brats

writer: Charlotte Laskowski
writer: Snow

brats

HOW TO PLAY

If you have a good plan or quality equipment, or if you’re attempting a trivial task, you succeed. If the action is risky, or if failure would be interesting, use the dice!

To resolve most actions, make a Check—roll d20 under a relevant Stat.

If you’re on the back foot, roll with Disadvantage: roll two of the same dice and take the worse result. For Advantage, take the better result.

STATS

You have three Stats you use to interact with the world. At character creation, roll 3d6 for each, in order.

Fashion. Bodily prowess. Used for beef, determining Accessory slots, and your starting Popularity.

Talent. Reflexes and skill. Used for impressing and insulting.

Passion. Mental acuity. Used for determining Motivation and passing classes.

CONFIDENCE

Starting Confidence is equal to half of your highest Stat.

Spend a point of Confidence to have things go your way.

To test your Confidence, roll a d20 under your current Confidence to avoid catastrophe — whether you succeed or fail, reduce your Confidence by 1.

Every morning, set your Confidence to its starting value.

BEEF

When necessary, determine Motivation by rolling d20 under your Passion. If you succeed, you decide when you act. If you fail, the GM does.

To hit an enemy with an attack, roll under a relevant Stat (Fashion for throwing hands, Talent for insults from afar), but over your opponent’s Looks.

When half of a single opponent’s Popularity is gone, or when half of a group of enemies is done for, roll under your Passion to see if they stay to fight, or if they run away or surrender.

POPULARITY

To determine your Popularity at character creation, roll d6 and add your Fashion score.

When you take damage, reduce your Popularity by that much. At 0 Popularity, roll d20 under your Confidence or switch schools. If you succeed, return to 1 Popularity and gain a Rumor (takes up a slot of your Accessories).

Regain d3 Popularity after showing off. A sleepover with your friends restores all Popularity. Successfully testing your Confidence for 1 week heals 1 Rumor.

CLIQUE

When you roll your starting Popularity, consult this list. The d6 result also determines your clique:

1 HP. nerd. You start with 1 Secret. You have a good grasp over all of the subjects at your school.

2 HP. loner. You can turn invisible.

3 HP. goth. You can see the future or heal 1 Popularity when you smoke a cigarette. You start with 1 spell.

4 HP. best friend. You aren't known for much other than being the friend of someone else more popular than you. You roll your friend's Confidence instead of your own when in their vicinity. You start with 1 Secret.

5 HP. mean girl. You start with 2 Secrets. You can spread a Rumor once a week.

6 HP. cheerleader. You have a boyfriend on the football team and he'll beat people up for you. If your Popularity drops below half, he breaks up with you until it goes back up.

ACCESSORIES

You can wear a number of accessories equal to your Fashion. Most accessories take up one slot, but each piece of clothing takes two. School supplies, like pencils or notebooks, take up no slots.

When your Popularity falls to 0, roll d20 under your Confidence or switch schools. If you succeed, you “live” (1 Popularity), but gain a Rumor. Rumors take up one slot of Accessory space—you can’t use that slot until the Rumor is dispelled.

RUMORS

I heard you and X … Y.*

  1. Another Player (Nose goes)
  2. The janitor
  3. Johnny’s Mom
  4. Your sister
  5. The weird kid
  6. Aubrey, from first period
  7. Your best friend
  8. Your ex
  9. The school bully
  10. The New Kid
  11. Cameron, the quarterback
  12. A golf team loser
  13. A senior
  14. The tuba player
  15. A nerd
  16. Yasmin, the “pretty princess”
  17. Cloe, the “angel”
  18. Jade, the "kool kat"
  19. Sasha, the "bunny boo"
  20. U.G.I.S. (Ugliest Girl In School)

DOING…

  1. Smoking a cigarette in the bathroom
  2. Doing drugs under the bleachers
  3. Giving stick-and-pokes in the parking lot
  4. Making out
  5. Getting to second base
  6. Picking each other’s noses
  7. Sniffing each other’s butts
  8. Cheating on your bf/gf
  9. Skipping class
  10. Copying test answers
  11. Checking out Mr. Simmons
  12. Totally frenching
  13. Giving each others handies
  14. Prank called the principal
  15. Stole the school mascot
  16. Tee-Peed Tanya’s house
  17. Are flirting with college boys
  18. Stole your dad’s beer
  19. Filmed a sex tape
  20. Are pregnant

* if the rumor doesn’t automatically make sense, double down.

SECRETS

You know what a secret is. If you have a secret, and someone knows it, they may turn it into a Rumor at any time. It is no longer a secret. These Rumors take up twice as many slots and take twice as long to dispel.

Equipment

At character creation, everyone starts with school supplies, a week's worth of lunch money, a backpack, and an outfit. Roll for a starting style and accessory.

Unarmed attacks do 1 damage to them and yourself. Petty insults do d6 with Disadvantage, while a clever retort does d6. Low blows or referencing a Rumor does d6 with Advantage. Secrets deal 2d6 damage and also do something cool (like make them cry).

Looks come in styles:

  1. Prep
  2. Goth
  3. Nerd
  4. Jock
  5. Scene
  6. Skater

LOOKS

Roll 2d6 for your starting weapon and associated accessory.

  1. Prep - 2
  2. Goth - 1
  3. Nerd - 0
  4. Jock - 2
  5. Scene - 0
  6. Skater - 1

Accessories can give advantage or disadvantage depending on the circumstances.

Prep Accessories

  1. Flip phone with 23 minutes
  2. VW Bug (Birthday present)
  3. Abercrombie cardigan <3
  4. Daddy's credit card
  5. Year-round tan (+1 Looks)
  6. Well-signed yearbook

Goth Accessories

  1. 2 Cigarettes, newports
  2. Older brother’s zippo
  3. A colored mohawk (+1 Looks)
  4. Spiked pauldrons
  5. Doc Martens (white)
  6. A dog leash and collar

Nerd Accessories

  1. Jansport roller backpack
  2. Texas Instrument calculator
  3. Key to the teacher’s lounge
  4. Thick glasses (taped together)
  5. Valley girl dictionary (misogynist)
  6. This week’s finished homework

Jock Accessories

  1. Varsity jacket (golf)
  2. Varsity jacket (baseball)
  3. Varsity jacket (basketball)
  4. Varsity jacket (volleyball)
  5. Varsity jacket (lacrosse)
  6. Varsity jacket (football)

Scene Accessories

  1. Heelys
  2. Colored hair (can change every week)
  3. Gir hoodie (never washed)
  4. MCR’s latest CD
  5. Piercings (+1 Looks)
  6. Too many spiked belts

Skater Accessories

  1. Skateboard (broken)
  2. Cool scar (+1 Looks)
  3. Broken arm, cast signed by your crush.
  4. CD player + headphones
  5. Thrasher hoodie
  6. Warm beer (a sixer)

OPPOSITION

In order to do things that are directly opposed to another’s wishes or capabilities—like cheating on a test without getting caught, or flirting with someone else's boyfriend—roll under a relevant Stat and over your opponent’s Popularity or Level.

ADVANCEMENT

Every other session, or whenever you do something truly impressive, gain a Level. When you gain a Level, add 1 to your Popularity or attempt to improve one of your stats. To improve a Stat, roll 3d6 over your current score in that Stat—if you succeed, add 1 to it.

Reference

TIME

In school, time passes in hour-long classes. You can do one meaningful thing each class. In between each class, roll for an encounter.

After school, time passes in Nights. A Night is the rest of the day, or the amount of time it takes you to study, go to a party, or wander around the local Wal-mart.

When Beefing, time is measured in Rounds. Each Round is a few seconds, time enough to say something witty, share a secret, or throw a punch.

Curfews allow you to stay out after dark (or until 10p.m.). Curfews only last for the night. You get a curfew by doing your chores. Staying out later gets you grounded.

EXPLORATION

You can travel to one Place each Night, or stay in your own house. If the Place is far away, it takes a car to get there.

ENCOUNTERS

When rolling for an encounter, roll a d6. On a 1 or 2, roll on your favorite encounter table. On a 1, the encounter happens immediately. On a 2, there is a sign of the next encounter, instead.

SAMPLE SCHOOL ENCOUNTERS

  1. The three Chadsworth Brothers looking for a kid to shove into a locker.
  2. Hall Monitor already writing you a citation.
  3. Crowd gathering around a pathetic fight.
  4. The Mean Girls workshop a new rumor about you to your face.
  5. Your crush. Impress them or suffer the consequences.
  6. Teacher looking for an excuse to give you detention. Try them.

SAMPLE NIGHT ENCOUNTERS

  1. Cops.
  2. Stray cat.
  3. Other teenagers. 1:4 chance they have beer.
  4. Drug dealers.
  5. Windowless Panel Van.
  6. Party. Everyone's already intoxicated.

FRIENDS

Friends are NPCs made loyal by favors and secrets.

Roll 2d6+3 for friend stats as needed (or roll 2d6+6 instead for one that they excel at). Friends leave school at 0 Popularity.

To get friends to fight, roll d20 under your Passion. They have Disadvantage on Beef rolls.

Nerd. 1 Popularity. Can do your homework or write an essay.

Teacher's Pet. d6-1 Popularity. Can get you test answers.

Theater Kid. d6 Popularity. Advantage on causing a distraction.

Gossip. d6 Popularity. Can spread a Rumor for you.

Plug. d6+1 Popularity. Can acquire most things in limited quantities.

Janitor. d6+3 Popularity. Will not leave the school at 0 Popularity. Can find and share 1 secret about someone with you.

REACTIONS

If you’re unsure about how NPCs might react to the player characters,

roll 2d6.

2. Beef!

3. Hostile

4. Suspicious

5. Surly

6. Disinterested

7. Neutral

8. Amicable

9. Cheerful

10. Friendly

11. Helpful

12. Treats You Like Family

Friend groups remember players’ deeds. If the players have hurt their chances with the NPC, roll with Disadvantage. If they have a history of good behavior, roll with Advantage.

NPCs

OCCUPATION

1. Artsy Kid

2. Loner

3. Mean Girl

4. Slacker

5. Skater

6. Emo Kid

7. Scene Kid

8. Transfer Student

9. Foreign Exchange Student

10. Jock

11. Bully

12. Lunch Lady

13. Librarian

14. PTA Mom

15. School Board Member

16. Janitor

17. Teacher

18. Truancy Officer

19. Vice Principal

20. Principal

GOAL

1. To party

2. To have the most friends

3. To commit arson on school grounds

4. To slack off

5. To impress their enemies

6. To impress their friends

7. To start trends

8. To impress their crush

9. To smoke in the bathroom

10. To keep their head down

11. To be popular

12. To do well

13. To make it through the day

14. To spread rumors about faculty

15. To learn secrets about faculty

16. To shove kids in lockers

17. To spread rumors about students

18. To learn secrets about students

19. To cause drama

20. To get the school closed

EXTRA CLIQUES

When your first character leaves the school, make another from this list. Roll d66 for your HP and class. The first die is your HP, and the second is your class.

1 HP

  1. nerd. You start with 1 Secret. You have a good grasp over all of the subjects at your school.
  2. hunter. You hunt down the supernatural. You know the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves, and you know how to track them down and kill them.
  3. new kid. You start with 1 Secret. After one month, roll for a new clique.
  4. slacker. You start with 1 Secret and 1 Rumor. Most people don't remember your face or your deeds.
  5. stoner. You regain 1 Confidence whenever you get high.
  6. theater kid. If someone starts beef with you, any other theater kid in the vicinity will descend on them like a swarm of locusts. You know your way around the auditorium.

2 HP

  1. loner. You can turn invisible.
  2. skater. You have a skateboard and you can do tricks with it.
  3. emo. You have your own band. Start with 2 friends.
  4. choir nerd. Your well-trained voice can destroy one type of object.
  5. gamer. You have the latest console and 3 games for it.
  6. cursed. Your meat is a vessel for the spirits of the unquiet dead. Start with d3 ghosts with unfinished business inhabiting your mind

3 HP

  1. goth. You can see the future or heal 1 Popularity when you smoke a cigarette.
  2. scene. Roll twice on the Scene accessories table. You know your way around Myspace.
  3. prep. Your parents let you drink wine on the weekends.
  4. band geek. Your free time is eaten up by band practice. Other band geeks know your Secrets, but will not spill them, and will always come to your defense if asked.
  5. social chameleon. You don't fit in anywhere, but you don't not fit in anywhere, either. Most NPCs have a neutral reaction to you.
  6. overachiever. You spend most of your nights studying. You know a Secret about a teacher.

4 HP

  1. best friend. You aren't known for much other than being the friend of someone else more popular than you. You roll your friend's Confidence instead of your own when in their vicinity. You start with 1 Secret.
  2. vampire. You are a vampire. You are natural enemies with werewolves. If you drink someone's blood, you learn a Secret (if they have one). If they don't, they get a crush on you.
  3. artsy kid. You can go into the art room whenever you want, and the art teacher will go to bat for you.
  4. poet. You're good with words. You can dispel any Rumors about your friends in d6 days.
  5. punk. You can pick locks with unconventional tools. Start with a bobby pin.
  6. magical girl. Roll on a class in bastards. pearlescent edition to determine your class when transformed. You may transform at will, at risk of revealing your secret identity.

5 HP

  1. mean girl. You start with 2 Secrets. You can spread a Rumor once a week.
  2. werewolf. You are a werewolf. You are natural enemies with vampires. See in black-and-white, and can track scents over leagues. Your bite does damage.
  3. teacher's pet. You have a key to the staff lounge.
  4. rebel. Faculty expects the worst from you. Janitors will bum you cigarettes. You start with 1 Secret and know 1 Secret.
  5. class clown. When someone tries to spread a Rumor about you, you may roll Confidence to laugh it off.
  6. prom queen. You start with 2 Secrets. You can spread a rumor using your own Secret about someone else. It stays a Secret. The target may test Confidence to learn the true origin of the Rumor.

6 HP

  1. cheerleader. You have a boyfriend on the football team and he'll beat people up for you. If your Popularity drops below half, he breaks up with you until it goes back up.
  2. jock. You're on the school's biggest sports team. No one beefs with you on purpose, and you throw the best parties on the weekends.
  3. rich kid. You can acquire almost anything, if your daddy approves. You have your own car. You throw mediocre parties, but your parents let you raid their liquor cabinet.
  4. plug. You can acquire almost anything, given enough time. You have your own car, but every time you drive it, roll d6. On a 6, it breaks down and takes 1 week to fix.
  5. class president. You have a small amount of influence with the school faculty and school board. You can affect the entire school if you choose to wield it.
  6. twin. You have an identical twin. You share Popularity, Secrets, and Rumors because no one can quite tell you apart.

Belmont High

Auditorium

The door into the seating area is right inside the school's entrance. It's dimly lit and empty except for a janitor. Up the stage and through the wings is a somewhat labyrinthine collection of rooms and hallways filled with costumes, props, and stage dressing. A trio of students are skipping class back here. It seems unlikely they'll be caught.

Library

Rows and rows of stacks, and a lot of tables. It's mostly empty. There is a librarian who glances up for a second when you walk in. Two scene girls are kissing in a corner rumored to be out of sight of the cameras. A camera was installed facing that direction last semester and is clearly visible. A row of computers lines the back wall.

Science Class

Sterile and larger than other classrooms, with lab tables and stools instead of desks. Mr. Davis teaches chemistry here, and is overly willing to answer chemistry-related questions. He will hand out detention slips like candy if you start fucking around during a chem lab. The doors are locked when he's not in.

English Class

This classroom has windows facing the parking lot. The walls are covered with posters and quotes from famous authors, and there are bean bag chairs in a designated "reading corner". Miss Kennedy is one of the nicest teachers in the school, and doesn't mind if you fall asleep during classwork time. Many students take advantage of this until they learn she is also one of the harshest graders.

Math Class

This classroom feels cramped. There are tables, instead of desks, that seat two. The teacher got knocked up and has been out for a few months, and the rotating stable of substitutes can't get their shit together enough for this to be a real class. The same lesson has been taught the last 3 days in a row.

Cafeteria

Recently remodeled. It looks worse, and you can still see where they took the vending machines out. A large, cavernous room with rows of long tables on one end, and circular tables on another. The lunch ladies are always looking for people to help, and it's a good excuse to get out of class.

Principal's Office

Somehow never brightly-lit enough, even with overhead lights and large windows. The Principal always forgets to lock his door. There's a few bookshelves in the room and an ancient computer on his desk. The principal himself, Mr. Allen, seems to be deathly afraid of eye contact.

Staff Lounge

Locked up tighter than Fort Knox. There's a glass panel by the door and a few real vending machines are visible next to the fridge meant for teachers' lunches. There's a table in the center, a coffee machine on the counter next to the fridge, and a couch.

Gymnasium

Always busy between the hours of 6 AM and 6 PM. Large room, high ceilings, bleachers that can retract back up, and basketball hoops. The track and basketball teams have to share on rainy days. Someone is always yelling for some reason, and the school nurse's number is on speed dial in the PE teacher's office. School assemblies are held here instead of the auditorium, for some reason.

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