RPGs: Familiar Territory...?

## If You're Reading This Now, It Probably Means...

No, not that we're dead. But you thought it, didn't you?

Assumptions: *we're going to make a few*. Given the method players found *Speculation*, it's likely they'll be fairly experienced by the time they stumble over this particular system. They will know the ways of the blunt instrument (GURPS) and they will have wandered the Lands of Gygax (the d20 System). If they're still seeking something – something tuned closer to *apparent verisimilitude* – that's where *Speculation* shines.

Speculation uses systems that emphasize realism, or the genre substitute of internal consistency. In that spirit, scenarios are based on plans versus timelines rather than sequential plot lines. Flexibility is the key and imagination the tool that makes this game run.

## Contingency Plans

It is entirely possible that a particularly resourceful or intelligent player could stop their opponents in their tracks before the meat of the scenario is ever met. That's okay – we're not writing a book, we don't need to guide players through a particular plot arc for them to have a good experience. Simple bad guys will often be dealt with simply. A well-written scenario however, with well-crafted antagonists, will often have back-ups and contingencies meant to counteract just the kind of dynamic players will bring to the situation.

Each scenario will have a list of hostile, neutral, and potentially allied characters. The PCs are the reactive agents among those catalysts – but the bad guys will be operating with their plan. They will have a timeline and there will be a few alternate plans if their primary is foiled. This gives a little extra improvisation challenge for the Referee as the events are not (or should not be) set in stone.

The mechanics of the system are not traditional. There is a flavor of percentile system present, especially when the fiber of a character is tested. For most tasks, though, a simple comparison is made. As Obi Wan says: "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck."

The Speculation system is not about balanced game play. It's about players working to tilt the balance in their favor. There are guidelines and suggested capacities (levels of power, if you will), but every rule has an exception and people rising to the occasion are often exceptional people.

There are no character classes in Speculation. Instead, PCs live and die by their traits and skills. That said, "specialists" are popular. Further, not all characters are created equal. A weekend warrior turned professional adventurer may have chutzpah, but they won't have the 3 million dollars, six years of training and twelve "free" skills available to members of Special Forces.

Scenarios are rated by several categories, from levels of potential sexual and violent content, to both character and player ratings.

* Sexual content is self-explanatory. While its unlikely that the game will involve any sort of risky behavior on the part of the player, it's not impossible that characters could meet at a nudie bar or a mission involve an element of entrapment via sexual compromise (known as a "honeypot" operation).
* Violent content is more likely in a scenario. This may range from the possible justifyable homicide of unambiguous bad guys in an FBI vs drug dealers scenario to scenarios in far darker gray areas. Murkier scenarios might include Doctrine of Competing Harms situations, such as a sniper risking taking a shot even though he may himself kill a hostage in the process.
* Character Ratings: A high character rating demands characters that have access to more skills at higher levels (usually because that's what the competition will have). Higher ratings will often indicate more concentrated, intensive situations even though the path to that situation is fairly straightforward. It would be the gaming equivalent of a hack-n-slash, where there there are minimum qualifications for any hope of survivial, much less accomplishing a mission.
* Player Ratings: A high player rating means a scenario that may play out like a puzzle, where the character levels matter less and the players' reasoning and intuition matter more. Lower player ratings can be fun, and are generally more of a stress-release type experience. Higher player ratings can be just as fun – if the player is looking for a mental challenge.

Touring the Overview:

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