| Mugger! | Variable Encounters | Normal Victims | Optional Rule | Abnormal Victims |
| Dungeons & Dragons | - | Dragon magazine | - | The Dragon #26 |
The last decade has spawned a plethora of role-playing simulation
games. Dungeons and Dragons,
of course, is the eldest and foremost,
the “classic” fantasy game. As such, it has opened the doors to at
least a
dozen imitations, hybrids, and bastardizations, some good, some fair,
and some unmentionable.
But lately there has been a distressing swing toward role-playing
games of a more, uh, bizarre nature. There is one in which the
players
assume the role of monsters and gain points by killing dungeon
travellers
(is turnabout really fair play?). There is Boot Hill,
which offers the
pleasures of being gunned down by your favorite TV or movie western
hero, or tied in knots by a saloon girl who’s tougher than you are.
And at
the extreme end of the spectrum must be Bunnies and Burrows.
Readers
of the Dragon will no doubt remember this as the game
of intelligent
rabbits. This is one game that is entirely lost on me. The thrill of
being a
killer bunny cannot hope to match the satisfaction of a well-hurled
Meteor Swarm.
But putting all this merry banter behind, I at last approach the point
of this inspired polemic, and that is, that most role-playing games
today
focus on a fantasy universe, such as D&D, or are set in
a past historical
period a la En Garde, Gladiator, etc. But
there is not a single roleplaying
game that I know of set in the modern world, or that reflects
real-life conditions. This is indeed a shame, for the 20th Century
holds
many simulation possibilities every bit as intriguing as a locked chest
on
the ninth level, and just as much fun as pulping kobolds with a
morning-star. Not only that, but through a true-to-life simulation
we can
learn crucial survival skills necessary for self-preservation in today’s
world. Therefore, in all humbleness, I offer the following groundwork
of
a new role-playing game, firmly based on reality and at the same time
giving free rein to the players’ suppressed pathological desires. The
time
is 3 A.M., the Bronx, 1978. . .
Mugger!
The Game of Tactical Inter-City Combat, 1979
Each player will assume the role of one “mugger” (hereafter referred
to as mugger), the basic unit of play. The mugger gains experience
points through completing successful muggings and grabbing loot,
which is also translatable into experience points. The game objective
is
to amass as large a horde of experience points as possible while carrying
out one’s crimes and eventually gain a seat in the U.S. Congress, while
at the same time avoiding the dangers of being jailed, severely beaten
up, or killed.
The game is run by an M.M., or Mugger-Master, who lays out the
game-map and rolls the dice to determine events and outcomes. A
good Mugger! map will incorporate such typical urban features
as alleys,
shadowy doorways, parks, large hedges, trashcans, honky-tanks,
blue movie houses, and streetlights (both working and non-working
models).
The game is played on a one-to-one system, i.e., one M.M. and
one mugger. The mugger is assumed to start as Armor Class 7 (leather)
and should be equipped with any or all of the following weapons:
Mugger’s Weapons & Damage Table
*denotes special clause (see below)
| *switchblade | 1-4 | *switchblade — 1/6 chance of being rusted and not opening |
| *kitchen knife | 1-4 | *knife — 1/3 chance of being rusted and giving tetanus to whoever is
struck with it. |
| *nylon cord, 3’ | 1-6 | *nylon cord — must first be wrapped around victim’s neck before doing
the indicated damage. |
| length of chain | 1-8 | - |
| blackjack | 1-8 | - |
| brass knuckles | +4 to Bare Hands, below | - |
| lead pipe | 1-8 | - |
| tire iron | 1-10 | - |
| *broken bottle | 1-6 | *broken bottle — 1/6 chance of shattering in hand when used. |
| hurled bottle | 1-2 | - |
| hurled brick/rock | 1-3 | - |
| *two-by-four | 1-8 | *two-by-four — 1/3 chance of breaking over victim’s head when used |
| *Saturday Night Special | 12-48 | *Saturday night special — if mugger has less than 500 experience
points he is considered a novice, or amateur mugger, and as such, there is a 1/3 chance that he will forget to load his gun whenever he goes out mugging. There is also a 1/3 chance of the Saturday Night Special blowing up in the mugger’s face when fired, doing full damage to the mugger. |
| *bare hands | 1-2 | *bare hands — recommended only for muggers of exceptional
strength, or for those of gorilla ancestry no farther back than two generations. |
| Diie Roll | Encounters | Number Appearing |
| 1 | Cop on his beat | 1-2 |
| 2 | Roving squad cars | 1-3 |
| 3 | Tougher mugger | 1-6 |
| 4 | Street gangs | 1-8 gangs |
| 5 | Hare Krishna cult | 1-20 fanatics |
| 6 | Stray dogs | 4-24 |
| Die Roll | Loot | Ex. Points |
| 1 | Full hip flask | 5 |
| 2 | Expensive clothes | 10 |
| 3 | Paycheck/checkbook | 20 |
| 4 | Credit cards | 30 |
| 5 | Jewelry, watch | 40 |
| 6 | Ready cash | 50 |
| 7 | Season tickets for the
Dallas Cowboys games |
100 |
| 8 | Classified Dept.
of Defense material |
200 |
| 9 | An authentic
Van Gough original |
500 |
| 0 | Ten kilograms
of Plutonium |
1,000 |
The mugger normally receives 40 experience points for pulling off
a successful mugging, plus whatever points are acquired in the form of
loot. By building up experience points, the mugger slowly rises in
level
and professionalism (below).
| Ex. Points | Level | Classification |
| 0-300 | 1 | Clod |
| 301-500 | 2 | Creep |
| 501-700 | 3 | Punk |
| 701-900 | 4 | Crumb |
| 901-1100 | 5 | Tough |
| 1101-1300 | 6 | Hood |
| 1301-1500 | 7 | Thug |
| 1501-1700 | 8 | Crook |
| 1701-1900 | 9 | Criminal |
| 1901-2100 | 10 | Arch-Criminal |
| 2101-2300 | 11 | Master Criminal |
| 5000+ | 12 | Congressman |
The two classes of victims which the mugger is likely to run into, the
Pushovers and the Invincibles, are outlined below:
Pushovers (normal victims)
1. Old Man/Old Woman. Move at only 1/2 mugger’s movement allowance.
There is a 50% chance that the mugger finds no loot on them
except a Social Security check.
2. Young Lovers. One male and one female, encountered
only in
parked cars or under bushes in park areas. They are never armed and
only sometimes (50%) clothed. Mugger gains automatic surprise (and
are they ever surprised!). If they are determined to be unclothed,
mugger
may immediately steal clothes.
3. Good Humor Man. Only encountered in suburban areas. Identified
by his blazing white uniform and blazing white smile. Will cheerfully
surrender to mugger. His loot, however, consists only of popsicles
and small change.
4. Drunken Serviceman. Commonly are found tottering
around the
red-light district. 50% of the time they will be in a stupor and lying
in the
gutter. The mugger always has a +4 modification to his hit probability
as the serviceman is always too paralytic to fight back. However, there
is
a 75% chance that all his pay has been already spent on booze.
5. Blind Man. Movement allowance is 1/3 that
of mugger. Will be
armed with pencils, fruit, a cane, and possibly a non-violent seeing
eye
dog. His hit probability is extremely low (-10); mugger shouldn’t blow
this one.
6. Stranded Motorist. A real bonanza for any mugger,
This sort of
victim is worth double experience points, since it indicates that the
gods
are smiling upon the mugger. This victim can be identified by both
his
dazed, lost expression and the empty gasoline can in his hand. Frequently
approaches the mugger to ask for directions.
Optional Rule
To reflect the growing security-consciousness of urban-dwelling
senior citizens, the M.M. may wish to roll the die on the following
table to
determine if an Old Man/Old Woman is carrying any sort of concealed
protective device.
-
| Die roll | Armament |
| 1-4 | No devices carried |
| 5 | Police whistle (75% chance of
attracting 1-4 policemen) |
| 6 | Hat pin |
| 7 | Mace |
| 8 | Has completed self-defense course
in Tokyo |
| 9 | Tear gas |
| 10 | Smith & Wesson .38 |
Invincibles (abnormal victims)
1. Other Mugger Player-mugger must make saving-throw
vs.
panic/demoralization (16 or better on 20-sided die). If he makes his
ST,
treat other mugger as normal victim while arming him from the mugger
weapons list (above). If player-mugger fails to make his ST he runs
away. The other mugger, on a roll of 1-3, will become angry and pursue.
2. Man with Guard Dog Upon the order, “Attack!
Kill!” the dog will
charge at the mugger,
Dog breed
| 1-2 | Mastiff |
| 3-4 | German Sheperd |
| 5-6 | Doberman |
3. Ex-Prize Fighter If approached by mugger,
will assume a boxing
stance and engage mugger in hand-to-hand combat. Does 1-4 damage
with each fist.
4. Karate Freak When approached by mugger, flings
off his street
clothes to reveal his white pajamas and black belt. Mugger must immediately
make ST vs. panic/demoralization. Karate freaks do 1-8
damage with each hand and foot, being allowed two such attacks per
melee round, and 1-4 points of damage with their heads. They attack
at
+4 “screaming ferocity.”
5. Gays “Mugger meets Bugger” scenario. Mugger
automatically is
demoralized and flees. Loses 50 experience points.
6. Off-duty Cop When approached, he whips out
his badge and his
colt .38 police special. He gains instant surprise, and the mugger
must
make a ST vs. demoralization or he surrenders, and remains out of play
for 5 to 10 years. Cop may attempt to shoot mugger if he flees.
7. Charlie’s Angel Treat as karate freak except
for the following special
clauses. Muggers have a 20% greater demoralization probability
due to atrocious acting, asinine dialogue, excessive cuteness, etc.
On a
roll of 1-3 on a 6-sided die, mugger is blinded by fflb fllaefafyflaf
flaas in
teeth.
8. Escaped Homocidal Maniac Automatically attacks
mugger as a
berserker with hands and teeth. Mugger immediately demoralizes.
9. Political Candidate Mugger has a 50% chance
of being gunned
down by Secret Service agents when attempting to mug this victim. Has
a 30% greater demoralization probability if political candidate begins
a
campaign speech (a roll of 2 or better on a 20-sided die).
10. Superhero in Secret Identity Mugger instantly
destroyed.
I sincerely hope that this game-system appeals to a large segment
of the fantasy-gaming population. Naturally, I feel that Mugger!
fills a
long-standing need for relevance and reality in role-playing simulations.
Keeping with this concept, I hope to bring out a line of additional
“reallife”
games in the future. Are you ready for Con Man, Arsonist,
and
Terrorist?