All tools / 5150 / Luck of the Draw / Instructions
Luck of the Draw: Instructions v1.1 · 29 Oct 2026
5150 is a game by Ed Teixeira, published by Two Hour Wargames. Please support Two Hour Wargames by buying their products. These are virtual copies of the card decks from 5150: Luck of the Draw and the 5150 City Deck, for players without a printer, or playing on video. You'll need the books for the rules.
1. The decks
- WHO (book p.2, 6): who you've met (Mover, Shaker, Exotic, Criminal, Joes) and how many, compared with your Band: Same, 1 Less, 1 More or 2 More. A few special WHO cards are events.
- WHAT (p.3, 13): what happens: Talk the Talk, or Walk the Walk (a fight).
- WHY (p.3, 11): the Loot they have: Credits, Bling, weapons, Wired upgrades, Med Kits, Drones and more.
- Character (p.2, 6): one card per person met, with their Class, Race, Rep, People, Savvy and weapon.
- City (5150 City Deck): 90 Building cards, each with its Area of New Hope City and a 2d6 table for the NPC's Profession.
- Professions (5150 City Deck): the six Profession cards, with the NPC types on the front and the NPC table on the back.
2. Drawing and shuffling
- Pick a deck with the buttons along the top, then press Draw, or click the face-down deck, to flip the top card.
- As in the book, when a Shuffle card comes up, every card goes back and the deck is shuffled. The tool does this for you and says so.
- Shuffle now starts the deck afresh at any time.
- Cards drawn since the last shuffle are shown small underneath, so you can look back.
3. Character cards
Choose the Class your WHO card showed, then draw one card for each person you met. The next card of that Class comes up, as if you'd searched the deck for it. Leave it on "Any" to take the top card.
4. The City Deck
The City Deck's own sheet gives two ways to use it:
- Easy way: leave Area on "Any" and press Draw. The card shows the Area and the Building. If the NPC can't be in that Building, draw again.
- Harder way: decide the Area first (best rolled on the City Transit Map in New Beginnings), choose it under Area, then draw. Only that Area's cards come up.
- Roll 2d6 on the Building card for the NPC's Profession. Then open Professions and choose it. Roll for the NPCs rolls 2d6 for the NPC type (read it on the front), ½d6 for the Leader's row and ½d6 for how many (1: one less than your Band, never less than 1; 2: the same; 3: one more). Start on the Leader's row of the table on the back and carry on down for the others.
5. What's remembered
Each deck's order and what's been drawn are kept in this browser, so you can close the page and carry on later. Nothing is sent to the website.
5150 is a game by Ed Teixeira, published by Two Hour Wargames. Please support Two Hour Wargames by buying their products. Card art and text © Two Hour Wargames.