Objects.pdf

Introduction

What this is : This is a generic game engine designed to run lots of different things without tying itself too

particularly to any one genre. It attempts to be light on the rules because me (the writer) wants to make it as

simple as possible to play. It attempts to give advice on how to model things using the mechanics. It also likes to

work on the basis of a unified mechanic (non-modular mechanics need not apply).

What this is not : This is not a game where you will find sections on what an RPG is; I assume you know

what an RPG is, how they generally work, and that you need somebody to run the game (called a Game

Moderator or GM for short). This is not something that says "Your favorite game sucks!" because that's just

rude and won't win friends. This is not something that inherently supports one playing-style over the other (at

least it wasn’t designed to be).

Chapter I: Dice Basics

Dice

This game engine is designed to use plain old six-sided dice (known as 'd6's by us gaming geeks). You

get them with games like Monopoly and Risk (which are both excellent games, by the way). I think Bicycle (the

playing card company) puts out a pack with poker chips and five dice. Since this system uses dice pools, you'll

probably want a lot of dice. This is especially true if your GM likes playing high-powered games.

Rolling Dice

When you are asked to roll some dice (typically to resolve some sort of chancy task), you're told which

stuff on your character sheet applies. Then you grab a number of dice based on the number associated with the

thing on the character sheet and roll them. Each die that comes up as the target number or better is a success.

By default, you have a dice pool of six-sided dice and are trying to get 5 or 6 on them. Typically an action will

have a difficulty assigned to it, which means you have to have a certain number of successes to succeed. A

difficulty of 1 success is a trivial task; most people can do this easily if they're able to work unimpeded, and fairly

easily even when they are. The more successes required, the harder it is to do what you're attempting. There

may be times when the number of successes require is more than you have dice in your dice pool. That's okay,

you just need to roll successes on every dice in your dice pool in those situations.

Whenever the relevant skill or trait is 0 or not possessed, you can still roll. You can only roll a dicepool

equal to half the relevant attribute. This also applies if you are targeting somebody and the rules say you have to

have a number of successes equal to a certain Skill or Trait and the target does not possess it; the target uses a

relevant attribute that’s cut in half.

The format for what is used to determine your dice pool size can be one of the following: Relevant

Attribute + Another Relevant Attribute (Attribute Roll), Relevant Attribute + Relevant Skill (skill roll), Relevant

Attribute + Relevant Trait (Trait Roll), Relevant Attribute + Relevant Skill + Relevant Trait (Skill or Trait roll).

Altering Chances of Success

There are several ways in which the chances of success are altered. The most common way is altering

the number of dice in your dice pool. This represents altering the character's ability to function. Stuff like trying to

shoot somebody while it's pouring down rain would give you a penalty to how many dice you roll (it's hard to see

when water keeps getting in your eyes). Now if this person was wearing bright red clothing when you're trying to

shoot them, you might get additional dice to your dice pool. Really, adding or subtracting dice from a dice pool is

just for hindering circumstances.

That said, there is another way of messing with the chances of success that make it much easier or much

more difficult to succeed; Modify the target number. Modifying the target number so that it is a higher number will

dramatically reduce the chances of success overall. Lowering the target number will greatly increases the overall

chances of succeeding. Since modifying the target number on a d6 dramatically alters the chances of success

(about 16% for each number up and down), I recommend you don't do it unless the thing the character is

attempting is either so easy that anyone can do it (like... kicking a wall) or so hard that only an expert would have

even a chance of comprehending it (like reverse-engineering Windows XP and modifying the source code so it

doesn't break all the time).

Chapter II: Character Basics

Objects

A generic game engine

by Darryl Park

The Attributes

There are a number of key attributes that have been time tested in the RPG hobby, and so I'm going to

stick with them. The names may be different from game to game, but they're pretty much the bare essentials.

Typically, attributes range from 1-6 (they can go higher). Game Moderators may add attributes based on the kind

of game they're running or the rules modules they're using.

Strength : Physical might, meaning how hard you hit, how much you lift, how much you can carry, etc.

Dexterity : How quick you are, your manual dexterity, your reflexes, etc. Gunfighters like to have high

hand-eye coordination, which is a part of dexterity.

Stamina : This represents how resistant you are to physical hardship. Diseases, poison, alcohol

tolerance, that sort of thing you know. Marathon runners will have a good Stamina score.

Intelligence : Intelligence isn't how smart you are (that would be judgmental and harsh), it represents how

well you comprehend new experiences and learn from them. Problem solving is also covered by this.

Wisdom : Some people call it intuition. Either way, wisdom represents your ability to sense things out of

place, or to suddenly realize something you had been missing before.

Charisma : Have you ever met somebody who is simply so charming or persuasive they captivate you?

They have high charisma. People who seemingly have no personality of their own have low charisma. Basically,

charisma represents your force of personality, your ability to schmooze and socialize.

The Statistics

There are a number of things that aren't attributes, but fundamental to the game. These are called

statistics, and are typically derived from your attributes. Fortunately, most of those are optional rules, so I'm not

going to worry about it yet. The one absolutely necessary thing is knowing how much punishment you can take

before you die. It’s called “Health”. Simply enough, you can take an amount of damage equal to twice your

stamina rating. Now, the GM can add on dice penalties for various stages of being wounded if he wishes, but

that's beyond the scope of this document. Other statistics will covered in future rules modules.

Skills

Skills are a measure of a character's knowledge in a particular area. They range from 1-6 and are

typically added to an appropriate attribute to form your basic dice pool. The value associated with a skill is called

a skill rating.

Traits

Traits are special abilities that are a part of the character. That is, if you can breathe fire, you're going to

have a Breath Fire trait somewhere. Traits usually have some sort of rules associated with each one and have a

value associate with them that usually ranges from 1-6. You can have traits that are a hindrance to the

character. The value associated with a trait is called a trait rating.

You do not need to pick any traits if you do not wish to.

Equipment

This covers any items the character possesses. Equipment includes mecha, guns, swords, magical

doodads and gewgaws, clothing, big sticks, and pretty much anything else that isn't attached to the character (if

it's attached, it's a trait). It's generally a good idea to have notes about what each piece of equipment does so you

don't have to go hunting for them later.

Chapter III: Character Creation

This is just the default way of making a character. There are probably a lot more ways to do it, I'm just not

going to deal with them right now.

Step 1: Character Concept (a.k.a. What the hell do I want to play?)

Figure out what kind of character you want to play. You want to choose something that is both interesting

to play and won't give your GM or fellow players reason to murder your character. Usually you want to chat with

your GM and fellow players about what kind of stuff will be happening in the game. The GM can, of course, veto

any concept that doesn't fit what he has in mind.

Step 2: Determine Your Attributes (a.k.a. Roll for the sky!)

Roll 6d6 and add up the total. This is how many attribute points you have to assign to your six attributes.

Attributes cannot be assigned more than 6 points.

Your GM may have other attributes that you must deal with, and if they are player-controlled (meaning

they don’t start at a preset number), then add 1d6 attribute points for each player-controlled attribute you have.

Step 3: Calculate Statistics (a.k.a. Did I carry the one?)

Figure out your statistics. There may be a variety of them, so you want to make sure you ask your GM

which ones he's using, and how to calculate them. This is where you calculate your health (twice your stamina,

remember?).

Step 4: Select Skills (a.k.a. Mad Skillz)

You start out with a number of points to assign to skills equal to the sum of your intelligence, wisdom, and

charisma. You cannot assign more than 6 points to a skill. See Chapter 4 for a not-very-comprehensive list of

skills.

Step 5: Select Traits (a.k.a. So you want to breathe fire...)

You start out with 6 points to assign to traits. You cannot assign more than 6 points to any one trait. Each

trait that has a negative value adds its value to the number of points you have to assign to traits. The GM must

approve all traits. Some example traits are provided.

You have the option of not picking any positive traits whatsoever and simply using the points that would

have gone to traits for buying skills instead.

Step 6: Your Equipment (a.k.a Guns, lots of guns)

Generally, your GM will figure out what you start out with, or let you request your starting gear. Be

reasonable. Would you expect, in a hard-boiled detective story, for your gumshoe to have a tank?

Step 7: Play!

Start playing the game!

Chapter IV: Skills

Here are some skills. Note that most of these are used in these rules. GMs are free to make up their own

or break down existing skills into further skills. Mostly because this isn’t anywhere near complete.

Boating

Some people don’t realize the ways in which boats are different from cars. The effect of wakes while

traveling, paths of least resistance, tides, lack of brakes, etc. It makes for a very different experience than driving

a car. This skill covers the operation of boats and other watercraft.

Dodge

Generally, people try to avoid getting hit by things in a fight. This helps out by making it harder to hit you.

It’s also good for diving out of the way of an on-coming semi-truck or similar situations where dodging would be

useful for avoiding bodily harm.

Driving

In a large portion of the industrialized world, people drive vehicles to carry themselves to various

destinations. Thus, it helps to have some knowledge of driving. All land vehicles fall under this category.

Explosives

You know how to make explosives, the science behind explosives, and how to defuse them. Also helps in

setting explosives. A successful roll may allow you to identify the kind of explosive used in an explosive device.

Mechanics

People with a rating of 1 or more in mechanics know how to fix machines, repair them, and build them.

Melee

If you want to attack somebody with your fists, baseball bat, chainsaw, computer monitor, or your really

big stick; this is the skill for you.

Piloting

A skill which requires many hours of training (and likely nerves of steel), piloting covers aircraft of all sorts.

Ranged

Archery, throwing rocks, shooting things with a gun, these are covered by the ranged weapons skill.

Swimming

Swimming is useful to have if you like to hang out around the water. It can also save your life in some

circumstances. By default, characters are assumed to be air breathers and can only hold their breath underwater

for a number of turns equal to their Stamina + Swimming before they start drowning.

Chapter V: Example Traits

The following traits are provided as an example only (I promise it’ll be short). The kind of trait (positive or

negative) is right after the trait name. Note that some effects will grant traits temporarily, and that you can earn

negative traits during the course of play without compensation.

Aquatic (Positive Trait)

Your native environment is an aquatic one. You breathe water, not air, and you add your Aquatic trait

rating to anything involving having to swim. Additionally, since you breathe water and not air, you have to hold

your breath when out of water, and can do so for a number of turns equal to your Stamina + Swimming (you do

not include your Aquatic trait rating for this).

Diminished Sense (Negative Trait)

One of your senses is not very good or missing all together. Pick a sense (sight, smell, touch, taste, or

hearing). Reduce any dice pool that requires that sense by this trait rating.

You can take this trait multiple times. It applies to a different sense each time.

Fire Breathing (Positive Trait)

You can breathe fire. When you want to do so, just say you are and make a Dexterity + Ranged + Fire

Breathing roll to see if you hit what you’re trying to hit. The damage dealt is the trait rating of Fire Breathing.

Keep in mind that you’ll burn stuff that burns and suffer the consequences of the burning stuff. There are lots of

chemicals that explode when burned, so be careful with this one.

Extra Limbs (Positive Trait)

You have a number of extra limbs, whether they be tentacles, arms, legs, a prehensile tail, a nose like an

elephant, or a very long tongue. I don’t know what mechanical benefits this would give you yet, but its here if you

need it. You have a number of extra limbs equal to your Extra Limbs trait rating.

Fireproof (Positive Trait)

You’re kind of hard to burn. Subtract your Fireproof trait rating from any damage dealt by fire or other

sources of heat.

Missing Limb (Negative Trait)

You’re missing a limb such as a hand, forearm, or arm, and it makes it really hard to do a lot of physical

things. A single arm or leg can net up to a trait rating of 3, depending on what part was lost. Losing half your

limbs can be up to a trait rating of 6 (again depending on which parts were lost). Missing all your limbs is

automatically a rating of 6 in this trait and you may want to consider making a new character.

You suffer a penalty to all dice pools involving Strength or Dexterity equal to your Missing Limb trait

rating. If you’re missing all your limbs, all dice pools involving Strength or Dexterity are automatically reduced to 0

and the action simply cannot be performed by your character.

This trait cannot be taken in conjunction with Extra Limbs without a good explanation. You can buy this

trait off with experience if your GM allows it.

Phobia (Negative Trait)

You have an irrational fear of something. Pick a trigger. When you encounter your trigger, you must get a

number of successes equal to your Phobia trait rating on a Wisdom + Intelligence roll or run in terror from your

trigger until you cannot see or hear it. Should you be unable to run from the trigger, you will get as far away as

you can from it. Should you actually be forced to come into contact with your trigger, you must get a number of

successes equal to your Phobia trait rating on a Stamina + Wisdom roll or pass out.

This trait overrides any effects that normally grant immunity to fear. This trait can be taken multiple times;

it applies to a different trigger each time.

Rage (Negative Trait)

There are some things that just set you off. You pick a number of triggers equal to your Rage trait rating.

When you encounter one of your triggers, you fly into a rage, screaming and yelling at the trigger. Your GM is in

control of the character until the rage subsides. The rage subsides when you get a number of successes equal to

your Rage trait rating on a Wisdom + Intelligence roll. You can only make this roll if another character actually

tries to calm you down.

Chapter VI: Combat

The only reason why combat gets a chapter to itself is because combat is always problematic. I

remember playing Cops and Robbers as a kid and arguing about who shot who and when. This, hopefully, helps

you avoid those nasty little arguments. The chapter is written in terms of the order you do things in combat in.

First you determine initiative for the round, then you do something when it’s your turn.

Initiative

You roll Dexterity + Dodge and count the successes. That’s your initiative. Initiative goes in the order of

highest to lowest. In case of ties, go in order of highest Dexterity to lowest Dexterity. If they have the same

Dexterity rating, go in order of highest Wisdom to lowest Wisdom. If you’re STILL tied, I’m sorry, but you and

whoever you tied with go at the same time.

Actions

You may be waiting for a bit while your turn rolls around, but it’ll be worth it because then you can do

something. Here are the basic things you can do (future rule modules may add onto this). Generally anything

you can do in about 3 seconds can be done in a round.

Move : You can move up to three times your dexterity in feet or up to your Dexterity in meters.

Attack : You can attack something, whether it is up close in melee or at a distance with a ranged weapon.

For melee, you roll Dexterity + Melee. For ranged, you roll Dexterity + Ranged. In either case, you have to score

a number of successes equal to your target’s Dodge rating (or half their Dexterity if they have a 0 in Dodge).

Damage is covered a bit later.

Defend : You can attempt to protect yourself from getting hit. Whenever somebody successfully hits you,

you can roll Dexterity + Dodge. You need to get a number of successes equal to the skill rating of the skill used to

attack you to successfully dodge.

Damage

Most people in a fight aim to injure other people. Here are the rules for dealing damage.

When you hit somebody and they haven’t dodged, then they are going to be hurting. For melee weapons,

you roll Strength + Weapon’s Damage rating, hoping to score successes equal to or greater than their Stamina +

Armor. For ranged weapons, you roll Dexterity + Weapon’s Damage rating and hope you get a number of

successes equal to or greater than their Stamina + Armor.

In either case, you deal 1 damage if you get a number of successes equal to their Stamina + Armor. You

deal 1 damage per success above that.

There are two kinds of damage; lethal and non-lethal. Non-lethal is relatively temporary compared to

lethal damage, and may result in severe bruising, but nothing you can’t shake off in a day or two. If you are

reduce to 0 health by non-lethal damage, then you’re on the ground helpless and in pain. When you reach

negative health equal to your Stamina in non-lethal damage, then you’re unconscious and all further damage

done to you is lethal.

If you are reduced to 0 health by lethal damage, you’re probably bleeding severely and incapable of

helping yourself. When you reach a negative level of health in lethal damage equal to your Stamina rating, then

you die.

Chapter VII: Equipment

Equipment does a lot of different things, let’s face it. They can modify a skill roll, give you a trait, cover

your butt, or let you do horrendous amounts of damage to things.

Although there is a vast array of categories one could categorize equipment into, I will start with three.

There are tools, weapons, and protection. Sometimes a piece of equipment will fall into more than one category.

Tools exist because they are useful to have when doing some task or benefit you in some way. Your

typical tool gives you a bonus from 1 to 3 on an associated skill roll. Sometimes a tool will give you a trait for a

period of time. These are the properties of a tool.

A weapon is something that can be directly used to hurt somebody. A potion of fire-breathing is not a

weapon because you don’t generally bash somebody over the head with the potion itself. You drink it, then

breathe fire at somebody. By contrast, a sword is pretty straight forward. A sword’s primary purpose is use as a

weapon. Weapons have a Damage rating associated with them.

Armor keeps you from getting hurt. More specifically, it makes it harder for damage to get through to you.

Armor has an Armor rating associated with it.

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