BFRP

1 - Introduction

BFRP (Basic Fantasy Role Playing) is a free, fan-written, modular, fantasy role-playing game. It is structured in such a way that it can easily be tailored to the desired level of detail in a given area. For instance, a game based around heroic characters in Tolkien's Middle Earth might use detailed skills and combat rules, but only simple character progression rules, and limited rules for spell casting or creation of magical effects. A wide variety of magic rules will be provided, to cope with games set in different fantasy worlds.

BFRP draws upon the role-playing experience of a group of committed role-players who have pooled their experiences together and produced these rules based on tried and tested role-playing experience. It was designed by committee over the Internet, and that is the primary medium of publication. There are four sections: The Introduction is what you are reading; Core Rules covers the essential principles and mechanics that all BFRP games will use; Basic Sections fleshes the system out into a fully-functional fantasy role-playing game, including a selection of magic systems; Advanced Rules presents more complex, but compatible, coverage of certain topics, and Alternative Sections expands the system further with replacement rules for such areas as character generation, skill relationships, fatigue and wounding, magic, etc..

BFRP is not tied to any one game world. There are plenty of established game worlds on the market, and many more that are well described in fantasy literature. We strongly urge you to support the roleplaying hobby by purchasing a roleplaying game world, maybe one that comes with a game system, and adapting the game statistics presented for use with BFRP. Such adaptations are the subject of Appendix XX.

The major problem with a non-world-specific system is the treatment of magic. However, that is actually one of the strengths of BFRP. Pretty much all fantasy settings have their own peculiar forms of magic, so BFRP has a wide variety of magic systems, and options for customisation within those systems. This reduces to a minimum the effort required in running a game in your favourite swords-and-sorcery setting. A multiple-choice magical reference is provided, to give players and referee a quick guide to what is possible under the chosen system.

Although the rules delineate between levels of detail, the individual referee or gaming group are free to move these boundaries to suit their own particular tastes and requirements. This is facilitated by the format - being available on the Internet, the rules can be cut-and-pasted to suit. The deliberate separation of the simple and complex rules are also a deterrent to players who wish to push the system beyond the boundaries of the provided rules being used - the referee can simply say, "No, that is covered by the advanced rules that we are not using".

Conventions

BFRP, like most commercial roleplaying games, uses dice to determine the outcome of most dramatic actions. Walking through a door is not terribly dramatic, so requires no die roll. If the character was someone like Emperor Ming, then striding into a doorway in an imposing and intimmidating manner may not require a die roll either, as failure is inconceivable. If they were more like William S. Preston Esq., then a die roll would definitely be in order, as failure is dramatically significant to the character. A certain amount of judgement on the part of the referee is required.

Any die roll that is based on a character's ability will be rolled on percentage dice. This is frequently achieved by rolling two ten-sided dice, having first nominted one as the "tens" and one as the "units". Thus, a 4 and a 2 represent 42. The character will probably have an appropriate skill written down on their character sheet, and this will be the target number - under ordinary circumstances, equal or lower than this number means that they have succeeded. Note that "00" represents 100, not zero, so anyone with weighted dice may be in for a few surprises now and then.

to be continued...