[Torg] Torg: A Unified Mechanic 1

[Jasyn Jones]

As has been noted in the past (IIRC by Travis and Phil, most  
recently), Torg's success charts can get cumbersome and complicated.  
Having to look at a large number of charts, just to implement basic  
mechanics, is slow, difficult to learn, and an impediment to new/ 
returning players. Prior suggestions to fix this issue correctly  
identified the problem, but didn't go far enough in streamlining the  
chart overload.

Recently, I've been working on unifying the many charts into one  
mechanic. The method chosen (see below) seems to work very well, as it  
eliminates the chart overload, and it also allows me to streamline  
other mechanics.

This method does have the drawback of requiring some radical changes  
to mechanics, however, and so will not suit everyone's needs. Given  
that caveat, I think it works well.

Rule of 4

Success, at any task, is measured on the same scale (instead of using  
many different and incompatible charts). The mechanic for determining  
success is very simple:

For every 4 points the Skill or Attribute total (generated normally)  
exceeds the Difficulty Number, the player earns 1 Success Level.  The  
more Success Levels earned, the better the player did.  All results  
are built on this.

Examples:

DN 10.  Skill total 10.  No SL.
DN 10.  Skill total 11.  1 SL.
DN 10.  Skill total 15.  2 SL.
DN 10.  Skill total 19.  3 SL.

General Success

With most skill or attribute checks, players don't need specific  
mechanical results, they just wants to know "Did I succeed and if so,  
how well?" This question can be quickly answered using the above  
mechanics, and the following rule of thumb:

1 SL = Basic success (no frills, barely succeeded)
2 or 3 SL = Solid Success (did well)
4+ SL = Superior Success (did remarkably well)

For most cases, this level of detail will suffice. More complicated  
rules include Pushes (Strength and Speed) and Wounds.
---
Jasyn Jones
jasynj (at) gmail (dot) com

Check out Storm Knights, my Torg website:
http://darleyconsulting.com/games/stormknights/

"To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson