Tales from the Rocket House
Basic Systems
The system basically uses binary (0 or 1) dice pools, counting successes. I want to use six sided dice (with even =1 and odd =0, so that “6” is a success) instead of coins, because that allows the introduction of a “special” or “complications” die. One of each player’s dice should be marked or colored differently. This die creates benefits every time it rolls a 6 and complications when it rolls a 1, regardless of whether the overall roll succeeds or not (these benefits and complications should fit the character and the situation, of course). This means in one out of every three rolls, something “unexpected” is going to happen, which means these benefits or complications should be relatively small and manageable (unless the GM wants to hold off and “collect” them, so if someone gets, say, two or three in a relatively short session, something big happens).If one in every three rolls is too many for your tastes, you could switch to d10’s or even d20’s, with the maximum roll being the “benefits” roll and the minimum roll being the “complications” roll. D10’s would change this to 1 in 5 rolls, and d20’s would change this to 1 in 10 rolls. I guess you could roll 1d100’s, making this 1 in 50, but who has that many Zocchihedrons? Alternatively, if 1 in 3 is too much, it would be entirely possible for the GM to bank these, and have something significant happen when a player accumulates 2, 3, or more “Bonuses” or “Complications.”
Traits
Traits are basically rated as they are in my Swashbuckling System [link] (and just like every other compressed scale game I’ve written): Very Bad =1, Bad =2, Average =3, Good =4, Very Good =5 Outstanding =6, Legendary =7, Supernatural =8 or higher. Again, if you’ve been reading my column, that part is old news. I’m tentatively thinking about using some of the same general traits as the Tarafore system, perhaps with a shorter, more setting-specific skill list (maybe even just a longer list of Traits that everyone has, broken down more by setting, and possibly some special powers that not everyone has).Although I’m really talking about this in setting-agnostic terms, I see any actual distribution and use of this as highly tied to setting. I could see creating a “toolbox” version of this, but if it’s really going to be so simple a young child could easily learn it, each distribution needs to be aligned with its specific setting (why am I thinking of Linux right now?).
There is a tendency toward putting user-defined Traits in “simple” systems, but I’m not 100% sure I think that’s really helpful. In my experience, user-defined Traits end up causing disagreements unless they’re incredibly specific to begin with. Does “Police Officer” include running? Sure. First aid? Depends on who you ask. Riding Horses? Eh, maybe you should have specified ‘equestrian cop.’ But ...
We’ve all been there, I think, and it really invites assumption clashes. Sure, an experienced group, especially one that is experienced in playing together, can overcome these issues. An inexperienced group can put a “say yes unless you have a huge reason not to” rule into effect, but that can also get annoying: when the “hairdresser” throws scissors like they’re “ninja stars” and is as effective in combat as the “Navy Seal,” niche protection is nothing but a memory. That can be fine for a joke game, but if you’re actually trying to play in character and take things seriously, it’s a bug, not a feature.
At any rate, I think well-defined, but broad, Traits may be better for younger, less experienced players. And any a system that is designed to at least be suitable for that hypothetical demographic should stick with them. Note that by younger players, I mean kids too young for the relatively complex arithmetic of D&D. I’m talking single-digit age here: I know a lot of us first played D&D in middle school or late elementary.
Actual Mechanics in Practice
There is a mechanical “trick” that differentiates this from the bulk of RPG’s out there: for many tasks, there are two “axes,” two factors to consider. The player rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to the character’s Trait for each factor. One example would be combat, where the player would roll for attack and defense. Another example would be sneaking into a place, where the two factors might be stealth and time taken. Players can shift dice between the two factors, by describing what their characters are focusing on.A character fighting aggressively might take 1 die from defense and add it to attack. A character going all-out could take 2 dice from defense and add them to attack. For most games, it’s best to limit this to switching 2 dice at a time, but that’s not written in stone. For a more tactical, gamist feel (granted an incredibly simple one), the player might be able to switch as many dice as he or she wants, but without knowing the opponent’s totals. This might be accomplished by writing them down independently then revealing the paper to the opponent (either the opposing player or the GM). In this case, special powers might allow a small shift after the numbers or revealed (Maybe move 1 die) or, once per session/encounter/whatever, a chance to re-assign your numbers totally after seeing what the opponent is doing.
Both the acting character and the opposing character/difficulty level roll their relevant dice. The winner is the one with the most successes. Leftover “successes” determine the success level. For most tasks, 1 success is all you need, and more is better. You could also use this: 1 = basic, 2 = special, 3 = exceptional.
In combat, each leftover success (your attack total - your opponent’s defense total) reduces your Fatigue by 1 (Fatigue is Willpower + Strength + Athletics). If someone takes, in one shot, damage equal to his Willpower, he’s Stunned (loses his next action). If someone takes, in one shot, damage equal to his Strength, he’s Hurt (-1 die penalty for future actions, possible complications such as bleeding, leaving a blood trail, or even infection, depending on how gritty your setting is). If someone takes, in one shot, damage equal to his Athletics, he’s Winded (-2 die penalty to the next action). It’s possible to be all three at once. A stunned character can still defend, but can’t shift dice from attack to defense, and can’t attack. The “Winded” status will apply to the next action AFTER the stun wears off.
Taking half your Fatigue points in one attack might be a “knock-out,” depending upon whether the possibility of a one-shot knockout is desired in the game. You might also say that if you’re Knocked Out and Hurt at once, the Hurt is much more serious, even life-threatening.
To be more specific with terms, -1 die doesn’t mean -1 die from BOTH rolls, but only from one (Player picks). A -2 die penalty is the same: the character loses 2 dice from each action, but the player decides, for example, whether they affect Attack or Defense (or whether one die comes off of each). If the player takes one die from each, that represents overall degraded performance from the penalty. If the player takes both dice from Attack, that represents the character getting scared, fighting defensively, “flight” instincts taking over. If the player takes both dice from Defense, that represents the character getting desperate, almost going berserk, creating all kinds of openings just trying to take his opponent out. (Note that a player can’t reduce either of the two numbers below zero. The penalty die has to go to the other number in that case).
Of course, you could still have “special maneuvers,” like called shots (reduce attack by 1 die, but if you hit, roll 3 dice and add to the “damage done”) or going full defensive (after you know how many dice your opponent is going to be rolling to attack, you can abort your attack altogether and roll defense at +2 dice). But there should only be a few of these (maybe just those two, plus Disarm and Trip?), so the game doesn’t turn into an anemic tactical slugfest, like a poor shadow of The Riddle of Steel.
