One of the things that I am most proud of about my Tarafore system is the intentionality that went into its design. I’ve been playing around with different subsystems in various columns, shaking things out a little bit, seeing if I can find something that works better than the current system. So far, I’ve found a couple of things, but my original design is still pretty sound.

By “intentionality,” I mean that I looked at “the way things were done” within existing RPGs, ones that I’d played in the past (and a few I’d only read), and then thought about what kind of gaming experience I wanted to facilitate, and then, I wrote a game mechanic that would facilitate it, based on a pretty broad set of gaming experiences. If anything didn’t work quite right in play, I’d go back to the drawing board and try to fix it, always keeping in mind the end result I was trying to get.

I wanted (and got) a pretty gritty game, one that felt realistic, but also one that moved quickly. I didn’t want tactical play, in which a simple combat round could take thirty minutes to play out. I didn’t want narrativist play, where the story drove the events. I wanted a system where the “hero of the story” could die with a single shot, but one in which that wasn’t likely. A system in which character death in general wasn’t common, but always loomed as a possibility, served to prevent “combat munchkinism,” because character death was rare enough to be really felt (and it gave the players time to really get to know their characters), but was always possible, every time they went into combat. This had the effect of helping the players take violent situations as seriously as their characters did, and reduced the amount of combat that took place (I believe).

To this end, I focused on the quality of the hits, which would greatly affect damage. Damage was based on wound levels and, separately, whether the attack stunned or incapacitated the character. This allowed mortally wounded characters to keep fighting, and only slightly hurt characters to fall unconscious, though it was more likely that the two results would be similar.

I didn’t like the delay and arguments that started when trying to figure out what stat went with what skill for a given task in OWoD, and I never really liked the artificial division between Attributes and Skills anyway. So I had each ability stand on its own, going in large groups, but allowed very detailed sub-specialization, so a character could have Drive: Good: 13, Drive Motorcycles: Very Good: 16, Drive Harley-Davidsons Very Good: 17, and even Drive: My father’s custom 1970 Harley: Outstanding: 19.

I also hated the constant struggle to make a character that I’d want to play while laboring under the increasingly arbitrary constraints of point-buy systems that never seemed to stop munchkinism from happening anyway. I didn’t get to play the character I wanted, because a host of 1-dot skills is absurdly expensive, but Bubba over there gets to put together a cocktail of powers that breaks the frakking game. Yup, great job, guys... So, I threw out the scarcity altogether, and replaced it with collaboration with the GM and other players. Talk. Communicate. Make sure you and the GM are both on the same page about the power level of the game, and make sure the character will work. Then, be willing to make changes (either to the character’s stats or by switching to a different character) if your character accidentally ends up far too powerful or far too weak for the game at hand. In my experience, it’s worked perfectly. Post-scarcity character creation removes the fear of being left behind by the rest of the PC’s and the min-maxing that arises from that fear.

However...

That said, one thing that I never quite felt great about was the way weapons were handled. The equipment lists always seemed way too long, and there was no unified system, just a lot of disconnected entries. This was hardly innovative, and I couldn’t believe it was the best way to do things. So lately, I’ve been playing around with a simplified system for weapon damage in the Tarafore System. I wrote a very basic system for weapons reach, and published it here as “Tales from the Rocket House #46: Reach Out and Touch Someone” about a year ago (June 29, 2011).

But that didn’t solve the problem. Reach was just another stat in the row of weapons stats, and it was sort of “one more thing to keep up with.” It never felt systematic, or intentional, so it never felt 100% “right.”

Since then, my mind has migrated to something that may be a little simpler, more elegant, and overall better, but I haven’t had the opportunity to put it through a play test. Weapons have a single “size” rating and a few other characteristics from which everything else is derived. This system also addresses iron, bronze, and even stone-age weapons, through the use of these Traits, though it does so in a somewhat perfunctory way. I’ve been working on a similar system for armor, and maybe I’ll post it next month.

Like I said, I haven’t playtested this, but I think it has several advantages. It’s unified, pretty easy to remember, and has an internal logic to how it works. I think it’s also pretty realistic, without getting into ridiculous levels of research (and the inevitable arguments that exist between experts).

This is clearly not perfect (I’m well aware of how stupid the “Unarmed Weapons” category sounds, and would be grateful for better names), but I love the way it brings weapon reach, damage, and concealability together in a simple number, while allowing significant diversity in weapon effects through the use of Traits like Armor Piercing or Heavy. You could even use Traits to introduce magical or special weapons to a game.

Weapon Size:

• Unarmed (0): Fist, Foot, Brass Knuckles, Heavy Armored Gauntlet
• Tiny (1): Knife/Sap/Buckler (fencing shield)
• Small (2): Short Sword/Large Dagger/Jo Stick/Mace/Hatchet/Medium Shield/chain
• Medium (3): Arming Sword/Battle Axe/Cane/Morning Star/Court Sword/Large Shield/nunchaku
• Large (4): Long Sword/War Sword/Bastard Sword/Bokken/Large Flail/Rapier
• Very Large (5): Great Sword/Pole Axe (small pole arm)/Hiking Staff/Three section staff
• Huge (6): Halberd (large pole arm)/Spear/Bo or Quarter Staff

Just as there are seven Size categories: Unarmed, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Very Large, and Huge, there are also seven different Types of weapons: Unarmed, Edged, Fencing, One-Handed Crushing, Stick, Chain, and Shield.

Each type of weapon has its own characteristics, but they all work from the same basic template: the weapon’s Size adds to Hit, Defend, Stun, and Wound at Melee Range. At Grappling Range, the weapon’s Size still adds to Stun and Wound, but its size serves as a penalty to Hit and Defend. The weapon’s Size also determines its Concealability.

Concealability:

• Tiny (1): Pocket
• Small (2): Shirt, Tunic, or Short Jacket, if a concealment sheath is used.
• Medium (3): Long Coat or Cloak
• Large (4): Small Tarp or Appropriately Sized Box
• Very Large (5): Large Tarp, Bed Sheet, or Appropriately Sized Box
• Huge (6): Specially made compartment, Large Bed Sheet, Blanket, or a Really Big Box

Two other points of reference: whenever halving a weapon’s Size, round down; and, except for Flail weapons, any weapon up to Large Size can be used with a shield or second weapon. Weapons of Very Large Size or greater require both hands. For Flails, weapons of Large Size or greater require both hands.

Using two weapons: a character with a Prowess (or the relevant specialty) of 13 or better can use a second weapon to augment the effectiveness of the first. This does not grant additional actions, but does give a +1 to Hit and Defend, added to the primary weapon’s existing benefits. The character can shift which weapon is primary and which is secondary at any time. Often characters will use a long weapon (like a Katana or Rapier) and a short weapon (like a Wakazashi or Dagger), so that they are effectively armed at Melee and Grappling range. Characters with Prowess of under 13 may hold two weapons in their hands during combat, but will gain no bonus or advantage for doing so, other than the ability to use whichever one is more appropriate for their current situation.

Characteristics

There are few different Traits that modify weapons. By default, these stats presume steel weaponry, of a high medieval or Renaissance tech level. Bronze, Iron, and Stone weaponry have their own characteristics

• Armor Piercing: the Toughness bonus of the opponent’s armor is reduced by Half (round down).
• Blunt: Add only Half the weapon’s Size to Wound.
• Bronze: Bronze weapons have -1 to Hit and Parry, due to their greater weight (One-Handed Crushing Weapons do not suffer this penalty, however). Bronze performs just fine against flesh, but is Weak vs. Armor against iron or steel armor. Typically bronze weapons did not have extremely sharp cutting edges (though they could cut), but were used more for thrusting (bronze is a softer metal that does not hold an edge as well as steel, or even iron). Spears, daggers, axes, and (non- flanged) maces are feasible. Technically, Flanged maces are as well, though they were never made, historically, and would be too soft to have the armor-piercing capabilities that their steel descendants had. In the late Bronze Age, when bronze making was a mature technology, Short Swords (such as the Carp’s Tongue and Khopesh) are also possible.
• Disadvantaged vs. (Specific type of) Armor: Opponent’s armor gains an additional +1 Toughness bonus when defending against this attack.
• Entangling: Weapon can be used to Entangle an opponent’s weapon, if used with both hands
• Hard-Hitting: +2 Stun and +2 Wound above the weapon’s Size Level
• Heavy: Add only Half the weapon’s Size to Defense at Melee Range. The full penalty applies (Size, not Half of Size) at Grappling Range.
• Iron: Iron weapons are Disadvantaged vs. Steel Armor. Rapiers, Court Swords, and any swords larger than Arming Swords are not possible without steel. Early Iron Age swords are limited to short swords like the Roman gladius and Viking seax. Larger swords, rapiers, and other precision weapons are not possible. Flanged maces and hammers were not made in this period, because armor was weaker, but if they were made, they would be Armor-Piercing against everything except steel armor. Against steel armor, they’d be neither Disadvantaged nor Armor-Piercing.
• Location-Dependent: add only Half the weapon’s Size to Stun and Wound, but Double the bonuses to Stun and Wound that come from Special or Exceptional Hits.
• Quick: +1 Initiative
• Stone: Stone weapons typically consist of either bone clubs or flint or obsidian knives, although spears and hatchets are also possible. They suffer no penalty against flesh (stone knives are sharp, and stone maces are heavy enough to easily break bones), but they are Weak vs. Armor, and they break when they impact metal armor. If the weapon has blades on both sides (like an Aztec obsidian bladed war club), then its wielder can flip it over and keep fighting with the other side, at least until it hits armor (or a metal shield) again. Then that side’s gone.

  Stone weapons are limited to knives (Tiny size), spears (Large to Huge), and maces and war clubs (Small, Medium, or large). War clubs are wooden clubs that hold several sharp pieces of stone, shark’s teeth, etc. They sort of fill a niche similar to swords (large cutting weapons), but are not as durable or agile. Bone clubs and sticks work just like their wooden counterparts. Two-Handed: weapon requires both hands to use effectively, and cannot be used with a shield or second weapon. Anyone using the weapon with one hand suffers a -3 to Hit, Defend, Stun and Wound. Very Large and Huge weapons are always Two-Handed. Large Flail weapons are also Two-Handed. Weak vs. Armor: The Toughness bonus of opponents armor is Doubled when they are defending against a weapon with this Trait.

Unarmed: an unarmed character gets no bonus to Hit or Defend, no bonus to Stun, and suffers a -6 penalty to Wound. Unarmed attacks are considered “Soft,” when compared to weapons such as swords and maces, and are much less capable of killing. “Enhancements” like armored gauntlets, brass knuckles, and steel-toed boots reduce this penalty by Half, to -3.

If a character has claws or other natural weapons, those weapons will have their own Size and Type (claws would probably be Tiny or Small Edged weapons, for example), and may have additional characteristics (many natural weapons are Weak vs Armor). Some natural weapons may be “soft” like fists and feet, but be of a larger size. Examples include tails (without stingers), tentacles, and the like. These may be any size from Tiny on up, depending on the creature possessing them.

Unarmed “Weapons” include fists and feet, as well as Brass Knuckles or Heavy Armored Gauntlets. Unarmed attacks are Weak vs. Armor, and, of course, can be used to Entangle any weapon that can be grasped safely.

Edged weapons (swords, spears, knives, pole arms, etc.) are the default weapons. They set the standard, and, as such, do not have any special Traits.

Fencing weapons (Rapiers, Court Swords) are a slightly different matter, even though they are technically swords. They are Weak vs. Armor, Quick, and Location-Dependent. As a note, Court Swords are sometimes called Small Swords, and are similar to modern epees.

One-handed crushing weapons (maces, warhammers, axes, hatchets, morning stars, etc.) are Heavy, which makes them less useful for parrying. Their weight conveys one of two benefits, depending upon how the weapon is configured. Flanged maces and historical war hammers (which typically come to points, much like flanged maces) are Armor Piercing, while broader weapons, like axes, hatchets, or maul-type hammers are Hard-Hitting. Two-handed crushing weapons (like the Lucerne Hammer) are considered pole arms, and fall into the Edge Weapons (default) category (even if they don’t technically have edges).

Stick weapons are Blunt, making them weaker than bladed weapons, but faster than crushing weapons. They are also Weak vs. Armor, for obvious reasons (a wooden stick is no match for plate or even chain armor). Their advantage is that they’re cheap, they don’t look like weapons, and they’re less likely to leave somebody dead than their bladed cousins.

Flails include weaponized lengths of chain and flails of various types (such as nunchaku and three-sectional staves), but not mace-and-chain weapons (see One Handed Crushing). Chain weapons follow the “default” category, with Size adding to Hit, Defend, Stun, and Wound. All chain weapons can be used to Entangle opponents’ weapons. Because chain weapons are harder to control, Flails of Large size or greater are Two-Handed.

Shields have a bonus to Defend of TWICE their Size at Melee Range, but only suffer a penalty to defend equal to their Size at Grappling Range. Use the Defend bonus for Concealability, as well (shields are not easy to conceal, obviously).

Shields can be used to parry ranged attacks, so long as the attack can be stopped by the shield’s material construction (wooden shields can’t stop modern bullets, for example), but their bonus to Defend against ranged attacks is reduced to Size -2.

A Shield can be used as a Secondary Weapon by anybody, regardless of Prowess. When used with a weapon’s Hit bonus, a shield grants an additional +1 to Hit (the extra security of the shield makes it easier to create openings). When used with a weapon’s Defend bonus, a shield grants an additional +1 to Defend.

Closing Thoughts

You will occasionally find unusual weapons that don’t fall neatly into any categories. One example is the estoc, which looks like a long sword, but has no edge. Instead, it serves as a very long, very strong stabbing implement designed to crack through armor with a strong thrust. It would be a Large (Size 4) Weapon with +3 to Hit (because you can’t really do anything but thrust with it), +4 Defense, +3 Stun, +3 Wound (both reduced to represent the inability to inflict wide cutting wounds), and the Armor Piercing characteristic.

There’s not really any good way to fit all of these oddball weapons into the Size Level and Traits set-up, but it does work very well, I think, for the vast majority of Renaissance and earlier style hand to hand weapons.

I plan on playtesting this pretty soon. I think it will prove workable, though it will certainly cement the gritty realism of the game. Even a superior fighter will find herself at a serious disadvantage if she has to take on a spearman (large spear, Size 6/Huge) while armed with nothing but a dagger (Size 2/Small), as the spearman will have a 4-point advantage when attacking and defending. But if she can get inside once before getting hurt too badly, she can definitely turn the tide.

At any rate, the systematic nature of this really appeals to me, and I hope I can make it work well in practice.