Some of you know about the 864 RPG system, a simplified system that allows for quick character creation and fast-paced action determination. In this system, the curve of probability changes dramatically as you lose or add dice. All tasks performed in the system have three difficulty levels: hard, average, or easy. An easy task rolls d8 + d6 + d4. Average, d8 + d6. Hard, rolls only a d8. These are rolled against a target number of 8. Characters have no attributes, only skills that define them.
However, when you have a lot of simplicity you lose depth and definition. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but for some people, a detailed character is something they prefer in their system, as well as a more granular difficulty and modifier system.
For this reason, I’m working on the 864 RPG Advanced system! In this version, entities (PCs, NPCs, and creatures) have attributes that define them. Each attribute can have three levels: Average (d8), Good (d8+d6), and Outstanding (d8+d6+d4). As you can imagine, when performing an action, the player will roll the required dice based on the related attribute, adding or subtracting any modifiers that apply.
This allows for more fine-grained mechanics, yet still keeps the simplicity that is a hallmark of the 864 RPG.
I’m expecting to complete the initial version of these core rules by mid-February, so stay tuned! Eventually, some of the existing 864 RPG games like Dark Chrome and Spells & Steel could have an Advanced version, too. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
Keep those dice rolling!
