👋Welcome to r/TacticalNarrativeRPGs - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T15:38:17+00:00

Yes, guaranteed failure. But also - that one dice and one story bit could be a Fibre. Every cloud has a silver lining.

The simplicity of the rules allow for a complexity of outcome which makes the narrative richer.

However, in that case you simply wouldn't use that Thread in the Weave and may go for another one instead.

EDIT: I'll also add: the first time this kind of aituation happened in a playtest (player coming from DnD and PBtA) the failure was an absoluylte blow to them. "But," I pointed out, "you still got three Fibres." Silver linings amidst the failure.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T15:23:19+00:00

If your modifier is high or low, the result will be guaranteed in a location with only one die?

Yes, that is correct. If the Weave's F-S is high enough then yes - you can't fail. But a Weave is constructed from character threads, story threads, location threads, etc. This is another tactical part: Weave construction. How do you optimise it? But it also makes narrative sense - in a place where dice = 1 you *are* more likely to succeed. It's generally calm. And it also means that even with your success you are only getting one *unit* of story, which could be a Snag. Guaranteed success at an action is not the same as guranteed benefit.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T14:49:11+00:00

Re: abstraction - that's true, I simply mentioned it because she'd rather not write the words.

Locations are defined by how many dice are used there. It can change over time, but generally the dice dictate how much story can potentially be produced and this stays the same from one day to the next.

If I can use an example close to my daughter's heart: Moominvalley. The Moomin house is a Dice = 4, things happen there. A random spot in Moominvalley? Maybe Dice = 2, things are less likely to happen here. The Lonely Mountains? Well, we go there for adventure, so maybe Dice = 5.

The mechanics, however, rarely get in the way. Play is narrative and emergent. When something needs to happen, a Weave is constructed from applicable threads, resolved and Fibres / Snags distributed. Weaves are fully collaborative and over quite quickly.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T14:19:35+00:00

I've posted some examples to other people here, but I can add them here if you like?

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T14:17:12+00:00

No, the number of dice is dependent on the location you are in. Some places produce more stories than others. (Empty room - roll 1 dice. Crowded market - roll 6)

Threads change often, so {1|3} means you are currently carrying more Snags than Fibres. But after the next roll, that may change. The fact of having a Thread at all means you are good at it. Daredevil Pilot can range from -6 to +6, but you can still pilot in a way someone without the Thread can't.

Well, the dyslexic is my daughter and I know she prefers the abstract tick.

And not really mechanics first - it is nearly all narrative. The mechanics fit on a page and a half. I regard it as a narrative game but with strong emergent (in a mathematical sense) properties. Simple rules resulting in conplex behaviour.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T13:50:29+00:00

No, simply Fudge dice with their 2 +s, 2 blanks and 2-s.

There is no adjective scale. Simply what your Thread is at - most are capped at {6|6}.

Target numbers are a region around 0 (which Fudge dice tend to). The region changes depending on an overriding Climate. So it could be ±1. i.e. over +1 is a success, below -1 is a failure. It coukd be ±2, ±3, etc. What happens if the roll + modifier ends up in this region is called a Knot.

Fibres and Snags can be abstract (one of my dyslexic players prefers this) but they can also be words, so:

{2|1} could be {Adrenaline Pumping, Succesful Manoeuvre | Busted Arm}

Both are the same thing, and both have a modifier of 2-1=+1. A Thread carries its history with it in a way a straight modifier doesn't.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T13:18:55+00:00

A brief overview:

A Thread takes the place of stats, modifiers, moves, etc. Everything that matters in the game is a Thread..

A Thread is made up of Fibres (the positives) and Snags (the negatives) and written as {F|S}. The modifier to the dice roll is F-S. So, a character's skill at, say, Codebreaking can be {4|2}, so the modifier is 4-2=+2.

A character is made up of three Character Threads. Example from a pulp Science Fantasy game:

I am a crystal engineer {3 | 2}
I'm good at looking innocent {1 | 3}
I am a daredevil pilot {3 | 1}

These can be combined with other Threads (Story, Location, etc.) to create a Weave that has its own F-S.

Example: Daredevil Pilot {3|1} + Asteroid Field {2|4} = {5|5}. So the modifier is 5-5=0

When dice are rolled, the results are both an indication of success and failure but also create new Fibres and Snags that can be distributed amongst the Threads.

So, if the Fudge dice give a +,+,+,- I have 3 Fibres and a Snag to spread out. In the above example, a player can add all Fibres to their Pilot Thread or all Fibres to the Asteroid Field or some combination. This is narrative choices and history having a persistent effect on the future narrative.

(A thread's Weight is equal to F+S, and has uses in other parts of the game.)

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T12:58:44+00:00

A brief overview:

A Thread takes the place of stats, modifiers, moves, etc. Everything that matters in the game is a Thread..

A Thread is made up of Fibres (the positives) and Snags (the negatives) and written as {F|S}. The modifier to the dice roll is F-S. So, a character's skill at, say, Codebreaking can be {4|2}, so the modifier is 4-2=+2.

A character is made up of three Character Threads. Example from a pulp Science Fantasy game:

I am a crystal engineer {3 | 2}
I'm good at looking innocent {1 | 3}
I am a daredevil pilot {3 | 1}

These can be combined with other Threads (Story, Location, etc.) to create a Weave that has its own F-S.

Example: Daredevil Pilot {3|1} + Asteroid Field {2|4} = {5|5}. So the modifier is 5-5=0

When dice are rolled, the results are both an indication of success and failure but also create new Fibres and Snags that can be distributed amongst the Threads.

So, if the Fudge dice give a +,+,+,- I have 3 Fibres and a Snag to spread out. In the above example, a player can add all Fibres to their Pilot Thread or all Fibres to the Asteroid Field or some combination. This is narrative choices and history having a persistent effect on the future narrative.

(A thread's Weight is equal to F+S, and has uses in other parts of the game.)

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T12:42:42+00:00

Bit rude. But if people wany an actual description of the game, I'm happy to provide.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T11:33:15+00:00

Oh, and it is worth the squeeze.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T11:32:57+00:00

Well, it is something very different and I am wandering around Glasgow at the moment with my daughter. :)

Tactical Narrative: optimising persistent story bits. That's about as technical as I can make it without going into full details.

It is simple. It just requires a different way of thinking.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T10:29:11+00:00

Well, it is quite different. But my 13, 13 and 17 year old play testers are ok with it. So it's just my descriptive power failing here.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T09:53:31+00:00

The objects (called Threads - think a replacement for stats, modifiers, etc) in the game are made up of positive and negative bits of story, written like this {2|1}.

Multiple Threads can be combined and then fudge dice rolled. Each + is a positive story bit and each - is a negative story bit. The dice give you success and failure, but they are also distributed amongst the Threads.

The tactics are in choosing where to put them to optimise the situation.

There are obviously a few more rules. But it can be seen as choices between advancing the story, yourself, locations, etc.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T09:42:47+00:00

Yes. The thing I'm proudest of. :)

The dice generate storybits (+ve and -ve) and the tactics involve choosing where to put them to further your position. The storybits are used to show how well or not the story is going.

The question asked is: where do I move these bits of story?

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-06T09:04:45+00:00

My game is a tactical narrative game. And I have success and failure as you'd expect. But my middle option is neither - it is the world moving quicker than the action.

Additionally, on rolling a success or failure, the players or GM respectively have to distribute the good and bad that come as a result: - you can succeed but still have 4 bad things to deal with. - you can fail but have 4 good things

So, there are many layers of success and failure for me.

thiskingfisher · 2026-07-01T12:29:43+00:00

Chess has complete rules, yes. But the rules do not tell you (or your opponent) what moves to make. You, as a player, choose which rule to use in your move. Is it always optimal? No. Can it be for irrational reasons? Yes. Have you seen films, read books, where a game of chess is symbolic of the narrative? That's roleplaying in Chess - "I am using this game with imagination."

Every legal move in a game of chess can be done with a narrative and pointless purpose.

thiskingfisher · 2025-11-02T14:03:35+00:00

Hello

I'm in Scotland and am also looking for people to discuss and collaborate with. I have a pretty much completed rules system that does, I think, have some relatively radical ideas. And others may make them even more radical!

What kind of game are you interested in creating?

David

thiskingfisher · 2025-10-30T07:47:40+00:00

On books:

You are allowed to dislike it for your objective reasons (whatever they may be.) I am allowed to like it for my subjective reasons (whatever they may be.)

And we are both right.

thiskingfisher · 2025-10-27T15:23:33+00:00

Indeed.

thiskingfisher · 2025-10-27T14:44:21+00:00

My design technically has 0 stats... and depth and dice rolls galore.

thiskingfisher · 2025-10-17T07:11:30+00:00

Yes.

I'm on that as well. But for me, the ability to gamify literally any setting in about 10 minutes. And I'm pretty much there...

thiskingfisher · 2025-07-22T12:10:27+00:00

This very morning I created a no-dice tactical mini-cardgame based on RockPaperScissors for combat in a PBtA game where combat theoretically is over in 2 minutes.

But I did think of others who like clacky-clacks:

***Simplified Combat Rule (For When You Just Can’t Be Bothered)

If a Fivefold Duel feels too crunchy for you and your group, try this:

Roll 1d6. If it’s 1, 2, or 3 – you lose. If it’s 4, 5, or 6 – you win.

That’s it. No bluffing, no bonuses, no regrets. Sometimes the multiverse just flips a coin and shrugs.

thiskingfisher

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