Friday, August 19, 2016

Fudge: Powered by the Apocalypse


A while ago, I got to play in my first Powered by the Apocalypse game at a convention. It was fun, and I was really enthused about taking what I'd learned from that game and applying it to Fudge. I was using Spirit of '77 as my guide, and pulled in stuff not just from Fudge, but from Fate and d20 Modern as well.

Well, nothing really came of it and I don't really have the time to devote to writing it up. So I'm posting what little I did write here so that if anyone wants to pick up the ball and run with it, they're more than welcome to do so. Enjoy.

The remainder of this post is designated Open Game Content as outlined in section 1(d) of the Open Game License.

Approaches

Characters have six Approaches which are used to describe how the character is going to do something.

Careful: A Careful action is when you pay close attention to detail and take your time to do the job right.
Clever: A Clever action requires that you think fast, solve problems, or account for complex variables.
Flashy: A Flashy action draws attention to you; it’s full of style and panache.
Forceful: A Forceful action isn’t subtle—it’s brute strength.
Quick: A Quick action requires that you move quickly and with dexterity.
Sneaky: A Sneaky action is done with an emphasis on misdirection, stealth, or deceit.

Approaches are rated on the following scale, from best to worst:

Superb
Great
Good
Fair
Mediocre
Poor
Terrible

Each character starts the game with one Approach rated at Great, one Approach rated at Good, three Approaches rated at Fair, and one Approach rated at Mediocre.
Stunts

There are two different types of stunts: basic stunts and role stunts. All characters have access to basic stunts.

Attack (Deliver a Beatdown/Hack and Slash/Smoke His Ass/Volley)
Defend (Take a Hit or Get Outta The Way/Defend)
Focus (Keep Your Cool/Defy Danger)
Manipulate (Get In Their Face/Getting What You Want/Parley)
Investigate (Scope out a Scene/Discern Realities)
Aid (Help a Brother or Sister Out/Aid or Interfere)

Roles

Each character selects a role. The roles are as follows, and each role has role-specific stunt trees associated with it.

Strong (Powerful and good at combat, the Strong character typically relies on a Forceful approach)
Fast (Quick and nimble, the Fast character typically relies on Quick or Sneaky approaches)
Tough (Able to shrug off the most damage, the Tough character typically relies on a Forceful approach)
Smart (Brilliant and skillful, the Smart character typically relies on Clever or Careful approaches)
Dedicated (Strong willed and alert, the Dedicated character typically relies on a Careful approach)
Charismatic (As charming smooth talkers, Charismatic characters typically rely on Flashy approaches)

Rolling the Dice

To do something, describe what the character intends to do using an Approach and a Stunt, then roll 4dF. Move up the scale starting at the Approach level once for each “+” shown, and down the scale once for each “-” shown. Where you end up is the result.

If you don’t have Fudge dice, regular d6s can be used. In that case, move up the scale once for each 5 or 6 shown, and down the scale once for each 1 or 2 shown.

Rolls which result at levels higher than Superb are Superb; rolls which result at levels lower than Terrible are Terrible.

If the result is Superb or Great, you have achieved a full success and your character does exactly what you described.

If the result is Good or Fair, you have achieved a partial success and your character does some of what you described, or does it all but with a cost.

If the result is Mediocre, Poor, or Terrible, you have failed and the GM can take an action against your character.

Sometimes you might be told to roll with Advantage or Disadvantage. When you roll with Advantage, you ignore one “-” result (or a 1-2 result on regular d6s). When you roll with Disadvantage, you ignore one “+” result (or a 5-6 result on regular d6s).