Shadow of The Beanstalk

258 Pages·42.77 MB·English

by  Sam Stewart

TM
Introduction
CREDITS
EXPANSION DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGING ART DIRECTOR
Sam Stewart with Owen Barnes, Tim Cox, Lisa Farrell, Melissa Shetler
Sterling Hershey, Tim Huckelbery, Keith Ryan Kappel,
QUALITY ASSURANCE COORDINATION
Monte Lin, Jason Marker, and Per Remund Wiger
Andrew Janeba and Zach Tewalthomas
EDITING
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
Christine Crabb
Jason Glawe and Dylan Tierney
PROOFREADING
VISUAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Alexis Dykema and Jeremiah Shaw
Brian Schomburg
EXPANSION GRAPHIC DESIGN
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER
Christopher Beck with Caitlin Ginther,
Toujer Moua, and Evan Simonet John Franz-Wichlacz
GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER SENIOR MANAGER OF PROJECT
DEVELOPMENT
Chris Hosch
Chris Gerber
COVER ART
EXECUTIVE GAME DESIGNER
VIKO
Corey Konieczka
INTERIOR ART
PUBLISHER
BalanceSheet, Ralph Beisner, Simon Boxer, Caravan Studio,
JB Casacop, Marjorie Davis, Adam S. Doyle, Micah Epstein, Andrew Navaro
Marko Fiedler, Aurore Folny, Caroline Gariba, David Griffith,
Android setting created by Kevin Wilson and
Nasrul Hakim, David Hovey, Clark Huggins, Amélie Hutt,
Daniel Lovat Clark
Skott Kilander, Pavel Kolomeyets, Kate Laird, Jonathan Lee,
Antonio De Luca, Zefanya Maega, Ed Mattinian, PLAYTESTERS
Michal Milkowski, Mark Molnar, Sander Mosk,
Teuku Muharram, Reiko Murakami, David Auden Nash, Max Brooke, Justin Carbery, Kara Centell-Dunk,
PxelSlayer, Maciej Rebisz, Emilio Rodriguez, Kaitlin Davies, Steve Davies, Tim Dolgos, Gavin Duffy,
Martin Diego Sadaba, Angga Satriohadi, Adam Schumpert, Lindsey Ferrante, Michael Ferrante, Martin Flanagan,
Timur Shevtsov, Marius Siergiejew, Liiga Smilshkalne, Tim Flanders, Andrew Fischer, Brian Foster, Corey Fox,
Juan Manuel Tumburus, VIKO, James Corey Webster, Michael Gernes, Jeff Greening, Jamie Grey, Dan Grothe,
Jarreau Wimberly, Andreas Zafiratos, Phil Henry, Grace Holdinghaus, Ian Houlihan, Michael Hurrell,
Brandon Jackson, David Johnson, Sean Kennedy,
Matt Zeilinger, and Ben Zweifel
Michael Molyneux, Calli Oliverius, Frank Omilian, Luke Palmer,
ART DIRECTION Brandon Perdue, John Pope, Chuck Sedor, Peter Smigelski,
Ryan Steven, Joel Stevenson, Matt Stevenson, Melanie Vayda,
Crystal Chang
Sean Vayda, Rex Vogen, Jason Walden, James White,
Stefanie Wiltse, and Kelly Yuhas
Fantasy Flight Games
FANTASY
1995 West County Road B2
FLIGHT
Roseville, MN 55113
GAMES
USA
© 2019 Fantasy Flight Games. Android and Genesys are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games.
Fantasy Flight Games and the FFG logo are registered trademarks of Fantasy Flight Games.
For more information about the Genesys line, free downloads,
answers to rule queries, or just to pass on greetings, visit us online at
www.FantasyFlightGames.com/Genesys
2
Genesys: Shadow of the beanstalk
CONTENTS
Introduction ............................................................................4 Chapter 3: The Network ....................................................118
Welcome to the Shadow of the Beanstalk ..........................5 Netcriminals and Runners ...............................................121
Roleplaying in the World of the Future ..............................6 Running the Network .......................................................124
What Tomorrow Looks Like ................................................9 Network Encounter Rules ................................................125
Adventures in New Angeles ...............................................12 Ice and Icebreakers ............................................................132
Chapter 1: Character Creation ..........................................19 Building Network Encounters .........................................139
Creating Your Character .....................................................20 Chapter 4: New Angeles and Heinlein ...........................141
Step 1: Determine Background ..........................................22 New Angeles .......................................................................142
Step 2: Select a Character Archetype ................................24 Life in the world's Biggest City ........................................142
Step 3: Choose a Career ......................................................31 Sample Location ................................................................144
New Skills .............................................................................42 28th Transit Arterial and Calle del Prado .....................144
New Talents ..........................................................................44 The Districts .......................................................................150
Step 6: Determine Favors ....................................................53 Chakana ..............................................................................151
Factions ................................................................................54 Base de Cayambe ...............................................................155
Faction: Jinteki .....................................................................56 Rutherford ..........................................................................160
Faction: Haas-Bioroid .........................................................58 Esmeraldas .........................................................................165
Faction: Weyland Consortium ..........................................60 Nihongai .............................................................................169
Faction: NBN .......................................................................62 Laguna Velasco .................................................................173
Faction: Orgcrime ...............................................................64 Manta ..................................................................................178
Faction: Street Gangs ..........................................................66 Rabotgorod ........................................................................182
Faction: NAPD .....................................................................68 La Costa .............................................................................186
Faction: Government ..........................................................70 Quinde ................................................................................190
Faction: Globalsec ...............................................................72 Guayaquil............................................................................194
Faction: Loonies ..................................................................74 Midway Station ..................................................................198
Faction: Activist and Terrorist Groups .............................76 Challenger Planetoid .........................................................203
Chapter 2: Equipment and Vehicles .................................79 Heinlein ..............................................................................208
The Favor Economy.............................................................80 Chapter 5: Adversaries ......................................................218
Weapons ...............................................................................82 Chapter 6: The Game Master ...........................................241
Armor ...................................................................................92 Depicting Life in New Angeles ........................................242
Gear .......................................................................................96 A Living World ..................................................................244
Body Modifications ...........................................................104 Social Encounters ..............................................................247
Item Attachments ..............................................................109 Android Adventure Builder .............................................248
Ships and Vehicles .............................................................113 Index .....................................................................................255
3

WELCOME TO THE SHADOW
OF THE BEANSTALK
I
n the shadow of Earth’s largest and most ambitious feat on the nightly news, innocent bystanders reduced to statis-
of engineering and science, among the packed streets tics in the eyes of most of New Angeles’ half a billion inhab-
of Earth’s greatest city, the teeming masses of humanity itants. Others fold. Maybe they flee and keep their heads
go about their daily lives. Most do their best to keep their down, or perhaps they throw themselves in with whatever
heads down, enjoying the luxuries they have and trying to side seems to offer the best chance of survival. They may
stay out of trouble. become the dispossessed, society’s castoffs, or the lackeys
of powerful interests following orders for the reward of a
A few have no choice, because trouble finds them.
comfortable life.
These individuals find themselves caught up in events
However, some people stand up and fight against the
much greater than themselves. Corporate intrigues, gov-
forces that upend their boring, predictable lives. Though
ernment cover-ups, feuds between criminal organizations,
their chances are slim, they try to ride out the chaos and
battles between street gangs, and the massive unrest of a
struggle to save themselves and the people they care about.
civilization on the cusp of upheaval can throw these people
And maybe, in the process, they become stronger, braver,
into chaos and danger. And what happens then?
and generally better than the people they used to be.
Many die, caught in the crossfire between things they
The only question is, which person are you?
can’t truly understand, let alone stand against. They end up
Introduction
ROLEPLAYING IN THE
WORLD OF THE FUTURE
H
ello, and get ready to step into the Shadow of Shadow of the BeanStalk serves as a backdrop for
the BeanStalk! This book is a supplement for the the stories you’ll tell using the GeneSyS game. It is basically
GeneSyS game line that lets you use our Narrative a more detailed example of the settings found in Part II
Dice System in the futuristic and morally gray worlds of of the Core Rulebook, so you’ll use the basic rules found
the Android setting! In Shadow of the BeanStalk, you’ll in Part I of the Core Rulebook combined with the rules
become a resident of the biggest, greatest, and most terrible presented here. The rules in Shadow of the BeanStalk
city on Earth: New Angeles. Your ordinary life is about to are designed to supersede those in the GeneSyS Core Rule-
be shattered as powerful forces from common criminals to book—so whenever there seem to be contradictions, use
megacorps throw your small corner of the city into chaos. the rules in this book.
You’ll have to rely on your contacts, your tech, and all the For example, the GeneSyS Core Rulebook has the rules
luck that you can beg, borrow, and steal just to survive— for character creation, and you’ll still follow the seven steps
much less thrive—in this fast-paced, mercenary city. presented there when making a character for this game.
If you’re already familiar with GeneSyS and want to get However, Shadow of the BeanStalk provides differ-
started, go ahead and skip to page 20 for more informa- ent choices when you follow those steps. To expand this
tion about making a character, or to page 142, where we example further, during Step 2, you select an archetype or
delve into the city of New Angeles. Otherwise, we’re going species that you want your character to be. The Core Rule-
to spend some time explaining what this book is, how you book provides four human archetypes to choose from. In
can use it, and give you a quick overview of what’s inside. Shadow of the BeanStalk, you get to choose from six
So, if you’re new to roleplaying games (or just new to archetypes, some of which vary wildly from what we think
GeneSyS), read this first. of as “human.”
WHAT IS THIS BOOK, Basically, GeneSyS is the engine that runs your game.
Shadow of the BeanStalk fleshes that engine out into a
AND HOW DO I USE IT?
game of regular people struggling against faceless corpo-
rations and governments while trying to beat (or at least
Shadow of the BeanStalk is a sourcebook—or expan-
cheat) the system.
sion—for the GeneSyS Core Rulebook. That means you’ll
need a copy of the Core Rulebook as well as this book to play WHAT IS THE
a game set in the Android Universe. You’ll also need some
ANDROID SETTING?
GeneSyS Roleplaying Dice. You can pick up a pack of them
from your local game store or www.fantasyflightgames.com, We go into a lot more detail about New Angeles and the
or by downloading the GeneSyS Dice App onto your PAD Android setting in the introduction of this book (and even
(or if you’re relying on yesteryear’s tech, your Android or more in Chapter 4). So here let’s just cover the basics.
iOS device). You should also consider picking up the book
The Android setting is what many would consider
the worldS of android, which presents a detailed
“hard” science fiction (or if you prefer, science fiction
description of the entire Android setting.
rather than space opera). This means that while the set-
ting is very much fictional, we try and take some steps
to make sure the setting is at least loosely grounded in
scientific realism. This means that you’re not going to see
any faster-than-light space travel, teleportation devices, or
heroic starship captains sipping cups of tea as they fight
aggressive alien invaders. However, there’s still plenty of
room in our setting for the strange, the marvelous, and—
sometimes—the disturbing.
The Android setting takes place in the relatively near
future. We don’t specify the century, so you can decide just
how much time should pass before we build a tower to the
stars and flying cars take over the skies. Humans still live on
Earth, although now we also live on the Moon (commonly
6
Genesys: Shadow of the beanstalk
called Luna), Mars, and some space stations and asteroid out- In Chapter 2: Weapons and Equipment, we provide an
posts throughout the Solar System. The world is a lot more exhaustive list of the types of items that your character (and
crowded, but the timely invention of reliable fusion power their adversaries) may be using. This includes weapons,
means that—for most people—life is pretty comfortable. armor, gear, cybernetics, and genetic modifications. It also
Corporations are even more powerful in the Android includes attachments that let you customize your weapons
setting than they are now. Governments still exist as well, and armor, and some of the vehicles you may find in New
and when they work alongside one another, there’s often a Angeles or on the Moon.
wary tension between them. Nowhere is that tension more In Chapter 3: The Net, we talk about the Network, the
evident than in New Angeles. successor to the Internet that links the world in a web of
New Angeles is the biggest city on Earth, occupying a fair data. The Net makes up a major part of most New Angeli-
chunk of what used to be Ecuador and housing at least half nos’ daily lives, and manipulating it is a really useful skill.
a billion people. New Angeles is important because it has This chapter has all the rules for running, which is the only
the single most valuable asset on Earth: the space elevator, effective way to hack the Network.
commonly referred to as “the Beanstalk.” The Beanstalk is In Chapter 4: New Angeles and the Moon, we take a
the cheapest and easiest way to get to and from space. More long, deep look at New Angeles, the Beanstalk, and Hein-
importantly, it lets humanity bring the helium-3 mined lein (humanity’s primary lunar colony). This chapter is
on the Moon to the Earth’s surface quickly and reliably. mostly setting information. It lets you explore the city, and
Since we need helium-3 to run the fusion plants that power it also gives you an idea of what daily life in New Angeles
Earth’s society, the planet depends on the Beanstalk to sur- is really like.
vive and thrive. In Chapter 5: Adversaries, we provide Game Masters
Finally, the Android setting is in the midst of a massive with a large number of non-player character (NPC) profiles
social revolution. About thirty years ago, two major corpo- with which to populate their games.
rations invented the first true androids: robotic humanoids Finally, Chapter 6: The Game Master, has a number of
called bioroids and vat-grown human clones. Both are now adventure outlines that Game Masters can take and turn
being made in droves, so androids are flooding the solar into adventures (or even full-fledged campaigns). In addi-
system with cheap, reliable, and totally obedient labor. On tion, we spend some time with some Android-specific
the one hand, this means people don’t have to do some game-running advice. New Angeles is a fascinating and
of the worst, most dangerous jobs anymore. On the other unique setting, so we give you some tips to make that set-
hand, a whole lot of people have lost their jobs. And that ting really come to life for your players.
doesn’t even begin to touch on the bigger questions: are we
CAN I USE THIS TO MAKE MY OWN
building better tools to make our lives easier? Or are we
creating a new population of enslaved beings who, at their SCIENCE FICTION SETTING?
core, are basically human?
Absolutely! We designed GeneSyS to be a toolkit for you
WHAT WILL I to use to make your own worlds, and that remains our
FIND IN THIS BOOK? goal with this book. Shadow of the BeanStalk can be a
valuable tool for building your own science fiction setting
We split Shadow of the BeanStalk into six chapters. instead of using ours.
Some of these are going to be more useful for you if you’re For example, most of the gear we present here is appro-
the Game Master, while others are going to be more useful priate for any science fiction setting. The same holds true
for you if you’re a player. Let’s briefly go through each. for our archetypes (for example, bioroids can be used to
In Chapter 1: Characters, we provide all of the rules represent any robotic humanoid, while Loonies could rep-
you need to build a player character for your game. This resent any humans who grow up in a low-G or zero-G envi-
includes any character creation rules that are different from ronment). We also take the hacking rules from the GeneSyS
those in the GeneSyS Core Rulebook, as well as new tal- Core Rulebook and expand them. If your setting has a
ents and skills that your characters can use. It also includes prevalent Internet equivalent that you want your players to
rules on the various factions in the setting. Your character is interact with, you should find those rules really useful.
probably going to owe favors to some of those factions. But So, that’s an overview of the book and how to use it. We
don’t worry! Some of those factions may owe your charac- wish you the best of luck trying to survive the streets of
ter favors in return. New Angeles, and we hope you enjoy your adventures!
7

Genesys: Shadow of the beanstalk
WHAT TOMORROW LOOKS LIKE
W
ake up, and you’re connected to the worlds. influence they buy can be felt everywhere, and their spider-
For the average citizen of New Angeles, the webs of subsidiaries control the wealth of the system.
day begins with a chiming of alerts from their Citizens’ lives are made possible by the megacorps, who
PAD, reminding them to do everything from pick up gifts make and sell anything anyone could need. The Beanstalk—
for their loved ones to bet on their favorite sports team. A the Weyland Consortium’s greatest marvel—constantly
quick scan of the NBN Netcasts catches them up on events reminds those who live in its shadow just who is responsi-
unfolding across the system, from a Human First rally in ble for these heights of civilization. NBN is even harder to
Broadcast Square to terrorist attacks on Mars. Already, ignore, its constant stream of media tailored specifically to
their friends, family, and coworkers are in their ear, each the viewer’s preferences by powerful AI and psychographic
person connected to their life by a latticework of data algorithms. Jinteki and Haas-Bioroid have a stake in count-
stretching across the planet. The ride to work, whether it less products vital to a citizen’s daily life, the twin benefits of
is on the whispering magnetic tracks of the tube-lev or in genetic and mechanical engineering respectively providing
a clone-driven hopper, weaves through an urban landscape everything one could want—not to mention the benefits
that stretches from horizon to horizon. Spread out around of clones and bioroids that continue to take over jobs that
the base of the monumental Beanstalk, the space elevator used to belong to the lower and middle classes.
that connects Earth to the stars, New Angeles is a world of
Of course, being ruled over by faceless corporate giants
light, transplas, and gleaming carbosteel.
only works as long as a citizen is happy to fit the mold. To
On the streets, humans of all kinds and modifications some, the corporations’ benevolent rule of humanity is
rub shoulders as they bustle about their day. Naturals nothing less than a commercial dictatorship where people
push past g-mods with their too perfect (or startlingly are just one more data point, making and spending their
inhuman) physiques and cyborgs with chrome and steel money to make their masters that much richer. 
gleaming in the rain. Then there are the true artificials:
TWO LIVES
Bioroids, mechanical facsimiles of humans that follow
their masters on errands or weave through the crowd
The Network overlies the real world like an insubstantial
with unnatural grace, their bodies and faces too perfect
spiderweb, linking everyone to everyone else with strings
for biology to emulate. Clones blend in a little better, but
of glowing data. In the worlds of New Angeles, Luna, and
conditioning and branding means they too stand out in
Mars, to exist is to have a presence in the Net, and from
the crowd, their servile air hiding the potential of their
birth every aspect of a citizen’s life is recorded, cataloged,
expertly engineered forms.
and stored. A simple scan of a person’s PAD or their facial
Arriving at work—a corporate conference room, a shop
features, DNA, or implants can reveal an entire history of
floor filled with clone workers, or an NAPD precinct—a
childhood ailments, awkward teenage parties, failed jobs,
New Angelino logs into a whole new network that can link
and petty crimes. Secrets are all the harder to keep in an age
tens or even hundreds of thousands of employees. Infor-
so saturated in data, and for most people, meeting someone
mation flows between workers at a tremendous rate: AIs
new means going on a FriendNet mining expedition rather
review quotas and resumes as quickly as those quotas are
than actually talking to them.
filled or workers fired, and cops solve crimes that may have
Cultivating and protecting these virtual selves is a big
occurred half a city away. Meanwhile, corporate employ-
business for the corporations. Many crimes against citi-
ees work in tandem with thousands of their peers to com-
zens take place on the Net, often without their knowledge,
plete projects of dizzying complexity. To live and work in
as their images and information are hacked or stolen. The
the world of tomorrow is to be bombarded by information,
poor can only keep their presence small, hoping for ano-
constantly connected to everyone around you, yet at the
nymity to protect them from such attacks, since it is prac-
same time be utterly alone in a sea of data and people.
tically impossible to live without connection to the Net.
CORPORATE CONCERNS Those with wealth on their side, however, often employ
people to maintain, groom, and defend their Network pres-
The Weyland Consortium, NBN, Jinteki Biotech, Haas- ence and virtual profile.
Bioroid, Fahari Trans-Victoria, MegaBuy, Globalsec: these
The average citizen is always connected to the Net, and
megacorps and others are the gods of the future.
even when they are not actively looking through catalogs of
Once, long ago, governments kept corporations in check. the latest simwear or contemplating a trip up the Beanstalk
Their leaders competed over resources and spread ideolo- to Midway, their Net presence is out gathering shows they
gies, seeking to dominate the globe. But with time, the tides might like to watch, ensuring their apartment is kept at their
of power have shifted. While the world may still be split preferred temperature, or looking up old friends who might
into nations and states, corporations have the money. The have come up in conversation during a recent online chat. 
9