A simple RPG by Horos

RUSH
RUSH is a minimalist RPG, inspired
by 70s and 80s games simplicity, which
uses 6-sided (d6) dice and encourages
improvisation through randomness.

Set in a sci-fi space setting, you and

your friends will challenge powerful
alien beings and technologies beyond
human comprehension.

Explore the intergalactic domains

of an infinite, ever-expanding hostile
universe, where scarce resources
are your only means of survival.

Copyright © 2021 Horoscope Zine

Game & Graphic design: Horos

Illustrations & Maps: Horos
Proofreading: Rossi Antúnez

All rights reserved. No part of this game

may be reproduced or used in any manner
without written permission of the copyright
owner except for quotations in a game
review. For more information, write an
email to horoscopezine3000@gmail.com.

Version 2.0

Published by Horoscope Zine

in April 2021, during the
Covid-19 pandemic.

https://horoscopezine.itch.io

Did you find any typos?

Please, let us know! :)
INTRODUCTION MERCENARIES
This challenge was developed for your The GM reads the following to the players:
personal use. With it you’ll get to know
RUSH, a minimalist sci-fi RPG created “You are a space mercenary and you have
by Horos. a mission to fulfill. Xenog, an alien being
from another galaxy, hired your services.
Invite up to 3 friends to play RUSH with He needs some information that is stored in
you. Remember: we are under the Covid-19 a small bunker, located on a nearby planet.
quarantine and we must maintain social You have 24 hours to complete this task.”
distance. Video conferencing or voice
calling platforms can help bring friends Xenog is a well-known, experienced
together virtually and safely. smuggler on the intergalactic crime
network. He has considerable influence and
During the game, you will roll some six- expects the PCs to carry out the mission as
sided dice (d6). You can use any simple agreed. In order to accomplish this risky
dice you own but if you don’t have any, task, all PCs were paid very well: 1000
you can roll dice online. There are several intergalactic credits, a fair amount by
options for rolling dice virtually. this galaxy standards. In case the PCs
run away or give up, Xenog will send
One of you will be the Game Master bounty hunters to find them.
(GM). The other participants will be the
players, who will roleplay the PCs (Player
Characters). If only 1 or 2 friends are
available, they can play with more than
one PC during this challenge.

The GM’s role is to run the game

session and ensure that everyone has fun
playing it. The GM must read this material
sometime before the game session takes
place and prepare for some improvisation.
If you intend to be a player, reading from
now on can spoil your fun.

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CHARACTERS LANDING
Now players will choose their PCs: As soon as the characters are chosen,
the GM reads the following:
Nagir (Pilot). Nagir is a human being trained
to pilot attack spaceships in intergalactic “Everyone is aboard the ESC-9 starfighter, a
battles. ESC-9 is his starfighter and all his light, and fast spacecraft. The radar says that
companions are on board. Equipment: Pistol, far below your position, on the arid surface
Light Suit, and Reconnaissance Drone. of the PH7 planet, the bunker you are looking
Physical 2, Mental 2, Luck 1. for is protected by an anti-aircraft cannon,
possibly controlled by a remote security
Eleda (Hacker). Eleda is an android with system. What are you going to do?”
human traits specialized in hacking security
systems. MB-16 is her break-in device,
which allows her to unlock access keys and CANNON
protection codes. Equipment: Taser and
Light Suit. Physical 1, Mental 3, Luck 1. If the group decides to enter the PH7
atmosphere and approach the bunker,
HRX (Marine). HRX is a combat machine shots are fired at the spacecraft. Nagir can
programmed to perform risky tasks that maneuver the starfighter and combat the
involve brute force. LS8000 is his assault cannon. For this, the GM rolls 4d6 against
rifle and BOS-3 is his personal blaster. the 2d6 rolled by Nagir’s player (Physical 2).
Equipment: Armored Suit. Physical 3, Whoever gets the highest number among
Mental 1, Luck 1. the dice rolled wins the test.

Note on equipment: tasers are weapons Example: the GM rolls 6, 6, 5, and 4. The
that cause electroshock through touch. Nagir’s player rolls 5 and 4. So Nagir fails
Blasters shoot long-range plasma shots. because 6 is higher than 5.

Throughout this challenge, the PCs will If Nagir succeeds, he destroys the cannon
test their intrinsic characteristics: Physical, and manages to land wherever he wants on
Mental, and Luck. The GM will find the the map. If the cannon wins, ESC-9 suffers
necessary information to run the tests damage and must immediately land on the
when these situations occur. hexagon south of the bunker. If there is a
tie, the fight continues but ESC-9 loses fuel,
ammunition and can only try to attack
once more.

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PH7 CT500
The PH7 arid plains are toxic to humans. The CT500 is a robust tank and is in perfect
Although Eleda and HRX can be exposed condition. It can be activated and operated by
to the planet’s atmosphere, Nagir needs a Eleda’s intrusive capabilities. Just as Nagir
specific suit. ESC-9 has only one survival skills were tested against the anti-aircraft
suit. At GM’s discretion, this information can cannon, Eleda can be tested if she tries to
be revealed to the players: Nagir may have break into the machine’s operating system.
some knowledge about the PH7 atmosphere,
Eleda may have heard about this subject The GM rolls 2d6 for the CT500 against
briefly, and HRX may have some data 3d6 rolled by Eleda’s player (Mental 3).
about the planet in his artificial memory. If the hacker wins the test, she has no
major problems accessing and operating
the vehicle. If there is a tie, time passes,
RADIATION and something unexpected happens, such
as a missile shot by an enemy satellite. In
None of the PCs are immune to the high this case, the PCs are alerted by the tank’s
radiation areas found in the orange defense system a few seconds earlier and
hexagons on the map. Anyone who is need to stay inside the vehicle to survive
exposed for more than 2 hours in these the explosion impact. The missile warhead
regions dies from the destructive effects contains some radioactivity and the
of radiation. Each hexagon is 10 kilometers PCs must wear special suits to endure
long. A normal person takes 2 hours the explosion side effects. If Eleda is
to cross 10 kilometers on foot. unsuccessful, the tank turns against the PCs,
releasing toxic gases against the invaders.
The GM must improvise the resolution
EXPLORATION of these situations.

If Nagir’s Reconnaissance Drone is used, At GM’s discretion, the CT500 interior

it identifies an abandoned battle tank, a contains rifles and blasters, as well as suits
CT500 model, 20 kilometers northwest of to withstand the radiation effects. The tank
the bunker. In addition, the drone also finds has heavy weaponry and can easily destroy
a small, abandoned building, 20 kilometers the bunker cannon without the need to roll
northeast of the bunker. dice. Obviously, the tank’s armor resists
radiation and can be used to cross the
PH7 harsh terrain.

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BUILDING BUNKER
The abandoned building is destroyed, Located on rugged terrain a few meters
filled with debris and robot carcasses. above the arid plains, the bunker remains
A search around the building reveals intact. If the PCs approach by foot, they
some basic excavation equipment are surprised by 3 drones that fly and shoot
such as shovels, pickaxes, mallets, electromagnetic pulses at the invaders.
and high-impact explosives.
The GM rolls 1d6 for each drone against an
amount of dice equal to each PC’s Physical
score (Nagir 2 dice, Eleda 1 dice, and HRX
3 dice). Check the example below.

Example: each PC suffers a surprise attack.

The GM rolls 1d6 against Nagir’s 2d6
(Physical 2). Then, another drone (1d6)
shoots against Eleda’s 1d6 (Physical 1). The
same procedure is applied to the last drone
(1d6) that aims to hit HRX (Physical 3).

Remember: HRX has an Armored Suit,

which gives him 2d6 advantage in this roll
(Physical 3 + Armored Suit 2 = 5d6).

ATTACK
The PCs who get a number higher than
the highest value rolled by the drones
aren’t hit. Otherwise, the PCs hit suffer
1 damage point, which is subtracted from
their Physical scores. The PC who loses all
Physical points dies. At GM’s discretion,
using 1 Luck point during combat keeps
the PC alive with 1 Physical point.

Example: The GM rolls 1d6 against Nagir.

The result is 5 against 4 and 1 rolled by
Nagir’s player. So Nagir is hit and loses
1 Physical point. Now Nagir must be
careful if he wants to stay alive.

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COUNTERATTACK UNDERGROUND
The eventual PCs’ counterattack occurs The bunker interior is empty and dark.
in the same way as described previously. In addition, there is a staircase that leads
However, each drone has only 1 Physical to the underground. After descending the
point. If the PCs are successful in shooting first flight of stairs, a red safety light will
them, the drones are destroyed immediately. automatically turn on to illuminate the path.
It’s possible to hear low noises ahead.
Attention: Eleda is the only PC that does
not have a ranged weapon at the beginning The GM can roll 1d6 to reveal the
of the game session. At GM’s discretion, the following information to the players:
hacker can use a weapon she found or one
that is borrowed by another PC. 1. Low noises, gears
2. Low noises, electric engines and gears
If the PCs are inside the tank, the drones 3. Gear noise, maybe tape recorders
are unable to damage the vehicle. In 4. Gear noise, several tape recorders
addition, the tank can destroy drones 5. Tape recorders, low robotic voices
quickly without the need to roll dice. 6. Tape recorders, robot radio operators

ENTRANCE GATE TAPE RECORDERS

The bunker entrance is protected by a Upon reaching the second flight of stairs, a
heavy metal gate. Its magnetic lock can low ceiling room holds dozens of magnetic
only be activated by biometrics and none tape recording devices working at full
of the PCs is authorized to open it. capacity. These tapes store data sent by
satellites. Robot radio operators work
However, Eleda can try to unlock the gate: there and react to the PCs’ arrival.
the GM rolls 2d6 against 3d6 rolled by
Eleda’s player (Mental 3). If successful, Attention: magnetic tapes are fragile
the PC demagnetizes the gate for 1d6 objects and can be easily damaged by
hours. If there is a tie, the gate opens for explosions, magnetism, or radiation.
a few seconds and closes again quickly. The room also has several armored
If unsuccessful, the gate remains closed cases for transporting such tapes.
and a missile is shot from an enemy
satellite. The missile explodes a few
meters away but spreads radioactivity
through the place. The GM improvises
what happens next.

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RADIO OPERATORS RADIO TRANSMITTER
Radio Operator Robots (3) — Physical 1, The radio transmitter has many uses. It’s
Mental 1. Equipment: Taser. These robots easy for the PCs to identify that it sends and
work storing data on magnetic tapes. Their receives data to satellites. The device can be
routine is to decode information sent by hacked, for example, so that missiles are no
satellites. They struggle to protect the tape longer shot by the enemy’s orbiting stations
archive and don’t allow its access or removal. for 1d6 hours. The radio can also be used to
dial Xenog’s channel. Either way, the GM
The GM must run the combat if any as improvises what happens next.
previously described. In addition to the
low ceiling room, 2 other smaller rooms
can be accessed: the tape vault and RECORDINGS
the radio transmitter.
If the PCs examine the tapes, some
information can be revealed. The GM can
TAPE VAULT roll 1d6 and tell what players discover:

The tape vault can be found to the left of 1. Sensitive information

the main room. There, the objects Xenog 2. Military forces data
is looking for are kept safe and closed by a 3. Military forces strategic positions
reinforced metal door. Explosives can be 4. Simple space defense plans
used but sure they destroy the tapes. 5. Complete space defense plans
6. Criminals data (Xenog included)
However, the door can be hacked as a very
difficult task. The GM rolls 3d6 against
Eleda’s 3d6 (Mental 3) and check the result.
A tie causes the difficulty to increase by
1. A failure causes a toxic gas to be spread
all over the room. Eleda’s player can decide
to use 1 Luck point if any to eliminate the
task’s difficulty increase.

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EPILOGUE
If the PCs manage to survive the challenge
and deliver the tapes to Xenog, the smuggler
can offer new tasks for the group. If the
tapes are not delivered for some reason, the
group is hunted through the galaxy until it
is found and eliminated.

At the end of the challenge, all PCs receive

1 experience point. To find out how
experience points can be used in the game,
check out the complete RUSH rules.

https://horoscopezine.itch.io/

We hope you enjoyed our game! If you

have any questions or suggestions, our
email is horoscopezine3000@gmail.com.

See you soon! :)

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