Spectres of Brocken Digital Singles Release V1.1

SPECTRES

OF BROCKEN BY AARON LIM
AN RPG OF ACE PILOTS
///////////////////////////////
BROKEN FRIENDSHIPS S
AND GIANT MECHS
SPECTRES

OF BROCKEN
///////////////////////////////
Copyright © 2023 by Aaron Lim

All rights reserved.
First Print Edition 2023
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored
in a database or retrieval system (except for short excerpts for journalistic or review purposes), without the
prior express permission of the publisher. The publisher grants express permission to anyone reproducing or
copying this publication for personal use via secure means in order to facilitate gameplay.
If you’d like to create Spectres of Brocken-related content, I’d like to help. Contact me at aaron.jf.lim@gmail.com.
CREDITS
AARON LIM
GAME DESIGN, WRITING
VEE HENDRO RAE NEDJADI

LAYOUT DESIGN DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING
MISHA BUSHYAGER AMITA SEVELLARAJA

EDITING COVER ART
ALEX CONNOLLY, AMITA SEVELLARAJA,

HARRYYCH, MISAEL “GIO” MANNING, VALIS TEOH
INTERIOR ART
PLAYTESTING & FEEDBACK

A. “Money Dog” Heston, Adam Bell, Agatha C, Annie, Arisia Santiago, Ash Hauenschild,
Benjamin Moses M. Diño II, Bill Radford, brilight, Caro Asercion, Claudia Sánchez
Quiroz, DM Andre, emmy verte, Ethan Yen, Fin Coe, Giles Pritchard, Jeremy Gage,
Jinwei, John Chew, Jonathan Bagelman, Juliet L’mous, Ken Lee, Kevin Thien Vu
Long Nguyen, Kit Ira, kris allison, KTPie, Leandro Pondoc, Lee Ken Wen, Lisa Padol,
Logan Timmins, Lucas Chee, Maria Mison, Maria Morabe, Michelle Y. Kim, Mickey
Possingham, Mike Balles, Misha Bushyager, Mya Shishido, Octavio Villegas, Paolo
Jose Cruz, Rae Nedjadi, Rick Chia, riley rethal, Sam Zeitlin, Samuel Mui Shen Ern,
Scott Vandervalk, Steve Schulze, Thomas Manuel, Tony From Plus One, Ty Pitre,
Valis Teoh, Viditya Voleti, Zuhayri Mohamed, and thank you to everyone who offered
feedback and insight.
CONTENTS
ch1: INTRODUCTION 5
ch2: THE ACADEMY PHASE 17

interlude: IN BETWEEN PHASES 44
ch3: THE CONFLICT PHASE 46

epilogue: ENDING THE GAME 72
ch4: WORLD TENDENCIES 74

wt-01: ORBITAL CENTURY 77
wt-02: JET FANG RUMBLE 83
wt-03: THE FIRE QUARTZ CROWN 89
ch5: SUPPORTING PLAY 94

outro: RULES SUMMARY 108
INTRODUCTION
C H A P T E R 1
1
I remember those hot summer days when
we skipped classes to cool off by this creek.
I remember our arguments in the dining halls,
our competitions in the sims.
How did it come to this?
Those days are over.
We knew nothing of the world then.
I know better now. I know what needs to be done.
I know I have to win this, to end this war.
Even if it means killing you.

1
////////////// INTRODUCTION
CH1
Chapter Outline » SPECTRES OF BROCKEN is a storytelling roleplaying

game for 2 to 4 players about making friends and then years
Introduction [6] later going to war against them in giant mechs. It can be
Themes and played in 2 to 4 sessions of about 2 to 4 hours each.
Touchstones [7] You start off as fellow students at an academy for mech pilots,
What You Need To Play developing your relationships and figuring out who you are.
[8] Explore how you think of yourself, and how you relate to
each other as you prepare to head out into the adult world.
How To Play Spectres
of Brocken [9] Years later, you meet again as ace pilots in custom mechs on
Experience and different sides of a pivotal conflict.
Structure [9] Where you once joked and argued with clumsy words and
Boundaries and awkward limbs, you now command steel-clad machines and
Environment [12] blazing implements of war like your own bodies.
Rules Formats [15] Explore how much or how little you’ve changed in the
intervening years, and how you now relate to each other on
opposite sides of the battlefield.
6 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Introduction

THEMES AND TOUCHSTONES
CH1
» A NOTE ON THEMES: Spectres of Brocken deals with
themes of war and violence, and often touches on the abuses
of state power through education, indoctrination, othering,
and the monopoly of violence. Before deciding to play this
game, make sure all players are aware of these themes and
can feel comfortable playing with them.
The section on Boundaries and Environment on page 12 > Boundaries and
provides further procedures on how to calibrate player Environment [12]
expectations and boundaries.
This game draws inspiration from the following media:
Mobile Suit Gundam and its successors (in particular Gundam
AGE and The Witch From Mercury), Break Blade, Fire Emblem:
Three Houses, Naruto, Spider-Man 2, and Friends at the Table’s
COUNTER/Weight season.
In particular I’m inspired by how characters who grew
up together, spurring each other on as friends, end up
fighting each other later on due to differing ideologies or the
circumstances of where they were born.
I’m also drawn to how mechs and armour anonymise
combatants, while still being a vector of characterisation in
these stories. How identities are hidden from each other, such
that you might not even know who you are fighting against.
I also just love time skips.
You don’t have to be familiar with all the touchstones above
to engage with the game, but it helps to understand their A Brocken spectre,
shared themes - the tragedy of how the conditions of conflict also called Brocken
can turn friends against each other, how the hopes and bow, mountain
desires of youth are consumed to fuel wars that care not for spectre, or spectre
their benefit, how the technologies of violence simultaneously of the Brocken is the
amplify human ability while dehumanising their users. magnified shadow of
This game also draws design influences from Avery an observer cast in
Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum’s Dream Apart/Dream mid air upon any type
Askew, Meguey and Vincent Baker’s Mobile Frame Zero: of cloud opposite to a
Firebrands, Fred Hicks and Rob Donoghue’s Fate, Adam Vass’ strong light source.
Necronautilus, and Melody Watson’s On Mighty Wheels.
Introduction • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 7

Pilot Sheet
PILOT SHEET
WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

SPECTRES
OF BROCKEN
PIL O T NAME PRONOUNS MECH NAME PIL O T CALL SIGN
L OOK MECH L OOK
THEME SONG 🎧 FAC TION
PILOT TRAITS MECH FEATURES

CH1
P ORTRAIT P ORTRAIT
CONVICTION FEATURE 1
BONDS ANCHORS
////////////////
////////////////
////////////////
IMPULSE FEATURE 2
To play, you will need: PRIDE FEATURE 3
› these rules,
////////////////
//////////////// FLAW FEATURE 4
› a Pilot Sheet per player, SPECTRES

HELD WORDS
OF BROCKEN
Moves Reference › copies of the Moves References,

MOVES REFERENCE › copies of the World Tendencies, SPECTRES
› copies of the Situations Sheet,

OF BROCKEN
ACADEMY MOVES
Raise Your Flag Stack The Deck See Through The Mask I’ve Got This
When another player’s actions in a Scene When you introduce an event, complication, SPEND A WORD to tell another Pilot who you SPEND A WORD to make a pivotal impact
excites you about its possible implications, or action to the Scene that highlights a think they are, offering a new option on the Scene that highlights one of your
ADD TO THE WORD BANK. Word in the Word Bank, GAIN THAT WORD. of a Trait or Bond. Then ask them this: Pilot’s Traits or Bonds; or to use one of the
“Have I hit on something true about you?” Situation’s Pivots. If that Trait or Bond is
› If they answer “Yes”, they GAIN A WORD not yet filled in or you decide to erase it,
Show My Face Find The Answer
› copies of the Conflict Sheet to track game information,

and adjust their Trait or Bond accordingly. choose or make up a new one.
When you open up to another Pilot, When the answer to the Question of the › If they answer “No”, both of you may add
revealing something important about Scene becomes apparent to all players, end or adjust any Bonds that involve the other
yourself, your wants, or who you care the Scene. Each Pilot that was named in the Pilot to reflect this awkward situation.
about; or when you use one of the answer GAINS A WORD (the same Word).
Situation’s Reveals, GAIN A WORD.
CONFLICT MOVES
Raise Your Flag Levy the Cost Finish the Fight Seize the Day
When another player’s actions in a Scene When another Pilot takes dangerous or When the answer to the Question of the SPEND A WORD to make a pivotal impact
excites you about its possible implications, harmful action in a Mech; or when they Scene becomes apparent to all players on the Scene that highlights one of your
› writing implements,
ADD TO THE WORD BANK. RISK BLOOD, ask them this: “Are you ready and/or there is no Blood in the pool, end the Pilot’s Traits or Bonds; or to use one of
to pay the cost?” (More than one player Scene. Each Pilot that was named in the the Situation or Complication’s Pivots. You
may use this Move in response to another answer chooses and describes a Faction’s succeed at what you attempt, but ask one
Echo The Past player’s action). Want that was fulfilled (consciously or not), other Pilot in the Scene: “Do you stand with
When you interact with another Pilot in a › If they answer “Yes”, they GAIN 1 BLOOD or one Key Asset that is lost or forever me or against me as I do this?”
way that reminds them of your shared past from the Pool. changed as a result of this Scene. Then
they take and HOLD 1 BLOOD in their hand.
› If they stand against you, you both
in the Academy; or when you bring up one › If they answer “No”, nothing happens, (Holding Blood does not trigger War’s Toll).
GAIN 1 BLOOD from the pool and face the
consequences.
of the Situation or Complication’s Echoes, but remind them they will have to pay
both Pilots GAIN A WORD (the same Word). eventually. › If they stand with you or stand aside,
REMOVE 1 BLOOD from the pool.
Their support allows you to avoid
› some small items like beads or counters for Blood tokens.

Make It Personal War’s Toll Help Them Up complications.
When you take foolhardy action to pursue When you GAIN BLOOD, ask yourself this: SPEND A WORD and highlight a Bond you Explain how your Trait’s linked Mech
your own selfish desires, say how it puts “Will this devastate me more to lose myself have with another Pilot to explain how Feature amplified the impact of your
you or one of your Anchors at risk. Then, or to lose my connections?”. you reach out to help them deal with the actions. If it feels right to do so, play your
GAIN A WORD and RISK BLOOD. › If you answered “lose myself”, place the scars of war. Ask them: “Will you accept my
words at this time?”
Theme Song.
Blood on your Pilot Sheet and choose any
one Trait or Bond and erase it, along with › If they answer “Yes”, they may
its linked Mech Feature. SPEND A WORD to REMOVE 1 BLOOD from
› If you answered “lose my connections”, one of their Traits or Bonds and fill in a
new one.
take the Blood into your hands and say how
one Anchor you care about is now lost or › If they answer “No”, you GAIN A WORD and
destroyed. Strike it from your Pilot Sheet. RISK BLOOD.
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
World Tendencies You can download the game sheets at https://ehronlime.

itch.io/spectres-of-brocken. You might want to have them
WORLD TENDENCY 01
ORBITAL CENTURY
» HUMANITY HAS MADE their tentative steps beyond Earth’s gravity. Giant orbital colonies twinkle serenely around our solar system, on which a new generation
of people live and die. Mechs were designed to construct and maintain the colonies, with dreams of using them to reach beyond our meagre sun and unlock the
riches of the galaxy. However, conflict brews between the Earth Sphere and the outer colonies. More and more mechs are refitted for “peacekeeping” purposes
by Earthbound governments, while their use by the colonies becomes ever more regulated. Rumours circulate about nascent rebellions in “problem” colonies.
Whispers of war are on the wind.
› › › › › › ›
on-screen separately or print out copies of the game sheets

Independence Expand Rebel Sanction Emigrate Revolution Resentment
SUGGESTED › Colonial › Exploit › Divide › Capital › Union › Transfer › Oversight
WORDS
› Class › Manufacture › Strike › Commune › Control › Taxing › Sacrifice
Artesia School of Technology ACADEMY & TRAINING MECH
The Artesia School of Technology on Colony 7 is a technical school with a piloting course focused on construction, mining, and emergency services industries. Colony 7 is able to maintain a
neutral stance even as tensions rise between the Earth Sphere and outer colonies by supplying the maintenance fleets of both sides. The Artesia School also benefits as a testing ground for
Irvine Industrial’s newest consumer technologies, including Modular Utility Trainer units. These new mechs utilise interchangeable components to simplify upkeep and maintenance, while
allowing for an increased range of training programs that the school can run.
to refer to while you read these rules.

Earth Sphere Administrative The League of the Unbound Irvine Industrial Edge Zone 8 Autonomous
Alliance (ESAA) Originally a labour union formed to improve The largest remaining independent Area
A vestige of the terrestrial governments the bargaining position of the asteroid mining corporation, it has resisted nationalisation A tragic accident during the construction of
of old, the ESAA is nominally in charge of colonies, the League attempted to access efforts from the ESAA by capitalising on the Colony 8 caused it to be abandoned while
all space colonies. After the Environmental better and more reliable food shipments schism between inner and outer colonies. It only partially finished. Irvine Industrial
Preservation Acts moved most heavy in exchange for raw materials they supply now acts as an intermediary between the quietly continued to use it as a dumping
industry off to the colonies, the Earth to inner colonies. As negotiations with Earth Sphere and the League, profiting off ground for derelict ships and mechs. Over
Sphere administrators established palatial the ESAA stretch interminably, some in both. The League’s Trade Bloc sees Irvine time, a fiercely independent community of
residences in exclusive Green Zones. the League push for a full independence as the true threat, since Irvine directly salvagers, criminals, and assorted exiles
Limited Industrial Support Zones supply the movement and a blockade. Others advise controls the transport and maintenance coalesced in EZ8, opposing all those who
rich Earth Sphere of inner colonies, while patience, hoping that the trade negotiations infrastructure the outer colonies rely on. would seek to control them.
outer colonies are expected to be self- will eventually bear fruit. This has split the
sufficient and send resources back to Earth. League, as Trade and Independence Blocs › Wants: Maintain autonomy and profits, › Wants: Secure autonomous space, steal
vie to determine its future. advance the technology of war, supplies, fulfil personal vendettas
Many outer colonies resent this imbalance
and long for independence.
monopolise trade › Key Assets: Thriving black market,
› Wants: Build military capability, spread › Key Assets: R&D labs, manufactory secret smuggling routes, banned
› Wants: Control the colonies, suppress news news of the rebellion, secure resources asteroids, advanced prototype mechs weapons stockpile
of rebellion, regain access to resources for colonies
› Key Assets: Moon fortress, gene labs, › Key Assets: Mechanised production
military waystations colonies, energy harvester fleets,
ultralarge mining laser
FACTION FACTION FACTION FACTION
//////////////// › An experimental Irvine Industrial stardrive › ESAA agents infiltrate the League and rile › A reporter discovers that the League plans
accidentally enters the EZ8 Autonomous up partisan elements, resulting in an attack to establish a new colony on a resource-
Optionally, you could also use:

Inciting Incidents Area, leading to a crackdown by their on school grounds while an ESAA admiral rich exoplanet with an arkship secretly
! ////////////////
security forces. EZ8 denizens team up with
the League to combat Irvine’s invasion.
gives an address. ESAA then brands the
League a terrorist organisation, leading to
built in EZ8. ESAA and Irvine Industrial
send teams to seize the arkship, leading to
open warfare between the two. a struggle over the future of humanity.
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
Situations Sheets › notecards, sticky notes or memos for tracking game

ACADEMY PHASE
SITUATIONS, REVEALS, PIVOTS information, SPECTRES

OF BROCKEN
› some 6-sided dice so you can randomly select from the

A Test of Wits 1 A Team Competition 2 A Formal Event or Dance 3 Sneaking About 4
Reveals: Reveals: Reveals: Reveals:
› The depths and limits of your knowledge. › What you are reliant on others for. › How you want to be seen by the world. › What rules and obligations you chafe
› How your past experiences have shaped › What role you think you play in a team. › What societal class or position you’ve fit in. against.
how you approach problems. › What prevents you and from › Why you want to pay attention › What secrets and desires you’ve kept
› How much you rely on ’s wisdom. working together well. to you. hidden.
› Who the smartest person in the squad is. › Who the most reliable person in the › Who the most recognised person in the › Why you don’t trust .
Pivots:
squad is. squad is. › Who the most unruly person in the
squad is.
› Rely on a Conviction, Pride, or Bond to Pivots: Pivots:
come up with an ingenious solution. › Deepen your trust and relationship with › Win a friendly contest or argument using Pivots:
› Recognise a key weakness in a plan another teammate based on a Flaw, your Conviction, Pride, or Bond › Evade detection or consequences with a
prompts if you prefer.

because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. Impulse, or Bond. › Build up or change someone’s reputation Pride, Flaw, or Bond.
› Convince someone to do what you want › Enable a teammate to showcase their because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. › Sway someone to look the other way
using your Conviction, Impulse, or Bond. full potential using your Conviction, › Act on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond to or join you because of an Impulse,
› Underestimate a rival’s capabilities Pride, or Bond. get someone to open up. Conviction, or Bond.
because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond. › Sacrifice yourself for the team’s benefit › Overindulge and cause an awkward scene › Reveal a clear path to your objective
because of a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond. because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond. using a Pride, Impulse, or Bond.
› Act selfishly to the detriment of the team › Stumble and reveal yourself because of
because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. a Conviction, Flaw, or Bond.
A Private Duel 5 A Lively Meal 6

Reveals: Reveals:
› What drives you to fight and strive. › Your favourite food(s).
› What you most fear losing. › How you let your guard down when
› What strong emotions evokes in you. you’re comfortable and fed.
› Who the most passionate person in the › Why you bond with over
squad is. food and drink.
Pivots:
› Who the most well-liked person in the
squad is.
› Reveal a secret weapon or hidden
strength to surprise your opponent with Pivots:
a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. › Win a friendly contest or argument using
› Rely on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond your Conviction, Pride, or Bond
The game takes place over two phases, the Academy Phase
to successfully call a truce and end › Build up or change someone’s reputation Scene Questions
hostilities. because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. > Who causes a major rift between two or more Pilots?
› Decisively end the duel to your benefit › Act on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond to > Who brings two or more Pilots closer together?
using a Pride, Impulse, or Bond. get someone to open up. > Who causes a Pilot to understand and assert themselves more fully?
› Take the duel too far because of a › Overindulge and cause an awkward scene > Who causes a Pilot to question their identity and purpose?
Conviction, Flaw, or Bond, hurting all because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond. > Who helps a Pilot make progress on their future goals?
involved. > Who becomes a rival or hindrance to another Pilot’s future goals?
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
(page 17) and the Conflict Phase (page 46). Each phase
Conflict Sheet
CONFLICT SHEET
will take around 2-4 hours to set up and play through, for a SPECTRES
total of 4-8 hours of gameplay.

OF BROCKEN
FACTION NAME 1 FACTION NAME 2 FACTION NAME 3 FACTION NAME 4
While you could try and complete the game in a single 4 or

more hour session of play, I recommend splitting up the game
› Wants: › Wants: › Wants: › Wants:
› Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets:
over multiple sessions. At least 2 sessions would work, one

for each phase. If you have a shorter amount of play time per
BLOOD ////////////////
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
Word Bank session, say 1-2 hours, you might want to have 2 sessions per
WORD BANK
phase, for a total of 4 sessions.
SPECTRES
OF BROCKEN
Academy - Identity, Connection, Wanting Glossary

Conflict - Change, Opposition Tragedy › GAIN A WORD: Remove a Word
Plan ahead with all your players based on how much time
from the Word Bank and add it to
your Pilot Sheet.
› ADD TO THE WORD BANK: Write
a new Word in the Word Bank
related to the triggering action.
› SPEND A WORD: Remove a Word
from your Pilot Sheet and add it
to the Word Bank.
› GAIN BLOOD: Take Blood tokens
out of the Blood Pool and decide
you have available to play together, and how quickly you want
where to put them, per the War’s
Toll Move.
› HOLD BLOOD: Hold Blood tokens in
your hand or set them in front of
you, treating them as held.
› REMOVE BLOOD: Set Blood tokens
aside and treat them as no longer
in the game. Do not return them
to the Blood Pool.
to get through each phase of the game.

SPECTRES OF BROCKEN

HOW TO PLAY
SPECTRES OF
CH1
BROCKEN
EXPERIENCE AND STRUCTURE
» SPECTRES OF BROCKEN is a collaborative storytelling
roleplaying game. As a roleplaying game, you’ll be creating
characters and playing as those characters, describing their
actions and reactions to the fictional world you create.
As a storytelling game, you create a fictional world and fill
it with situations, challenges, temptations, themes, and story
elements that players can interact with and combine together
to form an overall story.
As a collaborative game, you will manage your characters
and the story together, cheering each other on and
challenging each other to come up with a story that all of you
can enjoy together.
Where some roleplaying games might rely on one specific
player (often called a “Master” of some sort) to present
situations and challenges for the other players to interact with, This style of game is
in Spectres of Brocken all players share this responsibility. often called
This means that rather than just focusing on what your "GM-less" for not
character would do when presented with stimuli, you have having a single
to provide those situations yourself, either putting yourself in "gamemaster".
tricky situations, or presenting challenges to other players. However, rather
In addition, you’ll have to think about the overall arc of than having no
the story involving all the player characters rather than just gamemaster, it's
your own. more helpful to
This can be a lot to handle. Playing both sides - your think of each player
character's actions and the situations that inspire these in the game as
actions - asks for a high amount of creative and spontaneous co-gamemasters.

energy. Some players thrive on the narrative and roleplay
challenge, while others find this to be a lot to handle.
I recommend checking in with everyone before play and
CH1
asking directly if they're comfortable with this creative

expectation and style of play.
If you prefer, you can instead choose to have one player
act as a facilitator who can purely focus on managing the
rules, situations, and story elements without also having
to play a character. This will also help lighten the creative
load on other players so they can just focus on playing their
characters.
If you've never seen If this is your first time playing Spectres of Brocken,
a collaborative and especially if this is your first time playing this style of
storytelling game collaborative roleplaying game, I highly recommend playing
in action, it can be with one player as the facilitator.
useful to watch a live
example of play or Game Structure
"Actual Play" video
online. You can find »
THE CORE PREMISE of Spectres of Brocken is that you
links to some on the will be playing as young mech pilots in an academy, and then
Spectres of Brocken there’s a time skip and you find yourselves on differing sides
of a large-scale conflict as ace pilots with custom mechs.
itch.io page.
Due to the time skip, play is split into two modes or phases,
called the Academy Phase and Conflict Phase.
During the Academy Phase (page 17), you’ll be figuring
out who your characters are and what kind of relationships
you have with each other. You will start by defining just a few
character details on your Pilot Sheet and leaving the rest
blank to be filled in as you play through the Academy Phase.
You can think of the Academy Phase as “playing through”
character creation.
For the Academy Phase, you don’t even need to be familiar
> Academy Phase with any tropes of mecha fiction, and you could play it as if it
[17] was just a coming-of-age school story with your characters
growing and coming to learn more about themselves and
each other.

After the Academy Phase ends, it’s a good time to take a
break from the game to rest and review the experience. If
you’re attempting to play in a single session, take at least
CH1
20-30 minutes away from the game for players to recharge in
between the phases. Use that time to check in with everyone
on how they are feeling about the game and make any
necessary adjustments or accommodations before starting
the next phase.
If you’re playing over multiple sessions, time the ending of
the Academy Phase with the ending of a play session. There
will be changes to the game’s tone (shifting from a school
setting to a war) and game mechanics in the Conflict Phase,
so use the break between sessions as a convenient parallel
to the time passing between the two phases.
During the Conflict Phase (page 46), you’ll figure out why > Conflict Phase [46]
each character ended up on opposing sides of a conflict as
ace mech pilots, and you’ll put them into dangerous situations
where they will have to figure out if they’re willing to pay the
costs of getting what they want.
For the Conflict Phase, being familiar with tropes of mecha
fiction can help, but don’t worry if you aren’t. This game isn’t
concerned with the logistics of piloting a mech, but more on
the motivations, limitations, and connections of the pilots
behind them.
A mech merely symbolises the amplified impact available
to a person afforded by technology, and the distance that
you hope the layers of armour would confer to you. You have
immense power at your fingertips, but that power is also
mediated and out of your full, direct control. A computer is
a mech. A car is a mech. A corporation is a mech. So don’t
worry if you’re not familiar with mecha fiction. We pilot
metaphorical mechs all the time.
For the end of the Conflict Phase, you will also need to budget > Ending the Game
around half an hour to wrap up the game with the Epilogue. [72]
This will allow you to review all that you’ve achieved and all
that you’ve lost over the course of the game before it ends.

BOUNDARIES AND
ENVIRONMENT
CH1
» SPECTRES OF BROCKEN expects that players can play

in an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and
cheering each other on as players while your characters get
into increasingly tragic circumstances.
In order to foster that environment, it is important that
every player feels safe, comfortable, and supported in being
able to share their creativity with each other. This includes
the ability to calibrate expectations and boundaries together,
so that the world and characters you imagine together feel
consistent and connected.
Make sure everyone is comfortable in the play space.
Have snacks and drinks on hand to keep your energy up if
that works for you. Put a playlist together to set the mood, or
make sure everyone’s notifications are silenced so they don’t
intrude. Give space for players to doodle and muse about the
world and their characters, or set a timer to remind each
other to take breaks.
Figure out what works for everyone playing or just
watching along to be as comfortable as possible, and build
your schedule and space to suit.
REMINDER Allow time and space for each player to set their boundaries
Before you play, and expectations early and clearly. As mentioned earlier,
make sure all Spectres of Brocken deals with themes of war and violence,
players are aware and players should know to expect that. Even so, not everyone
of the themes of is willing or interested in exploring every aspect of that all
the game and feel the time.
comfortable playing Perhaps you are not interested in revisiting high school
with them. cliques and bullying at this time; perhaps you don’t want
to dwell on details of head injuries; perhaps you just don’t
want to deal with situations that are too close to recent news
stories. Use this time to share and set boundaries, so that you
know what other areas you can really focus on.

Make sure to discuss ahead of time what to do if boundaries
get accidentally crossed, or your play inadvertently brings you
close to these boundaries. Often this is as simple as saying that
CH1
out loud, or calling for a pause for discussion, or agreeing on a
non-verbal cue ahead of time to move things along.
There are established safety tools that you can set up ahead
of time and rely on in these situations, rather than trying to
deal with them as they come. I personally tend to use Lines
and Veils (by Ron Edwards) and a TV-rating style guide (similar
to Primetime Adventures) on tone and content in my games.
LINES AND VEILS
Lines and Veils are a method of pre-determining categories Lines and Veils
of content that will not feature during the game. At the start help to guide the
of the game, collaboratively determine content that will not content of your
appear in this session at all (Lines), and content that may game.
appear but will not be spotlighted or shown in detail (Veils).
Don't make players have to explain their reasonings or
issues behind them, unless they feel comfortable doing so.
If you are the more experienced player or are facilitating, set
the tone and example by setting the first Lines and Veils and
encourage others to follow suit.
If something comes up during play that someone is
uncomfortable with, feel free to pause play and refer back
to the Lines and Veils and update them. In addition, make use
of planned breaks to check in with all players on the Lines
and Veils.
RATING GUIDE
Using a Rating Guide similar to what TV programmes use TV Ratings can be

helps to provide a general idea of tone and impact of the a quick way to set
content and sits above the Lines and Veils. the tone of your
Even if something isn't identified as a Line or Veil, it shouldn’t game.
break the tone set out by the Rating.
Examples of Ratings are General Audience (G), Parental
Guidance (PG), Mature/Accompanied (MA), and Restricted (R).

In addition, there are other safety tools you can use to
support your play in this way such as the X-Card (by John
Stavropoulos), Script Change tools (by Beau Jágr Sheldon),
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the CATS (Content, Aim, Tone, Subject Matter) framework (by

TTRPG Safety Patrick O'Leary). You can check out the TTRPG Safety Toolkit
Toolkit available at bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit, co-curated by Kienna Shaw and
online at bit.ly/ Lauren Bryant-Monk, which compiles several tools that
ttrpgsafetytoolkit have been developed by various members of the tabletop
roleplaying community, and choose the tools and approaches
that suit you and your group.
Regardless of what tools you end up using, make sure
everyone is in agreement and on board with the tools, and
keep each other's comfort, enjoyment and engagement
a priority.

RULES FORMATS
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» THIS BOOK is going to present two formats for laying out
the game’s rules.
The first is the “long-form” or learning format, starting
from page 17, which will walk you through the steps
of facilitating and playing your first game of Spectres of
Brocken. This approach might work best for you if:
› This is your first time playing.

› It’s easier for you to imagine the flow of play by having
someone explain it to you.
› You’d like to have examples and advice of how to play
rather than intuiting it from the bare rules.
› You haven’t played many roleplaying games, and in
particular GM-less storytelling games.
The second is the “short-form” or rules summary format,

starting from page 108, focusing just on the essentials and > Rules Summary
providing page references for other sections of the book [108]
where you can find more details. This approach might work
best for you if:
› You’ve played before and just need a refresher.

› You need to quickly check on a rule or concept during play.
› You consider yourself a veteran of storytelling games.
› You prefer diving into and figuring things out as you play.
There’s also a section with some tips and advice on running > Supporting Play
and playing the game. This section will also provide some [94]
ideas about how you can further expand or hack this game.

THE ACADEMY
C H A P T E R 2
PHASE
2
2
////////////// ESTABLISHING
Chapter Outline
Establishing the
THE ACADEMY
Academy [18] » NOW THAT YOU’VE SET THE TABLE it’s time to establish
the setting you’ll be playing in. Have a look at the World
Creating Pilots [20]
Tendencies, starting from page 74 to page 93, and choose
Choosing Traits,
Anchors, and one of them to inform the setting. A summary of each of the
Bonds [20] World Tendencies is included below:
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Seeding the Word

Bank [24]
Setting the First ORBITAL CENTURY

Academy Scene [25] A relatively grounded sci-fi World Tendency.
Mechs were developed to construct and maintain artificial space
Playing an Academy colonies where most of humanity has migrated to. However, as tensions
build between the colonies, the corrupt old Earth government, and the
Scene [29] exploitative megacorps, mechs have been repurposed for “security”
and combat. Pilots start out in a technical training school, expecting
Academy Moves [33] to use their skills in construction, mining, and emergency services.
Academy Phase
Situations, Reveals,
and Pivots [34]
JET FANG RUMBLE
Activating Moves [36] An outlandish sci-fi World Tendency.
Giant monsters threatened the world and biomecha were initially
Using Words [37] built to fight them off. After succeeding, they are now mostly used in a
popular combat sport. However, the corporations that benefit from the
Defining Pilot Traits continued use of biomecha harbour secrets that may lead to a sudden
new conflict. Pilots start out in a sports league, expecting to use their
and Bonds [38] skills as athletes in biomecha combat sports.
Ending the First

Academy Scene [39]
Further Academy
Scenes [42]
THE FIRE QUARTZ CROWN
A fantastical World Tendency.
A great Empire fused magic and technology to create Titan Constructs
Ending the Academy that allowed them an edge over their neighbours. However, the royal
Phase [43] family is now seen to be weak, allowing the Great Houses to maneuver
for the throne. Pilots start out in a royal college, expecting to use their
Interlude: In Between skills to jockey for position and power in the royal court.
Phases [44]
18 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • The Academy Phase

Choose a World Tendency and accompanying Academy that WORLD TENDENCY 01
ORBITAL CENTURY
» HUMANITY HAS MADE their tentative steps beyond Earth’s gravity. Giant orbital colonies twinkle serenely around our solar system, on which a new generation
of people live and die. Mechs were designed to construct and maintain the colonies, with dreams of using them to reach beyond our meagre sun and unlock the
everyone is excited about and feels comfortable playing with.

riches of the galaxy. However, conflict brews between the Earth Sphere and the outer colonies. More and more mechs are refitted for “peacekeeping” purposes
by Earthbound governments, while their use by the colonies becomes ever more regulated. Rumours circulate about nascent rebellions in “problem” colonies.
› Independence › Expand › Rebel › Sanction › Emigrate › Revolution › Resentment
SUGGESTED › Colonial › Exploit › Divide › Capital › Union › Transfer › Oversight
WORDS
› Class › Manufacture › Strike › Commune › Control › Taxing › Sacrifice
Artesia School of Technology ACADEMY & TRAINING MECH
The Artesia School of Technology on Colony 7 is a technical school with a piloting course focused on construction, mining, and emergency services industries. Colony 7 is able to maintain a
neutral stance even as tensions rise between the Earth Sphere and outer colonies by supplying the maintenance fleets of both sides. The Artesia School also benefits as a testing ground for
Once chosen, spend 15-20 minutes going over the details of

Irvine Industrial’s newest consumer technologies, including Modular Utility Trainer units. These new mechs utilise interchangeable components to simplify upkeep and maintenance, while
Earth Sphere Administrative The League of the Unbound Irvine Industrial Edge Zone 8 Autonomous
Alliance (ESAA) Originally a labour union formed to improve The largest remaining independent Area
A vestige of the terrestrial governments the bargaining position of the asteroid mining corporation, it has resisted nationalisation A tragic accident during the construction of
of old, the ESAA is nominally in charge of colonies, the League attempted to access efforts from the ESAA by capitalising on the Colony 8 caused it to be abandoned while
all space colonies. After the Environmental better and more reliable food shipments schism between inner and outer colonies. It only partially finished. Irvine Industrial
Preservation Acts moved most heavy in exchange for raw materials they supply now acts as an intermediary between the quietly continued to use it as a dumping
industry off to the colonies, the Earth to inner colonies. As negotiations with Earth Sphere and the League, profiting off ground for derelict ships and mechs. Over
Sphere administrators established palatial the ESAA stretch interminably, some in both. The League’s Trade Bloc sees Irvine time, a fiercely independent community of
the World Tendency and Academy together and refine them to

residences in exclusive Green Zones. the League push for a full independence as the true threat, since Irvine directly salvagers, criminals, and assorted exiles
Limited Industrial Support Zones supply the movement and a blockade. Others advise controls the transport and maintenance coalesced in EZ8, opposing all those who
rich Earth Sphere of inner colonies, while patience, hoping that the trade negotiations infrastructure the outer colonies rely on. would seek to control them.
outer colonies are expected to be self- will eventually bear fruit. This has split the
sufficient and send resources back to Earth. League, as Trade and Independence Blocs › Wants: Maintain autonomy and profits, › Wants: Secure autonomous space, steal
vie to determine its future. advance the technology of war, supplies, fulfil personal vendettas
Many outer colonies resent this imbalance
and long for independence.
monopolise trade › Key Assets: Thriving black market,
› Wants: Build military capability, spread › Key Assets: R&D labs, manufactory secret smuggling routes, banned
› Wants: Control the colonies, suppress news news of the rebellion, secure resources asteroids, advanced prototype mechs weapons stockpile
of rebellion, regain access to resources for colonies
› Key Assets: Moon fortress, gene labs, › Key Assets: Mechanised production
military waystations colonies, energy harvester fleets,
fit your specific group.

FACTION FACTION FACTION FACTION
//////////////// › An experimental Irvine Industrial stardrive › ESAA agents infiltrate the League and rile › A reporter discovers that the League plans
accidentally enters the EZ8 Autonomous up partisan elements, resulting in an attack to establish a new colony on a resource-
Inciting Incidents Area, leading to a crackdown by their on school grounds while an ESAA admiral rich exoplanet with an arkship secretly
! ////////////////
security forces. EZ8 denizens team up with
the League to combat Irvine’s invasion.
gives an address. ESAA then brands the
League a terrorist organisation, leading to
built in EZ8. ESAA and Irvine Industrial
send teams to seize the arkship, leading to
open warfare between the two. a struggle over the future of humanity.
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
FACILITATING: WORLD TENDENCIES Each World

If you’re facilitating, ask players what excites them about Tendency also
the World Tendency they’ve chosen and suggest tweaks to has its own easily
emphasise those parts. Similarly, ask players what they are referenced double-
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unfamiliar or uncomfortable with in the World Tendency, and sided printout
de-emphasise or change those parts. which you can
find with the other
When refining the details of the setting, remember that game sheets. [8]
the Academy Phase takes place when all the Pilots are still
young and figuring out what they want to be and do.
The Pilots are still impressionable and mercurial, and the
Academy is a site for them to develop their own personalities
and beliefs. Make the Academy a place that is exciting and
vibrant for the Pilots, with ample opportunity to discover and
pursue their dreams.
However, remember that Academies are also places
of formation and control. Make the Academy a place that
is fraught with obligations and expectations, with ample
opportunity for the Factions to try and shape the youngsters
into “useful” Pilots in the future.
Don’t worry about establishing every single thing you need
for the game, just focus on what will be interesting to explore
during the Academy Phase, and let the details get filled out as
you play.
FACILITATING: TIMING
If you’re facilitating, keep an eye on how much time is being

spent refining details. If players start speculating about
scenarios that might play out, it’s a good sign to move on to
creating Pilots and playing. Pause and encourage players to
keep that creative energy for the next steps, and they’ll have
plenty of opportunity to further explore the setting in the game.
The Academy Phase • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 19

CREATING
PILOTS
» NOW IT’S TIME TO CREATE YOUR PILOTS. You can find a
blank Pilot Sheet on the opposite page for reference (details
on where to download sheets on page 8).
On the Pilot Sheet, there are spaces for four Pilot Traits,
separate spaces for Bonds and Anchors, and spaces for other
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> Mech Details [66] Pilot details.

Also on the sheet are spaces for details related to your
Pilot’s mech. The mech’s details will be filled out and described
in the Conflict Phase, so you can leave them empty for now.
To create your Pilots, each players follows these steps:

1. Choose one starting Trait for your Pilot and fill it out.
2. Create one Anchor for your Pilot.
3. Give your Pilot a Name, and describe their Pronouns and
how they Look and dress. Use the World Tendency list to
inspire your Pilot’s name if you need to.
4. Introduce your Pilots to each other.
5. Create one initial Bond for your Pilot with another Pilot.
6. You may select a Theme Song now to help you shape your
idea of your Pilot, or wait until later in the game when
you’ve gotten a better feel for your Pilot.
The next section will explain further details for choosing your
starting Trait, creating Anchors, and creating Bonds.
CHOOSING TRAITS,
ANCHORS, AND BONDS
» CHOOSE JUST ONE OF THE FOUR PILOT TRAITS on the
Pilot Sheet to fill out (either a Conviction, an Impulse, a Pride,
or a Flaw). Each Pilot Trait comes with suggestions - choose
one of them or make up one of your own:

PILOT SHEET SPECTRES
OF BROCKEN
PIL O T NAME PRONOUNS MECH NAME PIL O T CALL SIGN
L OOK MECH L OOK
THEME SONG 🎧 FAC TION
PILOT TRAITS MECH FEATURES

P ORTRAIT P ORTRAIT
CONVICTION FEATURE 1
BONDS ANCHORS
////////////////
////////////////
////////////////
IMPULSE FEATURE 2
PRIDE FEATURE 3
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////////////////
//////////////// FLAW FEATURE 4
HELD WORDS
SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
› Convictions are deeply held beliefs and ideals that your Pilot holds – Protect
Those Important to Me, Be The Strongest There Is, Outrun The Past, Hit Them
Before They Can Hit You, Don’t Die, We’re Stronger Together, Make Them Pay
› Impulses are how your Pilot reacts to conflicts or tense situations – Take Away
An Advantage, Take a Defensive Stance, Overwhelm Them, Strike First Strike
Hard, Focus On The Larger Goal, Figure Out Their Weakness, Call In Support
› Prides are talents, skills or material advantages that your Pilot has that give
them confidence that they can take on any challenge. They can be related to
piloting mechs or be more general – I’m Faster Than Anyone Else, I Can Always
Hit My Target, I Know How My Enemies Will Act, People Listen To My Advice Like
Commands, People Are Like Open Books To Me, I Have Psychic Powers, I Can
Fix Or Build Anything
› Flaws are weaknesses or insecurities that your Pilot is struggling with – Coward,
Impulsive, Cruel, Cold, Haunted, Tempestuous, Guilty, Insecure, Arrogant

P I L O T, K N O W T H Y S E L F
Pilots are young and may not have a firm grasp of who they
really are yet. These Traits aren’t the truth of the Pilot’s
character - they may be what they believe to be true about
themselves. Or it may be something that you, the player, are
aware of but they, the character, are not.
The other three Traits left blank will be defined and filled in
REMINDER as you play through the Academy Phase.
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Only fill out one of It’s fine if you have strong ideas already for what your Pilot
the Traits in Pilot Traits are during character creation and you can use that as
Creation, leave the inspiration for setting up scenes to allow you to flesh out
others for play. those Traits.
However, the Academy Phase is a formative period for
your Pilots and they are still working out who they are, so
don’t rush to define them fully just yet. I advise you to hold
on lightly and enjoy the process of defining your Pilot as they
interact with other Pilots.
REMINDER Next, Anchors describe key people, places, institutions, and

Do not create an events that were formative for your Pilot. Pick one from the
Anchor with another list of suggested Anchors in your chosen World Tendency or
Pilot, since these make up one of your own.
relationships will be When you choose an Anchor, think about why your Pilot
covered by Bonds. cares deeply about that Anchor. The subjects of your Anchors
Similarly, do not can come under threat and be destroyed during the Conflict
create Bonds with Phase, so make sure to make Anchors that would really
non-Pilots since matter to your Pilots.
those relationships
are covered by
Anchors.

FACILITATING: STARTING SIMPLE
If you’re facilitating, encourage players who are having trouble

coming up with a character to pick simple or obvious options,
as there will be ample opportunity to explore characters more
and delve into more complex characterisation through play.
Once everyone has picked their Pilot Trait, defined one

Anchor, named their Pilot, and described their Pronouns and
overall Look, take turns introducing your pilots to the group.
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After all the Pilots are introduced, work together to pick
one initial Bond that your Pilot has with one other Pilot:
› Bonds are relationships that your Pilot deems important.

A Bond will be linked to another Pilot, if both Pilots agree
to it. If you want to establish a relationship with a non-
Pilot, you’ll use Anchors. When you write a Bond, describe
it in the form of a desire; something you want from or for
the other party that they won’t or can’t give you just yet
– friendship, love, recognition, support, trust, revenge,
truth, protection, forgiveness, respect, power, influence. It's very common for
character details
Make sure to discuss with the target of your Bond before to shift during this
you lock it in. If they don’t seem enthused about the Bond, work process - that's okay,
with them to refine the Bond into something that works for lean into it!
both of you or work out a different Bond with a different Pilot.
As you discuss Bonds and how your Pilots might interact in
the Academy Phase, you might want to refine or change some
of your other details to better mesh with other Pilots.
DON'T LOCK THINGS IN TOO EARLY
Nothing is set in stone yet. You might find yourself excited

about ideas that you might not have thought of before seeing
the full cast of characters, so allow time to make any changes
or adjustments.

SEEDING THE
WORD BANK
If you use » AFTER CHOOSING YOUR SET TING and creating your
compound words Pilots, it’s time to start seeding the Word Bank.
or short phrases as In this game, Words refer to singular words (or even
Words, keep them compound words or short phrases, use your discretion)
short — two to which are used as a resource as you play. Some game actions
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three words in total. will cause you to gain or generate Words, while others will
“Climate change” require you to spend them.
and “Bread and Words are collected in a Word Bank, which lists potential
circuses” are fine, Words that players could interact with. The Word Bank can
“The Unbearable act as a sort of palette or mood board which players can look
Weight of Massive to as prompts during play. They can also act as a reminder
Talent” probably of the atmosphere, vibe, or just elements of the setting that
needs to be players have agreed should be focused on.
simplified.
To start populating the Word Bank, add “Identity”, “Connection”,
and “Wanting” to the Word Bank. These are the core themes of
the Academy Phase.
Then, each player adds one Word to it. You can look at the
suggested Words in the World Tendencies for ideas or come
up with your own.
These Words might represent a key element of the setting,
the Pilot’s initial impression of the Academy, or just something
that you want to focus on during the game.
Now is a great time to look back at your discussions during
setting and Pilot creation and use them as a source for
potential Words.
The Words in the Word Bank can be used by any player
later, so in addition to seeding ideas that you’re interested
in exploring yourself, you can also seed ideas that you’re
excited for other players to engage with.
Once you’ve added Words to the Word Bank and reviewed
them, it’s a good time to take a short break before you start
setting up the first Scene of the Academy Phase.

SETTING THE
FIRST ACADEMY
SCENE
» AFTER CREATING your setting, Pilots, and setting up the
Word Bank, it’s time to get into your first Scene of the Academy
Phase. Each Scene is a discrete sequence where your Pilots
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will be interacting with each other to work towards the goals
or core themes of the phase.
For the Academy Phase, the core themes are “Identity”,
“Connection”, and “Wanting”. Therefore, each Scene should
allow opportunities for your Pilots to play with those themes.
Each Scene involves a Scene Question that explores
different aspects of the core themes and helps to guide the
interactions between Pilots in the Scene.
To start your first Scene, decide on a lead player as a group.

The lead player is responsible for setting up and framing
the Scene.
A good rule of thumb is to have the facilitator act as the
lead player for the first Scene, since they’ll likely be most
familiar with the flow of the game.
The lead player chooses two Situations from the following S U G G E S T I O N
list and combines them to frame the Scene: If you prefer, you
can instead roll a die
› A lively meal › A formal event or dance to randomly select
› A test of wits › Sneaking about your situations.
› A team competition › A private duel
The Situations provide the context for the Scene, providing

different ways for your Pilots to interact and reveal
their personalities.
When you combine Situations, you can choose whether
one Situation will be the dominant one with the other adding

REMINDER flavour or interpret the overall Situation as an amalgam of
Any player may the two.
offer ideas and For example, “A test of wits” and “A lively meal” can be
suggestions for combined to be either an impromptu competition between
Scenes, but it is several pilots during mealtime, or some sort of test that
ultimately the lead involves sourcing ingredients for and preparing a meal. Go
player who has the with whatever makes the most sense or inspires the most
final say. interest from the group.
Each Situation also comes with a set of Reveals and Pivots,
which are examples of actions that Pilots can take in a Scene
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> List of Reveals to reveal more about their character and escalate or resolve
and Pivots [34] the Scene.
When choosing what Situations to make up a Scene, look
> Using Reveals over the Reveals and Pivots associated with each Situation to
and Pivots [36] get a feel for the possibilities provided for the type of Scene
that your group is interested in.
Each Scene also features a Question that is the focus of

the Scene.
The lead player chooses a Scene Question to answer
from the following list, adjusting any details of the Scene to
accommodate the chosen Question:
› Who causes a major rift between two or more Pilots?

› Who brings two or more Pilots closer together?
› Who causes a Pilot to understand and assert themselves
more fully?
› Who causes a Pilot to question their identity and purpose?
› Who helps a Pilot make progress on their future goals?
› Who becomes a rival or hindrance to another Pilot’s
future goals?
The Question provides both focus and direction for the

Scene, something that all players can work together to answer
through their Pilot’s actions. The Question acts as a sort of
gravity or horizon that draws a Scene towards a conclusion.
Use the Question to push your Pilots together and to escalate
the situation until the Pilots have to take decisive action.

RECOMMENDED FIRST ACADEMY SCENE
Situations: A lively meal x A test of wits

Question: Who causes a major rift between two or more Pilots?
For the first Scene, go with something that can involve as many Pilots as
possible. This allows each player to quickly figure out how their Pilot acts in
group situations, and establish relationship dynamics. Providing a challenge to
overcome or objective to achieve helps to explore how Pilots act to gain what
they want, and foreshadows future conflicts.
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The Question leads to a clear payoff, with changes to the Pilots’ relationships.
It also allows Pilots to reveal flaws and complications early on when the stakes
are relatively low while setting up seeds for later Scenes.

EXAMPLE OF PLAY
Amira and Charles are using the Orbital Century World Tendency. Amira is
playing Abbas O’Sullivan (he/him), the son of an Irvine Industrial inspector
stationed at Colony 7, newly transferred to the Artesia School of Technology.
Charles is playing Clover Dorrano (she/they), a young welder from the outer
colonies staying with her aunt while finishing school.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Alright, I get to set up the first Scene! I definitely want to
kick off with a meal, see what the cafeteria at the school is like. You good with
that, Charles? Anything else on the list catch your eye?
CHARLES (CLOVER): Oh, er, I dunno. You get to set the Scene, right? You
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choose then. Recess time at the cafeteria sounds good to start.

AMIRA (ABBAS): Hmm OK. Well, I know I want to be a new transfer student, so
maybe a test of wits could be like figuring out which table I should be sitting at?
CHARLES (CLOVER): Haha yeah, like figuring out the social landscape at
lunch. Do we already know each other? Am I like giving you a rundown?
AMIRA (ABBAS): I guess so? But I guess that’s not really a test of wits, more
like a social situation. We could interpret that a bit loosely, but I kinda want
something that’s a bit more like a challenge.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Right, yeah maybe something where we could be competing
for something? Like wanting to sit at the same table as your crush haha. Or that
classic trope of like fighting to get the good dishes before they sell out or something.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Ooooh I love that idea of wanting to sit at the same table as
your crush! Maybe it’s a couple of weeks in already and we both have the same
crush we want to sit with. That’s juicy!
CHARLES (CLOVER): Yeah, that’s an exciting way to start haha. I picked a
missing brother as my Anchor, but maybe I should change it to this crush, right?
Like a cool senior that we both like?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Right, could still be an older guy you look up to, and who
knows, maybe he goes missing later heh. OK then, let’s use that as the setup.
I guess this might end up causing a rift between us? Or is it something we end
up bonding over?
CHARLES (CLOVER): I think let’s try for a proper rivalry here, seems like it
would be really fun to fight over something so trivial now, and then make it so
much worse later.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Alright, great let’s go with “Who causes a major rift between
two or more Pilots?” as the Scene Question then.

PLAYING AN
ACADEMY
SCENE
» ONCE THE SCENE HAS BEEN SET UP, the lead player
begins the narrations and/or roleplaying. They do this by
describing the physical space, and what their Pilot does and
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says in response to the situation.
The lead player invites other players to jump into the scene,
perhaps by directly engaging with their Pilot or asking what
their Pilot is doing.
To play out the Scene, each player describes what their
Pilot does and says in response to the scenario.
FACILITATING: LEADING QUESTIONS
If you’re facilitating, ask leading questions to encourage

players to take action and control of the story. Tie the
questions back to the Traits, Bonds, and Anchors that have
already been defined on their Pilot Sheets, e.g. ask them
if they would run away from a confrontation if they have a
“Coward” Flaw, and if they decide not to run away, what that
reveals about one of their undefined Traits. Use the Scene
Question as a prompt as well.
Keep the Scene Question in mind so that players can work

together to answer it through their actions.
Players can choose to narrate what their Pilot does, or
embody and act as that Pilot in the Scene, or a combination
of both approaches.
During the Scene, players may activate any of the Academy > Academy Moves
Moves, details on page 33. Moves are special procedures [33]
that respond to particular actions that Pilots take during
Scenes. They serve to highlight key moments, or encourage
players to act towards key moments.

Moves interact with the narrative tool of Words and the
Pilots’ Traits and Bonds to allow them to reveal more about
the Pilots and the world they inhabit.
Each Move has a trigger, a situation or action in the narrative
that guides players on when the Move can be activated. Some
Moves will provide benefits like Words to the players, and
those Words can then be spent on other exciting Moves that
require Words to trigger.
FACILITATING: ACTIVATING MOVES

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If you’re facilitating, keep an eye on the possible triggers for

each of the Academy Moves and highlight opportunities for
players to activate them. Ask clarifying questions whenever
players describe their actions or setting elements, and see if
they are attempting to activate a Move. If they are, help them
work their actions or description towards the Move.
For the first Scene, the lead player should activate an Academy
Move as soon as possible. By demonstrating how a Move works,
it makes it easier for other players to do the same.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
To help create opportunities to activate the Academy Moves,

the lead player should encourage players to narrate or
> Show Your roleplay their Pilots opening up to each other. By talking to
Face [33] each other about their feelings and motivations it becomes
easier to use the Show Your Face and See Through The Mask
> See Through Moves.
The Mask [33] The lead player should also encourage players to look at
the Word Bank for ideas, to introduce complications, twists, or
> Stack the thematic resonance with their actions. This allows players to
Deck [33] use Stack the Deck to gain Words to be used later.

Once players have activated some Academy Moves and gained some Words,
start pushing to resolve the complications in the situation or try to address the
Scene’s Question directly. Players can then spend Words on Academy Moves to
take dramatic action to pivot or resolve the Scene by highlighting and locking in
one of their unfilled Traits or Bonds on their Pilot Sheet.
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
AMIRA (ABBAS): Just to recap, our setup is that we’re both trying to score a
seat at the table next to our crush during lunchtime at the cafeteria, and the
Question we are trying to answer is “Who causes a major rift between two or
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more Pilots?”.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Yeah let’s go. How do we start?
AMIRA (ABBAS): OK so we start in the space cafe where all the students are
having lunch. Could just be something simple like a long hall with windows
looking out into a courtyard, and there are people lining up with trays to get
food from several counters and vending machines.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Wait are these like those prepackaged astronaut meals?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Hmm I don’t think so? Even though it’s in space, it’s still inside
a colony right? So it should just be like regular meals. Maybe the food from the
vending machines is like that though?
CHARLES (CLOVER): Cool, cool. I mean yeah it’s probably regular food, but
I always like in sci-fi shows when the characters are eating some weirdly
packaged “future-food” haha. Especially for Clover, I think she’s used to working
in space already right, so maybe she has a taste for the power bars or whatever
nutrient pod thing that she gets when she’s doing a job in space.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Ooh yeah, hey that’s actually like something I put in the Word
Bank. I put in “Food Security” since that’s something the ESAA and League are
fighting over, that sounds like you could activate Stack the Deck .
CHARLES (CLOVER): Are you sure? I dunno, I wasn’t really going for that, and
it’s not really about food security, just the type of food we have in space.
AMIRA (ABBAS): No, but I like how you’re thinking about what food the space-
welders eat compared to the people who just stay in the colonies, I think that’s
a cool way to look at it. How about this, I actually like this idea, and would
love to see more of it later, so I’m going to use Raise Your Flag instead, and

put “Power Bar” in the Word Bank. Imagine if that came back as a “Power Bar”
weapon later, that would be so fun.
CHARLES (CLOVER): OK then I’ll take “Power Bar” for Stack the Deck . Amira,
you keep putting Words in that are two words.
AMIRA (ABBAS): I know, haha! It’s hard for me to think of single Words quickly
for what I’m trying to describe. The book says it’s OK though!
CHARLES (CLOVER): OK, OK I’m just teasing! So yeah I think Clover is walking
around with a loaded meal tray and power bars from the vending machines
trying to look for her crush. Oh what’s his name and what is he like?
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AMIRA (ABBAS): How about you describe him, since he’s your Anchor.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Hmmm, OK. So I think Clover would be attracted to
someone who’s outgoing and cheerful, so maybe an athletic type. Captain of
the volleyball team kinda vibes. Tall and tan with a ready smile. I took the name
Dashiel Fortis from the World Tendency, but I think everyone calls him Dash.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Right, maybe he was super nice and welcoming to me as the
new kid, so I’ve got a crush on him because of that. I imagine he’s pretty popular
and is sitting with a bunch of friends at a big table already. I think I’m heading
over directly there, looking to join.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Wow, forward! I think Clover is hovering at a neighbouring
table, maybe she’s a bit intimidated by the crowd there already.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Oh yeah I’m just going for it. I think Dash had shown me
around earlier and just casually dropped a “Hey just come over and say hi
whenever you see me”, so I’m interpreting that as an invitation to go sit with
him at lunch. I picked the “Strike First Strike Hard” Impulse, so I’m going all in,
all the time, baby!
CHARLES (CLOVER): Haha OK yeah that will probably spur Clover to action as
well. Hmm. I want to do something big here, and my only Word is “Power Bar”.
I think Clover is going to quickly cut in front of you before you get to the last
seat at the table, and sit down, offering to share some of her power bars with
Dash. I’m spending “Power Bar” to do an I’ve Got This and reveal my competitive
streak. I think Clover would have been fine just admiring Dash from afar, but
seeing Abbas be so forthright brings out something in her.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Haha cool. Are you writing this competitive streak as a Flaw?
Or is it more like an Impulse, since this seems like a gut response.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Oooh I’m not sure, let me think about it a bit.

ACADEMY
MOVES
You may activate the following Academy Moves at any time in an Academy Phase Scene:
Raise Your Flag Stack The Deck

When another player’s actions When you introduce an event,
in a Scene excites you about its complication, or action to the Scene
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possible implications, ADD TO THE that highlights a Word in the Word
WORD BANK. Bank, GAIN THAT WORD.
Show My Face Find The Answer

When you open up to another Pilot, When the answer to the Question of
revealing something important about the Scene becomes apparent to all
yourself, your wants, or who you care players, end the Scene. Each Pilot
about; or when you use one of the that was named in the answer GAINS
Situation’s Reveals, GAIN A WORD. A WORD (the same Word).
You must have at least one Word to activate the following Academy Moves in a Scene:
See Through The Mask I’ve Got This

SPEND A WORD to tell another Pilot who SPEND A WORD to make a pivotal
you think they are, offering a new impact on the Scene that highlights
option of a Trait or Bond. Then ask one of your Pilot’s Traits or Bonds;
them this: “Have I hit on something or to use one of the Situation’s
true about you?” Pivots. If that Trait or Bond is not yet
› If they answer “Yes”, they GAIN filled in or you decide to erase it,
A WORD and adjust their Trait or choose or make up a new one.
Bond accordingly.
› If they answer “No”, both of you
may add or adjust any Bonds that
involve the other Pilot to reflect
this awkward situation.

ACADEMY PHASE
SITUATIONS,
REVEALS, AND
PIVOTS
»
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EACH SITUATION comes with suggestions for Reveals and Pivots that are
particularly relevant to those Situations. If this is your first time playing, you
could lean on the Reveals and Pivots as a list of options to choose from during
a Scene. However, you are not limited to using those Reveals and Pivots during
play. I actually recommend quietly reviewing the Reveals and Pivots together as
you pick Situations for a Scene to get an idea for different ways the Scene could
go and calibrate expectations for the types of character actions that would
trigger a Move or could be put forward as the outcome of a Move.
A Test of Wits A Team Competition

Reveals: Reveals:
› The depths and limits of your knowledge. › What you are reliant on others for.
› How your past experiences have shaped › What role you think you play in a team.
how you approach problems. › What prevents you and from
› How much you rely on ’s wisdom. working together well.
› Who the smartest person in the squad is. › Who the most reliable person in the
squad is.
Pivots:
› Rely on a Conviction, Pride, or Bond to Pivots:
come up with an ingenious solution. › Deepen your trust and relationship with
› Recognise a key weakness in a plan another teammate based on a Flaw,
because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. Impulse, or Bond.
› Convince someone to do what you want › Enable a teammate to showcase their
using your Conviction, Impulse, or Bond. full potential using your Conviction,
› Underestimate a rival’s capabilities Pride, or Bond.
because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond. › Sacrifice yourself for the team’s benefit
because of a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond.
› Act selfishly to the detriment of the team
because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond.

A Formal Event or Dance Sneaking About
Reveals: Reveals:
› How you want to be seen by the world. › What rules and obligations you chafe
› What societal class or position you’ve fit in. against.
› Why you want to pay attention › What secrets and desires you’ve kept
to you. hidden.
› Who the most recognised person in the › Why you don’t trust .
squad is. › Who the most unruly person in the
squad is.
Pivots:
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› Win a friendly contest or argument using Pivots:
your Conviction, Pride, or Bond › Evade detection or consequences with a
› Build up or change someone’s reputation Pride, Flaw, or Bond.
because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. › Sway someone to look the other way
› Act on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond to or join you because of an Impulse,
get someone to open up. Conviction, or Bond.
› Overindulge and cause an awkward scene › Reveal a clear path to your objective
because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond. using a Pride, Impulse, or Bond.
› Stumble and reveal yourself because of
a Conviction, Flaw, or Bond.
A Private Duel A Lively Meal

Reveals: Reveals:
› What drives you to fight and strive. › Your favourite food(s).
› What you most fear losing. › How you let your guard down when
› What strong emotions evoke in you. you’re comfortable and fed.
› Who the most passionate person in the › Why you bond with over
squad is. food and drink.
Pivots:
› Who the most well-liked person in the
squad is.
› Reveal a secret weapon or hidden
strength to surprise your opponent with Pivots:
a Pride, Flaw, or Bond. › Win a friendly contest or argument using
› Rely on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond your Conviction, Pride, or Bond
to successfully call a truce and end › Build up or change someone’s reputation
hostilities. because of a Pride, Flaw, or Bond.
› Decisively end the duel to your benefit › Act on a Conviction, Impulse, or Bond to
using a Pride, Impulse, or Bond. get someone to open up.
› Take the duel too far because of a › Overindulge and cause an awkward scene
Conviction, Flaw, or Bond, hurting all because of an Impulse, Flaw, or Bond.
involved.

ACTIVATING
MOVES
SUGGESTION » NOW THAT YOU KNOW what Moves are, here are some
If it's your first time pointers on how to use and activate Moves effectively.
playing, even if you Players will likely activate 1-2 Moves each during a
decide not to have a given Scene.
dedicated facilitator, Moves are prompts to guide you and help you decide how
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have one player sit your Pilot should act in a situation. They act like mini-goals
out the first Scene to work towards in a Scene, especially the ones that require
and have them spending Words to use.
remind players when You can use Moves by choosing a Move you want to activate
they can activate and telling everyone so you can work together to incorporate
Moves or suggest a it into a scene.
pause and rewind if Alternatively, you can play out part of a Scene together and
a Move should have you realise that you’ve ended up activating the Move after
been activated. a while. You might then pause or even rewind the Scene to
tweak it and apply the effects of the Move.
Some players and play groups will be partial to one method
over the other. There isn’t “one true way” to use Moves, so feel
free to work out your preferences as players and as a group.
You might even find an entirely different way of using Moves
that works best for you and your group.
Moves will sometimes reference Reveals and Pivots which
form part of the Situations. You are not limited to using the
Reveals and Pivots, but they are useful for your first few
games to define the scope of what you can do in a Scene or
interaction.
Don’t worry about being too strict about Moves and feel free
to negotiate with your fellow players on how you’d each prefer
to deal with Moves. If in doubt, err on the side of flexibility so
that everyone has more chances to activate Moves.

USING WORDS
» WHEN YOU GAIN A WORD from the Word Bank as part SUGGESTION
of a Move, strike it from the Word Bank and write it on your You could
Pilot Sheet. instead write
When you ADD TO THE WORD BANK as part of a Move, write a the Words down
new Word in the Word Bank that reflects the circumstances onto notecards
or ideas you had when you activated that Move. Try to pick and move them
nouns and verbs over adjectives, so as not to overlap too between the Word
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much with Traits and Bonds. Bank and Pilot
Sheets. Folding
FACILITATING: HELP WITH WORDS the notecards in
If you’re facilitating, help out with suggestions for adding half and standing
Words where appropriate, but remember to let the players them up can help
have the final say. It can also be helpful to suggest when them be more
players should use the Raise Your Flag Move, when they visible on the
respond enthusiastically to something that happens in a scene. table.
Multiple Pilots can have the same Word, so feel free to

re‑use particularly resonant Words.
When you SPEND A WORD to activate a Move, strike the Word REMINDER
from your Pilot sheet and put it back into the Word Bank. Use Remember to
the Word as a prompt or inspiration to guide your actions and rewrite the Word
decision in the Move, even if just tangentially. in the Word Bank
Don’t worry if you can’t think of a good way to connect when you spend
Words to actions. Err on the side of doing the thing that makes it. This lets Words
you most excited rather than the thing that most reflects the come back again
spent Word. and again.
Words gained in the Academy Phase carry over into the
Conflict Phase.

DEFINING
PILOT TRAITS
AND BONDS
» AS YOU PLAY THE ACADEMY PHASE, you will be filling
in and defining the Pilot Traits that you did not choose during
Pilot Creation through your actions.
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You do this by activating Moves that either let you define

> I've Got This [33] a Trait and have it figure prominently in resolving a scene
ILOT SHEET (I’ve Got This, page 33), or let you attempt to define another
> See Through The Pilot’s Trait in a personal interaction (See Through The Mask ,
Mask [33] page 33).
PIL O T NAME PRONOUNS MEC
When you define a Trait in the Academy Phase, it can come
as a dramatic occasion or moment of realisation.
L OOK However, this does not mean that your Pilot cannot change MEC
or adapt as you keep playing. Traits aren’t written in stone, so

you can refine the wording of the Trait as you play and figure
out a more
THEME SONG 🎧 appropriate way to express the character. FAC
You could also reveal different facets of your Pilot’s
personality or Pexplore
I L O Tinternal
T R Aconflicts
I T S over your path,
P ORTRAIT > I've Got This [33] and then activate the I’ve Got This Move to re-define your
Pilot’s Trait. CONVICTION
Remember, your Pilots are still young and figuring out who
BONDS they are, so they won’t always stick to one Trait or Bond.
/
////////////////
IMPULSE
Take a defensive stance

PRIDE
38 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • The Academy Phase //

//////////////// FLAW
ENDING THE
FIRST ACADEMY
SCENE
» AS YOU KEEP PLAYING A SCENE, you should try to bring
it to a close by answering the Scene Question (page 26). > Scene Question
You might find that the Scene played out differently than [26]
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you had expected going in, and one of the other Scene
Questions on the list seems more fitting or you identify a
more interesting way to end the Scene.
If this happens, it’s perfectly fine to pause and discuss
with all the players whether you’d like to swap the Scene’s
Question. This might prompt players with ideas on how to
bring the scene around to the original Question, or you can
just switch Questions.
Regardless, once it becomes clear that the Question of the
Scene is answered, activate the Find The Answer Move to > Find The Answer
bring the Scene to a close. [33]
FACILITATING: ENDING SCENES
If you’re facilitating, after 15-20 minutes in a Scene you can

start nudging players towards answering the Scene Question.
You can just directly remind them of the Question as well, and
suggest changing the Question if you notice players exploring
a theme that fits a different Question.
After a Scene ends, take a moment to reflect on the Scene

and review your Pilot sheets to see if any players have ideas
for future interactions or Scenes.
In between Scenes is also a great time to take a quick break
and have some discussions about calibration and feedback.
Once everyone is ready to move on to the next Scene, pick
a new lead player to frame the next Scene.

CALIBRATING YOUR GAME
BETWEEN SCENES
In between Scenes, you can discuss the following to calibrate
your play experience:
> Boundaries and › Review safety tools and update them as appropriate.
Environment [12] › Clarify any rules issues; if mistakes have already been
made, make any adjustments that are possible e.g.
gaining Words that were missed, and move on.
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› Clarify any ambiguous plot points or interactions between

Pilots in a Scene; it’s fine if the characters don’t have full
knowledge but make sure players are all on the same
page on what actually happened in a Scene.
› Discuss the usage of Words and Moves and what
expectations players might have in how they should be
triggered or interpreted.
› Identify if anyone who wants the spotlight hasn’t had a
chance yet and try and line up the next Scene for them
to shine.
› Make sure everyone has enough water, snacks, or has
had the opportunity to step away from the table for a bit
to rest and recharge.

EXAMPLE OF PLAY
CHARLES (CLOVER): Oof that’s gotta be rough for Clover! Yeah she’s definitely
going to leave the table after Abbas brings that up. I think she makes a pointed
remark, something like “Hey you’re not making people uncomfortable because
you’re new, it’s because you’re an inconsiderate jerk!”.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Yeah haha I deserve that! I think I’ll rewrite the “Oblivious”
Flaw into “Inconsiderate Jerk” now. OK I think that’s the end of the Scene right?
Maybe Dash leaves the table to try and talk to you, but we can just close on that
without having to see the specifics.
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CHARLES (CLOVER): Yep sounds good to me.
AMIRA (ABBAS): OK so let’s answer the Question, “Who causes a major rift
between two or more Pilots?”. I guess both of us are at fault here, so we could
both get the Word.
CHARLES (CLOVER): Hmm, not quite. Clover might have started it, but I think
Abbas was really the one who escalated it to the point of an argument.
AMIRA (ABBAS): That’s true, I was playing up his jerkitude there. You okay
with me taking the Word myself then?
CHARLES (CLOVER): Yep, go for it. Can I suggest the Word though?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Sure thing!
CHARLES (CLOVER): I think “Class” could work here. We don’t have it in the
Word Bank but I was thinking after the argument that that’s what it boils down
to, that these two just are in different classes and see the world differently.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Yeah this could be juicy to hold onto for later as well, I like it.
Let’s just say you add “Class” to the Word Bank and I’ll take it now.

FURTHER
ACADEMY
SCENES
» ONCE YOU’VE PLAYED A COUPLE OF SCENES, you
might feel inspired to change the Scene Questions or create
new ones. Remember that a good Question focuses on how
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specific character actions reveal new dynamics in the group.
SCENE QUESTION TEMPLATE
Use the format “Who [takes action] that caused [one or more
Pilots] to [reveal something/change a relationship/understand
an aspect of themselves or the group]?” for new Questions.
REMINDER Scenes also do not need to be in strict chronological order.

It's fine to choose a You might want to do short time skips or flash back to an
Scene Question that earlier time period to explore different aspects of each
seems to have an Pilot’s character.
obvious answer. You Furthermore, while Scenes in the Academy Phase will
may be surprised mostly focus on the Pilots in the Academy together, that
how the Scene doesn’t mean you can’t have Scenes outside the Academy. The
turns out. Even if Pilots might go on field trips, visit each others’ homes after
the answer turns class, or spend vacation time together.
out to be what you As you play, you’ll also get a better handle on who your Pilot
expected, it's still is, and you might not be making reveals that are as dramatic
worthwhile to play or novel as early Scenes. This is fine, and can allow you to
out the interactions focus on the nuances of your Pilot’s Traits or to focus more on
between characters their relationships to other Pilots and to the world at large.
and get to know them Once each Pilot has a fairly good handle on their Pilot’s
and the world better. Traits, it’s a good time to bring the Academy Phase to a close.

ENDING THE
ACADEMY
PHASE
» CONTINUE UNTIL YOU’VE PLAYED 2-3 SCENES, and each
player has had a chance to fill in at least one of their Pilot
Traits or Bonds.
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At the end of the Academy Phase, you might still have some
Traits or Bonds that are not filled in. This is normal, and there
will be an opportunity to complete the Pilot Sheet in the > Developing the
Conflict Phase. Pilots [50]
Choose one of the following closing questions to answer as
a group to close out the Academy Phase:
› Simmering tensions finally come to a head and fighting

spills over into the Academy, causing it to shut down
and scatter your Pilots. How were your Pilots drawn into
the violence?
› You discover that the Academy is deeply involved in the
machinations of factions pushing for all-out war. Who
forsakes the Academy and who decides to stay?
› All of you graduate from the Academy without major
incident, going out to live your adult lives, before a
conflict finally breaks out. When was the last time you all
managed to see each other before the war began?
You can refine the specifics of the closing questions above,

or come up with your own. After this, you’ll move on to the > Conflict Phase [46]
Conflict Phase.

IN BETWEEN
I N T E R L U D E
PHASES
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INT
» AS YOU WRAP UP THE ACADEMY PHASE, it’s a great

time to take a break and check in with all the players on
how they’re feeling about the game and the arcs of their
characters so far.
FACILITATING: CHECKING IN
Here are some useful questions to ask to figure out how your
group is feeling about the game and calibrate the experience.
› What adjustments should we make to our safety tools
before we shift narrative focus to war in the Conflict Phase?
› What’s your favourite use of a Word in a Scene so far?
› What Words do you think are no longer relevant to the
setting and plot?
› What Word are you most excited to use next?
› What’s your favourite reveal about a Pilot so far?
› What’s the most exciting character relationship you got to
explore?
› What Trait do you wish you could have explored further
with a Pilot?
› What character relationship would you like to see more of
in the future?
› What do you wish you could have done differently in a Scene?
› What plot or character detail do you wish you could adjust
before moving into the Conflict Phase?
44 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • In Between Phases

You can use this break in between phases to refine some
details about characters or edit any Traits or Bonds to be
clearer. This shouldn’t cause major changes to the story that
has already occurred, but it can be helpful to re-state things
in a clear manner before starting up the next phase.
EXAMPLE OF REFINING DETAILS
For example, you could start with a Flaw of “Impulsive” and

realise through the Academy Phase that this manifests the
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INT
most in the way they talk and express their opinions. You
might then rephrase it as “Speaks Without Thinking”, which is
largely the same sentiment but brings in more details about
how your Pilot expresses this Trait.
If you’re playing over multiple sessions, you can instead It’s a good idea to
review the state of the game and make adjustments to your start off with a
Pilot sheets as part of the beginning of a new session. This quick recap of what
allows for time to recap what’s been happening and get happened in the
players back into the headspace of their Pilots. Academy Phase
Before starting the Conflict Phase, review the Word Bank before starting the
and the Words held by each Pilot as additional reminders of Conflict Phase,
the events of the Academy Phase and discuss the possible especially if you’re
challenges and tragedies the Words might imply for the playing over multiple
Conflict Phase. sessions.
In Between Phases • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 45

THE CONFLICT
C H A P T E R 3
PHASE
3
////////////// ESTABLISHING
Chapter Outline THE CONFLICT
Establishing the
Conflict [48] » ONCE YOU’RE READY TO LEAVE the Academy behind,
Conflict Sheet [49]
it’s time to take on the Conflict Phase. This phase takes place
several years after the Academy Phase. A large-scale conflict
Developing the has broken out, and the Pilots are now each ace Pilots with
Pilots [50] their own custom combat mechs.
Setting the First Each Pilot will find themselves on different sides of the
Conflict Scene [51] conflict and now demonstrate how their Mech Features
express their Traits and allow them to touch the world in
Playing a Conflict much larger ways.
Scene [54] Scenes in this phase should focus on the Pilots in their
Conflict Moves [58]
mechs, and how the mech amplifies their impacts on the
world around them.
Conflict Phase At the start of the Conflict Phase, set up a sheet of paper
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Situations, Echoes as the Conflict Sheet in the middle of the play area. This sheet
and Pivots [60] serves to record details about the Factions in the Conflict,
such as their Wants and Key Assets, and the outcomes of the
Conflict Phase
Conflict Scenes (details at page 8 and page 49).
Complications, Echoes
You should also have some small markers, beads, counters,
and Pivots [62]
or even just scraps of paper to act as tokens to track Blood
Moves and Blood (more on Blood at page 64) at hand.
[64] Blood is a new mechanism in the Conflict Phase to control
the pacing of a scene and as a representation of losses
Defining Mech
incurred during the conflict.
Features [66]
As you begin the Conflict Phase, you’ll need to figure out
Ending a Conflict how the situation changes from the Academy Phase such that
Scene [67] a major conflict breaks out that involves all the pilots.
Choose one of the Inciting Incidents in your chosen World
Further Conflict
Tendency to describe how the conflict begins.
Scenes [70]
Feel free to adjust the Inciting Incidents to better suit the
Ending the Conflict events of the Academy Phase. For example, you might omit
Phase [71] or swap out one of the Factions involved if one of your Pilots
already has an existing connection to that Faction.
Epilogue: Ending the
Game [72]
48 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • The Conflict Phase

CONFLICT SHEET SPECTRES
OF BROCKEN
FACTION NAME 1 FACTION NAME 2 FACTION NAME 3 FACTION NAME 4
› Wants: › Wants: › Wants: › Wants:
› Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets:
BLOOD ////////////////
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SPECTRES OF BROCKEN
Based on the Inciting Incident, list the Factions involved in If you want to make
the Conflict on the Conflict Sheet. up your own Inciting
For each Faction, also describe three things that the Incident, check
Factions Wants, and list three Key Assets controlled by that out the section on
Faction. You can refer to the World Tendency for examples or creating your own
come up with your own. setting on page 99.
Finally, add the Words “Change”, “Opposition” and “Tragedy”
to the Word Bank.
The Conflict Phase • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 49

DEVELOPING
THE PILOTS
» AFTER SET TING UP THE INCITING INCIDENT and the
Factions involved in the Conflict phase, each player updates
their Pilot Sheet, following these steps:
1. Choose the Faction that your Pilot is now fighting for.

2. Choose a Callsign for your Pilot and a Name for your
Pilot’s mech.
3. Update your Pilot’s Name, Look, and Pronouns to reflect
the passage of time.
4. For each of your filled in Traits on your Pilot Sheet, write
a new Anchor for your Pilot related to that Trait.
5. Fill in any unfilled Traits or Bonds, showing how you’ve
developed since the Academy.
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REMINDER As with Pilot Creation, check in with the other player before
Keep all your Words you create a Bond with their Pilot.
from the Academy When you add a new Anchor, feel free to either expand on
Phase into the existing characters and places from the Academy Phase, or
Conflict Phase. introduce new ones that are part of your Faction during the
time of the Conflict Phase.
After every player has updated their Pilot sheet, take turns
reintroducing your Pilots to the group.
As you reintroduce your Pilot, provide a short summary of
what they’ve been doing in the time between the Academy
and Conflict Phases and how that resulted in the changes to
your Pilot Sheet.
Use this preparation time to focus on how the Pilots feel
about the conflict at large, and how it touches them in personal
ways. Think about how their desires and goals might shift or
intensify as they gain the power to exert more of their will on
the world through their mechs and the changing landscape.

SETTING THE
FIRST CONFLICT
SCENE
» NOW THAT YOU’VE SET UP the Conflict Phase and how SUGGES T ION
your Pilots have grown, it’s time to get into a Conflict Scene. Before starting the
Conflict Scenes differ from Academy Scenes in that you Conflict Scene, take
are no longer trying to figure out who your Pilots are. You’ve some time to go over
chosen your paths, and it’s now time to see how you navigate the new Moves and
the war to get what you want from the world, and what costs mechanics such as
you are willing to pay to get there. Blood to figure out
For the Conflict Phase, the core themes are “Change”, how to incorporate
“Opposition” and “Tragedy”. Therefore, each Scene should them into the Scene.
allow opportunities for your Pilots to play with those themes
To start your first Conflict Scene, decide on a lead player
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as a group. The lead player is responsible for setting up and
framing the Scene.
The lead player chooses one Situation from the following
list to start framing the Scene:
› A tense chase › A drawn-out siege

› A risky ambush › A covert infiltration
› A fighting retreat › An all-out battle
When choosing a Situation, look to Anchors as inspirations

for stakes, and Traits and Bonds as invitations to challenge a
Pilot’s beliefs and internal conflicts.
The lead player also adds one Complication that makes the
scene dangerous:
› Treacherous terrain › Volatile materials present

› Unexpected new › Non-combatants in
technology the area
› Lacking supplies and › Pick another Situation and
repairs combine it with this one

Use the Complication to highlight what makes the Scene
dangerous to all involved, and especially look for ways to
threaten each Pilot’s Anchors, Traits, and Relationships.
SUGGESTION Feel free to solicit input on the Situations and Complications
Review the from other players and work out together a framing that
Echoes and Pivots on excites all players involved.
page 62 and use Whatever framing you come up with, the first Scene should
them as ideas for ideally have Pilots from opposing Factions coming into
framing a Scene. conflict. This will help you clearly articulate and reinforce
what the Pilots are fighting for or over. Internal schisms can
be exciting, but save that for later Scenes.
The lead player also chooses a Question to answer from the

following list and adjusts the Scene framing to work towards
answering this Question:
› Who most embraced change to pursue new futures?

› Who is most haunted by the past, unable to let go?
›
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Who suffered the most trying to hold on to an impossible

ideal?
› Who compromised their principles to avoid facing their
fear of loss?
› Who opened themselves up to connect with others
despite the dangers?
› Who hid behind layers of armour to do the dirty work that
needed doing?
When choosing a Question, keep in mind that whoever is

named in the answer gets to decide what Faction gets what
they Want as a result of the Scene.

RECOMMENDED FIRST
CONFLICT SCENE
Situations: A tense chase x Treacherous terrain

Question: Who most embraced change to pursue new futures?
For the first Scene, go with a direct conflict with clear stakes.
This allows each player to quickly figure out their goals and
options for action. Keep the Complication to something that’s
commonly understood, such that players can quickly come
up with ideas for dangerous action that might lead to Blood.
The Question focuses on establishing personal goals for
Pilots early, and encourages Pilots to highlight how the
timeskip has affected everyone differently. Let the Pilots
reveal what they want and how they might oppose each
others’ efforts in getting what they want.
The players can put notes about this Scene down on the
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Conflict Sheet, and the lead player adds 1 Blood token to it to
form the starting Blood Pool. Then, for each Pilot involved in Therefore, 2 Pilots
the Scene, they add 1 Blood to the Blood Pool. in a Scene = 3 Blood,
Blood measures the violence and costs of war. The more 3 Pilots in a Scene =
Blood in the Pool, the more dangerous the Scene and the more 4 Blood, and so on
likely that a Pilot will end up losing something important to
them in this Scene.
Blood is also a rough indicator of how long a Scene will
last, since the amount of Blood would correspond roughly
with the number of Conflict Moves you’d expect to activate
during a Scene.
During the Epilogue (page 72), Blood will also help you > Epilogue [72]
answer the closing questions of the game.

PLAYING A
CONFLICT
SCENE
» DURING THE SCENE, each player describes what their
Pilots do, similar to the Academy Phase Scenes. Refer back
> Playing Scenes [29] to page 29 for details on how to play a Scene, page 36
> Activating Moves for tips on how to use and activate Moves, and to page 37
[36] for tips on how to use Words.
> Using Words [37] However, instead of using the Academy Moves, you will
use a new set of Conflict Moves. These new Moves still use
Words, but now also interact with Blood. The detailed list of
> Conflict Moves [58] Conflict Moves is in the next section (page 58).
> Blood [64] For more details on interacting with Blood, see page 64.
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When you enter a Scene in your mech, give a rough description

of what it looks like, revealing some general features like
standard weapons and construction. Don’t go into too much
detail just yet as you’ll have the opportunity to define and
> Mech Features highlight the mech’s Features through play. For more details
[66] on defining Mech Features, see page 66.
MESSY REUNIONS
When Pilots from opposing Factions first meet in a scene,

they probably would not immediately recognise each other.
Their Mechs anonymise them, obscuring them in layers of
armour.
It can be interesting to see how Pilots overcome the
anonymity provided by their Mechs and their positions as
opposing combatants to come to a place where they can talk.
Misunderstandings, assumptions, and missed opportunities
can be really fruitful avenues for dramatic Scenes.
However, sometimes you just want to have your Pilots
talk to each other as quickly as possible and dig into their
relationship in a Scene. If so, you can just assume there

are public communications channels or contact-based
communication technologies which allow Pilots to quickly
identify and speak to each other.
Remember, you control the setting, so it’s up to you and your
group to decide what styles and avenues of communication
you want to allow in a Scene.
Similar to the Academy Phase, each Situation and

Complication in the Conflict Phase also comes with additional
prompts in the form of Echoes and Pivots (details on page > Echoes and Pivots
60) that you can reference as part of activating Moves. [60]
The Conflict Phase allows you to create tension and
moments of antagonism between the Pilots. Setting up and
pulling off this drama is what makes the game fun, and the
best way to do so is by working collaboratively and proactively
with the other players.
So while your Pilots may have become sworn enemies because
of the world's cruelty, as players you are partners in pushing them
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to tragic actions that make the game that much more fun.
FACILITATING: HIGHLIGHT CONFLICT
If you’re facilitating, ask leading questions about how the

Pilots might want vastly different outcomes from the war,
and encourage them to bring those struggles to the fore.
Also, remind players about how dangerous their Mechs are,
and how vast the conflict is. Encourage players to think
about differences in scale and power between them and their
surroundings, and how innocents might be affected by their
actions directly or indirectly. Remind them that they’re not
going to get out of this war without Blood on their hands.
As you play, remember to keep an eye on the Question of

the Scene, and the amount of Blood remaining in the Blood
pool as they will trigger the end of the Scene.
Usually the lead player will take this responsibility, but all
players can and should keep this in mind to avoid a scene
from meandering or having too much shifting of the tides of
battle. Remember that “losing” a Scene can be as fruitful as
“winning” one.

EXAMPLE OF PLAY
After the Academy Phase, Irvine Industrial has allied with the Earth Sphere
Administrative Alliance (ESAA) and seized Colony 7 as their own. This takeover
of Colony 7 incited a war with the neighbouring colonies, fearing increased
control by the ESAA.
Amira is playing Abbas O’Sullivan (he/him), the son of an Irvine Industrial
inspector, now an Irvine test pilot operating out of their new base at Colony 7.
Charles is playing Carum Dorrano (he/they), a young welder from the outer
colonies, now leader of a rebel cell fighting against ESAA and Irvine control in
the colonies.
The Scene being played involves Carum in his Rockbreaker Modified leading
a squad of rebels in an attempt to capture Irvine Industrial’s prototype Alpha
Andreessen while Abbas is taking it out on a test flight. After discreetly disabling
the Irvine Industrial observation ships, Carum has finally caught up to the Alpha
Andreessen and is trying to surround it with the rest of his squad.
AMIRA (ABBAS): I’m looking around in confusion and a bit of panic now that I
see multiple enemy mech signatures on the screen, hurriedly checking that the
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weapons are armed. Since this was just a test flight, the AA doesn’t have its full
complement. Oh I think trying to fight while outnumbered sounds foolhardy, but
can I make it selfish to gain a Word with Make It Personal here?
CHARLES (CARUM): Ooooh haha I can help you out here. Carum sends a
broadcast to you to get you to surrender, something like “I know you’re in there
Abbas, I checked the pilot logs. We’ve got you outnumbered and surrounded,
don’t try anything foolish.” And then to really rub it in, “Back in the academy you
couldn’t beat me one on one, so there’s no way you can stand up to a squad of
us”.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Ahahaha nice, gauntlet thrown. That’s an Echo the Past
yeah? Nice nod to Carum’s “Beat them at their own game” too.
CHARLES (CARUM): Yeah, I gotta get a Word, since I spent my one already. We
have “Opposition” in there, so that’s an easy one for both of us to take?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Great, let’s do that. I still think I want to lash out here though.
I think that’s a big provocation from Carum, and Abbas is going to respond. So
yeah Abbas is going to go “You peasants with your improvised clubs don’t stand
a chance against a real weapon”, and he activates the built-in beam scatter

cannon in the AA’s chest. I’m thinking it’s like that big scatter beam in the middle
of the Psycho Gundam.
CHARLES (CARUM): OK so are you still trying to Make It Personal here or are
you going to spend a Word to Seize the Day ?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Hmm yeah let’s just push it to a big Seize the Day then. I’ll
spend “Opposition” immediately to activate the scatter cannon as a surprise
attack, maybe the torso opens up to reveal it. I want to try and take out a bunch
of your squad and escape. Here, let me write this down as a Mech Feature. I
think it should be linked to “Strike First, Strike Hard”, and I’ll call it a hidden
beam scatter cannon.
CHARLES (CARUM): OK so Carum’s definitely going to stand against you here,
so we both gain Blood. I think the beams catch Carum’s Loyal Squad completely
by surprise, so I’ll take Blood and remove them as an Anchor. They put up a
fight, but I think you’re right, we’re still in refurbished mechs and can’t stand up
to a machine purpose-built for war. Maybe not all of them get killed, but I think
Carum’s squad is no longer the same after this — it’s a big loss.
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AMIRA (ABBAS): Yeah, sounds good. Hold on a minute, I want to take this
Blood onto my Pilot sheet but I need a moment to think which Trait to erase. Can
we take a quick break while I think about it?

CONFLICT MOVES
You may activate the following Conflict Moves at any time in a Conflict Phase Scene:
Raise Your Flag Echo the Past

When another player’s actions When you interact with another Pilot
in a Scene excites you about its in a way that reminds them of your
possible implications, shared past in the Academy; or when
ADD TO THE WORD BANK. you bring up one of the Situation or
Complication’s Echoes, both Pilots
GAIN A WORD (the same Word).
Make It Personal Levy the Cost

When you take foolhardy action to When another Pilot takes dangerous
pursue your own selfish desires, or harmful action in a mech; or when
say how it puts you or one of your they RISK BLOOD, ask them this: “Are
Anchors at risk. Then, GAIN A WORD you ready to pay the cost?” (More
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and RISK BLOOD. than one player may use this Move in
response to another player’s action)
War's Toll › If they answer “Yes”, they GAIN 1
BLOOD from the Pool.
When you GAIN BLOOD, ask yourself
this: “Will this devastate me › If they answer “No”, nothing
happens, but remind them they
more to lose myself or to lose my will have to pay eventually.
connections?”.
› If you answered “lose myself”, Finish the Fight
place the Blood on your Pilot
Sheet and choose any one Trait or When the answer to the Question
Bond and erase it, along with its of the Scene becomes apparent to
linked Mech Feature. all players and/or there is no Blood
› If you answered “lose my in the pool, end the Scene. Each
connections”, take the Blood into Pilot that was named in the answer
your hands and say how one
chooses and describes a Faction’s
Anchor you care about is now
lost or destroyed. Strike it from Want that was fulfilled (consciously
your Pilot Sheet. or not), or one Key Asset that is lost
or forever changed as a result of
NOTE: HOLDING BLOOD DOES NOT this Scene. Then they take and HOLD 1
TRIGGER WAR’S TOLL BLOOD in their hand.

You must have at least one Word to activate the following Conflict Moves in a Scene:
Seize the Day Help Them Up

SPEND A WORD to make a pivotal SPEND A WORD and highlight a Bond
impact on the Scene that highlights you have with another Pilot to
one of your Pilot’s Traits or Bonds; explain how you reach out to help
or to use one of the Situation or them deal with the scars of war. Ask
Complication’s Pivots. You succeed at them: “Will you accept my words at
what you attempt, but ask one other this time?”
Pilot in the Scene: “Do you stand with › If they answer “Yes”, they may
me or against me as I do this?” SPEND A WORD to REMOVE 1 BLOOD
› If they stand against you, you from one of their Traits or Bonds
both GAIN 1 BLOOD from the pool and fill in a new one.
and face the consequences. › If they answer “No”, you GAIN A
› If they stand with you or stand WORD and RISK BLOOD.
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aside, REMOVE 1 BLOOD from the
pool. Their support allows you to
avoid complications.
Explain how your Trait’s linked Mech
Feature amplified the impact of your
actions. If it feels right to do so, play
your Theme Song.

CONFLICT PHASE
SITUATIONS,
ECHOES, AND
PIVOTS
» AS WITH THE REVEALS AND PIVOTS in the Academy Phase, I recommend
reviewing the Echoes and Pivots for the Situations below to get an idea of
what you could bring into Conflict Scenes. The main difference in the Conflict
Phase is that instead of revealing something new about your Pilot, you should
be working together with other players to tie what's happening in the Conflict
Phase back to your shared past.
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A Tense Chase A Fighting Retreat

Echoes: Echoes:
› When you pursued the other. › When you admitted your faults to
› When you forced the other to confess. the other.
› When you envied the other’s progress. › When you shared your fears and losses
› When you felt the other leave you behind. with the other.
Pivots:
› When you ran away from the other.
› Spring a trap, hindering movement. › When you gave up on the other.
› Activate a burst of incredible speed, Pivots:
outpacing everyone. › Take out your enemy’s key resources
› Throw out a net or tether, entangling even as the retreat succeeds.
your quarry. › Have reinforcements turn up in the nick
› Employ a distraction to quickly hide and of time to support you.
cover your tracks. › Find a hidden route that keeps you from
being detected or followed.
› Catch up to your enemy and rout them.

An All-out Battle A Risky Ambush
Echoes: Echoes:
› When you got into a terrible fight with › When you were surprised by the other.
the other. › When you felt betrayed by the other.
› When you supported the other in a › When you outsmarted the other.
tough spot. › When you seduced or were seduced by
› When you bared your feelings to the other. the other.
› When you caused the other to get hurt. Pivots:
Pivots: › Overwhelm your enemies with superior
› Pin down an enemy’s position, allowing your numbers and suppressive fire.
side to advance to an advantageous one. › Reveal your preparations and turn the
› Take out multiple enemy mechs, tables on the ambushers.
endangering a Pilot’s squadmates or › Use the element of surprise to take out a
followers, in the heat of battle. key target before anyone can respond.
› Blow up an enemy’s seemingly secure › Overcome your disadvantages with grit,
position, leaving them vulnerable to your determination, and incredible violence.
follow-up attack.
› Destroy a key target or enemy mech with a
precision strike from your mech’s systems.
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A Drawn-out Siege A Covert Infiltration
Echoes: Echoes:
› When you had a long disagreement with › When you hid from the other.
the other. › When you lied to the other.
› When you waited for the other. › When you were desperately searching
› When you spent a long time trapped with for the other.
the other. › When you snuck into the other’s
› When you blocked the other out. private quarters.
Pivots: Pivots:
› Find a secret passage in or out of the › Evade detection to get to a safe location.
besieged location. › Spot an enemy and keep track of their
› Destroy a key fortification or resource, position relative to yours.
leaving your enemy vulnerable. › Destroy an enemy by accident, not
› Hold out until support arrives to help knowing exactly where they are.
break the siege. › Reveal yourself when it’s already too
› Break the enemy’s morale and bolster late - the deed is done.
your side’s spirits with an act of valour.

CONFLICT PHASE
COMPLICATIONS,
ECHOES, AND
PIVOTS
» WHEN SET TING UP A CONFLICT SCENE, you combine a Situation with a
Complication. The Situation will usually set the stakes for the Scene, informing
what you are fighting over and how. On the other hand, the Complication will
usually determine the possible consequences of your actions, showing why and
how things could go wrong and informing how you define the costs of Blood and
impacts on your Anchors. Use the Complications below to amp up the stakes
of a Scene.
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Unexpected New Lacking Supplies

Technology and Repairs
Echoes: Echoes:
› When you learned something new about › When you shared a meal together.
the other. › When you suffered hunger or hardship
› When you geeked out together about together.
some niche interest. › When you pooled your resources together
› When you shared your hopes and fears to get something you both wanted.
for the future. › When you broke something belonging to
› When you felt outclassed by the other. the other.
Pivots: Pivots:
› Use the new technology in an unexpected › Deplete the last bit of supplies for one
way, gaining an advantage in the surprise. side, leaving them in a desperate position.
› Identify a fatal flaw in the new technology › Push a mech or machine to its breaking
and exploit it while it’s still unaddressed. point.
› Showcase the full capabilities of the new › Obtain a cache of supplies meant for the
technology using your mech and skills. other side.
› Seal the new technology before it can › Come up with an ingenious solution to fix
gain any advantage, using old-fashioned your supply issues.
grit and well-worn techniques.

Non-Combatants Volatile Materials Present
In The Area Echoes:
Echoes: › When you caused an accident for the other.
› When your issues with the other › When you braved a dangerous place
impacted unsuspecting bystanders. together.
› When you asked for help from others to › When you and the other fell sick at the
deal with the other. same time.
› When you were at a big party together. › When you saved the other from getting
› When you shared dreams of your lives hurt.
beyond piloting mechs. Pivots:
Pivots: › Blow up something, causing widespread
› Evacuate people from the area quickly damage.
and safely. › Move combatants and the volatile
› Shield people from harm. materials away from each other.
› Showcase extraordinary precision › Disable or render inert the volatile
to take out your targets without materials.
endangering others. › Use the volatile materials in a
› Use indiscriminate force to achieve your surprisingly effective way, turning them
objectives while others hesitate. into a one-sided advantage.
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Treacherous Terrain
Echoes:
› When you spent time together in nature.
› When you were lost together.
› When you travelled together.
› When you reminisced about where you
each grew up.
Pivots:
› Use a feature of the terrain to your
advantage.
› Reveal transport features that allow you
to traverse this terrain adeptly.
› Lead your enemies into natural traps
provided by the geography.
› Use overwhelming force to re-shape the
terrain.

MOVES AND
BLOOD
REMINDER » AS YOU PLAY, remember to emphasise the scale that the
If you trip and fall, Pilots are now operating at. Mechs are big and powerful, yet
you might hurt imprecise. Any action involving a mech has the chance to
yourself. If your cause unintended consequences purely because of their size
mech trips and falls, and armament.
you might destroy Use Blood to show how dangerous taking action in a mech
a building and its during the Conflict Phase is, in comparison with the days of
surroundings. the Academy.
› When you GAIN BLOOD, take that many Blood tokens out
of the Blood Pool and then decide whether to hold them
in hand or place them on your Pilot Sheet, per the War’s
Toll Move.
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› When you HOLD BLOOD in your hand, you can physically

hold the Blood tokens in your hands for the rest of the
game or set them in front of you, separate from your Pilot
Sheet until the end of the game and treat those Blood
tokens as held.
› When you REMOVE BLOOD from anywhere, set the Blood

tokens aside and treat them as no longer in the game. Do
not return them to the Blood Pool.
› When you RISK BLOOD, it acts as a trigger for you to

potentially GAIN BLOOD, depending on the results of the
Levy the Cost Move. Remember that the Levy the Cost
Move can be activated at any time, by any player, not just
when a player RISKS BLOOD.

Don’t be shy about giving Blood to a Pilot, and don’t be shy
about asking for Blood, if it feels relevant to the fictional
circumstances and would enhance a Pilot’s character arc.
Blood can represent both physical or metaphorical losses
for Pilots. However, by default Pilots shouldn’t outright die in
the course of the Conflict Phase due to taking Blood.
OPTIONAL: PILOT DEATH
Optionally, you can choose to have your Pilot die or sacrifice

themselves in battle after taking Blood. Try to save this
moment until you know you’re close to ending the Conflict
Phase as you are closing off options for interactions with other
players. Even if your Pilot is dead, you can still contribute by
helping to frame new Scenes, helping to describe what big
picture moves Factions might be making, and activate Moves
that involve other players such as Raise Your Flag and Levy
the Cost. For further options on dealing with Pilot death, see
page 105. > Pilot Death [105]
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DEFINING
MECH
FEATURES
» A MECH FEATURE is something that is unique to your
mech that allows you to express the linked Trait. Examples
are: Transformable Body, Remote Drones, Incredible Speed,
> World Tendencies Overcharge Protocols. See the lists in the World Tendencies
[74] (pages 74 to 93) for some more ideas for Mech Features.
The key idea to keep in mind when creating Mech Features
is to reflect and amplify the Traits of your Pilot.
By default, try not to get into too much detail with Mech
Features early on, as it may limit your ability to creatively
introduce new complications and solutions to them during
Scenes. You can always wait until you need to make a dramatic
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action or activate a Move to reveal a new Mech Feature linked

to one of your Traits.
OP TIONAL: DEFINE FEATURES EARLY
Alternatively, you can start filling out some or all of your

Mech Features when you update your Pilot Sheet for the
Conflict Phase. This can help you better visualise a Scene and
figure out creative ways to bring your Mech Features to bear
in a way that reflects your Pilot’s character. This might be
a little bit more restrictive, but can be productive if you’re
having trouble envisioning the action and physicality of your
interactions. Pick the method that works best for you.

ENDING A
CONFLICT
SCENE
» AS YOU KEEP PLAYING A SCENE, you should try
and bring it to a close by emptying the Blood pool and/or
answering the Scene Question. > Scene Questions
As the Blood pool dwindles, you should be escalating the [52]
scene and driving it towards a conclusion that will allow you
to answer the Scene Question.
Feel free to step outside of character and discuss among
all the players about what possibilities you see for ending the
scene when you see Blood running out.
When Blood runs out, or it becomes clear that the Question
of the Scene is answered, activate the Finish The Fight Move > Finish The Fight
CH3
to bring the Scene to a close. [58]
After a Scene ends, take a moment to reflect on the Scene

and review your Pilot sheets to see if any players have ideas
for future interactions or Scenes.
In between Scenes is also a great time to take a quick break
and have some discussions about calibration and feedback.
You can refer back to the suggested check-in questions on > Facilitating:
page 44 to manage this feedback and discussion. Checking In [44]
Once everyone is ready to move on to the next Scene, pick
a new lead player to frame the next Scene.

EXAMPLE OF PLAY
AMIRA (ABBAS): Looks like we’re out of Blood! That means we need to bring the
Scene to a close. Based on where we were, I think I get to escape right? After
taking out most of Carum’s squad, I think the beam cannon is spent, I don’t think
I have enough power left to really put up a fight so I just take advantage of the
confusion to jet out of there.
CHARLES (CARUM): Yup, that sounds like a good place to end. Did we actually
answer the Scene Question though? I don’t know if either of us really “most
embraced change to pursue new futures”. Carum has changed a lot but I don’t
think that was the focus of the Scene.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Hmm yeah you’re right. Do you want to maybe do a
conversation between Abbas and Carum to get into it?
CHARLES (CARUM): I guess we could do that, but I don’t know what Carum
would want to say to you after you just killed a bunch of their friends other than
swear bloody revenge.
AMIRA (ABBAS): I mean yeah we could do that, but that still doesn’t show
change right? Hmm hey what about this. What if instead we switch the Scene
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Question to “Who is most haunted by the past, unable to let go”? I feel like the
Scene showed how much we both didn’t change. I’m still a stuck up jerk and
you’re still bringing up the past to egg me on.
CHARLES (CARUM): Oooh OK yeah that could be the way to go. Like Carum
actually knew ahead of time it was Abbas piloting this new mech and leapt at
the opportunity to put him in his place.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Yeah, which I think means we both can activate the finishing
Move since we’re both still haunted by the past. Sound good?
CHARLES (CARUM): Yup, so that means I get to highlight a Want or a Key
Asset, right?
AMIRA (ABBAS): Yeah, do you have an idea already? Otherwise, I’ve got one
ready to go if you don’t mind?
CHARLES (CARUM): Please, go ahead!
AMIRA (ABBAS): OK, so I escape back with the Alpha Andreessen, and the
bosses are really happy about how it performed, and the ESAA are impressed
as well, and so Irvine secures a contract to provide mass-produced versions
of the AA to the ESAA. Basically, fulfilling their Want of maintaining profits.

CHARLES (CARUM): Makes total sense, the greedy bastards. I have my idea
now. I’m changing the “mechanised production colonies” asset. In the wake of
this disastrous mission and the increased mobilisation of the ESAA, the League
switches a whole bunch of their factories into making new mechs. It was slowly
being done, through a lot of bickering between the colonies, but now that the
threat is growing, they finally get together and push a bunch of manufacturing
colonies into full-on war production mode.
AMIRA (ABBAS): Alright, that sounds good! So both sides are now escalating
and outfitting their troops with new mechs. Maybe you can switch out from the
modded Rockbreaker to a new model!
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FURTHER
CONFLICT
SCENES
REMINDER » ONCE YOU’VE PLAYED A COUPLE OF SCENES, you
Even if the Pilots might feel inspired to change the Scene Questions or
are meeting outside create new ones. Remember that a good Question focuses
their Mechs, have on interrogating what goals Pilots might have and what
the consequences measures they would take to achieve those goals.
of their actions be
amplified by their SCENE QUESTION TEMPLATE
role in the war. Use the format “Who [pays a physical or metaphorical cost]
Maybe a supporting to [achieve a revealing goal]?” for new Questions.
squad turns up
looking for you, or In future Scenes, you can also choose to frame Scenes of
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your commanding internal conflicts within the same Faction. This can allow
officer starts firing Pilots from the same Faction to highlight the contradictions
artillery to cover and hypocrisies of their Factions and their personal actions.
your actions. While Scenes in the Conflict Phase will mostly focus on
the Pilots fighting in Mechs, that doesn’t mean you can’t have
Scenes of more personal conflict. You could have Pilots meet
on neutral ground to have a face-to-face conversation while
their Factions continue to fight, or you can leave your Mechs
partway to meet up in the ruins of a military outpost.
Optionally, in subsequent Scenes, you may update the
name and look of your Mechs in response to the outcomes of
previous Scenes. For example, you could append “Mark II” to
your mech’s name to reflect upgrades to your mech, or even
swap to a new mech entirely.
Once each Pilot has confronted the costs they are willing to
pay to achieve their goals in this war, it’s a good time to bring
the Conflict Phase to a close.

ENDING THE
CONFLICT
PHASE
» CONTINUE UNTIL YOU’VE PLAYED 2-3 SCENES, and
each player has had a chance to gain some Blood.
Choose one of the following closing questions to answer
as a group to close out the Conflict Phase, considering which
one best supports the Scenes you created together:
› What effort leads to a relatively peaceful end to the REMINDER

conflict and how do the survivors move on? Ending the Conflict
› What tragedy leads to an abrupt end to the conflict and Phase does not
how do the survivors deal with the fallout? mean an end to
› What bitterness leads to the conflict intermittently all conflict in your
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ceasing and restarting for the years to come, and how do story. Your Pilots
the survivors bear its burdens? might still continue
serving in a military
You can refine the specifics of the closing questions above, after the immediate
or come up with your own. After this, you will deal with the conflict ends.
consequences of your actions in the Epilogue.

ENDING
E P I L O G U E
THE GAME
» AFTER THE CLOSING QUESTION, each player takes
turns building out the Epilogue. This allows you to explore
what happens to your Pilots, their Mechs, and the Factions
after the war.
Feel free to play around with the timescale here to be
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EPL
able to see what happens in the immediate aftermath, and

also far into the future. Think about how your actions will be
remembered a year, 10 years, 50 years in the future.
Play around with the scale of the impacts as well — from the
personal, to impacts on communities, factions, and different
areas of society after the war.
The player with the most Blood on their hands begins by
choosing one of the questions below to answer. Then, pass
the turn to another player who has the next most Blood on
their hands.
› Whose death impacted you deeply? Set down one of the

Blood tokens you are holding as a memorial to them and
say how you grieved them.
› What place can you never go back to, whether or not it
still stands? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are
holding as a memorial to this place and say how you
commemorate it.
› What cherished memory now twists your heart when you
look back on it? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are

holding as a memorial to it and say how you try to hold on
to the good parts of it.
› What relationship changed forever for you, that you
continually regret? Move one of the Blood tokens off your
Pilot Sheet as a memorial to it and say how it haunts all
your future relationships.
› How are you forever changed by your actions in the If you don't have any
war? Move one of the Blood tokens off your Pilot Sheet Blood on your hands
as a memorial to your past and say how you struggle to or on your Pilot
assimilate into the post-war world because of it. Sheet you can still
› What big change did you enact in the world because of choose to answer
your actions in the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens the question. Just
you are holding as a monument to your achievement and skip the sections that
say what unintended consequences it had. aren't relevant.
› How does your mech become a potent and enduring icon
of the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are
holding as a monument to it and say what exaggerations
and misconceptions build up around its myth.
›
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EPL
How does one Faction grow in strength and influence
after winning the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens
you are holding as a monument to its status and say how
the seeds of its eventual downfall are sown.
› How does one Faction survive and adapt after losing the
war? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are holding
as a monument to its tenacity and say how it eventually
returns to relevance in another form.
Keep going until each player has answered at least one

question. You can continue exploring the Epilogue and
answering further questions. Take your time to say goodbye
to your Pilots and your game.
However, you should end the game before you spend all
your Blood. Leave some questions unanswered, leave some
scars unexamined, some hopes unresolved. Sit with the
uncertainty of what you’ve fought to make together.
End the game, for now. There will be another war someday.

WORLD
C H A P T E R 4
TENDENCIES
4
> Orbital Century [77]
> Jet Fang Rumble [83]
> The Fire Quartz Crown [89]
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74 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • World Tendencies

WHAT ARE WORLD
TENDENCIES?
» WORLD TENDENCIES ARE A template and structure to define settings for the
game. Each World Tendency contains a brief description of its imagined setting,
along with some further details on an Academy and Training Mech that you can use.
World Tendencies also provide details on Factions that exist in the setting and
suggestions for how they come into conflict in the latter half of the game.
There are also suggested Words that you can use for your initial Word Bank, along
with ideas for Pilot Names, Mech Names, Pilot Anchors, and Mech Features so that
you can all have a shared palette and aesthetic touchstones to draw from.
HOW TO USE WORLD TENDENCIES

When setting up the Academy Phase you will choose a World Tendency to use. Use
it as a starting point for your setting, and feel free to edit and change the details of
the World Tendency to fit your group's interests and tastes.
Remember: These aren't "Worlds" for you to play in, they are "Tendencies" that
you can play with.
Each World Tendency tends towards a certain type of story - hard sci-fi, gonzo
action, courtly intrigue, etc. but it's up to you to wrangle them into your specific vision
of a World. Change names, locations, technologies, mech aesthetics, and create
sub-factions within factions as needed to suit your group’s tastes and interests.
The Inciting Incidents in particular are there more as jumping off points for the
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direction of the Conflict Phase. If something more interesting comes out of playing
through the Academy Phase, go with that instead.
When you're describing mechs and mech combat in the Conflict Phase, feel free
to look at the list of suggested Mech Features for inspiration. This should provide
a shared grounding for the level of technology and aesthetics involved in the war.
If you want to further customise the setting for your game, check out the
alternate procedure on page 99 for making your own setting and customising a
World Tendency.
World Tendencies • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 75

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ORBITAL
W O R L D T E N D E N C Y 0 1
CENTURY
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ORBITAL CENTURY
Humanity has made their tentative steps beyond Earth's gravity. Giant orbital
colonies twinkle serenely around our solar system, on which a new generation of
people live and die. Mechs were designed to construct and maintain the colonies,
with dreams of using them to reach beyond our meagre sun and unlock the
riches of the galaxy. However, conflict brews between the Earth Sphere and the
outer colonies. More and more mechs are refitted for "peacekeeping" purposes
by Earthbound governments, while their use by the colonies becomes ever more
regulated. Rumours circulate about nascent rebellions in "problem" colonies.
Suggested Words
Independence, Colonial, Class, Expand, Exploit, Manufacture, Rebel, Divide, Strike,
Sanction, Capital, Commune, Emigrate, Union, Control, Revolution, Transfer, Taxing,
Resentment, Oversight, Sacrifice.
ACADEMY & TRAINING MECH

The Artesia School of Technology on Colony 7 is a technical school with a piloting
course focused on construction, mining, and emergency services industries.
Colony 7 is able to maintain a neutral stance even as tensions rise between the
Earth Sphere and outer colonies by supplying the maintenance fleets of both sides.
The Artesia School also benefits as a testing ground for Irvine Industrial’s newest
consumer technologies, including Modular Utility Trainer units. These new mechs
utilise interchangeable components to simplify upkeep and maintenance, while
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FACTIONS
Earth Sphere Administrative Alliance (ESAA)
A vestige of the terrestrial governments of old, the ESAA is nominally in charge of
all space colonies. After the Environmental Preservation Acts moved most heavy
industry off to the colonies, the Earth Sphere administrators established palatial
residences in exclusive Green Zones. Limited Industrial Support Zones supply
the rich Earth Sphere of inner colonies, while outer colonies are expected to be

self-sufficient and send resources back to Earth. Many outer colonies resent this
imbalance and long for independence.
› Wants: Control the colonies, suppress news of rebellion, regain access to resources
› Key Assets: Moon fortress, gene labs, military waystations
The League of the Unbound

Originally a labour union formed to improve the bargaining position of the asteroid
mining colonies, the League attempted to access better and more reliable food
shipments in exchange for raw materials they supply to inner colonies. As
negotiations with the ESAA stretch interminably, some in the League push for
a full independence movement and a blockade. Others advise patience, hoping
that the trade negotiations will eventually bear fruit. This has split the League, as
Trade and Independence Blocs vie to determine its future.
› Wants: Build military capability, spread news of the rebellion, secure
resources for colonies
› Key Assets: Mechanised production colonies, energy harvester fleets,
Irvine Industrial
The largest remaining independent corporation, it has resisted nationalisation
efforts from the ESAA by capitalising on the schism between inner and outer
colonies. It now acts as an intermediary between the Earth Sphere and the League,
profiting off both. The League’s Trade Bloc sees Irvine as the true threat, since
Irvine directly controls the transport and maintenance infrastructure the outer
colonies rely on.
› Wants: Maintain autonomy and profits, advance the technology of war,
monopolise trade
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› Key Assets: R&D labs, manufactory asteroids, advanced prototype mechs
Edge Zone 8 Autonomous Area

A tragic accident during the construction of Colony 8 caused it to be abandoned
while only partially finished. Irvine Industrial quietly continued to use it as a
dumping ground for derelict ships and mechs. Over time, a fiercely independent
community of salvagers, criminals, and assorted exiles coalesced in EZ8, opposing
all those who would seek to control them.
› Wants: Secure autonomous space, steal supplies, fulfil personal vendettas
› Key Assets: Thriving black market, secret smuggling routes, banned weapons
stockpile

PILOT NAMES
Clover Dorrano, Comorant Vale, Hacan DeShaun, Saji Muraya, Jaishen Kard, Erato
Isaura, Hestia Chang, Pace Ashford, Yon Fang Halsley, Janvier Brink, Dashiel Fortis,
Abbas O’Sullivan, 413-Engines, 25-Coordinator, 9-Test
PILOT ANCHORS
› Missing brother – ace pilot, undercover, driven by vengeance
› Distant mother – mech designer, obsessed, fearful
› Old mentor – war hero, traumatised, cynical
› Asteroid base – mining colony, orphans, disrepair
› Family farm – labour, food, graves
INCITING INCIDENTS
› An experimental Irvine Industrial stardrive accidentally enters the EZ8
Autonomous Area, leading to a crackdown by their security forces. EZ8
denizens team up with the League to combat Irvine’s invasion.
› ESAA agents infiltrate the League and rile up partisan elements, resulting in
an attack on school grounds while an ESAA admiral gives an address. ESAA
then brands the League a terrorist organisation, leading to open warfare
between the two.
› A reporter discovers that the League plans to establish a new colony on a
resource-rich exoplanet with an arkship secretly built in EZ8. ESAA and Irvine
Industrial send teams to seize the arkship, leading to a struggle over the future
of humanity.
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MECH NAMES
Hydra Type-S, Bellerophon, Phoenix Commando, Vulture Custom, Thresher [Mod.],
Whirlwind, Halberd EDGE-type, Treble Heavy, Alto High Mobility Configuration,
Satria, Hyacinth, Lifter-7820 (Combat Pattern), Crusher-621-ZZ

SUGGESTED PILOT TRAITS
AND MECH FEATURES
Convictions Prides
› Protect Those Important To Me › I’m Faster Than Anyone Else
Mech Features: Bunker shield, Mech Features: Impulse cyclers,
shield drones, magnetic grapple waverider mode, high mobility pack
› Be The Strongest There Is › I Can Always Hit My Target
Mech Features: Alpha-strike Mech Features: Linear coil rifle,
protocol, null wave cannon, targeting computer, gyro stabilisers
impregnable alloys › I Know How My Enemies Will Act
› Don't Die Mech Features: Possibility engine,
Mech Features: Ejectable escape tactical link system, comms
craft, aegis protocol, cloaking interceptor
system › I Can Fix Or Build Anything
› We're Stronger Together Mech Features: Multitool system,
Mech Features: Command link, frontline assembly pack, advanced
support pack, repair drones diagnostics
Impulses Flaws
› Take A Defensive Stance › Coward
Mech Features: Multilayer shield, Mech Features: Smokescreen
deployable barrier, smokescreen projectors, ejectable limbs,
grenades deployable lures
› Strike First Strike Hard › Cruel
Mech Features: Buster rifle, Mech Features: Heavy hooked
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impressive melee weapon, threat mace, heat cage, anti-infantry

detector AI shredders
› Focus On The Larger Goal › Insecure
Mech Features: Recon drones, Mech Features: Active trace
comms net package, decoy system, kill markings, overloaded
deployment system weapon hardpoints
› Call In Support › Arrogant
Mech Features: Marker beacon, Mech Features: Minimal armour,
satellite cannon link, hotswap single-shot weapon, conspicuous
packages insignia

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JET FANG
RUMBLE
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JET FANG RUMBLE
Twenty years ago, skyscraper-sized monsters suddenly appeared and attacked our
cities. Humanity banded together to fight them, sending waves of tanks, planes, and
missiles. When those were spent, we ripped scales and muscle fibres off monster
carcasses and built enormous bio-mechanical avengers. Now, we've won, but we can't
put the genie back in the bottle. We have machines of immense destruction, and we
can't dismantle them should the monsters return. So, we learn to live with the monsters
we created. We turned them towards the most human of pursuits: industry, war, and
entertainment. Giant robots slug it out for entertainment in repurposed training arenas.
And yet, old tensions, old desires, old wounds simmer under the glitz and glamour.
Suggested Words
Competing, Monstrosity, Experiment, Bleed, Synchronised, Transcend,
Compromise, Betrayal, Adapt, Scales, Boundaries, Amplify, Consumed, Extract,
Spectacle, Transgress, Debts, Bodies, Justification, Necrotic, Renown

The Titan League is the premier biomecha sports league, where pilots are celebrities,
and teams are religions. Initially an annual showcase between different squads of
the AEGIS Rangers, a consortium of biomecha manufacturers and entertainment
companies eventually transformed it into a massive commercial endeavour. Most
teams are assembled and owned by biomecha manufacturers, but the AEGIS Rangers
also fields a legacy team in recognition of the League’s roots. Pilots work together
with their team sponsors and manufacturers to develop new biomecha every season
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to keep matches exciting, adhering to the evolving parameters set by the League.
Instead of a school, this World Tendency assumes you are young professionals
in a sports league, using your mechs for entertainment rather than war. Instead of
training mechs, describe your custom sports mechs plastered with sponsor logos.
FACTIONS
Zandhaas Biotic Engineering
The largest supplier of biomecha in the world, and main sponsor of the Titan League,
fielding 3 teams. Zandhaas uses their close ties with the League to highlight their
advances in biomecha technology, advertising to the private military companies

and corporate security providers on their client list. Zandhaas is keeping a low
profile after an attack on rival Shinsei-Orange Heavy Industries’ research facilities
made use of prototype Zandhaas biomecha.
› Wants: Dominate industry rivals, monopolise biomecha technology, steal
rival secrets
› Key Assets: Secret monster ranch, experimental biomecha labs, glamorous arenas
AEGIS Rangers
Once a multi-national alliance lauded for striking the decisive blow against the
monster incursions, their glory days have long passed. Serving with the Rangers
- keeping an eye out for monsters at barely maintained Watchpoints - is now
considered an outdated tradition. The old guard keeps an eye on recent terrorist
acts against corporate bio-generators, hoping to re-enter the fray to regain
relevance and their former glory.
› Wants: Regain glory and relevance, recover funding and support,
exterminate monsters
› Key Assets: Watchpoint network, deadly weapons reserves, symbolic monuments
East Infinite Company

An up-and-coming player in the crowded energy market, East Infinite has gained
an edge over their competition by finding a new source of exotic biomass for their
bio-batteries. The company secretly uses warp organs harvested from the Monster
Wars to mount expeditions into the monster homeworlds and harvest materials.
They’ve hired private military contractors to safeguard their holdings there, and
protect their secrets here.
› Wants: Keep its operations secret, exploit the monster homeworlds, destroy
competitors
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› Key Assets: Warp window generator, off-world outposts, mercenary coalition
Silent Roar
A heretical fringe group, some might say a cult, that believes the “monsters”
from the war had actually been fleeing from a greater threat and were trying to
warn humanity. They believe Helena Striker, fallen hero of the Monster Wars, had
actually survived and journeyed to the exoforms’ homeworlds to learn more. Silent
Roar conducts clandestine raids on Zandhaas testing facilities to recover evidence
that the company is aware of the exoforms’ sentience.
› Wants: Liberate the exoforms, reveal the greater threat, undermine
the corporations
› Key Assets: Exoform telepathic communicator, hidden enclaves, secret sponsors

PILOT NAMES
Cosmo Halter, Agni Rainbow, Kai Fuentes, Cese Jupiter, Elo Snowfall, Quote
Pathfinder, Pelatiah Fortitude, Luciana Traverser, Pico Altair, Femto Altidore, Joey
Glitchfree, Opera Halliway, Enterprise Tchaikovsky, Dior Genovard, Bane Drekka
PILOT ANCHORS
› Retired ranger – nostalgic, injured, encouraging
› Franchise team – scrappy, camaraderie, ambitious
› Supervising scientist – guilty, protective, medication
› Juvenile creature – lost, innocent, dangerous
› Dream lake – alien, beautiful, threatened
INCITING INCIDENTS
› Titan League pilots discover that Zandhaas control interfaces are able to
reverse the neural link, allowing their technicians to control pilots. This leads to
uncovering a Zandhaas conspiracy to control the world’s militaries. Zandhaas
is forced to activate their plan early, but old AEGIS Rangers biomecha may
provide a countermeasure.
› Silent Roar discovers the East Infinite Company’s forays into the monster
homeworlds and alert the rest of the world. East Infinite and Zandhaas go to
war, establishing colonies in the monster homeworlds while Silent Roar rally
resistance against the colonisers.
› A retired AEGIS Ranger manipulates Silent Roar into re-establishing a portal to
reignite the Monster Wars and return the AEGIS Rangers to glory. East Infinite’s
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secret off-world facilities are destroyed in the process, and survivors attempt
to seal the breach.
MECH NAMES
Shatter Nebula, Dark Saber, Cold Blood, Red Queen, Conqueror Worm, Night Witch,
Desperado Sacrifice, True Starfish, Mayhem Hammer, Candlelight Torpedo, Time of
Death, The Many-Handed God, Panther Widow, Colloseo Paramount, Millenial Doom

AND MECH FEATURES
Convictions Prides
Mech Features: Shielded wings, Mech Features: Quantum synapses,
hardening gel spray, jump boost secondary lungs, thruster unit
fibres › I Can Always Hit My Target
› Be The Strongest There Is Mech Features: Bioelectric
Mech Features: Devouring engine, accelerator, hypervision implants,
hypersteel muscles, atomic blast sensory web
› Don't Die › I Know How My Enemies Will Act
Mech Features: Phoenix protocol, Mech Features: Psionic amplifier,
armoured carapace, translocator signal flare launchers, time
beacon dilation engine
› We're Stronger Together › I Can Fix Or Build Anything
Mech Features: Synchro link, Mech Features: Recombinant
combining form, team colours strings, field surgery pack,
interface portal
Impulses Flaws
Mech Features: Shield gauntlets, Mech Features: Burrowing claws,
dig-in bracing, fortress mode chameleon skin, hidden weapons
› Strike First Strike Hard › Cruel
Mech Features: Rocket punch, Mech Features: Assimilated
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spiral lance, precognition persona parts, serrated bone saw, venom

› Focus On The Larger Goal injectors
Mech Features: Eye in the sky, › Insecure
comms link, analytical engine Mech Features: Terrifying visage,
› Call In Support spiked carapace, championship
Mech Features: Marker beetles, badges
tether cables, psionic howl › Arrogant
Mech Features: Exposed internals,
pulse daggers, personalised crest

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THE FIRE
QUARTZ
CROWN CH4

THE FIRE QUARTZ CROWN
In the early days of the Empire, four siblings fought a bitter war to determine who
would take the throne. Three of the siblings were forced to concede, pledging fealty
to the Fire Quartz Crown of Empress Crysanth and forming three Great Houses to
serve her line. In return for their service, each House was blessed with the secrets
of fire quartz to power their spells and Titan constructs. As part of this pact, young
scions of the Great Houses were sent to the Royal Academy to be instructed in the
arts of diplomacy, magecraft, and war. In truth, they were hostages to keep their
parents loyal. This fragile peace has held across generations, but now Emperor
Hibius II’s hold is weak and the Great Houses begin their plays for the throne. The
seeds of intrigue and discontent lie in fertile soil.
Suggested Words
Diplomacy, Noble, Decorum, Ritual, Duel, Assassin, Marriage, Court, Veil, Honour,
Lineage, Grudge, Subjects, Hostage, Family, Divine, Sorcery, Prophecy, Fey, Spirits, Rule

The Royal Academy of Sephira once only educated children of the Royal House of
Crysanth and the Great Houses. Enrolment restrictions were relaxed during the reign
of Delphin I, but admission still requires the sponsorship of one of the Great Houses.
This restriction ensures that the secrets of commanding Titan constructs are kept
to the nobility. Actions in the Royal Academy have far-reaching consequences, as
young nobles jockey for power and influence that will help them advance in the Royal
Court. The Scholar-soul Titans of the Academy utilise a rare type of fire quartz that
supposedly reflects the destinies of its users, and nobles of the Great Houses pay
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close attention to what the Titans foretell for the next generation.
Instead of sci-fi mechs, this World Tendency assumes you are controlling
magical constructs in a fantasy world. Make the “mechs” strange and brimming
with mysterious power. Furthermore, the World Tendency does not explicitly state
that the people of the Empire are all human and mortal, so feel free to push the
fantastical elements of the setting.
FACTIONS
House Ashka, Voice of the Empire
The Great House of Ashka historically focused its efforts on diplomacy and
trade. Ashka’s merchant princes and princesses are educated in the languages

and customs of neighbouring lands, tasked with sealing alliances via political
marriages. This has helped fill the Ashka coffers, but many fear House Ashka is
beholden to foreign influence. In particular, House Ashka’s ties to the ascendant
Chou Dynasty leave the Empire vulnerable to their expansionist ambitions.
› Wants: Gain and placate allies, secure foreign assets, maintain economic superiority
› Key Assets: Vaults of immense wealth, diplomatic embassies, secret trade routes
House Bresh, Spear of the Empire

In times of strife, the empire looks to House Bresh for strength of arms and will.
House Bresh has cultivated many of the empire’s finest generals and war heroes,
and maintains the fearsome Destroyer-soul Titan constructs unique to their
House. However, Bresh’s focus on expansion and brinkmanship often puts them
in conflict with other Houses. Bresh nobles have a reputation of being boisterous,
prideful, and dangerously ambitious.
› Wants: Bring strong opponents down, seize fertile territory, secure transport
infrastructure
› Key Assets: Destroyer-soul Titan forges, transportation network, well-equipped
fortresses
House Esthani, Eyes of the Empire

While Ashka and Bresh sought to expand the Empire’s physical and cultural borders,
quiet Esthani looked to the heavens. His descendants are blessed with the gift of
prophecy, but are bound by oaths to never interfere with the weave of fate and thus
communicate in cryptic idioms. Esthani diviners are tasked with interpreting their
holy sayings into navigable wisdom, but other Houses suspect them of using these
prophecies to manipulate the Empire for their own ends.
› Wants: Fulfil a prophecy, win a symbolic victory, control mystical sites
› Key Assets: Farseer towers, oracle glade, Sorcerer-soul Titan monasteries
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Dhrystan’s Legacy, Shadow of the Empire

Though three Great Houses pledged fealty to the crown of Crysanth, the first
empress actually had four siblings. Dhrystan had given up on the struggle early,
opting instead to carouse and philander among the lower classes. However,
rumours spread that Dhrystan deliberately receded into the shadows to form
a network of spies, informants, and assassins that did the Empire’s dirty work.
Conversely, a growing movement of rebels and raconteurs rally around Dhrystan’s
name, claiming them as a champion of the common folk.
› Wants: Weaken the hold of a noble House, gain public approval, topple a
symbol of the Empire
› Key Assets: Spy network, secret routes and tunnels, clandestine training grounds

PILOT NAMES
Asthea Crysanth, Altrea Crysanth, Khyleth Ashka III, Su-Jin Ashka-Chou, Chou
Wei-Yong, Aramin Bresh, Levin Bresh, Zavin Bresh, Bloom Esthani, Patience
Esthani, Arman Forge-Light, Creia Grace-In-Motion, Zavin One-Arm, Freeman
Trell, Freeman Zhan
PILOT ANCHORS
› Frail cousin – health, promise, pride
› Mysterious patron – agenda, debts, living
› Secret lover – prejudice, stolen, rival
› Incredible horse – dependable, companion, prize
› Market plaza – meeting, organising, sweet
INCITING INCIDENTS
› An ill-fated duel between a Bresh noble and the Chou bodyguard of their Ashka
rival leads to a diplomatic incident, escalating into all-out war with the Chou
Dynasty when House Bresh oversteps their bounds in demanding recompense.
› Esthani conspirators organise a successful coup after assassinating the
reigning Emperor, though they fail to eliminate the two Crysanth heirs. The
fugitive heirs are split up. One rallies an army of Bresh and Ashka supporters,
while the other gains the loyalty of the commonfolk and Dhrystan’s Legacy to
retake the throne.
› Agents of Dhrystan’s Legacy orchestrate a war between house Bresh and
house Ashka to prevent an old Esthani prophecy from threatening the Crysanth
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line. One of the Bresh leaders finds out and tries to convince their Ashka
counterpart to instead work together to supplant the Emperor.
MECH NAMES
Regal Statement, Heaven’s Hammer, Knight of Fallen Flowers, Windborne Duke,
Seven Maidens Offering Candles, Fortunate Rain, Open Hand, Khazanah, Darkhan,
Selthys Majora, Vail Volus Vultarius, Rose Magnificent, Azure Temple

AND MECH FEATURES
Convictions Prides
Mech Features: Shielding spell, Mech Features: Moonbeam pinions,
invincibility aura, enchanted cloak demon drive, hunter form
› Be The Strongest There Is › I Can Always Hit My Target
Mech Features: Gallant sword, Mech Features: Sunstreak bow,
fortification mantra, oathbound arcane staves, lithoformed javelin
girdle › I Know How My Enemies Will Act
› Don't Die Mech Features: Command crown,
Mech Features: Armour release, cartographer’s symphospores,
quartz teleporter, rejuvenation storm hammer
circle › I Can Fix Or Build Anything
› We're Stronger Together Mech Features: Earthshaper axe,
Mech Features: Ancestral tablet, symphometal rods, fire quartz
spiritbond aura, armed retinue catalyst
Impulses Flaws
Mech Features: Tower shield, Mech Features: Cloak of mists,
parrying daggers, shield circles webcaster gauntlets, wingshield
› Strike First Strike Hard generators
Mech Features: Lightning spear, › Cruel
speed runes, meteor blast Mech Features: Heavy hooked
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› Focus On The Larger Goal mace, lavapool incantation,

Mech Features: Oracle sight, nightmare oculus
guidance enchantment, truesight › Insecure
mask Mech Features: Ostentatious
› Call In Support armour, turbulent spirit core,
Mech Features: House banner, unreliable power channel
warp discs, mindlink crystal › Arrogant
Mech Features: Limiter chains,
heraldic emblems, duelist’s oath
circle

SUPPORTING
C H A P T E R 5
PLAY
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94 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Supporting Play

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Supporting Play • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 95

5
////////////// NOTES AND
Chapter Outline ADVICE FOR
Notes and Advice for
Players [96]
PLAYERS
Beyond the First » THIS SECTION CONTAINS some notes and advice for
Game [98] playing Spectres of Brocken, based on my experience
playtesting, running, and playing the game:
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Creating Your Own

Setting [99] › No idea or cool story beat is worth undermining another
player or making them uncomfortable. You play better as
Expanding Your a team, so keep communicating your intentions, likes and
Setting for the dislikes so you can play better together. Always ask or
Conflict Phase [102] check in before activating any Moves or bringing in new
ideas that might affect another player or their character.
Expanding and
Hacking the Game › This game might seem like a “rules-light” game since you
[104] don’t have to prepare much to start playing. However, there
are quite a few rules interactions and procedures that
Outro: Rules you’ll need to be aware of. Try and set the expectations for
Summary [108] those with all the players before starting to play.
› This is a game about mechs, but not necessarily a game

about piloting them. Mechs are a vehicle for amplifying the
drama of your Pilot’s lives and a way for them to impact the
world in big ways. Focus on the people who are piloting the
mechs, keeping them maintained, or dying under their feet.
› Don’t be afraid to start with a very simple or cliched

character during Pilot Creation. Remember you only start
out with one Trait defined, so you can always refine your
character as you play.
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› In fact, don’t shy away from simple or basic ideas for Scenes,
Words, or any contribution to the game. If everything is high-
concept and dense, it can make the game overwhelming

and slow it down. Try to keep a mix of complex and
straightforward ideas to let each of them shine, and remind
everyone that there’s always chances to reinterpret even
the simplest ideas with additional context later on.
› Be generous in your interpretation of the prompts, Moves

There's no "one
and Words. Think of several different ways you could
correct way" to
interpret a given Word or Move to build different ideas
play this game. Use
for how they can be applied in a scene. Try and at least
these notes and
consider alternate ways to read a word or phrase when you
advice to adjust the
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encounter a prompt. game to suit your
group's needs and
› The best Words are ones that are ambiguous and preferences.
have multiple meanings. This will allow them to be
recontextualised when being used by different Pilots and in
different Phases of the game. It’s incredibly fun to discover
that a Word that you’ve kept from your past can have an
exciting new interpretation in another scene. Remember,
“pancake” is both a noun and a verb.
› Look at Words for inspiration for fun actions, but defer to

what Traits and Bonds you’ve established. Even though you
can adjust Traits and Bonds, it’s better to use them as a
consistent guide for character action and not worry too
much about whether you can twist the meaning of a Word
to apply.
› Failure is as interesting as success. Remember that an

interesting failure or setback for a character is a successful
maneuver by the players to reveal something new and
interesting about that character and how they interact with
the world. A failure can provide an opportunity to figure
out a Pilot’s Flaw, reveal how they deal with hardship, or
highlight their relationship with other Pilots who try to help.
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› If Scenes are meandering, it’s fine to pause and chat out of

character to get everyone back into alignment on how to
focus the scene. You might want to remind everyone of the

Scene’s Question and even discuss if it’s worth changing
the Question to something that makes more sense.
› Picking Theme Songs is very fun and can be incredibly

productive as a starting point of inspiration for a character.
However, it can take some time to hone in on an appropriate
song, so try and pick songs before a play session or budget
extra time for everyone to gush about sharing playlists.
› Be enthusiastic about your fellow player’s contributions.

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When they do or say something cool, it’s usually a great

time to check if they’ve triggered a Move.
› Keep an eye out if any players are dominating the

conversation or being talked over. Use questions and
check-ins often to make sure everyone is on board with
any changes or suggestions. However, keep in mind
some players can be quite happy to watch and enjoy the
interactions without jumping in or might feel put on the
spot when suddenly called upon. Use regular pre-planned
check-ins to avoid singling anyone out.
BEYOND THE FIRST GAME

After you’ve played one or more games, you should have a better
idea of how the game works and can decide how you might
want to tweak the experience to suit your tastes or play group.
The next time you play, you can tweak some of the questions,
or think of different ways to interpret the prompts, or identify
your preferences for activating Moves. You can also make up
your own settings and make up new Moves.
> Creating Your Own This next section (page 99) provides the procedure
Setting [99] for creating your own setting, and the final section (page
104) covers some ideas for expanding and adjusting the
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> Expanding and game, including ideas for additional Moves to cover specific
Hacking the Game situations.
[104]

CREATING
YOUR OWN
SETTING
» HERE’S HOW YOU CAN CREATE your own setting during
play instead of using one of the existing World Tendency options.
Start by deciding on the overall premise. Pick one
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touchstone from each of the sections (Genre, Time Period,
Texture) below and combine them, or come up with your own
touchstones to describe the setting.
› Genre: Military sci-fi, pulp sci-fi, space opera,

cyberpunk, retropunk, biopunk, science fantasy, epic
fantasy, dark fantasy, sports drama, tokusatsu, wuxia,
superhero, organised crime
› Time Period: Far future, near future, modern day,
alternate history, mythic past, otherworld
› Texture: Gritty, over-the-top, dark, lighthearted,
dystopic, utopic, apocalyptic, gothic, noir
If you are doing this as a group, let each player veto one
touchstone to remove it from consideration, and highlight one
touchstone as their preference. Based on the remaining and
highlighted touchstones, collectively pick one touchstone
from each of the sections and combine them to describe
the setting.
A DIFFERENT WAY TO START
Alternately, you can ask each player to choose one touchstone

from any section simultaneously. Then, reveal your choices
to each other and use the combined touchstones to define the
setting. This method might result in a less cohesive setting,
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leading towards more over-the-top or fantastical ways to

combine the disparate touchstones, but can lead to novel and
exciting new settings for experienced players.

Based on your general premise, come up with a list of 10 to
15 suggested Words that define the themes that you’d like to
explore with the setting. You can use the touchstones that
you chose as a starting point. If you’re doing this as a group,
have each player contribute 4 to 5 Words to the list.
Next, zoom in from the high-level setting description into
how an Academy would work within the setting, and what
mechs people are learning to pilot. Pick one or more from
each of the lists below or make up your own:
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SUGGESTION › Academy Types: Military academy, state school,

You can also use vocational school, elite school, research institute,
these lists and specialised training facility, secret laboratory, training
procedures to journey, secluded monastery, an adventure or quest,
customise an sacred pilgrimage, mentoring team
existing World › Pilot Careers/Mech Uses: Military pilot, test pilot, secret
Tendency. agent, private security, commercial labour, hazardous
labour, construction operator, emergency services
operator, scientific research, personal use, sports star,
religious service, cultural icon
› Mech Scale: Car (3-5 m), truck (6-8 m), school bus (8-12
m), fighter jet (15-20 m), low-rise building (5 floors, 18-
20 m), mid-rise building (10 floors, 35-40 m), high-rise
building (20 floors, 80-100 m), skyscraper/battleship
(150-250 m), aircraft carrier (300-350m)
› Mech Materials: Steam, diesel, atomic, solar,
hyperdrive, fighting spirit, lifeblood, paracausal, soul,
crystal, magic, wood, stone, brass, steel, ceramic,
plastic, gel, nanomachine, plasmic, biomechanical,
virtual, metaphorical
› Mech Aesthetics: Humanoid, vehicular, animalistic,
transhuman, naturalistic, non-euclidean, supernatural,
beams, gunpowder, blades, cassettes, minidiscs,
buttons, gears, clockwork, switches, joysticks,
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touchscreens, liquid interfaces, virtual reality, motion

control, psychic interface

If you’re doing this as a group, you can use the same To help draw
“veto-and-highlight” procedure as in the high-level setting a clearer line
creation. between the
Next, expand the setting further by describing some Factions and
Factions. Pick two to three Words from the list of suggested the Academy,
Words that you’ve come up with and create a Faction that imagine how each
relates to those themes. Provide a high-level description of Faction could
that Faction in just one or two sentences. be personified
You can use the Faction Description Template below to as a student or
describe a Faction. Repeat until you have two to four Factions. faculty member
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in the Academy.
FACTION DESCRIPTION TEMPLATE What would
[This Faction] operates at a [city / government department they prioritise
/ nation state / multinational corporation / international in their studies
alliance / planetary / interstellar] level and is concerned or teaching?
with matters of [security / science / commerce / religion / How would they
culture / governance / a chosen Word]. interact with other
It exerts power through [a chosen Word], to advance students or staff?
its interests in [a chosen Word] and prevent or oppose
[a chosen Word].
Hold off on going into further detail, or creating Wants

and Key Assets for the Factions until you reach the Conflict
Phase. For now, it’s enough to know the rough outline of the
Factions as a way to provide texture to the Academy and
Pilot Creation.
Next, you can brainstorm lists of names for Pilots and
ideas for Pilot Anchors. Doing this can help you come up
with a quick reference sheet if you ever need a name for a
non-player character to flesh out a Scene. However, this is
optional and you can do it at the same time as Pilot Creation.
This should be enough for you to move on to Pilot Creation
and start playing the Academy Phase.
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EXPANDING
YOUR SETTING
FOR THE
CONFLICT
PHASE
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» ONCE YOU’VE PLAYED through the Academy Phase, you

should have a better handle of the aesthetics and themes of
SUGGESTION your setting. You should be able to come up with an Inciting
Look at the Inciting Incident that follows on from the Academy Phase and flesh
Incidents in the out the Factions with Wants and Key Assets based on what
provided World themes you’ve focused on in the Academy Phase.
Tendencies for Therefore, rather than a strict procedure, this section
inspiration. will provide some pointers on expanding the setting for the
Conflict Phase:
› When creating a Faction’s Want, look for something

that can reflect the Faction’s goals, challenge a Pilot’s
principles, as well as act as a key objective in a battle.
› When creating a Faction’s Key Asset, look for something

that can be an interesting location or objective for a
Scene, or serve as inspiration for a Pilot’s Anchor.
› In between the Academy and Conflict Phases, brainstorm

a couple of ideas for Inciting Incidents together. If you are
playing over multiple sessions, you can use the time in
between sessions to do this.
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› When coming up with ideas for Inciting Incidents, consider
different combinations of Factions in conflict to make
sure you are hitting on the right themes for the setting.
Look at the different Faction Wants and think of how each
Faction opposes or supports those Wants. You can also
look to the suggested Words to provide the themes and
to the Key Assets for each Faction to work out points of
conflict.
› You could even start the process of brainstorming Inciting
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Incidents right before the last Academy Scene to make
sure you are hitting on resonant themes as the Academy
Phase comes to a close.
› Similar to the example names list for Pilots, work

together to come up with example name lists for mechs
and Mech Features, so you can have something to draw
from when you need to quickly introduce non-player If you come up with
characters into Conflict Scenes. your own World
Tendencies, please
› If you’re making name lists as a group, have each player feel free to share
adopt a Faction and come up with 2 to 3 names for Pilots them with others
and Mechs, and 2 to 3 Mech Features suited to that and with me. I’m very
Faction. Then, pass the Faction over to another player to excited to see what
come up with another 1 to 2 names and Mech Features to you come up with.
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EXPANDING
AND HACKING
THE GAME
Hacking the game is » IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A HACK or expansion of Spectres
highly encouraged. of Brocken that’s more substantial than a World Tendency,
Make it yours! let’s start by looking at what this version of the game focuses
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on. The main things that this game focuses on are:
› Exploring defining moments in a set of young

characters, allowing them to define themselves.
› Giving them access to fearsome power in a context
where they are expected to use that power.
› See what they do with that even as they are constantly
reminded of an innocence that they have lost.
Mechs are a convenient metaphor for the themes above,

but you can also map the above themes to other things that
amplify a person’s reach and power.
For example, you could hack this game to be about super-
powered teens just beginning to develop and train their
powers, and then jumping forward in time to when they’ve
become notable superheroes and supervillains with unique
abilities tied to each of their traits.
You could also hack this game to be about a group of
adventurers in a fantasy setting who used to be on a quest
together, and then years later have splintered into competing
factions with different magic items, spells, relics, or followers
that echo their previous roles.
You can look to the World Tendencies for examples of
how to tweak the setting of the game, but just note that you
might also need to tweak or be more generous in how you
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interpret the prompts for Situations and Complications when

setting Scenes.

This game is focused mainly on getting the Pilots to talk and
Academy Moves are
interact with each other to build up the fodder for drama later
about revealing who
on. The Moves included are those that are needed to support your Pilot is and what
those types of interactions, but you could also come up withyou want, Conflict
custom Moves to handle other specific situations. Moves are about
acting to get what
In previous iterations of the game, I had included Advanced you want, driven by
Conflict Moves that were quite fun to play with, but didn’t your past, and paying
come up often enough to be worth the mechanical load so the costs to do so.
I cut them. You can find them below and maybe use them as
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inspiration for how to come up with new custom Moves.
I Can Fly
SPEND THREE WORDS to pull off an incredible maneuver that
highlights a dramatic adjustment in one of your Traits. You
may remove up to three total Blood from the pool and/or from
your Pilot Sheet. Play your Theme Song. Adjust the Trait and
rename it as below:
› Hone an Impulse into an Aptitude, something you can rely
on instinctively to get you out of sticky situations
› Embody a Conviction as an Ideal that serves as a beacon
and touchstone for others
› Realise a Pride as a Proficiency which you have mastered
› Overcome a Flaw into Experience that allows you to avoid
repeating mistakes
Broken Branches
If you come into conflict with the ideals or people of your
Faction, you may SPEND THREE WORDS to defect to an opposing
Faction or create a new Faction in the conflict. Increase Blood
in the pool by one and then RISK BLOOD. Describe the Wants
and Key Assets for your new Faction.
Don’t Worry, I’ll Be Right Behind You

If you have no Words, you may sacrifice yourself to bring the
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current battle to an end. Gain all the remaining Blood in the

pool. Say something memorable as you die, and play your

Theme Song. Each Pilot gains a Word, and describes how your
death affected them. Your Pilot is dead.
A Voice From Beyond

Use this Move if your Pilot is dead. Remind another Pilot of
their obligations, talents, sins, or potential based on your past
together, and suggest a course of action for them. Ask them:
“Do you heed my words and follow my ghost?”
› If they answer “Yes”, they gain a Word of your choice.
› If they answer “No”, add one Blood to the pool and describe
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how their chosen course of action further complicates

the battle.
The Moves above play with different aspects of the existing

game, such as allowing major changes to Pilot Traits, or
providing mechanical support for switching sides in the war or
for having a Pilot die during the Conflict Phase. They’re pretty
niche situations, but allow for interesting ways to provide a
mechanical payoff for playing towards those situations.
If you want to come up with your own custom Moves, think
first about what would trigger the Move. Situations that
would be unlikely but dramatically fruitful are great triggers
for Moves that reward players with Words or allow players
to develop their characters by making lateral progress. This
would encourage players to create or engage with those
situations.
On the other hand, if you want to have Moves triggered by
spending Words or paying costs like Blood, make sure there
is an interesting payoff that players would want to work
towards.
Remember also that Moves don’t have to just focus on
Pilots, but can be triggered by players to advocate for the
Factions or Anchors, for example.
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One other slight tweak to the rules you could try is allowing
Blood to erase anything on the Pilot sheet. The current rules
limit that ability to Traits and Bonds for simplicity, but there’s
a lot of narrative interest in erasing other parts of your Pilot
like your Name, your Look, your Pronouns, or your mech
entirely.
In any case, I trust you to have bigger ideas and bigger
dreams than I have in hacking the game, but hopefully these
suggestions can help you on your way. I wish you all the best!
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RULES
O U T R O
SUMMARY
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PHASES OF PLAY
The game will take place over two main Phases. The Academy
Phase is where you explore who the Pilots are, how you relate
to each other, and what you want from the world.
Use this time to set up relationships, work out your
character goals and ideals, and flesh out the world around
you and get ready to play them up or subvert them in the next
phase.
In the Conflict Phase, you skip ahead several years to a
major conflict where you clash on opposing sides and explore
who your Pilots have become and how their custom mechs
symbolise their growth, identity, and expanding reach.
Use this time to pay off character arcs by showing their
growth or reaching a crisis point, and to make big changes
to the world you’ve set up, as long as you are willing to pay
the costs.
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108 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Rules Summary

STRUCTURE OF A PLAY PHASE
At the start of the game, you choose one of the World
Tendencies to define the setting and genre that you will be
playing in. This book comes with three basic World Tendencies,
with details for each in Chapter 4 starting on page 74. > World Tendencies
At the start of each phase, you’ll work together as a group [74]
to refine the setting from the World Tendencies to suit what
you need to do during that phase. You also start the Word
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Bank with some Words to act as touchstones for the setting
and inspire character moments.
Once this is done, you’ll take turns setting Scenes within
the phase. Each Scene focuses on a core Question, something
that you will be trying to answer with the Scene.
During each Scene, you play out what your Pilots do towards
answering the Scene’s Question. You can interact with Moves
and Words to provide inspiration and motivation for how you
act in a Scene.
Once a Scene’s Question is answered, the Scene is concluded
and another player gets a chance to set a Scene.
Once 2-3 Scenes have been played, there is an ending question
to help close out the phase and move on to the next phase.
USING MOVES AND WORDS

Moves are special procedures that respond to particular actions
that Pilots take during Scenes. They serve to highlight key
moments, or encourage players to act towards key moments.
Moves interact with the narrative tool of Words and the
Pilots’ Traits and Bonds to allow them to reveal more about
the Pilots and the world they inhabit.
Each Move has a trigger - a situation or action in the narrative
that guides players on when the Move can be activated.
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For more on Moves, see page 33, page 36, page 58 and page 64.
Rules Summary • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 109

In the game, Words refer to singular words or short phrases
which are used as a resource for Moves during a Scene.
Words are collected in the Word Bank, and act as a sort of
palette or mood board which players can look to as prompts
for what story elements to focus on.
› When you GAIN A WORD from the Word Bank as part of a

Move, strike it from the Word Bank and write it on your
Pilot Sheet. Multiple Pilots can have the same Word.
› When you ADD TO THE WORD BANK as part of a Move, write a
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new Word in the Word Bank that reflects the circumstances

or ideas you had when you activated that Move.
› When you SPEND A WORD to activate a Move, strike the
Word from your Pilot sheet. Use the Word as a prompt
or inspiration to guide your actions and decision in the
Move, even if just tangentially.
> Words [37] For more on Words, see page 24, page 37 and page 49.
SETTING UP THE ACADEMY

PHASE
At the start of the Academy Phase, pick the World Tendency
that you will play together as a group, and spend 15-20
minutes adjusting the specifics to fit your table, until you have
a clear view of what life at the Academy looks like.
Next, each player creates a Pilot. You can find a blank Pilot
> Pilot Sheet [21] Sheet on page 21 for reference. To create your Pilots, each
player follows these steps:
1. Choose just one of the four Pilot Traits on the Pilot Sheet
to fill out (either a Conviction, an Impulse, a Pride, or a
Flaw). Each Pilot Trait comes with suggestions - choose
one of them or make up one of your own:
› Convictions are deeply held beliefs and ideals that your
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Pilot holds.
› Impulses are how your Pilot reacts to conflicts or tense
situations.

› Prides are talents, skills, or material advantages that
your Pilot has that give them confidence that they can
take on any challenge. They can be related to piloting
mechs or be more general.
› Flaws are weaknesses or insecurities that your Pilot is
struggling with.
The other three Traits left blank will be defined and filled
in as you play through the Academy Phase.
2. Anchors describe key people, places, institutions, and
events that were formative for your Pilot. Pick one from
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the list of suggested Anchors in your chosen World
Tendency or make up one of your own.
3. Give your Pilot a Name, and describe their Pronouns and
how they Look and dress. Use the World Tendency list to
inspire your Pilot’s name if you need to.
4. Once everyone has picked their Pilot Trait, defined one
Anchor, named their Pilot, and described their Pronouns
and overall Look, take turns introducing your pilots to
the group.
5. After all the Pilots are introduced, work together to pick
one Bond that your Pilot has with one other Pilot. Bonds
are relationships that your Pilot deems important. A Bond
will be linked to another Pilot, if both Pilots agree to it.
When you write a Bond, describe it in the form of a desire;
something you want from or for the other party that they
won’t or can’t give you just yet.
Optionally, you may select a Theme Song now to help you

shape your idea of your Pilot, or wait until later in the game
when you’ve gotten a better feel for your Pilot.
Further details for creating a Pilot are on page 20.
After creating your Pilots, start populating the Word Bank: > Creating a Pilot
1. Add “Identity”, “Connection” and “Wanting” to the Word [20]
Bank. These are the core themes of the Academy Phase.
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2. Then, each player adds one Word to it. You can look at
the suggested Words in the World Tendencies for ideas or
come up with your own.

PLAYING THE ACADEMY
PHASE
To start a Scene, decide on a lead player. The lead player is
responsible for setting up and framing the Scene.
The lead player chooses two Situations from the ones on
> Academy Phase page 34 and combines them to frame the Scene. Each
Situations [34] Situation also comes with a set of Reveals and Pivots, which
are examples of actions that Pilots can take in a Scene to
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reveal more about their character and escalate or resolve

the Scene.
Each Scene also features a Question that is the focus of
the Scene.
The lead player chooses a Scene Question to answer
from the following list, adjusting any details of the Scene to
accommodate the chosen Question:
› Who causes a major rift between two or more Pilots?

› Who brings two or more Pilots closer together?
› Who causes a Pilot to understand and assert themselves
more fully?
› Who causes a Pilot to question their identity and purpose?
› Who helps a Pilot make progress on their future goals?
› Who becomes a rival or hindrance to another Pilot’s
future goals?
After setting up the Scene, the lead player invites other

players to jump into the Scene, perhaps by directly engaging
with their Pilot or asking what their Pilot is doing.
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To play out the Scene, each player describes what their Pilot
does and says in response to the scenario.
During the Scene, players may activate any of the Academy > Academy
Moves, details on page 36. You can also find further advice Moves [33]
and notes on using Moves and Words at page 36, page 37, > Activating
page 64, and page 96. Moves [36]
As you keep playing a Scene, you should try to bring it to a > Using Words [37]
close by answering the Scene Question. Once it becomes clear
that the Question of the scene is answered, activate the Find > Find The
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The Answer Move to bring the Scene to a close. Answer [33]
ENDING THE ACADEMY

PHASE
Continue until you’ve played 2-3 scenes, and each player has
had a chance to fill in at least one of their Pilot Traits or Bonds.
Choose one of the following closing questions to answer as
a group to close out the Academy Phase:
› Simmering tensions finally come to a head and fighting

spills over into the Academy, causing it to shut down and
scatter your Pilots. How were your Pilots drawn into the
violence?
› You discover that the Academy is deeply involved in the
machinations of factions pushing for all-out war. Who
forsakes the Academy and who decides to stay?
› All of you graduate from the Academy without major
incident, going out to live your adult lives, before a
conflict finally breaks out. What was the last time you all
managed to see each other before the war began?
After this, move on to the Conflict Phase.

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SETTING UP THE CONFLICT
PHASE
At the start of the Conflict Phase, set up a sheet of paper as
> Conflict Sheet [49] the Conflict Sheet in the middle of the play area (details on
page 8 and page 49).
You should also have some small markers, beads, counters, or
even just scraps of paper to act as tokens to track Blood at hand.
Choose one of the Inciting Incidents in your chosen World
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> World Tendencies Tendency (pages 74 to 93) to describe how the conflict begins,
[74] or make up one of your own based on what occurred in the
Academy Phase.
Based on the Inciting Incident, list the Factions involved
in the Conflict on the Conflict Sheet. For each Faction, also
describe two things that the Factions Wants, and list two Key
Assets controlled by that Faction. You can refer to the World
Tendency for examples or come up with your own.
Then, add the Words “Change”, “Opposition” and “Tragedy”
to the Word Bank.
Next, each player updates their Pilot Sheet, following
these steps:
1. Choose the Faction that your Pilot is now fighting for.

2. Choose a Callsign for your Pilot and a Name for your
Pilot’s mech.
3. Update your Pilot’s Name, Look, and Pronouns to reflect
the passage of time.
4. For each of your filled in Traits on your Pilot Sheet, write
a new Anchor for your Pilot related to that Trait.
5. Fill in any unfilled Traits or Bonds, showing how you’ve
developed since the Academy.
After every player has updated their Pilot sheet, take turns
reintroducing your Pilots to the group and provide a short
CH5
CH5
OUT
summary of what they’ve been doing in the time between the

Academy and Conflict Phases and how that resulted in the
changes to your Pilot Sheet.

PLAYING THE CONFLICT
PHASE
To start your first Conflict Scene, decide on a lead player as
a group. The lead player is responsible for setting up and
framing the Scene.
The lead player chooses one Situation and adds one > Conflict Phase
Complication to it, based on the options presented on page Situations [60]
60. Each Situation and Complication also comes with a > Conflict Phase
CH2
set of Echoes and Pivots, which are examples of actions that Complications [62]
Pilots can take in a Scene to tie the current action back to
their past and escalate or resolve the Scene.
The lead player also chooses a Question to answer from the
following list and adjusts the Scene framing to work towards
answering this Question:
› Who most embraced change to pursue new futures?

› Who is most haunted by the past, unable to let go?
› Who suffered the most trying to hold on to an impossible
ideal?
› Who compromised their principles to avoid facing their
fear of loss?
› Who opened themselves up to connect with others
despite the dangers?
› Who hid behind layers of armour to do the dirty work that
needed doing?
When choosing a Question, keep in mind that whoever is

named in the answer gets to decide what Faction gets what
they Want as a result of the Scene.
The lead player adds 1 Blood token to the Conflict Sheet to

form the starting Blood Pool. Then, for each Pilot involved in
the Scene, they add 1 Blood to the Blood Pool. Therefore, there
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CH5
OUT
will be 1 more Blood than the number of players in a Scene

starting in the Blood Pool.

As in the Academy Phase, after setting up the Scene,
the lead player invites other players to play out the Scene,
describing what their Pilot does and says as they come into
conflict with each other.
During the Scene, players may activate any of the Conflict
> Conflict Moves [58] Moves, details on page 58. You can also find further advice
> Using Blood [64] and notes on using Blood and introducing Mech Features
> Mech Features during this phase at page 64, page 66, and page 96.
[66] As you keep playing a Scene, you should try and bring it to
a close by answering the Scene Question. Once it becomes
CH2
clear that the Question of the scene is answered, activate the

> Finish The Fight Finish the Fight Move to bring the Scene to a close.
[58]
ENDING THE CONFLICT

PHASE
Continue until you’ve played 2-3 scenes, and each player has
had a chance to gain some Blood.
Choose one of the following closing questions to answer
as a group to close out the Conflict Phase, considering which
one best supports the Scenes you created together:
› What effort leads to a relatively peaceful end to the

conflict and how do the survivors move on?
› What tragedy leads to an abrupt end to the conflict and
how do the survivors deal with the fallout?
› What bitterness leads to the conflict intermittently
ceasing and restarting for the years to come, and how do
the survivors bear its burdens?
After this, you will deal with the consequences of your

actions in the Epilogue.
CH5
CH5
OUT

ENDING THE GAME
After the closing question, each player takes turns building
out the Epilogue. The player with the most Blood on their
hands begins by choosing one of the questions below to
answer. Then, pass the turn to another player who has the
next most Blood on their hands.
› Whose death impacted you deeply? Set down one of the
CH2
Blood tokens you are holding as a memorial to them and
say how you grieved them.
› What place can you never go back to, whether or not it
still stands? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are
holding as a memorial to this place and say how you
commemorate it.
› What cherished memory now twists your heart when you
look back on it? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are
holding as a memorial to it and say how you try to hold on
to the good parts of it.
› What relationship changed forever for you, that you
continually regret? Move one of the Blood tokens off your
Pilot Sheet as a memorial to it and say how it haunts all
your future relationships.
› How are you forever changed by your actions in the
war? Move one of the Blood tokens off your Pilot Sheet
as a memorial to your past and say how you struggle to
assimilate into the post-war world because of it.
› What big change did you enact in the world because of
your actions in the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens
you are holding as a monument to your achievement and
say what unintended consequences it had.
› How does your mech become a potent and enduring icon
of the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are
holding as a monument to it and say what exaggerations
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OUT
and misconceptions build up around its myth.

› How does one Faction grow in strength and influence
after winning the war? Set down one of the Blood tokens
you are holding as a monument to its status and say how
the seeds of its eventual downfall are sown.
› How does one Faction survive and adapt after losing the
war? Set down one of the Blood tokens you are holding
as a monument to its tenacity and say how it eventually
returns to relevance in another form.
Keep going until each player has answered at least one

CH2
question. You can continue exploring the Epilogue and

answering further questions. However, you should end the
game before you spend all your Blood and Words. Leave some
questions unanswered, leave some scars unexamined, some
hopes unresolved.
End the game, for now. There will be another war someday.
CH5
CH5
OUT

KS BACKERS
A. R. Maxwell, A. T. Craven, Adam Bell, Adrian J. George III, Agatha, Aidan Carr, AK Brown, Akemi Maniwa,
Alex Claman, Alex Hunter, Alice, Amaranth Darling, Amy T, Anders Russell, Andrew Burke, Andrew J,
Andrew Mauney, Andrez Perez, Andy Meyerhoefer, Anja Smith, Arisia Santiago, Ashok Murthy, Attica,
Aura V, Austin Brady, Austin S. Leavitt, Autumn Rhiannon, Bean, Ben Hale, Ben McKenzie, Ben Taels,
Benjamin “BlackLotos” Welke, Benjamin K, Bill Radford, Bobby lww, Brandon Miller, Brandon T, Brendan
Evans, Brendan McLeod, Brett Volz, BW Diederich, Caleb K., Caleb Sawyer, Calvin Johns, Cameron
C., Cap’n Spooky, Carmen Maria Marin, Caro Asercion, Caroline Hobbs, Cassandra “Dig” Crary, Charu
Patel, Chase Carter, Chazz Kellner, Chirag Asnani, Chong Jin, Chris Mobberley, Chris Pacheco, Christo
Meid, Clay “Clooby” McDermott, Cole K, Connor “Haro Eyes” Sheridan, CQ, Craig Cameron, crtgirl, Dale
CH2
Blackburn, Dan Condaxis, Dana Jadzia Mison, Daniel Fantis, Daniel Higgins, dave ring, David Block, David
Lim, David Vehonsky, David Walker, Declan Lowthian, Derek Benig, Det. Sgt. Keaton Kumar, Dión, doe,
Dominik Pintera, Dominique Dickey, Donogh McCarthy, Drew McParlan, Dustin Niehoff, Dusty Hill, Effi,
Eggo Revolver, El Addams, Eli Seitz, Eliot, Elizabeth Bridges, Ella Watts, Ellen Strange, Elliot Davis,
EOT_Impulse, Eric Garneau, Eric Taylor, Erica “Vulpinfox” Schmitt, Evan Ritchie, Evan Torner, Farrell,
Fergus Halliday, Fern, Filip Gunnarsson, Finnegan J. Carey, Frankie Mundens,Fredric Dalqvist, Gabe
Tanenhaus, Giles Pritchard, Giuseppe D’Aristotile, Glenn Welser, GlitchFire, Grahame “theInstaGrahame”
Turner, Greyson, Harry Minutes, Hayley Archer, Hendrik ten Napel, Hessan Yongdi, Hunter Henrichsen,
Ian Howard, Ian J Lutz, Ian K, Ian Urbina, Illuminarty 312, Indie Game Reading Club, Ipsen, Isaac Williams,
J Strautman, J. Y., Jackson Wood, Jake Hyder, Jake Johnson, James Catling, James Kerr, James Leask,
James Meredith, James Wright, Jason Bostwick, Jason Kotzur, Jason Kraus, Jayson Stevens, JC Darcy,
Jeff Stolarcyk, Jeff Stormer, Jeremy Zimmerman, Jérôme "Brand" Larré, Jerry Sköld, Jesse Alford, Jim
B., Jim Batt, Jodi Odgers, Joe Craig, Joe Robinson, John M. Atkinson, Johnathan Nguyen, JollyGoodJimmy,
Jon East, Jonathan “Buddha” Davis, Joonas Dæmon Lind, Josh “Jolly” Sorey, Josh H., Josh White, Joshua
Pevner, jquestionmark, Juanma Barranquero, Justin Porter, Karl Lange, Kat L., Katelyn Gigante, Kelly
Griffin, Ken Finlayson, Ken Lee, Kennan McArtor, Kevin DeBaun, Kevin Thien Vu Long Nguyen, Kris Deters,
Kyeborg, Kyle Tam, Lasse J., Leam, Leandro Pondoc, Lewis Anderson, Liam Murray, Librocreates, Lisa
Padol, loftybloke, Logan Timmins, Lucas Bell, Lukas Feinweber, Luke Boniecki, Luther Patenge, M. P.
O’Sullivan, Maggie, Marc Majcher, Margaret Catter Development, Maria Morabe, Mark Harris, Mark
mason, Marren MacAdam, Mars, Matt Fennell, Matt Gray, Matt Lowe, Matthew Lee, Matthew Mitchell,
Melody Watson, Mendel Schmiedekamp, MERLIN CLARK, Michael Addison, Michael Pureka, Michael
Tree, Michel Lichand, Michele “Snake” Gelli, Mickey Possingham, Mike Westley, Mikel L Matthews Jr,
Minh Pham, Morgan L’Fey, Morgan Weeks, Mr. Blu, Mr. Priscilla, Nathan Avila, Nathan Harrison, Nathan
Rockwood, Nick Bate, Nick Carruthers, Nick Hopkins, Nicolas Schapira, Nuclear Bob, Olav Müller, Ollie
Larsen, orangerequired, Paridoux, Pat Murphy, Paul Adams, Paul Cosgrove, Pause Menu, Pete Petrusha
(Imagining Games), Phil Corpuz, Philip W Rogers Jr, Pidj Sorensen, Puckett, RagingSystem, Randy Lander,
RazgrizTwo, Rebecca Freedman, Rick Wilson, Robert Guthrie, Robert Mania, Robin Vilain, Rory M, Ryan
Coombes, S.A. Hannon, Sam Jackson, Sam Roberts, Sam Zeitlin, Samantha Quinn, Sara Duniphin, Scott
Fitzsimmons, Sean Gray, Sean Nittner, Seething, Senda Linaugh, Serinthius, splendidduchess, Steve
Schulze, Steven “IDBN” Buchele, Steven Alligator, Steven Moy, Susan Schmidt, Tarik Horton, Ted DiNola,
CH5
CH5
OUT
The Ampersand, TheJuggernaut, thekellhop, Tiest Vilee, Tim Gonzalez, Tomas Herbertson, Toshiya
Nakamura, Tracker, Trip Space-Parasite, Tristan Hubert, Ty Pitre, Tyler Crumrine, Tyler Pollock, Viditya
Voleti, Vitor Augusto Bastos Pinheiro, W.H. Arthur, Wade Holmes, wawoozle, Whitney, X Turner, Xenoborg,
Xevi Graham, yuu gamon, Zasabi, Zeb Berryman, Zedeck Siew, Ze’ev Krischer.

Epilogue question Scene 25–31, 34, 36,
INDEX 72–73, 117–118
O
Orbital Century (World 39–43, 48, 51–55,
Example of Play 28, Tendency) 18, 77 60, 62, 67–71, 96–98,
A 31–32, 41, 56–57, 109–110, 112–113,
Academy 18, 78, 84, 90 68–69 P 115–116
Academy Moves 33 Phase 8, 10–11, 108–109 Scene Question
Academy Phase 10, F Phase, Academy 10, (Academy) 25–27,
17–43, 108, 110–113 Faction 48–50, 52, 58, 17–43, 108, 110–113 29, 31, 33, 39, 42,
Add to the Word Bank 77–79, 84–85, 90–91, Phase, Conflict 10, 112–113
33, 37, 58, 110 101–103, 114–115 46–71, 108, 114–116 Scene Question (Con-
Advanced Conflict Fire Quartz Crown, The Pilot 10–11, 20–23, 50 flict) 52–53, 55,
Moves 105 (World Tendency) Pilot Creation 20–23, 58, 67, 70, 115–116
Anchor 20, 22, 50–52, 18, 89 50 Setting Creation 99–103
58, 62, 80, 86, 92, 101, Flaw (Trait) 20–21, Pilot Death 65, Situation 25–27, 33,
111, 114
CH2
34–35, 81, 87, 93, 111 105–106 34–35, 51–53, 55,

Pilot Sheet 8, 21 58–59, 60–61, 112, 115
B H Pivot 26, 33–36, 55, Situations Sheet 8,
Blood 48, 53–55, 58–59, Hacking the Game 59–63, 112, 115 34–35, 60–61
64–65, 67, 72–73, 104–107 Pride (Trait) 20–21, Spend a Word 33, 37,
105–107, 115–118 34–35, 81, 87, 93, 111 59, 110
Blood, Gain 58, 64 I
Blood, Hold 64 Impulse (Trait) 20–21, Q T
Blood Pool 53, 55, 34–35, 81, 87, 93, 110 Question 25–27, 29, 31, Theme Song 20, 59, 98,
64, 67, 115 Inciting Incident 48–49, 33, 39, 42–43, 52–53, 105–106, 111
Blood, Remove 64 80, 86, 92, 102–103, 55, 58, 67, 70–73, Trait 20–23, 30–31, 33,
Blood, Risk 58–59, 114 97–98, 109, 112–113, 37–38, 42–45, 50–52,
64, 105 115–118 58–59, 66, 81, 87,
Bond 20–23, 30–31, J Questions, Closing 93, 96–97, 105–107,
33–35, 38, 43, 45, JET FANG RUMBLE 43, 71–72, 109, 113, 110–111, 113–114
50–51, 58–59, 97, 107, (World Tendency) 116
109, 111, 113–114 18, 83 Questions, Epilogue W
72–73, 117–118 Want 48–49, 52, 58,
C K Questions, Scene 79, 85, 91, 102–103,
Complication 51–53, Key Asset 48–49, 58, (Academy) 25–27, 114–115
55, 58–59, 62–63, 115. 79, 85, 91, 101–103, 114 29, 31, 33, 39, 42, Word 24, 30–31, 33, 37,
See Situation 112–113 40, 44–45, 49–50, 54,
Conflict 43, 48–49, 71, M Questions, Scene 58–59, 75, 78, 84, 90,
102–103, 114 Mech Feature 48, 54, (Conflict) 52–53, 96–97, 100–101, 106,
Conflict Moves 58–59, 66, 81, 87, 93, 55, 58, 67, 70, 109–111, 113–114
58–59 103, 116 115–116 Word Bank 8, 24,
Conflict Phase 10, Move 8, 29–31, 33, 30, 37, 45, 49, 75,
46–71, 108, 114–116 36–38, 40, 54, 58–59, R 109–111, 114
Conflict Sheet 8, 49 64, 96–98, 105–106, Remove Blood 64 Word Bank, Add to
Conviction (Trait) 109–110, 113, 116 Reveal 26, 33–36, 112 the 33, 37, 58, 110
20–21, 34–35, 81, 87, Move, Conflict 58–59 Risk Blood 58–59, 64, Word, Gain a 33, 37,
93, 110 Moves, Academy 33 105 58–59, 106, 110
INDEX
Moves, Advanced Word, Spend a 33, 37,

CH5
CH5
Rules Summary
E Conflict 105 108–118 59, 110
Echo 55, 58, 60–63, 115 Moves, Custom World Tendency 18–19,
Epilogue 11, 71–73, 105–106 S 24, 48–49, 75–93,
116–118 Moves Reference 8 Safety Tools 13–14, 109–110, 114
40, 44

SPECTRES
OF BROCKEN
Spectres of Brocken is a collaborative storytelling game
about making friends and then years later going to war
against them in giant mechs.
Make up some young, naive, messy trainee mech pilots.
Find out who you are. Find out who you are to each other.
Find out what you want in the world.
Years later, find each other on the field of battle, each in your own
fearsome custom mechs. Find out who you've become. Find out
what you've all done to get here. Find out what costs you would
pay to get what you want in the world.
PLAY THIS GAME IF YOU WANT TO...
› ...build up strong bonds between unlikely friends, finding common

ground where you thought there was none.
› ...see those bonds strained and torn through the tragedy of war when
obligations and ideals and circumstance put you on opposing sides.
› ...build up heated rivalries between young idiots clashing and
misunderstanding each other, knowing that if you hadn't been forced
to train together you wouldn't want anything to do with each other.
› ...see the culmination of these rivalries on a massive scale, where
the ideals you represent finally clash in ways that leave lasting
impacts on the scale of nations.
› ...see how all the quirks, potentials, flaws, ideals, and personality
traits of your pilots are magnified by their mechs and how they can
now fatally influence the world around them.
A roleplaying game for 3-4 players, over two sessions

of 2-4 hours each. GM optional, minimal prep.

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SPECTRES

Copyright © 2023 by Aaron Lim

First Print Edition 2023

VEE HENDRO RAE NEDJADI

MISHA BUSHYAGER AMITA SEVELLARAJA

ALEX CONNOLLY, AMITA SEVELLARAJA,

PLAYTESTING & FEEDBACK

ch2: THE ACADEMY PHASE 17

ch3: THE CONFLICT PHASE 46

ch4: WORLD TENDENCIES 74

ch5: SUPPORTING PLAY 94

we skipped classes to cool off by this creek.

I remember our arguments in the dining halls,

our competitions in the sims.

How did it come to this?

Those days are over.

We knew nothing of the world then.

I know better now. I know what needs to be done.

I know I have to win this, to end this war.

Even if it means killing you.

Chapter Outline » SPECTRES OF BROCKEN is a storytelling roleplaying

6 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Introduction

Introduction • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 7

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

PIL O T NAME PRONOUNS MECH NAME PIL O T CALL SIGN

L OOK MECH L OOK

THEME SONG 🎧 FAC TION

PILOT TRAITS MECH FEATURES

To play, you will need: PRIDE FEATURE 3

› a Pilot Sheet per player, SPECTRES

Moves Reference › copies of the Moves References,

› copies of the Situations Sheet,

› copies of the Conflict Sheet to track game information,

› some small items like beads or counters for Blood tokens.

World Tendencies You can download the game sheets at https://ehronlime.

on-screen separately or print out copies of the game sheets

Artesia School of Technology ACADEMY & TRAINING MECH

to refer to while you read these rules.

Optionally, you could also use:

Situations Sheets › notecards, sticky notes or memos for tracking game

SITUATIONS, REVEALS, PIVOTS information, SPECTRES

› some 6-sided dice so you can randomly select from the

prompts if you prefer.

A Private Duel 5 A Lively Meal 6

total of 4-8 hours of gameplay.

FACTION NAME 1 FACTION NAME 2 FACTION NAME 3 FACTION NAME 4

While you could try and complete the game in a single 4 or

› Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets: › Key Assets:

over multiple sessions. At least 2 sessions would work, one

Academy - Identity, Connection, Wanting Glossary

to get through each phase of the game.

8 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Introduction

Introduction • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 9

asking directly if they're comfortable with this creative

10 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Introduction

Introduction • SPECTRES OF BROCKEN 11

» SPECTRES OF BROCKEN expects that players can play

12 SPECTRES OF BROCKEN • Introduction

LINES AND VEILS

Using a Rating Guide similar to what TV programmes use TV Ratings can be