Introduction

Background

Characters

Inspiration

GAME SYSTEM NOTES:
System will be kept simple, with very few spellcasters and supernatural creatures and a rules system of the most elementary sort. Players will be asked to create a Primary Character and a Secondary Character to be used in the event of Primary Character death.

The System In A Nutshell

Wherever possible, just roleplay.
Wherever you must have rules, the higher number wins. That's it. There is nothing more to the system than that.

The Ratings

Everything which can be rated is either rated in simple numbers (for example, if you have HTK 3 then it takes three (3) hits to knock you out/kill you) or in a ranking system.
Whomever has the higher number (where 1 is better than 0, etc.) and the better letter (a is better than b, but b is better than c, etc.) will always defeat those "below" them in the ratings.
However, there are modifiers available for the ratings, which will allow changes in the order of victory.

COMBAT

1. Determine if there is surprise
   Decide it as you go - be fair and reasonable. The surpriser gets one free attack against the surprised. If the players cannot agree whether or not there is surprise, flip a coin.
    
2. If there is no surprise, take action in the order of your Combat Rating (Sorcerers act in the order of their Combat Rating, too - NOT their Sorcery Rating). For example, "3g" goes before "2a."
    
3. Compare attacker CBT with defender CBT. If the attacker is higher (based on their actual rating and any bonuses or minuses), then they win and hit the defender once per success. If the defender is higher higher (based on their actual rating and any bonuses or minuses), they win, and they are not hit by the attacker.
    
4. If the number of hits taken by a defender equals or exceeds their HTK, they are either Knocked Out or Killed. If it is less than their HTK, they are Wounded. See Wound Ratings below.
    

Wound Ratings

• If a character has suffered Knockout hits less than their HTK, nothing has happened. This does not require Medicine skill.
   
• If a character has suffered Knockout hits equal to or greater than their HTK, they are knocked out for a few minutes. They may burn a Luck point to "wake up just in time," otherwise they should be KO'ed as long as seems reasonable to both parties. This does not require Medicine skill.
   
• If a character has suffered less than their HTK in hits, then they are Wounded. This is rated a 2 for difficulty, and characters with Medicine skill of 2 or better can heal them.
   
• If a character has suffered Kill hits equal to or greater than their HTK, they are knocked out for a few minutes. They may burn a Luck point to "be saved at death's door by a wandering holy man" or some similar unlikely plot device. Otherwise, they will die (and go to the tender mercies of Your Host) unless they are saved within 10 minutes of real time by someone with Medicine skill. The difficulty rating of saving someone from death is 4.
   

COMBAT RATING MODIFIERS

Surprise
-1 to surprised target, including back attaacks (you don't get better just because you surprised them)

Terrain/cover
-1 to affected target WITH HOST'S RULING (ask Host to rule for you)

Weapon
+1 to attacker CBT - if your character is unarmed, use base CBT rating. It does not matter what your weapon is, it always gives the same modifier.

Improvising objects for combat purposes - both parties must agree that an object may be used. For example, if your foe has a scimitar and you grab up a bolster cushion to ward off a blow, you may both agree that that will give a +1 to your CBT rating for defense only, for one turn (at the end of the turn, the cushion is in pieces). On the other hand, you may agree that a small table can be used for both attack and defense and adds a normal +1 to your CBT rating. If both parties cannot agree, call your Host to adjudicate.

NOTE: The object need not actually exist out of character. You can say, "There's a big vase here in the corner," and mime picking it up and using it. If your opponent doesn't think a big vase held in your hands would protect you from a crossbow bolt (it wouldn't), then it doesn't matter if you mime it or not. (You should not pick up Phil and Judy's furniture and decorative items and use them in combat, by the way.) The more outrageous an item's usage would be, the more clearly it is usable only by Swashbucklers - for example, Captain Sinbad could easily pick up imaginary urns and roll them along the floor toward pursuers to knock them off their feet, but Aziz the Barber would miss them, break an urn on the floor, etc.

Sorcery or Special Abilities
See description of the Spell or Special Ability or Enchanted Item for any modifiers. A magic sword is, at least, a sword (thus +1 to CBT).

Wounds
Do not alter your ability to fight. Not realistic, true, but that's how it is. You can roleplay the limp or off-hand, if you want to.

HTK MODIFIERS

Armor or shield will improve your HTK by +1-2 (i.e., you can take 1-2 more hits).

Sorcery or Special Abilities - see description of the Spell or Special Ability or Enchanted Item for any modifiers. Magic armor is, at least, armor (thus +1-2 to HTK).

GETTING PAST DEFENDERS
(PCs, GSPs vs. Minions)

It is not possible for anyone to get past front-line defenders to reach those they defend without first defeating the front-line defenders - unless they are Swashbucklers (swinging over the guards to reach the hated foe, etc.). To achieve this goal, the Swashbuckler must have a higher CBT and DEX rating than the front-line defender(s), in which case they may simply slip past them and reach their real target.

This ability, in turn, may be countered by a foe who has true Minions (Palace Guards are not Minions - the elite Death Guard unit within the Palace Guard are minions). A Swashbuckler cannot slip past Minions, and must engage them in combat regardless.

SWASHBUCKLING

If your character has Swashbuckling, describe them in the fashion of Douglas Fairbanks in "The Thief of Bagdad" - they can leap from rooftop to rooftop, bounce long distances from awnings, tumble, somersault, backflip, cartwheel, swing from ropes, and generally be spectacular. They can also attack and defend in Combat against as many foes as they can reach (or as many as can reach them) - i.e., if a dozen guards with pikes reach your Swashbuckler, you can not only defend against all of them (as anyone can) but you can also attack all of them (as only Swashbucklers and characters with mass-attack methods can).

Primary Attributes

COMBAT (CBT)
is your character's total offensive and defensive ability in normal melee or missile combat as it is known in the Middle East in the feudal era. It is used for your attack and your defense. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

HITS TO KILL/KNOCKOUT (HTK)
is how many hits your character can take before dropping. Not "hit points" - hits. It's a fast, brutal system, so watch out. Your opponent should declare if they're trying to kill you or knock you out with an attack.

LUCK (LCK)
This represents your character's good luck, and you may spend it during the game in the following manner: You may use it to negate any one successful action against you for one Luck Point - i.e., a Hit in Combat, a Spell by a Sorcerer, a Special Ability usage that worked, a Skill usage that worked, etc. It is rated from 2-7, with 2 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

PURSUIT (PUR)
is your character's total ability to outrun, outdodge, outhide anyone trying to catch them. If anyone points at you and declares "I pursue you!" then you must compare your PUR rating with their PUR rating (unless they use Sorcery or a Special Ability to escape). The higher rating wins immediately. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

SORCERY (SOR)
This is used for attack/effect only by characters with Sorcery or related Special Abilities (such as the Favor of Allah), and is used for defense by all others. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

WIT (WIT)
This is a general measurement of intelligence, acuity, etc. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

On Appearance
Your character is as handsome/beautiful or ugly as you'd like them to be - just roleplay it.

Secondary Attributes

DEXTERITY (DEX)
is your character's overall coordination and speed. It is seldom directly important in the game. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

CHARISMA (CHA)
is your character's personality force - positive ("he is beloved by all"), neutral ("everyone respects her"), or negative ("they are feared by everyone"). It is only meaningful to Offstage GSPs. Otherwise, you get the reaction your roleplaying results in. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

RANK (RNK)
is where your character stands in the great ladder of life - top to bottom. Note that despite much talk by westerners about the "acceptance of one's fate" in Eastern cultures, Middle Eastern and Asian fairy tales have just as many poor boys and girls make good as in Western fairy tales. It is rated from 0-7, with 0 lowest and 7 highest. An additional a-z ranking is added, to determine who is highest in each numerical rating (ie, "2a" is better than "2b").

SKILLS IN A NUTSHELL

Skill Usage vs. An Object
Any object that is difficult will have a rating taped to it - you may use an applicable skill (breaking and entering skill vs. a locked door, practical skill vs. an unappraised gemstone, etc.) against it by comparing your rating to the rating attached. If your rating is higher, you win. Open the attached note and read the answer. If the object has no rating attached to it, then it is not difficult to figure out or deal with and requires no rules. Just roleplay it.

Skill Usage vs. An Offstage GSP
Notes will be attached at strategic locations, such as the entrance to the Caliph's Harem, which indicate an Offstage GSP (for example, the Palace Guards who protect the Harem). If you wish to use a skill against them (such as sneak past, use statecraft to bribe them, use pickpocketing/sleight of hand to slip a sleep drug into their pipe, etc.), just compare your rating in that skill to their rating in Pursue. If your number is higher, you win, and you should describe the results to any witnesses (and tell your Host at some point, if applicable - it may be important if there are no conscious Harem guards, for example).

Skill Usage vs. A Player Character or Guest Star Persona
Many skills are useless against onstage characters (PCs and GSPs), and you must use roleplaying instead (for example, they will either accept a bribe or not - all the statecraft skill in the world won't change that). Other skills are definitely usable against characters. The below notes will tell you which skills may be used against characters. If both parties ever feel that the game is more fun if things go a certain way (opposing parties only), then they may relent to one another and agree on an outcome. (Friendly characters may not "fix the outcome" of situations by winking and agreeing on things.)

Skill Usage vs. A Player's Belongings
You may only use an applicable skill against a player's belongings if you have either stolen them with Sorcery or pickpocketing/sleight of hand or if you have defeated them in Combat and taken them away. Otherwise, they must willingly give you the object. If both parties ever feel that the game is more fun if things go a certain way (opposing parties only), then they may relent to one another and agree on an outcome. (Friendly characters may not "fix the outcome" of situations by winking and agreeing on things.)

Attribute Usage
Some things are just functions of your attributes - STR (physical strength), DEX (dexterity), CHA (charisma) or RNK (social rank). This is a pretty nebulous catch-all system, so these attributes are kept separate as a fallback in case you have a use for them. They're only needed if no other rule covers the situation and if everybody thinks its fair - feel free to disregard them completely and just roleplay.

Alchemy
See SORCERY rules.

Artfulness (compare with target's WIT)
This skill subsumes the abilities of a trained partner in, shall we say, extracurricular activities. If a character with Artfulness can isolate a target person (of either sex) and use the skill upon them successfully, they have seduced that person with their wiles and left them begging for more.
This skill deals with a calculating manipulation of desire and emotion designed to ensnare a victim; it is not exclusively the same thing as being a good lover. Your character may be wonderful for others without Artfulness as a skill - in fact, they're a nicer person and more emotionally honest, so they're probably better. Just roleplay that. [Note that some characters have the Ability RESIST ARTFULNESS (for whatever reason, be it morality, willpower, nature) and cannot be seduced in this fashion. They will not necessarily make this clear to their would-be seducer, however, and may "play along."]

Astrology
See SORCERY rules.

Cooking (no system)
Unless your character is a cook (there are only two in the game!), your cooking is probably average to appalling. The cooks' food is superb, and you should say so. Just roleplay it.

Breaking and Entering (compare with target's WIT for locks and bonds)
This skill is as useful to escape bonds, traps and dungeons as it is to get into hard places. You need to roleplay that you are sneaking, and if your skill use is successful, the people around you must roleplay that they are not noticing you sneaking around.

Commerce and Finance (compare with target's WIT)
This is a general skill applicable to all feats of moneychanging, lending, banking, budgeting, buying and selling. It includes the art of haggling. You will have a rating in it if you have it, otherwise you will automatically lose to anyone who has it. Financial disputes are settled like Combat (see COMBAT), so it is wise not to attempt to take on someone much shrewder than yourself. An exception to this skill is THE SLAVE AUCTION, which is simply roleplayed. [It is possible to use this skill with Offstage GSPs ("I sell this camel in the bazaar for some extra dinars," "I go and buy a ball of hashish in the bazaar") during the game - to do so, ask your Host to adjudicate.]

Disguise (compare with target's WIT)
The ability to make yourself look different than you normally do. No disguise is too outrageous to contemplate, but the wiser your viewer, the more likely they are to penetrate it. Rely upon it that the Caliph can never be fooled with a disguise for very long. Compare your rating in this skill with target's WIT, the higher number wins.
You need to roleplay that you are in disguise, and if your skill use is successful, the people around you must roleplay that they are deceived. If your skill use is unsuccessful, you may only discover your failure when they surround you and grab you to take you to justice.

Entertaining (no system)
There is no system of rules for entertainment. Either your character is entertained, or they aren't. Roleplay it.

Labor (no system)
This skill is just to imply that your character can do an honest job, like camel driving, goatherding, brickmaking, carpet-weaving, carrying loads, etc. It is assumed that your character is as good at it as you'd like them to be, because it doesn't really matter to the game. Roleplay it.

Language (minimal system)
All characters can automatically understand Arabic, even outlanders (who are simply a little slower in it than natives). If you have additional languages listed on your writeup, you know those languages also. If it says (LITERATE) next to a language, it means you can also read and write in that language. If it doesn't, then you can't. If someone says, "We're conversing in Ancient Egyptian" and your character doesn't have that written on their sheet, you must roleplay not understanding what they're saying. (Ditto for written messages.) It is possible to use it to read or write texts during the game - to do so, ask your Host to adjudicate.

Medicine (minimal system)
This is a general skill applicable to almost anything you can do to the human body - including dentistry, barbering of all bodily hair, apothecary, chirurgery and general physicking. A vague idea of bandaging wounds and keeping the patient quiet is about all anybody knows of Medicine who doesn't have this as a skill. Compare your rating with the Wound Rating of the victim (see COMBAT) - if your rating is higher, they are restored to full health. If your rating is lower, you fumble helplessly with their injuries for a few minutes and they suffer their fate. Similarly, Medicine can counter POISON/DRUGS - see POISON/DRUGS rules.

MINIONS
See COMBAT rules.

Pickpocketing/Sleight of Hand (compare with WIT)
A skill in picking pockets, cutting purses, slipping objects into and out of unlocked containers without their holders/owners noticing. This skill is also useful for slipping POISON or DRUGS into food, drink or pipes without being noticed. Otherwise, you take your chances with these actions and are only as good as you really are, or less good than that. To use the skill, you must compare your rating in it to the target's Wit rating. If your number is better, you win and they must give you the object/put the object in their bag and behave as if everything was normal.You need to roleplay that you are doing this, and if your skill use is successful, the people around you must roleplay that they are not noticing your action.

Practical Skills (minimal system)
This is a general skill applicable to all applied sciences but MEDICINE, including civil engineering, shipbuilding, navigating and sailing, gemcutting, etc. For our purposes, its main use is in appraising appropriate things (is that gem really worth that much? Could they really build a giant crossbow?). It is possible to use it to build or analyze objects during the game - to do so, ask your Host to adjudicate.

Scholarship (minimal system)
This is a general skill applicable to all "learned" skills involving academia, fine arts and theoretical sciences. For our purposes, its main use is in appraising appropriate things (did Ibn-Firdausi really write this poem? What do we really know about Atlantis?). It is possible to use it to ask your Host one background question per 10 minutes of real time - inform him of your rating in it at the time.

Sneaking (compare with Wit)
The ability to slip from shadow to shadow, hide behind pillars, creep along silently, and generally sneak about. Compare your rating in the skill with the Wit rating of anyone around you, or with any Special Ability they may have ("I can smell your blood!"). If your rating is higher, you win, and they cannot notice you. If your rating is lower, you lose, and they can spot you - but they may choose not to say so until they've got you in a trap! You need to roleplay that you are sneaking, and if your skill use is successful, the people around you must roleplay that they are not noticing you sneaking around.

Sorcery
See SORCERY rules.

Statecraft (minimal system)
This is a general skill applicable to all orders for the Military, the Secret Network of Spies, the Palace Guard, the Ministries, the Tax Collectors, the Dungeons. Merely having it does not mean that you can use it - Statecraft must be used by characters who have Authority, otherwise it is mere theory. Authority is a function of your social rank - if you have Statecraft and Authority, you will know it (i.e., you are the Caliph, a visiting Prince, etc.). Statecraft is only applicable to Offstage GSPs (i.e., swaying The People or The Palace Guards) and requires Your Host to adjudicate it. You may only use statecraft once per half-hour. To convince other players of anything, you must roleplay with them.

Swashbuckling
See COMBAT rules.

POISON OR DRUGS

Any character with the use of Poison or Drugs will have a description of whatever it is they are using. Arabic characters are basically immune to the negative effects of normal hashish, due to regular consumption, but may overindulge in alcohol rather easily (for the Kitab al-Koran does not permit the drinking of alcohol). Certain poisons, such as the venom of the cobra or the scorpion, have a very brief shelf-life and will need to be used quite soon by their deliverers.

SORCERY

There are several ways in which magic manifests itself in ARABIAN NIGHTS: RAMADAN. The first is in the form of Enchanted Items, each of which will be fully described to its owner. The second is in the form of Special Abilities, which will be fully described in character writeups to the Supernatural Creatures and Enchanted People who have them (including the Favored of Allah). Finally, there are the arcane arts, which can safely be divided into three general categories: Alchemy, Astrology, and Sorcery.

Alchemy
The arcane art of alchemy (al-kheme, "the art out of Egypt," the Great Art) is devoted to creating valuable substances. A character with a rating of 1-2 in Alchemy is a mere apprentice in the field, while one rated 3-5 is an adept, and one rated at 6-7 is a true master. It is not possible to generate new samples of substances during the game, as the process is too time-consuming and demanding.
The alchemist begins the game with one sample of a valuable substance - powerful vitriol, Grecian Fire, a controlled lodestone node, etc. - for each point in their Alchemy rating. If the sample is consumable (for example, powerful vitriol may be used but once), then it may not be replaced (see above). The alchemist may also ask for the Host's adjudication in analyzing some strange substance, and they may compare their Wit with the Wit of anyone who attempts to use Poison or Drugs upon them. If their Wit is the higher, then they easily notice it and can give themselves an antidote (at no charge) and happily consume the poisoned/drugged food, drink or pipeweed.

Astrology
The arcane art of astrology is devoted to divining the future. A character with a rating of 1-2 in Astrology is a mere apprentice in the field, while one rated 3-5 is an adept, and one rated at 6-7 is a true master. After a brief period of interviewing a subject or researching its parameters (if it is not a person), the astrologer is capable of retiring to a quiet spot to consult with the stars and other portents to draw up a chart of prevailing influences and powers which will cast a dim but steady light into the mists of the future. When this is done, the astrologer should consult with Your Host for the (necessarily vague) predictions which result. A yes/no or good/bad result is also possible, for specific questions - but the stars are ever-changing, and should not be expected to give answers as clear as those given by men or Allah.

Sorcery
The arcane of art of sorcery is devoted to learning the names, numbers, gemstones, ordinal directions, and other aspects of Spirits so that they may be summoned, commanded, bound and dismissed. A character with a rating of 1-2 in Sorcery (and possessing the skill itself) is a mere apprentice in the field, while one rated 3-5 is an adept, and one rated at 6-7 is a true master. A sorcerer may invoke the powers of the spirits at any time, though the more preparation that is given, the more powerful the invocation may be. There is no possibility of learning a new spell during the course of this single game session, and once you have exhausted all your spells for the day, you have no more. A Sorcerer may cast one spell for each point of their Sorcery rating - but each of those spells could (and probably will) be devastating in its effect! The Sorcerer will compare their Sorcery rating with that of their target, and if their rating is higher, than the victim must suffer all the effects of the spell.
Because a Sorcerer need not be in line of sight of their victim, and because any physical attack upon a Sorcerer can disrupt their spellcasting and waste the spell, it is in every Sorcerer's best interest to find a quiet spot to cast their spell from and have allies protect them during the casting process.
If a Sorcerer can see the victim directly, they have a +0 to their Sorcery rating.
If the Sorcerer cannot see their victim at all, they have a -1 to their Sorcery rating.
If a Sorcerer has a piece of their victim's clothing or other personal item, they have a +1 to their Sorcery rating.
If the Sorcerer knows nothing about their victim whatsoever, except for a description ("You must curse the left-handed Syrian in the red robe who stands in the palace now!"), then they are at a -2 to their Sorcery rating. If a Sorcerer knows their victim well, then they have a +1 to their Sorcery rating.

Each Sorcerer will receive a list of the spells they may cast and their potential effects.

The Will of Allah

If the Muslims are right, then Allah - al-lah, "the God," the One God - is all-knowing, all-merciful, and all-powerful. No force of evil or wrong can stand before the Creator of the Universe. If one is good of heart, submits to His will, performs to the best of their ability the Five Pillars of the Faithful, and truly needs Allah's help, then it is possible - if it be the Will of Allah - that Divine Intervention may occur and a praying character may be given holy aid. If a player wishes to try for this once-in-a-dozen-lifetimes help, they should inform their Host. And good luck to them!

TERMINOLOGY

GSP (Guest Star Persona): A character created by the Host and performed by a player. Rather like a guest star on a TV show.

Host: The person who is the referee and storyteller of the game, rather than our actual Site Hosts (the people who own the house we're playing in).

Offstage GSP: A character, such as one of The People or The Palace Guards, who is never actually performed by anyone but is only described in our imaginations by Your Host.

PC (Player Character): A character created and performed by a player. Rather like a main cast member on a TV show.

GAME SCHEDULE:

The Caliph will hear petitions from subjects and greetings from visitors, and will gladly receive and offer gifts to and from all!

PROVISIONAL KEY TO THE LOCATION
(pending our gracious hosts' approval):

The Divan [Phil and Judy's Living Room]
The great hall wherein the Caliph will entertain his guests, it is also where the more honored guests will enjoy their meal.

The Lesser Hall [Phil and Judy's Dining Room]
As there may very well be many guests at the feast, more of them may be seated in this hall as well.

The Harem [Phil and Judy's Den and Bar Area]
The women's quarters of the Palace are a place where females may relax among themselves in good grace with the Law. Even women who are neither related to the Caliph nor among his four allotted wives nor among his vast number of odalisques may enter the Harem. However, it is forbidden for any man but the Caliph to enter the Harem; if any man should be caught trespassing within the Harem, he risks emasculation at the hands of the Palace Guards.

The Selam [The Trapezoidal Room]
The men's quarters of the Palace are a place where males may relax among themselves in good grace with the Law. The Caliph allows his male guests to rest and take refreshment within the Selam. It is forbidden for a woman to enter the Selam; if any man should catch a woman trespassing within the Selam, he may affix to her The Badge of Shame.

The Forbidden Kitchen [Phil and Judy's Kitchen and Breakfast Nook]
It is forbidden for any but the Caliph's own kitchen staff and slaves to set foot within the Forbidden Kitchen; none who have trespassed upon that place have returned from it uncooked. It is within this dark and smoky place that delicacies are prepared and slaves are allowed their meals.

The Bazaar [Phil and Judy's Backyard]
The Bazaar is largely deserted on the first night of Little Bairam; the people are too busy celebrating to do much haggling with merchants. Nevertheless, a slave auction is scheduled for this night and the slavemongers do not miss an opportunity for business. Should the night prove too raucous (or cold), they may well ask the Caliph to allow them to display their wares within the Palace.

The Gardens [Phil and Judy's Front yard with fountain]
A peaceful, quiet place for contemplation and low-key conversation.

Host and Entertainer Staging Area [The Room Off the Backyard]
To enter this chamber is to truly enter the abode of the damned; better to be broken upon the wheels of Jehannum then to enter here! Seek thee only to enter this lost and terrible place if thou art actually the Host or an assistant thereof.

RULES OF THE SITE:

• No smoking indoors, nor leaving of smokers' debris outdoors
• No spitting
• No entry into any area designated OUT OF GAME, nor entry into drawers or cabinets
• No doing anything destructive to other players, property, or the location