Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Oct 2, 2022 18:06:54 GMT -5
Here's an update on S.T.A.G.E. version 2. This is my attempt at a minimal rules rpg. I got a little bit of motivation earlier and it started flowing. It's not "perfect" yet but it's closer to what I envisioned. I still need to work on the GM section. I'm hoping the core will be one page front and back when complete but it may spill over into a third page. After that, I'm going to try my hand at some supplements for fantasy and a few other genres. As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated. The details are below.
Simple Tabletop Adventure Gaming Engine
working draft as of 10/2/2002
Introduction
The size of rule books has increased in recent years. All of that information is great if it suits your tastes, but it isn’t necessary for a satisfying game experience. S.T.A.G.E. is an attempt to focus on moving the story forward and maximizing play time rather than double checking rules.
Everything in this document should be considered as just a guideline; if it doesn’t work for your group, change it. I also suggest that somewhat experienced role-players use this game because it relies more on trust between the players and gamemaster in contrast to the rules of a traditional role-playing game system.
The System
The underlying system behind S.T.A.G.E. is a simple dice mechanic. Any time you need to determine success, you roll a D6 with the goal of rolling high. If you are in a contest with another character, then the higher roll wins. If you are performing an uncontested task, then you just need to roll higher than the difficulty set or rolled by the gamemaster. There may be things that modify this process – such as rolling extra dice, applying a modifier, or rolling a different sided die – and these will be detailed later in these rules.
Characters
Before you can play in a game of S.T.A.G.E. you must create a character. In contrast to other games that require you to select from a list of options, roll dice, or spend points to determine your capabilities, S.T.A.G.E. simply asks you to describe your character.
You can begin with the name of your character. After naming your character you need to list three facts about your character; these facts are typically race, occupation, and some sort of secret connected to your character. This information may or may not have an in-game effect and will be touched on below.
Your character’s race is usually used to list background information but some gamemasters may choose to use it to affect the game. For instance, in a fantasy campaign the GM may decide that your Orc character rolls a D8 on strength contests or gets a +1 to strength rolls.
Your character’s occupation is a broad label for what they do in the world. The possibilities are numerous but try to keep it appropriate to the game the gamemaster is running. Again, your occupation may not have any “real effect” on the game, but it might. For instance, the gamemaster might determine that your warrior knows how to ride horses and upkeep armor and weapons in a fantasy world.
Next, you write down a secret about your character. As long as the gamemaster approves, your character’s secret can be whatever you wish but try to keep it in the spirit of your game. For instance, your warrior character might be studying with a mage in his spare time to learn a bit of magic. The gamemaster could allow him to cast a spell or two, or to have a chance of knowing some magical fact that will help out on a mission.
Your character begins play with three boons that allow you to roll 2D6 on a task related to that boon and keep the highest die. There is no long list of boons to choose from but almost anything that could be considered a skill, or some type of specialized training could work. For example, a first aid boon could apply for healing, or a driving boon could apply to outmaneuvering the bad guys in a car chase.
Finally, every character starts with a bane before starting the game. You can think of banes as the opposite of boons because that’s exactly how they work. Instead of keeping the highest D6 on a 2D6 roll, you will keep the lowest scoring D6 for your result. For example, using the “bad driver” bane would result in a disadvantage when trying to outmaneuver the bad guys in a car chase.
Rank
A character’s rank is used to show the expertise of the character. All characters begin play with a rank of 0 representing a minimal amount of experience in their field. When the gamemaster is satisfied with the progress of your character then you may be rewarded with an increase in rank. This increase of rank allows a +1 bonus to rolls related to the occupation of the character.
Health
Your character’s health represents their life points in S.T.A.G.E. and every character begins play with 6 points. Each time a character suffers a hit, one point is subtracted from the total. At 3 points remaining, the character suffers other side effects from being wounded such as a -1 to their normal rolls and losing the additional D6 on rolls related to health and physical activity.
Other Details
Of course, there are more details to your character than the information previously listed. This basic game system will not list all the variable options available but leave it up to the players and the gamemaster to work together to ensure it fits the game.
It is assumed that your character has the typical equipment that a character of his experience and stature would have available. As always, keep it appropriate and allow for character growth. Don’t have a warrior start with the best armor and weapons available.
Simple Tabletop Adventure Gaming Engine
working draft as of 10/2/2002
Introduction
The size of rule books has increased in recent years. All of that information is great if it suits your tastes, but it isn’t necessary for a satisfying game experience. S.T.A.G.E. is an attempt to focus on moving the story forward and maximizing play time rather than double checking rules.
Everything in this document should be considered as just a guideline; if it doesn’t work for your group, change it. I also suggest that somewhat experienced role-players use this game because it relies more on trust between the players and gamemaster in contrast to the rules of a traditional role-playing game system.
The System
The underlying system behind S.T.A.G.E. is a simple dice mechanic. Any time you need to determine success, you roll a D6 with the goal of rolling high. If you are in a contest with another character, then the higher roll wins. If you are performing an uncontested task, then you just need to roll higher than the difficulty set or rolled by the gamemaster. There may be things that modify this process – such as rolling extra dice, applying a modifier, or rolling a different sided die – and these will be detailed later in these rules.
Characters
Before you can play in a game of S.T.A.G.E. you must create a character. In contrast to other games that require you to select from a list of options, roll dice, or spend points to determine your capabilities, S.T.A.G.E. simply asks you to describe your character.
You can begin with the name of your character. After naming your character you need to list three facts about your character; these facts are typically race, occupation, and some sort of secret connected to your character. This information may or may not have an in-game effect and will be touched on below.
Your character’s race is usually used to list background information but some gamemasters may choose to use it to affect the game. For instance, in a fantasy campaign the GM may decide that your Orc character rolls a D8 on strength contests or gets a +1 to strength rolls.
Your character’s occupation is a broad label for what they do in the world. The possibilities are numerous but try to keep it appropriate to the game the gamemaster is running. Again, your occupation may not have any “real effect” on the game, but it might. For instance, the gamemaster might determine that your warrior knows how to ride horses and upkeep armor and weapons in a fantasy world.
Next, you write down a secret about your character. As long as the gamemaster approves, your character’s secret can be whatever you wish but try to keep it in the spirit of your game. For instance, your warrior character might be studying with a mage in his spare time to learn a bit of magic. The gamemaster could allow him to cast a spell or two, or to have a chance of knowing some magical fact that will help out on a mission.
Your character begins play with three boons that allow you to roll 2D6 on a task related to that boon and keep the highest die. There is no long list of boons to choose from but almost anything that could be considered a skill, or some type of specialized training could work. For example, a first aid boon could apply for healing, or a driving boon could apply to outmaneuvering the bad guys in a car chase.
Finally, every character starts with a bane before starting the game. You can think of banes as the opposite of boons because that’s exactly how they work. Instead of keeping the highest D6 on a 2D6 roll, you will keep the lowest scoring D6 for your result. For example, using the “bad driver” bane would result in a disadvantage when trying to outmaneuver the bad guys in a car chase.
Rank
A character’s rank is used to show the expertise of the character. All characters begin play with a rank of 0 representing a minimal amount of experience in their field. When the gamemaster is satisfied with the progress of your character then you may be rewarded with an increase in rank. This increase of rank allows a +1 bonus to rolls related to the occupation of the character.
Health
Your character’s health represents their life points in S.T.A.G.E. and every character begins play with 6 points. Each time a character suffers a hit, one point is subtracted from the total. At 3 points remaining, the character suffers other side effects from being wounded such as a -1 to their normal rolls and losing the additional D6 on rolls related to health and physical activity.
Other Details
Of course, there are more details to your character than the information previously listed. This basic game system will not list all the variable options available but leave it up to the players and the gamemaster to work together to ensure it fits the game.
It is assumed that your character has the typical equipment that a character of his experience and stature would have available. As always, keep it appropriate and allow for character growth. Don’t have a warrior start with the best armor and weapons available.