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White Lies

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         There is a war going on every day, a war of ideologies. Its soldiers don’t march in lines or report to a large pentagonal building. It is a shadow war where information and bullets hold equal weight, cutting-edge technology changes the nature of crime and espionage, and enemies don’t always wear uniforms.

         This game is about clandestine Special Forces parachuting behind enemy lines to carry out missions that no government will claim ever happened. It is about special agents receiving their missions from men and women whose identities won’t turn up on any database. It is about mercenaries and spies. It is about secrets, seduction, stealth, deception, assassination, bribery, infiltration, action, and adventure. But here’s the rub; you don’t see the war happening. The dark and dangerous things that men and women do to protect their countrymen go unsung, the truth concealed by the government and media with little white lies to keep you going to work and buying things in malls… to keep you sane.

         Welcome to White Lies™, a modern role-playing game of espionage and paramilitary action adventure. This game makes use of a light and simple set of familiar-feeling mechanics designed to be fast and loose, empowering the Admin to be an arbitrator of rulings rather than an encyclopedia of rules. It plays at the table like the cinematic espionage genre this game attempts to embrace. Tell your own thrilling tales of modern spy adventure!

         This product is not affiliated with Covert Ops, our d00lite espionage RPG, though it captures much of the same feel and has some of the researched and developed content repeated or adapted from that product.


         This is the 2nd edition of the White Lies roleplaying game, and is no longer based on the S&W WB license. It is fully divorced from the OGL and SRD and is now its own system published under CC-BY-SA (meaning YOU can publish stuff for it yourself!). Despite this, it has a familiar mechanical feel of old school gaming. Since we don't charge for the game, we took the opportunity to make use of A.I. procedural art in the entire book, which gives it a neat and different look and feel. Finally, we took this opportunity to fold several of the previously-published supplements into the core game book, which resulted in some additional page count. But don't be intimidated. At its core it's the same game wrapped in slightly different mechanics and painted in a new shinier form.


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Reviews (8)
Discussions (27)
Customer avatar
David J February 15, 2024 4:46 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I'll need to look at the 2nd edition rules, but at very first blush I really prefer the OSR version. I've been using the OSR "engine" so long now, it's like wearing an old, comfortable shirt. Str/Dex/Con/etc is so simple to referee for. Perhaps you could offer the 1st edition of WL as a "hidden bonus" or something to that effect?

But I'm not one to stay mired in the past, so I'll give the 2nd edition a thorough look.

And, as many have said, put me down as a fan of the iconic, elegant silhouette art of 1st edition.
Customer avatar
Karak U September 25, 2023 5:39 am UTC
PURCHASER
Jól sikerült a második kiadás, nagyon tetszenek az átalakítások. Viszont az új grafikák jelentős része engem borzaszt - tele van bájgúnárral és cukimacával. Meg túl színesek is. A régi "arctalan" illusztrációk sokkal hangulatosabbak voltak, mint bárány A kis hercegben - sokkal többet lehetett beleképzelni, és egyébként is jobban passzolnak az árnyképek egy kémkedős játékhoz. Szerintem.
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William L October 02, 2023 10:41 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you for the feedback! There are others who share your opinion. As I've said to others, I was completely unaware the first edition art was well-received. I did it myself, with little talent and no artistic training, and was actually a little self-conscious of it. I appreciate that you liked it better, and if I would have known many like it I wouldn't have considered the art I chose for 2nd edition. The mechanics of this edition, I think, are worth it! Especially the level advancement tables, my favorite part of the system!
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Customer avatar
Karak U October 04, 2023 9:12 am UTC
PURCHASER
"The mechanics of this edition, I think, are worth it!"
-- Definitely! :)
Customer avatar
Victor R August 29, 2023 5:25 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just curious: is it possible to get copies of the 1st Edition of this game?
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William L October 02, 2023 10:48 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Perhaps it would be okay for me to add it to the downloads of this edition... I'll consider that. I'm surprise anyone would want the first edition over the second, I honestly find it much more fun at the table! If I may ask, what is the reason for your preference?
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Steven A November 07, 2023 5:10 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I for one appreciated how I could equip each of my players with a copy of the rulebook for the same price as just one of the second edition. My players are pretty much exclusively analog, so this was critical. I still haven't picked up the new book physically due to this.

My players appreciated how intuitive and familiar the ruleset was as well. This is the main reason they were willing to try something other than 5th edition! This was actually the only game I was able to convince them to play that isn't 5th edition DnD. The small, concise nature of the first edition really appealed to them, I think.
Customer avatar
Stephen C August 23, 2023 2:23 am UTC
PURCHASER
Hey there! Just bought a digital copy of the game. And man, am I excited to read it!

I find myself hungry for more modules / operations / missions. Thanks, Bill, for some great content. Love the old-school feel and writing style. Wrote a Man of a Certain Age... :)

(What drew me to the title was finding your name in an older CovertOps adventure. It was beautifully written and gave me lots of ways to get in and out of the adventure. Very different than other spy roleplaying games. This new game feels no different. Good stuff!)
Customer avatar
David H August 04, 2023 6:27 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The Infiltration Division agent gets 1D4 + toughness when he levels up but gets 1D8 + toughness at start. Is this a typo? Should it be 1D8 when he levels up instead?
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William L August 04, 2023 7:38 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
it's correct, David H. The infiltrator is a poser. Able to convince others he/she is who he/she isn't. This is accomplished through being a jack of all trades, being capable with most things, but behind the scenes he/she is a total poser, acting the part only. The startup boost is a special ability to help the infiltrator pull off a convincing role, but the development rate of the agent's stamina is more in line with the sneaky rogue he/she is.
Customer avatar
Jeffrey W July 29, 2023 8:58 pm UTC
PURCHASER
The new 2nd Edition system is awesome. Not only do I love it for White Lies, I want to borrow it for a few other genres as well.

Is there a form-fillable version of the character sheets?
Customer avatar
Martin R July 02, 2023 1:57 pm UTC
I have to say, using AI art even for a free product feels really distasteful.
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William L July 02, 2023 4:26 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I understand that sentiment. I wasn’t going to use any art at all, just the silhouettes I personally drew for first edition. That’s the only reason I thought it morally OK, because I know I didn’t take money out of the pocket of a single artist. But I still couldn’t bring myself to charge for it. Thank you for making your opinion known, that matters to me.
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Customer avatar
Martin R July 03, 2023 4:32 am UTC
Merely offering the product at all with AI art contributes to the idea that using AI art is acceptable, regardless of whether or not you charge for it. It's not okay, pure and simple.
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Customer avatar
Tyler J August 20, 2023 3:08 am UTC
PURCHASER
Don't like it don't use it, AI art is perfectly fine for free products. I thought artists didn't do it for the money but for the love of the craft. Guess that line has been bs all those years
Customer avatar
neil T March 14, 2023 4:32 am UTC
pod
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William L March 14, 2023 8:41 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I placed an order for the proofs... just waitin' now!
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Customer avatar
neil T March 15, 2023 6:48 am UTC
Will this be on lulu
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Customer avatar
neil T March 15, 2023 6:50 am UTC
Will this be on lulu
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Customer avatar
William L March 19, 2023 12:10 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Nope, for now it'll only be available here. I just received my proof and am happy with it. I am not marking it up so the cost is just whatever lightningsource is charging me for it. The physical 6x9 book looks fantastic, I'm really very pleased with it.
Customer avatar
Ryan Graham T March 12, 2023 11:42 am UTC
It don’t download for me for some reason
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Customer avatar
William L March 12, 2023 3:23 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Has this been resolved? If not send me an email to wlogan[at]dwdstudios[dot]com and I'll figure out another way to send it to ya.
Customer avatar
Charles F March 04, 2023 9:17 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I thought I was getting the ruleset but ended up with character sheets and counters. Did something change?
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Customer avatar
William L March 05, 2023 12:08 am UTC
PUBLISHER
wth - I know I uploaded it. I'll double-check - standby!
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Customer avatar
William L March 05, 2023 12:11 am UTC
PUBLISHER
I don't understand why it disappeared my pdf but I re-added it. If you still can't get it, please hit me up at wlogan[at]dwdstudios[dot]com and I'll provide you a copy!
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Customer avatar
Charles F March 06, 2023 12:58 am UTC
PURCHASER
Okay thanks. Whatever you did worked. Great system!
Customer avatar
Greg F February 18, 2023 4:07 pm UTC
PURCHASER
William L - if you provide a POD option for the 2e rules I will buy it.
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Customer avatar
William L February 18, 2023 4:19 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I totally plan to! First I'm trying to get feedback on grammar/punctuation/spelling/clarification requirements/etc. Because editing costs money and I'd never recover those costs with a free product, and it's unfair to folks who buy a physical copy to not have something with editing done. So please, help go through the book and provide any feedback! I self-edited, but that rarely works well.
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Customer avatar
Greg F February 21, 2023 2:04 pm UTC
PURCHASER
That is good news! And please take your time to get errata and corrections. Right now I do not have a gaming group, but if I spot anything during a read-through I will mention it.
Customer avatar
Timothy M February 17, 2023 3:51 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Will the previous version no longer be available?
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Customer avatar
William L February 17, 2023 4:34 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
That's correct. It's a clean break from the OGL/SRD/S&W licenses after WotC's OGL fiasco
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Customer avatar
Timothy M February 17, 2023 4:52 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Well, I can understand wanting to go in a different direction going forward, but why can't the original version still be downloaded for those of us who like it? I have backups, so I'm okay for now, but I guess I don't understand why the first version can't still be available too and why the change is being forced on us.
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Customer avatar
William L February 17, 2023 5:24 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
I'm sorry Timothy - I honestly didn't think this would be an issue. I didn't even consider the possibility that some people would still want the original instead of the new version. Feel free to share your original with whomever needs a copy, but my plan was to move forward with a clean break from the dressings of the previous license.
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Customer avatar
Timothy M February 17, 2023 8:27 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I appreciate your taking the time to respond. FWIW, I think the new version looks interesting, and will probably give it a spin at some point.
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Customer avatar
Steven A July 19, 2023 3:06 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I love what you did with the new ones though some of the art has a few issues. I absolutely loved the art style form the first edition, and prefer it to this one. I really hope you can make first and second available! That first edition art really does it for me, would love tokens for all the silhouettes, I made some but they weren't perfect with statblocks in frame and all that.

Btw I really like how you did the new rules set! Feels unique but is intuitive, and the upgrades are exciting!
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Customer avatar
William L July 19, 2023 3:54 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Really? Thank you! I honestly never liked the silhouette art because I did it myself and I'm no artist, just figured out a good way to do silhouettes that I felt was passable. Almost nobody ever said a kind word about it, and when the 1e rules were published in French the guy who did it had all new artwork done for it, making me think NOBODY liked it.

I don't think I'll ever go back and redo all the art in this book, but if I did, it probably would be all new commission pieces... I doubt I'd go back to the silhouette stuff I did myself. I'm genuinely surprised to hear someone liked it! Thank you!

I am really enjoying these rules as well. I have 2 running campaigns - one at my local brick and mortar game room and one at home with my wife, son, and son's friend (with me having an NPC character too). We've been enjoying the rank promotion die rolling, adds some fun to it, though my wife talked me into a house rule of rolling 2d20 and choosing which result to gain upon rank promotion. ...See more
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Customer avatar
Matt M July 19, 2023 4:00 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Put me down as another person who prefers the silhouette art from the first edition. I find it very evocative of the genre, and I really liked how clean it looked.
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Customer avatar
Steven A July 20, 2023 3:52 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I'm sad to hear that it took until now for someone to tell you how great the silhouette art was!! It truly inspires me and so far has been my favorite art style for a modern TTRPG. It's got enough information to be good looking on its own, but leaves more to your imagination. I wanted to make a supplement of weapons and items using that art style but never did. I also prefer silhouettes for tokens as it forces the players to use my descriptions and their imaginations. And Matt M. is right about evoking the genre, though the new edition does as well but in a more "character-drama" film style and with a few extra fingers.. XD
Customer avatar
William L February 17, 2023 1:23 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
FYI Due to feedback, I'm adding an option to generate abilities with a fixed array (-1, +0, +1, +2, +3). Some folks don't trust their dice I guess? I'm waiting to update the PDF here on this site until I get more feedback, though. So keep it coming in! Private messages on twitter, discord, mewe, or email me at wlogan[at]dwdstudios[dot]com!
Customer avatar
Robert B February 16, 2023 2:31 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I just purchased the POD of the 1st Ed two weeks ago, it has not even shipped to me, and now there is a 2nd edition...
Good job on splitting away from the OGL and SRD though.
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Customer avatar
William L February 16, 2023 2:41 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Right before I set up the 2nd edition I told my wife "watch, someone will have JUST purchased the POD and will be pissed" I'm sorry Robert! There isn't a *GOOD* time to put out your 2nd edition, but everyone always asks you when you're going to do it. :-| I wish there was something I could do for you but I make no money off the POD either, so can't even offer you a discount
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Customer avatar
Robert B February 16, 2023 2:49 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I am not upset at all, I just find it comical that it happened to me. I am looking forward to going through the pdf of this 2nd edition though.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Customer avatar
William L February 16, 2023 2:24 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hi everyone! I separated this product from the OGL and SRD and made a second edition. New game mechanics but they will feel really familiar and play similarly (though, the skill system is different/simple). I took the opportunity to revamp the art (all A.I. art now... I was reluctant, but since I don't ask for money for this product and don't pay for art for it, I figured why not?). It's now all Creative Commons and that feels right. I really hope everyone enjoys the new edition! But I have a favor to ask...

Since I don't pay anything for this product line, I would never recuperate the cost to my family if I paid for editing. So I'm hoping some of you are willing to help feed back my grammar, spelling, punctuation, and verbiage clarity to me for edits before I set up the POD. So... Help a fellow gamer out?
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Customer avatar
BENJAMIN N February 16, 2023 6:22 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Awesome. I was hoping that this would become available as a POD book. I will look forward to see if I can spot any issues for this. Thanks.
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Customer avatar
Timothy W February 17, 2023 3:27 am UTC
PURCHASER
What is the best way to submit editing comments?
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Customer avatar
William L February 17, 2023 4:10 am UTC
PUBLISHER
thank you! I know there are some, I've caught a few tonight while having wifey make a character
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Customer avatar
William L February 17, 2023 4:15 am UTC
PUBLISHER
you can email me at wlogan[at]dwdstudios[dot]com, that's the simplest way. If you follow me on twitter or subscribe to my discord you can just DM me there, or in a private chat on mewe. I don't use facebook enough though... really need to get more active there.
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Customer avatar
Timothy W February 17, 2023 4:27 am UTC
PURCHASER
Email works for me. Ill send you what i find.
Customer avatar
Brad E February 16, 2023 2:14 pm UTC
PURCHASER
POD anytime soon?
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Product Information
Gold seller
Author(s)
Rule System(s)
Pages
188
Publisher Stock #
DWDWL001
File Size:
30.46 MB
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File Last Updated:
March 21, 2023
This title was added to our catalog on November 06, 2015.