TEXT: LO-FI SCI-FI RPG • JASON TOCCI
  FIRST CONTACT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.
  We couldn’t agree whether to send soldiers,
  explorers, or diplomats, so the crew of the Eos
  is expected to be all three. You go wherever Sol
  Command sends you, but your priorities are clear:
  Protect humanity unto the ends of the galaxy,
  make nice with the Council of Worlds, and prove
  our worth to the interstellar community.
  ►An alien who looks like…
  1
  Arachnids or insects
  2
  Avians
  3
  Canines or felines
  4
  Cephalopods
  5
  Cetaceans
  6
  Crustaceans
  7
  Fish
  8
  Flatworms
  9
  Frogs or newts
  10
  Humans, mostly
  11
  Lizards
  12
  Mollusks
  13
  Pachyderms
  14
  Plants
  15
  Rocks
  16
  Rodents
  17
  Ruminants
  18
  Skeletons
  19
  Slime molds
  20
  Tardigrades
  Is naturally able to…
  1
  Bite through bone
  2
  Burrow quickly
  3
  Camouﬂage
  4
  Climb quickly
  5
  Echolocate
  6
  Exert great strength
  7
  Exude noxious gas
  8
  Fly or glide
  9
  Heighten fear/anger
  10
  Inherit memories
  11
  Mimic sounds
  12
  Move very fast
  13
  Read minds
  14
  Regrow limbs
  15
  Relive memories
  16
  Shock by touch
  17
  Spray caustic ﬂuid
  18
  Stretch & squeeze
  19
  Survive a vacuum
  20
  Use telekinesis
  But can’t…
  1
  Be in direct sunlight
  2
  Be in crowds
  3
  Breathe air
  4
  Eat “dead” things
  5
  Empathize
  6
  Escape stigma
  7
  Get too wet
  8
  Heal from burns
  9
  Hold grudges
  10
  Live many years
  11
  Move if surprised
  12
  Read without touch
  13
  Resist eating
  14
  Resist infection
  15 “See” if it’s noisy
  16 “Speak” to aliens
  17
  Survive in high-G
  18
  Tell humans apart
  19
  Use electronics
  20
  Willingly do harm
  And the one you meet…
  1
  Begs for credits
  2
  Brokers information
  3
  Cares for young
  4
  Cleans a station
  5
  Crews a freighter
  6
  Deals drugs
  7
  Does research
  8
  Entertains crowds
  9
  Fences goods
  10
  Fights for credits
  11
  Grows crops
  12
  Helps refugees
  13
  Herds beasts
  14
  Is a banker/lender
  15
  Leads combatants
  16
  Lobbies the Council
  17
  Maintains a temple
  18
  Practices medicine
  19
  Surveys planets
  20
  Trades goods
  ►Missions (and twists)
  1
  Claim Xenolith artifact that unlocks psi power
  (dangerous; Council agents here to destroy it)
  2
  Capture and interrogate suspected terrorists
  (claim to be from future, here to avert crisis)
  3
  Investigate abandoned colony plagued by
  swarms (swarms are — were? — the colonists)
  4
  Make ﬁrst contact with peaceful world of AI &
  humanoids (made by AI after killing creators)
  5
  Mediate alien peace talks (one side, a power-
  ful ally of humanity, is hiding grave misdeeds)
  6
  Mercs seize space station while you’re there
  on leave (hired by enemies, looking for you)
  7
  Oﬀer guns, training to aliens facing xenocide
  (most will die if you follow orders not to ﬁght)
  8
  Save colony from planetoid collision (people
  refuse to leave, and that’s no planetoid)
  9
  Stop aliens attacking human colony (which
  hid that it illegally colonized inhabited world)
  10
  Track down Kaz, rogue Council agent (acting
  to avert bizarre threat the Council dismisses)
  ►Astronomical objects
  1
  The Block, high-tech station drifting in space
  to avoid laws against for-proﬁt prisons
  2
  COI-4711.03, disputed colony prospect, but
  hungry megafauna threaten all equally
  3
  Delﬁno, dramatic tides recede kilometers for
  years, revealing hidden alien ruins
  4
  The Dragon, 2,000-km-long body of a face-
  less, frozen reptile in space; actively studied
  5
  Gree, diverse agrarian colony run by tree-folk
  who plant selves oﬀworld to reproduce
  6
  Juq’xi, gas giant, 8 moons, each hosting a
  diﬀerent faction of religious civil war
  7
  Market, station run by aliens who only inter-
  act via robots directed by shareholder vote
  8
  Octogesimus, discharges from abandoned
  terraforming project mess with tech
  9
  The Sphere, believed to be a planetoid-sized
  supercomputer, possible “virtual” inhabitants
  10
  Yahaz-3, low-gravity moon, “Bouncy House”
  habitats, popular family tourist destination
  Version 1.2. Art CC BY BEEPLE. More 2400 at jasontocci.itch.io/2400
  
  CHARACTERS
  TALENTS
  DETAILS
  PLAY: Players describe what their characters do.
  The GM advises when their action is impossible,
  requires extra steps, demands a cost, or presents
  a risk. Players only roll to avoid risks.
  ROLLING: Roll a d6 skill die — higher if skilled, or
  d4 if hindered by injury, circumstances, or carry-
  ing over 1 bulky item. If helped by circumstances,
  also roll a d6; if helped by an ally, they roll their
  skill die and share the risk. Take the highest die.
  1–2 Disaster. Suﬀer the full risk. GM decides if
  you succeed at all. If risking death, you die.
  3–4 Setback. A lesser consequence or partial
  success. If risking death, you’re maimed.
  5+
  Success. The higher the roll, the better.
  If success can’t get you what you want (you make
  the shot, but there’s a holo-shield!), you’ll at least
  get useful info or set up an advantage.
  ADVANCEMENT: After a mission, get 1 credit (₡)
  and either raise 1 skill (none➡d8➡d10➡d12),
  or choose a talent related to your skills (e.g.,
  Electronics and Engines relate to Jury Rigging).
  BONDS: Between missions, play out a scene with
  a crewmate to increase your bond die with them
  (none➡d4➡d6➡d8➡d10➡d12). Use when
  you help each other, by action or inspiration.
  DEFENSE: Break an item to turn a hit into a brief
  hindrance. Broken gear is useless until repaired.
  HARM: Injuries heal gradually, and faster in your
  ship’s med bay. If killed, make a new character to
  be introduced ASAP. Favor inclusion over realism.
  MODERATING: Lead group in setting lines not to
  cross in play. Fast-forward, pause, or rewind/redo
  for pacing and safety; invite players to do like-
  wise. Present dilemmas you don’t know how to
  solve. Move spotlight to give all time to shine. Test
  periodically for bad luck (e.g., run into hostiles) —
  roll d6 for (1–2) trouble now or (3–4) signs of
  trouble. Oﬀer rulings to cover gaps in rules; on a
  break, revise unsatisfying rulings as a group.
  NAME
  1
  Abara
  2
  Biggs
  3
  Chavez
  4
  Denton
  5
  Eno
  6
  Foster
  7
  Gibbs
  8
  Im
  9
  Jin
  10
  Kemp
  11
  Lowry
  12
  Mori
  13
  Novak
  14
  Ono
  15
  Pace
  16
  Ryan
  17
  Sachs
  18
  Tsang
  19
  Wade
  20
  Zoric
  1
  Aliens know of you
  2
  Bold peacekeeper
  3
  Crewmate’s mentor
  4
  Crewmate’s spouse
  5
  Grim determination
  6
  Idealistic defector
  7
  Infamous penitent
  8
  Inﬂuential family
  9
  Justlucky,youguess
  10
  Legendary mentor
  11
  Made ﬁrst contact
  12
  Noted scholar
  13
  Pioneering settler
  14
  Powerful friends
  15
  Promising rookie
  16
  Retired expert
  17
  War hero
  18
  Young prodigy
  19 “The best,” once
  20
  Xenolith-touched
  WHY YOU WERE PICKED FOR THIS
  ►Invent or roll for personal details.
  ►Take 1 bond below, or with a player’s character.
  RULES
  ►Choose 1 as prompted by your specialty.
  COMBAT TALENTS
  ❏ Close Protection: When you help someone, on
  a 1–4, you can take all consequences alone.
  ❏ Martial Arts: Follow any 3+ hand-to-hand roll
  with a grab, disarm, throw, trip, or the like.
  ❏ Sharpshooting: Fire trick shots or at multiple
  targets as easily as others pull a trigger.
  ESPIONAGE TALENTS
  ❏ Blending In: Be eﬀectively invisible in crowds,
  darkness, and ductwork, no roll needed.
  ❏ Intrusion: When bypassing security, treat
  disasters as setbacks, setbacks as success.
  ❏ Filching: Pickpocket or palm a small object in
  plain view, no roll needed.
  TECHNOLOGY TALENTS
  ❏ Holography: Scan something to project it as an
  illusion from your holo-tool or mini drone.
  ❏ Jury Rigging: Make a broken item work just
  one more time before it’s properly repaired.
  ❏ Sabotage: Use Electronics to attack remotely
  using targets’ own gear (e.g., guns backﬁre,
  holo-shields overload, drones go berserk).
  INFLUENCE TALENTS
  ❏ Leadership: Give orders or a speech to allow
  allies to include your Inspiration die in a roll.
  You don’t share any risk on that roll.
  ❏ Reputation: Ask the group what heroic or grim
  deed you’re nicknamed for. This may help,
  hinder, or avoid risk in interactions.
  ❏ Sincerity: People may or may not believe
  you’re right, but always believe you’re honest.
  PSI TALENTS
  ❏ Barrier: You have psychic protection against
  physical or mental assault; break as defense.
  ❏ Nosebleed: Accept or worsen a hindrance to
  amplify eﬀects of a psychic skill roll.
  ❏ Hold: Concentrate to hold 1 target in place
  with Telepathy or Telekinesis, no roll needed.
  CREWMATES
  1
  Rayan Al-Ghazzawi, engineer, warm, but
  seems to always be tinkering with engines
  2
  Jae Dixon, telekinetic gunnery sgt, acts like
  a hardass, but like a big brother to rookies
  3
  Kiran Gadhavi, executive oﬃcer, very with-it
  with work, ﬂustered in social situations
  4
  Alex Johannsson, big-hearted trooper, has
  been known to shout “Damn the regs!”
  5
  Nic Kasabian, rookie trooper, won’t shut up
  about “the Xenolith conspiracy”
  6
  Dr. Desta Mwangi, brilliant physician, decent
  xenobiologist, huge nerd, loves old movies
  7
  Capt. Rin Oshiro, no-nonsense but not cold,
  widowed, son serves on another ship
  8
  João Vargas, communications oﬃcer, gentle,
  often sought for thoughtful personal advice
  9
  Dany Wright, stealth & recon specialist, easy
  smile, tired eyes, drinks alone
  10
  Kelly Wu, scrappy pilot, calls the Eos “her
  girl” (“but don’t be jealous,” if she likes you)
  ►Choose your character’s specialty.
  COMMANDER: Skilled in Inspiration (d8), Intimi-
  dation (d8). Start with an Inﬂuence talent.
  PSIONIC: Skilled in Telepathy (d8, sense surface
  thoughts), Telekinesis (d8, as strong as your
  arms), or pick one at d10. Start with a Psi talent.
  SOLDIER: Skilled in Shooting (d8), Hand-to-hand
  (d8). Start with a Combat talent.
  SPY: Skilled in Stealth (d8) and Climbing (d8).
  Start with an Espionage talent.
  TECHNICIAN: Skilled in Electronics (d8), Hacking
  (d8). Start with a Technology talent.
  ►Take or increase 3 skills, using these or others.
  Climbing, Deception, Electronics, Explosives,
  Hand-to-hand, Intimidation, Labor, Persuasion,
  Piloting, Reading People, Running, Shooting,
  Sleight of Hand, Spacewalking, Stealth, Tracking
  ►Take a holo-tool (smartphone + multitool), a
  pistol, vac-rated uniform, holo-shield projector
  (break as defense, recharges in a few minutes),
  and ₡1. Most items/upgrades cost ₡1. Ignore
  microcredit transactions (knives, meals, etc.).
  TOOLS: Flamethrower (bulky), holo-tool welder,
  low-G jetpack, med scanner, mini drone, survey
  pack (climbing gear, ﬂare gun, tent; bulky).
  WEAPONS: Grenades (4 from EMP, ﬂashbang,
  fragmentation, smoke), pistol, riﬂe (bulky), shot-
  gun (bulky), stun-glove. Upgrade ﬁrearms with
  armor-piercing, auto, collapsible, scope, silencer.
  UNIFORM: Upgrade with active camo, plating
  (bulky, break 3× as defense), self-healing fabric.
  ►The crew shares a ship. Upgrades cost ₡10.
  COMMS: Includes deep-space sensors, escape
  pod, med bay, military-grade turrets, reentry-
  rated hull armor (break for defense), tachyon
  comm relay (no in-system lag, but up close, signal
  plays a split-second before you speak).
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/2400 System/2400 Eos [v1.2]/2400 Eos v1.2 b&w.pdf