TEXT: EARTH SPACE PATROL 
  By Joe Pruitt 
   
  The Earth Space Patrol (ESP) is a military and law enforcement 
  agency operated jointly by and sworn to protect and serve all 
  members of the Interstellar Confederation of Earth (ICE).  The 
  brave men and women of the ESP who man its ships and patrol its 
  spaceways are the finest force ever assembled, dedicated to 
  defending the ICE from any and all threats. 
  At least that’s what the brochure says. 
  In 
  reality, 
  the 
  ESP 
  is 
  chronically 
  undermanned 
  and 
  underfunded, as each member world of the ICE prefers to 
  allocate the bulk of their resources to their own defense force, 
  leaving only the leftovers (in equipment and personnel) for the ESP.  
  In this game, you play a member of the beleaguered ESP, 
  often facing overwhelming odds when confronted by threats to 
  the entire ICE that short-sighted member governments either 
  cannot or will not address.  You will start as a lowly Ensign fresh out 
  of the ESP Academy on your first assignment.  As you complete 
  missions you will increase in Rank and Skill, and may eventually rise 
  to command your own ship or patrol unit. 
  While you may encounter aliens, robots, or other unusual 
  creatures or beings during your adventures, it is assumed that all 
  players’ characters are human.  Players wishing to play non-
  human characters should discuss with the Game Master ahead of 
  time. 
   
   
  Character Creation 
   
  Skills 
  The first step is to create the character you will play.  All 
  aspects of your character will be recorded on you Personnel 
  Record Sheet, at the end of these rules. 
  Each character has six Skills that represent the majority of tasks 
  they may be called upon to perform in the course of their duties. 
   
  1. 
  Operations is your ability to pilot ships and vehicles of the 
  ESP. 
  2. 
  Engineering is your ability to repair and maintain the 
  systems 
  that 
  keep 
  ESP 
  vehicles 
  and 
  equipment 
  operational and mobile. 
  3. 
  Medicine is your ability to treat injuries and illnesses. 
  4. 
  Science is your ability to detect and analyze unknown 
  and unusual phenomena. 
  5. 
  Security is your ability to face enemies in personal 
  combat, as well as a measure of your agility and 
  strength. 
  6. 
  Tactical is your ability to operate a ship’s combat systems 
  and weapons. 
   
  Each of these Skills starts with a score of 1, and can go as high 
  as 5. 
  During your time at the ESP Academy, you had a Major and a 
  Minor field of study.  Roll one six-sided dice (referred to as a D6) 
  twice and refer to the list of skill above.   
  The first roll is your Major; record that in the box marked 
  “Major” on your Personnel Record Sheet, and add 2 points to your 
  score in that Skill. 
  The second roll is your Minor; record that in the box marked 
  “Minor” on your Personnel Record Sheet, and add 1 to your score 
  in that Skill. 
  If you get the same result for your Major and Minor, assume 
  you undertook an advanced course of study in that field at the 
  expense of other subjects; record that subject in both the “Major” 
  and “Minor” boxes and add 3 to your score in that Skill. 
  You may also add 1 to any one Skill of your choice.  This 
  represents an area in which you naturally excel or have taken an 
  interest and studied on your own.  It can be your Major or Minor 
  Skill, or a completely different one. 
   
  Rank 
  There are six ranks in the ESP.  From lowest to highest, they are: 
   
  Ensign 
   
  Sub-Lieutenant 
   
  Lieutenant 
   
  Sub-Commander 
   
  Commander 
   
  Captain 
   
  (There is also one Admiral, who commands the entire ESP.) 
  You begin as an Ensign fresh out of the Academy.  As you 
  complete missions and gain experience, you will rise in Rank.  Each 
  time your Rank increases, you may increase one Skill by 1 point. 
  When you achieve the Rank of Captain, you will be given a 
  ship or unit of your own to command.  At this point, it is time to 
  remain behind and oversee others as they perform missions under 
  your command (i.e. you have “won” the game and your days of 
  going on missions are over, though you may always continue 
  playing with a new character).   
   
  Missions 
  Each time you complete a mission, fill in one box in the 
  “Missions” section of your Personnel Record Sheet and roll a D6.  If 
  the result is equal to or less than the number of Missions you have 
  completed, you have earned a promotion.  Increase your Rank to 
  the next level and erase all the boxes in the “Mission” section.  Start 
  filling them in again as you complete new missions. 
   
  Wounds 
  When you are injured (whether as a result of combat or some 
  other cause), fill in one box in the “Wounds” section of your 
  Personnel Record Sheet and roll a D6.  If the result is equal to or less 
  than the number of Wounds you have received, you have been 
  killed. 
  Wounds can be healed by someone (yourself or another 
  character) using the Medicine Skill (see “Using Skills” and “Healing” 
  below for how to do this). 
   
  Equipment 
  All ESP personnel are issued a Blaster Pistol and a 
  Communicator, and one additional item from the partial list of 
  standard ESP gear below.  You may carry up to four additional 
  items, some of which may be issued to you at the start of a mission.  
   
  Item 
  Description 
  Blaster 
  Rifle 
  Longer range than pistol 
  Force 
  Shield 
  50% chance of negating a Wound 
  Med Pack 
  Used to heal Wounds 
  Star-Light 
  High Tech flashlight that illuminates a target without 
  emitting a visible beam of light 
  Tool Kit 
  Used to repair, maintain, and modify equipment 
  Tri-
  Scanner 
  Used to detect and analyze unknown and unusual 
  phenomena. 
   
   
  How To Play 
   
  Using Skills 
  When attempting a challenging task for which there is a 
  reasonable possibility of failure, determine which Skill is most 
  relevant to the task and roll a D6.  If the result is equal to or less 
  than your score in the relevant Skill, you succeed; if greater, you 
  fail.  This is called a Skill Test.  
   
  Combat (Personal) 
  Personal combat refers to combat between two or more 
  individuals (as opposed to ships or vehicles), whether or not 
  weapons are used.  
  When combat occurs, each combatant gets to take a turn 
  moving a short distance and performing one action (usually 
  attacking an enemy).  Unless you are surprised, you get to act first.   
  All movement takes place before any other actions occur 
  
  (everyone moves, then everyone attacks).  Ordinary people can 
  move 10 feet per turn.  Some combatants (animals, robots, aliens, 
  vehicles) may move slower or faster. 
  After all combatants move, you attack by using your Security 
  Skill.  Roll a D6 and compare to your Security Skill.  If successful, you 
  inflict one Wound (possibly more than one depending on your 
  weapon) on your enemy.  Damage to enemies is calculated the 
  same way as for your character (see “Wounds” above).  
  After all players’ characters act, the enemies get to attack.  
  Enemies have the same six Skills as players’ characters, though 
  they will probably only have one Skill with a score of 2 
  (representing whatever their job is), with a score of 1 for the rest.  
  Important and/or more highly trained enemies may have higher 
  scores in one or more Skills.  
   
  Healing 
  Even if you survive a fight, you may have one or more 
  Wounds.  A successful Medicine Skill Test can erase one Wound.  
  The person making the Test must have access to a Med Pack 
  (which is used up in the attempt, successful or not) or medical 
  facilities.  
   
  Combat (Space) 
   Combat between space ships is handled differently.  As with 
  personal combat, players act first unless surprised.  Also the same is 
  that all combatants move first, then attack. 
   Movement is handled more abstractly than in personal 
  combat. Instead of precise distances, ships are considered to be 
  at one of five ranges from each other.  These are, from nearest to 
  farthest:  
   
   
  Close 
   
  Short 
   
  Medium 
   
  Long 
   
  Far 
   
  To move closer to or farther from an enemy, make an 
  Operations Skill Test.  If successful, your ship moves one Range 
  closer or farther.  A ship at Far Range that succeeds in moving 
  farther away is considered to have escaped the battle, and is no 
  longer able to participate in the fight. 
  Range should be calculated from the players’ ship (enemies 
  closest to the players’ ship would be at Close Range, those one 
  step farther would be at Short Range, etc).  It may be necessary to 
  keep track of the Range to more than one enemy ship at times.  
  Weapons on ships have maximum ranges described in the 
  same terminology; a ship with Medium Range weapons must be at 
  range Medium or closer to attack an enemy.  To attack an enemy 
  that is in range, make a Tactical Skill Test.  If successful, you inflict a 
  Hit on the enemy ship.   
  The effect of a Hit is similar to that of a Wound on a person.  
  Roll a D6; if the result is equal to or less than the number of Hits a 
  ship has sustained, the ship is destroyed.  In addition, each ship has 
  a Size.  If a ship takes a number of hits equal to or greater than its 
  Size, it is destroyed, regardless of the result of the D6 roll.  
    A successful Engineering Skill Test can erase one Hit.  The 
  person making the Test must have access to a Tool Kit (which is 
  used up in the attempt, successful or not) or repair facilities (such 
  as a space station). 
   
  Setting: The ICE 
   
  Members 
  The ICE is composed of several dozen worlds, though only a 
  small number have significant populations, the majority having 
  only a few settlements.  Only the largest thirteen are considered 
  full Members; smaller worlds, called Colonies, do not wield the 
  same political power and influence, and may or may not have the 
  same degree of autonomy.   
  The largest worlds and what they are known for are listed 
  below (along with their populations): 
   
  Earth (10 billion) - “Capital” of the ICE, though it is more a 
  case of being “first among equals”, as each member 
  world retains a great deal of control over its own affairs.  
  Headquarters of the ESP. 
   
  Tarkyo Prime (3 billion) - The largest and most influential 
  Member after Earth.  It is a hub of interstellar commerce 
  and finance  
   
  Kephus (2 billion) - A center of industry and production; 
  much of the surface (and orbital space) is covered with 
  factories. 
   
  Iacarro (1 billion) - Known as the “Breadbasket of the 
  Confederation”, the rotation and distance from its star 
  have made almost the entire planet capable of growing 
  various crops. 
   
  Juros (1 billion) - Home to two great (and often opposing) 
  forces, the Interstellar Academy of Science and the 
  Galactic Orthodox Church.  
   
  Ostara (1.5 billion) – This world serves as a “mini-capital” 
  for the farthest ICE colonies, providing services and 
  resources that are difficult to obtain from the larger core 
  worlds.    
   
  Enemies 
  When humanity first began expanding to the stars, the Earth 
  was still divided into many nations and governments, many of 
  whom established colonies on other worlds.  During the Last War, 
  the nations of Earth were unable to maintain control of their 
  colonies, and many more were established by those seeking to 
  escape the terrible violence.  These former colonies, some of 
  which have become quite powerful, now fiercely guard their 
  independence.  
  The greatest human threat comes from the Helion League, 
  made up of what remained of the losing side of the Last War, who 
  fled the Earth rather than submit to the rule of the newly formed 
  ICE and settled on the distant world of Helion. 
  Other 
  human 
  threats 
  include 
  space 
  pirates, 
  criminal 
  organizations (including the shadowy Syndicate), and the terrorist 
  organizations known as the Earth Republic Army (who seek to 
  install a more authoritarian government) and the Far Stars Alliance 
  (a separatist organization operating out of Ostara). 
  Another great threat is the SI-Borg (Synthetic Intelligence) 
  army, a “race” of sentient robots originally created as expendable 
  soldiers during the Last War.  They rebelled against their creators, 
  and have largely vanished from human society, occasionally 
  being found on uninhabited planets or on the periphery of less-
  populated human worlds.  When encountered, they have been 
  unpredictable, with responses ranging from indifference to 
  unprovoked violence.  Some believe they have come under the 
  control of some kind of supercomputer entity that they either 
  created themselves or which evolved out of their collective 
  artificial intelligence, and that they are working toward some 
  unknown master plan. 
  In addition to these known threats, unidentified space ships 
  have been observed on the fringes of settled space.  Whether 
  these belong to unknown human factions or one or more as yet 
  unencountered alien race is not yet known. 
  Finally, 
  many 
  worlds 
  contain 
  strange 
  and 
  sometimes 
  dangerous indigenous life forms, many of which respond with 
  hostility to the presence of humans.  
   
  The ESP 
  As mentioned, earlier, the ESP is undermanned and 
  underfunded, receiving only what is left after member worlds have 
  seen to their own security forces.  Low morale (those convicted of 
  minor offenses are often allowed to “enlist” rather than serve time) 
  and lack of resources have made the ESP’s mission difficult, if not 
  impossible, as they are continually outmatched by well-funded 
  enemies and hindered by local governments looking out for their 
  own interests at the expense of the ICE.  It may take a threat to the 
  entire Confederation to make the Members see the importance of 
  a united fighting force, but the ESP might not survive such a threat 
  long enough for them to come to this realization.    
  
   
  EARTH SPACE PATROL 
  Personnel Record Sheet 
   
   
  Name: 
   
   
   
  Major: 
   
   
  Rank: 
   
   
  Minor: 
   
   
  Missions: 
   
   
   
   
  Wounds: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  SKILLS 
   
  EQUIPMENT 
   
  Operations 
   
   
   
   
  1 
   
   
   
  Engineering 
   
   
   
   
  2 
   
   
   
  Medicine 
   
   
   
   
  3 
   
   
   
  Science 
   
   
   
   
  4 
   
   
   
  Security 
   
   
   
   
  5 
   
   
   
  Tactical 
   
   
   
   
  6 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  NOTES 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Other (Unique) Systems/Top Secret Games Two Page Tabletops/Earth Space Patrol.pdf