ODST RECON

"We are droppin' into Hell, troopers!"

You are an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST), an elite soldier launching from orbit into combat or deep behind enemy lines. Your missions are high-risk: fight the alien Covenant to complete your objective, utilizing whatever weapons and gear you can find along the way. 

The Covenant are merciless, fanatical and seemingly without end. If anyone can get the job done and make it back, it's you. That's what makes you the best of the best. 

Core

Use Halo’s iconic sandbox — from assault rifles and frag grenades to Warthogs and active camo — to complete your mission. Each enemy type you face along the way plays a distinct role in the Covenant, making each firefight a dynamic challenge of positioning, weapon choice, and coordinating with your squad.

Designed to emulate the feeling of playing Halo games in pen and paper, ODST RECON carries everything it needs and nothing more to accomplish that goal. Inspired mainly by Halo 3, Halo Reach and, of course, Halo ODST.

Features

• 2d6 resolution mechanic.
• Play as an ODST: you're tougher than a marine, but you'll still need tactics to earn victory. Not power armor. 
• Mow down Grunts as they flee in terror, but steel your nerves when an energy-shielded Elite enters the firefight. 
• Complete missions to earn promotions, increasing stats and gaining specializations. If your ODST survives, that is.
• Pick up weapons of the UNSC and Covenant, outlined with unique traits utilizing the right weapon for the job.
• Carry equipment ranging from health packs and trip mines to active camo and gravity lifts.
• A baker's dozen of vehicles to drive, fly, crash and hijack!
• Face the Covenant. Enemies are prioritized as smooth to run by the GM, fully distinct from one another, and each filling a role as adversaries to fight in multiple different ways. Made to mix and match to always keep firefights engaging and unique from one another. 
• d66 Mission ideas for the GM to use as inspiration along with a table for complications.
• 9 pages of content.

This system is made for playing episodic, drop-in style missions or your very own Halo campaign, with streamlined rules that support a smooth gameplay pace where everyone's turn is right around the corner.

"When I joined the RPG hobby, we didn't have any fancy shmancy ODST RECON. We had dice! Two dice, and a pen for the whole gaming table—and we had to share the pen!"
― Sgt. Johnson probably

ODST RECON is a hack and expansion of Nick Tucker's ODST Minimalist RPG found here. A personal favorite of mine.

This is a love letter to Halo, the series that resonated with so many. It assumes the GM is familiar with the setting, but the universe of Halo is still intuitive enough for new players to join in with ease.

Contact

Feel free to reach out to me through email (residentradiant@gmail.com) or on discord! Happy to answer any questions, listen to feedback (yes please!) or chat about updates ;)

ResidentRadiant (handle: nomadnomad)

Halo and all related intellectual property are owned by Microsoft and 343 Industries. This fan project is non-commercial and not affiliated with or endorsed by either party.