The Gnome

PDG
Created by: William Caddell
Cover art by Mario A. Barrazo
the Clock created by George Brenner
in Funny Pages #6 (Nov. 1936)
Public Domain Comics Public Domain is defined by the Oxford Dictionary
as “the state of belonging or being available to the public as a whole, and
therefore, not subject to copyright.”
This particular book uses the public domain comic Funny Pages #6 (Nov.
1936), as a source for the game. The writing, rules and the book itself are the
exclusive intellectual property of William Caddell, the creator, and
other than those parts designated as public domain, no part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or other-wise) without the prior written
permission of the author, William Caddell. All rights reserved.
Except for the character sheet. Print that as much as you need.
c William Caddell 2021
WHAT IS PUBLIC DOMAIN GAME? Public Domain Game(PDG) is a set of
rules based on the concept of running virtually any comic book as a solo
adventure for a character that you choose. The main objective is to find the
“conflict” on each comic book page, and then using your character’s
abilities, overcome that conflict so that you can advance to the next page.
Some pages may even have more than one conflict that you will need to
overcome. After you read a page, on the following page there will be rules
and instructions with examples regarding how to overcome the conflict.
This specific book is an example playbook for the Core rules of PDG. Each
playbook will have slightly different rules and tables, but you should have
no problem using the same character for any book in the series.
Game Gear
Here is what you need to play:
● this book of rules and examples
● at least 2d10 and 2d6, but more is better. Different colors work best. I
recommend one blue for offense, one green for defense, one purple for wild,
and three or more red for exploding.
● a character sheet. You can create your own, or print the one from
Appendix B.
Your Character
Essentially what you are doing is taking the main character’s place in the
story. Your character is an Infinite, which means you should be able to
duplicate anything, any hero, any power in the story. Because it is a solo
game, play balance is not an issue, so some builds will simply make the
game easier than others. When you choose a Guidebook, you are choosing the
direction your character is going. This is a Guidebook, there will be multiple to
choose from, the old West, to Outer Space, all based on Public Domain Comic
Books.
Even though this book is an example Guidebook, it is completely playable as it
is. It is intended as a “section” in a choose your adventure style, your next “turn
to section” is simply the next Guidebook you pick up. You could even play it
again using the same character, there is a table for that at the end of the story.
The Basics
The Game Loop and How to Roll the Dice
When you come across an obstacle in the story, or need to achieve
something, you will roll 2d10 exploding. The first 1d10 is your offense,
adjusted by Stats, and the second 1d10 is your defense, which is also
adjusted by Stats. The total of the two dice is not affected by Stats. It is the
initial rolls added together.
If the offense and the defense roll are the same number, that is called
“Exploding.” You would then roll another 1d10 and add that to the total. If it is
also the same number, you can roll another 1d10 to the total. Keep rolling
until the number is different. The other dice rule is called “Wild Dice” (WD).
This represents help in the form of powers, skills, and allies. It simply
means that you separately roll 1d10, and if it is favorable, you can
replace either the offense, defense, or exploding dice with it. This could also
create an Exploding Situation. For every Exploding Dice you get to roll, gain 1
xp because you learned something from that situation. If you find you need
another SP to gain an *Affinity for Wild Dice, change the story in some way with
a creative wisecrack or quip for dramatic effect. This can only be done once per
page.
This will be explained in detail, step by step.
Going Off Script
Failing to overcome a conflict means that you have gone “Off Script.” When
this happens, depending on what scene you find yourself in, you will have
to roll using the table on that page until you find your way back to the narrative.

* An Affinity can be anything you imagine, but it should duplicate what is

happening on the page. You could say you are a Magic User and cast a
Strength spell, or summon a Magic Sword. Whatever fits your character
and the scene.
On the first page we see the hero setup. Start with 1 Story Point, you’ll use it
later to define
Affinities. You can make your own character, using the tables below, use the
Lady Clock, her character
sheet in Appendix B, or simply play as the Clock himself. He is created using
method 1, put a 4 in each circle
and a 10 in each square. His source is Adventure Hero, and his job is Crime
Fighter.

Table 1
1. Detective-includes sleuths, femme fatales, spies, and police detectives.
2. Vigilante-these are the types to wear masks, ninjas, sneaks, or colorful.
3. Science Hero-gadgets, inventions, gear oriented
4. Militia-police or military types.
5. Jungle Hero-explorers or raised by animals.
6. Occult-magicians, creature of the night, mystics.
7. Explorer-aviator, sailor, spelunker, usually has a special vehicle.
8. Fighter-boxer, gunslinger, martial artist, and weapons master.
9. Double- 2 classes combined, usually has a unique name.
10. New or Choose or roll 2d10 and check the Appendix C chart
For this story, this table is mostly for character and flavor, in later books it will
help determine burgeoning affinities.
Checklist:
1. Character Concept. The name of your character, and the source of your
powers, by rolling on the chart in B, or picking one from the chart. This
story is pure pulp hero.
2. Stats and subStats. Use one of the methods, or choose the Clock or
Buster as a base.
3. Background. Pick a job and a short background for a Story Point. Adding
to the one from the first page, this will be 2 SP.
Second page is badguy setting up.
Game Loop, how to roll the dice.
When you come across an obstacle in the story, or need to achieve something,
you will roll 2d10 exploding. The first d10 is your offense, adjusted by subStats,
and the second d10 is your defense, also adjusted by subStats. The total of the
two dice is not affected by stats, it is the initial rolls added together. If the offense
roll and the defense roll are the same number, that is called exploding, and you
roll another d10 and add it to the total. If it is also the same number, you can roll
another d10 to the total. Keep rolling until the number is different.
The other dice rule is called Wild Dice. This represents help in the form of
powers, skills, and allies; Affinities. It means you separately roll 1d10 and if it is
favorable, you can replace either the offense, defense, or exploding dice with it.
This could also create an Exploding situation.
Keep track of the number of times you fail to reach the Target #, it’s important at
the end. Only 1 Fail Point per encounter, not for every chance to roll in the
encounter.
 The first obstacle is a chase scene. The Target number is 21. This is a normal
Phys contest with 2 rounds to catch him. You probably won’t.
1. First decide if you want to spend a Story Point to gain a Wild Dice in the
form of an Affinity*.
2. Roll 1d10, this is your offense. Add your Force subStat to this. Your Force
subStat is the first number in your Phys stat. If the sum of the roll and Force is
greater than 10, you have done damage, subtract the points over 10 from the
Target #. 11 is -1, 12 is -2, 13 is -3 … This means your T# will be different for the
next round, but not this round. T# functions as the obstacles hit points as well as
your dice roll target. As you do more damage, the Target number will be easier.
3. Roll 1d10, this is your defense. Add your Essence subStat. If the sum is 10 or
less, you have taken pressure. Get the pressure points by subtracting the roll
plus the subStat from 10. Write the pressure points in the triangle beside the
appropriate Stat on your character sheet, Phys. If your pressure points is ever
higher than your Stat, you succumb to pressure, Check Appendix A.
4. Now add your offense roll to your defense roll, not counting the subStats,
just the raw rolls. If they are the same number, roll 1d10 again and add
that to the total. If the 3rd roll is the same as the other 2, roll another 1d10
and add it to the total. Keep doing this as long as the number is the same.
This is called exploding dice. If the total is greater than the current Target #, you
have managed to catch up. +1 XP, go to the next page.
5. You will get 2 rounds. At the end of a round, check your Target #, if it changed.
Off Script
1. Chick holds his hand out to you. If you take it, -2 to next pages Target #.
Otherwise, roll again on this table at +1.
2. You bounced against Chick, body blocked. Did he do it on purpose? Either
way, +2 to next page Target #.
3. Boss yells “My mothers name is Martha!” Gobsmacked, you drop to your
knees, +1 Heart pressure.
4. You grabbed his jacket, but it flies in your face, and Boss gives you a quick
back elbow to the head, slithered out of the jacket and runs away. +1
Mental pressure.
5. Boss dropped a banana peel to slow you, and slipped away.
6. Your ankle twisted. A quick rubdown, -1 Physical pressure.
7. You notice the crowd staring. “I let him get away...uh, to track him to his
base.” Recoup your dignity, -1 Damage on Phys, Men, and Heart.
8. An innocent gawker is about to step in front of traffic. If you help them,
+1SP. Otherwise roll again at -1 and +1 Damage to Phys Ment and Heart.
9. Double, roll twice and combine the results.
10. Something different, or choose one.
Chick wants to help. Target # 12, adjusted by the last page possibly, 2 chances
based on Heart. If you fail, you are going to have to investigate with Mental.
Target # 15, 3 chances. If you fail to find him, there is a Table to roll on.
However you get to it, the last 2 panels are a fight. Target # 17, 3 rounds of
combat. If you reach 0 hp, Appendix A Table 1. If you fail to beat him in the fight,
Appendix A Table 2. If you win the fight, +1 xp, go to the next page.

Investigation Fail
1. You simply can’t find him. Story over. +1 xp.
2. Must develop new affinity to try again, if you have SP, otherwise Story over.
3. Keep looking, try again, but add +1 to the Difficulty.
4. Keep looking, feel the pressure, +1 Mental pressure.
5. Keep looking, try again.
6. You found him, but he’s ambushed you, +2 to his Target number.
7. Chick points. “He’s right there, dummy.” Go on to next page.
8. Found a shortcut to the roof, -1 to Target number.
9. Double
10. New or choose

Lost Fight
1. Boss kicks you right in the chest, Sparta style, right off the roof. +1d6 phys
pressure.
2. Ties you up and throws you off the roof. +2 Difficulty for the fall.
3. Pushes you off the roof and runs. +1 Difficulty for the fall.
4. Drops a banana peel and you fell for it. Over the side.
5. You would have won, if you hadn’t trip over the side.
6. Boss pretends to surrender and sucker punches you off the roof.
7. Gloats at you, giving you time to recover a little. “That the best you can do?”
Recover 1 Physical, then he shoves you off the roof.
8. Find your inner reserves and hit him one more time, another round.
9. Double
10. New or choose.

If you roll anything but an 8, take 1d6 pressure and go back to the top of the
page.
If you won the fight on the last page, then you have jumped down to trick the
Boss, leading him where you want him -2 Target number. If you lost the fight you
need to recover before you hit the ground.
Target number 12, 3 chances to catch your fall with the flagpole. Left hand, right
hand, and seat of your pants.
Then the final fight. Only 2 rounds, Target # 17. If you don’t make it on the 2 nd
round, the police arrive and give you assistance for another round attempt with a
bonus Wild Dice from them.
Write down on your character sheet what your card says, and get +1 SP and
+1XP.

Now you can tally up. Turning an Affinity permanent costs 10 xp minus the
number of times you used it. Count the number of fails you had and you can use
them to increase your subStats. To increase a subStat by one costs the subStat
number in fail points. Any remaining Affinities stay in the Affinity block and in
future stories you have to spend a SP to activate them, but keep track of how
many times you use them, they accumulate for the xp tally at the end of a story.
That means 10 uses gets it for free.
Appendix A

Table 1
1. Gone, your series is cancelled
2. Recreated, newer version takes your place, no connection
3. Retired, newer version took your place, maybe one of your contacts
4. Reboot, everything different except for 1 thing, probably just the name
5. Reborn, new writer, different direction, probably modernized with
costume change
6. Recover, one hp at 1, probably injured
7. Rebound, you are refreshed and ok, all hp maxed
8. Revitalized, stronger, faster, better than you were before
9. Double
10. Choose, or new
When you lose all of your hp, or fail too many times. Unless you roll a 1, you can
continue the story, back to the page you left off from, or wait for the next book.
Appendix B
Sheets

Name: Job:
Story Points: XP:
Background

Phys Ment Heart

pressure pressure pressure

Affinities

Abilities Gear Contacts

Name: Job:
Story Points: XP:
Background

Phys 3 1 Ment 6 1 Heart 6 5

pressure pressure pressure

4 7 11
Affinities
Time Magic: This gives Staff: This gives Lady
Lady Clock a Wild Dice Clock a Wild Dice
whenever she has an whenever she can use it
opportunity to use her during a Physical
Heart. Opportunity.
Abilities Gear Contacts
Appendix C: Stat Generation
There are 3 Stats, Physical, Mental, and Heart. Each stat is divided into 2
subStats, force, essence, and Resilience. These are offense, defense, and what
most games call hp.
For each stat:
1. Roll 1d6 to get your force points.
2. Roll 1d6 again, for your essence points.
3. For your Resilience points, add these 2 together. fp + ep = Rp
4. If your fp is the same number as your ep, this creates Exploding Dice. Roll
1d6 and add that to Rp. If the new bonus points are the same as fp and ep, roll
another 1d6 and add it to RP for another bonus. As long as you roll the same
number, you get to keep rolling.

The stats in this Guidebook are smaller than the stats in other books. If you want
easy mode, roll 1d10 instead of 1d6.

The Source of your skills or powers for this book is intended to be pulp.
However, if you don’t want to restrict yourself to that, roll or choose on the
following table.
1d10 Chart
1. Natural: Gadgets or Training, brain power, tinkering.
2. Mental: Magic or psychicsr.
3. Gear: Armor or Weapon, battle suit, archery.
4. Morph: Mutation, animal powers, body morphing, size changing.
5. Spiritual: Divine or Spirit, either of the spirit world, or utilizing it in some
way.
6. Hyper-Movement: Speed or Teleportation.
7. Energy: Energy Control or Material Control.
8. Outsider: Deity or Alien.
9. Double: 2 classes combined, usually has a unique name-paladin, bard,
space ranger.
10. New or Choose: Make something up! It should be a title that explains
how you can do the things you do.
Appendix D
Definitions
• Target Number(T#) This is the number you need to roll to overcome
obstacles, as well as the number of hit points the obstacle has.
• Target Rating(TR) The number you roll by adding 2d10. The first 1d10 is
your Offense(O) roll and the second is your Defense(D) roll.
• Wild Dice(WD) In some circumstances you can roll 1d10 and
replace one of the 1d10’s you just rolled.
• Exploding(ED) When your 2d10 match you can roll another 1d10 and add it
to the TR. A WD can replace an ED.
• Story Point(Sp) Points you gain from pages that give story advancement.
• Experience Point(XP) Gained from accomplishing things, keeping the
narrative going.
• Affinity Temporary things you gain in a story. It can be gear, skills,
powers, spells, anything really. After the story is over, you can spend XP to
make an Affinity permanent. It costs 10 XP. When you purchase an Affinity, it
transfers to
Ability, Skill, Gear, Contact, or Power.
• P# Page number.
• p# panel number.
• Stat Physical, Mental, or Heart. Each Stat is made up of two subStats, for
Force and Essence.
• Physical Physique and healthiness.
• Mental Brain power.
• Heart How well the body and mind work together, this is used for charisma,
social, and
romance.
• Force(F) The first subStat, used to determine damage to an obstacle.
• Essence(E) The second subStat, used to determine your resistance to
pressure.
• offense(off) First 1d10 your roll, added to F, anything over ten is
considered damage to the T#.
• defense(def) Second 1d10 you roll, added to E, anything less than
ten is the pressure you take from the obstacle.
• Infinite Your character is able to duplicate nearly any Ability. It costs 1 SP
to try. Roll the dice and if you fail anyway, try something else for the cost of
another SP. This means, if you are a psychic and forced to fight, spend your
points to get a psi dagger, or force field, anything you can think of that fits your
character.