Scum: The Core Rules

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Game Concepts

There are three simple game concepts to grasp for the game Scum:

• Every action has a cost
• Just roll one dice.
• You can build yourself up, but not for free.

Every Action Has a Cost

This is important.

Every time you test an attribute you must reduce it by one. This happens before you roll the dice, and isn't affected by whether you pass or fail.

The net result of this is that if you do things, then your ability to do those sort of things reduces.

How do we justify this in-setting?

• Nutter - After you've stabbed a few people you get worried about getting caught. You might even (gasp) start getting pangs of conscience and regret knifing someone. Also, killing people is tiring, innit?
• Sneaky Bastard - You sneak around too much you get sloppy. You get cocky because you think you're getting away with stuff. You get careless, because you're not concentrating. Or, you get nervous, because you worry its all going to go wrong any minute.
• Well Shaggable - If everyone knows you're handing it out on a plate, no-one wants it off you any more.
• Good mate - You can only tell someone they can trust you so much before they start wondering why you keep saying that...
• I'll cut ya! - Sooner or later, people are just gonna ignore you, and your shouting becomes background noise.
• Not bovvered. - Your temper will run out sooner or later, and then you will be bothered...
• Pisshead - Weird thing is, the more you drink, the more drunk you get. Strange, huh?
• Stoner - And the more weed you smoke, the more stoned you get. Duh.
• Shrapnel - The more times you fish change out of your pocket, the less likely you'll find any later.
• Drugs - The more joints you smoke, the fewerr are on you. Didn't school teach you this stuff?

Just Roll One Dice

When you test an attribute you roll one six-sided dice.

• If you roll equal or below that attribute, then you pass the test.
• If you roll over the attribute, then you fail the test.

Eagle-eyed veteran players will have spotted by now that because you always deduct one from an attribute before testing, you're going to automatically fail a test if you have an Attribute of 1 (or 0) before the test.

You can build yourself up, but not for free.

Sooner or later, with the above rules, you're going to be failing every test. Luckily, attributes can go upwards as well. There are three categories of how to do this:

Simple Build-Ups

• You spend half an hour doing something simple to build yourself up.

In this circumstance you add +1 to one attribute, and all it costs you is that half-hour. Bear in mind that almost all scenarios run to a clock of some sort, so doing this is more of a problem than you might think.

Examples of simple build ups:

• Argue with mum - Add +1 to Nutter. Arguing with mum really gets you wanting to smack someone, and as you can't smack her, you're going to take it out on strangers.
• Watch the telly - Add +1 to Sneaky Bastard. Call it TV-trance if you like, but after half an hour of daytime TV you feel all quiet-like.
• Do my make up - Add +1 to Well Shaggable. As everyone knows, the more make-up a chavette plasters on, the more shaggable she is.
• Chat to yer mate's mum - Add +1 to Good Mate. Presuming that you're polite, bg your mate up and deny that he's on drugs, of course.
• Play Grand Theft Auto - Add +1 to I'll cut ya! Computer games make young kids aggressive. I read it in the Daily Mail.
• Have a big poo - Add +1 to Not bovvered A huge dump realy takes the stress of your system, eh?
• Eat something already - Add +1 to Pisshead. A full stomach makes you more alcohol-proof.
• Have a kip - Add +1 to Stoner. If you sleep proper, you can take more weed. True fact.
• Search mum's flat - Add +1 to Shrapnel. You knew it - she had a fiver stashed in her sock drawer.
• Search dad's flat - Add +1 to Drugs. You knew it - he had a bag of weed stashed in his sock drawer.

Fast Build Ups

• You spend a few minutes to build yourself up, but this is a high risk activity.

In this circumstance you add +1 to one attribute, but you have to pass an attribute test of some sort, or you don't gain this benefit.

Complex Build Ups

• You spend half an hour to build yourself up, but this is a high risk activity.

In this circumstance you add +4 split out amongst one or more attributes, but you have to pass at least two attribute tests of some sort, or you don't gain this benefit.