A CD hack I wrote for when you feel like playing Mutant Chronicles and want to get started quickly.
Buy the actual Cthulhu Dark, designed by Graham Walmsley, here: https://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Cthulhu-Dark-Print-PDF.html
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DARK SYMMETRY
A Cthulhu Dark hack for playing Mutant Chronicles
Your Investigator
Choose a name and occupation. Describe your Investigator. Choose or roll a lifepath if you like.
Take a green Corruption die. Take a red Damage die
Corruption
Your Corruption starts at 1. Such is the human condition.
When you experience the effects of the Dark Soul, roll your Corruption die.
If you get higher than your Corruption, add 1 to your Corruption and roleplay your reaction.
Damage
Your Damage starts at 1. Everyone's a little damaged.
When you are hurt, roll your Damage die.
If you get higher than your Damage, add 1 to your Damage and roleplay your reaction.
Doing Things
To know how well you do at something, roll:
l One die if the task is within human capabilities.
l One die if it’s within an area of your expertise.
l Your Corruption die, if you will risk your humanity to succeed.
l Your Damage die, if you will risk injury or death to succeed.
If your Corruption die rolls higher than any other die or equal to the highest, make a Corruption roll, as above.
If your Damage die rolls higher than any other die, make a Damage roll, as above.
If you roll both and both get the same result, make a Damage roll and a Corruption roll.
Then your highest die shows how well you do. On a 1, you barely succeed. On a 6, you do brilliantly.
For example: you’re escaping from the window of an abandoned hotel in the Nines. On a 1, you crash on an adjoining roof, attracting the attention of everyone around. On a 4, you land quietly on the roof, but leave traces for pursuers to follow. On a 6, you escape quietly, while your pursers continue searching the hotel.
When you investigate, the highest die shows how much information you get. On a 1, you get the bare minimum: if you need information to proceed with the scenario, you get it, but that’s all you get. On a 4, you get whatever a competent investigator would discover. On a 5, you discover everything humanly possible. And, on a 6, you discover everything humanly possible plus a glimpse beyond human knowledge (and probably make a Corruption roll).
For example: you’re investigating your great-uncle’s manuscripts. On a 1, you find the address “7 Thomas Street” (the next location in the scenario). On a 6, you find that, from February 28 to April 2, many townspeople had dreams of gigantic nameless creatures. Simultaneously, the population of a small Martian colony donned robes for a “glorious apotheosis”. The dreamers included Mr Wilcox of 7 Thomas Street.
Failing
If someone thinks it would more interesting if you failed, they describe how you might fail and roll one die – plus at least one die from the Symmetry Pool (see below) if it is not empty.
(They can’t do this if you’re investigating and you must succeed for the scenario to proceed.)
If their highest die is higher than yours, you fail, in the way they described. If not, you succeed as before, with your highest die showing how well you succeed.
Returning to the example above: you’re escaping from the hotel window. This time, someone thinks it would be more interesting if your pursuers caught you. When you both roll, they get the higher result. You are caught.
Rerolling
If you included your Corruption or Damage die in the roll and you’re not happy with the result, you may reroll (all the dice). If you didn’t include your Corruption die before, you may add it now and reroll.
Afterwards, look at the new result. As before, the highest die shows how well you do.
If your Corruption die rolls higher than any other die or equal to the highest, make a Corruption roll, even if you made one after your previous roll.
Coöperating and competing
To coöperate: everyone who is coöperating rolls their dice.
The highest die, rolled by anyone, determines the outcome.
To compete: everyone who is competing rolls their dice.
Whoever gets highest wins. If it’s a tie, the person with highest Corruption wins. If Corruption is tied, reroll.
The Symmetry Pool
The Dark Symmetry infects life across the solar system. When your Corruption reaches 5, you may now reduce it by adding a die to the Symmetry Pool.
Each time you do this, roll your Corruption Die. If you get less than your current Corruption, decrease your Corruption by 1. You may continue adding to the Symmetry Pool when your Corruption drops below 5.
Turning to the Dark Side
When your Corruption reaches 6, you are incurably turned to the Dark Apostles. This is a special moment: everyone focuses on your character’s last moments as their mind breaks. Go out however you want: fight, scream, run or collapse.
Afterwards, either make a new character or continue playing, but retire the character as soon as you can.
Healing Injuries
You may reduce your Damage by receiving first aid, visiting the hospital, getting plenty of rest, injecting yourself with futuristic space medicine and so forth.
Each time you do this, roll your Damage Die. If you get less than your current Damage, decrease your Damage by 1.
Death
When your Damage reaches 6, you are dead.
Final points
Dark Symmetry is not as much a game about doomed Investigators as its parent Cthulhu Dark, but there is a lot of doom in it. So don’t play to win. Instead, enjoy losing. Enjoy watching your Investigator’s mind slowly break, or the cacophonous moments of a final hail of bullets.
The rules leave certain questions unanswered. Who decides when to roll Corruption? What counts as your "expertise"? Who decides when it’s interesting to know how well you do something? Who decides whether you might fail? Decide the answers to these questions with your group. Make reasonable assumptions.
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