01-rulebook.pdf

Welcome to Titan World Long ago, the world belonged to humans. Those days vanished, however, when the Titans came. The origins of the Titans remain shrouded in mystery. All we know is that their rise was sudden and brutal, and soon, they were everywhere. Massive and all but indestructible, the Titans sought nothing but to eat humans. And eat they did - before long, humans had been pushed to the brink of extinction. Now this world belongs to the Titans. All that remains of humanity lives in a single nation, surrounded by three enormous walls. The world beyond the walls is a dangerous one, full of ravenous Titans that seek nothing more than to consume human flesh. Behind the walls, humanity is safe - but all it would take is a single breach to plunge humanity into chaos once more. If the first wall were to break, half of humanity’s territory would be lost. If the second were to break, what little remained would not be able to support even its own population, let alone the refugees from outside. If the third wall broke, then every last human would surely be devoured. You have just graduated from the military training corps, and been trained in the dangerous craft of fighting Titans. People like you patrol the walls, keep the peace, and go on expeditions beyond the walls to unearth resources and information. You do not know the true horror of battle between man and Titan. But you will. Welcome to Titan World.

The Stats Agility Agility is skill in moving quickly, evading Titans, and getting into advantageous positions. It is rolled to avoid harm or get into position to strike. Agility is the most important stat for The Natural.

Execution Execution is both skill at dispatching enemies and the mental resolve to move in for the killing blow. It is rolled to deliver crippling or fatal attacks against Titans, or for fighting humans. Execution is the most important stat for The Warrior.

Awareness Awareness is the ability to quickly understand the flow of a situation It is rolled to determine probable sources of serious threat and the best ways to deal with them, as well as anticipate unexpected attacks. Awareness is the most important stat for The Tactician.

Discipline Discipline is the ability to keep your head when things get seriously dire. It is rolled to avoid panicking in truly horrible situations, and to inspire the same level of stability in others. Discipline is the most important stat for The Leader.

Rage Rage is sheer personal drive and hatred of the Titans that plague humanity. It is rolled to break free from hopeless situations where your life is on the line. Rage is the most important stat for The Shifter.

The Names Sometimes naming your character is the hardest part. Some example names have been provided, below. If you do not like any of the names available, make up your own. When you begin play as a Rookie, choose only a first name. When you make it to Level 1 or start play at Level 1, also choose a last name. First names (female): Alena, Amelia, Ayla, Beatrix, Carina, Christel, Dilara, Elisa, Emma, Evelyn, Flora, Gisela, Gretel, Hannelore, Havva, Ida, Ilse, Jana, Juliana, Katarina, Lara, Magdalene, Marina, Michaela, Nina, Olivia, Petra, Regula, Sara, Sonja, Teresa, Valeska, Zehra, Ziska First names (male): Adrian, Alexander, Altan, Bertram, Conrad, Dieter, Dirk, Eckhart, Erik, Felix, Gervas, Gregor, Hans, Heinrich, Hugo, Joachim, Julian, Kilian, Lanzo, Leonhard, Levent, Lukas, Markus, Matthias, Nico, Oswald, Reto, Siegfried, Simon, Tobias, Valentin, Walther Last names: Abel, Achilles, Adler, Baumann, Beckert, Brandt, Dieter, Engel, Faust, Frost, Gerhard, Hafner, Hermann, Jaeger, Kaspar, Kaya, Kneller, Krantz, Luther, Martin, Maus, Mueller, Neuman, Peters, Richter, Rose, Samson, Schroeder, Stein, Vann, Voss, Wagner, Waltz, Weiss, Winter

The Premise

The Basic Moves Avoid Harm (Agility)

Assess the Situation (Awareness)

When you move out of the way of incoming danger, roll +Agility. On a 10+, you escape the threat without harm. On a 7-9, you can escape, but the GM will present you with a Disadvantage or unpleasant choice.

When you seek to get a better handle on the situation, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, ask two questions from the list below. On a 7-9, ask one: • What's the safest route out of here? • How long do we have until the Titans close on us? • What can I turn to our advantage in this situation? • What nearby Titan do I truly need to be wary of?

Get Into Position (Agility) When you use Maneuver Gear to try and get into position to attack a Titan, roll +Agility. On a 10+, gain an Advantage that can be used to attack that Titan. On a 7-9, you still gain an Advantage, but pick one: • The Titan notices you moving in to attack, and makes you its top priority. • You overexert yourself moving into position. Take -1 ongoing to Agility until you can rest in a safe place for a few minutes. • You're running low on gas - you'll need to resupply soon. Take "Low on Gas" as a Disadvantage.

Strike to Kill (Execution) When you move in for a devastating strike against a Titan, roll +Execution. You must burn an Advantage to use this move. On a 10+, you damage the Titan. If it was already damaged and you had a clear shot at the neck, it is destroyed. On a 7-9, you damage and possibly destroy the Titan as per 10+, but pick one: • You expose yourself to a dangerous and vulnerable situation. • You have a brush with death, and it shakes your resolve. Take -1 ongoing to Execution until you can collect yourself in a safe place for a few minutes. • You're running out of blades - you'll need to resupply soon. Take "Low on Blades" as a Disadvantage.

Hand to Hand (Execution) When you aim to kill or disable a fellow human, roll +Execution. On a 10+, you overcome your opponent. On a 7-9, you gain the upper hand, but pick one: • Your opponent is injured, but manages to get away. • Your victory is hard-earned. Take -1 ongoing to Execution.

Advantages

Keep Your Cool (Discipline) When you witness a truly horrible incident in battle, roll +Discipline. On a 10+, you keep your cool and can continue to fight. On a 7-9, you lose sight of the hope for survival. Take "Panicked" as a Disadvantage.

Desperate Rescue (Discipline) When you pull an ally from the jaws of death, roll +Discipline. On a 10+, you save your ally and escape unharmed. On a 7-9, you save your ally’s life at the cost of your own. On a 6-, you share your ally’s grim fate.

Escape Death (Rage) When you fall into the clutches of a Titan, roll +Rage. On a 10+, you force your way through and escape from harm. On a 7-9, you escape with your life, but pick one: • Take some sort of injury as a Disadvantage. • Your will to fight is worn down. Take -1 Ongoing to Rage until you can collect yourself in a safe place for a few minutes. On a 6-, you meet your untimely end at the hands of the Titans.

Luck Any time you make a roll, after seeing the result, you can spend 1 Luck to change the roll result to a 12. Any time an ally makes a roll, after seeing the result, you can spend 1 Luck to increase the roll result up to a 7.

Disadvantages

Some Moves allow you to create Advantages. These advantages persist for as long as they remain present in the fiction, or until they are exploited.

Some Moves or situations will result in Disadvantages for the character. These disadvantages persist for as long as they remain present in the fiction, or until they are exploited by the GM.

When you gain an Advantage, write down what it actually means, fictionally. Depending on the nature of the Advantage, your allies may also be able to exploit it.

There are two ways the GM can exploit a Disadvantage. One is to qualify a success. When a GM exploits a Disadvantage, your roll of 10+ is instead treated as a 7-9. This can’t be done if Luck was used on the roll.

There are two uses of an exploited Advantage. The first is to favorably change the outcome of a roll: If you exploit an Advantage in the fiction and fail the roll, instead treat the result as a 7-9. If you rolled a 7-9, instead treat it as a 10. If you rolled a 10-11, instead treat it as a 12.

The other way is to bring it up in the fiction as a new complication for the scene. The results of this can be wide-ranging and potentially devastating - especially if you’re trying to flee to safety while you have the “Low on Gas” Disadvantage...

The other way is to burn them. Some Moves, such as Strike to Kill, require an Advantage in order to be used. When you use them, the Advantage is used up, and you don’t get to use it to improve your roll.

Roll +Stat:Roll 2d6 and add your stat to the result. A 10 or higher is a total success, a 7-9 is a qualified success. Hope to avoid rolling 6 or below. Forward: The next time you roll the thing you have Forward on, add or subtract the indicated amount to the roll. So, “+1 Forward on Rage” means that the next time you roll+Rage, you add one to the result. Ongoing: Until the condition described ends, add or subtract the indicated amount to every roll of the thing you have Ongoing on. So, “-1 Ongoing on Agility until you stop and rest” means that every Agility roll will be made at a -1 penalty until you stop and rest.

Terminology

The Rules

Titan World

Name

Starting Moves

Character Creation Agility

Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats, write down a first name, and go. You don’t get a last name until you die or survive the mission. You start at Level 0. Your Luck begins at 0.

You’ll pick a Playbook and last name once you reach Level 1. Until then, you only have Basic Moves.

Gear Execution

Awareness

Discipline

Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear. This complex piece of equipment uses gas-powered grappling hooks to allow you to move freely through the air, as long as there are surfaces for you to attach to. You have been trained in its use. • Two Titan-slaying swords. Because Titans have extraordinarily tough skin, so only these amazingly sharp special blades - or similarly high-powered ordinance - can harm them. Unfortunately, the downside of these blades is that they’re only good for a few hits before they are blunted. Accordingly, the swords’ blades are detachable, and you’ll be carrying around several replacement blades with you. A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four. Choose one additional piece of equipment to begin the game with: ⃞ Spare blades. If someone is running low on blades, then you can give them some to keep them in the fight. ⃞ Spare gas. If someone is running low on gas, then you can refill them if you have a couple of minutes of downtime. ⃞ Rifle. Deadly for humans, won’t kill a Titan but you can shoot out the eyes on a smaller one. ⃞ Torch. Titans are inactive during the night, so sources of light are important for journeys beyond the walls. ⃞ Flare gun. Can fire smoke flares of various colors, both to send simple messages over long distances or to dazzle and confuse Titans. Comes with a complement of flares.

The Rookie

Rage

Titan World

Name

Starting Moves

Character Creation Agility

Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats, write down a first name, and go. You don’t get a last name until you die or survive the mission. You start at Level 0. Your Luck begins at 0.

You’ll pick a Playbook and last name once you reach Level 1. Until then, you only have Basic Moves.

Gear Execution

Awareness

Discipline

Rage

Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear. This complex piece of equipment uses gas-powered grappling hooks to allow you to move freely through the air, as long as there are surfaces for you to attach to. You have been trained in its use. • Two Titan-slaying swords. Because Titans have extraordinarily tough skin, so only these amazingly sharp special blades - or similarly high-powered ordinance - can harm them. Unfortunately, the downside of these blades is that they’re only good for a few hits before they are blunted. Accordingly, the swords’ blades are detachable, and you’ll be carrying around several replacement blades with you. A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four. Choose one additional piece of equipment to begin the game with: ⃞ Spare blades. If someone is running low on blades, then you can give them some to keep them in the fight. ⃞ Spare gas. If someone is running low on gas, then you can refill them if you have a couple of minutes of downtime. ⃞ Rifle. Deadly for humans, won’t kill a Titan but you can shoot out the eyes on a smaller one. ⃞ Torch. Titans are inactive during the night, so sources of light are important for journeys beyond the walls. ⃞ Flare gun. Can fire smoke flares of various colors, both to send simple messages over long distances or to dazzle and confuse Titans. Comes with a complement of flares.

The Rookie

Titan World

Name

Starting Moves

Character Creation Agility

Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats, write down a first name, and go. You don’t get a last name until you die or survive the mission. You start at Level 0. Your Luck begins at 0.

You’ll pick a Playbook and last name once you reach Level 1. Until then, you only have Basic Moves.

Gear Execution

Awareness

Discipline

Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear. This complex piece of equipment uses gas-powered grappling hooks to allow you to move freely through the air, as long as there are surfaces for you to attach to. You have been trained in its use. • Two Titan-slaying swords. Because Titans have extraordinarily tough skin, so only these amazingly sharp special blades - or similarly high-powered ordinance - can harm them. Unfortunately, the downside of these blades is that they’re only good for a few hits before they are blunted. Accordingly, the swords’ blades are detachable, and you’ll be carrying around several replacement blades with you. A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four. Choose one additional piece of equipment to begin the game with: ⃞ Spare blades. If someone is running low on blades, then you can give them some to keep them in the fight. ⃞ Spare gas. If someone is running low on gas, then you can refill them if you have a couple of minutes of downtime. ⃞ Rifle. Deadly for humans, won’t kill a Titan but you can shoot out the eyes on a smaller one. ⃞ Torch. Titans are inactive during the night, so sources of light are important for journeys beyond the walls. ⃞ Flare gun. Can fire smoke flares of various colors, both to send simple messages over long distances or to dazzle and confuse Titans. Comes with a complement of flares.

The Rookie

Rage

Titan World

Name

Starting Moves

Character Creation Agility

Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats, write down a first name, and go. You don’t get a last name until you die or survive the mission. You start at Level 0. Your Luck begins at 0.

You’ll pick a Playbook and last name once you reach Level 1. Until then, you only have Basic Moves.

Gear Execution

Awareness

Discipline

Rage

Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear. This complex piece of equipment uses gas-powered grappling hooks to allow you to move freely through the air, as long as there are surfaces for you to attach to. You have been trained in its use. • Two Titan-slaying swords. Because Titans have extraordinarily tough skin, so only these amazingly sharp special blades - or similarly high-powered ordinance - can harm them. Unfortunately, the downside of these blades is that they’re only good for a few hits before they are blunted. Accordingly, the swords’ blades are detachable, and you’ll be carrying around several replacement blades with you. A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four. Choose one additional piece of equipment to begin the game with: ⃞ Spare blades. If someone is running low on blades, then you can give them some to keep them in the fight. ⃞ Spare gas. If someone is running low on gas, then you can refill them if you have a couple of minutes of downtime. ⃞ Rifle. Deadly for humans, won’t kill a Titan but you can shoot out the eyes on a smaller one. ⃞ Torch. Titans are inactive during the night, so sources of light are important for journeys beyond the walls. ⃞ Flare gun. Can fire smoke flares of various colors, both to send simple messages over long distances or to dazzle and confuse Titans. Comes with a complement of flares.

The Rookie

Titan World

Name One of the hardest parts of this business is learning your way around Maneuvering Gear. Most trainees need weeks to get from keeping their balance to flying. Not you, though. You're a natural. The moment you put the harness on, you knew that you were made for this. You take to the air like a fish in water. Others maneuver, you dance. Even if every Titan died, even if a new weapon was created that made it obsolete, you wouldn't go back. You may never be truly at home on solid ground - the sky is calling.

Determine your Look by picking one from each: Light body, athletic body, muscular body or gaunt body Joyful face, young face, naive face or arrogant face

Leveling Up

Character Creation Come up with a full name, backstory and personality. Start at Level 1. Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats. Your Luck begins at 2.

Starting Moves When you gain this playbook, you gain both of these moves:

Acrobatic Stunt When you perform a reckless and difficult stunt during battle, roll +Agility. Regardless of the result, you gain an Advantage. On a 10+, choose two. On a 7-9, choose one, but you also draw the attention of your enemies, who will make attacking you their next priority. • You wind up in a place safely out of reach of any enemies • One Titan is disoriented and stops attacking for a moment • The rush of exhilaration gives you +1 Forward to any roll exploiting or burning the Advantage gained from this move.

Scout Ahead

Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level increases by one, your Luck is set to 2, and you pick one of the following options. Each can only be picked once: • +1 to Agility. • +1 to Execution. • +1 to Awareness. • +1 to Discipline. • +1 to Rage. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6: • +1 to any stat (max +3). • Luck is set to 3 each level instead of 2. • Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.

When you use your Maneuver Gear to scout deep into enemy territory, roll+Agility. On a 10+, you gain information on the number of titans ahead, along with their positions. On a 7-9, you're spotted, and must head back with incomplete information or draw their aggression.

Advanced Moves

Agility

Execution

Awareness

⃞ Break Through

⃞ Opportunist

When you use your Maneuver Gear to slip through a large number of Titans, roll +Agility. On a 10+, you come through unharmed on the other side. On a 7-9, pick one: • You misjudge your landing, and hit the ground just short of safety • You overexert yourself moving into position. Take -1 ongoing to Agility until you can get some rest in a safe place. • You're running low on gas - you'll need to resupply soon. Take "Low on Gas" as a Disadvantage.

When you roll a 12+ on Avoid Harm while fighting a Titan, you can evade into a position to counterattack, gaining an Advantage you can use against the Titan.

Rage

As long as there are climbable surfaces leading to high enough ground nearby, you can Get Into Position or Strike to Kill even if you don’t have working Maneuver Gear.

⃞ Lightning Dispatch When you Strike to Kill, you can roll +Agility instead of +Execution.

Gear Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear, full on fuel. • Two Titan-slaying swords, with spare blades.

Discipline

⃞ Parkour

Additional Gear Options: ⃞ Rifle.

⃞ Spare blades. ⃞ Torch.

⃞ Spare gas. ⃞ Flare gun.

A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four.

Level Luck

The Natural

Titan World

Name The war against the Titans is a business, and humanity's primary export is murder. You understand this better than anyone. You're not here for the chance to uncover the secrets of the world, or for the chance for fame, or anything else. You're here to kill Titans, and you're going to kill as many as you can. Even your fellow soldiers may be intimidated by you, but that doesn't matter. Your enemy is in front of you, and you're here to make sure it doesn't stay there for long.

Determine your Look by picking one from each: Scarred body, compact body, overbearing body or intimidating body Hard face, severe face, grim face or war-weary face

Leveling Up

Character Creation Come up with a full name, backstory and personality. Start at Level 1. Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats. Your Luck begins at 2.

Starting Moves When you gain this playbook, you gain both of these moves:

Into The Fray When you charge ahead of the team to begin a fight with an overwhelming offensive, roll +Execution. On a 10+, you damage a titan without need of an Advantage. If you burn an Advantage, you can kill it outright. On a 7-9, your attack still succeeds, but choose one: • There are more Titans than you thought, and you end up surrounded • You have to push your body to finish the attack. Take -1 ongoing to Agility. • You're running out of blades - you'll need to resupply soon. Take "Low on Blades" as a Disadvantage.

Combat Momentum

Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level increases by one, your Luck is set to 2, and you pick one of the following options. Each can only be picked once: • +1 to Agility. • +1 to Execution. • +1 to Awareness. • +1 to Discipline. • +1 to Rage. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6: • +1 to any stat (max +3). • Luck is set to 3 each level instead of 2. • Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.

When you deal the killing blow to a Titan, you gain an Advantage that you can use against another nearby Titan.

Advanced Moves ⃞ Critical Strike

⃞ Intimidate

When you roll a 12+ on Strike to Kill, you instantly kill the Titan.

When you threaten someone to get them to cooperate with your immediate goals, roll +Execution. On a 10+, they submit to the pressure of your dangerous presence and comply. On a 7-9, the GM picks one: • They don’t help, but they don’t actively oppose you, either. • They help for now, but will want payback for their humiliation later. • They snap and attack recklessly. You can overpower them, but there may be consequences.

⃞ Easiest Way Out

Agility

When you save a doomed ally by attacking the Titan holding them, roll +Execution. On a 10+, they are rescued, and the Titan is slain. On a 7-9, pick one: • The Titan is slain, but not fast enough. The endangered ally takes some sort of injury as a Disadvantage. • The ally is rescued, but the Titan is only injured.

Execution

⃞ This Is How It's Done When you give an ally a painful lesson in combat technique, they gain an Advantage that they can use by remembering a technique you used against them.

Awareness

Gear Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear, full on fuel. • Two Titan-slaying swords, with spare blades.

Discipline

Rage

Additional Gear Options: ⃞ Rifle.

⃞ Spare blades. ⃞ Torch.

⃞ Spare gas. ⃞ Flare gun.

A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four.

Level Luck

The Warrior

Titan World

Name Not everybody shines brightest on the front lines. There's much more to this war than how fast you can move or how many Titans you've killed. You know better than anyone that this war is going to be won or lost by the flow of information. You've been tasked with coming up with The Plan. No matter how large or small the scale of a conflict, there always has to be a plan, or you're all just running to your deaths. Your burden is heavy and your responsibilities are great, but few soldiers have more trust and support from their allies than a damn good tactician.

Determine your Look by picking one from each: Small body, fragile body, awkward body or lean body Calculating face, nervous face, serious face, or disinterested face

Leveling Up

Character Creation

Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level increases by one, your Luck is set to 2, and you pick one of the following options. Each can only be picked once: • +1 to Agility. • +1 to Execution. • +1 to Awareness. • +1 to Discipline. • +1 to Rage. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.

Come up with a full name, backstory and personality. Start at Level 1. Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats. Your Luck begins at 2.

Starting Moves When you gain this playbook, you gain both of these moves:

Here's The Plan When you take a moment to form a plan towards one specific goal, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, you successfully work out the safest route towards success, but the GM will tell you: • What complication you'll have to overcome on the way. • What resources are required to carry out the plan.

The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6: • +1 to any stat (max +3). • Luck is set to 3 each level instead of 2. • Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.

On a 7-9, you work out a route towards success, but it's going to be very dangerous. If you can overcome it, though, your plan will still work.

Spot An Opening When you watch for the right moment to strike, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, one nearby ally gains an Advantage they can use against the enemy. On a 7-9, they gain an Advantage, but it’s only temporary - they’ll have to recklessly strike right away to exploit it or it will disappear.

Advanced Moves

Agility

⃞ Appeal to Command

⃞ Bring in the Cavalry

When you explain your plan to a commander, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, you can ask for whatever resources you require for the operation, and you’ll get them. On a 7-9, Command will either want some proof of the validity of your plan or add an additional objective before they’ll approve your resources.

When you coordinate with another team before an operation, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, gain 2 Hold. On a 7-9, gain 1 Hold.

⃞ Battlefield Intuition

⃞ Wait For My Signal

When you Assess the Situation, you can ask one additional question on a 7+.

When you direct your team in setting an ambush, roll +Awareness. On a 10+, every team member gains an Advantage that can be used against any enemy at the moment the trap is sprung. On a 7-9, choose one: • Only one ally gets the Advantage. • You all get the Advantage, but another attack comes from an unexpected direction.

Execution

Awareness

Gear Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear, full on fuel. • Two Titan-slaying swords, with spare blades.

Discipline

Rage

You may spend 1 Hold to have the other team arrive for support at a critical moment during the operation.

Additional Gear Options: ⃞ Rifle.

⃞ Spare blades. ⃞ Torch.

⃞ Spare gas. ⃞ Flare gun.

A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four.

Level Luck

The Tactician

Titan World

Name

The war against the Titans is brutal and unforgiving. Surrounded by death and chaos, Determine your Look by picking one from each: it's easy for a soldier to forget what it is they're fighting to protect. Tall body, beautiful body, handsome body or weathered body That's why every team needs someone like you - to remind them. Kind face, inspiring face, open face or confident face When all hope is lost, you become a beacon of hope. When panic sets in, you become a pillar of support. You're the heart of the team, a ray of light reminding your allies that there's always something to fight for, and a dedicated ally to all, dead set on getting everybody home alive, no matter what it takes.

Leveling Up

Character Creation

Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level increases by one, your Luck is set to 2, and you pick one of the following options. Each can only be picked once: • +1 to Agility. • +1 to Execution. • +1 to Awareness. • +1 to Discipline. • +1 to Rage. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.

Come up with a full name, backstory and personality. Start at Level 1. Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats. Your Luck begins at 2.

Starting Moves When you gain this playbook, you gain both of these moves:

Heroic Rescue When you perform a Desperate Rescue, the usual results are replaced with the following: • On a 10+, you rescue the ally and escape unharmed. • On a 7-9, you don’t escape unharmed, but you at least survive. Take some sort of injury as a Disadvantage. • On a 6-, you give your own life to save theirs.

The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6: • +1 to any stat (max +3). • Luck is set to 3 each level instead of 2. • Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.

We Stand As One When you deliver an inspiring speech to a group before an operation, each person who listens to you gains +1 Forward to their first roll during the operation.

Advanced Moves

Agility

Execution

Awareness

⃞ Combat Medic

⃞ Match My Timing

When you apply medical care to an injured ally during a moment of downtime, roll +Discipline. On a 10+, remove one Disadvantage relating to physical injury from the ally. On a 7-9, the fix is only a temporary one - the Disadvantage is gone, but may resurface later.

When you attack alongside an ally with perfect timing, roll +Discipline. On a 10+, you both gain an Advantage you can use against the Titan, and the ally gets +1 Forward to their next attack against it. On a 7-9, only your ally gains an Advantage, but they still get +1 Forward.

⃞ Command's Favorite

⃞ Pull Yourself Together

When you complete a mission, you gain the Advantage “Reputation.” You can burn this Advantage to ask Command for a favor or additional information or resources, and they will provide it.

When you talk down a panicked ally, roll +Discipline. On a 10+, your ally is no longer panicked. On a 7-9, your ally is no longer panicked, but your mental endurance is wavering. Take -1 ongoing to Discipline until you can stop and clear your head in safety.

Gear Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear, full on fuel. • Two Titan-slaying swords, with spare blades.

Discipline

Rage

Additional Gear Options: ⃞ Rifle.

⃞ Spare blades. ⃞ Torch.

⃞ Spare gas. ⃞ Flare gun.

A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four.

Level Luck

The Leader

Titan World

Name

You never quite felt like you were the same as the people around you, Determine your Look by picking one from each: and now you finally know why. After all, they're only human. Huge body, strong body, unassuming body or angular body Nobody knows what shifters truly are. Suspicious face, hate-filled face, unreadable face, bleak face Skinless titan, hideous titan, sleek titan or steam-covered titan Their origins are shrouded in mystery, and they're too rare to be easily studied. All that is certain is their abilities: You can change between human and Titan at will. Titan shifters are the most powerful and dangerous weapons of humanity, the only force we have that can truly fight the Titans on their own terms. With fists that can topple buildings and a body that can stop cannon fire, you are a manifestation of humanity's hatred of their eternal foe. Your only impulse is to kill. Just hope, for all our sakes, that you can hold on to enough of your humanity to only kill your enemies.

Leveling Up

Character Creation Come up with a full name, backstory and personality. Start at Level 1. Assign +2, +1, +1, +0, -1 to your five stats. Your Luck begins at 2.

Starting Moves When you gain this playbook, you gain all three of these moves:

Titan Transformation When you focus on your goal and draw your own blood, roll +Rage. On a 10+, you become a Titan, and gain 3 Hold. While you are transformed, you are many times larger and stronger than normal. Most events that would kill you will instead revert you back to your human form. This transformation lasts until you dismiss it, but using it for extended periods or multiple times in a row is exhausting. On a 7-9+, you become a Titan and gain 2 Hold, but choose one: • You go berserk, temporarily losing your human intelligence and lashing out at everything around you. Your allies will have to help you recover your mind. • Your body only partially forms, leaving you with less than the usual number of limbs to work with. • Your over-the-top transformation draws the attention of every Titan in the area.

The following additional options are available once you reach Level 6: • +1 to any stat (max +3). • Luck is set to 3 each level instead of 2. • Gain one Starting Move from another Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from any Playbook you have a Starting Move in.

Advanced Moves ⃞ Abberant Form Pick one of the following. Whatever your choice, you gain it as an Advantage whenever you transform. You cannot change your choice later. ⃞ Your Titan body is covered in thick armor. ⃞ Your Titan body is abnormally huge. ⃞ Your Titan body regenerates at an incredible speed. ⃞ Your Titan body can move with a speed and grace rivaling a human.

Titanic Power

Agility

Every time you survive a mission (what constitutes a “mission” is up to your GM), your level increases by one, your Luck is set to 2, and you pick one of the following options. Each can only be picked once: • +1 to Agility. • +1 to Execution. • +1 to Awareness. • +1 to Discipline. • +1 to Rage. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook. • Gain one Advanced Move from your Playbook.

While you are a Titan, you may spend 1 Hold to: • Ignore any damage an attack from a Titan would do to you. • Perform an incredible feat of physical strength. • Strike to Kill without requiring an Advantage, automatically killing the Titan on a successful hit.

⃞ Burning Cloud

Regeneration When you take a couple minutes to rest as a human, in safety or otherwise, remove all Disadvantages related to mental or physical trauma.

Execution

When you revert back from a Titan into a human, you may emit a huge cloud of scalding steam. This won’t harm you, but any other humans and smaller Titans will be repelled, and the steam provides enough visual cover for you to escape.

⃞ Deafening Roar When you let out a titanic roar at an incoming Titan, roll +Rage. On a 10+, the Titan turns and runs, and you gain an Advantage against it. On a 7-9, the Titan attacks you above all other threats, and you gain an Advantage against it.

⃞ Titan's Strength

Awareness

When Avoid Harm while you’re transformed, you can roll +Rage instead of +Agility.

Gear Every character starts with the following equipment: • Maneuvering Gear, full on fuel. • Two Titan-slaying swords, with spare blades.

Discipline

Rage

Additional Gear Options: ⃞ Rifle.

⃞ Spare blades. ⃞ Torch.

⃞ Spare gas. ⃞ Flare gun.

A person can carry one additional piece of equipment and still freely use Maneuvering Gear. If you carry more than one, you’ll start every operation with the Disadvantage “Encumbered”. A person can carry up to three pieces of equipment. A horse with saddlebags can carry up to four.

Level Luck

The Shifter

GM Agenda • Show the best and the worst of the world. • Raise the stakes constantly. • Play to find out what happens.

Gm Principles • Begin and end with the fiction. • Follow every glimpse of despair with a glimpse of hope. • Follow every glimpse of hope with a glimpse of despair. • Let nothing worthwhile be easy. • Reward desperate plans with a chance at great success. • Show that nothing is guaranteed. • Make every Titan memorable.

Player Agenda Read this to the players at the beginning of the game: • Risk everything for victory. • Value your allies above yourself. • Uncover the secrets of the world.

GM Moves Reveal a new complication

Separate them from their Allies

The party’s actions are causing enough commotion to draw more Titans to the scene of the action. One of the Titans you’re fighting turns out to be an Aberrant - wild and unpredictable instead of focused and single-minded. A nearby group of allies signal that they need your help. You’ve run out of gas before you could escape the swarm of Titans. And so on.

The battlefield is a confusing place, especially with the speed granted by Maneuvering Gear. If someone has to make a desperate move, it might leave them too far from their allies for direct support, possibly with Titans between them. The result can be a deadly new crisis.

Inflict a disadvantage

The most severe GM Move available, but not one to be shied away from, either. Titans are dangerous, and a failure at a critical moment can leave anyone an inch away from death. Put them in a situation where immediate action is necessary to keep their life - either the Escape Death move or something similar.

If a failure - or partial success - creates an unfortunate situation for a specific character, it can often easily be represented by a Disadvantage. Ask them to write it down, then take advantage of it later to make their life difficult.

Exploit a Disadvantage Once a Disadvantage is in place, you can expend it at any time, as long as you keep the effect true to the fiction. This can either turn a 10+ result (that didn’t use a point of Luck) into a 7-9 result, or it can be used to reveal a new complication.

Damage their Equipment

Throw Them into the Jaws of Death

In practice, unless you’re running a Rookie team, this will rarely result in a character dying. Established characters have a lot of tools to avoid fatalities, and even if all of them fall through, the victim has a couple points of Luck as their buffer. If the party does consist of Rookies, then don’t hesitate to kill them off in droves.

A soldier’s equipment is their lifeblood. Take away their blades or their maneuvering gear and life gets a lot more dangerous. Unless the party has access to replacement equipment, be sparing with this one. It can functionally cripple a character, or leave them for dead.

Advanced Titans

Titans Humanity’s greatest enemy. Titans are massive, humanoid creatures, usually ranging from 3 to 15 meters in height. They have little intelligence, and only one interest: humans. A Titan will ignore any other obstacles to rush towards humans, kill them, and eat them. They don’t get any sustenance from this. The act itself of killing and devouring humans seems to be their only motivation. Killing a Titan is hard. You can’t just leap straight for the kill (usually). Titans are huge, tough, and fast, and only have one weak point on the back of the neck. Striking them anywhere else may do damage, but they’ll regenerate before too long. Under normal circumstances, the only way to kill a Titan is to first injure it, then attack their weak point while it’s injured. This requires two separate successful uses of Strike to Kill, each of which requires an Advantage to execute. Getting killed by a Titan, however, is all too easy. Make one mistake and your life will be on the line.

Not all Titans were created equal. Some Titans are extra large, towering upwards of 15 meters tall. Some have thick armor or increased regeneration speed. Some are Aberrants, moving in bizarre and unpredictable ways. Some even have human-like intelligence. If a Titan has traits or abilities that make it more dangerous than your average Titan, these are represented by Disadvantages. Record each special trait as a party-wide Disadvantage that can be exploited once against anyone trying to attack the Titan. For extra powerful Titans, such as a Titan intended to be a deadly challenge for the entire party by itself, stack the Disadvantage more than once, allowing it to be exploited multiple times.

Some types of Advanced Titans: • Aberrant: Most Titans simple walk towards humans and attack them. Some exhibit stranger, harder-to-predict behavior, such as running, leaping, or crawling quickly on all fours. These Titans are a major destabilizing force on the battlefield, as it’s impossible to predict what they’ll do next. • Armored: Occasionally, a Titan will surface with extra-thick skin, capable of ignoring cannon fire and shattering swords. Attacking at vulnerable points such as joints can help to bring it down. • Regenerative: All Titans regenerate damage done to anywhere other than their vulnerable point, but some can do it so quickly that any injury only reveals a moment of vulnerability before it recovers completely. • Colossal: 3 to 15 meters is the typical range of Titan sizes. Rare larger Titans, upwards of 20-30 meters or even taller, are very difficult to take down, since even with Maneuvering Gear it won’t be easy to reach high enough to attack the neck. • Intelligent: The most dangerous of all Titans are those with human-like intelligence. Some extremely rare Titans can think, plan, react intelligently, fight with real technique, and even talk. Fighting one without a clear plan is suicide. An intelligent Titan more than likely has a human inside that’s controlling it.

The Game Master

Using Advantages and Disadvantages as the GM Advantages and Disadvantages can both be tricky to pin down, since they represent a huge range of things - flashes of insight, supply shortages, combat positioning, special traits, and so on. It can help to break them down into a few categories. Advantages and Disadvantages can both be Temporary or Persistent.

Temporary Advantages/Disadvantages A temporary Advantage is something relevant only in a single moment, reflecting the immediate shape of the situation. The most common of these is the positioning required to take a shot at dispatching a Titan, but a Disadvantage from messing up your positioning and ending up surrounded would be the same. These temporary effects don’t need to be recorded - they’re a natural extension of the fiction, and disappear as soon as the situation changes, so they’re usually only around for a single round of “what do you do?”. You don’t even need to call these out as Advantages or Disadvantages just say something like “It looks like you’ve got a clear shot at the Titan’s neck” and the player should get the idea well enough.

Persistant Advantages/Disadvantages Persistent effects are a bit more involved. They represent long-term problems or advantages, such as being low on gas or having a well thoughtout plan to deal with a Titan. These continue until the fictional event that brought them into play is eliminated - in the above examples, taking a moment to refuel or executing the plan. These should be more explicitly called out as Advantages or Disadvantages, as they are resources to be held on to and marked off as they are used. Index cards a la FATE Core could be a good way to keep track of them. Remember that even a Persistent effect can only be exploited once. Advantages can vary greatly in their applicability - not ever Advantage can be applied to every situation. Again, the most obvious example is getting into position to attack a Titan - that Advantage can only be used for a short time, only by the character who created it, and only against the Titan they moved to attack. As contrast, an Aberrant Shifter’s armored hide is also an Advantage, but it can be applied to any situation where they’re under attack, regardless of the source. Remember, exploiting Advantages comes from the fiction, like everything else. Disadvantages can be considered to come in two flavors - Character Disadvantages and Situation Disadvantages. Character Disadvantages are any Disadvantage tied to a specific character - unfortunate positioning, running out of supplies, and so forth. Situation Disadvantages are Disadvantages for the party as a whole - for example, an enemy Titan possessing a powerful special ability. Both types can only be exploited once.

"Low on Gas" and "Low On Blades" There are a pair of Disadvantages that come up a few times and are a bit special: Low on Blades and Low on Gas. What makes these Disadvantages distinct is that they have very specific consequences upon being exploited - you run out of blades or gas. These are fictional consequences, but devastating ones - someone with no blades will be all but unable to harm Titans, and escaping from Titans on foot without the use of Maneuvering Gear is a life-threatening crisis.

Inspirations The setting and core concept is lifted wholesale from the ongoing manga Attack on Titan, by Hajime Isayama. The core engine is, of course, taken from Apocalypse World and its spinoffs. The Advancement system is very similar to Apocalypse World, with a bit of modification. The Luck mechanic is approximately lifted from *World hack Monster of the Week. The Advantage/Disadvantage system draws heavily from FATE Core, but with a lot of changes to integrate it into the system. The third GM Agenda and first GM Principle were taken from Apocalypse World, as they seemed essential.

The Game Master 2