White wine in the sun animated short.

I am a huge Tim Minchin, and I love his Christmas song, "White Wine in the Sun." I have shared the song these past few years at Christmas time, but this year I found this wonderful fan made animated short set to Tim's song. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas.




Regards,

Jeff

White wine in the sun animated short.

I am a huge Tim Minchin, and I love his Christmas song, "White Wine in the Sun." I have shared the song these past few years at Christmas time, but this year I found this wonderful fan made animated short set to Tim's song. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas.




Regards,

Jeff

Make it So ...

Make it So ...

Fief by Fief

My previous post of a very compact 1 page Five by Five takes the game in a direction that I really want it to go. Five by Five is about Narration over Simulation. It's supposed to be quick and simple. Too much detail gets in the way. I had been struggling with Weapons and Armor for Five by Five and how to make them more effective. In Fantasy RPG's especially, weapons and armor seem to be of paramount importance.

But, my solution in the Fast Play Five by Five that I just posted was to pull away from the problem entirely. If weapons and armor are important to the narration that can come out during play, but I have decided that for the most part, quantifying such things does not serve the narrative.

In the Five by Five game that I am running on Tuesday nights, one player has managed to obtain a bazooka. Now, I could quantify the bazooka using one of the weapon and armor systems that I have discussed here. But, the truth is ... if you shoot a man with a bazooka ... the man dies. That should be the result of the simulation ... right?

But what if I don't try to quantify the bazooka as a simulation and only deal with it as an aspect of the narrative? If in the story we are telling, the player shoots the bazooka at a brick wall, the wall is going to shatter into a pile of rubble and the players can pass through the hole they made to get to whatever might be behind the wall. This makes sense to me. It serves the narrative and makes the bazooka an effective element in the story.

Now, if later that same player shoots his bazooka at the big-bad, the main villain of the story, using the combat rules of the Five by Five fast play this attack (if successful) will only inflict 1 or 2 points of stress towards defeating the villain. Now, shouldn't the bazooka blow the big-bad to smithereens like it did the wall? Sure. But how does this serve the narrative? It doesn't. It cuts the conflict short, and makes the big-bad no more of a threat than one of his henchmen.

But, if I stick with the rules as written, I can describe how the successful use of the bazooka resulted in the bazooka shell impacting a point directly behind the big-bad, throwing up all manner of debris which injure the big-bad and several of his cronies. The big-bad isn't out for the count in a single shot, and the integrity of the bazooka within the fiction of the story is maintained. I just had to adjust what a successful test meant within the context of the current situation. The use of the bazooka was not cut-and-dried. It was more than a static number +X to damage. That's what Five by Five is supposed to do.

All that said, it has been brought to my attention that some players are playing a version of Five by Five that borrows from each of the differing versions that I have written and there seems to be a preference for the Weapon and Armor rules from the first version of the game. I get that sometimes RPG combat is meant to be a tactical mini-wargame within a game separated from the narrative, and that many people like that. That's cool. In the interest of appealing to that audience I have produced a second 1 page RPG document. This one is meant to serve as a fantasy expansion for the first one.

I like writing the concise "1 page" RPG. I can get my ideas distilled down and share them very quickly and effectively. I think that if I were running a super-hero game or other similar type genre where things like weapons and armor aren't so much treasures to acquire as they are extensions of the character that my Five by Five Fast Play rules really have everything you need. But, I also recognize that sometimes players want "treasures" and things like weapons and armor have to have some real impact on the mechanical nature of a character for many players to feel a tangible accomplishment at acquiring them. For that. the consensus seems to be that version 1 of Five by Five had gotten it right, so maybe this new 1 page expansion will hit that sweet spot. Let me know.

Thanks!


Jeff

Fief by Fief

My previous post of a very compact 1 page Five by Five takes the game in a direction that I really want it to go. Five by Five is about Narration over Simulation. It's supposed to be quick and simple. Too much detail gets in the way. I had been struggling with Weapons and Armor for Five by Five and how to make them more effective. In Fantasy RPG's especially, weapons and armor seem to be of paramount importance.

But, my solution in the Fast Play Five by Five that I just posted was to pull away from the problem entirely. If weapons and armor are important to the narration that can come out during play, but I have decided that for the most part, quantifying such things does not serve the narrative.

In the Five by Five game that I am running on Tuesday nights, one player has managed to obtain a bazooka. Now, I could quantify the bazooka using one of the weapon and armor systems that I have discussed here. But, the truth is ... if you shoot a man with a bazooka ... the man dies. That should be the result of the simulation ... right?

But what if I don't try to quantify the bazooka as a simulation and only deal with it as an aspect of the narrative? If in the story we are telling, the player shoots the bazooka at a brick wall, the wall is going to shatter into a pile of rubble and the players can pass through the hole they made to get to whatever might be behind the wall. This makes sense to me. It serves the narrative and makes the bazooka an effective element in the story.

Now, if later that same player shoots his bazooka at the big-bad, the main villain of the story, using the combat rules of the Five by Five fast play this attack (if successful) will only inflict 1 or 2 points of stress towards defeating the villain. Now, shouldn't the bazooka blow the big-bad to smithereens like it did the wall? Sure. But how does this serve the narrative? It doesn't. It cuts the conflict short, and makes the big-bad no more of a threat than one of his henchmen.

But, if I stick with the rules as written, I can describe how the successful use of the bazooka resulted in the bazooka shell impacting a point directly behind the big-bad, throwing up all manner of debris which injure the big-bad and several of his cronies. The big-bad isn't out for the count in a single shot, and the integrity of the bazooka within the fiction of the story is maintained. I just had to adjust what a successful test meant within the context of the current situation. The use of the bazooka was not cut-and-dried. It was more than a static number +X to damage. That's what Five by Five is supposed to do.

All that said, it has been brought to my attention that some players are playing a version of Five by Five that borrows from each of the differing versions that I have written and there seems to be a preference for the Weapon and Armor rules from the first version of the game. I get that sometimes RPG combat is meant to be a tactical mini-wargame within a game separated from the narrative, and that many people like that. That's cool. In the interest of appealing to that audience I have produced a second 1 page RPG document. This one is meant to serve as a fantasy expansion for the first one.

I like writing the concise "1 page" RPG. I can get my ideas distilled down and share them very quickly and effectively. I think that if I were running a super-hero game or other similar type genre where things like weapons and armor aren't so much treasures to acquire as they are extensions of the character that my Five by Five Fast Play rules really have everything you need. But, I also recognize that sometimes players want "treasures" and things like weapons and armor have to have some real impact on the mechanical nature of a character for many players to feel a tangible accomplishment at acquiring them. For that. the consensus seems to be that version 1 of Five by Five had gotten it right, so maybe this new 1 page expansion will hit that sweet spot. Let me know.

Thanks!


Jeff

Five by Five Back to Basics

First a big thanks to Rob Lang for the Re-Review of Five by Five on the Free RPG Blog. Thanks for the love Rob!

Rob and I have had many discussions (via email ... e-scussions? Is that a thing?) about generic systems versus systems designed for and focused on a specific genre/setting/world. Rob being pro-non-generic, advocating the strengths of targeting a specific world, genre, etc. when working on design.

I have always argued that generic systems have their place, but as I have been struggling with creating a "Fantasy Version" of Five by Five, I begin to realize just how right Rob is. Fantasy Five by Five has become a struggle with weapons and armor and magic. Trappings exclusive to the Fantasy RPG's that Five by Five was never designed for. I have been fighting with a way to shoe-horn something in without sacrificing the exclusive use of the 5x5 Roll in the process. And, I have been losing.

What I realize is that Five by Five works best when it embraces it's generic nature. And in a weird way this realization makes Rob's point in that, the Five by Five system isn't so much a generic system as Five by Five is "Five by Five" and it only works when it is allowed to be itself.

There is a reason why the current fantasy campaign I am running for my friends uses the 13th Age rules. 13th Age was designed from the ground up to be a specific thing and create a specific kind of game play. The Fantasy campaign that I am running needs that.

Five by Five is designed to be a specific thing and to create a specific kind of game play, too ... and what 13th Age is designed to do and what Five by Five is designed to do are two very different things.

Five by Five is meant to be a "Jack of All Trades - Master of None" RPG. It's meant to allow players to create anything they want quickly and easily. Detail is intentionally kept nondescript to make room for fast free form play. It's not meant to be tactical. It's not a simulation. It's meant to be easy and tether free. It's not so much a "setting" as it is a statement of intent. But, the game only works when the players are playing "that" game. Five by Five doesn't work to play "D&D" ... and it shouldn't.

I was working on a sort of Five by Five "cheat sheet" to allow me to fit all the rules for Five by Five on a single sheet of paper. I was going to use this a summary in the Fantasy Five by Five supplement as a sort of "recap." But, I couldn't get everything to fit. Combat ... even the basic combat of the current core rules was just too complex.

I found a solution: "Stop trying to make Five by Five work like other more tactically based RPG's." With that realization, I was able to streamline combat and at the same time take Five by Five a step in the "Storytelling Game" direction. It's a good direction for the "freedom" that Five by Five is designed to provide.

Take a look at these Five by Five Fast Play Rules. They are the same rules but with streamlined simplified combat/conflict resolution. What do you think? Is this the right direction for Five by Five in the future?

Regards,


Jeff

Five by Five Back to Basics

First a big thanks to Rob Lang for the Re-Review of Five by Five on the Free RPG Blog. Thanks for the love Rob!

Rob and I have had many discussions (via email ... e-scussions? Is that a thing?) about generic systems versus systems designed for and focused on a specific genre/setting/world. Rob being pro-non-generic, advocating the strengths of targeting a specific world, genre, etc. when working on design.

I have always argued that generic systems have their place, but as I have been struggling with creating a "Fantasy Version" of Five by Five, I begin to realize just how right Rob is. Fantasy Five by Five has become a struggle with weapons and armor and magic. Trappings exclusive to the Fantasy RPG's that Five by Five was never designed for. I have been fighting with a way to shoe-horn something in without sacrificing the exclusive use of the 5x5 Roll in the process. And, I have been losing.

What I realize is that Five by Five works best when it embraces it's generic nature. And in a weird way this realization makes Rob's point in that, the Five by Five system isn't so much a generic system as Five by Five is "Five by Five" and it only works when it is allowed to be itself.

There is a reason why the current fantasy campaign I am running for my friends uses the 13th Age rules. 13th Age was designed from the ground up to be a specific thing and create a specific kind of game play. The Fantasy campaign that I am running needs that.

Five by Five is designed to be a specific thing and to create a specific kind of game play, too ... and what 13th Age is designed to do and what Five by Five is designed to do are two very different things.

Five by Five is meant to be a "Jack of All Trades - Master of None" RPG. It's meant to allow players to create anything they want quickly and easily. Detail is intentionally kept nondescript to make room for fast free form play. It's not meant to be tactical. It's not a simulation. It's meant to be easy and tether free. It's not so much a "setting" as it is a statement of intent. But, the game only works when the players are playing "that" game. Five by Five doesn't work to play "D&D" ... and it shouldn't.

I was working on a sort of Five by Five "cheat sheet" to allow me to fit all the rules for Five by Five on a single sheet of paper. I was going to use this a summary in the Fantasy Five by Five supplement as a sort of "recap." But, I couldn't get everything to fit. Combat ... even the basic combat of the current core rules was just too complex.

I found a solution: "Stop trying to make Five by Five work like other more tactically based RPG's." With that realization, I was able to streamline combat and at the same time take Five by Five a step in the "Storytelling Game" direction. It's a good direction for the "freedom" that Five by Five is designed to provide.

Take a look at these Five by Five Fast Play Rules. They are the same rules but with streamlined simplified combat/conflict resolution. What do you think? Is this the right direction for Five by Five in the future?

Regards,


Jeff

How's this look? (Possible Weapon/Armor Alternative for Five by Five)

Rolling Damage

A Damage Roll tells a player how much potential injury their attack can inflict.

Weapons have a Rank and Target Number that a player tests when doing damage.

Damage works like this:

Roll Target Number Exactly (Critical Success) Inflict 4 damage.

Roll Under Target Number (Weapon passes the Damage test.) Inflict 3 damage.

Roll Over Target Number (Weapon fails the Damage test.) Inflict 2 damage.

Roll Doubles (Automatic Fail / Fumble) Inflict 1 damage.

Soak Rolls

A Soak Roll is a roll to absorb damage enabling your character to ignore some of its effect. Armor has a Rank and Target Number that a player tests to "soak" damage.

Armor works like this:

Roll Target Number Exactly (Critical Success) stop 3 damage.

Roll Under Target Number (Armor passes the Soak test.) stop 2 damage.

Roll Over Target Number (Armor fails the Soak test.) stop 1 damage.

Roll Doubles (Automatic Fail / Fumble) stop 0 damage.

Notice that the soak range for armor is one point weaker across the board than the damage range for weapons. This is because once a character has successfully passed their attack test to hit the target, I want them to be able to do some damage.

***

A general rule to cover both Weapons and Armor equally could look like this.

Resolving a Successful Attack

If you successfully Hit with an Attack Test, your attack inflicts 1 Wound + the result of your DAMAGE TEST.

If you are the target of a successful attack that you did not eliminate with a Dodge Action, your Armor will absorb damage equal to the result of your SOAK TEST.

Damage and Soak Tests

Damage Tests are made to inflict wounds based on the TN of the Weapon used.

Soak Tests are made to stop (soak) wounds based on the TN of the Armor worn by the target of the attack.

A successful test (based on the TN of the associated Weapon or Armor) inflicts/soaks 2 wounds.

A failed test (based on the TN of the associated Weapon or Armor) inflicts/soaks 1 wound.

If the test is a critical success (TN is rolled exactly) add +1 to this result.

If the test is a fumble (player rolled doubles) subtract -1 from this result.

***

The weapon and armor ranks from THIS POST work just fine here. I have eliminated the clunky process of comparing weapons and armor by adding the Soak Roll.

Thoughts?

Regards,


Jeff

How's this look? (Possible Weapon/Armor Alternative for Five by Five)

Rolling Damage

A Damage Roll tells a player how much potential injury their attack can inflict.

Weapons have a Rank and Target Number that a player tests when doing damage.

Damage works like this:

Roll Target Number Exactly (Critical Success) Inflict 4 damage.

Roll Under Target Number (Weapon passes the Damage test.) Inflict 3 damage.

Roll Over Target Number (Weapon fails the Damage test.) Inflict 2 damage.

Roll Doubles (Automatic Fail / Fumble) Inflict 1 damage.

Soak Rolls

A Soak Roll is a roll to absorb damage enabling your character to ignore some of its effect. Armor has a Rank and Target Number that a player tests to "soak" damage.

Armor works like this:

Roll Target Number Exactly (Critical Success) stop 3 damage.

Roll Under Target Number (Armor passes the Soak test.) stop 2 damage.

Roll Over Target Number (Armor fails the Soak test.) stop 1 damage.

Roll Doubles (Automatic Fail / Fumble) stop 0 damage.

Notice that the soak range for armor is one point weaker across the board than the damage range for weapons. This is because once a character has successfully passed their attack test to hit the target, I want them to be able to do some damage.

***

A general rule to cover both Weapons and Armor equally could look like this.

Resolving a Successful Attack

If you successfully Hit with an Attack Test, your attack inflicts 1 Wound + the result of your DAMAGE TEST.

If you are the target of a successful attack that you did not eliminate with a Dodge Action, your Armor will absorb damage equal to the result of your SOAK TEST.

Damage and Soak Tests

Damage Tests are made to inflict wounds based on the TN of the Weapon used.

Soak Tests are made to stop (soak) wounds based on the TN of the Armor worn by the target of the attack.

A successful test (based on the TN of the associated Weapon or Armor) inflicts/soaks 2 wounds.

A failed test (based on the TN of the associated Weapon or Armor) inflicts/soaks 1 wound.

If the test is a critical success (TN is rolled exactly) add +1 to this result.

If the test is a fumble (player rolled doubles) subtract -1 from this result.

***

The weapon and armor ranks from THIS POST work just fine here. I have eliminated the clunky process of comparing weapons and armor by adding the Soak Roll.

Thoughts?

Regards,


Jeff

Character Points in Five by Five

I have been playing Five by Five every week with my play group. The updated combat rules work well and the mechanics for Weapons and Armor achieve what I wanted with regards to damage out-comes, but using the rules is cumbersome. They are clunky. They fit the combat flow specific to Five by Five, but they just aren't smooth to implement.

Zimzerveran asked in a comment to the previous post if these combat rules would become part of the core rules for the Five by Five system. For now, I am going to have to say, "Absolutely, not." Not until I figure out how to fix the cumbersome nature of weapons and armor usage. For now consider all of this stuff experimental and optional.

In the meantime, consider this optional method for character creation using character points. Future additions of Five by Five will use "Character Points" instead of "Session Points" ... but they are basically the same thing.

Character Points

Character Points are the "currency" that you use to create and improve your character.

It costs 1 character point to add a Trait to your character record with a product of 2, or to improve an existing Trait with a product of 2 to a product of 3.

It costs 2 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 3 to a product of 4, or to improve a Trait with a product of 4 to a product of 5.

It costs 3 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 5 to a product of 6, or to improve a Trait with a product of 6 to a product of 8.

It costs 4 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 8 to a product of 10, or to improve a Trait with a product of 10 to a product of 12.

It costs 5 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 12 to a product of 15, or to improve a Trait with a product of 15 to a product of 20.

No Trait will ever have a product greater than 20.

Character Creation

Players have 22 Character Points to create their character. The cost to obtain a Trait with a specific product is shown below. Every beginning character must start with at least 3 Traits.

2    =  1 ... for a total of 1 character point.
3    =  1 + 1 ... for a total of 2 character points.
4    =  1 + 1 + 2 ... for a total of 4 character points.
5    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 ... for a total of 6 character points.
6    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 ... for a total of 9 character points.
8    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 ... for a total of 12 character points.
10  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 ... for a total of 16 character points.
12  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 ... for a total of 20 character points.
15  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 ... for a total of 25 character points.
20  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 ... for a total of 30 character points.

Notice that products of 15 or 20 are not possible during character creation.

Easy Character Creation method: Define 5 Traits for your character. Assign each Trait a product from the array of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This creates a character that costs 22 character points.

Any feedback is welcome as always. If you have an idea that can "fix" the clunky nature of comparing Weapons and Armor, I'd love to hear from you.

Regards,


Jeff

Character Points in Five by Five

I have been playing Five by Five every week with my play group. The updated combat rules work well and the mechanics for Weapons and Armor achieve what I wanted with regards to damage out-comes, but using the rules is cumbersome. They are clunky. They fit the combat flow specific to Five by Five, but they just aren't smooth to implement.

Zimzerveran asked in a comment to the previous post if these combat rules would become part of the core rules for the Five by Five system. For now, I am going to have to say, "Absolutely, not." Not until I figure out how to fix the cumbersome nature of weapons and armor usage. For now consider all of this stuff experimental and optional.

In the meantime, consider this optional method for character creation using character points. Future additions of Five by Five will use "Character Points" instead of "Session Points" ... but they are basically the same thing.

Character Points

Character Points are the "currency" that you use to create and improve your character.

It costs 1 character point to add a Trait to your character record with a product of 2, or to improve an existing Trait with a product of 2 to a product of 3.

It costs 2 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 3 to a product of 4, or to improve a Trait with a product of 4 to a product of 5.

It costs 3 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 5 to a product of 6, or to improve a Trait with a product of 6 to a product of 8.

It costs 4 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 8 to a product of 10, or to improve a Trait with a product of 10 to a product of 12.

It costs 5 character points to improve a Trait with a product of 12 to a product of 15, or to improve a Trait with a product of 15 to a product of 20.

No Trait will ever have a product greater than 20.

Character Creation

Players have 22 Character Points to create their character. The cost to obtain a Trait with a specific product is shown below. Every beginning character must start with at least 3 Traits.

2    =  1 ... for a total of 1 character point.
3    =  1 + 1 ... for a total of 2 character points.
4    =  1 + 1 + 2 ... for a total of 4 character points.
5    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 ... for a total of 6 character points.
6    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 ... for a total of 9 character points.
8    =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 ... for a total of 12 character points.
10  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 ... for a total of 16 character points.
12  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 ... for a total of 20 character points.
15  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 ... for a total of 25 character points.
20  =  1 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 5 ... for a total of 30 character points.

Notice that products of 15 or 20 are not possible during character creation.

Easy Character Creation method: Define 5 Traits for your character. Assign each Trait a product from the array of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. This creates a character that costs 22 character points.

Any feedback is welcome as always. If you have an idea that can "fix" the clunky nature of comparing Weapons and Armor, I'd love to hear from you.

Regards,


Jeff

Another Look at the Five by Five Combat Rules

I am playing a lot of Five by Five right now, and as I play I have been learning more and more about what I want from the game. These changes are of course all optional. If they interest you, try them out.

Some of this is repeated from the previous post, but this post organizes my thoughts better and introduces a few new ideas. I really like the "Critical Success" task roll idea, but in applying this across the board I found that I needed to change the specifics of combat a bit to facilitate it. I believe that the end result produces a much better definition of the Combat Styles (now called Specialties) and makes everything a bit more balanced over all.

Critical Success

If a player rolls exactly what they need (without using Karma) when attempting an action and their target number is greater than zero, the character has achieved critical success.

The GM should give a player much more than they were expecting with a critical success. An attempt to gather information might provide far more detail than expected, or a repair on a broken piece of machinery might require half the time or resources, or make the machine better than new.

Complications

When a player rolls “doubles” in attempting to complete a task that attempt is an automatic failure and the player earns a Karma point. In addition this is a good opportunity to introduce an additional complication or set back into the mix. Maybe the character stumbles or another enemy appears that the character didn't see before.

The GM is encouraged to introduce new complications any time a player rolls double to keep tensions high and to keep things from becoming too static. By the same token if the GM rolls doubles when opposing the players, then the players should gain some small advantage or discover that an obstacle that they were facing is less of a hindrance than was originally thought.

One Combat Trait

Each player should define a single trait as their COMBAT TRAIT. This trait is used to accomplish the tasks specifically tied to the “combat mini-game.” The three tasks encompassed by your combat trait are:
Roll To-Interrupt, Roll To-Hit, and Roll To-Evade.

Roll To-Interrupt – Normally NPC's act before PC's. This is the standard flow of combat. However, at the beginning of each round of combat the GM calls for a Roll To-Interrupt. A To-Interrupt roll is a standard 5x5 combat test based on your character's combat trait. If your character passes this test then they are able to act before the NPC's in what is referred to as the Interrupt round.

Critical Success with Roll To-Interrupt – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their To-Interrupt combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved a critical success with their To-Interrupt task. Normally, if your character acts in the Interrupt round, this replaces their action in the standard PC round. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Interrupt, then they are able to act in the Interrupt round, and still take action in the PC round, gaining two actions for the round!!

Roll To-Hit – When it comes time to target an opponent with an attack, your character will be called upon to “Roll To-Hit.” This is a standard 5x5 combat test based on your character's combat trait.

Critical Success with Roll To-Hit – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their To-Hit combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved a critical success with their To-Hit task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Hit, then they inflict +1 wound level of damage upon the target of the attack. This is in addition to any wounds inflicted by the “To-Damage” combat test.

Roll To-Evade – If you are the target of a successful attack and you have not already acted in the Interrupt round, your character can make a Roll To-Evade standard combat test. You must give up your action in the PC round to do this, but if you make your Roll To-Evade standard combat test successfully, then you have turned the attack against you from a success into a failure preventing the damage done to your character entirely.

Critical Success with Roll To-Evade – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their Roll To-Evade combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved Critical Success with their To-Evade task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Evade, then they do not give up their action in the PC round. This means that they can act in the PC round normally, or even sacrifice this action yet again to attempt another To-Evade test should an additional attack successfully target them this round.

Combat Specialties

With all combat actions tied to a single trait, it might seem that players are limited in their combat options. What if a player wants to play a savage barbarian who concentrates all her strength on doing the most damage possible? Or maybe a player wants to play a defensive tank who tows-the-line and endures the onslaught of the oncoming hoard?

This is where “Combat Specialties” come into play. Combat specialties are optional and allow players to focus their character on a specific style of combat. A player can invoke no more than one combat specialty at a time.

Interrupt Specialty – Your character specializes on acting before the enemy. Note that players who arm themselves with reach weapons like pole-arms or those who choose to “Dual Wield for Offense” invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your Roll To-Interrupt is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success.

What you lose – Your focus on attacking first and fastest means that your defenses suffer. You cannot Roll To-Evade when using the Interrupt Specialty.

Attack Specialty – Your character specializes in doing the most damage they can. Note that players who arm themselves with two-handed melee weapons such as Claymores or Battle Axes invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your Roll To-Hit is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success.

What you lose – Your focus on doing the most damage possible means that your defenses suffer. You cannot Roll To-Evade when using the Attack Specialty.

Defense Specialty – Your character specializes in evading attacks and avoiding damage. Note that players who carry a shield or a staff or who choose to “Dual Wield for Defense” invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your first Roll To-Evade is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success. Subsequent attempts to Roll To-Evade are resolved normally.

What you lose – Fighting defensively means holding back and preparing to react to the actions of your opponent. If you are using the Defensive Specialty your character cannot Roll To-Interrupt.

Roll To-Damage

Roll To-Damage – After successfully landing an attack with a To-Hit combat test, your character then makes a “Roll To-Damage” combat test. This test is special in that it is not dependent upon your character's combat trait value, but is instead based upon the weapon your character is using and the armor protection worn by your target.

Critical Success with Roll To-Damage – As the Roll To-Damage test is based on the weapon that you are using and not based on any personal trait or skill, there is no way to roll Critical Success with a Roll To-Damage test. (You can score extra damage with a Critical Success on your Roll To-Hit combat test … see above.)

To resolve your Roll To-Damage test, compare your Weapon Rank to the Armor Rank of your target.

WEAPON RANK IS EQUAL TO ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is equal to the Armor Rank of your opponent you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. Make a Roll To-Damage test. If you roll 0, you inflict an additional Wound Level of damage.

WEAPON RANK IS LESSER THAN ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is lesser than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 0 Wound Levels of damage. For each step your opponent's Armor Rank is greater than your Weapon Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the left. (The first step to the left of 0 is 20.) This shows the Target number that you will need to roll with a standard Roll To-Damage test to inflict 1 Wound Level of damage.

WEAPON RANK IS GREATER THAN ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is greater than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. For each step that your Weapon Rank is greater than your opponent's Armor Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the right. (The first step to the right of 0 is 2.) This shows the Target number that you will need to roll with a standard Roll To-Damage test to inflict +1 additional Wound Level of damage.

Roll To-Resist

Roll To-Resist – Upon suffering damage from a successful attack, your character can attempt to shrug off the effects of that damage to stay on their feet and keep fighting. A To-Resist roll is a standard 5x5 test. You must use your action for the round in order to Roll To-Resist.

The To-Resist test is not included in the “one combat trait” general rule. A roll To-Resist trait can include any general character trait encompassing exceptional strength, endurance, determination or willpower.

Critical Success with Roll To-Resist – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their Roll To-Resist standard test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved Critical Success with their To-Resist task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Resist, then they are able to recover up to two wound levels of damage instead of just one. Or if the character is “locked in” at a wound level greater than “Unharmed” a critical success will allow the character to break through that lock and begin recovering fully again.

Weapon and Armor Ranks

For the sake of simplicity Armor and Weapons use the same Rank Descriptors as any other Character Trait. Although it might sound silly to say, "I hit the Orc with my Apprentice Billy Club." So we just use the Rank Abbreviation.

In addition, the text follows the abbreviation with an "A" for Armor or a "W" for Weapon. So, if you see the text: Billy Club (ApW) ... you know that the Billy Club has a Weapon Rank of Apprentice.

Weapon Ranks

UnW– “Unskilled” Rank Weapons – no specific unarmed combat skill or experience, no weapons.

NoW– “Novice” Rank Weapons – table leg, broken bottle.

ApW– “Apprentice” Rank Weapons – daggers and knives, club, dart, shiriken, bola.

JoW– “Journeyman” Rank Weapons – short sword, whip, derringer, tomahawk, throwing axe, hatchet, martial arts.*

AdW– “Adept” Rank Weapons – rapier, saber, javelin, flintlock pistol, all light pistols, crossbow, quarterstaff, short bow, light submachine gun.

ExW– “Expert” Rank Weapons – longsword, longbow, musket, flintlock rifle, all medium pistols, all light rifles, light blaster (light energy pistol), all spears, medium submachine gun.

MaW– “Master” Rank Weapons – halberd, all medium rifles, medium blaster (medium energy pistol), light energy rifle, energy s word, all heavy pistols, battle axe, broadsword, heavy submachine gun.

GrW– “Grand Master” Rank Weapons – shotgun, all heavy rifles, heavy blaster (heavy energy pistol), medium energy rifle, ballista, Gatling gun, flamethrower, claymore or great sword, autocannon or any light cannon, machine gun.

ElW– “Elite” Rank Weapons – medium cannons, heavy energy rifles, grenades, mines.

WoW– “World Class” Rank Weapons – heavy cannons, energy cannon, bomb, TNT.

LeW– “Legendary” Rank Weapons – cosmic energy cannon, photon torpedo, nuclear weapon.

* Martial Artists have a Weapon Rank of JoW or two ranks lower than their Martial Arts skill, whichever is better.

Armor Ranks

UnA– “Unskilled” Rank Armor – scant clothing, lingerie.

NoA– “Novice” Rank Armor – normal clothing, street ware, fur, light cloth, any UnA + shield.*

ApA– “Apprentice” Rank Armor – soft leather or hide armor, heavy cloth, robes, any NoA + shield.*

JoA– “Journeyman” Rank Armor – padded or quilted armor, hard leather armor, heavy hide, any ApA + shield.*

AdA– “Adept” Rank Armor – studded leather armor, ring mail, any JoA + shield.*

ExA– “Expert” Rank Armor – scale mail, breast plate, chain mail, any AdA + shield.*

MaA– “Master” Rank Armor – splint mail, light body armor, Kevlar, space suit, any ExA + shield.*

GrA– “Grand Master” Rank Armor – plate mail, medium body armor, light vehicle armor, any MaA + shield.

ElA– “Elite” Rank Armor – heavy body armor, personal forcefield, medium vehicle armor, any GrA + shield.*

WoA– “World Class” Rank Armor – heavy vehicle armor, vehicle forcefield, powered space combat armor.

LeA– “Legendary” Rank Armor – cosmic vehicle armor, heavy vehicle forcefield, starship “shields.”

* Use of a shield can increase Armor Rank by one step up to a maximum of ElA.

As always, thoughts and feedback welcome.

Regards,

Jeff

Another Look at the Five by Five Combat Rules

I am playing a lot of Five by Five right now, and as I play I have been learning more and more about what I want from the game. These changes are of course all optional. If they interest you, try them out.

Some of this is repeated from the previous post, but this post organizes my thoughts better and introduces a few new ideas. I really like the "Critical Success" task roll idea, but in applying this across the board I found that I needed to change the specifics of combat a bit to facilitate it. I believe that the end result produces a much better definition of the Combat Styles (now called Specialties) and makes everything a bit more balanced over all.

Critical Success

If a player rolls exactly what they need (without using Karma) when attempting an action and their target number is greater than zero, the character has achieved critical success.

The GM should give a player much more than they were expecting with a critical success. An attempt to gather information might provide far more detail than expected, or a repair on a broken piece of machinery might require half the time or resources, or make the machine better than new.

Complications

When a player rolls “doubles” in attempting to complete a task that attempt is an automatic failure and the player earns a Karma point. In addition this is a good opportunity to introduce an additional complication or set back into the mix. Maybe the character stumbles or another enemy appears that the character didn't see before.

The GM is encouraged to introduce new complications any time a player rolls double to keep tensions high and to keep things from becoming too static. By the same token if the GM rolls doubles when opposing the players, then the players should gain some small advantage or discover that an obstacle that they were facing is less of a hindrance than was originally thought.

One Combat Trait

Each player should define a single trait as their COMBAT TRAIT. This trait is used to accomplish the tasks specifically tied to the “combat mini-game.” The three tasks encompassed by your combat trait are:
Roll To-Interrupt, Roll To-Hit, and Roll To-Evade.

Roll To-Interrupt – Normally NPC's act before PC's. This is the standard flow of combat. However, at the beginning of each round of combat the GM calls for a Roll To-Interrupt. A To-Interrupt roll is a standard 5x5 combat test based on your character's combat trait. If your character passes this test then they are able to act before the NPC's in what is referred to as the Interrupt round.

Critical Success with Roll To-Interrupt – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their To-Interrupt combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved a critical success with their To-Interrupt task. Normally, if your character acts in the Interrupt round, this replaces their action in the standard PC round. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Interrupt, then they are able to act in the Interrupt round, and still take action in the PC round, gaining two actions for the round!!

Roll To-Hit – When it comes time to target an opponent with an attack, your character will be called upon to “Roll To-Hit.” This is a standard 5x5 combat test based on your character's combat trait.

Critical Success with Roll To-Hit – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their To-Hit combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved a critical success with their To-Hit task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Hit, then they inflict +1 wound level of damage upon the target of the attack. This is in addition to any wounds inflicted by the “To-Damage” combat test.

Roll To-Evade – If you are the target of a successful attack and you have not already acted in the Interrupt round, your character can make a Roll To-Evade standard combat test. You must give up your action in the PC round to do this, but if you make your Roll To-Evade standard combat test successfully, then you have turned the attack against you from a success into a failure preventing the damage done to your character entirely.

Critical Success with Roll To-Evade – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their Roll To-Evade combat test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved Critical Success with their To-Evade task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Evade, then they do not give up their action in the PC round. This means that they can act in the PC round normally, or even sacrifice this action yet again to attempt another To-Evade test should an additional attack successfully target them this round.

Combat Specialties

With all combat actions tied to a single trait, it might seem that players are limited in their combat options. What if a player wants to play a savage barbarian who concentrates all her strength on doing the most damage possible? Or maybe a player wants to play a defensive tank who tows-the-line and endures the onslaught of the oncoming hoard?

This is where “Combat Specialties” come into play. Combat specialties are optional and allow players to focus their character on a specific style of combat. A player can invoke no more than one combat specialty at a time.

Interrupt Specialty – Your character specializes on acting before the enemy. Note that players who arm themselves with reach weapons like pole-arms or those who choose to “Dual Wield for Offense” invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your Roll To-Interrupt is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success.

What you lose – Your focus on attacking first and fastest means that your defenses suffer. You cannot Roll To-Evade when using the Interrupt Specialty.

Attack Specialty – Your character specializes in doing the most damage they can. Note that players who arm themselves with two-handed melee weapons such as Claymores or Battle Axes invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your Roll To-Hit is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success.

What you lose – Your focus on doing the most damage possible means that your defenses suffer. You cannot Roll To-Evade when using the Attack Specialty.

Defense Specialty – Your character specializes in evading attacks and avoiding damage. Note that players who carry a shield or a staff or who choose to “Dual Wield for Defense” invoke this Combat Specialty automatically.

What you gain – If your first Roll To-Evade is successful, it is treated as an automatic Critical Success. Subsequent attempts to Roll To-Evade are resolved normally.

What you lose – Fighting defensively means holding back and preparing to react to the actions of your opponent. If you are using the Defensive Specialty your character cannot Roll To-Interrupt.

Roll To-Damage

Roll To-Damage – After successfully landing an attack with a To-Hit combat test, your character then makes a “Roll To-Damage” combat test. This test is special in that it is not dependent upon your character's combat trait value, but is instead based upon the weapon your character is using and the armor protection worn by your target.

Critical Success with Roll To-Damage – As the Roll To-Damage test is based on the weapon that you are using and not based on any personal trait or skill, there is no way to roll Critical Success with a Roll To-Damage test. (You can score extra damage with a Critical Success on your Roll To-Hit combat test … see above.)

To resolve your Roll To-Damage test, compare your Weapon Rank to the Armor Rank of your target.

WEAPON RANK IS EQUAL TO ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is equal to the Armor Rank of your opponent you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. Make a Roll To-Damage test. If you roll 0, you inflict an additional Wound Level of damage.

WEAPON RANK IS LESSER THAN ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is lesser than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 0 Wound Levels of damage. For each step your opponent's Armor Rank is greater than your Weapon Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the left. (The first step to the left of 0 is 20.) This shows the Target number that you will need to roll with a standard Roll To-Damage test to inflict 1 Wound Level of damage.

WEAPON RANK IS GREATER THAN ARMOR RANK

If your Weapon Rank is greater than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. For each step that your Weapon Rank is greater than your opponent's Armor Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the right. (The first step to the right of 0 is 2.) This shows the Target number that you will need to roll with a standard Roll To-Damage test to inflict +1 additional Wound Level of damage.

Roll To-Resist

Roll To-Resist – Upon suffering damage from a successful attack, your character can attempt to shrug off the effects of that damage to stay on their feet and keep fighting. A To-Resist roll is a standard 5x5 test. You must use your action for the round in order to Roll To-Resist.

The To-Resist test is not included in the “one combat trait” general rule. A roll To-Resist trait can include any general character trait encompassing exceptional strength, endurance, determination or willpower.

Critical Success with Roll To-Resist – If your character rolls exactly what they need to pass their Roll To-Resist standard test (without using Karma) and their target number is greater than zero, then the character has achieved Critical Success with their To-Resist task. If your character scores a critical success with their Roll To-Resist, then they are able to recover up to two wound levels of damage instead of just one. Or if the character is “locked in” at a wound level greater than “Unharmed” a critical success will allow the character to break through that lock and begin recovering fully again.

Weapon and Armor Ranks

For the sake of simplicity Armor and Weapons use the same Rank Descriptors as any other Character Trait. Although it might sound silly to say, "I hit the Orc with my Apprentice Billy Club." So we just use the Rank Abbreviation.

In addition, the text follows the abbreviation with an "A" for Armor or a "W" for Weapon. So, if you see the text: Billy Club (ApW) ... you know that the Billy Club has a Weapon Rank of Apprentice.

Weapon Ranks

UnW– “Unskilled” Rank Weapons – no specific unarmed combat skill or experience, no weapons.

NoW– “Novice” Rank Weapons – table leg, broken bottle.

ApW– “Apprentice” Rank Weapons – daggers and knives, club, dart, shiriken, bola.

JoW– “Journeyman” Rank Weapons – short sword, whip, derringer, tomahawk, throwing axe, hatchet, martial arts.*

AdW– “Adept” Rank Weapons – rapier, saber, javelin, flintlock pistol, all light pistols, crossbow, quarterstaff, short bow, light submachine gun.

ExW– “Expert” Rank Weapons – longsword, longbow, musket, flintlock rifle, all medium pistols, all light rifles, light blaster (light energy pistol), all spears, medium submachine gun.

MaW– “Master” Rank Weapons – halberd, all medium rifles, medium blaster (medium energy pistol), light energy rifle, energy s word, all heavy pistols, battle axe, broadsword, heavy submachine gun.

GrW– “Grand Master” Rank Weapons – shotgun, all heavy rifles, heavy blaster (heavy energy pistol), medium energy rifle, ballista, Gatling gun, flamethrower, claymore or great sword, autocannon or any light cannon, machine gun.

ElW– “Elite” Rank Weapons – medium cannons, heavy energy rifles, grenades, mines.

WoW– “World Class” Rank Weapons – heavy cannons, energy cannon, bomb, TNT.

LeW– “Legendary” Rank Weapons – cosmic energy cannon, photon torpedo, nuclear weapon.

* Martial Artists have a Weapon Rank of JoW or two ranks lower than their Martial Arts skill, whichever is better.

Armor Ranks

UnA– “Unskilled” Rank Armor – scant clothing, lingerie.

NoA– “Novice” Rank Armor – normal clothing, street ware, fur, light cloth, any UnA + shield.*

ApA– “Apprentice” Rank Armor – soft leather or hide armor, heavy cloth, robes, any NoA + shield.*

JoA– “Journeyman” Rank Armor – padded or quilted armor, hard leather armor, heavy hide, any ApA + shield.*

AdA– “Adept” Rank Armor – studded leather armor, ring mail, any JoA + shield.*

ExA– “Expert” Rank Armor – scale mail, breast plate, chain mail, any AdA + shield.*

MaA– “Master” Rank Armor – splint mail, light body armor, Kevlar, space suit, any ExA + shield.*

GrA– “Grand Master” Rank Armor – plate mail, medium body armor, light vehicle armor, any MaA + shield.

ElA– “Elite” Rank Armor – heavy body armor, personal forcefield, medium vehicle armor, any GrA + shield.*

WoA– “World Class” Rank Armor – heavy vehicle armor, vehicle forcefield, powered space combat armor.

LeA– “Legendary” Rank Armor – cosmic vehicle armor, heavy vehicle forcefield, starship “shields.”

* Use of a shield can increase Armor Rank by one step up to a maximum of ElA.

As always, thoughts and feedback welcome.

Regards,

Jeff

Five by Five Weapons, Armor and Damage Alternate Rules

I am working on a Fantasy Supplement for Five by Five. In working on this I have decided that I would like a broader range of variables for weapons and armor than those given in the standard rules.

Here are my:

Five by Five Weapons, Armor and Damage Alternate Rules

The "Roll for Critical" rule for inflicting damage doesn't reward players who wish to focus on their weapons and armor. Below is an experimental new Weapon / Armor chart. Now instead of rolling for "Critcal" you roll for Damage to see if your attack penetrated the target's Armor.

It is possible with this new system to successfully hit but to fail to do any damage. If your weapon is not strong enough it may not penetrate your target's armor. To offset this, I have added a new Critical Success rule.

CRITICAL SUCCESS RULE

When you are using a Trait to perform an action and your Trait Rank Target Number is greater than 0, if you roll exactly what you need to succeed (without using Karma,) you have achieved critcal success!

CRITICAL SUCCESS IN COMBAT

If you score Critical Success with your Attack Roll or your Damage Roll, your attack inflicts +1 Wound of Damage. It is possible (but unlikely) to roll Critical Success on both your Attack and Damage Rolls earning a total +2 Wound bonus.

Using this optional expanded weapons/armor/damage system, attacks have a damage potential from 0 wounds to 4 wounds depending on the weapon and armor involved, and including the possibility of rolling critical success on attack and damage rolls.

If you score Critical Success with your Defense Roll, you are able to act during your turn just as if you were using the Sword and Board Combat Style option.

If your character is already using the Sword and Board option, then you gain a free Defense Roll for this turn. (Usually characters can only defend against one attack each turn, but if your character is using the Sword and Board combat option and they roll a critical Success with their Defense Roll they gain a free Defense Roll enabling them to defend against an additional attack that turn.) It is possible (but unlikely) to roll Critical Success on multiple Defense Rolls in the same turn, each time gaining the ability to Defend against another attack.


NEW WEAPON AND ARMOR RULES

Weapons and Armor are now measured using the same scale as any other Trait. It is no longer necessary to keep track of special numeric values for Weapons or Armor (no special TN's for Weapons or Rank Penalties for Armor.) From now on all we care about is the Armor or Weapon's Rank Descriptor.

For the sake of simplicity Armor and Weapons use the same Rank Descriptors as any other Character Trait. Although it might sound silly to say, "I hit the Orc with my Apprentice Billy Club."  So we just use the Rank Abbreviation. 

In addition, the text follows the abbreviation with an "A" for Armor or a "W" for Weapon. So, if you see the text: Billy Club (ApW) ... you know that the Billy Club has a Weapon Rank of Apprentice.  

Weapon vs. Armor – Roll for Damage!

( XxW = Weapon Rank / XxA = Armor Rank )

	UnA	NoA	ApA	JoA	AdA	ExA	MaA	GrA	ElA	WoA	LeA
UnW	0*	20	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3	2
NoW	2*	0*	20	15	12	10	8	6	5	4	3
ApW	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12	10	8	6	5	4
JoW	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12	10	8	6	5
AdW	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12	10	8	6
ExW	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12	10	8
MaW	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12	10
GrW	10*	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15	12
ElW	12*	10*	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20	15
WoW	15*	12*	10*	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*	20
LeW	20*	15*	12*	10*	8*	6*	5*	4*	3*	2*	0*

* Powerful weapons automatically penetrate weaker armor. The Target of this attack suffers One Wound automatically. Roll this number or less to inflict a Second Wound with your Roll for Damage!  

The chart above shows the Roll for Damage! needed in order for a weapon to successfully penetrate Armor and inflict One Wound of Damage on the Target. This information can be included for each weapon on the character sheet with a 13 column Weapon chart replacing the 8 column chart currently on the character sheet. 

In the Five by Five core book on page 24 I talk about Using Weapons and Armor. I show you how to find your "Critical" target by using the Target Number Table. Under the new system, the text would look something like this:

***

Simple Damage Rule

If you are playing in a setting where you don't care to keep track of the different weapons and armor in the game, use the Simple Damage rule:

Your Attack inflicts 1 Wound Level of Damage. Make a Damage Roll. If you roll 0, you inflict an additional Wound Level of Damage.

***

Advanced Damage Rules

If you want to use Weapon and Armor rules that recognize the impact that this equipment has on combat use the Advanced Damage rules:

WEAPON RANK IS EQUAL TO ARMOR RANK
If your Weapon Rank is equal to the Armor Rank of your opponent you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. Make a Damage Roll. If you roll 0, you inflict an additional Wound Level of damage. (Notice that this is the same as the Simple Damage Rule.)

WEAPON RANK IS LESSER THAN ARMOR RANK
If your Weapon Rank is lesser than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 0 Wound Levels of damage. For each step your Weapon Rank is lesser than < your opponent's Armor Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the left. (The first step to the left of 0 is 20.) This shows the Target number that you will need to inflict 1 Wound Level of damage.

WEAPON RANK IS GREATER THAN ARMOR RANK
If your Weapon Rank is greater than the Armor Rank of your opponent, you inflict 1 Wound Level of damage. For each step that your Weapon Rank is greater than > your opponent's Armor Rank, find 0 on the Target Number Table and move one step to the right. (The first step to the right of 0 is 2.) This shows the Target number that you will need to inflict +1 additional Wound Level of damage.

***

At first glance this might look more complicated than the existing Weapons/Armor/Damage rules, but I believe that in practice these rules will prove to be easier to work with.

With these rules you begin by asking if Weapon Rank and Armor Rank are equal and always begin from the origin point of "0." That's going to be much easier to remember and it eliminates the need for tracking special target numbers and penalty numbers for Weapons and Armor.


Jeff