FUDGE Role-Playing Game

The Fudge 10th Anniversary Ed. is a massive book covering all styles of gameplay. Though the Fudge-system is some of the most simple ones, there are several different choices to be made concerning the overall appearance of the Fudge you as player or gamemaster wish to use. A well worked out exemplar system for Fantasy Fudge is included, though, along with a practical bestiary. However, the book is more of an extensive cook-book than a fast-food meal. It may take some time working out the way best suited ones own game and style. The work is worth it, though. The Fudge dynamics are engaging and inspiring. The book is designed in a somewhat nostalgic fashion with few original art, but with a GURPS-like tone to it. Its far from glossy and has the appearance of having been around for a while. Recommended for those seeking simplicity and functionality, but also willing to put a little effort in, at least in the beginning.

Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition (Fudge 10th, hereafter) represents a milestone on several levels. The first professional RPG designed with extensive input from the Internet roleplaying community, Fudge was a harbinger of things to come in our increasingly Web-driven hobby. This new edition also marks the first time that the book version of Fudge has been available in hardcover format. So what is Fudge and how does it work? In short, Fudge is a freeform, skill-driven RPG with no pre-set attributes and skills. Hence, it operates in a mode halfway between normal RPG and RPG construction kit. There's a simple framework presented for character creation, task resolution, combat, experience and such, but much of the details are left to individual GMs. A medieval knight might be represented by dozens of specialized skills in one GM's Fudge game (Sword, Lance, Horsemanship, Heraldry etc), while another GM might opt to represent the same character with a single extremely broad skill called Knight or Chivalry. In the simplest possible Fudge game, characters might be defined by only one attribute that is used for all rolls. While Fudge in general has a reputation for being "rule-light", some of the more complex implementations I've seen have more in common with GURPS than Risus. In addition to the basic Fudge rules, this new edition contains tons of new optional rules for magic, superheroes, martial arts, weapons and armor, computer hacking, cybernetics and vehicle combat. Overall, I'm extremely impressed with Fudge 10th. It takes one of the most unique games in the hobby and gives it a deluxe and durable hardcover presentation that should please any fan. It also integrates a large amount of high-quality new material, which will not only please the current fanbase by giving them more ready-to-use plug-and-play rules bits, but will also help new Fudge players and GMs to grasp the game more quickly and easily than ever before due to the sheer breadth and depth of the examples present. All 320 hardbound pages are currently available from online sellers for only around $30.00-$35.00, so it's a great value. There are some issues with the index, with the mostly-lackluster interior art and with the occasional typos that crop up, but don't let them deter you. As for me, I have a new "desert island rulebook" and it's Fudge 10th. Happy anniversary, baby.

Fudge is brilliant. Let me get that part out of the way. I'm a veteren gamer who's seen nearly every generic RPG out there, and I believe Fudge is a cut above the rest in terms of adaptability, intelligence in design, and ease of play. It wasn't completely written by Steffan O'Sullivan, though he gets the authorial credit. It was actually written 14ish years ago on the famous rec.games.design forum by dozens, perhaps hundreds of individuals who were looking to write the ultimate generic RPG. It was a big team effort, which continues to this day. I'm not saying Steffan didn't earn his title credit, FAR from it. I'm merely telling you, the prospective consumer, that a LOT of work and a lot of minds went into creating Fudge. Fudge, in it's core form, is like a technical manual of writing traditional RPGs. I'm not saying it's a fun read, because it's not (it's like reading stereo instructions). It's informative and educational, and I promise that once you've read it, you'll understand exactly how RPGs are put together. It's a great game besides, with a toolbox oriented approach that's not even close to as crunchy as HERO or GURPS. The secret is having skill levels be based abstractly, rather than on hard data. If you want to know exactly how many pounds a character can lift, Fudge will not help you out. If you want falling damage, Fudge won't help there, either. These things are just fudged by the GM as the situation calls for them. Now, that's not to say characters can't be incredibly complex. It's entirely possible to build a character from Game X in Fudge, to his or her fullest extent. Fudge has the reputation for being a universal translater of game systems, and it doesn't have that reputation lightly. There are a few problems with Fudge, other than the aforementioned dry text. Many people believe that Fudge's levels of ability are not grainy enough, leading to many duels between Great swordsmen that often stalemate. It's really a matter of taste, but it's useful to bring up in a review as it might be an issue for a new Fudge player. Anyway, in my honest opinion, Fudge is the best generic, universal RPG out there, only because it can actually do all genres well, an aspect where most other universal games fall short. I have several of the free versions of Fudge on my hard drive, and urge anyone interested in Fudge to check out the official site (search for "Fudge RPG" in your favorite search engine) for free Fudge before deciding to spend money on Fudge 10th (to avoid people wasting money on a game they may not like). For those of you who like free Fudge: get Fudge 10th, it's worth it just for all the extras and hardbound goodness.

Fudge was a new way of looking at RPGs for me. It was loose, it was fun, it didn't use tons of different types of dice (though you can, if you want to). It was also the system that not allows (how can they stop you?) to make custom rules, but is designed as a light system that can be added to most successfully. It is all about "Fudging it", adding a roll here, taking away a characteristic there. And all this glory was available over the internet. Seeing it in hardcover, I had to buy it. It gives tons of information and examples and has a nice lay out. The artwork is also nice. Essentially, this book takes a great system and makes it readily assessible and gives new things to it. The basic (suggested, of course) system is to roll 4 dice each marked with +1, 0 and -1 (two sides of each value). Then tally the total of all the dice. (from -4 to +4) and then add it (or subtract it) from your skill. It is quick, effective, and leads to great roleplaying moments (for one, levels of skills are based on words--"fair", "poor", "superb"--rather than numbers) without a lot of chart consulatation. Most things are open, in that there are no set attribute lists or skill lists. Alternately, it is perfectly ok for GMs to make them. It gives great examples of both ways. It shows you how to add more dice rolls, to take dice rolls away (entirely). It is all about taking a very simple concept and using it in whatever way you want to use it. I recommend this book very much for those who like narration and role-play over roll-play.