CASE & SOUL

CUSTOM ARMOUR for STANDARD ENGAGEMENTS & SYSTEM OVERRIDE for USER LIAISON

PROTOTYPE, VERSION 0.3

LIGHTWEIGHT MECHA ACTION, FORGED IN THE DARK

Designed By Briar Sovereign, updated 26 Oct 2021

 THE BASICS
The most important thing to remember: when you want to do something, roll an amount of d6’s
equal to your dots in one of your action ratings. Your GM will tell you your position and effect—
these set the scale of both your success and the consequences of failure—though you can
change these with moves, pushing yourself and certain Gear. Consult the position & effect chart
for specifics, but generally: 1-3 is a failure, 4/5 is success at cost, and 6 is a full success.

ATTRIBUTES & ACTIONS STRESS & TEAMWORK

CASE & SOUL uses the Attributes Skin, Steel Characters in CASE&SOUL have stress they
and Spirit. may spend to make things easier on
themselves, as well as teamwork actions
Skin is used to resist consequences with they can perform to help their allies;
physical action—quick reflexes, a strong
constitution, etc. It’s action ratings are: × Push yourself, spending 2 stress to add
+1d or increased effect to a roll
× Rush: Scramble around on foot, climb a × Resist a consequence, rolling dice equal
moving mech, react quickly to problems to an attribute and taking stress equal to
× Skulk: Sneak around, move lightly and 6 minus the highest result.
quietly, do things unnoticed × Protect someone, resisting a
× Steady: Work delicately under pressure, consequence in their place as above.
take careful long-range shots, stay × Assist another player, spending 1 stress
focused over long periods to add +1d to their action roll.
× Lead a group action: the group rolls an
Steel is used to resist consequences with action, taking the best result, and you
machines and vehicles—strong armour, take 1 stress for each failed roll.
powerful vernier boosts, electronic × Set up another player with your action,
countermeasures, etc. It’s action ratings giving them increased effect or
are: improved position when they follow up.

× Access: Understand computer systems, SHIFTS

control machines, navigate digital When you mark all 9 your stress boxes, you
space Shift. Something about you changes: you
× Blitz: Attack without holding back, hit take on a new trait, physical or otherwise,
multiple targets at once, break and are temporarily taken out of the action
something quickly in some way, only to return later in the
× Duel: Engage a foe with care, shoot Mission shaken and changed. When you
quickly and cleanly, avoid collateral return, you have zero stress.
damage
When your Shifts cause you trouble during a
Spirit is used to resist consequences with Mission, mark 1 XP or 2XP if it happens
personality and knowledge—the right multiple times. When you reach 4 Shifts, the
words, political leverage, fighting spirit, etc. next one will see you taken out of action for
It’s actions ratings are: good: work with your GM on how exactly.
× Sway: Talk someone into our out of
something, be confident and affecting, BEATS
leave a lasting impression Beats are a narrative currency gained
× Sync: Understand someone during Downtime. You may hold up to 3
empathetically, form a true emotional Beats, and spend them to:
connection, move in perfect harmony
× Discern: Pick up on hidden things, draw × Perform an additional activity during
logical conclusions, reference relevant Downtime, beyond the normal two.
information × Permanently ‘stash’ them, increasing
your odds of a good retirement
Part of a different Attribute depending on × Introduce an NPC contact once per
your playbook is Strive. You always have 3 session for one Beat per the below:
ranks in Strive—it’s your expertise, the thing ▪ You don’t owe them a favour
that sets you apart. ▪ They have a position of power or
influence
× Strive: Do something technical—show off ▪ They know something especially
your particular expertise, per-playbook useful about your current situation
▪ You are completely certain where
their loyalties lie

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HARM & FALLOUTS FACTIONS & CREWS
There are three kinds of harm in Factions are the major players and groups
CASE&SOUL: CASE, SOUL and STATION in your world, and Crews are the smaller
harm. Each has a 4-step track. ones—capable groups of people, just like
you. When a Faction needs something
CASE harm represents damage or done, they send a Crew to do it.
expenditure of a CASE and it’s resources (fuel,
ammo, etc), and STATION harm similarly Every Faction should have a goal that puts
represents your STATION and what it provides it in conflict with at least one other Faction.
being taxed (STATION harm to a Hacker
might be their online rep taking a hit, whereas Some Crews are unaffiliated, whilst others
STATION harm to a Soldier might be one of are closely tied to a specific Faction (see
their squad-mates getting injured). Each is Faction Budget, pg. 10). It’s up to your
taken by CASE playbooks and STATION group if your Crew is freelance or
playbooks respectively. SOUL harm, taken by employed: if you’re on a Faction’s payroll,
both, is damage to your physical person. take +1 Status with them, but doing jobs for
anyone else will very quickly get you in
When a harm tracker fills, you have a trouble.
choice: you can either temporarily lose that
thing for the rest of the Mission—your CASE STATUS
breaks down until it can be recovered and Status represents your relationship with a
fixed, you are denied the benefits of your Faction or a Crew. When you finish a
STATION in some way, or your SOUL Mission, adjust your Status with any other
becomes unconscious or incapacitated—or Crews involved by +1 or -1, depending on if
you can empty the track: your GM will give your encounter was broadly more positive
you a fallout instead. These can be cleared or negative on them.
with long-term projects.
Factions are large and broad, so Status
× Bound: One of your action ratings changes more slowly with them. When you
becomes bound. finish a Mission, adjust the Status clocks for
× Locked: One of your bound action the Factions involved by:
ratings becomes locked.
× Vulnerable: Reduce the maximum harm × +1 if you did this Mission for them
you can take in one of your tracks by 1. × -1 if this Mission targeted them
× Stressed: Reduce the maximum stress × +1 if you did something beyond your
you can take by 1. Mission requirements for them
× Busy: You can perform 1 less Downtime × -1 if you caused inexcusable harm or
activity. damage to their Crews or holdings
× Distracted: Your maximum Beats are × +1 if you achieved your goals in a way
reduced by 1. they particularly respect
× Wanted: Take +1 personal Heat. × -1 if you achieved your goals in a way
they dislike or disapprove of
BOUND & LOCKED ACTIONS
There are two ways in which your action Status clocks are 4-step, and always start at
ratings—the skills you use to affect the 2 ticks. When one empties, reduce your
world—can be restricted. If an action is Status with that Faction by 1. When one fills,
bound, you must push yourself to use it (and increase your Status by 1 instead. Either
you don’t gain the usual benefits). If an way, the clock is then reset to 2 ticks.
action is locked, you simply cannot use it at
all: success at that thing isn’t reasonably At -1/+1, the Faction/Crew will take
possible for you. opportunities to hurt/help you provided
they are fairly convenient or low-risk, and
ADVANCEMENT will expect the same from you.
Players earn XP as they play Missions,
struggling with their Shifts and solving At -2/+2, the Faction/Crew will take
problems in ways that exemplify their opportunities to hurt/help you as long as the
character. When you fill your 9-step XP seem worth the cost or risk, and will expect
track, you may choose to take: the same from you.

× An additional dot in any action rating, to At -3/+3, the Faction/Crew will take
a maximum of 3. opportunities to hurt/help you even if it’s not
× A new Move from the CASE/STATION or in their best interests to do so, and will
SOUL lists. expect the same from you.

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 CHARACTER CREATION CASE & SOUL
CASE&SOUL character creation follows a A C.A.S.E (Custom Armour for Standard
few simple steps, which are as follows: Engagements) is a mech: some kind of
large robot that you get into and pilot,
1) Choose a playbook from either the CASE or typically in order to wreak havoc.
STATION lists. Each provides you with a Strive
action, which starts with 3 dots in it, and A S.O.U.L (System Override for User Liaison) is
restricts you on other actions. you. You have a body, and a
2) If you picked a STATION playbook, work with consciousness, and it would probably be
your GM to figure out the details of it. If you rude of me to assume anything beyond that
picked a CASE playbook, design your CASE since I don’t know you.
with the rules over there →.
3) Decide on your past: what you were doing A CASE can work without a SOUL (AI
before the events of your game, and assign programming has seen to that) and a SOUL
two dots to action ratings based on it. can work without a CASE (after all, society
4) Decide on your future: what you aspire to functioned pretty well until we built robots),
do over the course of your game, and but at least where the CASE is concerned
assign two dots to action ratings based on it. they work better together.
5) Choose one move from whatever lists your
playbook has access to. If you’re playing a If you’re playing a playbook that starts with
one-shot, choose two instead. a CASE, follow the steps below to design it.
6) Finally, pick two things from the following list
to describe how you operate. At the end of Choose a Design:
a session, you’ll mark up to 2 XP if you solved
problems using them: × Assault: 5 Load, +slow
▪ agility, tenacity, negotiation, shrewdness, × Frontline: 4 Load
fear, ferocity, stealth, technical skill, × Recon: 2 Load, +fast
teamwork, trickery, compassion,
devastation, charm, performance, Load can be marked to choose Gear from
speed, intuition, wisdom, sacrifice, the CASE Gear list.
influence, chaos, heroism, tracking,
cruelty Choose an Armament:

× A fine melee weapon

YOUR CREW × A fine midrange weapon
Your group should pick a Crew type from × A fine long-range weapon
page 8. This outlines the kind of Missions you
want to do and gives you access to Crew- Your Armament is an iconic part of your
wide Moves that support them. Your Crew CASE. You are always assumed to have it or
starts at tier I. Additionally, at character to have access to it quickly.
creation, decide on one Crew that you
have recently hurt or offended, and one STATIONS
Crew that respects you. Take a -1 and +1
Status respectively with them. If you’re not playing a playbook that starts
with a CASE, you instead start with a
STATION. This is a position, literal or
BONDS metaphorical, that offers you access to
At any time, you may write down a bond certain benefits. A Captain, for example,
with another player character: a short has the Station of their ship’s helm and the
sentence describing something you think or command of its crew that comes as an
feel about them. You may have one bond extension. A Fixer has the Station of either
per character at a time. an Engineering Bay or a Medical Bay, with
the equipment and capabilities that come
When someone does something that either with those.
heavily reinforces a bond or causes you to
no longer think or feel that way for some Your STATION is inextricably linked to you: if it
reason, tick your counter for that character is ever removed from you, you either find an
and either keep, edit or remove the bond equivalent soon or swap playbooks as you
as appropriate. If you remove it, you may acquire a new, different one.
write a replacement whenever you desire.
For more details on STATION, see individual
When you reach three ticks with a playbooks.
character, mark 3 XP and they refill their
Beats to maximum. Then clear your ticks.

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 CASE PLAYBOOKS
All the below playbooks begin play with a CASE, as outlined on page 1.
Whenever you gain an Advance, choose a CASE or SOUL Move or add a dot to a single
action rating.
DOG OF WAR CASE MOVES
You Strive to hurt people, in or out of a Modular Design: Your CASE gains +2 Load.
CASE. Your Sync is locked: true
understanding is out of your reach. Devil’s Machine: Your CASE has its own
sentience and interests. It Strives to
Strive is part of the Skin Attribute for you. accomplish it’s goals and protect you from
others, but you may Sync to re-assert
ACE control.
You Strive to do battle inside a CASE.
Choose an action that is bound for you: Trick Weapon: Choose a second
Armament—you may push yourself to swap
× Blitz: You abhor putting innocents at risk. between them.
× Skulk: Your rep makes you stand out.
Flash: When you assist someone, they may
Strive is part of the Steel Attribute for you. use your Sync rating instead of the action
rating they were going to roll if it is higher.
TACTICIAN Hardwired: When you take SOUL harm you
You Strive to design and co-ordinate may apply 1 point of it to CASE instead, and
complex battle tactics. Choose an action vice versa.
that is bound for you:
Gooser: Take +1d when you attempt to kill a
× Rush: You leave the heroics to others. defenceless individual from the seat of your
× Access: You struggle to keep up with CASE.
modern technology.
Resourceful: You may destroy or lose a
Strive is part of the Spirit Attribute for you. piece of CASE Gear you have marked to
reduce any harm or stress you take by 1.
COMMANDER
You Strive to lead people through CASE Merge: You can combine your CASE
dangerous situations. Choose an action with one or more of your allies. Everyone in
that is bound for you: the merged CASE may only assist, protect,
set up or lead and participate in group
× Duel: You rely on your squad. actions, but you have increased position. If
× Sway: You’re commanding, but not anyone fills their CASE harm, the merge
likeable. must separate.

Strive is part of the Spirit Attribute for you. Mass Production: Your CASE is mass-
produced and easy to repair. Automatically
DATANAUT clear all CASE harm when you or someone
else spends a Downtime action to fix it.
You Strive to manipulate and hack CASES
from the seat of your own. Choose an Ghost: If you die inside your CASE, your spirit
action that is bound for you: lives on inside of it. Make a new character
and give them Devil’s Machine for free.
× Discern: You’re focused on the digital
world more than the real one. Optimiser: You may push yourself to do one
× Access: You’re familiar with CASE of the following: push a piece of Gear
software, but very little else. beyond it’s limits—resist any consequences
of this action for 1 stress
Strive is part of the Steel Attribute for you.
Sensitive: You feel the deaths of others
ORPHAN around you like pinpricks at your very being.
You Strive to protect those you care about, When you feel someone nearby or a lot of
in or out of a CASE. Your Sway is locked: people up-to a greater distance die, you
adults will die before they care about what may Sync or Sway with increased position
you think. and effect.

Strive is part of the Skin Attribute for you.

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 STATION PLAYBOOKS
Whenever you gain an Advance, choose a move from your STATION or a SOUL Move, or
add a dot to a single action rating.

DIPLOMAT DIPLOMAT STATION MOVES

You Strive to broker deals between people Size Them Up: After spending a short
and parties. Choose an action that is bound conversation with someone, you can
for you: instantly understand what they want out of
the current situation.
× Rush: You’re just not that athletic.
× Steady: You’re only good with stressful Smooth Over: When you assist someone
people. who is using Sway, they have increased
position and take +1d to resisting any
Your STATION is that of a key political actor consequences from their actions.
or otherwise influential figure, and you are
allowed into discussions most would not be Body Of Evidence: Take +1d to any action
privy to. You have an inside line to the rolls made during a flashback to gather
political workings of any faction or group evidence or convince someone to speak
not actively hostile towards you. alongside you. The first time each session
you do this, it costs 0 stress.
Strive is part of the Spirit Attribute for you.

DOCTOR DOCTOR STATION MOVES

You Strive to heal harm done to people. Bedside Manner: You may also Strive to set
Your Blitz is locked: you swore to heal, not people at ease and calm them down.
harm others.
Field Medic: You are easily identifiable as a
Your STATION is a physical medical bay, in a medic, and hostile combatants will respect
place that is convenient for you at the you as such. While treating wounds in the
outset of your story. It is well-stocked and field, reduce any STATION harm you take by
equipped with everything you would need 1.
for anything but the most niche and
experimental of procedures, and has ample Cyberdoc: You can work on a project
first-aid supplies to take with you on the during Downtime to ‘enhance’ willing
move. patients. It is an 8-step clock to do so, and
can be done only once per character.
Strive is part of the Skin Attribute for you. When you fill the clock, they may take an
advancement.

ENGINEER ENGINEER STATION MOVES

You Strive to build and repair CASEs. Routine Maintenance: If you repair a CASE
Choose an action that is bound for you: during Downtime that’s already at 0 harm,
it’s maximum is temporarily increased by 1
× Access: You’re more of a hardware for the next mission.
person than software.
× Blitz: You live to build things, not tear It’s A Prototype: When you declare a
them apart. flashback to have made a temporary
addition or upgrade to a CASE, you may
Your STATION is an engineering bay or add additional Gear to it at the cost of 1
workshop, in a place that is convenient for stress per Gear.
you at the outset of the story. It has a wide
arrangement of tools and part fabricators, The Weakest Part: Your knowledge of CASE
suitable for working on all but the most design lets you identify their weak spots. You
strange or uncommon CASEs. may Strive as a set up action during
combat.
Strive is part of the Steel Attribute for you.

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SOLDIER SOLDIER STATION MOVES
You Strive to fight and kill on foot. Choose New Recruits: Choose two more specialists
an action that is bound for you: for your squad from the list on your STATION.

× Discern: You dive foolishly into danger. Quickdraw: When the question ‘who acts
× Sync: You make a living of violence, and first’ is asked, the answer is always you, even
struggle to connect to others. if you’d rather have waited actually.

Your STATION is with a squad at your back: Covert Ops: When you gather info
around 4 other soldiers, who can be somewhere you’re not welcome, take +1d.
counted to take your side and be in your You start Missions in a Controlled position,
corner no matter what. Most are just regardless of the outcome of the
riflemen, but among them are (choose 2); engagement roll.

× A radio/comms operator
× A heavy gunner
× A medic
× A designated marksman
× A demolitions expert

Strive is part of the Skin Attribute for you.

IDOL IDOL STATION MOVES
You Strive to perform, entertain and inspire Voice Of The People: You may push yourself
others. Choose an action that is bound for to do one of the following: rally an
you: audience around a simple concept or
ideal—take the floor somewhere you have
× Steady: Off the stage, you’re a bundle of no authority
nerves.
× Skulk: Your face is on every network and Clout: People are SO ready to do things for
everything you wear is designer-name. you. You may mark 1 STATION harm to take
+1d to a Downtime activity.
Your STATION is every empty stage and
venue that has an ounce of sense. People Parade of Arms: Create a CASE you are
love your work and will flock to your shows: trained to pilot. You gain a CASE harm track
there isn’t a room in the world that doesn’t as usual, but all your harm tracks become 3-
have one of your fans in it. step, rather than 4.

Strive is part of the Spirit Attribute for you.

HACKER HACKER STATION MOVES

You Strive to access and subvert electronic Cyberdeck: You’ve built a portable hacking
systems. Your Duel is locked: you’re good at rig, about the size of a computer keyboard,
cracking software, not heads. that allows you to hack on the go. You are
considered to have access to all the power
Your STATION is a spiderweb of computers of your STATION even when you leave it,
cluttered with junk and program diskettes though electrical interference or a lack of
and god-knows-what else, in a place that is signal might separate you.
convenient for you at the outset of your
story. It has the processing power for just Networking: You may introduce an NPC
about anything you could try to run or more than once per session, and you
compile. always give them one extra feature.

Strive is part of the Steel Attribute for you. Extremely Online: When you gather info via
online communities or subcultures, take +1d.
You can understand and translate any kind
of slang, cipher or coded speech from such
places.

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AGENT AGENT STATION MOVES
You Strive to pose as others and do things Duplicate: You don’t need to declare
stealthily. Choose an action that is bound where you are at the start of the mission.
for you: Instead, you can declare an NPC that is
shown to the other players is actually you in
× Sway: Out of character, you’re a lot less disguise. Start a 4-step clock, titled ‘The Real
convincing. One Shows Up’.
× Rush: You rely on subterfuge, not speed.
Cache Prize: All your Gear is considered
Your STATION is where you are least either easily concealable or conveniently
expected: hidden in every shadow, looking stashed on-site. You may mark Load for
down from any vantage, and wearing any Gear even if an earlier pat-down or security
uniform. You may declare any place to be check definitely would have discovered it.
at the start of a Mission, and may expend a
Beat to be somewhere or someone new. Notorious: You may take +1 personal Heat
in order to take +1d on any roll.
Strive is part of the Skin Attribute for you.

CAPTAIN CAPTAIN STATION MOVES

You Strive to direct your crew and any ships Underlings: When you spend Beats to
under your command. Choose an action introduce an NPC contact, you may
that is bound for you: declare that they are part of your STATION’s
crew if it makes sense.
× Sync: You’re a relic of the past, literally or
ideologically. Ramming Speed: You may inflict 4 harm to
× Duel: You’re a leader, not a fighter. your STATION to crash it into something,
destroying it, regardless of what it was.
Your STATION is the command deck of a
large spaceship or vessel of some kind. You Heroic Speech: You may expend 2 stress to
know every member of it’s crew, and it is give an inspiring speech: all other players
their duty to follow your orders. have their next stress expenditure reduced
to 0.
Strive is part of the Spirit Attribute for you.

TANKER TANKER STATION MOVES

You Strive to work with your crew to operate Expert Manoeuvres: You may push yourself
a vehicle. Choose an action that is bound to do one of the following: move through a
for you: crossfire safe and sound—find the exact
firing angle you need
× Access: You work with a very particular
piece of hardware: you’re behind on Clown Car: Your STATION always has room
everything else. to carry passengers, regardless of how
× Sway: You’re dirty, angry, and more in many there are, unless it seems truly absurd.
tune with your tank than anything else.
Field Repairs: You may spend a Beat to
Your STATION is a tank, APC, or some other remove 1 STATION harm any time you and
crewed vehicle. It can go toe to toe with a your crew have a few minutes of safety.
CASE (treat it as a Recon CASE with either a
fine midrange weapon or a fine longrange
weapon), but is small and fairly nimble.

Strive is part of the Steel Attribute for you.

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SOUL MOVES Notable Style: There is something
Driven: You may expend a Beat to push particularly memorable about your
yourself when you Strive, or resist a appearance or aesthetic. This makes it
consequence suffered when doing so. tough for you to hide—Skulk with lowered
position from now on—but your memorable
Helpful: You may expend a Beat to assist style might make you especially popular
someone, you may give them increased with certain crowds, offer benefits in
position or increased effect also. situations that make sense, or simply add to
your fame and mystique.
What’s Gonna Work?: You may expend a
Beat to ignore any stress acquired from Ready For Anything: Through strength,
failures when leading a group action. concealed pockets or careful packing your
load limits are all increased by 2 (light 5,
Breakthrough: If your playbook starts with a normal 7, heavy 8).
locked action, it is now bound instead. If
your playbook starts with a bound action, it Specialist: Choose a Mission Plan. Whenever
is no longer bound. you gather info on the detail for that Plan,
take +1d. Additionally, take +1d to any
Even The Odds: You may push yourself to engagement rolls using that Plan.
do one of the following: ignore a
disadvantage in tier or numbers—attempt Inured: Through whatever means, you’ve
something nigh-unbelievable become more used to high-pressure
situations. Your maximum stress is increased
Tenacious: You recover from harm quickly. by 1 (to 10).
Whenever you enter Downtime, heal 2 SOUL
harm. Familiar: You have a small robot or pet that
follows you around and helps you with tasks.
Bodyguard: When you protect someone Select 2 Load’s worth of Gear that it either
else, take +1d to your resistance roll. You carries or replicates the function of in some
may spend a Beat to anticipate any hidden way.
threats in the current situation.
Unstoppable: When you have a bound
Reckless: You may substitute points of harm action rating (e.g. from the Bound fallout)
for stress, 1-1. and push yourself to use it, you still may still
take +1d or increased effect.
Screentime: You may stockpile an
additional Beat, up to a total of 4. Leashed: You have something you excel at
but hold back from. Make one of your
Starring Role: You may expend a Beat to actions bound. Whenever you push yourself
succeed as per a 4/5 Desperate/Standard to use it, take both +1d and increased
result, no action roll required. effect.

Hobbyist: During Downtime you get two Experienced: You may spend upto your
ticks to distribute between long-term total Shifts in stress and/or Beats to roll that
project clocks as you choose. many dice instead of your dots in an action
rating.
Multitalented: Choose another playbook’s
Strive. You may push yourself to use it. Second Skin: You have another identity—
either online, in physical space, or both—
Connected: Reduce your total Beat cost for that you use for certain purposes. Treat it as
introducing an NPC by 1, to a minimum of 0. a STATION, with STATION harm representing
the connection between your identities
Cool & Collected: When you cool off during being exposed.
Downtime, you may adjust the dice
outcome by 1 or 2 (up or down). Any allies Spotlight: For very 3 Beats you spend, clear
who join you may do the same. 2 stress.

Ghost Parade: You may Sync to Lying In Wait: When you take someone by
communicate with the recently deceased. surprise or ambush them, take +1d to your
You may push yourself to contact those action roll.
who died longer ago.

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 CREW TYPES
At character creation, everyone chooses what type their Crew is. This offers some moves
and other benefits, but most importantly positions you fictionally as people who do a certain
kind of work.
ASSAULT FORCE ASSAULT FORCE MOVES
You shoot first and let someone else ask Reinforced: Choose another upgrade from
questions to the rubble you leave behind. the list on the left, or gain a new cohort.
Choose 1 of the following upgrades:
Secure Location: When your Crew is at war
× Combat Rigging (2 free Load of (-3) with another, you still get two Downtime
weapons or equipment) actions instead of one.
× Priority Treatment (Everyone removes 1
CASE or STATION harm at the start of Training Sims: The first time you train each
Downtime) Downtime, mark 2 XP instead of 1.
× An elite Troopers cohort
× An elite Scouts cohort Dynamic Entry: If you begin a Mission in an
obvious, violent way, everyone takes +1d to
Mark Crew XP when you defeat a Crew of their first roll each.
your tier or above in a battle. When you fill
the Crew XP track, you may choose a move. Violent Potential: You may increase your
Reinforced can be taken multiple times. Strive, Blitz, Duel and Rush actions to 4 dots
maximum, instead of the usual 3.

INFILTRATORS INFILTRATORS MOVES

You work tactically, digging up info and Reinforced: Choose another upgrade from
retrieving targets for your employers. the list on the left, or gain a new cohort.
Choose 1 of the following upgrades:
Cleanup: Roll twice for entanglements and
× Hidden Gear (1 piece of Gear is take the result you prefer.
concealed and costs no Load)
× Priority Treatment (Everyone removes 1 Planning Montage: Crew members may
CASE or STATION harm at the start of expend a Beat to add +1d to the
Downtime) engagement roll.
× Datavaults (near-impossible to detect,
unhackable, high storage capacity) Covert Suppliers: When you acquire assets
× An elite Spy cohort to secure cover identities, disguises, etc,
treat your Crew’s tier as 1 higher.
Mark Crew XP when you steal something
important from a Crew of your tier or above. Lurking Potential: You may increase your
When you fill the Crew XP track, you may Strive, Skulk, Steady and Access actions to
choose a move. Reinforced can be taken 4 dots maximum, instead of the usual 3.
multiple times.
VANGUARD VANGUARD MOVES
You head into dangerous and new Reinforced: Choose another upgrade from
situations first to find out what’s going on. the list on the left, or gain a new cohort.
Choose 1 of the following upgrades:
Adaptive: You never take more than -1d
× Survival Rigging (2 free Load of tools, total from disadvantages to your
equipment, or kits) engagement roll.
× Priority Treatment (Everyone removes 1
CASE or STATION harm at the start of Analytical: Crew members gain +1d to
Downtime) gather info when encountering something
× Environment Mods (adapts clothes and important for the first time.
equipment for harsh environments)
× An elite Scouts cohort Solidarity: When you perform a group
action, you may count multiple 6’s from
Mark Crew XP when you delve into the different rolls as a crit.
unknown, deal with trouble of your tier or
above, and return safely. When you fill the Diverse Potential: You may increase your
Crew XP track, you may choose a move. Strive, Sway, Sync and Discern actions to 4
Reinforced can be taken multiple times. dots maximum, instead of the usual 3.

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 COHORTS
A cohort is a squad or expert who supports your Crew. Your Crew may acquire a cohort
through their Crew Upgrades, or through the Reinforced move (Reinforced can be taken
multiple times).
SQUADS Flaws:
Squads have a relative size and tier equal
to your Crew’s tier, and a type that × Cowardly: The cohort is weak-willed and
determines their skills: will back down from fearsome situations.
× Messy: The cohort has a habit of causing
× Scouts (explore and find information) unnecessary harm or damage.
× Troopers (skirmish and assault a position) × Principled: The cohort has rules or a code
× Spies (infiltrate and undermine) of conduct they are very unlikely to
× Envoys (ingratiate and negotiate) break.
× Fixers (fix and repair) × Unreliable: The cohort is sometimes
unavailable, due to other obligations,
Elite squads roll +1d when acting in line with low operational up-time, etc.
their type—i.e, when Troopers fight for you. × Braggarts: The cohort often talks about
their exploits and yours.
EXPERTS You may add additional edges or one
Experts are individuals that have tier equal additional type to a cohort by undergoing
to your Crew’s tier+1, and a type that a Mission or by taking the Reinforced move.
determines what they do: diplomat,
assassin, engineer, etc. USING COHORTS
When you direct a cohort to do something
EDGES & FLAWS for you, roll their tier. Alternatively, a player
When you create a cohort, give them 1/2 can lead them in a group action to guide
edges and an equal amount of flaws. them more closely, using whatever action
seems more appropriate. If a cohort must
Edges: act against something of higher tier (or if an
expert is acting while outnumbered) this
× Loyal: The cohort won’t be made to act may affect their position and effect.
against you through bribery etc.
× Professional: The cohort can be trusted COHORT HARM
to act cleanly and carefully always.
× Jaded: The cohort is experienced in the Cohorts can be affected by the
horrors of war and do not scare easily. consequences of their actions as usual,
× Well-equipped: The cohort has including harm.
equipment for various unexpected
situations and problems. Cohorts have a 4-step harm track. When it
× Independent: The cohort can be trusted fills, they either fall back to recover (leaving
to make smart decisions and act without the Mission), or continue at their own
direct orders towards your interests. expense. When they do so, remove one of
their edges or give them a new flaw until
you restore them by taking the ready up
Downtime activity.

ENTANGLEMENTS
After a Mission payoff, roll a single d6 and add your Status with whatever Faction it targeted.
× <1—Wanted: The Faction makes it clear by -3. If your Status is negative and you
to it’s Crews that you’re bad news. The help, adjust their Status clock by +3.
Crew takes +1 Heat. × 4—Skirmish: A hostile Crew catches you
× 1—Spent: It turns out the Mission was in a small battle. Everyone spends 1 Beat
costly in unexpected ways: lose a Crew and takes 1 harm unless they resist it.
Upgrade or Move until you spend a × 5—Let Loose: Your employers treat you to
Downtime activity to restore it. some R&R: everyone gains 1 Beat.
× 2—Weird: Sometime weird or bizarre × 6—Debrief: You get extra intel on the
happens to your Crew. Hire someone to Mission’s results: everyone marks 1XP.
fix it, or deal with it yourselves. × >6—Windfall: Extra resources are sent
× 3—Pressured: A Faction leans on you for your way. Everyone maxes out their
important help. If your Status is positive Beats.
and you refuse, adjust their Status clock

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 MISSIONS, LOAD & ENGAGEMENT
When the Crew heads out on a Mission, choose a plan and provide a detail. Everyone
should also declare their Load. Then, roll for your engagement.
MISSION PLANS FLASHBACKS
When your Crew heads out on a Mission, During a Mission, you can establish a
you should choose your plan from below to flashback to have done something earlier in
outline what your engagement looks like. the fiction, rolling an action rating if there’s
Each has a detail you must provide. difficulty or danger involved.
Assault: vulnerability Stealth: entry point Activating a flashback has a stress cost,
Deception: method Social: connection based on how complex it is:
Transport: route Negotiation: leverage
× 0 stress for something easy or that you
LOAD had a great opportunity for
Everyone should choose their Load limit: × 1 stress for something more complex or
either light (3), normal (5) or heavy (6). A riskier to pull off
light load allows you to move quickly and × 2+ stress for something with multiple
quietly when it matters, while a heavy might steps, a lot of danger or very precise
hinder you in a tough moment. circumstances
Rather than declaring what equipment you If a flashback involves a Downtime activity,
have at the start of a Mission, you mark spend a Beat instead of stress. Flashbacks
Load during it to declare Gear from the lists aren’t time travel—they can’t change
on your character sheet. Most of these events that have already occurred, or facts
items have a use that can be interpreted by that have already been established: but
your group, but Armour specifically can be they could lead you to re-interpret them.
used to resist physical consequences, like
harm etc, and fine Gear is treated as one PAYOUT
tier higher (giving you increased effect
against obstacles of the same tier as you, or Upon Mission completion, you receive your
letting you contend on equal footing with payout. Everyone receives a Beat—if their
higher tier obstacles). Beats are already maxed, it must be spent
during the next Downtime—and marks 2 XP.
ENGAGEMENT ROLLS The Crew then changes their Status with
When you’re ready to cut to the action, it’s involved parties (see Status, pg. 2), and rolls
time for the engagement roll. The outcome their entanglement (see pg. 10).
of this determines what position everyone is
once they reach the first ‘obstacle’ of the THE SHAKEUP
Mission, but you can fill in the time before
with flashbacks. Aside, the GM will check for shakeups. If the
results of the Mission left you with any
This is a fortune roll, starting with +1d for mismatched Crew and Faction Status
good luck. You then take +1d for any major levels(e.g if you have a positive Status with
advantages: if your plan is bold and daring, a Crew but a negative Status with their
if it hits your target where they’re weakest, if Faction), roll a d6 for each one.
you’re getting assistance or your tier is
higher than your target, etc. On a 1-3, nothing happens.

Then, take -1d for any major disadvantages: On a 4/5, the Faction requests a show of
if your plan is overly complex, if your target loyalty from the Crew: they’ll either quit the
is expecting you or is well-defended against Faction, or show up to assist/attack you as
this kind of plan, if someone is interfering, if appropriate. If they quit the Faction, they
your target is higher tier than you, etc. become freelance. They might expect
assistance (or revenge for their new
The result of this roll determines your position unemployment) from you as appropriate.
as you hit the Mission’s first obstacle: 1-3
puts you in a desperate position, 4/5 puts On a 6, the Crew convinces the Faction to
you in a risky position, and 6 puts you in a see things their way. Adjust your Status with
controlled position. A crit lets you overcome the Faction 1 closer to the Crew’s. On a crit,
the first obstacle entirely, and puts you at a set the Faction’s Status to the Crew’s as
controlled position for the next. they oust key members of the Faction and
swap tiers with the Faction’s highest-tier
Crew if they aren’t already it.

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 DOWNTIME
When the cast enters Downtime, everyone may freely perform two downtime activities, listed
below. You may spend Beats to perform additional activities, 1 per activity. Additionally, you
may spend a Beat to raise your result by one step (from a 1-3 to a 4/5, etc).
DO YOUR THING COOL OFF
You step off-screen to do what you do best You cool off, doing whatever you do to
for a while. Restore 1 Beat, then make an relieve stress. Roll dice equal to your lowest
action roll with Strive, with the result attribute, and clear stress equal to the
indicating how many extra Beats you highest result. If you cool off with others, you
restore: 1-3 (0), 4/5 (1), 6 (2), crit (3). all roll +1d per additional person.

REPAIR & RECUPERATE If your best die is a 1 or a 6, you do

You patch something up, see to someone’s something revealing and news gets around:
wounds, lay low until heat passes, etc. figure out what it is, and then everyone else
may update their Bond with you, ticking
Remove 1 harm from a CASE, STATION or their track as usual.
SOUL track. Then, make a roll using an
action rating of your choice to see if you ACQUIRE ASSET
remove more: 1-3 (0), 4/5 (1), 6 (2), crit(4). You temporarily acquire gear, equipment or
some other resource for the next Mission.
WORK ON A PROJECT
You work away on a long-term project Make a roll using whatever action rating
clock, through whatever means you use to get the stuff. Your result
appropriate. Fallouts are a 6-step clock. determines the tier, and your GM might
require a certain tier for some assets: 1-3
Add one tick to the clock, then make a roll (-1), 4/5 (+0), 6 (+1), crit(+2).
using an action rating of your choice to see
if you progress it further: 1-3 (0), 4/5 (1), 6 READY UP
(2), crit(4). Restore a lost edge to or remove an extra
flaw from a cohort, and/or mark 1 XP.

FACTION, CREW & GEAR TIER

TIER COMPARING TIER
Tier is a loose estimation of a things quality, When making an action roll, you should
strength, capabilities and so on when compare the relative tier of yourself (or a
compared against other things in it’s key piece of equipment you’re using) and
category. A tier 3 Faction is more powerful that of what you’re rolling ‘against’. If it has
and capable than a tier 1 Faction, a tier 3 a higher tier than you, take reduced effect.
gun is far more dangerous than a tier 1 gun, If it has a lower tier than you, take increased
etc. When you mark Load to take Gear, effect instead.
that Gear is the same tier as your Crew.
At the group’s discretion, obstacles might
When acquiring assets, the tier of what you be lower or higher tier than the Crew that
acquire is based on your Crew’s tier: though presents them. The lock to a Crew’s super
depending on your roll it may end up lower. secret lab where they keep dangerous
weapons might be higher tier! The lock to
FACTION BUDGET the bathroom might be lower, though.
Similarly, not everything owned by a Faction
is the same tier as it: some of it’s Crews will ADVANCING CREW TIER
be lower tier. A Faction may possess, in Your Crew starts at tier 1. Increasing your
total: Crew’s tier requires two things: hard work
(spending 3 Beats per player towards it)
× 1 Crew of equal tier and financial backing.
× 2 Crews of -1 tier
× 3 Crews of -2 tier Backing must be acquired by convincing a
Faction you’re worth it, typically by doing
Crews cannot be lower than tier 1, which is Missions for them. When you go up in tier,
to say that a tier 1 Faction has only a single though, someone else has to come down
tier 1 Crew (and a tier 2 Faction has a tier 2 to make room: and they might not be
Crew and two tier 2 Crews, etc). happy about it.

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 THE FUTURE
When the game is over and the crew splits (whether by choice or by force), you’ll figure out
what your character’s future looks like based on their stashed Beats and their personal/crew
Heat. Take a standard 52-card deck and shuffle it.

Each player draws cards equal to their stashed Beats, then discards an amount equal to
their personal/crew Heat. They then reveal their remaining cards to the other players one by
one, narrating their character’s future based on what cards they have:

• Diamonds broadly represent financial security and material posessions. Lower value cards
represent debt and expenditutre, whereas higher value cards might represent a large
windfall or an impressive new belonging.

• Clubs broadly represent social stature and your place in society. Lower value cards
represent bad reputations and a lacking station, whereas higher value cards might
represent taking up a respected office or becoming a celebrity.

• Hearts broadly represent your luck in love and relationships. Lower value cards might
represent spurned affections or broken bonds, whereas higher value cards might
represent a whirlwind romance or strong family ties.

• Spades broadly represent your future with violence and conflict. Lower value cards might
represent getting stuck in terrible battles or getting caught for desertion, whereas higher
value cards might represent heroic victories or escaping from the conflict for good.
For each, face cards represent big, bold twists of fate. When you reveal a Jack, a Queen or
a King, feel free to narrate a momentous occasion in your character’s future: the kinds of
thing that change lives and spread their name far and wide. When you reveal a Joker, do
the same, but for something terrible instead.

ONE-SHOTS
If you’re playing a one-shot rather than a campaign, feel free to utterly disregard all the
Faction-related rules, and assign tier to things in whatever way feels situationally appropriate
instead. The bathroom lock probably isn’t higher tier than you, etc etc.

Also, for a one-shot, players all start with two moves instead of one, for a little extra oomph.

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INFLUENCES
As a Forged In The Dark game, CASE&SOUL is naturally heavily inspired by Blades in the Dark.
I have so much fun working with the foundation you built, John. Thanks a bunch.

Bound & Locked actions are developed out of my other FITD game The Brightest Things We
Know’s blights, if you’re interested in the lineage of that idea.

Fallouts are inspired by the Spire: The City Must Fall (by Grant Howitt & Christopher Taylor)
mechanic of the same name.

As with my other games in the mecha genre, influences include: Mobile Suit Gundam
(broadly), Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Armour Trooper VOTOMS, Armour Hunter
Mellowlink, and Friends At The Table’s COUNTER/Weight season.

Other design and thematic influences include: The Sprawl (by Hamish Cameron), Beam
Saber (by Austin Ramsay) and my time spent playing Shadowrun 5E some years ago. Y’all
ever play Shadowrun? Man, there’s some stuff in there.

COPYRIGHT
CASE&SOUL is written and designed by Briar Sovereign.

Fonts used in this document are Reem Kufi and Century Gothic.

This work is based on Blades in the Dark (found at http://www.bladesinthedark.com/),

product of One Seven Design, developed and authored by John Harper, and licensed for
our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Blades in the Dark™ is a trademark of One Seven Design. The Forged in the Dark Logo is ©
One Seven Design, and is used with permission.

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