Roll 1
A customizable Tabletop Role-Playing Game system for all ages and experience levels!
About
- a quick overview -
My name is Eric and I've been running tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) for over 10 years.
Throughout this time I've realized that what separates the TTRPG medium from others is one fundamental concept: improvisation with a chance of failure.
In other words, "let's see if you succeed or not" is at its core, and this simple mechanic is what enables countless stories, adventures, and legends to be born from the creativity of friends around a table, virtual or in-person.
Experiencing the joy this medium brings to others over the years, I wanted to contribute to the community by developing a system that:
1) highlights this simplicity
2) is customizable to many different themes, settings, and worlds
3) is accessible to all ages and experience levels
What resulted after many playtests and tweaks is a system that hopefully accomplishes this, and at the very least, celebrates the heart of TTRPGs.
I look forward to hearing about the stories you create with Roll 1 RPG!
-Eric
How To Play
MAIN CONCEPT:
PLAYERS roleplay characters through conflicts and scenarios created by the GAME RUNNER. To see if characters succeed at tasks or attempts in these scenarios, they roll dice. Anything can happen, and every story told through roleplaying and rolling is unique!
ROLLING DICE
(the foundation)
• When a character attempts to overcome a challenge: roll a pool of six-sided dice
• Success = you roll a 1 on any die
• Failure = you don't roll a 1 on any die
Each character has Traits (Physical / Mental / Social), Skills, Items, and Specialties. A specific amount of six-sided dice (d6s) is assigned to each.
When a character attempts to overcome a challenge (anything that has the potential to fail), the Game Runner will determine which Skill is required in order to attempt it, as well as any Items. If the character meets those requirements, the dice pool is built using those dice plus the most applicable Trait (is this a Physical, Mental, or Social challenge?).
Once the dice pool is built, roll to find out what happens! Standard challenges will require only 1 Success to accomplish, harder challenges may require more. This is the time to be creative and roleplay what the outcome looks like!
CHALLENGE DIFFICULTY
(how hard a task is)
Most "standard" challenges only require 1 Success on your roll, which represents a challenge that trained characters can accomplish most of the time. But for challenges that go beyond that, they can be Very Hard, Extreme, Nearly Impossible.
The table below represent the categories of difficulty (and required Successes) the Game Runner will use throughout the game.
DIFFICULTY TABLE
(Successes needed)
• Standard = 1 Success
• Very Hard = 2 Successes
• Extreme = 3 Successes
• Nearly Impossible = 4 Successes
• Legendary = 5 Successes
NOTE: All challenges require the characters to be at least "Trained" (or sometimes higher) in a specific Skill in order to attempt it or aid in the effort. It may also require certain Items.
If a character doesn't meet those requirements, they cannot attempt it.
BUILDING DICE POOLS
(what it all means)
1) TRAITS: the natural potential of a character
* Rarely or never changes
• Below Average = 1d6
• Average = 2d6
• Above Average = 3d6
• Prodigy = 4d6
• Legendary = 5d6
2) SKILLS: a list of learnable qualities that every character can improve over time
* Skills increase over time through Growth, which is usually 1d6 added to any Skill every 5 Sessions / when your Experience Points (XP) = 20 / when a story arc concludes, determined by the Game Runner.
• Trained = 1d6
• Advanced = 2d6
• Expert = 3d6
• Master = 4d6
• Legendary = 5d6
3) ITEMS: disposable objects that characters can acquire over time
* In order to use all the dice of an Item, it must be "used as intended" (described on the Item as "Intended Use"). If not, it's reduced to 1d6 or unusable, determined by Game Runner.
• Slightly Helpful = 1d6
• Helpful = 2d6
• Very Helpful = 3d6
• Extremely Helpful = 4d6
• Legendary = 5d6+
• Harmful = 1d6
• Dangerous = 2d6
• Lethal = 3d6
• Devastating = 4d6
• Catastrophic = 5d6+
4) SPECIALTIES: a quality unique to a character, usually attached to a specific Skill, Item, or situation
* This adds flavor and customization to a character. Example: Master of Swords (activates when using a sword)
When a Specialty activates, change entire dice pool to four-sided dice (d4).
5) AIDING: when other characters help with a roll
* If other characters meet the requirements of the challenge, they can also roll and add their Successes.
Example:
Character A rolls = 1 Success
Character B rolls = 1 Success
Character C rolls = 0 Success
TOTAL = 2 Successes towards the challenge
6) BOOST POINTS: rolling more 1s than needed to succeed at the challenge
* The amount of 1s you roll over the success requirement is the amount of Boost Points you receive. You can add Boost Points to any roll at any time.
1 Boost Point = 1d4
Example:
• Challenge Difficulty = 1 Success
• Rolls 2 Successes = 1 Boost Point
• Adds 3 Boost Points to next roll = 3d4 added
This is the foundation to all characters. The Game Runner will tell you what's required for every challenge attempt, which always starts with a Skill (at least Trained, sometimes higher) and sometimes includes an Item with an "Intended Use" appropriate to the situation.
WOUNDS
(combat or things that can hurt you)
1) When fighting or defending against someone or something, as usual you must meet the Skill and Item requirements to be able to engage in the fight (or you automatically take 1 Wound).
2) Build your pool and roll to see if you beat the Difficulty Challenge.
3) Success = you give the opponent 1 Wound / Failure = you receive 1 Wound
4) Items that have the "Intended Use" of Armor/Protection absorb Wounds - once it reaches 0, it breaks and is unusable.
* The Item table above determines how many Wounds this Item can absorb until it breaks.
* Approved by the Game Runner, Items can be improvised as armor/protection: subtract 1d6 for every Wound it absorbs (it breaks at 0).
5) If you receive 4 Wounds, you're knocked out.
DISTANCE
Some Skills and/or Items may require certain distances to be able to use. In most cases, Face to Face is required for "Close Combat" and being Far Away is required for "Ranged Combat".
Whenever you "change distance," you open yourself up for attack and must roll a defensive roll if the opponent is able and decides to attack you (failure = take 1 Wound). The Game Runner will tell you what's required for the roll.
Below are the distance ranges: you must "change distance" for every change in range.
DISTANCE RANGES
• Face to Face
• Far Away
• Very Far Away
• Extremely Far Away
QUICK CHARACTER SHEET
ABILITIES: allocate 3d6 to the following Abilities in any combination
• PHYSICAL: 1d6
• MENTAL: 1d6
• SOCIAL: 1d6
SKILLS: allocate 6d6 to the following Skills in any combination
• Diplomacy
• Intimidation
• Close Combat
• Ranged Combat
• Investigation
• Creating
• Deception
• Sleight of Hand
• Acrobatics
• Performing
• Technology
• Survival
• (any other Skills that fit the genre/setting, such as Sailing or Treasure Hunting)
ITEMS: create 1-3 basic items your character would carry around
1) Define its "Intended Use"
2) Assign dice to it based on helpfulness when "used as intended"
SPECIALTY: create 1 thing your character specializes in and define what's needed to "activate" it
WOUNDS: have this somewhere on your sheet, and check each box as your character receives Wounds
☐ Minor Wound
☐ Moderate Wound
☐ Major Wound
☐ Knocked Out
THE GAME RUNNER
• Determines the world, including the list of character Skills, discoverable Items, and Specialty possibilities.
• Helps Players create their characters, based on the world.
• Creates conflict/scenarios for the characters to interact with.
• Roleplays everything in the world.
• Guides dice rolls and outcomes.
The Game Runner ultimately guides the gameplay, and operates the world that the Players get to roleplay their characters in (which includes roleplaying everything in the world).
There's a lot that can be said for being the Game Runner, so I've created an ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE section that contains more in-depth guidance for all of the above. I'll also be putting out a "Quick Start Guide" soon to help create your own world.
In short, help Players create their characters based on the setting, place obstacles in their way to build tension and the story, call for rolls as often as you can, and see what happens!
* See the TEMPLATES page to help customize/populate the world during preparation or on the fly.
* To read more about my philosophy of Roll 1 as a system (the mindset, development, reasons for choosing mechanics, and more), click HERE
* For a fun idea, you can buy blank d6s and mark one side with a sticker or marker, so if you see that mark you know you succeeded.