O'er Windswept Golden Fields: Rules Attempt 2 WoD Style + Playtesting!

 So soon I ought to be running my first games of this system at last! If you have seen my previous posts on the subject, then you know I have been working on a game system inspired by Over the Garden Wall, Infinity Train, Something Wicked this Way Comes, Grimm's Fairytales, and my own adventures by the local creak in Missouri. 

I think my last post was underwhelming on this subject. I think I want to use World of Dungeons as a basic system for these purposes, but try to define out certain things that go against the spirit of the game.

From Infinity Train

Attributes: Assign +2, +1, +0, and -1 to the following attributes: Wits, Tough, Nimble, and Spirit.

Stamina: You have 4+Tough Stamina. This is a measure of how much physical and emotional strain your character can take before they are Tuckered Out. Strain is usually dealt out in single points. Failing a task might cost you 1 Stamina as a fairly standard penalty. If a monster is trying to get you, it might deal 1d4 for a weak monster or 1d6 for a strong monster in strain.

Tuckered Out: When a kid hits 0 or less Stamina, they must roll+Spirit. On a 6 or less, they can do nothing but cry or groan in exhaustion, unable to defend themselves. Kids that are Tuckered Out in this way are usually easily captured by monsters, cursed, or otherwise put in danger that they have to escape or their friends have to save them from. On a 7-9, they can drag themselves along, moving slowly with Disadvantage to all rolls. Next time they would lose Stamina, they are fully Tuckered Out. On a 10+, the kid remains at 1 Stamina and can carry on! 

A Tuckered Out kid can be revived with an ally encouraging them and rolling + Spirit, gaining a +1 for everything they can offer them that they like: e.i. pie, candy, a new toy, ect. On a 6 or less, the kid remains Tuckered Out. On a 7-9, they can drag themselves along, moving slowly with a Disadvantage to all rolls. Next time they would lose Stamina, they are filly Tuckered Out. On a 10+, the kid returns to 1 Stamina.

Rolling the Dice: Whenever you try something risky, roll+an appropriate Attribute (GM's choice). On a 6 or less, things don't go well and the risk turns out badly. A 7-9 is a partial success, you accomplish your task but there is some penalty. A 10+ is a full success. Nothing goes wrong and you accomplish what you set out to do.

If players have made a good plan and executed it well, there is no need to roll dice. The actions just occur. If there is some doubt as to how certain parts of the plan would go then resolve them with dice.

Advantage/Disadvantage: If there is need for a penalty or a bonus to a roll for good positioning, a player may roll 3d6 and drop the lowest for Advantage or 3d6 and drop the highest for Disadvantage. However, if there is enough positioning for either of these, the GM ought to consider whether or not this merits the kid just straight up accomplishing or failing the action. If there truly is a still some good risk to resolve, not enough to just declare success or failure, then the GM may use these mechanics.

Hittin' and Shootin': Kids are not good at combat. Against the vast majority of creatures and adults who are bigger than them and stronger than them, kids are no match. Hitting them with sticks or shooting them with pebbles might stun them or make them mad, but ultimately kids will have to be smart to defeat their foes. Lure them into traps, escape them, trick them, talk them out of it, ect. If there is some doubt as to the effectiveness of using physical force, roll Tough or Nimble where appropriate.

Making Traps and Gizmos: Scrap can usually be found anywhere there is civilization. Anytime the kids root around in piles of objects, rather than detailing exactly what is there, if it is not important, you may give them Scrap. Each Scrap fills 1 Pack Slot and can be used to create traps and the like, e.i. home alone. If there is some doubt of a kid's ability to make the trap or gizmo, roll Wits.

Chewing the Cud: Talking to folks is easy. What you say, your character says. If there is some doubt as to how convincing you are, roll Spirit.

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out, Kid: Somethings are just not possible for your characters to do. The GM can adjudicate this where it is necessary. Kids are only so capable and some plans will just fail. The rule of common sense is the highest rule here. If there is a need for some kind of penalty to rolls, the GM may impose Disadvantage or simply state that you cannot do this until you have a better plan or the right resources.

Storage: Every kid has a backpack and in that backpack, they can hold about 10 things. These are Pack Slots. This can mostly be ignored for small things. A single candy will take up no space but a bag of candy will. These should only really be tracked if circumstances demand it.

Gear: You can roll or pick your starting gear here.

I really think this keeps all of the simplicity and ease of use of a good simple OSR system while adding some of the fail-forward motion of PbtA games. It helps me as a GM to be able to adjudicate when and how the monsters move when things are less structured around lethal and risky combat and more geared towards motivating interesting things to happen in-game. I think just having these rules in place, just kind of defining out combat as an effective option can work well. These are ultimately just GM tips, but I think they are enough to ultimately "decombatise" the rpg.

We will see soon because I am running playtests on my server in the next following weeks! Dare try to steal the silver coal from the Conductor of the Lost Dreams Express? It is said this mysterious locomotive arrives at the thirteenth hour, the magical extra hour past midnight only experienced by cats, witches, insomniacs, and curious children holding their breath as the clock strikes twelve. What will you find on this eerily scheduled train ride? Will your mother allow you to be up so late? Where does the Lost Dreams Express go? Find out all this and more on my server: the Wondrous Woolery! Just message me and I will send you a link! I am in US Central time if that affects your decision, but I want every willing child at heart to join!