Hack/Cash is an action heist game where you play as a motley crew of career criminals going after the biggest heist of your lives.
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The big steal. The motherload. One Last Job. THE HEIST of all heists.
Whatever you’re calling it, it’s happening now and you’re gonna have to fight for it.
HOW TO PLAY
You’re a rough and ready crew of career criminals, trying to pull off an intricate heist to get THE PRIZE – something of huge value that’ll solve all your problems, or let you get out of this life for good.
You each have 5 SKILLS, assign 2d4, 2d6, 2d8, 2d10 & 2d12 between them.
MUSCLE – Guns, Fights, Intimidation, Heavy Lifting; Brute force where necessary
LOCKSMITH – Locks, Safes, Hacking, Alarms; Getting into places you shouldn’t
CAT BURGLAR – Gymnastics, B & E, Stealth, Hiding; Getting in & out unnoticed
DRIVER – Cars, Planes, Trains, Boats; Pretty much anything that moves
FACE – Smooth Talking, Fast Talking, Charm, Guile; Seeming like you belong
Whenever you act to get closer to THE PRIZE, say what you do and roll the SKILL that best fits your description. The GM will set the difficulty and roll against you.
| DIFFICULTY | DICE |
| BASIC | 2d4 |
| SIMPLE | 2d6 |
| TROUBLING | 2d8 |
| TOUGH | 2d10 |
| FRAUGHT | 2d12 |
If you roll…
EQUAL or HIGHER, you succeed
LOWER, take STRESS equal to the difference
THE CREW
Choose (or roll) a disposition for your CREW MEMBER and describe your backstory to the rest of THE CREW.
| d10 | DISPOSITION |
| 1 | I got out, but they pulled me back in |
| 2 | When push comes to shove, I’m in this for me |
| 3 | I got people waiting for me back home |
| 4 | I’m doing this for love, but the cash helps, too |
| 5 | I’m tryna put my kids through college |
| 6 | Just One Last Job before retirement |
| 7 | I got a lotta debts and people on my tail |
| 8 | I’m a wildcard, but I’ve got your back in a tight space |
| 9 | I got where I am today with luck and a smile |
| 10 | I solve all my problems with a bullet |
Next, decide the following:
Who pulled THE CREW together?
Who is untested (and untrusted)?
Who ‘goes way back’?
Who just got out from a stint in the lock-up?
Who narrowly escaped capture on their last job?
What is THE PRIZE?
Have a scene where you make introductions, size each other up & work out everyone’s cut, or describe a montage where THE CREW is pulled together.
STRESS
STRESS represents danger of something going wrong with THE HEIST. Consequences of STRESS don’t have to happen immediately, but should always be apparent.
When you take STRESS, you can choose to take it on your CREW MEMBER or THE PLAN. Use the table below for examples of consequences for your slip-up:
| STRESS | RESULT | CREW MEMBER | THE PLAN |
| 1-4 | ISSUE | Suspected, Slowed-down, Winded, Unfriendliness | Ask the GM to make a minor change to one part of THE PLAN |
| 5-7 | PROBLEM | Scrutinised, Held-up, Bruised, Surliness | Ask the GM to make a minor change to two parts of THE PLAN |
| 8-10 | TROUBLE | Investigated, Stopped, Bloodied, Belligerence | Ask the GM to make a major change to one part of THE PLAN |
| 11-19 | DANGER | Discovered, Stuck, Injured, Aggression | Ask the GM to make a major change to two parts of THE PLAN |
| 20+ | DISASTER | Captured, Trapped, Wounded, Violence | The whole plan is shot – you’re going to have to do this on the fly |
THE PLAN
Your plan is made up of 10 pieces of information, which flow together perfectly to gain you THE PRIZE. Choose 5 key pieces of information (like when the Guards shift changes, or the code for the alarm system) that your plan hinges on for The Way In and 5 for The Way Out.
Once you’ve got in, grabbed THE PRIZE, and got out, you can get on with your new lives.
Have a scene where you divide up THE PRIZE, then go around the table and ask what each CREW MEMBER will do next. Take turns describing how your character walks off into the sunset.
This job isn’t like anything you’ve done before, find out what makes THE HEIST weird by rolling on the table below:
| d6 | COMPLICATION |
| 1 | THE PRIZE is HAUNTED |
| 2 | THE PRIZE is surrounded by THE LIVING DEAD |
| 3 | THE PRIZE is CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE |
| 4 | THE PRIZE is guarded by KILLER ROBOTS |
| 5 | THE PRIZE is 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA |
| 6 | THE PRIZE is NOT AS IT SEEMS |
Ursidice 