For anyone who is a fan of the 1985 TV series MacGyver, well, I have something for you!

This is more of an idea on how to play a team of international troubleshooter who seek to help people though non-violent means. Imagine the A-Team who dealt with problems without killing anyone, despite having guns, but in this case, they have no guns. There will be some combat, but it would be defensive and mostly martial arts. The bad guys (and even allies) will bring guns to the action, but it is up to the heroes to keep them from using them.

This is a thinking-man’s game where the player characters are in contrast to the typical stoic, macho ’80s action heroes. They are highly-intelligent, emotionally complex characters. They are not given weapons, cool tech or a fancy ride, but instead, they have to use what is at-hand to get out of a tough spot. Sometimes, all you really need is a Swiss army knife, cigarette lighter, duct tape and a can of WD-40.

The Phoenix Foundation is an independent nonprofit think tank established to help make life better for everyone. Much of what they do is field research and operation in the areas of environmental surveys and clean-up operations, anti-drug initiatives and treatment, medical research, and social programs. To help in the aims of the foundation they maintain special field agents who serve as highly-capable “troubleshooters.” These agents are highly skilled polymaths who are also motivated by the aims of the foundation. They are not lawmen, nor they have any special authority.

You play as civilians working for the Phoenix Foundation, a well-funded, well-connected group who usually works with government agencies from around the world, akin to Doctors Without Borders.

Everywhen rules to consider:

Resolve: Characters are driven emotionally and often haunted by trauma, while combat is less of a focus for adventure.

Credit: Money is seldom an issue for the characters in the show, unles

I cannot think of a better RPG system than BoL.

Here is a link to the Bronze Bombers toyline.

Here are the raw text from my files:

Mapman Jackson
His Major: English Literature
His Specialty: Navigation
His Motto: I am somebody!
His Goal: To be the best!

Mapman Jackson was know for being direct in his speach and actions. As a kid he drew maps for the treasure hunts he and his friends enjoyed regularly. As a young man he excelled in public speaking and could make a sleeping person stand up and stomp for more! He took pride in always completing what started in and was an excellent student. He graduated at the top of his class at Tuskegee Institute with honors. Becoming a Navigator was a natural thing for Mapman Jackson. It fulfilled his need for creativity with a purpose.

Shaka Jackson
His Major: Asian History
His Specialty: Martial Arts
His Motto: Power for the Positive
His Goal: Keep rising to the top.

Shaka Jackson was a guerilla fighter. He could have been nothing else. As a boy, he fought for his life each and everyday on the streets. At Lincoln University, Shaka totally immersed himself in the martial arts while studying everything Eastern - their culture, their languages, their sciences. He speaks Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese, and six other dialects.

Arrow Hawk
His Major: Geology
His Specialty: Topography
His Motto: Observe and Learn
His Goal: To be at one with the forces of nature

Hawk's Mohawk parents moved from Connecticut and he grew up in the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania. Hawk traversed those mountains with his father since he was four years old and he could accurately diagram any area he saw. Hawk could scale the highest of mountains and never miss a step, never get dizzy-his balance was almost super human! He learned his skill as Cheyney State College, now Hawk is the best scout the Bronze Bombers could ever have!

Marc "Kaboom" Walters
His Major: Chemistry
His Specialty: Chemical

THE BRONZE BOMBERS
They are bold, they are men of the sun, they are brilliant warriors — The Bronze Bombers!

Fearlessly, the mighty U.S. 369th Infantry Regiment led the nation's greatest Black Army into battle. They fought in WWI and WWII and they never lost. There have been no warriors their equal until today! Today we have the Bronze Bombers! Today they defend the country agents the P.S.B. enemy squad. These highly skilled combatants stand for justice and they never lose!

The Bronze Bombers were a highly ambitious Olmec action figure toyline from 1988 (and later in 1997) that rode on the success of G.I.Joe, which used the molds from Galoob's well recycled A-Team action figures but with wholly original heads. They were created for black children to have more heroes to look-up to while also encouraging academic pursuits.

In keeping with that theme, on top of having the specialization of one's Background and Military as one's second, each member of the team is required to have Academic and to note their Major (Physics, Political Science, Biology, History, etc.) from a notable HBCU — historically black college or university, such as Howard, Morehouse, Meharry Medical, Tuskegee, et al. — which leaves only one free specialization to choose from. While the adventures can be as mature as the players are comfortable running, there needs to be some part of the adventure that addresses black history or cultural contributions made by people of color. Think of it as G.I.Joe with a bit of Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? themed for Black History Month.

Much like Dogs of W*A*R, the Bronze Bombers conduct clandestine missions to fight groups who threaten peace and national security, and is set in the 1980s. Players create their own Bronze Bomber, with the established B.B. characters serving as support and background characte

I find the Resolve damage system neat and potentially useful for settings where horror and humanity is a key element.

While I understand that taking maximum Resolve damage (base plus all Critical boxes) would result in the character falling into a catatonic state, I'm unclear what would happen when a character has no clear boxes on the Resolve track (with Critical boxes untouched) and I don't know if I missed something somewhere in the rule book. Would the character go unconscious like with Lifeblood damage, or would something else happened? The former is fine, but fainting from surprise or horror would be anti-climactic for pulp protagonists.

I have been toying with the idea of characters loosing control when that happens. Basically they temporarily become NPCs while in a state of panic, confusion, berserk rage, fugue state, temporary insanity, etc., until they can come to grips with themselves.