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Wordlplay comes a very simple B4 softcover publication, a mere 140 pages in length. It uses a single-colum serif-font with ragged right throughout with an appropriate degree of whitespace; it reads easily both in print and PDF. One cannot complain as such about the artwork because there isn't any, with the exception of a pile of six-sided dice on the cover. Some illustrative artwork perhaps would have added style points. The author, Graham Spearing, writes in a mostly formal and efficient manner with occassional moments of quirky humour. There are eight major chapters, an introduction, a concluding designer's notes section, and an index. The table of contents is simple and the three page index fair.
The nine page introduction is a little verbose with a fairly standard 'what is roleplaying?' discussion along with a handy two-page glossary. The terms used in WordPlay are largely familiar to experienced gamers with a couple of exceptions with common sense titles. For example the GM/Narrator/Judge/Keeper/Computer is referred to as a 'Navigator' in Worldplay, a nice alternative to a range of evocative titles that have graced such a role.
Characters
Character generation is based on the free-form assignment of descriptive phrases to categories of Body, Mind and Soul, with values typically assigned between 1 and 12, which indicate a number of d6s used in resolution mechanics. All characters begin with a Concept, a one sentence summary of the character. All characters must have goals, a suggested array being a long-term goal, a short-term goal and a shared goal with the group. The short-term goal can be decided once the nature of the first scenario is described. Goals must focus on specific outcomes, rather than tendencies.
It is recommeneded that the assignment of traits come from "the four Ps"; Pre-play, Profession, Place and People. The Navigator must decided before the game whether they will choose a default "variety is the spice of life" or "less is more" approach to traits. If the former is chosen, up to 10 traits may be chosen per category. If the latter, one from each of "the four Ps".
Starting characters typically begin with 2 traits at 6d, 5 at 5d, 9 at 4d and sensible defaults at 3d. Sample values are also given for experienced, lesser hero, established hero and legendary hero. A list of sample traits is provided, along with twelve sample wealth levels. With the exception of wealth, details are not provided for the trait descriptions.
Challenges
Challenges occur when declared, either by a PC or the Navigator. Intent and desired outcomes are specified, and stakes may be optionally declared by the Navigator. Challenges are determined by either a no-roll method (compare value against assigned difficulty), one-roll challenge, or a multi-roll challenge to suggest a drawn-out conflict of narrative importance with incremental successes and the possiblity of changes in fortune. Difficulties are described in simple phrases (easy, routine, challenging, difficult etc), with the barest handful of examples of how to correlate real-world figures to these challenge ratings.
Characters 'Build' their hand by choosing firstly a foundation trait (with increased difficulty if inappropriate), adding a standard 1d per 3 trait points from assisting characters, equipment, Goals, opponent flaws etc. If a character Invokes a Goal they receive bonus dice (and bonus experience points), varied on whether they do so before or after rolling. If the invocation is unsuccessful however, the character now also receives penalty Doubt dice. In addition there are simple and somewhat coarse rules for scaling effects.
Once the character has a big pile of d6s in their hand and hopefully their opponent, sapient, sentient or inanimate has a smaller one, the competing piles are rolled and the successes counted; one, two or three, plus anything that falls off the table is a failure. Four and five are one success and six is two successes. The difference between the two is the degree of relative success and failure. In multi-roll challenges a success of 2 or more establishes 'Momentum', allowing the winner to change the nature of the challenge in the next round (e.g., from Fighting to Flee and Pursuit).
Outcomes
The degree of success and failure may result in damage to a category trait, with a specified period required for natural healing or a difficulty challenge. Some of the description here may have problems with scaling; for example a level 6 loss results with 3d damage to Body, Mind or Soul (BMS) as appropriate, thus one receives bodily wounds, social wounds and mental wounds. This also results with the recipient being knocked out of the challenge. If a character receives more damage to a category than their highest trait in that category they are out of the game. The Navigator is also recommeneded to put a cap on the damage caused by loss depending on the abilities checked.
The type of damage received leads to some variation in description and healing time. A person receiving a 'major', level four or five defeat, in fatigue is 'exhausted' and requires eight hours sleep before recovery. Receiving a similar defeat in morale is being 'overwhelmed', requiring a week for recovery. Simple encumbrance rules at as an increase in fatigue difficulty challenges. Experience too is classified as an outcome, with a variable cost in points to increase a trait depending on its current value.
Powers and Equipment
Powers are any number of extraordinary abilities. A core description (e.g., Wizard) establishes four times that number in specific abilities (e.g., Wizard 6d; Eldritch Blast 6d, Fly 4d, Cantrips 5d, Pool of Light 5d). When testing abilities, successes must reach a minimum number of successes for metrics such as range, effect, duration, area and payback challenge. These metrics are absolute values; one cannot, for example, reduce the range and increase the duration of a power. A descriptive list of main power and example power traits are provided, with magic, fantasy-medieval Gods, and Psionics.
Equipment may provide a general circumstantial bonus to traits in conflicts, or they may be described in some detail with a number of traits with a variable 1d per 3 trait points. A number of vehicles are described along with sample cost difficulty values for a variety of items.
Navigation, Themes and Influences
Gameworlds are described similar to a character with a Concept, Name, Goals and Traits, a model that can work downwards in specificity until it reaches, of course, the characters themselves. Thus the design includes an object-oriented element of inheritence. This includes NPCs (Navigator Player Characters), Organisations. Perhaps a little oddly at this point missile range die modifications are also provided, before a description of variable victory level requirements depending on whether the game is realistic or cinematic.
The final major chapter is 'Themes', or more correctly 'Genres', make up the last major chapter. An Epic Fantasy theme is described with People (Dwarves, Elves, "Half Folk", Trolls, Dragons and the like), along with Places (The Forest Kingdom. The Northern Thane Lands etc), sample Professions (Alchemist, Farmer, Knight, Noble, Priest, Rogue), creatures and monster.
In the concluding designer's notes particular note is made for Hero Wars/HeroQuest which is clearly a significant influence. The d6 dice pool approach is from Burning Wheel and derivatives, with the Goals derived from the Keys in The Shadow of Yesterday, the bonus successes from Silhouette and the damage to traits from Conspiracy of Shadows.
A Very Neat and Simple Game
WordPlay is focussed product, concentrating on the game system with supplementary descriptive material. The combination of several ideas that have been kicked around in game design over the past decade are integrated very sensibly. It doesn't into sufficient detail, in my opinion, in the description of game effects or in target values for resolution. Even in games with a "rules-lite" orientation I find such summaries very useful for the purpose of consistency, rather than the Navigator engaging in hand-waving estimations. When example trait descriptions are provided however, some effort does seem to be made to provide equivalents. You do not discover, for example, the powers "fly" and "levitate" in the same list. On the other hand, a lack of formuliac approaches in some of the tables does lead to break-point values as the values do not scale equally.
Overall I am very impressed with WordPlay. It is very quick and easy to pick up, it has all the fun of a lot of free-flowing narrative games of similar ilk. It is easily suitable for a single evening's play or an extended game of many sessions without breaking down. The counting of "6"'s as two successes actually slightly reduces the 'fun' quotient, which is however quite excellent overall. The fact that WordPlay manages to pack so much into a relatively short-book also boosts its substance value, making it an item of solid distinction.
Style: 1 + .6 (layout) + .2 (art) + .6 (coolness) + .8 (readability) + .5 (product) = 3.7
Substance: 1 + .5 (content) + .9 (text) + .9 (fun) + .8 (workmanship) + .8 (system) = 4.9
