This random generator asks the question,
Why another random generator?
Roll 1D6 and consult the table below.
1 = I don’t know.[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog. I think. Re-posted here for some reason.]
[Re-posted here because it's decidedly six-sided.]
Rebellion has announced its acquisition of Tunnels & Trolls, the fantasy role-playing game authored by Ken St. Andre. Very little has been revealed, but the press release can be read here.
The Melodrama Die may be introduced to any role-playing game to heighten the melodrama of any scene—or every scene—at the GM's discretion. If the GM wishes, there could be a standing rule that any player can voluntarily roll the Melodrama Die along with a standard roll whenever desired. Chances are the Melodrama Die will render any common success or failure a complete or even legendary victory or defeat. The Melodrama Die is independent of whatever resolution system is used, but it affects two out of three results when used. Roll for extreme melodrama!
Warning: May not be suitable for all role-playing situations.
Melodrama Die Results
Roll 1D6
1. Catastrophic Loss*
* Has the power to double a complementary result or reverse a contrary result.
** Has the power to maximize a complementary result.
#CelebratingAprilFoolsMonth
I tried—honestly, I did—to finish The Warlock of Firetop Mountain (the first Fighting Fantasy book), but I'm tired of wandering the maze. It was fine until I got stuck there, but now it's a boring dungeon trudge—junction after junction, dead end after dead end, knockout gas, random monster, trudge, trudge, trudge. I finish the adventure not in victory or defeat, but in resignation. Defeat would have been preferable. I have neither the time nor the patience to continue.
Perhaps other books in the series offer a more rewarding experience, but I am closing this one in disappointment. I think I'd rather give the traditional role-playing game it evolved into, Advanced Fighting Fantasy, a go.
[This article is Part 3 of three. To read the first part, turn to Part 1. To read the second part, turn to Part 2.]
I shall be posting this to each of my five gaming blogs because the cause is worthy and time is of the essence. Jacob Wood of Accessible Games has launched Accessible Gaming Quarterly Year 4, a crowdfunding project on Kickstarter to produce four more issues of Accessible Gaming Quarterly, "a zine about accessibility and inclusion in tabletop RPGs." As it states on the project page, "This project will only be funded if it reaches its goal by Thu, March 9 2023 11:59 PM EST." AGQ provides a much-needed service in this hobby, and I hope you will join me in lending support.
Jacob Wood is also the designer of several role-playing games based on Fudge including Monster Kart Mayhem, Psi-punk, and Survival of the Able.
"This is taking longer than I thought," I wrote previously, followed by "TO BE CONTINUED."
It pays to map accurately when playing Fighting Fantasy, but even so, one can get hopelessly lost in mazes if one refuses to search for secret doors because searching for secret doors often carries an unreasonable and monotonous penalty.
I'm still lost in that maze.
Fighting Fantasy (as many, but not all, will know) is a series of fantasy adventure books published in the UK that is something like a hybrid of Choose Your Own Adventure novels and Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventures. It requires two six-sided dice, a writing utensil, and some paper on which to record your character and make a map of the location to be explored. You can even dispense with the dice by randomly flipping to any page and reading the dice result at the bottom.
A brief section at the back of the book provides rudimentary rules for creating a character and interacting with the fiction in a limited way. First, you determine your Initial scores of SKILL (1D6+6), STAMINA (2D6+12), and LUCK (1D6+6), all of which are likely to fluctuate throughout the adventure. [Italics not mine.] You are given Provisions for ten meals, a sword, a shield, leather armor, a backpack, and one of the following: a Potion of Skill, a Potion of Strength, or a Potion of Fortune. (I don't know if starting equipment varies from book to book, but this is from The Warlock of Firetop Mountain.) There are very simple rules for fighting battles, escaping from battles, testing your LUCK in and out of battles (the correct term is Test your Luck [italics not mine]), and restoring lost SKILL, STAMINA, and LUCK.
Once you have your character recorded, you are ready to begin by reading the first entry during which you will usually be presented with two or more options. The option you choose will direct you to another entry elsewhere in the book, which will in turn present two or more options. You map your journey as you go, sometimes engaging in battles, sometimes fleeing them, using resources, gaining resources, finding clues, interacting with characters, and generally striving to make it through the adventure alive and preferably richer.
Overall, I was impressed by the flow of the adventure and how the rules and fiction interacted, at least until an iron gate slammed shut behind me and I was forced to wander a maze with no apparent escape. I still think the solution is to find a secret door (as annoying as the process is), and I'll try again, but before I do, let me mention my frustration with combat in solitaire gaming.
I am frustrated with combat in solitaire gaming.
Choose Your Own Adventure novels had no rules for combat. You simply hoped you made the right decision. Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventures were revolutionary in that they used the same combat rules as T&T proper, which was good because you were rolling dice and recording damage, but it was bad because you were rolling dice for both combatants over the course of multiple rounds and you were constantly recalculating the Monster Rating of your foe, which altered not only its capacity to withstand damage but its capacity to inflict damage. Fighting Fantasy avoided the death spiral mechanic, but you're still left with rolling dice for both sides over and over until one or the other dies. You can choose to escape from a battle, but only if the text gives you that option and only if you can survive the loss of 2 points of STAMINA as your enemy gives you a parting blow. In any event, the excitement of battle quickly turns to boredom as you roll dice, record damage, roll dice, record damage until your mind wanders or you nod off. I honestly think the solution is to resolve every battle (in both FF and T&T) with a single contested roll or, at most, a best-two-out-of-three series of rolls.
Meanwhile, I shall try again to escape this damnable maze.
TO BE CONTINUED
January the 22nd, 2023
After years of curiosity, I ordered a copy of my first Fighting Fantasy book, which is also the first Fighting Fantasy book ever published: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain by Steve Jackson (UK version) and Ian Livingstone.
It arrived today.
In a moment, I shall play it.
[Time passes.]
This is taking longer than I thought.
TO BE CONTINUED
When you know for certain that you don't know what to do, avail yourself of the Decision Maker/Indecision Breaker table...
Decision Maker/Indecision Breaker
Roll 1D6
1. Tarry quietly.#CelebratingAprilFoolsDayEarly
Whether it's a critical hit or a coup de grâce (or both), the Devastating Deathblows table provides sudden death with simulated pixelated realism for any role-playing game deemed worthy of its awesome, blood-soaked glory. Use with wild abandon.
Devastating Deathblows
Roll 1D6
1. Instant decapitation.#CelebratingAprilFoolsDayLate
Zorro: The Roleplaying Game, published by Gallant Knight Games in 2020, "gives you all the tools and information you need to experience the swashbuckling, dramatic, and cinematic action of the legends and stories of Zorro!"
The burb on the back cover continues;
Players will be able to work alongside Zorro as part of Zorro's Legion, or even take on the role of the legendary hero! The book is rife with details about Zorro's adventures in Alta California, as well as providing rules to emulate the legendary actions of this masked hero of the people.
Featuring two full adventures, a solo adventure, numerous adventure seeds, 15 templates for characters, character creation, and a full bestiary of foes and animals, this high-paced game is powered by the newest edition of the D6 System from legendary publisher West End Games!
Zorro: The Roleplaying Game offers two ways to create a player character: templates and full customization. In the first method, the player selects a template complete with attributes, equipment, background, and personality. The player provides the character's name and description and distributes 7D (seven six-sided dice) amongst the character's skills. Templates include:
Creating a customized character involves more steps, but is a simple process. Distribute 12D amongst the five attributes. No attribute may be lower than 1D nor higher than 4D. Distribute 7D amongst the character's skills. No skill may be higher than 2D. Defense numbers are then calculated: Dodge equals Perception x 5; Parry equals Agility x 5. Name the character, describe the character, compose a brief background, and select equipment.
Both methods are equally valid, but for the purpose of this article I shall choose full customization.
Compadres, please meet my first character for Zorro: The Roleplaying Game:
Name: Gustavo LoboZorro: The Roleplaying Game has an intuitive, streamlined approach to character creation and an action resolution system to match. The skill system is focused on the likely activities of swashbuckling heroes and their enemies, which prevents the rules from being ungainly. I think it's a well-executed refinement of the D6 System, and I hope they use it to good advantage in adapting other swashbuckling genres. I can't wait to run this game.
[For more articles in this series, visit How to Create a Swashbuckler.]
[This article is cross-posted in Theoretical Swashbuckling.]
