Diceless Risus:

The pretentious edition

 

Diceless Risus is a supplement to the Role Playing Game (RPG) RISUS by S. John Ross. It is designed to provide an acting-focused gaming experience. It is meant for players who value role playing over dice-rolling but want a quick, simple system for any short gaming session. But it is also a great tool to introduce new players into the world of Role Playing Games. Diceless Risus works better for intense play-acting and improvisation. The simplicity of the system makes it so that character creation takes only a minute!

 

Credit for this game goes to…

 

Inspiration for this supplement of Risus comes from S. John Ross’ original Risus game system, of course, but also from sources such as Amber, White Wolf’s Live Action Role-Playing games and GURPS. The original RISUS (click for the link) is a free game created by game designer S. John Ross.

 

Character Creation:

Characters in Diceless Risus are still defined by clichés. But now they are split into two groups: Innate clichés (Stats) and Learned clichés (Skills).

 

Human maximum for any one cliché should be 5 points. Beginners’ clichés shouldn’t exceed 4 points.

 

Clichés describe what a character is (Innate) and what he knows or can do (Learned). You can choose cliché abilities associated with Warriors, Rangers, Wizards or Hobbits, or more modern ones like Spy, Computer Geek or Adam West (once an actor, now just a cliché).

 

Unlike regular Risus, the clichés (Stats & Skills) are not defined in terms of dice but in terms of points. The number of points they have represents the numbers you add up to find how good you are at doing something. The total of one Innate cliché plus one other Learned cliché represent how well you perform a task. In Diceless Risus, a total of two points is bad, four is talented, six is professional and eight is mastery.

 

Basics

The GM assigns Innate Clichés: the number and names of which varies to his whim / game style.

                -The player is given a total of 2.5 points / stat to spend on them (on average).

 

Examples of Innate Clichés: “Strength” “Smarts” “Motormouth”

 

The Player comes up with Learned Clichés: stuff his character knows / can do.

                -The player is given twice the amount of points of Innate clichés to share among them.

 

Examples of Learned Clichés: “Driving” “Brawling” “Cruising” “Handling booze”

 

Why two sets of clichés?

Regular Risus lets the player pick all his clichés.

 

Because the diceless system is a little static (no randomness: the highest total wins), it helps to be able to combine different scores in new manners to reach a better total and win a contest. (Maybe you can use your Smarts instead of your Motormouth Innate cliché when trying to seduce a professor).

 

 

The GM gives the player a description of the game world he is going to play in: Sword and sorcery, Space opera, Horror etc. Then the player writes up his character concept accordingly.

 

Characters are created by naming and describing them and listing their clichés.

 

Example: The GM says “The game takes place in a survival-first post-apocalyptic world.”

(And tells him, in this game, he has 3 Innate Clichés: Strength, Smarts & Motormouth.)

 

Inspired by that, the player comes up with a “Road warrior” concept:

“An ace driver who likes to fight, score with chicks and is often drunk” From this he writes up his Learned Clichés. (Driving, Brawling, Cruising, Handling booze & Belching)

 

He then looks over the Innate clichés.

First the GM tells him he has 8 points to spend among them (a little over 2.5 on average). He puts 4 in ‘Strength’, 2 in ‘Smarts’ and 2 in ‘Motormouth’.

 

Second, he is given 16 points to spend in Learned Clichés (X2 the points for Innate clichés).

Like so: Driving [4] Brawling [3] Cruising women [3] Handling booze [2] Belching [2].

He then decides to make up another skill for his remaining 2 points: “Looking cool on the road”.

 

For your inspiration

Game System

When attempting to do something, anything:

Innate Cliché + Learned Cliché = Total

Your total must beat a Target Number or an opponent’s Innate cliché + Learned cliché.

 

The highest Total wins.

Whoever looses reduces by 1 point the Innate Cliché he used in the contest.

If the Innate Cliché reaches 0 you are down, KO, paralyzed, dead, stupefied etc depending on the nature of the cliché used in the contest.

Draws could result in partial success or both characters getting hurt / losing. (GM’s discretion)

 

Example:

GM Your Strength + Brawling total is 4 and BIG Boss’ total is 6. “You get a couple of swings, his head swings left and right. But even your best punches don’t faze him. He looks at you and grins. He throws a lightning-fast punch that sends you flying through the wall.” (Deduct 1 from your Strength Innate Cliché.)

Player “Huh-ho. He’s too tough for me: and now I’m in a bad a shape. I have to get out of here.”

 

In contest against things/problems, the GM assigns a Target Number for the difficulty.

Target Numbers:

2: Real easy. Difficult for a loser.

4: Easy for a pro.

6: A challenge for a pro.

8: Usual for a hero. A difficult stunt.

10: A hero’s challenge.

12: Difficult for a Master.

15: Almost beyond human.

20: Superhuman challenge.

 

Player “My total to break the exit door is 4 (my Strength plus Brawling).”

GM “The door has a break target of 6. You keep smashing into it but it doesn’t break down.”

 

What Innate cliché do I add with what Learned cliché?

 

The GM decides that and it can vary according to the situation. He can either:

1-               Ask for a specific combination of clichés. If he knows what you have on your character sheet.

2-               Ask the *player* to tell you what cliché he thinks he could use. (May be debated)

Can’t succeed in that contest?

Try to change the situation or convince the GM that you could use a different cliché.

Example:

Player “I try to hack into the computer system.”

GM “Add Smarts plus Computer”

Player “That’s 1 + 2. The total is 3.”

GM “Bah! No way you can get in. Try to beat a 5.”

Player “Damn! I smack the computer!”

GM “Real mature.”

Player “Does it work?”

GM “Huh?”

Player “You know my character is no genius. Sometimes machines work when you punch them. I’m good at that.”

GM “Ha-ha! Funny but true. Okay: I’ll let you use Strength plus Computer.”

Player “Can I use Strength plus Brawling instead?”

GM “Don’t push it monkey boy!”

 

 

You can also try to convince the GM that some Learned Clichés can be applied to effects he might not have considered. See Modifiers (Role-playing) below.

 

Example:

GM “You don’t have any computer skills. So you can only use your Smarts cliché as a total for hacking.”

Player “Hey wait, how about my ‘Security’ Learned cliché. Couldn’t I use that?”

GM “How can you justify that?”

Player “Well almost all security works with electronics and computer: I am bound to know a lot about that. I can also try to get information on computer security on the net.”

GM “That’s pretty reasonable. I’ll allow it.”

 

The GM might choose to reduce new totals if he feels the combination is a stretch.

 

 

This system is somewhat static...no?

 

Enter: ‘Pumping up’ and ‘Modifiers’.

Pumping up

When things become too difficult you can make extra effort, pull a muscle, cram very hard, show some guts and increase your abilities. It may be necessary if Adam West (4) is fighting Robot Ninja (8). When a cliché is pumped it temporarily increases your Total for one contest.

But, after the contest is resolved, the character reduces his Total by the same amount of points he used in the pump. This loss is treated like “injury”.

 

Unlike in a normal contest, when you pump you can deduct the points lost in any cliché you want (Bright people usually pick Learned ones.)

 

Example:

Player “My total to break the exit door is 4.”

GM “The door has a break target of 6.”

Player “Okay. I bet an additional 2 points.”

GM “You smash it once, it doesn’t break. You take a run at it, dislocate your shoulder, and break it down. You loose 2 points from your total.”

Player “Ouch! Do I loose Innate cliché or Learned cliché points?”

GM “Wherever you want. But Innate clichés can be used with every other Learned cliché.”

Player “Making them more useful. So I will remove 2 points from Brawling. Next fight is going to be hard”

Modifiers

Throughout the game players (and the GM) are expected to imagine ways to beat a superior opponent.

You might think “Hey, without dice, if I don’t a high enough total, I can’t do a thing!” Yes and no. Your ability to role-play is your dice. You can get the upper hand on a challenge that is too difficult by manipulating the situation. Not strong enough? Convince someone to help you. No way you could take the Cardinal’s place at the court? Stir up a scandal by exposing his affair.

1- Tools:

Tools are the most common way to get the upper hand. Players are assumed to have all the proper tools to do their profession. An accountant might be able to gain a bonus to his fighting ability by picking up a stapler, but a warrior is expected to be carrying around a sword and gains no bonus from it. It is assumed that, whatever fighting score they have, it encompasses their gear.

Hint: if the character doesn’t have the appropriate Learned Cliché…he probably doesn’t have the tools on him/herself.

Examples of Modifiers

Spoon, pea shooter, rubber chicken           +1

Small arms, sword, wrench                           +2

Big-ass sword, table, handgun                    +3

Laser pistol, anvil, machine gun                  +4

Death ray, bulldozer, airplane food             +5

 

Those are only examples of weapons or combat-oriented tools. They serve as a gauge on how to assign bonuses. In other situations a “Maximus logger 3000” industrial printer could give you a +5 bonus to hand your paper on time for the finals.

Remember: The GM assigns all modifiers. He is not expected to be fair but expected to create a fun ambiance (which may require him to be fair for the enjoyment of all…most of the time.)

2- Assistance:

 “I can’t beat the school bully alone. So I try to enlist all the 1^st graders to help me.”

Probably one of the most obvious or easiest idea players can come up with. If overused the GM may feel the players’ lack of imagination will only lead them to find more opponents to bash their heads in.

Only certain tasks can be accomplished with assistance and the GM is expected to use common sense when determining if a situation warrants it.

A quick way to calculate group effort would be to use the highest appropriate cliché total and add +1 to it for every person helping.

In some instance maybe there can be a maximum bonus or number of people who can help. Or the GM may assign a lower value for additional help.

# of significant helpers:

+1 / X 2 number of ‘helpers’       (1, 2, 4, 8, 16)

Helpers not skilled for contest:

-Set a maximum to the modifier

Or

-Ask player to role-play help for a +1 bonus

3- Circumstantial:

The player (or GM) can call on or create events that benefit or diminish a total score.

The Gm decides how much bonus he gives according to how much work was put into creating the circumstance or how imaginative the player is in pointing out the benefit. Often that means the player has to argue his point of view on how the conditions benefit him.

Example: “After a lengthy investigation, I expose the Cardinal’s affair in front of the whole court! Surely now I will be able to challenge him publicly.”

Or: Loosing the race? “May I remind you that we are in my hometown? I have my fan club in the stands cheering for me and they might give me the moral boost I need to win.”

4- Role-play:

Gm should give additional points for good role-play: coming up with one-liners and acting out their actions. Of course these must help solve or fit the contest.  “As I lay my hands on his face and cast my death spell, I shout to the evil priest; Your God cannot help you now!!”

 

Good one-liner, fitting habit or quirk                +1

Acting in character                                              +2

Creative stunt, imaginative plan, drama           +3

Acting in character against self-interest          +4

Acting in character against self-preservation +5

5- Bribe:

Offering some nachos to your GM can earn you some brownie points. Use it often.

 

 

Optional Rules

Character Cliche

Archetypes come in many colors. The original Risus game suggests character concepts as a cliché. From “Mad scientist bent on world domination” to “Fashionably Gay Interior Designer” or “Adam West”.

 

These are all-encompassing clichés that defines a character. In a way it is a player character’s “level”, the gauge that defines how good they are at being . . . who they are.

 

Players could write their concept up as the cliché. In our previous example the character’s cliché could be “Ace Driver” or “Womanizing Ace Driver”. This cliché is given 1 point at the first game. The cliché’s point(s) can be used to boost any contest that is within his expertise, his turf (see Pumping Up). Every game where they succeeded in role-playing their character well the GM can give them 1 point to add to its value.

 

Essentially, this works like a Fluid Cliché. (See next chapter.)

 

 

Fluid Cliches

“Willpower, Luck, Magic, Chutzpah”

Make an Innate Cliché that can add one-time points to a single contest. Like a universal blood donor for contests. Points used are lost. Replenish the points at the next game. If he uses them too early the player is out of points for the last showdown.

These can represent an ability to adapt to various situations and offer more options to players.

Optional rule #58.3:

What makes you, you!

There is several ways to give additional “humph” to a character. Heroes have nifty gadgets, friends, money and flaws. If it is assumed the warrior has a sword in his basic equipment, why is he looking for the sword of Jake? Sure you are a rock star, but where are your fans? Saying “I am a model” is nice, but where does it show on the gaming table?

 

The GM allows 3 points that can be moved from the Learned Clichés into buying Options. Only 3 points, total, can be moved by starting characters: given or taken.

Those options are:

- Equipment

- Advantages

- Disadvantages

- Powers

How to manage unique abilities or tools:

1-       Give them a bonus to add on some totals (permanent or temporary)

2-       Have them cost some Innate or Learned character points. (If used at PC’s creation)

3-       Assign “types” to them: limits their use and gives specific benefits. (‘Ranged’ or ‘Hand’)

 

 

·      Equipment

As said in the ‘Tools’ chapter, equipment is assigned a value according to their usefulness, efficiency or power to solve a contest.

What players buy with equipment is twofold: a bonus to their total and Types. A ‘Type’ basically describes whatever that thing does that most others don’t. In other words Type gives a circumstantial bonus. A typical sword (+2 Value) can have the Type ‘Slashing’ but a typical gun (+2 also) has ‘Ranged’. One may get you to act first from a distance but the other can cut rope or a ham sandwich.

 

 

Note: GMs might want to handle Magic items differently and come up with special rules. Other equipment like super-technology (death ray, teleporter), normal but really expensive stuff (manor, helicopter) could be covered within the normal equipment rules or require special rules too.

 

 

 

·      Advantages

Advantages give circumstantial bonuses, like equipment, to certain contests. However, they have no type. They give circumstantial bonus only and require some role-playing from the player to justify gaining the bonus. For these reasons every Advantage has a ½ point cost and half points are dropped (don’t count towards the total).

They are natural abilities, however, and can not be taken away easily. Although they can be negated (being beautiful doesn’t work if you are sprayed by a skunk).

Every advantage has a point cost. Like when buying equipment, players are limited to the 3 point-exchange limit. More expensive advantages can be bought later on or might be reserved for non-player characters.

                          Bonus                                    Cost

Beautiful         +1 to +5                                  - .5 to 2.5

Works as a bonus on seduction-like social contests and applies only to those who have a chance to be attracted to the character.

                          Bonus                                    Cost

Allies               +1 to +5                                  - .5 to 2.5

Provide clichés unavailable to the player (only one). Their total point is equal to the bonus. Their total value is used as an Assistance bonus not a total. The player MUST role-play the request for help. He can have as many allies as he wants.

                          Bonus                                    Cost

Money              +1 to +5                                  - .5 to 2.5

Like Gadgetry: the money advantage provides variable resources.

The bonus is the Value of the equipment and the total number of objects.

However none of these can be chosen on the spot: they must be given a Type (the only use of type in advantages).

The types can be ‘property’, ‘vehicle’, ‘weaponry’ etc. These limit the kind of things the player can get. Other items can be bought at half Value (round down).

Example: for a +4 bonus (costs 2 points) Adam West can get any +4 Value “Pop culture” items four times per game. Or he can buy any +2 Value item.

·      Disadvantages

“Now why would I want bad stuff for my character?”

“Because they give you extra points to spend fool!”

 

Penalty                                  Cost

Ugly                 -2 / -4                                      +1 / +2

Works as a penalty on seduction-like social contests halve that value for other types (otherwise all players would take that and just never try to talk to anyone).

Penalty                                  Cost

Poor (Debt)         -                                          +1

         (Destitute)    -2 or -1*                                 +2

Debt- You owe money. Every asset you find or earn is sold and replaced at half value (a +2 Value sword is seized and replaced by a butter knife Valued at +1). The debt should not be a set number and must be repaid through play.

Destitute- You own practically nothing. * The -2 penalty is applied to either your highest cliché (you don’t have any tools & equipment). Or a -1 to all your lowest clichés until you get proper tools. Player’s choice.

                                          Penalty                  Cost

Code of Honor                -1                             +1

The player can create a code of conduct that has to be very restrictive (prohibits even trying some common kind of contests like seduction). Some times he might get a -1 penalty to social rolls when the code goes against someone’s values or insults them.

                                          Penalty                  Cost

Cursed                            -1 / -4                      +.5 / +2

The GM selects (not you: you don’t know) certain contest where you will always fail on a draw (-1). Seduction or thievery for example.

At -4, bad stuff happen to you at least 4 times per game session, preventing you from even attempting one particular contest. For example: climbing a rope that breaks off. These contests must not be in the player’s field of expertise (his highest cliché).

                                          Penalty                  Cost

Enemies                          -1 to -5                    +.5 / +2.5

Once every game session, the GM assigns an event with an additional enemy. This enemy (or enemies) adds his “penalty” value as a bonus to the contest against the player. This has to be justified within common sense for the player’s enemy (-ies) to be there.

·      Powers

It is recommended that Powers, especially super-powers, be handled outside the 3 point move system. Their value goes somewhat beyond Equipment and may unbalance a game. It is suggested that GM allow players to have a ‘pool’ of points they can only spend on superpowers.

Magic

A special benefit: costs 3 points. You get an additional Innate Cliché called “Magic”. This cliché has only 1 point & can only have 1 point for beginners (or ever, in low-magic games.)

Magical Style

In addition you get a Learned Cliché that fits a magic style (like a Type). This has to be appropriate like “Necromancy” or “Bringing fiery death”. Not too general or specific. To get the benefits of Magic the player must work with his style when role-playing. Of course you can have more than one style.

A ‘Totemic Shaman’ can role-play having his totem animal fight for him but it will be harder to use this style to gain control of a car. “KLATU-VERATA NIKTO! May the fires of the 9 hells devour you mortal!”

Mechanics

Magic points can be used to pump up the total of any contest. This must be role-played as a magic ritual/effect that fits the chosen magical style (above).

Although Magic points spent are lost after a game session, the base point in the Innate Cliché is permanent (except in magic vs. magic contests.) So you can always pump up any one contest with at least 1 point with magic. An imaginative player with lots of magic could do pretty much everything with magic while only having low scores in all his other innate clichés. The GM may dismiss un-fitting/original ‘casting’ as a spell failure (point loss optional).

Super Powers

Super Strength / Agility / Smarts etc

Any “super” Innate Cliché is allowed to have more than 5 points.  In a superhero game, it is suggested that in addition, any contest won by the player costs 2 points to the opponent’s Total. This power costs 2 points.

Other super Powers

Like magic, super powers can have Types. They are handled the same; they have Cost and Types. Additional types add +1 to the Cost.

                          Value                     Type

Change self                    +2            Change looks/ height & weight / color, hide

-Polymorph           +4            Change species, realm, atoms

Control                            +2            Ask X to do stuff, ask X to kill or die for you.

-greater                 +3            (x2)

Choose a Type of controlled object: Plants, People, animals (specific), insects. They have as much Innate Cliché points as the player (no Learned ones). The greater version gives them twice as much. (Points are spread between one or several individuals.)

Elemental control          +2            Element + Control

You can pick one element: fire, water, air, earth, metal (magnetism) sound (sonic) light, darkness etc

Fly                                    +1            Air travel

-super flight         +2            + Speed

Heat Vision                    +2            Ranged + Fire

Insubstantial                  +3            Pass trough stuff, can’t be touched, infuriate others

Invisibility                      +2            Hide + Totally

Invulnerability               +1            Protection

Reduces by 1 the damage received in contests lost by only 1 point. It can be stacked several times.

Regenerate                     +1            Heal

-fast                        +2            Heal, fast

(+1) Regain 1 lost physical clichés lost to contest after a scene.

(+2) Regain all lost points within a scene.

Size change                    +1       Growth or Reduce

Stretching                      +1            Ranged

          -greater                 +2            Ranged + Entangle

Telekinesis                    +2            Ranged + Damage

You can manipulate things as if your hands are a stone throw’s away. Hit & push damage as fighting.

Telepathy                        +2            Hear + Thoughts

Like a psychology / charm related contest.

Wall-walking +1            Climb at 90·

 

Character Progression

(And what have we learned today?)

Players will eventually want to advance their characters, especially if the game last several sessions.

Gm are free to come up with their home made progression rules, we only encourage them to keep in mind the spirit of the game.

Again, Diceless Risus should incite players to role play their progression. After each session the GM can ask each player “What has your character learned?” This would allow the player to participate in their character’s progression.

Based on the cost of increasing clichés below, we recommend giving between 2 and 3 points to players after each game session.

 

Points

After every game session, players should receive one point for succeeding in each of these areas:

Don’t forget that if you use the generic Character Cliché, you must give an additional point after every game he plays. This only increases the character cliché however. There is no cost to this cliché.

These points could be used to increase any Cliché. Of course, as mentioned earlier, this has to be debated as to why the point would go to such a Cliché. Has the character really used that cliché? Did he learn anything in its use?

Progression Cost

Learned clichés should be less expensive in points than Innate ones.

 

 

Example of Play session: the final Showdown

Player “But wait a minute: we are fighting at a construction site?”

GM “Yes”

Player “There’s bound to be a hammer lying around.”

GM “Hmmm, I’ll give you that. But try to put a role-play spin on it.”

Player “Ha-ha, as I struggle to my feet, a look of desperation on my bloodied face, I try to run for an exit. The villain laughs at my despair. Then…I spot a hammer.”

GM “The villain stops laughing and his eyes open in an obvious surprise….he tries to run away.”

Player “Bastard! I’ll get you! I run with him and try to smack his legs.”

GM “I give your hammer a +4 to your total on this turn because you are attacking from behind too.” SMACK! Your total is 7. Your diminished Strength of 3, plus your 4 points in Brawling. You injure his legs; he trips and noisily falls into scaffolds and boxes of nails.

Player “He’s done for it. I keep at it.”

GM “Not so fast! This round, because of your wounds, you panic and end up too close. He’s facing you and wrestles with you trying to get you to loose the hammer. I lower your hammer bonus to +2. Both your totals are now 6.”

Player “Hey you can’t do that!”

GM “Sure I can! +2 is still a very good bonus and he is now facing you.” “Besides this is the final showdown: you have to work for it. So suck it up!”

Managing Play

Playing a diceless game brings a slew of new problems. Here are some tactics on how to handle them.

Game Format

The format of Diceless Risus goes basically like this:

1- Game Master describes the situation, the surroundings and the problem / opponent

2- The player asks for some additional information, decides what his character does.

3- The GM announces what combination of Innate and Learned clichés he needs to do the contest. (Secretly tallies up the total for the opponent / obstacle. Or he assigns a target number to the task.)

The GM could also ask the player:

“What are the clichés do you plan to use or think are appropriate for your character to use in this situation?”

4- The player decides if he wants to do some Pumping up to increase his total. (Not knowing the total of his opponent / obstacle.) He can also debate with the GM to gain some modifiers according to things at hands, help available etc.

The player can also keep his total as-is and see if he can beat the target number set by the GM.

5- The GM compares the two totals and assesses: a success, a draw or a failure. It is highly suggested that the GM describes the result.

Do not just say: “You win!” Describe fighting moves, long and arduous efforts, the player’s moves or his final unexpected failure due to a twist of fate.

This way the player does not know how much more effort he has to put in to succeed.

(Of course, the GM should be clear as to how hard the contest is without using numbers. “The Troll towers over you. Your hardest blow doesn’t even faze him.” etc)

Turn of play

Since debating is the mainstay of a character’s survival in the contest system, players might go into a shouting match over things like who acts first, what does each character do etc.

Resolving matters in Diceless Risus is made through debating how one has the upper hand. Because of that players might tend to want to have first say and turn the game table into incoherent blabber.

To avoid this, the GM might want to assign clear turns when the group is asked to debate what they are doing and how they are going to react to what is obviously a new contest. Illustrate the situation / contest directly at the first PC that sees the even / opponent. Then ask the player what he does, not to the whole table. Go back to the other players after this first “surprise” round.

You can also explain why you want this player to talk first by saying his character is the most likely to do so. (The character is quick, perceptive or the contest is within his specialty etc.)

When player have to plan against an event or an obstacle, the GM is least likely to have to break up people talking at the same time. Encourage them to talk amongst themselves for group tactics.

Arguments (subjectivity)

Players are asked to present their point when resolving a contest. In order to win the upper hand they have to convince the GM why their cliché has a good value or how it is logical that they would get a bonus from circumstance A or tool B.

Players are bound to disagree on what is ‘logical’, accurate or what has real value. This is where players should remember that:

1- The GM is always right! (He is the referee. And, don’t worry, he’s not out to get you.)

2- This is just a game and that everything is relative. What seems important to you might not be to others.

Other situations can be handled like so:

Player 1 “Now that I picked up this hammer my accountant’s Fighting cliché is at 4.”

Player 2 “But he has as much Fighting as my swordsman’s and my character is assumed to already have a sword. This makes no sense.”

GM “Player #1; you left your hammer where you picked it up. You are not a fighter like #2 and you didn’t think of keeping it. Besides the danger is over now you don’t think you need it anymore.”

Player 1 “Why would you take my hammer away?”

GM “The only purpose this hammer had was to reward you for smart thinking for that fight scene. See it as you landed a lucky strike with it. Now it’s over; let’s return to our regular programming.”

As long as everyone understands that their task is to have fun, everything should be all right.

Abuse & repetition

Once a player has got his hand on a trick, he will be very tempted to use it again and again. This is bound to happen when a player comes up with an inventive way to increase his Total in a contest (he picked up a hammer, you gave him a +2) and wants to keep the bonus beyond its original use (he has a permanent boost of +2 to his fighting cliché).

Eventually the GM should step in and say that the bonus was lost through misuse or that it was a fluke, a critical success use and so on. If the player insists on keeping the bonus, things should be made clearer.

Diceless Risus is a storyteller system. The player has to find inventive ways to succeed and every new challenge brings new ideas. Your goal is not to accumulate things or to find some kind of racket that abuses the rules where your character reaches some kind of haven where nothing can reach him and he has no more contest to win anymore.

The game is about using your imagination and creativity. If you spend lots of energy into avoiding that, you have missed the point entirely.

 

Preparation & adventures

This system is very open to improvisation; Target Numbers as well as opponents can be made on the spot. You can also use movies and simplify pre-made adventures from other RPG sources for story material.

A good way to plan ahead is to think of a classic challenge: defeat villains, rescue X, find Z, destroy the evil-thingy-that-speaks-in-my-head, copy Adam West’s dance moves etc.

Then write up a couple of obstacles and events. Decide on one or two choice of paths for the players and you have yourself an event tree that is good enough for a solid adventure.

Use stereotypes, exaggerate and smash them into pieces for humor. You can also use TV dramas for plot twists that require heart-wrenching decisions from the players. “Do I save Timmy who fell down the well or do I stop the cultists from invoking Cthulhu? ©”

It also helps to have a couple of prepared grunts and big villains, as well as some typical Target Numbers for obstacles (locked door, falling boulders) on paper.

The “No contest” rule

There are some events that are “No Contest”. Like opening a door or identifying Adam West as being a living cliché. Diceless Risus encourages you to make assumptions and not bother the players with useless contests.

Make the contests count. The challenges in your story are supposed to be dramatic events because the game is all about role-playing through the obstacles. Diceless is about plots, contests are about story.

Additional Rules

GMs can create more rules as they see fit. Remember to keep in mind that Diceless Risus is all about subjectivity and role-playing instead of dice-rolling.

If your home rules keep reflecting that then this small game has done its part. Hope you enjoy this game or that it at least gives you some ideas for new RPG experiences.

Final Word

Diceless Risus can be used for simple, one-shot games or more serious ones. The diceless system is meant to encourage players to replace dice rolling with acting and creative thinking to change the outcome of situations or overcome challenges. Hope you have fun playing it.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to contact me.

Text & Illustrations: Martin Lamontagne 2004, pmykonos@hotmail.com, Original Risus © S. John Ross