Play By Mail Gaming System

The Game Mechanic

    There are three basic ways of resolving tests in D.G.S. but they all derive from; This system results in the following distribution:
    Table of value for the hard of thinking.
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
    3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30
    4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40
    5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
    6 12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60
    7 14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70
    8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80
    9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90
    10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
    The characters ability with a skill reflects how he is viewed by his peers.
    If the value is less than 10 is it considered a hobby skill
    If a characters value is greater than 40 then they should be considered a professional in that area and acorded the repropriate respect (or other wise). (E.g. 40+ on cat buglery means they are known to the police and local comunity.)
    Should the value be greater than 60 then they are probably famous in some small way. (The cat bugeler how has never been caught and his identity is a mystery)

    How this value is used in the game depends on the situation the characters are in.

    For any combat (even space ship combat where each shot takes days to set up...) always use the d100 roll.

    Basically there are two occassions when a tst should be made;

  1. When the character is trying to achieve something (e.g. baking a cake).

  2. In these cases it is just the character against the universe. The roll is made as outlined above and the degree of success or failure is used by god to discribe the result.
  3. When the character is trying to effect another person (PC or NPC)

  4. Here rather than the universe resisting the attempt the other person resists it.
    Initially things go as before, the player makes the roll and the degree of success or failure is caluculated.
    If the opponant is unaware of the attack, or not resisting it for some other reason their resistance stat is meerly deducted from the degree of success.
    If the opponant is activly resisting, then they can make a test using their appropriate stat and skill. The degree of success or failure of this roll is used to modify the value.
    The final value is taken away from the appropriate damage stat.

    I feel an example may be in order.

      Simon has a Charisma of 6 and a persuade of 4. This gives him a value of 24. He is trying to persuade a guard with confidence of 5 and Jobsworth of 3 ( value 15) to let him into the Genlab main head quarters. He hasn't long because he knows that soon the researchers will come back from lunch so this is a Stress test.
      Simon takes his d100 and rolls 04. (Its a good dice day)
      This gives him an initial value of 20.
      The guard could just deduct his confidence of 5 and take 15 point of 'socal' damage. As he has a Social damage of 35 (5x5 for the confidence +5 for both the other two social states) this would leave him nearly stunned, and would probably be enough to get Simon in.
      god is in a bad mood, He decided to make life difficult:The guard is suspicious and resists the attempt.
      god makes a Stress test for the guard, He rolls 51. Oopse.
      The guard value is 15-56, a wopping -36.
      This is added to simons intial value to give a 56.
      The guards social dammage can't stand that. He lets Simon into the building, giving him directions and the key code for the lab Simon wants, and promptly looses his job.
    As can been seen above, sometimes it is better just to take your medicine and put up with it, especially if your skill is not that good.
    Also if God had not made it a Stress test Simons initial roll of 10 and 4 would have been 40, a failure.
    Whilst the guards roll of 1 and 5 would have been a good success.
    The final value of -26 may have even earnt the guard a promontion as he cleverly apprehended the dangerous subversive.You live and learn.

    Generally characters can 'attack' with either the Raw power or fine control stat. They 'defend' with the resistance stat. The skills use depend on what they have to hand that is appropriate. If the character has no applicable skills to make and attack or defence they only get to use the Stat.
    Usually the same type of attack is countered by the same type of defence, but gods should allow clever roleplaying to change this rule. (eg. the use of stuborness to counter a strength attack in an arm wrestling contest.)



Play By Mail Gaming System