Fundamentals

At the core of any roleplaying game are its resolution mechanics — methods the Game Master uses to determine the outcome of a scenario where the result is not immediately obvious, and for which there is something narratively at stake, meaning there are story-related consequences tied to the outcome. Examples of this might include whether a character slips and falls while trying to scale a wall, or how accurately a character is able to loose an arrow at a target 50 yards away. Most roleplaying games have resolution mechanics which involve some degree of random chance, most often utilizing dice, and SPURG is no exception.

Verdict Rolls

SPURG is designed to use common six-sided dice (abbreviated as d6) for its primary resolution mechanic: the Verdict Roll. A Verdict Roll is made to determine whether the outcome of a given scenario is positive or negative, whether a character’s attempt at something succeeds, or to determine which character is the winner in a contested action. In general, a Verdict Roll is appropriate whenever something significant is at risk or if something substantial is to be gained; for inconsequential tasks, or for occasions where the result is immediately obvious (like if a character tries to do something impossible) no roll is necessary — the GM simply determines the outcome.

To make a Verdict Roll, the GM or the player rolls three six-sided dice (3d6) and adds the sum of them together. The result of the roll will range from 3 to 18. For Verdict Rolls, a lower result indicates a more positive outcome. The result of the Verdict Roll is compared against a Target Number. If the result is equal to or less than the Target Number, the attempt is a success; if the result is higher than the Target number, the attempt is a failure.

In addition to making Verdict Rolls on behalf of non-player characters, there are a number of occasions where it is appropriate for the GM to make a Verdict Roll on behalf of a player’s character. A few examples are when the character cannot be immediately certain whether something they attempted was successful or not, such as when they try to conceal something, or when the character isn’t aware of what’s going on, like whether the character hears someone sneaking up on them.

Target Numbers

Target Numbers are determined ultimately by the GM. In most cases, the Target Number will correspond to either a character’s Ability Score or Skill Level. This number will often be modified to accommodate for circumstance — for instance, a character aiming their pistol at a target will have a range modifier applied to their Guns (Pistol) skill. The resulting number becomes the Target Number which the Verdict Roll is compared against. It is important to remember: modifiers are never applied to the Verdict Roll, only to the Target Number.

Margins of Success and Failure

In some cases how much lower or higher the Verdict Roll was compared to the Target Number is important. How much lower the Verdict Roll is than the Target Number is called the margin of success; likewise, how much higher the Verdict Roll is compared to the Target Number is called the margin of failure. When applicable, the margin of success or failure can be used by the GM to determine how positive or negative an outcome is.

Rolling particularly low or particularly high will result in a critical success or a critical failure, indicating an appropriately positive or negative result.

Critical Successes and Failures

Critical successes always occur on a roll of 3 or 4, while a roll of 5 is a critical success if the Target Number is 15, and a roll of 6 is a critical success if the Target Number is 16 or higher. Sometimes rules exist that indicate what happens when a critical success occurs, but even if no specific rule exists, GMs are encouraged to determine a positive outcome.

A critical failure results on a roll of 18, and on a roll of 17 if the Target Number is 15 or less. Additionally, any roll higher than 10 above the Target Number is automatically considered a critical failure. Like with critical successes, sometimes rules indicate an outcome for when a critical failure occurs, but even if no such rule exists, GMs should determine a negative outcome.

Contested Actions

If an action is contested — for example, if two characters grasp at a diamond ring at the same time — a Verdict Roll is made for both characters separately, and compared against their own respective Target Numbers. If only one character’s roll is equal to or less than their Target Number, that character is the victor. If all rolls are less than their respective Target Numbers, the victor is determined by which roll had the better margin of success; likewise, if all rolls are higher, the victor is determined by which character had the least margin of failure. If the margin is the same for all characters participating in the contest, it indicates a draw, or no winner.

For scenarios where characters compete for results over a period of time, such as in a foot race, the Verdict Roll operates in much the same way as above, except that margin of success or failure is ignored. Instead, no character is victorious until their roll is equal to or less than their Target Number, and all others in the competition have rolled higher than their Target Number. If no winner is determined, the contest is considered to be ongoing, and the GM determines how much time passes between each roll. Note that it is common for modifiers to be applied during a contest as time goes on to indicate characters growing more exhausted, losing focus, or as a result of the environment changing around them. The modifiers need not affect all characters equally.