TEXT: Adventures in Space!!
  Pulp Science Fiction Gaming by Zak Arntson
  Get Ready for Adventure!!
  Adventures in Space!! is a game of thrilling space stories. It is best played
  with three to six players, one acting as Space Command and the rest as
  Players. Space Command acts to provide challenges and move the story
  along. Players not only face these challenges with a courageous heart, but
  often improvise and alter the course of the story!
  To play all you need are a few six−sided dice and some pieces of paper
  (referred to here as Playsheets). Make sure one of your dice is different
  from the rest, as this one becomes your Die of Science! A dictionary or
  space−age comics might also help you to pick fitting Words of Science.
  Let's Go!!
  six−sided dice
  Die of Science
  pencils & paper
  Courageous Heroes and Treacherous Villains!
  Heroes and Villains are created in the same way. Only major characters in
  your Space Adventure deserve to be Hero or Villain.
  Heroes are the quick−witted and strong−jawed forces for good, zipping
  across the cosmos to battle evil and promote peace. As Player, you act the
  part of a Hero by shouting brave dialogue, expositing on clever deductions
  and acting with courage, wit, and honor!
  Villains pose a threat to all that is good. Evil human geniuses bent on
  interstellar domination or crafty alien overlords dedicated to crushing the
  Heroes at all costs: All Villains must be stopped by our dedicated Heroes!
  Space Command creates and controls the Villains, using them to wreak
  havoc with your Heroes and their loved ones until the final act. Every Villain
  gets his in the end!
  Creating a Hero or Villain is simple. Using the Playsheet, record the
  following information:
  Name − A properly dashing or dastardly name. Susan Stone, Captain
  Hammer, Manny Flash, Count Drakor of the Lizard−men, Sinistarr. These
  are all fine names for your Adventures in Space!!
  Syle − Decide on a Style that best fits your character. Some are provided
  to the right, but you can make one up if you wish. Space Command is
  allowed to limit the Styles allowed to better suit your adventures.
  Each Actor should make one Hero. Space Command should create at least
  one Villain; more if your Galactic Empress needs a few Villainous cronies.
  That's it! Now get ready for incredible Space Adventures!!
  Hero Styles
  All−Star Athlete
  Daredevil Astro−Pilot
  Renowned Scientist
  Outspoken Space Soldier
  Upright Citizen (Like You or Me)
  Villain Styles
  Charismatic Dastard
  Brooding Overlord
  Megalomaniacal Menace
  Twisted Genius
  Fallen Hero
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
  Courageous Heroes and Treacherous Villains!
  1
  
  Amazing Twists of Fate!
  Whenever your Hero is in a pickle and you want to completely reroll the
  dice, an Amazing Twist of Fate can be spent. The newly−rolled results are
  only applied if they are better than your original roll. Amazing Twists of Fate
  can be spent multiple times, allowing as many rerolls as you have Twists.
  At the beginning of each Adventure every Player receives three Amazing
  Twists of Fate. No one cannot be brouth below zero Amazing Twists. If you
  lose an Amazing Twist but have none to give up, nothing happens.
  Words of Science!
  Remember to do this step for every Adventure! While you may use the
  same Hero for different episodes, the Words of Science should be
  ever−changing!
  Everyone should now have Playsheets ready. Pass your Playsheet to the
  person on your left. Now, write down the number 1 and next to that a single
  Word of Science. Again, pass the Playsheet to the left. Below the first entry,
  write the number 2 and a second Word of Science. Keep passing and
  writing down Words of Science until each Playsheet has exactly six Words.
  If you wind up with your own Playsheet, go ahead and write down a Word
  before passing it on. Remember to return all the Playsheets to their original
  owners!
  If Space Command has more than one Playsheet, the first Villain should be
  passed to the left along with everyone's Hero. If there are any more
  Villains, wait until the first round of Playsheets have been filled in. Then
  divvy out your reamining Villains to the Players and continue writing words
  and passing Playsheets.
  Words of Science can be any word fit for Adventures in Space!!
  Astronomical words, elements, chemicals, scientific adjectives. Anything
  spouted by a Hero thwarting space−aged evil is fair game as a Word of
  Science. During play, you will often want to use one of your Words. To do
  so, include your Die of Science along with the other dice in your roll. Look
  up this roll on your list of Words to see which Word of Science to use.
  When all the Heroes and Villains have their Words of Science, the
  Adventure begins!!
  A Few Words
  anti−gravitation
  base
  cesium
  deuterium
  evolution
  gyroscopic
  hydrogen
  implosion
  isotope
  levitate
  neutron
  protean
  rotation
  solar−flare
  time−warp
  vacuum
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
  Words of Science!
  2
  
  Adventure Awaits!
  Space Command now begins the Adventure. This can be anything from the
  arrival of Lord Ka and his laser−eyed Ka−Grool minions, to a mysterious
  S.O.S. picked up from Ursa Major. In any case, Space Command now
  leads you through your own Adventure in Space!!
  Changing the Plot
  You may expect Space Command to dictate all events outside of the
  Heroes' intentions. Not so with Adventures in Space!! You can add a minor
  element, such as an interesting life−form or a minor character at any time.
  At any point where you want to enact change in the plot's course or
  introduce a major story element speak up! You then announce the desired
  change and roll a regular die and your Die of Science! Check your roll with
  the chart below to see its result. Incorporate the result into your Adventure
  with your rolled Word of Science!
  1 Scorching Suns! − Things should shift towards the opposite of your
  goals.
  2−3 Whoops! − The plot remains unchanged.
  4−5 Great Job! − Your wishes are enacted.
  6 By the Moons of Jupiter!! − Move the plot in your direction and receive
  an Amazing Twist of Fate!
  Greg Nova sneaks through the chambers of Emperor Zool. Greg's Player wants her
  Hero to sneak past a laboratory, an ample source of weird science. The Player rolls a
  Great Job! and mercury for her Word of Science. "Great Scott! Emperor Zool must be
  using the mercury in this lab to build his gravity guns! I'd better take a closer look ..."
  Plot Change
  1
  Opposite of Intent
  2−3
  No Change
  4−5
  Successful Change
  6
  Succes + Amazing Twist
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
  Adventure Awaits!
  3
  
  Up to Chance!
  Any conflicts or chancy situations are resolved with determination, quick wit
  and a roll of the dice. Whenever Space Command feels success isn't
  guaranteed, a Hero rolls the dice. The number of dice rolled depends on
  the difficulty of the task. A task with a slight chance of failure would be three
  dice. An average task offers two. Difficult tasks allow only a single die!
  Don't roll yet! You have a few chances to add some extra dice. Incorporate
  something from the list below to get an extra die to roll. These items are
  cumulative so if your Hero shows both Bravado and the proper Style, for
  example, you get two extra dice!
  Style − Your Hero's Style matches the challenge.
  Bravado − You approach the conflict with panache befitting a Hero's Hero,
  you get another die to roll.
  Word of Science − Put your Die of Science into the roll and you get an
  extra regular die. You must use your rolled Word when roleplaying the
  result.
  Once you have your dice, roll them and take the highest value (not
  including a Die of Science). This value indicates how magnificently you
  pass or dismally you fail.
  1 Salt Mines of Mars!! − Your Hero not only fails, but somehow hinders
  the efforts of justice! The Actor loses an Amazing Twist of Fate.
  2 Blast it! − An obvious and embarassing failure
  3 Almost there! − Failure by a hair.
  4 Keen! − A success without accolades.
  5 Wow! − Your Hero's bravado and skill impresses all.
  6 Great Geysers of Ganymede!! − A triumphant success beyond measure
  and the Actor earns an Amazing Twist of Fate!
  As the Actor, you should decide the outcome as dictated by your roll. A
  success lets you zap a squad of goons, leap across an icy chasm, or earn
  favor in the Galactic Forum. Failure leaves your Hero running from the
  enemy, hanging from the cliff by a finger, or disgraced and escorted from
  the symposium.
  In pursuit of Vorgox Hiveships, Commander Steel skims his ship across the event
  horizon of a black hole. Space Command deems it extremely difficult and gives the
  Player a single die. Commander Steel's Style is Fearless Astropilot and the Player
  wants to use a Word of Science. Adding two dice to the roll for a total of three, the
  Player rolls a Wow! and shouts, "If I can only angle my shot against the rim of this
  black hole, those Hiveships just might suffer a catastrophic etheric shockwave!"
  before disintegrating the reptilian menace.
  Chance!
  Small Challenge
  Three Dice
  Normal Task
  Two Dice
  It's Tough!
  One Die
  Your Style
  Bonus Die
  Word of Science
  Bonus Die
  Hero's Hero
  Bonus Die
  Chance Roll
  1
  Terrible Failure − Amazing Twist
  2
  Bad Failure
  3
  Failure
  4
  Success
  5
  Solid Success
  6
  Heroic Success + Amazing Twist
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
   Up to Chance!
  4
  
  Villainous Deeds
  Playing the part of a Villain is a little different. As Space Command you
  should manipulate the Heroes towards dangerous physical situations and
  cunning mental puzzles. The stakes are raised even higher with a Villain in
  the scene!
  First, to properly work the Villain into the story, roll a Word of Science. You
  should use this Word of Science before the end of the scene to enhance
  your Villain's banter.
  Secondly, when a Player is rolling and a Villain is present the Player may
  suffer! For each of the situations below a Player a player loses a die. No
  matter how penalized, a Player always rolls at least one die. Rolls to
  change the plot are unaffected by a Villain.
  Villain's Style − Your Villain's Style is appropriate to the challenge.
  Words of Science − You use your Villain's Word of Science while
  thwarting a Hero's actions.
  Janet Moon leaps past the Royal Guards to snatch the death ray from the Overlord's
  grasp. Janet's Style is All−Star Athlete so her Actor receives a bonus die. The
  Overlord shouts, "Hold back, my guards! My might alone can defeat this puny
  human!" Since the Overlord's Style is Prideful Overlord his blind confidence causes
  Janet's Player to lose that bonus die.
  Oh! A Villain!
  Hero loses a die when Villain uses Style or
  Word of Science
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
   Villainous Deeds
  5
  
  Ask the Professor
  This last section is to answer any questions you might have while playing Adventures in Space!!
  What? No combat rules?
  Combat is simply another chancy element. Space Command should sum up the situation and decide whether dice should
  be rolled and if so, how many. While most Adventures involve combat, it shouldn't be a complex mechanic by itself. If the
  Hero is facing down a squad of goons, let the Player make a single roll and narrate the results. When the Villain shows up
  to challenge a Hero to a wrestling match, perhaps each roll is a minor outcome dictating who has the upper−hand. The
  point here is that the itemizing of rolls is up to the people playing.
  As Space Command, I never roll dice?
  Well, you do roll your Villain's Dice of Science but you don't compete with the Players. Your role is to provide a direction of
  play, come up with interesting challenges, menacing Villains and above all Adventures in Space!!
  I'm a Player ... and I can change the plot?
  That's right. Adventures emphasizes creative control shared by all Players. As a Player role is not only to play the part of a
  Hero, but to throw in surprises and add new dimensions to the Adventure. Changing the entire focus of the Adventure isn't
  recommended (unless the other Players are okay with that), but introducing new characters, gadgets and situations should
  add to the fun.
  Here's a great Word of Science, but it's not on my list!
  Words of Science are more like a catalyst to get your imagination running than a required list. If you come up with a great
  Word that fits in your situation, by all means use it! If you impress the other players, Space Command should let you use
  your new Word instead of the ones on your Playsheet.
  We want a longer Words of Science list! What do we do?
  Simply have everyone grab a higher−sided die for the Die of Science and extend the Words of Science setup to fill in as
  many Words as the die has faces. But please limit your dice to twenty−sides, or you'll spend all afternoon making
  Playsheets!
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
  Ask the Professor
  6
  
  And So Our Adventure Concludes
  Design Notes
  I believe in simple games with simple systems. People are so creative and complex themselves, a game hardly requires
  vast supplements detailing every last item. Adventures in Space!! grew out of my love for campy science fiction, mostly
  through bad movies and comics. When designing the game, I had one reigning idea: Players should be spouting cheezy
  dialogue at the drop of a hat. Every scene should involve discovering the properties of a new element or utilizing some
  (scientifically ridiculous) law of physics to overcome adversity.
  Revisions
  August 2001:
  − Added examples.
  − Streamlined rolling with the Die of Science. Before, picking a Word of Science was a separate roll. Now you simply
  consult the Die of Science within your roll and incorporate that into the results.
  − Added the suggestion for longer Words of Science lists.
  − Changed Director & Actor terminology to Space Command & Player.
  About Harlekin−Maus Games
  Harlekin−Maus Games is my outfit for producing indie roleplaying games. I am a freelance game designer, which really
  means I occasionally get paid to write fan−fiction. It's a small world out there even for the "big" industry players, so we need
  all the support you can give. Please, check out www.indie−rpgs.com and support independent gaming.
  Copyright Notice
  This entire document and all contents is Copyright © 2001, by Zak Arntson. Permission to duplicate for personal use and
  captions for review purposes is granted. You must receive explicit permission from the author (email: zak@mimir.net) to
  use this game and any portion therein for public use, such as publication or convention play.
  Contact
  Harlekin−Maus Games: http://zaknet.tripod.com/hmouse/index.html
  Zak Arntson: zak@mimir.net
   Adventures in Space!! − A Harlekin−Maus Game
  And So Our Adventure Concludes
  7
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Adventures in Space/Adventures in Space Corebook.pdf