E.G.O. “GO” (Gameplay Options)

You’re Good to GO with E.G.O.!

We want the rules of our Evil Genius Organized-Play (E.G.O.) to be quick and easy to understand. That way, GMs and players can jump from their day jobs right into the thick of the action—just like Everyday Heroes. This page guides you through:

• How the E.G.O. program works if you are a player.
• How the E.G.O. program works if you are a Goon (GM).
• How to get the most out of your E.G.O. program and its rewards for players, Goons, and retail stores.

These rules will be updated whenever new books are released or E.G.O. expands to include new game systems.

The E.G.O. Code of Conduct
We strive to create environments, both in-person and online, where all players feel welcomed, respected, and valued. Our goal is to foster a positive gaming environment in which all feel truly safe and truly welcome, and in which all leave the game table eager to return. For this reason, the Evil Genius E.G.O. Code of Conduct governs all participation in the E.G.O. program and E.G.O. events whether they are in-person or online. You can read the Code of Conduct here.

1. E.G.O. for Everyday Heroes (EDH) Players

Everyday Heroes is our flagship game, where everyday people leave their mundane lives behind to take part in insane action- or spy-movie adventures. These games use the following game sources:

• The Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook
• The Vault: Rules Compendium, Volume 01

E.G.O. currently features three kinds of Everyday Heroes adventures. These are:

• Assignments: 3-4 hour long adventures, typically worth 2 Milestone Points (see below) that have “The E.G.O. Program” stamp on the front cover.
• Plots: 1-2 hour long adventures, typically worth 1 Milestone Point that have “The E.G.O. Program” stamp on the front cover. All Plots are repeatable (see below).
• “Schemes”: Non-E.G.O. adventures that have an “E.G.O.-Approved” stamp on the front cover. Schemes are typically worth 1-2 Milestone Points, depending on length, and can only be played using the pre-generated characters included with the adventure unless otherwise noted.

Minimum and Maximum Number of Heroes/Players

The minimum number of heroes needed to play an Assignment or Plot is four. If there are only two or three players present, and if the GM and all the players agree, one or two players may “double up” by portraying a pre-generated Iconic Hero to meet the minimum number of heroes. If this occurs, the pre-generated Iconic Hero’s level should be made as high as possible (maximum being the highest-level player Hero character present).

The maximum number of heroes for an E.G.O. adventure is six.

Character Creation

E.G.O. uses your choice of the Point Buy or Standard Set methods for creating characters (page 26 of the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook), just like any other Everyday Heroes game, with four exceptions:

• You may only use content from the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook unless you have unlocked other rules sources (see below).
• You may not use the “Creating New Backgrounds” or “Creating New Professions” rules from the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook.
• You may not purchase items above your wealth level during E.G.O. games, or acquire restricted items except as an adventure reward.
• The following Backgrounds and Professions from the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook are not available: Person of Mystery (Background), Espionage (Profession), Law Enforcement (Profession), Military (Profession), Politics (Profession).

Milestones, Leveling-Up, and First-Level Retraining

Everyday Heroes marks “Milestones” as significant moments in campaigns when characters can level up. For the E.G.O. program, we have assigned Milestone Points (MP) to each of our adventures, usually in increments of 1 or 2. Every time a character reaches six MP, they level up, following the normal rules from the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook.

To allow players flexibility to adjust new Hero characters to their liking, E.G.O. allows players to “retrain” (make changes to) their Hero—so long as the character is still at Level 1. Upon reaching Level 2, character choices are “locked in” and can be modified only by using in-game rewards or the expenditure of Evil Credits.

Field Training

Sometimes, players with Hero characters of different levels will sit down at the same game table. When this happens, E.G.O. adventures always increase in difficulty to match the highest-level character. To compensate, the higher-level REDEMPTION agents will give their junior allies “field training” to make them ready to face the challenges that lay ahead. In game terms, this means that lower-level characters gain certain benefits and adjustments, though only for the duration of the adventure, in order to balance play.

Field Training Adjustments

Battle Scars and Mental Scars

It can be difficult to cope with character death and evil acts during play in modern roleplay settings. To better resolve these occurrences when they happen, E.G.O. uses “Battle Scars” and “Mental Scars” from the Everyday Heroes game mechanics in the following ways:

• Battle Scars: If your Hero character would die during the course of an E.G.O. adventure, your character instead remains alive, stable and unconscious, and gains a Battle Scar. Roll a d8 to determine the Battle Scar according to the table below (reroll if you get a result that your character already has) and continue the adventure.
• Be aware, however, that Battle Scars inflict permanent injuries on Heroes that persist into future games unless healed through extraordinary measures such as an in-game reward or spending Evil Credits. They apply permanent Disadvantage to a particular type of check (you choose from the chart when your character receives the Battle Scar). However, the Battle Scar does grant Advantage on a different type of check, though only once per game.
• Mental Scars: REDEMPTION is somewhat strict about hiring those who seek to do good in the world. While some allowances can be made, those who employ extreme tactics too often will find themselves removed from the organization. If your character commits an “evil act” (as defined by the adventure or by your GM, who has this discretion) during play, they suffer a Mental Scar. Like Battle Scars, Mental Scars persist and can only be healed by extraordinary means or with Evil Credits; however, they have no in-game mechanics like Battle Scars do.
• 3 Scars and You’re Out: If a character ever acquires a combination of three Battle and/or Mental Scars, they are removed and retired from all E.G.O. play at the end of the current game. You can only endure just so much.

  Note: Given the consequences of Mental Scars, a GM must always warn a player (and let them reconsider their actions) before giving their character a Mental Scar.

  Example: Making a Charisma (Intimidation) check to get information from an old grandmother is not a great look for REDEMPTION agents, but it’s not going to get anyone fired from their job. However, holding a gun to that old woman’s head in order to gain Advantage on the check (or worse, pulling the trigger afterwards…) will give your character a Mental Scar.

Battle Scar Rolls

2. E.G.O. for Everyday Heroes Goons (GMs)

How to Run Games

Serving as a GM for an E.G.O. Everyday Heroes game is nearly identical to running a non-E.G.O. game. The only difference is that you manage all of the paperwork through the Everyday Heroes Dispatch app. Managing EGO games is easy because you will use Dispatch to schedule your games, add your players, start/stop the game timer, and “report” your game when finished. Doing this is easy: just a few button-clicks in the app; there’s no paperwork for you to worry about!

Adventure Structure

Assignments, Plots, and Schemes for Everyday Heroes all generally follow the same structure:

1. An adventure summary with background for the GM to read,
2. An introductory section for everyone,
3. The main body of the adventure itself,
4. A rewards section (except in Schemes),
5. Appendices with information, handouts, and NPC stat blocks.

Digital E.G.O. adventures will also have annotated maps that can be “extracted” for use on Virtual Tabletop programs or used as guidance for those who wish to draw them. GMs wishing to purchase high-quality digital or print versions of E.G.O. maps can find them on our cartographer’s (Matt Francella) website: https://www.mattsmaps.org/.

Level Ranges and Repeatable Adventures

All E.G.O. Everyday Heroes adventures are listed on the Dispatch app with a level range. The level range indicates at what level(s) Hero characters need to be to participate in them (or, in the case of Schemes, to receive MP and rewards). These ranges will almost always conform to the following:

• Level 1
• Levels 1-2
• Levels 1-4
• Levels 3-6
• Levels 5-8
• Levels 9-10

Additionally, some Everyday Heroes Assignments (along with all Plots and Schemes) will be designated as “repeatable” adventures rather than “everyday” adventures. For more information on how these adventures work for players, see the “Repeating Adventures and E.G.O. Schemes” section, above. Any time a GM runs an E.G.O adventure, they may choose to designate one of their level-appropriate characters to receive MP and rewards from that game as if they had played the game as a player. This is true even if the adventure is normally not repeatable.

Level Balance

For Heroes: Field Training.

One important thing that an E.G.O. GM must do when seating players is to adjust the level of the adventure to that of the highest-level Hero character at the game table. To do this, simply ask each player what level their hero is. This allows you to set the appropriate level, and doubles as a segue to having the players engage in “Field Training” (see above), so that their characters are on-par with one another before the adventure begins.

Example: In the level 1-4 Assignment “Meet the Enemy,” if there is one level 3 hero seated at the table but everyone else is playing level 1 or 2 heroes, the GM should simply ask those players to apply one or two levels of Field Training to their heroes before play begins.

For Enemies: Villain Enhancement Serum

Just as Hero characters can benefit from “Field Training” when there is a disparity between character levels at a table, NPCs and enemies in adventures can gain additional toughness beyond what is written on their Stat Blocks.

E.G.O. Assignments and Plots higher than level range 1-2 are written with only two “tiers” in mind. When encountering Hero characters who are one level higher than these tiers, GMs should have all NPCs and enemies drink “Villain Enhancement Serum,” which gives them +10 Hit Points. For games where the heroes are level 5 or above, this serum also gives a +1 bonus to Attack.

Example: In the level 1-4 Assignment “Meet the Enemy,” the adventure presents enemies for level 1 heroes and level 3 heroes. If the heroes are level 2, the GM should use level 1 enemies plus 10 Hit Points each. If the heroes are level 6, the GM should use level 5 enemies plus 10 Hit Points and a +1 bonus to Attack each.

Rules Systems

In addition to the new “Field Training” and “Battle/Mental Scars” rules presented above, the E.G.O. program makes use of two Optional Rules on page 298 of the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook.

Quick Rests

Quick Rests may be taken twice per in-game day during E.G.O. Assignments and Plots, unless the adventure text itself states otherwise.

Inspiration

GMs may choose to award Inspiration when players do really cool things during games, subject to the limitations regarding this resource. Some players (often Goons and Evil Minions) will be able to earn rewards that allow them to start games with points of Inspiration to distribute to multiple heroes at the table. Without those rewards, however, Heroes should not begin games with Inspiration.

Cautions

Everyday Heroes games are set in a world very similar to our own, and that world is not always easy to navigate. Our writers do their best to handle issues of politics, religion, culture clashes, and representation with care. However, we also ask our GMs to pay attention to these issues when reading and preparing to run E.G.O. adventures, and to make provisions for handling them at the table, so that everyone (including the GM) has a fun and enjoyable experience.

As a reminder from the section above on “Mental Scars”, if a Hero character is about to perform an evil act (even one not listed in the adventure itself—you have discretion, here), this can earn them a Mental Scar. However, as the GM, you must warn the player before giving this to them, and allow that player a chance to reconsider their actions. GMs should ask players if they are sure that they wish to continue with the action in question, even knowing that it will mentally scar their Hero character. GMs should re-confirm that the player knows this decision will lead to a Mental Scar, and that an accumulation of three scars (Mental and/or Battle) will retire their Hero permanently from the E.G.O. program.

Goon Squad Toolbox

Being a GM is more of an art than a science. Always remember that your primary job as an E.G.O. GM is to provide a fun, fair, and positive experience for all your players (and yourself!) so that every participant in our shared program can enjoy the same games no matter where they are playing or with whom. During the game, you have broad discretion to make that happen. As long as people are having fun, we can figure out pretty much anything else afterward.

The Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook presents many useful tools (the X-Card, Fade to Black, etc.) for GMs who need a hand tackling certain dicey topics during adventures, but these are not the only items at your disposal! Our E.G.O. Evil Minions (see our Goons and Minions page here) can answer questions, provide guidance, back you up with the Code of Conduct, and help resolve any issues that come up after the game ends.

And we’re here for you, too! E.G.O. will be creating a “Supervillain School” to help mentor novice GMs (stay tuned for more information on that program in the near future), and you can always reach out to our volunteer staff for assistance.

Playing a Game for Which You Have Been a GM

If you are playing a game that you have already run as a GM, we require you to let your GM know this information before the game starts. Also, take care not to undermine the gaming experience for the other players at the table by spoiling secrets or surprises during the adventure.

3. Getting More out of Your E.G.O. Games (for Players and Goons)

Content Unlocks (Updated 16 Jan 2024)

Playing E.G.O. adventures and purchasing Evil Genius products enables players to gain access (“unlock”) content from The Vault rules compendium(s) for their E.G.O. characters. Here’s how that works:

• Everyday Heroes Assignments and Plots will list unlocks as part of the Rewards after the conclusion of each adventure.
• A future iteration of our Everyday Heroes Dispatch (app) will automatically track unlocked content earned through gameplay, but during the early days of the E.G.O. program we are trusting in the honor system for players to track their own rewards.
• Schemes and other purchasable content will be listed on this E.G.O. “GO” page.
• Family households may share purchased physical resources for the purposes of content unlocks.
• Proof of purchase is sufficient to prove access to content at a game table.

Unlocking Content with Cinematic Adventures/Sourcebooks, Adventure Paths, and The Vault

Players who have purchased the Evil Genius Games Cinematic Adventures (soon to be known as “Cinematic Sourcebooks”), or who received them as part of an Evil Genius Games Kickstarter campaign, unlock the following items from The Vault: Rules Compendium Volume 01:

• Players who have purchased Escape from New York Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Convict Background,
  • The Motorhead Class from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased The Crow Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Street Rat Background,
  • The Bartender and Charity Professions,
  • The Distracting Flourish Feat.
• Players who have purchased Kong: Skull Island Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The War Photographer Profession,
  • The Field Researcher Class from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased Pacific Rim Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Disaster Survivor Background,
  • The Bonded Twins Class from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased Total Recall Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Travel Agent Profession,
  • The Spy Class from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased Highlander Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Caravan Trader and Religious Monastic Backgrounds,
  • The Antiquarian Profession,
  • The Campaigner Feat from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased Rambo Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Small Town Background,
  • The Survivalist Class from The Vault, Volume 01.
• Players who have purchased the Universal Soldier Cinematic Adventure/Sourcebook unlock:
  • The Veteran Background,
  • The Indentured Fighter and Mercenary Professions,
  • The Heavy Kicks Feat.
• Players who have purchased The Vault: Rules Compendium, Volume 01 unlock:
  • The Counterculture, Islander, and Lawless Home Backgrounds,
  • The Aid Worker, Flight Attendant, Itinerant, Off the Grid, and Scavenger Professions,
  • The Everyday Hero Class.
• Players who have purchased The Agency Files 1 unlock:
  • The Hand-Picked Background,
  • The Cover-Up Ops Professions,
  • The Mysterious Agent Class (with a note that the Alien R&D and I’ve Done My Homework abilities will probably not be useful to REDEMPTION agents during Season 1 of E.G.O.).
• Players who have purchased The Agency Files 2 unlock:
  • The Alien Inoculations, Interstellar Fighting Techniques (IFTS) Feats,
  • The Multi-Wavelength Electromagnetic Guardian (M.E.G.) Suite, Universal Scanner Items,
  • The X-Sedan VII Vehicle.
• Players who have purchased The Agency Files 3 unlock:
  • The Flex Sleeve Armor Item
• Players who have purchased Evergreen Knights 1 unlock:
  • The Chopper, Cruiser, and Elite Vehicles.
• Players who have purchased Evergreen Knights 2 unlock:
  • The S&W Model 10, Sawed-Off Shotgun, and Winchester Model 88 Weapons,
  • The Tow Truck Vehicle.

E.G.O. Everyday Heroes Schemes

• For completing The Crow: Foresight’s Folly (Level 1), E.G.O. players earn 2 Milestone Points (see below) and unlock the Soothsayer Training feat from The Vault (or Advanced Soothsayer Training if they have already unlocked the Soothsayer Training feat) for all of their E.G.O. characters. Note that the Sight Beyond Sight plan as part of this feat is not permitted for play.

Pre-generated Iconic Heroes and “Holding Credit”

To help players new to Everyday Heroes get acquainted with the game system, and to make sure that characters of every type are available, E.G.O. makes use of 12 pre-generated Iconic Heroes, representing two Classes per Archetype out of the Everyday Heroes Core Rulebook. Each of these pre-generated heroes have character sheets available at levels 1, 3, and 5. This way, players without appropriately-leveled characters will almost always have a way to participate in the game. The MP and rewards from the pre-generated Hero are handled in one of these two ways:

• If a player chooses to play a pre-generated Hero at a level that one of their own Hero characters could have played, they must apply the MP and rewards to a Level 1 character, even if that means creating a new character.
• If a player chooses to play a pre-generated Hero at a level above what their own Hero characters could have played, they can “hold” the MP and rewards of the pre-generated Hero until their own character reaches the minimum level for that same adventure.

  Example 1: You have a Level 3 character, “Aslok the Magnificent,” but decide to use a pre-generated Iconic Hero, Katie Paige, to play in a Level 1-4 Assignment instead. You must apply the MP and rewards for Katie to a Level 1 character of your own, even if it means making a new character.

  Example 2: You have a Level 2 character, “Gorçiam Blindside,” but you want to play in a Level 3-6 Assignment. You decide to use the pre-generated Iconic Hero, “Glen Sharktooth McPherson,” in order to participate in that game. When Gorçiam reaches Level 3, they gain the MP and rewards from Glen. You may, alternatively, hold Glen’s MP and rewards for one of your Level 1 characters.

Repeating Adventures and E.G.O. Schemes

Most E.G.O. Assignments have stories that are not designed to be retold (they have twists and surprises that would be spoiled if replayed). Because of this, “Everyday” Assignments that are not marked as “repeatable” may be played only once to earn MP and rewards. If a game table is at risk of not meeting the minimum number of players, a player can choose to play a pre-generated Iconic Hero for an Assignment that they have already completed. In this case, the player’s characters will not receive any MP or rewards. Although crafted in sequence with each other, E.G.O. Assignments may be played in any order.

Everyday Heroes Assignments marked as “repeatable” (and all Everyday Heroes Plots) can be played an unlimited number of times “for credit” (MP and rewards), as long as it is with a different character each time. Players are strongly encouraged to let their GM know if they have already played the Assignment in a previous iteration so that the GM can make choices from their available options in order to keep the game fresh and fun for everyone at the table.

Everyday Heroes Schemes may be played an unlimited number of times using the pre-generated heroes that are included in the adventure. Each time a player replays the Scheme, the MP and rewards may be applied to a different one of the player’s Hero characters, so long as that character meets the level-range of the Scheme.

The E.G.O. Retail Engagement Program (REP)

E.G.O. is at its best when our players, Goons, and Minions are working in harmony with our Friendly Local Gaming Stores (FLGS). We want Everyday Heroes to be played where people can see our games, and hopefully ask about joining in the fun themselves! Moreover, E.G.O. rewards players who support their FLGS financially, and we want to do all we can to support game stores that support E.G.O.! Here’s how that works:

Earning REP Points:

If you spend money at a FLGS before or during a game (whether or not you buy Evil Genius products), you earn one “REP Point” per $10 (€10 in the EU). You can use your REP points for in-game rewards. There are three things to be aware of with REP points:

• REP Points expire at the end of the next E.G.O. game that you start after the purchase.
• REP Points can only be spent at games that occur in the same store in which the money was spent
• A player can only gain REP Points once for an individual game, and must show their receipt to their GM in order to claim their points.

Spending REP Points:

A player with REP Points may choose to spend them on any Hero character or GM-Controlled NPC at their game table. There are two stipulations:

• You must declare that (and how) you are using your REP point(s) before any dice are rolled.
• You can use only one REP benefit to affect a single d20 roll. (For example, if you have 3 REP, you can’t use the benefits of both 1 REP and 2 REP to affect the same roll.)

REP Points Benefits

Special Thanks

We would like to express our thanks to the following “Bug Basher” volunteers for helping us develop our E.G.O. program documentation and plans: Benjamin “Dybbuk” Alany, Davil Ohl, E. Eadgyth Cable, Gen Giggles, Glen Finney, Jester Deren, and Mariah Johnson.