Fudge (RPG)

[SA]

Does anyone here use Fudge, or the Fudge version of FATE?

I recently started using the latter in a Warhammer 40K campaign and I'll tell you what, I don't think I'll ever be using another system again.

[Neubert]

I haven't tried it, but I am always interested in new systems. Can you give me the basic rundown of how it works? :)

[SA]

Sure thing.  Basically, the system uses four special d6's, two sides having plus (+) signs on the face, two having minus (-) signs and two being blank.  All four dice are rolled at once, and the result is determined by how many pluses, minuses and blank dice you have.

For example, a (+) (-) (-) (O) result would be a -1 (one plus and minus cancel each other out and the blank dice is ignored).  (+)(+)(-)(-) is 0, (-)(+)(+)(+) is +2 and so on.

If you don't have the special crazy fudge dice, you can just use regular d6's, calling 5 and 6 plus, 1 and 2 minus. (I only count the 6's as plus and the 1's as minus, which makes results less random)

In Fate, skills have a value on the following scale (there are no ability scores):

6  Legendary
5  Epic
4  Superb
3  Great
2  Good
1  Fair
0  Average
-1 Mediocre
-2 Poor
-3 Terrible
-4 Abysmal

(Though in standard Fudge there is no Abysmal, Average, or Epic, and Fair is the '0' value)

To perform a contested action simply roll the 4d6 or 4dF (4dFudge) and add the result to your skill.

As an example:

Inquisitor Thullas swings his power sword at the renegade Commissar Bayne.  He rolls his sword skill and gets (-++O=+1) for a total of Superb; Bayne rolls a terribly unlucky (--OO=-2) for a total of Fair and gets cut in half.

That's really the system in a nutshell.  For the rest, you'll have to follow the links.

[Wensleydale]

'Bayne rolls a terribly unlucky (--OO=-2) for a total of Fair and gets cut in half.' - Is that two minuses there? They've merged if so.

This looks interesting, I'll comment more later.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

I've looked at it, and my problem is that I can't figure out how to do special powers.  They give three systems in the free rules, but I still don't get it.

[snakefing]

Well, FUDGE is intended to be pretty free-form, so a lot of the time you'd just let characters create their own special powers and treat them as Gifts. Or the GM might define a system or structure that fits his or her campaign world.

For example, you might define a skill "Psi Power" which defaults to Terrible for most characters. Characters that want to use Psi would have to improve this, plus choose one or more Gifts that let them manifest their Psi abilities. Thus a character with Precog gift and Psi Power=Fair would be able to manifest their gift weakly, but if she improves her Psi Power to Good she'd be able to manifest it more strongly.

If desired, the GM could really lay out a whole set of Gifts, typical applications of each Gift at each level of Psi Power, and some kind of cost system. Or you could just wing it loosey-goosey, depending on the kind of game you wanted.

Generally I think FUDGE approach works best if you like the looser, less constrained approach. Working out the details can be a lot of work, and if you want that kind of detail you might prefer a system where someone has done that work for you.

[snakefing]

An aside: I've met Steffan O'Sullivan and he has a pretty unique take on RPG's. He's definitely the type who would rather play Bunnies and Burrows (or Steffan's own remarks here) rather than Dungeons and Dragons. So that might give you some insight into what he was trying to accomplish with FUDGE.

[Midgardsormr]

I participated in some development discussion on Fudge many years ago, and I've used it from time to time since then. If you'd like to take a look at how a psi system might look with Fudge rules, take a look here:  http://www.bryanray.name/sic/psionics.htm (Please forgive the MS Frontpage theme--I was young and dumb.)

I took what I liked from White Wolf's Mage and filtered it through a typical soft sci-fi psionics concept. It's too bad I never actually got to run that game.  Someday, perhaps.

A system like that could be made a lot more rigid to keep powergamers under control, or even relaxed a bit for more freeform games.  I could see doing something similar for super powers or magic or a number of other things.  The trouble with Fudge is that it takes a lot of work up front by the GM to set up the system, but its advantages are its immense flexibility and its ease of play for new players.

Anyway, if you want any clarification, feel free to ask.