FUDGE mechanics, your thoughts?

[Storm Gorm]

Hello.

(I have played DnD a couple of years now, on and off, and ive always found myself dissatisfied with the system. I think it is too rigid, too large and clumsy etc, most of the standard objections. So i searched around for a good alternative...)

And i foundt FUDGE, by mere chance, and i bless the day that i did, at least now, i havent tested it yet, i havent even read the rulebook all through.

I just wondered if anyone here feel strongly pro or con this system? Please bring me issues of difficulty with FUDGE, if you have not adopted it yourselves.

Oh, and for you who dont know what FUDGE is, i have two files here, one short introduction, and the whole rulebook.

Short version: http://www.fudgerpg.com/fudge/FudgeNutshell.pdf
Long version: http://www.fudgerpg.com/fudge/fudge.pdf

Just fishing for reactions... thanks in advance

 

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

PROS:
easy
free
gives me an excuse to buy "fudge dice"

CONS:
vague skill system
vague pretty much everything
little support (how could there be?)

The vaguness bothers me because I play in a group that's half roleplayers and half powergamers. Both groups need to know what they're getting. FUDGE demands a very, very understanding and flexible group. One of the reasons I like d20 is that is rules heavy so there is less ambiguity. A quick 20 second rule check and the game is underway. FUDGE calls for a lot of gamemaster arbitration and if a player is in an argumentative mood, things can get ugly.

Of course if it works for you, then by all means go for it.

 

[Theron]

FUDGE is pretty spiffy, IMHO. It's especially great if you've got folks who understand the basic notions of roleplaying, but aren't big on reading reams of rules. It's fairly grainy in terms of how the various ability/skill levels break down, but if you're not looking for intricate detail, that's not really a problem. For fantasy type things, the scaling rules do take some sifting through to understand completely.

Lastly, it's important to note that FUDGE isn't so much a RPG as a RPG toolkit, even more than say, The HERO System. In FUDGE, everything from the number and types of attributes to the specific skills, magic systems, etc. are yours to fiddle with. All it does is provide the framework of a consistent resolution system to hang your game on.

But as free games go, it's hard to beat. I broke down and bought a hard copy of the rules and a couple of sets of dice and enjoy messing around with it.

 

[Psion]

It's a nice system. The author (unlike many indie authors... and all to many mainstream ones) understand probabilities.

The basic mechanic's approach to relating rolls to results with respect to strength is a lot nice than many more complex system.

It's flexible.


That said, unless you REALLY like running rules light, it takes a lot of work to shape it into a ready to run game (though the author would disagree on that point if you ask him...)

 

[Storm Gorm]

The "graininess" you speak of, is mostly apparant only when comparing to number-driven mechanics. I think that this socalled graininess of FUDGE (which one can adjust somewhatly by adding more levels of difficulty, as i understand it) is a minor fault, comparing to the extreme fault of running rpg round the axis of mathematics! Mathmade rpg is perfect for computers and realism, but i want to stimulate my imagination and make a good story, who then cares if there is little in the middle of Good and Great (that is, when more excactness makes your game stumble and fall down to the electric pit of perfect logic)?

This boils down to prioritations of course, and as long as we disagree here, this can become a neverending discussion. So lets discuss FUDGE only within its own premises

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I like the idea of FUDGE, but the limited number of skill and attribute levels ultimately kept me away. I stick to GURPS for universal rules system (and GURPS, like FUDGE but unlike d20, also has a nice bell curve for task resolutions).

Still, the game is interesting, if only to learn a few things about designing game rules. And "A Magical Medley", the magic supplement, is highly recommended...

 

[d4]

i'm with BG@W in that the biggest turn-off of FUDGE for me is the inherent vagueness of a rules-light system.

call me lazy, but i'd rather have a rule already written down in the book than have to be constantly making adjudications in the middle of the game because there is no rule.

 

[Storm Gorm]

That said, unless you REALLY like running rules light, it takes a lot of work to shape it into a ready to run game (though the author would disagree on that point if you ask him...)

Yes, indeed, but arent there conversions available? If not, why not? Its ten years old - and this is part of the reason i fish on this messageboard - fore if it IS great, as i blindly believe, then why hasnt it developed to a real movement? I fear the reason is lack of commercial machinery.

Regardless, i kind of like this part of roleplaying - the making of a world and system that works fancily.

Are there none that can point to faults with FUDGE that are so dominant that you would counsel me not to play it?

 

[d4]

Are there none that can point to faults with FUDGE that are so dominant that you would counsel me not to play it?

of course not. while i personally may dislike the system, i'd never tell someone else not to play it. if it works for you, go for it.

 

[Psion]

Yes, indeed, but arent there conversions available?

I'm not sure what you mean by conversions? There were, at one time, some fleshed-out setups for various game settings online in various places. (If you look hard enough, you might find a pseudo-victorian fantasy/pulp character definition system I did up some time ago; it had "telescoping stats" and is pretty much what I would do if I were to ever run FUDGE again.) I have collected some on my laptop, but am not sure what still exists online.