Simplicity Equals Power

Fudge is simple. Simplicity is, in fact, its chief strength. Its simplicity is key to fulfilling one of its major design goals: to be "a vehicle for good role-playing" as opposed to rule-playing (see Steffan O'Sullivan's Fudge Designer's Notes). The crux of understanding Fudge and taking full advantage of its strengths is the proper use of the "single, easy to remember, non-chart-bound game mechanic to handle all actions that need resolution" at its core. How one approaches and implements this rule will affect how easy it will be to learn, teach, and play the game.

It all begins with the trait ladder. The trait ladder can be altered to suit one's taste, but for the purpose of this demonstration, let us concern ourselves with the trait ladder offered in the rules:

Superb
Great
Good
Fair
Mediocre
Poor
Terrible

Traits, whether they are attributes or skills, are rated with an adjective on the trait ladder above. Ordinarily, a character performs according to his or her trait level. If, however, there are extenuating circumstances that render an action more or less challenging, then the GM can require the player to make a roll. Fudge dice, when used in an attribute roll or skill roll, modify the character's trait level. That is, one's trait level denotes one's average performance under ordinary conditions. The dice result modifies this to produce one's performance under other conditions (the rolled degree).

What this means in play is that a player reads his or her attribute or skill level on the character sheet, locates that level on the trait ladder, and moves up or down on the ladder in accordance with the result of the dice roll (anywhere from -4 to +4). If Player Character A has Good Coordination and rolls +1 on 4dF (four Fudge dice), then the character performed one level better than Good: Great. If the same player rolled -3, then the character performed three levels worse than Good: Poor. All of this can be done without thought of mathematics, which means it is easier to stay in character and easier to focus on the adventure.

Knowing the difference between two rolled degrees in an opposed action (the relative degree) requires a minimum of math. Merely count all the levels between the low rolled degree and the high rolled degree including the high rolled degree. That's the relative degree. For example, in a duel, Player Character A is Great at Fencing and Player Character B is Fair. Player A rolls 0 for a rolled degree of Great. Player B rolls -1 for a rolled degree of Mediocre. Starting at Mediocre and counting up to Great, the relative degree is 3. There is no addition or subtraction required, just the ability to count. There may be minimal math if one adds the relative degree to an offensive damage modifier (weapon strength) and subtracts a defensive damage modifier (armor) to arrive at a number that corresponds to a wound level, but even this is optional, and in any event it would be the GM's job to calculate (or fudge), not the player's.

The elegance of this core game mechanic and its power to produce results without the intrusion of out-of-character game terminology is what makes it the best role-playing game to introduce to prospective role-players as well as veteran gamers who want to spend their scarce free time actually role-playing rather than flipping through rule books.

Some like to dispense with the adjectives and resort to using numbers only (i.e. Terrible is -3, Fair is 0, Superb is +3, etc.). The problem with this is that they lose sight of what the game mechanic is meant to achieve. Instead of using the roll to modify a trait, they use the trait to modify the roll. At that point, all rolls become, in fact, situational rolls, and all traits are reduced to being mere modifiers instead of values in their own right.* Aside from the unnecessary imposition of calculations, there is nothing added to the game. It doesn't make the game faster or easier. It does, however, detract from role-playing. I am not one to infringe on anyone's right to play the game any way they like, but it makes it less Fudge to me, and it fails to play to the game's greatest strengths. At its best, Fudge is the most accessible role-playing game ever devised, and that is because it was designed from the beginning to facilitate role-playing by eliminating or minimizing anything that distracted one from the role-playing experience itself. New players instinctively grasp the concepts behind the core game mechanic. Confusing situational rolls with trait rolls unnecessarily complicates a simple (and effective) mechanic and risks frustrating new players. Embrace adjectives! (They're Superb.)


* Situational rolls are meant to determine events that are unaffected by the actions of player characters or are only minimally affected. The GM rolls 4dF, optionally applies some modifiers based on the situation, and reads the result as a rolled degree. (See 3.1 Action Resolution Terms and 3.7 NPC Reactions.)