a Tabletop Roleplaying

Game about the end of the

world
Written by: John Hedge & Brian Ashford
Lead Artist: Colin Richards
Lead Writer: John Hedge

With thanks to all of our playtesters at Ancient Robot

Games as well as the Blue Beetle Crew, who put the game
through its paces and to countless friends who provided
feedback and error checking.

This product is licensed under the ORC License held in the

Library of Congress at TX-307-067 and available online at
various locations including:
www.chaosium.com/orclicense,
www.azoralaw.com/orclicense,
www.gencon.com/orclicense & others.
All warranties are disclaimed as set forth therein.

This is the 0.7 proofreading version and not for sale.

If someone has sold this to you please contact
eofhumanity@gmail.com immediately.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 2
Player Pitch 3
The Dice System 4
The Survivor 8
Combat 16
Fighting Skills 18
The World of Embers 21
The Weird 21
Challenges 23
Travelling 27
Animal Encounters 31
Wasteland Encounters 32
Weird Encounters 33
Weather 34
Character Creation 35
The Settlement 38
Running Your First Session 44
The Bandit Camp 46
Glossary of Terms 51
Play Reports 52
Appendix: How to play Roleplaying Games 55
 “One day, about ten winters ago, technology
stopped working. We call that day The
Collapse. I’d love to tell you the whole story,
but the internet was the first thing to go. I
lost contact with everyone, I don’t even know
what year it is anymore. I’m alive. I’ve found
some friends and the sun still rises. But
civilisation is just … gone, almost nothing
works. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
INTRODUCTION
Embers of Humanity is a game about regular people living
through the end of the world. They scratch out a meagre
existence living off the land, with the impotent ruins of
modern society slowly rusting around them.
Play revolves around a small group of survivors who take
charge of a settlement. These survivors head out into what’s
left of the world in order to keep their community afloat.
They may be gathering supplies, negotiating with others,
battling it out against raiders or maybe just the deadly
forces of nature.
At the end of each session, the Survivors return to their
settlement. The choices they make influence the
settlement’s growth. Will they build a thriving town or
become just one more group of raiders, scavenging
amongst the ruins of civilisation?
In this starter pack, you have all you need in order to begin
playing a game of Embers of Humanity. This includes:
• An overview of The System and how to run the game
as a Game Moderator.
• A Character Creation section along with some
recommended backgrounds.
• A Settlement Creation section as well as instructions
on how to develop the settlement up to a small village.
• A Running Your First Session guide as well as an
example adventure.
Is this your first time playing an RPG? Check out our
Appendix for some help

2
PLAYER PITCH
Looking to describe the game to your friends or a potential
group of players? Try out our player pitch! This is a great way
to gauge if your group is interested in this kind of game.
Why has the old world gone? Civilisation has collapsed and
humanity has nearly vanished. Only a few survivors are left,
scratching out a meagre existence off the ruins of society. You
are one of them, trying to rekindle the Embers. Scavenge the
surrounding area for supplies, build your settlement from a
temporary camp into a thriving wasteland town, and uncover
the secrets of this new, weird reality.

3
THE DICE SYSTEM
Whenever a roll is called for, players roll a D100 against the
skill that the GM has called for. To roll a d100 with standard
dice, you roll the two 10 sided dice, reading one as the units
and the other as the 10s.
Zack and Yvonne are playing the game. Zack’s character is a
survivor named Amy. Yvonne’s Survivor is named Bob. Zack
rolls the two d10s and they land on 5 and 60. He has rolled a 65.
If the players roll exactly or under the skill, then the
Survivor succeeds. If they roll exactly half their skill or less,
they get a hard success.
Amy is attempting to climb up the side of a building. The
action is difficult, but not outside her skill-set. The GM calls for
an Athletics roll. Amy has a 60 in Athletics. Her player rolls a
46. Amy succeeds and is able to climb up the building.
If a player rolls over their skill, they fail. A failure usually
leads to the Survivor being unable to complete the task they
were trying to achieve. A single failure rarely leads to a
dangerous situation for the survivor.
Bob attempts the same climb. His player rolls a 52, but Bob’s
Athletics skill is 40. Bob is unable to join Amy. The GM explains
that as Amy climbed, the guttering came loose and if Bob
attempted to climb the same way, he could get badly hurt.
Re-Roll
If a player has already failed the roll, they can opt to re-roll.
This is when the player rolls a skill for the second time in a
row. You cannot re-roll a third time. The GM should give the
player an understanding of what sort of consequence the
Survivor may face if they fail the roll. This could be physical
damage, loss of resource, being captured, or upsetting
someone enough that they are no longer willing to help.
Failing re-rolls should always make things worse for the
Survivors.
4
 Bob’s player opts to re-roll. This time they rolls a 10. A Hard
success. The GM decides that Bob has actually found an easier
way up the building, giving any further Athletics checks a
bonus die.
If the player had rolled an 87 on the re-roll instead, Bob’s
attempt to climb would have pulled the guttering away from
the wall, slamming Bob into the ground for 1d6 damage. Bob
rolls a 5 and is now bleeding from a head wound.
Critical
If a player rolls a 1, they have rolled a critical success.
Criticals usually mean that the scene not only goes exactly
as the player wants, but there’s an additional positive effect
associated with the roll.
Later, Bob tails the local trader to find out where he’s getting
fresh fruit from. Bob has an expert skill of Track. Bob’s player
rolls a 01 against his Track skill of 60. This is a critical success.
Bob overhears the trader explaining to a business associate
exactly how to travel to the small farm, hidden in a quiet valley
in the nearby foothills. Due to the critical success, the GM
decides that Bob is familiar with the valley and can find the
small access road without incident.
Fumbles
If a Survivor’s skill is under 50, then they fumble on a roll of
96-100. If a survivor’s skill is 50 or higher then they only
fumble on a 100. Rolling a fumble should have a similar
effect to failing a re-roll. Something bad happens to the
survivor. This could be physical damage, loss of resources,
being captured or badly upsetting someone.
Amy wants to convince a local trader to tell her where they’ve
been getting fresh fruit and vegetable to sell. The trader is
reluctant to tell her. The GM calls for a Convince roll. Amy’s
player rolls a 96 against her Convince of 40. This is a fumble.
The trader not only refuses to tell Amy where they get their
supplies, they also begin closing up shop and refuse to engage
with any other survivor again.

5
Bonus and Penalty Dice
Sometimes a GM decides that something is quite likely to
occur, or a previous roll has gone well for the group and they
want the next roll to feel likely to succeed. In this case, they
call for a bonus die.
When rolling a bonus die, the player rolls the percentile die
twice and takes the lower number.
Bob and Amy are heading towards the small farm and decide
they want to approach it quietly so as not to alert anyone.
Considering the fact that Bob has an extensive knowledge of
the local area, the GM gives Bob a bonus die on his stealth
check. Bob’s player rolls 75, but re-rolls the percentile, scoring
25 against his Stealth of 40. He succeeds.
Sometimes the opposite situation occurs and the GM thinks
a roll should be less likely to succeed. In this case, they call
for a penalty die.
When rolling a penalty die, the player roll the percentile die
twice and takes the higher number.
After a short firefight, Amy discovers that there is an old water
purification system in the farm. However, it’s been peppered
with bullets. Amy wants to repair it. The GM decides it’s
possible, but due to the damage, Amy’s player will roll the
repair roll with a penalty die. She rolls a 55 and then a 75
against her Repair of 20. She doesn’t even know where to
begin.
Who decides when to roll?
The GM always decides when to roll attributes and skill
checks. The job of the players is to describe what their
Survivors do and it is then the GM’s job to determine what
kind of dice roll is required. However, that shouldn’t stop
players from suggesting dice rolls.
There is an exception for Empathy rolls.Players decide when
to roll for Empathy.

6
 “I kind of assumed that the Government
would eventually show up and begin fixing
things. Get the hospitals and the banks
running again; bring food to the
supermarkets and restore order. But it never
happened. Nobody ever appeared. We were
abandoned.

“Things got really bad when the food ran

out…”
THE SURVIVOR
CHARACTERISTICS
Characteristics are the basic abilities of the Survivor rather
than specific skills they have. These don’t increase or
decrease in normal gameplay.
Strength (STR)
Strength means brawn and raw muscle power. Strength
helps determine how much a survivor can lift, carry, push or
pull, or how tightly they can hang on to something.
Dexterity (DEX)
Dexterity means balance, agility, speed, and deftness.
Survivors rely upon Dexterity when reacting, dodging or
performing delicate work without an appropriate skill.
Constitution (CON)
Health, vigour, and vitality are all measured by
Constitution. Constitution determines how well a survivor
can resist fatigue, poison, disease, drowning, and other
hardships.
Intelligence (INT)
Representing reason, mental acuity, and wits, Intelligence
measures how well a survivor learns, remembers, and
analyses information.
Power (POW)
Power represents willpower & the ease in which a Survivor
can adapt to new and unusual situations. POW is essential
to intuition and can be used when resisting Weird effects.
Charisma (CHA)
Charisma determines how likeable or attractive a Survivor
is to others, and is based on presence, personality,
demeanour and physical appearance.

8
BASE SKILLS
Everyone starts with 10 basic skills (described below) and
they start at 20%. Each profession grants you four different
base (or fighting) skills to raise to 50% and you may also
choose two others to raise to 30%. Survivors also have one
expert skill related to their profession.
Each listed skill gives some examples of when it may be
used.
Athletics
When a survivor is moving through a complex environment
by climbing, clambering and jumping or attempting a
physical skill more complex than pure Strength.
Convince
Convince someone that a particular idea or belief is right,
correct, or otherwise acceptable. Listeners may be
convinced to take action or grant a request.
First Aid
Stop bleeding, bandage wounds and treat minor burns, set
a broken limb, resuscitate someone who’s drowning, or
revive an unconscious person. It extends to triage and
rudimentary medical care but has little effect on poisons or
diseases.
Navigate
Find the way to a destination whether with a compass, sea
charts, the stars, or simply using perception, memory, and
intuition as a guide.
Listen
Hear, interpret, and understand sounds, whether murmurs
behind a closed door, furtive whispers, stealthy footfalls or
snapped twigs.

9
Read Person (Insight)
Evaluate another person’s character, emotional state, and
motives based on body language, speech patterns, and
other intangible factors.
Repair
Equipment and other objects can get damaged or stop
working. Use Repair to fix them or make slight
modifications and adaptations to any equipment.
Spot Hidden
Search an area for potentially important details, find a
hidden compartment, notice a fleeting detail, recognise a
disguised foe, or spot enemies lying in ambush.
Stealth
Sneak through an area without drawing attention. No cover
is required, but a light tread, confidence and discipline are
both called for.
Threaten
Convince someone to do something that they would
otherwise not do. You can threaten someone with physical
force or use psychological manipulation.

EXPERT SKILLS
Survivors get one expert skill from their former, pre-
collapse profession and/or from their Background. They
choose this upon character creation.
They also get 2 more expert skills. (For longer campaigns,
Survivors get 4 more expert skills) These skills are aspects of
the Survivors that should be revealed during play. They
could have acquired these skills from their life before the
collapse or since. This could anything from an obscure
expertise, to skill with a certain kind of weapon, or simply a
deep skill with a certain kind of negotiation.

10
During play, a player can, at any time, state that their
survivor has an expert skill that means they are more likely
to succeed on an action and explains why they have this
skill.
Players then add this as an expert skill at 60%.
We don’t provide an exhaustive list of Expert Skills in the
starter set, only some suggestions in Character
Backgrounds.

LUCK
Luck is a characteristic that a character has. Whenever
something should be determined not by a Survivor’s
abilities, but by blind luck, the GM can call for a Luck roll.
Amy is trying to steal a truck and her player asks if the keys
have been left in the ignition. The GM thinks it’s plausible, but
decides to leave it to chance and calls for a Luck roll. Amy’s
player rolls a 52 against her luck of 60 and so succeeds. The keys
are indeed in the ignition.
But Luck is also a resource that players can spend in order to
turn a failure into a success. When you spend luck, it goes
down. Making the next luck roll harder.
As Bob piles into the back of the truck they are stealing, he
discovers a guard napping inside. Bob draws his gun and
motions to the guard to remain quiet. The GM calls for a
Threaten roll. Bob’s player rolls a 62 against his Threaten of 60.
Instead of accepting the failure, the player spends two points
of luck turning that failure into a success.

EMPATHY
Whenever a player has a tough choice to make in a game
and isn’t sure how they would like their survivor to react,
they can opt to roll against their Empathy skill.
When calling for an Empathy roll, the Player should
explicitly set the terms of the roll and what their survivor

11
will do on a success or fail.
Empathy shows how willing someone is to help others or act
in the interests of humanity in general rather than in their
own personal interests. When a Player opts to roll empathy,
they are deciding on whether their Survivor will perform a
more selfish action or whether they will instead perform a
more virtuous action. Empathy is called for by the player,
not the GM.
If a Player rolls under their Empathy, they will take the
action that puts others first. If they roll over their Empathy,
they will take the selfish action, putting themselves first.
Amy and Bob are rushing out of the raider’s base carrying
heavy supplies when Bob takes a fall and injures his leg. With
the raider’s hot on their heels, Amy could help Bob, but it
would mean dropping these vital supplies. Her player opts for
an Empathy roll. If she rolls under, she drops the supplies and
helps Bob. If she rolls over, Bob is on his own. Amy’s player rolls
a 45 against her 55 Empathy. Amy dumps the supplies, throws
her shoulder over Bob and tries to pull him to safety. The GM
gives her a bonus die on the Athletics roll.
After a Player rolls Empathy, any roll associated with that
check is rolled with a bonus die. The GM may also decide
simply to let the decision play out without a roll. If the GM
feels that the Empathy decision is particularly
Empathy Reward Die Empathy Penalty Die
Examples Examples
The Survivor risks losing The Survivor takes something
something that would help d4 that they know they should d4
them. not take.
The Survivor risks their safety d6 The Survivor puts someone at d6
to help another person risk for their own profit.
The Survivor puts themselves The Survivor kills or badly
in mortal danger for the sake d8 injures someone else to get d8
of others their way.
The Survivor risks themselves The Survivor puts many
and their loved ones to help d10 people at risk of dying for d10
someone. their own profit.
The Survivor risks everything d20 The Survivor puts an entire d20
to help a stranger. community or society at risk.

12
consequential for the Survivor, they can also offer an
Empathy reward or penalty. Not every good or bad decision
requires a consequence, only those that feel like they are
really impacting the worldview of the Survivor.
If a Survivor reaches 0 Empathy, they have lost any ability to
work with others and disappear from camp/settlement,
having stolen whatever supplies they could. The Survivor is
retired and the Player must roll up a new Survivor.
If a Survivor reaches 100 Empathy, they have lost the
willingness to go out into the Wasteland, opting to remain
back in the Settlement to lead, teach, grow food and focus
on healing. The Survivor is retired and the Player must roll
up a new Survivor.

EXERTION
Every time a survivor takes an action in combat or attempts
something physically difficult, they gain Exertion. Exertion
is a measure of how tired the Survivor is.

13
If a survivor has to do something difficult, such as a
Strength, Dexterity or Athletics roll, they gain exertion. On
a success, they gain 1 Exertion and succeed in the action. On
a hard success, they don’t gain any Exertion. On a failure,
they gain 1d4 Exertion and the GM can determine if the
action succeeds.
For a combat action, such as engaging in melee, a survivor
gains 1 Exertion.
A survivor can also gain Exertion for stressful situations. If
a Survivor encounters something weird or are in a perilous
situation, have them roll against POW. On a success, they
gain 1 Exertion and remain calm. On a hard success, they
don’t gain any Exertion. On a failure, they gain 1d4 Exertion
and they don’t remain calm.
If your Exertion is half your current hit points, your
survivor is Impaired and now fumbles on a 90 or higher.
If your Exertion is greater than your current hit points, your
survivor is Exhausted and has a penalty die on all rolls.
If your Exertion is greater than your maximum hit points,
your Survivor is Incapacitated and can no longer do
anything until they rest.
Impairment and Exhaustion can be reached by exertion
increasing or hit points decreasing.
Exertion can be reset by your survivors taking a break. They
should be reasonably warm, safe from any immediate
threats and have something to eat and drink for it to count
as a break.

PROGRESSION
When a player performs a skill check, they can ‘tick’ the box
beside that skill. At the end of each adventure, once the
Survivors have returned to their settlement, players roll to

14
progress skills that has been ticked.
When rolling to progress, players roll a d100 against the skill
as usual. If the players rolls over the skill, then they have
succeeded and they may add 1d10 to that skill. If a player
rolls exactly or under the skill, then they have not managed
to progress that skill. This is the opposite way round from
regular game-play and means that progressing skills you
are good at is harder.
Players may roll up to 5 skills per session. But if the GM
wishes for their survivors to become more powerful, they
can opt to allow up to 8 skills to be rolled per session.
At the end of the adventure, Amy’s character sheet has a tick
against her First Aid and Navigate skills. Amy has a 30 in First
aid and her Player rolls a 45. This means she can add 1d10 to her
skill. Her Player rolls a 4. Amy’s First Aid is now 34 and the tick
is removed.
Amy’s player then rolls a 15 against her Navigate of 30. This
means she does not get to increase her Navigate score and
the tick is removed.
Players may also roll 1d8 and add that number to their luck
up to a maximum of 80.

15
COMBAT
Play drops into turn order whenever multiple people want
to act at once. Turn order is when everyone gets a chance to
act one at a time rather than letting people act based on
what’s happening in the story This is most common in
combat. Turn order runs in order of Dex. Highest first.
Firearms rolls occur before melee rolls, regardless of DEX.
Amy has a DEX of 70 and Bob has a DEX of 50. In combat, both
are running for the cover of a nearby wall. Amy takes her turn
first and her player succeeds on an Athletics roll. Bob’s player
fails his Athletics roll. He still reaches cover, but the GM
determines he takes 1d4 damage diving for cover.
On the next turn, Bob gets out his handgun to return fire while
Amy bandages Bob’s wounds. As Bob is now using a firearm,
he takes his turn first. His player succeeds on the Firearms roll
and Bob does 1d8 damage to their pursuers.
Melee
In combat, you are either engaged or un-engaged. Engaged
Survivors are in melee range with an opponent that is intent
on fighting with them. An engaged Survivor may take one
of four standard combat actions:
• Fighting: Either with Brawl or a specific
weapon. Intending to do damage to your opponent
• Grapple: Attempting to hold and subdue your
opponent
• Dodge: Attempt to become un-engaged from
your opponent(s) or break a grapple.
Attempting to break a grapple costs 2 exertion
points.
• Firearm: Shotguns and Pistols can be used as
normal while engaged. Rifles roll with a penalty
die while engaged.

16
Exertion
In the wasteland, combat is brutal and short. Each round,
every Survivor gains a minimum of one point of Exertion.
Attempting to break free from a grapple costs 2 points. The
GM may also rule that some actions, such as sprinting for
cover cost additional exertion points.
Injury and Death
Life is cheap in the wasteland, sometimes people die.
Embers is not intended to have an incredibly high mortality
rate for its Survivors, but it should be an ever-present risk
while playing.
When a Survivor is injured, they lose hit points. If a
Survivor loses all of their hit points, they collapse to the
ground and are Dying.
If a Survivor is Dying, they must pass a Constitution roll at
the start of their next turn or they will immediately die.
Their first roll per day is always rolled with advantage.
Another Survivor or NPC can attempt to stabilise a Dying
Survivor using a First Aid or Medicine roll. On a pass, the
Survivor is stable. They cannot take any action other than
lying down and recovering, but they are not dead.
If a Survivor takes half their max hit points worth of
damage in a single round, they have taken a major wound
and are Impaired until they return to the settlement and/or
seek medical attention.
A successful Medicine roll and 24 hours rest will remove an
impairment caused by a major wound.
If a survivor takes more than their max HP worth of damage
in a single shot, that Survivor must pass a hard Constitution
roll or immediately die. If a Survivor takes more than
double their max HP worth of damage, then they
immediately die and nothing can save them.

17
FIGHTING SKILLS
Brawling
Bare knuckled or with simple melee weapons. Brawling is
the ability to gain the upper hand in a fight.
If you succeed on a Brawl, you do 1d3 damage. On a fail, you
don’t do any damage. On a critical, you roll the damage dice
twice.
Grapple
Holding someone down or positioning them where you
want them. Succeeding on a grapple, means you have
restrained your target. They can’t move away from you
without breaking the grapple.
Dodge
If a Survivor wants to disentangle themselves while
engaged, they can take the Dodge action. A success means
they are free to move away from the character they were
engaged with, while a failure means they aren’t able to
extricate themselves.
If a survivor is grappled, then it takes one Dodge action to
break the grapple, then a second to disengage.
Dodge is also a reactive action. A survivor may use Dodge in
response to a brawl or grapple attempt out of turn order.
This costs a point of exertion. On a successful Dodge roll,
the survivor avoids damage or the Grapple.
However, if the attacker rolls a Hard success, the survivor
must also roll a Hard success to avoid consequences.

18
Melee weapon (any)
Melee weapons operate exactly the same as a Brawl roll and
can be dodged in the same manner as a brawl attack.
However, melee weapons do 1d6 damage. Melee skills are an
expert skill and should be defined narrowly. For instance:
Hammer, Sword, Dagger, Club.
Firearm (any)
Shooting someone or something with a weapon. Firearm
attacks cannot be dodged. On a fail, the shot misses. On a
success, the shot hits. On a critical, you roll the damage dice
twice.
• Pistols can be wielded at both close and longer ranges
and do 1d6 damage.
• Shotguns do 3d6 damage at close range and 1d6
damage at longer ranges.
• Rifles can only be wielded at longer range and do 1d10
damage.

19
 “The first time I stepped into a bubble of
weird was terrifying. I suddenly felt heavy
and slow, like I was moving through treacle.
When I turned around, the sky was growing
dark. I stood there stunned for a minute and
watched the sun rise and set three times
before I came to my senses and stepped out
again. I lost three days. Everyone in the
settlement thought I had died.”
THE WORLD OF EMBERS
THE WEIRD
Nothing has ever been the same since the collapse.
Electronics were the first thing to go. Blanking out into
useless piles of metal and plastic. But there were other
effects: time is no longer predictable, and even the very best
clockwork timepieces struggle to keep accurate time. The
winter before last seemed to last many months more than it
should have. With this slow breakdown of rules that were
once thought immutable, has grown the Weird.
The Weird takes on different roles in different games and
the GM can choose how much or how little to lean into this
element of the game. Some may wish to focus on survival
and community and leave the Weird in the background. A
justification without explanation. While others may thrust
it into the foreground and make it an integral aspect of the
post-apocalyptic world the Survivors are exploring.
You can choose your own weird effects, but here are our two
recommended core rules:
Electronics no longer works: For some reason, anything
with a circuit board or thin wire is unable to function.
Modern rechargeable batteries are also unable to hold their
charges. Although single-use batteries can still power
simple devices and thick copper wire can still hold a
current. The newer and more advanced a technology is, the
less likely it is to function.
Time is relative: Any attempt to accurately record time fails.
Two identical timepieces set beside each other will slowly
drift apart, showing entirely different times the next day.
Some weird effect, like the two core rules, affect
everywhere. While many others tend to be seen in ‘bubbles’
of weird. They are often detected by a noticeable change in

21
gravity, getting either lighter or heavier when a Survivor
steps inside them. Bubbles can be nearly any size.
The Weird does not need to make sense, or be easily
understood by the Survivors. It does not even need to be
particularly consistent, behaving differently in different
locations at different times.
Additionally, the GM is not required to have an explanation
for the effects of the Weird when beginning the game. We
recommend you decide on a few basic rules and it’s effects
with your table and uncover the details as you play.

22
CHALLENGES
As the survivors explore the world around them, they are
likely to come up against problems and challenges. They
may find themselves fighting raiders and monsters,
engaging in dangerous chases, but also negotiating with
other groups where they unpick complex situations.
Most locations in the wasteland have already been picked
clean by scavengers. If the Survivors want to find the
resources they require, they need to enter more dangerous
locations.
In most cases, the table narrates the story of what happens
together, but when a survivor attempts a difficult action,
the GM will call for a roll to determine if it succeeds or fails.
However, it is common for challenges in the wasteland to be
far more challenging and require teamwork to overcome.
Below are two types of large-scale problems and how a GM
can navigate them.

23
Fixed scale challenges
A challenge can have a set number of successes required to
complete it. If the task is physically or mentally draining, it
costs 1 exertion point on a successful roll and 1d4 exertion
points on a failed roll.
Amy and Bob are rolling a large barrel of gasoline through the
ruins of a refinery. The GM declares that, it will take 5
successful strength rolls to move the barrel through this
terrain.
Amy has the higher Strength score and begins rolling the
barrel. She gains 1 exertion on a success but gains 1d4 on a
failure. After Amy gains 5 exertion, Bob takes over.
A challenge may simply involve the survivors rolling while
managing their exertion. But the GM can also introduce
complications.
Bob and Amy have both now gained sufficient exertion that
they decide to stop and take a proper rest. Since there is no
time restriction, the GM agrees that they can do this. However,
when they continue, the GM asks for a Listen roll.
Amy’s player succeeds on the Listen roll and hears a patrol of
soldiers arriving. They are also looking for the gasoline.
While one of them now rolls the barrel, the other Survivor
must take action to distract or hide their actions from the
soldiers, or risk a confrontation.
Time limited challenges
A challenge can have a set number of rounds it will take and
the Survivors must decide how each of them spends each
round.
The GM can add complications through damage, exertion or
by having the Survivors fail at the task they are attempting.

24
Amy and Bob are being chased by the soldiers and are trying to
get back to their settlement without getting caught. The GM
decides a chase lasting six rounds will take place. On each
round, the soldiers will get to shoot at the survivors twice
unless the survivors successfully take actions to stop them.
Amy fires off her rifle successfully at the soldiers, making them
duck down to avoid getting hit and they lose one turn. Bob
attempts some impressive driving to get away from them, but
his player fails the pilot vehicle roll. With one success, the
soldiers get to take one shot at the survivors. Amy is hit for 2
points of damage.
A round doesn’t need to have a specified length. It is simply
‘as long as it takes to take one consequential action’.
Reward Unusual ideas
Whenever playing Embers, but especially during multi-step
challenges, make sure to rewards unusual ideas and allow
rolls that would not be immediately obvious to you. Let the
player lean into their Survivor’s strengths and allow them to
contribute in unusual ways.
While being chased by the soldiers, Bob’s player asks the GM if
he can use his expert skill of Track to find a path home that the
larger truck the soldiers are in will struggle to follow. The GM
doesn’t think that’s really how Track is meant to work, but likes
the idea. He agrees saying that this action, if successful, will
mean that the soldiers can’t shoot at them for this round or the
next, but warns Bob’s player that failure means the soldiers
will be able to trap the survivors.
When a player makes an unusual suggestion try to make
sure that there is a reward for doing so, but make sure that
it comes with a risk as well.

25
 Example Challenges
1 Moving through a building that has collapsed. The rubble must be
moved without further collapsing the building.
2 Moving something awkward and heavy through difficult terrain.
3 Crossing a river, the bridge has collapsed and the current is strong.

4 Removing copper wiring from an old factory, or dismantling a large

factory machine for parts.
5 Swimming down into a flooded basement to collect supplies.
6 Removing the lead from a church roof.
7 Moving through an abandoned subway.
8 Climbing Transmission power poles to see the view or collect material.
9 Excavating useful machinery from under debris
10 Clearing a sewer blocked by debris while it is partially submerged.
11 Breaking into a building covered in ice and snow.
12 Recovering a car that has crashed into a ditch.

26
TRAVELLING
Moving around the wasteland, whether it’s for trade,
hunting for food, communication, scavenging, or just
exploring the new wilderness; travel is a necessary feature
of life in the post-collapse world. Exploring your own
corner of the wasteland is as much a core of the Embers of
Humanity experience as building and growing a
community.
This can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.
The random tables ahead can be used either to modify a
map, or to create locations and encounters as your survivors
travel. This isn’t intended to be a game about tracking water,
rations and exhaustion. It is enough to know which
Survivor is carrying the food and who is carrying the tent
(assuming they are lucky enough to have a tent). It isn’t
necessary to know how many miles the group travels, as it’s
likely they don’t know. Instead, measure journeys in hours
and days, which is easier to track.
These tables assume the Survivors are travelling through
areas they are unfamiliar with. There isn’t one “correct” way
to use them. Instead, when there is something you want to
know about the land ahead, roll on the tables until you have
enough information to continue playing.
If the Survivors are travelling through a region you already
know, then you can run the journey using your notes or a
map you keep for reference. These tables might still be
helpful for deciding what has changed since the last time
they passed this way.

27
RESTING
Whenever travellers are resting at the end of a day, you
should ask three questions:
• Do they have enough food & water?
• Can they sleep soundly?
• Do they feel safe?
If the answer to all three questions is yes, then resting gains
them 1d8 hit points.
If the answer to two of the questions is yes, then resting
regains them 1d4 hit points.
If only one answer is yes, than they regain 1 hit point.
If all three answers are no, then the survivors are unable to
get any meaningful rest and the survivors cannot regain hit
points.
Resting takes at minimum 10 hours. Survivors are just
regular people and need their downtime.

NEW PLACES
Whenever the Survivors are travelling between areas that
you have no distinct plans for, you can use tables to quickly
generate ideas for a new place in the world.
What was this area before?
Roll a d100 to find out what this area used to be before the
collapse. If the location is far from the coast, roll twice and
take the lowest. If the location is near the coast, roll twice
and take the highest.

28
What is this area now?
Roll a d100 to find out how this area has changed.
Sometimes, this will make sense and be easy to implement.
Other times, it will be more difficult to unravel the story a
location has changed. If the two results really don’t work in
this context, keep one and re-roll the other to get something
which does work.
d100 What was this d100 What is this area
area before? now?
1-13 Mountain 1-3 Small community
14-18 Lake (or Loch) 4-5 Trading hub
19-35 Hills 6-9 Farmland
36-38 Marsh 10-19 Scrubland
39-53 Forest 20-34 Lush young forest
54-61 River valley 35 Isolationist community
62-66 Industrial 36-45 Thriving established forest
67-70 Village by river 46-65 Lifeless desolation
71-75 Town 66-70 Old growth forest
76-79 City 71-80 Flooded
79-86 Farm 81-85 Sinkhole or chasm
87-90 Village on coast 86-90 Weird
91-100 Coast 91-100 Totally unchanged

Amy & Bob take off in an unexpected direction and the GM

decides to roll up a location. They roll a 73 on before and 54 on
now. They have rolled up a town that was once full of life, but is
now lifeless desolation. The GM decides to lean into the spooky
vibe, telling Amy that she recognises this town as a place she
visited on holiday as a child, but that there is now no life here,
no birds, no animals, no plants.

29
ENCOUNTERS d100 Encounters
Each location or each hour 01-15 Animal Encounter
there is a chance of an 16-25 Human Encounter
Weird Encounter
encounter. 26-30
31-100 No Encounter
Roll d100 on this table for
the type of encounter, then roll d100 on the following tables
for the specific encounter. Note that encounters are not
assumed to be hostile.
d100 Encounters d100 What do they
have/need
1-15 Travellers, Traders 1-30 Knowledge
16-35 Travellers, Families 31-40 Shelter
36-45 Travellers, Explorers 41-60 Food
46-70 Scavengers 61-65 Medicine
71-90 Hunters 66-70 News
91-95 Ambush 71-75 Company
76-80 Weapons
96-100 Hermit
81-85 Scavenged tech
86-90 Scavenged books
PEOPLE 91-100 Livestock (poultry/
sheep/etc)
On rare occasions the
Survivors may encounter other people in the wasteland.
Each group of people encountered will have their own
motivations, goals and needs.
What do the people need/have?
Roll once to find out what they have and might offer up for
trade, then again to find out what they might be willing to
trade for.
Amy & Bob’s car breaks down and they set off on foot, heading
back to their settlement along a familiar road. The GM decides
to roll for an encounter. He rolls a 37 on the encounter table
and an 82 on what they have and a 43 on what they need. The
GM has the Survivors encounter a group of exploring
travellers from a far away settlement. They are friendly and
have a cart full of weird tech that they’re willing to trade for
food.

30
ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
If the location is far from any inhabited settlements, roll
twice and take the lowest. If the location is near inhabited
settlements, roll twice and take the highest.
d100
Ambulatory Slime If you even notice it, it looks
like an oily puddle, slowly flowing towards you. HP 12
1-10 They make their home in stagnant ponds and How many: d3
Attack 70% d10 damage
hunt anything warm and vital. Attacks are
extended tentacles or even globs of its own body Stealth 80%, Listen 80%
spat out.
Wild Herd of Sheep found around the wilderness. HP 10
They mostly avoid humans. Sheep were bred for How many: 3d6
11-17 their fleece and now haven’t been shorn for ten Attack 60% d6 damage
years resulting in bouncy, practically Listen 60%, Threaten
60%
indestructible spheres.
HP 20
Wild Herd of Cows They try to avoid humans. How many: 2d6
18-25 However, they can get aggressive if they have Attack 50% d8 damage
calves (each herd has 2d6-5 calves in Spring). Listen 60%, Threaten
60%
Pack animals (Dogs/Wolves) Wild packs are as HP 8
25-41 dangerous as they are hungry, making them an How many: 2d6
Attack 80% d8 damage
unknown proposition. Listen 80%
Insect Swarm Flying swarms of wasps, flies, HP 6 (Immune to many
midges, mosquitoes can be a serious problem as attacks)
42-63 there is little survivors can do to dissuade them if Attack 60%
Note: combat rounds
they think you are a threat to their hive or once
they have a taste for your blood. Survivors will against insect swarms
are about 5 minutes
have to be inventive.
Flock of Birds Crows and Gulls are thriving in the
post-collapse world and they still remember that HP 3
64-90 Humans often bring food. This encounter is likely How many: 3d6
Attack 60% d4 damage
to be a problem rather than an actual threat, as Steal 60%
they like to steal tasty & shiny things.
Shadows Drifting out of the ruins of civilisation, HP 6
climbing from cracks in the dirt, these shadows How many: 2d6
mimic the silhouettes of the dead. They have few Attack 70% d8 damage
91-100 distinguishing features, but they have mouths Steal 60%
and teeth and they carry knives. Wise survivors In darkness, Shadows
have a 50% chance to
remember the common refrain, “Two shadows ignore each hit.
before you, one at your back.”

31
d100 WASTELAND ENCOUNTERS
1-5 An enormous sinkhole, signs that people come and go regularly.
6-10 An derelict village with no sign of collapse or decay.
11-15 An overgrown forest, with impossibly tall trees containing a treetop village.
16-20 A giant locked door in the side of a mountain. Appears entirely rusted shut.
21-24 A peaceful community of farmers.
25-30 A fast flowing river with only one bridge patrolled by a group of raiders
31-35 Alives
wide and shallow lake that is only knee high. A small fishing community
in the middle on stilted houses.
36-40 A caravan of actors moving slowly down the road practising Shakespeare.
41-45 A train junction station that has been transformed into a busy market town
46-50 A suspiciously well-maintained road. At night, raiders use it for drag races.
51-55 A petrol station guarded by a pack of fierce dogs.
56-58 An airy cave network containing a group of children and teenagers who are
distrusting of adults. They escaped from a nearby ‘Orphanage’
59-62 Atheir
quiet community that seems to have no conflict on the surface. They settle
differences in an incredibly deadly gladiatorial combat sport.
63-66 Asurprisingly
large suburban neighbourhood protected by a group of thugs on
well maintained bicycles.
67-70 An eerie and abandoned university campus. However, an Astronomy
professor still lives there, desperate to understand the Weird.

71-74 An abandoned industrial area that has been given over to some particularly
aggressive wildlife.

75-79 A large junk yard, home to an unfriendly group of fairly sadistic cannibals.
80-82 Aarmed.
rotting casino filled with elderly residents that are surprisingly well-

83-86 An abandoned zoo. First noticed by spotting a herd of Zebra nearby.

87-90 An adventure park, containing climbing walls, a parkour zone, trampolines
and an obstacle course. In a fairly deadly state of disrepair.

91-93 Adoors
long-term storage facility. The interior is full of narrow passages. A few
are still padlocked.
An old museum where a small group of ‘collectors’ reside. They store
94-95 knowledge of the pre-collapse world. This includes a vast arsenal of weapons
that they are happy to turn on those who would steal from them.
96-97 A half-collapsed skyscraper in a downtown neighbourhood. The fading gold
leaf over the entrance indicates it was once a home to the wealthy.
98-99 Three high-rise buildings with rope bridges strung between their roofs. The
stairs up have been destroyed. A thriving farm exists on the rooftops.
100 A small community that mostly plays role-playing games in their spare time
and hasn’t really noticed the collapse.

32
d100 WEIRD ENCOUNTERS
1-5 Visions/echos/ghosts of the past
6-10 Visions/echos/ghosts of the future
11-12 A small pond of slime, it reaches for anything living.
13-15 A wreck of a vehicle tries to start its own engine, churns some mud and dies.
16-19 Some animals on a mission (rodents/cats/dogs/birds/all of the above?)
20-24 The weather goes haywire, roll a random weather every ten minutes
25-27 The sun stops moving for a few hours
27-30 The sun stops moving for a few days
30-34 Some good supplies left in the survivor’s path.

35-36 A tenement engulfed in flame, no smoke, no smell but the roar of flame and plenty of
heat
36-40 A ring of dead vegetation.
41-42 Crackling music coming from a wall mounted speaker in a ruined wall.
43-45 A cairn of bones, animal and human. It moves when you aren’t watching.
46-49 A swarm of insects carpeting the ground, fat birds follow, gorging on the feast.
50 Reflections of the survivors travelling the other way, tired, sad. They do not talk.
51-55 The light shifts red and for a while everything is slow and difficult
56-60 The light shifts blue and for a while everything is easy and fast

61-63 Massive nets strung up between pylons and trees. Full of an odd mix of trash.

64-66 A fast flowing canal, after an hour following the current it has looped back the start.

67-70 Smells of wondrous foods drift past, leading to plants with enormous fleshy flowers
that eat human flesh.
71-73 A group of humans sit huddled around some complex electronics, their brains
apparently hardwired into technology that you’ve never seen before.
74-77 An old building sits frozen, half collapsed. Gravity doesn’t seem to work inside.

78-80 Two groups of soldiers fight the most gruesome hour of a battle with time repeating
itself again and again.
81-82 An orchard of perfectly ripe fruit. Anyone eating the fruit falls into a dreamless sleep.

83-84 An orchard of perfectly ripe fruit. Anyone eating the fruit has terrible nightmares.

85-88 A perfectly preserved hardware store with its lights on. Stepping in seems to take you
back to pre-collapse times. But it’s all an illusion.
88-91 A forest road. As you travel along it, you grow smaller until you are the size of an ant.

92-94 A road-side inn set up inside a garbage heap. It’s completely empty, but the food is
good and the beds are soft.
95-97 A lighthouse miles from the sea. Resting inside feels safe.

97-100 A canyon far from home. Moving through it leads the survivors to a short tunnel that
exits not far from their Settlement.

33
d100
WEATHER
Overcast, Hot, Windy,
1 Hot, Clear, Strong Winds 34 67 Cold, Windy, Torrential Rain
Showers
2 Hot, Strong Winds, Showers 35 Overcast, Hot, Windy, Rain 68 Cloudy, Cold
3 Hot, Strong Winds, Rain 36 Storm 69 Cold, Showers
4 Storm 37 Overcast, Hot, Windy 70 Cold, Rain
Overcast, Hot, Windy,
5 Hot, Clear, Windy 38 Showers 71 Overcast, Cold, Strong Winds
6 Hot, Windy, Showers 39 Overcast, Hot, Windy, Rain 72 Overcast,
Rain
Cold, Strong Winds,

7 Hot, Windy, Rain 40 Overcast, Hot 73 Storm

8 Hot, Still 41 Overcast, Hot, Showers 74 Overcast, Cold, Windy
9 Hot, Still, Showers 42 Overcast, Hot, Rain 75 Overcast, Cold, Windy, Rain
10 Clear, Windy 43 Overcast, Strong Winds 76 Cloudy, Freezing, Windy
Overcast, Strong Wind,
11 Windy, Showers 44 77 Freezing, Windy, Light Snow
Showers
12 Windy, Rain 45 Overcast, Strong Wind, Rain 78 Freezing, Windy, Snow
13 Windy, Torrential 46 Storm 79 Blizzard
14 Calm, Clear 47 Overcast, Windy 80 Cloudy, Freezing
15 Calm, Showers 48 Overcast, Windy, Showers 81 Freezing, Light Snow
16 Rain 49 Overcast, Windy, Heavy Rain 82 Freezing, Snow
17 Hot, Oppressive, Showers 50 Overcast, Still 83 Freezing, Clear, Windy
18 Hot, Oppressive, Rain 51 Overcast, Still, Showers 84 Freezing, Windy, Showers
19 Storm, Hot 52 Overcast, Rain 85 Freezing, Windy, Rain
20 Cloudy, Hot, Windy 53 Overcast, Torrential Rain 86 Freezing,
Rain
Windy, Torrential

21 Cloudy, Hot, Showers 54 Cloudy, Mild 87 Freezing, Calm

22 Hot, Rain 55 Showers 88 Overcast, Cold, Windy,
Torrential Rain
23 Hot, Heavy Rain 56 Rain 89 Overcast, Cold
24 Cloudy, Hot 57 Sunny, Cold, Strong Winds 90 Overcast, Cold, Showers
25 Hot, Still, Showers 58 Cold, Strong Winds, Wet 91 Overcast, Cold, Rain
26 Oppressive, Showers 59 Sunny, Cold, Windy 92 Overcast,
Rain
Cold, Torrential

27 Oppressive, Rain 60 Cold, Windy, Showers 93 Overcast,

Winds
Freezing, Strong

28 Storm 61 Clear, Cold 94 Overcast, Freezing, Strong

Winds, Snow
29 Cloudy, Windy 62 Cold, Showers 95 Blizzard
30 Windy, Showers 63 Cold, Storm 96 Overcast, Freezing, Windy
31 Windy, Rain 64 Cloudy, Cold, Windy 97 Overcast,
Snow
Freezing, Windy,

32 Windy Torrential rain 65 Cold, Windy, Showers 98 Overcast, Freezing

33 Overcast, Hot, Strong Winds 66 Cold, Windy, Rain 99 Overcast,
Snow
Freezing, Light

100 Overcast,
Snow
Freezing, Heavy

34
CHARACTER CREATION
Grab the character sheet from the back of the booklet and
print it or download the fillable-form version included with
this booklet.
Roll for Characteristics
Roll (3d6*5) for each of Strength; Dexterity; Constitution;
Intelligence; Power; Charisma & Luck. Don’t roll for
Empathy.
These are your basic stats. You roll these stats whenever you
are doing something that relies on physical ability rather
than skill. Add the number to the Success column and add
half that number (rounded down) to the Hard column.
Amy’s player rolls 3d6 and gets a 4,3 and 5. She has rolled 12.
She multiplies it by 5 to get 60. This is her Strength score. She
writes 60 in the success column and 30 in the Hard column.
Set the Hit Points (HP) to: (Strength + Constitution) /10.
Amy’s Strength is 60 and Constitution is 65. Her HP is
therefore 12. (You always round down.)
Choose a Background
Your background is who your Survivor was before they
joined the group. Choose one background, and then set
those four basic skills to 60. Each background also comes
with a recommended Expert skill. Take this as your first
Expert skill, write it in the first blank column on the Expert
skill section and then set that skill to 60.
Set the Remaining Skills
• Choose two other base or combat skills and set them
to 40.
• Set Grapple to half your Strength and Dodge to half
your Dexterity.
• Set all other scores to 20.
35
 Basic Skills Expert Skills
Brawl, Read Person, Stealth & Threaten Lockpick
Dodge, Navigate, Listen, Stealth Rifle
Athletics, First Aid, Repair, Brawl Construction
Navigate, Repair, Stealth, Spot Hidden Pilot Vehicle
Convince, First aid, Listen, Read Person Comfort
Athletics, Brawl, Stealth, First Aid Shotgun
Convince, Read Person, Spot Hidden, First Aid Research
Convince, Listen, Read Person, Spot Hidden Bargain
Athletics, First Aid, Navigate, Grapple Medicine
Athletics, Brawl, Repair, Spot Hidden Nature

Amy’s player chooses the Criminal background. She sets her

Brawl, Read Person, Stealth & Threaten to 60. She then
chooses Spot Hidden and First Aid and raises them to 40. Her
Strength is 60, so her Grapple becomes 30 and her Dexterity is
40, so her Dodge remains at 20. She sets all her other scores to
20.
Expert Skills
Each Survivor has three expert skills in the starter set. Your
first expert skill is related to your Background, but you can
pick two others. You may pick from the list of Expert skills
in the Expert skill list above or invent your own with your
GM. You do not have to choose all three Expert skills before
play starts; in fact we encourage you to leave them blank
while you figure out who your character is. You can then
reveal the exact skill you need in a moment of extreme need
and save the day!

36
Choose your Empathy
A high Empathy means you struggle to hurt others, while a
low Empathy means you are in it for yourself and only help
others if it benefits you. You may choose any Empathy
between 20-80 for your Survivor. Choose whatever feels
right for the character you have created. There’s no right or
wrong answer with Empathy, and it will change as you play.
Amy’s player thinks her Criminal character talks a big talk and
isn’t afraid to hurt others, but is a bit of a softy on the inside. To
balance this, she decides to give Amy a 55 Empathy.
Decide Personal Information
Name your character, choose their pronouns, and add in
any important information about who they are as a person.
Congratulations! You have now created your Survivor and
are ready for the wasteland.

37
THE SETTLEMENT
Players work together to set up their settlement. Have the
group roll a d10 three times for the initial resources that the
settlement begins with. They should reroll doubles.
Players then roll a d20 one time each on the Complications
table. (players may reroll doubles or make it extra
complicated).
The group then agrees where the settlement is and what it
contains based on the prompts given to them by the
Resources and Complications. This should be just an open
discussion guided by the GM.
Have the players write down important features about the
location. They can develop it, draw maps, and otherwise
build on the settlement however they like. Initially, the
survivors should be the d20 Complications
majority of the people within 1 Poor neighbours
the community. However, as 2 Haunted by the weird
the settlement stabilises and 3 Old war-zone
thrives they will slowly begin 4 Maze-like architecture
to increase the size of their 5 ‘Owned’ by a powerful faction
camp, welcoming more people 6 Infestation
into the fold. 7 It’s really damp
8 Obvious/Visible to outsiders
9 Obvious strategic importance
d10 Initial Resource 10 It always stinks
1 Large collection of hand tools 11 Poor soil
2 Clean water source 12 Weirdos keep showing up
3 Fertile land 13 Something bad buried here
4 Easily defendable 14 Polluted and filthy
5 Solid walls and roofs 15 Excessively loud wildlife
6 Space for expansion 16 Mutations in the wildlife
7 Difficult to find 17 Isolated locations
8 Rail connected 18 Prone to flooding
9 Large collection of weapons 19 Something’s Weird. It’s bad
10 Basic medical facilities 20 Something’s Weird. It’s good

38
Examples
Resources: 2, 3, 6
Complications: 6, 7, 14, 15
The survivors have secured a small suburb with a good water
source and plenty of fertile land, but the excessive overgrowth
has led to problems with insects and rats inside the walls, and
they’re almost unfit for habitation. On top of that, the
basement level is completely flooded.

Resources: 4, 5, 10
Complications: 1, 4, 8, 12
The survivors have secured a high rise flat just outside a major
thoroughfare. It’s secure and there’s an old doctor’s office on
the 3rd floor. The nearby road means that the settlement is
always being visited by nomads and travelling merchants but
that also means that roving groups of bandits and bad-faith
actors are sniffing around

Resources: 1, 2, 6
Complications: 7, 10, 13, 19
The survivors have secured an old hardware store, giving them
ample space to expand. There’s a well in the basement that
gives them access to clean water, but they can never quite get
rid of the putrid smell of rotting meat and vegetables. It needs
to be cleared out before they can begin to properly expand. And
there’s … something living in the basement.
No-one is quite sure what it is, but they know it’s Weird and
bad.

39
Determining Starting Statistics
Settlements have six core statistics: Size, Food, Sanitation,
Tools, Defence & Electricity. Then there are three
‘development’ statistics which are Transport, Technology
and Weird. In the Starter Set, you can mostly ignore
Technology and Weird.
When setting up the settlement, you start with a Size of 1
and fill in the rest of the core statistics based on the Initial
Resources rolled. Most settlements should start with 3 or 4
stats at 1 and all others at 0. Settlement statistics are an
abstract concept, so try and make them reflect the reality of
the settlement as described by the players. We’ve included
some examples of what a level 1 and 2 of each of these
statistics looks like. Where 0 is a complete lack of anything
in the Settlement.
If a primary statistic is below the Size of the settlement then
that becomes a ‘problem’ that must be solved by the
Survivors and can form the core of an expedition out into
the Wasteland attempting to solve the problem. This
reflects the reality that as a settlement grows it begins to
need more support. A small group of people can maybe
survive by digging a midden and drinking from the nearby
stream. But 100 people probably need a functioning toilet
and flowing water.

40
 SIZE FOOD
1 Just the survivors and perhaps a 1 Supplies for a few weeks and the
few more people. Less than 20. ability to scavenge more.
2 A few families, a few loners. A 2 A small farm or a few hunters.
small village of up to 50 people. Communal food supplies.

SANITATION TOOLS
1 A reliable source of fresh water. 1 Hand tools. Scavenging for
Basic settlement planning. supplies.
2 Toilet area, well, and hygienic 2 Blacksmithing and ability to
disposal of waste. repair simple things.

DEFENCE ELECTRICITY
1 Basic melee weapons. Maybe 1 Copper wiring providing light
one gun. with unreliable power source.
2 Town Wall. Guard on duty. A 2 Ability to generate power
collection of guns. whenever necessary.

TRANSPORT
1 A functioning car/van/boat.
Limited fuel.
2 A car pool of different, mostly
poorly maintained vehicles.

41
42
 “There’s no way to really know just what
you’ll do once your in real, proper danger. I
always thought I’d be able to be diplomatic,
logical, talk things through. Never the
problem. That was before I felt real hunger,
punishing thirst. Before life became cheap,
and strangers might just shoot you for your
jacket.”
RUNNING YOUR FIRST SESSION
Embers of Humanity aims to make it easy to just pick up
and immediately play the game. This section will give an
example of what the first session of play could look like.
It is recommended that characters are generated together,
at the table according to the Setting Up Your Character
section. It is designed to be quick and intuitive and should
take less than 5 minutes.

SESSION 0
The Session 0 is a discussion at the table between the players
and the GM about mutual expectations. It’s about how
people behave while playing (at the table) as well as what is
to be expected in the game. The key aim of a session 0
discussion is that everyone feels like they know what kind of
game they are sitting down to play and no one is surprised
or upset by what goes on.
The players and GM discuss how the game will run. The GM
outlines a world where the majority of humans have died and
only a few survivors eke out a living in an unforgiving world
full of dangerous, mutated monsters. The player Zack is
surprised by this; they were expecting the game to be a lot
more like their favourite Mad Max movies - Full of action and
adventure. The table discusses it and decides to keep the
mutated monsters, but also try to incorporate a bit of action
and adventure, with clashes between rival gangs. The GM
promises to incorporate lots of cool action sequences involving
cars.
The GM asks if there’s anything specific they’d like to avoid.
Yvonne says she’d rather there was no cannibalism in the game
as it makes her feel queasy, and Xia asks if everyone could
agree that no pets die, as they had a crappy experience recently
they’d rather not relive.

44
GETTING STARTED
Embers of Humanity usually begins at the moment that a
ragtag group of survivors bands together with the intention
to settle down together. You tell the group that they have
agreed to work together and ask them why they have chosen
this moment to settle down. You don’t have to start like this,
but it’s an easy way into the game.
The rest of this section will outline a simple adventure that
should take around two hours to play through with a group.
If it’s your first time, we recommend you try it out!
If you are a player, we recommend you stop reading here!
Goto page 35 to create your Survivor.

45
THE BANDIT CAMP

INTRODUCTION
The sun beats down on Highway 76, with abandoned cars
peppering the road. Stubborn plant growth permeates the
Colorado desert as it winds its slow way towards the ruins of
Denver.
Rumours abound that many small settlements have erupted
in the former Rocky Mountain National Park region, and
that is it safer than most. This small group has banded
together in the hope of carving out their own small
homestead in amongst the valleys, well away from the near
anarchy in the east. However, they are still several days’ walk
away and must pass through the busy suburbia of the
former Denver Metropolitan Area. Supplies are low. The
group are all aware that their chances of survival are
diminishing without friends, food, and potentially, some
transport.

46
While the group are travelling along Highway 76, there have
been limited opportunities for small scale scavenging. They
are nearly out of food.
The Camp
In the early evening light, the survivors spot a small plume
of dark smoke rising from behind a small hill not too far
from the highway. Beyond the hill lies a small encampment
containing four bandits.
A large barrier made up of scrap surrounds the camp on
every side. The barrier can be cleared with a successful
Athletics roll, but due to the sharp edges and barbed wire,
survivors always take 1HP damage whenever they interact
with it.
There is a gap in the barrier large enough for a vehicle and
an old military truck has been backed into the gap, with the
front of the car facing the exit.
The truck is full of canned food supplies that the bandit
group has recently ‘liberated’ from a nearby canning facility.
A few of the cans are strewn around a fire pit where a black
pot is bubbling away with a meaty smelling stew. Three of
the bandits are relaxing around the fire while one keeps a
lazy guard on the surrounding area from a plastic chair
positioned on top of the truck's cab.
The survivors can easily gain an overview of the camp, but
would need to pass a Stealth roll to sneak up without
alerting the guard.
The Bandits
The Bandits are associated with the Green Beret gang - a
loose knit organisation of banditss that control the majority
of the Denver Metropolitan area to the south. Three of them
are equipped with pistols, and the sentry has a rifle in his
hands. All the bandits have a 50% firearms skill and 8 HP.

47
If approached in a friendly manner, the bandits are happy to
chat and even trade so long as the survivors stay well away
from their camp. They could be persuaded to give up the
location of the canning facility but will warn the survivors
that they lost one of their own retrieving the supplies. They
claim it’s not safe for a bunch of ‘wet-behind-the-ears,
would-be scavengers.’
If only one of the Survivors approaches the bandits, they rob
the Survivor and send them packing with nothing but the
clothes on their back.
If approached aggressively, they are happy to get into a
shooting war with the survivors, though will attempt to
load up the supplies and bug out if they seem outgunned.
The Truck
An old, American M35 canvas topped truck sits just inside
the entrance to the camp, The front of the car faces the exit,
and it can be easily driven out of the camp for a quick
getaway.
Inside the truck are enough canned supplies of meat and
fish for the group to survive for weeks without worry. If
combined with foraging, it’s likely enough to help a small
group survive an entire winter.
The canned goods are stored in boxes, each of which weighs
around 25kg (55lbs). A survivor would need to succeed on a
Strength roll to be able to easily move it around.
A Bandit sits on a plastic chair on top of the cab, facing the
entrance with a rifle across his knees. He’s laughing and
joking with the others around the fire but is keeping a solid
watch and will spot anyone directly approaching the
entrance. The exact location of the keys is up to the GM and
can be on one of the bandits, in the ignition, or on the wheel
by the driver’s door.

48
The truck and the canned goods are likely to be very
attractive to the Survivors. They may try and steal the van,
get into a fight with the bandits, or try and negotiate with
them. All of these solutions are perfectly possible. The
group’s approach to the problem is likely to set the tone for
how they interact with the rest of the Wasteland.
The Canning Facility
Some groups may choose to entirely avoid conflict with the
bandit group and instead discover the location of the
canning facility. The canning facility is a day’s walk north of
their location, well outside Green Beret gang control on the
outskirts of a ruined, unnamed town. Survivors making
this journey are likely to be incredibly hungry as they arrive
at the location. If they’ve made no moves to collect or trade
for food, they must make a CON roll (1/1d4 Exertion).
Roll consequences in adventures are often written as above.
This means that they should roll a constitution roll and take
1 exertion if they pass the roll and take 1d4 (roll a d4 and take
the result) if they fail.
The canning facility itself is contained within a bubble of
Weird. Where gravity feels slightly lighter. Stepping into
the space gives a spring in the step of all the survivors as
they suddenly feel lighter, but it’s also a warning that many
of them are likely used to at this point. It is best to avoid
Weird locations as they are often dangerous.
The building is dilapidated, with about half of it completely
collapsed. The only way in is an access hatch leading into the
basement. The Survivors need to move from the basement,
up a set of stairs into the main factory floor, where they
discover a half dozen boxes of canned good left behind by
the bandits. Throughout the exploration, you can use the
random table on page 33 to generate at least two animal
encounters as well as one weird encounter inside the
Canning Facility.

49
Escape
Whether stealing from the Bandits directly or from the
Canning Facility, the survivors aim to have left this
encounter with food supplies that will last them days,
weeks, or months and may even manage to escape with a
brand new truck to help them move through the wasteland.
However, it may go poorly, where some of them may die in
a firefight with the bandits, or are killed by the Weird
encounters in the Canning Facility. If they die during the
encounter, don’t worry. Have the player roll up a new
Survivor and then join in either during the adventure or
meet up with the other survivors as they head out from this
adventure into the Settlement phase.

SETTLEMENT PHASE
Once the survivors are on the road and arrive at their
destination, you can begin the Settlement phase. Work with
the group to tell the story of the group settling down and
building their own Settlement.
Consult the Setting up Your Settlement guide to build the
settlement together, and have the group discuss what their
next adventure should be. It will likely be addressing a
problem the settlement has. This need should form the
basis of the next adventure.

50
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Characteristics: The innate abilities of the Survivor. Their Strength,
Dexterity etc.
The Collapse: The day that technology stopped working and the
Weird began appearing. The end of the world.
Dying: A survivor at 0 hit points is dying until they either receive
medical aid or die.
Exhausted: When a survivors exertion is higher than their current
hit points, they have a penalty die on all rolls.
Exertion: How tired the Survivor is.
Expert Skills: Special skills or expertise the Survivor has that most
people don’t have.
Game Moderator (GM): The person running the game and playing
everyone other than the survivors.
Hit Points: How much damage a Survivor can endure before
dying.
Incapacitated: If a Survivors Exertion is greater than their max hit
points, they are incapacitated. They cannot do anything until they
rest.
Impaired: Through exertion or injury, a survivor now fumbles on a
roll of 90 or higher.
Percentile: The ten-sided dice with the numbers 00-90 on them.
Rolled along with the regular d10 to produce a number from 0-100.
Player: The person sitting at the table, playing the game.
Settlement: The place the Survivors have settled down in and
begun living.
Skills: The Survivors’ abilities, how well they do things.
Survivor: The Player Character in the game.
Turn Order: When each player and NPC takes a turn to act instead
of letting people act based on what’s going on at the table.
Wasteland: The surface of the earth, covered in the ruins of
civilisation.
Weird: Any aspect of the post-collapse Wasteland that doesn’t fit in
with a real-world understanding of physics.

51
PLAY REPORTS
It’s dangerous to go alone. Embers of Humanity has a
thriving community of survivors and you are invited to
contribute to the story.
At the end of a session, you are encouraged to write up a
short play report from the view of your survivor and either
post it to our Discord Server or post up online and tag
@embersofhumanity on your favourite platform.
A play report should summarise what happened in the
adventure, including what happened, the problem that was
solved and how your Survivor is feeling about it.
These reports are connections, letters and documentation
that humanity can and will survive, even if we are reduced
to embers. We rise again, rebuild, and light the flame.

52
53
54
APPENDIX: HOW TO PLAY
ROLEPLAYING GAMES
This might be your very first roleplaying game. If it is, this
section will explain how to read and use this book.
We recommend you read the whole booklet before playing
and keep it nearby in case you need to check something.
If you are playing in person, it’s best to buy a set of different
sided dice. We label the dice based on the number of sides
they have, so a d4 has 4 sides. There’s also a d6, d8, d10, d12,
d20 and a percentile, which is also a d10, but with two
numbers on each side (00-90).
When playing Embers of Humanity, one person takes on
the role of running the game. We call them a Game
Moderator (GM). The GM crafts the world the others play in,
plays all the non-player characters (NPCs) and makes
decisions about when to call for rolls. How and when to call
for rolls is described in The Dice System section.
Everyone else (usually between 2-5 others) plays one of the
Survivors.
Survivors are just ordinary people trying to eke out a
meagre existence amongst the ruins of civilisation. They’re
not heroes, though they may do heroic things. Neither are
they villains, although they may do villainous things. They
are guided by their Empathy. That may mean they act in the
common good, or it may mean they act selfishly.
During the game, players hear about the world around them
from the GM’s descriptions and then narrate how their
Survivor responds.
Every person and group are different in how they play
games. Some people like to get in character, create a voice to
try and embody their Survivor. Others treat their Survivor
55
more as a character in a story they’re telling and narrate the
actions of the character in third-person. There’s no right or
wrong way to play, so do whatever you enjoy. Then again,
don’t be afraid to try something new.
Sometimes, when a player narrates something their
Survivor wishes to do, the GM will decide that they need to
roll a skill check to determine if they succeed or fail.
In Embers, the players roll a d100, (normally by rolling
2d10s, but online you just click the d100 button). The player
is looking to roll equal to, or lower then the number
assigned to that skill. Sometimes players roll other dice
when the GM asks.
In the game, the Survivors will either succeed or fail. Avoid
the trap of thinking that success is always good and failure
is always bad. Think of it like a story, if the protagonist
always succeeds, then it’s not very interesting. When they
fail, lean into the failures, laugh at the mishaps, or look for
alternative directions to take the story.
And remember, like all good stories, at some point it may
come to an end. Your survivor is only human and they are
exploring a dangerous world. They may die during play. But
don’t worry. When this happens, you can just roll up a new
Survivor and rejoin the story.
This PDF is, however, only the beginning. It should be
enough for you to get through the first couple of sessions,
we’re working on the extended rules and hope to give them
all to you eventually.

56