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8/10/2019 Deniable Asset

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Any artwork that I have not created myself comes from public

domain sources with the two exceptions of the Random

Encounters logo and the Power of 12 Role Playing System

logo, designed by Effextech.

Visit www.randomencounters.net for information and updates

on Random Encounters’ products.

Deniable Asset© 2013 Eric D. Sack and Brent Spivey

ISBN: 978-0-9843467-2-1

All Rights Reserved

Deniable Asset is a trademark of Eric D. Sack and Brent

Spivey. Random Encounters is a trademark of Eric D. Sack.

All Rights Reserved

This document was created with PagePlus X6

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Product Number

P12-004




Introduction............................6

The Making of an Agent.....8

Modus Operandi............................9

Choose your Agent’s Strengthsand Weaknesses...........................9

Description.......................................9

Espionage Points...........................9

Training.................................10

The Core Mechanic...................11

Conflict.............................................12

Inner-party Conflict....................15

Damage..........................................16

Perks and Flaws..........................16

Mission Structure.............20

Mission, Scenario, and Element............................................................21

Possibilities....................................22

Transition Scenes......................23

Composure Roll...........................23

Refresh Scenes..................24

Chase Scene........................26Declaring a Chase......................27

Conducting the Chase..............27

Ending the Chase Scene.........27

Obstacle................................28

Setting the Obstacle Difficulty............................................................29

Espionage Points...............30

Role-Playing with EspionagePoints...............................................31

Agent Advancement.........32

Gear..................................................33

Support Team..............................34

Repairing Gear and Healing the

Support Team..............................35

Agent Traits..................................35

Espionage Points........................35

Special FX Budget.............36

Administering the Game.38Who are the Antagonists?....39

Enemy Perks and Flaws..........40

Languages.....................................40

How to Conduct a Scenario..40

Side or Solo Missions...............42

Mission Checkpoints.................43

Do I have to use D12s?..........43




Discretion Being the BetterPart of Valor...............................43

Death is Optional......................43

How Do I Set Up a BalancedConflict?.......................................44

How to Run Antagonists......44

What is a Significant NPC?.44

Encourage Role-Play...............44

Party Size.....................................44




There are four Modus Operandi that drive how

your Agent acts. They determine what capacity

the Agent is currently functioning in.

1. Blunt Instrument – The direct ap-

proach

2. Infiltrator – Gets inside…

3. Investigator – Questions, searches, &

observes

4. Technician – Acts with technical ex-

pertise

· Assign a value of 6 to the Modus

Operandi of your choice. This is what

you are best at.

· Assign a value of 5 to one of the three

remaining Modus Operandi.

· Assign a value of 4 to one of the two

remaining Modus Operandi.

· Assign a value of 3 to the final Modus

Operandi.

Decide the following for your Agent:

· Height and weight

· Eye color

· Age

· Give yourself a first name

You start the game with six. Espionage Points

allow you to bend and even break the rules.




These are the skills and knowledge one must

acquire to become an Agent:

· The Core Mechanic

·

Modus Operandi

· Espionage Points

· Scenarios and Elements

· Conflict

· Inner-Party Conflict

· Damage

· Healing

· Perks and Flaws

The Core Mechanic: roll a D12, and if the

number comes up 7 or higher, that’s a success.

In the Power of 12 Roleplaying System™ you

will most often roll several D12s at once. Each

one that comes up 7 or higher is a success.

More than one success often yields better

results. In Deniable Asset™ this roll is called aModus Operandi Roll.

Power of 12™Any D12 that rolls a value of 12 allows an

additional D12 to be rolled. That D12, in turn,

if it rolls a value of 12, allows another D12 to

be rolled, etc… This works like “exploding

dice” in other RPGs.

The Power of 12™ applies to all rolls.

The Modus Operandi RollEach of your Modus Operandi has a value.

That value is the number of D12s you roll

when choosing that Modus Operandi as the

method for your action. More details on Mo-

dus Operandi are to be found later.

Thought, judgment, and role-playing go into

this decision. The Modus Operandi youchoose for a Modus Operandi Roll must not be

arbitrary. This is a core concept of the game.

It is HOW your Agent executes the Mission

and each action he takes along the way.

Operating within the Modus Operandi

Any action taken by the character must be

role-played. An Agent may have many rea-

sons why he pursues a course of action. Mo-

dus Operandi reflect “how” this action ispursued and what method is taken to achieve

the desired result.

The Modus Operandi in Deniable Asset™ is

based on the nature of the action. That is to

say, instead of having a "rifle" skill or a "repair"

skill, any Agent may shoot a rifle or attempt a

repair. The Modus Operandi used is based on

the nature of the action. It is how the Agent is

performing it.Approaching Actions

Look at each individual action that is per-

formed and judge the correct Modus Operan-

di based on that action. For example: Firing a

gun with the intent to do harm is what a Blunt

Instrument would do. Claiming to be some-

one else in order to gain entry to a restricted

area is what an Infiltrator would do. Interro-

gating the enemy to find out who he reportsto is what an Investigator would do. Rigging

a car to explode when the key is turned is what

a Technician would do.

Equipment and actions stereotypically associ-

ated with one Modus Operandi may in fact be

used under any Modus Operandi if used cor-

rectly. A few examples:

● Using a gun: the target of the Agent’s as-

signment is just ahead but he has beentipped off and is trying to run out of the

office building. A Blunt Instrument might

level his weapon, fire at the center mass,

and keep firing until the target is down. He

could then retrieve the briefcase: simple

and direct. An Investigator might threaten

with the gun to convince the target to

surrender, hoping that interrogating the

target will reveal more information than in

the briefcase. A Technician might fire forthe target’s hand, hoping to force him to

drop the briefcase, or fire at the lock on the

door, trying to jam it to prevent escape. An

Infiltrator might fire at someone else (per-




haps purposefully missing) who he will

claim to be a threat to the target and fur-

ther claim to be there to rescue him from

capture.

● Using a computer need not always fallunder Technician: it’s all on how you use it.

We are not talking about picking it up and

beating someone over the head with it.

Hacking a computer system might seem

very Technician. But a Blunt Instrument

would simply insert a virus and bring it

down – done. An Infiltrator might use a

computer to gather records and informa-

tion on the location so his team can better

infiltrate a facility. An Investigator mightuse a snooper program in hopes of gather-

ing the needed target information from a

location or facility, thus avoiding a personal

appearance in the first place. A Techni-

cian… well a Technician might insert a hos-

tile program to allow him to take over

cameras and computer run defenses. Now

he can actively manipulate the entire in-

stallation.

Actors and TargetsHe who performs the action is the “Actor” -

even the Administrator. The target of that

action, he against whom the action is per-

formed, is the “Target” - even other players.

If you have the choice then your goal is to

always be the Actor and never the Target.

Good luck with that.

ContestedAll Modus Operandi Rolls are contested. If

you are rolling dice to accomplish something,

then someone or something else will be roll-

ing dice to oppose you. There are a few

exceptions with the main exception being

Initiative. In Initiative, everyone is an Actor,

and no one is the Target.

Default Die RollThe typical Agent has four Modus Operandi.

If you cannot see how your Agent could use

one of his Modus Operandi to pursue a partic-

ular action, then either you should consider a

different course of action that can be support-

ed by one of your Modus Operandi, or roll a

single D12.Rolling a single D12 means your character is

performing an action that does not support

role-playing through one of his Modus Ope-

randi. This should almost never be the case.

Though combat will play an important role in

Deniable Asset™, it is but one expression of

conflict. As explained in the "Modus Operandi

Roll" section earlier, the core of the game is

HOW we accomplish something. Staying true

to that core, conflict is about HOW. HOW is

determined by your Modus Operandi – or

vice-versa. If your Agent needs to take some-

one out, it is important to know why, but

“HOW” it is done and the intended result are

key. Keeping that in mind there are two types

of conflict:

· Direct Conflict

· Inner Party Conflict

Before discussing the two types of conflict we

will talk about initiative.

InitiativeThe Initiative Roll determines the order in

which Actors perform their actions. Each Actor

must choose the Modus Operandi that prop-

erly supports their intent at the beginning of

this conflict. If none of their four Modus

Operandi can support their intent in the con-

flict, then they will use the default single D12.

Each Agent tallies up the successes from his

Initiative Roll; this becomes his initiative.

The allies and antagonists in the conflict each

roll their initiative to determine their place inthe action.

He with the highest initiative goes first, he with

the next highest goes second, and so on. Ties

between Agents are decided amicably among




players (another role-playing opportunity).

Ties between players, allies and antagonists

always go to the player first, then the antago-

nist. Allies are always last in a tie.

Ties among antagonists, or ties among allies,are resolved at the Administrator’s discretion.

Use your best judgment, and do what makes

sense. Keep the game moving but do not miss

an opportunity to role-play between antago-

nists. Bumping into one another, a quick

argument, and even a vicious stare can be

used to establish one’s place in initiative.

IMPORTANT! Initiative is done once before all

actions in the conflict. In each turn of a con-flict the same initiative values are used. Initia-

tive is the one chance to gain an upper hand

in a conflict.

Teamwork

An Actor may, at his discretion, improve an-

other Actor’s initiative by sacrificing some or

all of his own. The Actor must describe what

he will do to help his companion. He then

moves one or more successes from his initia-tive to his companion's initiative.

An Actor having helped another character

through teamwork may not himself be assist-

ed through teamwork that same initiative. An

Actor who receives help through teamwork

may not during that same initiative help any-

one else through teamwork. However, an

Actor may be helped through teamwork by as

many other Actors as want to help him.

It is perfectly acceptable for the players to

discuss this before teamwork is declared so

that no one's efforts are wasted.

Teamwork occurs after all initiatives have been

rolled and before any actions are taken.

Teamwork may be used by the antagonists as

well. If planned, then the Administrator will

arrange any teamwork for the antagonists

before the players discuss their teamwork.

Players will not know the order or value of

Antagonists’ initiative until after deciding to

utilize and resolve their teamwork.

TurnsConflict in Deniable Asset™ is measured in

turns. The turn starts when the Agent or NPC

with the highest initiative acts. It ends when

the Agent or NPC with the lowest initiative acts.

Conflict Summary This is a bulleted list - quick and dirty.

All Actors choose their Modus Operandi for

determining initiative

● All Actors make their initiative Rolls

● Initiative teamwork for antagonists

(TOP SECRET)

Initiative teamwork among players

For each conflict the following steps are re-

peated each turn until only one side remains

in the Scenario (either through defeat or vol-

untarily leaving the Scenario):

· Start the turn

· Actions are resolved in initiative order:

q The Actor declares their intended ac-

tion and Target

q The Actor determines which Modus

Operandi supports that action

q The Target determines their intended

response

q The Target determines which Modus

Operandi supports his response

q The Target’s companions may inter-

vene

q The Actor makes his Modus Operandi

Roll

q The Target makes his Modus Operan-

di Roll

q The Target suffers damage if the Ac-

tor’s Modus Operandi Roll yields moresuccesses than the Target’s Modus

Operandi Roll. Damage is covered in

more detail in the Damage section.




q The winner of the roll describes how

the action actually occurred (ties may

be cooperative).

q Move onto the Actor with the next

initiative

q When all Actors are done determine if

the conflict continues. If so, then pro-

ceed with the next turn (return to the

“Start the Turn” bullet).

Actors and Targets ReviewRemember that any-and-all participants in a

Scenario may be both Actors and Targets. The

above rules apply to Agents as well as Antag-onists.

For initiative, all participants are Actors. There

are no Targets for initiative.

Direct ConflictThe Maxim – all combat is conflict, but not all

conflict is combat. Where there is conflict,

there is always risk.

Direct Conflict is between two or more adver-

saries who wish to gain advantage over the

other (or do the other harm). A Direct Conflict

can be as simple as the characters exchanging

gunfire, or as complex as three sides arguing

over the best course of action before infiltrat-

ing a compound.

Choosing your Modus Operandi

The choice of Modus Operandi is the lynchpin

to role-play in Deniable Asset™. Your charac-

ter has four Modus Operandi to choose from

that epitomize his methods for action, for

taking risks, for... everything. These are not

constraints. Modus Operandi are not excuses.

They are not a limited supply of that which you

constantly wish you had more of. Modus

Operandi ARE the springboard for everything

your character does. Modus Operandi will

never prevent you from acting or achieving.They will empower you to act and they will

help you survive.

Now, why use any of your Modus Operandi

other than the greatest? Why use fewer than

six dice if you don’t have to? This is a role-

playing game. In time, if you spend your

character points to do so, you can increase

your other Modus Operandi to six. But that

will take time. You are expected to lean onyour strongest Modus Operandi. But there will

be times when your character would use a

weaker Modus Operandi because it makes

sense. This is a role-playing game.

In addition, there are strategic reasons to use

your weaker Modus Operandi. One example

would be to save the strongest Modus Ope-

randi for when you really need it! Even if your

strongest Modus Operandi would provide a

better defense, you may want to use a weakerModus Operandi to defend, even if your

chance of taking wounds is greater, to pre-

serve your strongest Modus Operandi for at-

tack at its full value.

Intervene

As an action, you may intervene - defend

another - who is the Target of an action.

Declare which Modus Operandi guides your

intervention and roll your dice when the Tar-

get defends. Any successes are added to your

comrade’s defense successes. You and your

comrade will take wounds for every success

the attacker has above the combined defense

total.

A few simple guidelines:

· Just like teamwork, more than one

character may intervene on a single

defense action.

· A character may only intervene once

in any given turn.

· Once that character has taken a nor-

mal action, he is unable to intervene

that turn.

· All decisions to intervene on a single

defense action must be made be-

fore dice are rolled.

Any damage is shared by the interventionist

and the Target. If the damage may not be




evenly shared, the interventionist suffers the

extra wound.

Defending More Than Once in a Turn

A Target who is attacked multiple times in oneturn will defend with one less die for each

previous defense that turn. This penalty is

calculated after the defense Modus Operandi

is chosen and, of course, considers any

wounds already done to that Modus Operandi.

Conflicts and Scenarios

A Direct Conflict occurs within a single Scenar-

io. The Direct Conflict is resolved in that Sce-

nario or ends when one side or the otherleaves the Scenario. If there are more than two

“sides” then the Direct Conflict is resolved

when all but one side are defeated or have left

the Scenario.

It bears noting that a Direct Conflict is not the

same as general conflict, hostility, or animosity

between two adversaries that might span an

entire Mission or beyond. A Direct Conflict is

resolved in a Scenario.

Never Say Die

If the penalty for defending multiple times in a

turn would reduce a chosen defense Modus

Operandi to zero or less, the Target may al-

ways defend with a single D12.

There come a time when Agents do not

see eye-to-eye. There come a time when

two or more characters cannot resolve theirdifferences. This is Inner-party Conflict.

Inner-party Conflict is handled like a Direct

Conflict with a few differences. It may be

initiated separately or as part of a Direct Con-

flict or Chase Scene already in progress. Inner-

party Conflict may be initiated openly or by

stabbing someone in the back (literally or fig-

uratively).

When initiated openly and separate from anyother conflict, the Inner-Party Conflict pro-

ceeds normally with the Initiative of the

Agents involved. Any Agents not involved

may choose sides and roll initiative now or at

any time later.

Agents involved in an Inner-Party Conflict may

elect to retreat (thus allowing victory for the

other character), and all the rules for Leaving a

Scenario apply.

Agents who openly initiate Inner-Party Con-

flict during a Direct Conflict or Chase Scene

already in progress immediately earn the Not

a Team Player Flaw (See the section “Perks and

Flaws”). In the future, this will come into play

whenever cooperation is required between the

Agents. It will also affect teamwork (one extra

Success must be sacrificed than is given to an

ally).

Agents who initiate Inner-Party Conflict with-

out first announcing their intentions (stabbingthem in the back) thus denying their comrade

a chance to roll for initiative and automatically

attacking first, immediately earn the Back

Stabber Flaw. In the future, this will come into

play whenever the other Agents absolutely

must count on the Back Stabber to come

through for them.

It is possible to earn both Flaws by stabbing a

friend in the back during a Direct Conflict orChase Scene already in progress. Good rarely

comes from Inner-Party Conflict!

Whatever the conflict was about, once an

Agent retreats or is defeated, the victorious




Agent takes possession of the item, gets his

way, or whatever. No more bickering about it

may ensue.

Inner-Party Conflict may take many forms just

as any Conflict: arguing, fisticuffs, gunfire, de-stroying each other’s property. Good role-

play will involve Agents who disagree or don’t

like one another. This is altogether different

than Inner-Party Conflict. Inner-Party Conflict

has escalated to the point where peaceful

resolution or just putting up with one another

won’t work anymore.

The world of Espionage is replete with exam-

ples of Agents who worked together for acommon cause despite their differences. In-

ner-party conflict should be very rare if it

happens at all.

Damage in Deniable Asset™ is based on the

character’s four Modus Operandi. When

wounds are taken, the player must apply dam-

age to the Modus Operandi that was used to

defend with. That Modus Operandi, untilhealed, is now one less. This means you have

one less die to throw for any roll based on that

Modus Operandi.

A Modus Operandi may be reduced due to

damage until it reaches the value of zero. A

Modus Operandi reduced to zero may not be

chosen to perform an action or to defend with.

If a Modus Operandi is reduced to zero and

damage is left over (more damage was caused

than the defending Modus Operandi had left

in it) then that extra damage is applied to the

Agent’s other Modus Operandi in whatever

manner he sees fit. Where this damage goes

must be explained by the player just as if that

Modus Operandi was used to defend.

What happens when all Modus Operandi have

been reduced to zero? See the section on

.

Defining MomentsAs your Agent maneuvers through Missions,

there will come defining moments. Born of

these moments are Perks and Flaws that will

help to define your character. Perks may fill

you with pride, remind you of great success, or

show who you aspire to be. Flaws may mark

you with shame, haunt you with failure, or

reveal who you truly are. Perks and Flaws mark

these defining moments and carry them for-

ward with you, never letting you forget. They

can both help and hinder you. To understand

them we must first understand defeat.

DefeatDefeat can be a condition of pure exhaustion,

of complete failure, anytime when the future

seems lost. In game terms, defeat occurs

when any Agent or NPC loses (suffers damage

to) his last remaining point in his last remain-

ing Modus Operandi.

Is the Agent Dead?

If you want, then you can see it that way

depending on the nature of the Direct Conflict

and how it was role-played. Defeat could be

the character lying in a pool of his own blood

with someone's knife lodged firmly in his

chest. Defeat could just as easily be the Agent

drowning in self-pity, his will to go on lost in a

mire of despair. Defeat could be mere capitu-

lation to a power so great that there seems noway to triumph against it.

Simply put, defeat takes the Agent out of the

Story. Hand the Agent’s character sheet to

the Administrator. Play that Agent no

longer. He is defeated.

Must I Accept This Defeat?

Must you leave the Story?

No.

You have a choice.




FlawWhen your Agent faces defeat, you can

choose to not accept it. If you believe in your

cause strongly enough, if you feel that fate

demands you carry on, if you cannot stand thethought of your Agent’s comrades going on

without him, you can choose to rise up! This

must be described. You were left for dead but

a spark of life was still in you. You fell into a

sewer and awoke downstream. You rolled

down an embankment out of sight. You

bowed to the superior argument of your ad-

versary, but you did not break under the

weight of his insults and mockery.

If you so choose, then the consequence is a

Flaw. This is one word, two words, or a small

phrase that relates directly to the circumstanc-

es of the defeat you chose to defy. The Flaw

then becomes a disadvantage that may be

invoked by the player, or the Administrator,

when circumstances fit.

In game terms, a Flaw is a single D12 that may

be taken away from any Modus Operandi Roll

deemed appropriate by the Administrator or

the player.

Having chosen a Flaw rather than defeat, the

character cannot be harmed further, nor harm

(or help) anyone else during the Scenario. He

is free however to role-play during the rest of

the Scenario. Role-play without consequenc-

es? Do it…

If the defeat came at the hands of a significant

NPC, that NPC will gain the Nemesis Perk.

The Agent will start the next Scenario at half of

his current maximum points in each of his

Modus Operandi (rounding up). Your will to

live restores half your damage. You'll have to

heal the rest. The Flaw however will always be

there, riding your shoulder, whispering into

your ear, "Remember."

Can my Support Team members choose not

to accept defeat?

Yes. If one of your Support Team members

has fallen, you may decide for him to defy

defeat, and he gains a Flaw. Conversely, you

can take the flaw for him. Support Team

members are explained in detail in “Agent

Advancement.”

Perk When your character has landed the final blow

and has caused a significant NPC to face de-

feat, you have a choice. You can finish him or

spare him. You can spare him out of mercy,

contempt, a desire to see him suffer this life

longer, or in hopes that he might redeem

himself. Perhaps you hate him so much, there

is no power on Earth that can spare him from

a swift end!

If you choose to spare the significant NPC,

spare them from defeat, then the boon for the

Agent is a Perk. This is one word, two words,

or a small phrase that relates directly to the

circumstances surrounding your action to

spare this significant NPC from defeat. The

Perk then becomes an advantage that may be

invoked by the player or the Administrator

when circumstances fit. It may be invoked

immediately if appropriate.

In game terms, a Perk is a single D12 that may

be added to any Modus Operandi Roll

deemed appropriate by the Administrator or

the player, where the Perk applies.

The Agent also gains the “Nemesis” Perk.

Can my Support Team members spare a

significant NPC from Defeat?

Yes, or you can through them. It is your

choice. If one of your Support Team members

lands the final blow, you may order them to

spare the significant NPC. As the choice is

yours, the Perk may also be yours.

Can an NPC spare an Agentfrom defeat?Yes. The Administrator may make the same

choice for a significant NPC who has defeated

you. The NPC will gain a Perk relating to the

circumstances of this act. This NPC will benefit

from this Perk whenever they face the Agent




they defeated. Not only has he bested you,

but he gets a perk for it! Now you really hate

him.

The NPC also gains the Nemesis Perk.

Your Agent can still refuse to go on, but the

NPC retains his well-earned Perks.

Perk before FlawIn the order of things, that which is good takes

precedence over that which is bad. The choice

to spare another, to gain a Perk, must come

first. He who lands the final blow to defeat

another, be it Agent or significant NPC, getsthis choice first. Then he who faces defeat may

now choose to defy that defeat.

Remember that only characters and significant

NPCs may gain Perks and Flaws. And they may

only gain the choice for a Perk by defeating a

worthy opponent. Agents and significant

NPCs may, when facing defeat, always choose

to gain a Flaw over defeat.

Can an NPC choose not toaccept defeat?Yes. The Administrator may make the same

choice for a significant NPC you have defeat-

ed. The Agent – you – will gain the Nemesis

Perk just as if you had spared him. Thought

you had gotten rid of him? There he is again,

dogging your steps! Only now you have a

Perk, a permanent reminder of how you best-

ed him. This might put him at a disadvantageon your next meeting. But he'll be holding a

grudge, don't you think?

More Than one Flaw or Perk More than one of an Agent’s Flaws (up to all

of them if deemed appropriate by the Admin-

istrator) may affect a single Modus Operandi

Roll, subtracting one D12 for each to a mini-

mum of one.

More than one of an Agent’s Perks (up to all of

them if deemed appropriate by the Adminis-

trator) may affect a single Modus Operandi

Roll, adding one D12 for each.

Both Flaws and Perks may affect the same

Modus Operandi Roll.

Important: apply all applicable Perks first, then

all applicable Flaws.

Are Agents ever helpless?Flaws (one or many) may not reduce a Modus

Operandi Roll to less than one D12.

Do not, however, confuse this with having lost

all of one’s Modus Operandi due to damage.

See the damage rule presented earlier for clar-

ification.

Nemesis Perk As explained above, the Nemesis Park is

gained by an Agent when he spares a signifi-

cant NPC from defeat, or by a significant NPC

when he spares an Agent from defeat. The

Nemesis Perk is personal and only applies to

the significant NPC or Agent who spared the

other from defeat.

You are their Nemesis. You both know you

beat them. They may be resentful. They mayseek revenge. They may be afraid to face you

again. Regardless, you were the better man.

Your next encounter will reflect that.

For he who has the Nemesis Perk, anytime he

faces the target to whom he is Nemesis, his

Modus Operandi Rolls will be greater one D12.




These are the building blocks of the adven-

tures you will create with Deniable Asset™.

They are the structure within which the Power

of 12 Roleplaying System™ brings you the

action.

MissionMuch like a book, movie, or TV episode the

Mission is the main theme. It is the overarch-

ing goal or premise. It is what your Agent –

and any fellow Agents – are trying to accom-

plish. A Mission might be to secure nuclearweapons from a terrorist group, uncover the

long term plans of a rogue organization, or

eliminate a well guarded target for reasons

only known to the Agency.

A Mission can be as big or small as you like.

There are many Missions your Agent will ac-

complish through his career. Each one will

build upon the other.

A Mission in Deniable Asset™ may take onegame session to tell or several game sessions.

A Mission will be broken up into several Sce-

narios.

ScenarioA Scenario is all the action and adventure that

takes place in a short period of time or in a

single location. Each Scenario helps the

Agents accomplish the Mission. A Scenariomay lead directly into another Scenario or not.

A Scenario may be all the action and adven-

ture that takes place during a clandestine

meeting with a mysterious contact at an aban-

doned warehouse. It can be all the events that

occur during the day as you case a hotel you

suspect your target is hiding in. Hours of

wandering and talking also might be one

Scenario. The few moments it takes to ex-

change a briefcase in an alley might be a Sce-

nario.

Each Scenario will have one or more Elements.

Leaving the Scenario

Anyone may attempt to retreat from a Direct

Conflict (Exception: see The Chase Scene). This

involves leaving the Scenario. Once done, the

Agent or NPC may not re-enter the Scenario

or re-involve themselves in that Direct Conflict.On your action, declare your intent to retreat

from the Direct Conflict and the Modus Ope-

randi that supports your action. If an enemy

wishes to prevent you from leaving, he may

immediately roll his Modus Operandi as an

attack. The enemy must have an available

action this Turn. Your retreating Modus Ope-

randi is used to defend. If he causes you

wounds, you may not retreat. Otherwise, you

will exit the Scenario and be immediately safefrom the Direct Conflict.

Intervening – defending another – applies

here as well. Only here, you are helping them

leave the Scenario. The same rules apply.

You may allow an enemy to leave the Scenario.

In this case, no dice are rolled. The retreat

from the Scene and the Direct Conflict simply

happens.

Instead of attempting to prevent an enemy

from leaving the Scene, you or an NPC may

declare a Chase Scene!

ElementThe Element is the smallest building block of

the Scenario or Mission. An Element is primar-

ily a physical location. If the Scenario is a

hotel, then several parts of the Hotel might be

individual Elements: restaurant, kitchen, andlobby.

The Scenario might be a street at night, but

the area around the street light might be one

Element while the darkened alley nearby

might be another. What are separate Ele-

ments in one Scenario might all be a single

Element in another. The nature of the Scenar-

io and Administrator intent will influence that.

Elements affect who can interact with whom.

This is covered in detail in the “Interactions

and Elements” section of the “Direct Conflict”

chapter.




Interactions and Elements

Characters and antagonists must be in the

same Element to interact with each other but

may move between Elements.

In this way an argument may break out in a

hotel lobby (one Element) and spill out into

the street (a second Element). Those out in

the street may interact with each other. Those

remaining in the hotel lobby may interact with

each other. Someone in the hotel lobby who

wishes to interact with someone in the street

must move into the street (move between

Elements) to do so.

Moving Between Elements

To move between Elements in a Scenario re-

quires an action. Example: moving from the

aforementioned hotel lobby to the street. Just

to be clear, this is the same as an action re-

quired by a Modus Operandi Roll. So, if one

has already acted in a given Turn, then one

may not move between Elements. If one has

moved between Elements, then one may not

attempt another action until the followingTurn.

The Scenario should describe how the Ele-

ments connect and therefore where an Agent

or NPC exits from one Element and emerges in

to the next.

We will hint at this point that Elements are size

agnostic.

Attempting to Prevent Another from Mov-

ing Between Elements

If you are in the same element as your enemy,

you may attempt to prevent them from mov-

ing to another Element. This takes up your

next available action this Turn. You must have

an action this turn to attempt to prevent an

enemy from moving to another Element.

Intervening – defending another – applies

here as well. Only here, you are helping themleave the Element. The same rules apply.

You may allow an enemy to leave the Element.

In this case, no dice are rolled. The move

between Elements simply happens.

Putting it all togetherScenarios and Elements are conceptual blocks

that, together, build a Mission. Each Mission

adds to the story of your Agents.

Certain rules in the Power of 12 Roleplaying

System™ and many abilities rely on Scenarios

and Elements. Consider these when designing

your Missions.

In any given Scenario there might be a small

advantage to be had or disadvantage to suffer.

These will be determined by the Scenario.

Some will be obvious while others not readilyapparent. Not every Scenario will have one.

Some Scenarios will have both.

The Administrator might describe the follow-

ing: “In an attempt to evade pursuit, you enter

the crowded train terminal. You notice that

everyone in the crowd is moving at the com-

muter pace: as quick as they can without

bumping into others.”

A clever Agent might identify the Possibilityand respond accordingly, “I match pace with

the commuters, moving to the 937 train with-

out jostling anyone.”

An advantageous Possibility, if you are able to

find one and use it appropriately, will add one

D12 to your Modus Operandi Rolls in the

Scenario (including Initiative if you can reason-

ably use it).

A disadvantageous Possibility, if you don’t

realize it and avoid it, will subtract one D12

from your Modus Operandi Rolls in the Sce-

nario that would be affected by the Possibility

(including Initiative if it would reasonably af-

fect it).

A Possibility might become more obvious as a

Scenario is played out, allowing Agent’s and

NPC’s to begin to use an advantageous Possi-

bility or avoid a disadvantageous Possibilitymid-Scenario.




Between the detailed Scenarios of a Mission,

we have Transition Scenes. These may not be

outlined in a Mission, but they will naturally

occur if you allow them.

Transition Scenes are role-playing scenes that

allow for the Agents to “prepare” for the next

Scenario. No dice are rolled, no damage is

taken.

There are two kinds of Transition Scenes: the

Swipe and the Prep. The real difference is how

much time you want to spend talking about

what happens between Mission Scenarios.

Swipe TransitionJust like in a movie or TV show, you can swipe

from one Scenario to the next, assuming that

the Agents moved from one to the other in

whatever “Agent” fashion is appropriate. The

Administrator can narrate the Swipe Transition

Scene if he likes.

Prep TransitionIf the first scene is at an Agency safe house,

and the second scene is at an abandonedwarehouse, the Agents will walk, drive, take a

cab, hop a train, or get there some other way.

If the Agents want to stop on the way to pick

up supplies or role-play their next moves in

the taxi cab, that is the Prep Transition Scene.

The Prep Transition Scene can take anywhere

from a minute to an hour to a year – whatever

amount of time makes sense given the current

Mission.

What is important is that the Agents are limit-

ed to a few actions (two to four) that they can

get done along the way. Again, this is a role-

playing scene, but you want to keep the game

moving.

As an Action you may attempt to recover one

damage point from a Modus Operandi. To do

this you roll a single D12. No Espionage Points

may be used. The Power of 12™ applies. Ona success, you recover a single point of dam-

age from any Modus Operandi. Rather than

acting to damage your enemies or defend

your comrades, you compose yourself.

The Composure Roll is not contested.

The Composure Roll may be used to heal

damage on a Support Team member or a

piece of gear.

After rolling, declare how the point (or points

if you are so lucky) will be used.

It is conceivably possible to heal all of an

Agent’s damage this way during a Scenario.

But… what are the other Agents doing? And is

that the best use of your time? Role playing is

always fun!




At the End of each Game Session is the Refresh

Scene. It might occur between Scenarios or at

the end of a Mission. Whenever your game

session ends for the night, before the players

put up their characters’ sheets and go home,you have the Refresh Scene.

A Refresh Scene may not occur in the middle

of a Scenario. If your game session must end

mid-Scenario (in the real world, things do

come up) then finish the Scenario on the next

session first before you conduct the Refresh

Scene.

During a Refresh Scene, each Agent has a

chance to disappear within himself (or awayfrom everyone else) to recharge, regroup, and

reenergize. How this occurs must be de-

scribed (role-played). The Agents may con-

duct a Refresh Scene as a group if they so

choose, or several Agents may share a Refresh

Scene while the others conduct their own.

The result: Each Agent rolls six D12s (The Pow-

er of 12™ applies). Each success removes one

point of damage from a Modus Operandi. A

Refresh Scene may not generate enough suc-

cesses to remove all the damage an Agent has

sustained. Heal what you can.

An Agent may heal his Gear or Support Team

through the Refresh Scene.




Often times the most dramatic and thrilling

scene in any espionage show, movie, or book

is the Chase Scene. This is an all-or-nothing

attempt by both parties: one to escape, the

other to capture. Both sides are committedand will stop at nothing to win this conflict.

Chase Scenes are declared dynamically by a

player or the Administrator. They are never a

planned Scenario within a Mission.

Any time that a NPC decides to leave the

current Scenario (see Leaving the Scenario

above), a character may declare they are giv-

ing chase. This requires an unused action.

Once that declaration is made, any and all

Agents and NPCs who wish to join the Chase

Scene must declare so immediately. Those

Agents and NPCs involved in the Chase Scene

are removed from the current Scenario imme-

diately. The remainder of the current Scenario

is conducted normally with whoever remains.

The Administrator may have one of his NPCs

declare a Chase Scene if a character attempts

to leave the current Scenario, and if it fits the

moment.

The Chase Scene begins immediately. The

NPC who is being chased and all Agents and

NPCs who declared as part of the Chase Scene

now participate.

The Chase Scene is conducted immediately

and simultaneously with the current Scenario.

Current Initiatives are kept. The Chase Scene

is conducted by the same rules as any other

Scenario and Direct Conflict.

Any Agents or NPCs who left the Scenario

prior to the declaration of the Chase Scene do

not participate in the Chase Scene.

Regardless of how a Chase Scene is initiated,

it is one Element. Everyone involved may

interact with each other. The Chase Scene

Element transcends normal Elements and may

“cross over:” from a building to the street, to afree fall off of a cliff, into a body of water, over

a waterfall, into motorboats, into a high speed

car chase, then down into the sewers. This is all

one element. This allows those willing to do

anything to get away to try whatever they

want to escape. Those who are desperately

trying to stop them can literally “stop at noth-

ing” to get them.

Chase Scenes can take many forms: a car

chase, a foot chase, helicopter chasing a car,car chasing those on foot, those on foot taking

short cuts across alleys to chase those in a car,

taxies, limos, or any and all combinations!

The Chase Scene ends when one side is de-

feated. No one may attempt to leave the

Chase Scene (see ). This

is all or nothing: victory or defeat.

Escaping may not be pleasant, and catching

up with your quarry may prove detrimental to

everyone. You may end up escaping only to

find yourself in a worse position than whenyou started. You may catch your target(s) only

to cause their deaths and thus silence them

from revealing to you what you most needed

to know.




An Obstacle is a moment in which a single

Modus Operandi roll will determine a specific

outcome. This will rarely, if ever, result in the

defeat of an Agent or an NPC. But, it will

determine what decision is to be made, whatdirection to go in, what action must be taken

next.

The Obstacle has a set value of successes that

the Agent must meet or exceed on his roll to

overcome.

Obstacles may be physical or emotional. They

may occur anytime during a Scenario. They

may be a planned part of the Mission or dy-

namically created by the players or the Admin-istrator.

An Obstacle difficulty of three should be con-

sidered very difficult. Three is what starting

Agents will average on their best Modus Ope-

randi. Two would be considered hard. One

would be considered easy.

As Agents add Gear and a Support Team Ob-

stacle difficulty may rise to present a fair chal-

lenge.




Each character has Espionage Points (in the

form of extra dice) for those critical moments

where failure is not an option. These dice may

be used at anytime and on any Modus Ope-

randi Roll unless otherwise noted.Unlike Modus Operandi, whose dice are avail-

able for each roll, Espionage Points are finite

in number.

So, why wouldn’t you use Espionage Points

dice on every roll? Remember, these dice are

finite in number. Once an Espionage Point has

been used to augment a Modus Operandi roll,

it is gone. For good? Yes. However, each

Agent can gain more Espionage Points as thegame progresses.

Espionage Points may represent the Agent’s

resourcefulness, the Bureau’s investment in

gadgets, or anything else you come up with.

What is important is that the player explains

where the extra dice for his roll come from.

· A mirror can be used to reflect the

sunlight and temporarily blind an

enemy trying to shoot you.

· A curtain can be used to temporarily

entangle an opponent.

· Your car might be equipped with

caltrops or an oil slick.

· A watch with a mini-grappling hook

and micro-wire can come in handy.

Espionage Points can represent specialized

knowledge or training. A gadget or training is

unlikely to be uniquely useful more than once.

Try to invent new things and reasons for your

use of Espionage Points. It makes the game

more interesting.

Also, as mentioned before, Espionage Points

can allow you to bend or break the rules. You

can “spend” an Espionage Point to do the

following:

· Perform an action immediately after

moving between Elements.

· Act in an adjacent Element without

leaving the Element you are current-

ly in.

· Join a Chase Scene if you do not

have an action.

You or your Administrator may think of other

circumstances where rules can be broken in

the name of Espionage.




At the end of each game session, your Agent

is awarded one Agent Advancement point to

improve his abilities. This point can be used

to:

· Improve one of his Modus Operandi

· Add a piece of Gear

· Improve an existing piece of Gear

· Add a Support Team member

· Improve an existing Support Team

member

During play an Agent may learn something of

himself. This comes in the form of Agent Traits.

At the end of a Mission, Agents may also gain

one or more Espionage Points from the Agen-

cy.

Gear represents permanent equipment that

the Agent has gained through play, either as a

reward from the Agency or acquired on his

own. Regardless, Gear is permanent and cannot be removed from the Agent. Gear, howev-

er, can be damaged like the Agent and will

need to be repaired.

Gear Modus OperandiGear Modus Operandi may be one of the

standard four that every Agent begins the

game with. It may also be different based on

the type of Gear and its intended purpose. A

specially made Walther PPK pistol might havethe Modus Operandi of “Accurate,” “Reliable,”

or “Quiet.”

The Modus Operandi chosen by the Agent can

influence under what circumstances the Gear

can be used. Just as with Agent Modus Ope-

randi, Gear Modus Operandi must be role-

played. Its use must make sense before its

dice can be used.

Gear Modus Operandi, when used, is added to

the Agent’s Modus Operandi and the total is

the number of D12s that are rolled for the

Modus Operandi Roll.

When used as DefenseWhen Gear is used as Defense it may take

damage in place of the Agent’s Modus Ope-

randi. Damage may be split equally or in any

fashion the Agent decides.

Once a piece of Gear has lost all points in all

its Modus Operandi, it is defeated (useless)

until repaired.

Gear can be used by other Agents or Support TeamMembersGear belonging to an Agent may be freely

given to another Agent or Support Team

member for use during a Mission or Scenario.

Gear can be exchanged between Agents or

between Agent and Support Team member

during a Direct Conflict. This requires an Ac-

tion on the part of the giver or receiver (but

not both). Someone hands the Gear over, or

someone takes it.

Exception: A Trademark item may NOT be

loaned to any other Agent or Support Teammember.

Standard GearStandard Gear has one Modus Operandi.

Creating a piece of Standard Gear

An Agent Advancement point is used to create

a piece of Standard Gear with one point in its

Modus Operandi.

The Modus Operandi is named and the piece

of Standard Gear is now part of the Agent.

Improving a piece of Standard Gear

An Agent Advancement point is used to add

another point to the Modus Operandi of a

piece of Standard Gear.

This can be done until the Standard Gear’s

Modus Operandi reaches a maximum value of six.




Elite GearElite Gear works much like Standard Gear, but

each piece may have up to four Modus Ope-

randi. Like an Agent or NPC, you must choose

which Modus Operandi of the Elite Gear youwill be using and explain how it supports the

current action.

Creating a piece of Elite Gear

Standard Gear becomes Elite Gear once an

Agent Advancement point is used to create a

second Modus Operandi.

The Modus Operandi is named and the piece

of Standard Gear is now a piece of Elite Gear.Improving a piece of Elite Gear

An Agent Advancement point is used to add


piece of Elite Gear. Or that point may be used

to add a new Modus Operandi to a piece of

Elite Gear if it currently has fewer than four

Modus Operandi.

Only one Modus Operandi may reach a maxi-

mum value of six. The other three Modus

Operandi may reach maximums of five, four,

and three. A piece of Elite Gear, when it

reaches its maximum Modus Operandi values,

becomes a Trademark Item.

Trademark ItemA Trademark Item is a piece of Elite Gear that

has reached its maximum values in four Mo-

dus Operandi. It can now gain Perks and Flaws

like an Agent. That means that a Trademark

Item, when defeated, must either choose to

leave the story (become destroyed and use-

less, lost forever) or take a Flaw and come back

in the next scene at half Modus Operandi

values, just like an Agent. A Trademark Item

has a personality and a history.

The Support Team is one or more NPCs that

support your Agent. They are either in the

employ of the Agency or freelancers the Agent

has employed between Missions. The Support

Team is loyal and will not willingly betray the

Agent. The Agent makes all decisions for his

Support Team as if they were separate Agentsunder his control.

Support Team members can be defeated and

gain Perks and Flaws.

Unlike Gear, Support Team members can act

independently. A Support Team member can

move between Elements and Leave a Scenario

on his own. Support Team members roll for

initiative and may use teamwork and intervene

to assist an Agent.

Support Team ModusOperandiThe Support Team has the same Modus Ope-

randi as an Agent: Blunt Instrument, Infiltrator,

Investigator, and Technician.

Supporting AgentsA Support Team member may act in support

of an Agent. This can be the Agent to whom

the Support Team belongs or another Agent.

This decision is made when rolling for initia-

tive.

Rather than rolling for initiative, the Support

Team member describes what he is doing tosupport the Agent, and with which Modus

Operandi. The Support Team member’s dice

are then given to the Agent who can then add

them to his dice for any Modus Operandi Roll

that turn, including Defense.

When used in Defense, the Support Team

member may take damage in place of the

supported Agent. This decision is made by the

Agent the Support Team member is support-ing that Turn.




Creating a Support TeamMemberAn Agent Advancement point is used to create

a Support Team member with one point in

each of its four Modus Operandi. An addition-

al point is added to one Modus Operandi of

the player’s choice. The Support Team Mem-

ber begins play with the values 2, 1, 1, and 1 in

his Modus Operandi.

The Support Team member is then built like

any other Agent (See “Physical Description”

under “Agent Creation”).

Improving a Support TeamMemberAn Agent Advancement point is used to add


Support Team member.

Support Team members are not as good as a

full Agent and thus their Modus Operandi

maximums are lower. A Support Team mem-

ber can have Modus Operandi maximums of 5,

4, 3, and 2. Once those are reached the Sup-port Team member may not be further im-

proved.

Separately from the Refresh Scene, an Agent’s

Gear and Support Team may be healed by

holding them out for an entire Scenario. Gear

is sent to the Agency (or another trustworthysource) for repair. Injured Support Team

members are sent for some R&R, to the hospi-

tal, or anywhere else they can recuperate.

After a Scenario is complete, any of an Agent’s

Gear and Support Team that were held out of

that Scenario are fully healed. Any Perks and

Flaws they have gained are, of course, still

there.

An Agent Trait is a word or phrase that de-

scribes your Agent’s personality and hints at a

time before he was an Agent. They do not

have dice associated with them, but they will

help you role-play your Agent and may be

used by the Administrator to drive you to

action.

Agent Traits are not present when an Agent isfirst activated. They are discovered over time

as your Agent conducts Missions.

A new Agent Trait can be triggered by the

Administrator when a moment seems right,

when the Administrator has noticed a trend in

situations, outcomes, or actions involving the

Agent. The Administrator then pauses play

and assigns a Trait: now a Flashback occurs.

The Agent is on the spot to improvise theFlashback, thus explaining the Trait. If the

Flashback is impressive, the Administrator may

award an Espionage Point to the Agent.

Perks and Flaws can be associated with Traits.

Agents can acquire an unlimited number of

traits.

Traits can be removed or “lost” through role-

play.

Espionage Points may be gained by the Agent

at the end of a Mission. Between one and

three should be awarded to each Agent based

on the judgment of the Administrator (there

may be guidelines in the Mission).

An Agent may have no more than twelve

Espionage Points at any one time. If an Agent

already has twelve Espionage Points at the end

of a Mission, then he will gain none.

Why only twelve? The more important ques-

tion to ask is… why isn’t the Agent using them?

These kinds of resources have an expiration

date. Look at it this way. The three he would

have gained, he actually did. But three others

are no longer useful. The favor is gone, the

item no longer functions, or the resource isn’t

useful on future Missions. Use them.




Deniable Asset is presented with a gritty Spe-

cial FX Budget. You’ll carry a gun, a passport,

some spending cash, perhaps a cell phone. If

you want a car, there are plenty of serviceable

vehicles lining the streets. A few might have afull tank of gas. If you want to overhear a

conversation, feel free to take a few steps

closer.

Why gritty? Guns don’t kill people, people kill

people. Computers don’t hide information,

people hide information.

The Special FX Budget is something that the

Administrator and the Agents keep in mind

when describing Agency resources and meth-ods, the use of Espionage Points, as well as

enemy resources and methods. Beyond that,

what the environment and locales contain has

a vast influence on the feel of the game. Vital

information can be exchanged in a back alley

or an abandoned warehouse just as easily as

at a black tie affair surrounded by diplomats.

A taxi cab is just as capable a getaway vehicle

as a Concord jet. It all depends on who you

are getting away from. Keep the Special FX

Budget consistent and you’ll find the Agents

contributing more easily and adding to the

substance of the game.




This section is intended for the Administrator’s

eyes only. However, we realize most crafty

Agents will find their way past the password

encryption. So, the information in this section

will be limited to guidelines and suggestions.No Mission details will be presented.

Antagonists take many forms but these are the

most common: terrorist, local government

armed forces, local police, private security, and

even agents working for other agencies.

Sometimes an Antagonist's purpose is to di-

rectly harm the Agents. More often the An-

tagonist is there to achieve his own ends (that

of his employer) and he and the Agent are

thus at odds. Occasionally, an Antagonist's

goals run parallel to the Agent’s goals. How-

ever, this may not be obvious.

As their careers develop, the Agents will gain

the notice of other Agencies (for good or for

bad), and their opposition, those Antagonists

who oppose them, may become more direct-

ed to interfere with or harm the Agents… or tryto recruit them.

As you design missions, place your Antago-

nists with care. There are few random encoun-

ters in Deniable Asset™. Those that seem to

be there are often being manipulated by other

Antagonists.

Antagonist Modus Operandi

Antagonists have the same Modus Operandias Agents. An inept guard might just have one

or two points of Blunt Instrument, while a

more capable lackey could have four points of

Investigator and three points of Blunt Instru-

ment. A VERY capable significant NPC might

have the same level of Modus Operandi as an

Agent.

Beyond that, Antagonists can have motiva-

tions.

Antagonist MotivationsAn Antagonist motivation is a word or phrase

that encapsulates a driving force behind the

NPC. It can define why they are where they are

and doing what they are doing or it can repre-

sent a broader purpose. Regardless it is a

strong recommendation on how to role-play

the NPC. For example:A capable terrorist might have a Blunt Instru-

ment of four and an infiltrator of three. But his

motivator might be Defending Holy Places.

Now we know what is important to him in the

immediate Scenario.

A NPC can have more than one motivation. A

significant NPC most likely will. They are more

important to the Mission and are naturally

more complex and interesting.

An Antagonist can have as many motivations

as you care to give them, but between one and

three will give plenty of depth.

Any Significant NPC who returns (again and

again) will most likely acquire Perks and/or

Flaws that will add further interest.

Knowledge, Hints, and CluesDeniable Asset™ is a role-playing experience;it is character and story driven, and the plot,

however simple or complex, must be loosely

followed. When Agents must discover knowl-

edge in order to proceed, this should be role-

played: Modus Operandi Rolls are not normal-

ly necessary.

Keep in mind that there is a difference be-

tween knowledge necessary for player direc-

tion and knowledge necessary for the Agentsto complete the Mission.

1. Knowing that the enemy has nuclear

weapons

2. Knowing the exact numbers for the

launch codes

The first drives the plot. The Agents should

find this out without direct dice rolling as part

of a Scenario; the second they should have to

work for.

Do not be afraid to make the second very

difficult. An Agent can always be defeated,




choose a Flaw, and end up gaining the infor-

mation in the end. Think of the Drama!

Enemy Agents will gain Perks and Flaws just ascharacter Agents do. Many enemies will have

one or more when the Agents meet them for

the first time. Some will have none. This will

depend on how you want to characterize the

enemy: having a history and experiences be-

fore the Agents met them or just starting out.

In the modern day, languages are a tool and a

barrier. Foreign languages are exotic and

intriguing (foreign is relative to what you

speak natively, of course). Few espionage

books and movies would get very far if the

protagonists had no way to speak or “navi-

gate” the local languages.

In Deniable Asset™ fun and excitement are

paramount. With that in mind, make sure your

Agents can speak or be able to at least reason-

ably decipher as necessary the languages and

writing of whatever locale you have placed

them in. The Agency would not have put them

there without that necessary skill.

On occasion it might be important that they

DON’T understand what has been said, but

this should be rare.

Here are two options you might go with:

1. Every Agent speaks at least three lan-

guages: his native and two others that

are pertinent to the area. If the area you

have chosen is very cosmopolitan and

has many languages, spread those aboutso your Agents cover most if not all of

them.

2. Have the Agency provide translators. Or

make one or more conveniently available.

But can the Agents really trust some

translator they don’t know? All the more

fun.

The idea of a Scenario and its definition for

Deniable Asset™ is covered in the “Mission,

Scenarios, and Elements” section of the “Pow-

er of 12™” chapter.

Here in “Administering the Game” we want to

provide some insight on a few aspects of a

Scenario.

InitiativeThe details of initiative are covered in the

chapter. But when do you call for

initiative? When does your gathering around

the table turn from a purely role-playing expe-

rience into a conflict?

Unless specifically stated in the description of

the Scenario (and if you wrote the Scenario,

you should know), this will be something you

“feel” as the role-playing turns into conflict.

Nevertheless, someone, character or antago-

nist must declare his intent to start the conflict,

be it a back stab, a demanding shout, thepulling of weapons, or the swinging of fists.

Then, and only then, will a conflict occur.

Then, and only then, will you call for initiative.

The Agent or NPC who declares their intent to

start a conflict, he who initiated the conflict,

goes first. They do not need to roll for initia-

tive nor can they participate in teamwork.

Teamwork The use of teamwork is a wonderful opportu-

nity for role-play. You can show or hide the

true nature of the enemy through their team-

work or lack thereof. Role-playing their work-




ing together might be fun, but role-playing

their refusal to work together might be even

more fun!

Movement and ElementsGenerally, any Agent or NPC in the Scenario

can interact with any other. By interact we

mean talk, fight, or otherwise affect. There is

no need to specifically move or change one's

position. If, for dramatic effect or in keeping

with one's Modus Operandi, the Agent or NPC

is described as charging, crouching, leaping,

running, taking cover, etc… this is fine. But

these things are discussed and do not affect

the Modus Operandi Roll. They may be neces-sary to use a specific Modus Operandi, howev-

er. This is a role-playing game.

Keep in mind that some Scenarios may be

better served by having more than one sepa-

rate Element. If you have designed a Scenario

and discover, through review or during play,

that Agents would logically have a hard time

interacting across a particular barrier, then

make a separate Element out of it. Or adjust

the Scenario so the barrier is no longer there.

What is important is that Agents and NPCs

interact as you had intended – and have fun of

course!

A restaurant kitchen is often separated from

the main dining area, but not always. The

rooms of an apartment or house could be

separate Elements, but half-walls and an open

floor plan take care of that. Don’t let your

Mission get sidetracked because someone hasa copy of the local municipality’s building

codes.

The best rule of thumb is this: if it helps the

story and encourages role-play, then do it.

Elements are size agnosticAn Element does not require specific measure-

ments or dimensions. An Element is sized

relative to other Elements in the Scenario.Outdoor Elements will naturally be larger than

indoor Elements. This does not change how

characters and antagonists interact within or

move between Elements.

It may, however, affect how much an Agent or

NPC can do or how far they can move in a

single Action. Within the confines of a broom

closet, movement and actions will be very

restrictive. A few steps will carry you from oneend to the other where a ventilation grate

might be. In a dogfight scene between two

modern jet planes, a turn is likely to cover

miles of distance and perhaps minutes as the

pilots fire missiles and maneuver through the

clouds. Actions indoors will be quicker and

shorter. Actions outdoors (or in massive cav-

erns, a sports stadium, or other large area) will

naturally occur over longer distances and take

more game time. If an element seems un-wieldy, don’t be afraid to divide it into a num-

ber of smaller elements.

Keep this in mind when designing your Mis-

sions and Scenarios: if you just can’t see how

an Agent can move up the cliff, around the

swimming pool, and into the patio of the

mountain chateau, then create separate Ele-

ments.

Movement BetweenElements When No DirectConflict OccursCharacters may move between Elements as

casually as they wish when no Direct Conflict

is occurring. Use your judgment as to who is

where should a Direct Conflict occur when

characters have moved between Elements pri-

or.

Perks and FlawsThe rules for Perks and Flaws as outlined in the

chapter will cover most circumstanc-

es. However, you may wish to allow either a

Perk or a Flaw to have a useful or hindering

effect that does not involve dice.

For example, a Flaw might cast a dark shadow

over the character at all times. This would be

a role-playing disadvantage, whether the char-acter was otherwise brighter and cheerier or

the shadow simply reinforced a greater dark-

ness they had.




As well, a Perk might have a beneficial effect.

The Agent might give off an air of supreme

confidence when facing a specific enemy.

Either of these could result in an additional die

based on circumstances, if you wished. Butthe role-playing and story they bring forth

might be far more valuable.

The Measurement of TimeThe only meaningful measurement of time

during a conflict is the Turn as described in the

Power of 12™ chapter. How long before the

bomb detonates? 5 Turns. Other questions of

time, such as “How long until sunset?” can be

answered with less specific terms such as

“soon,” “not long” or “not for some time.” For

example: if the Agents wish to role-play the set

up of a trap, the building of an explosive, or

the scouting of an area, then these might be

done “soon,” “won’t take long,” or will take

“some time.” Often this is what Transition

Scenarios are for.

A Turn has no specific time associated with it.

If you want to include a ticking time bomb,then roll a D12 after every Turn to see how

many seconds have elapsed. Judgment is your

best friend here. Use it.

Timing - When thingshappenScenarios that hinge upon the arrival of the

Agents, enemies, or some other event should

not be timed. Such events should occur whenthey are supposed to according to the Mission.

This maintains the Mission and doesn’t cut off

the players from setting up their world the way

they want it.

There is no advantage gained or disadvantage

suffered by an event occurring before the

Agents destroy all the incriminating evidence

or finish wiring the bomb. If an event is de-

signed to take place as the Agents just light

the match and hold it to the fuse, then it

doesn’t matter when they light the fuse. It can

be well before dusk or after the sun sets, so

long as the event occurs WHEN they decide to

light the fuse.

It will occur that, on occasion, not all your

Agents will be available every week. Should

you still wish to run your game but don’t want

the unavailable players to miss out on theaction in which they have been so far instru-

mental, you can conduct a Side Mission.

A Side Mission is an entirely new and different

Mission (perhaps related to the current Mis-

sion, perhaps not) that those Agents sitting at

the table can partake in, thus saving the origi-

nal Mission for the next session when all

Agents can be available while giving those

currently present the fun and excitement of playing Deniable Asset™!

A Side Mission should be short enough to last

a single session, unless you know that your

missing Agents will miss more than one ses-

sion.

Never miss an opportunity to play!

Initiating a Side MissionInitiating a Side Mission can be a simple affairor a complex one if you want to set it up.

If you are currently between Scenarios, the

Agency can call (or send a man) and inform

the Agents present that something needs to

be taken care of right away! The Agents can

be whisked away in cars, boats, or helicopters

(keep in mind your FX Budget).

If you left off in mid-Scenario, then you can

conduct a flashback or flash forward, covering

action that actually took place days or weeks

ago, or will take place days or weeks from now.

You can start a flashback or flash forward, just

like in your favorite espionage movies, “48

hours ago,” or “Three days from now.”

Feel free to tie it into the current Mission,

loosely involve one or more current NPCs, or

just keep them cleanly separate.




Rejoining the Primary MissionThe Agents from the Side Mission will rejoin

their fellow Agents in the primary Mission as

the next game session begins to pick up right

where everyone left off. The same transporta-

tion can return them or they can even be air

dropped in. Again, your FX Budget will help

determine that. Agents from the Side Mission

might have sustained wounds or even gained

a Flaw. If this was a flashback or flash forward,

wounds may not carry back into the Primary

Mission (how convenient for the Agents).

As Administrator you have a lot of latitude to

adjust your missions on the fly. Agents will do

the unexpected, and it is rewarding when you

can roll with it and still keep things on track.

There may be one or more Scenarios in a

Mission that are Checkpoints - places that the

Agents, regardless of prior actions, must arrive

at for the Mission to “work.” In official Deni-

able Asset™ published Missions, any suggest-

ed Checkpoints will be obviously labeled.

As you create your own missions, you may

wish to identify in advance Scenarios that are

Checkpoints, annotate them, and keep them inmind as you roll with player dynamics and

your own creativity. In order for the plot to

unfold correctly, the Agents MUST arrive at a

Checkpoint. That Scenario MUST work as

intended. Otherwise, it is not a Checkpoint.

Don’t arbitrarily insert a Checkpoint just to

have one. Your Mission design may be so

flexible that none are needed. Chances are,

there will be at least one key Scenario where a

major clue is, or the primary villain is set to

deliver important information, or it is a Scenar-

io that really sets the tempo for your game.

You can use any die type you care to from D2’s

all the way to D100’s. Establish the success for

the die type as the top 50% of the number

range. For example, using a D8, successeswould be 5 and higher. Using a D10, successes

would be 6 and higher. Using a D100, success-

es would be 51 and higher.

What you are really changing is the Power of

12 effect. This is now happening on the high-

est number for the die type. Using a D8, any

8’s generated would allow for another D8 to

be rolled for potentially more successes and

the same applies to any other die type youmight use.

This changes the odds.

Is this a risk you are willing to take?

There should be the occasional Scenario

where the only sane thing to do is retreat. Not

every challenge or conflict is a likely victory.

This is a choice the players should truly con-

sider.

And we say this because…

Remember, as you design your Missions, Sce-

narios, and Elements, that Agents need only

expire if the player chooses. They can always

have their character take a Flaw and keep

playing! It adds more role-playing opportuni-

ty. So, don’t be afraid to make an encounter

challenging.

Constant Flaw-or-die choices get just as te-

dious as never being challenged at all, so don’tover-do it. To that end...




The simple rule: ensure that the total value of

all Modus Operandi among Antagonists, Gear,

and Support Team is the same or very close to

the total value of all Modus Operandi for the

Agents, their Gear, and Support Team.

It is important to note that Espionage Points

are not mentioned. Initially, we recommend

not considering them when balancing an en-

counter.

Refer to the Antagonists chapter for guide-

lines.

Key concepts:

· Antagonists have a purpose

· Antagonists have Modus Operandi just as

characters do

· Antagonists will not sacrifice themselves

on the alter of Heroism without cause

· Antagonists can negotiate

· Antagonists can retreat to fight another

day

· Antagonists can view themselves as bad

guys

· Antagonists can view themselves as good

guys

This list could be many pages but we hope you

get the idea.

The short answer: As Administrator, you de-

cide.

Here are a few guidelines:

· NPCs who are Agents

· NPCs who are major characters in

the Mission

We would recommend that each Mission you

make should have one to three significant

NPCs.

Keep in mind that the number of significant

NPCs will dictate the opportunities for Perks aswell as the Nemesis Perk. If you want to

increase the Perk opportunities, plan for more

significant NPCs.

Be sure to strike a balance that works best for

your gaming group. Too many significant

NPCs can cloud the Mission and make the

experience more about them than the Agents.

Too few significant NPCs and character devel-

opment may be limited.

Any NPC can be vital to the Mission, become

life long friends with the Agents, or try to

thwart the Agents’ goals. All NPCs should

enrich the Story. Not all NPCs need to be

significant NPCs to accomplish that.

Even when dice are not being rolled, ask what

Modus Operandi drives a character’s actions.This will keep the players focused on the “how”

and the role-playing of their characters.

Deniable Asset™ has been designed with an

elegant and flexible system. An Administrator

and two Agents would be the recommended

minimum. Beyond that, as many Agents as

you think you can manage. An Administrator

and a single Agent would create a differentdynamic altogether.

The ideal party size would be four Agents,

each with a main focus on a different Modus

Operandi. We say this mostly for the role-play

experience. Enough people to spice things up

and each Modus Operandi brings its unique

flavor into the game.


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