Learn to Play: Material
Objective - prepare the tools and printed resources needed to play the game
Reference Material
Reference material - sometimes in the form of booklets or foldable "GM screens" - try to include all of the information the GM needs to run the game. They may also contain information the players will read before or during the game.
The GM will use the Port thundertail adventure module as his main reference during the adventure. He also orders a printed copy of the Mano a Mano Role-Playing System handbook so that he does not have to look up the Mano a Mano rules online.
The adventure module includes:
- A history and background of Port Thundertail.
- Characters that can be found in or near the village.
- Guidelines for players to design their own characters.
- Notes for the Game Master (GM), explaining what is going on "behind closed doors", including rivalries, agendas, and plans among the village's characters.
(You may print and make as many copies of the Port Thundertail adventure module as you need. Commercial use is not allowed.)
Basic Supplies
RPG rules use numbers or "stats" to show how powerful or effective a character or item is in some area. The outcome of a challenging and risky action is often determined by rolling dice and comparing the random result with the character's stats.
The GM and players (Jenni and Mike) are preparing to play the "Port Thundertail" adventure. They raid an old collection of board games to get the 6-sided dice that Mano a Mano uses for success rolls. They snag a small handful uncooked dry pinto beans from the pantry to serve as hit point counters. They find some pencils in their old school supplies.
Character Sheets
Each PC has a "Character Sheet" that describes the character and the character's equipment, abilities, disabilities, and other attributes.
Jenni and Mike each need a "Mano a Mano Role-Playing System" character sheet for the PCs they will create and play. The GM will use the character sheets in the Port Thundertail adventure module for the NPCs that Mike and Jenni's characters may end up fighting. Mike and Jenni hand copy or print copies of the character sheet for their characters.
- 200 dpi character sheet images: PNG JPG GIF
- character sheet vector graphics: SVG PDF
- plain text character sheet
Hex Paper
Hex Paper helps keep track of where characters are during action parts of the game. Hex paper is used to make "location" or "combat maps." These maps are particularly important when characters are fighting, so that the GM and players can use strategy when they move their characters.
The GM needs combat maps for each location that the characters are likely to end up fighting. He and can buy an 11 x 17 inch Mano a Mano hex mat at the Squawk Store or print one of these:
- 8.5" x 11" at 200 dpi with no margins: PNG JPG GIF
- 7.5" x 10" at 200 dpi (8.5" x 11" with 0.5" margins): PNG JPG GIF
- 8.5" x 11" vector graphics: SVG PDF
The GM sees that in the Port Thundertail adventure, all of the action focuses around the town square. He prints out two 8.5 x 11 sheets of hex paper and tapes them together to form an 11x17 hex mat. The hex mat will represent the town square, which is surrounded by shops and alleys (not on the hex mat.) He uses a pencil to draw a 12 cm by 12 cm square (7 rows of 6 hexes) in the middle of the hex mat representing the Lei Tai described in the Port Thundertail module.
Combat Markers
Combat markers fit neatly onto the hex paper, or on maps made from the hex paper. They represent characters or objects on the combat map. Markers can show the location, facing direction and even the size of characters.
The GM, Jenni and Mike will need markers for every character that has a character sheet, so they print out a sheet of character markers (see below.) Then they cut out the appropriate character markers they'll need to play the adventure, and pencil in the name of the appropriate character on each character marker.
