When you fail a roll or get caught in an explosion, you lose Luck points.
For basic challenges, a 2-of-a-kind is sufficient. More demanding tasks require 3-of-a-kind, while heroic feats may require 4-of-a-kind or higher. Some situations require multiple sets to succeed—for instance, shooting a gun (a challenging encounter) while driving a car in a storm (a basic encounter) would require both a 3-of-a-kind and a 2-of-a-kind.
In Broken Compass, characters do not have traditional health points. They have . When they fail a roll, they lose Luck. When Luck runs out, they are in Coin Toss territory (life or death). broken compass rpg pdf work
Broad categories of expertise (e.g., Action, Knowledge, Social). These grant 1 to 3 dice.
While the core Adventure Journal PDF focuses on a default 1999 setting (reminiscent of modern adventure video games), the system is designed to be easily hacked via its modular supplements: First Impressions - Broken Compass RPG (vs Outgunned RPG) When you fail a roll or get caught
To make the PDF work at the table, you must internalize the , which uses standard six-sided dice (d6). You do not add numbers together; you look for matching sets.
Broken Compass eschews traditional experience points and level progression. Instead, characters advance through and Experiences —permanent consequences of very bad or very good situations they have been in. As one reviewer notes, "this is a stronger motivator for roleplay than merely seeing your stats increase". Starting characters are already highly competent, meaning any adventure can be played by any group without worrying about escalating difficulty. When they fail a roll, they lose Luck
The official PDF release typically includes a folder of interactive files, including . Instead of printing physical pages, you can track your Attributes, Expertises, Signature Items, and Luck tokens directly on your tablet or laptop. This is especially helpful if you are playing the game over platforms like Discord, Roll20, or Foundry VTT. Running One-Shots (Episodes)
Broken Compass is a TTRPG focused on (think Uncharted , Indiana Jones , Tomb Raider , National Treasure ). It uses a d6 dice pool system (matching symbols) and is known for its fast, cinematic gameplay.