Plate of Shrimp: A Repo Man Setting for TiGGR
A TiGGR Drift Log
I saw Repo Man in college, part of a quad feature stitched together by a friend with exquisite taste: Suburbia, X: The Unheard Music, the Motörhead episode of The Young Ones, and Alex Cox’s apocalyptic punk noir.
Four transmissions. One night. The wires have never gone back where they were supposed to.
I remember the sense of invitation more than the plot. It didn’t matter if you got it. What mattered was it got you. By the time Otto’s Chevy flew into the sky, I knew something had rewired—subtle, permanent, like the moment a magnet turns your compass just slightly off-true forever.
Plate of Shrimp is our TiGGR retelling of that story. Less a reboot than a ritual. Less a plot than a series of radiant trunk-shaped questions. We start with a car, a job, and a question no one wants to ask:
Who really owns what?
The Game: TiGGR
TiGGR (Tiny Game for Generalized Roleplaying) is a micro compact storytelling engine that runs loud, light, and loose. It’s built for fast play, sharp genre riffs, and cinematic chaos. Think thrift store mechanics with after-market feelings.
Rules of TiGGR
(as found scrawled on a napkin in the back of Duke’s Lot)
Stats: Body, Mind, Charm. Distribute 3 points (e.g. 2/1/0).
Rolls: Roll 2d6 + relevant stat.
Easy = 6, Medium = 8, Hard = 10
Attack: 2d6 + Body vs. 8
Defend (Main characters only): 2d6 + Body vs. 8
If hit, take 1d6 damage.
Zero HP = knocked out, fainted, stars for eyes, pick it back up next scene.
Players: 5 HP, Goons and minions: 1-3, no defense rolls.
Vehicles (mecha, spaceships, special sidekicks): 10 HP
Special Abilities: 1 use per scene. Boosts a stat roll or triggers a cool effect.
Gear: +3 to a roll or damage (usually once per scenario).
Optional: After a session, tweak 1 stat or evolve your Special to match the story.
The Scenario: Plate of Shrimp
Punk sci-fi noir. An apocalyptic trunk. One very weird car.
This three-session mini-series riffs on Alex Cox’s Repo Man, and includes optional glow mechanics, a rules-light conspiracy, and a factional free-for-all.
Genre: Punk Sci-Fi Noir
Scene: A grimy, neon-drenched 1980s sprawl (think LA’s underbelly with extra weirdness).
Goal: Repo a mysterious 1984 Chevy Malibu, survive the chaos, and decide its fate.
Factions: Chainbreakers (punk gang), Lite’s Crew (rival repo jerks), Agent Finch (creepy G-man).
Session 1: "The Hot Pickup"
Premise: The crew’s tasked with repossessing a glowing-trunked Chevy Malibu from a gang’s chop shop.
Setup:
- Characters: Players create repo misfits (e.g., Rocker, Thief, Driver). Spread 3 points across Body, Mind, Charm (e.g., 2/1/0). Pick a Role, Special Ability (e.g., “+1 Body when hotwiring”), and Gear (e.g., “Crowbar: +3 Body roll, once per session”). 5 HP each.
- Vehicle: The crew’s repo truck—say, a beat-up Dodge (Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 1, 10 HP, Gear: “Winch: +1 Body roll, once per scene”).
- Goal: Snag the Malibu and escape.
Factions:
- Chainbreakers: Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 1, 3 HP each, Gear: “Spiked Bat: +1 damage.” 5 goons + Razor (leader, 5 HP).
Gameplay Loop:
- Scene: The chop shop’s a maze of car husks and punk graffiti. Chainbreakers patrol with bats.
- Hook: The Malibu’s trunk glows (Mind 8 to investigate without freaking out). Razor’s got the keys (Charm 8 to con him, Body 8 to fight).
- Turns: Players move (sneak past goons, Body 6) and act (hotwire the car, Body 8; bluff Razor, Charm 8). Goons attack (2d6+2 vs. 8 to hit, 1d6 damage). Players defend (2d6+Body vs. 8).
- Climax: A chase—repo truck vs. Chainbreaker bikes (Vehicle Body 8 to outrun). Success means they peel out with the Malibu; failure means a goon smashes their windshield (1d6 damage to truck).
Resolution: They’ve got the car, but the trunk thumps. Duke (their boss) radios: “Don’t open it. Meet me at the lot.”
Session 2: "The Cosmic Repo"
Premise: Ambushed on the highway by rivals and a fed, the Malibu starts acting alive.
Setup:
- Characters: Same crew, maybe bruised (HP from last session). Gear resets for the session.
- Vehicle: Repo truck (HP from last session) + the Malibu (Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0, 10 HP, Gear: “Freaky Pulse: +1 Mind roll, once per scene”).
- Goal: Lose the pursuers and reach Duke’s lot.
Factions:
- Lite’s Crew: Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0, 3 HP each, Gear: “Tow Hook: +1 damage.” 3 goons + Lite (5 HP).
- Agent Finch: Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 1, 5 HP, Gear: “Tranq Gun: +1 damage, stuns on hit.” Black sedan (Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 1, 10 HP).
Gameplay Loop:
- Scene: A desolate highway under flickering streetlights. Lite’s tow truck rams them; Finch’s sedan looms.
- Hook: The Malibu’s trunk cracks open (Mind 8 to glimpse inside—alien goo? A body?). Radio static screams nonsense (Mind 6 to tune it).
- Turns: Players move (swerve traffic, Body 8) and act (ram Lite, Vehicle Body 8; Charm Finch into backing off, Charm 10). Enemies attack (Lite: 2d6+2, Finch: 2d6+1 vs. 8, 1d6+bonus damage). Players defend or use Gear (e.g., Crowbar +3 to smash Lite’s windshield).
- Climax: The Malibu “helps”—a random pulse fries a pursuer’s engine (GM roll, 50/50). Success: they lose the tail; failure: Finch tranqs a player (stunned 1 turn).
Resolution: They hit Duke’s lot, but he’s gone. A note: “Feds are hot. Hide it.” The trunk’s thumping escalates.
Session 3: "The Glow and the Glory"
Premise: Hiding in a warehouse, the crew faces a siege as the Malibu’s secret explodes.
Setup:
- Characters: Same crew, battered but determined. Gear resets. Optional stat tweak (e.g., +1 Mind from last session’s weirdness).
- Vehicle: Repo truck + Malibu (HP adjusted).
- Goal: Survive and decide the Malibu’s fate—keep it, ditch it, or ride it into the void.
Factions:
- Chainbreakers: 5 goons return (stats as above).
- Lite’s Crew: Lite + 2 goons (stats as above).
- Finch’s Team: Finch + 2 hazmat goons (Body 1, Mind 1, Charm 1, 3 HP, Gear: “Stun Baton: +1 damage”).
Gameplay Loop:
- Scene: A crumbling warehouse. Weirdos (UFO nuts, a preacher) gather outside, drawn by the glow.
- Hook: The trunk bursts (Mind 10 to resist panic). It’s… something (GM choice: alien, time-traveler, cosmic bomb). It rasps: “Home or burn.”
- Turns: Players move (barricade doors, Body 8) and act (fight goons, Body 8; negotiate with Finch, Charm 10; drive the Malibu, Body 10). Enemies swarm (2d6+Stat vs. 8, 1d6+bonus damage). Special Abilities shine (e.g., “+1 Charm when performing” to rally weirdos).
- Climax: Total chaos—roll for the Malibu’s fate (Body 10 to drive it off, Mind 10 to rig it to blow, Charm 10 to hand it over). Success: they win their way; failure: Total Party Knockout (all 0 HP).
Resolution: They might sink the car in the ocean (safe but broke), give it to Finch (cash but guilt), or blast off like the film’s ending (pure punk glory). Roll credits.
- Special Abilities: Tie them to the film—e.g., “Otto’s Luck: +1 Body to dodge trouble” or “Miller’s Rant: +1 Charm to confuse foes.”
- Gear: Gritty stuff like “Lockpick Set: +3 Mind roll” or “Punk Mixtape: +3 Charm roll.”
- Vehicle Play: The Malibu’s a character—its “Freaky Pulse” messes with rolls or foes randomly.
- Progression: After Session 1, a player might tweak Body to Mind after hotwiring. Post-Session 2, a Special could shift (e.g., “+1 Mind near weird shit”).
Harry Dean Wisdom, Roll to Internalize
When in doubt, roll 2d6 and consult the gospel of Bud:
- “An ordinary person spends his life avoiding tense situations.”
- “I don’t want no commies in my car. No Christians either.”
- “Look at those assholes. Ordinary fucking people.”
- “There ain’t no better life. Just this one.”
- “Only an asshole gets killed for a car.”
- Stare into the distance. Say nothing. Let the desert do the talking.
Use once per session, or every time someone pops the trunk.
Final Exit: The Liminal Off-Ramp
This isn’t just a game about repo agents.
It’s about riding the edge of the known world in a car that hums with contradiction.
Where the Circle Jerks mash up with Ry Cooder.
Where punk collapses into gospel,
and the American dream idles with a broken cassette stuck on side B.
You’re not here to explain it.
You’re here to drive it
until the glow makes sense—or burns you up trying.