Simple Critical Miss Table for Bows & Crossbows

[This article is part of a series of system neutral Six-Sided Critical Miss Tables.]

The joy of rolling on the critical miss table is not exclusive to mêlée combatants. The second table in our odyssey of battle blunders is for use with bows and crossbows:

Critical Miss Table for Bows & Crossbows
1d6	Result
1	Drop arrow or quarrel.
2	Drop bow or crossbow.
3	Drop all arrows or quarrels.
4	Arrow or quarrel breaks.
5	Bowstring breaks.
6	Bow or crossbow breaks.

You may notice that there is a slightly greater chance for a weapon to be damaged than in the previous table. This reflects the more fragile nature of bows or crossbows compared to most hand-to-hand and thrown weapons.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 19 May 2011.]

Simple Critical Miss Table for Hand-to-Hand Weapons

[This article is part of a series of system neutral Six-Sided Critical Miss Tables.]

There is something about rolling on a critical miss table that adds a dimension of fun to failure. When you roll the worst possible number you could possibly roll for an attack, something interesting ought to happen, preferably something that underscores the imperfections in all of us and the potential for humorous results. Not all games are blessed with these wondrous tables of combat mishaps, so for the next few days I shall be sharing some simple critical miss tables that may be used in any game involving physical combat.

The first table is for use with hand-to-hand weapons:

Critical Miss Table for Hand-to-Hand Weapons
1d6	Result
1	Drop weapon in front.
2	Drop weapon behind.
3	Weapon flies 1d6 meters in random direction.
4	Weapon flies 2d6 meters in random direction.
5	Weapon breaks against nearby object.
6	Injure self with weapon.

The direction of flight for weapons that become airborne may be determined with 1d6 for hexes, 1d8 for squares (including diagonal movement), or a compass die. (A compass die is a d8 with the points of the compass instead of numerals, i.e. N, E, S, W, NE, SE, SW, NW. You can also just roll a d8 and substitute the directions for the numerals, e.g. 1=N, 2=E, 3=S, 4=W, 5=NE, 6=SE, 7=SW, 8=NW.)

N.B. I should mention that this table was inspired by a critical hit table found in Stormbringer, an excellent role-playing game published by Chaosium, Inc.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 18 May 2011.]

Six-Sided Critical Miss Tables

Back in 2011, I wrote a series of articles for Fudgerylog consisting of critical failure combat tables, all of which require nothing more than a single six-sided die to resolve (and sometimes a purely optional Fudge die). These tables are system neutral, but since they feature the ubiquitous six-sider, I thought it would be appropriate to repost them here in Decidedly Six-Sided. I will post one article per day and update the links here as I do.

• Simple Critical Miss Table for Hand-to-Hand Weapons
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Bows & Crossbows
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Unarmed Combat
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Thrown Weapons
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Revolvers
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Automatic Pistols
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Muzzleloaders
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Ray Guns
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Machine Guns
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Rubber Band Guns
  
• Simple Critical Miss Table for Rifles (New Bonus Table!)
  

It seems I forgot to include a table for rifles, so I might have to add one after I post the last of the original articles. [Edit: Added!]

Risus Tweets

Risus: The Anything RPG has a Twitter account now, so if you need juicy morsels of role-playing inspiration, follow @RisusRPG. Also look for the #RisusRPG hashtag for other Risus-related tweets.

Ghostbusters Survey Questionnaire Revised

This is just a quick note that I have revised the Ghostbusters Survey Questionnaire (see Questionnaire for Starting Ghostbusters) including the PDF. Redundancies were eliminated. Items were reorganized. Streams were streamlined.

Calamity Jane via RisusRPG

The following is a character for Risus: The Anything RPG created in response to an #RPGaDay 2019 prompt. It was originally posted on Twitter and compiled in Applied Phantasticality.

#RPGaDay2019 25. "Calamity":

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Calamity Jane

Gunslingin', Cross-Dressin' Cavalry Scout (4)
Frontier Hell-Raiser with a Heart of Gold (3)
Singin' and Dancin' Fool (3)

Lucky Shots: O O O

Hook: Hopelessly in love with Wild Bill Hickok.

WWPHITM: Doris Day

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This version of Calamity Jane was made possible with the rules of Risus: The Anything RPG, available for free here.

WWPHITM stands for "Who Would Play Him/Her In The Movie" and is borrowed from QAGS, available for purchase here.

Noble Sir Hugh's Not-So-Noble Band

The following is a roster of characters for Risus: The Anything RPG created in response to an #RPGaDay 2019 prompt. It was originally posted on Twitter and compiled on Applied Phantasticality.

Enter Noble Sir Hugh's not-so-noble band stage right...


#RPGaDay2019 20. asks, "[What is] Noble [in life?]"
Answer: Noble Sir Hugh the Noble. And so are his comrades three.

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Sir Hugh ("The Noble")

Knight Errant (4)
Uplifter of Spirits and Imbiber of Same (3)
Occasional Gambler (2)

Lucky Shots: O O O O O O

Hook: Thinks warnings are jokes.

WWPHITM: Michael York

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Cyril Hamm ("The Mad")

Troubador (3)
Humor Innovator (2)
Escape Artist (3)
Aspiring Alchemist (2)

Lucky Shots: O O O

Hook: Easily distracted by anything related to alchemy or comedy.

WWPHITM: Gene Wilder

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Anonymous Plumm

Trouvere (3)
Court Jester (2)
Friend to All Animals (3)
Acrobat (2)

Lucky Shots: O O O

Hook: Will never harm an animal, and may sometimes take contradictory advice from them.

WWPHITM: Marty Feldman

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Elspeth Shelley

Herb-Gathering, Curse-Throwing Young Crone (4)
Probably a Witch (3)
Brewer of Mead and Other Things (2)
Teller of Fortunes and Detector of Lies (1)

Lucky Shots: O O O

Hook: Wanted by "the authorities."

WWPHITM: Madeline Kahn

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Noble Sir Hugh's Not-So-Noble Band was made possible with the rules of Risus: The Anything RPG, available for free here.

WWPHITM stands for "Who Would Play Him/Her In The Movie" and is borrowed from QAGS, available for purchase here.

The Aquabats Super Unofficial Super RPG Part 1: The Aquabats

The Aquabats have a VERY IMPORTANT KICKSTARTER PROJECT to #BringBackTheAquabats. You, too, can join the Legion of Righteous Comrades and help The Aquabats help the children help the world. You can also relive their adventures and more through the magic of Risus: The Anything RPG, a free game created by S. John Ross and subverted by me to produce something I am calling "The Aquabats Super Unofficial Super RPG." Starring The Aquabats.

Part 1

The Aquabats

On a mission to fight evil and destroy boredom!

The MC Bat Commander

Crime-Fighting Lead Singer of The Aquabats (3)
Fearless Leader and Chief Strategist (3)
All Around Swell Guy (3)
Battle Dancer (1)

Sidekick: Battletram, The Aquabats' Mobile Headquarters (3)

Hook: Insecure about his lack of superpowers.

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Jimmy the Robot

Crime-Fighting Keyboardist of The Aquabats (3)
Team Scientist and Pillar of Logic (2)
Superpower: Is a Robot [3]

Hook: Confused by human emotions.

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Crash McLarson

Crime-Fighting Bassist of The Aquabats (3)
Arguably a Big Strong Overgrown Baby (2)
Superpower: Becomes a Giant When Experiencing Stress [3]

Hook: Cowardly.

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Ricky Fitness

Crime-Fighting Drummer of The Aquabats (3)
Handsome Healthy Lifestyle Role Model (2)
Superpower: Is Super Fast [3]

Hook: Distracted by feminine wiles.

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EagleBones Falconhawk

Crime-Fighting Guitarist of The Aquabats (3)
Spiritual Visionary with the Gift of Second Sight (3)
Superpower: Laser-Shooting Electric Guitar (3)

Sidekick: "The Dude," an invisible spirit bird of prey, female (6)

Hook: Cocky. Sometimes a little too cocky.

AQUABATS! LET'S GO!

The Discretionary Ghost Die

The notorious Ghost Die of the Ghostbusters role-playing game is a wondrous thing. It is, perhaps, the earliest known example of a "wild die," meaning a die that is rolled with another die or a dice pool to introduce the chance that a result may be drastically influenced in a harmful or helpful way. From the Ghostbuster's point of view, the Ghost Die is never helpful. It complicates success, it exacerbates failure, and it rewards foes.

As I've mentioned previously, coming up with entertaining consequences every time a Ghost is rolled can be taxing on one's imagination and may even slow down the game. When rolling a Ghost becomes a nuisance rather than a novelty, it's time to reassess the role of the roll, if you will.

My solution is the discretionary Ghost Die. Don't include it in every roll. Roll the Ghost Die only when a ghost or any other supernatural phenomenon is involved. When Ghostbusters are knocking on the door of the spirit realm, that's when it's time to let the Ghost Die build tension. As per the rules, when a ghost rolls a Ghost, it benefits the ghost. When a Ghostbuster rolls a Ghost, it still benefits the ghost, regardless of whether the Ghostbuster's roll is a success or failure.

Furthermore, don't treat it as a D6. The discretionary Ghost Die is only rolled when the paranormal is encountered, so treat all faces except the Ghost as blank. It's an extra die used as a special effect — it is not part of the dice pool.

The best part is that the Ghostmaster only needs to worry about the ramifications of rolling a Ghost when there's a ghost to make it easy.

RPGaDAY 2017: Day 02

2. What is an RPG [game, world, or adventure] you would like to see published?

My first instinct is to say a reprint of the original Ghostbusters role-playing game, preferably with an accompanying booklet that condenses the rules (and offers a binary randomizer option similar to that used in Prince Valiant) and higher quality equipment cards (with an emphasis on durability).

Otherwise, I would like to see a Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, or Barbarella game based on the Prince Valiant rules system.

A Fudge or Sherpa conversion of Timeship would also be welcome (especially if I am hired to convert it).

[For more information on #RPGaDAY (or #RPGaDAY2017 specifically), read this. Other installments from my own participation may be found here.]