Highwayman is the Dark Future role-playing game and uses the Horizon: Redline supplement for the d20 System by Fantasy Flight Games. This was chosen because it is already a car combat game set in a post-apocalyptic future, and a very good product too, with excellent art and writing. While Dark Future isn't quite a role-playing game the two settings do share a lot in common, especially when travelling through the deserts. Being based on the d20 System, if you wish to add extras (like aspects of the Cthulhu mythos), then you can quite easily.
This then, is a collection of rules and notes to add to those found in Redline for use with Dark Future. It is not intended to replace any of the basic Dark Future rules found on this site. Unless stated, all normal Redline rules occur with no changes, however, the background is not that found in Redline but that found in Dark Future.
This isn't a complete conversion though - most of the equipment and weapons are from the basic Dark Future rules and you won't find all the advanced stuff yet. Time and space are issues for this. However, if there is demand, then I can see what I can do about making it complete.
To be able to use these rules properly, you will need the following:
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Redline d20 System from Fantasy Flight Games
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d20 System v3 or higher
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d20 Modern might be useful for some skill descriptions.
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Dark Future
Only Redline need actually be bought though, the d20 System can be downloaded free, from the following websites.
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d20 System
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d20 Modern
If you are interested in expanding Highwayman, then Darwin's World has some useful rules for additional environmental hazards, whilst OGL Cybernet has some very good rules for drugs, addiction, withdrawal and so on.
Scary, but it would appear that with all the content on the website, I am a d20 licenser and because of that, I've had to include the Open Game License and list what is and isn't Open Content. This is complete virgin terroritory to me, so I hope I'm doing things the right way and not stepping on too many toes. If I am, I do apologise and will do my best to correct things as soon as possible.
Many thanks have to go to Fantasy Flight Games for their help and advice in setting me on the right path in this matter.
To be honest, I never thought that I would see the day when I would write anything at all for the
d20 System. I hate it. I hate it with a passion rivalling, well, not a lot else really. I hate the whole concept of levels, hit points that change with levels, armour classes and, well, I'm not going to go into it. I understand why it's been done that way, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. So why then, did I do it?
Well, I never thought I would see the day when I would write a GURPS supplement either (I'm writing the GURPS: Battlestar Galactica web supplement). I tried writing my own role-playing system for Dark Future, something that blended in with the basic rules, and it was okay, but was getting very clunky. The problem with writing your own system is that you have to start writing lots of bits and pieces to cover a lot of things that you didn't initially think about, and it just wasn't working for me. But then a very good friend sent me a copy of Redline, and without me consciously thinking about it, my mind started working on what I could do with it and how I would start converting it for Dark Future. And three things that are in the d20 Systems favour include the fact that it is simple (and we like simple), there are loads of supplements for it now which can be combined together, and you can get a free copy from the web, which is good as I refuse to buy it. Ever.
So this is the result. I haven't gone out of my way to deliberately undermine anything that I've done (if I'm going to go to the effort of writing something, I'll do it properly), but as my knowledge of the d20 System isn't quite what it could be, if you have any comments or suggestions, then please let me know.
I've made a couple of basic assumptions with some of the abstract game mechanics from
Dark Future and made them flesh. In addition, while
Dark Future is metric and written by a British company, it's set mainly in the United States and the
d20 System uses the Imperial system. As such,
Highwayman will use the US Imperial system (which will result in smaller gallons for example). I've done all the conversions where possible, but if I haven't, use the following guide.
| Dark Future Term | d20 Term |
| 1 Weight Point | 0.66 kg / 1.46 lbs |
| 1 centimetre | 50 centimetres / 1 foot, 7.69 inches |
| 1 Space | 13 feet, 1.5 inches |
The background and history from Redline is not used, however, there are a lot of similarities between the two games. Dark Future is pretty much a post-apocalyptic game when outside the PeeZees, and Redline is perfect for that aspect.
The Creep is something can be kept from the Redline background, although in a slightly different format. Mutants and the like don't really exist in Dark Future (or do they?), so the Creep should be mainly used for radiation sickness and pollution. That does exist in Dark Future.
A lot of the equipment in this section doesn't have costs associated with it - see the main Dark Future rules or elsewhere on this site for details.
