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AnimOuch! Animation (The Rules) Roleplaying games have a completely different approach to other types of games. The game occurs mainly in the heads of the GM and the players.
Roleplaying is just make believe with rules, an advanced form of cowboys and indians. It is often compared to ad-libbing on radio or TV. Each player plays the part of one character within a universe controlled by the GM. The GM describes the situation and the players respond to it the way they feel their character would react. The GM also plays the parts of all the other people in the universe, the NPCs (Non Player Characters).
A major part of the appeal of RPGs is the lack of formality. Characters do not act within a rigid framework, they spend most of their time reacting to the situation as described by the GM. Common sense is used to decide how long each action takes. Only in combat is a more rigid system of initiative and turns enforced.
The GM has a far greater role in a role playing game (RPG) than in any other type of game. The game must be planned and set up. The GM spends a lot of the game describing events, people, and situations to the players. On top of this the GM must play all the NPCs make rule decisions and arbitrate any disputes. It's a lot of work, but it has a few benefits, though most are difficult to define. You get to be creative with the world and you are the only one that really knows what is going on. The feeling when a game runs well is hard to beat, and often the players are willing to feed you treats in the hope of getting in your good books.
If the GM is not careful it is easy for the players to misunderstand the situation they are in. For this reason the GM must be careful to describe more than would seem necessary. It is really hepful to describe more than just the bare bones of any situation. Sounds and smells really help make the situation come to life in the players' minds.
Role playing places a lot of emphasis on things other than just fights. It also involves a lot of incidental characters, these are known as non player characters as they are controlled by the GM and not a player.
Role playing connects storylines together (known as scenarios) to play a larger part of the characters lives. There is no winner or loser in a role playing game as the players are not competing against each other, they are interacting with a world created by the GM.
Playing the Role Playing Game In a role-playing game most of the action occurs in the players' and GM's heads. The GM describes the situation to the players who respond with their players actions. Dice are rolled when there is an element of chance involved. Generally it is easier to continue through the story without resorting to rolling dice. Dice should be used whenever the outcome of an action is not guaranteed, or the GM feels it would be good to know how well (or badly) the action went.
When characters are communicating with NPCs (usually talking) there are two
ways to go about it. Either the player(s) and GM act out the conversation or
they just describe the gist of it and roll on the relevant skill. The approach
you use is best determined by the people in your group, some people are more
comfortable with
At all times the GM must try to be very descriptive, this helps the players get `into character' and makes it easier for them to react naturally to the situation. Be creative, describe not only what they can see, but also what they can hear, feel and smell.
The Basic System For any attempt a character (PC or NPC) makes they must roll equal to or less than the target number for the attempt on 2 six sided dice (2D6).
The default target number for all attempts is 7 for partial success, 6 for total. This is then modified up or down by the GM to adjust for added ease or difficulty of the situation. Finally the character's ability or skill is added to the target number (i.e. the better they are, the easier it is to do).
It is up to the GM to decide what any target numbers are. If what is being attempted is easy for the character (such as an expert driver parking the car in a driveway) then the target number should be high. If what is being attempted is difficult for the character (such as parking the car in rush hour with a blindfold on) then it should be low.
The GM should also take into account any preparations the player(s) involved have made. If they have planned in advance for the situation and arranged things in their favour then the target number should be adjusted to suit.
Amusement value is very important. If the attempt is amusing to the GM, or exceptionally suitable for the character as the GM sees it, then boost the the target number as you see fit.
The lower the amount rolled the better the task was accomplished. A roll four below the target number is a Skill Shot. This means that the task was accomplished exceptionally well.
Target Number Suggestions: Ridiculously easy 10 Simple 9 Basic 8 Normal 7 Tricky 6 Tough 5 Really hard 4
Generally target numbers should be between four and ten, as even a modifier of one from the basic seven affects the chance of success greatly.
Lord FredXXX has set up an ambush. He wants to catch AkiraXXX unawares this time. He hides in a copse in the park opposite AkiraXXX's apartment while AkiraXXX's at work, ready to strike when he gets home.
The GM makes a check to see if anyone else notices Lord FredXXX while he waits in this popular park. He then gives him a target number of ten for the attempt. Lord FredXXX rolls a five, a skill shot! Ten minutes later AkiraXXX is in the back of a laundry van heading to Lord FredXXX's base.
A roll of 2 is an automatic success. A roll of 12 is an automatic failure; 10, 11 & 12 are automatic fails for a character attempting a skill she hasn't got.
Opposed Attempts If what a character is attempting is directly opposed by another character then it is an opposed attempt. Examples are armwrestling, sneaking up on someone, picking pockets.
An opposed attempt requires both characters to roll 2D6, add their relevant abilities or skills and any modifiers the GM thinks apply. The highest total wins.
All target numbers and modifiers given here are suggestions only. GMs should use their own judgement when assigning them.
Fudging it When necessary the GM should 'fudge' target numbers for both PCs and NPCs.
Under no circumstances is it necessary to explain to players in detail what factors lead to a target number you have assigned. If players argue too much about the value of a target number (this will usually only be done by a 'rules lawyer', a dangerous breed of player that occasionally crops up) then feel free to recalculate it and end up with a lower value, you should then apologise for making things too easy.
When necessary fudge target numbers where needed to keep the game or storyline going.
The most important factor in any roleplaying game is the game itself. It is important not to place too much emphasis on the storyline you have developed at the expense of the players' enjoyment. If they are having fun wandering off at a tangent then let them, you can always bring the story back to them later.
Combat Combat is a slightly different case to the rest of the game. In order to keep track of what is going on in the chaos of a fight it is necessary to structure the flow of the game more than you would otherwise.
Combat Turn Sequence Combat is broken down into turns. In reality (i.e. on screen) everything would be happening at once, but to make the action understandable to the players and the GM and reduce the complexity of the situation it is broken down into individual turns. Each turn consists of the following:
1 Characters roll 1D6 then add or subtract their initiative modifier. Highest goes first.
2 Characters take their individual turns which consist of Movement and Attacks. Each character can either: - move then attack, - move then wait for a target to attack, - attack then move, or - attack while moving. - alternatively heroes may heal so long as they do not move or attack.
Civvies and Plebs act in groups (teams, herds) that are treated as individual characters. The whole group moves at the same time and goes into combat together against the same character or group.
If you want to get more complex with the turn system and break it down into phases or parts of turns, be my guest. You may find that it slows the game down a lot though
Initiative At the beginning of each turn roll one die for each character. The player may then add the character's initiative.
The character with highest total goes first, followed by the others in descending sequence. If there is a tie then the characters that tied reroll for position within that slot.
Options for initiative You can decide if you want to use these or not.
A player can decide to hold a character's turn until some or all of those with lower initiative have taken their turns.
If the character was hurt last turn subtract three from the total.
If each player has a number of characters in the game it might make the game flow slowly. Take the average initiative of a player's characters and make one roll for them all. This would mean that all of a player's characters act at the same time, effectively breaking the game down into player turns.
If you are breaking the game into player turns you must decide if each character should be dealt with individually or if all the figures move at once and fire together. Either option works well, it's a case of personal taste.
Alternatively each player in a large game (more than four characters per side) could roll just one die and then apply each character's initiative modifier to it.
Healing A character that elects to heal in her turn heals as many wounds as she has points in healing. Healing characters may not perform any other action during the turn, but their characteristics still apply if they are attacked. A character cannot heal to greater than the original wound value.
Movement Each character can move up to his movement distance for the movement mode currently selected. Characters can change direction as much as they want within their turn, although the GM may require them to slow down for ridiculously sharp turns.
Characters cannot change movement mode within a turn with the exception of leaping which can be done once per turn at no movement penalty.
A character can rotate to face any direction after moving at a cost of one inch of movement, otherwise the character must face the direction she was moving.
If a character has an enemy move into base to base contact with him then he may be turned to face the attacker.
Running or swimming characters must stay on the surface they are moving on with the exception of using leap (either to go over vertical obstacles or horizontal gaps or just to look good).
Flying characters can move any direction they want so long as they avoid obstacles. They can land at the end of a turn they flew in at a cost of one quarter of their movement. Alternatively, announce the change in movement mode at the beginning of a turn and use the new movement type for the turn. If the character would like to land but does not have the movement to make it to a landing place (such as the ground), they can elect to crash-land (i.e. fall) from the position their movement gets them to, see Knockback for details on how much damage they take.
Indicating the altitude of flying characters is not easy. Flight
Combat Each character can make one offensive or defensive attack per turn. The target, the weapon and any special effects being used must be announced to the other players or the referee before any rolls are made.
Instead of attacking a character can go on alert and wait for a target to appear in it's visual arc (see Glossary for further details). The character can then announce her intention to attack at any time during the remainder of the turn so long as she has not become involved in hand-to-hand combat.
A character that is in base to base contact (i.e. bases touching) with an enemy is in hand to hand combat and may not use a ranged attack against that enemy.
Characters involved in hand to hand combat have a chance to attack back (riposte) if still conscious and in base to base contact after being attacked. The riposte is made immediately after the original attack. It does not prevent the character taking his own turn. For ranged attacks there must be a direct line from the attacker to at least part of the target. The direct line between the attacker and the target must measure less than or equal to the attack's extreme range. If there is anything blocking this line then the attack may be stopped by it. For area effect attacks this line must be measured to the point designated as the centre of the attack.
If the target is a group of pleb or civvy figures then the ability to track line of sight to any one figure is all that's needed. The attack can then go through to the whole group.
For direct attacks the target area is the area encompassed by the base and the full height of the defending character. Watch out for players using ultra tiny figures or bases so they present less of a target (unless it's a super deformed game).
For area effect attacks the target area is the attack's diameter measured from the centre point of the attack. First roll to see if the target point was hit, then roll to hit for each target inside the attack's area of effect. Don't forget to attack friends, unless the `specific area effect' power is being used.
A character without a hand to hand attack listed may charge into the target instead. This body checking or suicide run may be used to as a zero accuracy attack inflicting 1 dice of damage per 5" moved to both attacker and attacked (roll seperately).
Hitting A roll of seven or less on 2D6 is required to hit. This is the basic target number of an attack which is modified by various factors:
N The target number is modified up by attacker's accuracy and down by defender's avoidance.
N Avoidance doesn't count for ranged attacks from behind the defender, i.e. the attack is coming in from the rear half of the figure's base (the blind side).
N Avoidance doesn't count for attacks that are not expected by Different terrain slows down each movement mode differently. e.g. a beach slows down a swimmer a lot more than a runner. In general rough terrain (i.e. terrain that could slow down the character - rooms filled with desks, asteroid fields, swamps, etc.) takes twice as long to move through as clear terrain, so each inch moved in this type of terrain takes two inches from the available movement.
Vertical obstacles costs twice the height of the obstacle in movement unless they are leapt over. If the character does not have enough movement left at the time then it will have to wait till next turn or find another route. Characters without any leap may not cross vertical obstacles taller than themselves.
Optional movement rules Falling A character that falls or drops further than it's leap ability will take damage, as given in the Knockback section, for the distance greater than leap.
Collisions Many anime characters seem to spend their lives bouncing off walls, tripping over chairs, crashing expensive vehicles, and walking into lampposts. Any character that passes within it's own base width of an obstacle while moving more than 10" in the turn may collide with the obstacle.
To avoid a collision the character must roll two dice and get less than seven plus the sum of initiative and avoidance (the relevant drive skill should be used instead of avoidance if the character is driving a vehicle). If the roll is equal to this total the character has clipped the obstacle (partial success), and must slow down to half the intended speed for the rest of the turn, taking no damage. The referee should assign modifiers if the character was distracted or doing something silly (walking backwards while firing springs to mind).
If a collision occurs both the character and the obstacle hit will take one die of damage for every five inches being moved that turn. The character will not take more damage than the maximum damage the obstacle could take. For example a Toughness 5, Wounds 2 door could not inflict more than 10 points of damage before being destroyed (See Attacking Terrain). Should the character survive, or get a partial success on the attempt, he loses half his remaining movement for the turn.
A pilot character, with 1 initiative and 2 in drive aerospace fighter, flying at a speed of 20" that passes too close to a wall after 6" must roll a 9 or less to avoid hitting the wall. Hitting the wall would do 4 dice of damage to her fighter. A roll of 10 would be a partial success, so she could only move a further 7" after clipping the wall ([20-6]/2 = 7).
Space Flight Some manga and anime take into account such real world issues as acceleration, inertia and breaking in space. If you wish to emulate this in a campaign things get more complex.
In space there is virtually no maximum speed due to the lack of resistance, acceleration is more important. Each craft (character) can accelerate or decelerate by half it's movement distance per turn.
Damage When an attack hits damage is calculated by rolling one die for every point of impact. Damage may be modified by the following:
N If the precise target number is rolled then a glancing blow has been struck, halve the damage done.
N If the roll was four less than the target number (skill shot) add one point to every dice rolled.
If Molly's target number was a nine and she rolled a five or less then she could add one to each damage dice rolled.
N If the attack is at extreme range, halve the damage done.
N For hand to hand attacks made while the attacker is flying, subtract one from the damage done by each dice.
N If the attacker's move exceeded 10" when moving into hand-to-hand combat this turn add one point to each dice rolled (the character's leap bonus can be added unless flying).
Molly is 8" away from Skaleng. By adding her 3" leap she can gain the +1 bonus for moving over 10", plus she also gets to perform impressive acrobatics.
In all cases where you have to halve the damage done it is best to roll all the dice and halve the result rather than rolling half the number of dice. If you get two half damage results (e.g. extreme range glancing blow) then quarter the damage. If you have to halve the damage, but also add one to the damage done (e.g. extreme range skill shot) roll all the dice, add one to each then halve it.
Hurting Characters If damage exceeds the target's Toughness for that type of attack, the character is hurt and takes a wound.
Damage amounts totalling multiples of the target's Toughness inflict multiple wounds. Partial amounts are ignored.
Chen the Wandering Kung Fu Master with toughness 12 will take two wounds if Chung-Po the Assassin's kamikaze death kick does 28 damage, the remaining four points are ignored.
If the target was a group of pleb figures then remove figures from the group to simulate the losses.
For added realism (aka complexity) you could drop the fighting potential of a reduced strength pleb group by reducing the impact of it's attacks. The gain is unlikely to be worth the effort though.
If hurt enough times the character is out of the game, they either die or decide to get low. Civvies `die' (take no further action in the game) on the first wound. Toughies and Plebs can be considered dead once they have taken wounds equal to or exceeding their wounds total. Heroes are unconscious, but can regain wounds through healing, as they are not taking actions.
Normal sized figures should be removed from play, larger figures should be laid on their sides or back to indicate their status. Hero figures should be laid on their side to indicate unconsciousness, though for larger mechanical heroes (space cruisers, tanks etc.) you can use cotton wool to indicate smoke.
Unconscious flying characters will come plummeting to the ground, taking damage as normal.
Heroes only die once they have received enough damage to take
N Attacks against targets that were hit with the same attack by the same character in the previous turn are at plus one to hit.
N Ranged attacks made at a distance less than one quarter of the maximum range (short range), or diameter for area effect attacks (ground zero), are at plus one to hit.
N Ranged attacks made at a distance over one half of the maximum range (long range), or diameter for area effect attacks, are at minus one to hit.
N Attacks made at extreme range (i.e. beyond the effective range but less than twice the effective range) are at minus three to hit.
N There is a -1 to an attack if more than 1/2 of the target is obscured by solid cover. Solid cover is any cover that has a toughness over 5.
N The attacker is at -1 to hit if she has lost 1/2 or more of her original wounds.
N If either the attacking or defending character is flying (i.e. the last movement mode used was flight and the character hasn't landed) ranged attacks are at -1 to hit.
N If the attack occurs during the attacker's movement (i.e. the character has already moved and intends to move further) the attack is at -2.
N Apply any modifiers you think are applicable from the player's description of what he is attempting. Generally at least a +1 should be applied by the GM if the attempted attack is entertaining or inventive.
N If the attacker rolls a natural 2 then the attack automatically hits, if the roll is a natural 12 then it is an automatic miss. This is regardless of any modifiers to the attack. Scatter for Ranged Area Effect Weapons A ranged area effect weapon that misses it's target is going to go off somewhere. Often a missed area effect attack can devastate the attackers team.
Roll one die for the direction of scatter, then look it up on the chart below.
Roll to see the distance of scatter. You should roll the number of dice where the maximum possible roll would just exceed half of the range from the attacker to the target. If the range was four inches roll a D3, if it was seven inches roll a D6, if it was thirty inches roll 3D6.
Roll to see what has been hit from this new centre point.
Spray Fire - Advanced Rule Any attack may split up into multiple smaller attacks. The impact of an attack can be divided up into equal size attacks (any impact remaining after dividing is lost). These attacks are used at the same time, but may be against different targets. These must be rolled for separately.
Shagren has an energy blaster that does seven impact. When fighting plebs he
often sprays wide areas as either three attacks with two impact, two attacks
with three
Knockback Yeah, I know. Knockback is unrealistic in real life, but it is common in all kinds of anime. It is also used here to represent throws.
Once the damage has been calculated for an attack roll for any knockback done by it. Roll one die for every point of Knockback done by the attack. If, for a zero range attack, the amount rolled is greater than the amount rolled for damage then the attacker chooses the direction of knockback, otherwise it is away from the attack.
If this should slam the character into another object, like a wall, battleship, or another character then the character will take one point of damage per inch that was not moved. The object hit will take the same amount of damage and may also be knocked back, if so the character hitting it will travel with it. This same rule is used for other collisions.
If the character should be knocked off a roof or through a window it is quite possible to take more damage than the original attack did as falling characters take one point of damage for every inch fallen that exceeds their leap ability. Characters falling due to knockback need to make a roll of 7 or less or they will take damage for the full distance fallen.
This can lead to some fun pileups and chain reactions:
Margos the Mighty takes a swing at Slabo the Strong hitting him for 60 points of damage. Slabo's toughness 18 (these guys are in large mecha) means he takes 3 wounds. He flies backwards 12" but hits an office block after 2". This inflicts 10 dice of damage on him (which he ignores) but also 10 dice of damage on the building. The building already weakened when Margos' space ship landed in it collapses on the two combatants inflicting 120 damage points on each. Slabo takes another 6 wounds but Margos takes 12 (toughness only 10 he didn't want to pay for good armour) and collapses. Thus is completed the prophesy that Margos would be captured as a result of his actions.
For added complication but increased realism divide the knockback distance by the number of characters the character can carry. This allows for the effects of size. A bus that can carry 12 passengers must be hit by enough to inflict 12" of knockback (60 points of damage) to move it 1".
Unconscious Characters An unconscious character can be automatically captured by an enemy character moving into base-to-base contact. Alternatively they will be hit automatically by any character in base-to-base contact with them that wishes to attack. This does mean an unconscious character can be beaten to death rapidly once knocked unconscious.
Attacking Terrain Attacks against immobile items (not characters) within 10x the narrowest side of the target facing the attacker will automatically hit. Effectively the attacker is being given a +5 to the chance of hitting. This will drop by -1 for each extra multiple of this distance.
e.g. A barn wall 25" by 12" will be hit automatically from up to
120" - ten times the shorter measurement. A door that's
All terrain pieces should be given a toughness and number of hits by the referee. This is best done in modular sections for large items like walls. Examples: Normal door T 5, W 1; Heavy door T 10, W 2; Vault door T 20, W 4; 3" of Concrete wall T 10, W 3; Concrete pillar T 20, W 4.
These examples are for games with people as characters, adjust them to the scale of the game. If the standard character is a 30m mech then concrete walls would only have T 2, W 2 but starship hulls would be on T 10 W 3.
On top of this each structure (building, ship, aircraft etc....) should have a total number of wounds that it can take before collapsing completely.
e.g. A wooden building 4 storeys high 6" long and 4" wide has T6, W2 per 2" of wall. It can take a total of 6 wounds before collapsing
Running Away There are times when combat can suddenly seem like a huge waste of time to those involved.
A character seeing an enemy worth ten or more times it's Character Points is likely to get scared and run away. However if there is a nearer friendly character at least as valuable he will feel protected.
A pleb or toughie group or character that has lost either half or more of it's wounds so far, or a quarter of it's wounds from one attack may get scared.
Any character in this perilous situation must roll lower than 7 plus avoidance on 2D6 or run away (with appropriate sound effects). Characters that are running away should move as directly away from the threat as possible, only veering off for immobile objects such as walls or an enemy even nastier (more Character Points) than the one that got them running in the first place.
A character using camouflage skill to hide in a group of plebs or civvies may choose whether or not to be affected should the group run away.
Stun Attacks In the combat game there is no difference between a character that has been knocked unconscious and one that has been killed. In either case they are out of the game.
In an RPG, however, there is a big difference. Unconscious characters can continue in the game once they come round. There are many occasions when a character may prefer not to kill her opponent
Any attack a character has can be used as a stun attack instead of a lethal attack. Blades can be turned to use the flat, guns can use rubber bullets, phasers can be set to stun etc. A stun attack must be announced at the time the character's intention to attack is declared. If the attack hits it is treated as normal. The target still takes wounds, but they will heal in an hour or two.
Ranged Area Effect Options for AnimOuch!The rules for ranged area effect attacks given in the AnimOuch! rules were designed for simplicity. The following are optional rules to make their use more realistic. You should decide if you are going to use these rules before designing characters for a campaign. Ranged area effect attacks have a choice between two special effect types. Each attack can be defined as either Direct or Indirect. Direct attacksDirect attacks are those that spray an area like machine-guns, shotguns, salvo missiles and sonic cannon. Direct fire affects not only targets in the target area, but also those in a cone pattern extending from the closest point of the attacker’s base to the edges of the target area. Each target is attacked as for a normal ranged attack. The distance from the firer to each separate target is used for calculating the range. As well as targets in the target area all targets in the cone up to the attack area can be attacked with an extra -2 to the Target Number. If the centre of the target’s base does not fall within the cone there is another -1 to the Target Number as the target has an increased chance of getting out of the way. Example: In the picture above the Attacker is firing at medium range with an SMG at target a. Her valid targets are: a and b, in the target area, no extra modifiers; c, in the cone , at close range -2 +1 = -1; d, partially in the cone -1 -2 = -3. As each target is attacked separately there is no chance of scatter with a direct fire attack. Indirect AttacksIndirect attacks are those where the effect emanates from a central point like grenades, explosives, or gas. Indirect attacks work as described in the rules. i.e. fire at target point, roll for scatter if miss, then work out attacks on targets within the target area with ranged measured from the target point. Indirect attacks can clear vertical obstacles between the attacker and the target point. An indirect attack can clear an obstacle with a height of up to 1/4 of the effective range of the attack. Of course the firer would need to have some idea that the target is there (can see a bit of the target, told by a friend, lucky guess etc.) in order to attempt the attack.
If, when rolling for scatter, the attack ends up behind the attacker then treat it as a misfire. It doesn’t end up flying behind the attacker, but goes off then and there.
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