PANCAKES
I wrote an RPG ruleset. Since this is a 3000+ word post of limited interest, I have put it behind a cut. I’d love for some feed back if you’re of the gamer persuasion.
PANCAKES revision 3
1. Introduction, or “That’s not what happened at all!”
PANCAKES is the Plain, Adaptive, Nominally-Core, Awesome, Kwick and Easy System. It uses the D10+ Engine, which is stolen part-and parcel from Ethan Greer’s most excellent Toast.
Circa 2001, me and a gaming collective whom I shall refer to as the Cow Room Boys played a lot of roleplaying games. One of the games we were playing at the time was a playtest of an RPG that Ethan was noodling with. His game was called Toast. He ran a Hârn game in Toast, and every couple of weeks he’d give us a new revision as we worked the flaws and kinks out of the system.
And then there was Toast 3.2. 3.2 was simply the funnest rules engine I’ve ever played. It was very rules-light, with just enough weight to create tons of fun splashy moments, and to push the players toward trying lots of different types of things. I absolutely loved it. Troy loved it. Mike loved it. Zac loved it. Tony loved it. Ethan wasn’t quite happy with it.
So he tinkered with it. And 3.3 was good… but not quite as good as 3.2. And neither was 3.4. By the time we got to 5.1, Three-Two was to forever be the stuff of legends. It was the game that got away. As of today, there are no remaining copies of three-two known to exist.
Ever since Ethan’s Hârn Game, the Three-Two of memory has been the game I compare all other RPGs to. They all invariably come up short. Ethan is working on Toast 7 as I write this, and what he’s got is a good system that ISN’T THREE-TWO. And so I have been forced to do something I thought I’d never do. I’m developing my own game system.
PANCAKES is not a very original system. It is 75% Toast, 20% Savage Worlds, and 5% a couple of ideas of my own. It is written to be my own personal RPG, and as a tribute to Toast 3.2 and that wonderful Hârn game. It is rules-light, genre-nonspecific, and combat-light. Power Gamers and Simulationists are not gonna care for it. It also assumes you’ve gamed before and know the lingo.
2. The Engine, or “Dee Ten Plus, bitches!”
PANCAKES uses the D10+ system of task resolution. There are two types of dice in PANCAKES, the common D4 and the special D10+.
DAMAGE and HEALING are handled with d4s. They always ACE, that is to say, if you roll a four, add four to the total and re-roll. Repeat if necessary.
A d10+ is a d12 rolled as a d10. A result of 1-10 is treated as normal, an 11 is a FLUB, a 12 is a KICK. More on that below.
Task resolution is as follows: GM sets a TARGET NUMBER which may or may not be known to the player. Player rolls a d10+, adds the appropriate TRAIT, and any appropriate SKILL to that number. Equal or higher is a success. Lower is a failure. Flubs and Kicks are flubby and kicky.
On a FLUB the character automatically fails, and the player and/or the GM comes up with something interesting and cool to happen. This should not just be a failure, but a grand spectacle of a failure.
On a KICK, the character automatically succeeds, and the player and/or the GM comes up with something interesting and cool to happen. This should not just be a success, it should be pure awesome.
A player may use any applicable TRAIT and/or SKILL that they can sell the GM on. Creativity is encouraged, but if the GM shoots you down, kindly move on without bitching.
The TARGET NUMBER is set by the GM. In general:
7 - Easy
12 - Medium
17 - Hard
The GM should adjust up or down from these numbers as the situation calls for.
Sometimes a TRAIT TEST will be a CONTESTED ACTION. These are easy. Each character involved in the contest rolls their d10+ and adds the relevant TRAITS and any relevant SKILLZ. Higher wins. On ties, the GM (with player input) decides what happens contextually. Normal rules for FLUBS AND CRITS, but if two or more folks roll a FLUB or KICK, shit gets crazy, if you know what I mean.
2.1 What TRAIT AND/OR skill do I use
Some things clearly call for the used of a generic TRAIT. Some things clearly can only be done with a trained skill. Some things can be done better with training, but can be faked by the untrained. To murk things up, PANCAKES has particularly vague SKILLZ. It all depends.
The GM, with group input decides what the relevant TRAIT is for a TRAIT TEST. A player can make the case that any of their SKILLZ are relevant for any task. If there is room for argument, the group should collectively decide whether the skill applies, the GM being final arbiter.
2.2 Untrained Skill Rolls
Sometimes a player will attempt something for which they have no relevant SKILL. Usually a straight TRAIT roll will be fine. However, often, a player may wish to make an UNTRAINED SKILL ROLL. This is, not surprisingly, a roll on a skill that a character does not possess. Some times this will be the only roll available to the player, but typically they will have a choice between a straight trait roll and an untrained skill roll.
Since skillz can be all kinds of weird things in PANCAKES, collectively decide what the skill being attempted actually is. These skills are likely to be more narrow in focus than starting skillz. Once you decide what skill you are using, write it down. At the end of the session, there will be an opportunity to gain this skill. This makes untrained skill rolls valuable, as they are normally the only way for a character to gain new skills.
An untrained skill roll is made as though the character’s skill was -1. The character may make as many attempts at this penalized level as fits the situation.
If a character is attempting an UNTRAINED SKILL ROLL, and a second character is trained in that skill, or a clearly relevant one, the trained character can try to teach the untrained one. The teaching character rolls D10+. On a FLUB, the learning character automatically fails their attempt, and may make no further attempts that session. They do not get to advance that skill this session. On a KICK, the learning character automatically gains a point in that skill. (they may attempt to advance the skill at the end of the session as normal.) On any any other result, the learning character makes their first attempt at this skill at level 0.
2.3 Tone
In PANCAKES one out of six rolls will result in a critical, so games are filled with splashy, statistically unlikely events. It is also rules-light, which not only means that power gamers will easily break it, but that there are many many situations with no clear path given in this document.
For any question with no clear answer, go with group consensus, with GM as final arbiter. When in doubt, pick the funnest answer.
Different play groups have different play styles. It is recommended that on a result of a FLUB or KICK, the flubbing/kicking player declares what the result of their attempt is. From this declaration, the GM is free to discard, tone down, or extrapolate upon this result, but let’s all have some fun with the criticals , shall we?
2.4 Notation
During the course of play, note all SKILLZ and TRAITS used in a session. These skillz and traits will be eligible for ADANCEMENT ROLLS.
3. Character Creation, or “You start with a Girdle of Femininity.”
You gets some TRAITS you gets some SKILLZ. You know the drill. Or do you?
3.1 TRAITS
There are 10 TRAITS in PANCAKES. None of them are Intelligence.
AIM
Aim is used for shooting things. It also covers readying and firing.
ATHLETICS
Athletics is both Strength and about half of Dex in other games. “Who’s faster” is either determined by Athletics or by REFLEXES. Athletics covers running.
CHARISMA
Charisma is used for all matters social.
FIGHTING
Fighting is used for melee combat. It is not normally used for ranged combat or parliamentary debate.
HECK
Hand Eye Co-ordination. Heck is used for fine manipulation of stuff and doing multiple things at once.
HEALTH
Health is used for healing and for resisting poison and stuff. It is also determines a character’s HIT POINTS.
LUCK
Luck is not a catch-all for all skillz. It should be used for the weird skillz like “danger sense” and for genuine luckiness. It also determines a character’s BENNIES.
PERCEPTION
Perception is used on notice rolls.
REFLEXES
This is normally used for rolling INITATIVE. “Who’s faster” is either determined by Reflexes or ATHLETICS. Reflexes covers quick draw.
WILLPOWER
Willpower is mostly about resisting stuff. Like torture and taunting and the urge to freak out. It also governs magic if your group is messing with that stuff.
You have 30 points to put into a TRAIT. Min of 1, Max of 9. You may save up to 2 trait points to spend on SKILLZ.
3.2 Derived Attributes
You have a NATURAL MAXIMUM of HIT POINTS equal to the following formula 20 + (HEALTH TRAIT x 8). You start the game with full hit points. If your Health trait ever goes up a level, your natural maximum is similarly raised. If you are at full health at that time, you get the 8 points then and there, otherwise not.
You get BENNIES equal to your LUCK TRAIT. Bennies reset at the start of each session. The GM gets one bennie for each player character. Bennies are re-roll tokens. You may spend a bennie to re-roll the following:
A TRAIT TEST made by your character
A TRAIT TEST made by an opponent against you in an OPPOSED ACTION
A DAMAGE ROLL made by your character
A DAMAGE ROLL inflicted against your character
A HEALING ROLL made by your character. This includes natural healing, as well as any potion/medicinal-based rolls.
You may also spend a bennie to cancel a bennie used on an action against your character.
You can not spend a bennie to re-roll a FLUB or a KICK.
Bennied rolls replace previous rolls. You cannot take “best of”.
You can re-roll a result until you run out of bennies, or until a flub or a kick is rolled.
The GM doesn’t get to use bennies to force players to re-roll. Tough luck, Chuck.
3.2 SKILLZ
You can start with up to six SKILLZ. There is no skill list. A skill can be as broad or as narrow as you like. Starting skillz are encouraged to be particularly personable and non-generic. Skillz chosen at character creation start at level 1.
“SKILLZ” may or may not be “skills”. Many things that would be an “advantage” in other games, are considered to be a SKILL in PANCAKES. For instance, “wealthy”, and “danger sense” are perfectly acceptable skillz.
You are also encouraged to list things that appear to be merely flavor but would have tangible benefits as SKILLZ. Examples would be “Knows her spaceship inside and out” Or “has many things in his utility belt.” Creativity and personalization is encouraged.
SKILLZ can be broad or narrow. The more narrow the skill, the more benefits you should gain from the skill. So, “good with guns” might let you shoot anything with a trigger, but “affinity for pistols” would let you repair a pistol, and “I have a gun named Betsy” might give you quick draw with Betsy. What you can and can’t do with a skill should be decided collaboratively and creatively.
During character creation, you may choose one SKILL to be a STRENGTH. That skill starts at 2 not 1. It also has ADVANCEMENT advantages, as outlined in the Advancement section.
You may spend up to 2 TRAIT points to start one or two SKILLZ at a higher level. No starting character may have a skill above 3. Be careful when exercising this option. Traits are much harder to raise than skillz.
3.3 Stuff
Give your character some stuff.
Weapons each have a WEAPON MODIFIER and a number of HIT DICE. The modifier increases the chances of hitting, and the hit dice are how much damage they do.
Armor, shields, and things players argue count as shields each have a ARMOR MODIFIER. The modifier only counts if it would. Y’know, helmets only armor head shots, that sorta thing. You’re a smart crowd, you can work it out.
See section 6 for sample weapons and Armors.
3.4 Other
A character may end up with a MASTERY at some point after character creation. The rules for a mastery are covered in the ADVANCEMENT section.
That’s about it. Season to taste.
4. Character Advancement, or “Troy keeps getting better and better at falling down.”
Characters in PANCAKES don’t have experience points, and they don’t level up, but they DO get better at the stuff they do. At the end of every session, players get to make ADANCEMENT ROLLS. The GM may choose to use the Character Advancement rules on important NPCs if he likes.
4.l. Skill Advancement Rolls.
Every SKILL used by a character in the course of a session is eligible for a SKILL ADVANCEMENT ROLL. Roll a D10+. If the result exceeds your current skill level, your skill goes up one. If you roll a FLUB, your skill goes down one. If you roll a KICK, re-roll and add 1 to that result (If you get a flub on the re-roll, your skill does not go down. If you get another kick, reroll adding an additional 1.) Regular skills cannot exceed level 9. A player may choose to skip making a skill advancement roll for an eligible skill, if he wishes.
You should make a Skill Advancement Roll on any skill for which you made an UNTRAINED SKILL ROLL. If you FLUB your roll, you failed to in any way learn the skill. Any other result gives you the skill at level 1.
4.2 Strength Advancement Rolls.
One or more of a character’s SKILLZ is considered a STRENGTH. A STRENGTH ADVANCEMENT ROLL follows slightly different rules. Like any other skill, a strength must have been used during a session to be able for advancement. Roll a D10+. If the result equals or exceeds your current skill level, your skill goes up one. If you roll a FLUB, nothing happens. If you roll a KICK, reroll and add 3 to that result. Strengths cannot exceed level 10.
4.3 Trait Advancement Rolls.
A player may choose a single TRAIT that was used during the course of play. Roll a D10+. On a KICK, that trait is raised by one. Nothing happens on any other result.
4.4 Relabeling Skillz.
After a few sessions worth of UNTRAINED SKILL ROLLS, a character may end up with a handful of narrow, related SKILLZ. During Advancement, a player may petition to relabel these narrow skillz as a single broad skill. This should be reflected as a natural outgrowth of the character’s recent history of gameplay. If there is general agreement to this petition, the character replaces all of those skillz with the new skill - at the level of the highest replaced skill. As always, the GM is the final arbiter.
4.5 Act Breaks.
At the end of a session, the GM may choose to declare the end of an ACT. He should do so before ADVANCEMENT ROLLS are made. At the end of act, a player may choose to do any one of the following:
*Automatically raise a TRAIT by one level
*Gain an additional STRENGTH. The player does not get a free point in that skill.
*Upgrade a STRENGTH to a MASTERY. Masteries are Strengths with the following additional rules:
4.6 Masteries
A MASTERY is a specialized strength. A mastery has no maximum level. A player may skip their session’s TRAIT ADVANCEMENT ROLL to make an additional STRENGTH ADVANCEMENT ROLL in the mastered skill, even if they did not use the skill this session. A player may only ever have one mastery. The GM may veto any mastery as being overbroad. The GM may allow a player to change or redefine a mastery at a later date, or they may rule that there are no backsies. You know how GMs are.
5. Combat, or “I’d rather be playing Rocks.”
5.1 Initiative
At the start of each round, each active participant in the combat makes a contested roll based on the REFLEXES TRAIT and possibly some relevant skill. A KICK on this roll, in general, means the character gets some sort of bonus this round, although a different result may be put forth. Similarly, a FLUB typically means the character wastes his turn with some sort of misstep. Any ties go simultaneously.
5.1.1 Backwards (Optional)
In PANCAKES, the slowest character declares their intended action, then the second slowest, on through to the fastest. This allows the fastest characters to anticipate and react to the slower ones. This may prevent the slower characters from doing anything at all that round, based on the faster characters’ actions. Use common sense.
5.1.1.1 Example of Backwards
Abbey got the highest result on her initiative, followed by Bobby, followed by Carl who got the lowest result. Therefore, Carl says what he does, followed by Bobby, then Abbey.
Carl: “I push the detonator on the doomsday device, cackling maniacally!”
Bobby: “I leaping tackle Carl to keep him away from the detonator!”
Abbey: “I quickly position myself between Bobby and Carl, trying to intercept Bobby.”
Now that everybody has declared their actions, the action unfolds. First, Abbey moves between Bobby and Carl. After some quick debate, GM rules that Abbey’s interception is a contested action. Abbey’s reflexes trait vs. Bobby’s athletics trait + his “Played football in high school” skill.
Bobby wins, and is able to twist around Abbey toward Carl. Bobby then gets to make a contested action against Carl. After some more brief discussion, Bobby again rolls on his Athletics + plus his “Played football in high school” skill, while Carl opts to roll on his Fighting plus his “fisticuffs”, rather than on his Reflexes.
Bobby wins again, tackling Carl to the ground. This prevents Carl from pushing the detonator, so it is time for new initiative.
5.2 Attackin
Describe what you want to do. This is a narrativist game, so make it as descriptive and cinematic as you like.
Actions should be as complex and descriptive as possible. “I scoop up the idol with my left hand as I charge toward the ogre with my sword in my right, bellowing obscenities all the while” is a good one. “I attack him, and if all possible I’m trying to keep his eyes on me, not what’s going on behind him” is pretty good too.
Most attacks are contested actions. ATTACK TRAIT (usually FIGHTING or AIM)+ applicable SKILL + WEAPON MODIFIER vs. APPLICABLE TRAIT(usually ATHLETICS OR FIGHTING) + applicable SKILL (if any.) + ARMOR MODIFIER A success is a hit.
Situational modifiers should be applied as makes sense. Doing things in combat other than “I hit” is to be encouraged whenever possible. Tricks, taunts, maneuvers, acrobatics, called shots, all of these things should be good ideas.
5.3 Hits
Each weapon has a number of hit dice. If you score a hit roll, roll that many D4s, adding together the result. D4s ace: If you roll a 4 add it to your total and re-roll. The total is the amount of DAMAGE you’ve dealt. Subtract that damage from the target’s hit points. You can bennie damage that you have dealt or are receiving. The re-roll replaces the previous roll, no matter which is better.
5.4 Damage
Damage can be flavorful and it can also be a pain in the ass. Thus these rules are more optional than most. However, they are all assumed to be “on” unless the group has decided otherwise.
5.4.1(OPTIONAL RULE)HURT
If a character loses HIT POINTS, they may suffer from injuries. Any character below 20 hit points is at -1 to all actions. Any character below 10 hit points is at -2 to all actions, and any character below 5 is at -3.
5.4.2 (VERY OPTIONAL RULE)MAIMED
If a character is ever dealt more than 30 points of DAMAGE in a single attack, they have been permanently damaged. They lose a body part or are in some other way crippled.
5.4.3 UNCONSIOUS
If a character drops to 0 HIT POINTS they are unconscious. If a character takes enough damage to drop them below 0, treat the character as if it is at 0.
5.4.4 (OPTIONAL RULE) Coming To
A player character or major NPC at 0 hit points may make a roll at the end of each round of combat. On a success, they regain a single HIT POINT. And consciousness.
5.4.5 (VERY OPTIONAL RULE) Death
Player DEATH may or may not be acceptable depending on your group. If a group wants player death to be a threat in combat, a player can be killed if a HIT would have sent them to -10 HIT POINTS (if hit points were tracked below 0 which they aren’t), or if an UNCONSCIOUS player is ever struck.
6. The Rest of the Stuff
6.1 Healing
A character heals either 1d4 HIT POINTS per day, or per session, whichever is a faster rate. Healing rolls ACE. Medicine and/or potions may speed this process, use your own discretion, folks.
6.2 Magic
I’m totally not writing rules for this.
6.3 Weapons Table
Short Sword - WM2/HD4
9mm Pistol - WM2/HD4
Make up your own.
6.4 Armor Table
Buckler AM2
Kevlar AM6
Make up your own.
6.5 You tell me
Any glaring omissions?
Originally published at The Triangle. You can comment here or there.