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     Our system blends BRP, Call of Cthulhu, Runequest II, AGE and local variant rules. It's intended to simulate the abilities of human beings, mostly; interactions with vehicles, structures, and other large systems or objects, may call for different rules.

Time and Phasing

Character Generation

     I'll add information for generating non-Project persons later.

Skill List

Skill Improvement

Movement and Encumbrance

Size

Skill Modifier Chips

Hitting the Target

Melee Weapon

     The big change from the RQII categories:  there's a single skill, Melee Weapon, which covers attack and parry. Characters will have a set of weapons they already know how to use, and will use at the full level of their skill. Other weapons will be at half their Melee Weapon skill -- or less, if they're particularly obscure and difficult to use. Characters can go through some role-played practice or training experience, to add another weapon group to the list of those they already know. The base skill level for Melee Weapon is 25%, and by default the "fully learned" weapons for 20th Century Americans are knives and clubs.

     During character generation, the player can propose various other weapon types or groups for their character to have a full skill value. These will often be in groups -- adding "clubs" means you can use batons, nightsticks, golf clubs, maces, hammers, one or two handed, etc. at full skill level. The usual RQII groups will normally be employed.

Bow

     The skill Bow covers bows and crossbows. It has a base level of 20%, which for 20th Century Americans covers crossbows. Like the Melee Weapon skill, other bow-type weapons are at employed at half the listed skill level.

Types of Damage

     There are several types of physical damage. They affect how Parries are handled, how Special and Critical hits are applied, how armor affects damage, and wound effects. The usual ones are:

• Impaling:  examples are lasers, bullets, fragmentation from explosions, most arrows, spears. Only shields take damage when successfully parrying Impaling attacks. For a Special hit, damage is:  full damage + normal roll + damage bonus. Impaling melee weapons may be stuck in the target (or in the parrying shield).
  

• Slashing:  examples are axes, claws, and most swords. For a Special hit, damage is:  normal roll + normal roll + damage bonus.
  

• Crushing:  examples are explosive blasts, maces, clubs, falling onto jagged rocks. For a Special hit, damage is:  normal roll + damage bonus + damage bonus.
  

• Buffeting:  examples are punches, kicks, falls onto water. No damage is done by parried buffeting attacks. For a Special hit, damage is normal damage + damage bonus + damage bonus

Armor and Penetration

Explosions

Wound Effects

Martial Arts

MP Mass Combat System

Effects of Wearing Chemical Protective Gear

Flight Rules

Using HAAM Suits

     There's a specific skill needed to operate the Project's powered armor. The base level presumes you've taken an introductory course from the Morrow Project -- the actual base for everyone else (including most members of the Morrow Project) is zero.

Suppressors

Radiation

A civilian, pre-Atomic War Geiger-Müller counter.

A crude prospector's instrument, it measures "counts per minute".

     One hundred and forty years after the war, radiation is not the omnipresent concern that the Project prepared for.  This xkcd chart provides some visual comparisons for real world events and health concerns.

     In destroyed urban areas, contamination by toxic or mutagenic chemicals is typically a more serious problem than radiation.

     Some typical exposure levels seen in the 2140 era:

     For a rough approximation for game purposes, 1 sievert is equal to 100 rem or rad. A couple of shielding factors which might be of note to members of the Morrow Project:

• MARS One:   x 0.002

• HAAM Suit, Science One:  x 0.1

• most armored and enclosed Project vehicles (V-150, Scout, Ranger):  x 0.2

• sealed suit and gas mask:  x 0.5, and much better if the threat is alpha or beta radiation (probably x 0.001)
  

• open vehicles (such as the XR311, Flying Dutchman):  x 0.8

     Note that the effects of air filters (if any) are not considered here. Also some forms of dangerous radiation are easily shielded against -- alpha particles won't penetrate even a sheet of paper. Keeping them off of your skin, and out of your lungs, is the main protection for these types.

Determining GNP and Military Spending

     The GNP of a region depends on its Technology Level and trade classifications.

     Trade categories: 

• AG:  agricultural
  

• NA:  non-agricultural
  

• IND:  industrial
  

• NI:  non-industrial
  

• R:  rich
  

• P:  poor
  

     Technology levels:

• A:  Atomic Age, 1980+, might even have fusion or laser weaponry. Never a "random" result.
  

• B:  Late Electric Age, circa 1955 AD -- semi-auto rifles, assault rifles, light machine guns
  

• C:  Early Electric Age, circa 1920 AD -- magazine rifles, hand grenades, simple grenade launchers, semi-auto weapons, machine guns, flamethrowers
  

• D:  Late Steam Age, circa 1880 AD -- early cartridge weapons, including revolvers
  

• E:  Early Steam Age, circa 1840 AD -- muzzle-loading rifles
  

• F:  Late Iron Age, circa 1770 AD -- muzzle-loading smoothbore muskets
  

• G:  Early Iron Age, circa 700 AD -- bows or crossbows
  

• H:  Bronze Age, circa 700 BC

• I:  Stone Age, circa 3000 BC

     Technology refers to what an encounter group or community possesses, not what they can create. So a Morrow Project team is by default Tech Level A.

     About 12% of a normal community are of grade-school age or less; another 12% are "high school age", up to 18 years of age.

     Multiply the population by the per person GNP and the modifiers for trade class, to find the total GNP. To determine military spending, multiply the GNP by these values:

     Obviously, a concerted effort can greatly increase the military budget (or reduce it). 30% of a vassal state's military budget is transferred to the feudal overlord; anarchic groups, communes and independent warlords, are thus able to retain all of their military budget.

     No more than 5% to 40% of the military budget is spent on "top of the line" units.

     Spending for "generic" existing big-ticket, long term spending items -- fortresses, naval fleets, tank production, air forces -- is equal to the last ten years' budget total. Maintenance cost (including training ordnance, repair of shipyards, improvements, etc.) is 10% of the total value of the big ticket stuff.

     Keep in mind that the actual forces based on a region may include units funded elsewhere.

     Coin and banknote supply per person (MB, or "monetary base") in the post-apocalyptic world of 22nd Century North America is about $15 across the continent (note that barter represents about half of transactions); silver coinage is about 20% of the coinage, and gold is about 5%. If paper money is in circulation, it will be about 30% of the monetary base. So, at a guess, in the Willamette Valley -- population about 50,000 -- might have $750,000 in circulation, of which $150,000 are silver coins, and gold coins total about $37,500 (though they are more often stashed for savings).

     "Poor" regions will have half as much coin supply per person; "Rich" regions, 60% more than the average for their Tech Level.