3d6 Under – ‘Narrative’
Systems
(forged in the dark, powered by the apocalypse, FATE)
Base Concepts (intro)
Player Roles
- GM
- Player Characters
What you’ll need
- copy of the rules
- character sheets
- pen and paper (or something for note taking is useful)
- dice (3 to 5 d6 per player)
- counters (not needed but can be fun and useful)
- snacks and a place to play
Narrative Play
- The Fiction
- The Flow: Describe action and see if tests are needed
- specific rule trumps general rule
- negotiation and ret-conning
Happy Gaming
- inclusive environment
- lines and veils
- the x-card
Glossary of terms
- stuff
- more stuff
Core System
- use d6
- attributes and skills
- threat (difficulty, challenge)
- context modifier (advantage/disadvantage)
- advanced tag, magic tag
- d6 pool (attribute (5) + skill (3))
- apply modifiers (threat, context (adv/dis), static (+/-1’s))
- (average pool size should be 3 to 5 dice)
- roll to get ‘hits’ (4+)
- 1+ hits = success (see roll results descriptions)
i.e. Daud has a brawn of 11 and is practised in the Athletics skill. Daud’s player rolls the dice and
gets 1, 5 and 5, for a total of 11. Daud has 2 hits (full success), 1 for rolling equal or under their
attribute and 1 for rolling equal or under their skill value.
Degrees of Success
Failure (No Hits),
- the action isn’t successful
- take a cost (or more, dependant on threat)
Qualified Success (1 Hit)
Success but at some sort of cost or twist.
Often the most difficult but fun, interesting and rewarding test result to judge.
Guidelines:
- the action is still successful, at least in intent by-enlarge (see limited success below).
- the cost(s) should be driven by the narrative and what makes sense.
- get players involved by giving them a choice. (give them a choice, don’t let them straight choose
the one they want)
Example costs:
- health damage
- stress damage
- gear wear
- negative momentum
- takes more time
- expend (additional) resource
- drop/loose something / leave evidence
- limited success (close distance but don’t catch them etc.)
Full Success (2 Hits)
Resounding Success (3+ Hits)
In many ways, the opposite of qualified success. Many of the same guideline still apply.
The actions succeeds and gains an additional boon.
Examples boons:
- recover stress
- positive momentum
- takes less time
- expends less resources
- gain an extra (piece of info, more distance etc.)
Fate rolls
- sometimes a pool will be 0 dice
- avoiding 0 dice (help, focus, equipment)
- in this case use a fate test.
- roll 2d6, take the lower result of the two.
- modifiers (adv/dis) effect this test as normal.
Threat and Modifiers
Threat
- A measure of the challenge, complexity or danger posed by a task or opponent.
- threat values range from 0 to 3
- add threat value as –x penalty to dice pool
- add threat value to the amount of costs incurred on a failure or qualified success result (see
degrees of success. pg. Xxx)
‘Critical’ Threat
- can be added to threat values 1 to 3 as a tag
- tests incur a cost, even on a success (not on resounding success)
- doesn’t stack on cost for failure and qualified success.
- don’t use ‘limited victory’ cost
‘Active’ Modifiers
- simplified
- advantage and disadvantage
- advantage: ‘hit’ on 3+
- disadvantage: ‘hit’ on 5+
Inspiration
- one automatic hit???
‘Static’ Modifiers
- simplified
- +/- 1 bonus or penalty
- bonus: + add to dice pool, penalty: - take from dice pool
- bonuses and penalties stack, unless stated otherwise (equipment bonus from armour, multiple
weapons etc.)
- common occurrences: equipment, wounds and injuries, conditions, combat
Game Structure – Scenes
Running Scenes
- generally just flows, like a good book or film
- tries to support the fiction and narrative by providing some structural guidance.
- limits, and helps to define, time and some actions
- PC’s in different scene types at the same time
Exploration Scenes
-
-
Action Scenes (inc. combat)
----- initiative: narrative or roll for it, both can be useful and used as needed/appropriate.
----- 1 Movement (move, simple interaction, take cover, take aim, recovery)
Movements are activities that mainly involve positioning, preparation/recovery or quick
interactions. They are rarely the main focus of a characters narrative action and often support the
activity the character is performing, taking aim before firing, moving to engage an enemy so they
can attack, recovering so that they can act etc.
----- 1 Action (any movement, complex interaction, attack, use talent/spell, disengage, misc.)
most involved or complex activities are actions.
----- 1 Interruption (block/dodge, opportunity attack, use held)
Interruptions are activities that are done in response to other actions, blocking an attack, taking a
swipe at someone as they try to move away from you etc.
----- Free Actions (drop prone, one simple interaction, say something simple, extras from talents)
Free actions cover activities that are either very quick, easy or subconscious to perform. They are
also the sorts of activity that might be performable whilst taking other actions, e.g. a simple
interaction (drawing a weapon etc.) while moving or ‘as part of’ the attack the character makes.
----- misc. (use which ever feels best to represent, usually an action. Use above options as guide.)
Combat
- two weapon (+1 penalty, light only, +half damage of second weapon. can use the special
properties of either weapon, but not both)
- range (+1 penalty beyond standard range)
- cover (+1 or 2 penalty, light and heavy cover)
- mounted (+1 penalty???)
- height (adv./dis., as needed)
Downtime Scenes
---- research
---- crafting/building
---- rest and recovery
---- general work
- state
(activities during those scenes)
links
-little bits of description between scenes, like quick resets or linking sentences.
Other Systems
Focus Points
- player specific pool
- pool of spendable points
- points equal to 1 + the characters Will.
---- advantage
---- inspiration
---- second wind
---- +1 AP
---- use talent
---- earn/take back a story point (if using)
Story Points
- collective group pool
- part of replacing inspiration.
- group pool of spendable points.
Condition Tags
- Wounded
Non-Standard (Complex) Tests
- Extended Tests
-PvP
