Sanity checking my Freeform Universal Homebrew

[Theoboldi]

Hi there, everyone! This is my take on a homebrew hack of the Freeform Universal RPG, adapted for my preferences and Play by Post games in particular. I've aimed to create a relatively simple generic game that creates as little friction in PbP as possible, works for a variety of stories, and allows for a more traditional allocation of player and GM roles. It takes influence from a variety of games I've played and read over the years, and I'm pretty sure no single idea in this is entirely original.

Even so, I'd like for some other people to take a look at these rules before I subject any players to them, in hopes of catching any inconsistencies and issues now.

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The Basics

At most times, you will be simply narrating the actions of your character, describing freely what they do and how they do it. You are even free to make up minor details about the current situation that the GM has not introduced, so long as they make sense.

When the outcome of an action you take is in question, you make a die roll. You roll a D12, adding and subtracting any modifiers, and compare the result to the Outcome Chart to see whether or not, and how well you succeed. The higher you roll, the better. The GM never rolls for anything.

Die Roll	Result
1 or 2	No, and...
3 or 4	No
5 or 6	No, but...
7 or 8	Yes, but...
9 or 10	Yes
11 or 12	Yes, and...

Yes and No determine whether you achieve what you set out to do. The details may vary, but a Yes means that you overall got what you wanted, even if it cost you, while a No means that your actual goal is denied to you.

And and But increase or diminish the result of your roll respectively. For instance, a result of No, and… means that not only did you not get what you wanted, but the circumstances change to become actively worse. Meanwhile, a result of Yes, but… means that you achieved your goal, but suffered in the process or are left in a compromising position afterwards.

And and But can both also lead to your character or someone else gaining various temporary conditions, which can either aid or hinder future efforts as Tags. These conditions usually last until the end of the scene or otherwise until it makes sense within the story for them to disappear.

Tags

In each situation, there may be various circumstances that can make a task easier or harder. When something has the potential to have an impact on your actions, it is called a Tag. When a Tag works in your character’s favor, it provides a +1 bonus on your die roll, and when it works against you, it causes a -1 penalty to your roll.

For instance, if your character is trying to repair an engine, and they’re a trained engineer, that would give them a +1 bonus. But if they are also working with improvised tools, that would then give them a -1 penalty, effectively cancelling out their earlier bonus. The GM is the final arbiter of what is, and is not a Tag, as well as how they apply to the current situation.

Conflicts

In certain situations, your character will attempt to overcome an enemy, obstacle or other threat that may do them harm. When a roll is made to resolve such a dangerous or risky action, you lose 1 Stress on any result of No, while your enemy loses 1 Stress on any result of Yes.

When a character, obstacle or threat has no Stress left, it is defeated or overcome. Most things in your path will have only 1 Stress. The GM decides when a given danger is perilous enough to merit a higher number.

A character who has been reduced to 0 Stress must engage in a scene of Resting before they can get involved in any further Conflicts.

Extended Conflicts (Optional)

As an alternative to regular Conflicts, this option may be used for more dramatic, longer, and usually violent scenes.

Extended Conflicts are divided into rounds, which happen in two alternating Phases. How long these rounds last in-character depends on the conflict, from a few seconds in a close-quarters sword fight to an hour of desperate struggle when sailing a ship through a thunderstorm.

In the Action Phase, each character may do any amount of things that can be reasonably handled as one die roll, and fit into the timeframe of one round. If their actions serve to overcome the obstacle before them, the threat will lose 1 point of Stress on a result of Yes, but the character will not lose any Stress on a result of No. However, they may still gain or inflict conditions with results of But and And.

In the Reaction Phase, the GM will describe a number of direct attacks or difficulties that some or all characters must deal with. Each character who is threatened must describe what they do to escape peril and roll as normal. Characters who are not threatened may not act. On any result of No, that character loses 1 point of Stress. Enemies do not lose Stress on a result of Yes. However, conditions can be inflicted as normal on a result of But and And.

The first phase of any Extended Conflict is usually an Action Phase. However, if the characters are somehow surprised by the Conflict, the first phase is instead a Reaction Phase.

Resting

By engaging in a calm, non-dangerous scene in which your character takes time to rest for even just a short while, you may restore 1 point of Stress. During this scene, develop your relationship with another character or reveal something about your character’s thoughts or background. If your character was reduced to 0 points in a previous Conflict, you may instead restore 2 points of Stress.

At the GM’s option, you may restore all of your Stress when your character takes an extended amount of time to recuperate.

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Characters

Each player portrays a capable and versatile character with which to participate in the game. A character is made from various Tags that determine who they are and what sort of capabilities they have.

Concept

Who and/or what is your character? Consider their background, occupation, physical or mental attributes or other notable features. Then, write down your concept as a statement:

I am a Adjective Noun

For example: I am a brave knight; I am a swashbuckling pirate; I am a beautiful assassin.

• Both the Adjective and the Noun count as separate Tags, and can hinder or aid actions that you take.

Talent (Optional)

If your group allows it, each character may describe a unique ability they have. A Talent is something not just anybody can do. It may be an exceptional skill, or a supernatural power, but it is always innate. What sorts of Talents are and are not appropriate will depend on your group and the setting that you play in. Write down your Talent as a statement:

I can Verb

For example: I can fly; I can please a crowd like nobody else; I can control weather magic; I can run faster than most people; I can see in the dark; I can disguise myself as anyone; I can buy whatever I want; I can cleave my enemies in twain; I can disappear in a crowd; I can hit a target from a thousand yards.

• You may attempt things related to your Talent where others may not. The GM may decide this leads to automatic success in some situations.
• A Talent is 1 Tag.
• When you take an action and your Talent provides a bonus, you may spend a Drama Point and roll two dice. Keep the highest roll.

Drive

What pushes your character to action and keeps them going against all odds? Why aren’t they just sitting at home and playing video games right now? Write down your Drive as a statement:

I will Verb

For example: I will stop Warlord Drakoff; I will discover the lost island of Atlantis; I will prove to Father I am worthy of his kingdom; I will protect the weak.

• When you take an action in pursuit of your Drive, apply a +1 bonus to your roll.
• When you take an action in pursuit of your Drive and it causes you or an ally significant trouble, take +1 Drama Point.

Trademarks

What special assets or advantages does your character have? These can be just about anything, from skills to companions and pets to important pieces of equipment. Write down four Trademarks as statements:

I am Adjective
or
I have a Adjective Noun

For example: athletic, clever, giant axe, perceptive, stealthy, trusty sidekick, witty.

• A Trademark always counts as 1 Tag, even if it is made from multiple words.

Flaw

What personal weakness or difficulty does your character struggle with? What makes their life harder? A Flaw can be any personality trait or physical feature that causes more problems than it solves. Write down your Flaw as a simple, evocative description.

For example: afraid of heights, anger issues, hideously deformed, overweight.

• A Flaw is 1 Tag. While it should apply a penalty most of the time, it can also sometimes provide a bonus like any other Tag.
• When a Flaw applies a penalty to a roll, take +1 Drama point after the action is resolved.

Focuses (Optional)

A focus is a very specific talent or circumstance related to a Tag. It is a specialization related to a narrow focus of the Tag. A focus will be recorded in brackets after a Tag, such as athletic (jumping), or stealthy (hiding). A Tag can have any number of Focuses, and you may start the with 1 to 6 in any of your Tags.

• Focuses that you begin with are “locked” and do not give any bonuses. They instead provide both players and the GM with an indicator of the scope of any given Tag. This is particularly useful for unusual trademarks and talents or when playing with a new group of people. Locked Focuses may be “unlocked” through Advances. Underline them to indicate that they have been “unlocked”.
• If you gain a +1 bonus from a Tag, and also have an “unlocked” and relevant Focus, take an additional +1 bonus.
• If multiple Focuses from a Tag are relevant, they all provide +1 bonus each.

Stress

Stress defines a character’s raw potential to resist the dangers that they will face. It determines when a character is removed from a scene, acting as a kind of “Life” or “Plot Armor” track. Unless determined otherwise, your character starts with 3 points of Stress.

Drama Points

Drama Points are an abstract representation of your character’s luck and exceptional determination. Unless determined otherwise, your character starts each adventure with 2 Drama Points.

• You may spend 1 Drama Point before a roll to gain a +1 bonus. You may spend multiple points on one roll.
• You may spend 1 Drama Point after a roll to re-roll the die. If you have rolled 2 dice because of a Talent, you must choose 1 of the dice to re-roll. You must take the result of your re-roll, even if it is worse than the original result.

Advances

Your character will evolve and improve over time, each adventure making them just a little more capable. At the end of each Adventure that you complete:

• You may re-write any of your character’s Tags to better represent them.
• You gain 2 Advances.

Advances can be spent in the following ways:

1 Advance

• Add or “unlock” a focus to a Tag that you used recently.

2 Advances

• Add a new trademark based on something you learned, did or experienced in the recent past.
• Increase your Maximum Stress by 1 point.

3 Advances

• Add a new talent that is closely tied to some action you have taken or experience you have had.

You do not need to spend your Advances immediately, or even between adventures. It is okay to spend them during an adventure to buy a new Focus, Trademark or even Talent. If you do, come up with a suitably exciting reason. For example, when in a tough spot, your character might have a moment of clarity, remember their master’s words, replicate a trick they saw someone else do, or discover a new power within themselves. The only exception is that you may not boost your stress mid-adventure.

[igordragonian]

It is an intresting concept.
hmmm.
I am not sure I understrand the drama points, and.. I think it will be helpful to enivsion it, with an example for how a scene would play out, using this?

[Theoboldi]

Drama Points are basically a very standard fate point or benny-like currency. You spend them to gain bonuses on your rolls or to re-roll bad rolls, and you gain them back by roleplaying your character's drive or being inconvenienced by their flaw. I'll write up a short scene that contains some gameplay examples, to give you an idea of what they look like in action.

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Jonny Quickdraw, the fearless bounty hunter, is trying to catch Mad Dog Reed, an infamous outlaw. After interrogating an old member of the bandit's gang, he learns that his hideout is somewhere on the rocky cliffside of Palebrook Mountain. Immediately, he sets out to find it.

Even with the direction's he's been given, it's not a sure thing that Jonny will find Reed, and his player has to roll. Jonny is a Fearless Bounty Hunter, and also very Observant. These two Tags give him a +2 bonus to his roll already, but his player decides that this is not quite enough yet. He decides to spend one of Jonny's Drama Points, boosting his bonus to +3.

He rolls, and gets a total of 7, giving him a Yes, but... result.

After some searching, Jonny picks up a track that leads him to a dark, hard to see cave. His revolver held ready, he approaches, only for one of Reed's goons to pop up behind a nearby rock. The bandits saw him coming, and have already prepared an ambush! Jonny dives for cover as a gunshot rings out.

Jonny has no particular Tags that apply to dodging bullets. Even worse, his Flaw is that he's Not as fast as he used to be, and in the current circumstances he is Surprised, both of which add up to a -2 penalty to his roll.

His player makes the roll, and gets a total result of 1, which would mean a possibly disastrous No, and.... Unwilling to see Jonny go down to an ambush like this, his player decides to use another Drama Point and re-roll. This time, he gets lucky with a roll of 12, making his final result a 10 and thus a simple Yes.

Since Jonny's Flaw applied to this roll, he now also regains 1 Drama Point.

The bullet impacts on the stone just inches from Jonny's head, leaving him rattled but non the worse for wear. Firing a few initial warning shots, he observes the scene. Mad Dog Reed and his entire gang are now coming out of hiding, taking potshots at the lone bounty hunter and taunting him about how outnumbered he is.

It'd be really smart to run away at this point, but Jonny Quickdraw never backs down from a fight. Gritting his teeth, he jumps out, guns blazing.

Jonny's Drive is that he Will always catch his bounty. This does not just get him a bonus on the ensuing roll, but also means that he earns a Drama Point for doing something as obviously dangerous as taking on an entire gang on his own.

Jonny's player will need it, as the GM decides to move things into an extended conflict against a 3 Stress threat...

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There you go. Does that help? I think I covered all standard uses, other than Talents.