LASERS & Feelings Captain's GM Screen — John Harper (2013)

The Core Duality

LASERS

Science • Logic • Technology • Space

Roll under your Number to succeed.

If your Number is 3, you need a 1 or 2.
Feelings

Intuition • Empathy • Charm • Gut

Roll over your Number to succeed.

If your Number is 3, you need a 4, 5, or 6.

The Number Scale

Each character has a Number from 2 to 5. It defines who they are.

2 Very
Laser
3 More
Laser
4 More
Feelings
5 Very
Feelings

Dice Pool

Dice Task Difficulty Example
d6
1d6
Simple task Hail a nearby ship, patch a minor leak
d6
d6
2d6
Moderate challenge Outmaneuver a fighter, calm a frightened crew
d6
d6
d6
3d6
Daunting Hack a military system, negotiate with a warlord
d6
d6
d6
d6
4d6
Overwhelming Escape a black hole, survive a derelict station alone

Reading Results

Success Count

  • 0 Successes  Failure — things go wrong
  • 1 Success  Mixed — you succeed, but with a cost
  • 2+ Successes  Full success — clean result

Looking Cool

If you roll your exact Number on any die, something extra cool happens — regardless of success or failure.

The Number die counts toward successes as normal.

Visual Examples

Number 3 — Lasers roll (need <3)
1
2
5
2 successes — Full
Number 4 — Feelings roll (need >4)
5
3
1
1 success — Mixed
Number 3 — Looking Cool!
4
3
Exact Number — Cool!

Goals & Style

One Goal

  • Discover something amazing
  • Protect someone important
  • Escape captivity
  • Get rich
  • Prove a theory

One Style

  • By being daring
  • While looking cool
  • Without anyone getting hurt
  • Through careful planning
  • By improvising

The Ship

Ship Rules

The ship has a name and one special feature chosen by the group.

The ship has 5 Hull Points. When Hull Points reach 0, the ship is destroyed.

Special Features (pick one):

Cloaking Device Experimental AI Alien Technology Ancient Artifact Forbidden Cargo

Robot Rules

Humanoid Robots

Cannot use Feelings — Robots have no heart. They cannot roll Feelings skills at all.

Machine Precision — In return, robots can always take actions that require perfect machine precision, without a roll.

Choose One Role Per Character

🚀
Pilot
Lasers Skills
Fly Ships Navigate Outmaneuver
Feelings Skills
Evasion Instinct Read the Room
⚔️
Soldier
Lasers Skills
Weapons Tactical Combat Survival
Feelings Skills
Intimidation Morale Gut Instinct
🔧
Mechanic
Lasers Skills
Repair Hack Engineering
Feelings Skills
Improvise Jury-Rig MacGyver It
💉
Doctor
Lasers Skills
Heal Biology Chemistry
Feelings Skills
Calm Fears Empathy Bedside Manner
🌠
Explorer
Lasers Skills
Discover Stealth Outdoor Survival
Feelings Skills
Alien Contact Climb Read Danger
🤖
Humanoid Robot
Lasers Skills
Any Lasers Skill No Limit
Feelings Skills
None — no heart
Machine Precision: can always succeed at tasks requiring perfect precision — no roll needed.

Suggested Numbers by Role

Role Suggested Number Why
Pilot2–3Pure logic and precision in the cockpit
Soldier2–3Tactical, cold, trained
Mechanic2–3Engineering is science, not feelings
Doctor3–4Balance of science and empathy
Explorer3–4Relies on both instinct and skill
Humanoid Robot2Pure machine — maximum Lasers

Player Dice Roller

Simple Moderate Daunting Overwhelming
1 — Simple
[ Awaiting roll... ]

Quick Roll

Single die rolls for any situation:

Ship & Threat Status

Ship Hull Points

Hull: 5 / 5

Click pips to toggle • Saved automatically

Threat Counter

Threat: 0 / 3
 

Fills 3 = something terrible happens

Mission Generator

Mission
Complication
Location

Mission Types (d6)

d6Mission
1Investigate a distress signal
2Deliver valuable cargo
3Escort a VIP through dangerous space
4Retrieve something from an abandoned station
5Negotiate between two factions
6Survive long enough to get rescued

Complications (d6)

d6Complication
1Someone on board is secretly compromised
2The ship has a major malfunction at the worst moment
3A faction from someone's past appears
4The objective turns out to be something completely different
5They're being hunted
6Time pressure — it has to happen NOW

Space Locations (d6)

d6Location
1An asteroid mining colony
2A derelict luxury cruise liner
3A secret research station
4The outer rim of charted space
5A contested space port
6Near a dying star

Threat Types

A threat has 3 Counters. When it fills 3, something terrible happens. Players reduce counters by rolling relevant Lasers/Feelings.

Xenos
Alien creatures, hive minds, monsters from the unknown.
Robots
Rogue AIs, malfunctioning androids, automated defenses.
Pirates
Scavengers, bounty hunters, hired guns after the crew.
The Galactic Senate
Oppressive bureaucracy, agents, inspection ships bearing warrants.
A Phenomenon
Nebula storm, black hole, time anomaly, ancient signal.
Another Crew
Rivals, mercenaries, former allies with a score to settle.

Session Notes

0 chars ✓ Saved

Captain's Checklist

  • Ship Name: ____________________________
  • Ship Feature: ____________________________
  • Current Mission: ____________________________
  • Active Threat: ____________________________
  • Threat Counter:   [ ]   [ ]   [ ]
  • Hull Points:   ◆   ◆   ◆   ◆   ◆
  • Key NPC: ____________________________
  • Next Scene: ____________________________