TEXT: Pony Tales
  A Role-Playing Game for Ages Twelve & Older
  Written by Dave Bryant
  Version 2: 24 September 2011
  “O
  nce upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria . . .”
  With these words, the world was introduced to My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. 
  This half-hour television program became a surprise hit in its ﬁ rst season, not only with the 
  young girls for whom it was intended but with people of all ages and many cultures — thanks 
  to its creators’ determination to present well-written stories, vivid characters, and a fasci-
  nating setting.
  Those qualities have made this storybook kingdom and the good-hearted ponies who 
  live there a wonderful place to visit, even if only in one’s imagination. Pony Tales is a vehicle 
  for that imagination, providing rules to guide any group of friends with a bunch of dice and 
  maybe some maps in spending a few hours around a table exploring Equestria for adventure 
  and entertainment.
  My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is a trademark of Hasbro, Inc.
  � Table of Contents �
  Playing the Game. . . . . . . . . . . .2
  A Group of Friends. . . . . . . . . . . 2
  About the Rules  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
  What Kind of Game?. . . . . . . . . 2
   How Do the Ponies 
   Know Each Other? . . . . . . . . . 2
  Creating a Pony  . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
  Step 1: What Kind of Pony?. . . . 3
  Step 2: Pony Aptitudes . . . . . . . . 3
  Step 3: Pony Talents  . . . . . . . . . . 3
  Step 4: Not Just Any Pony!. . . . . 4
  Step 5: Finishing Touches. . . . . . 4
  Magic  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
  The Science of Magic. . . . . . . . . 5
  Playing Fair  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Magical Artifacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
  Doing Things  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
  Step 1: How Hard Is the Task?. . 6
  Step 2:  What Talent Does 
  the Pony Use?  . . . . . . . . . 7
  Step 3:  Which Aptitude Does
  the Pony Use?  . . . . . . . . . 7
  Step 4: Roll! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Using the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
  Weights and Measures  . . . . . . .8
  How Big is a Pony? . . . . . . . . . . . 8
   How Much Can a Pony 
   Lift, Carry, and Pull?. . . . . . . . 9
  How Far Can a Pony See?. . . . . . 9
  How Fast Can a Pony Move? . . 10
  Rounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
  Step 1: Initiative  . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
  Step 2: Actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
  Step 3: Is It Over?  . . . . . . . . . . . .13
  Live and Learn  . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
  Fatigue and Rest. . . . . . . . . . . .14
  Sleep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
  Other Creatures. . . . . . . . . . . .14
  Icky Stuﬀ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
  Level of Illness or Injury  . . . . . .15
  Natural Dangers  . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
  Protective Armor  . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  First Aid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Natural Healing. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Medical Treatment  . . . . . . . . . . 16
  Fighting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
  Step 1: Defense  . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
  Step 2: Attack  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
  Step 3: Special Conditions  . . . . .18
  Step 4: The Environment. . . . . 19
  Step 5: Roll!  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
  Step 6: Injury or Eﬀ ect. . . . . . . 20
  For informational essays about world-building,
  please visit the author’s Deviantart sub-gallery at
  http://catspaw-dtp-services.deviantart.com/gallery/31686580
  
  Pony Tales 
  Version 1 
  Dave Bryant 
  Page 2
  � Playing the Game �
  T
  he first role-playing game appeared in the late 1970s, after a designer of miniatures 
  wargames discovered his friends were more willing to play if he included fantasy ele-
  ments, like magic and mythical creatures, and individual heroes with special abilities and 
  personalities. Through the 1980s and 1990s, hundreds of role-playing games, or RPGs, 
  were published on all kinds of subjects — science ﬁ ction and space opera, pulp adventure 
  and modern-day super-spies, cowboys, superheroes, and just about anything else that would 
  be fun and exciting for a group of friends to pretend to be for an afternoon.
  There aren’t as many RPGs nowadays, partly because, like many other things, it was 
  sort of a fad, and after a while a lot of people drifted oﬀ  to do other things, including play 
  computer and video games. RPGs haven’t gone away completely, though, because it’s still 
  fun for people to get together and play the old-fashioned way, with a book of rules, a bunch 
  of dice, maybe a few maps, and some time to sit around a table and visit an imaginary world 
  for adventure and entertainment.
  A Group of Friends
  Any role-playing game needs one person to “run the show”. Other games may call this per-
  son the “game-master”, “referee”, “umpire”, or some similar name. In Pony Tales, this person 
  is called the narrator. The narrator controls the world, kind of like a movie or television 
  director — ﬁ guring out what happens after players’ ponies do things, playing the parts of 
  other ponies or creatures, and generally keeping the game’s story going.
  The other people in the group are players. Each player controls a character, playing 
  that character’s part like an actor. Sometimes, if a player is caught up in the excitement, 
  she might get up and act out what her character is doing or saying, but usually it’s enough 
  for a player just to describe her character’s words and actions. In Pony Tales, each player’s 
  character is a brightly-colored magical pony who lives in the land of Equestria.
  About the Rules
  Pony Tales is based very loosely on an open-source set of rules called Open D6. However, it’s 
  stripped down to the bare essentials, and is intended to be as simple as possible. One rea-
  son is to keep the game’s story moving quickly, without bogging down in little details. The 
  other is so the game can be played easily by anyone old enough to understand the rules.
  That’s also why the rules are written very simply, without a lot of technical terms and 
  fancy words. Besides, the simple language also seems to ﬁ t the fairy-tale feeling of the 
  magical land and the stories that happen there. This may help the narrator and players get 
  into the right frame of mind for playing the game.
  What Kind of Game?
  Before starting, the narrator and players should talk about what kind of game they want 
  to play. There’s a lot of room for everyone to be creative, but one question does need to be 
  answered: Will the game be literal or ﬁ gurative?
  •  A literal game takes the show’s episodes at face value — no matter how silly, illogical, or 
  inconsistent they get. The idea is simply to have fun and lots of laughs, paying attention 
  only to what’s happening at the moment, just like the show. This doesn’t mean the narra-
  tor and players can’t be serious, but they shouldn’t go overboard about it, or it won’t feel 
  like the show does.
  •  A ﬁ gurative game treats the show’s episodes as if they were stories told by, or to, someone’s 
  kid sister or brother — mostly right, but with details mixed up, simpliﬁ ed, or exagger-
  ated. It’s up to the narrator and players to decide how the details are diﬀ erent. Having 
  fun and laughs still is important, but the narrator and players might be more adventurous 
  and serious. Keep in mind, though, that getting very dark will make the game feel com-
  pletely diﬀ erent from the show.
  Whatever the narrator and players decide, the most important thing is to have fun. 
  Some narrators might think of themselves as being against the players, making things hard 
  for them, but a lot of players don’t like that, and it doesn’t ﬁ t the tone of the show. The 
  narrator should cooperate with the players, and vice versa, in telling the story — that’s why 
  she’s called a “narrator” and why the rules talk a lot about the “story”.
  How Do the Ponies Know Each Other?
  If the players are willing, they can create their ponies in such a way that it makes sense they 
  know each other. If the players want to create ponies that are very diﬀ erent from each oth-
  er, it might be harder to explain how the group of ponies has gotten together. In that case, 
  the narrator can work with the players to come up with ways of doing it. Here are a couple 
  of suggestions; the narrator may use one or both of them, or ﬁ gure out something else.
  •  The ﬁ rst story can be all about how the ponies are thrown together, much like the ﬁ rst 
  episodes of the show. It could be that things just happen, or there could be some prob-
  lem that causes one or more of the ponies to look for others who have useful talents or 
  personalities to help solve it.
  •  The narrator can tell the players that each pony must be friends with (or a relative of) at 
  least two other ponies before the game begins. The players then talk about which ponies 
  know each other, how, and why. That can help give ideas to players who haven’t decided 
  what their ponies are like. 
  ✶
  
  Pony Tales 
  Version 1 
  Dave Bryant 
  Page 3
  � Creating a Pony �
  B
  efore the game starts, every player has to create a pony that she will play, just like 
  an actor plays a character. What’s diﬀ erent is that there’s no script to follow — instead, 
  players decide what their ponies will do during the game as things happen. To help ev-
  eryone play fair and have fun, there are rules for deciding what a particular pony is good 
  at doing and for ﬁ guring out when a pony succeeds at doing something. The rules are as 
  simple as possible, so they don’t get in the way of the story — but not too simple, so they 
  don’t leave the players and narrator puzzled about how to handle something unexpected.
  A player may start out with a mental picture of the pony, and create the pony to match 
  that picture, or may create a pony ﬁ rst, then decide what she looks and acts like — either 
  way works ﬁ ne. Follow these steps to create a pony, ﬁ lling out a Pony Form to keep track of 
  the pony’s information. For Aptitudes and Talents, ﬁ ll in bubbles to match the number of 
  dice each Aptitude or Talent has.
  The narrator can use the same steps to create ponies who are important to the story 
  for any reason. These ponies don’t need to have the same limits as players’ ponies, though, 
  especially if they’re older and more experienced. (How many dice do the princesses have? 
  As many as they need.) Also, the narrator can create a school-age foal by putting one die on 
  each Aptitude in step 2 and on each Talent in step 3, and by putting a limit of three dice on 
  each Aptitude and Talent in step 4.
  Step 1: What Kind of Pony?
  First, decide whether the pony will be an earth pony, a pegasus pony, or a unicorn pony. Earth 
  ponies have a connection to the land and to living things, and are good at inventing and 
  making things. Pegasus ponies can ﬂ y, command the winds and weather, and walk on clouds. 
  Unicorn ponies can levitate things and cast spells.
  Second, decide whether the pony will be a mare (female) or a stallion (male). A young 
  mare is a ﬁ lly, and a young stallion is a colt; any pony-child is a foal.
  Step 2: Pony Aptitudes
  Aptitudes describe how a pony is put together. The more dice there are in an Aptitude, the 
  more powerful that Aptitude is. Every pony starts with at least one die in each of the six 
  Aptitudes, and there’ll be a chance to add more dice later.
  Muscle describes how strong a pony is. A low Muscle Aptitude makes a pony small 
  and delicate. A high Muscle Aptitude makes a pony big and brawny. An earth-pony stallion 
  starts with three dice of Muscle; any other pony starts with two dice of Muscle.
  Hardiness describes how tough and healthy a pony is. A low Hardiness Aptitude 
  means a pony catches the sniﬄ  es easily and gets tired quickly. A high Hardiness Aptitude 
  makes a pony sturdy and ﬁ t. An earth-pony stallion starts with three dice of Hardiness; any 
  other pony starts with two dice of Hardiness.
  Speed describes how fast a pony is. A low Speed Aptitude makes a pony sluggish and 
  plodding. A high Speed Aptitude makes a pony quick and peppy.
  • An earth pony mare starts with two dice of Speed.
  • An earth pony stallion starts with one die of Speed.
  • A pegasus pony starts with two dice of Speed.
  • A unicorn pony starts with one die of Speed.
  Agility describes how nimble a pony is. A low Agility Aptitude makes a pony clumsy 
  and awkward. A high Agility Aptitude makes a pony deft and graceful.
  • An earth pony mare starts with two dice of Speed.
  • An earth pony stallion starts with one die of Agility.
  • A pegasus pony starts with two dice of Agility.
  • A unicorn pony starts with one die of Agility.
  Smarts describes how good a pony is at thinking and at ﬁ guring out problems. A low 
  Smarts Aptitude makes a pony slow and simple. A high Smarts Aptitude makes a pony 
  bright and clever. Every pony starts with one die of Smarts.
  Learning describes how well a pony is educated. A low Learning Aptitude means a 
  pony hasn’t gone to school very much. A high Learning Aptitude means a pony has a lot of 
  schooling, maybe even a diploma or a degree. Every pony starts with one die of Learning.
  Step 3: Pony Talents
  All ponies are good at diﬀ erent skills or abilities, and every kind of pony has two types of 
  Talents. The more dice a pony has in a Talent, the better the pony is at that Talent. Each 
  Talent starts with one die, but don’t worry — there’ll be chances to add more dice!
  Earth Talents have to do with the land or living things. Here are a few examples: 
  Farming, Husbandry (raising and taking care of animals), Medicine, Surveying, Tracking, 
  and Woodcraft (surviving in a wild forest). A player can make up a new Talent, as long as 
  the narrator agrees that it is a good Earth Talent. The player should be able to name the 
  new Talent with one word or, at most, two or three words, but it’s okay to follow that with 
  a short sentence describing it so other players and the narrator have a clear idea what it 
  means.
  Fire Talents have to do with the creative or mechanical arts. Here are a few examples: 
  Baking, Blacksmithing, Carpentry, Fashion, Masonry (building brick or stone structures), 
  Party Planning, and Musical Performance. A player can make up a new Talent, as long as the 
  narrator agrees that it is a good Fire Talent. The player should be able to name the new Tal-
  ent with one word or, at most, two or three words, but it’s okay to follow that with a short 
  sentence describing it so other players and the narrator have a clear idea what it means. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
  Version 1 
  Dave Bryant 
  Page 4
  The Air Talent gives a pegasus pony the ability to ﬂ y and to control the winds. It also 
  allows a ﬂ ying pony to carry or pull through the air something large and heavy, as long as 
  the pony is touching it and is strong enough. Unicorn ponies and earth ponies don’t have 
  the Air Talent.
  The Water Talent gives a pegasus pony the ability to walk on and control clouds, and 
  to control rain, snow, sleet, and hail. Unicorn ponies and earth ponies don’t have the Water 
  Talent.
  The Levitation Talent allows a unicorn pony to pick up objects magically and to car-
  ry or manipulate them in mid-air without touching them. If the pony is talented enough, 
  she even can lift other ponies — but not herself, or another pony trying to lift her with 
  levitation. (That would be cheating.) Pegasus ponies and earth ponies don’t have the Levi-
  tation Talent, but all ponies can lift things with their hooves, carry things on their backs, 
  and use things with their lips.
  Spell Talents can be almost anything within reason. Here are a few examples: Gem-
  ology (ﬁ nding, identifying, and cutting precious and semiprecious gemstones), Illusion, 
  Divine Truth (the ability to tell if a pony is being truthful), and Teleportation (moving 
  instantly from place to place). A player can make up a new Talent, as long as the narrator 
  agrees that it is a good Spell Talent and isn’t so powerful that it upsets the game. The player 
  should be able to name the new Talent with one word or, at most, two or three words, but 
  it’s okay to follow that with a short sentence describing it so other players and the narrator 
  have a clear idea what it means. Pegasus ponies and earth ponies don’t have Spell Talents.
  Primary Talents are the Talents chosen for a pony in this step. Someone who’s 
  played a lot of role-playing games can think of a Talent as a whole set of related “skills” 
  or a “profession”. The narrator should keep in mind that a very broad Earth, Fire, or Spell 
  Talent probably should be fairly shallow, while a narrowly deﬁ ned Talent should be pretty 
  deep. For example, a pony with Flower Gardening would know a lot about ﬂ owers, but 
  not much about other crops, while a pony with Farming would have some knowledge of all 
  crops, including ﬂ owers.
  •  An earth pony’s Primary Talents are one Earth Talent and one Fire Tal-
  ent; add one extra die to one of these Talents.
  •  A pegasus pony’s Primary Talents are the Air Talent and the Water Tal-
  ent; add one extra die to one of these Talents.
  •  A unicorn pony’s Primary Talents are the Levitation Talent and one 
  Spell Talent; add two extra dice to one of these Talents and add one 
  extra die to the other Talent.
  Step 4: Not Just Any Pony!
  Add a few more things to make the pony special and diﬀ erent from other ponies.
  First, choose one more Earth or Fire Talent for the pony, even if the pony is a unicorn 
  or a pegasus. This is the pony’s Secondary Talent, and it starts with one die.
  Second, add a total of eight more dice to the pony’s Aptitudes and a total of three 
  more dice to the pony’s Talents. The pony’s player may add these extra dice any way she 
  wants, as long as she doesn’t add more dice to any one Aptitude or Talent than is allowed.
  •  An Aptitude may have no more than ﬁ ve dice.
  •  A Primary Talent may have no more than ﬁ ve dice.
  •  A Secondary Talent may have no more than three dice.
  Important: Aptitudes won’t change after this unless something really major and signiﬁ -
  cant happens to the pony, but later in the game the pony may get chances to improve her 
  Talents or even learn new Talents.
  Third, decide on the pony’s personal Weakness. No pony is perfect, after all! Here are 
  a few examples: Brash, Fastidious (very concerned with keeping clean), Introverted (not 
  very sociable), Random, Stubborn, and Timid. A player can make up a new Weakness, as 
  long as the narrator agrees it’s appropriate. The player should be able to name the Weak-
  ness with one word or, at most, two or three words, but it’s okay to follow that with a short 
  sentence describing it so other players and the narrator have a clear idea what it means.
  A player needs to keep her pony’s personal weakness in mind when role-playing. It’s 
  possible for a pony to overcome her weakness temporarily, but she has to have a good rea-
  son to try and the narrator may ask for a Smarts or Learning roll.
  Step 5: Finishing Touches
  Last but not least, describe what the pony looks and acts like and make a list of things the 
  pony owns. Use an extra page if it’s needed.
  First, write down how the pony looks. Is the pony big or small, thin or heavy? What 
  colors are the pony’s coat, mane, and tail? What color and shape are the pony’s eyes? What 
  is the pony’s cutie mark, and what does it have to do with the pony’s Talents or personality?
  Second, name the pony and describe anything else about the pony that seems im-
  portant. Here are some suggestions: What does the pony’s voice sound like? What kind of 
  personality does the pony have? Where does the pony come from? What was the pony’s 
  life like before the game?
  Third, list the pony’s important possessions. The pony may have up to eight. A major 
  possession is something big and expensive like a farm, a business, or a house, and counts as 
  four. A medium possession is something like a carriage, a wagon, or a book collection, and 
  counts as two. A minor possession is something like a set of tools or cookware, a musical 
  instrument, a paint set and easel, or camping gear. A player can make up a possession, as 
  long as the narrator agrees that it’s appropriate. Every pony also owns a pair of saddlebags 
  to carry things. 
  ✶
  
  Pony Tales 
  Version 1 
  Dave Bryant 
  Page 5
  � Magic �
  A
  ll ponies are magical inside. That “inside” or intrinsic magic is why pegasus ponies 
  can ﬂ y, even with such little wings, and control the weather, and why earth ponies have 
  a special connection to the land and are so inventive. Only unicorn ponies can use magic 
  at a distance, though — levitating things and casting spells. How does that “outside” or 
  external magic work?
  The show doesn’t say much about it! This allows the narrator and players some free-
  dom to make up their own ways to handle it, but trying to ﬁ gure out how the magic is sup-
  posed to work is much harder. To give the narrator and players ideas, here are some guesses 
  based on watching the show and, once in a while, reading about something that one of the 
  people making the show has said. If better information comes along, it might be added to 
  a later version of the rules.
  Of course, there are good reasons why the show keeps mum. One is that doing so helps 
  the writers avoid writing themselves into corners. Another is that the ponies don’t need to 
  talk about it. They know how they’re doing it, and they don’t have to describe it any more 
  than they have to describe how walking works. The only time it matters much is when a 
  unicorn is trying to cast an unusually hard spell or one she hasn’t used before. That’s when 
  learning new spells, from a teacher or from books, becomes important.
  Ponies don’t show anything special when their intrinsic magic is working, but when a 
  unicorn pony is using levitation or spells, a sparkling glow shows up around her horn and 
  anything the magic is used on. For a small spell, the glow is mostly white, maybe with a 
  little blue, but the more powerful the spell is, the more it will look like the color of the 
  unicorn’s coat. A very powerful spell also may radiate a bright white ﬂ ash.
  The Science of Magic
  The show makes it clear that pony magic is like a science. It’s predictable and consistent. 
  Ponies can study it and conduct experiments with it and on it to discover more about 
  how it works and why it works that way. A pony who’s studied magic theory can apply it 
  to improve the practice of magic the same way an engineer can apply science to improve 
  technology.
  Casting spells seems to be like using any other way of doing things. Doing it right 
  takes concentration and eﬀ ort, doing a lot of it can be tiring, and some unicorn ponies are 
  stronger or better at it than others. It comes from inside and doesn’t need anything else 
  (for example, wands, gestures, chanting, or diagrams) that players might have seen or read 
  about in other fantasy stories.
  Every unicorn is good at some particular Spell Talent and can cast spells having to do 
  with that kind of magic. The better a unicorn is at her Spell Talent, the easier it is for her 
  to cast a spell that’s covered by her Talent, and the bigger and more powerful the spells are 
  that she can cast. If a spell isn’t covered by her Talent, she can’t cast it.
  A spell may be just a series of instructions — like a recipe or a set of dance steps or a 
  list of tools and actions for putting something together — that tells a unicorn how to gather 
  and apply magical energy in a way that will perform a certain task. A unicorn can teach or 
  learn a new spell as easily as any pony can teach or learn a new skill; a book of spells prob-
  ably is a lot like a cookbook or a handyman’s manual, and a good one would include helpful 
  background information.
  Playing Fair
  A player may be tempted to make her unicorn pony’s Spell Talent be magic itself. It isn’t 
  a good idea, though. First of all, the show makes a big deal about how special that Spell 
  Talent is; there seems to be only one unicorn pony who has it. Everyone knows who that 
  unicorn is, and she isn’t the player’s unicorn. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to the other play-
  ers, especially to players of other unicorn ponies. The show’s writers don’t have to worry 
  about things like this, since they can write episodes to come out the way they want, but the 
  narrator and the players do.
  Spells cast by most unicorns seem to be limited to about the same scale as personal 
  eﬀ orts made by other ponies to do things. Spells can change things, or move things (or 
  ponies) instantly across short distances, but they can’t create something complicated, like 
  a machine, from nothing. They may be able to take things apart, but not to make things 
  disappear completely. The narrator should keep an eye on how powerful spells are, so they 
  don’t get out of hand and take over the story.
  Magical Artifacts
  There seem to be two kinds of enchanted objects. Some may be very simple things, pos-
  sibly including tickets that levitate themselves and are attracted to the ponies who are 
  supposed to have them. There also is a very small number of powerful items such as those 
  used to defeat the villain at the end of the two-part opening story — the only “legendary” 
  artifacts shown or mentioned in the ﬁ rst season.
  The simplest way to explain this is to assume that enchanting things is expensive and 
  hard to do. That means it wouldn’t be worth the time and eﬀ ort for anything but the small-
  est and cheapest or the biggest and most powerful enchantments, especially if there’s a 
  way to do the same things using technology or plain old work. It might be worthwhile to 
  enchant small things like tickets as a way to tell when a pony’s trying to use a fake, or for 
  some other really good reason. Major enchantments would be reserved for things impor-
  tant enough that time and cost don’t matter.
  There’s a good storytelling reason, too. The show makes an eﬀ ort to show that all 
  kinds of ponies are important and needed. It’s already hard enough to show how earth 
  ponies matter, because their magic isn’t ﬂ ashy and obvious like pegasus or unicorn magic. 
  If making enchanted objects were too easy, the talents of earth ponies wouldn’t be so valu-
  able.
  Because of all this, the narrator should go easy on magical items. If she uses any at all, 
  it should be for something very special indeed. ✶
  
  Pony Tales 
  Version 1 
  Dave Bryant 
  Page 6
  � Doing Things �
  S
  ooner or later, a pony will have to try doing something hard, or something another 
  pony or creature doesn’t want that pony to do. What happens then?
  Anyone who played “let’s pretend” as a kid knows it’s easy just to start arguing, because 
  there’s no good way to decide fairly who’s right. So, to keep the story moving and to make 
  it easy for every pony to have a fair chance, here are rules for ﬁ nding out whether a pony 
  succeeds at doing something.
  Step 1: How Hard Is the Task?
  Any one thing a pony tries to do is called a task. Most tasks are pretty short and have clear 
  goals. Some examples are jumping a fence, lifting a box, throwing an apple, or setting a 
  table properly. Some tasks are harder than others; it’s easy to walk on a paved road, but 
  walking up a steep slope covered with rocks is a lot tougher.
  The narrator measures how hard a task is by giving it a number, called a diﬃ  culty. The 
  harder the task is, the greater the diﬃ  culty will be. The narrator shouldn’t tell the player 
  what the diﬃ  culty is, but she may give hints. For example, the narrator might say to the 
  player, “That fence looks awfully tall. Jumping over it won’t be easy! Are you sure you want 
  to try that?”
  If a player is really clever or is doing a very good job of role-playing her pony, the nar-
  rator may reward the player by reducing the diﬃ  culty a little. If the player tries to use a 
  Talent that only barely covers the task, the narrator may increase the diﬃ  culty a little. If 
  the diﬃ  culty depends on a measurement, like how heavy or far away something is, round 
  up. For example, if one is added to the diﬃ  culty for each yard away something is, and an 
  object is ﬁ ve and a half yards away, treat the distance as six yards; if the object is less than 
  a yard away, treat it as one yard.
  •  A routine task has a diﬃ  culty of 0 (or less). The pony can do the task without thinking 
  about it. The player doesn’t need to roll any dice, and the narrator goes on with the story.
  •  A trivial task has a diﬃ  culty of 1 to 5. The pony can do the task without much thought 
  or eﬀ ort. Make a roll only if the task is very important to the story.
  •  An easy task has a diﬃ  culty of 6 to 10. The pony can do the task without much thought 
  or eﬀ ort unless she doesn’t have a good Talent for it.
  •  A middling task has a diﬃ  culty of 11 to 15. The pony may have trouble with the task, and 
  doing it right takes skill and eﬀ ort.
  •  A hard task has a diﬃ  culty of 16 to 20. The pony should be well-trained in the kind of 
  task being done, or she may not be able to handle it.
  •  A very hard task has a diﬃ  culty of 21 to 25. Only the best-trained pony has a good 
  chance at doing the task.
  •  An impossible task has a diﬃ  culty of 26 or more. A pony who succeeds at a task this 
  hard can tell her foals about it someday, and other ponies may tell the story for many 
  years.
  Sometimes other things are happening around the pony that might make the task 
  easier or harder. The narrator can add to or subtract from the diﬃ  culty to take those other 
  things into account.
  •  A huge disadvantage adds 16 or more to the diﬃ  culty. A good example is trying to 
  repair a complicated machine without any proper tools.
  •  A big disadvantage adds 11 to 15 to the diﬃ  culty. A good example is trying to ﬁ nd an-
  other pony in complete darkness.
  •  A fair disadvantage adds 6 to 10 to the diﬃ  culty. A good example is trying to follow 
  hoofprints in heavy rain or snow.
  •  A small disadvantage adds 1 to 5 to the diﬃ  culty. A good example is something annoy-
  ing like trying to ﬁ x something small and complicated, like a pocket-watch, by candle-
  light.
  •  A small advantage subtracts 1 to 5 from the diﬃ  culty. A good example is something 
  handy like a springy board the pony can use to jump farther.
  •  A fair advantage subtracts 6 to 10 from the diﬃ  culty. A good example is a rough-and-
  ready tool, such as making the end of a rope into a sling to help lift a pony stuck at the 
  bottom of a cliﬀ .
  •  A big advantage subtracts 11 to 15 from the diﬃ  culty. A good example is having tools for 
  the job, such as a ﬁ rst-aid kit to help with a pony who’s hurt.
  •  A huge advantage subtracts 16 or more from the diﬃ  culty. An example is having the best 
  tools for the job, such as a clinic or a hospital to help a pony who’s hurt.
  Extra care: A pony can spend more time on a task to double-check her work, but she 
  can’t do anything else or get distracted, or she doesn’t get the bonus.
  •  Add 1 die for spending twice as long on the task.
  • Add 2 dice for spending 4 times as long on the task.
  • Add 3 dice for spending 8 times as long on the task.
  Rushing: A pony can spend less time on a task than it normally takes if she’s in a 
  hurry, but it’ll make the task harder. Not every task can be rushed; if in doubt, the narrator 
  may ask a player to explain how she thinks the task can be rushed.
  • Add 5 to the diﬃ  culty for spending three-fourths as long on the task.
  • Add 10 to the diﬃ  culty for spending half as long as long on the task.
  •  Add 20 to the diﬃ  culty for spending one-fourth as long on the task.
  The narrator may want to make notes of reasons she’s added to or subtracted from dif-
  ﬁ culties, if she thinks she might need them again later. It also might be a good idea, when 
  getting ready to tell a story or part of a story, to make a list of additions and subtractions 
  that might be needed. (It’s always smart to be prepared, so the narrator should make a habit 
  of thinking things through ﬁ rst.) ➧
  
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  Contest: If another pony or creature is working against the pony — for example, in a 
  tug-of-war or arm-wrestling — they have a contest. The referee doesn’t use a diﬃ  culty num-
  ber; instead, both ponies or creatures roll their dice and the greater number rolled wins the 
  contest. Just as with a normal task, the narrator can add to or subtract from one side or 
  both sides of the contest, and can use the result of the contest in storytelling.
  Teamwork: Sometimes a task is too big for a single pony, but several ponies can team 
  up to work on it. Some good examples are pulling a train, pushing a large rain cloud into 
  place, or levitating a roof onto a house. In that case, the narrator can split up the task so 
  each pony only has to do part of it. Each player can tell the narrator how much of the task 
  her pony will try to handle, but players should be careful not to bite oﬀ  more than they 
  can chew!
  Project: If a pony needs to do something long and complicated, it may not be a single 
  task — instead, it’s probably a project made up of a bunch of tasks. The narrator should 
  break a project into a series of tasks for the pony to do. That way, even if the pony doesn’t 
  succeed at every task, she still might be able to ﬁ nish the project. Also, the narrator can use 
  the results as part of the storytelling, or let other ponies help out. Ponies might team up on 
  some tasks, or diﬀ erent ponies might work on diﬀ erent tasks.
  Step 2: What Talent Does the Pony Use?
  See if the pony doing the task has a Talent that makes her good at that task. For instance, 
  if the pony is trying to harvest apples from a tree, a good Talent to use would be Farming. 
  If the pony doesn’t have a good Talent to use for the task, but can try to do it anyway, skip 
  this step and go on to the next step.
  The narrator sometimes may decide a task just can’t be done by a pony who doesn’t 
  have the right Talent. For example, unicorn and earth ponies can’t ﬂ y because they don’t 
  have the Air Talent, and building a very complicated machine like a water wheel or a wind-
  mill takes a lot of special knowledge most ponies haven’t learned. In such a case, the pony 
  probably knows she can’t do it even if she tries.
  Any pony can use an Earth Talent or a Fire Talent, if the narrator agrees that it cov-
  ers the task. Earth ponies usually have the most Earth and Fire Talents, so they are most 
  likely to have the right Talent, but sometimes a pegasus or unicorn pony will have a good 
  Talent for the job. Since Earth and Fire Talents can be so varied, it’s hard to give examples, 
  but players and the narrator should be creative, as long as they don’t stretch things too far!
  A pegasus pony can use the Air Talent to ﬂ y, to carry things through the air, and to 
  control the winds. Unicorn and earth ponies don’t have the Air Talent, so they can’t ﬂ y or 
  control winds directly, but they may have other Talents that could help. For example, a 
  unicorn could use the right kind of Spell Talent to heat up the air in a hot-air balloon so it 
  will ﬂ oat; an earth pony could use the right kind of Fire Talent to soar in a glider.
  A pegasus pony can use the Water Talent to walk on or control clouds, pushing them 
  around, making them rain, snow, or let out bolts of lightning. Unicorn and earth ponies 
  don’t have the Water Talent, so they can’t touch or control clouds directly, but they may 
  have other Talents that could help. For example, a unicorn could use the right kind of Spell 
  Talent like an umbrella to stay dry, or an earth pony could use the right kind of Fire Talent 
  to make a lightning rod and protect a building from being hit by lightning.
  A unicorn pony can use a Spell Talent, if the narrator agrees that it covers the task. 
  Pegasus and earth ponies don’t have Spell Talents, but they may have other Talents that 
  could help. Since Spell Talents can be so varied, it’s hard to give examples, but players and 
  the narrator should be creative, as long as they don’t stretch things too far!
  Step 3: Which Aptitude Does the Pony Use?
  For just about any task a pony can do, she can use an Aptitude. If the pony has a Talent to 
  use, add the Aptitude and Talent together; otherwise, the pony will have to make do with 
  just the Aptitude. Usually it will be pretty obvious which Aptitude ﬁ ts best, but if it isn’t, 
  the narrator may have to decide on which one to use.
  Use Muscle when a pony needs to be strong. A few examples would be pushing, pull-
  ing, lifting, carrying, holding on to something (especially if it’s moving), or bucking a tree 
  to get fruit to fall.
  Use Hardiness when a pony is trying not to get tired, hurt, or sick. A few examples 
  would be galloping or ﬂ ying for a long time, falling, breathing in smoke from a ﬁ re, or being 
  around ponies or creatures who are ill with something the pony might catch.
  Use Speed when a pony needs to be fast. A few examples would be doing something 
  before another pony or creature can do it (or stop the pony from doing it), galloping or 
  ﬂ ying quickly, or doing a trick like pulling a tablecloth oﬀ  without causing the dishes on 
  the table to fall.
  Use Agility when a pony is doing something tricky. A few examples would be avoiding 
  things that are in the way while galloping or ﬂ ying, balancing, stacking things that might 
  fall over, or using tools or tableware.
  Use Smarts when a pony is thinking. A few examples would be solving a puzzle, notic-
  ing something hidden or just not obvious, making a plan, or remembering something from 
  a long time ago or that the pony only heard once.
  Use Learning when a pony is using something taught in school. A few examples would 
  be writing, science, math, history, or geography.
  A unicorn pony using the Levitation Talent to lift, carry, or handle things as part of 
  the task adds that instead of an Aptitude. Once in a while a unicorn pony may be able to 
  use her Spell Talent instead of an Aptitude to help with an Earth or Fire Talent, depend-
  ing on the task and the way the Spell Talent is used. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
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  Step 4: Roll!
  The player whose pony is trying to do the task rolls the total number of dice in the Talent 
  (if any) and Aptitude that the pony is using. Total the numbers that are rolled, and if it is 
  equal to or greater than the diﬃ  culty, the pony succeeds at the task! Otherwise, the pony 
  fails. The narrator can use the result in storytelling.
  •  If the die roll equals the diﬃ  culty, the pony barely succeeded. Maybe the task took longer 
  than it should or the pony didn’t get as much as she expected.
  •  If the die roll is greater than the diﬃ  culty by 1–4, the pony succeeded, but didn’t do any-
  thing special.
  •  If the die roll is greater than the diﬃ  culty by 5–8, the pony did well and may get some-
  thing extra out of it. Maybe the task went quickly or the pony got more than she ex-
  pected.
  •  If the die roll is greater than the diﬃ  culty by 9–12, the pony did very well and should get 
  something extra out of it. The task may have gone quickly and the pony got extra out of 
  it.
  •  If the die roll is greater than the diﬃ  culty by 13–16, the pony did so well that other ponies 
  watching would notice. The pony deﬁ nitely should be rewarded by the narrator.
  •  If the die roll is greater than the diﬃ  culty by 17 or more, the pony did well enough that 
  other ponies will talk about it. The pony should get a really good result for it.
  If the pony fails, the narrator likewise can use the result in storytelling and for other 
  things. For instance, if a pony just misses succeeding, the narrator can let her try again, but 
  with a harder diﬃ  culty — if the task is something she can try again. A pony who misses by 
  a lot might have made things worse than before, or done something else that can’t be ﬁ xed 
  easily or at all. The narrator can use a table of failure results like the one for success, but 
  in reverse, grading down to worse results for every four points by which a pony fails a roll.
  Using the Rules
  The narrator should be willing to use a lot of imagination thinking up what happens if a 
  pony succeeds or fails. Fair play is important to make sure the players have fun and aren’t 
  too disappointed when their ponies can’t seem to get something right. Humor’s important 
  because the game’s based on a comedy show; some of the funniest moments in role-playing 
  can come when a roll is failed spectacularly.
  That said, the narrator doesn’t have to stick to the rules when doing so seems unfair 
  or dampens the fun. The purpose of the rules is just to give the narrator and players some 
  tools for deciding things fairly. The real goal of the game is to tell a thrilling, or funny, or 
  dramatic story, and if the moment seems right for something to happen in some particular 
  way, the narrator is free to fudge things creatively. ✶
  � Weights and Measures �
  T
  he narrator and players shouldn’t worry too much about picky details, because that 
  can slow down the story. Still, sometimes it’s important to know how big, or how fast, 
  or how far away something is. What matters is for everyone to have a good enough idea 
  about a measurement that they can keep playing.
  How Big Is a Pony?
  The height of a standing pony (or any creature that mostly goes around on all fours) is mea-
  sured to the withers — the top of the back just behind the neck. That’s because a pony’s (or 
  creature’s) head can go up and down, so measuring to the top of the head doesn’t work very 
  well. Some ponies may be a little taller or shorter, but most should be fairly close to the 
  heights listed. The narrator and players can use a pony’s Muscle Aptitude as a guide when 
  deciding how big or small that pony is.
  • A young mare is around two and a half feet (75 centimeters) tall.
  • A young stallion is around three feet (90 centimeters) tall.
  • A very old pony may shrink some with age.
  •  A young foal, at the age she (or he) usually gets a cutie mark, is about a foot and a half to 
  two feet (45 to 60 centimeters) tall.
  •  A baby is smaller than a school-age foal — less than a foot (30 centimeters) tall.
  •  The older princess is about ﬁ ve feet (a meter and a half) tall and the younger princess is 
  about half that.
  Ponies are surprisingly heavy for their size, because even small ponies have a lot of 
  muscles. That muscle-power is why ponies can kick trees hard enough to make ripe fruit 
  fall out of them (earth magic helps a little), pull carts or plows, and push snowplows. Some 
  ponies may be a little lighter or heavier, but most should be fairly close to the weights 
  listed.
  • A young stallion is around 150 pounds (a little under 70 kilograms).
  • A young mare is around 75 pounds (a little under 35 kilograms).
  •  A very old pony may be heavier if she’s run to fat, or lighter if she’s gotten skinny.
  •  A young foal, at the age he or she usually gets a cutie mark, isn’t more than about 50 
  pounds (between 20 and 25 kilograms), and can be much smaller.
  • A baby may be only a few pounds or kilograms, especially a newborn.
  •  The older princess may be between 400 and 600 pounds (180 to 270 kilograms) and the 
  younger princess may be between 75 and 100 pounds (35 to 45 kilograms).
  Originally, the show’s creator wanted to use a lot of diﬀ erent models for the ponies, 
  with diﬀ erent heights and weights. The show’s art staﬀ  already was working pretty hard, 
  though, so to save time and the staﬀ ’s sanity, most ponies are based on just a few models, 
  with diﬀ erent colors, cutie marks, manes, and tails. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
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  How Much Can a Pony Lift, Carry, and Pull?
  When a pony picks up something, roll the pony’s Muscle dice plus any Talent the narrator 
  agrees is appropriate. The narrator can say it’s a “trivial task” and skip die rolls if the pony 
  isn’t in a hurry or stressed, or if the diﬃ  culty equals, or is less than, the number of dice 
  that would be rolled, rounding up. If the weight’s between two values, round up to the next 
  value. For example, a load of 50 pounds is between 40 pounds (diﬃ  culty 4) and 60 pounds 
  (diﬃ  culty 5); round up to 60 pounds.
  Roll every round a pony carries or pulls a load. If the roll succeeds, the pony keeps car-
  rying it. If the roll fails by a little, the pony has to put it down and take a break for a round 
  before lifting it again. If the roll fails by a lot, the pony drops it, or collapses on the ground, 
  instead of putting it down. Trying to lift or push a load with only one hoof, two hooves, 
  head, mouth, or a wing adds 5 to the diﬃ  culty.
  •  A light load is up to 20 pounds (9 kg); 2 pounds (0.9 kg) has a diﬃ  culty of 1, 10 pounds 
  (4.5 kg) has a diﬃ  culty of 2, and 20 pounds (9 kg) has a diﬃ  culty of 3.
  •  A medium load is 40 to 200 pounds (18–91 kg); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 20 pounds (9 
  kg). The diﬃ  culty range for a medium load is 4 to 12.
  •  A heavy load is 240 to 400 pounds (109–181 kg); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 40 pounds (18 
  kg). The diﬃ  culty range for a heavy load is 13 to 17.
  •  A very heavy load is 500 to 2000 pounds or 1 ton (227–907 kg); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 
  100 pounds (45 kg). The diﬃ  culty range for a very heavy load is 18 to 33.
  •  An extra-heavy load is 1.1 to 2 tons (1.1–1.8 tonnes); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 0.1 ton 
  (0.1 tonne). The diﬃ  culty range for an extra-heavy load is 34 to 43.
  •  A super-heavy load is 2.5 to 10 tons (2.3–9 tonnes); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 0.5 ton (0.5 
  tonne). The diﬃ  culty range for a super-heavy load is 44 to 59.
  •  A gigantic load is 15 to 100 tons (14–91 tonnes); add 1 to the diﬃ  culty per 5 tons (4.5 
  tonnes). The diﬃ  culty range for a gigantic load is 60 to 77.
  Levitation: Use the total weight of all the objects a unicorn pony is levitating to ﬁ nd 
  the diﬃ  culty. Roll each time the unicorn levitates more objects, starts manipulating an ob-
  ject, moves an object another yard (0.9 meter) farther away, or gently sets down an object. 
  No roll is needed if the unicorn just drops things.
  • Add 1 to the diﬃ  culty for each object the unicorn is levitating.
  •  Add 1 to the diﬃ  culty for each yard (0.9 meter) away from the unicorn that the farthest 
  object is.
  Pulling a load: Pulling a load on skids (ski-like boards) or wheels is easier than car-
  rying it, so the weight of a pulled load is reduced before ﬁ nding the diﬃ  culty. Include the 
  weight of the cart, wagon, or rolling stock (railroad cars) the load’s on.
  •  Divide a load’s weight by 2 when dragging it on skids or a smooth, level surface, or if it is 
  carried in carefully packed saddlebags that are worn properly.
  •  Divide a load’s weight by 10 when pulling it on a primitive cart or wagon.
  •  Divide a load’s weight by 20 when pulling it on a modern cart or wagon.
  •  Divide a load’s weight by 100 when pulling it on a train.
  How Far Can a Pony See?
  In clear daylight, a pony can see as far as the narrator thinks is reasonable, accounting for 
  things that are in the way and anything else that might matter. In bad weather or after 
  sundown, it’s much harder to see clearly over any distance. If a pony is trying to spot some-
  thing, or if the narrator wants to check whether a pony notices something unusual, the 
  player rolls her pony’s Smarts dice, plus any Talent the narrator thinks applies to the task 
  of spotting or noticing whatever it is.
  • In light rain, a pony can see up to 160 yards (146 meters).
  • In heavy rain, a pony can see up to 80 yards (73 meters).
  • In fog or clouds, a pony can see up to 16 yards (15 meters).
  • In light snow, a pony can see up to 120 yards (110 meters).
  • In heavy snow, a pony can see up to 60 yards (55 meters).
  • In a blizzard, a pony can see up to 30 yards (27 meters).
  The distances listed above are for daylight. During twilight (dusk and dawn) or at 
  night, it’s harder to see and a pony can’t see as far.
  •  At dusk and dawn, add 5 to the diﬃ  culty for spotting something and divide seeing 
  distances by two. In clear weather, the distance is 80 yards (73 meters).
  •  At night, add 10 to the diﬃ  culty for spotting something and divide seeing distances by 
  four. In clear weather, the distance is 40 yards (37 meters).
  Using a light: A match or candle casts light in a circle. A ﬂ ashlight (electric torch) 
  casts light in a thirty-degree arc in front of the light. A lantern might do either one, de-
  pending on how it’s designed; if it casts light in an arc instead of all around, double the 
  distances listed for it. A pony can’t see at all past the maximum “night” distances listed, be-
  cause her eyes are adjusted to the light she’s using. Flashlights were invented in the 1890s, 
  so the narrator may or may not allow them.
   
  •  A match casts light equal to twilight for 1 yard (0.9 meter) and equal to night for 2 yards 
  (1.8 meters). The ﬂ ame lasts up to 4 rounds.
  •  A candle casts light equal to twilight for 1 yard (0.9 meter) and equal to night for 3 yards 
  (2.7 meters). The ﬂ ame lasts about 1 hour.
  •  A lantern casts light equal to day for 1 yard (0.9 meter), to twilight for 2 yards (1.8 me-
  ters), and to night for 5 yards (4.5 meters). The ﬂ ame lasts about 6 hours.
  •  A ﬂ ashlight casts light equal to day for 5 yards (4.5 meters), to twilight for 10 yards (9 
  meters), and to night for 30 yards (27 meters). The batteries last 6 hours.
  Other senses: Use a pony’s Smarts plus appropriate Talent dice to notice something. 
  Usually this will be hearing, but once in a while it may be smell. Touch and taste probably 
  won’t come up except under special circumstances. Exactly which Talent to use for a roll 
  will depend on what it is the pony may notice. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
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  Page 10
  How Fast Can a Pony Move?
  Many games use maps marked with grids of hexagons (or “hexes”), scaled at a convenient 
  size, to help players visualize what the area looks like, and to make it easier to keep track of 
  where everything is and how characters or creatures are moving around. For Pony Tales, the 
  best scale is 1 yard (0.9 meter) per hex. A stallion just ﬁ ts, nose to tail, in one hex; the sun 
  princess is big enough to need two hexes.
  Miniature lead or pewter ﬁ gures, often painted, are popular for marking where charac-
  ters are on a map — but there aren’t any on the market for brightly-colored magical ponies. 
  Cardboard stand-ups with drawn or printed artwork are one solution. Using molded pony 
  toys is possible, if everyone’s willing to use big maps with big hexes. Otherwise, the narra-
  tor and players may have to use any playing pieces they can ﬁ nd, as long as the pieces can 
  tell anyone looking at them which way they’re facing, so everyone knows what direction 
  each pony’s going.
  Movement is measured in yards per round; a round is ﬁ ve seconds long (as explained 
  under “Rounds”). Every 5 yards (4.5 meters) per round is about 2 miles (3.3 kilometers) per 
  hour. The narrator can decide walking or trotting is a trivial task that doesn’t need die rolls. 
  A pony who does need to roll uses her Speed dice, plus a Talent if the narrator thinks the 
  pony has a good one, and rolls every round.
  If a roll fails by a little, the pony slows down by the most she normally can. If that 
  makes her movement zero, she stops. If that would make her movement less than zero or 
  the roll fails by a lot, she stumbles. A pony in the water may start to drown. A pony on the 
  ground falls and may be hurt; she also slides half her movement distance along the ground 
  before stopping. On a slick surface she may slide farther, but on a rough surface she may 
  slide less. A pony can slide on purpose, but she still can get hurt doing that.
  • Walk 1 to 10 yards (9 meters) in a round with a diﬃ  culty of 0.
  •  Trot (jog) 11 to 20 yards (10–18 meters) with a diﬃ  culty of 5.
  •  Canter (run) 21 to 40 yards (19–37 meters) with a diﬃ  culty of 10.
  •  Gallop (sprint) 41 to 80 yards (37–73 meters) with a diﬃ  culty of 15; add 1 to the diﬃ  culty 
  for every extra yard (0.9 meter) the pony tries to gallop. 
  •  Swim up to 5 yards (4.5 meters) with a diﬃ  culty of 5; add 1 to the diﬃ  culty for every 
  extra yard (0.9 meter) the pony tries to swim in a round.
  •  Climb up or down a cliﬀ , a tree, a ladder, or anything else that’s steep up to 5 yards (4.5 
  meters) in a round with a diﬃ  culty of 5; add 5 to the diﬃ  culty for every extra yard (0.9 
  meter) the pony tries to climb up or down. A pony who has a Talent that includes climbing 
  can climb 10 yards (9 meters) with a diﬃ  culty of 5.
  •  Jump 2 yards (1.8 meters) up or forward with a diﬃ  culty of 5; add 5 to the diﬃ  culty for 
  every extra yard (0.9 meter) the pony tries to jump. A pony can gallop up to two rounds 
  to get a running start for the jump. If the galloping rolls are successful, subtract 5 from 
  the jump’s diﬃ  culty for galloping one round; subtract 10 from the jump’s diﬃ  culty for 
  galloping two rounds.
  In one round, a pony can change speed (speed up or slow down) by no more than 20 
  yards (18 meters) per round on the ground or 10 yards (9 meters) per round swimming. A 
  pony trying to change speed by more than that adds 1 to the diﬃ  culty of her roll at the new 
  speed for every extra yard (0.9 meter).
  A walking pony can turn by 60° (one side of a hexagon) as much as she wants, any time 
  she wants — even more than once in the same hex. A pony who’s trotting, cantering, gallop-
  ing, or swimming builds up momentum; she can turn only a few times in a round and she 
  can’t turn more than once in the same hex.
  A pony who tries to make more turns adds 1 to the diﬃ  culty of the movement roll, or 
  subtracts 1 yard from movement in the next round, for every extra turn she makes. A pony 
  making a bunch of extra turns can add some of them to the diﬃ  culty and slow down for the 
  rest — it’s up to the player or narrator controlling the pony.
  If a cantering or galloping pony tries to make more than one turn in a row — that is, 
  moving only one yard before making another turn — she has to add 5 to the diﬃ  culty of the 
  movement roll for every turn after the ﬁ rst in a row. For example, if she tries to make 3 turns 
  in a row, add 10 to the diﬃ  culty (5 for the second turn and 5 for the third turn). If the narra-
  tor’s willing to put up with the extra eﬀ ort, she instead can apply the penalty for any turns 
  that aren’t spaced out more or less evenly over the pony’s movement in the round.
  •  A trotting pony can turn up to 12 times.
  •  A cantering pony can turn up to 8 times.
  •  A galloping pony can turn up to 4 times.
  •  A swimming pony can turn up to 4 times.
  Flying speed, like other movement, is measured in yards per round. Every 20 yards (18 
  meters) per round is about 8 miles (13 kilometers) per hour. If the narrator only has to deal 
  with ﬂ yers and not any ponies or creatures on the ground, she may want to use a scale of 
  20 yards (18 meters) instead of 1 yard (0.9 meter) for map hexes, to keep ﬂ ying movement 
  from getting too big to handle.
  The narrator can decide slow, steady ﬂ ight is a trivial task that doesn’t need die rolls. A 
  ﬂ yer who does need to roll uses Speed dice plus Air Talent, and rolls every round. If a ﬂ ying 
  or gliding roll fails by a little, change all of the ﬂ yer’s maneuvers to “slowing down”. If that 
  makes her movement zero, she stops and hovers. If that would make her movement less 
  than zero or the roll fails by a lot, she loses control.
  •  If she’s ﬂ ying low, she crashes and may get hurt. Unless she’s going straight (or almost 
  straight) down, she’ll slide half her ﬂ ying distance along the ground before stopping. On a 
  slick surface she may slide farther; on a rough surface she may slide less. A pony can slide 
  on purpose, but she still can get hurt doing that.
  •  If she’s ﬂ ying high, she falls, but in the next round she can start trying to regain con-
  trol with a diﬃ  culty of 15, if she hasn’t hit the ground yet. In a literal game, she may fall 
  straight down, but in a ﬁ gurative game she’ll go ballistic, curving down like a cannonball 
  from the direction she was going when she lost control. If she’s in formation, as part of a 
  ﬂ ying team, she may crash into a teammate!
  
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  Flying is made up of four basic actions (explained under “Rounds”). A ﬂ ying pony or 
  creature can’t take more than one of these actions in a round.
  •  Take oﬀ  with a jump of up to 2 yards (1.8 meters). If the ﬂ yer wants an easier take-oﬀ  she 
  can make a galloping start to the jump.
  •  Land with a jump from the ﬂ yer’s height above the landing spot. Flying fast-
  er than a walk (relative to the landing spot) in the previous round adds 5 to the dif-
  ﬁ culty. Flying faster than a trot adds 10. Flying faster than a canter adds 15. Flying 
  faster than a gallop adds 20. The ﬂ yer will move on the ground at the same speed and 
  direction she was ﬂ ying until she slows down, and she may have to roll for that.
  •  Fly up to 20 yards (18 meters) in a round with a diﬃ  culty of 1; add 1 to the diﬃ  culty for 
  every extra 20 yards (18 meters).
  •  Glide instead of ﬂ ying. It’s less tiring; reduce by one the level of work for the speed she’s 
  going (explained under “Fatigue and Rest”). It’s harder, though; the ﬂ yer can’t hover and 
  must move at least 40 yards (37 meters) in a round, with a diﬃ  culty of 5, and add 5 to the 
  diﬃ  culty for every 20 yards (18 meters) more.
  In one round, a ﬂ yer can make as many maneuvers as she has Speed and Air Talent 
  dice. For example, a ﬂ yer with 2 Speed dice and 3 Air Talent dice can make a total of 5 
  maneuvers in a round. A ﬂ yer can make the same maneuver more than once or combine 
  diﬀ erent maneuvers, and doesn’t have to use all her maneuvers. If a maneuver subtracts 
  from a ﬂ yer’s movement the next round, she doesn’t get that speed back unless she uses a 
  maneuver (or more than one maneuver) to speed up again. A ﬂ yer can change from right-
  side up to upside-down or vice versa any time she wants without using a maneuver, but she 
  can’t glide while upside-down.
  A ﬂ yer should go straight for a while before making a maneuver, because of momen-
  tum and to get ready for it. The narrator can add to the diﬃ  culty if the ﬂ yer tries to make 
  more than one maneuver in a row, just like turning while galloping.
  Basic maneuvers can be made while ﬂ ying or gliding.
  •  Speed up or slow down, but not both in the same round, by 20 yards (18 meters). Add 
  1 (if ﬂ ying) or 5 (if gliding) to the diﬃ  culty of the roll at the new speed. A ﬂ yer can’t speed 
  up while gliding, but she can slow down.
  •  Gain or lose altitude, but not both in the same round, by 20 yards (18 meters). If the 
  ﬂ yer’s gaining altitude, subtract 20 yards (18 meters) from her movement the next round. 
  If the ﬂ yer’s losing altitude, add 20 yards (18 meters) to her movement next round.
  •  Turn by 60° left or right. This counts as 20 yards (18 meters) of movement and subtracts 
  20 yards (18 meters) from movement the next round.
  •  Slip 20 yards (18 meters) diagonally forward to the left or right without turning. This 
  counts as 20 yards (18 meters) of movement and subtracts 40 yards (37 meters) from the 
  ﬂ yer’s movement the next round. The ﬂ yer can, but doesn’t have to, make up to two 
  turns in the opposite direction (turn left after a right slip or vice versa) at the end of the 
  slip — these count as separate maneuvers, of course, but don’t count as being “in a row”.
  Advanced maneuvers can be made only while ﬂ ying, not gliding. For a loop or roll ma-
  neuver, only the place where the ﬂ yer ends up is described. She actually goes through a big 
  circular path to get there, but that only matters if the narrator thinks she might crash into 
  something along the way, like a hill or another ﬂ yer.
  •  Half-loop by turning 180° and gaining or losing 40 yards (37 meters) of altitude. This 
  counts as 20 yards (18 meters) of movement and subtracts 40 yards (37 meters) from 
  movement the next round. A full loop is two half-loop maneuvers put together, not mov-
  ing to another hex, but counting as 40 yards of movement. Subtract 80 yards (73 meters) 
  from the ﬂ yer’s movement the next round.  
  •  Half-roll 20 yards (18 meters) diagonally forward to the left or right without turn-
  ing. This counts as 20 yards (18 meters) of movement and subtracts 20 yards (18 me-
  ters) from movement the next round. A barrel roll is two half-roll maneuvers put to-
  gether, moving 20 yards (18 meters) diagonally forward one way, then 20 yards 
  (18 meters) diagonally forward the opposite way. It counts as 40 yards (37 meters) 
  of movement and subtracts 40 yards (37 meters) from movement the next round.
  •  A zoom starts with a zoom-dive; a ﬂ yer stops moving and instead loses altitude equal to 
  her movement. (For example, a ﬂ yer who was moving at 100 yards per round now moves 
  zero yards and loses 100 yards of altitude.) The only kind of maneuver she can make is 
  “lose altitude”. Each round she zoom-dives, gravity subtracts an extra 240 yards (219 
  meters) from altitude. (Lose 240 extra yards on the ﬁ rst round, 480 on the second, 720 
  on the third, and so on.) When she stops zoom-diving, she has to spend the next round 
  in a level zoom. She doesn’t lose any more altitude, but she moves a number of yards equal 
  to the altitude she lost on the last round of the zoom-dive. (For example, a ﬂ yer who 
  lost 500 yards on the last round of a zoom-dive moves 500 yards and stays at the same 
  altitude.) The only kind of maneuver she can make is “slow down”. Once she’s spent at 
  least one round in a level zoom, she can go into a zoom-climb, which is the opposite of a 
  zoom-dive — instead of losing altitude, she gains it. Gravity subtracts from the altitude 
  gained, and she can subtract another 20 yards for each maneuver she uses to “put on the 
  brakes”. The zoom ends when she stops level-zooming or zoom-climbing. The diﬃ  culty 
  of a zoom is 1 for each 40 yards (37 meters) the ﬂ yer zooms in the round. If she zoom-
  dives 1880 yards (1719 meters) in a round, she may break the sound barrier; add 10 to 
  the diﬃ  culty for that round!
  The normal movement diﬃ  culties are for good conditions — for example, a hard, even 
  surface like a road (if it isn’t slick), still water, calm air, or climbing a ladder. Add to the dif-
  ﬁ culty for obstacles or problems; here are some examples.
  •  Add 5 for an uneven surface, small obstacles, choppy water, or climbing a tree.
  •  Add 10 for big obstacles, a strong current, rough air, or climbing a rough wall.
  •  Add 15 for lots of big, close obstacles, stormy weather, or a few hazards in the air.
  •  Add 20 for a narrow walkway (such as a rope bridge or a cliﬀ  trail), big waves, climbing a 
  smooth wall, or lots of hazards in the air.
  •  Add 25 or more for a collapsing hallway, or swimming or ﬂ ying in a hurricane. ✶
  
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  � Rounds �
  M
  ost of the time, the narrator and players can use the same tricks that writers do 
  when it comes to telling the story. If a pony spends hours doing something tedious 
  like searching through a library, it’s enough to spend only a few real minutes covering that. 
  On the other hand, sometimes it’s important to keep track of exactly what’s happening 
  when, and what order that ponies are doing things. Fighting’s a big reason for that, but it 
  isn’t the only one.
  To help the narrator and players keep track when things get fast and complicated, time 
  is broken down into ﬁ ve-second periods called rounds. Once every pony or creature that’s 
  involved has had a turn to do things in the round, it’s over, and a new round starts if the 
  narrator thinks it’s needed. When the narrator decides the ﬁ ght, or whatever reason it’s 
  important to use rounds, is over, everyone can go back to the normal way of handling time.
  Step 1: Initiative
  The narrator has a choice of ways to ﬁ gure out initiative, the order that ponies and other 
  creatures take their turns in a round. This doesn’t count as an action. Of course, a pony or 
  creature who’s unconscious, can’t move, or otherwise isn’t able to do anything doesn’t get a 
  turn in a round, if she hasn’t taken it already.
  •  The narrator and players make rolls for all the ponies and creatures who are involved, 
  using Speed dice plus a Talent if the narrator thinks it applies. The highest roll goes ﬁ rst, 
  the next highest roll goes second, and so on, until all the ponies and creatures are listed 
  in order. (The narrator should keep track on scratch paper.) Either everyone rolls once 
  at the start of the ﬁ rst round and acts in the same order until the rounds are over, which 
  is faster and easier, or rolls at the beginning of every round, which is slower but more 
  realistic.
  •  The pony or creature who does the ﬁ rst thing that matters acts ﬁ rst, and all ponies and 
  creatures act in the same order until the rounds end. An example would be a pony or 
  creature going ﬁ rst because she surprises others in an ambush. The narrator can decide 
  to do this just for the ﬁ rst round, then switch to Speed rolls.
  If the narrator decides not to use die rolls, or if die rolls are tied, the narrator can de-
  cide the order of initiative by comparing the number of dice the tied ponies or creatures 
  have in something. The highest number of dice goes ﬁ rst, the next highest goes second, and 
  so on. Once a pony or creature is on the list, the narrator doesn’t need to compare her any 
  more. The tie-breaking order is: a Talent that lets a pony or creature go ﬁ rst, Speed, Smarts, 
  then special equipment or a situation that lets a pony or creature go ﬁ rst. If the narrator 
  prefers, the tied ponies and creatures instead can roll again to break ties.
  Step 2: Actions
  When it’s a pony’s or creature’s turn in a round, the narrator or player controlling that pony 
  or creature decides what she will do. First, the narrator or player must decide how many full 
  actions the pony or creature will take in the round. Any pony or creature can take one full 
  action in a round without a problem, but trying to take more than one in a round is harder. 
  For every extra full action, subtract 1 die from all task rolls (not rolls for injury, resisting 
  injury, or initiative) the pony or creature makes in that round; this is a multi-action penalty. 
  For example, a pony trying to take four full actions in a round subtracts 3 dice from all four 
  of them. If the penalty subtracts all the dice a pony or creature can roll for an action, the 
  roll fails automatically. The narrator or player doesn’t have to say right away what all the 
  actions will be; instead, each action can be described one at a time, as it happens. 
  A full action is anything a pony or creature does that takes eﬀ ort or concentration. 
  Most of the time, a full action needs a task roll of some kind. Some full actions do special 
  things, add to or subtract from the diﬃ  culties of other rolls, or need the ponies or crea-
  tures to do certain things. A pony or creature can use only one full action in a round to 
  move. Here are some examples of full actions; the narrator has to decide if an action that 
  isn’t on the list is a full action.
  •  Attacking in any way. Besides using hooves, head, wings, or teeth, this includes using a 
  weapon or wrestling. Some more speciﬁ c examples follow.
  •  Punching or boxing a pony or creature.
  •  Kicking or bucking a pony or creature.
  •  Pushing a pony or creature.
  •  Tripping a pony or creature.
  •  Choking a pony or creature.
  •  Grabbing a pony or creature. Depending on where the pony or creature is grabbed, she 
  may not be able to take any actions other than trying to escape.
  •  Pinning a pony or creature — holding her to the ground or tacking a piece of her cloth-
  ing to a wall or a nearby object. The pony or creature can’t use whatever parts of her body 
  have been pinned. Pinning the whole pony or creature to the ground is pretty much the 
  same as tackling her.
  •  Tackling a pony or creature. Once tackled, the pony or creature can’t take any actions 
  other than talking or trying to break the attacker’s grip.
  •  Breaking or escaping being pinned or tackled by another pony or creature.
  •  Throwing something at or to another pony or creature.
  •  Lunging with a pointed weapon, such as a sword or a knife.
  •  Slashing with an edged weapon, such as a sword or a knife.
  •  Entangling a pony or creature using a rope, net, or whip (for example).
  •  Shooting a sling, bow, ﬁ rearm, or other weapon that throws projectiles.
  •  Knocking something, such as a weapon, from a pony’s or creature’s grip. ➧
  
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  • Using an active defense — full defense, normal defense, blocking, or parrying.
  •  Moving, in good conditions, more than half the distance the pony or creature can walk, 
  swim, or climb in a round, rounding up, ﬂ ying more than 250 yards (229 meters) in the 
  round, jumping several times in a row, jumping over another pony or creature, or jump-
  ing onto a table. A roll is needed only for trying to do something tricky or if the pony or 
  creature is trying to ﬂ ee or run away.
  •  Moving, in bad conditions, more than one yard (0.9 meter) walking, swimming, or 
  climbing, ﬂ ying more than 50 yards (45 meters), or jumping more than once in the round. 
  A roll probably will be needed. If conditions are very bad, the narrator may decide that 
  any movement at all is a full action.
  • Getting up again after falling or being knocked or thrown to the ground.
  • Trying a stunt with a moving vehicle, such as a cart, wagon, or carriage.
  •  Catching a thrown or dropped object or creature. The catcher can take this action right 
  after the throwing or dropping action. This is one of the few times a pony or creature can 
  take an action before her initiative.
  •  Carrying something heavy and doing anything else at the same time other than walking 
  or talking.
  •  Speaking more than a few words or a sentence, such as explaining a plan or talking 
  about complicated ideas or information, to nearby ponies or creatures.
  •  Readying a weapon or device, including drawing or reloading a bow or ﬁ rearm, sheath-
  ing or unsheathing a blade, or a similar action. Usually a task roll isn’t needed, but if the 
  narrator may ask for one if there’s a lot of stress or confusion.
  •  Doing a quick task that takes a few seconds. The pony or creature may try to rush the 
  task, if she’s in a hurry and the task normally takes longer than a round.
  •  Starting or continuing a task that takes longer than a single round to ﬁ nish.
  •  Waiting before taking more actions. The next section talks more about this.
  A pony or creature can use a full action to wait for something else to happen before 
  taking more actions. (This is why the narrator or player doesn’t have to describe all a pony’s 
  or creature’s actions up front.) The narrator or player can say why the pony or creature is 
  waiting — “I’ll wait for him to attack,” for example — or say just that the pony or creature 
  is waiting — for instance, “I’m not sure what’s going on, so I’ll wait to see what happens 
  before I do anything else.”
  If a pony or creature is waiting for something in particular, the narrator can let her 
  take an action if or when that something happens, after any task roll is made but before 
  the die roll’s eﬀ ect. Using the example of the pony waiting for a creature to attack, when 
  the creature attacks, that pony would be able to take another action after the attack die roll 
  but before anything else happens.
  A pony or creature can take a few actions, wait (another action), take some more ac-
  tions, wait again (another action), and so on, as long as she has enough actions in the round 
  to do everything. If the pony or creature hasn’t used up all her actions by the end of the 
  round, she loses the actions she hasn’t taken.
  A free action is anything a pony or creature can do automatically, without much ef-
  fort or a die roll, except under the worst conditions. Free actions don’t count when ﬁ guring 
  out what the pony’s or creature’s multi-action penalty is. If the narrator thinks a task needs 
  concentration, and therefore a die roll, to do right, it usually isn’t a free action. Here are 
  some examples of free actions.
  • Speaking a few words to another pony or creature nearby. 
  • Glancing around a room (maybe with a Smarts roll to notice something). 
  •  Moving a short distance — no more than half normal walk, swim, or climb distance for 
  a round (rounding up), a single jump, or ﬂ ying no faster than 250 yards (229 meters) in 
  a round under good conditions; moving no more than one yard (0.9 meter) or ﬂ ying no 
  more than 50 yards (45 meters) under bad conditions. 
  •  Dropping prone (lying face-down on the ground) on purpose or getting up from doing 
  so.
  •  Deciding initiative, rolling to resist illness or injury, and rolling to resist shock or surprise 
  count as “free actions”.
  Step 3: Is It Over?
  The narrator decides whether to go on to a new round, or that there’s no need to do so. For 
  a new round, go back to step one and start again. ✶
  � Live and Learn �
  A
  s the game goes on, the players’ ponies may get better at their Talents or learn new 
  Talents. When the narrator decides a player’s pony deserves some experience, she can 
  let the player add one die to one of the pony’s Talents, or add to the pony a new Second-
  ary Earth or Fire Talent of one die. The Talent being improved or added should be one the 
  pony’s had a chance to practice or learn.
  This shouldn’t happen too often, or the ponies will end up being super-powered very 
  quickly. The narrator should dole out experience dice only once in a long while, after sev-
  eral adventures (or episodes or stories — whatever term the group prefers to use). A good 
  time to do so is when a player has done an exceptionally good job of role-playing or has 
  been exceptionally clever. Aptitudes can’t be improved except under very special circum-
  stances — usually something magical and rare — with the permission of the narrator.
  Another way to keep a pony from getting too powerful at a Talent is to limit how many 
  dice it can have. Since earth ponies are better at Earth and Fire Talents, they can have more 
  dice in a Secondary Talent than unicorn and pegasus ponies.
  • Any pony may have up to ﬁ ve dice in a Primary Talent.
  • An earth pony may have up to ﬁ ve dice in a Secondary Talent.
  • A unicorn or pegasus pony may have up to three dice in a Secondary Talent. 
  ✶
  
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  � Fatigue and Rest �
  P
  onies who exert themselves get tired and must rest. When a pony exerts herself, 
  including casting spells, the pony’s player makes a fatigue roll using the pony’s Hardi-
  ness dice, plus a Talent if the narrator agrees that it applies to the task, every so often, 
  depending on how hard the pony is working. If a pony’s exertion is shorter than one full 
  time interval, just make one roll. The basic diﬃ  culty of the ﬁ rst roll is 0; add 3 to the dif-
  ﬁ culty for every roll after that. (So the second roll’s diﬃ  culty is 3, the third one’s diﬃ  culty 
  is 6, and so on.)
  •  A pony doing light work rolls every hour. Some examples are walking, carrying (or levi-
  tating) a light load, or ﬂ ying no more than 200 yards (183 meters) per round.
  •  A pony doing moderate work rolls every ten minutes. Some examples are trotting, 
  jumping a few times a minute, ﬂ ying 201 to 400 yards (184–366 meters) per round, or 
  carrying (or levitating) a medium load.
  •  A pony doing heavy work rolls every minute. Some examples are cantering, swimming, 
  climbing, jumping constantly, ﬂ ying 401 to 800 yards (367–732 meters) per round but 
  slower than sound, ﬁ ghting, or carrying a heavy load.
  •  A pony making a maximum eﬀ ort rolls every round. Some examples are galloping, ﬂ y-
  ing more than 800 yards (732 meters) per round, or carrying (or levitating) a load that is 
  at least very heavy.
  Modiﬁ ers can be applied in special situations. Here are a few examples, but the narra-
  tor can make up more if she thinks they might be needed.
  • Add 5 to the diﬃ  culty for hot weather; add 10 for very hot weather.
  •  A pony exerting herself more than one way rolls for the heaviest work and adds 5 to the 
  diﬃ  culty for each extra exertion. For example, a pony cantering while carrying a medium 
  load is doing heavy work and adds 5 to the diﬃ  culty.
  •  A pony doing only light work, even if she’s doing multiple things, can skip fatigue rolls 
  if the narrator agrees she’s pacing herself. (In other words, it’s treated as a “trivial task”, 
  and doesn’t count as exertion.) An example would be a pony who’s strolling, moving at 
  half walking speed, maybe while carrying a light load.
  Any time a pony fails a fatigue roll, she gets more tired and has a harder time doing 
  things, until she takes a break and gets some rest. Once the pony has rested, the diﬃ  culty 
  for her fatigue rolls starts over again at 0.
  •  A pony who fails one fatigue roll is winded. She subtracts 1 die from all task rolls and 
  fatigue rolls until she’s rested for half as long as the exertion lasted.
  •  A pony who fails two fatigue rolls is tired. She subtracts 2 dice from all task rolls and 
  fatigue rolls until she’s rested for as long as the exertion lasted.
  •  A pony who fails three fatigue rolls is exhausted. She subtracts 3 dice from all task rolls 
  and can’t exert herself any more until she’s rested for twice as long as the exertion lasted.
  Sleep
  A pony staying up longer than she should makes a fatigue roll every hour of missed sleep 
  with a diﬃ  culty of 5 per roll. (The ﬁ rst roll’s diﬃ  culty is 5, the second roll’s is 10, the third 
  one’s is 15, and so on.) The narrator can modify the diﬃ  culty depending on what’s going on 
  around the pony. If it’s peaceful and quiet, or the pony’s really comfortable, that increases 
  the diﬃ  culty. If it’s loud or uncomfortable, or the pony’s trying to stay active (walking 
  around, say), that decreases the diﬃ  culty.
  This is treated just like a normal fatigue roll. After the third failed sleep-fatigue roll, 
  the pony falls asleep no matter what. Other ponies trying to keep her awake must keep do-
  ing it constantly or the sleepy pony will drift oﬀ  again. A pony stays sleepy, with the penalty 
  for being “winded”, “tired”, or “exhausted”, until she makes up the lost sleep. A pony can be 
  sleepy and tired, combining both penalties.
  Normally, trying to fall asleep is routine, but if conditions are bad, like being cold, wet, 
  hungry, or surrounded by loud noise, the pony makes a Hardiness roll every ten minutes, 
  with a diﬃ  culty of 5 for each bad condition. If the pony’s awake long enough, the narrator 
  may give the pony a penalty for lost sleep.
  A pony who’s trying to wake up or who’s being waked makes a Hardiness roll each 
  round with a diﬃ  culty of 5. If it’s too early (less than a full night’s sleep), add to the dif-
  ﬁ culty. Loud noises or other disturbances decrease the diﬃ  culty. A big success means the 
  pony wakes up alert. A small success means the pony wakes up groggy and disoriented. A 
  small failure means the pony doesn’t quite wake up, but is dozing. A big failure means the 
  pony stays fast asleep. ✶
  � Other Creatures �
  Ponies aren’t the only creatures, or even the only intelligent creatures, in the world. The 
  narrator should use the rules for creating a pony as a guideline when creating a diﬀ erent 
  creature. A small creature gets fewer dice, of course, and a larger creature gets more. If it’s 
  big enough or old enough, like a full-grown dragon, it might get more (maybe a lot more) 
  than 5 dice in Muscle or Hardiness and might have a lot of Talents. An animal that isn’t 
  intelligent gets 1 die of Smarts, no dice in Learning, and is very limited in what Talents 
  it might have. A creature that’s intelligent, but not as bright as most ponies, gets 1 die of 
  Smarts and 1 die of Learning, and might have limited Talents. A narrator who has other 
  role-playing games might be able to use them for ideas, too.
  Some players may want to play other creatures than ponies. It’s up to the narrator 
  whether the players can, but anything she allows probably should be pretty similar to po-
  nies in the number of dice the creatures get, though the dice might be moved around some. 
  Also remember that the show is mainly about the ponies, so there isn’t a lot of information 
  on anything else. That means the narrator may have to do a lot more work in ﬁ guring out 
  how she wants to handle those other creatures, like where they come from and how their 
  societies work. ✶
  
  Pony Tales 
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  � Icky Stuﬀ  �
  T
  he show doesn’t talk about them directly, but it’s clear that birth and death are part 
  of life for the ponies. Getting sick, getting hurt, and getting better are things any pony 
  will do, especially one who goes on adventures.
  Sometimes the show does something pretty terrible to a pony — say, squishing her 
  under a falling piano or smacking her into a cliﬀ  — but she’s just ﬁ ne in the next scene! On 
  the other hand, sometimes a whole plot depends on (for example) a pony being rescued 
  from, or ﬁ nding a way to avoid, going splat after a good long fall. As a result, this is one 
  place where the diﬀ erence between a literal game and a ﬁ gurative game is most noticeable. 
  Along with the rules are suggestions for how to handle them, depending on which kind of 
  game is being played.
  Levels of Illness or Injury
  The narrator and players need a way to keep track of how sick or hurt ponies get when bad 
  things happen to them. It matters more in a ﬁ gurative game, of course, but even in a literal 
  game ponies may stagger around dizzily or get covered with bandages or casts — that’s part 
  of the cartoon fun.
  When a pony may get sick or hurt, dice are rolled to see how badly. The worse the ill-
  ness or injury may be, the more dice are rolled. The pony’s player rolls the pony’s Hardiness 
  dice plus the dice for any protection the pony has (for example, vaccinations or armor), 
  and that’s subtracted from the illness or injury roll. If the result is zero or less, the pony 
  doesn’t suﬀ er anything worse than a few sniﬄ  es or bruises. If the result is more than zero, 
  the pony gets sick or hurt. The pony’s player checks oﬀ , on her Pony Form, the level that 
  matches the ﬁ nal result. For a foal, the narrator may want to cut the injury or illness die 
  result in half. (Kids bounce.)
  • A pony is bruised by a result of 0 or less.
  •   A pony is stunned by a result of 1–3. A stunned pony subtracts 1 die from all task rolls 
  this round and next round.
  •  A pony suﬀ ers minor illness or injury from a result of 4–6. A pony with a minor illness 
  or injury subtracts 1 die from all task rolls until healed.
  •  A pony suﬀ ers serious illness or injury from a result of 7–9. A pony with a serious ill-
  ness or injury subtracts 2 dice from all task rolls until healed.
  •  A pony suﬀ ers major illness or injury from a result of 10–12 and must make a Hardi-
  ness roll with a diﬃ  culty of 15. If the roll is successful, the pony stays conscious. Failure 
  means the pony is unconscious for 10 dice of minutes. (In a literal game, this can be 10 
  dice of rounds instead.) A pony with a major illness or injury subtracts 3 dice from all task 
  rolls until healed.
  •  A pony suﬀ ers mortal illness or injury from a result of 13–15, falls over unconscious, 
  and stays that way until healed. Each minute, make a Hardiness roll for the pony; if the 
  result is less than the number of minutes since the pony suﬀ ered mortal illness or injury, 
  the pony dies. (A literal game can ignore the last part.)
  • A pony dies immediately from a result of 16 or greater.
  If a pony gets sick or hurt again, worse than she already is, check oﬀ  the new level. If 
  the new illness or injury isn’t worse, increase the pony’s illness or injury by one level. That 
  may sound complicated, but once everyone gets used to it, keeping track should be pretty 
  easy. Here are examples, using a pony with a serious injury:
  •  If the new injury is a major injury, mortal injury, or death, check oﬀ  that level of in-
  jury — major injury, mortal injury, or death, whichever one it is.
  •  If the new injury is a stun, minor injury, or serious injury, increase the pony’s injury by one 
  level, checking oﬀ  major injury.
  The narrator doesn’t have to stick to the rules when doing so seems unfair or dampens 
  the fun. If players are okay with the idea that their ponies are doing dangerous things and 
  could get killed, the narrator can let the chips fall where they may, but if players don’t want 
  to lose ponies they care about or are playing a literal game, the narrator can fudge things to 
  give ponies better chances to survive.
  Natural Dangers
  A lot of things can happen to a pony, even if she doesn’t go out on adventures. Accidents, 
  horseplay (ahem), and plain bad luck can be as dangerous as dragons.
  Holding breath: A pony who’s underwater or high in the air may try to hold her 
  breath. Roll the pony’s Hardiness dice; the total of the die roll is the number of rounds the 
  pony can hold her breath. If the pony can take some deep breaths ﬁ rst, the narrator should 
  give the pony a bonus. A pony who has a Talent the narrator thinks will help can add the 
  dice for it, and the number of rounds is twice the total of the die roll. Once the pony runs 
  out of breath, she starts to asphyxiate.
  Asphyxiation: Roll as long as a pony can’t breathe, adding 1 die each round. (Roll 1 
  die on the ﬁ rst round, 2 dice on the second, 3 dice on the third, and so on.)
  Drowning: Every time a pony fails a swimming roll, roll injury dice equal to the num-
  ber of failed swimming rolls. (For example, the third time a pony fails a swimming roll, roll 
  three dice of drowning injury.) The failed swimming rolls don’t have to be in a row, but they 
  must be during the same time the pony’s in the water.
  Dehydration: Roll every 12 hours after the ﬁ rst 12 hours that a pony can’t get any 
  water, adding 1 die each 12 hours. (Roll 1 die on the second 12 hours, 2 dice on the third, 
  3 dice on the fourth, and so on.) For every 10° F (5.6° C) hotter than 80° F (27° C), cut the 
  time in half — but no less than 1 hour — and double the water that the pony needs. A pony 
  recovers from dehydration using the normal healing rules, as long as there is enough water 
  for the pony to drink.
  Starvation: Roll every day after the ﬁ rst day that a pony can’t get any food, adding 1 
  die each day. (Roll 1 die on the second day, 2 dice on the third, 3 dice on the fourth, and so 
  on.) A pony that eats a little food stretches out the time. For example, a pony who eats half 
  the food she needs rolls every two days instead of every day. A pony recovers from starva-
  tion using the normal healing rules, as long as there is enough food for the pony to eat. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
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  Cold: Every hour, roll 1 die for every 10° F (5.6° C) less than 50° F (10° C). Wearing 
  warm clothing adds 5° to 20° F (2.8–11° C), depending on how good it is. Exercising to stay 
  warm adds 1 die to a pony’s Hardiness roll for each level of work.
  Falling: Roll 1 die for every 5 feet (1.5 meters) after the ﬁ rst 5 feet (1.5 meters).
  Collision: If a pony smashes into something or vice versa, roll 1 die for every 5 yards 
  (4.5 meters) per round after the ﬁ rst ﬁ rst 25 yards (23 meters) per round.
  Strange stuﬀ : A pony may come across something that doesn’t hurt her, but might 
  do something weird to her instead. The narrator can use level of illness to judge how weird 
  it gets. An example is the blue plant that plays pranks on creatures who touch it; a “major 
  illness” could be a bigger prank than a “minor illness”.
  Protective Armor
  The royal guard wears gold-plated ceremonial barding (equine armor), and there may be 
  other kinds as well. A pony can wear only one kind of barding at a time. Barding is heavy 
  and clumsy; for each die of protecction, add 1 to the diﬃ  culty of any task that uses Speed 
  or Agility. Wearing barding can get hot even in mild weather, but metal armor isn’t much 
  protection against cold either. Barding also won’t protect a pony against certain other 
  things — like falls, poisons, and diseases. If there’s any doubt, the narrator will have to 
  decide.
  • Leather barding is worth 1 die of protection.
  • Mail (often called “chainmail”) barding is worth 2 dice of protection.
  • Plate barding is worth 3 dice of protection.
  First Aid (mostly for ﬁ gurative games)
  A mortally injured pony can be given ﬁ rst aid by another pony to remove the danger of 
  death. The pony providing ﬁ rst aid rolls her Learning dice, plus any Talent the narrator 
  agrees is appropriate, with a diﬃ  culty equal to the number of minutes that the patient has 
  been mortally injured. If the roll succeeds, the patient no longer is in danger of dying. Fail-
  ure means the mortally injured pony still is in danger of dying. If an attempt at ﬁ rst aid fails, 
  the ﬁ rst-aid pony can try again, making a new roll after another ﬁ ve minutes have passed.
  Narrators and players who want some added realism also can use this extra rule on giv-
  ing ﬁ rst aid quickly. If ﬁ rst aid is successful within 5 minutes of the patient suﬀ ering mortal 
  injury, the patient will recover completely, with no permanent damage. For every 5 minutes 
  longer that it takes ﬁ rst aid to be successful, the patient permanently loses 1 die from every 
  Talent. (A Talent can’t be less than zero dice, though.) After 30 minutes, ﬁ rst aid no longer 
  does any good.
  It may be possible to revive a pony who’s died, as long as the pony’s body is still in good 
  shape and not horribly mangled. If a unicorn can use a spell for ﬁ rst aid, treat the dead pony 
  as if she’s mortally injured. If normal ﬁ rst aid is used, a new roll must be made every ﬁ ve 
  minutes until the pony can be hospitalized; if any of the rolls fails, the pony is really dead 
  and can’t be revived. At the hospital, the dead pony is treated as if she’s mortally injured.
  Natural Healing
  Healing in a ﬁ gurative game takes lots of rest. When a pony has spent enough time 
  resting — not exerting herself — the pony’s player can make a Hardiness roll. If the roll suc-
  ceeds, reduce the pony’s injury level by one (for instance, from “serious injury” to “minor 
  injury”). If the roll fails, the pony’s injury level stays the same.
  A pony who doesn’t rest, and instead is active (for instance, working or adventuring), 
  subtracts one die from the Hardiness roll. A pony who rests for twice as long as the injury 
  level needs adds one die to the Hardiness roll.
  • A stunned pony recovers automatically after 1 minute.
  •  A pony with a minor illness or injury rolls after 3 days with a diﬃ  culty of 6.
  •  A pony with a serious illness or injury rolls after 3 days with a diﬃ  culty of 6.
  •  A pony with a major illness or injury rolls after 2 weeks with a diﬃ  culty of 6.
  •  A pony with a mortal illness or injury rolls after 5 weeks with a diﬃ  culty of 8.
  In a literal game, anything short of the biggest threats to life and limb just knocks 
  around a pony for comedic eﬀ ect, and the narrator’s free to ignore injury eﬀ ects at will. A 
  narrator who wants to pay some attention to boo-boos — especially on ponies who get into 
  trouble when they should know better — can use minutes instead of days and hours instead 
  of weeks for recovery periods. That allows a pony to recover from most injuries pretty 
  quickly, but doesn’t remove the peril of death, for those last-minute rescues and other 
  dramatic moments.
  Medical Treatment
  A pony who knows how can give a hurt pony medical treatment to speed up healing. The 
  nurse or physician pony rolls her Learning dice, plus any one Talent the narrator agrees is 
  appropriate, once per day. If the roll is successful, reduce the patient’s injury level by one 
  (for instance, from “serious injury” to “minor injury”). Failure means the patient’s injury 
  level stays the same.
  Other ponies can help; each helper pony can add her dice for a Talent that the narrator 
  agrees is appropriate. If the pony in charge of giving treatment has the right tools, such as 
  medicines, bandages, surgical instruments, or whatever the narrator thinks is needed, that 
  reduces the diﬃ  culty. Treating the patient in a clinic or hospital reduces the diﬃ  culty even 
  more.
  •  For a pony with a minor illness or injury, the diﬃ  culty is 10.
  •  For a pony with a serious illness or injury, the diﬃ  culty is 15.
  •  For a pony with a major illness or injury, the diﬃ  culty is 20.
  •  For a pony with a mortal illness or injury, the diﬃ  culty is 25. 
  ✶
  
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  � Fighting �
  T
  here is a little fighting on the show — usually when the main characters are on an 
  adventure. Besides, ﬁ ghting’s a staple of adventure stories in general, so if the narrator 
  and players want to play that kind of game, it’s probably going to be very important. Most 
  if not all ﬁ ghting will happen during rounds.
  Step 1: Defense
  The basic diﬃ  culty of an attack depends on what the defender, or target of the attack, is 
  doing. A defender who isn’t doing anything special to avoid attacks is using a passive defense, 
  which has a diﬃ  culty of 10, and doesn’t count as an action. A defender trying to stop or 
  avoid attacks is using an active defense, which is a contest of rolls instead of a normal dif-
  ﬁ culty — and does count as an action, so the penalty for multiple actions may apply! There 
  are four kinds of active defense.
  •  All-out defense means the defender isn’t doing anything except dodging attacks. The 
  defender can’t take any other actions, but gets to roll Agility dice, plus the dice for one 
  Talent the narrator agrees is appropriate (if any), plus 10.
  •  Normal defense means the defender’s dodging and trying to do other things at the 
  same time. The defender rolls Agility dice plus the dice for one Talent the narrator agrees 
  is appropriate, if any. The narrator may let a pony or creature who has some idea an at-
  tack’s coming, but can’t do much about it, to roll a normal defense as a free action.
  •  Block means the defender’s trying to stop attacks. The defender rolls Agility dice, plus 
  one Talent the narrator agrees is appropriate (if any). If the defender uses any part of the 
  body to block a bladed weapon (instead of a weapon or object), the weapon automati-
  cally injures the defender, unless she’s wearing armor or has a Talent that covers blocking. 
  Don’t add the attacker’s strength bonus (explained later) if the block is successful; do add 
  the attacker’s strength bonus if the block fails.
  •  Parry means the defender’s trying to deﬂ ect, or push aside, attacks. The defender rolls 
  Agility dice, plus any one Talent the narrator agrees is appropriate (if any). A defender 
  who succeeds with a parry using a sharp weapon injures the attacker, but doesn’t add her 
  strength bonus.
  A pony or creature can choose an active defense only on her turn during a round; the 
  choice of defense lasts until the pony’s or creature’s turn in the next round. The player only 
  needs to roll once, and that result is used against all attacks on the pony or creature that 
  it can be. If the pony or creature is attacked in a round before her turn, she can’t change 
  her defense against it, because she can’t react quickly enough. If an active defense roll is 
  lower than a passive defense of 10, the pony or creature just isn’t doing a good job of de-
  fending — misjudging attacks, dodging the wrong way, not keeping good track of attackers, 
  and so on.
  Step 2: Attack
  What kind of attack a pony or creature makes may add to or subtract from the diﬃ  culty 
  of the attack. The attacker either can use a set number or make a die roll, or the narrator 
  may decide that only one or the other can be used in all cases; both are listed in each of the 
  attack descriptions. In a lot of cases, an attack may have some sort of special eﬀ ect on the 
  target, which also is described.
  Disarm: The attacker tries to knock a weapon or object out of the target’s grip. If the 
  attack succeeds and the target hasn’t taken any actions yet, she can use an action to try to 
  keep her grip on the weapon or object, even if it’s before her initiative. The target makes 
  a Muscle (or Levitation) roll against the attacker’s injury roll. If the target’s roll is greater 
  than the injury roll, the target keeps hold of the weapon or object; if it’s less than or equal, 
  she drops the weapon or object.
  Entangle: The attacker uses a lasso, net, whip, or other ﬂ exible weapon to tangle 
  up the target. If the attack succeeds, the end of the lasso or whip or the weave of the net 
  wraps around the target. Unless it’s spiky or otherwise special, it doesn’t hurt the target, 
  but she can’t take any actions other than trying to break free, which is a contest against 
  the weapon’s “injury” roll and counts as an action, or talking. To slip out of the weapon, the 
  target uses an Agility roll in the contest. To snap the weapon, the target uses a Muscle roll 
  in the contest.
  Grab: The attacker gets a grip on some part of the target. Diﬀ erent kinds of grab have 
  diﬀ erent eﬀ ects. Add 6 (or 2 dice) to the diﬃ  culty of the attack. Trying to escape from a 
  grab counts as an action; to succeed, the grabbed target must win a Muscle dice contest 
  against the attacker. Every round that a target stays grabbed, the attacker can use her 
  strength bonus to injure the target.
  •  Choke: The attacker cuts oﬀ  the target’s air by pressing a limb, rope, or some kind of 
  rod or pole against the target’s windpipe. On the ﬁ rst round, use the attacker’s strength 
  bonus for injury dice; after that, use the general Grab rules.
  •  Flip: The attacker grabs one of the target’s limbs and yanks her over to fall on the 
  ground. A ﬂ ipped target suﬀ ers 3 injury dice from hitting the ground and must spend the 
  next round getting back up, if she can.
  •  Hold: The attacker gets hold of a target with a successful attack and does less injury, 
  subtracting 3 or more injury dice — however much the attacker decides.
  •  Slam or throw: The attacker picks up the target and throws her into the ground, a 
  wall, or anything solid nearby. Lifting the target counts as an action and needs a lifting 
  roll. Slamming or throwing the target counts as a second action and also needs a “lifting” 
  roll. The injury suﬀ ered by the target is equal to the toughness dice of the object she was 
  slammed or thrown against plus the attacker’s strength bonus. The attacker’s strength 
  bonus also is rolled against the object to see if it’s damaged; it can resist damage with its 
  toughness dice. ➧
  
  Pony Tales 
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  • Something ﬂ imsy like a plywood door has 1 die of toughness.
  • Something tough like a hard wooden door or a weapon has 2 dice of toughness.
  • Something sturdy like a bolted steel door or a ﬂ oor safe has 3 dice of toughness.
  • Something very sturdy like a few layers of steel has 4 dice of toughness.
  • Something reinforced like many layers of steel has 6 dice of toughness.
  Knockdown, push, or trip: The attacker forces the target to stumble; the target 
  subtracts 2 dice from her next Agility roll instead of being injured. An attacker can knock 
  down or push a target if her Muscle, plus a Talent if the narrator agrees it’s appropriate, is 
  greater than the target’s Muscle (plus Talent, if any).
  • For a push, add 3 (or 1 die) to the diﬃ  culty of the attack.
  •  For a knockdown or trip, add 6 (or 2 dice) to the diﬃ  culty of the attack. A knocked-
  down or tripped target falls to the ground; standing up takes an action.
  Lunge: The attacker rushes suddenly at a target, maybe with an edged weapon. Lung-
  ing adds about half a yard (45 centimeters) to the range of an attack, but adds 3 (or 1 die) to 
  the diﬃ  culty of the attack and subtracts 1 die from injury.
  Strike: The attacker tries to hit the target normally. An attacker using her own body 
  or a weapon powered by her own muscles adds her strength bonus to the body part’s or 
  weapon’s injury dice. An attacker using a weapon like a ﬁ rearm that isn’t powered by her 
  own muscles doesn’t add her strength bonus. A pony can attack only in the direction the 
  part of her body she’s attacking with is facing.
  •  Punching with a front hoof or butting with the head doesn’t add to diﬃ  culty, but adds 
  1 point to injury. The narrator may decide an alicorn (the historical name for a unicorn 
  horn) is too sensitive for butting because of its magic, or may decide it’s sturdy enough 
  to add 2 points to injury instead of 1 point.
  •  Boxing with both front hooves or clipping with a wing adds 3 (or 1 die) to diﬃ  culty and 
  2 points to injury. A wing clips outward from a pegasus pony’s side.
  •  Kicking with a rear hoof adds 6 (or 2 dice) to diﬃ  culty and 1 die to injury.
  •  Bucking with both rear hooves adds 12 (or 4 dice) to diﬃ  culty and 2 dice to injury.
  •  Biting usually adds 3 (or 1 die) to diﬃ  culty, but if the attacker is very close, such as in a 
  grab or tackle (either as attacker or target), subtract 3 (or 1 die) instead.
  Sweep: The attacker uses a roundhouse blow or a leg sweep. Subtract 6 (or 2 dice) 
  from the diﬃ  culty of the attack, but subtract 3 dice from injury.
  Tackle: What makes this diﬀ erent from grabbing is that the attacker’s trying to hang 
  on to the target’s whole body. Add 3 (or 1 die) to the diﬃ  culty of the attack. If the tackle 
  succeeds or the target isn’t struggling, the attacker captures the target and can do normal 
  injury dice if she wants. Each round the attacker keeps the target tackled, she can use (only) 
  her strength bonus to injure the target. The target can’t take any actions except trying to 
  escape, using the rule under Grab.
  Step 3: Special Conditions
  Trying to hit a speciﬁ c part of a target, surprising a target, and a lot of other choices can 
  aﬀ ect the diﬃ  culty of an attack. The attacker either can use a set number or make a die 
  roll, or the narrator may decide that only one or the other can be used in all cases; both are 
  listed in each of the descriptions. In a lot of cases, a special condition also may have some 
  sort of extra eﬀ ect, which also is described.
  Aiming: An attacker using a weapon that shoots projectiles can track a target. Each 
  round that an attacker takes no other actions but aiming at a speciﬁ c target, she can add 1 
  die to the attack roll when she shoots at that target, but she can’t add more than 3 dice. A 
  moving target may add to the diﬃ  culty of the shot.
  All-out attack: The attacker is putting everything into hitting the target, and can’t 
  take any other actions at all, including using an active defense. Subtract 6 (or 2 dice) from 
  the diﬃ  culty of the attack, and if it hits, add 1 die to injury.
  Crouch: Attacking a target that’s crouched on the ground adds 3 (or 1 die) to the dif-
  ﬁ culty of the attack. If the target’s moving too, add another 3 (or 1 die); a crouching target 
  can move only half as far as normal, rounding up.
  Multiple weapons: A pony or creature using more than one weapon can attack with 
  each of them in a round, but remember to apply the multi-action penalty to all the attacks.
  Prone: Attacking a target that’s prone, lying face-down on the ground, subtracts 6 (or 
  2 dice) from the diﬃ  culty of the attack at point-blank or short range but adds 6 (or 2 dice) 
  at medium or long range.
  Ready a weapon: Drawing or reloading a weapon, or doing something similar, takes 
  one action. Normally this doesn’t need a task roll, but if the narrator thinks things are un-
  usually stressful or confusing, she may ask for one. The narrator may add to the diﬃ  culty if 
  there isn’t much room to move or the weapon is unwieldy. Drawing or reloading and attack-
  ing in the same round causes a multi-action penalty, of course, since they’re two actions.
  A pony or creature can try to quick draw a weapon, readying it and attacking with it as 
  one action. The weapon must be one that can be quick-drawn, such as a bow and arrow, a 
  loaded pistol, or a dagger, and the narrator or player must say, before initiative is ﬁ gured out 
  for the round, that her pony or creature will try a quick draw. The attacker can add some 
  of the dice she normally would use for her attack to her initiative dice for that round, but 
  she must leave at least 1 die in her attack. If she wants to attack more than once with the 
  quick-drawn weapon, she subtracts 1 die for each attack after the ﬁ rst before adding dice 
  to initiative.
  For example, a unicorn royal guard wants to shoot at the manticore in front of him 
  before it can pounce on him. He’s got a total of 8 dice in his Agility and Fighting Talent; 
  normally he could add up to 7 dice to his initiative, but he wants to shoot twice. After sub-
  tracting 1 die for the extra attack, he’s got 7 dice left, so now he can add up to 6 dice to his 
  initiative. He decides instead to add only 3 dice to his initiative, which leaves him with 4 
  dice for each of his attacks.
  
  Pony Tales 
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  Surprise: If an attacker gets the drop on other ponies or creatures, she can act before 
  them in the ﬁ rst round or, if the narrator prefers, can add 1 die (or more) to her actions in 
  the ﬁ rst round. Examples include attacking from behind, ambushes, or unexpected attacks, 
  such as from a hypnotized friend or companion.
  Unwieldy weapons or objects are longer than 2 feet (60 centimeters), hard to grip 
  or throw, or use technology or magic the user doesn’t understand. Add 5 or more to the 
  diﬃ  culty of an attack with an unwieldy object. If the narrator thinks other things make it 
  easier to use, such as experience, strength, or really good design (a well-balanced sword, for 
  instance), she might add less to the diﬃ  culty.
  Called shot: An attacker can try to attack a speciﬁ c part of a target’s body. Trying to 
  hit an arm (front limb) or leg (back limb) causes less injury because the attacker took extra 
  care to hit an area that’s “less vital.” Trying to hit the chest or abdomen doesn’t add to or 
  subtract from the diﬃ  culty or injury.
  •  Trying for the head adds 3 (or 1 die) to the diﬃ  culty and 12 (or 4 dice) to injury.
  • Trying for the heart adds 12 (or 4 dice) to diﬃ  culty and 12 (or 4 dice) to injury.
  •  Trying for an arm adds 3 (or 1 die) to diﬃ  culty and subtracts 2 points from injury.
  •  Trying for a leg or wing adds 3 (or 1 die) to the diﬃ  culty and subtracts 1 point from injury.
  If part of the body is injured enough, the narrator may decide the injury aﬀ ects how 
  well the pony or creature can use it. Except for chest injuries, the penalty listed lasts until 
  that part of the body heals, which probably takes a few days. Medical treatment (including 
  magic) can be applied to a speciﬁ c injured location.
  •  A head injury subtracts an extra point from Smarts, Learning, and initiative rolls.
  • A chest injury means the target can’t take any actions in the next round.
  •  An arm injury subtracts an extra point from any rolls involving that arm.
  •  A leg injury subtracts an extra point from all Agility, Speed, and initiative rolls.
  An attacker can try to knock out a target. The attacker must succeed at hitting the tar-
  get’s head and getting at least a “stunned” result on the injury. Subtract the diﬃ  culty of the 
  attack from the successful attack roll; that’s the number of hours the target’s unconscious, 
  unless something or someone else wakes her up before she regains consciousness on her 
  own. Divide the level of injury in half, rounding down, before checking it oﬀ  on the target. 
  For example, reduce a “mortal” injury to a minor injury; reduce a “major” injury to a stun.
  Group attack: A group of attackers like a gang or a unit of the royal guard can com-
  bine attacks. One attacker is the leader, who makes a Smarts roll, plus a Talent if the nar-
  rator agrees it’s appropriate. If the roll succeeds, all the attackers use the leader’s initiative 
  and attack at once; they use the hit-location modiﬁ er, and all the successful attacks add 
  their injury dice together. If the roll fails, the attackers use their own initiatives and take 
  their own actions as usual. 
  •  Add 3 to the diﬃ  culty of the Smarts roll for simple or general commands.
  • Add 7 to the diﬃ  culty of the Smarts roll for easy or speciﬁ c commands.
  • Add 12 to the diﬃ  culty of the roll for diﬃ  cult or very speciﬁ c commands.
  • Add 17 to the diﬃ  culty of the roll for very diﬃ  cult or precise commands.
  • Add 22 to the diﬃ  culty for extremely diﬃ  cult or very precise commands.
  • Add 28 to the diﬃ  culty of the Smarts roll for exacting commands.
  • Subtract 20 from diﬃ  culty if the group will follow the leader no matter what.
  • Subtract 15 if the group’s members will sacriﬁ ce themselves for each other.
  • Subtract 10 from the diﬃ  culty if the group’s trained a lot to work together.
  • Subtract 5 from the diﬃ  culty if the group’s trained a little to work together.
  • Don’t add or subtract anything if the group’s worked together a lot or is willing to.
  • Add 5 to the diﬃ  culty if the group’s worked together several times.
  • Add 10 to the diﬃ  culty if the group’s worked together only a few times.
  •  Add 15 if the group’s never worked together or most of the group hates each other.
  •  add 20 if the group isn’t interested in working together, all of the group hates each other, 
  or the group’s members can’t communicate with each other.
  Step 4: The Environment
  A lot of things out of an attacker’s control can aﬀ ect an attack. The attacker either can use 
  a set number or make a die roll, or the narrator may decide that only one or the other can 
  be used in all cases; both are listed in each of the descriptions.
  Cover and visibility: Smoke, fog, dim light, obstacles, or an attacker who can’t see 
  make an attack harder; a target who can’t see makes an attack easier.
  •  Subtract 12 (or 4 dice) from the diﬃ  culty if the target can’t see at all.
  •  Add 3 (or 1 die) to the diﬃ  culty for light smoke or fog, dim light, twilight, or cover that 
  hides about a quarter of the target.
  •  Add 6 (or 2 dice) to the diﬃ  culty for thick smoke or fog, a moonlit night, or cover that 
  hides about half the target.
  •  Add 12 (or 4 dice) for very thick smoke or fog, complete darkness, cover that hides about 
  three-quarters of the target, or an attacker who can’t see at all.
  •  If cover completely hides the target, the attacker can’t hit the target directly, but if an at-
  tack does more damage than the amount of armor the cover is worth, what’s left may will 
  hit the target. Most of the time, the cover will have to be destroyed before the attacker 
  can hit the target.
  
  Range: Any attack can reach only so far. Weapons that shoot have short, medium, and 
  long ranges listed for them. Weapons for ﬁ ghting close up, or ﬁ ghting with hooves, teeth, 
  or any other part of the body, are limited to what’s called point-blank range. Weapons that 
  are long enough to be unwieldy may reach to short range, but they’re hard for a pony to 
  use. A narrator who doesn’t want to look up weapon ranges and ﬁ gure out distances can 
  estimate what modiﬁ er to use.
  •  Point-blank range is 3 yards (2.7 meters) or less; subtract 5 from diﬃ  culty. A target 
  wh0’s a few steps away from the attacker is at point-blank range.
  •  Short range is more than 3 yards (2.7 meters) but no more than a weapon’s ﬁ rst range 
  listing. Shooting a riﬂ e across a big room like a ballroom is short range.
  •  Medium range is more than the ﬁ rst range but no more than the second range listed 
  for a weapon; add 5 to the diﬃ  culty of the attack. Shooting a handgun across that big 
  ballroom is medium range. (Handguns don’t shoot as far.)
  •  Long range is more than the second range but no more than the third range listed for 
  a weapon; add 10 to the diﬃ  culty of the attack. Most shooting outdoors probably is at 
  medium to long range.
  Scale: Sometimes creatures of diﬀ erent sizes may ﬁ ght. Bigger creatures or things are 
  easier to hit, and usually take more punishment, than smaller creatures or things. The list 
  of examples can guide a narrator who has to come up with a scale number for a diﬀ erent 
  creature or object. The narrator can apply scale to a weapon if the attacker using it is big-
  ger or smaller than the target. If an attacker wants to hit a weapon or object being held or 
  carried, use the scale of the object.
  Subtract the lesser scale number from the greater number. Subtracting a negative num-
  ber is like adding a positive number; 6 minus –3 is the same as 6 plus 3. An attacker who’s 
  bigger than the target would add the result to the diﬃ  culty for attacking and to the injury; 
  an attacker who’s smaller than the target would subtract the result from the diﬃ  culty for 
  attacking and from the injury. Sometimes a big object might not be very sturdy — for in-
  stance, a hot-air balloon. In that case, don’t add the scale modiﬁ er to the injury from such 
  an object or attacker.
  Here’s an example: A pony farmer ﬁ nds a rat in her grain silo. The pony is size 0; the 
  rat is size –9; 0 minus –9 is 9. The pony adds 9 to the diﬃ  culty of attacking the rat and adds 
  9 to the injury if she manages to hit it. The rat subtracts 9 from the diﬃ  culty of attacking 
  the pony and subtracts 9 from the injury if it succeeds.
  •  A full-grown dragon is size 40.
  • A building of 8 stories is size 24, of 4 stories is size 20, and of 2 stories is size 14.
  • A train car is size 10, a large wagon is size 6, and a small cart is size 3.
  • An elephant is size 8, a medium-size dog is size –3, and a house cat is size –6.
  • The sun princess is size 3, an adult pony is size 0, and a foal is size –3.
  • A breadbox is size –6 and a coin is size –15.
  • A rat is size –9, a mouse is size –12, and an ant is size –21.
  Step 5: Roll!
  The diﬃ  culty of an attack can’t be any less than 3, no matter how much has been 
  added to or subtracted from it because of the kind of attack or special conditions. 
  Once the ﬁ nal diﬃ  culty’s been ﬁ gured out, the attacker makes an Agility roll, plus 
  one Talent the narrator agrees is appropriate (if any). If the die roll’s equal to or 
  greater than the diﬃ  culty, the attack hits the target; if it’s less than the diﬃ  culty, 
  the attack misses. A successful attack may injure the target or have whatever eﬀ ect 
  the attacker was trying to pull oﬀ .
  Step 6: Injury or Eﬀ ect
  An attack that hits a target may injure that target. Use the injury rules to ﬁ nd out 
  whether or how much the target’s hurt, rolling the injury dice for the weapon, 
  plus the attacker’s strength bonus if that applies. The target gets to make a roll to 
  resist the injury dice, of course. A narrator who wants to add weapons to her game 
  can do some research, especially using other role-playing games, to ﬁ gure out the 
  injury dice or other eﬀ ects of diﬀ erent weapons.
  The strength bonus is equal to half of a pony’s Muscle dice plus the dice in a 
  Talent the narrator agrees is appropriate (if any), rounding up. For example, a pony 
  with 3 dice in Muscle has a strength bonus of 2 dice; a pony with 5 dice in Muscle 
  plus a Talent has a strength bonus of 3 dice. 
  ✶
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