For those players who are disturbed by the idea of selecting a skill or attribute at a beginner’s level of competency due to the perceived stigma attached to not being an expert in all things, and for those GMs who haven’t the heart to describe a player’s failures in negative terms, I offer the following optional trait ladder scientifically designed to remove the taint of merely fair performances, general mediocrity, poor self image, and consequences deemed “terrible.” Instead, all trait levels are specially chosen to encourage positive reinforcement and cushion the trauma of disappointment. In fact, I predict the next step in the evolution of role-playing will be to eliminate the possibility of failure entirely! Won’t that be exciting?
The Positive Reinforcement Trait Ladder
| Fudge Traits | # | Happy Positive Traits :-) |
|---|---|---|
| Superb | +3 | Magnificent! |
| Great | +2 | Super! |
| Good | +1 | Great! |
| Fair | 0 | Excellent! |
| Mediocre | -1 | Good! |
| Poor | -2 | Fine! |
| Terrible | -3 | Acceptable! |
Alternatively, for those who have difficulty memorizing words, I present…
The Good Trait Ladder
| Fudge Traits | # | Good Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Superb | +3 | Good!!! |
| Great | +2 | Good!! |
| Good | +1 | Good! |
| Fair | 0 | Good |
| Mediocre | -1 | Goood |
| Poor | -2 | Gooood |
| Terrible | -3 | Goooood |
As you can see, there is only one word in this trait ladder, modified upwards by adding exclamation points and downwards by adding vowels. In play, exclamation points are vocalized by increasing volume accordingly, and additional vowels are expressed by lengthening the word as it is spoken. It is nothing if not Goooood.
[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 30 August 2011.]
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