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Character Creation -
In most game systems, you are given a
series of attributes to rate. But what
makes one aspect of a character an attribute
and another not? In one game, Appearance
is rated like other attributes, while
in others it is not considered at all.
They also force you to give numbers to
attributes that are not significant to
your character. Unless it is a particularly
important part of who your character is,
do you know exactly what to rate his intelligence?
Even for attributes that are vital to
your character, it can be confusing to
rate it. Would it be a 17 or 18? 9 or
10?
Then many systems further confuse the
process with an extensive series of skills,
advantages, perks, powers, and so on.
Ricochet is different from these systems.
There are no set attributes at all. Instead
of these confusing statistics, you merely
have to describe your character, and then
give each of these aspects a simple rating.
All positive traits are reffered to as
Abilities, and are rated on a scale of
1 to 5. Is your character really strong?
Give him Strong at +3. Is she a little
smarter than the average joe? Give her
Smart at +1. Is the character the best
darn chess player in the universe? Give
him Hobby: Chess at +5. The same goes
for negative traits, dubbed Weaknesses.
These are rated on a scale of -1 to -3.
If it doesn't pertain to your character,
there is no need to list it at all.
All Ricochet games also have a list of
Abilities and Weaknesses that are appropriate
to the genre, but you are not obligated
to use just these, nor are you obligated
to use them at all. This is your character.
Make it how you want it.
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Game Mechanics -
Ever
been annoyed by adding endless dice? Sick
of trying to pick out that elusive eight
sider? And for the more eccentric, ever
get a buzz out of rolling doubles, but
don't get much to show for it?
Ricochet
remedies all of these problems. The only
kind of die used in Ricochet is the standard
six sider. Not only do you not have to
pick out the right ever-changing kind
of dice to roll, but you can steal dice
from all those old boardgames you have.
Ricochet
also uses a new and innovative dice mechanic
that eliminates adding too many numbers.
Just roll all dice that apply to the situation
and take the highest. If any dice are
alike, combine them to form a single number.
This keeps you from endless numbers, but
also provides a greater range than other
take-the-highest systems.
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It's Simple -
Although
there's plenty for the knowledgeable gamer,
Ricochet at its core is very simple. Almost
anyone can get enough of a jist to sit
down and play. This makes it great for
introducing unexperienced players to your
game, while retaining all the flexibility
of a more complex system.
Oh
yeah, and it's fun. :)
We
hope that you will enjoy this system as
much as we have creating it. Our goal
has always been to make a new system that
is easy, flexible, and without all the
unneccessary pitfalls that have traditionally
plagued RPGs. We'll let you be the judge
on whether we succeeded.
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