C22 System

C22 is a generic RPG system that focuses on enabling players to control their luck, creativity create magic, with tactical and deadly combat.

The details are best seen on c22system.com/ but the start of the SRD is shown below

Build Your Own Luck (What is C22)

A C22 System is a tabletop roleplaying engine using playing cards and a set of rules that give the Players control over their own luck as they tell stories of fictional characters performing great deeds. This rule set will explain how to use a standard 54-card deck of playing cards to play a character in any setting you and your friends can imagine. The rule set will also show how your deck can grow and shift, becoming a unique expression of your character. Grab at least two friends and a deck of playing cards each and let’s dive in!

PLAYERS AND THE DEALER

The participants of a roleplaying game take on the roles of different characters to go on adventure and overcome obstacles, to collectively tell a story. One person will take on the role of The Dealer, while the others will be Players taking on the roles of characters in the story. The Players will take turns describing how they interact and change the story, while the Dealer explains how the world and all its inhabitants respond using the rules presented in this SRD as a guide.

WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY

• People: One person to facilitate the game as the Dealer and at least two others as Players. This game works best with three to four Players but more can be easily added.

• Character Sheet: Available in the downloads page of this website.

• Pencils and Paper: For notes written throughout the game.

• Playing Cards: One standard 54 card deck of playing cards per Player. More for the Dealer is preferred but not necessary.

• A Setting: A world of your own to explore and create your own story in.

Optional Ideas

The following ideas can be used to enhance your experience playing the C22 System.

• Tokens: To represent the various characters within a battle or combat situation, including the heroes, NPCs, and monsters. This does not need to be a 3D model replica of what your character looks like, but can be something as simple as a bottle cap. The token just needs to be easy to identify.

• A Hex Grid: Tactical combat in C22 System takes place on a hex grid as it provides more options for characters and an easier way to visualize the intricacies of a battle. Not all settings require combat to be tactical

WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME?

In a roleplaying game, there is always a story. It may not be a story about an unlikely adventurer who found a ring and must go to a volcano to destroy it halfway around the world. It may just be a story about being trapped in a room. In either case, there is still a story. While the story is guided be The Dealer, the story is ultimately created by the Players and their adventures. This is something unique to tabletop roleplaying games that books, movies, and even video games cannot replicate. The ability to tell whatever story you want. A story that is unique to you.

THE DECK

A character’s deck is made up of 22 number cards. The default starting deck is the 2s, 4s, 5s, 6s, and 8s of all four suits. The Red and Black Jokers are also added.

As the character performs actions and makes Skill Checks, cards are drawn and placed face up in the discard pile. Once a Joker is drawn and the turn is resolved (meaning the effects are applied and the Skill Check is resolved), reshuffle the deck.

For every check, cards will be drawn until a number card is reached. Number cards are any card with a number on it, the 2s through the 10s, along with Aces and Jokers. Aces and Jokers count as number cards but have additional rules that will be covered in The Deck. The Red Joker is a critical success, with a number value of 14, and the Black Joker is a critical fail, with a number value of 0.

The other card type is face cards, this consists of the Jacks, Queens, and Kings. Face cards can be used to change the suit of number cards and grant additional benefits to skilled characters. We will cover more of this in later sections.

As characters level up, they will be able to swap cards in their deck, upgrading numbers or adding in face cards. Jokers cannot be removed from the deck for any reason.

THE SKILLS

The other defining aspect of a character is their Skills. Their Skills represent the experience they have accumulated throughout their lives. All conflict resolution is handled by using Skills. The value of the card, combined with the benefits granted from Skills, will determine the degree to which the action succeeds, or not.

General Skills

Skills have two types: General Skills and Specific Skills. All characters can use a General Skill, unless the setting says otherwise, but Specific Skills can only be used by characters that have experience with them.

General Skills have a governing Attribute, which helps tie the Skill to a suit on the cards. When the associated suit is present, the General Skill gets a benefit, when the opposite suits are present the General Skill has a penalty. This represents favorable and unfavorable conditions that can occur throughout an adventure.

Specific Skills

Specific Skills are like General Skills except narrower in scope. Specific Skills are related to a General Skill and association will be shown on the Character Sheet. Common associated Specific Skills will be listed with their General Skill in Appendix S in this book.

When a character levels up, they will be able to improve the General Skills by purchasing or improving Specific Skills. Specific Skills are bought with the Skill Points granted each level. If the Specific Skill is already known, a character can improve the Specific Skill.

SKILL CHECKS

A Skill Check is the required whenever an outcome is in question. Outside of combat this is done by drawing one number card. The value of the check is equal to the value of the card number plus the suit modifier plus the Skill modifier. The average difficulty for a check for characters will be between 6 and 8.

 Meeting the check value would grant a success with a complication while being slightly below would grant a failure with a boon. This is covered in more detail in The Dealer’s Handbook

CARD NUMBER + SUIT MODIFIER + SKILL MODIFIER = CHECK VALUE.

COMBAT

C22 System features fast, deadly, and tactical combat. Combat is turn based and takes place on a hex grid. Characters will lose Health nearly every time they are in combat as the stresses of battle wear them down. Combat is expected to last between 2 to 4 rounds.

At the start of combat Players will draw a card to determine Initiative with suits playing a bigger role in who goes first than the number. Each round, on a Player’s turn, they will draw two number cards from their deck. Using those two cards they will choose how they want to act this round, allocating their cards to a weapon, to a maneuver, to magic, or to General utility. Each Player has two attack actions and two Movement actions they can take each turn. How they use these cards in conjunction with their actions is up to the Player and can lead to a plethora of different results. Combat is covered in detail in the Combat section

Maneuvers are methods which characters attack, hoping to disable an enemy or ensure a better hit. These maneuvers are learned through Specific Skills and provide the unique options for the characters. Basic maneuvers are always available but when the conditions are just right, the correct card is drawn, a more powerful version of the maneuver can be taken.

Magic in combat is unpredictable in C22 Systems. The two cards draw at the start of the turn are used to build the spell the character wishes to cast. Both numbers decide the level of success while the suit will determine the theme of the spell.  The system is built to encourage creativity from the Player as the react to the theme that is brought forth. Magic is discussed in detail in the Magic and Powers section highlighting the options available to magic wielders as they grow.