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Game Engine RPG 

by the 3Muses

Referee Information & Rules

 

2.2.0.     Creating Bad Guys

2.1.1.     Success Levels

    2.1.2.    Weather Modifiers

                Lighting Modifiers

 

2.0.0.  Being the Referee

Many players shy away from ever becoming the referee, the top dog of any role playing game.  This may be because of the incredible work that being a referee requires with other game systems.  With other games, an enormous amount of preparatory work (like creating maps, monsters, traps, statistics, deciding on intervening variables, etc...).  Being a referee should be the most enjoyable job, not the hardest, and GE makes that happen. 

 

How?  By providing a simple system that relies on few variables and by providing detailed modules.  Modules are simply pre-made location sheets that list all pertinent information.  If you don’t possess any modules, no problem, a couple of simple rules and you can instantly be a referee.

 

 

2.1.0.  What do I have to Know?

To be a referee, a person must know the basic rules to GE and be creative.  Since the rules have all ready been covered, the referee section will focus on combining creativity and rules.

 

2.1.1.   Assigning Success Levels

All actions performed have the possibility of success or the possibility of failure.    Setting a success level appropriate to the task is usually based on what chance should people have to succeed.  Climbing a ladder is easy, climbing a greased pole is difficult.  Table 2.1 provides a quick reference for referees:

 

Table 2.1 Success Levels

 

Success Level

Description

Examples

Percent Chance

A

5

Easy

Climbing stairs*

83%

B

8

Have to work

Climbing a ladder

42%

C

10

Strenuous

Climbing a tree

17%

D

12

Difficult

Climbing a pole

3%

E

14

Earn it

Climbing a greased pole

+2**

F

16

Call Somebody else

Climbing a greased pole with one arm

+4**

G

18

Herculean

Climbing upside down a greased pole with one arm

+6**

H

20

Very funny

Climbing with no pole

+8**

*For rolls with (SL) < 7, it’s usually best to ignore or not require a roll unless a fumble  

 means catastrophic results.

**Values indicate a 3% chance for success with the indicated bonus.

                                       

Using the table, a referee can quickly assign values to every task set before their adventurers.  However, referees need to remember that the chances for success in the table are based on an attribute bonus of (0); most players have attribute bonuses ranging from 2 to 6. 

 

2.1.2. Using the Environment

Characters do not exist in a static world, things are always happening around them and the best referees keep this in mind.  With Table 2.1 in hand, referees can set (SL)s, but the environment must be fleshed out for the players to enjoy the experience.  Adding touches for daylight versus nighttime encounters or throwing weather into the fray can create a richer experience.  Tables 2.2 and 2.3 give referees two tables from which they can create their environment.

 

Table 2.2  Weather Modifiers

 

Description

Perception Modifiers

Agility Modifiers

Random Chance*

A

Sunny

0

0

2 to 6

B

Rain (Thunderstorm)/ Snow (Snow Storm)

+2 (+4)

+1 (+2)

7 to 8

C

Fog

0

+4

9 to 10

E

Wind (Wind Storm)

+1

+1

11

F

Tornado or hurricane

+6

+4

12

*This table generates random weather events for an encounter using a roll of 2D6.

 

The values in columns 2 and 3 represent the amount by which the Success Level is raised due to the weather conditions.  If a referee chooses, the values could be subtracted from a player’s roll rather than adding to the (SL).

 

Table 3.3 Lighting

 

Description

Perception Modifiers

Agility Modifiers

Random Chance*

A

Daylight

0

0

2 to 6

B

Darkness (Night time)

+4

+1

7 to 8

C

Poor Artificial Light

+1

+1

9 to 11

E

Absolute Darkness

+8

+6

12

 

2.2.0.   Making the Bad Guys

So you’ve got some greased poles for your heroes to climb, big deal.  What about the bad guys? The monsters?  The villaen?  Those people who make an adventurer’s life miserable. 

 

In GE, villains come in three flavors: Big Boss, Mini Boss, and Grunts, or Cannon Fodder.  As the name implies, the Big Boss is the villain controlling all the others.  He’s not always the toughest, but he’s probably the nastiest.  Most Big Bosses have several Mini Bosses who control the day to day operations and who most often provide the most obstacles for our adventurers.  Lowest on the pole are the hordes of grunts trying to meek out a living as cannon fodder. 

 

In creating the villains, most time should be spent on the Big Boss and Mini-Bosses; these character should be well fleshed out since the adventurers will have the most varied interaction with them.  The bosses are also the most interesting, they define the story.  GE recommends doing a full character creation for each boss.  In terms of abilities and attributes, Mini Bosses should be able to stand toe to toe with any adventurer in the party while the Big Boss should have abilities equal to every adventurer in the party.

 

Grunts:  Grunts are one dimensional characters who attack in vast numbers, are fairly weak individually, and have an incredibly short life span.  Grunts do not require every attribute and statistics.  Only the special characteristic or attack of the grunt should be specified (for example, chance to hit with a weapon and type of weapon).  Rather than using any other attributes, it’s easiest to simply assign a number of ‘hits’ the grunt can sustain before being stopped. Each time an adventurer successfully attacks a grunt, it takes 1 hit (unless the damage is over whelming).  After two or three hits, the grunt is incapacitated.

 

 

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Last modified: October 30, 2001