In Rough Quest performance corresponds to what the charater does in order to fulfill his aims. The actual performance is mainly based on the character's ability plus modifications due to things that have a direct impact on what the characters does.

There is more to decide on the outcome of the action, though. By doing something the character sets in motion a chain of events that calls for things that are not related to his ability to act in a particular way. The main factor in the determination of the result of the action is the relevant characteristic of the character. The exact characteristic will depend on the type of action being attempted. The second factor is the level of success in the performance. Next there are situational modifiers that, once more, will depend on the type of action. In the case of physical action this may mean equipment but the same may apply to communication. (Think about a character that wants to seduce another character in the middle of a social party; the seduction effort may be affected by the way the seducer is dressed, for instance.)

It should be remembered that in game terms all the factors implied in determination of both the performance and the result can be combined into a single action resolution moment. I opted to break them up into two moments because I think that it is easier to manage the wide range of factors we can conceive. Since I followed this route, the question is how to generate different results for an action with successful performance.

I keep saying this: I started the Rough Quests project to create an alternative to my loved and defunct RuneQuest, thus I shall start by looking at how it handles results. And the first thing to notice (I mentioned it in a previous column) is that it does not handle them in a consistent way. In most situations there are no specific mechanics for results: they just have to be figured by the GM or players in a freeform way based on the level of success of the action. Only in combat (and to a lesser extent in magic) do we find developed mechanics for results.

In RuneQuest the results of combat are determined by a damage damage roll where the key factor is the damage done by the specific type of weapon being used, something that is based on a combination of dice (including all the most common polyhedrals) and fixed values. Weapon damage can be subject to a damage modifier based on the character's attributes (a characteristic in my own terminology) or to other mods like armour, the defensive counterpart to the weapon's damage. (Unlike weapons, armour in RuneQuest has a fixed protective value. In Stormbringer, another BRP game, armour is rolled just like damage.)

In the case of special or critical successes the damage done by the weapon may be increased, it can ignore armour or both. The damage that passes armour is deducted from the character’s hit points (another characteristic in my parlance) and if these are reduced to 0 the character dies. There are some other complications but I'll consider these at a latter stage.

My first contention with RuneQuest's damage system is the fact that it uses negative damage modifiers based on attributes. I think it would make more sense to have only positive modifiers (no more damage rolls with negative outcomes). My next issue is the fact that the system is not standardized. I mean, there is no standard damage table to which the damage of the different weapons would be mapped into. I don't know which are Mongoose’s plans for the new RuneQuest but if it was in my hand I would work out something like the next table:

Next I would assign a damage level according to a combination of weapon and characteristic.

Still, I have some more fundamental issues with RuneQuest's results mechanics, issues that go a long way past a simple refining of the existing rules. Yes, these mechanics work well for physical combat (and they do an acceptable job with magical combat as well) but I want to have mechanics that handle results for any type of action. Can I work out mechanics for something like social conflict based on RuneQuest's physical combat? Or for negotiation? Or for climbing the city walls?

Let’s look at social conflict for a start. The answer is that yes, I can. All I need is a set of characteristics that correspond to active and passive social conflict, something that is already present in Rough Quests, and to map these characteristics into points (for instance, Charisma Points) that fulfill the same function of hit points and magic points.

Each time one character attempts to impress another character he will "damage" the oponent's resistance to social pressure. If the "defender" is reduced to 0 or less points in the relevant characteristic he will change his mind due to the arguments, pressure, seduction, etc. of the "offender".

It can be done, for sure. But I don't like it at all. I just don't like having something like social capabilities represented by a set of points that can be augmented or reduced. That's not the way I think about social interaction and, for that matter, about most things that RuneQuest didn't cover with its results mechanics. No, that’s not the way to go. I have to find something else.

But before that I must also ask if I am happy with the way RuneQuest generates results even for combat. The answer is no. I don't like hit points because of the accounting that comes with them and because that accounting does not have a direct impact on the capabilities of the character (not until they reach 0 or close to it, the moment when the character colapses and stops action all-together). And I don't like the fact that the generation of results follows different rules from those used to handle performance. I prefer to have similar mechanics to deal with the different subsets of rules: it brings coherence to the game and reduces the learning curve.

It's time to stop, though. Next column I'll continue in my search of the "perfect" action results system.