Red Dust: An Outback Survival RPG

Red Dust is a rules-light tabletop roleplaying game of survival, mystery, and grit, set in the Australian Outback of the 1980s–1990s.

You and your mates are ordinary Aussies — tradies, musos, ex-cops, jackaroos — driving across NSW in your beat-up Holden Commodore. When the car breaks down, you’ll need to hustle for cash, parts, and favours to get moving again. But every dusty town has its secrets… and once you start pulling threads, you might uncover more than you bargained for.

The Uncle (the GM) spins the yarns, controls the dangers of the road, and reveals the mysteries lurking under the red dirt.

🎲 What You’ll Need

• 1 × d20 (for all rolls)

• 1 × damage die (d4, d6, d8, or d10 depending on weapons/hazards)

• A few mates to play characters

• One mate to play The Uncle

⚡ Features

• Rules-Light System: Easy to pick up, based on skills and simple d20 rolls.

• Unique Outback Setting: Real NSW towns (Nyngan, Cobar, Bourke, Lightning Ridge, etc.) in the late 80s–90s.

• Side Hustles: Earn cash, favours, and clues by working odd jobs, hustling pool games, playing gigs, or running dodgy errands.

• Grit & Health: A dual system for physical harm and mental toughness.

• Outback Saves: A streamlined death save mechanic inspired by D&D, keeping danger tense but survivable.

• The Vehicle: A shared party resource with its own “health” (Condition, Fuel, Tyres). When the Vehicle goes down, so do you.

• Mystery Hooks: From missing prospectors to corrupt cops, bikie gangs, and strange Outback legends — every town hides a story.

• Travel Rolls: The road itself is an adventure, with breakdowns, wildlife, truckies, and ghost stories waiting between towns.

🕵️ Example Adventures

• The Missing Prospector of Lightning Ridge — opals, bikies, and betrayal.

• The Ghost Truck that haunts the Barrier Highway.

• The Cold Case of Bourke — a schoolteacher who vanished in 1979.

• The Burning River of Wilcannia — chemicals and cover-ups.

📄 Included

• Full rules for play (in Word/PDF)

• Player Character Sheet template

• Vehicle Sheet (party resource)

• Mystery hooks and side hustle examples

🚦 Why Play Red Dust?

Because the Outback isn’t just a backdrop — it’s a character. Every town, every road, every shady deal is another story waiting to be told. Will you solve the mystery, get out alive, or vanish into the dust like so many before you?

AI Disclosure: I've used ChatGPT to form the groundwork and the Cover Art of this RPG, however, have personally refined and edited the work to better reflect my vision for the game and add in some personal touches. This game is entirely brought about as my idea and how I wanted it to run, but used AI as a tool to help me write it out.