[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
While the civilized beings of Flatland refer to themselves as humans,
this book henceforth refers to all the living inhabitants of Flatland as
‘Shapes’. This designation includes the citizens of the various States,
as well as the savage Irregulars, monsters of the wilds, and all other
creatures that exist in Flatland.
Note that the rules contained in this book present the inhabitants of
Flatland as they are presented in the original novel (though, admit-
tedly, some Shapes and other ideas are drawn from later works).
Persons who object to the portrayals of the mental abilities of certain
Shapes are reminded both of this fact, and also that rules are made to
be broken.
This book is a work of homage. Any similarity to any other role-play-
ing game, living or deceased, is purely coincidental.
CONCERNING ATTRIBUTES
Brains
This is the intellect possessed by the Shape. When confronted with a cerebral
problem or task of some sort, the Chief Circle decides the minimum number
needed for success. The player then rolls their Brains dice, attempting to meet
or exceed the target number.
Angle
This is a measure of the penetrating power of a Shape’s most formidable angle.
When attacking another Shape, the player’s Angle dice are rolled to determine
the damage inflicted. The number is then subtracted from the victim’s Struc-
ture. The greater the Angle’s dice, the more acute the angle is, and therefore the
more penetrating it is.
Charisma
This represents the social capital that a particular Shape has, based primarily
on the number of sides he possesses (for only a rare few free-thinkers ignore
the weight a Shape’s sides exert on his esteemedness), but other factors such
as eloquence of speech play a role. This attribute may be used in several ways.
When attempting to lie or fool someone, or when humor or other social graces
are called for, the Chief Circle again decides on a number that must be reached,
and the player’s Charisma dice are rolled. When two or more Shapes are vy-
ing for the affection or agreement of others, they compete by rolling their own
Charisma dice. The Shape with the higher number sways the listener or listen-
ers; a tie either means the crowd is split evenly or a reroll is in order.
Structure
This is a representation of the durability of a Shape’s perimeter, and the har-
diness of the Shape himself. A Shape whose Structure is reduced to zero or
below dies.
CONCERNING GAME RULES
When attempting to perform an action quickly (such as manoeuvring
or attacking another Shape), all parties involved roll 2d6. The highest
rolls act first, while identical rolls act simultaneously.
Each new character can be customised with a total of +3 points to
divide between skills, so a beginning Square could have the following
bonuses:
• Mathematics +2
• Politeness +1
When the Square wishes to perform a calculation, he rolls 3d6
(Brains) and adds +2 to the result. Similarily, a Charisma roll for
polite discourse would gain a +1 modifier to that result.
At the completion of a single session, each player flips a coin. If they
call it successfully, the Chief Circle rewards them with a +1 bonus to
all future rolls involving one specific skill they performed admirably.
OF THE NATURE OF SHAPES
The greatest length or breadth of a full grown inhabitant of Flatland
may be estimated at about eleven of your inches. Twelve inches may
be regarded as a maximum.
The following are some of the better-known Shapes, including those
that players may choose to be.
Triangles:
Our Soldiers and Lowest Classes of Workmen are Triangles with
two equal sides, each about eleven inches long, and a base or third
side so short (often not exceeding half an inch) that they form at
their vertices a very sharp and formidable angle. Indeed when their
bases are of the most degraded type (not more than the eighth part
of an inch in size), they can hardly be distinguished from Straight
Lines or Women; so extremely pointed are their vertices. With us,
as with you, these Triangles are distinguished from others by being
called Isosceles; and by this name I shall refer to them in the follow-
ing pages.
Our Middle Class consists of Equilateral or Equal-Sided Triangles.
Triangles have 5d6 to distribute between
Brains and Angle, with a minimum Angle
attribute of 2d6 (an Equilateral Triangle has
Brains 3d6 and Angle 2d6).
Charisma 1d6
Durability 16
Triangles are almost always soldiers or guards
of some kind. Their deadly points and dull
wits keep them at one of the lowest rungs of
society. Triangles aspire to have more and
more regular children, so that their descen-
dents may one day be perfect Equilateral
Triangles.
An Equilateral.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]