Night Wizard! (1st edition)

Setting

The game is set on Far The Earth, a world more or less identical to modern Earth. It is being invaded by the emulators or 侵魔 (invading demons) from the Far Side or 裏界 (Rikai), which is basically the backside of Far The Earth. The goals of the emulators are to gather Plana, which is an energy inherit in everything and necessary for things to actually exist, and to destroy the World Kekkai, a kind of force created by the subconscious consensus of humanity that certain things exist or don't exist. Emulators can either bodily manifest or dive into the hearts of people. Emulators usually create an area (called Fortress) around themselves where the laws of reality can be warped and they usually change that area into a dungeon fitting their personality. When an emulator invades, a red full moon rises in the sky - regardless of the actual moon phase or the location (it can even appear in the middle of outer space). Because emulators defy common sense, normal weapons are virtually useless.

Player characters are all so-called Night Wizards wielding magical powers to fight the emulators. At the same time, they have to keep things secret as to not to threaten the World Kekkai. Since they are also removed from common sense, they too gain some protection against normal weapons.

There are several secret societies supporting the Night Wizards, and they have an own currency, called vargo. While there are many individualistic emulators, there are also more powerful emulators, called demon lords who scheme and use others for their plans and who have their own hierarchy within an empire.

At the time of this edition, emulator has been high, after the third angel's bugle, when an experimental magical reactor exploded in 1986 near the black sea due to an intervention by the most powerful active demon lord. It is noteworthy that the comic in the core rule book mentions "type Lucifer", which is not used anywhere else, and later publications call the demon lord responsible "Ru - Saifa", which is a modification of "Rushifa", the Japanese spelling for "Lucifer".

Miscellaneous Bits

As with "Lucifer", there are several cases of modified names. For instance, a demon lord very prominent due to recurrent appearances in different items is "Beal Zephyr", whose name is spelled somewhat similar to "Beelzebub", and her title is "Queen of the Flies". "Merlin", on the other hand, is used unchanged.

While the game's background has a lot of potential for horror, the general tone is light-hearted, sometimes even comic. For instance, wizards call magical transportation items brooms, as in "witches brooms", even though they are often a combination of high-tech and magic. This is taken to extremes in the core rules by for the brooms that can also be used as weapons, like the witch blade, a powered sword that can be riden, or the gunner's broom which features prominently in several illustrations/comics in the rule book and can be seen as a running gag. The gunner's broom is shown carried by the central character on the title page (the red-haired girl, it is in her right hand).

Rules

Night Wizard! uses a variation of the system Takeshi Kikuchi also uses for Seven Fortress: characters are defined by 2 elements (1 primary, 1 secondary) and their classes. From those, base attribute values are derived, which in turn are used to determine combat attributes.

ROC is the abbreviation for "Roll or Choice" marking tables that you can either roll on or pick any result you like.

Character Elements

Character Creation

There are two methods of character creation. One is Quickstart which means taking one of the sample characters which already has all stats prepared and add some details. The other is Construction, which encompasses a more thorough creation. Newly created characters are usually level 0.

Task Resolution

In order to resolve tasks, a "judge" takes place, either normal or resisted. Basically, you take one attribute value, add 2d6 to get the achievement value and compare it either to a difficulty rating (normal) or the achievement value of the opponent (opposed). Rolling a critical is counted as +10 regardless of actual dice result and the dice are re-rolled and added until no critical is rolled. Rolling a fumble with the initial 2d6 is counted as -10 regardless of actual dice result. Plana can be spent before rolling the dice to increase the achievement value.

Combat Resolution

Combat takes place on a square grid (Sq used as measurement) and is round based. At the beginning of a round, all participants determine Action Count with an Action Value Judge. Characters act in order from highest to lowest Action Count. Only characters with positive Action Count can act. After a character has performed an action, their Action Count is reduced by 20 and the character with the currently highest Action Count gets to act. It is possible that characters can not act at all during a round (Action Count less than 1 due to special effect and/or fumble) or act several times (Action Count 21 or more).

Attacks are handled by two opposed judges: Hit Value vs. Avoidance Value and if there is a hit Attack Strength vs. Defense Strength. There are also rules for blocking with shield or sword.
Characters at 0 or lower HP face a special judge, on success, they are back to 1 HP but unable to act and losing slowly HP, on a failure they die.

Magic

All magic requires a judge determined by the spell. If successful, MP are expended to pay the cost. In combat, spells have a preparation time, decreasing the Action Count of the user before the judge takes place (so spell-casting can be interrupted). Damage spells use judges similar to normal combat to determine whether they hit and how much damage is dealt.

Game Play

Game Play is divided into 3 phases, which then see subdivisions:

• Pre Play Characters are created, each character gets a scenario handout as well as a scenario connection and also one connection to another player character. There is also an announcement of today's episode, where the GM basically hints at the scenario's possible development (like announcements of the next episode at the end of serial tv shows).
• Main Play The actual gaming phase.
  1. Opening Introduction scenes for the PCs. Usually one scene per character, but depending on the scenario may be fewer or more. Provides motivation and circumstances for PC involvement in the situation.
  2. Research A series of scenes where the PCs investigate the situation. No guidelines for number given.
  3. Dive A dungeon crawling part where the PCs venture through the enemy's Fortress. Uses special, board-game-like rules. Core rule book contains rules for randomized dungeon creation which can be used GMless.
  4. Climax Confronting the ruler or the core of the Fortress, usually a boss fight.
  5. Ending Similar to the Opening phase, usually one scene per PC, sometimes more or less, describing how things have turned out.
• After Play Levelling up, spending loot and so on.

Experience

There are no experience points. One class level is gained after each scenario, at which point a class change can also take place.