FIST — paranormal Cold War merc RPG

"You are a disposable gun for hire. The mission is impossible. You take it anyway."

Dice2d6

Players2–5

Prep~10 min

Foundry VTTCommunity

Complexity

What is this system

FIST (Freelance Infantry Strike Team) is a lean, punchy TTRPG about paranormal mercenaries navigating the shadowy underbelly of the Cold War. Built on a 2d6 spine descended from World of Dungeons, it lives in a rare sweet spot between OSR rulings-over-rules and narrative-forward indie design. Character creation takes ten minutes and spits out an astronaut werewolf, a cannibalistic weaponsmith, or a bullet-time wizard.

Setting

It's 1977, more or less. The superpowers are locked in nuclear détente, but the real war is stranger — eldritch compounds, disastrous science experiments, occult weapons programs, and the rival paramilitary Cyclops, who have more resources and fewer scruples than FIST ever will. The world is built at the table through the Intelligence Matrix, a battery of d66 tables that produce missions, NPCs, locations, and rewards.

What it looks like at the table

Intel says the facility is lightly guarded. Intel is wrong. You're pinned behind a Cypriot olive press while a Cyclops operative in a powered exosuit sweeps the room. Your partner — the one with tentacles — slides you a War Die across the floor. You add it to your roll. 11. You catch the arm, ride the exosuit into the wall, and come out holding the targeting module. The referee nods. That's a clean success.

Playstyle

action Survival Sandbox Modern Historical

Key mechanics

2d6 Resolution

Roll 2d6 + stat. 6 or less: failure. 7–9: partial success with a cost. 10+: clean success. Double sixes: ultra success with a spectacular bonus.

Trait System

Pick or roll two Traits at creation. Each grants a special ability, a starting item, and a stat modifier. 216 traits and 36 advancement Roles produce over 23,000 unique builds.

War Dice

A pool of d6s that can be added to any roll — yours or a teammate's. They represent the unit's collective momentum.

Intelligence Matrix

The referee's toolbox: d66 tables that procedurally generate mission prompts, locations, enemies, and rewards. No prep needed.

What people say

FIST is legitimately one of the most fun things I've brought to my table. It's PbtA that plays like OSR, and it's Metal Gear by way of Hellboy.— Richard Kelly, Sprinting Owl

With FIST, you can sit down, roll some dice, and have a fun, flavorful character in five minutes flat. You might get them killed five minutes later, but if so? Rinse, repeat, and you're back in the game.— Jess Levine, I Have the High Ground

Art & materials