From the PDF Introduction
For the 2005 Iron Game Chef Competition
Started 5.21.05 - Finished 5.28.05
Introduction
Son, why do you want to know about that old stuff? What happened in ‘Nam stays in ‘Nam. Carry is a role playing game that explores the tensions among, and their psychological ramifications for, soldiers in the Vietnam War. It is not about the war or actual combat itself, except as a backdrop to the human drama created by a group of men forced together under some of the most stressful circumstances imaginable. Some inspirations for this game include the book The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, and the movies Platoon and, to a lesser extent, Full Metal Jacket, and the game possesses the same slightly romanticized view of the war contained in these sources. The title of the game refers to O’Brien’s book. The soldiers he wrote about all carried something meaningful in addition to their normal gear. Here, it also means the burdens and problems that the soldiers carry, as well as the need to carry each other through the conflict
The requirements to play this game include: At least four players (the more the better), one of whom will be the Game Master (GM); a good amount of dice of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 sides; a copy of these rules; and a willingness to take the subject matter seriously - Carry will not work as a light- earted romp. Carry assumes some experience with roleplaying games in general, including a knowledge of common terms (like GM, scene, etc.)
All of the players other than the GM will take on the role of one soldier in a squad of U.S Marines serving in Vietnam. The squad consists of three fire teams, each of 4 soldiers and Corporal, as well as a Sergeant who leads the squad. There are a total of 16 characters to choose from. Over the course of the game, those characters that are not chosen by players will be whittled down, until only the player’s characters are left. The game will then enter Endgame, putting each character to the test and determining their fate. The GM’s job is to provide stressful situations for the characters that will test the limits of their ability to cope, as well as portray all characters not taken by the players.