Chapter One: Introduction

This is the Wing Commander Role-Playing Game First Edition Core Rules.
Wing Commander is an award-winning and ground-breaking series of space combat flight simulators, originally created by Chris Roberts and Origin Systems, Inc. Starting with the original game in 1990 and ending with Wing Commander: Secret Ops in 1998 (later followed in 2007 with Wing Commander: Arena), the series has developed a large following throughout the years from all types of gamers. The series is known for a number of firsts, including some of the first examples of voice acting in the video game industry (WC2), the world's first fully interactive movie (WC3), one of the very first games that could be played over a network (WC: Armada), and one of the first "episodic" video games ever created (WC: Secret Ops).
The Wing Commander series is set in the 27th century and chronicles the struggles of the Terran Confederation, a starfaring human society, in their epic struggle and ultimate victory against the forces of the Kilrathi Empire, a cat-like species with a warrior-based culture. After a brief inter-human conflict later in the series, a new conflict heats up against a new, powerful foe known only as the Nephilim.
The wikibook you're reading is a pencil-and-paper (PNP) role-playing game adaptation of these original games. The rules contained herein have been designed to be as flexible as possible, so that players may be as detailed or as carefree as they'd like to be while playing the game. They've also been designed such that players may play a game very similar to the original games, or have a much different type of adventure within the Wing Commander Universe.
To play the Wing Commander Role-Playing Game (WCRPG), you’ll need the following equipment:
* At least two ten-sided dice (2d10) for each player. One of these should show multiples of 10 (a d10x10). If one is not available, the dice should be distinguishable from one another with one of them designated as the “d10x10”.
* Pencil and paper. Pencil is preferable to pen, as it is far easier to erase and modify.
* Some kind of screen for the “gamemaster” (GM) used to conceal the results of some of their rolls.
* Access to at least one copy of these rules.
* While not strictly necessary, some GMs may prefer to have a calculator handy in order to help with more complex calculations.
===An Open Apology to Fans and Haters of the Wing Commander Movie===
Fans of the Wing Commander franchise will remember the movie Wing Commander released in 1999, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr. as Christopher Blair, Saffron Burrows as Angel and Matthew Lillard as Maniac. A great number of fans out there are dubious as to whether or not the movie should be considered part of the overall Wing Commander continuity, owing to several factors (including the look of the Kilrathi, the look of various ships and fighters, and the overall changes to the universe's continuity). The editors of WCRPG have decided to use the same timeline that was included in the latest installment of the series, Wing Commander: Arena. The timeline in that game includes the events mentioned in the movie, and in this regard the continuity of the movie is considered part of WCRPG. Those who do not consider the movie part of the official continuity may simply ignore any reference to the movie included in these rules. For those who are fans of the movie, the editors would like them to understand that the exclusion of any material from the movie was not done out of any sense of malice and hope no hard feelings are generated as a result. WCRPG's system includes procedures for creating anything and everything that could appear in the Wing Commander Universe (including hairless Kilrathi, modifications to Rapiers, etc.), so it is still possible for dedicated fans of the movie to re-create these materials for use in their gaming groups if they so choose.
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NEXT: 1.1 The Core Mechanic
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Category:WCRPG