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Impulse Drive PWYW

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Suggested Price $5.00

Impulse Drive is a Powered By The Apocalypse hack about making a living on the fringe of civilized space, inspired by Fiction such as Farscape, Firefly, Mass Effect, Star Wars, and many others. Play bombastic, volatile archetypes in a flexible setting that is crafted by all the players as you play.

The Hound
Tracker, Hunter, Bloodhound. You’re known for your tenacity and determination when it comes down to hunting your target. Whether you do it in the name of Law and Order or for the sweet jingle of guilders, there is little that can keep you between you and your target.

The Infiltrator
You’re a shadow, a ghost, a rumor almost heard. You’re an expert at overcoming security systems of all sorts and getting in where you shouldn’t. Perhaps you do it out of duty, perhaps it’s in search of the next big score, but when you set your mind on getting to something - or someone - you shouldn’t, you are well equipped to do so.

The Intellect
You’re the expert. Scientist, doctor, engineer, archaeologist, anthropologist, whatever your field is, you know just about everything worth knowing, or you know how to find out. You’re a master of technology and intellect, and bring your deductions, reasoning, and knowledge to bear on any situation.

The Mystic
Many tell stories of your Order. Myths and folk tales of wandering seers and knights guiding events with your far sight and meting out justice or keeping peace with your strange, ancient weapons. And there is you. Trained, but perhaps not tested. It is your task to go out into space and find yourself.

The Outsider
Life in the Galaxy comes in all shapes, sizes, societies, and cultures. But most aliens are just people, with reasonably similar drives and motivations. But you’re different. Fundamentally different from the others in a way that makes you entirely Alien to them. Perhaps it’s your unusual physical form, or that you do not possess a physical form at all! Perhaps you are AI, or a sentient spaceship, or a drone for a hivemind species. Perhaps you’re a unique, strange member of a common species. Whatever it is that sets you apart, it makes you unique and Alien to all around you.

The Scoundrel
Yeah, you’re a criminal, and everybody knows it. But there’s light years’ difference between knowing it and proving it. You’re Slick, smart, and more than a little cocky. You have a reputation for getting in where you don’t belong, and acquiring what isn’t yours. You have shady connections in numerous seedy underbellies. The only reason you’re not filthy stinking rich is just bad luck, certainly not bad impulse control.


The Tempest
You’re the wild one, the loose cannon, the mad dog. You’re a cosmic storm waiting to erupt and tear everything apart. You barely keep your dark, destructive emotions in check, and when you unleash them you leave nothing but debris behind. You live with all of your emotions and passions bubbling at the surface, and others are either drawn to your violent magnetism, wary of your explosive rage, or certain you are just plain crazy.

The Warhorse
You’ve seen the violent side of space for most of your life, and it had hardened you and honed you to a razor’s edge. Few have more experience at fighting and controlling the battlefield than you. Where others may be overwhelmed by the horrors of battle and space, you shrug, pick up your weapon, and stride once more unto the breach.

The Space Master
At the centre of the unfolding drama are a group of interesting and volatile characters, played by the other players. Orbiting them is everything else, played by you. Friends and enemies, ‘innocent’ bystanders, exciting locations, and tense situations that challenge the characters’ strengths and weaknesses. You will be hordes of scum and villainy, oppressive enforcers of authority, and alien mysteries or threats.

 

You will exult in the other players’ triumphs, and join them in lamenting their suffering. You will do all of this, but mostly, you will join the other players as you explore the galaxy you create together as you play to find out what happens.

Impulse Drive Preview is the complete Alpha rules and documents, provided for free for playtesting. As changes are made, these documents will be updated with the latest version.

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Reviews (1)
Discussions (19)
Customer avatar
Thomas W November 21, 2018 11:38 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hello! I'm still in the early pages of your book, but I'm noticing several moves (for instance, Into the Abyss) that don't describe what happens on a 6-, does nothing happen on those rolls?
Customer avatar
September 10, 2018 1:36 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Are the cards out of the game now? Update today didn't include the cards file.

Also, recommend you flatten your images in the pdf using the correct sequence of layers. Run preflight to see how your images are stacking up--particularly on the cover page.
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Customer avatar
Adrian T September 10, 2018 3:11 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the questions!

Card files are added back in. I've attempted to flatten the images by dropping the compatibility back, but the file sizes seem much larger. I'll play with these tomorrow after some sleep.
Customer avatar
Stefan K July 13, 2018 5:14 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Any news regarding the kickstarter campaign?
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Customer avatar
Adrian T August 08, 2018 1:21 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you for your interest! I'm looking at an October campaign for the kickstarter.
Customer avatar
February 02, 2018 1:53 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hi, are these rules still in development? How close are you to a release? Will there be a printed book? Have there been any further updates since 3.5?
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Customer avatar
Adrian T February 02, 2018 10:25 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the questions!
The rules are still in development, but changes tend to be minor tweaks in the last 6 months. I do not have a solid release date in mind, but the game is feeling close to "done"
I intend to run a kickstarter to pay for an editor and artists once there is enough interest in the game.

3.5 is the latest update. There have been a few minor updates since 3.5 that fixed for errors. There is a chage log at the back of the main book if you are interested in the most recent changes.
Customer avatar
Peter C November 06, 2017 12:47 am UTC
PURCHASER
Are there any online gaming friendly versions of the character and ship sheets?
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Customer avatar
Adrian T February 02, 2018 10:26 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I am working on editable PDFs but I'm not an expert at the editing tools, and interactive PDFs are quite fiddly to create.
Customer avatar
Brian G August 27, 2017 10:31 pm UTC
PURCHASER
What are the "Clean" files? How are they different?

Also, great interview on +1 Forward!
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Customer avatar
Adrian T August 29, 2017 1:09 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Brian

The clean files don't have the hex pattern background, since some folks found it distracting or an eye strain.
Customer avatar
Isaac S February 27, 2017 6:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am looking to run a one shot during a LONG road trip (10 hrs) for 4-10 teenagers. do you have any suggestions on a setting/ plot that can keep them having fun? Should I do an episode based deal, or a single arc? Also, they are all new players (never played an RPG before).
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Customer avatar
Adrian T March 02, 2017 1:37 am UTC
PUBLISHER
I'd say do a few shorter episodes so you can break it up in between to let everyone's brains relax. As for the setting, a lot of that will depend on the archetypes everyone plays. A heist, milk run, or protection might suit well. Salvage contracts are good for the exploring derelicts and ruins feel.
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Customer avatar
Isaac S August 10, 2017 5:08 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks!
Customer avatar
Bowden P February 19, 2017 11:24 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I must be overlooking this, but where are the rules on how to use the approaches with the various moves?
Thanks!
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Customer avatar
Adrian T February 20, 2017 12:01 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the Question! The five Approaches are describes on page 10 of the book. Each Move uses a specific Approach, unless stated otherwise in the Move.
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Customer avatar
Bowden P February 20, 2017 2:27 am UTC
PURCHASER
Ahh! A re-read now makes it clear that approaches = attributes in most other PbtA games.
Any burning reason why they were renamed away from attributes?
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Customer avatar
Adrian T February 20, 2017 12:12 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
The reason I chose the word Approaches is because it is more about describing how an individual approaches a situation, instead of how strong, or smart, or charming they are. Approaches are more behaviors than competencies.
Customer avatar
February 19, 2017 9:35 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thanks for the update! It was already very good, and I love the way it's going, especially with the new ships!
Minor detail: I believe that the sentence that said that you are allowed several vehicles in a vehicle bay disappeared in the 3.1 version, I'm not sure whether it's intentional or not.
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Customer avatar
Adrian T February 19, 2017 11:50 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the question! You should definitely be able to put all your non-spacefaring vehicles into the vehicle bay. I'll check out the documents.
Customer avatar
Jonathan M January 06, 2017 10:40 pm UTC
PURCHASER
So I'm not going to lie, I downloaded your game by accident, thinking it was another game. Like wow, this is some serious great stuff in your game. It's like you took everyone I love about other RPGs and put only the good bits in yours. I have not gotten to play it yet but I'm excited to give it a shot. Can't wait to see the final product.

Will it be like a Kickstarter situation?
Customer avatar
Andrew E November 17, 2016 4:17 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I decided to check this out as an alternative to the current Dungeon World hacks I'm using to run Sci Fi games, and I have to say I'm really impressed. Definitely looking forward to the final version.

The Playbooks pdf is nice, but I wonder if the layout could be tweaked a bit so you can print it and fold the paper in half to create a little character booklet. Just a few things like moving some character identification and stats to the right half of the page so the most commonly-used info is on the front of what would be a one-sheet booklet. I don't know why, but I really like the booklet approach over a character sheet approach ever since I picked up these reformatted Dungeon World playbooks. Just a suggestion, if you don't want to make an additional version of the playbooks I wouldn't have a problem making my own layout.
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Customer avatar
Adrian T November 18, 2016 4:11 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for your interest Andrew!

I too like the foldable booklet format, and hope to have a version of it sometime in the future. Layout design is pretty time consuming, but it can be pretty fun too!
Customer avatar
Isaac S November 06, 2016 5:10 am UTC
PURCHASER
I just played my first session with my group! it worked great Thank you so much for making this free I love it! The PCs killed my Questgiver NPC and are off to steal a experimental Hyperdimensional drive!

Thanks,

-Isaac
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Customer avatar
Adrian T November 06, 2016 11:00 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
It sounds like an exciting and volatile session Isaac! I'm glad you and your players are having a great time.
Customer avatar
Isaac S October 09, 2016 7:09 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am trying to get into tabletop role playing and am planning on being the space master. I have read the 2.0 rules are there any tips or suggestions you have for me? I am planning on playing with 4 players. I will notify you if I come across a conflict but I don't see any problems. Thank you for making this free I am so excited my first game is in November.
Reply
Customer avatar
Adrian T October 09, 2016 9:20 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi Isaac, welcome to the hobby!

I'm excited that one of the first games you'll run is Impulse Drive. My biggest advice for first time Space Masters is after reading the rules, consume some of your favorite space opera and see how you can describe the things that happen to the characters in terms of the SM'd Calls. Check in with your players during and after the game, and ask them questions. Both about how they felt about the rules or questions they have, and about stuff that happened during your game. There are lots of ways to be the game master, but Impulse Drive's Space master rules are built on collaborating with your players, being honest to your player (even when NPCs aren't being honest with the PCs) and improvising. I hope you and your players have fun.

Thanks for checking out Impulse Drive Isaac!
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Customer avatar
Isaac S October 09, 2016 9:26 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Thank you! I have watched Farscape, Dark Matter, and Stargate Universe. I plan on making their FTL drive malfunction after a battle resulting in somewhat short sliders like "episodes" lasting only 1-2 sessions. how long have you been Role playing?
Reply
Customer avatar
Adrian T October 09, 2016 10:01 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
That sounds like a pretty cool premise. When you pitch your game, make sure you include that idea to your players, and help them come up with foibles that relate to each other and troubles they can take with them to all the different places they go.

I started playing RPGs back in the late 90's, on games in the Palladium range. The part I loved and still love the most is the collaborative aspect, building up these fictional worlds and relationships with my friends. It wasn't long after starting as a player that I got into running games, and then tinkering with the rules.
Customer avatar
September 16, 2016 7:41 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Congratulations, this is very promising! I can't wait to see the final version and I hope you won't stop there!
Keep up the good work!
Reply
Customer avatar
Adrian T September 17, 2016 2:36 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you! I'm currently working on version 2.5, which is going to simplify a lot of stuff, make ships easier to use and more fictional, and provide structure for creating a TV show style experience.
Customer avatar
Graham S August 19, 2016 7:02 am UTC
PURCHASER
An excellent preview of what will be a fun full game. I'll work up something to run at a couple of conventions to give it some proper play.
Reply
Customer avatar
Adrian T August 19, 2016 1:24 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you for your interest! Please feel free to share your experiences if you do run it at a convention, and contact me if you have any questions.
Customer avatar
austin B August 18, 2016 11:39 pm UTC
PURCHASER
This looks great so far! Love the mix of all the gritty sci-fi tropes (even a nod to the Jedi too). Though "stress" seems a little misleading a term. Most people think of stress as something fleeting, but in your system, it's the downward spiral that never goes away. Overall - pretty great!
Reply
Customer avatar
Adrian T August 19, 2016 1:25 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for your feedback! I'll definitely consider another term for stress that reflects it's wearing down of our intrepid characters.
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Product Information
Electrum seller
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Pages
127
File Size:
13.07 MB
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File Last Updated:
June 20, 2019
This title was added to our catalog on August 15, 2016.