Knowledge

Grey Ranks (role-playing game)

Source 📝

364:) the players collaboratively narrate scenes for the surviving characters. In subsequent chapters, the players each have one scene related to the mission for their character, and one personal scene for their character. Each player contributes one die to their personal scene, and one die each to the mission; in order to succeed the players must roll above the chapter number (2-9) multiplied by the number of players rolling. This means that it gets progressively harder to succeed as the game goes on, modelling the rise and fall of the Warsaw resistance. If a player fails but wishes to succeed (or even succeeds and wishes to fail) they may risk the thing they hold dear to re-roll any single die as a twelve sided dice (or as its previous value if they want to fail). 92: 195:
Grey Ranks is set in the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, with each player playing a child aged between 15 and 17. The game itself takes place over the course of ten chapters, each relating to an event that shaped the course of the Warsaw Uprising. To set the scene, each chapter begins with someone reading
272:, and where each player has one scene for their character per chapter. Each scene in all chapters save the first and last needs resolving, and each chapter is harder to resolve than the previous ones. In order to play you need: 347:
for the character that they may turn into positive reputations in play if they survive long enough. The reputations, and the things that characters hold dear may not overlap between player characters.
27: 202:. This is a narrative conceit as the game starts with preparing for the uprising in July 1944, and Radio Lightning didn't start until a week into August. 246: 109: 577: 319:, an age, a sex, and a position on the grid. After the first chapter each player chooses something their character holds dear from their 236: 343:- and represents whichever they pick with a tangible symbol that may get destroyed in play. The other players then pick two negative 572: 547: 356:
At the start of each chapter the players pick a mission leader who decided what the mission will be. In the first chapter (the
557: 253: 440: 552: 387:) based on whether they won or lost their personal mission and whether they won or lost. In each corner is a danger ( 567: 562: 269: 131: 515: 210: 113: 198: 158: 102: 70: 260:
The players have no ability within the game to change the overall course of the uprising.
8: 220: 384: 165:. The game is designed for three to five players and puts each of them in the shoes of 162: 52: 475: 419: 403:) and any character that ends up in the same corner square twice is out of the game. 400: 392: 154: 150: 42: 525: 486: 464: 283:
ranging four sided to twelve sided. Ideally each player should have one of these.
519: 242:
Chapter Eight: Old Town Falls and the Sewers Become A Highway - September 2, 1944
178: 170: 444: 303:
Although not strictly necessary to play, the game book itself contains notes on
497: 166: 541: 290:, used to indicate the characters' mental and emotional health and well-being 37: 26: 512: 299:
Approximately one hour per chapter (commonly broken into three sessions)
296:
A list of the districts in Warsaw in 1944 and brief descriptions of them
380: 344: 336: 183: 116: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 396: 316: 91: 361: 357: 232:
Chapter Six: German Tanks against Home-Made Rifles - August 7, 1944
307:
in the 1940s, guidance towards play, and other useful references.
229:
Chapter Five: The High Water Mark Of The Uprising - August 4, 1944
388: 367:
At the end of the chapter each character moves on the two-axis
332: 328: 324: 304: 320: 315:
Before the game each player gives their character a name, a
376: 372: 340: 280: 216:
Chapter Two: The Nazis Begin To Get Nervous - July 27, 1944
531: 412:
Indy RPG Awards 2007 - Innovation in a Role Playing Game
268:
Grey Ranks is a collaborative role-playing game with no
226:
Chapter Four: Desperate Street Fighting - August 2, 1944
415:
Indy RPG Awards 2007 - Independent Game of the Year
539: 534:, website of the game illustrator Jeff Bent 247:The Soviets Reach the Vistula and Stop Cold 487:Indy RPG Awards 2007 Game of the Year page 132:Learn how and when to remove this message 293:A copy of the Radio Lightning broadcasts 406: 540: 441:"Warsaw Uprising Radio Lightning page" 578:Role-playing games introduced in 2007 310: 522:of the Grey Ranks role-playing game. 476:Indy RPG Awards 2007 Innovation page 114:adding citations to reliable sources 85: 13: 14: 589: 506: 90: 25: 573:Works about the Warsaw Uprising 548:Anti-fascist role-playing games 211:Monkey-wrenching the Occupation 101:needs additional citations for 491: 480: 469: 458: 433: 1: 558:Historical role-playing games 426: 360:) and the final chapter (the 279:A set of standard polyhedral 263: 196:out a passage attributed to 173:, serving as members of the 7: 10: 594: 190: 16:Tabletop role-playing game 553:Diana Jones Award winners 76: 66: 58: 48: 36: 24: 568:Indie RPG Awards winners 563:Indie role-playing games 351: 159:independently published 498:2008 Diana Jones Award 205:The ten chapters are: 182: 31:Cover for 1st edition 407:Reception and awards 249:- September 10, 1944 221:The Uprising Begins! 110:improve this article 401:suicidal depression 21: 518:2008-07-08 at the 339:, and their first 311:Character creation 237:Old Town Must Hold 163:Bully Pulpit Games 53:Bully Pulpit Games 19: 526:Grey Ranks Review 513:Official homepage 420:Diana Jones Award 393:nervous breakdown 256:- October 3, 1944 239:- August 14, 1944 155:Jason Morningstar 151:role-playing game 142: 141: 134: 84: 83: 43:Jason Morningstar 585: 500: 495: 489: 484: 478: 473: 467: 462: 456: 455: 453: 452: 443:. Archived from 437: 223:- August 1, 1944 137: 130: 126: 123: 117: 94: 86: 29: 22: 18: 593: 592: 588: 587: 586: 584: 583: 582: 538: 537: 520:Wayback Machine 509: 504: 503: 496: 492: 485: 481: 474: 470: 463: 459: 450: 448: 439: 438: 434: 429: 409: 354: 313: 266: 235:Chapter Seven: 219:Chapter Three: 199:Radio Lightning 193: 171:Warsaw Uprising 138: 127: 121: 118: 107: 95: 32: 17: 12: 11: 5: 591: 581: 580: 575: 570: 565: 560: 555: 550: 536: 535: 532:sporecloud.com 529: 523: 508: 507:External links 505: 502: 501: 490: 479: 468: 465:RPG.net review 457: 431: 430: 428: 425: 424: 423: 416: 413: 408: 405: 353: 350: 312: 309: 301: 300: 297: 294: 291: 286:A copy of the 284: 277: 265: 262: 258: 257: 250: 245:Chapter Nine: 243: 240: 233: 230: 227: 224: 217: 214: 213:- July 2, 1944 192: 189: 167:child soldiers 140: 139: 98: 96: 89: 82: 81: 78: 74: 73: 68: 64: 63: 60: 56: 55: 50: 46: 45: 40: 34: 33: 30: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 590: 579: 576: 574: 571: 569: 566: 564: 561: 559: 556: 554: 551: 549: 546: 545: 543: 533: 530: 527: 524: 521: 517: 514: 511: 510: 499: 494: 488: 483: 477: 472: 466: 461: 447:on 2019-01-31 446: 442: 436: 432: 421: 418:Joint Winner 417: 414: 411: 410: 404: 402: 398: 394: 390: 386: 382: 378: 374: 370: 365: 363: 359: 349: 346: 342: 338: 334: 330: 326: 322: 318: 308: 306: 298: 295: 292: 289: 285: 282: 278: 275: 274: 273: 271: 261: 255: 252:Chapter Ten: 251: 248: 244: 241: 238: 234: 231: 228: 225: 222: 218: 215: 212: 209:Chapter One: 208: 207: 206: 203: 201: 200: 188: 186: 185: 184:Szare Szeregi 180: 176: 172: 168: 164: 160: 156: 152: 148: 147: 136: 133: 125: 115: 111: 105: 104: 99:This section 97: 93: 88: 87: 79: 75: 72: 69: 65: 61: 57: 54: 51: 47: 44: 41: 39: 35: 28: 23: 493: 482: 471: 460: 449:. Retrieved 445:the original 435: 368: 366: 355: 314: 302: 287: 267: 259: 254:Capitulation 204: 197: 194: 174: 145: 144: 143: 128: 119: 108:Please help 103:verification 100: 397:derangement 345:reputations 276:3-5 players 169:during the 59:Publication 542:Categories 528:at rpg.net 451:2013-12-11 427:References 385:exhaustion 381:enthusiasm 175:Grey Ranks 146:Grey Ranks 122:April 2023 49:Publishers 20:Grey Ranks 389:martyrdom 317:code name 264:Game play 38:Designers 516:Archived 362:epilogue 358:prologue 335:, their 331:, their 327:, their 323:, their 337:friends 325:country 191:Setting 77:Systems 333:family 305:Warsaw 179:Polish 80:custom 67:Genres 321:faith 149:is a 71:Indie 422:2008 379:and 377:hate 373:love 369:grid 352:Play 341:love 329:city 288:grid 281:dice 62:2007 187:). 161:by 153:by 112:by 544:: 399:, 395:, 391:, 270:GM 181:: 157:, 454:. 383:- 375:- 371:( 177:( 135:) 129:( 124:) 120:( 106:.

Index


Designers
Jason Morningstar
Bully Pulpit Games
Indie

verification
improve this article
adding citations to reliable sources
Learn how and when to remove this message
role-playing game
Jason Morningstar
independently published
Bully Pulpit Games
child soldiers
Warsaw Uprising
Polish
Szare Szeregi
Radio Lightning
Monkey-wrenching the Occupation
The Uprising Begins!
Old Town Must Hold
The Soviets Reach the Vistula and Stop Cold
Capitulation
GM
dice
Warsaw
code name
faith
country

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.