Success & Failure In Fudge: Relative, Not Binary

In many games a roll of the dice is used to determine a binary outcome. The result can only be a one or a zero. The player rolls for the PC to hit a target with an attack. The only results possible are either the PC hit or the PC missed. That is it.

Some games might add the concept of a critical success or failure. This expands the two possible options to four:

• fail and suffer an additional consequence
• fail
• succeed
• succeed and gain an additional benefit

Using the attack example again a critical failure would have the PC miss and also suffer the loss of an action, while a critical success would have the PC hit and also gain the benefit of the attack causing additional damage. This is closer to what Fudge is capable of, but still a bit limited as it is dealing with the consequences of the roll regardless of the story being told.

In order to tap into the full potential of Fudge you need to think in terms of how success and failure are relative to the story. This means that a roll to hit a target goes beyond whether or not the target was hit or missed, but instead extends into why was the target being attacked in the first place. Was the PC trying to make the target drop an item? Was the PC trying to protect someone else? Knowing what the real conflict is that required the dice roll in the first place is essential to making the most out of a Fudge game.

Fudge dice rolls are relative to the story. The rank needed to succeed may be either a negative or a positive one. A result of Mediocre may be successful, but a result of Superb should have an impact upon the story being told that is far greater than a Mediocre result would. If a Mediocre result would hit the target for an attack roll, then a Superb result should accomplish what the PC’s ultimate goal was behind making an attack to begin with. The target will drop that item, the PC will have protected another, and the impact upon the story will be significant.

With failures the same approach is used. A result of Terrible means that the target has not dropped the item, but instead has activated the item. A result of Terrible means that the PC failed to protect another, and might have even harmed the very person that they had intended to protect.

When running a Fudge game the GM should always have an idea as to the relative degrees of success or failure that may be the result of Fudge dice roll. Do not think in terms of binary outcomes. Be ready to use that dice roll result to mover the story along with great triumphs and tragedies. That is what Fudge is all about.