The Inside Scoop on Gaming

FUDGE is absolutely the most unique RPG that I have run across in my 10 years of gaming. This is true for more then one reason. FUDGE stands for Freeform Universal Do-it-Yourself Gaming Engine, and that is truly what it is. It should be noted that FUDGE was originally distributed on the Internet, and you can still get a copy of it at ftp://oz.plymouth.edu/pub/fudge/fudge.zip, or at the Grey Ghost Games website at http://users.aol.com/ghostgames/. What is great about this, is that Grey Ghost Games allows anybody to download the rules, use it for free, and even distribute there own new rules (many of which made it into the hardcopy version of the game.)

FUDGE encourages the players, and the GM to move away from the game engine being the most important aspect of the game, and to focus on the story. All attributes, skills, traits and so forth are described first as adjectives, then as numbers. This change from the standard RPG paradigm allows the participants to move away from the numbers, and say things like "That is gonna be tough, you will need to make a great shot with that rifle to hit the duck." This among all things is one of the best ways of weaving an epic story, instead of playing the complex tactical wargame that many games have the ability to descend to.

This is also the first gaming system I have seen that allows the GM to truly decide how the game will work, and not just what they want to do with it. FUDGE defines nothing, and only gives suggestions. An example of this is the attribute system. The game system can work with twenty attributes, five attributes, none at all, or anywhere in between. In all, the game mentions no less then 74 different attributes. It is up to the GM to decide how many they want, and which ones. The whole gaming system is like this, and it allows an unheard of amount of freedom, and ability to tailor the system to your specific needs.

All of the rules in FUDGE are designed to make the game have the ability to model just about any type of game you might want to play in. Combat can be complex, as simple as only one die roll, or just descriptions of what is happening. The system gives many options, from five or six suggestions on how to deal with damage, to about nine ideas of how to handle how to attack another person. All of the game is written in this way.

FUDGE has yet another bonus, it is extremely portable between other game systems. Because everything is ultimately described with adjectives, it is easy to move any part of FUDGE into most other game systems. The rules even present ways to both import and export rules and characters from other systems. This makes all of the other FUDGE supplements useful even if you have no intention to ever play FUDGE.

With all of its bonuses, FUDGE does have a few negatives as well. First off, FUDGE makes the job of the GM a bit harder, because not only do they have to develop a story, they have to create a gaming system as well. Developing a FUDGE game can be quite easy, but if you want to create a nicely tailored system, you really do have to spend some time doing it. Second, reading the rules can become confusing, because of the plethora of rules and options that are available. This can lead to confusion within the game as well, because as a GM, you might ask a person to look up a rule, and they could come back with an entirely different rule that is applicable then the one you were thinking of.

Even with these few problems, Grey Ghost Games supplies a game that is extremely flexible, and plenty of fun to play. Beware to inexperienced GMs though, because this can be a big bite to chew off.

Bottom Line: If you are sick of games that have rule that you find to be unrealistic, or tired of games that restrict you to too much realism, this game can help you make a gaming system that fits your needs perfectly. As a GM, you need to have a bit of experience before you try to run this, but this game actually makes both a good starter game for new players, and a great game for those with years of experience. At the very least, download a copy of the rules and thumb through them, and if you play the game a lot, or just really like it, buy the game - it's worth it. At $12.00 you can't lose.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

FUDGE
Author: Steffan O'Sullivan Category: game Company/Publisher: Grey Ghost Games Cost: 12.00 Page count: 104 ISBN: 1-887154-00-0 Playtest Review by Legolas on 03/03/98. Genre tags: none	FUDGE is absolutely the most unique RPG that I have run across in my 10 years of gaming. This is true for more then one reason. FUDGE stands for Freeform Universal Do-it-Yourself Gaming Engine, and that is truly what it is. It should be noted that FUDGE was originally distributed on the Internet, and you can still get a copy of it at ftp://oz.plymouth.edu/pub/fudge/fudge.zip, or at the Grey Ghost Games website at http://users.aol.com/ghostgames/. What is great about this, is that Grey Ghost Games allows anybody to download the rules, use it for free, and even distribute there own new rules (many of which made it into the hardcopy version of the game.) FUDGE encourages the players, and the GM to move away from the game engine being the most important aspect of the game, and to focus on the story. All attributes, skills, traits and so forth are described first as adjectives, then as numbers. This change from the standard RPG paradigm allows the participants to move away from the numbers, and say things like "That is gonna be tough, you will need to make a great shot with that rifle to hit the duck." This among all things is one of the best ways of weaving an epic story, instead of playing the complex tactical wargame that many games have the ability to descend to. This is also the first gaming system I have seen that allows the GM to truly decide how the game will work, and not just what they want to do with it. FUDGE defines nothing, and only gives suggestions. An example of this is the attribute system. The game system can work with twenty attributes, five attributes, none at all, or anywhere in between. In all, the game mentions no less then 74 different attributes. It is up to the GM to decide how many they want, and which ones. The whole gaming system is like this, and it allows an unheard of amount of freedom, and ability to tailor the system to your specific needs. All of the rules in FUDGE are designed to make the game have the ability to model just about any type of game you might want to play in. Combat can be complex, as simple as only one die roll, or just descriptions of what is happening. The system gives many options, from five or six suggestions on how to deal with damage, to about nine ideas of how to handle how to attack another person. All of the game is written in this way. FUDGE has yet another bonus, it is extremely portable between other game systems. Because everything is ultimately described with adjectives, it is easy to move any part of FUDGE into most other game systems. The rules even present ways to both import and export rules and characters from other systems. This makes all of the other FUDGE supplements useful even if you have no intention to ever play FUDGE. With all of its bonuses, FUDGE does have a few negatives as well. First off, FUDGE makes the job of the GM a bit harder, because not only do they have to develop a story, they have to create a gaming system as well. Developing a FUDGE game can be quite easy, but if you want to create a nicely tailored system, you really do have to spend some time doing it. Second, reading the rules can become confusing, because of the plethora of rules and options that are available. This can lead to confusion within the game as well, because as a GM, you might ask a person to look up a rule, and they could come back with an entirely different rule that is applicable then the one you were thinking of. Even with these few problems, Grey Ghost Games supplies a game that is extremely flexible, and plenty of fun to play. Beware to inexperienced GMs though, because this can be a big bite to chew off. Bottom Line: If you are sick of games that have rule that you find to be unrealistic, or tired of games that restrict you to too much realism, this game can help you make a gaming system that fits your needs perfectly. As a GM, you need to have a bit of experience before you try to run this, but this game actually makes both a good starter game for new players, and a great game for those with years of experience. At the very least, download a copy of the rules and thumb through them, and if you play the game a lot, or just really like it, buy the game - it's worth it. At $12.00 you can't lose. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)