From: sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan)
Subject: Re: What is FUDGE!?!?!?!
Organization: Plymouth State College - Plymouth, NH.
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 23:45:04 GMT

In article <fz#@byu.edu> curtisn@SAS (Curtis Nelson) writes:
>Hey, I've been in this group for a coupla' months, and I _still_ don't know 
>what FUDGE is.  Can anybody help?

A couple of months?  In that time I have posted three complete versions
and a FAQ - how can you not know what it is if you've been reading this
group a couple of months?

Here's the FAQ again:

FUDGE Frequently Asked Questions:
 
Q1. What is FUDGE?
==================
A1. FUDGE is a free role-playing game.  It is just a gaming "engine"
- each GM must provide the "body" of the RPG in order to make it
work.  A certain amount of customization work is necessary in order
to use FUDGE, and many things are left unstated: the GM will have to
fudge a lot.
 
However, it provides a simple, word-based mechanism for creating
characters and resolving actions that is very easy to use in almost
any given situation.
 
FUDGE stands for:
Freeform: simple, laid-back, not rules-heavy.  Customizable to taste.
Universal: usable with any genre.
Donated: it costs nothing, and may be reproduced and passed out to
         players legally.
Gaming: role-playing gaming, that is.
Engine: it's just the basic mechanism for character creation and
        development, as well as action resolution.  No world details
        are provided.

Q2. Who is the target audience?
===============================
A2. FUDGE is for experienced GMs, though it can be used with novice
players.  It's not for those who want extreme detail.  You must enjoy
making decisions on the fly in order to run FUDGE.

Q3. What genres is it for?
==========================
A3. Any.  Only playtesting will reveal if it really works for any
genre, of course.

Q4. Where can I get it?
=======================
A4. As of this date, it is not yet available by ftp because it's not
yet done.  Almost.  Still playtesting.  When it's done, it'll be
available at an FTP site, but I don't yet know when or where.  (I've
had a few offers, though - thanks, folks!  I'll follow up on them once
it's ready for archiving.) Until then, the current, updated version is
posted on rec.games.design as needed.  I posted the last version on
1/14/93.  The next will be in February, early, I hope.  I'll be away
from the net from 1/23 to 1/30, though, and I won't have access to a
computer, either.

Q5. Can I contribute?
=====================
A5. At this point, yes, you can.  I am acting as "editor" (or
"filter" if you prefer) for suggestions and feedback.  This is very
subjective, however, so don't be offended if your suggestions don't
make it into the main text.  My main criteria for including rules are
simplicity and necessity.

Fortunately, anyone can still contribute to the Addenda that is
attached to FUDGE.  This will be true, even after it is finished and
located at an ftp site.  Simply add a section to the Addenda along
the lines of: "Alternate section B3, written by Jane Doe, 2/93".
This allows for FUDGE's constant growth, even if I lose net access
someday.  The Addenda already has a few sections written by other
folk.

-- 
  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu