TEXT: Nickel & Dime 
   
  Roleplayers are sometimes asked about 
  their hobby.  Not every day, but it happens 
  often enough that it’s handy to be able to 
  give a five-minute demonstration that will 
  hopefully pique their interest for more.  
  Nickel & Dime is just that: a demo game 
  that’s a tiny example of a traditional RPG.  
  It includes two five-minute encounters. 
  To play, you need two coins of different 
  values.  In these rules, the lesser value coin 
  is called a nickel (5¢) and the greater a 
  dime (10¢), but any two values will do. 
  Nickel & Dime is available in multiple 
  genres.  Pick one appropriate to the inquirer 
  who is about to play the game.  This front 
  page is the same in each instance of Nickel 
  & Dime, but page two is genre specific. 
   
  Setup 
  Once you have a match with the genre, help 
  the player flesh out a character role as listed 
  on p. 2.  Then choose one of the Encounters. 
   
  Character Traits 
  There are three traits in Nickel & Dime: 
  Vigor represents feats of agility, strength, 
  endurance, and combat. It includes 
  knowledge appropriate to those areas. 
  Subtlety represents intelligence, but also 
  stealth, spying, pickpocketing, burglary – 
  but not armed robbery.  (That’d be Vigor.) 
  Charm represents conviviality, persuasion, 
  schmoozing, and generally getting people to 
  trust and open up to you. 
   
  Trait Levels 
  There are two trait patterns available, 
  Specialist and Jack/Jill of All Trades: 
   Specialist: One trait at Level 2, one at 
  Level 1, and one at Level 0. 
   JoAT: All three traits at Level 1. 
  Let the player choose which pattern they 
  want.  If they want a Specialist character, let 
  them pick the Levels for each trait, but some 
  character types will have recommendations. 
   
  Task Resolution Success 
   Easy tasks automatically succeed. 
   Average tasks require a result of 2+. 
   Difficult tasks require a result of 3+. 
   Very Tough tasks require a result of 4+. 
  Give them +1 to their Trait Level for a clever 
  idea, genre-appropriate action, or a good 
  surprise move.  Reward them for getting 
  into character – make it fun! 
  At some point they’ll probably propose an 
  unrealistic action.  Be gentle – this is a 
  potential future roleplayer!  Say something 
  like, “Oof!  That would be a Very Tough 
  task and a –1 to your trait Level.  Perhaps 
  you can break that into two actions.”  If 
  they understand your warning, allow them 
  to change their plan.  But if they really want 
  to try it, let the coins fall where they may! 
  Give the player a nickel and a dime, and 
  have them shake them in their cupped 
  hands, and then slap them onto a table or 
  other surface.  Read the results as follows: 
  Coin Face: 
  Tail 
  5¢ Head 
  10¢ Head 
  Result: 
  0 
  1 
  2 
  The sum of the Results of the two coins 
  yields a value from 0 to 3. (This is the same 
  as 1d4-1 if you don’t have coins.) 
  Add the value from the coin toss to 
  the appropriate trait level to see if they 
  succeed at the task.  Critical Success: if 
  they roll two heads, let them roll again.  Two 
  more heads means success even at the 
  aforementioned unrealistic action attempts! 
   
  Failed Action Attempts 
  Handle these carefully!  Explain that a 
  wound, getting captured, etc., in a full RPG 
  can take a session (or even a new adventure) 
  to recover from.  But here, just wing it. 
   
  Credits, etc. 
  © 2015 Steffan O’Sullivan 
  You may copy/print this game for personal use, 
  but not sell it. 
  Written Sept 28-29, 2015, as an entry in the 
  2015 rpggeek.com 24-Hour RPG Contest. 
   
  Copyright-free coin images are from 
  http://www.wpclipart.com/ 
  Buffalo images (on US nickels 1913-1938) and deer 
  images on p.2 are from 
  http://www.fontspace.com/willymac/wmanimals2 
  The RPG to play 
  when asked, 
  “What’s a 
  roleplaying game?” 
   
  
  Nickel & Dime 
   
   
   Character Role Choices 
  There are three character types available in 
  Robin Hood’s Band of Outlaws. The 
  recommended primary traits for Specialist 
  are listed, but players do have free choice of 
  all three Levels.  Any of the types can be a 
  Jack/Jill of All Trades if desired. 
   Woodsman Archer, recommended 
  primary trait: Vigor. This outlaw rarely 
  leaves Sherwood Forest unless well 
  disguised, or to a crowded special event. 
   Thief, recommended primary trait: 
  Subtlety. This outlaw ventures out of 
  Sherwood Forest chiefly at night. 
   Tinker, recommended primary trait: 
  Charm. This outlaw daringly travels 
  outside Sherwood Forest in broad 
  daylight disguised as a traveling tinker, 
  acting as Robin’s “eyes and ears.” 
  If there are multiple players, they can be 
  different roles for a Sherwood Forest 
  encounter, but may (or may not) want to be 
  the same roles for encounters elsewhere.  
  They can differentiate themselves by 
  different secondary trait Levels if they wish. 
  Take a minute to get them into character, 
  stressing the “rob from the rich, give to the 
  poor” aspect of Robin’s way of life. 
   Encounter 1: Lone Traveler 
  From a vantage point hidden in Sherwood 
  foliage, the PC notices a lone traveler 
  leaning on a tree by the road, eating bread 
  and cheese with a knife. He’s probably in his 
  30s, and has a sword and leather shirt.  His 
  horse, cropping grass by the side of the 
  road, is of obvious quality, but the trappings 
  are utilitarian rather than ostentatious. 
  Once you’ve described the situation, ask the 
  player what his character wants to do.  
  Some obvious choices include: 
  Robbery: jump out with ready weapon and 
  demand their money. 
  Pickpocket: stealthily steal their purse 
  from behind the tree he’s leaning against. 
  Converse: make a friendly approach, 
  possibly offering to share food, and chat. 
   Who is the Traveler? 
  GM’s choice: he’s an agent of the Sheriff, or 
  he’s an innocent soldier looking for a job. 
  The Sheriff’s agent will try to fight if robbed 
  (Difficult for the PC, or Very Tough if he let 
  him draw his sword), will detect the 
  pickpocketing on a failed Difficult Subtlety 
  test, and is Difficult to Charm: on failure, he 
  arrests you on suspicion!  His purse carries 
  enough to feed a poor family for a week.  He 
  is looking for the location of Robin’s camp. 
  The innocent soldier is a decent sort – he 
  left his last post because his commander is 
  corrupt.  He won’t fight, his purse isn’t 
  worth stealing, and he knows about troop 
  movements that Robin will want to hear. 
   Encounter 2: Nottingham Town 
  Robin sends you into Nottingham for 
  information.  There’s a new wealthy 
  merchant in town, and Robin needs to know 
  where his heart is.  Robin won’t rob a good 
  man, but otherwise … the poor need food. 
  There’s a festival in town, so any PC can go.  
  But the crowds mean the town guards are 
  on high alert – Sherwood Forest is close. 
  Two town guards confront the PC(s).  It’s an 
  Average Subtlety or Charm test to avoid 
  arrest (or at least pursuit) during the day; at 
  night, it’s Difficult.  If pursued, it’s a 
  Difficult Vigor or Subtlety test to avoid 
  being caught and thrown into prison. 
  Once past the town guards, it takes an 
  Average Charm result to get pertinent 
  information about the new merchant. 
   Who is the Merchant? 
  GM’s choice: he’s an archetypal greedy 
  merchant with no charity for others, or he’s 
  secretly an agent of King Richard, trying to 
  determine who is loyal to the imprisoned 
  King, and who supports the King’s usurping 
  brother, Prince John and his Sheriff. 
  If greedy, he’s well-guarded, and robbery/ 
  pickpocketing attempts are Very Tough. 
  If he’s Richard’s agent, he will be happy to 
  donate to feed the poor, but only to Robin in 
  person to sound him out on the issue of 
  Richard.  But the merchant is watched by 
  Prince John’s spies, and it takes a Difficult 
  Subtlety test to avoid their scrutiny.  Don’t 
  unwittingly lead them to Robin’s hideout! 
  Page 2, Genre: 
   
  Robin Hood’s 
  Band of Outlaws 
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Kid Friendly/3. Rules Lite Collection/Nickel & Dime.pdf