TEXT: Salty Sea Dogs!  
  A Simple Playing-Card RPG 
  These waters are fraught with danger and excitement. A lesser sailor might be too timid to explore the bountiful islands scattered throughout this sea of 
  fortune. Not you! You are a Sea Dog, a veteran pirate who thrives in situations such as these. Your trusty Captain will guide the adventure as you and your mates 
  discover mysterious lands and claim the treasures you find. 
   
  Setup 
  You’ll need a deck of playing cards, some 
  scraps of paper, a few pencils, 1 Captain (he’ll be 
  the Narrator), and 1+ Players. With more than 3 
  Players, use an extra deck of cards. Split the group 
  between decks – the Captain draws from the 
  smaller group’s deck if they’re not the same size.  
  Each Player makes a Sea Dog by writing down 
  a Name on a scrap of paper and then choosing a 
  Trait from this list: brawny, agile, cunning, 
  charismatic, ruthless, or weathered. When creating 
  characters, remember that the Sea Dogs may bicker 
  but they should be able to get along alright. 
  When a Sea Dog does something that is 
  especially fitting of his Trait then the task is one 
  step easier. This usually only happens once or twice 
  per scene at most. If he tries something that goes 
  against his trait then it is one step harder. The 
  Captain will decide how fitting a trait is to a given 
  task. 
  At the beginning of each session, the Captain 
  will use the Island Generation rules to create the 
  basic situation. The Sea Dogs will do their best to 
  get their hands on the treasure! 
  Narration and Story 
  The Captain will narrate the environment and 
  characters around the Sea Dogs. This includes 
  nature, 
  wild 
  beasts, 
  friendly 
  and 
  fiendish 
  characters, crew members, and anything else that is 
  not a Sea Dog himself. In turn, Players will narrate 
  the actions of their specific Sea Dogs. 
  Most of the time, narration alone is sufficient 
  to move the story forward. When a Sea Dog 
  attempts a task that is dramatic, will significantly 
  influence the scene, and has a chance at failing in 
  an interesting way, success is determined by the 
  cards. This means that every hack and slash doesn’t 
  need to be checked – several thugs can be taken on 
  at a time with a single check while their leader may 
  require a more focused check.  
  Dramatic Tasks 
  Every Player has a Hand of 4 cards at the 
  beginning of each scene. When his Sea Dog 
  attempts a task, the Captain declares a level of 
  difficulty: 
  Trivial, 
  Easy, 
  Normal, 
  Hard, 
  or 
  Improbable. A task may simply be Impossible if 
  there is no way the character could achieve it. 
  Resolve using Playing Cards. 
  Note that only Sea Dogs use cards to resolve 
  tasks. The Captain determines everything else; 
  however, Sea Dogs will usually get a chance to react 
  to actions that will affect them. 
  Try to give each Player equal time in the 
  spotlight: this responsibility is shared between the 
  Captain and the Players themselves. If a Player is 
  being left out, the Captain should be sure to 
  address them with direction questions. 
  Playing Cards 
  To resolve a task beyond Trivial difficulty (an 
  automatic success), the Player plays 1 or 2 cards 
  from his Hand. The Captain draws 3 cards from the 
  top of the Deck. Compare the sum of the Player’s 
  cards (Jacks, Queens, and Kings are 11, 12, and 13 
  respectively) to the drawn cards to see if the task is 
  successful: an Easy task needs to beat the lowest 
  card, a Normal task needs to beat the median card, 
  and a Hard task needs to beat the high card. An 
  Improbable task cannot be achieved without 
  lowering the difficulty and an Impossible task 
  simply can’t be done 
  Aces and Jokers are special. They do not count 
  towards the Player’s two cards allowed per check. 
  Aces have a value of one when drawn by the 
  Captain. A Player may use an Ace or Joker to make a 
  task one step easier if the task is not already 
  Impossible. If a Joker is one of the three drawn 
  cards, the task is one step harder. Draw a new card 
  to replace the Joker. 
  If a Player uses more than one card for the 
  check then the Captain will inform him of a 
  Complication that will happen – something that will 
  go wrong even on a success. Place all played cards 
  in a Discard pile when the check is resolved. 
  A Player may play the top card from the Deck 
  as part of his played cards; however, he may not 
  play another card from his Hand on the same check 
  after using the Deck. If all Players’ Hands are empty, 
  everyone draws up to a full Hand. Shuffle the 
  Discard pile when the Deck is empty. 
   
  
  Harm and Consequences 
  Bad things happen, especially when a Sea 
  Dog fails at a task. When they do, the effects are 
  narrative. If a member of the Imperial Navy 
  slashes a Sea Dog with a saber then that arm is 
  injured or broken. The Captain determines what 
  Consequences are and how long they last. 
  Usually, a Consequence lasts for the Scene if it is 
  minor or the Session if it is major. Especially 
  severe Consequences may be even longer lasting. 
  Consequences may be narrative or they may 
  make tasks one step more difficult when the 
  Captain deems the Consequence important. 
  Losing a Sea Dog 
  Death happens, too. If it does, that Sea 
  Dog’s Player is designated Cabin Boy (or co-Cabin 
  Boy if more Sea Dogs die) and assists the Captain 
  for the rest of the Session. He then creates a new 
  Sea Dog at the beginning of the next Session. 
   
   
  Captain’s Notes 
  Failure should never stall the action – something 
  happens. Maybe the action was partially successful, 
  maybe it went catastrophically wrong, maybe 
  something completely unexpected happened. The 
  point is, the only thing that does not happen is 
  nothing. 
  Complications from adding cards can be just 
  about anything – the Captain should offer the Sea 
  Dog an option. How far is he willing to go in order 
  to succeed? What is he willing to lose? Equipment? 
  Tactical advantage? Physical wellness? Don’t be 
  worried if it happens often; the plot moves forward 
  from the success but things get more interesting. 
   
  Island Generation 
  At the beginning of each session, the Captain draws 3 cards and uses the card values (in order) to help determine the basic qualities of the island the Sea 
  Dogs will encounter and the adventure to be had there. These qualities are flexible guidelines – the Captain may make changes as he sees fit. Once qualities are 
  chosen, Discard these cards. 
  Value 
  Feature 
  Danger 
  Treasure 
   
  Value 
  Feature 
  Danger 
  Treasure 
  Ace 
  Coastal Cliffs 
  Active Volcano 
  Cache of Gems and Coins  8 
  Ghost Town 
  Rival Pirates 
  Useful Hideout 
  2 
  Thick Jungle 
  Ominous Tremors 
  Lavish Rations or Drink 
   9 
  Ancient Ruins 
  Imperial Navy 
  Title or Reputation 
  3 
  Caves and Tunnels 
  Perilous Waters 
  Mysterious Artifact 
   10 
  Walled Fortress 
  Cunning Cannibals 
  Adventuring Gear 
  4 
  Hills and Mountains 
  Impending Storm 
  Equipment for Ship 
   J 
  Smuggler Hideout 
  Powerful Magician 
  Ornate Weaponry 
  5 
  Mighty River 
  Deadly Traps 
  Valuable Information 
   Q 
  Port Town 
  Ancient Curse 
  Source of Healing 
  6 
  Tropical Paradise 
  Hungry Wildlife 
  Friends or Allies 
   K 
  Hidden City 
  Ghostly Guardians 
  Blessing or Prophecy 
  7 
  Numerous Wrecks 
  Mystical Beast 
  Useful Crew Member 
   Jr 
  Draw 2 cards in place 
  Draw 2 cards in place 
  Draw 2 cards in place 
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Other (Unique) Systems/Top Secret Games Two Page Tabletops/Salty Sea Dogs.pdf