Militiaman by day/Tomb Robber by night - A two pages RPG

Militiaman by Day / Tomb Robber by Night is a two-page light role-playing game. It features skilled thieves recruited by force to serve in the local militia.

Since I was a child, I've enjoyed thieves' stories. These tales feature colourful characters who use ingenuity to bypass the system. There are many references, Cat's Eyes, Arsène Lupin, The Saint… Even today the genre remains popular in our  culture. Plots has evolved a little and now the good thieves have become dangerous psychopaths (Dexter) or drug dealers (Breaking Bad). But they must always be resourceful to reconcile their public life with their night business.

Curiously, this genre is under-represented in the world of role-playing game. I would even say that it is not represented at all (except perhaps the old James Bond, if you want to be very open-minded). It is from this reflection that I wanted to create a setting based on the concept of secret identity.

The purpose of this light rpg

Militiaman by day/Tomb Robber by night exploits the concept by transposing it into a fantastic medieval world. The characters have decided to go beyond their condition of honest peasant by becoming outlaws. Bad luck, they were conscripted into the militia. Historically, nobles were allowed to equip themselves with a personal armed force. Trained and equipped soldiers are expensive and are used to win wars, so the militia was a cheaper way to maintain order in the city.

Download Militiaman by day/Tomb Robber by night - A two pages RPG on DrivethrughRPG

The light rules of the game

For once, I chose to put more complexity into the rules than I usually do. The rules are far from being inspired by what was done in the series of books such as fighting fantasy blood sword (without copying them identically). This choice was dictated by two considerations:
I wanted to pay tribute to this series of books by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson. I loved these books when I was a child and I took the opportunity to read them again during my recent holidays
the background being oriented on grave looting and crypt visit, I wanted to put rules that better adapt to the dungeon crawling.

A different approach to the roleplaying game

The originality of this setting is that the story is not totally "plot driven". In a classic adventure, especially when you do "fast playing", the characters don't really matter. Whether you are a magician or a dwarf warrior, the scenario defined above will not change. In the role-playing game Militiaman by Day/Tomb Robber by Night, the situation must be approached in a different way. Since the characters' personal situation is an integral part of the plot, it will have to be taken into consideration in the script.

Thus, the game master must ensure that he makes a back and forth between his "hard" story (the script) and the personal constraints generated by the characters' exceptional situation. But it will be advisable not to fall into the opposite excess at the risk of making the part unplayable.  It's all a question of balance.

If you liked this game, don't hesitate to consult Scouts of Lothar, an ultra-light role-playing game as well.