Sadly, I can’t find where my file is saved, so I will summarize.
It is a d6-based system, where you roll to get target numbers based on a difficulty determined by the Game Master. Your default roll is 1d6, but you can add extra non-cumulative dice or cumulative bonuses to your checks based on your abilities. In any given situation, you consult your filecard to determine how well equipped you are to handle whatever you face. The top of your filecard ranks your ability scores from 1-6 (something like Strength, Precision, Guts, Wits, and Charm). You also have your primary training, your secondary training, and your background, which is three sentences and one flaw, or five sentences and two flaws. When facing a challenge, you declare what you’re doing and how your training and backstory apply to the situation. You add your ability score to your roll. If you can justify that your primary training applies, you gain +3 to all rolls on this check. If you can justify that your secondary training applies, you gain +2 to all rolls on this check. For every element of your backstory you justify applies, you gain +1 to all rolls on this check. If you have any equipment that applies, you can add its equipment bonus to your rolls.
Total up your bonuses. You can trade a +2 bonus for an additional 1d6. So if you have 1d6+7, you can instead roll 1d6+5 twice, 1d6+3 three times, or 1d6+1 four times. If you’re facing a tough challenge, with a difficulty of 10 or more, you’ll want the best bonus you can get, whereas if it’s something simple, like a difficulty of 7, you’ll want to spread that bonus out for more chances to succeed. If you roll a natural 1, it is a failure.
Let’s look at an example.
Code Name: Snake Eyes
Strength: 3
Precision: 6
Guts: 5
Wits: 4
Charm: 1
Primary Training: Commando
Secondary Training: Ninja.
Background
1. Snake Eyes is the kind of loyal soldier who kicks butt and takes names.
2. He trained with the Arashikage ninja clan, whom he still has contact with.
3. More than one Joe owes Snake Eyes a debt.
Flaw: Snake Eyes scarred his face and completely lost the ability to speak in an accident.
Snake Eyes has to defuse a bomb. The bomb’s difficulty is 8, and it takes three successes to defuse. Snake Eyes explains that he will use his Precision (+6) to handle the defusing with a careful but quick hand. The GM accepts, and would have also accepted Guts (keeping cool in the face of death) or Wits (the need to know what you’re doing). The GM would also have entertained an argument for using Strength, but it would have to be really good. Charm was the real long shot.
Next, Snake Eyes says he will use his ninja training to defuse the bomb. The GM raises an eyebrow. Snake Eyes’ player explains that the human body is nothing but a machine, and a ninja is a master of shutting that machine down. He will apply these skills to shutting down a literal machine, the bomb. The GM decides “that’s just crazy enough to work” and allows it. Snake Eyes then asks if he can use his “more than one Joe owes Snake Eyes a debt” from his backstory to text communicate with Tripwire. The GM allows it too. Finally, Snake Eyes asks if he can use his katana, which provides a +3 bonus on Precision-based checks. The GM thinks that the Katana would be harder to use than Snake Eyes’ hands and votes against. That gives Snake Eyes 1d6 +9. He decides to hedge his bet and roll 1d6 +5 three times. If he rolls 3 or higher on each die, he defuses the bomb in one turn. He rolls, gets a 4, 5, and 6, easily defusing the bomb.
Villains have file cards of their own, but troopers don’t. Troopers gain their bonuses by using the characters’ flaws against them. For example, if a trooper were trying to capture Snake Eyes, Snake Eyes’ inability to speak works in the trooper’s favour.
Leveling is abstracted. If you achieve all mission objectives, it is a flawless success. You add a line to your backstory about your mission. If you succeed at most of your objectives, you add a line and a flaw to your backstory. If you fail your mission, you add just a flaw to your backstory.
There’s more that needs defining, like vehicle combat, weapon stats, balance, etc, but that’s the core of the game summarized there. If you’re looking for an established system,
Marvel Heroic RPGfrom Margret Weis can be hacked into a GI Joe RPG no problem, and Super Genius Games already adapted Savage Worlds into an RPG type game with their
Strike Force 7.
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Chief wrote:
Scrams is the Black Bolt of Brenden Fraser look-alikes...
Alright I know this has probably been said before, but I've been gone for awhile. I'm planning on trying to run a couple RPG's for my boys again this summer and one of the campaign's I'm thinking of running is a G.I. Joe one. Now what I'm wondering is if anyone here has ran one and if so what system have you used? Right now I'm looking at D20 Modern, Gurps, or Mutants & Masterminds. 
