RPGaDAY2025 – Day 17 – Renew – Enter the Carousel
What’s #RPGaDAY2025 ? See the details here.
Day 17 – Renew
I’m going to make the movie Logan’s Run into a RPG setting. What does this have to do with the prompt Renew? I’ll get there eventually…
What’s Logan’s Run?
In 1976, MGM released Logan’s Run, a science fiction film based on the novel of the same name by William F. Nolan.
The movie’s a little more interesting than the book, so I’m going to use that as the basis for the game.
In the 22nd century, human civilization is in ruins. The old world was destroyed in some vast unspecified calamity. A remnant of the old civilization lives in a self-contained, sealed arcology called the City of Domes.
The city is entirely AI-run, with no human input. The citizens seem to live an idyllic life with all of their needs and wants provided. However, as a means to conserve resources, there is an extreme form of population control. Whenever any citizen reaches the age of thirty, they join a ritual called Carousel, in which the new thirty-year-olds float around a public arena and are eventually disintegrated. The Carousel is supposed to “Renew” them so that they are born again.
Enter the Carousel. This is the Time of Renewal
Be strong and you will be renewed…
Logan’s Run (1976)
If a citizen fails to report to Carousel and tries to escape, the city’s police force – the Sandmen will hunt down and kill them. These citizens are called Runners.
There’s an underground group within the city that believes that Carousel is wrong, and they help runners escape to a mythical place called Sanctuary.
The plot of the movie is simple – Logan, a rogue Sandman, escapes the city along with a runner named Jessica, discovers Sanctuary is a lie, and returns to destroy the City of Domes.
How would I use this setting in a RPG? here’s a few possibilities:
Campaign Modes
Sandmen
The player will be Sandmen, keeping the peace in the domes, and hunting down runners. I’d like to think there’d be some moral ambiguity in a Sandman campaign, much like the Blade Runner RPG.
Runners
Players would be Runners, or members of the underground, or even rogue Sandmen trying to escape the city. They’d face danger from the Sandmen, AI-controlled robots, or the feral children living in the dome superstructure.
Escape from the City of Domes
In the short-lived 1977 TV series based on the movie, Logan and Jessica travel across post-apocalypse Earth having adventures, while being pursed by Sandmen. Their goal is to find Sanctuary (which is presumably real in this version). The TV version is a much more natural fit for an RPG.
What system?
I’d probably go with something lighter. I’m thinking the Quantum Engine system from Stellagama games, which is sort of a lighter version of Traveller. Here’s the basic rule set:
Basic Rules
- It’s a 2d6 system; roll 2d6 + skill to carry out actions.
- An 8 or higher is usually a success. GMs may change this for various difficulty levels.
- If you have an Advantage, roll 3d6 and keep the highest two numbers.
- If you have an Disadvantage, roll 3d6 and keep the lowest two numbers.
Quick Character Creation
- All characters have 7 skills: Combat, Technical, Knowledge, Physical, Social, Stealth. You have 5 points to distribute among your skills. Starting Knowledge can’t be higher than a one.
- Roll for your age: 2d6 + 17
- Roll 2D6 for your Endurance, an indication of how tough you are. Damage goes to Endurance first
- Roll 4D6 for your Lifeblood, a measure of how well you resist injury. After Endurance is used up, damaged goes to Lifeblood. When Lifeblood is zero, the character is dead.
- Choose Runner or Sandman
- Choose one trait. Runner automatically gets the bonus trait Gun Wielder.
Traits
Gun Wielder: Available only to Sandmen. All Sandmen are issued a Gun, a specialized weapon only available or useable to Sandmen.
Hider: Knows places in the city to hide from the Sandmen’s cameras.
Awareness: gain Advantage on throws to avoid Surprise.
Empath: gain Advantage on Reaction throws with humans.
Pugilist: you cause 2D damage (rather than 1D) with unarmed attacks
Combat
Surprise: Each party throws Stealth 6+. If one party succeeds and the other fails, the successful side surprises the other and enjoys one free round of action.
Initiative: at the beginning of combat, each character throws 2D and adds their Combat skill for their Initiative score. Characters act in order from the highest to the lowest Initiative.
Attacking: throw Combat 8+ to hit a target in melee or within Effective range; this throw becomes Combat 10+ to hit targets beyond Effective range. Apply half the target’s Combat skill as a -DM to hit in melee and in ranged attacks.
Critical Hits: on a natural attack throw of 12, or if the attacker exceeds the attack target number by 6 or more, the attack causes maximal damage, plus further effects as described in the tables at the end of this section.
Weapons
Other than the Sandmen’s Gun, there are very few weapons in the city, but some can be improvised.
Club: 2D damage
Knife: 2D damage
Unarmed: 1D damage
The Gun
A specialized weapon, issued only to Sandmen. It will not function unless a registered Sandman is holding it. It has the following abilities:
Homer Rounds: Self-guiding projectiles that can automatically target a human’s body heat. +2 against human targets, -2 against anything else. It does 3D damage
If the target is close to another human (if they’re grappling for example), there is a 50% chance the homer will hit the other target.
Rippers: A cloud of fletchettes – treat as shotgun. 4D damage within 10m only.
Tanglers: Releases a cloud of plastic strands to ensnare a target within 3m. Physical 10+ roll to break free.
There are 4 of each type of round in each Gun. Only Sandmen can reload them. They rarely carry extra ammo on them.
#CepheusEngine #LoganSRun #QuantumEngine #RPG #RPGaDAY2025 #SciFi #Settings #ttrpg
