ICRPG basic rules

ICRPG is like a simplified version of D&D. There aren't too many rules to memorise, and I will always call on mechanics you forget.

Firstly, and above any written rules: ICRPG is intended as a DIY toolkit of a system, allowing us to fill in missing details, add mechanics as needed, or ignore what isn't relevant. For our purposes I want to keep the rules relatively light where possible. I will always listen to suggestions for rulings, or interpretations of mechanics, proposed by players.

The major mechanics will be presented below.

STATS AND EFFORT

* ICRPG has six STATS which are the same as in most D&D derivatives - Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These are presented as modifiers, with the usual minimum being 0.

* Each stat is usually self-explanatory, but some may be a little confusing for newcomers. STR is used for melee attacks, DEX for ranged. CON affects your DEFENCE score. INT is for book-smarts, learning, and I tend to tune it for intellectual actions that take time/effort/resources, like research, while WIS is more for snap judgement, perception, and instinct. CHA is how well you sway people, but will not allow you to sway people past their realistic boundaries.

* STATS are modifiers which are added to a d20 roll when doing something dangerous, uncertain, or when an ability or mechanic calls for one. The aim is usually to beat the room’s TARGET NUMBER, or sometimes, to beat a contested roll.

* There is a secret STAT which is derived from CON + armour bonuses - this is your DEF modifier. Your total DEF is then 10+this modifier, which is what threats will need to hit you. Sometimes you may be asked to roll your DEF, in which case you just roll the modifier without the added 10.

* EFFORT is equivalent to damage in other systems, but is used to damage more than just enemy health.

* Everything has four levels of EFFORT: BASIC(d4), WEAPON/TOOL(d6), GUN/EXPLOSIVE(d8), MAGIC(d10), and ULTIMATE(d12). These are pretty self-explanatory - every single weapon or tool (unless otherwise stated) will deal WEAPON/TOOL EFFORT plus your modifier in that particular EFFORT type.

* Rolling a natural 20 on a roll where EFFORT is applied means you instead roll ULTIMATE EFFORT - something to keep in mind if you’re going for a crit-focused build.

* EFFORT is usually going against something’s HEARTS. 1 HEART = 10 points of EFFORT. PCs start with 1 HEART and thus can take 10 points of EFFORT damage before they are downed.

* Do not feel trapped by BASIC doing so little damage compared to GUN or MAGIC - this is a game built around loot, and BASIC effort can never be taken away from you. Furthermore, increments of 10 means an enemy could still be killed in 3 rounds with just fists, or less.

* EFFORT can represent health, but can be used in many contexts - the amount of EFFORT it takes to convince a king, keelhaul a ship, interpret magic runes, etc.

TARGET NUMBER (EASY & HARD)

* ICRPG splits its adventures into "rooms", or "scenes". For the sake of expediency, every action in a room shares a TARGET NUMBER, or TN.

* Players (And sometimes, NPCs) must roll equal to or over the TN to succeed an action.

* Nat 20 always succeeds.

* Sometimes, a task may be made EASY or HARD by circumstance, knowledge, planning, skill, or teamwork. EASY rolls treat the TN as 3 lower. HARD rolls treat the TN as 3 higher.

* Example: a TN of 12 becomes 9 when rolling EASY, and 15 when rolling HARD.

* It’s generally a good idea to try and get EASY rolls, and I will always listen to plea bargains to make someone’s roll EASY (or normal, if previously HARD) by taking an action you think appropriate.

* Taking the exact same action twice in a row results in it being EASY the second time if you failed the first time, or potentially negating the need for a roll if it succeeded and is a routine task.

ABILITIES AND LOOT

* Loot is the major focus of this game. Often you will be rolling on random tables to get incidental Loot.

* PCs can have 10 pieces of Loot equipped, and 10 carried. You can swap these around at will, but sometimes it might make rolls HARD to do so in pitched combat. I make no restrictions on what can and can’t be equipped or carried at a time, only that heavy items might take up multiple slots.

* Loot can and will be lost, stolen, degraded, made obsolete. This is how the game stays somewhat balanced. If I give you a piece of Loot that is making the game less fun, we will have a discussion of whether to change it during play. True balance is not the aim of this game.

* Remember you can give Loot to anyone!

* Abilities are rarer, but cannot be taken away from you so easily. They are innate.

* On a similar track, Augments are somewhat innate, presuming to act like Loot with no inventory space, and can be taken away, but less often. These are things like cyborg parts, etc. We will not be worrying about Powers in this game, if you’re following the Master Edition sheet. That’s for superhero stuff.

ROUNDS & TURNS

* In most cases, freeform posting is acceptable. However, where timing matters (such as a conflict scene), we move into ROUNDS and TURNS.

* Much like D&D, a ROUND is made up of individual TURNS that happen sequentially at the table, but more or less simultaneously in universe (or close after another, depending). Unlike D&D, there is no specific time set for a ROUND - it is as short or as long as the situation demands.

* In a PCs turn, they can do one of the following: move NEAR, take action, move&action (in either order), or move FAR. Movement will be explained below.

* Unless surprised, players always go first. At a table, it would go clockwise starting from the GMs left, but for pbp, you would instead determine the turn order in the appropriate thread. Turn order can be changed at any time. It is useful to think about each player’s role on the team, items you may have, etc., when determining turn order.

* Once players have acted, all NPCs go and the next ROUND begins.

* Sometimes, TIMERS may be set to ROUNDS, sometimes, to TURNS - pay careful attention to which, as one will progress much faster than the other!

MOVEMENT

* There are 3 general bands of movement: CLOSE, NEAR, and FAR. There might also be DOUBLE FAR or something equivalent. These range bands are all relative, and represent more what you could reasonably do in a ROUND, cinematically, than any metric of distance.

* CLOSE generally denotes things within melee range, or reasonably reachable in melee range with little movement.

* NEAR means you have to take action to move to reach it, but a ranged attack could hit.

* FAR means you have to sprint to reach it, it might be in range of a remarkably long range weapon. You cannot move FAR and still take an action in combat under normal circumstances.

* Most movement will be done through theatre of the mind, but I will use maps/backdrops as appropriate, and estimate distances based on what’s dramatically appropriate, or marked by range bands.

DYING AND RECOVERY

* One of the only quantified mechanics outside of the core system is dying and recovery.

* Once reduced to 0 HP, you roll a d4: this is how many ROUNDS you have until you’re permanently Dead.

* Unless you are reduced to -20 HP in a single moment, in which case you are obliterated immediately.

* Any ally can attempt to save your life with a "don’t die on me, man!" by getting close and performing a successful WIS check, or administering a healing potion/spell. This will stop you from dying, but leave you at 0 Hp, unconscious.

* When downed, you also roll a d20 every round, and on a critical success, you miraculously awaken with 1 HP.

* Whenever you would like, you can pull back and take a breather for a TURN. On a successful CON roll, you regain your CON + 1 HP.

* You can also recover HP through more obvious means, like medical kits, potions, etc., as you’d expect.

MILESTONES & LEVELLING UP

* There is no XP in this system. Instead, levelling up is done through picking up Loot, and MILESTONES.

* Milestones are granted by the GM at important, climactic, or unique intervals according to the narrative - finding a cool location, defeating a powerful boss, achieving something unique to your character archetype. A lot of the time this will involve gaining a cool piece of Loot relevant to your character. Sometimes you may wish to take a Milestone Ability from your class, or select from the tier list of Milestones available in the book.

* Instead of being prescriptive, I would rather players tell me what advances they are looking towards for their character - in dialogue, we can work out what an appropriate Milestone might be, especially for classes which are homebrew.

* Every time you roll a Nat 20, you should mark a point of Mastery on your sheet. Once you hit 20 Mastery Points, you gain a Mastery Ability, which is generally an upgraded version of a starting ability - even if you don’t have the original ability. These are powerful!

* You can fill your Mastery Track 3 times (not that I predict any player will even reach the first track, nonetheless the second or third... but you never know!)

HERO COIN

* A staple of ICRPG, Hero Coins are awarded for a variety of reasons: great roleplay, funny moments, epic standoffs, shining the spotlight on fellow players, imaginative plays...

* You can only hold one at a time, so use it, don’t hoard it.

* Spend the Hero Coin to reroll a single d20, add a d12 to any roll, or potentially bargain for an impossible odds. You can also give your Coin to another player if you think they deserve it, or need the help.

* If you have a Hero Coin, you should preface every post you have with that information, so you don’t forget, and to incentivise you to use it. Like so:

RULE OF COOL

Alright, this one’s not an "official" rule... but it’s definitely in the spirit of ICRPG! Rule of cool trumps individual mechanics if those mechanics are getting in the way. Not only this, but players should be proactive, risk-takers, and not afraid of the blaze of glory! A memorable character is better than a safe one.

Remember: while it’s good to know the rules so that you can know when to roll without my input when it’s obvious, it’s better to simply describe what you want to do and worry about fitting mechanics to it later than trying to play to the rules exactly every time. Worst comes to worst I’ll ask you to pull it back a little if it breaks the game, but I want to let you do cool shit.

You can find a free quickstart of the rules on drivethrurpg, if you're interested in taking a look at specifics, or for help with character creation.