The entire Nameless system hangs on a single mechanic: Every action has a Target Number (1-10) which is determined by a character's Skills and Abilities. Players draw a card (or roll a 10-sided die) and try to get the highest possible result without going over their Target Number. It's just like "The Price is Right," only without Bob Barker. (We tried to get him, but we couldn't match his price. Sorry.)
Using CardsI find that cards work much better than dice for Nameless. They're faster (no waiting for the damn things to stop rolling), easier to see (bigger numbers), and no one spends half an hour shaking the deck before drawing their card (you know who you are). Some players might be attached to their dice, and there's no reason you couldn't use 10-sided dice, but I've never had a player regret giving the cards a try! Plus, far more people have normal decks of playing cards lying around than have 10-sided dice laying around. Just take the face cards out and you're ready to go! (Aces count as "1," of course.) Oh, and you can use the face cards for Karma points, too. See how it all comes together? |
All characters have a set of Abilities (mental and physical attributes) and Skills (things they've learned or trained to do). To find your Target Number for an action, just add a relevant Ability to an appropriate Skill. If you don't have an appropriate Skill, use your Ability score alone. (This reduces your chance of success, but it also means there's always some chance of success.) If your action doesn't require a Skill, add two of your Abilities together or add one Ability to itself (aka. an unskilled action). If a player can make a good case for why one of their Skills or Abilities is relevant, let them use it. Creativity is your friend.
Always remember the cardinal rule!
Only draw cards when the result of the action is:
Otherwise, it's just a waste of time. This also applies to unstressful situations where a character has plenty of time and resources to work with. If they have a reasonable level of skill or natural ability in whatever they're doing, don't make them draw a card at all.
On the other hand, if the odds aren't looking so good for a character (bad weather, crippling injury, etc), have them draw a penalty card in addition to their normal card and keep the worst result. Again, think in terms of the action as a whole. If the character is already getting a bonus card, the two cancel each other out. Just have them draw one card and be done with it.
In either case, you should never give out more than 2-3 extra cards, if things are going really, really good... or really, really bad. With any more than that, you can probably figure out what's going to happen on your own. This is called an auto success (or an auto failure). If two characters with auto successes go up against each other, just have them draw normally. Characters with Bonus Cards can "trade them in" to turn an opponent's auto success into a bonus card, then they both draw normally.
Fun with FailureIn most RPGs, a failed check means that an action just falls flat. That's not too entertaining. Instead, "failed" actions should complicate things for the PCs; they won't get the game effect they were looking for, but they won't trip over their own feet, either. For example, Indiana Jones rarely whiffs anything outright. His wide punches and missed shots always end up alerting more enemies, destroying valuable artifacts, annoying an ally, etc. It takes a bit more work, but it's a lot more fun! |
As you may have noticed, there are no "critical hits" in Nameless. (There's simply not enough room on a ten-point scale.) Instead, we put characters' fates in the players' hands. After a card is drawn, players can spend a point of Karma to automatically succeed in their action. If this has a direct, negative effect on another character, that character's player (or the GM) can spend a point of Karma to cancel it. If you want to let this turn into a bidding war, go right ahead! Karma helps ensure that fortune smiles upon the characters when they need it... and only when it's relevant to the game.
Karma can also be used to get lucky breaks. For example, say your character gets carjacked and you think s/he's the kind of person who would keep a handgun taped under the dash board. Tell your GM, "Hey, I think I'm the kinda person who'd keep a piece under the dash" and if your GM buys it, she will ask for 1-3 points of Karma. Turn them in and... walla! There's your gun, right where you knew it'd be.
"That's all fine and good, but how do I get Karma points?" you might ask. Well, there are two ways. First, players can earn Karma when they role-play their Flaws. If it causes their character significant inconvenience, the GM may toss them a Karma point. This gives players a concrete reason to get into character, and get their characters into trouble.
The second way is called Karmic Kredit; at the beginning of a game session, each player can "buy" a few Karma points. (The limit is up to the GM, but we recommend 1-3.) The catch is that, for each point they buy, they also get one point of Bad Karma (see below). This also means that players don't have to keep track of their Karma from one session to the next. Convenient.
Of course, the GM can also give out Karma for anything else they think deserves an out-of-character reward.
Bad Karma is used just like regular (good) Karma... but by the GM and for the NPCs. However, NPCs don't actually earn or have Bad Karma; the players generate it from Karmic Kredit, by activating their Talents, or for doing anything the GM thinks deserves an out-of-character punishment (like ignoring their character's Philosophy). The GM just keeps it all in a single pool to use as they see fit. Bad Karma is a great way to protect important characters, ensure successful ambushes, or to justify any other wickedness GMs tend to perpetrate on their players!