TEXT: Fudge in a Nutshell
  Although Fudge is designed to be customized by each
  gamemaster, there are some game design decisions at the
  core of Fudge that are used by most Fudge GMs.
  Characters and Character Traits
  Fudge characters are described by “traits,” including
  attributes (any trait that everyone in the game world has),
  skills (any trait that isn’t an attribute and can be improved
  through practice), gifts (any trait that isn’t an attribute or
  skill but is something positive for the character), and faults
  (any trait that limits a character’s actions or earns him a
  bad reaction from other people). Supernormal powers are
  treated as potent gifts.
  Fudge uses ordinary words to describe some traits, espe-
  cially attributes and skills. The following terms of a seven-
  level sequence are the words suggested by the Fudge
  author and used in Grey Ghost Games products:
  Superb
  Great
  Good
  Fair
  Mediocre
  Poor
  Terrible
  There is an additional level not listed above: Legendary,
  which is beyond Superb. GMs may restrict Legendary
  traits to non-player characters.
  Character Creation
  Fudge provides two basic means of creating characters:
  the “subjective” and “objective” systems.
  In the subjective system, the player and GM work
  together to describe the character in Fudge terms, building
  from a strong character concept.
  In the objective system, a character’s traits start at a
  default level (Fair for attributes; Poor for most skills) and
  the GM grants each player a number of “free” levels to
  allocate. She may also grant “free” gifts, or require one or
  more faults. The player can then spend two free levels to
  raise an attribute from Fair to Great, for instance; or sac-
  rifice a number of levels to gain a gift; or give his charac-
  ter a fault in return for levels to apply somewhere else. 
  The trading “values” of various traits and trait levels are:
  1 attribute level = 3 skill levels
  1 gift = 6 skill levels
  1 gift = 2 attribute levels
  1 gift = 1 fault
  Scale — Strength and Mass
  Some characters or creatures have certain attributes
  that are way beyond the human norm. Prime examples
  include Strength, Mass, and Speed. Such attributes are
  rated in Scale, which acts as a modifier in interactions
  between creatures or items of different Scale.
  In a human-based game, Human Scale is 0. A race of
  greater-than-human average strength would be Scale +1
  Strength or more, while a race of lesser average strength
  would be Scale –1 Strength or less. Individuals are then
  of Fair or Good Strength, etc., relative to those of their
  own Scale.
  In a “Bunnies” game, where the player characters are
  rabbits, Rabbit Scale would be 0, while Human Scale
  would likely be +7. In a “Mecha” game, where the player
  characters were giant robots, Mecha Scale would be 0,
  while Human Scale would depend on the actual size dif-
  ference between the mechs and humans; a Human Scale
  of –15 relative to the Mecha Scale of 0 would not be
  unreasonable.
  To calculate appropriate Strength/Mass Scale values,
  figure that each level of Strength Scale represents an
  increase of about 1.5 times the Strength and Mass of the
  previous Scale level. This is because the Fudge core rules
  define each level of Strength (from Terrible to Superb) to
  be 1.5 times stronger than the previous level. (This pro-
  gression isn’t necessarily true for other attributes. Superb
  Dexterity is only about twice as good as Fair Dexterity,
  and each level of Speed is 1.2 times faster than the previ-
  ous level.) Strength Scale increases at the same rate: a
  Scale 1 Fair Strength individual is 1.5 times stronger than
  a Scale 0 Fair Strength individual.
  Note that Scale 1 Fair Strength is not exactly equal to a
  Scale 0 Good Strength — Scale really measures Mass, or
  Density, and affects how easily a creature may be hurt. A
  Scale 1 Fair Strength fighter has an advantage over a
  Scale 0 Good Strength fighter, even though their
  Strengths are equal. The Scale 1 fighter is less affected by
  the other’s damage due to his greater mass.
  Action Resolution
  For any action the player character wishes to perform,
  the GM must determine which trait is tested. (This will
  usually be a skill or an attribute.) If the action is unop-
  posed, the GM determines the difficulty level. Some
  actions are so easy that the character succeeds automati-
  cally; others are impossible (no rolls needed).
  8
  Characters and Character Traits/Character Creation/Scale — Strength and Mass/Action Resolution
  Excerpt from the Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition. Copyright ©2005 by Grey Ghost Press, Inc. www.fudgerpg.com
  
  Fudge in a Nutshell
  Unopposed Actions
  When a character performs an action that isn’t influ-
  enced by anyone else, it is referred to as an unopposed
  action. Examples include jumping a wide chasm, climbing
  a cliff, etc.
  Difficulty Level: The GM will set a difficulty level when a
  character tries an unopposed action. Usually the difficulty
  level will be Fair, but some tasks are easier or harder. 
  Rolled Degree: This refers to how well a character does at a
  particular task. If someone is Good at Climbing in general,
  but the die roll shows a +1 to the character’s skill, then the
  rolled degree is one level higher than the character’s skill
  level — Great, in this case. Rolled degrees from Superb +1 to
  Superb +4 are possible; a GM may thus set a difficulty level
  beyond Superb for nearly impossible actions. Likewise,
  there are rolled degrees from Terrible –1 down to Terrible
  –4. The GM should use her imagination in determining the
  consequences of such abysmal failures.
  Opposed Actions
  Actions are opposed when other people (or animals, etc.)
  may have an effect on the outcome of the action. In this
  case, the player of each contestant rolls some dice, and the
  results are compared to determine the outcome.
  Relative Degree: This refers to how well a character did
  compared to another participant in an opposed action.
  The relative degree is expressed as a number of levels. If a
  PC gets a rolled degree result of Good in a fight, and his
  NPC foe gets a rolled degree result of Mediocre, the PC
  beat his foe by two levels — the relative degree is +2 from
  his perspective, –2 from hers.
  Fudge Dice and 
  Other Random Generators
  Fudge dice are six-sided dice with two sides marked +
  (+1), two sides marked - (–1), and two sides left blank (+/-
  0). Rolling four Fudge dice (4dF) gives results from –4
  (sub-Terrible) to +4 (trans-Superb). To determine the result
  of an action, roll the dice; use the result to modify the trait
  level being tested. For example, a +3 dice result added to a
  Fair trait is a Superb rolled degree; a –1 result added to a
  Fair trait indicates a Mediocre result.
  Alternative 3d6 dice method: Roll 3 six-sided dice. Add
  the numbers and compare to the following table:
  Rolled: 3-4
  5
  6-7
  8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16 17-18
  Result: –4
  –3
  –2
  –1
  +0
  +1
  +2
  +3
  +4
  When setting Difficulty Levels, it may help to keep the
  statistical results of rolling four Fudge dice in mind:
  Odds of rolling
  Odds of Rolling
  exactly on 4dF:
  Target or Higher
  +4
  1.2%
  1.2%
  +3
  4.9%
  6.2%
  +2
  12.3%
  18.5%
  +1
  19.8%
  38.3%
  0
  23.5%
  61.7%
  –1
  19.8%
  81.5%
  –2
  12.3%
  93.8%
  –3
  4.9%
  98.8%
  –4
  1.2%
  100.0%
  Wounds
  Combat damage to a character can be described as
  being at one of seven stages of severity:
  Undamaged (no wounds at all)
  Just a Scratch (no real game effect)
  Hurt (–1 to traits)
  Very Hurt (–2 to traits)
  Incapacitated (only the most basic actions allowed)
  Near Death (unconscious; death without medical help)
  Dead
  Determining Wound Levels: Fudge offers many ways to
  track combat damage. The Objective Damage System
  assumes each character will have an Offensive Damage
  Factor (the total of modifiers, including any applicable
  Strength and Scale bonuses, that reflects the deadliness of
  the weapon used) and a Defensive Damage Factor (the
  total of modifiers, including Scale and armor, that reflects
  the character’s ability to withstand or avoid damage). To
  determine how much damage is done in a given combat
  round, the following formula may be used:
  Winner’s Relative Degree + Offensive Damage
  Factor – Loser’s Defensive Damage Factor
  Damage:
  1-2
  3-4
  5-6
  7-8
  9+
  Wounds: Scratch
  Hurt Very Hurt Incap. Nr. Death
  Most characters can withstand three Scratches, one
  Hurt, and one Very Hurt. Further Scratches are marked as
  Hurts, further Hurts are marked as Very Hurt, etc. For
  more cinematic games, GMs may adjust the wound boxes,
  allowing two Hurts instead of one, for example.
  Fudge games will vary, of course, but many have these
  simple character creation and action resolution rules at
  their core. See Fantasy Fudge, p. 88, as an example.
  Unopposed Actions; Opposed Actions/Fudge Dice and Other Random Generators/Wounds
  9
  Excerpt from the Fudge 10th Anniversary Edition. Copyright ©2005 by Grey Ghost Press, Inc. www.fudgerpg.com
  
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