GETTING STARTED

ROCK & ROLL has a bit of extra setup for the

first play session, but each step is small and fun,
so don’t stress too much! There are a few paths
you can take to streamline character and band
creation, and a lot of it should be a conversation
with your players.

Some bands will spend a ton of time throwing

ideas and jokes around for their band name,
genre, and individual characters. Some bands
already have a vision in mind, so it’ll be a pretty
quick process. In the following sections you’ll find
our recommendations for providing the most
meaningful content for them before play even
begins, and solutions for the sort of “extremes” that
you might encounter with players.

2
Character Creation
ROCK & ROLL features a group dynamic that is a
little unlike most other party-based TTRPGs, in that
each player also exists as part of a group — the
band.

With this in mind, there are a few ways to tackle

character creation so everyone gets the most out
of the experience. For groups, there are two basic
strategies: players make their characters and then
come together to form a band; or they talk about
what kind of band they would like to be, and make
characters that could be in that band.

You may have noticed that the Attitudes in ROCK

& ROLL are a little different than the stats in a lot
of TTRPGs. They’re less clearly defined, and while
they’re grouped in pairs, the pairs don’t oppose
one another. This is to encourage people to think
about the choices they make in the game in
terms as their character. For example, rather than
approaching a problem with a “Strength check,”
players have to think about how they’d like to
approach a problem, and with which Attitude.

Here are a couple of ways to approach creating

characters:

3
ATTITUDE-FIRST: The player thinks about the
personality they’d like to have, then allocates their
Attitudes in a way that supports that idea. This is a
great idea if players want to focus on embodying
certain personality types but don’t want to copy
celebrities or pop culture icons. Pick Attitudes that
embody the personality you want to portray and
throw points at them!

MUSIC-FIRST: A music-first approach means

thinking about the kind of tunes you’re going
to play, and building Attitudes around that. This
can make for fun and polarized characters that
embody the spirit of their chosen genre. Think
about the defining energy (not the Energy Attitudes,
the concept) of your genre and throw points at
those Attitudes. It’s like assigning your favorite
music a personality!

BAND-FIRST: This is obviously a collaborative

effort, but if you have a holistic vision of the band
then picking your role in that band and allocating
Attitudes according to that role can be a fun way
get started. This is especially fun with groups that
typically have a really strong dynamic, or have
experience playing role-playing games together.

4
Gear
Many musicians are gear nerds, which is why we
provided a space for gear on the character sheet.

If you want to restrict your players and have some

fun, consider giving them an imaginary budget and
sending them on an online shopping trip as part of
the character creation process. We all still do this
with Guitar Center catalogs, right? Right?

Conversely, taking away control over players’

gear can also be an effective tool - guitar strings
breaking, amps blowing, beloved mandolins getting
broken in transit, these are all moments that could
happen during a Performance as an Event or as
the result of an Attitude Check, for example.

For many musicians their gear has great emotional

value, so consider personalizing their gear: for
example, perhaps you’d like to gift a player their
father’s beloved bass so that when he sees them
playing it onstage it provides a good character
moment.

5
Creating Songs
The most labor-intensive part of preparing for a
session of ROCK & ROLL might be creating songs
for your players — depending on how you plan
on having your band start out you might need a
few ready before there is time in the story for the
band to come together and learn some. It cannot
be overstated how important having songs for
the band is, so take the time to develop some
beforehand, or do it with your band.

If all you know is how many players you have, you

can still create some charts that provide a range
of challenges for the players, and while they’re
hashing out the details of their band, you can fill
in the charts with Attitudes that make sense and
instruments for each player. From there, you can
hand them the charts and tell them to name the
songs, or when they settle on their band’s genre
give them relevant band names to choose from.

You might also consider asking each player to

pick a song that they really like and send it to you
before your session so you can chart out those
songs for them in advance and have a setlist ready
for them before the session begins.

6
Finally, you could take the songs below and tweak
them however you’d like to. They are all suited for
new bands.

covers
For Technical Challenges, the chart in the book
is a pretty solid guideline for original songs, but
when you’re thinking about covers or existing
songs, it can be tough to decide on numbers unless
you actually play the instrument in question. Our
general rule is “how sweaty would this person
be at the end of the song?” While not foolproof,
since classical pianists don’t glisten at the end of
each piece, but then again, if one of your band
members is playing a classical pianist maybe the
bar is higher for that person. And sweatiness isn’t
just about your body, it’s a state of mind.

On the following page are some example charts

for real songs turned into R&R covers with a brief
explanation of how their Technical Challenges were
decided.

7
 VOULEZ-VOUS (ABBA)

PART TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

Vocals 7 Fakeness
Guitar 6 Rigidity
Bass 7 Slickness
Drums 6 Thickness

The vocals on this track are very posed and

expectant, and have an emotional distance to
them that earns them Fakeness. The guitar takes
somewhat of a backseat here, which makes it feel
like a support instrument, and it has very specific
moments when it makes its presence known, so it
feels very structured and Rigid. The bass has some
really expressive phrasing and moves around a
ton to create a really Slick sound. The drums are
consistent and drive throughout the whole song,
which makes them Thick.

8
 IN A GADDA DA VIDA (IRON BUTTERFLY)

PART TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

Vocals 5 Chill
Guitar 7 Slickness
Bass 6 Slickness
Drums 5 Chill

The vocals on this track are the definition of Chill,

and aren’t extremely challenging from a technical
standpoint. The guitar and bass are extremely
similar in their phrasing, and move around their
respective fretboards a ton, which feels really Slick.
The drums are a lot like the vocals- nothing too
fancy, nothing too loud, just chill.

9
 SEND ME ON MY WAY (RUSTED ROOT)

PART TECHNICAL CHALLENGE

Vocals 8 Amped
Guitar 5 Thickness
Bass 6 Realness
Drums 8 Slickness

The vocals have such an interesting range of

energy, but the most important thing to think about
is the development of energy in the vocals leading
up to the chorus. That development epitomizes
Amped. The guitar part plays a supporting role
for the vocals, and has a very rhythmic feel that is
almost percussive, and so it is Thick. The bass plays
an integral part in the feel of the song and has a
ton of expressive energy (especially in the chorus)
that you can’t help but relate to, so it feels really
Real. The Drums are really frenetic, with the mix of
traditional drums, variety of cymbals, and frenetic
pace, which makes them feel really technically
challenging and Slick.

10
Writing Songs with Your Band
Writing songs is super fun if you make it a
conversation. Think about writing music like
an improv game where you say “yes and” to
everything. Don’t be afraid to propose ideas for
instruments that aren’t your own, but let each
person lead the conversation for their instrument.

Also, Attitudes for each part don’t have to be all

the same! A bass line might be super Chill, but the
guitar part could be Slick while the drums are
super Thick. The Attitudes you choose should make
sense for the instrument, the person playing it, and
for how it sounds in the song.

11
Managing the Band

Choosing an Attitude
Attitude Checks in ROCK & ROLL are somewhat
similar to a stat check in other role-playing games,
but Attitudes reflect not what a Band Member does
but how they do it.

Remember that either the Band Manager dictates

what Attitude gets used for a check or the player
chooses — they should tell you what Attitude they’ve
decided to use and how they intend to use it. This
might sound something like “I want to try and do
this but be real chill about it” or “I want to try and
do this and put my foot down.” Conversely this
might mean dictating that a Band Member does
a specific action and can’t help but be real extra
about it, and now they have to roll to see how it
goes.

12
If a player is choosing what Attitude to use for a
check, it’s up to you to decide if it’s the “correct”
Attitude for the situation, and it’s also your choice
if you want to let the player know that information
or not. For example, a player might choose to use
their Band Member’s Fakeness to try and talk to a
fan and have it blow up in their face, or choose
to use their Chill to appease an uptight venue
manager and put the whole gig in jeopardy.

Practice (Hard Mode)

Practicing is a continuous effort, and while ROCK
& ROLL aims to create scenarios that nod at the
actual music-playing experience, sometimes the
actuality is that it’s really hard to meet up with the
band and play your set. If you want to introduce
this sort of complexity to your games, perhaps
practice points expire after a short period of game
time, such as a week, and if your band members
don’t meet up to play their songs, maybe they
forget how to play them.

13
Crowd Vibes
In the Player’s Handbook we provide an in-depth
process and table for determining the Crowd Vibes
score needed for a band to successfully play a
Performance.

We wrote a Python script that rolled stats for

characters and then Practiced and rolled Pockets
for each one, and we ran it with a bunch of
different variables about 100 million times and used
those values to fill in the table that’s in the book.
You didn’t need to know that, but we just wanted
you to know how hard it was. Anyways here’s how
it works:

1. Multiply the number of band members

performing by 25.
2. Multiply the average Practice Points of those
band members by 10.
3. Multiply the average Growth Points of those
band members by 5.
4. Add the products of steps 1-3 together.

Or, if you prefer, Crowd Vibes = 25b + 10p + 5g

We also want to mention that Band Managers are

free to do any kind of modification they want to
keep things going — the most important thing is
players having fun.

14
Events
Performances are more than just playing music. A
band may play the same set every night, but that
set can go many different ways depending on what
fate has in store for them. Events can be used by
the Band Manager during Performances to add
that element of fate into the mix and make things
interesting for the band.

Events can be deployed by the Band Manager at

their discretion, but at least one Event per song
is recommended to keep things interesting. Start
by rolling a single die, and choose one of the
following tables based on the outcome of that roll.
Then, roll once more to determine which type of
Event occurs. These Event types are jumping off
points, and you’ll need to get creative with how
they specifically play out during your game. Instead
of rolling, Band Managers can also choose an
Event they think is right for the moment, or come
up with an entirely new Event on their own.

Once the Band Manager describes the Event, it’s up

to the players how they want their Band Members
to react. They may attempt something that the
Band Manager decides would warrant an Attitude
Check — other times the best reaction may just be
to keep playing.

15
Some Events may be triggered during a
performance, but occur afterwards. For example,
the band may perform well and get a bonus from
the booker after the show. Or, they may anger an
audience member during the performance enough
to lead to a violent confrontation after the show.

ROLL FIRST ROLL IS A 1

1 An audience member becomes violent

with the band

2 An object is thrown at the band (rock,

bottle, footwear)

3 Equipment breaks (amp blowing out,

smashed guitar)

4 The show is interrupted by party

poopers (cops, the venue)

5 The audience becomes rowdy

(damaging venue, threatening band)

6 Equipment malfunctions (string or

sticks breaking, out of tune)

16
ROLL FIRST ROLL IS A 2

1 An object is thrown at the band (rock,

bottle, footwear)

2 Equipment breaks (amp blowing out,

smashed guitar)

3 The audience becomes rowdy

(damaging venue, threatening band)

4 Equipment malfunctions (string or

sticks breaking, out of tune)

5 Food is thrown at the band (tomatoes,

eggs, pizza)

6 An audience member interferes (seizes

equipment, another band interferes)

17
ROLL FIRST ROLL IS A 3

1 Equipment malfunctions (string or

sticks breaking, out of tune)

2 Food is thrown at the band (tomatoes,

eggs, pizza)

3 An audience member interferes (seizes

equipment, another band interferes)

4 The band receives unexpected

affection (selfie, hug, big smooch)

5 Clothing is thrown on stage (t-shirts,

hats, undies)

6 The audience becomes engaged

(singing along, dancing, moshing)

18
ROLL FIRST ROLL IS A 4

1 Food is thrown at the band (tomatoes,

eggs, pizza)

2 The band receives unexpected

affection (selfie, hug, big smooch)

3 Clothing is thrown on stage (t-shirts,

hats, undies)

4 The audience becomes engaged

(singing along, dancing, moshing)

5 The audience supports the band

(cheering, signs, buying merch later)

6 An audience member joins the stage

(singing, playing, dancing along)

19
 ROLL FIRST ROLL IS A 5 OR 6

1 The band receives unexpected

affection (selfie, hug, big smooch)

2 Clothing is thrown on stage (t-shirts,

hats, undies)

3 The audience becomes engaged

(singing along, dancing, moshing)

4 The audience supports the band

(cheering, signs, buying merch later)

5 An audience member joins the stage

(singing, playing, dancing along)

6 The band gets a bonus after the

performance

Altered States
Listen, a life of rock and roll can put people into
all sorts of situations, and altered states will likely
come up at some point. Altered states can be
physical, like a blow to the head or a lack of sleep,
or they can be mental, like a bad breakup or
trauma associated with the venue (tread carefully
here, and make sure your players are comfortable

20
talking about and dealing with trauma, even if
it isn’t their own). They can also be chemical. You
know. Chemical. Here are some ways to reflect a
Band Member dealing with an altered state:

Affect the band member’s Attitudes negatively.

Due to the fact that each Attitude maxes out at
6, even a single point penalty can be crushing,
especially if they’ve developed a setlist around
their Attitudes in peak condition.

Give the Band Member a temporary Attitude

bonus, and if it becomes a habit fold it into the
story or make it their new baseline. You might
even permanently change their Attitudes if they
become dependent on the altered state.

Change the way that story elements are

communicated, such as obfuscating certain
information from the affected Band Member.

Put a cap on the maximum Practice Score

a Band Member can earn while they are
affected by the altered state, or if they become
dependent on it.

21
Building a World

Setting a story in a time and place can be one

of the hardest parts of any TTRPG, but we’re here
to help you out with some ROCK & ROLL-specific
ideas.

Building Venues
Music can be played just about anywhere, and in
ROCK & ROLL performances can happen anywhere
your players are. Realistically, your band will be
playing in a venue of some kind and hopefully
getting paid to do it. Where they’re playing will
probably affect what they’re playing and how they
play it, what the crowd is like, and introduce great
possibilities for events with management or fans.
Here are some tips on creating a great venue
location:

KNOW YOUR OPTIONS: Not all music gets played

in bars and stadiums — there’s a lot in between,
22
such as basement shows, bandstands, jazz clubs,
nightclubs, outdoor festivals, weddings, opera
houses, museum event spaces, public parks,
warehouse parties, or even parades.

TAKE INSPIRATION FROM REAL LIFE: Is there a

venue all your players have been to? Draw details
from there or even have your band play that real
stage — this is a great way to get players into
the action, especially if they aren’t as abstract as
others.

GET WEIRD WITH IT: Conversely, venues can be as

varied as your band is — maybe their first gig is a
high school talent show, or in the loading dock of
the local supermarket after hours, or some kid’s bar
mitzvah. Why not?

What’s Success to You?

Fans
We’ve all heard stories of stalker fans and deadly
throngs of crowds outside the stage doors, but
there are lots of opportunities for fan interactions,
depending on the size and success of your band.
Some people are there for the music, some people
are there for everything but the music.

23
When your band is STARTING OUT, a fan may
simply be a person at the bar who buys your
players a round of drinks after their set, or another
local group who appreciates the craft behind the
basement show.

MEDIUM-SIZED BANDS might have a loyal

group that shows up at the same venue every
year the band comes around, or have a ticket
giveaway from a local radio station that includes a
backstage meet-and-greet.

When it comes to BIG-NAME BANDS you can

pretty much let your imagination run wild, but
keep in mind factors like whether or not your band
has security, paparazzi, record-label obligations,
and the scores of well-intentioned fans who might
not be able to handle meeting their idols.

Cash
The music business has always been feast or
famine. The balance sheets of bands is a deep
rabbit hole, and we don’t recommend diving too
far down unless your players are into it, but here
are some things to keep in mind that might help
create texture or stakes for your sessions:

WHERE’S THE CASH COMING FROM? If your band

is in the studio circa 1971 then their paycheck is

24
coming from fat-cat record executives and radio
play; if your band is playing in modern day then
they’re going to be begging for streams and likes,
knowing neither will pay the bills. What will? Merch
and touring, if they can get to the point where they
can afford to do that. Speaking of…

EVERYTHING IS EXPENSIVE: If your band is on

tour then the van, the gear, the crew, hotels, food,
gas, and merch all come before the band’s cut at
the end of the night. That said, there are a lot of
ways to run a tour, and you can tailor your story
to your band in some fun ways. Maybe to cut costs
everyone and everything sleeps in a rental truck;
maybe your record label splurged on a big bus;
maybe your band has an entire jet to themselves
like real rock stars. Consider the cost of each of
these methods of transportation and triple it —
that’s how much it’s gonna take to keep that band
on the road minimum.

BRASS TACKS: The simplest transaction a band

can make is playing a show and getting paid by
the venue from ticket revenue. After all the costs
above, this might be a wad of cash for each band
member for playing a well-known club for a few
hundred people, or it might be a couple of bills for
playing a hole-in-the-wall for less than a hundred.

25
THE MIDDLE AIN’T A BAD PLACE TO BE: A legacy
band playing shows to a thousand people a night
for a few months out of the year might be doing
fine playing music as their full-time job, but they’re
not going to be rich and that’s alright. There are
a lot of stories to tell between “starving artist”
and “on top of the world”, if your players want
something grounded.

All About the Art (of Friendship)

Sometimes it’s not about the money or the fans,
but about the band sticking together. Maybe
they’ve been at this a long time, maybe this is their
first time stepping into the stage lights together.
If you want to run a game that focuses on the
interpersonal drama, consider establishing more
in-depth relationships between the band members
before playing, including needs, wants, conflicts,
and/or secrets, and use those to get things
happening. If your band is still together at the end
of the night, maybe that’s the biggest win of all.

26
 Story Ideas

Need help getting started with the scrupulous

scrying of scenarios? Here are some ideas for
scenarios to get you going:

A local battle of the bands is happening in one

week, and a group of scrappy marching band
kids want to take their shot at rock and roll
glory.

A group of old friends start a band together and

take a roadtrip to a nationwide talent contest,
getting closer with every mile driven and song
played.

27
Your band won a contest and is now the
opening act for the biggest pop star on the
planet with all that entails, from their meddling
management to rabid fans.

A 1970s punk rock band inspires students at a

high school to overthrow their music-hating
administration so they can stage a show before
burning the place down.

Trendy twenty-somethings are throwing an

illegal warehouse party with a lot of big names
on the list, and they want you to play

The band is struggling, but there will be some

big-shot record executives at their next show —
now’s the time to shine.

Who knew that recording a double-length rock

opera was going to be hard? It’s day 72 in the
recording studio and tensions are running high,
but when the mics are on sparks fly.

28
 A famous rock band from the 1960s awakens
from cryogenic stasis on a distant planet in the
far future. They can enjoy an immortal life in
a utopian future, but first they have to defeat
several other acts from musical history in a
universally broadcasted music competition show.

Everything we’ve written so far hangs out in the

PG-13 part of the spectrum, but if you want your
stories to get a bit more risque, and consider
introducing aspects like drugs, alcohol, violence,
sex, melodrama, and/or contract negotiation (See
“Altered States”). It’s important that everybody at
the table is comfortable with the content of your
games, so make sure you have a conversation
with your players about what they are and aren’t
comfortable with before playing.

Meanwhile, if you wanted to say, have the devil

appear in the middle of a show and challenge
your band to a duel, that’d be rad. Or maybe a
genie stole your singer’s voice in exchange for a
golden guitar, and now your band needs to make
the genie cry by playing the most beautiful song in
the world. Or maybe a concert on All Hallow’s Eve
turns into a flesh-eating fracas when the audience
turns into head-banging zombies. Don’t be afraid to
get weird with it.

29
 Dane Dubbs He/Him 28
NAME PRONOUNS AGE
Bass Guitar
INSTRUMENTS

ATTITUDES
HASTE ORGANIZATION ENERGY AUTHENTICITY

+2 +2 -2 +1
THICKNESS RIGIDITY AMPED REALNESS

+1 -3 +2 -3
SLICKNESS FLUIDITY CHILL FAKENESS

PERKS

SONGS KNOWN PRACTICE

TITLE PART TEC / ATT
0
GROWTH

0
POCKET

ROCKNROLLRPG.COM
 FAVORITE GENRES

Thrash Metal, J-Rock

APPEARANCE

Tall and lanky, incredible eyebrows, and a recent nipple

piercing he’s very proud of

OUTFIT HAIRSTYLE

White t-shirt, black jeans, Black liberty spiked

high top sneakers mohawk

GEAR

Black-on-black Yamaha BB234 bass, Peavy amp, portable

USB mixer and mics

DREAMS

To own his own recording studio

QUALITIES FLAWS

Good cook, beautiful Bad at confrontation,

smile can’t read music

BACKGROUND

Dane spent the first twelve years of his life living on an

air force base in Okinawa with his mother. His love for
music started with anime theme songs, but when he saw
Metallica play a USO concert on the base his whole world
changed. To his disappointment, he returned to the States
sixteen long years ago. He’s spent most of it holed up in
his bedroom recording music.
 Alfred “Alfie” Young He/Him 26
NAME PRONOUNS AGE
Guitar
INSTRUMENTS

ATTITUDES
HASTE ORGANIZATION ENERGY AUTHENTICITY

-3 -2 -1 -2
THICKNESS RIGIDITY AMPED REALNESS

+3 +1 +2 +2
SLICKNESS FLUIDITY CHILL FAKENESS

PERKS

SONGS KNOWN PRACTICE

TITLE PART TEC / ATT
0
GROWTH

0
POCKET

ROCKNROLLRPG.COM
 FAVORITE GENRES

Metal, Punk

APPEARANCE

Tall with a budding beer gut, a bit oily, tired

OUTFIT HAIRSTYLE

Worn old t-shirt, tattered Long blonde emo cut

jeans, canvas sneakers

GEAR

Lovingly maintained Epiphone SG, Fender 100w combo

amp

DREAMS

To write the perfect metal song and then brag about it

QUALITIES FLAWS

Attractive yet sloppy, fun Desperate for attention,

to hang with sensitive about criticism

BACKGROUND

Alfred is a punk kid from an affluent background and

so he does everything in his power to hide that fact. His
older sister died when he was young and he inherited all
of her guitars and equipment, and ever since he’s been
obsessed with gear.
 Emmi “Too” Aimes They/Them 26
NAME PRONOUNS AGE
Vocals
INSTRUMENTS

ATTITUDES
HASTE ORGANIZATION ENERGY AUTHENTICITY

-1 -2 +2 +1
THICKNESS RIGIDITY AMPED REALNESS

+2 +3 -2 -3
SLICKNESS FLUIDITY CHILL FAKENESS

PERKS

SONGS KNOWN PRACTICE

TITLE PART TEC / ATT
0
GROWTH

0
POCKET

ROCKNROLLRPG.COM
 FAVORITE GENRES

Punk, Pop

APPEARANCE

Small but fierce, tattooed and pierced

OUTFIT HAIRSTYLE

Denim vest, ripped jeans, Bleach blonde with an

tube top undercut

GEAR

Travel mug of lemon tea

DREAMS

To be recognised across the world as a lyricist and poet

QUALITIES FLAWS

Positive attitude, Constant toilet humor,

emotionally mature always needs caffeine

BACKGROUND

Emmi moved to San Diego, USA from France when they

were 11 years old. Speaking French became something of
an identity for them, which earned them the nickname “Tu
Aime”. They are vocal about their opinions and need no
excuse to stand up and start singing to anything.
 Micha Asmat She/Her 29
NAME PRONOUNS AGE
Drums
INSTRUMENTS

ATTITUDES
HASTE ORGANIZATION ENERGY AUTHENTICITY

+3 -3 +2 +1
THICKNESS RIGIDITY AMPED REALNESS

-1 +2 -2 -2
SLICKNESS FLUIDITY CHILL FAKENESS

PERKS

SONGS KNOWN PRACTICE

TITLE PART TEC / ATT
0
GROWTH

0
POCKET

ROCKNROLLRPG.COM
 FAVORITE GENRES

Metal, Jazz

APPEARANCE

Pretty buff, short, heavily pierced and tattooed

OUTFIT HAIRSTYLE

Band tee with the sleeves Straight bangs and a

ripped off, cut-off shorts ponytail

GEAR

SJC USA Custom 4-piece kit with Zildjian K Dark cymbals,

double bass pedal

DREAMS

To be completely covered in tattoos, and then to start

over with blackwork

QUALITIES FLAWS

Lifts heavy things, chooses Always lifting, drinks

words carefully water out of a gallon jug

BACKGROUND

Micha is the daughter of two punk celebrities, a couple

of old new wavers with enough relevance to still tour. She
grew up on a tour bus and had been around the world
ten times by the time she was 18.