TEXT: Micro Fudge
  A Minimalistic And Narration Oriented Fudge Variant
  by David Bruns∗ c⃝2002
  Version 02
  November 19, 2002
  Introduction
  Thanks
  Special thanks to Gregor Hutton
  for technical advice (LATEX) and
  creative input (ERP and layout-
  ing). Cheers Gregor!
  Welcome to Micro Fudge, a quick and simple variant of the original
  Fudge rules. Micro Fudge uses 4 broad Attributes and 12 abstract Skills
  to describe characters in addition to Gifts and Faults. Basic familiarity
  with Fudge is assumed. Micro Fudge is strongly inﬂuenced by the sim-
  plicity and elegance of Gregor Hutton’s Elegant Role-Playing (ERP). For
  further information on ERP please check his homepage at
  http://www.gregorhutton.com
  Micro Fudge also emphasizes narrative role-playing through the reduced
  need to roll dice. I hope you enjoy the reading.
  Disclaimer And Legal Note
  Technical Notes
  This document is typeset in
  LATEX2ε using
  WinShell
  2.2.1,
  4Spell 1.2 and MiKTeX 2.2. The
  Palantino font was used for the
  entire text.
  The following materials based on Fudge, entitled Micro Fudge, were writ-
  ten in 2002 by David Bruns, and are not necessarily endorsed in any
  way by Steffan O’Sullivan or any publisher of other Fudge material.
  Neither Steffan O’Sullivan nor any other publisher of Fudge material is
  in any way responsible for the content of these materials unless speciﬁ-
  cally credited. Original Fudge materials Copyright 1992 - 1995 by Stef-
  fan O’Sullivan, All Rights Reserved.
  About Fudge
  Contact
  David Bruns can be contacted
  via the following e-mail address:
  reptile2k1@web.de
  Fudge is a role-playing game written by Steffan O’Sullivan, with exten-
  sive input from the Usenet community of rec.games.design. The basic
  rules of Fudge are available on the internet at
  http://www.fudgerpg.com
  and in book form from Grey Ghost Games, P.O. Box 838, Randolph,
  MA 02368. They may be used with any gaming genre. While an in-
  dividual work derived from Fudge may specify certain attributes and
  skills, many more are possible with Fudge. Every Game Master using
  Fudge is encouraged to add or ignore any character traits.
  Anyone who wishes to distribute such material for free may do
  so - merely include this About Fudge notice and disclaimer (complete
  with Fudge copyright notice). If you wish to charge a fee for such ma-
  terial, other than as an article in a magazine or other periodical, you
  must ﬁrst obtain a royalty-free license from the author of Fudge, Steffan
  O’Sullivan, P.O. Box 465, Plymouth, NH 03264.
  ∗Current homepage can be found at http://members.aol.com/SchlaghundV3
  Micro Fudge
  1
  
  Characters
  This section covers the standard character issues of description, creation
  and development.
  Description
  The Fudge Scale
  Rating
  Num. Value
  (Terrible -4)
  -7
  (Terrible -3)
  -6
  (Terrible -2)
  -5
  (Terrible -1)
  -4
  Terrible
  -3
  Poor
  -2
  Mediocre
  -1
  Fair
  ±0
  Good
  1
  Great
  2
  Superb
  3
  (Superb +1)
  4
  (Superb +2)
  5
  (Superb +3)
  6
  (Superb +4)
  7
  Micro Fudge uses standard Fudge Traits for characters: Attributes, Skills,
  Gifts and Faults.
  Attributes
  Four Attributes describe general character aptitudes: Acumen, Mastery,
  Presence and Vigor. Default level of all Attributes is Fair.
  Acumen covers your mental capabilities such as intelligence, educa-
  tion, perception and so on. It is used for spotting hidden objects, ﬁnding
  crucial clues, solving puzzles and remembering facts.
  Mastery deals with your physical coordination such as manual dex-
  terity, speed, reﬂexes, ﬂexibility and overall agility. It is used for dodg-
  ing blows, simple tinkering and determining initiative in combat.
  Presence is responsible for social interaction and extends to appear-
  ance, charisma, empathy, willpower and determination. It is used for
  determining initial reaction, resisting persuasion and seduction, and
  quantiﬁes attractiveness.
  Vigor describes your physical power such as strength, health, con-
  stitution and toughness. It is used to lift heavy objects, knock down
  doors and to resist damage, illness, poison and fatigue.
  Skills
  Skill List
  Skill
  Default
  Athletics
  Poor
  Ballistics
  Poor
  Combat
  Poor
  Stealth
  Poor
  Science
  Terrible
  Repair
  Poor
  Interaction
  Poor
  Manipulation
  Poor
  Medicine
  Terrible
  Pilot
  Poor
  Art
  Poor
  Knowledge
  Poor
  Micro Fudge uses a limited set of 12 abstract Skills to cover ﬁelds of ex-
  pertise. Default Skill level is Poor, except when noted differently (in
  brackets following the Skill’s name).
  Athletics covers physical activities such as jumping, running, climb-
  ing, throwing, etc.
  Ballistics covers the use of all kinds of ranged weapons such as
  handguns, riﬂes, automatic weapons, bows, slings and crossbows.
  Thrown weapons are used with the Athletics Skill.
  Combat covers armed and unarmed hand-to-hand combat, ranging
  from brawling to martial arts and melee.
  Stealth covers the ability to move and perform activities without
  being noticed, such as sneaking, hiding, camouﬂage, disguise and pick-
  pocketing. Lockpicking is covered by the Repair Skill.
  Science (Terrible) covers knowledge in the established sciences like
  physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and so on.
  Repair covers the use, maintenance, repair and modiﬁcation of tech-
  nical devices.
  It governs mechanics, electronics and computers, de-
  pending of the actual gaming background.
  Interaction covers social behavior and politeness. It governs
  streetwise, etiquette, savoir-faire, diplomacy, etc. To inﬂuence others
  the Manipulation Skill is used.
  Manipulation covers the ability to inﬂuence others according to
  your own agenda, such as negotiation, barter, bargain, haggle, fast talk,
  persuasion, rhetoric, etc.
  Medicine (Terrible) covers the ability to aid the injured and to at-
  tend the sick. It governs ﬁrst aid, surgery, pharmacy, psychotherapy
  and forensics.
  2
  Micro Fudge
  
  Pilot covers the use of vehicles such as cars, trucks, motorcycles,
  planes, helicopters, boats, etc. depending on the actual gaming back-
  ground.
  Art covers all ﬁne arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpturing, sing-
  ing, playing an instrument, writing, poetry and literature.
  Knowledge covers expertise in common ﬁelds like history, law, cus-
  toms, natural history, area knowledge, etc.
  Gifts and Faults
  Gifts and Faults are dealt with normally. Examples are Ambidexterity,
  Absolute Direction, Contacts, Danger Sense, Eidetic Memory, Addic-
  tions, Absent Mindedness, Color Blindness, Enemies, and so on.
  Creation
  Trading Values
  Trait
  Value
  Attribute Level
  ±3
  Skill Level
  1
  Gift
  6
  Fault
  -6
  Character creation is objective! Your character starts play with default
  level in all Attributes and Skills and with no free Gifts or Faults. You
  may spend 12 Character Points (CPs) for customization. Remember that
  Attributes may be lowered and Faults added, which actually adds CPs
  instead of costing.
  None of your Traits may be lower than Poor or higher than Great
  at character creation. Unspent CPs are carried over into play as Fudge
  Points on a one-to-one basis, but no more than 3 FPs may be gained this
  way.
  Example: Bob Easlington, Field Medic
  Raising Skills
  From
  To
  FP
  Terrible
  Poor
  3
  Poor
  Mediocre
  3
  Mediocre
  Fair
  3
  Fair
  Good
  6
  Good
  Great
  12
  Great
  Superb
  24
  Raising Attributes
  Triple the cost of Skills of the
  same level.
  Adding a Gift
  18 FP or more.
  Loosing a Fault
  27 FP and GM’s approval.
  Acumen:
  Good
  Mastery:
  Fair
  Presence:
  Med.
  Vigor:
  Fair
  Athletics:
  Fair
  Interaction:
  Med.
  Ballistics:
  Med.
  Manipulation:
  Med.
  Combat:
  Poor
  Medicine:
  Fair
  Stealth:
  Poor
  Pilot:
  Poor
  Science:
  Terrible
  Art:
  Poor
  Repair:
  Poor
  Knowledge:
  Poor
  FP:
  3
  Gifts and Faults:
  none
  Development
  Micro Fudge uses Fudge Points (FPs) to reward players. They can either
  be used to improve Traits between game sessions (see sidebar) or to
  manipulate the outcome of task attempts during play (as usual).
  Regular FP award should never be more than 3 FPs for a full-length
  adventure.
  Additional Mechanics
  Difﬁculty Levels
  Difﬁculty
  Lvl. Needed
  n.a.
  Terrible
  Easy
  Poor
  Simple
  Mediocre
  Average
  Fair
  Hard
  Good
  Daunting
  Great
  Extreme
  Superb
  Impossible
  n.a.
  This sections adds rules for quick and nearly diceless gaming.
  Competence
  With any given task you automatically succeeds when your respective
  Attribute or Skill is of at least the same level as the difﬁculty of the
  action at hand. This extends to all kinds of activities, including Unop-
  posed Actions, Opposed Actions and even combat! Rolled and Relative
  Degree are calculated as normal.
  Micro Fudge
  3
  
  Testing One’s Luck
  Sometimes you deliberately needs a higher Rolled/Relative Degree, es-
  pecially in combat. The option of rolling dice (called ’Testing One’s
  Luck’) is available to you at any time. But beware! It can also lead to a
  worse result.
  In case the GM opts to roll for an NPC he is obliged to inform the
  players, so they may do so as well.
  Taking Extra Time
  Time Table
  Time
  Trait Level
  x2
  +1
  x10
  +2
  By taking extra time to concentrate on the task at hand you can improve
  your Trait level for this attempt only according to the table found in the
  sidebar. You can, of course, combine this with a roll of dice.
  Example: Housework
  Bob Easlington wants to do some minor maintenance work in his house: He
  has to get rid of an old refrigerator and has to ﬁx some of his electrical wiring.
  The GM rules that moving a large refrigerator without any help is a Hard
  task. Bob has Vigor at Fair level, but taking double time allows him to increase
  Vigor to Good and thus to move the rotten old thing slowly but without major
  complications.
  Repairing the wiring, on the other hand, is not that difﬁcult (Average Dif-
  ﬁculty). But Bob has no experience with electrical devices (Poor Repair Skill)
  so he either can opt to do it very very carefully (x10 normal time) or better ask
  his janitor or call a professional. Testing his luck to save time is not a good idea
  as electricity can be a very dangerous toy.
  Option: Utter Dicelessness
  Bidding Difference
  Difference
  Result
  -4
  -4
  -3
  -3
  -2
  -2
  -1
  -1
  ±0
  ±0
  +1
  +1
  +2
  +2
  +3
  +3
  +4
  +4
  If you wish to, you can play Micro Fudge without any dice at all. This is
  done utilizing Luck Points (LPs) that can be spent for bidding against
  the GM to determine the outcome of an action.
  You start play with 10 Luck Points. They do not regenerate but
  Fudge Points can be traded in at any time: For each Fudge Point you
  sacriﬁce you receive 3 Luck Points. Such a trade is allowed during
  character generation. Luck Points can never be traded back into Fudge
  Points.
  Bidding
  If you wish to test your luck, you and the GM hide between one and ﬁve
  tokens, each representing a Luck Point, in one hand and show them
  simultaneously. Calculate the difference between your and the GM’s
  tokens to determine the result.
  Result = Bidding Difference = Your Bid - GM’s Bid
  All your used LPs are lost, but in case the GM bade more tokens, you
  get the difference in tokens back, but only to minimize your loss: You
  may not end up with more LPs after the attempt than you had before.
  Example: Flash! Boom! Bang!
  Bob wants to ﬁx the wiring himself but is in a hurry, calling the GM for a
  bidding. He bids 3 LPs and the GM 4 LPs, resulting in a catastrophe (Poor -1
  level = Terrible): He suffers a mild electric shock leading to a blown fuse. At
  least he only loses 2 LPs (3 for bidding, -1 for the difference).
  4
  Micro Fudge
  
  Combat
  Physical Strength
  Vigor
  ODF
  Superb
  +3
  Great
  +2
  Good
  +1
  Fair
  ±0
  Mediocre
  -1
  Poor
  -2
  Terrible
  -3
  Hand Weapons
  Type
  ODF
  no weapon
  +0
  small
  +1
  medium
  +2
  large
  +3
  two-handed
  +4
  sharp
  +1
  powered
  +1
  Ranged Combat Difﬁculties
  Ratio
  Range
  Difﬁculty
  1/4
  Pt.Blk.
  Easy
  1/2
  Short
  Simple
  1x
  Normal
  Average
  2x
  Long
  Hard
  4x
  Far
  Daunting
  6x
  Extreme
  Extreme
  Ranged Weapons
  Type
  ODF
  Base Range
  handgun
  +1
  10m
  smg
  +2
  25m
  carbine
  +3
  50m
  riﬂe
  +4
  75m
  shotgun
  +5
  10m
  small
  +1
  +5m
  medium
  +2
  +10m
  large
  +3
  +10m
  magnum
  +4
  +5m
  buckshot
  +1
  +5m
  slugs
  +2
  +10m
  Natural Resistance
  Vigor
  DDF
  Superb
  +3
  Great
  +2
  Good
  +1
  Fair
  ±0
  Mediocre
  -1
  Poor
  -2
  Terrible
  -3
  Armor Protection
  Type
  DDF
  light, pliable
  +1
  medium, pliable
  +2
  heavy, pliable
  +3
  metal
  +1
  rigid
  +1
  powered
  +1
  This section deﬁnes which of the numerous options of Fudge rules are
  in effect to deal with combat.
  Attacking And Defending
  Attacking and defending are those situations that ’Testing Your Luck’
  will most be applied to, as ’Taking Extra Time’ is hardly an option, es-
  pecially not in hand-to-hand combat.
  Close Combat
  As long as your opponent is aware of your attack and defending, close
  combat is dealt with as a series of Opposed Actions.
  Ranged Combat
  Ranged combat is simulated by comparing the base range of the weapon
  used to the actual range to the target (see sidebar). ’Taking Extra Time’
  to aim is a legal option.
  Point-Blank range is only available to handguns, such as pistols and
  revolvers. Short range is limited to handguns, submachine guns, car-
  bines and sawed-off shotguns.
  Example: Equipment Table
  Weapon
  ODF
  Base Range
  Notes
  Brass Knuckles
  +1
  —
  —
  Bayonet
  +2
  —
  can be used as spear
  Club
  +2
  1m
  —
  Saber
  +3
  1.5m
  —
  Spear
  +4
  2m
  —
  Mauser C96
  +2
  15m
  semi-auto, clip-fed (10)
  Luger P08
  +3
  20m
  semi-auto, magazine-fed (8)
  Webley Mk. I
  +3
  20m
  revolver (6), double-action
  Colt M1911A1
  +4
  20m
  semi-auto, magazine-fed (7)
  Thompson M1918
  +5
  35m
  full-auto, magazine-fed (30)
  ErMa MP40
  +4
  35m
  full-auto, magazine-fed (32)
  M1 Carbine
  +5
  60m
  semi-auto, magazine-fed (15)
  SMLE
  +6
  85m
  bolt-action, magazine-fed (10)
  Garand M1
  +6
  85m
  semi-auto, clip-fed (8)
  Lewis LMG
  +6
  85m
  full-auto, drum-fed (47)
  Armor
  DDF
  Encumbr.
  Notes
  Flak Vest
  +1
  —
  —
  Steel Helmet
  +1
  —
  adds to other armor
  Wounds
  Damage and wounding is dealt with normally, without the use of the
  Grazing option.
  The Wound Track
  DF:
  1
  2 – 3
  4 – 5
  6 – 7
  8+
  Type:
  Scratch
  Hurt
  Very Hurt
  Incapacitated
  Near Death
  No.:
  ⃝⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝
  Effect:
  no effect
  -1
  -2
  unconscious
  dying
  Healing:
  1 hour
  1 day
  1 week
  1 month
  6 months
  Micro Fudge
  5
  
  The Fudge Scale
  Rating
  Num. Value
  (Terrible -4)
  -7
  (Terrible -3)
  -6
  (Terrible -2)
  -5
  (Terrible -1)
  -4
  Terrible
  -3
  Poor
  -2
  Mediocre
  -1
  Fair
  ±0
  Good
  1
  Great
  2
  Superb
  3
  (Superb +1)
  4
  (Superb +2)
  5
  (Superb +3)
  6
  (Superb +4)
  7
  Skill List
  Skill
  Default
  Athletics
  Poor
  Ballistics
  Poor
  Combat
  Poor
  Stealth
  Poor
  Science
  Terrible
  Repair
  Poor
  Interaction
  Poor
  Manipulation
  Poor
  Medicine
  Terrible
  Pilot
  Poor
  Art
  Poor
  Knowledge
  Poor
  Difﬁculty Levels
  Difﬁculty
  Lvl. Needed
  n.a.
  Terrible
  Easy
  Poor
  Simple
  Mediocre
  Average
  Fair
  Hard
  Good
  Daunting
  Great
  Extreme
  Superb
  Impossible
  n.a.
  Raising Skills
  From
  To
  FP
  Terrible
  Poor
  3
  Poor
  Mediocre
  3
  Mediocre
  Fair
  3
  Fair
  Good
  6
  Good
  Great
  12
  Great
  Superb
  24
  Raising Attributes
  Triple the cost of Skills of the
  same level.
  Adding a Gift
  18 FP or more.
  Loosing a Fault
  27 FP and GM’s approval.
  Character Sheet
  Basic Information
  Traits
  Acumen:
  Mastery:
  Presence:
  Vigor:
  Athletics:
  Interaction:
  Ballistics:
  Manipulation:
  Combat:
  Medicine:
  Stealth:
  Pilot:
  Science:
  Art:
  Repair:
  Knowledge:
  Gifts:
  Faults:
  Fudge Points:
  Luck Points:
  Equipment And Notes
  Wound Track
  DF:
  1
  2 – 3
  4 – 5
  6 – 7
  8+
  Type:
  Scratch
  Hurt
  Very Hurt
  Incapacitated
  Near Death
  No.:
  ⃝⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝⃝
  ⃝
  Effect:
  no effect
  -1
  -2
  unconscious
  dying
  Healing:
  1 hour
  1 day
  1 week
  1 month
  6 months
  6
  Micro Fudge
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/FUDGE [multi]/Fudge Micro Fudge.pdf