Copyright 2004 Robert Fisher
Note: This is a untested first draft.
This is a simple, minimalistic roleplaying system. It is quite flexible. It can handle any genre. It can be grimly realistic or heroically cinematic or humorously cartoonish. It is really only limited by the capabilites of the judge. It is founded on the assumption that most rules can be replaced by reason, common sense, and imagination. It really is little more than a jargon for describing characters and action resolution.
These guidelines assume the reader is already familar with roleplaying games and the terminology thereof: players, characters, judge, and d%.
The name? It's Latin for judgements.
Each character has seven attributes:
Each attribute is rated on a 1 to 10 scale. Human average is 5. A player gets 49 points to distribute among his character's attributes.
Characters also have careers. Players may choose any careers appropriate to the setting and the character. A character's mastery of a career is measured on the following scale:
The number in parentheses is the experience point cost of each career level. An "of age" adult will generally have 10 experience points. The judge will determine how many experience points a younger character receives.
Fantasy careers: soldier, guard, knight, magician, priest, monk, friar, blacksmith, cooper, miller, witch.
Wild west careers: lawman, cowboy, indian, gambler.
Modern careers: bounty hunter, fireman, photographer, playboy-philanthropist, policeman, private investigator, professor, reporter, spy, stuntman.
Space opera careers: pilot, marine, gropo, merchant, navigator, engineer, doctor.
Each character also gets three fate points. Use of these points is described later.
The player should answer the following questions for his character. They are designed to aid both the player and the judge in fleshing out the character. In these questions, you refers to the character.
When describing his character's actions, the player should indicate not only what the character does, but also the character's intent. Players are encouraged to suggest how the character's attributes and careers would contribute to the success of the action.
In some cases, the judge may decide dice must be rolled to determine success or failure. Considering the character's attributes, careers, and the situation; the judge determines the percentage chance of success. The player then rolls d%. If the result is less than or equal to the chance of success, the action is successful.
Note that there are no formulas or tables of modifiers for determining the chance of success. It is entirely up to the judge to determine based on his own reasoning, intuition, common sense, the situation, and the character's abilities.
In many cases, the judge will determine the outcome of a character's action without calling for a roll. In some cases, the judge may roll in secret rather than having the player roll.
A character may spend a fate point in order to automatically succeed at a task. The player must, however, provide an explaination for this uncommon bit of luck.
At the end of each session or adventure, if the characters have accomplished the goals of the session or adventure, the judge may award each character one fate point. Additional fate points may be awarded for exceptional play.
If a character chooses to dedicate some time to improving within one of his careers, the judge may award additional experience points. The recommended rate is 1 point per year, assuming the character is studying in his spare time. Dedicating more time to studying should earn experience points more rapidly.
Note that experience points in this game are not meant to be rewards. That's the role of fate points.