The Auditors Are Here
A game of hostile audits in a retro-futuristic bureaucratic dystopia
You're compromised consultants hired to expose corruption in The City—a concrete labyrinth where ghost labor powers computers, demons manage corporations, and surveillance cameras forget constantly. Gather evidence, turn witnesses, and escape before the truth is buried forever.
Players: 2-5 (1 GM, 1-4 players) | Time: 90-135 minutes | You need: 2d6, paper, pencil
Touchstones: Max Headroom, Brazil, Kafka, Office Space (but make it occult)
THE CITY
The City is massive, sprawling, unnamed. Nobody remembers when it was founded. It simply is—brutalist towers, flickering neon, pneumatic tubes snaking through walls.
Ghost labor is normal. Spirits power computers, run elevators, file documents, answer phones. Nobody questions it.
The Bureau regulates everything. Forms in triplicate, contradictory regulations, clerks who died decades ago still stamping paperwork. Nobody questions it.
The Grid watches everything. Cameras on every corner, microphones in every room, data on degrading magnetic tape. The Grid sees all and forgets constantly. Nobody questions it.
The Network controls information. Broadcast corporations turn ratings into currency, executives sign demonic contracts, advertising rewrites reality. Nobody questions it.
You are auditors. You question everything.
SETUP
Together, establish:
Scene: Where and when?Example: Channel 24 headquarters, midnight audit, 3-hour deadline
Goal: What evidence do you need?Example: Prove ghost labor fraud, expose demonic contracts
Factions: Who's obstructing you? Who hired you? What happens if you fail?Example: Channel 24 executives obstruct. Bureau hired you—fail and they prosecute you for fraud.
YOUR CHARACTER
Stats: Distribute 3 points across Body (physical), Mind (investigation), Charm (social)
Role: Choose your specialty
- Lead Auditor (coordinates investigation)
- Forensic Accountant (analyzes documents)
- Client Relations (interviews witnesses)
- Corporate Infiltrator (breaks into restricted areas)
- Occult Investigator (reads ghost contracts)
Special Ability: +1 to specific situations, once per sceneExamples: "Document Specialist: +1 Mind analyzing ledgers" | "Ghost Reader: +1 Mind using occult methods"
Signature Gear: One item, +3 to any roll, once per scenarioExamples: Ghost-Ink Detector (reveals hidden documents) | Audit Credentials (grants access) | Encrypted Notebook (protects evidence)
HP: Start with 5. Hit zero? Knocked out until next scene.
Past Life: You failed at something before this. Roll d12 or choose:
- Network Censor (Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1) - You censored a story that would've exposed scandal. The journalist vanished. You have the footage.
- Bureau Clerk (Deceased) (Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1) - You died at your desk. Nobody noticed. You're still filing. Someone's embezzling your ghost wages.
- Demonic Paralegal (Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1) - You helped someone escape a contract. The demon wants revenge. The human wants you dead.
- Ghost Labor Recruiter (Body 1, Mind 1, Charm 1) - You bound your partner's spirit to a machine. They're still there. They remember.
- Grid Technician (Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 0) - You witnessed murder on Grid footage. You erased it to protect someone. They own you now.
- Advertising Copywriter (Body 0, Mind 1, Charm 2) - Your subliminal ads killed seventeen people. You have the original scripts.
- Tower Superintendent (Body 2, Mind 0, Charm 1) - You discovered your landlord was a demon. You complained. You were evicted.
- Pneumatic Tube Operator (Body 1, Mind 1, Charm 1) - You intercepted a message planning murder. You have it. They know.
- Factory Safety Inspector (Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 0) - You documented hundreds of violations. The Bureau buried them. You kept copies.
- Demonic Accountant (Body 0, Mind 2, Charm 1) - You found proof your demon boss breached their contract. They want you dead.
- Ghost Therapist (Body 0, Mind 1, Charm 2) - You counseled exploited spirits. You realized you were helping their exploiters. You have testimonies.
- Combine Foreman (Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 0) - You pushed workers to death meeting quotas. You have the production records.
Your past life explains why you know how the system works and why you can't go back.
CORE RULES
Roll 2d6 + Stat vs. Difficulty:
- Risky (6): Review public documents, interview cooperative staff
- Dramatic (8): Spot hidden evidence, convince reluctant witness, bypass security
- Climactic (10): Crack ghost-sealed vault, turn hostile witness, expose smoking gun
Success: You nail it. Failure: GM throws a wrench.
Special Abilities: Once per scene, boost a roll or trigger effect.Signature Gear: Once per scenario, add +3 to any roll.
No roll needed? Just do it—roleplay the action.
EVIDENCE & WITNESSES
Gather Evidence Points:
- Rumor (1 point): Unverified tip
- Document (3 points): Solid proof
- Smoking Gun (5 points): Irrefutable evidence
Goal: Collect 10 Evidence Points before the deadline to expose the target.
Witnesses: NPCs with Loyalty (0-3) and Access (1-3)Turn them: Roll 2d6 + Charm vs. (8 - Loyalty)Success = gain Evidence Points equal to their Access
CONFRONTATIONS
Attack: 2d6 + Body vs. 8 (physical) or Mind/Charm (social/mental pressure)
Defend: If attacked, 2d6 + appropriate stat vs. 8. Fail = take 1d6 damage
Zero HP: Knocked out—caught by security, overwhelmed by stress, psychically drained. Return to full HP between scenes.
NPCs:
- Security/Clerks: 1-3 HP, deal 1-2 damage
- Managers: 3-5 HP, can defend, deal 1d6 damage
- Supernatural: 5-10 HP, special abilities
Confrontations include negotiations, document races, psychic duels—pick the appropriate stat.
THE DEADLINE CLOCK
6-segment clock representing time until evidence is destroyed.
Clock advances when:
- Scene ends (1 segment)
- You fail critical roll (1 segment)
- Target becomes aware (1 segment)
Clock fills: Evidence destroyed, witnesses disappear, investigation shut down. Escape with whatever you have.
Partial success (3-9 points): Publish partial exposé—target damaged but survives.
GAMEPLAY LOOP
One investigation = three scenarios (30-45 minutes each):
Scenario 1: Surface Engagement
- Tour facility, review public documents
- Goal: Identify targets (3-5 Evidence Points)
- Complications: Obstructive staff, sanitized records, suspicious managers
Scenario 2: Deep Investigation
- Break into restricted areas, pressure witnesses
- Goal: Gather smoking gun (5-7 Evidence Points)
- Complications: Security alerts, witnesses recant, hostile guards
Scenario 3: The Reckoning
- Race to escape with evidence before deadline fills
- Goal: Get out alive with 10+ Evidence Points
- Complications: Lockdown, assassination attempts, evidence destruction
Resolution:
- 10+ Points: Full exposé, target destroyed
- 3-9 Points: Partial exposé, target damaged
- 0-2 Points: Cover-up successful, target survives
THE CLIENT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
Clients hire you for competitive advantage, legal cover, or plausible deniability—never for truth or justice.
Sample Complications:
- "We need embezzlement proof. Ghost labor violations don't matter." (You find only ghost labor)
- "Expose their demonic contracts. Ignore ours." (You find evidence implicating client)
- "We need more evidence. Keep digging." (Deadline extends, danger increases)
- "You found too much. We're burying the report." (Client destroys evidence, frames you)
Your client will change terms, withhold payment, or betray you. Plan accordingly.
SAMPLE AUDIT: CHANNEL SURFING
Target: Channel 24 (broadcast corporation)
Prove: Ghost focus groups manipulating ratings
Location: Channel 24 HQ, midnight, 3-hour deadline
Client: Bureau Regulatory Division
If you fail: Bureau prosecutes you for fraud, revokes your license
The Twist: Bureau doesn't care about ghost labor—they want leverage. Expose violations but fail to destroy Channel 24? They bury your findings and prosecute you anyway.
NPCs:
- CEO Vane (Demon): Body 1, Mind 2, Charm 2, HP 5 | Special: +1 Charm negotiating
- Security Chief: Body 2, Mind 1, Charm 1, HP 4 | Stun baton +2 damage
- Clerk 4423 (Human): Loyalty 1, Access 3 | Knows where ghost computers are
Three Scenes
Scene 1: The Tour
- CEO gives sanitized tour
- Evidence: Public documents (Mind 6 = 1pt), staff interviews (Charm 6 = 1pt), notice ghost cameras (Mind 6 = 1pt)
- Complications: CEO evasive, security follows (Body 8 to lose), restricted areas locked
- Deadline advances to 1/6
Scene 2: The Basement
- Break in (Body 8 to pick lock or Charm 8 to get key from Clerk 4423)
- Evidence: Ghost computers (Mind 8 = 5pts), focus group data (Mind 8 = 3pts), Clerk testimony (Charm 7 = 3pts)
- Complications: Security patrols (Body 8 to avoid), ghost-sealed computers (Mind 8 to access), alarm (Body 8 to disable)
- Bureau calls: "We need embezzlement proof too." (Extend deadline or refuse?)
- Deadline advances to 3/6
Scene 3: The Escape
- CEO orders lockdown
- Evidence being deleted (Mind 10 to save)
- Complications: Exits sealed (Body 10 to force), Security attacks (HP 4), Clerk threatened (Charm 8 to protect), CEO offers bribe (Charm 10 to resist), Bureau calls: "Abort. We're cutting you loose."
- Final choice: Escape with evidence (Body 8), protect witness, save data, or confront CEO
- Deadline advances to 6/6
Resolution:
- 10+ Points + Witness: Channel 24 destroyed, CEO flees, ghosts freed, Bureau takes credit
- 3-9 Points: Channel 24 damaged, Bureau buries findings but will call on you again
- 0-2 Points: Cover-up succeeds, Bureau prosecutes you, you're ruined
OTHER AUDIT TARGETS
The Combines (Factories): Ghost slavery, safety violations, workers become ghost labor after deathThe Towers (Housing): Rent fraud via occult contracts, tenants sign away soulsThe Bureau (Government): Embezzlement through non-existent departments, regulations in ghost ink
Each institution has executives (5 HP, special abilities), obstructive staff (1-3 HP), and terrified witnesses (Loyalty 0-3, Access 1-3).
GM GUIDANCE
Keep it moving: Default to Difficulty 8 when unsureRoll only for risk: If it's not dramatic, just let it happenAdvance the deadline: Don't let players stallMake evidence visible: Tell players when they gain pointsWitnesses are fragile: Let players protect them or watch them disappearThe client has an agenda: Use it to create tension
Stuck? Ask an LLM: "What's in the basement?" "Why is the CFO nervous?" Use the weirdest answer.
SAFETY TOOLS
This game explores institutional exploitation, surveillance, economic coercion, and moral compromise through satirical framing.
X-Card: Anyone can say "X" anytime, no explanation needed. GM stops current content immediately.
Pause Button: Anyone can say "Pause" to check in or adjust tone.
Open Door: Anyone can leave, no judgment.
Content includes: Ghost labor exploitation, demonic contracts, surveillance, witness intimidation, economic desperation, player character failure.
Content excludes: Graphic violence (keep it cartoonish), sexual content, harm to children, realistic self-harm.
Discuss boundaries before play. Update them as needed.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
After each scenario:
- Shift 1 stat point if story supports it (interviewed witnesses all night? Move Mind to Charm)
- Redefine Special Ability based on what happened
- Keep it tied to story, not mechanics
Example:Start: Mind 2, "+1 analyzing ledgers"After infiltrating offices and dodging security all night:Shift to: Body 1, Mind 1, "+1 bypassing security"
QUICK REFERENCE
Difficulties: Risky 6 | Dramatic 8 | Climactic 10
Evidence: Rumor 1pt | Document 3pts | Smoking Gun 5pts | Goal: 10pts
Deadline Clock: 6 segments | Advances: scene end, critical failure, target aware | Fills = shutdown
HP: Start 5 | 0 = knockout until next scene | Recover between scenes
Special: Once per scene | Signature Gear: +3 once per scenario
Stats in Action:
- Body: Infiltrate, escape, chase, endure
- Mind: Analyze documents, read contracts, spot lies
- Charm: Interview, bluff, intimidate, negotiate
REMEMBER
The City is deliberately incomplete. Add what you need. Change what doesn't work. Mysteries remain unsolved. Contradictions are features, not bugs. You're not heroes—you're compromised professionals with nothing left to lose. The client will betray you. The target will fight back. The witnesses are scared. The clock is ticking. The auditors are here. What will you expose?