An interlock is a device used to stop a machine from harming its operator or damaging itself by triggering a halt if it is tripped. A familiar example is the interlock in microwave ovens, which shuts off the microwave generator if the door is opened.

The Interlock System is R. Talsorian Games' proprietary role-playing system. It is one of the direct parents of the Fuzion system (the other is the Hero System). The Interlock System is a "skill based" system - characters are created by choosing skills for them, and by advancing those skills individually; rather than by choosing character class packages. The Interlock System is used primarily in the Cyberpunk 2020 and Mekton role-playing games; variants of the Interlock System is used in Teenagers from Outer Space and the Japanese Gundam Senki RPG. Stats and skills are both rated on a scale of 0-10 with 0 representing no ability/no training and 10 representing the maximum ability possible for a human being. A typical skill roll will range from 12-20 for most tasks, so a skill 10 + stat 10 will succeed at virtually any task barring a critical mishap, while a skill 0 + stat 2 (minimum statistic level for a human character) will fail at any but the very simplest task, and even then will succeed only on a critical success.

The Interlock System is best known for its Lifepath system, a storytelling device used to create character backgrounds without particular direct benefit or drawback to the character, avoiding min-maxing.

See also

• Cyberpunk 2020
• Mekton
• Fuzion