Pocket Odyssey Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Components
• The Big Picture
  • General Method of Play
  • Taking Turns
  • The Challenge
  • Skills
  • Advantage & Disadvantage
  • Custom Rules
  • Newb Card
• Setup Part I: The Storyteller
  • Creating the Quest
  • Tips on Story Creation
  • Example Quest Creation
• Setup Part II: The Heroes
  • Character Creation
• Setup Part III: Combat
  • Picking Baddies
  • Marker Cards
  • Flow of Battle Cards
• Player Actions
  • Single-Action Turns
  • Movement
  • Attack, Defense, and Dodge Points (DP)
  • The Wounded State
  • Healing
  • Death
  • Special Stat and Power Cards
  • Rolling a 6
  • Zones — Radiate, Spray, & Ranged
  • Conditions
  • End of Combat and Leveling Up
• Example Game Play
• Single Player Game Mode

Game Components

• 28 Map Cards
• 1 Name Card
• 1 Newb Card
• 24 Background Cards
• 10 Stat Cards
• 39 Power Cards
• 1 Reference Card
• 36 Baddy Cards
• 16 Personal Goal Cards
• 18 Quest Cards
• 40 Item Tokens
• 1D6 and 20 Wooden Pawns
• 35 Loot Cards
• 15 Marker Cards
• 20 Flaw Cards
• 80 Counters
• 20 Special Counters
• 10 Flow of Battle Cards
• 25 Hidden Power Cards

The Big Picture

In Pocket Odyssey one player acts as the Storyteller who creates an adventure through which the other players journey; this includes challenges they encounter like traps or baddies. The Storyteller also acts as the referee and has the final call on all things, including breaking and creating new rules. Each player controls one hero in that story and tries to complete the overall party quest (made by the Storyteller) and any Personal Goal Cards before the end of the adventure.

General Method of Play

1. The Storyteller describes the location and event.
2. The adventurers take turns portraying what they want to do.
3. The Storyteller determines the difficulty of a roll (the challenge) that needs to be beaten for the players to complete their tasks.
4. The players roll the die.
5. The Storyteller or the players narrate the result of the adventurer's undertaking.

Taking Turns

Outside of combat, players can act whenever they want. During combat, players act in order. Each rolls the die and the highest roll acts first. Any baddies of that player's color act next, then the player to the left starts a turn, and so on until the combat is over.

The Challenge

After the adventurers have explained what they wish to do, the Storyteller must choose the difficulty of the challenge: normal, hard, or impossible. This determines what the players must roll to be successful.

Normal: Automatic success. If the player wants to perform a normal action (one that everyday people can achieve without difficulty) it is automatically successful. For example, opening a door, ducking behind a wall, and climbing a ladder are all normal tasks.

Hard: If the player wants to perform a task that most people would struggle with or fail, the player must roll a 4, 5, or 6 with the 6-sided die, a 50% chance. If the player has a special skill that would apply to the action, the player automatically succeeds with the action. Examples of hard tasks would be grappling an average baddy or pushing an average baddy a couple of feet backwards.

Impossible: If the player has a special skill that would apply to the action being taken there is a 50% chance of success with the action (roll a 4, 5, or 6 on a 6-sided die). If not, the player automatically fails the task. Examples of impossible tasks are swinging on a chandelier and then cutting it down to hit baddies underneath it or throwing a torch into the eye of a flying dragon.

Skills

Each character background has a different set of skills. Some skills have very specific rules, but the general spirit of a skill is that the player can argue for why a skill can be used to aid a roll or give advantage in a situation. The player is on the hook for making the argument to prove its use, and MUST be approved by the Storyteller.

Advantage & Disadvantage

The Storyteller determines whether a circumstance would give a roll advantage or disadvantage. A player with advantage rolls the dice twice and keeps the higher number; with disadvantage the player rolls twice and keeps the lower number (Ex: a Hard challenge is to scale a castle wall, however, the player has advantage on the roll since they have a grappling hook).

Custom Rules

Pocket Odyssey is designed to supply only the most critical rules to keep the game focused and balanced. The Storyteller is vital to making Pocket Odyssey fun by creating on-the-fly rules that are fair and keep the game moving. Every time a different player acts as the Storyteller, the game should feel very different. The Storyteller is all-powerful in this world.

Newb Card

If there is a player who is new to RPGs, this card will simplify the character creation process. The Storyteller should hand this player the Newb Card during the second part of the game set up.

Setup Part I: The Storyteller

Creating the Quest

The Storyteller draws 4 Quest Cards and discards 1, using the other 3 to help brainstorm ideas for 3 events that could take place during the adventure. These cards are used for inspiration only and have no specific rules.

Tips on Story Creation

When brainstorming the 3 events, think beginning, middle, and end, but don't overthink the story events or how they link to each other. Pick what you think would be the most fun, epic, or interesting and then just give a quick explanation of how the players got from point A to point B.

• It's recommended to have 2 or 3 opportunities for combat during an adventure to keep it action-packed.
• Don't worry about creating the answer to every situation you put the players in; just be ready to work with how they suggest a solution to the problem.
• Add many interesting interactive elements in the story, even if you don't know their significance. The players will figure out how to use them in a memorable way.
• If you're stuck, think about a recent book or movie you enjoyed and throw your players into an event that inspired you from that source.
• When controlling baddies, remember to role-play. Are the baddies smart, aggressive, or self-preserving? Do they trash talk? Are they smug?

Example Quest Creation

The Storyteller draws 4 Quest Cards and gets Random Event, Death Trap, Held Prisoner, and Chase. After a minute or so the Storyteller realizes that the Held Prisoner has sparked an idea and the Death Trap can fit into it easily, he also picks Random Event because it sounds like fun, and sets Chase aside. The general quest idea is below...

Event 1 (from the Held Prisoner Card): The players wake up already having been captured by gobs, so a couple gobs will be close by but distracted. If there is combat, gobs will be used for the baddies. The players must figure out how to escape.

Event 2 (from the Random Event Card): After escaping the gob prison the players come to a dead end with a statue that is laying on its back. There are lights on the wall that light up when the players touch the statue; as they get closer to its shoulders the lights get brighter until they realize they have to give it a back rub. Whoever gives it a back rub has a love spell cast on them and won't want to willingly leave the statue behind.

Event 3 (from the Death Trap Card): The players wander into a large colosseum and spot the exit from there. As they are walking toward it a magic barrier traps them inside. They find themselves in the presence of the gob king's weekly entertainment, a cage match with a black dragon! Multiple gobs are watching as the players have to survive AND figure a way out.

Setup Part II: The Heroes

Character Creation

If using a Newb Card, skip steps 1-3.

1. Choose Background Card. Draw 2 random Background Cards and keep 1.
2. Distribute Power Points. Draw 3 random Power Cards and do one of the following:
   • Keep all 3 powers; each one can be used once per combat.
   • Discard 1 card and choose 1 remaining card to use 2 times per combat.
   • Discard 2 cards and keep only 1; this power can be used 3 times per combat.
3. Distribute Stat Points. Each player gets 3 Stat Points to distribute between Attack, Defense, or Special stats (pg. 15 & 16 for descriptions).
4. Draw a Flaw. Randomly draw a Flaw Card; this is how others would describe your character.
5. Draw a Personal Goal. Randomly draw a Personal Goal Card and keep it hidden from the other players. In order to win the game, you must complete both the party quest AND Personal Goal Card. Reveal this card once you complete it.
6. Draw an Item Token. Randomly draw an Item Token and discuss with the Storyteller what you think this object should do. The Storyteller must approve your idea.
7. Draw a Hidden Power Card. Randomly draw a Hidden Power Card and keep it hidden from the other players until you use it. These are powerful abilities that can only be used once during the game.
8. Create your Basic Gear. Your hero is equipped with basic armor and two weapons: a melee and a ranged. These don't normally affect the gameplay so feel free to choose what you like as long as the Storyteller approves.

Example: This player has kept 2 Power Cards and put 1 point in Special and 2 in Attack, meaning the player only gets 3 Dodge Points (since the player didn't add any points to Defense, see pg. 15).

Setup Part III: Combat

Picking Baddies

Each baddy has a level that dictates how powerful it is; for each hero in the combat the Storyteller should use 3 levels worth of baddies. Whenever the players go up a level, add 2 more levels worth of baddies per player. So for the 2nd fight, with 2 players, the Storyteller should use 10 levels worth of baddies ((3+2) × 2 players) and for the 3rd fight, the Storyteller should use 14 ((3+2+2) × 2 players).

Marker Cards

The Storyteller has 3 pieces for each player color but in different shapes: an octagon, cube, and cylinder. At the end of each hero's turn, the baddies in that hero's color take their turns. For each baddy token the Storyteller will have one matching Marker Card; these are used to dictate which piece is which baddy and how many current Dodge Points they have. For set up, take the Baddy Card for each enemy in the combat, then place a Marker Card under that card for each piece that is supposed to be that baddy and add any buffer health points that the baddy may have.

For example, if you have 3 Gob Berserkers (represented by the red cylinder, red cube, and blue cylinder), you would place matching Marker Cards under the Gob Berserker card. You would then add 3 points on each card to represent the baddy's buffer health to be added to its minimum health to get the dodge number; as these baddies dodge attacks, they lose their buffer points until they have only their minimum health left (see pg. 15).

(Example Baddy Card — Gob Berserker: Attack Stat 3, Minimum Health 3, Buffer Health 3, Level 1. "If attacked but not wounded, add a power token to this enemy. Add +1 Attack for each power token on this enemy.")

The Storyteller then picks the Map Cards to be used for the combat and sets the positions of the players and baddies, adding a short description of the environment. Players roll the die to see who goes first and then continue clockwise around the table.

Flow of Battle Cards

There are 10 Flow of Battle Cards (FOB Cards). Each time someone rolls a 6, flip over the top card and apply the effect on the card. There are 3 cards that help the baddies, 3 that help the players, and 4 neutral cards. These cards help replicate the chaos of battle, as the tides can change rapidly during a fight; a true tactician never ignores this. For example, were the last 2 cards good for you? Better be ready for some rough waters ahead and not take too many risks.

Player Actions

Single-Action Turns

Players and baddies can only take a single action on their turn. A list of the most common actions is below.

1. Melee Attack. The player can take a short movement and attack a baddy that the player is touching.
2. Run. Take a normal movement for your turn.
3. Use a Power Card. Though many Power Cards require an action, some take effect instantly; these cards will say Free Action on the card.
4. Load a Ranged Weapon. Take some time to load your weapon and aim your shot, grab a Special Counter so everyone knows you have a loaded weapon.
5. Fire a Ranged Weapon. This functions the same as a melee attack but you can target any creature you can see.
6. Use a Loot Card. Though many Loot Cards require an action, some take effect instantly; these cards will say Free Action on the card. Potions are discarded after a single use.
7. Fortify. Enter a defensive stance to gain 2 temporary Dodge Points until the end of your next turn.
8. Custom Action. Anything that takes about 10 seconds to accomplish.

Movement

Short Movement: The shorter side of a Power Card, give or take a small amount.

Normal Movement: The longer side of a Power Card, give or take a small amount.

Special Movement: Climbing a wall or pushing through a barricaded door will take an entire turn even if the movement is less than the normal distance; this is left to the Storyteller's discretion.

When a creature is blocking a hallway or tight space, another ally can move through as long as they are both willing (normally enemies are not willing).

Attack, Defense, and Dodge Points (DP)

Each player has 3 Dodge Points (for each point in defense add 1 more). When an enemy attacks a player, the enemy doesn't roll to hit, rather the player rolls to dodge. Each enemy has a flat stat for its attack. The player must then roll the die and add any Dodge Points to the roll to get the total dodge number. If the total dodge number is below the attack number then the player is wounded. If the dodge number is equal to or higher than the baddy's attack number, the player is fine, but loses a Dodge Point. This is to show that the player expended energy to dodge the attack. By default, whenever something is attacked, it automatically loses a Dodge Point unless an attack states otherwise.

When a player attacks a baddy the player rolls the die and adds the attack number to the roll. If the attack total is higher than the baddy's dodge number (which is the combined total of its minimum health and buffer health), the baddy is slain, otherwise it loses a buffer health point. Baddies can never lose minimum health points. When a player or baddy has no Dodge Points left, they can continue battling as normal until they are wounded or slain.

The Wounded State

A player is hit by rolling a dodge roll less than the baddy's attack number, taking 1 wound. Unless a player has a special ability, a single hit will put the player in the wounded state. When wounded, any remaining Dodge Points are kept. Wounded players can only act every other turn, starting with skipping their upcoming turn. Baddies don't enter this state, they are slain outright. Though baddies would normally ignore wounded heroes, baddies that attack them automatically kill them. Don't provoke a baddy when wounded! If a wounded hero survives a combat, that player is healed fully.

Healing

During combat, each player may only receive healing 3 times; this is called the Heal 3 Rule. Players may heal more than 1 DP each time but only on 3 different occasions; for example, if a player has a healing potion that grants 3 DP of healing, this would count as 1 healing event, allowing the player 2 more times in that fight where the player could receive healing.

Death

If a player is hit while in the wounded state the player will die. The player discards all cards associated with that hero and creates another hero from scratch. This new hero begins play after the combat ends at the same level as the other heroes (adding however many extra Stat Points the other players have).

Special Stat and Power Cards

Some Power Cards have you roll to see if they are successful, either for a special effect or to wound something. Whenever you are rolling because of a Power Card you ALWAYS add your Special stat instead of Attack stat. Many powers are automatic so make sure you actually need this stat before putting points here.

Rolling a 6

Remember, whenever you roll a 6 during combat, you need to flip over the next Flow of Battle Card.

Zones — Radiate, Spray, & Ranged

Some powers in Pocket Odyssey affect an area as opposed to a single enemy or ally, these are called Zones. A Zone is a circle approximately the size of half a Map Card, or more specifically, a radius the length of the short side of a Power Card. There are 3 types of Zones: Radiate Zones, Spray Zones, and Ranged Zones. The size of the Zone is the same while the positioning and line of sight rules are different. The line of sight determines what is shielded from a Zone and terrain blocks line of sight. Keep in mind, some powers affect all creatures and not just enemies, so be careful to avoid friendly fire.

• A Radiate Zone is positioned with the caster at the center. The caster also serves as the line of sight origin point.
• A Spray Zone is positioned with the circumference touching the caster. The caster also serves as the line of sight origin point.
• A Ranged Zone is positioned by placing the center anywhere in line of sight of the caster. This center point then serves as the line of sight origin point.

Conditions

• Blind: The target cannot see and has disadvantage on all actions.
• Deaf: The target cannot hear and has disadvantage on all actions.
• Exhausted: All enemies have advantage against the target.
• Hypnotized: The target performs one basic action on its turn chosen by the controller.
• Immobile: The target cannot move away from its space.
• Poisoned: At the end of its turn, the target loses 1 DP.
• Sleepy: The target has disadvantage on all actions and no skills.
• Stunned: The target cannot take any actions on its turn at all.

Tracking Conditions: When a baddy is poisoned, deaf, or has any temporary status effect, place a Special Counter on its Marker Card as a reminder.

End of Combat and Leveling Up

After a combat, players level up. This means they regain all Dodge Points and Powers they used during the fight. They roll the die, if 4 or above they randomly draw a Loot Card. Each player also receives 1 more Stat Point to place wherever they please. Players then discuss who the MVP of the fight was, and that player receives a point to put on one of his Power Cards so he may use it an extra time per combat.

Example Game Play

[After the Storyteller (ST) has chosen 3 Quest Cards and has taken some time to brainstorm the quest and the 2 heroes have finished creating their characters and introductions, Hero 1 (Slayer) is an Ogre Slayer with Butter Fingers and Hero 2 (King) is an Over Confident Swindler King, the Storyteller begins...]

ST: You find yourselves slowly waking up and trying to shake the blurriness from your eyes. Slayer, due to your Fortitude skill you quickly get your bearings only to realize a bag is over your head and you are chained to a wall by both wrists... You have a couple minutes before King will be fully conscious.

Slayer: Nice... Why am I here?

ST: Good question. How do you think your characters would find themselves as prisoners in a gob jail cell?

Slayer: ... Well, considering I have Butter Fingers, I probably botched a mission to sneak in here.

King: Great, thanks Slayer! ... We lost Ken because of you! Ken!!! :D

Slayer: I didn’t really like Ken much to begin with, so... anyway, I will attempt to break the chains then.

ST: Well, these are large iron chains... so, that would be impossible. Do you have a skill?

Slayer: Oh yes, Physique! [Slayer rolls the die and gets a 2]... [dripping with sarcasm] Oh yes, physique...

ST: You pull the chains with all your might, almost loosening them from the wall, but fail. King, the massive amount of noise Slayer is making awakens you fully. You find you are in the same cell as Slayer but are tied upside down from the ceiling... You don’t have a bag over your head, however.

King: Hmmm... Well! King has been in this type of a situation before thanks to Slayer, he is quite used to it. I am going to cast Polymorph to shrink down to a large cat and escape the rope.

ST: I'll allow it.

King: Sweet! I slip out of the jail cell and leave Slayer behind!

Slayer: I hate you...

King: Just kidding... hmm, how long does Polymorph last? It says till the end of my next turn, but since we aren’t in combat?

ST: Well, since a turn is about 10 seconds, it would be around 20 seconds, but do you have a plan?

Slayer: Don’t leave me please.

King: I leave the jail cell. Can I squeeze through the bars?

ST: Sure, but there are gob guards a little ways down the hall and they may see you sneak out, so you’ll need to beat a challenge in order not to alert them. I would say this would be a hard challenge given they are close but not very alert.

King: I have the Burglary skill so it should be an automatic success right?

ST: Mmmn, how would Burglary help you sneak past guards, wouldn’t that be more of a stealth skill?

King: Normally yes, but King has used this skill many times to pickpocket pedestrians. He waits to find a pattern in the way they are looking around to find an opening. What do you think?

ST: ... I guess I'll let it slip by this once.

King: Yussssss! I’m out... Which is not a surprise to King since he is over confident!

Slayer: I still hate you.

King: Hey, hey, hey, King hasn’t left anyone behind yet... I leave Slayer behind... Actually I have an idea. I’m going to cast Illusion... is there anywhere for me to hide where I can cast it in secret?

ST: Sure.

King: OK, cool. Here is my plan, I will cast an image that looks like my character has fallen down on his neck and is dead, then Slayer, you can yell for help to see if they will come in and we can attack them. Or, wait. I can attack them alone since you're still chained... How many of them are there?

ST: Just 2 in this room.

King: In this room? Hmmm, they may call for help.

Slayer: Maybe you should just try scaring them out of the room with that spell, then grab the keys and let me out quick... where are the keys? Can we see them?

ST: You can see some keys on the wall, yes.

King: Why are you so cryptic? I feel cold and scared... Oh! Can I cast Force Wall on the 2 of them and pin them in next to the wall so I can grab the keys and let Slayer out?

ST: Interesting. I like it! Since you have the Burglary skill I will assume you will be quick enough to open both the cell and unlock the chains from Slayer just as the spell stops.

King: You owe me.

ST: BUT, I am also going to say that the gobs have had time to call out to the nearby guards and that they will be ready for a fight when you are unchained.

Slayer: Bring it!

ST: OK, cool. Let’s set up the combat then. [ST picks out a map that most resembles the prison layout, puts the 2 heroes in the cell and places 6 levels worth of gobs near the entrance of the room, and takes a moment to explain everything on the map]. One thing to note is that King has already used 2 abilities and has not had time to rest and recover those yet, so you are down those powers for this fight. Also, your weapons and armor are over here so if you don’t get those first you will have disadvantage for every roll where you would normally be using them. Remember, disadvantage means you will roll twice and keep the lower number.

Slayer: I’m going to need all that stuff:

ST: OK, let’s roll to see who starts. [Slayer rolls higher]

Slayer: Alright ... [He pauses for a moment] Well, I have to get my stuff. It looks like its 2 normal moves away... ugh...

ST: Gonna go for your stuff?

Slayer: Yep, disadvantage is not going to work well for me. I make my way over here. [Slayer moves a normal move distance toward his equipment]

ST: OK, that means it’s time for your baddies to activate, you’re blue, so the blue cylinder and square are going to go next... Well, this guy goes invisible [Takes the blue cylinder off the board]

King: Wait, what!? Invisible?! ... I run. Now.

ST: Ha ha! Yep, he can go invisible... And this guy... is gonna go right up next to you King. K, your turn.

King: What eats gobs?

ST: What?

King: Well, I want to cast an illusion to freak these guys out.

ST: Abhh, I see. They are scared of big bad things.

King: Very descriptive, thank you.

ST: What is your big scary thing?

King: ... A massive zombie... cat. Yes. Ha ha.

ST: Ha ha, yes! OK, so you need to take a roll to see if it fools them. These guys are Gob Berserkers who are level 1 so they are automatically fooled, and these are Gob Blade Slingers who are level 2, which means you’ll have to roll a 2 or higher. Also it is a Ranged Zone, you’ll only be able to hit some of them.

King: I actually have a +1 to special so...

ST: Hey, you are good then, they will be automatically fooled.

King: I scream “CAAAAAAAATSSSS!” then I cast it... on these 2 guys since they are about to go next.

Slayer: Wow.

ST: Ha ha! OK, well these 2 red Gobs are... well, confused. So they are going to move back toward the door while maintaining their guard. Which brings us back to Slayer.

Slayer: Awesome. OK, well I make it over to my stuff, can I equip it this turn?

ST: Sure.

Slayer: Yes... This is done movie style by the way, so quick cuts to me pulling my belt tight, shoving my hands into my gloves... But Slayer is also making strange grunts while he is doing this, he is just really intense. Wants to kill some baddies.

King: Ha ha. I grunt when I get dressed too, I think it’s normal.

ST: [Whispers] That’s not saying a lot.

King: What?

ST: What?... I said, it’s these guys turn now. [Points to the blue character left on the board while placing the removed piece on the opposite side of King] Annnnd, they attack you.

King: This is not going to go well. So I am rolling for which... [line cut off in the scan]

ST: Let’s do the Berserker first, then the Slinger.

King: K, I have 1 point in defense so I have a +4... [He rolls a 1] That is not good! ... It’s a total of 5.

ST: You’re fine.

King: Phew. [He removes a Dodge Point] Goodbye Dodge Point. Next up [He rolls a 5] Yes! That’s an 8!

ST: K, you are good for now. Wait! Actually, you don’t have your armor, right? So you have disadvantage on these rolls. Ouch. But you can’t get lower than a 1, so just reroll the Blade Slinger.

King: I hate you so much... [He rolls a 2]... I hate you so much... That’s a 5, did I just die?

ST: Nope, you have to get below his attack, which is 5, so you barely made it.

King: [He removes a second Dodge Point] Goodbye, brother of my last Dodge Point... Wow, only 2 left... Slayer, can you do some, you know, slaying?

Slayer: Just what I was thinking! I am going to hit both of these guys with a fireball.

ST: Sounds good, I'll give you advantage since they are distracted by zombie cat.

Slayer: I'll take it! [He rolls twice and gets a 3 and 5] Well with my +2 in special, that’s going to give me a 7!

ST: Alright! These guys erupt in flame. Confusion and flame. One of them says “I was always a dog persoooon.”

King: Or Gob. A dog Gob. Ha ha.

ST: Well, they were going to go next, but we all know what happened, so it loops back to you King.

King: I’m alive! I run. And I... well, I may be crying as I do it. Like, one tear. But King doesn’t even notice it. [He brings his piece closer to Slayer]

ST: They follow you.

King: NOOOoooo. Why you want to kill me?

ST: “Man Flesh!” they are yelling. “We hate cats!” ... Back to you Slayer...

Slayer: King, what do we want to do?...

Single Player Game Mode

Pocket Odyssey: Table for One? For more information on the single player mode visit kaijukraft.com.