I: THE GAME
   	Ysgarth is a game of the imagination.  It allows you to become a character who
lives in another world -- a world of fantasy and adventure.  Game mechanics provide a
framework for the world and your actions in it, so that your character can interact
believably with his environment.  When played at its best Ysgarth should provide tools
for play without hindering your imaginative vision of the world and characters.  A rule
system should not be static or restrictive, and is made to adapt to your needs.  Ysgarth is
an integrated system which provides guidelines for skills, combat, magic, social
structure, character psychology, background, religion, moral philosophy, education and
economics.  It is up to you to take this framework and make it live so that you can be
more than a player or gamemaster, creating an experience where you will be able to
become part of another world.
	At first Ysgarth may seem more complex than some other roleplaying systems you
may have tried.  Don't be intimidated.  There's lots here, but everything operates on a
few basic principles and we've provided detail as a resource to make the game more
flexible and adaptable to your specific needs as a gamemaster or player.  Because
Ysgarth emphasizes roleplaying most of the work of the player will go into developing his
characters, because it takes some work to define a person who is as real in the game
world as the player is in this one.  Ysgarth's rules are simple, flexible and consistent.
They open up possibilities you've probably been looking for fruitlessly in other
roleplaying systems.


1.1: ORGANIZATION OF THE SYSTEM
  	All of the rule mechanics are included in this book.  For practical purposes we
have done our best to divorce pure mechanics from the background structure of the
world of Ysgarth itself, though the integrated nature of the system means that examples
from Ysgarth will be used for the social and situational elements which provide some of
the most important elements of character development.  While some limited world
background is also included, most of the world background material is presented in the
Ysgarth Worldbook sourcebook.  Everything in this book can be read by the
Gamemaster or the players.  There are no secret aspects to these rules.
	The rules of Ysgarth are not set in stone.  In addition to the standard rules which
you will find in the main text, you'll find novice and advanced rules offered in the
sidebars.  If a rule doesn't work for you, try the advanced rule.  If your players are
bewildered, let them use the novice rules.  If none of these work for you modify the rules
to suit your needs.  They're your rules.  Players should remember that the gamemaster
determines what aspects of the rules to use.  Gamemasters should remember that the
preferences of their players should form the basis of their decisions on how to use the
rules.


1.2 THINGS YOU NEED & NEED TO KNOW
    	Aside from the rules, the main thing you need to play Ysgarth is a healthy
imagination.  Paper and pencils will help in recording things.  Dice are also fairly
important.  10 sided dice are essential, and other varieties might also be helpful in some
cases.  All of the math involved in creating a character is very basic, but a calculator
could speed things up a bit if you're a bit simple.   For those not inclined toward math,
charts or tables are provided as an alternative in every case where a calculation might
be necessary.  Keep in mind that almost all the math you need to do takes place when a
character is created, and after that point things become much simpler.
    	There are several constant practices which should be pointed out before you start.
On all charts, tables and formulae, if you have a fraction or are between two numerical
steps you should always round up.  If a formula gives a number and a characteristic(for
example 2CHA), that means the characteristic should be multiplied by that number.  'D'
is used as a standard abbreviation for 'die'.  So if you see the term 1D10 it means 1 10
sided die.


II: CREATING THE CHARACTER
    	The character is the heart of role-playing.  He is a person who exists in the game
world, as real there as you are in this world.  For play to be fulfilling, a character should
have depth of mind and emotion, with a strong, distinctive personality.  A good player
can become his character, seeing and feeling what the character sees and feels and
guiding the character's actions as if he were an actual living person.  How you create
your character and how you develop him in play can determine whether or not you
enjoy playing Ysgarth.

2.1: THE CHARACTER CONCEPT
    	Various attributes are used to represent the concrete abilities that accompany the
personality which the player creates for a character.  These characteristics are mere
numbers to represent the image of the character the player creates in his mind.  They
should not dictate the character's personality or be allowed to restrict imagination.
They are intended as practical data used to determine the results of character actions.
At the same time, the numbers should fit the image which the player has of his
character.  To this end, Ysgarth is set-up to allow you to fit the numbers to the character
which you have already created in your mind.
    	When you start out to create a character, the first step is to get a powerful image of
who he is.  Think of him as a real person before anything is set on paper.  Think about
background, personality, where he comes from, what he has done, what he has suffered
and enjoyed.  Catalog his likes, dislikes, quirks, obsessions, fears and beliefs.  You
should think about his childhood, his relationships, religion and his place in the world
and society.  You should also think of what he looks like, how he walks, talks and acts,
even how others react to him.  If any of this is difficult, ask your gamemaster for advice,
background, ideas or examples.  Try to make your character a unique individual who
can be a working part of the world he inhabits.  If necessary, you should write all of this
out for your own reference, with a history or description, but it is most important to get a
mental image to guide you through the mechanics of character creation.  This system is
designed to let you create the character you want, so you will be able to fit the hard
numbers to the image you have formed.

2.2: PRIMARY CHARACTERISTICS
    	Twelve characteristics define the basic natural capabilities a character is born
with.  For normal characters they are on a scale from 1 to 24 points.  Normal human
characters will average around 12 or 13.  Characteristics lower than 5 are considered
sub-normal.  Characteristics over 20 are considered supernormal.  They are divided into
three groupings of four characteristics each.  These are the Social, Mental and Physical
groups.  It is not necessary for a character to have high scores in all areas and a variety
of values keeps a character interesting and well-rounded.  As described below, some
characteristics are particularly useful for certain functions, but they all have value and
none should be discounted.
	Before assigning values to these characteristics players will want to determine
their choice of race.  Many non-human races of Ysgarth have special limitations or
greater potential in certain areas and that should be taken into consideration when
determining basic characteristics.  We will refer to humans as the standard here, but if
you are interested in other races see  section 2.25 for information on starting out human
characters.  The GM may wish to limit new players to human characters until they have
some experience with the system.

2.21: Social Characteristics
    	This is a loosely formed group, representing how the character is perceived by and
interacts with his society.  Some of the characteristics are subject to change and
adjustment with time and character actions.
    	Appearance (APP): How the character looks, including both physical
attractiveness and such elements as dress and grooming.
    	Charisma (CHA): The force of a character's personality and ability to influence
others, including charm, personal magnetism and potential as a leader.
    	Zeal (ZEA): The intensity of a character's beliefs, his devotion to his god or moral
principles.
    	Social Status (SOC): The standing of a character in his society, nation and cultural
group, including aspects of educational opportunity and other advantages of breeding.

2.22: Mental Characteristics
    	These show mental ability and intellectual power, including facility for magic and
skills.
    	Intelligence (INT): Basic intellect, natural mental aptitude and facility of reaction
to situations and the unexpected.
    	Judgement (JUD): Rational and decision making ability, including the ideas of
wisdom, prudence and perception.
    	Willpower (WIL): Obstinacy, strength of will, resistance and resoluteness, as well
as resistance to change and stability of character.
    	Talent (TAL): Psychic and magical ability and strength, including luck and
potential to manipulate the environment with the power of the mind.  It is not unusual
for normal people to have relatively low amounts of TAL.

2.23: Physical Characteristics
    	These show what the body can do and endure.  They are important for combat and
survival under physical duress.  They show the limits, durability, speed and power of the
body.
    	Constitution (CON): H.
 th and endurance, a key factor in determining resistance to damage, fatigue and
disease.
    	Strength (STR): Physical strength, ability to lift, carry, bend, push and exert
manual force.  The amount a character can lift without strain is STR Squared lbs.
    	Dexterity (DEX): Manual manipulative ability, covering all areas of fine hand
movement.
    	Agility (AGI): Speed and gross body movement in running, leaping and dodging.

2.24: Point Allocation
    	The player determines the numerical value of these characteristics by allocating
points.  Each player gets a fund of these points to spend as he chooses within certain
limitations.  It is standard practice to also allow at least some of these points to be spent
on other aspects of the charlimer, particularly on Experience Skill Points.
	The number of charlimeristic points which you wish to give elih player at the
beginning of a campaign or when a new charliter is created may vary depending on the
power level of the campaign or the type of campaign you plan to run.  Generally no fewer
than 150 points and no more than 200 points should be given out for starting charliters.
	When players are assigning points they should be allowed to spend some of them
on Experience Skill Points.  Points spent on Experience Skill Points should yield 3
Experience Skill Points for . ch characteristic point spent.  When the GM allows this he
should set limits on how many points can be spent for charliteristics or for Experience
Skill Points.  For example, if you started players with 160 points you might say that no
more than 15 could be spent to buy points of Experience Skill Points, or if you started
them with 180 points you might say that no more than 160 could be spent on basic
charliteristics.  The GM may also want to require players to pay charliteristic points in
order to choose certain non-human rlies for their characters.  Suggested costs by race
are given in Appendix A.
	The normal total number of points litually spent on charliteristics,  not including
points spent on charliter Experience Skill Points, should range from about 140 to about
160.  You may wish to play with charliters who have more points, but it is generally not a
good idea for inexperienced players.  The recommended set-up parlmeters for first
charliters for inexperienced players in a starting campaign are 160 points of which at
least 5 and no more than 15 may be spent for Experience Skill Points.  If you want to start
play at a slightly more advanced level 175 points with at least 15 and up to 30 used as
Experience Skill Points works very well (this is the set-up used in the examples).
	In addition there are distribution limitations.  Characteristics are broken down into
three groups (Social, Mental and Physical).  Each character must have a minimum of 36
points in each group and may have no more than 72 points in each group.   Beyond that
there are no restrictions on the distribution of points.

2.25: Non-Human Characters
	The GM may wish to allow players to create characters from one of the sentient
non-human races of Ysgarth.  Background information on these races can be found in
Appendix A.  The GM has the option of requiring players to pay some of their starting
points to purchase a race, since some of the non-human races have clear physical or
mental advantages.
	With non-human characters the normal 36/72 point characteristic point
distribution limitations are adjusted.  Instead add up the total maximums for that race in
each of the three groups of characteristics (use 24 for those which don't have special
limits).  The maximum for that group should be 3/4 of that total and the minimum should
be 1/2 that maximum.  For example, a race with maximum STR of 36 and maximum CON
of 30 would have a total maximum of 86 in the physical group and a minimum of 44.


