TEXT: 1
  FU
  Free,  Universal  Roleplaying  Game
  By Nathan Russell
  $0.00
  
  2
  Introduction  
  3
  Using this book  
   
  3
  The  Basics 
   
  4
  What you need  
   
  4
  What you do  
   
  4
  How you do it 
   
  4
  Before play  
   
  4
  Talk before play! 
   
  4
  The Insta-Genre-Generator 
  4
  Characters 
   
  5
  Concept  
   
   
  5
  Descriptors   
   
  5
  Example Descriptors 
  5
  Clichés are your friend! 
  6
  Choosing Descriptors  
  6
  Descriptors are clear  
  6
  Descriptors are innate 
  6
  Descriptors are finite  
  6
  What type of 
  Descriptor is this? 
   
  6
  What makes a good 
  Edge & Flaw? 
   
  6
  Should I specialise? 
   
  6
  Alternative Descriptors 
  6
  Gear   
   
   
  7
  Example Gear 
   
  7
  Choosing Gear 
   
  7
  Gear is equipment 
   
  7
  Describing Gear 
   
  7
  One adjective only 
   
  7
  Specific nouns 
   
  7
  Talk about your Gear  
  7
  Good Gear / Bad Gear 
  7
  Stuff that isn’t Gear  
  7
  Description   
   
  8
  Drives  
   
   
  8
  Relationships 
   
  8
  It’s all about roleplaying now 8
  Long or short term goals? 
  8
  How many Relationships? 
  8
  Don’t be antagonistic  
  8
  Character 
  Creation Summary   
  9
  Action 
   
   
  10
  Scenes & Turns 
   
  10
  Who “sets” the scene?  
  10
  How do you “set a scene”? 
  10
  What is an objective?  
  10
  Do scenes have to be in order? 10
  Do I have to use turns? 
  10
  Beating the Odds  
   
  11
  Closed Questions 
   
  11
  Alternative Questions  
  11
  Alternative Dice Rolls  
  11
  Success & Failure 
   
  12
  Modifiers 
   
   
  13
  Example of Modifiers  
  13
  Other types of rolls?   
  13
  How do “opposed” 
  actions work? 
   
  13
  Dialing in on Your action 
  13
  Option: Matching Dice 
  13
  FU Points 
   
   
  14
  Starting FU Points?  
  14
  Can I give / share FU Points? 14
  Do Narrators get FU points? 14
  Other ways to earn FU 
  14
  Other ways to use FU  
  14
  FU as Health  
   
  14
  Re-Roll Everything 
   
  14
  Flip a Pip 
   
   
  14
  Use a Prop 
   
   
  14
  Stunts and Powers 
   
  14
  Taking a Hit  
   
  14
  Action Summary 
   
  15
  Narrator  
   
  16
  Talking is good 
   
  16
  Listening is good 
   
  16
  When playing 
   
  16
  3 Questions to 
  frame your game 
   
  16
  What will characters do?  
  16
  How do players want to feel?  16
  What is the Narrator’s role?  16
  Recovery 
   
   
  17
  Rewards 
   
   
  17
  Characters & Obstacles 
  17
  The Bowl 
   
   
  17
  Advancement 
   
  17
  Tracking obstacles 
   
  17
  What do I share with players? 17
  RACe to the  
  Temple of ToT 
  18
  Before you begin 
   
  18
  Scenes  
   
   
  18
  Challenges  
   
  18
  Characters  
   
  19
  Appendix:  
  Descriptors 
   
  21
  Body Descriptors   
  21
  Mind Descriptors   
  21
  Edge Descriptors  
   
  22
  Flaw Descriptors  
   
  22
  Character Sheet 
  23
  coNteNts
  
  3
  FU is a game of action, adventure and fun! It is a 
  role playing game of grand proportions and stupefy-
  ing simplicity. FU lets you create exciting stories in any 
  setting imaginable, with a minimum of fuss, or even 
  preparation. 
  FU is first and foremost an easy game. This book 
  will help you move from the thought “Lets roleplay 
  in this setting...” to actually playing within a matter of 
  minutes. Character creation is quick and intuitive, al-
  lowing you to play any kind of character you desire, 
  and the game system itself is easy to learn and very 
  simple to use. 
  FU is universal. or generic. or whatever you want 
  to call it. These core rules are not wrapped around a 
  specific background or setting, and make an effort to 
  assume nothing. It is a basic system around which you 
  may create your own settings and stories. With that 
  said, however, FU favours certain kinds of play. FU 
  lends itself to a ‘seat of your pants’ style, where little 
  preparation is needed. Narrators that enjoy running 
  adventures ‘on the fly’ will certainly enjoy FU, as will 
  players that are tired of being told what they can’t do, 
  instead of what they might achieve. 
  Using this book
  This book is filled with two types of information. 
  The first are the rules proper - the information that 
  tells you how to play. The rules are laid out like the 
  information on this page, with clear headings and sub-
  headings. FU is pretty straightforward and you aren’t 
  likely to need to do much referring to the rule book 
  after your first game, but everything you need to know 
  is presented clearly in this way.
  Examples of rules are formatted like this. They 
  are scattered amongst the main text and will help 
  you see the rules in action. You probably won’t 
  need to read them either, after your first game.
  There are also sidebars at the bottom of many pages. 
  Here you will find explanations of rules, detailed ex-
  amples, guidelines on using rules in play, and optional 
  rules that you can incorporate into your games. The 
  sidebars are easy to spot as they are separated from the 
  main text by a line, and presented in three columns. 
  Refer to this information if you need to clarify the 
  “how” or “why” of a particular rule.
  iNtRodUctioN
  FU: Free, Universal Roleplaying Game
  A game by Nathan Russell
  Art
  Jason Walton 
  from louis porter Jr Design Image portfolios
  Copyright © Nathan Russell, 2010
  This game was completed as part of NaGaDemon. 
  www.perilplanet.com/naga-demon
  www.perilplanet.com
  
  4
  FU is written with the assumption that at least one 
  player is familiar with roleplaying games and has a 
  vague idea of how they work. If you don’t have a clue 
  what an RpG is, then start by finding someone who 
  does! 
  What you need 
  To play FU you will need to gather a few things. 
  Here is your shopping list; 
  Dice: Standard six-sided dice are used to resolve 
  action in FU. You will need at least one, but it would 
  be better if players had about three each. Six sided dice 
  are referred to throughout the rules as d6. If a number 
  appears in front (such as 2d6 or 4d6) this indicates you 
  should roll that many dice. 
  Pencil and Paper: players will need to record the 
  details of their character, important notes about their 
  mission, and all kinds of other things. The Narrator 
  will also need paper for keeping track of different ele-
  ments of the story. 
  Scrap Paper: Narrators will find it useful to keep 
  a supply of paper handy, in order to draw rough dia-
  grams, or keep track of the events of a story. A small 
  white board is also handy for such purposes. 
  What you do
  You and your friends are going to work together to 
  tell a dramatic, exciting story. You will establish parts 
  of the setting, and everyone will have a chance to in-
  fluence that world. most of the players will create a 
  character who is going to be a major protagonist, one 
  of the cool guys that gets things done. each character 
  has their own strengths, weaknesses and goals that will 
  help you roleplay them. one player will be the Nar-
  rator, who helps everyone along, presents challenges 
  for the characters to overcome and adjudicate the rules 
  when needed.
  play is a kind of conversation, where everyone 
  works together to put the characters in cool and/or 
  entertaining situations. Then you will use the dice to 
  help work out what happens next. Sometimes you will 
  all be working together, throwing ideas around, sug-
  gesting things and talking over the top of each other. It 
  is chaos, but hopefully productive, fun chaos. At other 
  times you are going to take it in turns to describe what 
  your character is doing, and seeing how that turns out.
  How you do it
  To resolve any action where the outcome is not 
  clear, roll a d6. Your objective is to ‘beat the odds’ by 
  rolling an even number. The higher the even number, 
  the better the result. If you roll an odd number, the 
  action either failed, or wasn’t quite as good as needed 
  or expected. The lower the odd number, the worse the 
  result. When the environment, skills, equipment or 
  abilities make an action easier or harder you will get 
  to roll multiple dice and keep the best or worst result.
  Before play
  Before anything else, you and your friends must 
  decide what type of game you want to play, who the 
  characters are going to be, and where your story takes 
  place. Knowing this will help players create cool char-
  acters, and direct the Narrator in the role they will take.
  These decisions might already be made, either by 
  the Narrator, or a pre-made setting module. If not, 
  work together to come up with something everyone is 
  excited to play.
  the  Basics
  Talk before play!
  Have a conversation about the type 
  of game you will play, so everyone 
  starts in the same “space”. Establish 
  tone, theme and/or expectations. It is 
  important to know whether you will be 
  cheered or jeered for outrageous over-
  acting, or bloody acts of violence.
  Throw around ideas on setting, im-
  agery, set-pieces, cool clichés and funky 
  scenes. This way everyone gets a clear 
  picture of what the game is going to be 
  about.
  This discussion will also clue the 
  Narrator in on what players want (or 
  need) out of the game. It establishes 
  whether players want to feel like epic 
  heroes, down-trodden underdogs, or 
  tragic anti-heroes. 
  The Insta-Genre-Generator
  For quick pick-up games, get every-
  one to write two genres or settings on 
  bits of paper. Stick them all in a hat and 
  pick out two. Now you have “Apocalypse 
  Suburbia”, “Medieval Super-heroes”, 
  “Kung-Fu High School” or whatever, 
  have a discussion about tone, theme, 
  possible plots and characters. Now play!
  
  5
  In FU a character is your alter-ego. During a story 
  you describe what the character does, how they re-
  spond to situations, and react to others. 
  Concept 
  When you know the kind of setting or premise 
  of the adventures you will be playing you can begin 
  thinking about your character. This is the kernel of 
  who or what the character is, and should be summed 
  up in just a few words or a phrase. 
  The concept might define the character’s back-
  ground or occupation, such as ‘paranormal detective’ 
  or ‘child prodigy’. or it might give insight into their 
  personality, such as ‘noble savage’ or ‘nutty professor’. 
  of course, the character’s concept should fit into the 
  setting, background or types of adventures that you 
  will be playing. A ‘streetwise cop’ may be out of place 
  in medieval england, though a ‘worldly sheriff’ might 
  be just right. Use the setting to inspire your character. 
  Throughout this chapter we will follow Dave 
  and Nina as they create their own characters. 
  With Tim, the Narrator, they have decided to play 
  a game based on the pulp serials of the 1930’s, and 
  that it will be fairly whimsical and action-packed. 
  Dave thinks of a couple of his favourite movies 
  and decides that the concept for his character will 
  be ‘Daredevil Explorer’. Nina wants to play some-
  thing a little unusual, and after discussing her 
  ideas with Tim and Dave decides her character 
  will be an ‘Alien Emissary’.
  Descriptors 
  Descriptors are adjectives or very short phrases that 
  identify a character’s skills and flaws, the things that 
  make their life easier and harder, and ultimately make 
  them who they are. They indicate the kinds of things 
  that a character is good at, their physical and mental 
  traits, and any abilities or drawbacks they might have. 
  They are both guides for your roleplaying and modi-
  fiers to ‘beat the odds’ rolls. 
  Characters have four Descriptors; Body, mind, 
  edge and Flaw. Choose an adjective or phrase to de-
  scribe the most distinctive features of your character.
  Thinking about his Daredevil Explorer and the 
  kinds of things he might have gotten up to during 
  his life, Dave decides on the following Descriptors; 
  Body: Nimble 
  Mind: Level Headed 
  Edge: Use bull whip 
  Flaw: Afraid of heights 
  Nina, inspired by classic pulp science fiction 
  stories, has decided on the following Descriptors 
  for her character, the Alien Emissary; 
  Body: Fragile 
  Mind: Observant 
  Edge: Read Minds 
  Flaw: Alien Perspective 
  example Descriptors
   This is by no means an exhaustive list, just some 
  ideas to get you started. each of these is described in 
  more detail in the Appendix (page 20).
  Body: Agile, Ambidextrous, Blonde, Furry, 
  Fake Orange Tan, Handsome, Huge, Overweight, 
  Poor Constitution, Quick, Razor-sharp Claws, 
  Short, Slow, Strong, Tall, Thin, Ugly, Vigour, Weak.
  Mind: Absent Minded, Book Smart, Comput-
  er-Wiz, Dim-Witted, Empathetic, Focused, Lat-
  eral Thinker, Mathematician, Observant, Slow, 
  Uneducated, Wise, Witty.
  Edge: Acrobatics, Arcane Knowledge, Cour-
  age, Driving, Fencing, Good Memory, Hunting, 
  Keen Sight, Linguistics, Magic, Medicine, Nasty 
  Bite, Rich, Wrestling.
  Flaw: Blind, Brave, Clumsy, Greedy, In-hu-
  man Appearance, Missing Leg, Old, Poor, Poor 
  Sight, Primitive, Smelly, Wanted, Young. 
  chaRacteRs
  
  6
  Clichés are your friend!
  It is totally okay to use clichés when 
  coming up with your concept. Clichés 
  contain a host of ideas and concepts 
  that we are immediately familiar with. 
  When somebody says their character is 
  a  barbarian, we automatically picture 
  them as heavily muscled, and uncivi-
  lised. Using clichés is a kind of a short-
  hand way to describe your character. 
  Choosing Descriptors
  You should strive to be imaginative 
  and honest. Consider both your concept 
  and the setting. Giving a character the 
  Flaw ‘can’t swim’ when you know all 
  the stories will take place in the desert is 
  hardly sporting. 
  Be imaginative, keep your concept in 
  mind, and discuss your ideas with the 
  Narrator. The possibilities are endless.
  Descriptors are clear
  A good Descriptor is understood by 
  everyone at the table. If you or another 
  player think a Descriptor is ambiguous, 
  talk about it. It might need to be re-
  written, but it might not either. You just 
  want everyone to be on the same page 
  when it comes time to using it. 
  Descriptors are innate
  Each Descriptor is an integral and 
  innate part of the character. They can-
  not normally be taken away, lost or 
  removed (though they might be forgot-
  ten or restricted under the right circum-
  stances). Do not make your Descriptors 
  items of equipment.
  Descriptors are finite
  Each Descriptor should have one or 
  two obvious uses or a specific purpose. 
  It might also be applicable in a range 
  of other unforeseen circumstances, but 
  you will find that out in play. Medicine 
  is better than Doctor, for example, as 
  the latter could be used in a variety of 
  non-medical situations (“As a Doctor, I 
  am well educated and quite wealthy...”).
  What type of Descriptor is this?
  Some Descriptors could easily fall 
  into more than one category—Good 
  Memory might, for example, be a Mind 
  Descriptor or an Edge; Ugly could be a 
  Flaw or a Body Descriptor. That’s fine. It 
  is up to you, the Narrator and the other 
  players to make a decision on whether a 
  specific Descriptor is appropriate or not 
  for the stories you are telling. 
  What makes a good Edge & Flaw?
  Things that might be called “skills” or 
  “feats” or “stunts” in other games make 
  great Edges - stuff like ‘sword fighting’, 
  ‘breath underwater’, and ‘winning 
  smile’ are all good examples. 
  The best Flaws are personality traits 
  or physical shortcomings. Things like 
  ‘always smells bad’, or ‘deaf’ are better 
  flaws than ‘can’t drive’ or ‘can’t speak 
  French’. Of course, there are always 
  exceptions. If the characters are British 
  spies during the Napoleonic wars, not 
  speaking French would be a real draw-
  back. Likewise, the Flaw ‘can’t swim’ 
  becomes a great feature in a game of 
  pirates and sea battles. Look for ways 
  to challenge your character, add spice 
  to games, and present obstacles to over-
  come. 
  Should I specialise?
  You can focus your Descriptors on 
  a single concept and “specialise”. For 
  a really awesome warrior give them 
  Body: Strong, Mind: Tactician, Edge: 
  Melee and Flaw: Reckless. It would be 
  very easy to bring most of these descrip-
  tors into play whenever you get into 
  a fight. BUT, there isn’t a lot of depth 
  there and you are going to be in a bind 
  when in noncombat situations. Instead, 
  you might replace a couple of Descrip-
  tors with more versatile options; Body: 
  Tough, Mind: Focused, Edge: Melee 
  and Flaw: Reckless.
  Describe your character’s Body as 
  Huge and their Edge as Strong, if you 
  want a wrestler, body builder or angry 
  green super hero! Give your brilliant 
  scientist Mind: Book-Smart and Edge: 
  Rocket Science. Just be aware the more 
  you specialise, the harder you will have 
  to work in scenes unrelated to your 
  forte. Some players like this challenge.
  Alternative Descriptors
  The four default Descriptors (Body, 
  Mind, Edge & Flaw) are not the only 
  way to define your characters. Change 
  or replace them to suit your game, set-
  ting and stories. In a game about giant 
  mecha you might replace Body and 
  Mind with Chassis and Pilot, for ex-
  ample. In a game where everyone plays 
  different types of were-creatures one 
  Descriptor might become Animal Form. 
  In these cases some of the advice in this 
  sidebar might also need to be adjusted; 
  Animal Form: Jaguar is broader than 
  the Descriptors discussed here, but is to-
  tally appropriate to capture the ideas of 
  your game. Use your imagination and 
  modify things as needed!
  
  7
  Gear 
  Gear is the equipment, gadgets, and weapons that 
  a character will use on their adventures. All characters 
  have the basic clothes or items that are appropriate to 
  their concept. Gear is the important and cool stuff that 
  a character carries.
  like Descriptors, a character’s Gear will modify 
  ‘beat the odds’ rolls. Gear can be anything - guns and 
  knives to fancy clothes, credit cards, a horse, mobile 
  phone, or even a star ship. like Descriptors, your char-
  acter’s Gear depends on character concept, game set-
  ting, and the stories you want to tell. Unlike Descrip-
  tors, Gear is always made up of an adjective and noun; 
  Rusting Sword, long Rope, Fast Horse, long-ranged 
  Rifle, Dad’s Camero, Heavy Armour. 
  Your character has two items of Gear. Choose two 
  items for your character.
  Dave decides his Daredevil Explorer to have a 
  Sturdy Bull Whip, since he is quite skilled with it, 
  and a Worn Leather Jacket to keep out the cold 
  and offer a little protection from scrapes and falls. 
  Nina thinks about her Alien Emissary before 
  deciding on some Official Documents that indi-
  cating her political status, and some Exotic Robes, 
  designed to impress and inspire awe.
  example Gear
  like the example Descriptors, this list is not in any 
  way exhaustive. It barely scratches the surface of what 
  your character might possess.
  Clothes: Designer Jeans, Slinky Black Dress 
  (let’s count “black dress” as the noun), Filthy Un-
  derpants, Worn Jacket, State-of-the-art Space 
  Suit, Silk Smoking Jacket, Beat-up Fedora, Tall 
  Powdered Wig.
  Weapons: Rusting Sabre, Heavy Axe, My 
  Father’s Service Revolver, Concealed Dagger, Ex-
  perimental Flamethrower, Fake Revolver, Reliable 
  AK-47, Rubber Mallet.
  Transport: Faithful Horse, Beat-up Buick, 
  Bullet-proof Limo, Squeaky Clown Shoes, Tuned-
  up Street Racer, Girls Bicycle, Unreliable Coupe, 
  Rickety Wagon, Fast Motorcycle, Grandma’s Run-
  about. 
  Other Stuff: Huge Backpack, Miniature 
  Flag, Heavy RPG Books, Faithful Hound, Dented 
  Frying Pan, Water-damaged Notebook, Ancient 
  Spell Book, My Favourite Pet Rock.
  Choosing Gear
  Items should be “iconic” to your 
  character. Think Batman’s Sinister 
  Batsuit, the Ghostbuster’s Unstable 
  Proton-packs, James Bond’s Reliable 
  Berretta, or Zorro’s Flashing Blade. 
  Each piece of Gear should add some-
  thing to your character’s background, 
  personality or goals. It should make a 
  statement about who the character is or 
  what they do.
  Gear is equipment
  Gear is never innate - it can be 
  dropped, lost, broken and stolen. A Cy-
  bernetic Arm is not Gear, but an Ar-
  moured Power Glove is.
  Describing Gear
  When describing gear make the ad-
  jective tell us something useful and/or 
  interesting about it. A Long Dagger is 
  okay, a Broken Dagger is better!
  Like Descriptors, the description of 
  your Gear should be clear - you don’t 
  want to be guessing at the purpose or 
  main feature of an item. 
  One adjective only
  The description of your gear should 
  have a single adjective - no less and no 
  more. A Sharp Sabre is okay, as is a 
  Magic Sword, but a Sharp Magic Sabre 
  is not allowed.
  Specific nouns
  Choose specific, descriptive nouns; 
  Sabre is better than Sword, Baseball 
  Cap is better than Hat. You can use 
  more than one noun, but keep the de-
  scription to as few words as possible.
  Talk about your Gear
  Discuss your Gear. Everyone needs 
  to be clear on what you are describing; 
  what the Gear will be useful for, and 
  when it might be a hindrance.
  Gear is not innately “good” or “bad”. 
  What you do with it and the situations 
  you find yourself in will dictate whether 
  having an item is useful or not.
  Good Gear / Bad Gear
  You can, if you want, dictate that 
  one piece of Gear must have a “good” 
  adjective, and the other a “bad” one. 
  You might have a Warm Jacket and an 
  Old Gun; or a Fast Motorcycle and a 
  Maxed-out Credit Card. 
  Stuff that isn’t Gear
  Any objects, items or equipment that 
  are not listed as Gear are props. Props 
  have no effect on a character’s chance 
  of success at an action - they are merely 
  window-dressing. However, you can 
  swap, steal and pick-up another charac-
  ter’s Gear and use that!
  
  8
  Description 
  By now, you should have a good idea of who your 
  character is. Now it is time to fill in all the other details. 
  This is the bit where you describe the character’s 
  appearance and personality, their past, goals, friends, 
  enemies, and any other detail you think important or 
  interesting. 
  Dave takes a moment to note a few things 
  about the Daredevil Explorer; 
  Tennessee Smith is a mild-mannered professor 
  of history, but in his spare time he travels into the 
  wilderness in search of lost artefacts and treasure. 
  Ruggedly handsome, he always seems to keep his 
  cool, no matter how much danger he is in—and 
  he tends to get into a lot of it! 
  Nina’s description of the Alien Emissary is; 
  Lumina is an important diplomat from the 
  planet Jupiter, which is ruled by the Dread Lord 
  Kang. Like all her kind, she has purple skin, a bald 
  head, and delicate features. Lumina works for the 
  Jupiter Underground, attempting to overthrow 
  Dread Lord Kang.
  Drives
  every character has a purpose - a goal they are striv-
  ing to achieve. It may not be world changing (though 
  it can be) but it should be important to that character. 
  Ask the following questions of your character;
  What do you want? What is it that you desire, 
  the thing that drives you to action?
  What is stopping you? What obstacle or adver-
  sary is stopping you from getting what you want?
  What will you do? What is the next step to get 
  what you want? What are you willing to do to succeed?
  Tennessee Smith is in search of the Idol of Tot, 
  an artefact he has coveted for decades. His rival, 
  Giles Fishburne is also after the idol and always 
  seems to be one step ahead. Tennessee is desperate 
  to succeed this time and will do almost anything 
  to get the idol - though he would never kill for it.
  Lumina seeks freedom for all the people of Jupi-
  ter. Dread Lord Kang rules the planet with an iron 
  fist, and his agents are always on the look out for 
  renegades. Lumina is willing to put her own life on 
  the line to achieve her vision.
  Relationships
  Choose at least one other character that will take 
  part in the story and write a short statement about 
  your relationship with them. This should be clear and 
  add some interesting depth to both characters back-
  grounds. For example; old drinking buddies; Dated 
  the same woman; Fought in the war together; Were 
  trained by the same master.
  Dave writes; Tennessee Smith and Lumina met 
  at Harvard where Lumina was giving a presen-
  tation on the ancient cultures of Jupiter. Nina is 
  happy with this, adding only that both characters 
  were attracted to each other but Lumina is too fo-
  cussed on her mission to  have any romantic dal-
  liance.
  It’s all about roleplaying now
  Your Description, Drives and Re-
  lationships all help develop your char-
  acter and put them into the “world” of 
  your stories and adventures. The Narra-
  tor might occasionally give you a bonus 
  to dice rolls because of the information 
  you reveal here, but that is by no means 
  required.
  Use your Drives and Relationships 
  to inform the way you roleplay your 
  character, the way they interact with the 
  other player’s characters and the world 
  around them.
  Long or short term goals?
  When choosing your Drive you are 
  free to pick long or short term goals. If 
  you are only playing a one-off game, 
  then it is a better idea to pick something 
  that will have an immediate impact on 
  the plot. If you are planning a series of 
  games, then by all means come up with 
  a longer-term goal for your character.
  How many Relationships?
  Two is a good number of Relation-
  ships to begin with. Pick two different 
  characters and decide how they know 
  each other. You and another player can 
  work together to decide on a relation-
  ship, or you can have separate, unre-
  lated or “opposed” relationships (for 
  example; “In love with”/“Repulsed by”).
  Don’t be antagonistic
  Don’t create Drives or Relationships 
  that will have characters constantly at 
  each others throats. It is okay to have 
  characters that don’t see eye-to-eye (in 
  fact, that can be fun!), but don’t have 
  them hate each other. You want the 
  characters to function together in order 
  to defeat the antagonist, solve the mys-
  tery or complete the mission!
  
  9
  chaRacteR cReatioN 
  sUmmaRy
   coNcept
  Who is your character? What is the “High Concept”? 
  Clichés and archetypes are okay!
   descRiptoRs
  Identify the four most important or interesting features of your character, 
  one each for Body, mind, edge and Flaw. 
  each Descriptor should be short, punchy, clear, innate and finite.
   GeaR
  What cool, iconic stuff does your character carry? 
  Choose two items of gear, describing each with an adjective and noun 
  (e.g. Sharp Sabre; Fast motorcycle).
   descRiptioN
  What does your character look like? What is their name? Where are they 
  from? What makes them interesting and unique?
   dRives
  What does your character want? What is stopping them? What will they do 
  to get it?
   RelatioNships
  How do the characters know each other? What connections do they have?
  
  10
  In FU you and the other players work together to 
  tell exciting stories about your characters. It is not 
  about winning or even competing with anyone, but it 
  is about everyone having fun while you create this col-
  laborative story.
  Scenes & Turns
  play is broken into scenes and turns. A scene is a 
  period of story involving a specific situation, location 
  or group of characters. Scenes are the primary building 
  blocks of the story and can represent anything from a 
  few seconds to many hours of time. each scene should 
  have a specific objective and the scene ends when that 
  objective has been addressed. A scene should advance 
  the plot of the story, reveal information about a char-
  acter, or add background colour to the events being 
  described. often a scene will do all of these things at 
  the same time. 
    During a scene players and Narrator describe what 
  the characters are doing. players “act out” their char-
  acters, speaking for them and declaring what actions 
  they take, while the Narrator does the same for all the 
  other characters, creatures and monsters in the scene. 
  Scenes might be resolved through dice rolls, but they 
  don’t have to be. It is entirely possible that a scene’s 
  objective is met through roleplaying and character in-
  teraction.
  When it is important to know the specific actions 
  of each character and the order in which they occur, 
  a scene is broken into turns. A turn is a period long 
  enough for each character to take a single action, 
  whether that be to make an attack, deliver a rousing 
  speech, throw an object to a companion, look up some 
  information on their iphone, or perform some other 
  task.
  players declare what action their characters are 
  taking, while the Narrator decides what the other 
  characters and creatures are going to do. everyone 
  then works together to decide what order everything 
  occurs. When all the characters involved have had a 
  chance to act the turn ends. A new turn will begin, if 
  necessary.
  It is worth pointing out at this point that only play-
  ers roll dice. This leaves the Narrator’s hands and mind 
  free to scheme and plot and prepare for the next excit-
  ing encounter. 
  actioN
  Who “sets” the scene?
  Players might suggest scenes they 
  would like to see or be involved in, but 
  most of the time the Narrator decides 
  what scenes occur and in what order 
  they happen. Discussion might occur 
  about the order events occur in, what 
  is happening, where it is happening and 
  who is involved before the Narrator 
  makes a final call on all these matters.
  Some groups like to give everyone a 
  turn at setting a scene, and that is to-
  tally cool, too.
  How do you “set a scene”?
  Setting a scene is a matter of defin-
  ing where and when the action takes 
  place, who is there, and what has just 
  happened or what is about to happen. 
  Location, Characters, Event, or Where, 
  When, Who & What.
  When describing the scene draw on 
  all the senses; point out interesting or 
  important details of the location; and 
  all the characters involved. Consider the 
  objective of the scene as you create it.
  What is an objective?
  An objective can be anything that 
  a player or character wants. Character 
  objectives might include finding a piece 
  of information, defeating an enemy, 
  talking to someone, travelling a small or 
  great distance, preparing for battle, con-
  ning a mark, or stealing an object. Play-
  er objectives could include seeing their 
  character in a cool fight, solving the 
  mystery, revealing a secret about their 
  character, or interacting with a specific 
  character or player. Often, player and 
  character goals overlap.
  Do scenes have to be in order?
  You can use all the techniques of sto-
  ries, novels and movies, which means 
  flashbacks and flash forwards, parallel 
  story lines and even montages can be 
  played out in scenes. While most of the 
  time your scenes will occur in a chrono-
  logical order, you do not have to be re-
  stricted by this.
  Do I have to use turns?
  Turns are an optional measurement 
  of time, useful for when a variety of stuff 
  is being attempted by several charac-
  ters. Use them to organise the action as 
  needed. Some scenes will naturally fall 
  into turns, while others will be resolved 
  without ever considering them.
  
  11
  Beating the odds 
   When a character attempts an action where the 
  outcome is not immediately and/or completely obvi-
  ous, you make a beat the odds roll.
  To resolve an action roll a d6. Your objective is to 
  ‘beat the odds’ by rolling an even number. The higher 
  the even number, the better the result. If you roll an 
  odd number, the action either failed, or wasn’t quite as 
  good as needed or expected. The lower the odd num-
  ber, the worse the result. There is a handy chart below 
  that helps illustrate this idea.
  The beat the odds roll is the heart of FU. While most 
  of the time even numbers are good and odd numbers 
  are bad, the precise situation will dictate the actual re-
  sults. It may be that the roll of a 1 does not indicate an 
  outrageous failure, so much as a success in the most 
  minimal or fragile of ways. 
  We are going to follow the trials and tribula-
  tions of two characters from two different settings 
  in this chapter;
  Sir Camden is riding after the evil Lord Kane. 
  He sees Lord Kane leap a tall hedgerow, disappear-
  ing into the forest beyond. Sir Camden now tries 
  to leap the hedge, so you roll a d6, scoring 2. Sir 
  Camden’s horse clears the hedge, but Sir Camden 
  is jostled about in the saddle and is momentarily 
  confused. 
  Captain Vance ducks as another hail of bullets 
  peppers the wall he is hiding behind. Grabbing a 
  damaged radio, he flicks some switches and tries 
  to call HQ for back-up. You roll a d6 and score a 1. 
  Vance fails to find the right frequency and a stray 
  bullet hits the radio, destroying it.
  Roll Do you get what you want?
  6
  Yes, and...  You get what you want, and something else. 
  4
  Yes...  You get what you want.  
  2
  Yes, but... You get what you want, but at a cost.
  5
  No, but... You don’t get what you want, but it’s not a total loss.
  3
  No... You don’t get what you were after.
  1
  No, and...  You don’t get what you want, and things get worse.
  Closed Questions
  FU uses a closed question format to 
  help resolve actions. A closed question 
  can only be answered with a “yes” or 
  “no” statement. When you reach a situ-
  ation that needs to be resolved by dice, 
  propose a closed question;  “Do I leap 
  the chasm?”; “Do I punch that jerk in 
  the nose?”; “Does the tavern wench fall 
  for my easy charm and winning smile?”. 
  The roll of the die will answer the ques-
  tion and guide your response.
  A lot of the time you won’t need to 
  ask the question explicitly - it will be ob-
  vious from the action you attempt; “you 
  take a run up and leap from the edge of 
  the chasm. Roll.”
  Alternative Questions
  You can pose different questions 
  if you want, though you will have to 
  change the result chart. An obvious 
  question is “How well do I succeed?” 
  This might garner the following results;
  Roll How well do you succeed?
  6
  legendary success
  4
  Complete success
  2
  only just succeed
  5
  Fail by the smallest margin
  3
  Complete failure
  1
  epic failure, and then some
  Feel free to come up with your own 
  questions and answers, as suits the 
  needs of your group, game and story.
  Alternative Dice Rolls
  Some players are not fans of the 
  even/odd results. Many prefer a 1-3 
  Bad, 4-6 Good result. In that case the 
  result chart would look like this;
  Roll Do you get what you want?
  6
  Yes, and...
  5
  Yes...
  4
  Yes, but...
  3
  No, but...
  2
  No...
  1
  No, and...
  
  12
  Success & Failure
  When you make a beat the odds roll your character 
  will either succeed at what they were attempting, or 
  they wont. This is usually enough to push your story 
  further along, but other things can happen too. 
  When you attempt an action, you are asking “Does 
  my character get what they want?” There are six pos-
  sible answers to this question;
  Yes, and...
  Yes...
  Yes, but...
  No, but...
  No...
  No, and...
  Yes and No are pretty straight forward - they tell you 
  whether the action succeeded or not. The and and but 
  are qualifiers that modify how good the success or how 
  bad the failure was. When you get a qualifier you make 
  an extra statement about how the action succeeded or 
  failed. This extra statement can add a Condition to a 
  character or a Detail to a scene.
  Conditions: These are physical, mental or social 
  effects that impact on the way a character behaves or 
  attempts actions. Conditions include things like an-
  gry, confused, tired and unconscious. There are several 
  listed on the FU character sheet, and there is space for 
  you to write your own.
  Details: These are features of an environment or 
  scene that might change as a result of an action. Details 
  might include curtains catching fire, windows break-
  ing, animals running off, or machinery stalling. De-
  tails are always closely tied to the scene and the action.
  Examples of Success & Failure
  Going back to an earlier example, 
  let’s see what might have happened 
  when we apply each possible answer to 
  the question 
  “Does Sir Camden leap the hedge?”
  Yes, and he catches up with Lord 
  Kane. This is a Detail that changes the 
  scene.
  Yes, he leaps the hedge. There is no 
  and/but qualifier so no Condition or 
  Detail is added.
  Yes, but Sir Camden is disoriented 
  and momentarily confused. This is a 
  Condition applied to the character.
  No, but he spots a gap in the hedge 
  further along. This Detail gives the char-
  acter another way to continue the chase.
  No, the horse shies away from the 
  jump. There is no and/but qualifier so 
  no Condition or Detail is added.
  No, and his horse rears up, throwing 
  him to the ground, causing an injury. 
  This is a Condition.
  Who chooses Conditions & 
  Details?
  Anyone can suggest a Condition or 
  Detail that they feel is appropriate to 
  the action taken and result achieved. 
  Usually the player that rolled the dice 
  and the Narrator will work together to 
  come up with a suitably dramatic effect. 
  But really, anyone at the table should 
  throw in whatever cool idea they have.
  The Narrator always has final say 
  over what Condition or Detail is ap-
  plied to a result.
  When should I use Conditions?
  Like all qualifiers, it depends on 
  situation. In the examples above Con-
  ditions are applied to the acting player 
  when things don’t quite go right for 
  them (Yes, but / No, and). The Condi-
  tions make life a bit more difficult for 
  the character because of the minimal 
  success or outright failure.
  You can also apply Conditions to 
  the target of an action, when things are 
  going right for your character. If you 
  are debating with a bureaucrat and get 
  a Yes, and result you might apply the 
  confused Condition to the target. If you 
  attempt to outrun an enemy and get the 
  No, but result they might catch up with 
  you, but have the tired Condition. Ap-
  plying Conditions in this way will likely 
  give player characters an advantage 
  later in the scene.
  When should I use Details?
  Apply Details when the action is like-
  ly to change the scene or environment in 
  some way. This might be a change in the 
  power dynamic of the scene (“Yes, he 
  leaps the hedge and he catches up with 
  Lord Kane.”); or a change in the physical 
  environment (“No, but he spots a gap in 
  the hedge.”). 
  Details are often applied when the 
  acting character gains some advantage 
  (Yes, and / No, but). They can be used 
  to great effect, however, to make situa-
  tions more entertaining and / or dan-
  gerous; 
  “Do you swing across the room on 
  the chandelier? Yes, but candles fall 
  loose and set fire to the tavern.”
  Details can provide instant or on-
  going effects, depending on the circum-
  stances. A gap in the hedge can be used 
  immediately to continue the chase; a 
  burning tavern will continue to be a 
  hazard until someone puts the fire out!
  
  13
  modifiers
  Sometimes circumstances, equipment and skill will 
  make actions easier or harder. modifiers change the 
  number of dice you get to roll when taking action. 
  Making Things Easier: Roll an additional die 
  for each Descriptor, piece of Gear, Condition or De-
  tail  that provides some advantage to the action being 
  taken. The result is the single best (not necessarily 
  highest) die roll, as the player chooses. 
  In the woods, Sir Camden tries to track Lord 
  Kane. You point out that the knight is a good 
  hunter, so you get an extra d6. Rolling 2d6, you 
  score a 5 and a 4. Keeping the 4 it is decided that 
  after a brief search Sir Camden finds Lord Kane’s 
  tracks and follows them to a sinister citadel... 
  Making Things Harder: Roll an extra die for 
  each Descriptor, bit of Gear, Condition or Detail that 
  makes the action harder. The result is the single worst 
  die roll. 
  Captain Vance decides to run to a near-by jeep. 
  The Narrator points out there is no cover between 
  Vance’s hiding spot and the vehicle. “Does Vance 
  get to the jeep uninjured?” You roll 2d6, scoring 
  a 3 and a 5. You must accept the 3 and Captain 
  Vance is injured as he reaches the jeep... 
  Cancelling Out: one beneficial die cancels out 
  one hindering die, so you will never be rolling ‘nega-
  tive’ and ‘positive’ dice at the same time. 
  Later in his quest, Sir Camden must scale a 
  sheer (-) cliff. The knight is strong (+) and has 
  a rope (+). Overall, this means a single bonus to 
  the action (the sheer cliff and the knight’s strength 
  cancel each other out, just leaving the rope). You 
  roll 2d6, scoring a 3 and 6. 
  Example of Modifiers
  Captain Vance hurtles along in the 
  jeep, when a guard tries to drag him 
  out through the window. “Will Vance 
  shake the guard off?” It is hard (+) to 
  drag Vance out the window, but he is 
  wounded (-) and surprised (-), and the 
  attacker is very strong (-). In total you 
  must roll 2 penalty dice. You roll 3d6 
  scoring a 2, 4 and 3, and must take the 
  worst result, the 3. The guard wrestles 
  Vance out of the jeep. 
  Other types of rolls? 
  FU has no such thing as ‘opposed 
  rolls’ or ‘contested actions’, ‘damage 
  rolls’ and ‘rolling to hit’. The beat the 
  odds roll is the only kind of roll used 
  in FU, whether you are trying to drive 
  a car through a crowded mall, arm 
  wrestle a giant, or shrug off the damage 
  caused by a stray bullet. 
  How do “opposed” actions work?
  For a start, only players ever roll 
  dice. You begin by factoring in all the 
  bonuses (+) and penalties (-) that apply 
  to your character. Then you take stock 
  of all the factors that would apply to 
  the opponent, and apply those into your 
  roll too. Is the opponent weak? You get 
  a bonus die. Is the opponent a world 
  champion arm wrestler? You factor in 
  a penalty die. And so on, until every-
  thing is factored in. When you know 
  how many bonus and/or penalty dice 
  you have, roll. If the result is an even 
  number, you win the contest; if the final 
  result is an odd number, your opponent 
  has the advantage. 
  Dialing in on Your action
  Sword fights, political debates, space 
  races, international wars, arguments 
  and gun battles are all resolved using 
  the beat the odds roll. The key is to dial 
  in or out of the action through the kind 
  of questions you attempt to resolve. You 
  can fight a dramatic sword fight and ex-
  change a series of blows by asking “Do 
  I hit the Count De Montief?”. But you 
  could also resolve the entire fight with 
  a single roll by asking “Do I defeat the 
  Count De Montief in a duel?”. Or, take 
  it to the next level and ask “Do my men-
  at-arms storm the Count De Montief’s 
  castle?” Adjust the dial as necessary!
  Option: Matching Dice 
  Rolling doubles, triples or quadru-
  ples can make a success much better or 
  a failure far worse.  If your result die has 
  a match the effects will be much more 
  dramatic. You may add one “and...” 
  statement for each matching die. If the 
  action is failed this statement should 
  make the situation worse. If the action 
  is a success the additional statement(s) 
  should make the situation even better. 
   For example, Sir Camden faces Lord 
  Kane’s henchmen. “Will Sir Camden de-
  feat the henchmen?” He is injured and 
  outnumbered so you will roll 2 penalty 
  dice. You roll and score 3, 3, and 2. You 
  must take the worst result - the double 
  3! Normally this would be a “No...” re-
  sult, but the matching 3 turns it into a 
  “No, and...”. If you had rolled triple 3 
  the result would have been “No, and..., 
  and...”! 
  
  14
  FU points
  FU points are a resource that you spend to improve 
  a character’s chance of success at an action. They can 
  be used in two ways;
  Bonus Die: Spend a FU point before a beat the 
  odds roll to add a single bonus die. This works like any 
  other bonus die. You can add as many bonus dice as 
  you have FU points, but they must all be declared at 
  the same time. 
  Re-roll: Spend a FU point after a beat the odds 
  roll to re-roll a single die. The second result must stand 
  - you cannot re-roll a re-roll. You can re-roll as many 
  dice as you have FU points, but you must declare them 
  all at the same time, before the first die is re-rolled.
  You can spend multiple FU points on any given 
  action, and for either or both effects. It is completely 
  within the rules to spend a FU point to add a bonus 
  die before a roll, then another FU point to re-roll a die 
  afterwards.
  Back at HQ, Captain Vance tries to convince 
  General Wallace to deploy the Rocket Troops un-
  der his command. Vance doesn’t have much going 
  for him in this situation, in terms of Descriptors, 
  so you decide to spend 2 FU Points on the roll. You 
  roll the basic die, plus the two bonus dice, getting 
  a 1, 1 and 3. Not happy with this, you spends your 
  last FU Point on a re-roll. You pick up one of the 
  1’s and throw the die again... 
  Earning FU Points: FU points are earned during 
  play for doing cool stuff and roleplaying your charac-
  ter. Whenever you do something that stops play and 
  makes everyone go “Wow!”, or laugh out loud at your 
  antics, or anything else that everyone thinks should be 
  rewarded, you earn a FU point.
  Starting FU Points?
  The number of FU Points you begin 
  a game with should be discussed before 
  play begins. The more FU Points play-
  ers begin with, the more easily they will 
  achieve successes. If playing games of 
  high adventure or over-the-top action, 
  it would be reasonable to begin with 2 
  FU Points. Super-powered heroes might 
  begin with as many as 3 FU Points. For 
  grittier games each player might only 
  begin with 1 FU Point, or even none.
  Can I give / share FU Points?
  That is up to you and your group. 
  The default is “no”, but...
  Do Narrators get FU points?
  Usually, no, but they might allow a 
  powerful villain or monster to have one, 
  two or three.
  Other ways to earn FU
  You might like to change the way you 
  earn FU Points. You might earn them 
  for dealing the killing blow to monsters, 
  achieving your character’s goal, or roll-
  ing multiple 1’s or 6’s. 
  This is a really good way to change 
  the tone or style of the game. Want to 
  play a dungeon crawl? Reward FU for 
  killing monsters. A gritty dystopian 
  game? Reward FU when the characters 
  lose out to The Man. Decide if these are 
  the only ways to earn FU, or if they are 
  in addition to the normal roleplaying 
  rewards. This decision will also have a 
  dramatic effect on the tone of play. See 
  what you can do with it. 
  Other ways to use FU
  Play around with FU Points. Experi-
  ment, or adjust the ways you use them 
  to suit your gaming group or the type 
  of story you are playing. Here are some 
  suggestions;
  FU as Health
  Rather than having a varying and 
  changeable number of FU points, every 
  character begins with 3. They can be 
  spent as normal, but can also be lost 
  when the character suffers physical or 
  mental stress (injuries, fatigue, fear, 
  etc). FU in this instance can be refreshed 
  (brought back up to 3) by roleplaying 
  out a (non-dice rolling) scene with an-
  other character that reveals something 
  about your relationship. 
  Re-Roll Everything
  Spend a FU point to re-roll all your 
  dice. This is an all-or-nothing thing, so 
  you can’t keep a couple of good results 
  and roll the rest. Use this variant in-
  stead of the normal re-roll rule.
  Flip a Pip
  Spend a FU Point to adjust a single 
  die up or down by one pip. Spend mul-
  tiple FU points to adjust a die multiple 
  pips. This option is more reliable than 
  a re-roll as you will always be able to 
  turn a “no” into a “yes”. If you used this 
  variant the normal re-roll rule should 
  not be used.
  Use a Prop
  Spend a FU point to turn a prop into 
  an item of Gear for the duration of the 
  scene.
  Stunts and Powers
  Give characters special abilities, 
  skills or powers that can only be used by 
  spending a FU Point. These should be 
  more powerful than Descriptors - make 
  them break the rules or give a superhu-
  man knack, like the ability to fly or read 
  minds, teleport, or whatever.
  Taking a Hit
  Instead of rolling, declare you are 
  “taking a hit”. All the dice you should 
  have rolled are treated as if they rolled 
  1’s (yes, if you are holding 5 dice, they 
  count as five 1’s!). In return for your suf-
  fering you earn a FU Point.  
  
  15
  actioN
  sUmmaRy
   set  the  sceNe
  Where does the scene take place? Who is there? What do they want? Do 
  you need to break down into turns?
   act
  Roleplay your character and describe what is going on. push toward the 
  objective.
   ask  a  QUestioN
  When you need to resolve a conflict or complete an action ask a closed 
  question (e.g. “Do I succeed?”)
   FactoR  iN  modiFieRs
  +1 bonus die for every Descriptor, item of Gear, Detail, Condition or other 
  feature that makes the action easier. 
  +1 penalty die for every Descriptor, item of Gear, Detail, Condition or other 
  feature that makes the action harder.
   Roll
  Roll all your dice. The result is the single best die (if rolling bonus dice) or 
  single worst die (if rolling penalty dice).
   descRiBe  ResUlt
  Use the die result to describe how the conflict or action turned out. Apply 
  Conditions or Details as necessary.
  
  16
  Following is some simple, straightforward advice 
  for Narrators. It is all fairly generic because all the spe-
  cific stuff is going to relate to the genre, tone and style 
  of game that you and your players choose to play.
  Talking is good
  Start your game with a conversation. Talk about 
  what players want out of the game, what you want, and 
  where those ideas overlap. Those overlaps are likely 
  where everyone is going to have the most fun. At the 
  very least you should work together to establish the 
  genre and tone of your shared story. Talk about this 
  stuff too, so that everyone is clear of the specifics (there 
  is a world of difference between Gothic horror and 
  splatter films, for example). 
  Talk during the game too. encourage players to 
  share ideas and give input into scenes, objectives and 
  the challenges characters face. If you need to clarify 
  ideas, themes or issues then do that. 
  listening is good
  If there is going to be talk there needs to be listen-
  ing. listen to your players and the things they tell you, 
  either in conversation or when they do things with 
  their character. Do stuff that relates to the Descriptors 
  written on the player’s character sheets, because that is 
  what they think is cool.
  When playing
  When running games don’t plan too much ahead 
  of time. The dice rolls are going to direct a lot of the 
  action, and you and the players will fill in the gaps by 
  applying Conditions and Details. Here are some tips 
  to keep things moving and help you enjoy the game as 
  much as the players do.
  Keep things simple: Do not complicate your job 
  by introducing lots of sub-plots or convoluted twists. 
  Things will get all messed about by themselves and the 
  story will run off on tangents that you never dreamed 
  of. 
  You are not the enemy: this may seem obvious, 
  but is worth stating. Your role is to help guide the story 
  in interesting directions, not to kill everyone. You can 
  give players hints and ideas if you think this will lead to 
  a better story.  Sometimes you will portray the adver-
  saries, and are expected to do so vigorously but fairly. 
  other times you will get to be an ally, companion, or 
  peer, and once again you should be true to the spirit of 
  the game. 
  Say “Yes”: if players make suggestions or ask ques-
  tions it is probably because they are interested in what 
  is going on. They probably have a cool idea to introduce 
  to the story. encourage this and confidently say “yes” 
  to requests. This doesn’t mean you should let players 
  get anything they want – but you should let players in-
  troduce elements into the story when the time is right.
  Make rolls meaningful: every time you call 
  for a die roll it should mean something interesting is 
  going to happen, No mATTeR THe ReSUlT. Don’t 
  have players make rolls if the result is not important to 
  the story, or if failure will stop the momentum of the 
  story.
  NaRRatoR
  3 Questions to frame your game
  When you begin a game talk with 
  the players about their expectations. Try 
  to answer the following three questions;
  What will characters do? 
  Do players want to kick in doors, 
  kill monsters and take home piles of 
  treasure? Do they want to feel like epic 
  heroes? Or the underdogs, struggling 
  against ridiculous odds?
  How do players want to feel? 
  Do the players want to feel like they 
  are changing the world? Like their char-
  acter is gaining in wealth, prestige or 
  power? Or do they want to feel like their 
  backs are against the wall and their lives 
  constantly at risk?
  What is the Narrator’s role? 
  What kinds of challenges, encoun-
  ters and situations are you going to pre-
  sent the characters in order to achieve 
  the above? Do you need to ensure every 
  challenge is accompanied by a generous 
  reward? Are you going to make every 
  fight hard but fair? Will you be relent-
  less in the pursuit of the antagonist’s 
  goals?
  Answer these questions and every-
  one at the table will be clear on their 
  role in the coming adventure.
  
  17
  Recovery
  During games characters can suffer injuries, be-
  come physically or mentally stressed, and be afflicted 
  by a range of other Conditions. Conditions are always 
  recovered at a time and/or rate appropriate to the sto-
  ry. This is usually with the passing of time, but does 
  not have to be. A good rule of thumb is that one or 
  more Conditions can be removed/recovered between 
  scenes, though this will depend on the timing of such 
  encounters.
  Rewards
  Reward players for good roleplaying and achieving 
  goals by giving them FU points. You may also reward 
  them for a variety of other reasons, as your group de-
  cides (see the sidebar on page 12). FU points can be 
  used to improve a characters chance of success and are 
  therefore a great immediate, tangible reward. You don’t 
  have to be the only one at the table offering rewards, 
  though. All players should speak up when someone 
  has done something cool, funny or awesome, and re-
  ward a FU point.
  How much, how often? Be generous with your 
  rewards, as the positive reinforcement of earning FU 
  points will inspire them on to greater acts of heroism, 
  spectacle or depravity, as the case may be. Also, take 
  into account whether this will be a “one off” game, or 
  a part of an ongoing story or campaign - players are 
  likely to burn through FU points faster in a singe ses-
  sion game and will need their resources replenished 
  faster. 
  Characters & obstacles
  All the characters, monsters, traps, villains, terrain 
  features, creatures and obstacles that are encountered 
  during a story are defined in much the same way as 
  characters. You are not confined by any rules or re-
  strictions when creating characters or obstacles, the 
  only thing you must do is make them entertaining and 
  interesting. 
  The Bowl
  One technique for rewarding FU 
  Points is to place a bowl of beads, chits 
  or tokens in the centre of the table. Each 
  bead is a FU Point. The Narrator can 
  tell players to “take one from the bowl”, 
  and other players can reach in when it is 
  appropriate to reward a player, by pass-
  ing a bead from the bowl. This requires 
  trust between players and Narrator, but 
  makes the running of the game very 
  smooth as no-one has to stop and ask; 
  “Does that deserve a FU Point?”
  Advancement
  FU is not a game about “levelling 
  up”. While characters might have a 
  variety of experiences and learn from 
  them, the real advancement comes from 
  the changing story and/or world.
  If appropriate, players can change 
  one Descriptor between game sessions. 
  This alteration should relate in some 
  way to the experiences and story their 
  character just participated in. Gear can 
  be changed between sessions at the Nar-
  rator’s discretion.
  Goals might also change from game 
  session to game session. Give players 
  time to consider their goals at the start 
  of each session and let them adjust or 
  change them as necessary. 
  Tracking obstacles
  Use sticky-notes or index cards to 
  record details about your characters, 
  monsters and obstacles. Write down 
  Descriptors, Gear and other info. As 
  they suffer Conditions, record those on 
  the card.
  Use index cards to record important 
  terrain features, too. Write down any 
  Descriptor(s) pertaining to the feature 
  so players can take them into account 
  as they plan their actions. 
  What do I share with players?
  Some groups play open, making no 
  secret of the Descriptors and details of 
  creatures and monsters. Other groups 
  (and/or Narrators) keep this informa-
  tion hidden from players. Both options 
  provide for different styles of play. 
  Playing an open table means eve-
  ryone is clear about what is going on, 
  what opportunities exist for cool scenes 
  and actions. Players can see what Gear, 
  Conditions and Descriptors are “in 
  play” and incorporate them into scenes. 
  Keeping the details of villains, traps 
  and other obstacles from the players 
  will push them to test their enemies, ex-
  plore the environment, and try different 
  things. They can manoeuvre themselves 
  and situations in directions they think 
  will be advantageous. It is always satis-
  fying to be rewarded with bonus dice for 
  accurately guessing an enemy’s Descrip-
  tors.
  
  18
  Tennessee Smith, famed explorer, has finally 
  got a solid lead on the whereabouts of the ancient 
  Idol of Tot, an object of reported supernatural 
  power. Unfortunately, Smith’s arch enemy Giles 
  Fishburne is also on the trail of the Idol, and has 
  thrown his lot in with the Nazis!
  This short adventure will get you into the action 
  quickly. It illustrates one way you might prepare your 
  own adventures, adversaries and obstacles. Use the 
  pre-generated characters presented at the end of the 
  adventure. Race to the Temple of Tot consists of a series 
  of set-piece encounters that you can use, rearrange and 
  ignore at your leisure. Remember that beat the odds 
  rolls will lead to all kinds of interesting twists and 
  turns and once the characters set out on the adventure 
  anything is possible!
  Before you begin
  Before starting play have a quick discussion about 
  the tone and style of the game. The scenario is clas-
  sic pulp - over the top action, outrageous villains and 
  larger than life heroes. make sure everyone is on the 
  same page here - talk about what makes this genre cool 
  and perhaps point out examples of the genre (Indiana 
  Jones, The Mummy, The Rocketeer) and what parts of 
  these you enjoyed.
  Read the flavour text above (the stuff in italics) and 
  get everyone at the table to throw around some ideas 
  of cool stuff they would like to see happen during the 
  adventure. Note it all down - when things slow, or if 
  you get stuck for what to do next, chuck one of these 
  ideas into the mix!
  Scenes
  The scenes presented here have a description of 
  where the action takes place and suggest Descriptors 
  you or the players might incorporate into the action. 
  The italics set up the action of the scene and the objec-
  tive. paraphrase the details for your players.
  Challenges
  The challenges and adversaries in this adventure 
  are recorded in boxes with relevant Descriptors, Con-
  ditions and Notes. These are to guide you and do not 
  have to be used. Your own cool ideas should always 
  trump anything written here!
  escape the Bulak market
  Scene: Central Asia - a bustling market in the city 
  of Bulak - midday. Tall stone and mud-brick buildings 
  with narrow arched windows surround the central 
  market; stalls and cafes, bars and emporiums run off 
  in all directions along winding, narrow streets. 
  Descriptors: Crowded streets, exotic goods.
  The characters have just acquired a map to the 
  Temple of Tot. Unfortunately, Nazi goons have ar-
  rived and want the map, too. There are a lot of 
  goons, and while the characters could fight them, 
  it might be easier to flee. Do the characters escape?
  NAzi GOONS
  Descriptors: lots of goons, Beefy Aryans, 
  Not too bright
  Gear: Noisy Sub-machine guns
  Conditions: Confused, Trapped, Slowed, 
  out of Action
  Notes: There are a number of goon squads equal to 
  the number of characters.
  What can go wrong? The characters are cap-
  tured; The map is lost.
  Translating the map
  Scene: A dark coffee lounge, cafe or back room, 
  somewhere in the city of Bulak. The smell of strong 
  coffee and exotic food permeates the room.  
  Descriptors: private.
  Tennessee Smith and his companions have the 
  map but must now translate it, puzzling out the 
  strange symbols and markings. Do they translate 
  the map?
  TRANSLATiNG THE MAP
  Descriptors: Ancient glyphs, Brittle paper
  Conditions: Torn, Ruined, Smudged,
  Burnt to a crisp
  What can go wrong? The map is damaged; The 
  characters misread the map; They cannot read the map 
  and must get help from an expert in ancient languages.
  Race to the temple of tot
  
  19
  The Gou Zou Gorge
  Scene: The majestic Gou Zou Gorge, half a mile 
  deep and crossed by a single iron girder railway bridge. 
  Wide open plains lie on either side of the gorge and the 
  Kow mountains lie in the distance.
  Descriptors: open plains, Impassible Gorge.
  The characters follow the map to Gou Zou 
  Gorge, by car or horse back. Giles Fishburne is ap-
  proaching fast, aboard the German dirigible Der 
  Vogel. Do the characters cross the bridge safely? 
  Do they keep their lead on the Germans?
  NAzi BiRD TRUPPEN
  Descriptors: They Fly!, Agile
  Gear: Delicate Flying Harness, Deadly 
  Stick Grenade
  Conditions: Confused, Grounded, 
  Slowed, out of Action
  Notes: There are a number of Bird Truppen equal 
  to the number of characters.
  GOU zOU BRiDGE
  Descriptors: Wide but narrow
  Conditions: Rickety, Blown all to hell
  Notes: You know you must introduce an approach-
  ing train, right?
  What can go wrong? The bridge is destroyed; 
  The map is lost; the characters are captured.
  The Temple
  Scene: An ancient temple fashioned into the side 
  of a mountain. Grand statues of sinister looking gods 
  and daemons line the walls. Dust covers everything. 
  The tunnel leads deeper into the mountain.
  Descriptors: Dark, Silent.
  The characters must penetrate the heart of the 
  temple, but the map warned of nefarious traps 
  and terrible guardians. Do they get past the traps 
  and guardians?
  NEFARiOUS TRAPS
  Descriptors: Hidden, Deadly
  Gear: poison Darts, Rusting Spears
  Conditions: Disarmed, Set-off, Revealed
  Notes: Challenge characters with one or two traps. 
  Tell them the passage is trapped, but don’t tell them 
  how, or where the traps are until they are sprung!
  STONE STATUE GUARDiAN
  Descriptors: Big, Heavy, Slow, Relentless
  Gear: Heavy Stone Weapons
  Conditions: Damaged, off balance, 
  Slowed, out of Action
  Notes: There is one Statue Guardian for every two 
  characters. The large, heavy weapons can strike 
  multiple characters at once.
  What can go wrong? Characters cannot get 
  past traps; characters are injured by traps.
  The Idol Chamber
  Scene: A large stone chamber ingeniously lit by 
  mirrors reflecting sunlight. The Idol of Tot - a gold-
  en statue of a seven-headed monkey - sits on a stone 
  plinth in the centre of the room. 
  Descriptors: large bronze mirrors.
  The characters enter the chamber of the idol, 
  only to find that Giles Fishburne and his Nazi 
  goons are here too! Do they defeat Giles and es-
  cape with the Idol?
  GiLES FiSHBURNE
  Descriptors: Smart, Arrogant, Sword fighter
  Gear: polished Sabre
  Conditions: Confused, Injured, Slowed, 
  out of Action
  Notes: Giles is a greedy, arrogant villain, but he 
  isn’t stupid. If things start looking dire he will attempt 
  to escape, make a deal and/or double-cross anyone in 
  his way. He has no loyalty to the Nazis!
  Characters
  Four pre-made characters can be found on the next 
  page. They are each examples of classic pulp charac-
  ter archetypes. players may tweak or adjust them at 
  the Narrator’s discretion, before play starts, perhaps 
  changing a Descriptor or two, or switching out an item 
  of Gear. Before starting the game each player should 
  define one or two relationships, describing how the 
  characters know each other. A quick and easy way to 
  do this is for everyone to describe how they know the 
  character to their left.
  
  20
  TENNESSEE SMiTH, DAREDEviL ExPLORER
  Descriptors: Nimble, level Headed, Use Bull 
  Whip, Afraid of Heights
  Gear: Bull Whip, Worn leather Jacket
  Drives: Find the Idol of Tot
  Conditions: Angry, Scared, Tired, 
  Trapped, Blinded, Hungry, 
  Dazed, Injured, Dying
  Tennessee Smith is a mild-mannered profes-
  sor of history, but in his spare time he travels 
  into the wilderness in search of lost artefacts and 
  treasure. Ruggedly handsome, he always seems 
  to keep his cool, no matter how much danger he 
  is in—and he tends to get into a lot of it. 
  Relationships:
  Notes:
  HARvEY REED, RETiRED BOxER
  Descriptors: Strong, Thinks-on-his-Feet, Boxer, 
  Ugly as Sin
  Gear: Roll of quarters, poor fitting suit
  Drives: look out for Tennessee Smith
  Conditions: Angry, Scared, Tired, 
  Trapped, Blinded, Hungry, 
  Dazed, Injured, Dying
  Harvey Reed is a recently retired champion 
  boxer. Finding the sedentary life a little too bor-
  ing he has joined his old friend Tennessee in 
  search of adventure.
  Relationships:
  Notes:
  JiMMY SWEET, PLUCKY KiD
  Descriptors: Quick, Smart-aleck, 
  Underestimated, Young
  Gear: Noisy Firecrackers, Dirty Baseball 
  Cap
  Drives: See the 7 wonders of the world
  Conditions: Angry, Scared, Tired, 
  Trapped, Blinded, Hungry, 
  Dazed, Injured, Dying
  Jimmy Sweet is a happy-go-lucky kid who has 
  never had anyone to rely on but himself. He is 
  wiry, tough and quick, with a cheeky attitude 
  that frequently gets him into trouble. Jimmy 
  stowed away on a tramp steamer with the inten-
  tion of seeing the world and making his fortune.
  Relationships:
  Notes:
  OCTOBER JONES, GiRL REPORTER
  Descriptors: Beautiful, Witty, Good memory, 
  Curious
  Gear: Trusty Camera, Thick Notebook
  Drives: Get the scoop on the real Tennes-
  see Smith
  Conditions: Angry, Scared, Tired, 
  Trapped, Blinded, Hungry, 
  Dazed, Injured, Dying
  October Jones is a reporter and adventurer, 
  afforded a great deal of freedom by her father’s 
  immense wealth. Beautiful, intelligent and spoilt 
  she is a woman used to getting what she wants.
  Relationships:
  Notes:
  
  21
  This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good 
  place to start. each entry lists the kinds of things a 
  Descriptor might be an advantage or hindrance for, 
  which makes it a handy reference for both players and 
  Narrators. 
  Body Descriptors 
  Agile: helpful when dancing, leaping, doing gym-
  nastics, crawling through tight spaces and balancing. 
  Ambidextrous: great when shooting two guns at 
  the same time, or doing slight-of-hand magic tricks. 
  Blonde: good for getting people to underestimate 
  you, not good if you spend too much time in the sun.
  Fake Orange Tan: great for passing as an aging 
  celebrity, and for drawing attention to yourself.
  Furry: useful for resisting cold weather, and living 
  in the woods.
  Handsome: useful for flirting, selling stuff, getting 
  roles on T.V., modelling, and being popular. 
  Huge: good for looking menacing, reaching high 
  places, acting like a body builder, or getting stuck in 
  small spaces. 
  Overweight: a problem when exercising and 
  borrowing clothes. 
  Poor Constitution: a hindrance when long dis-
  tance running, resisting damage, performing feats of 
  endurance, and healing. 
  Quick: handy for ducking to and from places, 
  slight-of-hand, dodging and other actions that require 
  speed of action. 
  Razor-sharp Claws: great for slicing up en-
  emies, cutting vegetables and maybe climbing trees.
  Short: a pain for reaching the top shelf, but use-
  ful for crawling under low objects and getting lost in 
  a crowd. 
  Slow: a problem when running, dodging, and re-
  acting to things. 
  Strong: useful for lifting, carrying, smashing 
  and throwing things. Wrestling and avoiding being 
  crushed might also be aided. 
  Tall: good for reaching the top shelf, climbing, 
  and seeing over other people’s heads. 
  Thin: handy for squeezing into places and clothes, 
  hiding behind poles, and performing on the catwalk. 
  Ugly: a problem when trying to seduce someone, 
  or get a role on T.V. 
  vigour: great for resisting poison,  long distance 
  running, and other feats of endurance. 
  Weak: a pain when lifting, carrying, smashing and 
  throwing stuff. 
  Webbed Feet: great for swimming, but terrible 
  when buying shoes.
  mind Descriptors 
  Absent-Minded: good for being distracted, but a 
  problem when remembering where you left the keys, 
  or that you just pulled the pin from a hand grenade. 
  Book-Smart: great when doing exams, knowing 
  math formulas, remembering dates in history, and 
  generally getting into law at Harvard. 
  Computer-Wiz: good for programming, fixing 
  your laptop and getting into pC vs. Apple flame-wars.
  Dim-Witted: a problem when listening to jokes, 
  recognizing a trick, or generally keeping up appear-
  ances in social settings. 
  Empathetic: good for reading peoples emotions, 
  doing psychological evaluations, and knowing how to 
  comfort distressed people. 
  Focused: good for staying on task, not getting dis-
  tracted, and looking serious. 
  Lateral Thinker: handy for problem solving, 
  and approaching issues in new or unusual ways. 
  Mathematician: great for doing sums, solving 
  equations and doing your tax.
  Observant: great for spotting hidden clues, no-
  ticing details, doing find-a-words, and reading body 
  language. 
  Orator: good for public speaking, debating and 
  getting people to see your point of view.
  Slow: a pain when trying to understand plans, or 
  learn new things. 
  Tactician: great for planning battles, remember-
  ing military history and quoting Tsun Tsu.
  Uneducated: a pain when reading, doing math, 
  remembering important dates in history and doing 
  any school-type tests. 
  Wise: handy for sprouting proverbs, giving advice, 
  putting unrelated clues together, interpreting people’s 
  reactions, and saying ‘I told you so’. 
  Witty: good for making funny comments, being 
  charming and / or entertaining, and always knowing 
  the right thing to say. 
  appeNdix - descRiptoRs
  
  22
  edge Descriptors 
  Acrobatics: great for joining the circus, leaping 
  through narrow gaps, and doing impressive flips. 
  Arcane Knowledge: good for identifying mys-
  tic artefacts, recognizing the presence of evil magic, 
  and reading ancient scrolls. 
  Courage: handy when seeing something scary, 
  telling your wife you forgot your anniversary, and at-
  tempting other dangerous acts. 
  Driving: great for car racing, car chases, and pass-
  ing your driving exam. 
  Fencing: good for sword fighting and other civi-
  lized forms of melee. 
  Good Memory: handy for remembering names 
  and faces, vital clues, and mathematical formulas. 
  Hunting: good when tracking and stalking, look-
  ing good in camouflage, and knowing what an angry 
  rhinoceros sounds like. 
  Keen Sight: great for seeing a long way or even 
  doing stuff by moonlight. 
  Linguistics: good for speaking one (or more) 
  foreign languages and generally communicating with 
  others. 
  Magic: great for knowing the mystic arts, casting 
  spells, or acting like a stage magician. 
  Medicine: good for performing operations, diag-
  nosing illness, and administering first aid. 
  Nasty Bite: great for really hurting someone in 
  combat, chewing your own arm off, or winning a pie 
  eating contest. 
  Rich: handy for buying luxury sports cars, getting 
  invited to exclusive parties, and bribing city officials. 
  Wrestling: good for fighting unarmed combat, 
  and pinning opponents to the ground. 
  Flaw Descriptors 
  Blind: a pain when doing anything that requires 
  sight, such as shooting, navigating an unfamiliar space, 
  or painting. 
  Brave: good for charging into mortal danger, act-
  ing foolhardy, and getting into deep trouble. 
  Clumsy: a problem when carrying a valuable vase, 
  visiting an antique store, or trying to cross a booby-
  trapped room. 
  Greedy: a pain when resisting the urge to steal, lie, 
  or in some other way keep or obtain wealth. 
  in-Human Appearance: a hindrance when try-
  ing not to get noticed, avoiding attention, or finding a 
  pair of pants that fit just right. 
  Missing Leg: a problem when running, climbing, 
  or performing any other activity that involves move-
  ment, without prosthetics or a wheel chair. 
  Old: a pain when trying to look cool, climb stairs, 
  use a computer, or be positive about your health. 
  Poor: a hindrance when wanting to buy food or 
  clothes, or trying to get into an exclusive party. 
  Poor Sight: a pain when trying to recognize 
  someone or thing, driving at night, or noticing visual 
  clues. 
  Primitive: a problem when using mobile phones, 
  cars, and door bells, as well as interacting at more civi-
  lized social occasions. 
  Smelly: a hindrance when trying to impress peo-
  ple, or hiding from wild animals or trackers. 
  Wanted: a pain when trying to keep out of trou-
  ble, or needing something from your apartment. 
  Young: a problem when trying to get into clubs, be 
  taken seriously by adults, avoid school, or see over the 
  dash in a car.
  
  23
   
  Name
   
  coNcept
   
  Body
   
  miNd
   
  edGe
   
  Flaw
  descRiptioN
  ROLL RESULT
  6
  Yes, and...
  4
  Yes...
  2
  Yes, but...
  5
  No, but...
  3
  No...
  1
  No, and...
  Angry
  Trapped
  Dazed
  Scared
  Blinded
  Injured
  Tired
  Hungry
  Dying
  dRives
  what do yoU waNt?
  what is stoppiNG yoU?
  what will yoU do?
  RelatioNships
     coNditioNs
      
        FU  poiNts
      
         the  odds
   
  Notes
                   GeaR
    FU
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Solo/2. GM Emulators & Generic Solo Rules/FU/FU-Core rpg.pdf