|
SIMPLE: A ROLE PLAYING SYSTEM |
BY SectorBob
| 1. INTRODUCTION |
| The following is a quick and easy to use role-playing system.
It makes no pretense at being a 'realistic' simulation, but is rather an attempt at a fun game that gives the illusion of being somewhat based on physics and the 'real-world'. Character generation, combat, skill use and everything else all revolve around the use of six sided dice (the kind of dice use get with most board games). All you need to play this game is one or more friends, two dice, some paper, a pen or pencil and your imagination. One person will take on the role of Game-Master or GM, this being the person that creates the game environment (also known as the campaign), the creatures/peoples that inhabit it and the adventures and situations that could occur there. The others will become the players, the movers and shakers of this imaginary landscape, breathing live into the otherwise inactive and stagnant settings. Both the GM and players are important, as it's impossible to play without both. Simple owes it's origin to TWERPS (The World's Easiest Role-Playing System) by Reindeer Games/Gamescience, both for inspiration and overall theme (being easy to play). Also (surprise), Simple is designed to be compatible with the TWERPS Campaign Books. Go buy them all. General conversion notes are given at the end of the game system. |
| 2. CHARACTER GENERATION |
| A character is what the player uses to interact with the GM's setting or campaign. This is the player's persona in the
campaign and can vary greatly from the player in real-life, i.e. a female player with a male character, an
unatlethic player with a muscular character, etc. The GM should have the creatures and people of his campaign react to the character's actions,
appearance and personality and not the player's. A character is defined by it's attributes, which are numeric representations of the character's innate physical, mental and social abilities, and professions, which are learned additions to the character's inborn abilities. Here is the list of attributes and a short description of each; |
| ATTRIBUTES |
| PROWESS | Endurance, health and strength. Used to attack in Hand to Hand and Melee combat. |
| AGILE | Agility, deftness, dexterity and stuff like that. Used to attack in Ranged and Vehicular combat. |
| INTELLECT | Mental agility, memory, perception and willpower. |
| STYLE | Attractiveness, ability to lead, inspire and control. |
| In general a low number in an attribute is bad and a high number is good, showing lesser and greater inborn ability. To give the players some idea of their relative levels of attributes, an average human would have a value of three (3) in each attribute. The following table shows the approximate relative power levels in a typical campaign; |
| Level of Attribute | Value | Level of Attribute | Value |
| Low | 1 to 2 | High | 5 to 6 |
| Average | 3 to 4 | Super | 7+ |
| Character generation is pretty easy. First get two (2) six sided dice (here after known as d6, with two of them being known as 2d6). Roll the 2d6 and total the result; i.e. if the dice come up 2 and 4 the total would be 6. Looking at the table below, compare the total to get the attribute value. Do this four times, once for each attribute. Arrange the values to suit your idea of your character. |
| ATTRIBUTE VALUE TABLE: |
| DICE TOTAL | 2to4 | 5to6 | 7to8 | 9to10 | 11to12 |
| ATTRIBUTE VALUE | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| PROFESSIONS |
| A character starts with a single Profession, but may purchase addition by reducing Attributes. Each addition Profession costs One (1) Attribute point. Attributes may not be reduced below Two (2). Most Profession may be taken more than once, this being listed on the character's sheet as Warrior/2, Pilot/3, etc. However, a beginning character may not have a Profession higher than Three (3), unless allowed by the GM. A Profession can be almost anything, but should focus on a single subject or small range of subjects. A short list of possible Professions follows (these being Generic in nature and probably usable in most modern-day or futuristic campaign settings); |
| ASTROGATOR | +1 to attempts to determine location and plot courses of items and/or vehicles in space. |
| DRIVER | +1 on vehicular Defense when driving any land vehicle and +1 to any driving/maneuver rolls with same. |
| ENGINEER | +1 to attempts to repair and trouble shoot damaged spaceships/spaceship systems. |
| FLYER | +1 on vehicular Defense when piloting any aircraft, not including spaceships and +1 to any piloting/maneuver tasks with same. |
| GUNNER | +1 ACC with all vehicle mounted weapons. |
| MEDIC | +1 to task rolls to repair injuries and give medical attention. |
| NAVIGATOR | +1 to attempts to determine location and plot courses of persons and/or vehicles on a planet. |
| PILOT | +1 on spaceship's Defense when character is at helm and +1 to any piloting/maneuver rolls with same. |
| RESEARCHER | +1 to research and library use task rolls. |
| SENSOR OPERATOR | +1 to communicator and sensor task rolls. |
| SCIENTIST (type) | +1 to all (type) science-related task rolls. |
| SCOUT | +1 to all survival and tracking task rolls. |
| SPY | +1 to all deception and tailing task rolls. |
| SOLDIER | +1 ACC with any personal weapon. |
| TECHNICIAN | +1 to task attempts to repair and trouble shoot damaged equipment, not including spaceships or spaceship systems. |
| TRADER | +1 to buy and sell items/services or evaluate same. |
| Looking at this list, it's apparent that there are lots of things not covered, such as Miners, Shopkeepers, Farmers, Space Pirates, Computer Hackers, etc. and that a Profession doesn't seem to cover much by itself anyway. Both of these statements are true, BUT... Professions are easy to make. If there is a Profession that you want (or another player wants) make it up! It's as simple as deciding a name and what bonuses it gives you. Here are some quick examples; |
| EXAMPLE 1: Sally (a player in my CorpsWars Campaign) has decided that her character is a hi-tech personal entertainer (i.e. a call girl/geshi) that was trained in conversion, dressing, dancing, party going and seduction. After a few moments of discussion, I decide the Profession will work as follows: JOYGIRL: +1 to task attempts related to seduction and task attempts related to social companionship. This covers everything that she stated and a few other things as well. Note that the somewhat broad wording of "social companionship" covers everything from proper formal dining (using the right fork, etc) to ball room or even square dancing. However, the wording also implies that even though Sally's character could fit into almost any social gathering, she would probably look out of place if not on the arm of a man (or woman) that 'belonged' there. |
| EXAMPLE 2: Mike wants his character to be an ex-marine 'DropTank' pilot. (a DropTank is a fusion powered ground combat vehicle that is dropped from orbit and lands itself, combat ready). Forgetting about the Marine training (which would either SOLDIER or another created Profession, called MARINE), Mike decides that the DROPTANKER profession should focus on piloting the DropTank and using it's weapons. So again, after a few moments of discussion, I decide the Profession will work as follows: DROPTANKER: +1 on vehicular Defense when driving/piloting a DropTank, +1 to any driving/maneuver rolls with same and +1 ACC with any DropTank mounted weapons. Now looking at this skill, you are probably saying something like 'But that combines DRIVER and GUNNER into the same skill! Why wouldn't everybody take DROPTANKER instead!?!' Well calm down and I'll explain. DROPTANKER only works with DropTanks... If mike's character finds an aircar with a PlasmaCannon bolted on it, he doesn't get his +1 ACC or with spaceship mounted weapons, etc. Also, doesn't get his +1 vehicleDefense unless piloting a DropTank (or something very DropTank-like). |
| Look at the Task rolls and Profession use section for more information about Professions. |
| TRAITS |
| Characters must take one trait. This can be a particular habit, preference or noticeable thing about the character. This can be nearly anything, so pick from the short list given or make up your own. If the player wishes, take two additional traits and gain a extra profession or ability. In the course of an adventure a character must display each trait he/she has at least once to gain role-playing experience points (see Experience). |
| SOME POSSIBLE TRAITS; |
| Curious, Friendly, Shy, Loves "x", Talks to self, Stubborn, Gruff, Outgoing, Hates "x", Tuneless whistles, Lazy, Vengeful, Listener, Treacherous, Overbearing, Submissive, Playful, Mysterious, Loyal, Greedy, Responsible, Sentimental, Cheap, Mischievous, Proud |
| 3. THE COMBAT SYSTEM |
| TIME AND DISTANCE The first thing to know about combat is the scale, that is the rate at which time passes and the distance measured by each hex of the map. Time is measured in turns of two seconds. There are thirty turns in a minute and eighteen hundred turns in an hour. Each hex on the tactical map is four meters across or about twelve feet. Characters must either be in the same hex or in an adjacent inch to fight, unless ranged weapons are being used. Up to two "man-sized" characters can be in the same hex. Note that some creatures (and many vehicles) may actually take up more than one hex. |
| THE COMBAT SEQUENCE The next thing to know is the order that things occur in combat, this being know as the Combat Sequence. This is as follows; |
| 1> Determine if either any one is surprised. A character is surprised if he/she was not expecting or prepared for an attack and then was attacked. This is normally the result of ambushes and the like. Note that there are often cases where surprise is not possible due to visibility, surroundings, etc. Characters that are surprised go last on this turn. Surprise only lasts one turn. |
| 2> If there is no surprise, all characters go in order of Prowess, with the highest Prowess going first the next highest second, etc. In the case of ties, the characters than roll 1d6 and highest goes first, etc. |
| 3> The Character that goes first may now take his/her actions. An action is defined as any of the following: |
| FULL MOVE | The character moves up to Prowess in hexes. No attacks or dodge allowed. |
| HALF MOVE | The character moves up to one-half Prowess (round up) in hexes and may make one attack or dodge, before, during or after the move. |
| NO MOVE | The character stays in place and may make up to two attacks or an attack and a dodge. |
| SKILL USE | Certain skills may allow the character to move or even attack while the character is using them. The GM is the one who makes this determination. |
| Characters can only Hand to Hand (HTH) or Melee attack targets in the same hex. Ranged combat is not possible versus a target in the same hex. |
| 4> To hit the character rolls 2d6+PROWESS (if HTH or Melee) or AGILE (if Ranged or Vehicular)-Target's AGILE (if target is aware of the attack)+any of the following modifiers that apply. If the total equal to or greater than NINE (9) the character hits, if less he missed. |
| MODIFIERS | VALUE |
| Attacking target from behind | +1 |
| Attacking from fallen or lower position | -1 |
| Target is in fallen or lower position | +1 |
| Target is bound, immobile or helpless | +3 |
| Target is dodging | -3 |
| Target is larger than man sized | +1 |
| Target is smaller than man sized | -1 |
| For every attacker over 2 | +1 |
| Profession ACC Bonuses | +Value |
| Weapon Accuracy | +/-Value |
| Any Defense Bonuses the target has | -Value |
| Low light, bad weather, etc | -1 |
| No Light or blind, horrible weather, etc | -3 |
| RANGED COMBAT ONLY | VALUE |
| Target is within half of weapon's range | +1 |
| up to range of weapon | +0 |
| beyond range, but within x1.5 range | -1 |
| beyond x1.5 range, up to x2 range | -3 |
| 5> Armor is rated in damage points, which is how many DP can be stopped per turn, i.e. If a character is wearing 3DP armor and hit for an attack that does 2DP, he takes no damage. If in the SAME TURN he is again hit for 2DP, he would take 1DP of wounds, since the earlier attack had reduced his armor's DP. Armor's DP is reset the beginning of each turn. |
| 6> Wound damage is divided into Bruising and Lethal. Bruising is more likely to just knock you out, where as Lethal is...well, lethal. A character can take a maximum of five (5) Bruising damage, with anything over 5 counting as Lethal. |
| When a character takes damage, make the following roll: 1d6+PRO-(Damage taken this attack)=total. |
| - If the total is 1 or less the character goes unconscious unable to do anything for 1d6 minutes |
| - If the total is 2 the character is stunned and falls to the ground unable to do anything for 2d6 turns |
| - If the total is 3 to 4 the character is stunned and falls to the ground unable to do anything for 1d6 turns |
| - If the total is 5 or greater than the character is able to continue as normal |
| Basically the character is ok until he gets to five (5) WOUNDS at which point he goes unconscious.
At WOUNDS six (6) or more the character is dieing (if lethal damage) or very unconscious (if
bruising). In most campaigns, a dieing character can be saved or stabilized with a Medic skill roll (or equivalent). This can also be used to waken unconscious characters. |
| Damage of weapons: Fists/kicks do one (1) WOUNDS bruising, a small knife would do one (1) lethal, a large knife/dagger or small caliber handgun/rifle would do two (2) lethal, an axe, sword or medium caliber handgun/rife would do three (3) lethal. Four (4) lethal and above would be military grade weapon damage: Lt Machinegun (4), Heavy Machinegun (5), Tank Gun (8), etc. Explosive weapons have a area effect and do a random damage amount, i.e., grenade 1d6, 1hex. |
| Note that the GM may rule that certain weapons/ attack types leave big bloody, bleeding holes in the character causing the character to roll 4 or higher on 1d6+PRO per turn or gain another WOUNDS, until the character gets medical aid. |
| 3. ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE TABLE |
|
Character will sometimes be in injured or even killed by the effects of the environment. Things such as Disease, Poison, Falling of cliffs and Drowning are all environmental, in addition to walking in a desert without water or being in the artic with shorts (this is know as stupid, err.. I mean Exposure). All damage listed is bruising. |
| TYPE OF EFFECT | DAMAGE |
| Poison (weak) | 1 per minute. |
| Poison (strong) | 1 per turn. |
| Disease (weak) | 1 per day. |
| Disease (strong) | 1 per hour. |
| Electrocution (weak) | 1 per 5turns. |
| Electrocution (strong) | 1 per turn. |
| Exposure (weak) | 1 per day. |
| Exposure (strong) | 1 per hour. |
| Drowning/ No Air | 1 per 5turns. |
| Falling | 1 per 2hexes/ 8meters. |
| Impact | 1 per 200Kg. |
| 4. TASK ROLLS AND PROFESSION USE |
|
When a character uses a non-combat skill, the difficulty of the task determines the Difficulty Value that must be equaled or beaten on 2d6+Attribute+Profession Bonus. The difficulty value can be modified by other conditions at the time of the character's attempt (see the table below). |
| DIFFICULT VALUE TABLE |
| DIFFICULTY LEVEL | RANGE | AVERAGE |
| Easy | 8 - 10 | 9 |
| Normal | 11 - 13 | 12 |
| Hard | 14 - 16 | 15 |
| Impossible | 17+ | (?) |
| Some other possible modifiers to difficulty value; |
| Lack of Tools | +1 |
| Lack of Materials | +1 |
| During Combat/ Very difficult Conditions | +1 |
| Related Profession instead of correct one | +1 |
| Distantly Related Profession instead " " | +2 |
| No applicable Skill w/ Task | +3 |
| 5. GENERAL CONVERSION NOTES FOR TWERPS |