Vengeance California is a short, narrative RPG designed to recreate pulpy revenge fantasies like Kill Bill, John Wick, or Mandy. The Basic Rules contain all of the rules & mechanics from the full game, but in a simplified layout without any art. Purchase the full game here.

Players take on the role of extremely capable, but deeply flawed heroes on an action movie vendetta through the streets of Santa Vista, a fictional 1960’s American city. 

It’s designed for no-prep single session games, played with an easy-to-learn dice pool system. Sessions are fast & frenetic, with rules that encourage quick decisions and big risks. 

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No prep, no problem. 

The game is designed for the Director (game master) to run without any prep other than reading or skimming the book. The game provides tools for improvisational play, with prompts and structures to keep the story moving in unexpected directions. 

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Life is short, character creation is shorter. 

Sessions are often deadly, but character creation is fast and simple: randomize your Background, Description, Vice, and Items to create a thematic oddball in a minute or two. 

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Rolling the dice. 

The core dice system revolves around a simple d6 pool and a single stat: Rage. When your Rage is high, you'll be able to perform feats of incredible violence, but it'll be hard to focus on anything else. When your Rage is low, you'll be able to focus on difficult tasks, but it will be hard to crack skulls. 

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Lines & complications. 

 Players and Directors have access to special tools to build their world on the fly. Players can always use action-movie-style Lines to gain the upper hand at a cost. The Director will gain Complications, randomly generated twists that build into thematic B-plots. 

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Santa Vista.

Santa Vista is a coastal city overrun by warring criminal factions. The book provides a map, neighborhoods, factions, and a phonebook of locations to visit.