Nugget is designed to be an introductory, simple roleplaying game system. You won’t find any fluff here. The entire PDF weighs in at a mere 79k with two pages of gaming rules. The layout is basic and without bells and whistles – two columns and clearly readable text. There is no art in the game, but since the download is free, I’m not going to complain.
In two pages, Nugget launches into a stripped down version of the LODE system (the system behind Tim’s Legends Walk! rpg). The core of the system is fast and pretty simple – in fact, it almost reminds me of something I would write. Essentially, players roll a pool of dice beginning with Base Dice, adding in Attributes and Skills, and subtracting disadvantages and penalties. Every 3, 4, and 6 rolled on a die counts as a success. Add up the number of successes, and you can figure out whether or not your character did what he wanted to do.
Character creation is straightforward and quick. Four attributes (brawn, agility, brains, and will) start at zero, and you divvy up 2 points among those attributes. Skills are next – you select an occupation, core skill, and two levels worth of hobby skills. Then you have character goals, initiative, and physical and mental resistance. Again, for most gamers, this should be a walk in the park. I suppose this is one reason why the author intended it to be suitable as introductory roleplaying.
To give you an idea of what a character looks like, I’ve listed my personal thug below:
Burly Mike
Brawn: +2, Agility: 0, Brains: -1, Will: +1
Occupation: Personal Bodyguard
Core Skill: Brawlin’ +2
Hobby Skills: Sneakin’ +1, Drivin’ Fast Cars +1
Goals: getting revenge on Mr. Boss for killing my sister, clearing my name in the law enforcement community, doing what’s right even if it hurts
Initiative: +1
Physical Resistance: +4
Mental Resistance: +3
The second page of the document goes into more detail about combat, destiny (experience and extra rolls), and wounds. I could detail it all for you, but I think that would keep you from heading over to the website and downloading it for yourself. Needless to say, the game is extremely straightforward and does not offer anything that might confuse or slow you down.
The best advantage of Nugget is that in two pages you have all you need for a quick action, fantasy, or science fiction adventure. The game system is straightforward and doesn’t waste time – all you need is your imagination to fill in the gaps. I could see this being useful in a variety of situations, including a quick convention game, a break in your normal campaign, or a pickup session with some non-gamers. Furthermore, it’s a free download and can fit on a single sheet of paper.
The disadvantages of Nugget are the fact there are no examples in the text. For space reasons, keeping the game down to two pages was probably wise, but even a few examples squeezed in somewhere would add extra clarity to the rules. Furthermore, the game, while straightforward and easy to learn, doesn’t offer any major advantages over other small, fast game systems (like Risus or Over the Edge). Still, it’s free, so you won’t be out any hard-earned cash to check it out.
You can download Nugget by clicking over to Silver Branch Games’ website (http://www.change-works.com/sb/index.htm). Two bonus supplements – Grey Realms and Beastwalkers – are also offered for no charge, extra material to expand and provide imagination fuel if you decide to use Nugget yourself.
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