Support improvisation. Make character creation as creative a process as possible, and allow players to create exactly the character they want, right from the beginning. Require as few die rolls as possible, and do not force players to do any complicated math or consult tables during the game.
For the most part, Sones’ delivery on these design goals, as summarised hereafter, is impressive.
Chargen
There are no fixed stats or traits. You make up your own traits by picking an appropriate noun (or adjective-noun combination) for them and writing short descriptions---a paragraph or so---as to what each trait encompasses. For example:
Tribal memory: my character cannot read or write but has exceptional powers of memory. They can recall the topography of places visited, draw an accurate map of a five thousand mile route or recite three thousand line epics of poetry.
You then assign die ratings to your traits using the following descriptive scale: weak (1d4); average (1d6); fair (1d8); great (1d10); phenomenal (1d12) and legendary (1d20).
Your number of starting traits is only limited by the size of your GM-assigned character point pool. Each trait will cost so many character points depending on its die rating (which is a fixed cost) and its impact (which is a variable cost, as judged by the GM, taking into account the trait’s relative utility and its developmental curve).
Nuances: Nobody starts with an average trait since your traits are what make you stand out from the crowd. Weak traits give you bonus character points; legendary traits are discouraged. You don’t have to use all of your character points at the start; unused points can be used later on. A GM may choose to supply a list of (say, ten to fifteen) optional campaign and/or racial traits in order to convey an understanding of the campaign world.
Actions
For an unopposed action, the GM uses the descriptive scale to assign an appropriate difficulty die. The player then rolls two dice, one for their trait, one for the difficulty. To succeed, they have to roll greater than the GM-assigned difficulty die. Frex: Podric, with Great Tribal Memory (1d10), attempts to recall the name of the seventh wife of a tribal elder he met in his youth. The GM decides this will be a fair action (d8). Podric’s player rolls 1d10 and 1d8, hoping their 1d10 will beat the 1d8.
Opposed actions work the same way except that the relevant NPC (or entity) trait die replaces the difficulty die.
Nuances: Anyone can attempt a common action. Such actions---throw a rock, jump a fence, guess which way is north---don’t require traits, and can be attempted at an average (d6) trait rating. If an action is only loosely related to a trait, the GM can apply a malus to the player’s die roll.
Combat
Combat is an opposed action.
You can try one action during each round of combat. You can attempt multiple actions but each extra action reduces the applicable trait die by one level.
In response to being attacked, anyone can attempt a survival instinct action. This is a free, common action with an average (d6) skill rating. Being free, it doesn’t count as an action.
All entities have exactly nine, named wounds. Frex, wound number one is just a scratch; wound number six is blood everywhere. The difference between combat action die rolls determines who wounds whom and the magnitude of the wound. When all your numbers are crossed off, or if you incur wound number nine, mortal blow (or worse), you die. For example:
Podric, with Fair Warrior’s Sidearm (d8) is attacked by a winter wolf, using its trait of Great Savage Beast (d10). Podric’s player rolls a seven on the d8 and a four on the d10 for the wolf. The difference is three, in favour of Podric. The wolf has one-point hide, and therefore incurs wound number two (stings a bit).
Nuances: If you’ve already crossed off a wound, and you incur that wound again, you have to cross off the next highest wound. A winning survival instinct roll doesn’t inflict a wound (it only lets you dodge the incoming). Bonus pip weapons add to your trait rolls. Armour ameliorates wound magnitude. Healing rates are GM determined.
Magic
No rules for magic are included. The author advises GMs to make up their own, deeper, set of rules for special areas such as these. An example is given of some rules for a sanity campaign trait, based on the sanity rules found in Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu.
Advancement
The GM can award character points at the end of each session of play. These points can be used to improve existing traits or acquire new traits.
Overall
Fable gets a 2 for style (needs work). The text rambles a bit and would benefit from the hand of a good editor. The rules are somewhat disjointed, occasionally repetitive, and could be made more focused. Some of the combat rules and/or examples could be made clearer. Commendably, I didn’t notice any typos.
I gave Fable a 4 (meaty) for substance. It would’ve been a 5 (excellent!) but for a few underdeveloped aspects. The biggest of these is that Fable is very GM-o-centric. The GM narrates all; there is no scope for any kind of in-game player narration, in the manner of Risus or The Pool, apart from ‘I do this’ or ‘I try that’. There are some rules for karma points (which let you retry a die roll) but these are almost not worth the bother. The rules for character advancement are also bland.
On the other hand, it wouldn’t take too much GM-tinkering to turn Fable into a shiny 4, 5 or 5, 5 gem.
Fable is freeware; you can snag a copy here
