Broken Compass is a cinematic tabletop RPG designed to emulate high-octane adventure stories like Indiana Jones Tomb Raider . The game uses the Fortune System
, a fast-paced d6 dice pool mechanic that prioritizes action over complex math. Core Mechanics: The Fortune System
Instead of adding numbers to meet a target, you roll a pool of d6s and look for matching sets Success Levels : A pair (2 of a kind). : Three of a kind. : Four of a kind. Impossible : Five of a kind. Taking Risks
: If you don't roll enough matches, you can "Take a Risk" by rerolling non-matching dice. However, if the risk fails, you lose a level of success from your original roll.
: If you have expertise in a skill, you can reroll non-matching dice without the penalty of losing success. Character Creation Characters are defined by
—archetypes like "The Pilot" or "The Professor"—which provide your starting skills and fields. Skills & Fields
: There are six main skills, each with three sub-fields. You fill "diamond slots" based on your tags to determine how many dice you roll for challenges.
: This acts as your "Health." You start with 10 Luck Points. Failing to overcome a danger reduces your Luck; when it hits zero, your character faces "Certain Death". Game Structure Fortune Master (FM)
: The game's narrator who sets the scenes, manages rivals, and controls the "Doomsday Clock". Episodes & Seasons broken compass rpg pdf work
: Games are structured like a TV show. A single session is an "Episode," and a campaign is a "Season" (typically about 10 sessions). Doomsday Clock
: A 12-slot timer that advances when the story takes a dark turn, leading to a final climax. www.gamingtavern.uk Where to Find the PDF The game was originally developed by Two Little Mice but was acquired by (CoolMiniOrNot).
Broken Compass is an adventure tabletop RPG inspired by cinematic icons like Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and Nathan Drake. It uses the Fortune System, a rules-light mechanic where players roll pools of six-sided dice to find matching sets (pairs, triples, etc.) to overcome challenges.
The following narrative is a representative "story" of how a typical game session—or "Episode"—unfolds using the rules found in the core Adventure Journal PDF. The Heist at the Cenote: A Gameplay Story
The scene opens in the humid jungles of a remote island. Our protagonist, an "Ordinary Librarian" with a knack for trouble, has just found a clue: to find the hidden treasure, they must "go up to go down, and down to go up".
The Climb (The Challenge): The Adventurer scales the highest peak of the island and discovers a hidden cenote. To proceed, they must dive into the water and swim through a flooded tunnel. The Fortune Master (GM) declares this a Critical Challenge (requiring a triple match).
The Dive (The Roll): The player rolls their pool of dice. They don't get a triple, only a pair. Because Broken Compass uses a "fail forward" mentality, the player still makes it through the tunnel, but at a cost—they lose Luck points (the game's version of health).
The Trap (The Danger): Inside the ruin, a crushing ceiling begins to descend. This is a Mortal Danger. If the player fails their roll here and has no Luck left, they must flip their Luck Coin to stay in the story. Broken Compass is a cinematic tabletop RPG designed
The Treasure (The Goal): Reaching the final chamber, the Adventurer finds a massive stone door with six icons: a skull, a sword, a crown, a castle, a cross, and an anchor. After debating which icon fits their earlier clues, the player turns the key. The door grinds open to reveal Henry Morgan's missing ship, laden with gold.
The Rival (The Climax): Just as they reach for the gold, their Rival—a ruthless mercenary—blasts through the cavern wall. The Adventurer doesn't just fight; they escape by firing the ship's ancient cannons, sinking the Rival's luxury yacht in a cinematic chase back to the open ocean. Core Storytelling Elements
The narrative structure of a Broken Compass game is designed to mirror a television series:
Pilot Episode: A standalone session used to introduce the characters and world.
Seasons: A connected series of episodes (typically 3–6) forming a complete story arc.
The Doomsday Clock: A 12-slot timer that advances when the story takes a dark turn, building tension until the "Midnight" finale. Available PDF Resources
If you are looking for the official digital works, they were originally published by Two Little Mice and CMON:
It sounds like you’re looking for information, resources, or troubleshooting help related to "Broken Compass" — the TTRPG system published by CMON (and written by Davide Gazzotti and Francesco Zambaldi) — specifically regarding its PDF files and how they work. apply "Broken" conditions (e.g.
Below is a breakdown of common issues, how PDFs work for this system, and where to find official support.
| Broken Bearing | Effect (roll 1d6 when compass acts up) | |-------------------|---------------------------------------------| | 1-2: Fear | You see a hallucination of your worst failure. Gain +1 Danger, but +1 Fortune if you face it. | | 3-4: Desire | The compass points to a random treasure (GM’s choice) instead of the objective. | | 5-6: Forgotten | You remember something crucial from your past – but so does an enemy. |
If you’re looking for "work" as in DIY tools:
Broken Compass drops players into the boots of "Seekers." These aren’t dungeon-delving murder-hobos; they are professional adventurers, scholars of the occult, rogues, and soldiers of fortune who travel the globe uncovering lost civilizations and mythical artifacts.
The setting is our own world, but amplified. It is a "Cinematic Reality" where physics takes a backseat to coolness, and ancient legends are dangerously real. The game is divided into tiers of play—from hunting down lost relatives to saving the world from apocalyptic cults.
Broken Compass is not a combat simulator. If you try to use the PDF’s combat section like D&D, it will break. Instead:
One of the best features of the Broken Compass RPG PDF library is the "Season" format. Unlike linear modules, Seasons are structured like TV shows. Here is how to make them work for your group without railroading.
Broken Compass uses "D6 pools with Marvels (Three of a kind)." Standard VTT dice rollers (like /roll 5d6) don't visually show "Marvels" well.
PowerCards to create a macro that highlights triples in green.!bc 5 and tell you if you rolled a Jinx (all 1s) or a Marvel.