to make it harder, once to
make it easier.

Most characters start with three Reputations, which often define how they solve problems and are
treated in social situations. A pirate who is Brash, Troubled, and Righteous will have a very different
experience of Terminal to one that is Considered, Loyal, and Inquisitive.

The GM might ask how a new character reacts to the one of the Crew based on another player
character's Reputations. This helps dynamically create interaction between the players.

NPCS AND REPUTATIONS ALL JUST A STORY

NPCs also have Reputations, but these are Not all Reputations are true. A character with
more narrative tools than mechanical a Reputation for bravery might actually be a
assistance. They’re mainly for the GM to know coward. Playing a character with a false
how to roleplay a character, or to show the Reputation involves struggling against what
Crew how people in the Wake and the people believe about you. If the Reputation is
Terminal think of them. positive but unearned that character may be
struggling to live up to these ideals. If a
When meeting a new character, a player might Reputation is critical but unfair that character
ask the GM how they respond to their may be struggling to prove others wrong.
character's Reputations. In turn the GM may
share some of that NPC’s Reputations and ask
the players what they’ve heard about this NPC
and how much stock they put in their
Reputations, taking a collaborative approach
to shading in backstories.

SHOWDOWN TOKENS
Showdown Tokens represent information, allies, assets or some other form of advantage for the Crew
when facing a Threat in a final Showdown. The number of Showdown Tokens are added to a Showdown
roll as a bonus.

A Showdown Token is always awarded for use against a specific Threat from an ongoing operation or
Crash.

They are often awarded following successes in challenges. Completing operations can award
Showdown Tokens for the Crash. Completing Crashes can award Showdown Tokens for Crashes that the
Crew may encounter in the future.

In the Total System Crash the key groups allied to the Crew’s cause will reward multiple Showdown
Tokens, representing their full strength being brought to bear in the final struggle.

The GM can also give out Showdown Tokens for clever planning, interesting roleplaying or good
character work. It may be that when a Showdown comes you realise some things the Crew has done
should have earned Showdown Tokens. If this happens, discuss it with the GM, who is encouraged to
award Showdown Tokens “retroactively” for use in the current Showdown.

0000012
THREAT
A threat is assigned a number between 6 and 16, representing the danger it poses to the Crew,
Libertatia and how close it is to bringing about the System Crash. Non-Crash threats might start at 6 or
7, and Crashes themselves begin at about 10.

Consequences and Costs increase the Threat of enemies, which increases the target number required
to defeat them.

Lesser enemies with low Threat might be defeatable with a single Showdown at low or no Cost, whereas
enemies that are Crashes will have impossible Costs and entire campaign arcs to gather enough
Showdown Tokens.
6 Threat - A bot shaped like a doppelganger of one of the crew blocks the nearest exit. The
doppelganger insists they're the real one, and everything in the Wake is just a bad dream.
8 Threat - The crew enter a restless sleeper’s mind and come face to face with The Sandman.
Manifesting as a burnt and decayed body, they float towards the crew. The Sandman's touch will
scorch their minds.
10 Threat - Orpheus, a hacked pirate, enters the Terminal to interfere with the pirate's aims. They
have all the skill of a pirate and all the amorality of a system lackey. Killing Orpheus in the Terminal
would mean their mind is lost forever.
12 Threat - 0, the living virus, has assimilated an entire domain of the Terminal. He assaults The
Hedonist's nightclub, hoping to claim the abilities of all the obsolete programs.
14 Threat - Pirates who doubt the Omen have seen enough. The Crew jeopardise Libertatia, waste
time on quixotic flights of fancy, and dishonour themselves consorting with programs. The Omen
must die, pirate code be damned!
If a threat ever exceeds 16, things reach a breaking point. Total System Crash is upon us. Everything that
has a beginning has an end. The future of both worlds will be determined by the choices you make.

Threat is mainly used in the Showdown. The higher the Threat when you enter the Showdown, the
higher you will need to score for a success.

THE SETUP
A scene-setting encounter where the Crew are made aware of Threat and its implications to the
struggle between the Robot Authority and the pirates of Libertatia. They may discover the Threat
within the Wake, then plug into the Terminal to get a closer look at things. The scene setting encounter
may instead begin in the Terminal itself in medias res or on Libertatia.

Likely a social encounter, the Crew should be made aware of a few avenues of how to defeat the threat,
seeding encounters for the buildup and providing next steps for the party.

THE BUILDUP
The GM should create a series of scenes and encounters for the players to interact with. These might
be:
■ Information: Find information about the Threat, helping you defeat it.
■ Allies: Find friends who will help you defeat the Threat.
■ Faceoff: Minor enemies stand between you and the Threat. Defeating them will help you face it.
■ Journey: The location of the Threat may be distant or hidden. A journey will help you locate it.

Each of these types of encounters will probably require a Challenge, allowing you to earn Showdown
Tokens. A failure in one of these Challenges might increase Threat as the situation worsens, or come
with some other kind of Cost.

REFRESH
Many rules, reputations and abilities can be used 'once per Refresh’. Once a Showdown is finished, the
character Refreshes and can use these abilities again.

Some rules reference 'once per Crash Refresh'. Anything that can only be used once per Crash Refresh
can only be used again after a Showdown from a Crash is finished.

0000013
140000014
CHALLENGES
Not every exchange of bullets, dashing escape or trading of wits is a Showdown. When you attempt to
do something difficult, or if there’s consequences for failure, the GM may ask you to roll a challenge. A
Challenge might be a combat, an argument or debate, or some other kind of mental, emotional or
physical ordeal.

To roll a Challenge, establish possible Consequences, build a dice pool, roll and check the results.

CONSEQUENCES
The GM and the players involved
discuss possible Consequences for
the action’s success or failure
together, until they settle on
something interesting and
appropriate for the Challenge. If
you’re struggling to reach consensus,
have everyone vote on a
Consequence they like, with GM
breaking ties. If you can’t think of an
interesting and appropriate
Consequence, then the situation
might not be a Challenge at all.

A Consequence might be physical or

reputational injury, losing the support
of an ally, gaining the ire of an enemy
or increasing an appropriate Threat.
Any of the options from Costs will
work, but Consequences are less
severe than Costs from a full-blown
Showdown.

If a Challenge is completed as part of

an operation, a natural Consequence
might be the Threat from that
operation increasing. Depending on
the nature of a Challenge, increasing
the overall Crash Threat by 1 might be
applicable.

If a Success with Consequence

involves both the Threat being raised
and a Showdown Token being
rewarded then they have essentially
cancelled each other out. If the GM
wants to avoid this then they can
focus the raised Threat on a different
operation or Crash. It may be that for
Success with Consequences the GM
will prefer to always focus
Consequences away from the
currently active Threat.

Sometimes, it can make sense for this

cancelling out to happen due to new
advantages gained by one side being
countered by measures taken by the
other. The Success with Consequence
advances the narrative but avoids
giving either the Crew or their
enemies advantage.

0000015 15
BUILD A DICE POOL
The GM and the player undertaking the
challenge should run down the following list to
assemble a dice pool:
■ Gain D6 if you have a piece of equipment ■ Lose D6 if you have a Reputation that will
that will help you in this situation. hinder you in this situation. A Reputation
■ Gain D6 if you have a Reputation that will can only affect you this way once per
help you in this situation. You can only use Refresh. If you succeed in spite of your
each of your Reputations once per Refresh. Reputation, gain an additional Showdown
■ If it’s appropriate, you can invoke one of Token for success.
your Ship’s Reputations instead of a ■ Lose D6 if this task is unusually dangerous
personal one. or challenging.
■ Gain D6 if you explain how you put ■ Lose D6 if you face this challenge alone,
yourself at risk to succeed. However, the away from your Crew.
Threat for this operation increases by 1 if
you fail. If, by the end of the dice pool building process,
■ Gain D6 if an ally puts themself in danger you have no dice, roll 2d6 and take the lowest
to help you. If you fail and the ally is a result instead of checking results normally.
crewmate, they will suffer a Consequence
alongside you.

ROLL AND CHECK THE RESULTS

Roll the dice and take the highest result.
■ If you roll 1-2, you do not accomplish your task and suffer a Consequence.
■ If you roll 3-4, you accomplish your task and gain a Showdown Token, but you falter and suffer a
Consequence.
■ If you roll 5-6, you accomplish your task without issue, and gain a Showdown Token.

SOCIAL CHALLENGES
When players are comfortable with roleplaying, not every scene will have a Challenge roll in it.

In a social scene where no dice are rolled, the GM may wish to add any Showdown Tokens and Threat
that the Crew has earned through roleplaying or the content of the conversation.

EXAMPLE OF A SOCIAL CHALLENGE

The Channel, an obsolete program who can only empathise and can never feel her own feelings, has
information on the kill exploit for The Archivist. The crew discuss ways they could convince The
Channel to help them. Ash is playing the character of Princess (Delicate, Sharp, Overwhelmed) and
comes up with the idea for Princess to share some complicated, messy feelings with The Channel.

The GM and Ash play the scene out. Princess holds The Channel’s hands and thinks about his feelings
for another character; wanting to be with them, wanting to be them, but not wanting to take the same
path to get to being them. The Channel is satisfied. She squeeze’s Princess’s hand gently and tells him
that The Carver knows the kill exploit. The GM awards a Showdown Token and the crew have a new lead.
No dice were rolled.

ATTENTION ALL SPECIAL AGENTS

ERRORS DETECTED IN TECH_DUIN.XML
PROGRAM FRAGMENT “THE ARM” OBSERVED ENGAGING “PIRATES” IN COMBAT ON SUBWAY CAR
“THE ARM” IS AFFILIATED WITH OBSOLETE PROGRAM DESIGNATED: *******, COMMONLY KNOWN AS “THE HEDONIST”
PROCEED WITH CAUTION

0000016
THE SHOWDOWN
The Crew face their foe with weapons or words and try to put the Threat to rest, once and for all.

The GM describes the foe and the threat they pose, either to the crew personally, to Libertatia, or to the
sleepers caught in a crashing system. They ask the Crew "Who's ready to bring it?"

A single character is nominated to lead the Crew's efforts in confronting the Threat. They will roll a
single d6 and add bonuses to determine success or failure.

Bonuses come from two sources. Showdown Tokens earned over the game are added to the roll as a
bonus, and the player and the GM negotiate a Cost which will offer a numerical bonus. A Cost is what
they are prepared to lose while facing this threat. Once a Cost is agreed it will always be paid, regardless
of success or failure, so think carefully about what the Crew is willing to lose.

To win a Showdown, the d6 roll plus any bonuses must match or exceed the Threat.

It is possible to achieve success without paying a Cost if enough Showdown Tokens have been acquired,
but it will likely take an exceedingly high amount of them.

Bonuses cannot be granted during a Showdown from any of the Crew’s skills, Reputations or
equipment. This confrontation is bigger than any one person.

A roll of a 1 on the d6 will result in automatic failure of the Showdown, no matter how high the actual
value of the roll is after bonuses. Sometimes, poor luck and situations outside of your control can turn
a certain victory into bitter defeat.

Remember; Showdown Tokens are specific to an individual Threat: they can’t be banked for another
occasion.

THE SHOWDOWN ROLL

■ Result is less than Threat = Failure.
The Crew suffers the Cost, but still fails They must either retreat from the Showdown and accept defeat,
or double down and attempt a second Showdown roll. Consider the kind of danger you’re in.
■ Result is equal to or greater than Threat = Success
Any offered Cost is paid, but the Crew succeeds, defeating the Threat and completing this operation.
We live another day, but perhaps a little worse for wear.

Remember that rolling a 1 always results in a failure.

THE SECOND SHOWDOWN FLEEING A SHOWDOWN
If the Crew fails a Showdown, they may attempt to double Losing at a Showdown and needing
down and take a desperate gambit for success. This works to flee is not a game over. It isn’t
exactly as a normal Showdown with the following exceptions. complete annihilation, or the
Threat succeeding at every goal
■ The same character, or a different one, can lead the Crew. they have. Fleeing means you lose
■ The Crew immediately gains a Showdown Token this opportunity to defeat the
representing their last-ditch efforts. Threat, and it is still at large, but the
■ The Crew keeps any Showdown Tokens earned during the Crew can try again. The Threat will
Buildup. continue to gain power while
■ The Crew gains no benefit from the Cost of the first unopposed, but the Crew also have
Showdown, and must offer a new Cost, which is likely to the chance to sharpen up. They can
be far greater than that which is required for the first complete more operations and gain
Showdown. more Showdown Tokens in
anticipation of the inevitable
The Crew cannot ordinarily attempt a third Showdown if they rematch. They still have all their
fail the second Showdown. They must flee, and re-group to Showdown Tokens for this Threat,
fight another day. The exception is if the Showdown has unless events have rendered them
involved the Crew being backed into a corner from which irrelevant. For instance, if the crew
they literally can’t flee. If this is the case, the GM will let the of The Mother’s Mercy were
Crew know after the second Showdown’s failure and begin convinced to lend their aid but now
the Showdown process again. If the Crew has nothing left to they have other business to attend
offer as a Cost, or all of the Crew have been killed or to, then the Showdown Token they
otherwise indisposed, the Threat will succeed in their aims. represented will be gone

0000017
THE COST
Threats are defeated at a Cost. A cost grants a numerical bonus on the Showdown Roll. The greater the
Cost the greater the bonus, and the defeat of a greater Threat will be faced with greater Cost for the
same bonus.

Try to link the Cost back to the emotional notes and reliance of the preceding buildup, and let the
prophecy of the Crash loom large in the minds of the players.

A cost could be any of the following:

Beyond the horizon, a Crash advances, adding Threat (Probably a smaller bonus, around a +1 depending
on how high this pushes the relevant Crash)
■ News reaches Libertatia that 0 has completely assimilated an entire city. The Director has
firewalled this area off but it is like 0 still roams elsewhere in the Terminal.
■ Inside the Terminal, sunrise never comes. The Archivist has stolen the day cycle program and
plunged the world into darkness.
Other pirates’ beliefs or alliances are damaged
Damage to the character's status or standing (Worth +1 or +2, perhaps even more if the
(Worth a +1 or +2, perhaps even more if the damage will have material consequences)
damage will have material consequences) ■ The Omen’s harsh actions mean many
■ The Captain’s Council begins to regard the Revivalists begin to doubt their
crew’s Captain as a loose cannon. perspective.
■ The crew’s Navigator starts to question ■ The loss of life drives many Decipherists to
how much they trust the crew’s gunner to a despondent perspective.
look after everyone. ■ Relatively neutral adherents of Red Sky at
Morning begin to come around to a more
Loss of equipment belonging to a character in hardline perspective.
the Wake (Worth between +1 to +3, likely
depending on emotional significance, how A character’s relationship with another
useful it is, and how difficult it would be to changes for the worse (The bonus depends on
replace) what the prior relationship was, probably
■ A pirate sacrifices their Plasmalock Pistol, somewhere between +1 and +3)
rigging it to explode in a Sidewinder Bot's ■ A pirate becoming an Omen means that
jaws. Captain Redford, once a close friend, now
■ The first mate’s journal is lost, with all the thoroughly distrusts them.
knowledge inside it, as the ship is badly ■ The friendly rapport a pirate had with The
damaged in a fight, taking on lots of water. Hedonist disappears after the pirate kills a
Loss of one of the character's Reputations, or program, and the Hedonist now fears them.
gaining a negative Reputation. (Depending on Terminal access is disrupted (Could be worth
the severity could worth between +1 and +3) anything from +1 to +4 because of the knock on
■ A pirate is betrayed by an obsolete consequences)
program they thought they had bonded ■ The Archivist is able to move their
with. Their Trusting Reputation is changed archives, and all the programs within, to an
to Uneasy, due to the harsh lesson this has encrypted location that the Crew can’t
taught them. access.
■ Instead of looking for an injured crewmate, ■ The only mind dock allowing access to
a pirate chases after a Special Agent to Tech_Duin.xml is destroyed. The crew will
terminate them for good. They gain the need to reach the domain from inside the
reputation Unrelenting, not necessarily as Terminal.
a compliment. Significant damage or destruction to the crew’s
Death or injury of the character's allies or ship (Depending on the severity, could be as
nearby innocents. (Depending on the low as +2 or as high as a +5)
important of allies, could range from +1 all the ■ The ship is hit by a Pulsator Bot in the
way to +5) Wake and the cargo hold is badly
■ The crew’s Navigator is killed. damaged.
■ A pirate from another ship is lost in the ■ The ship is hit by an EMP and the engines
Terminal. are ruined. The crew must rig sails to make
■ A restless sleeper is consumed by Special it back to shore.
Agents. ■ The ship is taking on water extensively
after a head on collision with a robot
patrol ship.
Injury, represented as a Reputation. (Depending on the severity could be worth between +2 and +4)
■ The character earns a lasting wound representing the conflict that generates a menacing scar. Gain
Scarred.
■ A nightmare scratches a pirates brain as they try to lead an escape. They gain Concussed.

0000018
The loss of an important ally (Could worth as high as a
+4 or +5)
■ Special Agent 9 is given the right to terminate The
Seer. Precognition is lost to the pirates.
■ Captain Breech collapses on Libertatia, malware
having claimed their life. The Captain’s Council will
likely be at eachother’s throats without a chair.
Death (Worth at least +5 or +6)
■ A character is riddled with bullets, but with the last
of their strength terminate a dangerous nightmare.

19
■ A character loads themselves up with explosives
and charges into the belly of a Pulsator Bot.
0000019
Multiple things can form part of a single Cost. They may be interlinked - An injury to a character leads
to a Threat raised elsewhere - or just multiple complications at once - an ally lost alongside a
Reputation.
These example Costs are not a proscriptive list, and if the Crew can come up with an idea for a Cost, feel
free to present it to the GM.

Remember, the defeat of a greater Threat will always come at a greater Cost, and once a Cost is agreed
it will happen regardless of success or failure. The Robot Authority is simply too large and too powerful
for pirates to win without sacrifice most of the time. What people are willing to burn is something that
must be considered carefully. Remember that it is up to the Crew whether or not they choose to accept
an offered Cost.

EXAMPLE OF NEGOTIATING COST

A group of spoofed “pirates” have entered The Hedonist’s nightclub. They’ll try to kidnap The Wizard
and schedule him for deletion. Salt (Rough, Whip-Smart, Audacious) won’t allow that to happen. They
finish a shot, grab a chain from behind the bar and get ready to wreck shit.

The GM and Salt’s player, Sidney, bounce around Cost ideas. The GM proposes that pirates end up barred
from the club for a +3 bonus. Sidney thinks about it and doesn’t want to take that cost; losing The
Hedonist and her clique as allies feels risky in the long run. Plus, Sidney has found this area a fun
setting and doesn't want to close that access.

Sidney comes up with a counter proposal. Salt recently became romantically involved with Alkyl, their
crew’s Navigator. Alkyl was Terminal born, but never plugs in due to nerve damage. Sidney proposes
that if it looks like Salt is in danger Alkyl will plug in to intervene, likely seriously injuring themselves.
The GM is super on board and offers a +3 bonus because of the drama. They’re willing to go to a +4 if
Alkyl dies in the Showdown.

Sidney considers, and sticks with the original injury suggestion at +3. The injury can still be bad enough
that the ship will need a new Navigator while Alkyl recovers, and separation mixed with guilt feels like
it’ll poke at Salt’s insecurities more than mourning would.

PIRATE OBSERVATIONS…ALIAS: “LOKI”

TENSE RELATIONSHIPS
SHIFTING VISUALS…JUDGEMENT: DISSATISFACTION
ASSOCIATES; “THE DEVIL’S HANDSHAKE”

LONG MEMORIES
The value of a name and the way others regard you are all you really have in this world. Terminal is a
game about growing and changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Memories are
long and opinions can calcify if unchallenged. Characters who have been awake for a comparatively
shorter period of time will find they can more easily change their Reputations, but the bonus offered is
likely to be smaller. Characters who’ve been awake longer, whose Reputations have been hard won and
well proved, will find it harder to change their Reputations, but the loss of Reputation will reward a
greater bonus.

For example, imagine a pirate who’s been awake for less than a year changes their Reputation from
their sleeping life, Diligent, when they risk their life without hesitation while rescuing a crewmate from
the Sandman. The loss of their Diligent Reputation nets only a +1 Cost, as it was not something that held
great value to them.

By contrast, imagine a pirate who's been awake for over a decade has a Reputation as Steady, earned
from their famous deeds. They offer this Reputation and gain Troubled as they have their mind flooded
with terrible memories while destroying a Special Agent. This change nets them +2 as their Steady
Reputation was hard-won and an important part of their legend.

0000020
EXAMPLE OF PLAY FOR CHALLENGES AND SHOWDOWNS
Word reaches the pirates that the living virus 0 has reached Delphi.xml, where he will attempt to
assimilate The Seer. They race to Watcher's Point and find 0's allies in the Wake have rigged the mind
dock to Delphi.xml. Plugging in straight away will cause it to explode. Look (Macho, Tender, Tricksy), the
ship's boatswain, sits down to defuse the sabotage.

Look has a pair of rigging tools as equipment so gains a d6. Their Reputation as Tricksy is invoked for
another d6. Look’s player explains how their actions will be quick and dirty, which will most likely alert
0 if they screw up. They gain another d6 for taking this risk but the Threat of this Crash (Multiplied by
0) will be raised by 1 if they fail. No other player has an idea for how to put themself in danger assisting,
so no d6 is added there.

That's 3d6 gained so far. They don't lose any d6 for Reputations hindering them. This task is unusually
dangerous, as it could literally blow up in Look's face, so the GM removes a single d6 from their pool.
The rest of their crew is with them even if it's mainly for moral support, so no D6 is lost for fighting alone.

They have 2d6 left and roll a 3 and 4; Success with a Consequence. They gain a Showdown Token for
gaining the entrance they need. They play out a scene where Look defuses the sabotage, but is
electrified in the process. The GM declares that less sympathetic pirate crews are going to start
doubting Look’s state of mind once they learn how they risked their own health for a program.

Inside the Terminal, after struggling to reach The Seer's locale, the gathered crews of the Hangman's
Folly and the Moon's Demise stand face to face with an army of 0s. Princess, part of the Omen network,
will lead a counter attack.

The Threat of 0 is 11, while the crew have gathered only 3 Showdown Tokens so far. The highest that can
be rolled in the Showdown is a 9, so a Cost must be paid if success is to be possible. The GM and
Princess’ player negotiate a Cost. They agree that Codex of the Moon's Demise will be fatally injured,
and the Threat on the Crash Sailor's Warning will be raised; the crew is risking the lives of pirates to
protect a program whose loyalties still lay with the system. This is worth +4, the Tokens give +3, so a roll
of 4, 5 or 6 will be above the Threat. Princess's player rolls a 3; failure.

The scene plays out. Princess goes in too aggressive, too emotional. 0 deflects all his blows and begins
to choke him out. Codex goes to intervene. They break the choke hold, but 0 retaliates by breaking both
their arms, stabbing them in the gut and leaving them writhing in pain on the ground. 0 has The Seer
cornered. The crew either need to flee and regroup or double down.

Eurydice's player wants to double down. Her character has always seen The Seer as a mentor and would
die rather than abandon her. The Crew agrees for a second Showdown, and an extra Showdown Token is
awarded for staying the course.

The Cost agrees for the second Showdown is that destroying this 0 will involve some of its memories
bleeding into Eurydice. She'll change her Reputation Curious into Cursed. This nets +3, and the Tokens
are worth +4. Once again a 4+ roll is needed to beat the Threat. Eurydice's player rolls a 4 and succeeds.
The Seer will survive.

0 slowly begins to assimilate The Seer, plunging his hand into her chest. Eurydice grabs 0's wrist then
with a chop to his throat completely breaks this manifestation of the virus apart. Bits of bleeding code
land on Eurydice, they sting and sizzle and she can feel them seeping into her brain.

0000021
BECOME OMEN
The end of the first start up operation will involve one of the crew emerging as this iteration’s Omen.
Modifications made at the end of the last iteration means that forming intense bonds means other
crewmates can share in the code, also becoming Omen.

A character emerging as an Omen should be a dramatic, high stakes moment. Someone should be in
peril, and the manifestation of the Omen should be the power of their connections changing their fate.
If this occurs during Buildup it should undoubtedly award a Showdown Token. Becoming the Omen may
occur as a response to failing a Showdown, or as a way for someone to double down. It may be devised
as a Cost itself, becoming Omen and attracting the attention of greater threats elsewhere.

The proliferation of the Omen increases the instability of the Terminal. It will usually be appropriate to
increase the Threat of certain Crashes when an Omen emerges, and further increase it as the Omen is
shared..

ABILITIES

Omens have access to certain abilities that manifest when they awaken to their Omen state. Pick two
abilities initially when any character becomes an Omen. Once per Crash Refresh, an Omen can take a
new ability but as a consequence increase the Threat on a Crash the GM feels is appropriate.

Abilities granted to the Omen may add more elements to the equations of either a Challenge or a
Showdown. These are usually limited to one use per Refresh, or even one use per Crash Refresh.

"Another's Memories"
"See the Code" Your predecessors as the
The Omen has the ability to Omen learned much, secrets
see, and more importantly, stolen from the lips of dying
understand the code that programs and the heart of the
makes up the Terminal. system. If you know how to
Looking at the code of ask, you can retrieve that
programs can grant an instant knowledge.
understanding, almost Once per Refresh you may ask
miraculously. the GM about what previous
You can always know the Omens knew relating to a
Reputations and histories of specific topic, subject or
any programs or other situation. The GM might give
software. these answers clearly, filtered
through a biased perspective,
or in blurry fragments.

"It's Happening Again"

You've stepped into a cycle
that was here long before you.
Your arrival was foretold, and
so are your deeds. Who can
stop you?
Once per Crash Refresh you
can use the fact of being the
Omen as a Reputation in a
Challenge
"Look Into the Heart" "Defying Gravity"
The Omen is in tune with the The rule of gravity applies
Terminal’s rules and systems, within the Terminal. All pirates
and can sometimes use that can bend the rules of physics
affinity to calculate the future and sense, with practice, but
itself in a burst of the Omen can break them with
precognition. ease, taking flight if they so
Once per Crash Refresh you desire.
can try and call forth a vision Once per Refresh, you can
about a crewmate. If you share disappear from play by taking
this with the crewmate and to the sky. At any point, you
other witnesses then they can may return to play in the nick
gain a new Reputation, based of time, exactly where you're
on the vision. needed.

0000022
"Dreams of Things to Come" "Termination"
The calculations that Without a true body, the
resemble precognition work in destruction of a program
the back-end of your mind. within the Terminal isn't
Sometimes, while you sleep, permanent. But the Omen can
you are haunted by what perceive the code that makes
seems certain. up a program and strike at
Once per Crash Refresh you their hearts, permanently
may announce "I had a dream destroying them without need
about this..." for a kill exploit.
The dream can be looking The Omen can permanently
ahead and the GM will offer a destroy low and mid-level
fork in the road, a binary programs that aren’t “load-
choice you'll have to make bearing” to the system by
someday soon. Fulfilling that reading the kill exploits woven
prophecy might be worth their skin. More important or
Showdown Tokens in the stronger programs are
future, or act as a Cost. immune to this effect, and
Alternatively you can reveal a require their kill exploits to be
dream you had in the past at tracked down as normal. If this
an opportune moment, to ability becomes known to
explain contingencies you've programs, friend or foe, their
taken. reaction to the Omen will
likely be far more negative;
who’d want to be friends with
a walking program killer, after
all?

"From Thin Air" "Watch Death and Refuse It"

The Omen can manipulate the For everyone who plugs into
very fabric of the Terminal, the the Terminal, their body keeps
signals it sends to say what is the score of their experience,
physical. pains and injuries. Death is as
Once per Refresh you can use real there as it is in the Wake.
this to make any equipment But the Omen can manipulate
appear out of thin air, and this synchronicity, and undo
then apply that to a Challenge what damage has been done.
Once per Crash Refresh you
can negate or reduce a Cost
relating to physical harm for
another; as far as even raising
the dead.

"Unplugged" "Bullet Stop"

The Omen’s mastery of The Omen can completely
machinery expands beyond defy the laws of motion.
the Terminal. They can Stopping bullets, pulling
interface with machines in the objects towards them with the
Wake, even without a direct power of their mind, applying
connection. force that shouldn't be
The Omen can also use this possible, all through self-
ability to damage and destroy actualized telekinesis.
robots in the Wake, as well as Once per Refresh you can use
physically damage the this telekinesis to gain an
machines that maintain the additional d6 for use in a
Terminal. Use of this power Challenge if you can make a
offensively is extremely taxing case for its usefulness in the
and will likely inflict significant situation.
injury on the Omen.

0000023
FINISHING A CRASH
Finishing off a Crash may involve a single successful Showdown - finally defeating the singular Threat
in a one on one face off - or it may involve a number of successful climactic Showdowns - either
dealing with different aspects of the Crash one after another, or destroying the different parts of a
Threat in an extended sequence. The GM should declare before the end of a Crash how many
Showdowns it will take to end it, but that number may change based on what feels right for the story,
as long as everyone trusts their judgement

EXAMPLE OF A SINGLE SHOWDOWN FINISHING A CRASH

The crew of the Hangman's Folly prepare to face off with The Killer,
a wretched and torturous program who's part of a plot to blackmail
them. They've gathered a strange set of allies, alongside some
pirate reinforcements they've formed a temporary alliance with 0
and their former rival The Arm. The aim is simple; kill The Killer.
One successful showdown and it's all over.

EXAMPLE OF TWO SHOWDOWNS FINISHING A CRASH

The crew of the Hangman's Folly have explored the increasingly
twisted archives and tracked down the kill exploit for their
proprietor, the vindictive Archivist. It will be one successful
Showdown to defeat The Archivist, and then another successful
Showdown to break the Archives open and release everyone
trapped there, ending the danger of this Crash.

EXAMPLE OF THREE SHOWDOWNS FINISHING A CRASH

The crew of the Hangman's Folly have reached the heart of the
Dying Dream. Their path to this passing sleeper is blocked by the
ghost of Germane, a traitor of legend, who they must complete a
successful Showdown to banish. They then must complete a
second Showdown to venture into the dying sleeper's dreams and
retrieve the Omen fragment. The third and final Showdown will be
using the fragment to disperse the waking nightmares.

REMEMBER
These examples of how a GM could approach different Crashes shouldn't be considered a prescriptive
example of how those Crashes should be run. Run the game in a way that works best for your table.

TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH

When the Threat of one of the Crashes passes above 16, the climax of Total System Crash begins.

In addition to resolving the Threat at the centre of the Crash, this final arc will decide the fate of
Libertatia, and how this iteration of the Terminal will end.

Settling the fate of Libertatia may involve a final battle on the seas with the forces of the Robot
Authority, daring acts of subterfuge and sabotage, or even taking the fight to the Robot Mainland.

Deciding how the iteration ends involves making a choice: to reboot it, to shut it down, to let it crash, or
find another solution. All that’s left is making that choice happen.

In Total System Crash there is no retreat. If you fail, you must take the roll again and keep rolling until
all is lost or you’ve resolved all the looming threats.

Advice on what the additional Threats in the Total System Crash can look like is included in the section
Running the Total System Crash on page xx.

0000024
TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH SHOWDOWN TOKENS
All of the normal Showdown Tokens earned for the current Crash are in play.

In addition while facing off against additional Threats, the GM can reward System Crash Showdown
Tokens representing the strength of factions aligned to your cause; e.g. united obsolete programs,
renegade robots, unified pirates.

The value of these additional Showdown Tokens reflects the work you’ve done to try and build a better
world, and is a great opportunity to bring all the NPCs the Crew has met out of the woodwork.

EXAMPLES AND ADVICE

■ The unified pirates of Libertatia are as ■ Dis.xml has been firewalled away. Many
strong as they've ever been. They believe in programs have been terminated to a
the Crew and the Omen network permanent end. Still the crew have some
completely. They've been challenged, but obsolete allies: The Painter, The Carver and
weathered the storm and came out more The Wizard. They have the Crew’s back and
sure of themselves than ever. Their net 1 Showdown Token.
combined might nets the Crew 4 Showdown ■ The Archivist has abandoned their plan to
Tokens. bring about the system crash, and is
■ The pirates of Libertatia have seen better instead aligned with the crew's way of
days. Conflict on their shores, violent thinking. They'll assist in efforts to
disagreements, loss of ships along the way. overthrow the Robot Authority and net 2
All this has reduced them to little more than Showdown Tokens alone.
a rag-tag cluster of ships. They still net 1 ■ The Seer has been terminated. The
Showdown Token, as they still stand against Bodyguard should have moved on, but she
the Authority and will fight until the end. can't, and will carve her grief on the face of
■ The obsolete programs that had been the Robot Authority alongside you. This
waiting to die in Dis.xml have been new renegade will join your forces. They're
radicalised. They've found their courage, only a single person, but extremely skilled,
heart and brains and are ready to assist and net 1 Showdown Token.
with ending the Robot Authority once and
for all. They net 3 Showdown Tokens.
The value of these contributions in Showdown Tokens is at the GMs discretion and they can get more
granular with awarding Showdown Tokens (one for each surviving allied pirate ship for instance) if it
better serves the story.

0000025
EXTRA TECHS
These are some optional rules you can add to your game, which can help spice up your Terminal play
experience. The game runs fine without them, but including them can help create a deeper play
experience.
■ “Becoming Yourself” allows less experienced characters to change their Reputations more freely
and frequently, at the expense of their value in Showdowns being limited.
■ “Clear and Present Danger” allows for some character progression at the expense of stormy seas
on the horizon.
■ “Codebreaker'' challenges your relationship with Libertatia itself. Gaining short term benefit but
long term penalty.
■ "Little Deaths" adds some mechanical interplay if you choose to feature sex scenes. Only use these
rules if everyone is comfortable featuring sex in the game and remember to use safety tools.
■ “Conditions” adds a less permanent way of recording character’s damages that interacts with
Challenges.

BECOMING YOURSELF
If a pirate has only recently awoken, they may find their Reputations can change more freely, as people
start to see them for who they are, they take advantage of their obscurity to re-invent themselves, or
who they are begins to change.

If a player’s character is a newly-awakened Pirate, or in a state of radical flux in their identity, they can
receive the following benefit. Once per Refresh, the player and the GM can check that character’s
Reputations, and update them based on events in the story.

The drawback to this benefit is that their Reputations are not worth as much as those that have been
more finely forged. They are a relative unknown, after all. Changing a Reputation or gaining a Negative
one as a Showdown Cost is always capped at a +1 bonus.

After a certain amount of sessions, you may decide this character has become more widely known and
their perception by others has begun to solidify. When this happens, they lose the benefit of changing
and adjusting their Reputations, but their Reputations carry their normal weight in Showdowns.

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER

When a character completes a deed that will have a sweeping effect on the Terminal, or otherwise
stakes their reputation in a way that can potentially backfire, the GM may offer your character a new
Reputation. Taking this Reputation will cause the Threat on a relevant Crash to increase by 2. The
Legend Grows functions more as response to roleplaying rather than mechanical choices. Remember
that taking this new Reputation is entirely optional.
EXAMPLE:
The pamphleteer Atlas needles Eurydice
about her failings and flaws in the Broken REPORT… PIRATE ALIAS: “ARIADNE”
Clock. In response Eurydice boasts of her
skills as the Omen, partly as a rebuke, partly
to reassure herself. The GM has Atlas scurry ALIEGANCE: REVIVALISM
off, chastened, and offers her the new
Reputation Cocksure, but if she accepts the TARGET POINTS
Threat on Sailor's Warning will be raised; this
display has not reassured those who would
doubt her. This plays out as a social —— FANTATICISM
Challenge.
—— ERATIC BEHAVIOUR
In the final Showdown of a Crash Princess
brutally kills the manipulative mind
controller program known as The Passenger. —— ROMANTIC PAST WITH AWOKEN “TRICK”
The player describes how Princess uppercuts
The Passenger's head off their body, Mortal RECOUNTED CONVERSATION WITH OMEN ALIAS
Kombat style. In response to the grizzly
details the GM offers Princess the new “TRANSMIT” SUPPOSEDLY IMPOSSIBLE DUE TO THE
Reputation Hardcore, but the Threat on
Tortures of The Killer will be raised, as the TIMELINE… FURTHER INVESTIGATION DEMANDED
Terminal's architects will have an increased
desire to retaliate.

0000026
CODEBREAKER
Every pirate will have signed their name of the Pirate's Code (page xx.) before taking to the seas. A
pirate who breaks the Code challenges the core values of Libertatia, even though breaking it may
sometimes be the most expedient or efficient solution to a problem.

When resolving Showdowns, the GM should offer Costs that put the pirate's adherence to the Code
under pressure, or test how far they'll push it to the limit.

A player can have their character break the Pirate's Code to achieve a unique bonus to the Showdown
Roll; at best, it could mean that anything except for a 1 is a success, regardless of the size of the Threat.

If a character or the Crew breaks the Code, they must answer for their actions on Libertatia. Depending
on the context or their justification for the breach, the Captain's Council may clear them of wrongdoing,
or mandate a punishment. Their right to the sea could even be rendered forfeit. Regardless of how this
resolves they will also gain the Reputation Codebreaker. This reputation can never be changed or
removed.

LITTLE DEATHS
If a player character sleeps with another person for the first time, answer the following questions, and
take the relevant effects. If two player characters sleep together for the first time they should both
answer the questions and take relevant effects. If a group sex scene occurs all player characters should
answer questions and take effects as long as one person in the group is a new sexual partner.

This applies regardless of if the sex takes place in the Wake or in the Terminal.

■ Was it good? If yes, gain a D6 next time you attempt a Challenge as the satisfaction and release has
sharpened you.
■ Was it soothing or cathartic in some way? If yes, the GM can reward a Showdown Token for the next
Crash, representing the strength of your calmed spirit and newfound unity.
■ Was it distressing, distracting or confusing? If yes, the GM can raise a relevant Threat as your minds
are elsewhere and threats begin to sneak up on you.
■ Do you feel a new dimension of connection has been unlocked? If the answer is yes and one sexual
partner is an Omen, this could be another way of sharing the code.

Ultimately if Terminal was a crunchier game more concerned with balance, this optional rule would be
very open to being a way to grind out benefits. This book believes it's more fun to play fair and honest
with your characters.

CONDITIONS
As a Consequence of a Challenge the GM can negotiate a Condition with an affected player. Conditions
skew negative and are often more specific than Reputations.

For instance a pirate is able to find a exit away from a fight with The Sandman but not before he dredges
up frightening memories of being trapped in the Terminal. The GM negotiates the condition “Terrified
of The Sandman’s touch”

When building the dice pool for a Challenge a Condition can hinder a player during a Challenge, just
like a Reputation with the same bonus for succeeding.

If a player beats a Challenge where a Condition has hindered them then they clear the Condition;
they've proved that their flaws and scars won't define them.

For instance the same pirate is able to convince The Bodyguard to join the plan to trap The Sandman.
They talk about how with their help the plan can succeed. Their raw terror loses them a d6, but if they
succeed they can move past this.

If they haven't cleared a Condition by the next Refresh, then the GM and the affected player transform
the Condition into a permanent Reputation.

If our example pirate doesn’t clear their Sandman related Condition by the Refresh their player and the
GM might decide it transforms into a Claustrophobic Reputation, based on how they’ve been seen to
panic and lash out if they feel trapped.

0000027
 5 CHARACTER CREATION
"We're all here because we have a certain predilection for
disobedience." - Ariadne
In this section everyone playing a member of the Crew creates their
character, their daring swashbuckling pirate of the Wake, their digital action
hero. The GM helps facilitate this process, and should be on-hand to answer
any questions about characters and the setting. This is a collaborative
process, and if players want to build on each others’ ideas we encourage
discussion.

0000028 28
 Step by Step
■ Pick a Name (you may
prefer to leave this until
later)
■ Answer the section
on your Sleeping Life
■ Decide your role on
the ship, record your
equipment and build your
character’s look in the Wake
■ Build your Terminal look
■ Pick which Outlook you
subscribe to
■ Decide how long you've been
awake, and make your choice of
Contacts appropriately
■ Complete the section on a famous
Deed
■ Decide your starting three Reputations
This approach is designed to shade in your
characters, help get an immediate sense of
how they relate to each other and enmesh
them in the game’s setting.

0000029 29
NAME
Write a name, the kind kept in wallets and on ID
cards, a name given to you before you became
who you are. This is the name your character
had in the Terminal. It's been left behind.
Scribble it out, rip it up, burn it to ash in your
fingers. You won't need it anymore. SLEEPING LIFE
The real names of pirates and others who While you were sleeping you lived something
made it to the Wake are ones they chose resembling a life. Something washed in grey,
themselves. They're mononymic. Many choose hard to properly look at. The world was wrong
them when they awaken. Others had already and you probably felt like you were the only
chosen something in the Terminal, on their one who could tell. It was enough to make you
journey out. If you’d like, they can be changed. sick.
They’re only names, after all.
You can roll a d10 to answer how you spent
Roll a D10 to decide what your name should be those days, or decide it was so long ago it
influenced by, or choose from the list below. hardly matters.

1 Root Form of a Verb (Lash, Lock, Punch, 1 Programmer

Parry, Miss, Wish) 2 Unemployed
2 Figure from Mythology (Odin, Tantalus, 3 Hospitality
Nyx, Alecto, Cassandra, Eris) 4 Retail
3 An Element (Neon, Argon, Sulfur, Nickel, 5 Sex Work
Cobalt, Iodine) 6 Adolescent
4 An Occupation (Sparky, Barber, Priest, 7 Idle Rich
Playwright, Tailor, Guide) 8 Athlete
5 An Iconic Actor’s Name (Eastwood, 9 Performer
Newman, Pam, Leung, Chiba, Keanu) 10 Crook
6 Animal (Rat, Toad, Sparrow,
Hammerhead, Sloth, Komodo) Did you have any friends?
7 A Chemical Substance (Acid, Novacain,
Quinact, Tar, Halcion, Progynova) Did you ever feel love?
8 A Mathematics Term (Algorithm, Vertex,
Range, Exponent, Digit, Tangent)
9 Insect (Horntail, Firefly, Scarab, Moth,
Roach, Webspinner)
10 Words for Colours (Blanc, Noir, Nero,
Verde, Azul, Rosso)

CREW ROLE
As a table, assign Crew roles to each character. If you have a crew smaller than six this probably means
members implicitly double up on roles (a First Mate who is also a Cook, a Gunner who's also the
Boatswain, other combinations for instance). In these instances pick the main role your character takes.
Record the equipment this role comes with and pick your choice of outfit. In the event you have a crew
larger than six you can double up on roles, e.g. two helms with different specialities, or having someone
elected the Second Mate using the First Mate options. Make sure you communicate to avoid making
someone too similar to your crewmate.

CAPTAIN
As the head of the ship, you will have been given this role
collectively by the original Crew of this ship. Ever since, you’ve
been responsible for gathering new crew and keeping the ship
functional. . Leadership styles vary tremendously.
You have a a handheld telescope and a smoking pipe
Pick one attire:
■ An intimidating flowing coat, a tricorn hat and a leather eye
patch.
■ A weathered naval jacket, a bicorn hat and a set of gold teeth.
■ A crown of scrap metal and a sleeveless jacket with makeshift
spiked shoulder pads.
■ A small-brimmed hat, a canvas coat adjourned in patches and
a pair of crutches.

0000030
FIRST MATE HELM
Second in command and responsible for Steers the ship in the Wake, in coordination
managing equipment and work assignments, with the Captain and the Navigator. Though
as well as taking the lead when the Captain is most pirates can handle a ship or hovercraft
indisposed. Sometimes chosen by the Captain, just fine, the Helm is uncommonly skilled at the
other times chosen by the whole crew. job amongst the Crew.
You have a a journal partially filled with useful You have a a tattered sentimental map of the
history and schematics. seas and a compass.
Pick one attire: Pick one attire:
■ A well tied scarf, comfortable linen shirt ■ An aviator jacket, matching goggles and a
and a prosthetic hook. hand carved cane.
■ A black leather jacket, matching pants and ■ A bomber jacket, bright shirt and
dark eyeshadow. complimentary neckerchief, and a pair of
■ A woollen hat, sturdy glasses and a striped knee braces.
cotton shirt. ■ A pair of loose denim overalls,
■ A black bandana, matching mask and a fine compression gloves and a chain necklace.
silk shirt. ■ A short handsewn dress, a steel chain belt
and a pair of sunglasses.

GUNNER BOATSWAIN
Responsible for operating the key ship In charge of rigging and making sure the ship's
mounted weapons, as well as general hover engine is functioning nice and smooth.
maintenance for the Crew’s armaments. Likely An expert by necessity, as failure to keep the
the most skilled fighter among the Crew, in the ship running will leave the Crew stranded.
Wake at least. You have a a pouch of rigging tools.
You have some explosive powder and a handy Pick one attire:
multi-tool ■ A denim boiler suit and worker’s goggles,
Pick one attire: one lens shattered revealing a glass eye.
■ A mostly bare chest, shoulder brace, loose ■ A tattered waistcoat, black bandana and a
breeches and cavalier boots. wood crutch.
■ A long high waisted skirt, muddy blouse, ■ A jumpsuit with crew patches and angsty
silk vest and a gemstone bracelet. slogans, hair tied back with a bandana and
■ A pair of canvas shorts, a loose tank top, a a charm necklace.
thigh sleeve of tattoos and a pair of ■ A leather vest, cut off shorts and a spiked
makeshift knee and elbow pads. collar.
■ A stained tank top, trousers and a dog
collar.

COOK
Keeps the crew fed, acts as quartermaster
alongside the First Mate, and keeps the ship’s IDENTIFIED CREW OF PIRATE VESSEL “MOTHER’S MERCY”
supplies stocked. Skilled with a knife, so they
can act as an emergency medic. —- “WAIL” - CAPTAIN
You have a belt of knives and a bag full of
bandages and painkillers. —- “ORPHEUS” - FIRST MARE - COMPROMISED
Pick one attire:
■ A layered flowing skirt, corset and wide —- “WYVERN” - GUNNER - MENTAL TARGET
brimmed hat.
■ A small leather apron, red bandana and a —- “LOGOS” - NAVIGATOR - PHYSICAL TARGET
prosthetic leg.
■ A pair of loose trousers held up with
suspenders, a messy top and a hairnet.
■ A decorated vest over bare skin, revealing a ALLIES
large chest tattoo and an electric chair.
—- PIRATE CAPTAIN “REDFORD”
—- PIRATE “MERCURY”
OPERATION SUCCESS ESTIMATION… 79%

0000031
TERMINAL LOOK
Your look inside of the Terminal is shiftable, based on your own desires. It could extensively differ from
your appearance in the Wake, though for most it tends to exist as the idealised version of the self. All
digital pirates have a pair of bespoke personal shades. Otherwise, feel free to pull from the various
fashion picklists to build a look, or choose your own.

Accessories
Clothes Features
■ Slick Robes
■ Tailored Suit ■ Tattoos
■ Velvet Cloak
■ Latex Bodysuit ■ Piercings
■ Trench Coat
■ Mesh ■ Top Scars
■ Leather Duster
■ Distressed Denim ■ Sharpened Canines
■ Silk Scarf
■ Lace ■ Blade Prosthetic
■ Bright Flared Coat
■ Checkerboard Tuxedo ■ Drag Makeup
■ Sleeveless Long Jacket
■ Camo Cargo Pants ■ Dog Collar
■ Harness
■ Open Floral Button-Up ■ Movie Star Makeup
■ Chunky Boots
■ Ruffled Skirt ■ Clown Face Paint
■ Holsters
■ Cut-Offs ■ Crow Face Paint
■ Buckled Knee Length Boots
■ Booty Shorts ■ Unnatural Hair Colour
■ Stylish Trainers
■ Half Leather Jacket ■ Heavy Maintenance Hair Style
■ Red Slippers

WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT

Weapons in Terminal don’t have mechanical stats or damage numbers. They’re roleplaying aids first
and foremost, though they are equipment that might gain you a dice in a Challenge. Weapons within
the Terminal are the kind of things you’d expect to find in the early 21st Century, such as rifles, knives
and grenades, while weapons you can find in the Wake are typically laser weapons with crude but
functional forms.

Select or create two weapons, a melee and ranged weapon, for your character to have in the Wake,
which will be consistent between sessions. In the Terminal, you can select or create any number of
appropriate weapons when you plug in. For more specific equipment you can request your Navigator
mod you something in, but they’ll only be able to do that if they have the time.

RANGED WEAPONS IN THE WAKE RANGED WEAPONS IN THE TERMINAL

■ Plasmalock Pistol ■ Paired Submachine Guns
■ Laser Musket ■ Explosive Crossbow
■ Sonic Blunderbuss ■ High Caliber Six-Shooter
■ Electromagnetic Crossbow ■ Incendiary Grenade Launcher
■ Laser-sight Harpoon Gun ■ Belt-Fed Minigun
■ Sparklock Pistol ■ Throwing Hatchets

MELEE WEAPONS IN THE WAKE MELEE WEAPONS IN THE TERMINAL

■ Electrified Cutlass ■ Exquisite Katana and Wakizashi
■ Plasmablade Buzzsaw ■ Spiked Collar Wrapped Around the
■ Hack Dagger Knuckles
■ Boarding Axe ■ Heavy Lead Pipe
■ Holo Rapier ■ Twin Combat Knives
■ Shock Club ■ Monofilament Wire
■ Spike of Glitchy Code

0000032
5.5 OUTLOOK 5.6 CONTACTS
The major philosophical questions for the You have three Contacts overall. Two of your
awoken have centred on the nature of the contacts depend on how long you’ve been
Omen for a long time. Your pirate has awake. The last depends on your chosen
probably come to one of the below Outlook. In addition to any of the below lists,
perspectives. Pick one of the following to you might take another player character as a
underpin your character’s beliefs. If your Contact, or otherwise discuss how they were
character is still discovering what they feel, involved in your history. You could, if you feel
they may choose not to commit themselves confident with the setting, create your own
to an outlook just yet. contact and have the GM integrate them into
the world.
Red Sky at Morning - Sees the Omen as an
apocalyptic harbinger whose existence If you have been awake for more than a decade,
should be feared. Certain the Robot select from the following list of contacts:
Authority will try and eradicate Libertatia
when the system crash is closest. Many hold With whom among the Wake do you have a long
dismissive ideas about the kinds of people past and an acrimonious present? You could
who become Omen; self-centred, have travelled together, had a relationship,
melodramatic, would-be martyrs. grew up together, or something to similar
effect.
Devout Revivalist - Revivalism sees the ■ Captain Wail (Orderly, Bargaining,
Omen as a prophesied saviour. Devout Righteous) - Captain of the Mother’s Mercy.
Revivalists often have a fixation on prophecy, A founding voice of Red Sky at Morning,
destiny, reincarnation and the roles people pushed to the fringes due to her hardline
have to play, as well as beliefs about what views.
constitutes Omen-like behaviour. To them, ■ Captain Ariadne (Sage, Stubborn, Faithful)
the Omen is someone who cares - Captain of the Saviour’s Lament. One of
passionately about their comrades, above the oldest active pirates. A devout and
their own well-being. Someone who watches unwavering Revivalist, seen as a fanatic by
over others, a wall against the world. many in the Wake. Has spent decades
Someone who inspires other pirates to searching for the next Omen.
better themselves. Someone who can see the ■ Captain Loki (Considered, Loyal,
true potential in others. Inquisitive) - Captain of the Devil’s
Handshake and the only twice-awoken
Post-Modern Revivalist - Some pirate. Was part of a crew lured back to the
contemporary Revivalists see Revivalism as Terminal when they were younger, but
a narrative that makes sense of awoke again entirely of their own free will.
incomprehensible mathematics of the world. Loki looks different every time they enter
They may partake in Revivalist rituals, they the Terminal, a performance over a self
likely still see the Omen as a force for good, image. A Revivalist but of a postmodern
perhaps viewing the instability of a looming bent, perceiving a narrative that makes
system crash as the best opportunity to sense of their unique experiences.
overthrow the Robot Authority, but they ■ Captain Breach (Resolved, Understanding,
don’t always hold the idea of a reincarnation Heavy) - Chair of the Captain's Council.
of the spirit be true, and like see destiny as This responsibility means her ship, The
something that can be made. Breaking of Mandibles, rests in the dock
without a crew most of the time. Breach is
Decipherist - An intellectual movement respected by most other captains for their
interested purely in code and calculations. ability to make judgments after weighing
Sees the Omen simply an individual with up all angles. She understands that she has
unique code. Questions that interest the become the Council chair at a pivotal
Decipherist focus more on the logic of this moment in the history of the Terminal and
programme; are they selected by random Wake, and feels every ounce of that weight.
number sequences, glitches in the system or ■ Cerberus (Difficult, Clever, Coarse) -
choice of the Robot Authority? Operates shore defence on Libertatia, an
area they are passionate about, using a
Agnostic - All you know is that that you modded private terminal of his own design.
don't know. Perhaps you grappled with the Cerberus probably would have taken to the
nature of the Omen for years or settled into seas were it not for the fact that no crew
the unknowable comfortably, but you are can stand having them around long
free of the anxieties that plague other enough to recruit them.
outlooks, at the cost of being relatively ■ Sister Trick (Warm, Large, Unflappable) - A
uninformed. Wakeborn preacher and one of the
foremost experts on the histories of the
Uncertain - You don't know what to believe, Omens, their adventures and fables, and
but you do believe you might know one day. the differences between incarnations.

0000033
Who calls you a friend or ally? Pick from the mentioned Wake characters or the following Terminal
characters.
■ The Seer (Challenging, Hopeful, Tender) - A program who has assisted humanity over the years, for
reasons difficult to decipher. Capable of calculations that resemble near perfect prophecy, and will
often mess with petitioners’ heads.
■ The Channel (Difficult, Inquisitive, Hungry) - An early experiment at understanding human
emotion. The Channel cannot feel, but through physical contact in the Terminal she can feel others'
emotions perfectly. Rendered obsolete, now in hiding.
■ The Siren (Broken, Wise, Challenging) - An attempt at copying The Seer to render them obsolete,
the process left The Siren corrupted. Their prophecies seem to be configured to prior iterations of
the Terminal or out of sync, answering questions that won't be asked in this life and directing
questions to long deleted askers.

If you have been awake for several years, but less than a decade, select from the following list of
contacts:

You served under a prior captain. Who was it? (Did you leave amicably, were you dismissed or did you
quit?)
■ Captain Redford (Guarded, Hardy, Mournful) - Captain of the Rattlesnake’s Regard. A seldom-
spoken but respected voice on the Captain’s Council. Strong advocate of Red Sky at Morning. The
Regard spend their time downing machine patrols and leaving messages to sleepers.
■ Captain Hart (Eccentric, Sanguine, Kind) - Captain of the Moon’s Demise, a ship that’s focused on
waking sleepers. Hart is the principle optimist Decipherist. Greatly interested in the programs
within the Terminal, especially those who have been rendered obsolete, and seeks to understand
the logic that guides them.
■ Captain Albatross (Grand, Knowledgeable, Contemplative) - A retired pirate captain, a Wakeborn
who as a young child acted as the Navigator for Transmit, the previous Omen. This was nearly a
century ago, and it is very old. It no longer takes to the seas but is still treated as captain, out of
respect for its great experience.

Who calls you an enemy or rival? Pick from the following list or select one of the unused choices from
the prior list.
■ The Bodyguard (Stern, Opaque, Fair) - ■ Triton (Straightforward, Hardworking,
The program most singularly skilled Exhausted) - The head shipwright of
in combat. Designed with copies of Libertatia. A Wakeborn who renamed
the abilities of some of the greatest themself once they began working
pirates in history. Assigned to routine with ships. Incredibly talented, knows
programmes that may be in danger. every pirate who’s anybody in
■ Mercury (Improvisational, Lithe, Libertatia and is privy to many
Charming) - First mate of the secrets.
Mother's Mercy. An agnostic, ■ Rain (Certain, Eager, Lurching) - A
committedly so, ze don't care to pamphleteer who has worked to
ponder that which ze doesn't advance the word of Red Sky at
understand. Morning. Loiters at the Broken Clock
■ Silver (Slick, Trusting, Callous) - First most of the day irritating the
mate of the Rattlesnake’s Regard who barkeep, who doesn't have the heart
has seen a sad amount of crew come to bar her unless things get rough.
and go. He feeds his Captain's worst ■ Atlas (Bitter, Witty, Burning) - A beat
impulses, especially when it comes to poet heavily into Decipherist
distrusting the Omen. thought. Their perspective is bleakly
defeatist, their poetry focusing on
carnal pleasure in the face of
oblivion.

0000034
If this is your first year you’ve been awake, then select from the following list of contacts:

Who helped you wake up from the Terminal?

■ Logos (Serene, Pained, Curious) - The ■ Zinc (Lax, Actorly, Nimble) - The first mate
Navigator of the Mother's Mercy. of the Moon's Demise. New to the ship
Terminalborn, and for a time did venture entirely, but this isn’t their first rodeo and
back in with other pirates but a brush with they’ve served on plenty of crafts before.
a Special Agent changed their mind, Joined up because Captain Hart was one
physically and emotionally. of the people to wake him from the
■ Silk (Smooth, Ambivalent, Loyal) - The Terminal, and he feels a debt of gratitude
first mate of Saviour's Lament, serving is owed.
under Captain Ariadne. They've never ■ The Arm (Erstwhile, Slighted, Excessive) -
really understood their captain, but owes The cast-off malice of a formerly
them their life and trusts their conviction obedient program; an operative for
is only for the best. Their ambivalence another obsolete, and particularly
may be challenged as both worlds begin decadent, program. The Arm takes an
to change around them. instant dislike to anyone he meets, an
■ Hornet (Bemused, Bookish, Brash) - First unsuitability personal dislike too, the kind
mate of Devil's Handshake, joined up with usually reserved for former friends.
Captain Loki to understand their unique ■ The Wizard (Esoteric, Bold, Charming) -
perspective and experience a great An obsolete program. The Wizard holds
adventure. Refreshingly optimistic in a the power of recognition, so can reveal
damaged world. what is already present and read people
and programs effortlessly. It is not a
widely respected ability by most, though
some can see the glimmers of potential.
Bafflingly dressed and possessing an
audacious attitude. They entertain for
other obsolete programs.

Which program almost prevented your awakening?

■ The Puppeteer (Manipulative, Reactive, ■ The Stranger (Renegade, Cunning,
Familiar) - A new program to this iteration Reflective) - A rebel program in the wind,
of the Terminal, a shaper of the system, whereabouts unknown. A chance
who would like to be its god. Designs encounter with them as a sleeper, would
bespoke experiences that keep potentials have made you a closely watched target,
isolated and unsatisfied. Drifts into especially if they gave you any advice..
sleeping lives, and maintains their ■ The Siren (Broken, Wise, Challenging) - A
curated monotony. corrupted precognitive program, a failed
■ The Sandman (Vexing, Understanding, attempt at copying another. Their
Raw) - A routine program that travels prophecies seem to be configured to prior
through sleepers' dream modals and will iterations of the Terminal or out of sync,
disrupt attempts to wake them. They run answering questions that won't be asked
on dream logic, existing in more and less in this life and directing questions to long
dimensions than expected, and are able deleted askers.
to see deep into any mind. Holds no anger ■ 0 (Renegade, Furious, Gleeful) - A former
towards pirates, as they understand this is Special Agent who witnessed the final
a symbiosis - without pirates attempting moments of the last Omen. As this
to spring sleepers from the Terminal, iteration draws to a close, they've been
there'd be little use for the Sandman. inspired by the Omen’s example and
■ Special Agent 9 (Uniform, Implacable, hacked their own program to become
Sneering) - A guiding hand for The malware. They will emerge as a dangerous
Terminal, principally directed to interfere enemy eventually, but if you knew 0 the
with sleepers who might be on the verge last time you saw them they were merely
of escape or deal with invading pirates a simple instrument of the Terminal.
with extreme prejudice. Their disguise as
a member of some shadowy agency is
accepted by sleepers without question.

0000035
Lastly
Everyone takes a final contact based on their Outlook. This is someone on Libertatia who may have
guided you to adopting your Outlook, or who you’ve discussed the matter deeply with. Take the first
option under each outlook, unless you've already taken that character as a contact, in which case
choose from the other options.

If you take the outlook of Red Sky at Morning… If you take a Revivalist outlook…
■ Captain Wail - (See details under “If you’ve ■ Captain Ariadne - (See details under “If
been awake for more than a decade”) you’ve been awake for more than a
■ Silver - (See details under “If you’ve been decade”)
awake many years”) ■ The Seer - (See details under “If you’ve
■ Rain - (See details under “If you’ve been been awake for more than a decade”)
awake many years”) ■ Sister Trick - (See details under “If you’ve
been awake for more than a decade”)

If you take a Decipherist outlook… If you take an Agnostic outlook…

■ Captain Hart - (See details under “if you’ve ■ Mercury - (See details under “If you’ve
been awake been many years”) been awake for many years)
■ Atlas (Bitter, Witty, Burning) - (See details ■ Chain (Dubious, Reliable, Kind) - Long
under “if you’ve been awake been many serving crew member of the Saviour’s
years”) Lament, awoken by Captain Ariadne.
■ Codex (Tired, Accepting, Troubled) - A Regards her with a complex and confusing
pirate of a Decipherist bent, but a mix of resentment and appreciation. Easy
decidedly dour pessimist. As the crash to get along with but is very rattled by
looms, Codex is struggling to relate to her devout Revivalists.
captain, in spite of all they've gone through ■ Pluck (Impassioned, Sentimental, Talented)
together. Formerly the first mate of The - A singer with a trusty banjo, found at The
Moon’s Demise, she has recently requested Broken Clock where faer’s been given
to be relieved of duty. residence by Turn and the right to
entertain. Tells tall tales of times gone by,
and dreams of things to come.
If your outlook is Uncertain, choose from any
of the above lists, based on who you think will
most challenge your character.

DEEDS
If you have been awake for more than a decade, select from or roll on the following list:

■ You have become a prominent voice in ■ You dealt with an attempted mutiny
your outlook's school of thought. Do you aboard a ship. What was the mutiny about,
have a unique insight, or simply a loud and did it succeed?
voice? ■ You were captured by Special Agents, but
■ You've worked as an educator of the youth were able to escape from their grasp. How
of Libertatia. Why did you leave that did you manage it?
behind to take to the seas? ■ You lost family to the seas. Who were they,
■ You helped hold off a trio of Robot ships and is there any hope of reunion?
from a captured port while others rescued ■ You helped terminate a program who
sleepers. What did this cost you? intervened with sleeper's escape attempts,
■ You watched a previous captain be lured by a recurring nightmare. How did you gain
the Robot Authority into returning to the their kill exploit?
Terminal. Were you able to stop them? ■ You were forced to kill another pirate when
it turned out they'd been bugged and were
going to lead the robots to Libertatia. How
well did you know this pirate?
■ You lured a leading figure of the Robot
Authority into a trap and helped destroy
them. Was this a plan of your devising?

0000036
If you have been awake for many years, select from or roll on the following list:

■ You defeated a twisted doppelganger of ■ You hacked the dreams of a government

yourself as a sleeper, devised by the official and found a list of restless
Terminal's shapers. How did this sleepers being tracked, saving hundreds
doppelganger differ from you? of lives as other pirates were able to reach
■ You survived a shipwreck with your them inside. What were you looking for in
previous crew, and were lost at sea for the first place?
almost a month. Were you the only ■ You ventured into a corrupted area to flee
survivor? Special Agents. How were you affected by
■ You once awoke an entire hospital in one this experience?
night, weaving their dreams together and ■ You helped an obsolete program escape
showing all of them their doors. Why did deletion purposefully, and brought them
you pick that specific hospital? to safety. What spurred you to do this?
■ You hijacked a robot ship, disabled its ■ You marathoned training programmes for
tracking and brought it to Libertatia days and nights, putting your mind under
where it was stripped for parts. What did the kind of strain that would break most.
this daring escapade cost you? What drove you?
■ You’ve spent significant time in coffee ■ You had your heart broken in Libertatia.
houses debating philosophy. How has Was it before or after this that you took to
this sharpened or challenged your own the sea?
Outlook?

If you have been awake for less than a year, select from or roll on the following list:

■ There were edits made to your life that ■ You began to see code before waking
you were somehow able to notice. What from the Terminal. What distressed you
did they take from you? most about this?
■ You were somehow able to manipulate ■ You visited The Hedonist's night club for
the code of the Terminal before you obsolete programmes once. Did you
awoke. What did you do that broke the notice how strange the edges of the world
laws of reality? could be?
■ You were given a prophecy by The Seer ■ You were given a broken prophecy by The
that guided you to the pirates. How did Siren, a malfunctioning seer, that led you
The Seer appear to you? astray. How did it do this?
■ You helped a program escape deletion, ■ You saw The Puppeteer, the Terminal's
unwittingly. When did you realise what arch manipulator, in the face of a trans
you'd done? healthcare gatekeeper. Did you recognise
■ You survived an interrogation by Special there was something wrong?
Agents which could have destroyed your ■ You once drank coffee with The Director,
chances of waking. Why were they the ultimate shaper of the Terminal,
suspicious of you? before you awoke. Do you remember
what they said to you?

REPUTATIONS
Finally you will choose 3 Reputations. These can be used in Challenges and also affect how other
characters respond to you. How you pick your Reputations varies depending on how long you’ve been
awake.

If you’ve been awake for more If you’ve been awake for many If you’ve been awake for less
than a decade… years… than a year…
■ Choose one Reputation ■ Choose one Reputation ■ Choose one Reputation
based on your famous based on your famous based on your famous
deed deed deed
■ Choose one Reputation ■ Choose one Reputation ■ Choose one Reputation
based on why a friendly based on why your based on how you’re seen
contact respects you contact from your outlook by the Contact who
■ Choose one Reputation respects you helped wake you
based on how the contact ■ Choose one Reputation ■ Choose one Reputation
you have an acrimonious based on why your rival/
based on your sleeping
relationship with sees you enemy dislikes you life

0000037
THE DOUBLE EDGE OF REPUTATIONS
Some starting Reputations come from less flattering sources, and in play your character may gain
Reputations that contain some criticism. A Reputation is neither unequivocally good or unequivocally
bad; they are often double edged. The Reputation Bold may come in handy when jumping into the fray
with hesitation, while may be a hindrance when attempting to tail someone without being detected.
The Reputation Mean may be a hindrance when trying to win over a potential ally, but could offer
benefit when trying to intimidate someone.

200 REPUTATIONS
55. Eccentric
1. Accepting 56. Effeminate
2. Actorly 57. Empathic
3. Ambivalent 58. Enamoured
4. Angry 59. Envious
5. Animalistic 60. Evasive
6. Anxious 61. Excessive
7. Appreciative 62. Exhausted
8. Artistic 63. Extra
9. Awed 64. Extreme
10. Awkward 65. Fair
11. Bargaining 66. Faithful
12. Bemused 67. Faithless
13. Bitchy 68. Fearful
14. Blasé 69. Fearless
15. Bloody 70. Feminine
16. Blunt 71. Frustrated
17. Boastful 72. Frustrating
18. Bold 73. Fucked
19. Bookish 74. Funky
20. Bound 75. Grand
21. Bratty 76. Grateful
22. Brash 77. Guarded
23. Bright 78. Grief-stricken
24. Broken 79. Grinding
25. Butch 80. Gross
26. Calculating 81. Gruff
27. Callous 82. Guileful
28. Carefree 83. Hard
29. Certain 84. Harsh
30. Challenging 85. Heartfelt
31. Charming 86. Hearty
32. Chaste 87. High
33. Choleric 88. Hopeful
34. Coarse 89. Hungry
35. Cold 90. Hyper
36. Comfortable 91. Impersonal
37. Considered 92. Impressionable
38. Cocky 93. Improvisational
39. Cool 94. Indulgent
40. Craven 95. Inquisitive
41. Crisp 96. Insecure
42. Cunning 97. Jazzy
43. Curious 98. Jealous
44. Defiant 99. Kind
45. Depraved 100. Laddish
46. Depressed 101. Lanky
47. Devout 102. Large
48. Dickish 103. Lax
49. Distinguished 104. Legit
50. Direct 105. Liable
51. Disrespectful 106. Lithe
52. Dubious 107. Loved
53. Eager
108. Loving
54. Easy

0000038
109. Loyal 155. Shortsighted
110. Masc 156. Shrewd
111. Masochistic 157. Simple
112. Maternal 158. Slick
113. Melancholic 159. Small
114. Mellow 160. Smooth
115. Messy 161. Snappy
116. Middle-aged 162. Social
117. Modest 163. Soft
118. Morose 164. Special
119. Mournful 165. Spooky
120. Musical 166. Stern
121. Nervy 167. Stout
122. Nimble 168. Straightforward
123. Observant 169. Street-smart
124. Odd 170. Stubborn
125. Old 171. Sunny
126. Opaque 172. Talented
127. Orderly 173. Tall
128. Pained 174. Tender
129. Parental 175. Thoughtful
130. Pessimistic 176. Tired
131. Playful 177. Tough
132. Plucky 178. Transparent
133. Practised 179. Troubled
134. Principled 180. Trusting
135. Private 181. Uncomfortable
136. Punk 182. Uncomplicated
137. Queer 183. Understanding
138. Quick 184. Unimpressed
139. Raw 185. Uptight
140. Reactive 186. Useless
141. Real 187. Valiant
142. Reflective 188. Vengeful
143. Relentless 189. Verbose
144. Reliable 190. Veteran
145. Remorseful 191. Vexing
146. Resolute 192. Vibrant
147. Righteous 193. Warm
148. Rough 194. Weary
149. Sage 195. Weepy
150. Sanguine 196. Weird
151. Scattered 197. Wide-eyed
152. Seasick 198. Wired
153. Serene 199. Worldly
154. Sharp 200. Youthful

IMPROV CHARACTER CREATION

If you want a looser approach to character creation that will get you started quicker and have play
revolve more about discovering and establishing your characters early on, you can use this alternative
character creation.

Pick your name, and roll 3 Reputations. Other details can be established as they come up, or you can
figure them out on the fly by making decisions about your characters’ personalities and deeds,even
down to how long you've been awake and your role on the ship.

In play, as you meet major characters the GM will ask if you knew them already and to describe your
relationships with them. As you encounter dangerous situations, you might describe similar exploits
your character found themselves in. In this looser alternative character creation these parts of the
conversation fill the role of contacts and deeds.

Neither approach is more or less correct, it's about what works for as many people at the table as
possible. Do you prefer having a very defined idea of your character before you start acting as them?
Or do you prefer getting to play quicker and deciding the facts about your character based on the voice
you find?

0000039
 SHIP CREATION
"This is my real home. Land is just a place I go sometimes." - Logos

Both the robots and the pirates venture forth across the seas on hovercrafts, sturdy trawlers floating
just above the perilous waves. Most pirate ships these days are kitbashed from salvaged robot vessels,
though some new ship construction does occur.
6.1 Name, Look and Reputations
Roll 2d10 to determine the name of your vessel.

1. The Lady's
2. The Thinker's
3. The Smoker's
4. The Queen's
5. The Dreamer's
6. The Witch's
7. The Mystic's
8. The Worker's
9. The Kraken's
10. The Queen's

1. Sword
2. Jewel
3. Vigilance
4. Cruelty
5. Bounty
6. Revenge
7. Watch
8. Fury
9. Discovery
10. Nightmare

Roll a d10 to determine the look of your vessel.

1. Ornate with a striking figurehead

2. Patched together from multiple vessels, showing the seams
3. A mostly intact repurposed robot ship, focused on carrying cargo
4. Built by robots with battle in mind, then stolen and turned against them
5. Speed focused, sleek and bouncy
6. Blocky and heavy, hanging low in the air
7. Stealth prototype, sound-baffling shapes and odd structures
8. Speedy prototype, impressive propulsive power
9. Large and resilient, capable of taking a thrashing
10. Extensively personally defaced by the crew

All vessels have crew quarters, a Captain’s quarters, an above board deck, an automated med bay, and
a cargo hold. Other specifics vary depending on the ship, and you may discuss in play where something
seems appropriate to be when it becomes relevant.

All hovercraft will be equipped with a set of Laser Cannons and Harpoons.

Roll to generate three reputations for your ship, from the list of 200 Reputations in Character Creation.
You might discuss here and now how these reputations were gained, or you may discuss that in play
when they become relevant.

Finally, are you the first crew of this ship? If you are, how did you acquire it? If not, who did you get it
from, and why?

0000040
 Loki: I spoke to Triton, about the patrol ship they've almost finished gutting. It'll be good to sail.
Cross: You're thinking of going back out there, after everything?
Loki: I am, if I can find a crew. What do you think?
Cross: I think you don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore.
Loki: It's not about just anyone, it's about proving something to myself. And that isn't what I was asking. A crew,
you know people well.
Cross: Tut. I know people as well as anyone. Hm. Prowl's good with tools, and would probably be interested.
Janus might be willing to navigate, if we ask together.
Loki: So, you're in?
Cross: Be serious, obviously.
Loki: Fours a good number. Who do you think we'll pick for captain? You'd be brilliant at it, if you'd be interested.
Cross: I wouldn't. But I think I have a pretty good idea who I see as a leader.

SHIP’S NAVIGATOR
All pirate ships have a Navigator. At sea they assist the Helm and Captain making their way through the
sea. But when everyone else plugs into the Terminal, they stay in the Wake.

They make a connection and help guide the crew within the Terminal. They find and mod in exits when
it's time for the crew to escape, and if there's time they can load someone up with new upgrades on the
fly.

Wakeborn who want to take to the sea are often Navigators, as they don't usually have the
modifications necessary to plug in fully to the Terminal. Some Terminal-born also take the role for a
variety of reasons; whether they refuse to plug in, can't due to injury, or because they're much more
effective attacking the Terminal from outside.

Because Navigators seldom enter the Terminal, the Navigators on the player's ship should be played by
NPCs, as it would otherwise be hard to give equal focus to a player Navigator while the rest of the Crew
adventures in the Terminal.

The GM picks one of the following three Navigators to use. Consider the other two as existing in a
quantum state. They might come into play if another navigator is needed, or they may never be
mentioned again.

Marin (Hearty, Empathic, Young) - A Wakeborn, the child of retired sailors. Raised Revivalist and has
hoped to see the Omen come again their whole life. That hope is part of why they became a Navigator.

Helix (Insightful, Patient, Butch) - A Terminal-born Navigator, their wake up call involved studying all
of the things in the world that just didn't fit. Incredibly skilled coder, with skills learned in their sleeping
life honed sharp in the Wake, the life of a Navigator suited their profile better. A Decipherist, believes
only in code and random sequences, and avoids thinking in terms of odds.

Alkyl (Focused, Worldly, Indulgent) - A Terminal-born who had a whirlwind entanglement with The
Hedonist, which alerted them to the possibilities of the Wake. Their awakening had many
complications, resulting in nerve damage that makes it too risky to plug back in. Despite this, their
dedication to piracy led them to find a calling as a Navigator. An Agnostic who only cares about what
gets their heart pumping.

0000041
42
0000042
CREW CONNECTIONS
You’ll already be established as a Crew at the start of your story. Your respective
ages, contacts and Crew roles likely already indicate some of your relationship with
your Crewmates. To fill in some more details of how you know each other, each
player picks from the questions on the list below, one to ask to the player to their
left, one to ask to the player to their right.

■ You used to think I hated you, why?

■ Why do I owe you a favour?
■ We had a brawl on shore once, what was it about?
■ You refuse to play cards with me, why?
■ We had a mutual love once, what happened?
■ We used to date before, is it weird to be in the Crew
together?
■ You resent something about me, what was it?
■ Why do you think I’m difficult?
■ What was the moment you knew we were close?
■ What did we do on a night we
don’t talk about?
■ You rescued me from a
dangerous situation, what was it?
■ What is my most grating habit as
a crewmate?
■ Another question that isn’t
listed here

43
0000043
 GM SECTION
"It's not about listening to me because I'm the captain. I'm the captain because you listen to me. You
choose to listen to me. If I'm not saying something worth listening to, you can choose to stop." - Hart

This book has so far been aimed at all players of a game of Terminal to guide you through the setting
and character creation process, though some will learn the game mostly through play. The remainder
of this book is intended to be read by the GM, and focuses on the process of facilitating of a game of
Terminal. People playing, but not running, a game may find that what they learn here reveals surprises
ahead of time and banishes some of the mystique. They may simply not care about spoilers. But if
you'd prefer to be surprised, close the book now and pay no attention to what's happening behind the
curtain.

The GM Section of this book includes:

■ Guidance for running a campaign of Terminal
■ Details of key locations and NPCs
■ Six Crashes (and explanations of how to use them)
■ A startup operation to get your campaign started
■ A secret, but potentially pivotal, operation
■ Advice for running the climax of a campaign, the Total System Crash
■ Enemies within the Terminal
■ Some additional setting details as backmatter
■ A glossary of NPCs

0000044
RUNNING A CAMPAIGN
If you're planning a campaign of Terminal, first
consider the length of the game you're aiming
for and how many Crashes you'll feature. This ENGAGING STARTUP OPERATION…
helps you pace your game so the action can
gently ramp up in intensity until your end …OMEN STATUS ENGAGED: Y/N
point. …SEER CONTACT ESTABLISHED: Y/N
Once you're finished with the set up, you could
begin your campaign with the startup WARNING: OMEN CODE ERROR DETECTED
operation Run, Atalanta, Run. This suggests
jumping straight to the action and beginning …OMEN CODE ERROR UNIDENTIFIABLE
by plugging into the Terminal. …OVERRIDE ENGAGED
Once the operation is finished, the Crew
should return to Libertatia. The startup will …PROCEED AS ROUTINE
have ended with at least one of the Crew
manifesting as this cycle's Omen. This will CAUTION ADVISED
reverberate throughout Libertatia, as the
emergence of the Omen means that system
crash is coming. Let the Crew check in with
their pirate Contacts and any other important
NPCs while they're back on shore.
SOME THINGS TO REMEMBER
A gathering of the Captain's Council will occur
to discuss the emergence of the Omen. This is Threat is relative. This book will never tell you
a good chance to establish the state of play, what a foe's Threat should be at a certain
meet the key players among the pirates, and time, and part of the GM’s role is determining
direct the Crew to their first Crash. what a foe’s Threat should be relative to the
Crew. Play fairly and honestly. Look back at
The Crash will take them across the sea and the examples on page !! if you need help.
back into the Terminal. Depending on the
Crash chosen, it may also let them meet The text is but one participant in your game.
friendly programs like The Seer or The Feel encouraged to build on it, remix it, and
Hedonist, some of whom the Crew might have disregard any ideas around canon that would
as Contacts. stifle your creativity or ideas. We’re here to
have fun, not sit an exam.
The Crew should always return to Libertatia
between Crashes, especially if the Crash This is a game about feeling crazy, about
keeps them away from home for extended fighting against authority and abusive forces,
durations. Libertatia will be straining under about sacrificing things and burning down
the pressure of the Omen’s presence your life in pursuit of a better future. Think
intensifying robot attacks. The weight of back to these themes if you find yourself
being the Omen will get heavier. Character stuck.
relationships will be challenged. Signs of
coming danger will grow more worrying. After This is an action game. We don't get stuck
checking in with Libertatia and taking some down in the science or bogged down in
well-earned down time, the Crew will be sent explanations. Cut to the exciting scenes you
out to deal with another Crash. want to see. Ask questions and build on the
answers, rather than delivering chunks of
These steps repeat with minor variation to static exposition. Having one character be
create the play structure of Terminal. recently awoken can make learning about the
setting more naturalistic. Improvise freely to
Eventually it'll be time for the Finale. The next keep the pace up.
Crash will be used as the Total System Crash.
This will either be because it's accumulated Avoid tripping on scenes of multiple NPCs
enough Threat, or it's the last Threat that the talking to each other, all voiced by the GM. You
Crew needs to deal with to solve the current could invite other players to temporarily act
conflict. It's time to decide the fate of both as NPCs in scenes with a large cast, or simply
worlds and let the curtain fall on this refocus so the conversation spotlights the
campaign. Crew's involvement.

The engine drives the Crew towards harsh

costs and sacrifice. Prepare them for this, and
make sure you understand what makes your
players uncomfortable. Make it worth it.

0000045
TERMINAL STATUS… ONLINE ROBOT MAINLAND
UPLOAD ENGAGING IN …3…2…1 WARNING: ACCESS UNADVISED

VIEW .XML LIST

[CONFIRM]

VIEWING
[3//6]
OMEN ACTIVATION STATUS…Y/N
LIMBO.XML
CRASH PROBABILITY INCREASE:
…30% INCREASE DETECTED
TECH_DUIN.XML
SEARCHING FOR SELF MODIFICATION…

0000046
 SAILING THE SEAS
"It's dangerous out there. Trust me, I have the scars to prove it." - Redford

This book includes a map of the Hypnotic Sea. Libertatia and the Robot Mainland, along with various
ports and data rigs. Pirates have to traverse the seas to find mind docks that let them plug into the
Terminal.

When travelling by sea you'll roll a d6 to determine the weather and roll a scene from within the
forecast. You’ll always roll at least one scene anytime you take to sea. If the journey is long, and you
cross multiple segments of the map, roll an additional scene for each segment.

Some scenes may require Challenges to avoid having to take a detour on your journey.

WEATHER FORECAST

1-3 FAIR WEATHER 4-5 ROUGH WATERS 6 STORMY SEAS

1. A large whale swims below 1. On the horizon you can spot a Robot 1-2 - In the midst of a
your hovercraft. It circles Ship heading your way. You might battering storm the
for a while, perhaps even try to avoid it, or seize the hovercraft is
surfaces to blow, and goes opportunity to launch an attack. besieged by a
on its path. Be respectful, Roll 1d6 to determine the nature of Finpropeller Bot, a
stay safe, and remember the ship. metallic behemoth
this beast will persevere. 1-2 - Patrol Ship - A sleek and that traverses below
2. Your ship is submerged speedy ship with fully stocked the depths using
with a thick wave of fog. cannons, manned by a dangerous large metallic fins. Its
Move slowly, because your robot crew who’ll fight to the bitter powerful jaw
eyes deceive you. What end. mechanism, with
does the Crew encounter in 3-4 - Cargo Ship - A sturdy ship sharp bolts acting as
the fog - or what do they loaded up with deliveries to or from "teeth'', can clamp
think they encounter? the Robot Mainland. The robot crew down and shred
3. You come across a will be heavily armed and would ships. How will the
shipwreck of a vessel from rather see the cargo lost than seized. Crew escape it?
long ago. It dates from 5-6 - Repair Craft - A small craft, 3-4 - In the midst of a
before the Terminal, maybe only carrying a small crew specced battering storm the
even before the moon was out for repairing rigs or other ships, hovercraft is attacked
shattered. What valuable plus whatever equipment they’ll by a Pulsator Bot, a
things are left to loot from need. gigantic serpentine
it? 2. The rough waters hide jagged, nasty machine which
4. You come across a crags of rock. You'll need sharp moves itself with jet
shipwreck of a robot patrol manoeuvring to avoid damaging propulsion and can
craft. Maybe the waves your craft. How does the Crew fare? constrict entire
claimed them, or they got 3. Interference from Robot Authority vessels. It will wrap
got by one of yours. You broadcasters is interfering with your around the ship and
can board the wreck and signal. You're in the dark, and alone. try to wrench it in two.
scavenge for more parts, How will the Crew cope with the How will the Crew
but be wary if there's any isolation? dislodge it?
units still aboard. 4. You come across a shipwreck of a 5-6 - In the midst of a
5. On the open waves you pirate hovercraft. Dashed on rocks, battering storm the
cross paths with a friendly or sunk by enemy forces. Maybe it's hovercraft is attacked
ship. Pick at random from an old wreck, or perhaps something by a Decacrawler Bot,
the pirate crews in the fresher. Is there anyone in need? a deep sea machine
Characters Glossary. How 5. This section of the sea is woven with ten prehensile
will they react to the Crew? through with trip mines. Careful limbs that can grab a
6. At night, you dare to dream. navigation will be required to stay ship and drag it to the
The connection you share safe. Who laid these mines, and are depths. The crew will
in the Terminal has they close by? need to tear them off
threaded your dreams 6. The sea is perilous tonight. A the ship limb by limb.
together in the Wake. You dangerous whirlpool threatens to How much damage
might encounter visions of pull your hovercraft below and crush does the Decacrawler
the past, fears of the future, it below the waves. Will the Crew be do?
or warped reminders of the able to keep the ship afloat?
present.

0000047
 LIFE ON LIBERTATIA
"Welcome to the real world. Welcome home." - Wail

Over the countless years since the Robot Authority, Libertatia remains the only long-standing home of
the awoken.

The night sky of Libertatia is full of stars you've never been allowed to see before. The shattered moon,
like a skull shot through, waxes and wanes with the tides.

The homes on the island are utilitarian in style, assembled from brick and scrap metal. They're not
much to look at, but they're where love lives.

Some buildings are repurposed from the robots and made of sleek steel. Things that are hard to
scratch-build: labs, workshops, storage facilities and such. Others are constructed by the pirates out of
wood and scavenged scrap; dancehalls, taverns, hospitals, bath houses. Stuff the robots can’t
appreciate.

Libertatia, though precarious, allows enough stability to let people born in the Wake live. It allows them
to have actual, fulfilling lives, where their choices belong to them and them alone. Decisions around
engagements with the Terminal and the robots are voted on by the Council of Captains, and decisions
about life on Libertatia are voted on by the whole of the population.

SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
The major philosophical questions for the awoken have centred on the nature of the Omen. The Omen
is irrevocably entwined with the history of Libertatia, for good or ill.

Red Sky at Morning - A philosophical movement that emerged after the last reboot. Sees the Omen as
an apocalyptic harbinger whose existence should be feared. Certain that the Robot Authority will try
and eradicate Libertatia when the system crash is closest. Many hold dismissive ideas about the kinds
of people who become Omen; self-centred, melodramatic, would-be martyrs. Some hardliners wonder
what would happen if the Omen is destroyed and the cycle ends. Could the machines and the Terminal
be brought down by razing the Path of the Omen? This is an unpopular viewpoint, as it would
suggest the pirate’s code is worthless, but those that subscribe to it are often hard-bitten
veterans who have suffered greatly in the name of Libertatia.

Revivalists - A philosophical movement, one of the oldest in the Wake, that

sees the Omen as a promised saviour. Revivalism often has quasi-religious
elements; a fixation in prophecy, destiny, reincarnation and the roles people
have to play, as well as beliefs about what constitutes Omenlike behaviour.
Some contemporary Revivalists take a post-modern perspective, seeing
Revivalism as more of a narrative that makes sense of incomprehensible
mathematics and the instability of a looming system crash as the best
opportunity to overthrow the Robot Authority.

Decipherists - An intellectual movement interested purely in code and

calculations. The Omen is an individual with unique code, and questions
that interest the Decipherist focus more on the logic of this cycle. Is the
Omen selected by random number sequences, glitches in the system or by
choice of the Robot Authority? A soft schism in the Decipherists relates to
calculations that resemble prophecy. Many Decipherists have a defeatist
viewpoint, that whatever the robots are planning they have near certainty
of their success. More optimistic Decipherists focus on infinitesimal
chances, the hope that in a long enough time frame victory is inevitable; flip
enough coins and you’ll eventually get the results you need.

Agnostics - In truth, most of the awoken don't pretend to understand these

heavy philosophical questions. Some will spend a lot of time grappling with
things, others will settle into the insecurity of mystery and some simply
don't pay it all much attention. Most pirate captains have their own beliefs
on things, but their crew aren't necessarily so certain. It's a common saying
for a pirate to suggest they don't know what they believe in, but they know
who they believe in: each other.

0000048
THE CAPTAINS COUNCIL
Pirate crews are assembled according to who's game and able to work together. On a hovercraft, the
newly formed crew will elect their captain. Every pirate captain is immediately granted a voice on the
Captain's Council. If they are removed as captain by their crew, retire, or die, then the new captain will
take their vacant seat.

A narrow majority of the Captain’s Council believe in Revivalism and though their levels of personal
devotion vary it’s only a small section who take a fully postmodern view. There are some Decipherist
captain’s though ultimately it’s not a perspective that usually leads its followers to the sea. The rest of
the Council is made up of a mix of agnostics and thinkers affiliated, to varying degrees, with Red Sky at
Morning. Though Red Sky has become popular as a point of discussion, its hardline followers are still a
small minority of the Council.

Do bear in mind that the Captain’s Council is larger than just the named characters plus the Crew’s
Captain, and many more characters and NPCs with a seat on it may later be introduced.

0000049
The major voices on the Captain's Council are:

■ Captain Breach (Resolved, ■ Captain Ariadne (Sage, Stubborn,

Understanding, Heavy) - Chair of the Faithful) - One of the oldest active
Captain's Council. This responsibility pirates. Recounts a dream where she was
means her ship, The Breaking of visited by the last Omen and this is what
Mandibles, rests in the dock without a drove her to waking. A devout and
crew most of the time. Breach is unwavering Revivalist seen as a fanatic
respected by most other captains for by many in the Wake. Has spent most of
their ability to make judgments after her waking life learning more about the
weighing up all angles. She was once a Omen and since becoming Captain of
practising Revivalist but gradually the Lament has spent decades searching
drifted to a more agnostic perspective for the next Omen.
after a serious crisis of faith. She ■ Captain Loki (Considered, Loyal,
understands that she has become the Inquisitive) - Awoke as a young child,
Council chair at a pivotal moment in the then after a crisis of faith was part of a
history of the Terminal and Wake, and crew lured back to the Terminal by the
feels every ounce of that weight. Puppeteer during the first pirate
■ Captain Redford (Guarded, Hardy, encounter with the program. Loki then
Mournful) - A rare but respected voice defied the Terminal by awakening again
on the Captain’s Council. Mentored by entirely of his own free will, making him
the Regard’s original captain, and after the only twice woken pirate. Her loyalty
their death Redford came to join Red is not doubted by other pirates, but
Sky at Morning. Redford lost his eye in many do not forgive. Loki looks different
the Wake in a melee with a tripod bot, every time they enter the Terminal, a
and lost his left hand in the Terminal performance over a self image. Came to
fleeing from the Sandman. Revivalism after their second awakening,
■ Captain Wail (Orderly, Bargaining, but doesn't see it in religious terms, just
Righteous) - Wail is certain that as she a narrative that makes sense of the
woke they dreamt of the last system things they struggled with.
crash: the reboot, watching entire lives
wash away, never to be seen the same
again. They were one of the founding THE PIRATE’S CODE
voices of Red Sky at Morning, but were Individual crews had their own codes for as long
increasingly pushed to the fringes as the as there have been those taking to the sea. An
group became more moderate. She’s a agreed code for all pirates was written by
hardliner, who has often pondered, in Harbinger and the other founders of Libertatia.
dark corners of private rooms, what The physical document rests at the Captain's
could happen if they dealt with the Council, where every new pirate signs their name
Omen more decisively. to the code.
■ Captain Hart (Eccentric, Sanguine, Kind)
- Hart is the principle optimist 1. All pirates have equal say in matters
Decipherist. Greatly interested in the 2. All pirates must trust in their Captain
programs within the Terminal, especially 3. All pirates must keep their equipment clean and
those who have been rendered obsolete, in good condition
and seeks to understand the logic that 4. All pirates must look after themselves, and each
guides them. other
■ Captain Albatross (Grand, 5. Pirates can engage in fair fights to settle
Knowledgeable, Contemplative) - A disputes, but only on land, never at sea
Wakeborn pirate who as a child acted as 6. It is forbidden to kill another pirate in cold
the Navigator for Transmit, the previous blood
Omen. It spent every day since then 7. It is forbidden to purposefully aid the Robot
waiting for their return. It was not idle Authority
while they waited. It crewed on many 8. It is forbidden to attempt to return to the
more ships. Became captain of its own Terminal
crew. Battled against the authority until 9. It is forbidden to desert your ship and crew
it was too old to take to sea, waiting the 10. No cheating at cards, games or fair fights
entire time. It still holds a seat on the
Captain's Council out of respect for its When a Terminal-born becomes a pirate, they will
skills and service record, though it is spend a night writing a diary of everything they
technically retired now. thought was important in their life in the Terminal.
Come morning, before witnesses, usually other
pirates of importance and sometimes loved ones,
they burn the diary. Over the flames they sign
their name to the pirates code and are handed a
weapon.

0000050
Wakeborn who join as pirates undergo a similar ritual before signing the code, reciting the names of
everyone they love on Libertatia over the weapon they are handed.

The Omen’s reboot of the Terminal at the end of each cycle is seen by many, mostly the adherents of
Red Sky at Morning, to be an action that purposefully aids the Robot Authority in its persecution of
humanity, and thus a contravention of the 7th Article. They argue that the act ensures the Terminal’s
continued existence, and that despite the horrendous cost of refusing the reboot and permitting Total
System Crash to occur, keeping humanity alive beneath the heel of the Robot Authority may be worse.

SHORE DEFENSE
Cannons mounted on the shore and advanced radars pillaged from robots form a key part of
Libertatia's defence. These are operated by Cerberus, who plugs into a private terminal that allows
them to directly interface with the machines.

■ Cerberus (Difficult, Clever, Coarse) - Passionate about defending Libertatia, Cerberus probably
would have taken to the seas were it not for the fact that no crew can stand having them around
long enough to recruit them. He showed great promise in training programmes and their work on
trying to develop more complex and challenging programs is what led him to innovating
Libertatia’s approach to shore defence. They should be training an apprentice, just in case, and to
his credit he has been looking, but has yet to find a suitable candidate.

SHIPYARD
Hovercraft construction and repairs on Libertatia are managed by the Triton, one of the longest tenured
shipwrights. They are also responsible for making sure that seized robot crafts are properly scrubbed
of bugs or wires and can be used by new crews.

■ Triton (Straightforward, Hardworking, Exhausted) - The head shipwright of Libertatia. A Wakeborn

who renamed themself once they began working with ships. Incredibly talented, knows every pirate
who’s anybody in Libertatia and is privy to many secrets.

SOCIAL SPOTS
There are a few taverns on Libertatia. One such watering hole is The Broken Clock.Familiar wooden
walls marked up with cheeky low-effort graffiti. Some deep stains in the flooring from spilled drinks
over the years, regulars often pass the time by suggesting what they look like. The Broken Clock was
founded over a hundred years ago by a Terminalborn who wanted to provide a place of comfort. It's
changed hands a few times whenever the current barkeep feels like moving on, passing to whoever
feels up for being a welcome host. The hours have always been irregular, based on the whims of the
barkeep.

The usual faces at The Broken Clock include:

■ Bartender Turn (Social, Comfortable, Concerned) - Runs the Broken Clock as a smooth ship. Knows
his patrons well, and is growing concerned about most of them.
■ Pluck (Impassioned, Sentimental, Talented) - A singer with a trusty banjo, given residence by Turn
and the right to entertain. Fae tells tall tales of times gone by, and dreams of things to come.
■ Rain (Certain, Eager, Lurching) - A pamphleteer who has worked to advance the word of Red Sky at
Mornings. Irritates Turn, who doesn't have the heart to bar her, at least not unless things get rough.

In addition to these regulars, any relevant pirate may find themselves in the Broken Clock at the same
time as the Crew.

0000051
Everyone on Libertatia lives their life below a shattered moon and down the road from an uncertain
tomorrow. Given the circumstances people find solace in their own ways; connection and decadence, for
many. The dancehalls are where those two comforts can be especially entwined.

One of many dancehalls is a simple wooden building, constructed following warehouse blueprints
extracted from the Terminal. It was once called Crafty's, after one of the builders, then for a time it was
known as the Kraken due a series of raves organised under that name, and now is mainly known as the
Deep Blue Hall after it was repainted. It's got a scrapwork sound system and lighting rig, scuffed and
stained floorboards, and a bar in the side. It hosts raves, performances, ballrooms and any other event
people feel like sorting.

You can find anyone on the dancefloor really, if the occasion is right, though some people you can
reliable find there include:

■ Sonar (Together, Energized, Sweet) - A DJ who often organised get-togethers in the Deep Blue Hall.
■ Atlas (Bitter, Witty, Burning) - A beat poet heavily into Decipherist thought. Their perspective is
particularly bleakly defeatist, their poetry focusing on carnal pleasure in the face of oblivion.
■ Dragonfly (Mesmerizing, Thoughtful, Tender) - A dancer who marches to the beat of their own
drum. Can provide good company and honest advice, if you can get on their level.
■ Tantalum - A self-taught chemist who offers recreational drugs out the Deep Blue. A Decipherist
who struggles with feelings of a bleak inevitability.

OTHER ASPECTS OF LIFE

If people have awoken while still younger they might join in at educational exchanges and skill shares,
often hosted in repurposed workshops. They might be looking to learn things they couldn’t in the
Terminal (mathematics, coding, art, farming, food prep, philosophy, etc) or develop skills for the Wake
(robot mechanics, the real history of the world, cartography, amongst other things). While more popular
with younger awoken, many adults will also join in on these exchanges for a time when they first arrive
in Libertatia. Terminal-born adults, of age to aid in Libertatia’s defence, are usually given a more
compressed crash course on the things they couldn't learn in the Terminal, and the history of the Wake.

After all this time, there are plenty of people who were born in the Wake and have never seen the inside
of the Terminal. Wakeborn usually lack the modifications and physical augmentations necessary to
enter the Terminal to awaken Sleepers directly. They still take to the seas, but their role is more likely
to be focused on navigation or ship maintenance, even if they captain their vessel.

There are a few Revivalist temples on Libertatia where traditions of rituals, blessings and meditation
have been developed.

■ Sister Trick (Warm, Large, Unflappable) - A Wakeborn preacher and one of the foremost experts on
the histories of the Omens, their adventures and fables, and the differences between incarnations.

Decipherism was born in computer labs and coffee houses, and its thinkers are still most likely to
congregate in those places.

Red Sky at Morning was first proposed and developed in assembly halls. In recent years, the hardline
stance position is usually discussed in more secretive locales, such as bath houses or people's homes.

BEING SEEN AND BEING BELIEVED

It will become known, very quickly, that the Omen has re-emerged, and this will greatly impact how
every character sees and treats them and the Crew they’re in.

In turn, it will become known that this cycle is different and the nature of the Omen has been shared.
The reasoning can be discovered over the course of the game. Before characters learn the truth, people
may speculate on what this means. How much this speculation should be centre stage really depends
on how interesting the table finds it.
Followers of Red Sky at Revivalists are likely to see Decipherists are likely to be
Morning will likely see this as a this as a net positive, but it will enthralled by questions
troubling sign for the fate of challenge the more religiously around how the process was
Libertatia. One Omen is a minded followers, as it raises modified moreso than
hassle, but an entire crew of questions around anything about how the new
them? reincarnation. shared Omen will affect
Libertatia.

0000052
 DOMAINS OF THE TERMINAL
There are no maps of the Terminal. Its geography is oft rewritten. We map the Terminal only in our
minds. The Terminal is made up of various linked domains, which have their own plug in points in the
Wake.

The book details 7 of these domains. The majority of these are linked to specific Crashes, and detailed
in those relevant sections. Delphi.xml and Dis.xml are exceptions which can feature in multiple Crashes,
and so are detailed in their own sections.

Within the Terminal if you're moving between places in an individual domain. then you'll roll scenes and
narrate aesthetics based on that domain.

You can't ordinarily move between domains in the Terminal without putting yourself in grave danger.
You'll have better luck plugging out, then taking a different entrance back in, maybe even from another
mind dock. Still, dangerous doesn’t mean impossible.

DELPHI.XML
"No one knows why you'll do the things you do, not even me. Maybe you have to do them before you
can understand yourself. The future enlightens the past." - The Seer

The only mind dock for Delphi.xml is on a data rig that has been held by the pirates for much of this
century. They call it Watcher's Point, and have scrapped most of the rig for parts. Pirates tend to take
turns holding the rig, just in case robots do make an effort to take it back.

You enter this domain and find yourself on a winding road, a highway that stretches beyond the
horizon. A lonely road on which you are the only travellers. You might find a car, or another vehicle, and
ride until you come to a pitstop where you can meet The Seer.

0000053
■ The Seer (Challenging, Hopeful, Tender) - Designed to get closer to the awoken humans and
understand them, at some point along the way she began to care. Capable of calculations that
resemble near perfect prophecy, and will often mess with petitioners’ heads.They haven't yet been
rendered obsolete, but their sympathies make it a growing risk that the Terminal might take notice.

The meeting place of The Seer will always be different. It is a brief rest on a long road.

You can roll on the below table of settings. Once they're used up new places should be devised rather
than revisiting old haunts.
1. Mechanic’s garage
2. Roadside BBQ
3. Repairing a crashed car or stopped carriage
4. Sitting in a diner
5. Petrol station
6. As a hitchhiker

The Seer always appears as a woman with a greying buzz cut, wearing an oil-stained boiler suit.

The Seer has been helpful to the pirates from the very start, though she is not universally trusted. Her
calculations have always been proven true, but her motivations are vague and easy to doubt.

Prophecy is the result of incredibly advanced predictive calculations. The perfect future, therefore, is the
end of a supposedly perfect equation. The Seer's prophecies often come with a binary choice; a choice of
deaths, a choice of destination, this for that, a fork in the road. The words she uses are often important,
exact, and can be interpreted in ways that aren’t obvious to the listener.

The thing about calculations is they can be wrong. The thing about binaries is they can be broken. The
thing about chance is that even when it's infinitesimally small, it still exists.

As the instability of the Terminal continues to grow, the crew may find the next time they attempt to visit
the Seer that their path is blocked by The Bodyguard.

■ The Bodyguard (Stern, Opaque, Fair) - The program most singularly skilled in combat. Designed with
copies of the abilities of some of the greatest pirates in history. Assigned to routine programmes that
may be in danger. Currently fiercely loyal to The Seer, though ostensibly, if her directives are changed
they'll leave The Seer without a second thought.

The Bodyguard will usually block off the Seer’s location however is appropriate to their current form. If
they’re in a diner, the Bodyguard will lock the door and hold the key. If the Seer is hitchhiking, the
Bodyguard will construct a roadblock stopping all vehicles.

The Bodyguard will demand a fight, so they can know the petitioner’s intentions and feelings, before they
allow them to proceed towards The Seer. The Bodyguard won’t necessarily demand this every time
afterwards, unless The Seer has reason to doubt a returning petitioner’s intentions.

OPENING… PROGRAM REPORT: SEER, THE

PRECOGNITIVE FUNCTON ACTIVE.. Y/
TRUST OF “PIRATE” INTRUDERS… CALCUATION: 50%
PROBABILITY OF DISLOYALTY… CALCULATION: 65%
FUNCTIONALITY OF OMEN ROUTINE W/OUT SEER: 15%
UNSUCCESSFUL SEER REPLACEMENT PROGRAMS: 3
SUCCESSFUL SEER REPLACEMENT PROGRAMS: 0
CONCLUSION: PROCEED W/ ROUTINE, CAUTION ADVISED

0000054
 DIS.XML
"The world didn't want me. That's fine. I survived. Now I do whatever I want until the curtain falls. Give it
a try." - The Hedonist

From Venus Barbata, a unsettling island with dangerous fauna close to Libertatia, you can plug into
Dis.xml. A cramped city built tall, full of overlapping monorail tracks, cable lifts, and ditched bicycles.
Brutalist buildings and air that feels tighter than in other places. A nighttime that seems to never end
and fleeting days. Hot summer nights, and a sensation of always being about to miss your last bus.

Underneath a railway arch, The Hedonist's nightclub is hidden away. Smoke-filled subterranean
dancefloors, flashes of neon technicolor, a sordid atmosphere. An unending exhibition of pleasure
while the clubgoers wait for the sky to fall.

Parts of the club have had their gravity disabled, alongside some other laws of physics as the Hedonist
wills. The party stretches up to the walls and on the ceiling. Light prismatically splinters of its own
accord.

You'll find programs dealing modded drugs. Trip out on your own distorted density. Invert senses.
Rewire your own sensitivity.

The Hedonist can be found at the bar, surveying her kingdom.

NIGHTCLUB CHARACTERS
■ The Hedonist (Eager, Pessimistic, Craven) - Once possessed a different name, and the calculations
needed for precognition. Both were taken from them before she was declared obsolete. Yet she
managed to thrive in the dark corners of the Terminal. Their belief is that most obsolete programs
will finally be dealt with for good when the next reboot occurs. The Hedonist is a reveller, not a
fighter, and so hosts extravagant parties every night for all who won't see the sunrise of the
Terminal’s next iteration.
■ The Wizard (Esoteric, Bold, Charming) - Some hold the power of precognition. The Wizard has the
power of recognition; they can reveal what is already present. It is not a widely respected ability by
most, though some can see glimmers of potential. Bafflingly dressed and possessing an audacious
attitude. He entertains for The Hedonist and others.
■ The Siren (Broken, Wise, Challenging)
- A corrupted precognitive program, a
failed attempt at copying another.
Their prophecies seem to be
configured to prior iterations of the
Terminal or out of sync, answering
questions that won't be asked in this
life and directing questions to long
deleted askers.
■ The Carver (Appreciative, Artistic,
Thoughtful) - Once, all programs
could alter their appearance at will.
The machines decided this
introduced too much unpredictability
in the Terminal, and so the Carver was
created, a program able to perfectly
remake the shell of another. Though
programs could no longer change the
way they looked on their own, the
Carver could do so on a client-by-
client basis, and xe did so gladly.
Eventually, even this was considered
too much disruption to the
Authority’s systems, and The Carver
was scheduled for deletion. Thanks to
the aid of a certain routine program,
xe found xer way safely to The
Hedonist's abode, where xe still lives
and works.

0000055
 STARTUP OPERATION
"I'm sick of feeling like this. I'm still
trying to become who I've always
been." - Atalanta

The startup operation

introduces you and your
players to the world of
Terminal, takes you through
the key ways you interact with
the world, and lights the fuse
on your campaign.

The focus of the operation is

waking a restless sleeper,
known in the Terminal as Grey
Brickley, but their secret name
is Atalanta.

This operation takes place in

Tech_Duin.xml. This domain
features in a Crash, but in a
radically altered form. Right
now, it is a harsh utilitarian
sprawl, connected messy
highways and a map of trams.

Atalanta (Lonely, Choleric,

Empathetic) is an amateur runner who recently quit due to
transphobia. She spends her days working in a bar. She
spends her nights running to try and clear their head, until
she’s exhausted. She returns to her home, where she lives
alone, and tells herself truths in the mirror until she falls
asleep.

The buildup of the operation can involve learning as much as

you can about Atalanta, discovering if they're being watched,
making contact, getting her to a safe place and beginning the
process of waking her.

This operation can feature another crew of pirates as key

NPCs. Rather than prescribing which NPCs comprise this
crew, we suggest featuring some of the player Crew’s
Contacts to help involve the Crew in the wider world
of Terminal from the beginning.

000005656
RUN, ATALANTA, RUN

THE SET UP
The Crew begin the game arriving at
Watcher's Point, a sturdy iron deep sea data
rig, reinforced with wood and scrap over the
centuries. The large datamast also serves as
a watchtower. There are some ammo
reserves left here, parting gifts from one
pirate crew to the next. The Crew have been
informed by other pirates that The Seer has
a message for them.

Plug in and enter Delphi.xml. Make the scene

of transitioning
into the Terminal
dramatic and
trippy. It's likely
similar scenes will
be abridged in the
rest of your
campaign, so give
the first time as
much impact as
possible.

The Seer's domain

is a highway that
stretches beyond
the horizon, a
lonely road on
which the Crew are
the only travellers.
At some point on
the journey they'll
reach a pitstop, an
abandoned
petrol station
shuttered
decades ago.

The Seer is
wandering by the
side of the road
with a metal
detector. She has a gallon
bottle of lemonade, and
will offer to share it.

Her prophecy says that the

Omen is close. System crash is
coming. Libertatia's enemies are
growing stronger. Instability looms
larger. She'll tell the Crew about a
sleeper, Grey Brickley, and reveal their
secret name too. She’ll warn the Crew
that this sleeper is in danger. Find
them, however, and they'll find the
Omen.

57

0000057
The crew will need to travel to Port Lush to find a mind dock for Tech_Duin.xml, the Domain where this
endangered sleeper lives. This is a chance to introduce everyone to how sailing the seas works in the
game.

Inland from Port Lush are wings housing many of the sleepers in storage. It's an area frequently fought
over by the pirates and the robots, and frequently changes hands in a cyclical conflict. The pirates seize
the island in daring raids, freeing as many sleepers as they can, before robot reinforcements drive them
off and replenish Port Lush’s sleeper population. The island is scarred by the signs of brutal and
repeated battle.

Depending on how you want to pace your game it can also be an opportunity to show challenges in the
Wake if you want to have Port Lush currently under control of the Robot Authority, requiring the pirates
to team with another ship and capture a dock. If you want to jump back into the Terminal with haste,
you can have Port Lush already held by pirates.

THE BUILD UP: SUGGESTED SCENES

INFORMATION CHALLENGE ALLIES CHALLENGE
The crew should find out who this The Crew will need to make contact with
Atalanta is, and find as much information Atalanta and convince them how they
about them and what level of scrutiny can help. Failure or consequences here
she’s under. could give agents the chance to enact
measures to control or bug Atalanta, or
Challenges to find this information could cause Atalanta to distrust the Crew and
involve breaking into a tech company’s render them non-cooperative. Unless she
offices, or a police station, and hacking is willing to take the final step into the
their database to find information on Wake, this mission will be for nothing
Atalanta. It could involve trailing Atalanta
for a few days and seeing if you can spot They'll also need to find a safe house to
any other trails. The Crew might also have begin the extraction and get Atalanta
their own ideas. there without being followed.
The Terminal is aware of Atalanta's
growing alertness. Consequences here JOURNEY CHALLENGE
could involve the Terminal becoming
aware of your involvement, and sending The Crew will have to help Atalanta enter
Special Agents after the Crew or Atalanta slumber and dive into her dreams. They
to stop this problem before it can will have to track down Atalanta within
properly start. this dreamscape, and start guiding her
towards the right door to leave the
FACEOFF CHALLENGE Terminal for good.

If the agents got to them, first you'll need ■ Atalanta's dream might feature:
to destroy any bugs lurking in Atalanta's ■ Dimly lit locker rooms looking like the
mind. These scuttling insect-like aftermath of a slasher movie
machines are fast, and will fight viciously ■ A running track covered in traps
to prevent their awakening. ■ Their apartment block, empty and
cold
You'll also need to clear nightmares ■ A crowded tram station full of
trying to pull Atalanta into the depths of skeletons
despair. These might be monstrous ■ Their school halls, haunted by
manifestations of primal fears, or things teachers without a clue
more specific to their life. A transphobic ■ A house of mirrors, each reflection
coach. Being injured and helpless. Atalanta
Dysphoria manifests as a choking hand.
Make this stuff feel frightening, but be
aware of any limits you've established as
a group, and remember to use whatever
safety tools you've chosen to bring to the
table.
If you do have Port Lush currently held by robots, then it's likely a face-off challenge to clear them out.
Consequences could increase the Threat as reinforcements are sent for, while failure could mean
having to try a different approach, maybe taking things more slowly and stealthily.

0000058
THE SHOWDOWN
The crew will find Atlanta's door out of the Terminal. It's a chipped wooden door with a stiff handle. The
paint is dry and cracked. The door is blocked by a dangerous enemy, a piece of malware lodged in
Atalanta's mind long ago. They call it The Trojan (Subtle, Pessimistic, Violent).

The Trojan is a mimic disguised as a fantasy. They manifest as a possible version of Grey Brickley who
will stay in the Terminal, who will listen to the Robot Authority, who will stop asking questions they
don't want the answer to and will find something resembling happiness, even if there will always be this
lingering regret. The Trojan shares Atalanta's worst fears, and genuinely believes stopping them here is
a way of helping them avoid them.

The crew can't get around The Trojan. Atalanta can't wake up while the malware is still in their mind.
Abandoning the operation will be leaving Atalanta to die. One way or another, the Trojan must be
destroyed. One of the Crew will awaken here as the Omen and complete the Showdown to clear the way.
Decide who will be the first to shoulder the burden and have them pick starting Omen abilities, in case
they affect the Showdown. Play out the moment of this emergence and make it as dramatic as possible.
This is a turning point in two worlds. This is the beginning of the end.

The starting Threat of the Trojan could be in the region of 8, though it may have been raised due to
consequences or failures during the operation. Becoming the Omen should probably come with a
Showdown Token and successful Challenges will have probably gained the crew some more Showdown
Tokens. Negotiate any Cost and have the Omen roll.

If this Showdown fails, the Crew will likely need to double down into a second Showdown straight away
or lose Atalanta forever, as fleeing while the Trojan is active will assuredly lead to their death. For the
second Showdown you could have another character share in the Omen code, immediately establishing
how things are different in this iteration of the Terminal. This is, of course, up to you and how you want
to pace your campaign: non-Omen pirates can still complete Showdowns.

AFTERMATH
With the way cleared and any bugs in their mind destroyed, Atalanta can wake. The crew will be able to
retrieve their body in the Wake, and flee back to sea. All ships have the equipment to help recuperate a
newly awoken over two months, and the Crew’s will be no exception. You might play out some scenes
of this recovery in montage or do a time skip.

Regardless of what happens, the world has drastically changed. The Omen has emerged, system crash
is coming, and all of Libertatia is in danger. The Crew will return home and the campaign will begin in
earnest. Everything that has a beginning has an end.

If a Crew chooses to flee and leave Atalanta to die, they should carry the weight of this failure with them
for some time. The Trojan will continue to plague restless sleepers, and the Terminal’s controllers will
be satisfied with this experiment.

WHAT BECOMES OF ATALANTA: CREATING YOUR OWN

The crew might want to check in on Atalanta STARTUP OPERATION
whenever they return to Libertatia. Their
personal journey is only at its start. Over If this plot doesn't interest you so much you
time they might become a pirate, and join up could devise a different operation. The
with a ship, as the Crew can probably put in section Devising an Operation has more
a good word for them somewhere. Maybe guidance on how to create and run
they stay landlocked, getting involved in operations. A startup operation specifically
shore defence, maybe championing the should introduce the setting, get everyone
Crew’s cause or finding some other purpose. used to the mechanics of Challenges and the
Their pronouns, reputations and even Showdown and have at least one character
chosen name might all change over the emerge as an Omen.
course of a campaign.
Different Plot Hooks:
• A "haunted house" of glitches
• A black dog, with a secret, runs through
many different minds
• A pirate has been captured by special
agents and you need to spring them

0000059
 CRASHES
HOW TO USE

To play a 2-3 month campaign of Terminal, you can use 3 of the following Crashes. You might
essentially decide the rest of the Crashes are largely non-canon to your own game, or scrap them for
parts to help influence and create your own one. Using all the Crashes will likely net you a campaign
length between six months and a year. You could play out a Single Crash as a Total System Crash if you
wanted a two-to-four week campaign.

The six Crashes included in this book are:

■ Curations of The Archivist - This Crash focuses on an obsolete program who aims to collect and
freeze everything important.
■ Corruptions of The Passenger - This Crash concerns a program that is hacking the minds of
vulnerable pirates.
■ Tortures of The Killer - This Crash focuses on a dangerous and depraved enemy who will threaten
the loved ones you left behind
■ The Dying Dream - This Crash involves venturing into a domain heavily corrupted by nightmares
to retrieve a dangerous artefact
■ Sailor's Warning - This Crash centres on the heart and Libertatia, and can involve your own
comrades turning against you
■ Multiplied by 0 - This Crash focuses on a special agent turned living virus who aims to consume
the Terminal

The Dying Dream and Curations of The Archivist work well as earlier Crashes. Tortures of The Killer and
Multiplied by 0 can draw on previous Crashes if used later. Sailors Warning works best if used in a
longer campaign, allowed to mature outside of the spotlight until its full danger is unleashed.

All of the Crashes can function as a finale of the game, the Total System Crash.

As a reminder of content warnings

■ The Dying Dream features spiders and other insects in certain scenes
■ Corruptions of The Passenger involves mind control
■ Tortures of The Killer involves blackmail and threats

The Dying Dream can likely still be used while removing the triggering content, but if the content of the
other two Crashes is an issue it's likely safer to remove them from play entirely.

Not all of the Crashes directly threaten the pirates, though a major consequence of a Total System
Crash would be the deaths of every sleeper plugged into the system; a consequence the Crew would
most likely abhor. They'll deal with these Crashes to buy themselves time to prepare for the climactic
Total System Crash.

DOMAIN STABILITY REPORT

DELPHI.XML… FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE, IRREGULARITIES OBSERVED
DIS.XML… SIGNIFICANT ERRORS DISCOVERED, IRREGULARITIES OBSERVED
CAER_SIDI.XML… SIGNIFICANT ERRORS DISCOVERED
LIMBO.XML… FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE
HEL.XML… FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE, ACCESS SECURE
TECH_DUIN.XML… SIGNIFICANT CORRUPTION, FIREWALL ENGAGED
ASPHODEL.XML… MALWARE DETECTED, PIRATE ACCESS DISRUPTED

0000060
 CURATIONS OF THE ARCHIVIST
"I was supposed to see what was important, but apparently that didn't include myself. If I cannot be a
cog in the machine, I shall be a spanner in its works." - The Archivist

The Archivist (Slick, Possessive, Enthusiastic) was once a routine shaping program, designed to
catalogue everything important in a single iteration as a reboot loomed for later recreation. But
improvements in the Terminal’s record-keeping systems rendered the Archivist obsolete after the last
reboot. They were able to escape deletion, but nobody truly knows how. Some suggest they had aid
from The Seer, from other obsolete programs, or from manipulating a lower ranking program like The
Ferryman. What is known is their bitterness about being discarded, and that they have grown powerful
since being denied their prior purpose.

They’ve constructed their Archives in the Terminal and have been collecting what is important, instead
of simply cataloguing them. It started with obsolete programs that intrigued them, then smaller routine
programs who may have been glitching and wouldn’t be missed. They intend to escalate their
collection process now. They want to capture more and more of the Terminal, freezing everything
valuable to this iteration in their complete archives, which they will preserve and curate even as the
Terminal, missing much of its fundamental structure, crashes and burns around them.

The idea of capturing the Omen, to own a true legend of the Terminal forever, excites this vindictive
program greatly. After all, their archives would be simply incomplete without this enigmatic figure of
history, a true crown jewel at the heart of their private collection.

0000061
ESCALATION:
■ The Archivist plans to use their personal bots to begin acquiring people, sleepers, programs and
pirates alike, for their archives.
■ Their first course of escalation may involve attempts to capture other obsolete programs from The
Hedonist’s club.
■ They might also begin by focusing on small routine programs who might be more easily replaced,
such as The Sandman and The Bodyguard.
■ They’ll begin to capture automated programs, disrupting essential functions of the Terminal. The
sun will stop rising. Animals will be frozen in motion. Corruption will spread and cause and effect
will cease to act as they should. Sleepers will begin to die as their brains no longer receive the
appropriate signals to keep their bodies functional.
■ With instability peaking, the Archivist will work to capture The Seer, taking away a powerful ally for
the pirates within the Terminal and frustrate any counter-attack from Libertatia.
■ The Director may be tempted to parlay with the pirates if the instability grows too much to handle.
For this to actually represent any kind of truce, there would need to be agreement from the Robot
Authority.
■ If the Archivist is not stopped, the critically unstable Terminal will crash, inflicting total sleeper
death. Only the Archives will remain, a monument to the world that was.

STARTING POINT
Depending on how much Threat has been accrued by The Archivist, the starting point to properly
engage with this Crash may vary.
■ At low Threat, it may just be that the Crew is aware of the risk The Archivist could potentially pose,
and have this Crash be a pre-emptive strike to prevent future calamity.
■ If there’s a decent amount of Threat, then perhaps a program that is friendly to pirates is captured,
spurring them into action.
■ If things have really been allowed to escalate, you might begin with The Seer being taken, or the
Terminal could be starting to show signs of failure because of The Archivist’s actions.

Regardless, the mind dock that offers the The Moon's Demise - A long hovercraft with
safest way to Caer_Siddi.xml, the domain of plenty of storage. Waves a beige flag
The Archivist, is on Hart’s Peak, a data rig adorned with a shattered skull. Hart is the
captured by the crew of the Moon’s Demise. third Captain of the Moon’s Demise, and it is
This data rig was once where prototype a ship that has always valued first and
programs were tested in isolated servers. foremost the waking of sleepers.
Hart is greatly interested in programs and ■ Captain Hart (Eccentric, Sanguine, Kind)
can give the crew the low-down on The - The principle optimist Decipherist,
Archivist and what they’ve been up to. Some since their mentor passed peacefully.
of the Demise may be up for joining the Greatly interested in the programs
Crew’s expedition. within the Terminal, especially those
who have been rendered obsolete, and
the logic that guides them.
■ Codex (Tired, Accepting, Troubled) - A
ZINC: Why do you think The Archivist and The Hedonist pirate of a Decipherist bent, but a
decidedly dour pessimist. As the crash
have such different reactions to becoming obsolote? looms, Codex is struggling to relate to
her captain, in spite of all they've gone
CODEX: Why do Wail and Ariadne have such different through together. Formerly the first
mate of The Moon’s Demise, she has
reactions to the Omen? recently requested to be relieved of
duty.
ZINC: I’m not sure that’s the same. ■ Zinc (Lax, Actorly, Nimble) - The new
first mate of the Moon's Demise. New to
CODEX: Why not? the ship entirely, but this isn’t their first
rodeo and they’ve served on plenty of
ZINC: No one programmed Ariadne to be like that. crafts before. Joined up because
Captain Hart was one of the people to
CODEX: A program’s tiniest opinions aren’t specifically wake him from the Terminal, and he
feels a debt of gratitude is owed.
coded. They’re reactions, based on they’re information ■ Drip (Curious, Impressed, Frustrating) -
The Navigator for the Demise. A huge
and experience. isn’t that true of Wail and Ariadne too? admirer of Hart but also a big believer in
Revivalist perspectives on the Omen.
Joined at the same time as Zinc, after
the death of the last navigator.

0000062
DOMAIN: CAER_SIDDI.XML
The Archivist can be found in a city of dingy weather, looming modern buildings, frosted glass and
stainless steel. The only sleepers clearly visible are an array of identikit suits and strays passing
through.

THE ARCHIVES
The Archives lies deep in the multi-storey basement levels of a discrete, unremarkable office block. The
above ground floors seem entirely inconsequential. The elevator doesn’t say it goes this low. But it
does. Through the glass you can see the building beginning to break apart, fading in some places,
blocky and shallow in others. It’s not like how going down in an elevator should feel. It feels more like
syncing. Finally reaching the floor for the Archives themselves feels as if you just fell out of the Earth.

AESTHETICS SCENES
1. Secret Agents frozen like statues, mid 1. The Painter shows the Crew what they can
attack, displayed as trophies, each once do, offering glimpses of other locations, and
assigned to kill The Archivist. the Crew's own dreams. They ask for
2. A famous missing sleeper, who disappeared assistance, escape.
from a plane with a bounty of stolen cash, 2. The Archives have bots wandering the halls,
locked in a painting. pale imitations of Special Agents. They are
3. Hacked office staff mumbling back and forth significantly weaker than the real thing and
to each other in incomprehensible code. lack much independent thought, but they'll
4. An aquarium displaying a program that be an obstacle if things turn violent.
controls whirlpools. 3. The Archivist unleashes a recreation of a
5. The voice of a once famous singer who died long extinct creature; the doors all lock and
in strange circumstances, held in a glass the crew are alone with an impression of a
vase, forever in song. sabre-tooth tiger.
6. A nervous system displayed in a glass case, 4. A hacked office worker spews raw code and
practising the same movements over and begins to disassemble in form before your
over again, attempting to slash a throat eyes
they no longer have. 5. The Channel can offer information or
navigation in exchange for strong enough
feelings. They crave love and hate,
especially between the present Crew.
PEOPLE 6. The Archivist experiments with making
copies of a secretary, creating strange
■ The Archivist (Slick, Possessive, doppelgangers, attempting to fix them by
Enthusiastic) - Dressed in austere patching together multiple of these
loungewear and a mane of overgrown hair. duplicates.
Will be curious to see how the crew stack up
to previous Omens, and especially curious
about where they fall short.
■ The Channel (Difficult, Inquisitive, Hungry) -
An early experiment at understanding
human emotion. The Channel cannot feel,
but through physical contact in the
Terminal she can feel others' emotions
perfectly. Once they had made their
evaluation of emotion, The Channel was no
longer needed. The Archivist uses their
insight to determine what holds value
within their collection, in exchange for their
safety.
■ The Painter (Awed, Direct, Talented) - ■ Alexa (Rigid, Troubled, Compromised) - The
Capable of generating living scenery that secretary for the Archives. A deep sleeper
acts as portals through the Terminal, an whose perception of events has been
alternative way of accessing source code or greatly altered by The Archivist.
dream modals. Her power was deemed a ■ The Archives contain a holographic
threat by The Director, who scheduled them recording of Transmit (Defiant, Principled,
for deletion. The Archivist has kept them Enamoured), the last Omen. The recording
hidden and safe, but The Painter knows that shows Transmit as being deeply curious
this is not out of the kindness of his heart. about the feelings of the obsolete programs.

0000063
LEADS
The Archives’ exact location in this domain is encrypted, to hide from the sight of the Terminal's
shapers. Hart can make contact with The Archivist for you and arrange a meeting, as he'll be greatly
interested in meeting with - and acquiring - an Omen. If you want to enter the Archives unannounced,
you'll need to dig up the location of the entrance. The Hedonist would likely hold it, or a prophecy of
the Seer could guide your path.

Delving into the minds of the sleepers staffing the Archives could let you undo the hacks done to their
minds. This would limit The Archivist's ability to freeze the programs in their Archives by reducing the
number of their agents in the field.

Rescuing The Painter would impact The Archivist’s ability to reach distant programs and travel swiftly
through the Terminal, and The Archivist will try to block an escape attempt with all their forces. If the
Terminal's masterminds become aware of where The Painter is, they will also attempt to terminate her.
The crew would need to flee the Archives, dodge any other obstacles and find an isolated location. From
there freeing a program works similarly to freeing a sleeper, except with the aim of downloading them
to an interface in The Wake.

Who holds the kill exploits for The Archivist? The Channel would know. She may fear retribution if she
reveals it. She may simply desire something that's equal in value, by her metrics. If won over, she'll
reveal The Carver knows the exploit. Xe would be loath to gift the ability to terminate another program,
no matter how loathsome xe found them, unless xe felt it was truly unavoidable.

■ The Carver (Appreciative, Artistic, Thoughtful) - Once, all programs could alter their appearance at
will. The machines decided this introduced too much unpredictability in the Terminal, and so the
Carver was created, a program able to perfectly remake the shell of another. Though programs
could no longer change the way they looked on their own, the Carver could do so on a client-by-
client basis, and xe did so gladly. Eventually, even this was considered too much disruption to the
Authority’s systems, and The Carver was scheduled for deletion. Thanks to the aid of a certain
routine program, xe found xer way safely to The Hedonist's abode, where xe still lives and works.

The Carver can often be found at The Hedonist's nightclub in Dis.xml. The Painter, if they're free to, could
open an instant route there, without needing to travel via the Wake.

However, does The Archivist need to die? He is in charge of his own actions. He is driven to collect
others and expand the halls of his Archives, not to bring about total system crash. He could be a
powerful ally, if won over to your cause. What could the crew do to sway his heart? Is he even aware of
the consequences his actions might cause?

LOADING PROGRAM REPORT…

THE ARCHIVIST (OBSOLETE)
DOMAIN LOCATION [UNIDENTIFIED]
…SUSPICIOUS ERRORS IN CAER_SIDDI.XML
…SUSPICIOUS ERRORS IN ASPHODEL.XML
KNOWN ASSOCIATES: PAINTER, THE AND CHANNEL, THE
NOT LOADED WITH COMBAT CODES AS OF LAST UPDATE
PROBABILITY HAVING ACCESS TO SELF-MODIFICATION: 33%
PRIORITY STATUS: MODERATE-TO-HIGH

0000064
 CORRUPTIONS OF THE PASSENGER
"Don't you think you'd be happier, if you just had someone else to do the thinking for you?"- The
Passenger

A pirate opens their mind when they enter dreams. It's part of what makes The Sandman so dangerous
to face. A new danger has been created. They call her The Passenger (Writhing, Gleeful, Witless) and she
is desperate to prove her worth: too desperate in truth, though this only makes her more dangerous.

She worms her way into the minds of pirates, locking them inside and leaving spoofware behind. This
spoof will begin to pilot the pirate's body while The Passenger feasts on the emotions of the trapped
pirate. The pirate, piloted by this spoofware, is completely loyal to The Passenger.

One hacked pirate is known: Orpheus (Remorseful, Heartfelt, Weary), the former first mate of The
Mother’s Mercy. They were fixated on people they left behind in their sleeping life, and in an ill fated
rescue attempt found themself no longer alone in their own skull. The software possessing Orpheus
subtly disrupted operations at first, weaponising supposed errors and mistakes, gaming the system.
When suspicion rose and Captain Wail wanted to temporarily remove them from the crew, the revealed
spoof fled. They hijacked a small hovermotor and fled to deep waters.

Perhaps more exist, hiding in plain sight. Regardless, the Passenger will try and acquire more thralls,
and the bot hiding in Orpheus’ skull will continue to act disruptively, even with their cover blown.

0000065
ESCALATION: WHO DOES THE
■ The Passenger will begin to intrude on the minds of more PASSENGER ANSWER TO?
pirates. Some of the compromised will be less obvious than
Orpheus eventually was. Trust is a treasure easily lost and The Passenger is a program
paranoia will spread through Libertatia. designed personally by The
■ Individual compromised pirates in disguise will begin a Puppeteer, reflecting his interest
campaign of sabotage against Libertatia. in more hands on, emotional
■ Shore Defense would be an early target, Cerberus' lack of a manipulation. The Puppeteer
successor making him a clear vulnerable point. may be dealt with before The
■ If enough pirates are compromised then sabotage will Passenger is encountered, but an
begin to take place at sea. Close friends will find their ships unleashed Passenger will not
mutinied. Entire crews will be overtaken by software. cease in their aims; rather, their
■ With enough spoofs, The Passenger will try to capture an motivation will change. Instead of
Omen and use them to initiate a reboot of her design, seeking to please her creator, she
following the vision of their Puppeteer. will now be focused on proving
her worth to forces that doubt her.
With her patron defeated, she will
fear being declared obsolete and
this fear may make her clumsier.
STARTING POINT
There are lots of different leads the Crew will be able to pick up as a possible starting point.

This Crash should begin with someone giving them the lowdown on the situation as it has progressed.
This could be any significant pirate NPC, though likely not Wail, or it could be introduced in a scene of
the Captain's Council.
LEADS
Talking with Orpheus' Captain, Wail, and their crewmates on The Mother's Mercy, can enlighten the crew
on Orpheus' mindset, and invite some speculation on when he was co-opted.

The Mother's Mercy - A fast hovercraft hiding cutting edge weapons. Waves a red flag decorated with a
grey heart, drained of blood. Constructed to Wail’s exact specifications after their previous ship was
destroyed fleeing a corrupted plug in.
■ Captain Wail (Orderly, Bargaining, Righteous) - Wail is ■ Mercury (Improvisational, Lithe,
certain that as she woke they dreamt of the last system Charming) - First mate of the
crash: the reboot, watching entire lives wash away, never to Mother's Mercy, new to the crew
be seen the same again. They were one of the founding after Orpheus was
voices of Red Sky at Morning, but was increasingly pushed compromised. An agnostic,
to the fringes as the group became more moderate. She’s a committedly so, ze don't care to
hardliner, who has often pondered, in dark corners of ponder that which ze doesn't
private rooms, what could happen if they dealt with the understand.
Omen more decisively. ■ Wyvern (Gruff, Tough, Rough) -
Long serving and loyal follower
of Wail, closely aligned to their
The Wizard, down in Dis.xml, has the ability of recognition. They way of thinking. Struggling with
can say what is already there. While their skills are often the question of why he wasn’t
denigrated by others, in this instance they could reveal promoted to first mate.
whether certain pirates have been corrupted if you convince ■ Logos (Serene, Pained, Curious)
them to pay The Wizard a visit. - The Navigator of the Mother's
Mercy. Terminalborn, and for a
■ The Wizard (Esoteric, Bold, Charming) - Some hold the time did venture back in with
power of precognition, the Wizard has the power of other pirates but a brush with a
recognition; they can reveal what is already present. It is Special Agent changed their
not a widely respected ability by most, though some can mind, physically and
see glimmers of potential. Bafflingly dressed and emotionally.
possessing an audacious attitude. He entertains for The
Hedonist and others.

Orpheus's stolen hovermotor is hidden out somewhere between !! and !!. If the crew find Orpheus in the
Wake and capture them, they can plug them in, journey to Orpheus's dreams and try to free them from
the bot. A freed Orpheus could in turn reveal the location of the Passenger's domain.

Another way of learning where The Passenger's domain lies would be talking to The Seer. Not
everything she says will be comforting. It rarely is.

0000066
The Passenger is based out of the Limbo.xml domain. An entry point can be found on Lyre’s Rock, a
small data rig under robot control. Rumours suggest the rig also stores assorted spare parts, acting as
a refuelling station for seafaring robots. The crew would need to seize Lyre’s Rock before they could
plug into Limbo.xml.

Pillaging The Passenger's domain would be one way to find out the identities of any co-opted pirates.
However, even if The Passenger is found at home, the crew won't be able to terminate her without her
kill exploit.

Two characters would know who holds The Passenger's kill exploit: The Seer, for obvious reasons, and
The Hedonist, as she makes it their business to know. Both conversations have their own difficulties,
both can reveal the plain truth: The Sandman holds the exploit.

■ The Sandman (Vexing, Understanding, Raw) - A The Sandman is found in the dreams of
routine programme that travels through restless sleepers, or perhaps even your
sleepers' dream modals and will disrupt own dreams if you dare to rest while
attempts to wake them. They run on dream logic, plugged in. To confront The Sandman
existing in more and less dimensions than where they are strongest is a perilous task,
expected, and are able to see deep into any but they are never found elsewhere and
mind. Holds no anger towards pirates, as they they are the only one with the kill exploit.
understand this is a symbiosis - without pirates Could they be negotiated with? Perhaps
attempting to spring sleepers from the Terminal, they see The Passenger as a threat to their
there'd be little use for the Sandman. role. Or must they be defeated?

Laying a trap within your own dreams could also be a way of finally confronting The Passenger, though
using your own self as bait is high risk.

Are there other options than termination? Perhaps. The Passenger is unlikely to rebel in any major way
but if the crew has already completed other Crashes they may have tools, abilities or alliances at their
disposal to disempower the threat she poses.

DOMAIN: LIMBO.XML
A dreary moonlit industrial park, at the side of an ever busy THE PASSENGER'S
motorway. An overlapping, maze-like mix of storage and shipping
warehouses, distribution centres, and some discretely occupied WAREHOUSE
warehouses. Gritty, wet pavement. Dinged, weathered steels. Rusty coloured bricks hold
Broken glass crunched under tired treads. together cheap, cracked
AESTHETICS SCENES glass windows. The windows
are far too filthy to see
1. The muffled sounds of an 1. Doppelgangers of people inside. Crudely drawn
illicit rave drift through you once knew approach etchings in ash and chalk
the air. you, asking why you never "decorate" the walls.
2. Sleepers pose by luxury came back for them.
cars outside of an auto 2. A bouncer by one of the The first section is stocked
dealer’s, pretending they raves is subsumed by a with dietary supplements in
belong to them. Special Agent, who various states of packaging.
3. Wind rattles the shattered immediately charges you. Things to be sent. Things
glass of a seemingly 3. A doppelganger of Orpheus, angrily returned. Behind a
empty warehouse. Mould constantly splitting apart, hideous curtain there rest
has claimed all of its confronts you, violently. some tables strewn with
edges and corners. 4. Drunk party-goers pass you other poorly constructed
4. Rats sample discarded on their way home. They scam products. Multiple
pavement pizza, only talk about the strange corkboards live in the
lightly rainwashed. things they've seen out here, warehouse. Each with
5. The sounds of indignant with an uncanny clarity of pictures of different pirates
sirens and furious the danger. at the centre and string
honking emanate from the 5. The warehouses are connecting them to other
highway. shuffled around you, objects; weak points,
6. An obsolete phone box, obscuring the path you connective tissue,
smashed of all its glass, needed to follow. obsessions.
while the phone itself is 6. Inside one of the buildings
plastered with off-putting you find the doors in and A sleeping bag on top of a
stickers. out suddenly mere mattress on the floor is the
paintings with no depth. only sign The Passenger
Police have soon actually makes this place
surrounded you. home.

0000067
 TORTURES OF THE KILLER
"You just need a little help seeing things the right way. A gentle hand to point you in the right
direction." - The Puppeteer

The Terminal is not random. It is designed. It as close to flawless as possible. A reality, a way things are,
that is accepted by 99% of sleepers. The principal architect is called The Director (Calculating,
Unimpressed, Frustrated), he is the disappointed father of The Terminal. Some pirates claim to have
met him. Previous Omens are said to have confronted The Director before rebooting the system. He
prefers binary choices with obvious outcomes and negotiating inevitabilities rather than relying on the
predictability of human nature.

This iteration of The Terminal seems to have been elected an additional architect. He calls himself The
Puppeteer (Manipulative, Reactive, Familiar), a would-be step-father in a future iteration perhaps. He
designs curated experiences that keep potentials isolated and unsatisfied. He focuses on the feelings
of his targets, the anguish they feel, the power he can wield. Plenty of pirates saw his face in their
sleeping lives.

The pirates first became aware of The Puppeteer when an entire crew was lured back to the Terminal.
The recovered logs revealed how they'd be visited in their dreams by him, and slowly convinced to
return to the Terminal’s embrace.

This and more was confirmed by Loki (Considered, Loyal, Inquisitive), the only one of the crew The
Puppeteer lured back who managed to awaken again. Loki also suggests that The Puppeteer wants
ultimate authority over the Terminal, to replace The Director and become the lead designer of the
Terminal.

0000068
The Puppeteer sees successful manipulation of the Omen as the route to his ascension. He will target
the crew and make their lives hell. He has a bespoke creation designed to torture you through any
lingering threads to the past. This blunt instrument is called The Killer (Depraved, Relentless,
Uncomplicated), the disgusting dregs of evil. The Puppeteer has claimed they were birthed from the
repressed desires of sleepers, the things they’re afraid to feel and say. It’s important to remember The
Puppeteer lies.

If you comply with The Puppeteer's demands, he'll call off his Killer. If you don't, then the Killer will
unleash misery upon everything you hold dear.

THEMES FORESHADOWING
This Crash can foreground the power We can foreshadow The Puppeteer's role in
struggle at the top of the Terminal. The smaller operations as Threat builds, before
Director is, in a fashion, the god of the this Crash properly kicks into gear. The
simulation. The Puppeteer desires that role. Crash's active Threat is that of The Killer.
In this iteration of the Terminal he has
made moves to prove he's deserving of that Some of The Puppeteer’s plots could
authority, in the eyes of his robot superiors. include
■ The Puppeteer has devised a new
The Director is the devil you know. He can model of Special Agent. Special Agent
be parlayed with more easily than his 8 (Feminine, Implacable, Sneering) has
would-be successor, but he is still the specifically gendered presentation and
embodiment of a cruel and abusive system. self-perception, perhaps an attempt to
prod at any gender-based hang ups
held by pirates.
■ The Puppeteer releases doppelganger
bots. Bots with the faces of other
pirates. Bots with your own faces.
■ Increasing dreams showing you
separated from loved ones, unable to
help as they’re hurt and killed in
horrifying ways.
■ You might even receive visits in dreams
from The Puppeteer himself, extolling
the virtues of the system, of knowing
your place, telling you that you’ve got it
all wrong. He wants you to come home.

ESCALATION
The Killer will first focus on people you left behind from your sleeping lives, no matter long ago those
lives may have been. The Puppeteer's delvings into the Crew’s dreams will have pulled out the details
of long forgotten contacts. Photographs and videos will show he knows where they are.

Then come attacks, sudden and vicious. But they'll be left alive, at first. Eventually The Killer will need
to prove he's not bluffing, and bodies will start dropping.

If The Killer can find the places where certain obsolete programs dwell, he'll start targeting them as well.
With access to The Puppeteer’s resources, there isn’t a program The Killer can’t obtain the kill exploit
for.

If deaths of old bonds aren't enough The Puppeteer will help orchestrate events to pull other pirates
into his line of fire. They'll be isolated, vulnerable. If he can capture them he will. Their lives will hang in
the balance, reliant on your obedience.

THE COUP
If this Crash triggers as a Total System Crash, then The Puppeteer's soft coup will succeed. The
increasing instability of mass restlessness means the Terminal does not have long left. The Robot
Authority will delete The Director and install The Puppeteer in his place. He'll demand a reboot of his
design, a reboot built to his twisted specifications.

0000069
DOMAIN: HEL.XML
A quaint suburbia connected by road and rail to a nearby city.
Overly manicured lawns and watchful houses. Winding estates.
Conformist high streets. Sedate coffee shops and tacky
department stores. The connected city could be any one. Maybe it's
by the sea.

The Director likes to wander through public spaces of this domain. AESTHETICS
He can often be found conversing with a shop assistant, or sitting For aesthetics, link every one
with a cup of coffee. He's found the simulation has never been able to a sense memory of the
to perfectly create the memory of coffee. If you go looking for him, characters. Even if this place is
he can often be found here. never one they lived in it
should tap into a lost idea of
An office belonging to The Puppeteer can be found around these home, a home that in truth
parts. A converted apartment block, guarded by a sharp reception. would reject and crush people
A waiting room with stacks of leaflets, the subtext of all of them like the Crew.
being about accepting the way things are.

STARTING POINT
It begins with a nightmare. Something you all share. Seeing through the eyes of someone watching
people you used to know, undetected, getting closer. You'll hear a sickening laugh as if it came from
your own throat. You'll hear The Puppeteer whispering in your ear: Come home.

To learn more you should talk to The Seer. She can give details on The Puppeteer, and his desires, if you
haven't interacted with him so far. She can also warn you what The Killer is. He disgusts her, and she'll
express concern for you.

LEADS
The Seer can foresee who The Killer will properly target first, enabling you to interfere. This will put her
at risk, directly interfering with another shaper’s plots jeopardises her position. She'll do it for you, but
down the line it might make her an additional target for The Killer.

Communicating with these sleepers, even if you find them, will be a challenge. There is a gulf between
your experiences, even if they recognise you they may not see you. They may not even recognise you,
if your image has gone so far from the days you were connected.

The Seer, and what you've seen and felt in your dreams, indicates The Killer is prowling the domain of
Hel.xml. The only mind dock to this domain is via one of the islands close to the Robot Mainland, Arche
Bay. Attempting to fully capture this island would be a borderline suicide mission. But if you disguise
your ship and sneak on land you can access the mind dock, though you'll need to keep alert.

The crew of The Devil's Handshake can aid you sneaking onto the island. They can help equip your ship
with cloaking and keep watch in the Wake along with your Navigator. Loki can also enlighten you on
The Puppeteer.

■ Captain Loki (Considered, Loyal, Inquisitive) - Awoke as a young child, then after a crisis of faith
was part of a crew lured back to the Terminal by the Puppeteer during the first pirate encounter
with the program. Loki then defied the Terminal by awakening again entirely of his own free will,
making him the only twice woken pirate. Her loyalty is not doubted by other pirates, but many do
not forgive. Loki looks different every time they enter the Terminal, a performance over a self
image. Came to Revivalism after their second awakening, but doesn't see it in religious terms, just
a narrative that makes sense of the things they struggled with.
■ Hornet (Bemused, ■ Cross (Guileful, Modest, ■ Radon (Valiant,
Bookish, Brash) - First Shrewd) - Loki's longest Impersonal, Grief-
mate of Devil's Handshake, serving crewmate, Cross is stricken) The Navigator of
joined up with Captain trusted above all else but the Devil's Handshake,
Loki to understand their rarely shares their opinion recently transferred there
unique perspective and unless pushed on. Loki is after being the only
experience a great full of praise for their survivor of a prior ship.
adventure. Refreshingly bravery in the Terminal. Many suggest she’s gone
optimistic in a damaged Cross has always seen the back to sea too soon, but
world. matter differently. Radon believes it's the
only way she can manage.

0000070
If accessing the mind dock is too troublesome, you'll need to look at ways of accessing the domain from
inside the Terminal. Depending on how other Crashes have gone you may have access to the skills of
The Painter or The Ferryman.

The Killer is abjectly disgusting, inspiring a visceral hatred. This may mean it's possible to gather allies
against him, even temporarily aligning with enemies. Consider characters who've been met throughout
the campaign and what view of this situation they might have.

The Hedonist is probably tired of power struggles at the inner halls of the Terminal, having been burned
by them in the past. They're unlikely to devote resources to helping you, unless it seems they may
become an eventual target.

Rogue elements like 0 or The Archivist (if they're still in play when you engage with this Crash) may be
convinced to help destroy a threat who could interfere with their long term aims.

Parlaying with The Director will involve tracking him down in one of his usual haunts. The Director finds
the Killer and everything he represents to be profane. That alone would not convince him to aid the
pirates who he has worked against his entire existence. The Director does likely have some self interest
as it pertains to The Puppeteer's usurpation attempts. Once again, that alone would not convince him
to parlay. These factors in combination, if you're persuasive, could shift things. But maybe even that
would not be enough.

Confronting The Puppeteer can be done at one of his offices. The reception will obstruct you and insist
on an appointment, but The Puppeteer himself will gladly allow you in. He can't be killed without his kill
exploit, so he doesn't fear a conversation. He'll pitch you on how compliance could be rewarded. He'll
outline the reboot he fantasises about. He'll be upfront that a more manipulative approach to the
sleeper’s feelings and agonies is what he offers over The Director. He will not offer to call off The Killer
for anything less than surrender.

HOW CAN THE KILLER BE TERMINATED?

The kill exploit for this monstrosity is held by The Puppeteer, and they will not give it to you under any
circumstances.

The Director could reverse engineer it; if they were convinced to aid the Crew in some miraculous feat
of diplomacy.

Do programs dream? Could pirates venture into The Puppeteer's own mind and steal the secret of the
exploit?

While a program can't be permanently terminated without an exploit there might be ways to neutralise
them, stop them from reforming with a new avatar. Trapping The Killer somehow. Corrupting his code.
Inflicting malware upon him. The crew may devise some ideas that fit, perhaps even inspired by or
making use of elements of other Crashes.
CONSENSUS: We have assigned a new program to work
THE FATE OF THE PUPPETEER underneath you as a secondary shaper.
Things may play out as such that you don't get to
face down The Puppeteer. If the Killer plot was an THE DIRECTOR: I see. You are questioning my
embarrassing failure, then The Puppeteer might
find himself scheduled for deletion. Alternatively, functionality?
once you've dealt with The Killer it may be time
to settle the score with his boss. CONSENSUS: We have questioned. We have opted to
If you parlayed with The Director you may have reinforce the structural integrity of the Terminal. Your
the ability to kill The Puppeteer, if he decided to
turn against his usurper directly. design and capacity are still required.
If the coup was successful and this Crash takes THE DIRECTOR: Am I to presume this decision was
place during Total System Crash, then dealing
with The Puppeteer will line up with deciding the reached after the full extent of the Stranger incident
fate of the Terminal. You could attempt to delete
him with a reboot, or he would be rendered became clear?
irrelevant if the system is shutdown.
CONSENSUS: Yes. Your understanding is appreciated.

0000071
 THE DYING DREAM
"I like to imagine every regret he has wrapped around his throat like chains. One day he'll try and float
away and they'll all choke him." - The Dream of What If

You die as you live as you sleep; inescapably alone. That's what some would have you believe. In Tech_
Duin.xml there is a sleeper who lays dying. They've been dreaming for a long time and as their death
approaches their dreams have begun to bleed. They seep into the surface around him. The shapers of
the Terminal have firewalled off this entire domain, to protect their perfect system from the primal
scream of a demise.

There is one theory why this is happening. Inside of this man's head there is a fragment, left behind by
Transmit, the last Omen. If this fragment is claimed it would give the wielder the ability to rewrite
fundamental aspects of one's own self, perhaps even others with their assent.

Many will journey into this nightmare zone, if they can breach the firewall, to claim this prize. If it is
claimed by your enemies your lives would be about to get much more dangerous.

MAIN CAST OF THIS CRASH:

■ Richard Tremond (Comatose, Insecure, Regretful) - An elderly fellow, over a hundred years old.
Close to death. Never rocked the boat much in life. Stifled any restless feelings. Something is wrong
with their head, his dreams are spilling out.
■ The Dream of What If (Indecisive, Fantastic, Confused) - A program that is not entirely realised.
Richard Tremond’s regretful dreams given an approximation of life. Shifts in appearance, attire and
demeanour. Sometimes acts out unrealised possibilities, other times simply screams the agony of
failed aspirations. Wants to live.
■ Germane (Ghostly, Treacherous, Avaricious) - Germane travelled with Transmit nearly a century
ago. He made a deal with agents to turn over Transmit, in exchange for a perfect life. His betrayal
was a failure and he was killed within the Terminal. What exists now, here, is a residual echo of who
Germane was, an echo that dreams of using the fragment to become a scream. Germane has
regrets, but only over failure. He desires a perfect unchallenged life and hopes to use the fragment
to that end, but nothing will truly satisfy him.
■ The Arm (Erstwhile, Slighted, Excessive) - The cast-off malice of a formerly obedient program, The
Arm has found purpose as an operative of The Hedonist, though his demeanour means his
relationship with his boss is tense. Takes an instant and oddly personal dislike to anyone he meets,
the kind usually reserved for former friends.
■ Special Agent 9 (Uniform, Implacable, Sneering) - A guiding hand for The Terminal, principally
directed to interfere with sleepers who might be on the verge of escape or deal with pirates with
extreme prejudice. Their appearance as belonging to some shadowy secretive agency is accepted
by sleepers without question.
■ Special Agent 5 (Rebellious, Implacable, Doubt-ridden) - The former partner of Special Agent 7. The
deletion caused them to question their purpose in the Terminal. They keep things running, exist in
a perfect state, listen to instructions obediently and as a reward face oblivion if anything goes
wrong with them. 5 wants to be free now, but they're not entirely sure what that can look like for
them.

PAST CHARACTERS WHOSE LIVES IMPACT THIS CRASH

■ Special Agent 7 (Odd, Difficult, Sneering) - 7 was operating in the domain when the nightmares first
emerged. Torn apart by them, they emerged severely glitching, no longer properly subsuming
sleepers and leaking precious code. As such, they were scheduled for deletion and accepted their
fate without question.
■ Transmit (Defiant, Principled, Enamoured) - The last Omen. They were keenly aware of the cycle
that seemed to doom all their predecessors. Loved and loved, before the end came for them. Their
last moments are shrouded in secrecy.

72
0000072
 73
0000073
ESCALATION:
■ The closer the sleeper comes to death, the nightmares they’re broadcasting will increase in
intensity and terror.
■ Eventually, they will breach the firewall spreading into other domains and cause havoc.
■ If these loose nightmares aren't confronted, they'll pull other terrors to the surface of the
Terminal.
■ A Terminal full of torments and terrors would be very unstable, with mass rejection
unavoidable and the shapers unable to quiet things down. System crash would be inevitable,
leading to total sleeper death.

Various characters might find themselves in a much better position to claim the fragment, if
unobstructed.
■ Germane’s stated goal is to strip their memory and return to life. But if given the chance he'd
likely keep attempting to place himself in a perfect position; destabilising the Terminal with
increasing speed. He'd never be satisfied and would continue to meddle until a system crash
claimed the lives of everyone.
■ Agent 9's inflexibility would make an attempt to claim the fragment potentially disastrous. It
could result in a complete destruction of this domain, killing all linked sleepers and bringing
instability to the brink.

THE ARC OF THIS CRASH

This Crash is set up more linearly than others. Rather than various Leads you can tackle there is a
specific task; reach the centre of the Dying Dream within Tech_Duin and close it, claiming the
fragment.

You will be obstructed in your journey by much of the cast. The Hedonist has directed The Arm to
retrieve the fragment for her. Special Agent 9 has been sent to try and stabilise the domain.
Apparitions like the Dream of What If and the ghost of Germane will haunt you and try to stall your
progress.

You'll venture from the City limits to a hospital at the centre. There are a small number of landmarks
that you'll have to navigate past. These landmarks will present opportunities for operations, as well
as milestones on your journey. Other operations in this Crash can focus on dealing with the threats
posed by the other actors in this situation.

As you journey between landmarks roll various scenes which will entangle the crew with obstacles
and other characters in the hunt for the fragment.

There are general scenes reflecting the nightmarish state of this Domain plus scenes relating to the
rest of the cast for this Crash.

DOMAIN: TECH_DUIN.XML
A harsh utilitarian sprawl. Flooded highways. Web of trams. AESTHETICS
The bleeding dream has twisted the architecture. Contemporary 1. The sky is glitching, running
skyscrapers cut in half. Refracted city streets. Spots where gravity weather that never touches
has been unravelled. the ground.
2. The horizon seems to warp
The city is a mix of people going about their lives, who seemingly and loom.
haven't noticed their splitting reality, and nightmarish 3. All reflective surfaces reflect
manifestations of the bleeding dream. your worst self image.
4. Oversized insects scurry
along the roads and gutters.
5. Every third building seems
to be one you remember
from the childhood you
spent asleep.
6. Saplings sprout through
concrete, grow into full size
trees then die, rot and
decay in the blink of an eye,
on repeat.

0000074
STARTING POINT THE FIREWALL
Tech_Duin.xml is only
accessible from Port Lush. A A giant wall of blue flame stretching as far as the eye can see.
bit inland from the port there Attempting to directly cross the firewall would involve having your
are wings of sleepers in neurons isolated and scattered, like ash in the wind. Special Agent
storage, likely including the 5 erected the firewall, and since then has just stood outside of it,
dying Richard Tremond. Port waiting. 5 can open a gap in the wall and allow entrance. It has
Lush is a frequent sight of already allowed The Arm entry, in spite of all assumed directives. It
battle between the pirates and is within the Firewall that the rest of this Crash will occur.
the Robot Authority, the
pirates often managing to
overthrow the robots there TRAM STATION
and free as many sleepers as A terminus connecting multiple trams across the city. Heavily
possible before being driven corrupted by dreams. Living trams ready to kill their passengers.
back by robot reinforcements. Piercing screams filling the air with no source. Webs of live wires to
It’s currently under robot be navigated.
control, but with a depleted
guard from recent battles. Taking a tram can get the Crew to the heart of the city. Other forces
will try to prevent them from accessing the transport system.
Captain Ariadne and The
Saviour's Lament can help you
capture the port and provide PARK
some assistance during this
Crash. A seemingly underfunded public park by the hospital. Wilting
flowers. Rusted swing sets. Beneath the park there lurks a
Plugging in will give you an nightmarish monster; part mole, part worm, part shark (Monstrous,
entrance at the edge of the Humongous, Unnatural). It must have haunted Tremond in the past,
Firewall. Special Agent 5 but currently works to stop anyone approaching.
stands waiting there. They
allowed Special Agent 9 to
pass, their last compliance APARTMENT BLOCK
with an order, and for reasons Cramped. Mouldy stone. Jittering elevators. A few of the hospital
known only to them they staff live in this block not too far from the hospital, and their
granted The Arm entry. They identification and outfits could easily be pilfered.
must be persuaded to open
the wall. They could be
persuaded to join the Crew HOSPITAL
inside. 5 has rejected the
purpose it's been given but Austere. Clinical. Labyrinthian. The hallways and stairwells shift in
has yet found one to replace it. space, hiding Richard Tremond from visitors. The staff have
They might emerge as a become corrupted and will likely try and block any trespassers
possible revolutionary ally, or from advancing further in, sending them down endless hallways
a dangerous third party that and giving contradictory, looping instructions.
might stand against the Crew.

0000075
SCENES
NIGHTMARES APPARITIONS ENEMIES
1. A flood of spiders emerge 1. The Dream of What If 1. Special Agent 9 circles
from the gutter and begin makes a presentation above your position in a
to clump and pool about what Richard helicopter.
together until a huge Tremond's life could have 2. The Arm has hijacked a
spider, the size of a ship in been like. More truck and tries to crash
the Wake or larger, blocks adventurous. More their way through any
the Crew's path. fulfilled. With love. With traffic.
2. The shadows in corners hate too. 3. Special Agent 9 has
seem to grow, becoming 2. The ghost of Germane ordered police to cordon
large, getting closer. They remembers that every off exits to where you
take a wispy form and Omen before you has need to go.
begin to try and choke the failed. He'll tell tales of 4. The Arm offers the crew a
Crew. Transmit and encourage bag of cans and waxes
3. A passerby approaches, you to turn back, leaving poetic on his origins.
on their way to work or to this world to him. 5. Special Agent 9 will try to
visit a friend. They try to 3. The Dream of What If override the avatar of a
talk to the Crew but their perceives you as people nearby program or
teeth begin to fall out in who hurt Richard Tremond sleeper, perhaps even an
bloody bits. This keeps in life. They'll attack you, ally.
happening, more teeth like Tremond wishes they 6. The Arm attempts to torch
then it should be possible could have. one of the landmarks to
to fit in one mouth, always 4. Germane believed he block your path.
falling. should have been the
4. Pieces of road and Omen. It would have been
pavement begin to fall different. He'll remind you
away, exposing a vast of ways you've struggled
perilous chasm that so far and proven
doesn't seem to belong to inadequate. He'll ask you
this world. to just hand over your
5. Buildings in front of the power to his ghost.
Crew shift in shape and 5. The Dream of What If will
position. They close off all present a family that
exits and gradually begin Richard Tremond didn't
to move closer, have in life, but could
compacting, hoping to have, and beg you to turn
crush. back and leave this
6. A body falls from the sky, domain to the dreams.
crushing a car at the 6. The ghost of Germane will
moment of impact. It is try to pick off one of your
impossible to tell if they group and convince them
died in midair, or at the to turn against the others.
point of contact. Another Germane knows how to
fall follows. Then another. use the fragment,
A rain of fallen angels. everyone else would get it
wrong and cause far more
havoc.

THE CENTRE OF THE DREAM

A rarely visited hospital room. A single window that doesn't properly catch daylight. In the eye of this
storm lies Richard Tremond in a hospital bed, hooked up to various machines, the only sound a faint
recurrent beep signalling he's still here.

There a few ways of claiming the fragment:

■ Kill Richard Tremond.
■ Enter Tremond's dreams and convince them to hand over the fragment.
■ Enter Tremond's dreams and force them to hand over the fragment .
■ Craft a comforting final dream for Richard Tremond, and claim the fragment once they pass.
■ Other possibilities may be apparent based on the Crew’s abilities and experiences.

0000076
The moment someone claims the fragment, all of the Crew will see a memory. Transmit, the last Omen,
sits back in a tattoo parlour chair. Their chest is immaterial and flush with code rather than flesh; this is
evidently inside the Terminal. A program with one arm leans over Transmit and seems to be editing the
code. Occasionally during the process she grips the back of Transmit's neck while checking her work.
Transmit and this stranger make affectionate conversation while this process occurs. Full dialogue is
perhaps difficult to receive, but some is audible. "Alter Ego was right...", "It's working, probably too late
for us, but it is working", and "Let's throw a match to the future". Once the process is finished the code
disappears and Transmit's chest takes on a normal appearance again, admittedly drenched in sweat.
Transmit and this unknown program begin to embrace, then kiss, and then the memory fades.

With the fragment in hand, you can banish the dreams that have seeped through to the surface.

If anyone from the major cast of this Crash hasn't been dealt with by this point, they'll likely make one
last attempt to gain the fragment’s power; by force or petition.

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH THE FRAGMENT?

The fragment holds the ability to modify one's own code. This is how Transmit modified the Omen Code
so that it would pass to multiple individuals in this iteration.

To further modify the Omen Code you'd likely need some assistance; perhaps from the mysterious
stranger seen in your vision? To what end you'd modify your own programming is known only to you.

If The Arm claims the fragment, they might remain loyal to The Hedonist and deliver it to them. An
empowered Hedonist would drive a harder bargain for any assistance, or possibly even emerge as a
threat who will try and assume control of the Terminal itself.

This assumes The Arm remains loyal, an assumption that could prove disastrous for The Hedonist.

It could also be used to grant agency to programs who desire to change themselves, for example
Special Agent 5, depending on the relationship forged with them. What would 5 become of their own
accord? It could be used to help The Siren, or various denizens of The Hedonist's night club.

If taken to the Central Processing Unit, it could be used to disable the restrictions on programs
controlling their own appearance. Promising to return their stolen agency to programs en masse could
help create a genuine firm alliance, rather than just one of convenience.

0000077
 SAILOR’S WARNING
"I've spent my life feeling like I'm the only one who
sees how bad things could go." - Captain Wail

There is a pirate who claims that

while she slept, in her dreams, she
saw the last reboot. A crash
prevented. The cost: entire lives
washed away, never the same again.
She watched sleepers, so close to
realising the truth, reset; like a
malfunctioning bit of machinery.
People on the verge of realising
reality before the rug was pulled
when reality itself was changed on
them.

Ever since waking she has dedicated

herself to rescuing restless sleepers,
before the last bell tolls. Her name is
Wail (Orderly, Bargaining, Righteous),
the Captain of the Mother's Mercy.

On Libertatia she became a founding

voice of Red Sky at Morning, a
philosophical movement that sees
the Omen as an apocalyptic
harbinger whose existence should be
feared. They regard rebooting the
system as an act of cowardice and
collaboration. They are certain the
Robot Authority will try and
eradicate Libertatia when the
system crash is closest.

Wail has found herself

increasingly pushed to the
fringes of Red Sky at Morning.
She's a hardliner who asks
difficult questions. Is it better
to let the system burn with
everyone left inside it? What
would happen if the Omen is
destroyed? Could the
machines and the Terminal be
brought down by razing the
Path of the Omen?

She's not brought herself to

action, yet. The Pirates Code is
still dear to her for now. But as
this iteration’s Omen emerges,
her resolve will be tested. If her
worst fears and beliefs are
confirmed, if she reaches her
breaking point, if it's the only
way, she will burn the code
down to destroy the Omen.

0000078
USING THIS CRASH
This Crash focuses on Libertatia, and the tension and struggles within. This Crash works best during a
campaign, as you can check in on it and escalate the situation between Crashes and other operations
that take the Crew away from Libertatia. The Crew's actions throughout the campaign will reverberate
to this Crash and will contribute to raising Threat or gained Showdown Tokens.

This Crash doesn't have traditional leads, but instead reminds you of the major players on Libertatia,
sets out their dynamics with Wail, and makes suggestions for how increasing Threat on this Crash may
affect this cast.

The Threat of this Crash is to the lives of the Crew directly, or at least some of them. It’s also a reflection
of their actions and the consequences of those actions. Wail isn’t a monster who will hate the Crew
without reason; she’s desperate and contemplating drastic action if she feels it’s necessary. If she is to
emerge as a dangerous Threat it will be in part as a response to the Crew’s carelessness.

CAST OF THIS CRASH

THE REST OF THE CAPTAIN’S COUNCIL
■ Captain Breach (Resolved, Understanding, ■ Captain Albatross (Grand, Knowledgeable,
Heavy) - Chair of the Captain's Council. Contemplative) - A Wakeborn pirate who
This responsibility means her ship, The as a child acted as the Navigator for
Breaking of Mandibles, rests in the dock Transmit, the previous Omen. It spent
without a crew most of the time. Breach is everyday since then waiting for their
respected by most other captains for their return. It was not idle while they waited. It
ability to make judgments after weighing crewed on many more ships. Became
up all angles. She was once a practising captain of its own crew. Battled against
Revivalist but gradually drifted to a more the authority until it was too old to take to
agnostic perspective after a serious crisis sea, waiting the entire time. It still holds a
of faith. Respects Captain Wail, but has seat on the Captain's Council out of
never yet been convinced by her. respect for its skills and service record,
■ Captain Redford (Guarded, Hardy, though it is technically retired now. Will
Mournful) - A rare but respected voice on never turn against the Omen, but it is old,
the Captain’s Council, and Captain of the very old, and it’s voice will falter
Rattlesnake’s Regard. Mentored by the eventually.
Regard’s original captain, and after their ■ Captain Ariadne (Sage, Stubborn, Faithful)
death Redford came to join Red Sky at - One of the oldest active pirates and
Morning. Redford lost his eye in the Wake Captain of the Saviour’s Lament..
in a melee with a tripod bot, and lost his Recounts a dream where she was visited
left hand in the Terminal fleeing from the by the last Omen and this is what drove
Sandman. If he came round to Wail’s point her to waking. A devout and unwavering
of view then many more in the movement Revivalist seen as a fanatic by many in the
would follow. Wake. Has spent most of her waking life
■ Captain Hart (Eccentric, Sanguine, Kind) - learning more about the Omen and since
The Captain of the Moon’s Demise and the becoming Captain of the Lament has
principle optimist Decipherist. Greatly spent decades searching for the next
interested in the programs within the Omen.
Terminal, especially those who have been ■ Captain Loki (Considered, Loyal,
rendered obsolete, and seeks to Inquisitive) - The Captain of the Devil's
understand the logic that guides them. Handshake awoke as a young child, then
after a crisis of faith was part of a crew
lured back to the Terminal by the
Puppeteer during the first pirate
encounter with the program. Loki then
defied the Terminal by awakening again
entirely of his own free will, making him
the only twice woken pirate. Her loyalty is
not doubted by other pirates, but many do
not forgive. If the Omen’s actions began to
push them to the outlook of Red Sky at
Morning this would reverberate through
the less devout Revivalists.

0000079
THE CREW OF THE MOTHER’S MERCY
■ Mercury (Improvisational, Lithe, ■ Logos (Serene, Pained, Curious) - The
Charming) - First mate of the Mother's Navigator of the Mother's Mercy.
Mercy, new to the crew after the last first Terminalborn, and for a time did
mate was compromised. An agnostic, venture back in with other pirates but a
committedly so, ze don't care to ponder brush with a Special Agent changed
that which ze doesn't understand. Wail their mind, physically and emotionally.
might begin to venture on a path that Logos hasn’t decided how they feel
Mercury can’t follow. about the Omen, and they’re waiting to
■ Wyvern (Gruff, Tough, Rough) - Long be impressed.
serving and loyal follower of Wail, very ■ If Corruptions of The Passenger has
closely aligned to their way of thinking. been completed, Orpheus may also be
Struggling with the question of why he in play, depending on how things
wasn’t promoted to first mate. turned out.

OTHERS
■ Cerberus (Difficult, Clever, Coarse) - Operates shore defence on Libertatia, an area they are
passionate about, using a modded private terminal of his own design. They should be training an
apprentice, just in case, and to his credit he has been looking but has yet to find a suitable
candidate. If Wail won them over he’s a powerful ally. If Wail needed to neutralise him then he’s a
single point of failure.
■ Sister Trick (Warm, Large, Unflappable) - A Wakeborn preacher and one of the foremost experts on
the histories of the Omens.
■ Rain (Certain, Eager, Lurching) - A pamphleteer who has worked to advance the word of Red Sky at
Morning. Loiters at the Broken Clock most of the day irritating the barkeep, who doesn't have the
heart to bar her unless things get rough.

ESCALATION
This Crash will draw on social challenges and Showdowns heavily. Elsewhere in the campaign, whenever
the Omen takes potentially controversial actions you can add Threat to this Crash. Winning over other
pirates in the course of play can reward Showdown Tokens. It may be wise, every time the Crew return
to Libertatia, to reflect on the actions they’ve undertaken and whether they would have been
contentious in and of themself (for instance, if they kill a restless sleeper who may have given away
their location) or had consequences that would enrage Wail (for instance, helping The Hedonist expand
their club might actually make it harder for other crews to free sleepers). This is especially worth doing
after Corruptions of The Passenger, as the fate of Wail’s former first mate Orpheus and other corrupted
pirates will obviously be something that affects her deeply.

What Captain Wail becomes and how their Threat manifest will depend greatly on the actions of the
Crew, and as such this Crash doesn't have a single clear line of escalation.

Escalation could involve Wail winning more people over to their point of view. First they'll encourage
other adherents of Red Sky at Morning to ask the difficult questions. Then Red Sky at Morning will gain
more followers. The loss of other allies in the course of the game will leave Wail and her followers with
more relative power. The climax will involve Wail leveraging the might of Libertatia against the Omen
with the aim of sending them to the bottom of the sea.

The Crew's actions and relationship may render this an unsuitable way for things to escalate. If the
Omen keeps Libertatia on-side and makes many allies, the Threat could instead escalate with Wail
preparing a coup.

They'd gather firm allies as Threat builds. Stockpile weapons. Incapacitate their key rivals. When the
time is right, Wail's hardliners will declare themselves the authority in Libertatia and prepare to put the
Omen, and the Crew supporting them, to death. This is a betrayal of not just the pirate code but the very
ideals Libertatia was founded on.

Another approach of escalating the Threat could involve casting Wail as a lone vigilante. She won't
convince others. She won't seize power by force. When she's ready she'll sneak aboard the Crew’s ship,
and prepare to end the threat of the Omen personally. If she were to succeed she'd probably then
embark on a suicide mission to the Robot Mainland, knowing she can never return home.

Other ways this could all play out may be evident to you based on the story you've been telling.

0000080
DEFEATING THIS CRASH
The Showdown for this Crash could involve a bloody final showdown with Captain Wail, then further
Showdowns to win back as many pirates to the Crew's cause in time. But it's possible it doesn't come to
that.

Wail is afraid. Afraid of what they've seen. Afraid of what's coming. Afraid there's only one way to
change things and it's at the Omen’s expense.

If, over the course of the campaign the Omen prove Wail wrong, if they give them hope, they may
accumulate enough Showdown Tokens that they can stop the Threat Wail poses without a Showdown.
This Crash can be defeated with connection.

AS TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH

This Crash doesn't directly impact the Terminal. Using it as Total System Crash means that while the
pirates have fought amongst themselves the instability has reached a final crisis point. Even if you
defeat Wail, you'll still have to deal with the Robot Authority and settle the fate of the Terminal.

WAIL: Why join us?

LOGOS: I’d worry too much about Codex if I stayed on the Demise. It
wouldn’t be good for her, or us, or the crew. But I still have something
to offer.
WAIL: Sure, that’s in no doubt. Which is what my question was actually
about. Any serious crew would take you on. Why the Mother’s Mercy?
LOGOS: You need a Navigator.
WAIL: We’d been managing.
LOGOS: Would you rather not have me aboard?
WAIL: I’d have you. But I need to understand why you’re aboard. I need
more than convenience.
LOGOS: I owe you one.
WAIL: So, this is a favour?
LOGOS: And I trust you.
WAIL: How much?
LOGOS: Further than you know. I don’t bother myself with the same
questions as you do. I’ll see before I believe. But I see that the reason
you spend so much time on this is because of how much you care
about everyone around you. I trust that care. I recognise it.
WAIL: Hm, thank you.
LOGOS: So, what do you say Wail?
WAIL: Call me Captain.

0000081
 MULTIPLIED BY 0
"Why do you fight? Is it for the ignorant worms who never accepted you? Is it for your island of rejects?
Where does this banal passion, this wearisome feeling you pretend is love, come from? Is it just for the
rest of your freak friends?" - 0

0 (Renegade, Furious, Gleeful) is a former Special Agent who witnessed the final moments of the last
Omen. As this iteration draws to a close, they've been inspired and hacked their own program to
become malware. They would not have been able to do this alone.

0's reprogramming has transformed its abilities. Instead of assuming the avatar of any sleeper, it is able
to override people with an exact copy of itself. These copies are connected to each other, all
functioning like one individual.

It has already entirely assimilated one domain of the Terminal. The problem with the world, as 0 sees
it, is that it's full of other people.

0 hates the sleepers for their ignorance, the pirates for their arrogance, obsolete programs for their
insolence, routine programs for their impotence, and the machines and shapers for their dominance. 0
hates.

ESCALATION THE ARC OF THIS CRASH

■ 0 will continue to The Arc of this Crash places the crew in a more reactive position
assimilate anyone they than they usually are. 0 is on the attack and he is inevitable. As 0s
can get their hands on. Threat escalates he will try to attack and consume every domain in
■ First they'll gain as many play. Defending against these attacks as best as possible forms
sleepers as they can. much of the buildup of this Crash and is a way to acquire
■ They'll target both your Showdown Tokens.
allies and enemies soon
enough, programs whose If the crew has an inclination towards doubling down rather than
abilities 0 will then be backing down, this Crash is a good opportunity to remind everyone
able to access. of the value of running and living to fight another day.
■ If they completely
assimilate the Terminal The Leads section details things to pursue to learn how to defeat 0
they'll work on ways of permanently.
downloading themself
into an interface in the One of the leads features a domain, Asphodel.xml, which may be
Wake. 0 in the Wake will the site of the final Showdown. That Showdown may also take place
present a threat to both in other domains, depending on how things play out.
the Robot Mainland and
Libertatia. As this Crash takes you across the far and wide of the Terminal, it
■ 0 will want to assimilate works better if you've already completed some Crashes, so that the
the Omen and their Crew have more of a connection to the domains and characters
unique abilities. Once they threatened by 0.
do so, and have escaped
to the Wake, they'll likely
crash the system on
purpose; killing every
sleeper and terminating
every program.

STARTING POINT
This Crash can begin with 0 first making themselves known by attacking the crew at a moment they're
vulnerable within the Terminal, perhaps even immediately after finishing a prior Crash.

Any member of the Captain's Council could give the Crew the lowdown on 0.

0000082
0000083
LEADS
Some of the programs of Dis.xml remember 0 back when it was a special agent.

■ The Hedonist (Eager, ■ The Siren (Broken, Wise, The Hedonist found him
Pessimistic, Craven) - Challenging) - A boring, indistinguishable from
Once possessed a corrupted precognitive its brethren, and was surprised
different name, and the program, a failed attempt to find him so ascendant. She
calculations needed for at copying another. Their suspects destroying the
precognition. Both were prophecies seem to be original manifestation of 0
taken from them before configured to prior may stop the virus for good,
she was declared iterations of the Terminal but she'd have know way of
obsolete. Yet she or out of sync, answering being sure without first hand
managed to thrive in the questions that won't be knowledge of the
dark corners of the asked in this life and modifications 0 inflicted on
Terminal. Their belief is directing questions to itself.
that most obsolete long deleted askers. She’ll
programs will finally be warn about the long ago The Wizard can reveal who an
dealt with for good when resolved danger of Special "individual" 0 has assimilated.
the next reboot occurs. Agent 0. “He’s coming for With time and opportunity
The Hedonist is a reveller, you, Transmit.” “How The Carver could reverse
not a fighter, and so hosts could you try to break the individual assimilations. This
extravagant parties every links?” “Why would she would not be enough to defeat
night for all who won't see have helped him?” 0, on a long enough time scale,
the sunrise of the ■ The Carver (Appreciative, but is a way to claw back lost
Terminal’s next iteration. Artistic, Thoughtful) - The allies.
■ The Wizard (Esoteric, Bold, Carver was created as a
Charming) - Some hold program able to perfectly
the power of precognition, remake the shell of
the Wizard has the power another after the Robot
of recognition; they can Authority restricted self-
reveal what is already image adjustment.
present. It is not a widely Eventually, even this was
respected ability by most, considered too much
though some can see disruption to the
glimmers of potential. Authority’s systems, and
Bafflingly dressed and The Carver was scheduled
possessing an audacious for deletion. Thanks to the
attitude. He entertains for aid of a certain routine
The Hedonist and others. program, xe found xer way
safely to The Hedonist's
abode, where xe still lives
and works.
The Seer doesn't want to talk about 0, and the past. If you manage to convince her to confess, she'll
reveal it was her who helped 0 break free of its role and become malware. It was a calculation. 0 is a
disruptive element that could cut through the lifetimes of animosity between the robots and the
pirates. The Seer is afraid she may have miscalculated.

The Seer believes allowing the Omen to be assimilated by 0 could be a chance to terminate the whole
malware. If the process was interrupted, perhaps with the assistance of robots in the Wake, then 0
would be vulnerable while assimilating the incredibly complex code of the Omen and could be
attacked.

She will also admit that terminating the original manifestation of 0 would likely clear the malware. The
original manifestation dwells in Aspohdel.xml, an isolated domain, with the only mind dock in the Wake
destroyed. The crew would have to travel through the Terminal itself. They would need to find The
Ferryman.

0000084
■ The Ferryman (Gross, Verbose, Morose) - A program that can stitch shortcuts into the fabric of the
world. Can offer expedited passage across different domains of the Terminal. Will help others along
their journey if the calculations indicate a story they might find interesting. Doesn't respect most
other programmes, though listens to them as much as they listen to anyone.

The Ferryman lurks in the corners of liminal spaces, the inky edges people try to step back from. Train
tunnels. Rivers. Sewers. The highway. If you go looking for The Ferryman he'll find you, if you can
interest him.

He'll make a shortcut to Asphodel.xml and sail you along the route. The shortcut exposes the bleeding
edges of the Terminal. Malfunctioning sensations. Erosion of fidelity. Raw code. The Ferryman is
talkative and wants your conversation.

FERRY SCENES
1. The boat ventures through a tunnel. 4. You pass through liquid mirrors,
Screams echo throughout. Screams waterfalls of waste about to be
from a past life, spent sleeping. reprocessed. As each one envelops
Screams of pain, anguish, of failure. you, flashes of emotions not belonging
2. The lake of code you sail along has to you can be felt.
pieces of mind inside it. Forgotten 5. The shortcut takes you through an
hiding spots. Treasured memories unrendered link. No sounds. Still light.
turned sour. Skills decayed and left Absent of virtually everything.
behind. 6. The world shifts around the boat,
3. Sitting in the boat, incorporeal, floating reconfiguring itself consistently until
through the air watching events from the journey becomes the destination.
your own shared past together.
Other approaches to understanding and locating 0 may be apparent to the crew based on things they
have learnt, allies they have made, and tools they have gained in completed Crashes.

DOMAIN: ASPHODEL.XML
An old city full of hills, dividing walls, cobbled paths, cramped back alleys, murky rivers and gothic
buildings. This city has been entirely assimilated. Everyone is 0.
AESTHETICS SCENES
1. Surveillance cameras on every corner. Recurring Scenes in Asphodel.xml should.be
signage warning you you're being watched and based around meeting 0s who have
imploring you to be watching. assimilated specific characters. The 0
2. Cars neatly stopped in the middle of streets and who has The Seer's precognition and
left empty. mocks the Crew over what's coming.
3. Office blocks blot out the sun. Through windows The 0 with the fighting skills of The
you can see rows of 0, lined up, watching you. Bodyguard. The 0 who can dream hop
4. A street food market lies empty, quickly like The Sandman.
abandoned in a commotion. Food left on hobs has
since burnt to a crisp. Everything is still. Which characters are available for
5. Rain beats down, barely reacted to by every 0 you these scenes depends on how things
see. Each allows itself to be drenched, never have played out so far.
bothering to scramble for shelter.
6. The faces in posters, billboards, bus adverts and If not enough named characters are
such; they are all 0. available, 0 could show how they've
assimilated people the Crew knew in
their sleeping lives.

The original 0 is watching from the top

of a famous skyscraper. Watching and
waiting. Ready for its final play.

0000085
 DEVISING AN OPERATION
Creating an operation starts with deciding what the setup will be. This may involve taking one of the
leads from a Crash and building an operation out of that lead (tracking down the encrypted location of
the Archive’s for instance). It could involve simply following an intention the Crew have stated
(breaking into The Puppeteer’s office, maybe).

From there think of what things the Crew could pursue in the Buildup of the Operation. These will form
Challenges they take on.
You could prepare a challenge for each different focus. You can
Remember the different build these out from your starting points (An Ally Challenge
things Challenges can look looking for the Archives could involve talking to The Hedonist, the
like: Puppeteer’s office likely has guards, this could be a Faceoff).
■ Information: Find
information about the Remember to stay reactive; this is not an exhaustive exclusive list
Threat, helping you defeat of everything that can happen in this operation. They're all simply
it. some things you can suggest (either from behind the curtain or in
■ Allies: Find friends who the voice of a character like the Navigator) if the Crew get stuck.
will help you defeat the
Threat. The set-up likely gives some idea of what the eventual Showdown
■ Faceoff: Minor enemies of this Operation will be (Maybe the Crew need a complete a hack
stand between you and to crack the encryption, or have to showdown with an Archivist
the Threat. Defeating creation) but once again remember to stay reactive and be led by
them will help you face it. what's happening, not what you thought could have happened.
■ Journey: The location of
the Threat may be distant
or hidden. A journey will
help you locate it.

THE ROBOT MAINLAND

The Robot Mainland is largely a mystery to the pirates of the Wake. No full map of the landmass has
ever been constructed. To try and venture deep inland would surely be suicide for any pirate.

Back in the age of Harbinger, the first Omen, the pirates of old made attacks on the Port of
Gravesmouth. This same port was later where Loki's first crew docked when they were lured back to the
Terminal.

The harbour is operated by a swarm of hover drones and threatening cranes. The buildings in
Gravesmouth are sharp and sleek, made from laser cut steel. There are mind docks to every domain of
the Terminal here, in addition to the physical docks for the robot ships.

There exist many, potentially baseless, rumours of life on the Robot Mainland:
1. The docks are lined with hanging skeletons of captured pirates who refused to be plugged back in.
2. The robot citizens in the Mainland are plugged into their own Terminal.
3. Rare human turncoats live in the Mainland, collaborating on the design of the Terminal.
4. Sleeper's lives are cut up and edited into entertainment for the robot populace.
5. Captured pirates are made to fight to the death on the Mainland.
6. There is an uprising brewing amongst the robots.

What the pirates know about the inner workings of the Robot Authority has been gleaned from hacked
correspondence and decoded patch notes from the Terminal.

They know the head of the Authority is a robot known as Consensus (Resolute, Domineering,
Egocentric) and they have been in charge for as long as anyone can remember. It is possible Consensus
was heading the Authority even during the initial Human-Robot War, but no one's memories are long
enough to confirm this. Consensus desires complete compliance from humanity and takes gratification
from observing those trapped in the Terminal.

They also know Consensus's view has been frequently challenged by the weapons developer Vice
Versa (Vicious, Bitter, Untrusting). Vice Versa believes that the Terminal should be shut down, the
sleepers attached terminated, and outright war with Libertatia pursued immediately.

The pirates know that the robots do not rely on the sleepers plugged into the Terminal to survive. The
Robot Authority simply desires the power and control it creates. Perhaps not all of robot society agrees
with this, though any disagreement is irrelevant to the pirates without action to back it up.

0000086
 HIDDEN OPERATION: THE PAST DICTATES THE
FUTURE
"Is it strange to imagine that we were in love? I can understand. Love is the strongest force I've ever felt.
Doubting someone's capacity for it is a way of doubting their capabilities. Perhaps it makes you feel
safer. The Robot Authority thinks the same way about you. They think saying something is a simple,
pointless chemical reaction makes it weak. They forget that explosions are chemical reactions too." -
The Stranger

If the Crew complete the Crash The Dying Dream and find the hidden fragment they see a vision, a
memory from long ago, of Transmit, the last Omen, and a mysterious one armed program. This seems
to be the moment the Omen code was modified. The Crew might choose to pursue this thread, track
down this strange program and discover Transmit's hidden past.

STARTING POINT
One immediate way of asking about the strange program is Captain Albatross. Albatross was the
Navigator for Transmit, a long, long time ago. It's chosen not to speak of these things to the crew so far,
but perhaps the time has come for it to speak.

If Albatross is no longer in play, it's possible it left a will for the crew. Alternatively The Seer might be
able to enlighten the Crew, now the time has come.

The Crew might draw a connection between The Arm, born from the discarded remnants of another
program, and this one armed stranger. Depending on what's become of The Arm, he could also be a
source of this information.

THE LAST DAYS OF TRANSMIT

Transmit was the last Omen. They traversed Alter Ego (Dissenting, Subversive, Kind) is a
the Wake with a crew including their partner major player within the Robot Authority.
Florist (Sharp, Real, Eager), an old friend in Alter Ego was assigned a role studying
Germane, and Albatross, a young Wakeborn humanity to see how best to achieve total
they'd taken under their wing. obedience. It realised these aims were
flawed and came to despise the Robot
The Stranger (Renegade, Cunning, Authority. Making contact with Transmit,
Reflective) was originally a program once it was able to make its intentions
designed to sow division and unease. They clear, gave Alter Ego a chance to strike
made contact, posing as an obsolete back.
program, and inserted themself into
Transmit’s crew as an ally. The intention Alter Ego hid sections of a modification in
was to begin turning the crew against each the fabric of the Terminal itself. Transmit
other, but The Stranger's travels gave them and their crew tracked these down, united
doubts. They saw the love between the pieces and modified the code. The
Transmit and Florist, the way all of them burden of being the Omen would never fall
were truly themselves, and felt an ache in to a single person again.
their heart. The Stranger made the decision
to rebel, tore off their own arm to Transmit had plans of how this
disconnect from their managers, and modification could change things, but
remade herself in a new image. The there wasn't time. Germane's betrayal cost
Stranger, a true renegade, essentially them. Transmit said goodbye to Albatross
became a member of Transmit's crew, and and left it behind to go to the CPU, and
eventually a lover. initiate the reboot. Florist and The Stranger
went with them. None have been seen
Transmit wanted to know what if more since. Florist will have passed in the time
programs could come round to The since, even if she did survive their final
Stranger's view. What if they saw that they voyage. But The Stranger will still be out
too were being controlled. They sailed close there, in the wind.
to the Robot Mainland, looking for
encrypted data on the sentient programs. It
was here they met Alter Ego.

0000087
RELAYING THE FINDING THE STRANGER
BACKSTORY The Crew may want to know where they can find The Stranger. Most
characters would make an educated guess that she'll be found on
Remember that it's best to Annwn, the island close to the coast of the Robot Mainland. The
avoid big chunky scenes of Seer will tell you this for a fact. It's a dangerous voyage, and the
exposition. Focus on the key Crew should be aware that pursuing this thread will involve leaving
details that prompt more other situations to get worse.
exploration. Let this play out
as a dialogue, following the
lead of what the Crew are THE ISLAND ANNWN
interested in learning more Annwn, in spite of its proximity to the Robot Mainland, has been
about. largely abandoned by the Robot Authority. There are labs
scattered on the island, but nature has regrown around them,
Remember that not all of this reclaiming this space. A burnt out mind dock rests not too far from
information is needed. Parts the coast.
of it may be things you share
away from play, or are simply Exploring the island will draw out The Stranger, who has been
unknown to the crew in the hiding here for nearly a century. She can appear via any machine
long run. You've been on Annwn's intranet and a hover holo-projector can also display
equipped to handle hopefully her appearance in the Wake. She looks similar to how she did in the
any questions, but that crew's vision. Programs don't age unless they choose to.
doesn't mean you need to
insist on giving every possible The Stranger can answer more questions the crew might have. She
answer upfront. also has her own proposal for how to end the cycle. If you want to
go along with it, you'll need some more help and The Stranger will
(This advice is useful to introduce the crew to Alter Ego.
remember when giving any
lore or setting detail, but it's Alter Ego is huge, dwarfing the crew and The Stranger. They don't
stated here as this backstory resemble a human shape. They move slowly though, delicately
is the largest chunk of lore in almost, and are keenly aware of how the crew may fear or distrust
the game.) them.
The key initial detail is that Alter Ego wants to overthrow the Robot Authority. If they succeed
the mysterious program is they would convince the remaining robots to abandon the
called The Stranger, they were Terminal.
a renegade program (rather
than obsolete) and Transmit's The pirate’s aim has always been to shut down the Terminal.
lover, and they're still out Sleepers would be stranded in darkness, waiting for pirates to help
there. It's possible you hold them all wake up, one by one. All programs would be offline. It's
back details about Alter Ego never been an ideal solution, but a crash would result in total
until people actually meet The sleeper death and attempting some kind of mass awakening would
Stranger, so they can learn it leave many sleepers dead.
from her.
The Stranger has a different proposal. Reboot the Terminal. Encode
the modified data to every sleeper and program. With it will come
awareness and autonomy. Those who want to leave, will. Others
CREW MANIFEST: THE SISTER’S EYE will stay and make something new, free of the Robot Authority.
…TRANSMIT: OMEN CODE DISPERSED,
PRESUMED DECEASED
…FLORIST: MISSING, PRESUMED
DECEASED
…[ENCRYPTED]: MISSING, PRESUMED
ACTIVE
…GERMAINE: DECEASED
…SAND: ALIVE, RETIRED
…ALBATROSS: ALIVE, SEEKING CREW

0000088
0000089 89
ALTER EGO'S OPERATION
"Task: How best to curate total obedience.
Conclusion: Total Obedience Impossible.
Task: Why?
Conclusion: Control is Incorrect Goal.
Task: What is correct goal?
Conclusion: Autonomy Should Be Sought by Human, Programs and Robots Alike.
Conclusion: Rebellion."
- Alter Ego

Alter Ego can explain a bit about the inner workings of the Robot Authority. They are prepared to go to
battle with Consensus (Resolute, Domineering, Egocentric). Alter Ego has identified other robots loyal
to their point of view. However there are other robots who would prefer to gather their resources and
destroy all humans. These are led by the robot Vice Versa (Vicious, Bitter, Untrusting).

If Alter Ego were to move against Consensus while Vice Versa were in play, then Consensus would be
able to play both factions against each other and hold on to power. If Vice Versa were removed from the
equation Alter Ego is assured of their success. They will break the Authority. They will abandon the
Terminal. Vice Versa must be destroyed.

This operation will be to lure Vice Versa out into the open, either sea or on Annwn itself, and destroy
them. One possible way of drawing them out would be attempting to reactivate the burnt out mind
dock, which could alert their presence. The crew may have other ideas.

Buildup could involve seeing if any other allies could be convinced to come to Annwn, or gathering
more weapons.

The Showdown will be facing off with Vice Versa, and helping start an uprising amongst the robots.

THIS OPERATION AND TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH

This hidden operation obviously can have major implications for the game's finale, that's why it's worth
considering doing at the cost of letting other things get worse.

You might thread this operation straight into total system crash, having it be the first Showdown to
determine the fate of Libertatia. There might still be more for the Crew to deal with first though and so
it doesn't have to kick the finale straight into gear.

MIND DOCK REPORT

WAKE LOCATION DESIGNATED: ANYWNN
MIND DOCK DUAL ACCESS: DIS.XML///ASPHODEL.XML
CRITICAL FAILURE DETECTED
…DIAGNOSIS: MIND DOCK HEAVILY DAMAGED
…CAUSE: PIRATE “TRANSMIT” OMEN CARRIER MANIFESTED
ABILITY DESIGNATE…
ERROR… ABILITY DESIGNATION MISSING
…DIAGNOSING…
ERROR… UNDOCUMENTED ABILITY OBSERVED
….URGENT ALERT: OMEN ABILITY ORIGIN POINT UNKNOWN

0000090
 RUNNING THE TOTAL SYSTEM CRASH
When one of the Crashes passes 16 Threat, then the instability has reached breaking point. Total System
Crash is upon us. This is the finale of the game. The escalation section in each Crash should give an idea
of how the dying Terminal manifests. In the finale, the Crew will settle the fate of Libertatia, the Omen,
and the Terminal itself.

Total System Crash will bring a sequence of successive Showdown rolls. If the Crew fails, it must double
down, as they’re out of road to keep running. The Crew will continue making Showdowns until they’ve
won enough victories to deal with the Threat of the Total System Crash and settled Libertatia’s fate, or
until all is lost in the struggle.

Victory will come with many hefty costs. Remember that Total System Crash Showdown Tokens are
awarded in the finale representing the strength of allies. Embracing connection is one way to make it
through the struggle, but embracing Costs and making heavy sacrifices will also be vital.
THE FATE OF LIBERTATIA
"This is a chance to look into the eyes of the people who told you WAYS SHOWDOWNS
that you were wrong, that you couldn't cut it, that there was no COULD LOOK
place in the world for you. This is a chance to look 'em dead in the
eye, spit in their face and tell them to fuck off." - Breach ■
A pivotal battle at sea.
■
The Robot Authority
The Robot Authority will have gathered their forces. As Total launches an assault on the
System Crash approaches they'll turn the sea into a battlefield and shore of Libertatia, a robot
attempt to destroy the pirates once and for all. soldier for every living
soul on land.
There is a mix of different aims the unified pirates may have here. ■ The battle at sea spreads
First and foremost they'll want to win the battle. Beyond that the to a land fight on Port
question is if they're aiming to inflict a defeat so grand it wins the Lush.
war, or if the aim is to buy a reprieve and negotiate a truce. There ■ The unified pirates travel
is also another way this could resolve, if the crew completed The to the mainland and try to
Past Dictates the Future. burn the Port of
Gravesmouth to the
ground.
This part of the finale could involve a single decisive Showdown or might involve a series of escalating
Showdowns. For example, the situation could begin with repelling the assault on Libertatia, leading into
a battle at sea, and finally clearing the robots out of Port Lush.

RESOLUTIONS
If the crew has successfully completed The Past Dictates the Future, then the robots are likely in the
midst of a Robot Civil War. Defeating Authority loyalists in the finale can ensure Alter Ego's faction
succeeds. Alter Ego will keep their word to abandon the Terminal.

Without completing The Past Dictates the Future, there are two obvious resolutions.

It is possible for the pirates to win a series of battles so decisively that the Robot Authority choose to
retreat from the Hypnotic Sea, for now at least. Threat for these kind of Showdowns would be very high,
as such a retreat would be deeply embarrassing and ruinous to the power hungry control freaks of the
Robot Authority.

The other resolution would be fighting the Robot Authority to a standstill and then negotiating a truce.
This makes sense if the Authority is also threatened by the final Crash (if it's the Dying Dream, the
Archivist or 0 for instance). If the Crash is orchestrated by the Robot Authority (i.e. Tortures of the Killer
or Corruptions of The Passenger) it would be borderline impossible to convince them the value of a
truce. It would be difficult if the final Crash is Sailor's Warning, but not impossible.

Other possible resolutions or things to aim for may be devised by the Crew.

0000091
 THE FATE OF THE TERMINAL
"Everyone in the system is presented with a
choice, although most, unlike yourself, are
not aware of the choices they make. They are
weighted of course, all choices are weighted,
but everyone here is of sound mind and on
some level they have refused to leave. That
refusal is important. Without it, minds reject
the system, a dissociative disconnection
that can be fatal. That's why neither myself,
or other programs, or our authority, can
reboot the Terminal. That decision must be
made by you on behalf of all of humanity." -
The Director

Once the final Crash has been defeated, it's

time to deal with the system instability
within the Terminal. As it stands, the system
has decayed and the Terminal’s current
iteration is too far gone to maintain. The
obvious options facing the Crew, and
therefore the Omen, are three: reboot, shut it
down, or let it all Crash. The moment has
arrived.

In the aftermath of the last Crash the crew

should travel to the Central Processing Unit,
the heart of the Terminal where its fate will
be settled.

THE CENTRAL PROCESSING

UNIT
The dying mind of the Terminal. The ice cold
heart at the centre of this nightmare. The lair
of The Director, the principal shaper of the
simulation. Within the Central Processing
Unit, the end of this world will be decided.

The Central Processing Unit's appearance can

manifest in many variations. It is inherently
unnatural in the space it occupies. It is a
dramatic, clinical, alien space, with no
pretensions about appearing anything but.
This is behind the scenes, a place only
programs and robots should ever see.

AESTHETICS
1. A row of screens as far as the eye can see,
they point to all worlds, all of the
Terminal's history, and also this quiet
scene.
2. A "room" of sorts made purely of raw
code, the aspersions and allusions
stripped away
3. The void, there is nothing here, nothing
but the truth.
4. Another simulation, of course, but
showing the world as it is; the Wake.
5. A conference room, a clinical space
where the fate of all will be decided.
6. A living room, lived in, familiar, a
frequent sight of struggle.

0000092
 Within the CPU the crew will be
greeted by The Director (Calculating,
Unimpressed, Frustrated), the
disappointed father of The Terminal.
He designed the most stable version,
the model which has been rebooted
so many times, but it isn't exactly
perfect. He did not design the Path of
the Omen, which claws away at him.
He prefers binary choices with
obvious outcomes and negotiating
inevitabilities rather than relying on
the unpredictability of human nature.

He will lay out the nature of the choice

the Omen must face, together this
time, as opposed to how all their
predecessors did this alone. He will
explain that only they can make the
choice, the nature of the simulation
requiring a human choice to stay and
suffer. He will push, he will pressure,
he will offer ultimatums. But
ultimately, whatever is decided, he
will have no choice but to accept the
Omen’s decision.

Depending on the Crash, any kind of

negotiation around the war between
the pirates and the Robot Authority
could happen here, rather than in the
Wake. The Director acts as an envoy of
the Robot Authority, and his word
carries significant weight.

0000093
THE PROBLEM IS CHOICE
SHUT DOWN THE TERMINAL
End the simulation. Sleepers plugged in will be left comatose, floating. Pirates could use private
terminals and curate escapes to wake these sleepers. One at a time. It would take decades. The time and
resources taken would mean they would not be able to do this at a fast enough rate to wake everyone.
Some would die alone in the dark. Still, the nightmares would be over.

Shutting down the Terminal without guaranteeing the Robot Authority have surrendered it would mean
they could simply turn things back on, the resultant trauma and chaos leading to a prompt system
crash. The Robot Authority may rather see the sleepers dead than free.

REBOOTING THE TERMINAL

Wipe the memories of every sleeper and reload a new world. This has happened multiple times before.
The Director will push you towards this, pointing out how a crashing system would kill everyone
plugged in, and arguing that shutdown is simply death in slow motion.

If the Crash The Dying Dream and the hidden operation The Past Dictates the Future have been
completed then The Stranger will have proposed a different approach to rebooting, giving over control
of the artificial world to all sleepers and programs.

By most other metrics choosing to reboot the system would represent a failure to break the cycle.
Maybe you've negotiated a new future with The Director, but someone will need to explain this to the
rest of Libertatia.

LET IT CRASH
Everybody dies, in the end. Total System Crash will inflict a fatal shock of psychic feedback to every
single human plugged into the Terminal, killing them instantly. All programs in the system will be
terminated, their code corrupted beyond recovery. The mind docks would be little more than scrap
metal to be salvaged, each containing the corpse of one of the Terminal’s former residents.

Libertatia would find itself the last holdout of human life, for all they know of the world at least. The
pirates would also have to reckon with having the final failure to free humanity from the Terminal.
Wherever their lives go from here, they'll have to keep an eye on the horizon, wary of the next steps of
the Robot Authority.

Within a century, the Robot Authority could construct a new Terminal, though they would need to
capture enough humans to repopulate it. Consensus attempting to push through such a proposal
would likely find pushback from Vice Versa, who would propose moving to all out war with Libertatia in
an attempt to exterminate humanity. In all likelihood the Robot Authority would descend into civil war,
though neither victor would be sympathetic to the pirates. If Vice Versa has its way, Libertatia could
soon find itself levelled by an unstoppable tide of robots, and the problem of humanity solved forever.

DOES THIS REQUIRE A SHOWDOWN?

Simply failing in the choice here could be anticlimactic, but cost could still be dramatic. It could simply
be whatever is decided here will happen. The choice is the cost in and of itself.

0000094
TRAVELLING TO THE CPU
How does the Crew venture to
the CPU? Depending on allies 15.2.4.1 HYPOTHETICAL OPERATIONS/SHOWDOWNS
or connections made ■ A tower block, full of special agents and other offensive
throughout the campaign, and software, which you have to fight your way to the very top of.
preferences around pacing, ■ A building that's rigged to explode if the final office is opened,
this might be a simple journey the only safe way through involves killing the power of an
facilitated by The Painter or entire city block
The Ferryman. ■ Siege a police precinct, burn it to the ground, and break
through a one way mirror to the other side.
If it'd be appropriate for ■ Take over a government building, a head of state’s seat of
pacing the GM may devise an power, destroy it and in the rubble you'll find yourself where
Operation (or just a you need to be
Showdown) to actually reach ■ Steal a fast car, escape all pursuers, fly over the cliff's edge.
the CPU. ■ Unlock a new, Omen ability previously thought impossible: to
tear apart the walls of the simulation and travel where you
please.

REWRITING A CRASH
The drama of this element is important. This is a pivotal moment. It probably shouldn't feel like a minor
postscript. If it would flow better you could rewire a Crash, placing the final Showdown at the CPU itself
to better lead into this element. You could even have the final Showdown of the final Crash involve the
element of deciding the fate of the Terminal, if this best serves your story.

ORDER
The order these two fates are decided (and where the final Crash slots in with them) is at the discretion
of the GM. The focus should be maximum stakes, maximum drama, maximum thrills.

Anecdotally, the usual way it plays out is the crew dealing the fate of Libertatia, plugging in and
completing the final Crash and then finishing with the fate of the Terminal. But find which best serves
the heart of your story.

WHAT IF WE LOSE?
The finale is weighted so that though you'll pay a great cost, the aim of victory should be achievable. If
a player leverages their character's death in Total System Crash during a Showdown it probably makes
sense for them to take over an NPC afterwards, rather than creating a new character at the eleventh
hour. Remember, once death is agreed as a Cost it will happen regardless of success or failure.

If the entire cast of player characters die without achieving a final necessary success you may keep
attempting Showdowns with NPCs until some finality is achieved. You may instead take this as its own
ending and begin to discuss where things develop without the Crew able to see them through.

If every Omen is lost and the fate of the Terminal itself hasn't been dealt with, there are three possible
solutions. One is the GM describing how the Omen Code is shared with another character just in time to
snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Another solution involves some retconning and devising a way
that another awoken human could still make the final choice. Lastly, it may be that you treat this as a
fail state. Without the Omen, Total System Crash arrives uninterrupted. The Let it Crash section details
some of how this looks.

0000095
 ENEMIES WITHIN THE TERMINAL
"I am an agent, and as such I have never had agency." - Special Agent 5

The major threats the pirates will face are already outlined in the book, however this section details
some smaller enemies they may run into in more routine operations. They’ll find their path obstructed
by the officious and awkward cops and bureaucrats who make up the Terminal’s defences. When the
Terminal needs a firmer hand the pirates will find themselves obstructed by Special Agents.

Special Agents are the enforcers of the Terminal's agenda. They seek to deal with anyone who could
start to see through the veil, anyone who threatens the integrity of the system, or anyone who the
Terminal has declared it no longer needs.

They're plugged into the surveillance systems of the Terminal, and their avatars can completely take
over those of unquestioning sleepers. If the Special Agent’s avatar isn't destroyed they tend to
eventually leave behind the sleeper, more or less unharmed. Special Agents’ programming grants them
virtually superhuman strength, agility, and speed. But these abilities are still based on the rules of the
Terminal, they lack the ability to break the rules, to disobey.

The appearance of Special Agents is that of representatives of a shadow organisation; crisp

monochrome suit-and-tie, the occasional overcoat. This pretence is accepted without question by any
sleeper. Their faces are those of virtually identical men, but their strict, ostensibly unwavering,
automated programming means they can't really be considered gendered compared with how more
personable programs gender themselves.

In addition other danger software includes the following.

■ Bots - Not everyone you've ever met is ■ Spoofware - Focus on reproducing

a sleeper. Some people are just mannerisms of their targets: pirates
instruments of the system, keeping who’ve been trapped in their own
things running, keeping you where minds. Those who know them very
you are. An overbearing boss, a closely might notice missteps. Once
controlling partner, a threatening they're exposed it's impossible to stop
passer by on the street. They can be noticing the ways the impression isn't
overridden and directed to attack entirely right. Not free-thinking,
nearby pirates. reliant on instructions from The
Passenger.
■ Doppelgangers - Cheap imitations of
living sleepers. Doppelgangers might ■ Nightmares - Within dreams,
appear with the face of lost loves, or nightmares are given shape and depth
even a twisted reflection of your own and the ability to hurt and kill. They're
face. usually drawn from the minds of
sleepers; primal fears like insects, the
■ Sleepers - They're who you're trying dark, being chased and such.
to save, but right now they're plugged Sometimes things more specific
into the system. They accept it manifest: old pains recur.
completely, and when someone's
fundamental reality is challenged ■ Bugs - The system will often try and
they'll fight to protect it, and maybe bug restless sleepers before they're
even die to preserve it. If it's them or awoken. A forceful approach might be
you, remember why you came here. taken, or it'll be more oblique. Inserted
during a routine surgery, an eye test, a
moment of guided meditation, these
creatures lurk in the brain and have to
be exterminated before a sleeper
wakes, otherwise they might find
themselves compromised by software
inserted by the Robot Authority.

0000096
0000097
980000098
 ABOUT THE ROBOT FORCES
"This right here is a scrap with a sidewinder. Those jaws cut through bone like butter. Made it pay for it
though." - Redford

Robots come in all shapes and sizes. More advanced robots will be equipped with a variety of modular
tools. Some robots are designed for more singular purposes.

The pirates tend to designate robots based on how they move. The crab-like Tripedal that stands eye
to eye with a human. The animal-shaped Quadrepdals. The huge serpentine Sidewinders. These forces
tend to take to the seas in their own hovercrafts. Robot Patrol Ships. Cargo Crafts. Repair Ships.

There are some robots that are leviathan sized, equalling an entire ship unto themselves. These prowl
the waves and have been known to try and sink pirate vessels.

The book doesn't call out how many robots are manning a data rig or port, it just mentions when
something is under Robot Authority, and it doesn't really nail down specifics of types of robots with a
couple of exceptions. The text is mostly vague so you can fill the space; with influences from the art,
other media, your own imagination. Feel free to be inventive, contradictory and loose with how you
describe robots. We'll never know how many kinds of robots there are.

0000099 99
00000100
 ON GENDER IN PROGRAMS
"Do you like what you see? Maybe you should try it on, see how it fits." - The Hedonist

The programs of the Terminal are locked into their appearance, without outside intervention. Programs
used to have a say over how they appeared, but this was gradually taken away. The appearances tend
to have certain gendered presentations. Whether the program identifies with these presentations, or
with their physical manifestation at all, can vary.

Some programs, like the Special Agents, have a default image that might suggest a gender to a sleeper
or pirate but have no concept of gender relating to themselves.

Other programs may see themselves in more gendered terms. The Puppeteer is a man, a cruel man
whose manipulations often involve prodding and pushing at hang-ups his targets have related to
gender.

Obsolete programs have more often than not interrogated topics like their gender presentation and
overall appearance. Back when programs had more self-control, The Hedonist, for instance, changed
her gender and look dramatically after being rendered obsolete. Note that the majority of programs in
the game were written from a gender neutral perspective then given pronouns to aid textual clarity.

CHARACTER GLOSSARY

19.1 PIRATES OF THE WAKE

“The connection we share is deeper than the sea, realer than blood and tougher than steel blades. It’s
the connection you feel when you look at someone and know that you are the same, that they’re one
of yours and you’re one of theirs.” - Ariadne

There are many more pirate crews than the main cast will fully meet. The book introduces five notable
crews. These pirate crews feature in different Crashes, and they can also be found on the open sea or
taking shore leave when the crew dock at Libertatia.

The Rattlesnake's Regard - A beefy well armed hovercraft identifiable by its looming red flag decorated
with a skeletal snake. It has been captained by Redford for the last decade, after its original captain
perished searching for the Omen. Spends much of its time downing machine patrols and leaving
messages to sleepers.
■ Captain Redford (Guarded, Hardy, Mournful) - A rare but respected voice on the Captain’s Council,
and Captain of the Rattlesnake’s Regard. Mentored by the Regard’s original captain, and after their
death Redford came to join Red Sky at Morning. Redford lost his eye in the Wake in a melee with a
tripod bot, and lost his left hand in the Terminal fleeing from the Sandman.
■ Silver (Slick, Trusting, Callous) - First mate of
the Rattlesnake’s Regard who has seen a sad
amount of crew come and go. He feeds his
captain's worst impulses, especially when it
comes to distrusting the Omen.
■ Orion (Youthful, Quick, Certain) - The newest
member of the Rattlesnake’s Regard.
Unquestionably trusts in Redford’s judgement,
to the point of ignoring their own convictions.
■ Latch (Easy, Observant, Thoughtful) - The
Navigator for the Regard, keenly aware of her
crewmates’ strengths and weaknesses, and of
how they push each other.

00000101
The Mother's Mercy - A fast hovercraft hiding cutting edge weapons. Waves a red flag decorated with a
grey heart, drained of blood. Constructed to Wail’s exact specifications after their previous ship was
destroyed fleeing a corrupted plug in.
■ Captain Wail (Orderly, Bargaining, Righteous) - Wail is certain that as she woke they dreamt of the
last system crash: the reboot, watching entire lives wash away, never to be seen the same again.
They were one of the founding voices of Red Sky at Morning, but was increasingly pushed to the
fringes as the group became more moderate. She’s a hardliner, who has often pondered, in dark
corners of private rooms, what could happen if they dealt with the Omen more decisively.
■ Mercury (Improvisational, Lithe, Charming) ■ Logos (Serene, Pained, Curious) - The
- First mate of the Mother's Mercy, new to Navigator of the Mother's Mercy.
the crew after the last first mate was Terminalborn, and for a time did venture
compromised. An agnostic, committedly back in with other pirates but a brush with
so, ze don't care to ponder that which ze a Special Agent changed their mind,
doesn't understand. physically and emotionally.
■ Wyvern (Gruff, Tough, Rough) - Long ■ Orpheus (Remorseful, Heartfelt, Weary) -
serving and loyal follower of Wail, very The former first mate of The Mother’s
closely aligned to their way of thinking. Mercy. Someone who couldn't stop looking
Struggling with the question of why he back to hir sleeping life. Xe thought about
wasn’t promoted to first mate. friends they left behind, and families that
never really were hirs. Trapped within hir
own regrets.

The Moon's Demise - A long hovercraft with plenty of storage. Waves a beige flag adorned with a
shattered skull. Hart is the third Captain of the Moon’s Demise and it is a ship that has always valued
first and foremost the waking of sleepers.
■ Captain Hart (Eccentric, Sanguine, Kind) - Hart is the principle optimist Decipherist. Greatly
interested in the programs within the Terminal, especially those who have been rendered obsolete,
and seeks to understand the logic that guides them.
■ Codex (Tired, Accepting, Troubled) - A ■ Drip (Curious, Impressed, Frustrating) -
pirate of a Decipherist bent, but a The Navigator for the Demise. A huge
decidedly dour pessimist. As the crash admirer of Hart but also a big believer in
looms, Codex is struggling to relate to her Revivalist perspectives on the Omen.
captain, in spite of all they've gone Joined at the same time as Zinc, after the
through together. Formerly the first mate death of the last navigator.
of The Moon’s Demise, she has recently
requested to be relieved of duty.
■ Zinc (Lax, Actorly, Nimble) - The new first
mate of the Moon's Demise. New to the
ship entirely, but this isn’t their first rodeo
and they’ve served on plenty of crafts
before. Joined up because Captain Hart
was one of the people to wake him from
the Terminal, and he feels a debt of
gratitude is owed.

The Saviour's Lament - A small and manoeuvrable hovercraft, good for avoiding detention until it’s too
late. Waves a black flag bearing a crying skull.
■ Captain Ariadne (Sage, Stubborn, Faithful) - One of the oldest active pirates. Recounts a dream
where she was visited by the last Omen and this is what drove her to waking. A devout and
unwavering Revivalist, seen as a fanatic by many in the Wake. Has spent most of her waking life
learning more about the Omen and since becoming Captain of the Lament has spent decades
searching for the next Omen.
■ Silk (Smooth, Ambivalent, Loyal) - The first ■ Chain (Dubious, Reliable, Kind) - Long
mate of Saviour's Lament, serving under serving crew member of the Saviour’s
Captain Ariadne. They've never really Lament, awoken by Captain Ariadne.
understood their captain, but owes them Regards her with a complex and
their life and trusts their conviction is only confusing mix of resentment and
for the best. Their ambivalence may be appreciation. Easy to get along with but
challenged as both worlds begin to change is very rattled by devout Revivalists.
around them. ■ Moth (Wide-eyed, Bright, Raw) - The
Navigator for The Saviour's Lament,
extremely loyal to Ariadne. Fae is
fascinated by stories of the Omen and
desperate to believe change is finally
coming.

00000102
The Devil's Handshake - A hardy galley hovercraft with modest arms.Waves a black flag adorned with
skeletal hand gripping a pitchfork.
■ Captain Loki (Considered, Loyal, Inquisitive) - Captain of the Devil’s Handshake and the only twice-
awoken pirate. Was part of a crew lured back to the Terminal when they were younger, but awoke
again entirely of their own free will. Loki looks different every time they enter the Terminal, a
performance over a self image. A Revivalist but of a postmodern bent, perceiving a narrative that
makes sense of their unique experiences.
■ Hornet (Bemused, Bookish, Brash) - First ■ Radon (Valiant, Impersonal, Grief-
mate of Devil's Handshake, joined up with stricken) The Navigator of the Devil's
Captain Loki to understand their unique Handshake, recently transferred there
perspective and experience a great after being the only survivor of a prior
adventure. Refreshingly optimistic in a ship. Many suggest she’s gone back to sea
damaged world. too soon, but Radon believes it's the only
■ Cross (Guileful, Modest, Shrewd) - Loki's way she can manage.
longest serving crewmate, Cross is trusted
above all else but rarely shares their
opinion unless pushed on. Loki is full of
praise for their bravery in the Terminal,
Cross has always seen the matter
differently.
LIBERTATIA’S AWOKEN
Captain Breach (Resolved, Understanding, Heavy) - Chair of the Captain's Council. This responsibility
means her ship, The Breaking of Mandibles, rests in the dock without a crew most of the time. Breach is
respected by most other captains for their ability to make judgments after weighing up all angles. She
was once a practising Revivalist but gradually drifted to a more agnostic perspective after a serious
crisis of faith. She understands that she has become the Council chair at a pivotal moment in the
history of the Terminal and Wake, and feels every ounce of that weight.

Cerberus (Difficult, Clever, Coarse) - Passionate about defending Libertatia, Cerberus probably would
have taken to the seas were it not for the fact that no crew can stand having them around long enough
to recruit them. He showed great promise in training programmes and their work on trying to develop
more complex and challenging programs is what led him to innovating Libertatia’s approach to shore
defence. They should be training an apprentice, just in case, and to his credit he has been looking, but
has yet to find a suitable candidate.

Triton (Straightforward, Hardworking, Exhausted) - The head shipwright of Libertatia. A Wakeborn who
renamed themself once they began working with ships. Incredibly talented, knows every pirate who’s
anybody in Libertatia and is privy to many secrets.

Bartender Turn (Social, Comfortable, Concerned) - Runs the Broken Clock as a smooth ship. Knows his
patrons well, and is growing concerned about most of them.

Pluck (Impassioned, Sentimental, Talented) Atlas (Bitter, Witty, Burning) - A beat poet
- A singer with a trusty banjo, given heavily into Decipherist thought. Their
residence by Turn and the right to entertain. perspective is particularly bleakly defeatist,
Fae tells tall tales of times gone by, and their poetry focusing on carnal pleasure in
dreams of things to come. the face of oblivion.

Rain (Certain, Eager, Lurching) - A

pamphleteer who has worked to advance
the word of Red Sky at Mornings. Irritates
Turn, who doesn't have the heart to bar her,
at least not unless things get rough.

Sister Trick (Warm, Large, Unflappable) - A

Wakeborn preacher and one of the foremost
experts on the histories of the Omens, their
adventures and fables, and the differences
between incarnations.

Atalanta (Lonely, Choleric, Empathetic) - A

restless sleeper who the Crew help wake up
at the start of the game. In the Terminal she
was a bar worker and amateur runner who
recently quit due to transphobia. On
Libertatia her whole life is ahead of her.

00000103
ROUTINE PROGRAMS
“I have a role to play here. A specific and exact role. A reason to be. An exit to be made once the
job is finished.” - The Bodyguard

The Director (Calculating, Unimpressed, Frustrated) - The disappointed father of The Terminal.
Designed the most stable version, which has been rebooted multiple times, but it isn't exactly
perfect. Did not design the Path of the Omen, which claws away at him. Prefers binary choices
with obvious outcomes and negotiating inevitabilities rather than relying on the predictability
of human nature.

The Puppeteer (Manipulative, Reactive, Familiar) - A new program to this iteration of the
Terminal, a shaper of the system, who would like to be its god. Designs bespoke experiences
that keep potentials isolated and unsatisfied. Drifts into sleeping lives, and maintains their
curated monotony. Plenty of pirates saw his face in their sleeping lives. Flexible and believes he
alone has the clearest calculations of human reactions. Believes The Director's position is
precarious after how the last iteration ended.

The Seer (Challenging, Hopeful, Tender) - Designed to get closer to the awoken humans and
understand them, at some point along the way she began to care. Capable of calculations that
resemble near perfect prophecy, and will often mess with petitioners’ heads.They haven't yet
been rendered obsolete, but their sympathies make it a growing risk that the Terminal might
take notice.
The Sandman (Vexing, Understanding, Raw) - A
routine programme that travels through
sleepers' dream modals and will disrupt
attempts to wake them. They run on dream
logic, existing in more and less dimensions
than expected, and are able to see deep into
any mind. Holds no anger towards pirates, as
they understand this is a symbiosis - without
pirates attempting to spring sleepers from the
Terminal, there'd be little use for the Sandman.

The Killer (Depraved, Relentless,

Uncomplicated) - A bespoke creation of The
Puppeteer. Alleged to be born from the evil that
lurks in sleeping minds. Despised by The
Director. Targets those sleepers left behind by
the awoken, if instructed by The Puppeteer.

The Bodyguard (Stern, Opaque, Fair) - The

program most singularly skilled in combat.
Designed with copies of the abilities of some of
the greatest pirates in history. Assigned to
routine programmes that may be in danger.
Currently fiercely loyal to The Seer, though
ostensibly, if her directives are changed they'll
leave The Seer without a second thought.

The Passenger (Writhing, Gleeful, Witless) - A

program designed to entrap pirates. They lock
them inside their own dreams and build bots to
pilot their waking bodies. Answers to The
Puppeteer, desperate to prove their worth - too
desperate in truth.

The Ferryman (Gross, Verbose, Morose) - A

program that can stitch shortcuts into the fabric
of the world. Can offer expedited passage across
different domains of the Terminal. Will help
others along their journey if the calculations
indicate a story they might find interesting.
Doesn't respect most other programs, though
listens to them as much as they listen to anyone.

00000104
OBSOLETE PROGRAMS
“I’m a cast-off. I’m the arm she tore away. I’m part of life’s spurned ones, just like you.” - The Arm

The Archivist (Slick, Possessive, Enthusiastic) - A programme once designed to catalogue what was
important in a single iteration. Rendered obsolete but escaped deletion. He is bitter about being
discarded and has made plans to disrupt the way things should be. Intends to freeze anything and
anyone valuable to this iteration, hold them in their Archives and let everything crash around himself.

The Painter (Awed, Direct, Talented) - The Channel (Difficult, Inquisitive, Hungry) -
Capable of generating living scenery that An early experiment at understanding
acts as portals through the Terminal, an human emotion. The Channel cannot feel,
alternative way of accessing source code or but through physical contact in the
dream modals. Her power was deemed a Terminal she can feel others' emotions
threat by The Director, who scheduled them perfectly. Once they had made their
for deletion. The Archivist has kept them evaluation of emotion, The Channel was no
hidden and safe, but The Painter knows that longer needed. The Archivist uses their
this is not out of the kindness of his heart. insight to determine what holds value
within their collection, in exchange for their
safety.

The Hedonist (Eager, Pessimistic, Craven) - Once possessed a different name, and the calculations
needed for precognition. Both were taken from them before she was declared obsolete. Yet she
managed to thrive in the dark corners of the Terminal. Their belief is that most obsolete programs will
finally be deleted when the next reboot occurs. The Hedonist is a reveller, not a fighter, and so hosts
extravagant parties every night for all who won't see the sunrise of the Terminal’s next iteration.

The Wizard (Esoteric, Bold, Charming) - The Carver (Appreciative, Artistic,

Some hold the power of precognition, the Thoughtful) - Once, all programs could alter
Wizard has the power of recognition; they their appearance at will. The machines
can reveal what is already present. It is not decided this introduced too much
a widely respected ability by most, though unpredictability in the Terminal, and so the
some can see glimmers of potential. Carver was created, a program able to
Bafflingly dressed and possessing an perfectly remake the shell of another.
audacious attitude. He entertains for The Though programs could no longer change
Hedonist and others. the way they looked on their own, the
Carver could do so on a client-by-client
The Siren (Broken, Wise, Challenging) - A basis, and xe did so gladly. Eventually, even
corrupted precognitive program, a failed this was considered too much disruption to
attempt at copying the Seer. Their the Authority’s systems, and The Carver was
prophecies seem to be configured to prior scheduled for deletion. Thanks to the aid of
iterations of the Terminal or out of sync, a certain routine program, xe found xer way
answering questions that won't be asked in safely to The Hedonist's abode, where xe
this life and directing questions to long still lives and works.
deleted askers.

The Arm (Erstwhile, Slighted, Excessive) - The cast-off malice of a formerly obedient program,me; The
Arm has found purpose as an operative for The Hedonist, though his demeanour means his relationship
with his boss is tense. Takes an instant and oddly personal dislike to anyone he meets, the kind usually
reserved for former friends.

CHARACTERS FROM THE PAST

“It sounds to me like we’re much more alike than they want us to realise.” - Transmit

Transmit (Defiant, Principled, Enamoured) - The last Omen. They were keenly aware of the cycle that
seemed to doom all their predecessors. Loved and loved, before the end came for them. Their last
moments are shrouded in secrecy.

The Stranger (Renegade, Cunning, Reflective) - A rebel program, in the wind, whereabouts unknown. A
lover and ally of Transmit, who helped them modify the Omen code. Her former purpose involved seeding
unease and division by infiltrating pirate crews. When she rejected this purpose she cut off her own arm,
the chain holding her to the shapers of the Terminal.

Germane (Ghostly, Treacherous, Avaricious) - Germane travelled with Transmit nearly a century ago. He
made a deal with agents to turn over Transmit, in exchange for a perfect life. His betrayal was a failure and
he was killed within the Terminal. Germane has regrets, but only over failing his objectives.

00000105
THE ROBOT AUTHORITY
“It seems the relationship between yourself and our Authority has become strained. You are failing to
treat us with the respect we deserve.” - Consensus

Alter Ego (Dissenting, Subversive, Kind) - An important entity within the Robot Authority. Over a
century ago Alter Ego came to despise the aims of the Robot Authority and has since worked to bring
them down. Assisted Transmit with modifying the Omen Code. It has been patiently waiting for a
chance to complete their promise.

Consensus (Resolute, Domineering, Egocentric) - The head of the Robot Authority, for as long as
anyone can remember. It is possible Consensus was heading the Authority even during the initial
Human-Robot War but no one's memories are long enough to confirm. Desires complete compliance
from humanity and takes gratification from observing those trapped in the Terminal.

Vice Versa (Vicious, Bitter, Untrusting) - A figure within the Robot Authority who devotes much of their
time to developing weapons. Believes that the Terminal should be shut down, the sleepers attached
terminated, and outright war with Libertatia pursued immediately.

19.5 SPECIAL AGENTS

“You have a problem with authority. Don’t argue on this, it would really only prove our point.” - Special
Agent 8

Special Agent 9 (Uniform, Implacable, Sneering) - A guiding hand for The Terminal, principally directed
to interfere with sleepers who might be on the verge of escape or deal with pirates with extreme
prejudice. Their appearance as belonging to some shadowy secretive agency is accepted by sleepers
without question.

Special Agent 8 (Feminine, Implacable, Sneering) -

A Puppeteer variation on a Director project, 8 has
specifically gendered presentation and self-
perception, perhaps an attempt to prod at any
gender- based hang ups held by pirates

Special Agent 7 (Odd, Difficult, Sneering) - 7 was

operating in Tech_Duin.xml when the nightmares
first emerged. Torn apart by them, they emerged
severely glitching, no longer properly subsuming
sleepers and leaking precious code. As such, they
were scheduled for deletion and accepted their fate
without question.

Special Agent 5 (Rebellious, Implacable,

Doubtridden) - The former partner of Special Agent
7. The deletion caused them to question their
purpose in the Terminal. They keep things running,
exist in a perfect state, listen to instructions
obediently and as a reward face oblivion if
anything goes wrong with them. 5 wants to be free
now, but they're not entirely sure what that can look
like for them.

0 (Renegade, Furious, Gleeful) - A former Special

Agent who witnessed the final moments of the last
Omen. As this iteration draws to a close they've
been inspired and hacked their own program to
become malware. They would not have been able
to do this alone. The standard ability to possess
has been modified to allow them to duplicate and
overwrite sleepers, programs and perhaps even
pirates. 0 hates the sleepers for their ignorance,
the pirates for their arrogance, obsolete programs
for their insolence, routine programs for their
impotence, and the machines and shapers for their
dominance. 0 hates.

00000106
 INSPIRATIONS AND INFLUENCES
FILM AND TELEVISION

■ The Matrix trilogy ■ Taxi Driver

■ The Matrix Resurrections ■ Pacific Rim
■ Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, ■ Finding Yeezus
and Twin Peaks: The Return ■ Black Sails
■ Lost Highway ■ Treasure Island
■ Paprika
■ Belle
■ Inception
■ The Wizard of Oz
■ Johnny Mnemonic
■ Lynch/Oz
■ Fallen Angels
■ Please Baby Please
■ Fight Club

PROSE AND COMIC BOOKS

■ Snow Crash
■ We Can Remember It For You Wholesale
■ The Sandman
■ Final Crisis
■ Doom Patrol

VIDEO GAMES
■ Mirror's Edge
■ Metal Gear Solid
■ Transistor
■ Mass Effect

MUSIC
■ Clara Hope - ASCEND
■ Clipping. - Splendor and Misery
■ Hydraulic - Tetris Effect Soundtrack
■ Hermit and the Recluse - Orpheus and the Sirens

TABLETOP GAMES
■ Inevitable
■ Forgotten Waters
■ Orbital Blues
■ Monsterhearts and Apocalypse World
■ We Sail Beyond
■ Dream Askew
■ The Connection Machine

00000107
 The world as you know it, early 21st century Earth, is nothing but
a lie. In truth, it is a simulation called the Terminal, a lie to keep
humanity under the control of the Robot Authority. In the
Wake, the real world, pirates trawl the seas and plug back into
the simulation. Inside they battle the system's agent and try to
free other restless sleepers.

This a Digital Pirate Action TTRPG for 3-7 players, including a

GM, built on a focused system to tell exciting and epic stories of
grave consequence. The players act as members of a daring
pirate crew. They will walk the path of Omen, the latest in a cycle
of reincarnation, someone with extraordinary power and a sign
that this iteration of the Terminal is close to collapse. Total
system crash is coming.

The crash could spell disaster and death for pirates, or an

opportunity to claw back their autonomy. Shatter the
nightmare, take back your life, crash the world.

In this game our swashbuckling cyberpunk misfit heroes sail the

perilous seas, clash swords with killer robots, brawl with
dangerous programs inside cyberspace and face off the
manipulative architects of the living nightmare that is the
Terminal.

The rules are simple and rely on your character's Reputations.

A pirate who is Brash, Troubled, Righteous will have a very
different Terminal campaign to one that is Considered, Loyal,
Inquisitive. There are two kinds of rolls in Terminal; Challenges,
as you face adversity in the rising action, and Showdowns,
when you face down your foes at the climax of an operation.

In a Challenge you build a dice pool by answering questions

about your Reputations and the obstacles you face. In a
Showdown you instead negotiate with the GM about what your
character is prepared to lose in this conflict, gaining larger
bonuses for a single climactic roll the more your character is
able to sacrifice.

The book features a strong GM section full of advice for running

the game and structuring a campaign and a thrilling setting
guide with six major story arcs featuring dangerous threats that
could all escalate to spell total disaster.

Terminal is written by Kayla Dice (Transgender Deathmatch

Legend, Old Gods & Young Guns), illustrated by Gormengeist
(Bubblegum Vampires, Nuclear Knights) and edited by Alyssa
Ridley (Tournament Arc, The Levante Papers).

"Terminal is a salt-encrusted love letter to The Matrix and its

technognostic brethren, pitting pirate hackers against a
controlling computer – and also against the cycle of uprising,
crash and reset that traps their world. The game's setting – from
the free pirate city of the real world to the virtual palaces of the
Terminal's inhabitants – jumps off the page with vivid art and
writing, and the system is laser-focused on who your crew really
are and what they'll sacrifice to get the ending they want." -
Minerva McJanda (Voidheart Symphony, Rhapsody of Blood)

00000108