Alternate Realities: Primary Reality Guide, v1.0

Alternate Realities: Primary Reality Guide

Statement of Copyright

Acknowledgments

Forward to Version 1.0

Introduction

Basic Ideas

• The Primary Reality
• The Universal Rule of Objects
• The Law of Diminishing Returns
• Numbers and Units in AR
• Levels of Complexity
• Character Value
• Material Components of Play

Whence the DRF?

Critical Mechanics

• The Standard Test
• The Continuous Form Test
• Contests

Continuous Form Rationale

The Character

• Character Attributes
  • Level 0
  • Level 1
  • Level 2
  • Supplemental
  • Skills

• Character Creation
  • Character Creation Basics (Common to All Methods)
  • Mediated Character Creation
  • Character Value Point (CVP) Character Creation
  • Randomized Character Creation

• Character Development
  • Increasing Attributes
  • Increasing Skills
  • Decay
  • The Aging Process

A Word About Ratings

Normative Behavior and the Superego

Empathy Vs. Sympathy

Random Ideas

Advancement Tests

Supplemental Mechanics

• Damage, Incapacitation, and Scrap
• Damage Types
• Taking Damage
• Cover, Armor, and Damage Transference
• Stress, Fatigue, and Pain
  • Relevant Attributes
  • The Effects of Stress and Fatigue
  • Acquiring Stress and Fatigue
  • Removing Stress and Fatigue

• Healing and Repairing Damage
  • Healing
  • Repair

• Magic, Psionics, and Strange Powers
  • Powers Beyond the Characters' Ability to Change
  • Powers Beyond the Player's Control
  • Powers Possessed by Non-Character Objects
  • Where to Look for Power Related Attributes

• Poison and Disease
  • How Poison and Disease Work

• Timing and Fast Action
  • Units
  • Actions and the Standard Act
  • Fast Action
  • Special Actions

Handling Action

The Game Environment

• Generic Parent Objects
• Cultural Description Objects
  • CDO Attributes
  • Level 0
  • Level 1
  • Additional Considerations

GMing Alternate Realities

• Choosing a Level of Complexity
  • The Meaning of Complexity
  • What Level Works for You?
  • Implementing the Decision
  • Changing Over During Play
  • Final Thoughts

• Rewards and Penalties
  • Consider the Consequences
  • The Hand of Fate
  • Avoiding the Situation

• Authority and Decision Making
• Conclusion

Alternate Realities "How To" Guide

• How to Use the DRF (and its Inverse)
• How to Perform a Standard Form Test
• How to Perform a Continuous Form Test
• How to Perform a Standard Form Contest
• How to Perform a Continuous Form Contest
• How to Test an Attribute
• How to Test a Skill
• How to Create a Random Event
• How to Conduct a Fast Action Sequence
• How to Make an Attack
• How to Dodge an Attack
• How to Parry an Attack
• How to Train an Attribute
• How to Train a Skill
• How to Assess Decay
• How to Assess Aging
• How to Maintain a Character
• How to Create a Character (Randomized)
• How to Create a Character (Character Value Points)
• How to Create a Character (Mediated)
• How to Resolve a Character Action
• How to Destroy an Object (Including Characters)
• How to Conduct a Combat
• How to Assess Poison Damage
• How to Assess Damage from Disease
• How to Heal Damage
• How to Recover from Stress and Fatigue
• How to Assess Character Value
• How to Use the Target Web
• How to Read the Attribute Distribution Chart

Generic Lists

• Items, Materials, and Equipment
  • Quality

• Generic Items
• Materials
• Weapons
• Armor
• Equipment
• Vehicles
• Modifiers
• Skills
  • Skill List (difficulty, prerequisite)

Writing for AR

• Modular Rule Supplements
• Reality Guides
• Reality Supplements
• Supporting Products
• Labeling Your Supplement

Carter Butts, ctb@andrew.cmu.edu