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The Terminator RPG: QuickstartClick to magnify

The Terminator RPG: Quickstart

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The Terminator RPG: Quickstart is a 52-page introduction to The Terminator RPG. It contains seven pre-made characters, all the essential rules required to play the game and a single scenario for a GM and up to five players to enjoy, with the aim of introducing a group of players to the dark, frightening, and deceitful world of The Terminator.

Character Overview

In The Terminator RPG Quickstart, each player assumes the role of a Resistance Fighter. These ‘characters’ are the personas that will represent the players as they play the game. This section of the Quickstart contains character generation rules, describing the different stats, skills and traits that each character has.

Director's Note: The Terminator RPG contains a comprehensive list of all the Skills and Traits available for all characters.

Rules & Mechanics

The Terminator RPG features Nightfall Games’ S5S System, first seen in SLA Industries 2nd Edition. The S5S is a d10-based rules system that uses a pool of dice: one Success die, and five Skill dice per player. The more skilled your character is in the task being attempted, the more likely you are to succeed and "succeed big." 

The rules set have been tailored specifically to The Terminator RPG setting. Combat, survival, and investigation are all dealt with in the rules, along with vehicle combat, time travel, and computer hacking, allowing your character to take control of the conflict with unique skills and training. You'll need all of this and more to take the fight across the timelines and survive. 

Health & Healing

Where there is violence, there is death. A character's own health is something which should be regarded as paramount. With Skynet constantly looking to eliminate those who stand for the Resistance, it stands to reason that getting wounded may be something that everyone experiences at some point in time. 

Hope Points

Hope Points add a strong cinematic feel to games of The Terminator RPG. Given the cinematic heritage of the franchise, it seems only right that the players are able to recreate those awe-inspiring moments that make for unforgettable action. These feats are made possible through a character’s Hope Points - a pool of available points that can be spent during the game session.

Hacking

From the most basic 80’s company mainframe to the advanced neural networks of Skynet and MIR, computers are all but omnipresent in our world. Those remembering Judgment Day tend to see them as the root of all evil; a threat to be eradicated at any cost. Nevertheless, some choose to fight fire with fire, using their wits and technical know-how to turn the tables on the machines.

These rules simulate extended hacking attempts, where the hacker infiltrates large networks to reach and exploit hidden subroutines, all while trying to avoid triggering a security response. To resolve simple hacks (i.e. hacking an ATM or cracking a simple password), use a normal Skill Test instead. As a general rule, if this system would slow the game and detract from the fun, sideline it. If it creates tension and the rest of the party has stuff to do while the hacker struts their stuff go for it!

Hardware

Various weapons are available to members of the Resistance, be they scavenged from the remains of former military organisations or stolen from Skynet facilities. The following items represent the weapons and equipment that the pre-generated characters included with this Quickstart are carrying and are also used for other characters that they may encounter during the course of the game.

Two Steps Back

This post-Judgment Day mission is designed for 3-5 players. Seven pre-generated characters are provided to be used for this mission.

Mission Briefing

Starting in a foxhole, under heavy fire, the characters need to fight their way to the wall of the Skynet compound and make their way inside. Once within, negotiating the deadly security measures designed to prevent access to the time displacement device, is likely to be extremely difficult. But it must be done, somehow—at least one of the team has to make it back to the past. Victory or failure is entirely binary in this mission. Those who survive the waves of deadly attacks and pre-programmed automated responses must send themselves back to 1985 to try and prevent Skynet’s next insidious assault on the survival of humanity.

Internal art

The Terminator RPG

Check out all the titles available for The Terminator RPG by clicking the images below.

The Terminator RPG The Terminator RPG: T2 - Judgment Day The Terminator RPG: Campaign Book The Terminator RPG: T2 - RESIST The Terminator RPG: Director's Pack Booklet The Terminator RPG: Quickstart The Terminator RPG: Quickstart Part II

Tech-Com Mission Reports

The Terminator RPG: Mission Report 001 The Terminator RPG: Mission Report 002

Terminator Skull-Logo

This game is a licenced product from STUDIOCANAL and includes content from The Terminator movie and its associated Dark Horse comics.
Copyright © 2020 Nightfall Games Ltd., All Rights Reserved. 
T1, The Terminator, ENDOSKELETON, and any depiction of Endoskeleton are trademarks of STUDIOCANAL S.A.S. All Rights Reserved.
© 2020 STUDIOCANAL S.A.S. ® All Rights Reserved.

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Reviews (3)
Discussions (14)
Customer avatar
Olaf B February 23, 2023 10:49 am UTC
PURCHASER
The index of this pdf is a complete mess of typos (lower/upper case mix-ups),wrong groupings (e.g. the adventure is found under "Bravado") and false links (if you try to jump from the index's "Two steps back" to the scenario it puts you on page 34 instead of 32). Please fix this!
Customer avatar
David B December 10, 2022 2:15 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Is there errata for the Quickstart? There seems to be an issue with the hacking example on page 28. Under 3. Create a Back door and capture the skill roll generates 4 success total. Creating a back door would cost 3 progress as there are 3 pathways in/out of the node and capturing the access node and the subroutine requires another 2 for a total of 5.
Customer avatar
Craig A March 27, 2022 9:19 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Come with me if you want to live - https://www.facebook.com/groups/terminatorrpg
Customer avatar
Mark L January 09, 2022 2:13 am UTC
PURCHASER
Interesting that the info above says this was a beta version and would be updated as a living document, but nothing was ever updated beyond the original Beta version 1.1

I was hoping more would be added like missing weapon stats and such in the PDF.
Customer avatar
Craig A January 07, 2022 1:56 pm UTC
PURCHASER
You need to spell check Hydraulics in the moving corridor subroutine as it’s misspelt as ‘Hydrolics’
Customer avatar
Craig A December 03, 2021 10:08 am UTC
PURCHASER
Having my first run through of the quick start and it has been a lot of fun so far. But I think we spotted an error, the stats for the heavy pistol give it a clip size of 1. I think it should have at least a clip size of 12.
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Customer avatar
Mark R December 03, 2021 4:44 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
This is as intended for the Quick Start. There is a range of clip sizes in the main rulebook - when playing published
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Customer avatar
Craig A December 03, 2021 4:58 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I guess for us it made no sense for a modern weapon to have a clip size of 1.

Also to have the option of burst fire included didn’t fit with the fact the weapon as described could never use this option.

It all seemed counter intuitive, and made the weapon pretty pointless to be honest.<br /><br />
What would be a normal standard clip size in the main game?
Customer avatar
Roan L March 26, 2021 4:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The first table on page 10 (page 11 on the pdf) in the Willpower section should be changed. Currently it only says "effect" but the way it is positioned implies that the cause is actually the "effect" which confused me for a moment. I think the first and second columns should be named "Loss" and "Cause" respectively or something similar.
The second table should have its first column named "Willpower" The last table on page 10 should have the first and second columns renamed to "Gain" and "Situation" respectively or something similar.
Customer avatar
Jason K March 13, 2021 2:25 am UTC
PURCHASER
I came here with high skepticism and scrutiny being a game designer myself. After reading the dice system, I really think this has the potential to kick [butt]. Probably going to end up backing the kickstarter.
Customer avatar
Craig A February 22, 2021 10:27 pm UTC
PURCHASER
When is the Kickstarter launching?
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Customer avatar
Mark R March 05, 2021 6:24 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Very soon! News this week
Reply
Customer avatar
Lazaro I March 12, 2021 1:09 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Launched yesterday :)
Customer avatar
Lazaro I January 17, 2021 10:47 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Hello Nightfall Games Team, on page 18 of this QuickStart it seems as if the ‘Damage Modifier - Rate of Fire’ table is missing. The table I see there looks like it’s the STR damage modifier table. Please help. Thanks!
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Customer avatar
Lazaro I January 24, 2021 8:40 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Sorry, I meant the ‘Damage Modifier - Margin of Success’ table is missing, thanks.
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Customer avatar
Lazaro I March 12, 2021 1:11 pm UTC
PURCHASER
FYI...got a reply in the KS comments: a new version/update of this PDF will be released today that corrects this issue.
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Customer avatar
Mark R March 13, 2021 8:56 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Thanks for the spot...all fixed now
Customer avatar
richard H January 03, 2021 10:47 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Interesting. Looking through the quickstart, looks like there's reference to MIR (which IIRC is from one of the comics, and produced sleeper Terminators that believed they were the person in question). So what sources will the RPG be drawing from? Will we see other bits and pieces from novels and comics included, as well as movie material? And will there be options to play as 'good' Terminators or cyborgs a la Terminator: Salvation or Dark Fate?
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Customer avatar
Simon N March 05, 2021 5:38 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I believe they have the licence to the first film + all the Dark Horse comics derived from it (I'm guessing not the crossover ones like Terminator v Robocop!). Generally higher quality material than everything after T2 I think. The news inspired me to order a 2nd hand copy of Terminator: Tempest from Amazon!
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Customer avatar
Mark R March 05, 2021 6:25 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Spot on!
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Customer avatar
Mark R March 05, 2021 6:25 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Spot on!
Reply
Customer avatar
Simon N March 05, 2021 6:42 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I like how the Dark Horse material brought in new Terminator tech, but kept to the same general level of tech (and plausibility) as the original film. They avoided the T2+ tendency towards ever-more-magitech threat escalation, and kept the T-800s as terrifying as they ought to be.
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Customer avatar
Simon N March 05, 2021 6:44 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Although I remember being sceptical even then of MIR as a networked software entity. Wouldn't that mean its processing power & thus its intelligence and OODA loop was limited by Internet bandwidth? :D
Customer avatar
Jason M January 02, 2021 4:12 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I'm really enjoying this! Looking forward to the KS! Side note: there are places where it references the Terminators as having exo-skeletons rather than endoskeletons in case you are looking for community notes on editing. :)
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Customer avatar
Mark R March 13, 2021 8:57 am UTC
PUBLISHER
All fixed now...thanks for the spot!
Customer avatar
Tim B December 29, 2020 8:27 pm UTC
No preview?
Reply
Customer avatar
Nightfall G December 30, 2020 9:47 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
It's a PWYW title
Customer avatar
Aleksandr V December 29, 2020 2:20 am UTC
PURCHASER
Looks good! The system is similar to SLA 2e but with some new features like a hacking mini-game (similar to Deus Ex) and Fear/Hope subsystems. This quickstart does not have any setting information and implies that GM and players are familiar with the franchise (full rulebook should have solid setting info since like half of the SLA 2e book is just lore). The Terminator Quickstart has enough rules and introductory scenario to get a taste of the full game.
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Product Information
Platinum seller
Pages
44
Publisher Stock #
WFG-TER-804
File Size:
9.54 MB
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File Last Updated:
June 01, 2022
This title was added to our catalog on December 28, 2020.