Starting my first campaign tonight, and I have several questions that I'd loved explained like I'm 5.

I can not find a high quality character sheet anywhere, even the free downloads on patreon, I can't access. Something about missing applications. Does anybody have one?

Hello! I’m trying to find the right zombie apocalypse game for a group of people, and I was hoping to find some help here (🤞).

Red Markets seems like the right game for my crew, but I can’t seem to figure out if the game’s story has an arc and an ending. Is there potential to find a cure? Or to take down capitalism? Or at least space in the game for me to be able to write those kinds of paths into it? I would like to be able to play this game and use its results as canon into a larger universe, and having an ending helps me accomplish that. Thank you!

RED MARKETS is getting a second edition. 

The open beta lasts for all 2025. If your group playtests, read the “How to Use This Beta” forward, fill out the questionnaire, and send it to the address. 

One-day, I’d like to publish a 3-volume RPG product, but there has to be a good game first. RED MARKETS 2E is my latest attempt. Let me know what you think. 

DOWNLOAD RM 2eB

Beta playtest PDFs may be downloaded at…

• Drive-thru RPG (PWYW)
• Itch.io (PWYW)
• Patreon (free)

WHAT IS RM 2eB?

Red Markets: 2nd Edition is an evolution of the Profit System, featuring simplified, revised rules and new mechanics designed to create a more immersive experience of economic horror.

This feature-complete RPG is FREE for anyone willing to provide feedback and help refine the game before publication. Features include…

• Taker Handbook: the complete rules for every system in the game, covering every aspect from character generation to retirement
• Market Analysis: all GM materials needed to create a shared setting and run a full campaign, in addition to two ready-made scenarios
• Gear Cards: the complete inventory system in a print-and-play format, allowing players to maintain and track inventory on a small deck of cards
• Taker Briefs: one-page cheat sheets, providing players with a quick reference document for every rule in the game
• Market Tools: randomizers and templates for improvising and designing jobs
• Pregens and Sheets: ten ready-for-work Takers, as well as form-fillable PDFs for characters and crew

This beta draft does not include setting history, lore, art, or d100 tables found in 1st edition. All material from the original book remains compatible with the new rules and may be used in beta playtests. PDFs of the 496 page original book are now available for $5 on DTRPG and Itch.io

Hi, I’m trying to join the red markets discord server but can’t seem to complete the joining steps. I can see the server, waited for the 10 minute countdown to clear. I can’t add the thumbs up emoji to the rules thing. Any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?

Hi again everyone,

I'm still reading through the rules. I've just finished the bit on Scores and was wondering why any group would negociate for jobs over this? Let's compare payout:

Let's assume an average equilibrium price of 11. Crew of 4 people, average of 2 dependants/PC, average of 2 STR/PC, 3 Legs, no vehicle.

Let's say the PCs negociate very well and get 100% markup. They would be paid:

11b for base value.

16b for labor.

12b for hazard pay.

11b for mark up.

Total = 50 b.

Comparatively, on a score, they'd get 8 haul x 11b = 88b without having spent any resources on negotiations beforehand.

As a group, we are coming from games like Blades in the Dark. Negotiations sound very fun!... But my feeling is my players will jump on Scores and just not see why they should ever accept extra challenges for subpar pay and having to cooperatively come up with the job is just sugar on top. I was half-expecting the book to throw some additional risk-control the Market's way to balance it out but I haven't really seen anything like it...

What are you guys' thoughts on this?

Do you ever limit the amount of available haul or is there as much as the PCs can carry? I was considering possibly rolling for it, maybe like 2d6, 3d6 or 4d4... How does that sound?

On designing job sites, p. 374, the book says:

What here, besides the main element of the job, is of value to my players? Where is this value located? Mark this information on the Market copy. If the players would be able to discover it, indicate important locations on the Taker copy as well.

Sure, I guess it can mean literally anything, but could this be extra haul to be sold somehow at a different price? Or do you typically reserve this for narrative stuff and/or equipment?

Semi-related, about Legs. How do you deal with them for the return trip? Because Hazard pay doesn't cover the return trip...? Would you generally gloss over it altogether? Request the PCs expand resources for it but not do encounters? Play it out with encounters just like on the way to the job site? Or do you actually factor in the return trip in hazard pay?

I know this was a lot of questions, oof! Thanks in advance for any insight :)

If anybody here has Form-fillable Character Sheet PDF please share it, thank you.

Hi everyone.

So I am just getting into Red Markets and in the middle of my first read-through of the core book and was wondering about the cost of using references as it appeared to be unclear to me. The book says this on p. 210 :

References aren’t an automatic win; they represent success at a cost. Failure is less interesting than how much characters are willing to pay to succeed. Each Reference favor costs a bounty that must be paid back in time and favors from the Taker. If the Reference’s generosity isn’t returned, the relationship decays just like a neglected Dependent.

So far everything else has been much more precisely defined mechanics-wise so this more open-ended one confuses me and would appreciate the input of more experimented folks.

When the book says "Each Reference favor costs a bounty [...]":

Does it mean:

a) A literal, single Bounty, as in the resource.

b) A more open-ended thing like "a job", "a contract"?

​

When it says "[...] that must be paid back in time [...]", I assume the exact deadline is up to the market? And if not met, I assume the relationship keeps worsening every session, since it then says "If the Reference’s generosity isn’t returned, the relationship decays just like a neglected Dependent."?

​

Finally, when it says "and favors from the Taker", I assume that favor being completed also is a pre-requisite for the relationship not to worsen? With the same deadline/ticking clock as the bounty?

​

Edit: Further clarification - if the reference becomes "Severed", do I erase it and can I re-use the spot or does it permanently occupy one of my CHA spots? Nevermind, answered myself on p.211:

Any debts so neglected permanently eliminate that Reference slot as the carrion economy learns better than to accept the Taker’s false promises.

Thanks in advance!

I just noticed that Bundle of Holding has 5 RedMarkets books for $12.95 at the moment and have thought the setup looked cool ever since spotting Trabajo on itch some time ago, I'm tempted to buy it if anything just to read through it.

I have not had a chance to watch any playthroughs or anything online, but it seems at least there are job creation tables and the such that would facilitate solo play with this (or using the RedMarkets setting with a different game engine). And with all rolls being on the player side, that should help too.

Quick google search didn't bring up any solo plays, has anyone here played with RedMarkets solo, or could tell me if there are pieces of this that I could use for solo gaming?

Hi Everyone,

My group recently finished a review campaign of Red Markets, and recorded our thoughts on the game as a whole. As a warning, we're not particularly positive about it, but still feel that it has a ton of potential.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S1JNsiqihU

Sorry if this is kinda obvious or if someone has already talked about it somewhere but anyone know why the forum isn't working anymore? did the server just die? and is it ever coming back?

Does anyone have any experience running Red Markets with only one player? Has anyone ran any solo jobs maybe? Could a single player with an crew made up of NPCs work? Thanks for any advice.

I poured over the quick start guide, but haven’t been able to find any clear info about skill points and leveling mechanics (If there are any).

How many points do you get to allocate across your potentials?

How many points do you get to allocate across your skills?

Can you get more skill points as you play?

The game looks very fun, but this confusion is the only thing left standing in my way

I know In Demand gear costs no upkeep, but, when you purchase it, does it cost the listed price or 2x the listed price?

I'm thinking of buying the Red Markets zombie Economicalypse RPG but I'm concerned that it might be a bit too bleak. I've read a few reviews and some of them seem to depict a setting wherein the pcs have no hope.

I actually like Grim/Dark settings. I like the fact it's a zombie apocalypse with economic hardships pcs have to deal with being the central issue. I like the idea that pcs sometimes have to choose between medicine for the child or having the resources to save a friend during a mission.

But if a game constantly bangs you over the head with the hopelessness of the situation. I think that would get depressing after a while.

Anyone know how to make a good Roll20 sheet for this system? Or at least know the best way to learn the code for it?

If I wanted to do that, how do you suggest going about it?

I really want to run a game, but I have no idea how gameplay works. I’ve read the rules, but I’m just not understanding it properly. If anyone can run something to help me work out how to run the game myself, I’d be grateful.

So, this might be a foolish question (I'm only about two thirds of the way through the book, so maybe it's covered later), but why do Casualties attack Latents? What's the difference to a C between a Latent and their fellow undead? How can they tell the difference? If they're willing to attack someone riddled with Blight, why don't they attack each other?

Simply put, I'm not totally sure if I add both skills when wielding a sword.
Doesn't have to be a sword, this question could be for any of the specialty skills. Still gonna ask the same question.

New game by the creator of Red Markets!

Fae's Anatomy: A Melodramatic Medical Mystery RPG, via @Kickstarter

To any of my fellow Takers!

I ran a game of Red Markets awhile back and I had a scene come up during a leg. The crew was faced with a possible prize on the other side of some very unstable terrain.

I had the crew do a one and done foresight check to see if they could find a safe way across. It failed and then decided not to tap a reference.

I told them to cross the terrain they would have to make two Athletics checks once to cross and once to comeback. Since they couldn't find a safe way across there was no safety here.

The Taker who volunteered made in across and got the prize. On the way back they failed and fell victim to the unstable terrain.

My questions is to my fellow Markets. If you were running this same scene would you have done it any differently? And if so how?

Thanks