🚀 go-pugleaf

I've been having some fun lately running games in which the character
gets designed during play. (I think I posted on the topic on frp.misc
a while ago.)  While such play lends itself to systemless play, I have
been trying to figure out a system for doing it, since gamers seem to
take things much more seriously when they come with systems...

Might I suggest as an option in FUDGE the following system: You may
start the game with a completely BLANK character sheet, and 18 points.
You then may spend these points to give your character gifts, skills,
attributes, and faults, during the game, at the standard 1 gift = 2
attributes = 3 skills rate...  However, you may never place a skill,
gift, or attribute on the sheet without actually using it in the game.

And, if you do anything which obviously implies a certain level of
skill, or a certain trait, such as trying to fight for your life, or
playing the guitar, you must decide on your trait level RIGHT THERE.
For that game, at least, you can not improve it after that without a
good reason (such as that you were deliberately faking a low level of
ability).

Using this system, the number of experience points given should never
be more than six minus the number of points left unspent.  Thus a
character who has saved up six points will not get any experience
points from an adventure.  (Experience points, like character
generation points, must be used during a game, while the trait
concerned is actually in play.)  The GM may freely give LESS than this
amount, and usually should, saving the highest possible amount for the
most exemplary adventures.

This creates the dilemma: if you save up points, you'll have lots to
tailor your character to precise challenges that come up.  On the
other hand, if you use them up, you get more.

The whole system makes playing into a process of "discovering" your
character, and allowing him to be molded by the story and his
environment.  As if you were writing a story off the top of your head,
in stead of planning things in detail beforehand.

What do y'all think?

--Ed
Edward James Heil
c/o Chris Lantinga, clanti55@ursa.calvin.edu
"There is nothing wrong with the software that rm won't cure."
		-Arnie Romo