Painting Characters in Broad Strokes (Part 2)

[This article originally appeared in 2010 in Fudgerylog, the blog connected to my defunct Fudgery.net site. (Read Part 1.)]

In Part 1, I suggested a method for creating the supporting cast—whether player characters or non-player characters—in a Fudge game adapted from television shows or movies, but there is another method that has been part of the rules since the 1995 edition, and that is the Alternate Section on Character Creation by Ed Heil. In this method, none of the attributes or skills are listed until a situation arises during play when a player must decide whether to use a trait and allocate the necessary levels from his starting pool of levels or refrain from using the trait. The character begins as little more than a description of one or two sentences and a skill level pool (which may also be traded in the traditional manner for attributes or gifts if so desired). Given the sketchiness with which most characters are initially defined in television and cinema, this would seem to be an ideal method of character creation. Characters in these media often evolve as a show progresses, revealing skills and background details the audience didn’t know they possessed (and which probably didn’t even exist until a particular story required them). In a show such as classic Doctor Who, even Companions rarely seem to begin as more than a couple sentences’ worth of description. For my own purposes, however, a compromise might be more effective.

In my current Whovian project, Classic Doctor Who: The Unofficial Role-Playing Game, I will be presenting multiple character creation options, and this will probably be one of them. Companions may begin with a brief description and 3 free levels to be distributed amongst the following attributes: Strength, Stamina, Coordination, Intellect, Willpower, and Charisma. They may choose 1 gift, with further gifts costing an equal number of faults. They will have a skill level pool of perhaps 30 free skill levels that may be distributed or held in reserve or traded for attributes or gifts (or any combination thereof). This makes adapting characters from the original show especially easy. Instead of inventing abilities for Barbara Wright that she never demonstrated in the show, we can simply assign her some skill levels in Teaching, History, and Negotiation, and the rest will be the hands of the player who role-plays her in the game. Who knows what other abilities she may reveal in the course of an adventure? This could make playing an existing Companion just as interesting as creating one’s own.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 6 October 2010.]

Painting Characters in Broad Strokes (Part 1)

[This article originally appeared in 2010 in Fudgerylog, the blog connected to my defunct Fudgery.net site. (Read Part 2.)]

Here is another option for character traits in a cinematic Fudge game. Some genres, especially those adapted from movies or television shows, do not lend themselves to detailed descriptions of a character’s specific skills. Any attempt to adapt such characters to a role-playing game with an extensive list of skills would require the designer to resort to guesswork in order to make the character "whole" and ready to play. The problem with this approach, apart from the necessity of invoking poetic license, is that most characters in these media are notable not so much for the skills they use, but the decisions they make. This is especially apparent with the majority of the Doctor’s companions on Doctor Who (which I am currently attempting to adapt). Non-player characters, too, of any genre, typically need only the barest of details to fulfill their functions. What is the best way to describe such characters with an economy of traits?

Taking a cue from another role-playing game I hold in high esteem, Sherpa, one possible answer is to discard skills completely and rely on a combination of attributes and attributes-as-occupations. Sherpa has the following attributes in order of importance (according to the author, Steffan O’Sullivan): Profession, Experience, Reasoning, Agility, Strength, and Health. The first two attributes are not the usual inherent characteristics one expects to find, but are actually embodiments of large clusters of skills. Profession must be specified by the player, and this attribute covers all the skills logically related to it. Profession (Knight), for instance, would include such pertinent skills as Riding, Jousting, Swordsmanship, Heraldry, Tactics, Court Etiquette, etc. Experience is an attribute that includes all of the other skills a character has gained in life unrelated to Profession. In Fudge, it is simply a matter of determining some standard attributes for all characters and allowing players to designate one or more occupational attributes. As per the standard rules, the GM might allocate a number of free levels equal to half the total number of attributes to be distributed by the players as they choose.

For my own projects, I think I would rename Profession and Experience as Vocation and Avocation (as in Quasi-Standard Descriptive Traits for Sherpa). I would allow up to four Vocations and/or Avocations in any combination, but each one must be specified. (In my games, Vocations and Avocations are functionally identical, but are differentiated for the sake of describing which attributes are, or have been, professional occupations vs. amateur interests.) The rest of the attributes would be Strength, Stamina, Coordination, Intellect, Willpower, and Charisma. The default attribute level for player characters and extraordinary non-player characters is Fair. The default attribute level for ordinary non-player characters is Mediocre. Characters with four vocational/avocational attributes and the usual six inherent attributes would have 5 free levels to distribute amongst them and may further increase some attributes by lowering others. Any character attempting to use a skill not encompassed by one of his Vocations or Avocations has a default level to be determined by the GM based on her assessment of the skill’s difficulty, i.e. Easy skills have a default level of Mediocre, Average skills of Poor, Hard skills of Terrible, and Very Hard skills of Nonexistent. Apart from this, Vocations and Avocations function in all other ways as normal attributes.

This is one option I will probably include in Classic Doctor Who: The Unofficial Role-Playing Game for creating Companions and non-player characters. There is another option I like, however, which I will describe next time.

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net/fudgerylog on 5 October 2010.]

Random Attribute Generation for Fudge

Sometimes it is more fun to let chance dictate the attributes of a player character or non-player character rather than settling for default trait levels. Fudge has its own official suggestions for Random Character Creation with attributes generated via 2d6. Having started the hobby with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and Expert Set c. 1981, however, I have a preference for the values generated via 3d6. This would yield the following results:

3d6	Fudge
18	Superb
16-17	Great
13-15	Good
9-12	Fair
6-8	Mediocre
4-5	Poor
3	Terrible

This is fine for standard Fudge, but if mediocrity is the baseline, I think the following might be more useful:

3d6	Fudge
18	Superb
16-17	Great
13-15	Good
11-12	Fair
6-10	Mediocre
4-5	Poor
3	Terrible

Elementary Fudge: Character Creation

My journey with Fudge has ultimately been about simplification, and I think this "build" may represent its final destination. Perhaps. Time and playtesting will tell. This is the character creation process I would like to implement in future Fudge sessions. It it proves playable, I intend to expand it with rules pertaining to character development.

The reader will note that this version (tentatively entitled Elementary Fudge) does away with point distribution, trait lists, and divisions between attributes and skills. Instead of attributes and skills, characters have descriptors, which are similar to professions or classes in other role-playing games. They are broad traits limited only by the player's imagination and the GM's approval. Since there are no attributes to serve as the basis for resistance or avoidance rolls, an appropriate descriptor may be substituted. If no descriptor is appropriate, the standard default trait level is Mediocre.

This is a first draft, of course.

The Character Creation Procedure

Step One: Descriptors

List four descriptors at the following trait levels: one at Great, one at Good, one at Fair, and one at Poor. Any descriptor not listed is assumed to be Mediocre. (A descriptor is a trait in the form of an occupation, whether it is a vocation, an avocation, or simply a notable aspect of one's persona. It is always a noun, but it may include one or more adjectives.)

Alternatively, list six descriptors as follows: one at Superb, one at Great, one at Good, one at Fair, one at Poor, and one at Terrible.

The third option is simply to list three descriptors at Fair.

It should be noted that any descriptor assigned a trait level of Poor or Terrible ought to have as significant an impact on a character as a Great or Superb descriptor. If such a descriptor is comparatively trivial, then the GM may assume it is intended as a hook or complication and treat it accordingly.

Step Two: Advantages and Disadvantages

List one or more advantages (with GM approval) and an equal number of disadvantages. Advantages and disadvantages ought to be of equivalent power, but a strong advantage may be balanced by several weaker disadvantages or vice versa. (Advantages and disadvantages are the same as gifts and faults.)

Step Three: Motivations

List one or more motivations. This gives the GM some guidance about the sort of goals and challenges that would interest the player and/or character.

As an example, a character might look like this:

Charlotte Chevalier, Reporter

Ambitious and Resourceful Reporter: Great

Crack Shot: Good

Daredevil Driver/Aviatrix: Fair

Enthusiastic Dancer: Poor

 

Advantages: Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper

Disadvantages: Recklessly Brave

Motivations: To Show Up Her Disapproving Prominent Family; To Get the Scoop of the Century

Exceptional Traits Remixed

This article is a slight correction to the way I was thinking about traits in Exceptional Traits for Fudge. Two of the sample characters, initially described in Descriptive Traits for Sherpa and Quasi-Descriptive Traits for Sherpa, have wording that makes less sense in Fudge. Charlotte Chevalier, for example, has Sharp as a Tack (Mind): Good for one trait. "Sharp as a Tack" is a loose description of a trait and its level — not a trait in and of itself. For better clarity, I would list the traits of these two characters in the following manner:

Charlotte Chevalier, Reporter (15 levels allocated)

Reporter: Great ("Ambitious")

Aviatrix: Great ("Daredevil")

Marksmanship: Great

Driver: Fair

Mind: Good ("Sharp as a Tack")

Body: Fair ("Tough Cookie")

Spirit: Great ("Sassy and Irrepressible")

Reflexes: Poor ("Klutzy")

 

Advantages: Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper, Press Pass

Disadvantages: Obsessed with Dance (and Has Two Left Feet), Recklessly Brave

Complications: Her Prominent Family's Disapproval of Her Lifestyle

Motivations: To Show Up Her Family, To Get the Scoop of the Century

---

Oliver Rath, Police Detective (15 levels allocated)

Police Detective: Great

Boxer: Good

Poker Player: Good

Driver: Good

Mind: Great ("Like a Steel Trap")

Body: Good ("Tough as a Boot")

Spirit: Poor ("World Weary")

Reflexes: Good ("Agile When He Needs to Be")

 

Advantages: Photographic Memory, Law Enforcement Authority

Disadvantages: Lives in a Bad Neighborhood, Coffee Addiction

Complications: Is a Widower with Two Children

Motivations: To Provide for His Children, To Be the Best Damned Cop He Can Be

The descriptions are optional. Some trait/level combinations lend themselves easily to descriptions; some do not. The choice, as always, is yours.

[Edit: Upon re-examining the other sample characters, I noticed they, too, could benefit from this minor alteration (perhaps with the exception of Sam Turnstile).]

Always Judge a Role-Playing Game by Its Character Creation Rules

I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I can't help judging a role-playing game by its character creation rules. If I feel that character creation is boring, too long, or otherwise a chore, I question how much enjoyment I could possibly derive from the rest of the game. Character creation ought to be a joy, an adventure in itself. Here is my character! I can't wait to role-play this being! I can't wait to pursue X, Y, and Z!

I won't delve at length into the kind of character creation that reminds me more of homework than heroics (GURPS). In fact, I'll leave it at that.

There are two kinds of character creation I like in a role-playing game. One is the procedural method of developing a character chronologically, charting their lifepath (and their acquisition of abilities and perhaps material things) based on the player's decisions and a certain amount of chance. Classic Traveller and FASA's Star Trek: The Role Playing Game are two good examples. It's a sort of preliminary mini-game for linking a character's abilities and back story, and it's fun.

The other kind of character creation I like is the one that allows for the most creativity for the least amount of time. I want to imagine a character, to whatever degree of detail, with as little fuss as possible. I don't want to juggle points between multiple categories, or add characteristics and divide them to generate secondary or tertiary characteristics, or min-max in any way. Essentially, I just want to use subjective character creation rules as one might find in, say, Fudge. Par example:

An easy way to create a character in Fudge is simply to write down everything about the character that you feel is important. Any attribute or skill should be rated using one of the levels Terrible through Superb.

How easy is that? If you, as a player, have an aversion even to that level of rules knowledge, there's this:

Instead of the player writing up the character in terms of traits and levels, he can simply write out a prose description of his character. This requires the GM to translate everything into traits and appropriate levels, but that's not hard to do if the description is well written. This method actually produces some of the best characters.

Now, if you're worried about players abusing the system, there's a section on that, too, but I think most players of good will and at least moderate intelligence are able to operate within the limits set by the GM. The main challenge for the GM is deciding what those limits are.

And that may be a subject for a future article...

(Combining lifepath character creation with Fudge might be worth exploring, too...)

Exceptional Traits for Fudge

[Exceptional Trait Fudge is a modification of Plain Trait Fudge, Descriptive Traits for Sherpa, and Quasi-Descriptive Traits for Sherpa. It grew out of my desire for a version of Fudge stripped of unnecessary complexity, but with a modicum of structure not offered by the subjective version of the rules. What follows is a variant midway between the subjective and objective rules tempered with wisdom inspired by Sherpa. The goal of this variant is to encourage creativity, speed up the character creation process, and simplify character information so players can play their characters instead of their character sheets.]

Exceptional Trait Fudge is a variant of Fudge that utilizes neither attributes nor skills, just traits. It is a system that emphasizes exceptions to the rule, and this is reflected by the absence of predetermined trait lists. Everyone has an equal possibility of accomplishing anything unless they are exceptionally well-suited or ill-suited to the task.

In addition to traits, there are four other elements used to describe a character: advantages, disadvantages, complications, and motivations. These have no effect on the cost of traits, but their inclusion encourages the player to consider a character's background and psychology both when the character is created and during play.

It is presumed that the standard trait ladder and dice-rolling conventions of Fudge are being used, but these are, of course, optional. Action resolution, supernormal powers, combat, wounding, and healing are conducted as per standard Fudge or any variant desired. The two areas in which Exceptional Trait Fudge differs from standard Fudge (and could even be interpreted as Alternate Rules) are Chapter 1, Character Creation and Chapter 5, Character Development.

Exceptional Trait Terms

Trait: Any ability rated according to the trait ladder. Vocational and avocational traits are groups of skills related to an occupation or pastime. Inherent traits are general abilities. Inherent traits include Mind, Body, Spirit, and Reflexes.

Exceptional Trait: A specified trait; any trait listed as being possessed by the character. An exceptional trait is either exceptionally high (Fair or better) or exceptionally low (Poor or worse).

Unexceptional Trait: An unspecified trait; any trait not listed as being possessed by the character. Unexceptional traits are Mediocre and represent the default level of all traits.

Advantage: A benefit to the character.

Disadvantage: A detriment to the character.

Complication: A plot hook.

Motivation: A specified drive or goal.

In other words, all characters have unspecified unexceptional traits that are Mediocre and specified exceptional traits that are anything but Mediocre.

Exceptional Trait Character Creation

The following steps describe the standard method of exceptional trait character creation:

Step One: Trait Level Allotment

The GM allots a certain number of trait levels to be spent on each character by each player. This may require a bit of adjusting for the genre and the preferred playing style, but it is not necessary to make the number too high. An allotment of 10 or 15 levels is a good starting point.

Step Two: Trait Specification and Level Allocation

The player decides what makes his or her character different, or exceptional, by specifying the character's defining traits. Each trait specified is allocated 1 level, thus raising it from an unexceptional Mediocre trait to an exceptional Fair trait. Exceptional traits may be further increased by allocating additional levels. The player may specify any number of vocational or avocational traits (within allotment limits) as well as up to four inherent traits. Any trait not specified (including inherent traits) is considered Mediocre. Needless to say, one must balance breadth of abilities with the depth of each ability, with the extremes being jack-of-all-trades, master of none at one extreme and idiot savant at the other. If the player feels that there are not enough available levels to describe the character's traits accurately (or if it would be true to the character for certain traits to be deficient), then one or more exceptionally low traits may be specified, thereby gaining 1 additional level for each Poor trait and 2 additional levels for each Terrible trait.

NB: Beyond the allocation of GM-allotted trait levels, the value of any trait level gained is only equal to the value of the trait level sacrificed.

The GM may set limits on the number of traits that may be specified at certain levels. For instance, a realistic setting might have a maximum of one Superb trait per starting character. For a gritty setting, it might even be preferable to have the maximum set at Great (either any number of traits not exceeding Great, or even a maximum of one Great trait per starting character).

Players may also save levels to buy traits during play that might have been overlooked.

Step Three: Advantages

Players may specify one or more advantages for their characters. For each advantage specified, a disadvantage must also be specified. Advantages are optional. (Advantages function in the same manner as gifts, but they cannot be exchanged for trait levels.)

Step Four: Disadvantages

Players must specify one disadvantage for each advantage specified. If they wish, they may specify multiple lesser disadvantages to counterbalance a greater advantage as long as their total effect is equivalent. (Disadvantages function in the same manner as faults, but they cannot be exchanged for trait levels.)

Step Five: Complications

The GM may require that the players list personal complications or plot hooks for their characters. Complications may be entirely negative, or they may have both positive and negative elements, but in any event they must serve to complicate the character's life and lend themselves to potential use as plot devices by the GM. The GM may set a minimum required number of complications.

Step Six: Motivations

The GM may also require that the players list their characters' motivations. This gives both the GM and the player a better understanding of the character, and enables the player to indicate to the GM what he might want for his character in the way of goals or challenges. The GM may set a minimum required number of motivations.

Other Steps

Other steps that may occur during character creation, during play, or between sessions include details of the character's description, background, and equipment or other belongings. Non-player characters important to the character (such as dependents or patrons) may be described briefly or created fully by the GM, the player (with GM approval), or both in cooperation.

Exceptional Trait Character Development

Exceptional (and unexceptional) traits, being neither attributes nor skills, have different costs for improvement. Since characters with exceptional traits generally have fewer traits than those with attributes and skills, and since those traits have a higher default level than most skills, improvement should be more gradual. This can be done very easily by means of the subjective character development system in Section 5.1 and the development through training system in Section 5.3. If the objective character development system in Section 5.2 is preferred, the cost of raising a trait is double the cost for skills of the same level. In other words:

RAISING A TRAIT:
FROM:	TO:	COSTS:
Terrible	Poor	2 EP
Poor	Mediocre	2 EP
Mediocre	Fair	2 EP
Fair	Good	4 EP
Good	Great	8 EP
Great	Superb	16 EP
Superb	Legendary	32 EP + GM permission

Example

Step One: The GM is running a Wild West scenario, so she allots each character 15 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than one Superb trait and one Terrible trait. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A decides his character will be a gambler named Sam Turnstile with the following vocations and avocations: Cardsharp, Gunslinger, and Charmer. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 3 levels. He envisions Cardsharp as his best trait, so he spends 3 more levels to raise it to Superb. A famous gambler needs to know how to defend himself, so he spends another level to raise Gunslinger to Good. Talking his way into and out of trouble is likely to occur more often, though, so he spends 2 levels to raise Charmer to Great. Thinking about his inherent traits, he reckons his gambler is a knowledgeable man, a veritable Walking Encyclopaedia. He spends 2 levels to specify it as Walking Encyclopaedia (Mind): Good. He's been around and survived his share of inconvenience (to put it mildly), so he spends a level on Rugged Enough (Body): Fair. As for his Spirit, he has many temptations and succumbs a little too willingly, but not more so than any other man, so he's unexceptional in that regard: [Spirit: Mediocre]. He's Quick as a Rattlesnake when there's trouble, though, so he spends 3 levels to specify it as Quick as a Rattlesnake (Reflexes): Great.

Step Three: Through his wanderings, and as a result of his wide interests, Sam Turnstile learned the secret art of Hypnosis, which comes in useful from time to time. Be careful when he asks you to observe something shiny.

Step Four: Such a powerful advantage is Hypnosis that he has two disadvantages to make up for it: Drinks Too Much and Flirts Too Much. Both have caused him a heap of trouble.

Step Five: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two complications. Player A specifies Wanted for a Crime He Didn't Commit as one complication and Shunned by His Kinfolk as the other.

Step Six: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two motivations. Player A specifies three: To Clear His Name, To Strike It Rich, and To Enjoy the Finer Things in Life.

Sam Turnstile, Gambler

Cardsharp: Superb

Gunslinger: Good

Charmer: Great

Walking Encyclopaedia (Mind): Good

Rugged Enough (Body): Fair

[Spirit: Mediocre]

Quick as a Rattlesnake (Reflexes): Great

 

Advantages: Hypnosis

Disadvantages: Drinks Too Much, Flirts Too Much

Complications: Wanted for a Crime He Didn't Commit, Shunned by His Kinfolk

Motivations: To Clear His Name, To Strike It Rich, To Enjoy the Finer Things in Life

I adapted the following characters from other articles to provide further examples:

---

Aurelia Brixton, Spy (20 levels allocated), (q.v.)

Cat Burglar: Great

Jewelry Expert: Fair

Getaway Driver: Good

Acrobat: Great

Martial Artist: Good

Handgun Expert: Fair

[Mind: Mediocre]

Physically Fit (Body): Great

Strong-Willed (Spirit): Good

Highly Coordinated (Reflexes): Great

 

Advantages: Trained as a Secret Agent

Disadvantages: Criminal Past

Complications: Born into a Family of Thieves

Motivations: To Redeem Herself, To Reform Her Family, To Serve Her Country

---

Charles Standish-Reddy, Sergeant-Major (ret.) (15 levels allocated), (q.v.)

Big Game Hunter: Superb

World Traveller: Great

Leader: Good

Pugilist: Fair

Educated (Mind): Fair

Physically Impressive (Body): Good

Determined (Spirit): Good

[Reflexes: Mediocre]

 

Advantages: Retired Military

Disadvantages: Past His Prime

Complications: In Love with a Vegetarian Teetotaller, Out of Place in Civilised Society

Motivations: To Hunt on Every Continent, To Sample the Scotch of Every Distillery

---

Stan Tucker, Cowboy (15 levels allocated), (q.v.)

Ridin': Superb

Shootin': Good

Wranglin': Great

Wrestlin': Good

Guessin' the Weather: Fair

Cogitatin' (Mind): Poor

Laborin' (Body): Good

Reflectin' (Spirit): Fair

Skedaddlin' (Reflexes): Good

 

Advantages: Trusted by Horses, Keen Eyesight

Disadvantages: Claustrophobic, Illiterate

Complications: Fond of a Schoolteacher, but Too Shy to Court Her

Motivations: To Become a Trail Boss

---

Charlotte Chevalier, Reporter (15 levels allocated), (q.v.)

Ambitious Reporter: Great

Daredevil Aviatrix: Great

Crack Shot: Great

Crazy Driver: Fair

Sharp as a Tack (Mind): Good

Tough Cookie (Body): Fair

Sassy and Irrepressible (Spirit): Great

Klutzy (Reflexes): Poor

 

Advantages: Patron: Editor of a Big Metropolitan Newspaper, Press Pass

Disadvantages: Obsessed with Dance (and Has Two Left Feet), Recklessly Brave

Complications: Her Prominent Family's Disapproval of Her Lifestyle

Motivations: To Show Up Her Family, To Get the Scoop of the Century

---

Oliver Rath, Police Detective (15 levels allocated), (q.v.)

Damned Good Police Detective: Great

Impressive Middleweight Boxer: Good

Savvy Poker Player: Good

Skilled and Fearless Driver: Good

Mind Like a Steel Trap (Mind): Great

Tough as a Boot (Body): Good

World-Weary (Spirit): Poor

Agile When He Needs to Be (Reflexes): Good

 

Advantages: Photographic Memory, Law Enforcement Authority

Disadvantages: Lives in a Bad Neighborhood, Coffee Addiction

Complications: Is a Widower with Two Children

Motivations: To Provide for His Children, To Be the Best Damned Cop He Can Be

Plain Trait Character Example 4

How well does Plain Trait Fudge handle a game with highly competent characters such as spies? We shall see...

Example 4

Step One: The GM is running an espionage thriller game inspired by the novels of Ian Fleming and the television show Honey West. He allots each character 20 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than two Superb traits and two Terrible traits. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A decides to play an agent who is a reformed cat burglar, choosing Stealth and Lockpicking/Safecracking. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 2 levels. Her character is an expert at these criminal activities (now used in the service of her country), so she spends 2 levels to raise Stealth to Great and 3 levels to raise Lockpicking/Safecracking to Superb. As an agent, she was trained in Self Defense, Marksmanship, and First Aid, which means she has these traits at Fair (at a cost of 1 level each). She spends 2 levels to raise Self Defense to Great and 1 level to raise Marksmanship to Good. Related to her criminal past, she gained knowledge of Mineralogy, Metallurgy, and Chemistry, so she spends 3 levels to acquire each at Fair. Looking to her outside interests, Player A decides her character has a passion for Dance and Acrobatics, both of which may assist her in covert missions. Specifying these traits, she has both at Fair (at a cost of 1 level each). She spends 2 levels and raises them to Good. Player A has now reached her limit of 20 levels, but she wants her character to be highly skilled in Acrobatics, so she must specify an extraordinarily low trait to balance it. She chooses Brawling at Poor. Although she can defend herself and is skilled with firearms, wading into a mêlée is not her style. She prefers to select her target, strike silently, and disappear before being noticed. (This is a valid trait to designate as extraordinarily low, since it is one that would otherwise conceivably be useful to her.) She spends the 1 level thus freed to raise Acrobatics to Great. Realizing that she forgot to specify an extraordinarily high ability at Driving, which would be desirable for a character who likes fast cars and performs well in high speed chases, she decides it would be appropriate to her old school field agent sensibilities to be Terrible at Computer Programming (Hacking). She can rely on other agents for that talent. This frees 2 levels to enable her to specify Driving at Good.

Step Three: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one complication. Player A specifies Born into a Family of Thieves.

Step Four: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one motivation. Player A specifies three: To Redeem Herself, To Reform Her Family, and To Serve Her Country.

Aurelia Brixton

Traits

Stealth: Great

Lockpicking/Safecracking: Superb

Self Defense: Great

Marksmanship: Good

First Aid: Fair

Mineralogy: Fair

Metallurgy: Fair

Chemistry: Fair

Dance: Good

Acrobatics: Great

Driving: Good

Brawling: Poor

Computer Programming: Terrible

 

Complications

Born into a Family of Thieves

 

Motivations

To Redeem Herself

To Reform Her Family

To Serve Her Country

Plain Trait Character Example 3

In Plain Trait Fudge, players are encouraged to define their characters in terms of what makes them extraordinary (in both good ways and bad ways). Anything ordinary about their characters is unnecessary to describe. This makes the character creation process quicker and avoids cluttering character sheets with irrelevant traits.

Example 3

Step One: The GM is running a Victorian era mystery adventure about which she says little. She allots each character 10 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than one Superb trait and one Terrible trait. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A, given not much context, decides his character will be a globe-trotting big game hunter and immediately chooses Marksmanship, Physical Prowess, Leadership, Geography, and Education. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 5 levels. His character is a retired Sergeant-Major who served in India and Africa, which justifies raising his Leadership and Geography to Good at a cost of 1 level each. Despite his age, he is a fine physical specimen, so Player A spends 2 levels to raise his Physical Prowess to Great. This leaves 1 level left to spend, but Player A thinks his character's Marksmanship ought to be better than Good, so he needs to define an extraordinarily low trait to afford it. He defines two. Having spent most of his life in the military, he has little patience for (or understanding of) modern civilian bureaucracy, so his Bureaucratic Navigation skills are consequently Poor. Having spent most of his military career in technologically primitive places, he has little to no experience with many of the technological marvels of the day, so his Expertise in Operating Contraptions (of a Non-Military Nature) is also Poor. The 2 levels thus freed, in addition to the 1 level unspent, will enable Player A to raise his character's Marksmanship to Superb.

Step Three: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two complications. Player A specifies In Love with a Vegetarian Teetotaller as one complication, and Out of Place in Civilised Society as another.

Step Four: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two motivations. Player A specifies To Hunt on Every Continent as his first stated motivation, and To Sample the Scotch of Every Distillery as his second. (He leaves unstated a third motivation: To Woo the Vegetarian Teetotaller.)

Charles Standish-Reddy, Sergeant-Major (ret.)

Traits

Marksmanship: Superb

Physical Prowess: Great

Leadership: Good

Geography: Good

Education: Fair

Bureaucratic Navigation: Poor

Contraption Operation: Poor

 

Complications

In Love with a Vegetarian Teetotaller

Out of Place in Civilised Society

 

Motivations

To Hunt on Every Continent

To Sample the Scotch of Every Distillery

Plain Trait Character Example 2

Plain Trait Fudge is a variant that emphasizes quick and easy character creation. Aside from the character creation rules, the only difference between it and standard Fudge is that all traits default to Mediocre (unless, of course, their natural default is Nonexistent).

Example 2

Step One: The GM is running a Wild West campaign that will span a great deal of territory (not unlike the television show Rawhide). There will be action and adventure, but the characters will be realistic. She allots each character 10 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than two Superb traits and two Terrible traits. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A decides his character will be a cowboy with the following extraordinary traits: Ridin', Shootin', Wranglin', Wrestlin', and Guessin' the Weather. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 5 levels. Player A imagines his character to be the "born in the saddle" type, so he spends 2 levels each on Ridin' and Wranglin' to raise them to Great. He wants to be able to protect the herd in his care (and himself), so he spends the remaining level to raise Shootin' to Good. His character ought to be able to handle himself in a hand-to-hand fight, but he has no levels available, so he defines some extraordinarily low traits — Book Learnin' and Gamblin' — at Poor, which makes 2 levels available. He spends both on Wrestlin' to raise it to Great. Looking at his traits, Player A decides that his Ridin' should be higher to match his character concept, so he drops Gamblin' to Terrible and spends the level on Ridin', raising it to Superb.

Step Three: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one complication. Player A specifies Claustrophobic.

Step Four: The GM sets a minimum requirement of one motivation. Player A specifies To Become a Trail Boss. In the course of play, he may add others, but this is enough for now.

Stan Tucker, Cowboy

Traits

Ridin': Superb

Shootin': Good

Wranglin': Great

Wrestlin': Great

Guessin' the Weather: Fair

Book Learnin': Poor

Gamblin': Terrible

 

Complications

Claustrophobic

 

Motivations

To Become a Trail Boss

Plain Traits for Fudge

Plain Trait Fudge is a variant of Fudge that utilizes neither attributes nor skills, just plain traits. It is a system that emphasizes exceptions to the rule, and this is reflected by the absence of predetermined trait lists. Everyone has an equal possibility of accomplishing anything unless he or she is exceptionally well-suited or ill-suited to the task.

In addition to plain traits, Plain Trait Fudge advocates the use of two other elements used to describe a character: complications and motivations. These have no effect on the cost of traits, but their inclusion encourages the player to consider his character's background and psychology both when the character is created and during play.

It is presumed that the standard trait ladder and dice-rolling conventions of Fudge are being used, but these are, of course, optional. Action resolution, supernormal powers, combat, wounding, and healing are conducted as per standard Fudge or any variant desired. The two areas in which Plain Trait Fudge differs from standard Fudge (and could even be interpreted as Alternate Rules) are Chapter 1, Character Creation and Chapter 5, Character Development.

Plain Trait Terms

Plain Trait: Any trait. All traits, including attributes, skills, gifts, and faults are subsumed into plain traits and rated according to the trait ladder.

Ordinary Trait: An unspecified plain trait; any trait not listed as being possessed by the character. All ordinary traits are Mediocre and represent the default level of all plain traits.

Extraordinary Trait: A specified plain trait; any trait listed as being possessed by the character. An extraordinary trait is either extraordinarily high (Fair or better) or extraordinarily low (Poor or worse).

Complication: A specified disadvantage or combined advantage/disadvantage; a plot hook.

Motivation: A specified drive or goal.

In other words, all characters have unspecified ordinary traits that are Mediocre and specified extraordinary traits that are anything but Mediocre.

Plain Trait Character Creation

The following steps describe the standard method of plain trait character creation:

Step One: Trait Level Allotment

The GM allots a certain number of trait levels to be spent on each character by each player. This may require a bit of adjusting for the genre and the preferred playing style, but it is not necessary to make the number too high. An allotment of 10 levels is a good starting point.

Step Two: Trait Specification and Level Allocation

The player decides what aspects make his character different, or extraordinary, by specifying the character's defining traits. Each trait specified is allocated 1 level, thus raising it from an ordinary Mediocre trait to an extraordinary Fair trait. Extraordinary traits may be further increased by allocating additional levels. Needless to say, one must balance breadth of abilities with the depth of each ability, with the extremes being jack-of-all-trades, master of none at one extreme and idiot savant at the other. If the player feels that there are not enough available levels to describe his character's traits accurately (or if his vision of his character requires certain traits to be deficient), then he may specify one or more extraordinarily low traits, thereby gaining 1 additional level for each Poor trait and 2 additional levels for each Terrible trait.

NB: Beyond the allocation of GM-allotted trait levels, the value of any trait level gained is only equal to the value of the trait level sacrificed. That is to say, accepting a Poor Marksmanship trait may be equal to an extra level of Acrobatics, Physical Strength, or Coroner, but accepting a Poor Sports Trivia trait will probably only merit an extra level of Science Fiction Trivia, Celebrity Gossip, or Coupon Clipper.

The GM may set limits on the number of traits that may be specified at certain levels. For instance, she may require that there be a maximum of one Superb trait, two Great traits, two Poor traits, and one Terrible trait, whereas the number of Fair and Good traits a character may have at character creation is limited only by the available amount of levels.

Players may also save levels to buy traits during play that might have been overlooked.

Step Three

Once the character's traits have been determined, the GM may require that the players list personal complications or plot hooks for their characters. Complications may be entirely negative, or they may have both positive and negative elements, but in any event they must serve to complicate the character's life and lend themselves to potential use as plot devices by the GM. The GM may set a minimum required number of complications.

Step Four

The GM may also require that the players list their characters' motivations. This gives both the GM and the player a better understanding of the character, and enables the player to indicate to the GM what he might want for his character in the way of goals or challenges. The GM may set a minimum required number of motivations.

Other Steps

Other steps that may occur during character creation, during play, or between sessions include details of the character's description, background, and equipment or other belongings. Non-player characters important to the character (such as dependents or patrons) may be described briefly or created fully by the GM, the player (with GM approval), or both in cooperation.

Plain Trait Character Development

Plain traits, being neither attributes nor skills, have different costs for improvement. Since characters with plain traits generally have fewer traits than those with attributes and skills, and since plain traits have a higher default level than most skills, improvement should be more gradual. This can be done very easily by means of the subjective character development system in Section 5.1 and the development through training system in Section 5.3. If the objective character development system in Section 5.2 is preferred, the cost of raising a plain trait is double the cost for skills of the same level. In other words:

RAISING A PLAIN TRAIT:
FROM:	TO:	COSTS:
Terrible	Poor	2 EP
Poor	Mediocre	2 EP
Mediocre	Fair	2 EP
Fair	Good	4 EP
Good	Great	8 EP
Great	Superb	16 EP
Superb	Legendary	32 EP + GM permission

Example

Step One: The GM is running a Wild West scenario, so she allots each character 7 trait levels.

Step Two: The GM limits allocation to no more than one Superb trait and one Terrible trait. All other trait levels are unlimited. Player A decides his character will be a gambler with the following extraordinary traits: Cardsharp, Quick Draw, Aim, Charmer, Walking Encyclopaedia. Specifying these traits automatically starts them at Fair, which is a total cost of 5 levels. Player A wants some of the traits to be a bit higher, so he spends the remaining 2 levels on Charmer to raise it to Great. He envisions Cardsharp as his best trait and Quick Draw one of his better ones, so he defines some extraordinarily low traits in order to gain some more trait levels. He chooses Poor Ability to Refuse a Drink (+1 level), Terrible Ability to Resist Flirting with Ladies (+2 levels), and Poor Judgment Regarding Money (+1 level). This enables him to raise Cardsharp to Superb and Quick Draw to Good.

Step Three: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two complications. Player A specifies Wanted for a Crime He Didn't Commit as one complication and Shunned by His Kinfolk as the other.

Step Four: The GM sets a minimum requirement of two motivations. Player A specifies three: To Clear His Name, To Strike It Rich, and To Enjoy the Finer Things in Life.

Sam Turnstile, Gambler

Traits

Cardsharp: Superb

Quick Draw: Good

Aim: Fair

Charmer: Great

Walking Encyclopaedia: Fair

Ability to Refuse a Drink: Poor

Ability to Resist Flirting with Ladies: Terrible

Judgment Regarding Money: Poor

 

Complications

Wanted for a Crime He Didn't Commit

Shunned by His Kinfolk

 

Motivations

To Clear His Name

To Strike It Rich

To Enjoy the Finer Things in Life

[Originally posted in Fudgery.net.]