Introduction

The world had belonged to them once. The Gobolyns, Boggarts and Spriggans; the Trows, Trolls and Angorym; all the dark and twisted offspring of the un-living N'kroi. They roamed across the face of the world, awaiting the judgement of the Most High Lord of the Mountain.

Then came the humans. Deceived by the N'kroi, they left their home upon the mount. Lost in a world of darkness, they await the promised Son of the Mountain who will show them the path of return. But as they wait, they must survive. Cut off from their creator, surrounded by countless foes, they must slash and hack a place for themselves in which to live.

Welcome to the World of Anghar

Welcome to the ARG System

The ARG System is a role-play game where you play either one of the human or demi-human races living in and around the six kingdoms of Mann. Your goal is simple survival. If you can, by strength of will and wit, amass enough power to oppose the dark forces, then fame and fortune may be yours as well.

What is the ARG System?

What you are looking at is the ARG System version 3.1b (basic version). It is a simplified version of the advanced system which can serve as an introduction to those who are new to either role-play in general or the ARG System in particular. For many who enjoy the role-play without the rules, ARG System v3.1b may be all they need. We will generally present what we feel is the best mix of simplicity and detail. However, at the same time, we will often include alternate rules both on this site and in future works.

What is an RPG?

Many people have written thousands of words trying to explain this phenomenon known as role-playing games. You can, no doubt, find much better attempts throughout the net on web pages and in newsgroups, so we will give only a very brief explanation for those who may be completely unfamiliar with the concept.

A role-playing game might best be described as group improvisational storytelling. Each player has one or more characters whom he creates and whose actions he describes. He may speak and act in either the first or third person, but he is only playing a role, and in so doing he helps write the story.

One person has a special function. In some games they refer to him as the Dungeon Master or Game Master. His function is both master storyteller and game referee and so in the ARG System we refer to him as the Game Referee or GR. The GR's job is to describe the setting, describe the outcome of the players' characters' actions as well as describe the actions of the villains (monsters) and secondary characters. While the GR often uses a pre-made game scenario, more often than not, he also makes up his own. As you can see the GR has a big job.

This is a game, however, and not just free-form storytelling, and so there are rules. Players' characters can't just do anything they can think of; they do have some limitations. Numbers are used to define what a character can do. Often the GR will compare the appropriate number score to the situation and just declare whether the character's actions are likely to meet with success or not. Usually, as in combat situations, the GR will roll dice to determine the outcome.

How do you win?

The object of each game will vary according to what the GR has planned. In one game the players may need to rescue a princes, slay a dragon or recover a magical artifact. In a major campaign it could easily be all three. Each player, however, should have their own goals as well that will serve as their main reason for adventuring. For one player it may be to gain enough wealth to rescue their family from poverty. For another it may be to gather enough political power to recover a father's lost kingdom. A third may seek to gain enough magical power to visit vengeance upon an evil sorcerer, while a fourth might seek to simply be the best at his profession, perhaps to win the favor of a loved one. All of these people may participate in the same adventures for entirely different reasons, though most of these reasons involve the collection of wealth, knowledge, skills or power.

The Dice

As in most role-playing games, whenever an event's outcome is uncertain, special dice are used to resolve the situation. These dice are called polyhedra dice, since unlike regular six-sided dice, these might have any number of sides. These dice can be found at nearly any gaming store or are most certainly available over the Internet if you search for role-play gaming related sites.

We will generally refer to certain dice by the letter "d" followed by the number of sides (i.e. d20 means one twenty-sided die.) If more than one die is needed, then a number will appear before the "d" (i.e. 5d6 means five six-sided die and to be rolled and added together.) If no number appears before the "d" then assume only one die is required. If you are required to add or subtract anything from the results, it will be noted after the number. (i.e. d6+7 means roll one six-sided die and add seven to the results)

High rolls are always good and low rolls are bad.

In the advanced version of the game only percentile dice are used. This has the advantage of keeping the system simple while providing a broad enough range to handle just about any situation.

Some people, however, seem to have a problem with two digit numbers larger than twenty. Therefore, we have decided to adopt a d20 mechanic for this version. Unfortunately this also means that other dice will sometimes be needed to handle other number ranges. For this game you will need a d20 and a d6. A d10 may also be useful.

At times you may be asked to make a percentile roll (d%). To do this, the player rolls two 10-sided dice (preferably of two different colors). One die represents the ten's digit and the other die represents the one's, so a roll of a "4" and a "5" results in the number "45." A roll of "0" and "0" represents "100." Special dice numbered "10, 20, 30..." can often be found that will help avoid any confusion.

When do you roll the dice?

It is not necessary to make a skill roll for every character action. If a task is too easy or the character's skill is high enough, the GR may simply rule the character's action was successful. If the task is very important to the story, or the character's goal, a skill roll may be required--even for very simple tasks.

The GR also determines how many rolls are necessary. For tasks with multiple steps, the GR may determine a single roll is sufficient, or require a separate roll for each step, or something in between.

Who rolls the dice?

Who rolls the dice is largely a matter of preference. Usually the players will want to roll their own because it gives them some sense of control over their character's destiny. Other players feel that good role-play determines (or should determine) their character's fate and so are content to allow the GR to make all rolls. There are, however, two situations where the player should not only not roll the dice, but should not even know the result of the die roll. For example, when the PCs are attempting to persuade a potential enemy not to betray them (they'll discover the result through role-play). Another situation is the perception check where a null result could be because the roll was successful (and nothing was hiding in the shadows) or because they just failed the roll

Special Terms

Copyright Information

© 1992,1998-1999 by Talus Perdix. All rights reserved. A single copy of this material may be made for personal use in accordance to the Play-tester's Agreement.