When you want to do things, you’ll usually make an Ability Roll. This post describes the basics of rolls.
There are two main roll types: Task, and Conflict. This post focuses on Task rolls.
Which Dice to Roll?
There are two different rolls a GM may choose, but the rest of the system works exactly the same.
- If the GM wants a game that is consistent, where randomness is reduced, roll 4dF (four fudge dice).
- If the GM wants a more chaotic, random game, roll 1d6-1d6.
In both cases, you get a positive or a negative number. For positive numbers, count ranks up the ladder. So Fair -> Good -> Great -> Superb ->Spectacular
For negative numbers, the result is Poor – you lose. But it’s often important to know how much you lose. Remove the negative sign, look at the ladder, and that is degree of success the difficulty gets against you.
Zero is considered Fair, so +2 is Great. A -2 result therefore means your opponent gets a Great success against you, or you suffer a Great defeat.
Simulating An Opposed Roll
In Fudge and fate and similar games, you roll 4 fudge dice (4dF) and so does your opponent, and you compare successes. This is identical to if one person rolled 8dF and the other did not roll.
As it happens, the odds of 1d6-1d6 is extremely close to that of 8dF (at least within the +4-4 range, which is 95% of rolls). So, you can use 1d6-1d6 to simulate an opposed roll and keep basically the same odds.
Legendary and Terrible Results
You can only get a Legendary result if you roll the maximum possible roll on the die, and you still need to roll high enough so your starting Ability rank must be at least Fair. You can only get a Terrible result if you roll the minimum possible value on the dice, and your starting Rank must be no higher than Fair.
Only Players Roll
There are times the GM might roll dice, but when a PC is attempting something, whether to achieve a goal or to block someone else from a goal (like, trying to avoid being hit), the player rolls.
Since most rolls are opposed, and 1d6-1d6 can simulate an opposed roll, that’s what we usually use.
If the opponent is better than average, a penalty applies to this roll based on the Ability of the target. For example, if the target is Good (very common), apply -1. If Great, -2, and if Superb -3.
Spectacular opposition is very rare and would be -4. If the opposition is Poor, no roll is usually needed – just add 1 to the PCs rank and that’s the outcome.
Tasks or Conflict
When a player says they want their character to do something, it is a task by default. The GM decides if there is opposition, and sets an appropriate rank to give a modifier, then the player rolls. The player may choose to spend Aspects, use Extras or Powers to alter than final result, but once a rank is settled on, it is kept.
No rerolls are usually allowed at that time. Your one roll is important!
Suitable goals generally aren’t things like, “I want to climb this wall,” or “I want to pick this lock.” Instead, they should be things like, “I want to get past this wall,” or “I want to get through this door.”
This allows the player and the GM some flexibility. Do they try to climb the wall or pick the lock, or do they try to disguise themselves among the servants entering the grounds (passing the wall), or intimidate the guard to unlock the door for them?
Players have some flexibility on how they achieve any goal. But they may jump straight to a task, and leave the GM to figure out what their goal was.
- Player: “I try to climb this wall”
- GM: “Oh, they wanted to get into the castle grounds.”
When there is any doubt, clarify it with the PC.
Conflict and Advancement
At any time before the roll, the GM can declare, “This is a conflict.” The GM has rules for conflict, but likely more than one roll is needed, and you’ll need to defend yourself and any teammates are likely pulled into the chaos (and have conflicts of their own to deal with).
The system for this is described elsewhere.
Task Consequences
When you fail to achieve a Task, you either suffer a consequence of some sort, or make a second roll to against the same difficulty. If you fail this roll, you might be out of action in some fitting way for the rest of the scene. Maybe you fall from that wall, breaking something when you land, or the guard summons more of his number and you are forced to flee the lock.
If the outcome is Fair, it is a partial or complicated success. You succeed with some kind of drawback – the GM is encouraged to use their imagination. But you always succeed the overall goal.
Helping An Ally
When two or more people pool their actions on a single goal, and it is the kind of goal where they reasonably could benefit from help, take the best roll as the outcome. Anyone who rolled worse than Fair is considered to have pushed themselves too hard and they suffer Stress (or maybe make a follow-up roll of some kind to avert Stress or a Condition, depending on the GM’s assessment of the situation).
