New House Rule: Do Anything

“People look at the rules set to see what they can do in the game.”

That quote’s from a great email I received from Roleplaying Tips GM Steve S.

And it’s often true. For example, lately I tried the Fallout and Dark Eye RPGs. And both times, when not my turn, I was scanning the rules looking at possible actions and modifiers.

New players especially can fall into the trap of putting mechanical blinders on and thinking they can only do what’s listed on their character sheet.

I propose we add a new House Rule to our campaigns.

The House Rule simply states your core mechanic. Almost every RPG system has one. And it often boils down to:

Target Roll = Level + Ability Mods + Gear Mods + Situation Mods.

Level could be skill level, character level, class level, or other base score your system might use.

Ability Mods cover the character sheet. Scores, racial knacks, feats, and so on.

Gear Mods are bonuses from equipment, magic items, destructibles, and such.

Situation Mods include environment, help from teammates, roleplay bonus, and additional boons and penalties standard for your group, GMing style, and game system.

More abstract systems can support this House Rule too. FATE, for example:

4dF + Skill + Stunt + Fate >= Difficulty

The trick in how this helps players take the blinders off and become more creative with their actions is in how you frame this House Rule.

Call it the Do Anything Roll. And put it on an index card, Post It, or at the top of each character sheet.

Explain this is how the roll goes for anything not listed elsewhere on their character sheet. “You’re not limited to what’s on the page. You can try anything. Want to swing from a chandelier or throw sand in a goblin’s face? Here’s the single calculation.”

It’s not really a new rule. It’s your existing core mechanic put forth on a reminder note. Incentivize it if you like, but simply calling this out should get characters taking new and interesting actions.

Print this, post it, and next session, watch players go stunt happy. Get those Fail Forward tables ready now. 🙂

Cheers,
Johnn
roleplayingtips.com
https://discord.gg/6MxTRAqQ76
Have more fun at every game!

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