3.1 Basics

This page discusses the basics of Drunken Dwarves 3.1.

## General structure

Drunken Dwarves is a TTRPG (tabletop RPG). It is traditionally played around a table, but can be played over a digital medium as well. To play it, you need one GM (game master) and one or more players.

The GM (sometimes called DM, for dungeon master) is in charge of running the game. They design the setting in which the game takes place, control the people and creatures with which the players interact, and set the challenges that the players must overcome. The GM usually determines the game's story, though they should never aim to have complete control. In an ideal roleplaying game, the GM sets the parameters of the setting and story, but the players' actions are what shape the eventual outcome.

Players do not interact with the GM's setting directly, but through a PC (player character) of their choice and design. You have full control over the actions of your own PC, but you cannot directly control the actions of others. See 3.1 PC creation for a detailed guide to creating your PC.

Interaction between the GM and the players usually goes as follows: The GM sets the scene, by describing the location the PCs are at, who or what is there and what is going on. The players can then interact with the scene by declaring their actions. Because the GM is a human being and not a computer, you can do just about anything that is physically possible. If multiple players want to do something, the GM lets them take turns one by one in a clockwise circle.

If you want to know a detail that the GM has not mentioned, but that your PC would be able to see, you can simply ask. For example, if the GM mentions a building, you could ask them how tall it is. You can also ask the GM for information that you think your PC might know, in which case you might need to make a knowledge check (see below, under rolls) to find out.

When playing, it is important to note the difference between speaking IC (in-character) and OOC (out-of-character). When speaking IC, you are impersonating your character, so you might say something like "I try to break down the door!". When speaking OOC, you are speaking as yourself, so in the same situation you might say "Rion tries to break down the door!" (where Rion is the name of your PC). Some people prefer to speak IC all the time while playing, while others prefer to use a mix of both. It is up to you and your group to determine how much roleplaying you want to do.

Interacting with regular scenes is rather free-form, as described above. But if combat ensues, a more organized structure is followed, as described in 3.1 Combat.

## Rolls

Whenever you try to do something of which success is uncertain, you have to make a check for it. When you make a check, the GM sets the DC (difficulty class) of the action you are attempting. You then roll a d20 (20-sided die) and add the appropriate stat (see 3.1 Stats). If the result equals or exceeds the DC, the action succeeds.

Attacks and similar actions performed in combat function similar to checks, but the DC is determined by the target's stats, not by the DM directly (see 3.1 Combat).

**Taking 10**

If you are not in combat and not otherwise threatened or rushed, you can take 10 on a check, meaning you treat the die roll as 10 without rolling. This is useful for easy checks that still have a small chance of failure.

## Advantage and Disadvantage

When making an attack or check under hindering circumstances, you have Disadvantage, meaning you roll two d20s and must use the lower roll. If the circumstances work in your favour, you have Advantage, meaning you roll two d20s and use the higher roll. Advantage and Disadvantage cancel each other out, causing you to roll normally again. If more than one case of the same applies, it stacks, causing you to roll up to three dice and take the highest/lowest one. This is called double (Dis)Advantage.

In situations where (Dis)Advantage would be too large a bonus/penalty, the GM can instead grant a lesser bonus/penalty in the form of a +2 or -2 modifier to the roll.

## Injury

If your HP (see 3.1 Stats) falls to 0, you are knocked unconscious and are dying. While dying, you gain one death point at the start of each of your turns. Taking additional damage while already at 0 HP also inflicts a death point. When you get your third death point, you die. Extreme damage, such as having a mountain collapse on you, might instead kill you instantly, at the GM's discretion.

On their turn, an ally can spend an Action (see 3.1 Combat) to stabilize you. When stabilized, you remain unconscious and at 0 HP, but no longer gain death points. Taking any damage when stabilized causes you to resume dying, in addition to inflicting a death point. You regain consciousness when your HP is healed back to 1 or higher.

In addition to all this, upon dropping to 0 HP, you get the Wounded condition (see 3.1 Combat), which remains even when you are healed back to 1 HP or higher.

## Recovery

You can recover from your injuries by resting. There are two types of rests: Short Rests and Long Rests.

To take a Short Rest, you must spend 1 hour in a safe location while undertaking no strenuous activity. At the end of a Short Rest, you regain an amount of HP equal to your Stamina (see 3.1 Stats).

A Long Rest is like a Short Rest, except eight hours long. Essentially, a Long Rest is getting a night's sleep. At the end of a Long Rest, you regain all of your HP and remove all your death points. During a Long Rest, you can also use a healing kit (See 3.1 Economy) to cure yourself of the Wounded condition.

Thematically, losing HP does not always mean taking a flesh wound. A sword through the chest will kill a person regardless of their Stamina stat. Rather, HP represents your endurance, your focus and your ability to turn a hit into a glancing blow. Getting hit by an attack usually only means taking a small cut or bruise. The bodily damage is small, but every successful hit tires you out. When a hit reduces you to 0 HP, that means you ran out of focus and endurance, allowing your opponent to land a (potentially) lethal hit. This approach explains why HP is so easy to regenerate.