Introduction

It is traditional at this point to explain what is meant by "role-playing". This is not our intention here. Role-playing games have been around long enough for most people to have at least heard of them, even if only via the simplistic and derogatory terms of their popular image. Most people come to role-playing through the specialised commercial games mentioned above. TWURPS is aimed at those who recognise that the quality of a game, role-playing or otherwise, is dependent on the effort and imagination of the individuals involved, and the aim of a rules system should be to support and promote this, rather than channel and restrict it.

TWURPS is divided into five chapters, with supporting material contained in appendices to each chapter.

Chapter One describes the generation of characters. The basic approach is to allow the player to make decisions in the areas in which the character would have that opportunity, but for the system to generate those areas over which the character has no control. Thus the physical statistics and family background of a character are generated by rolling dice, but the player chooses which career path the character follows. The system of primary and secondary statistics allows the generation of characters in greater or lesser detail as required. Progression in skills is governed by the amount of time a character spends in receiving training or in study, rather than their achievements in a particular session of game play, which should provide its own rewards. The appendix to Chapter One gives guidelines for adapting the basic system to various common backgrounds and worlds.

Chapter Two deals with combat. Although combat is not necessarily central to a game, it is an area in which the characters are often in danger, and therefore requires sufficient rules to give players confidence that play is being dealt with fairly. Combat in TWURPS is often more graphic than other systems, in the interests both of realism and in giving a more detailed descriptive understanding of what is occurring. The appendix to Chapter Two gives a comprehensive list of weaponry and armour, past, present and future.

Chapter Three deals with magic. Magic in TWURPS does not rely on long lists of standard spells, but on the combination of various techniques to produce desired effects. It is possible to create standard reliable spell formulas, which is to a large extent what many magicians will be aiming at, but the system supports everything from formal ritualised magic to free chaotic magic, and thus may be adapted to the needs of any particular game. The appendix to Chapter Three give examples of how the system may be used to create spells, magical artefacts and devices common to fantasy. If the world in which the game is being played does not include magic, then this chapter may be ignored with no impact on the rest of the system.

Chapter Four describes technology, as defined as the products of industrialisation. The system allows the description of worlds which have developed different areas of technology at different rates. The vehicle design system allows the creation of everything from a rowing boat to a starship, without the need of a degree in physics. Whenever a technology fits within the known physical laws, then these laws have been applied. Technology which lies outside of known physical laws but which is a common sight in science fiction has been described, without any attempt to justify it with pseudo-science. The appendix gives examples of vehicles created using the design system provided. If the world in which the game is being played does not possess any industrialisation, then this chapter may be ignored without impact on the rest of the system.

Chapter Five deals with general game mechanics. It describes how statistics and skills are applied in game play, gives mechanics for various life-threatening dangers which the characters may face, and provides a set of generic encounter tables which may be adapted for any given world or background. The various "Death by..." sections deal with areas often ignored or given cursory treatment by other systems, but which become of extreme importance on the occasions when they do crop up. All these areas are firmly rooted in the real world in order to give confidence in fairness and continuity. The appendix to Chapter Five is a bestiary of animals real and fantastical, which may be used to populate the game world as required.

A number of abbreviations and conventions may be found throughout the various chapters. The only dice required for play are six-sided dice and percentile dice. A set of percentile dice consists of two ten sided dice numbered 0 to 9, or two twenty-sided dice numbered 0 to 9 twice. One dice is counted as a multiple of tens and the other as units. Thus rolling the two dice together gives a number between 01 and 00, which is counted as one hundred. In the text, a percentile die roll may be abbreviated as d100 or d%. Other die rolls may be shown as 2d6 (two six-sided dice added together to give a result between 2 and 12), 4d10 (four ten-sided dice added together to give a result between 4 and 40), etc. If a plus or negative number is given after the abbreviation (e.g.. 4d10+20), then the number after the sign is added to or subtracted from the result of the die roll.

The person who regulates the action during game play, and often the one who has written the game, is referred to as the Game Master, or GM. Characters in the game who are controlled by individual players are called Player Characters, or PCs. Other characters who are controlled by the Game Master are called Non-Player Characters, or NPCs.

TWURPS uses the metric system of units throughout. Whenever numbers require to be rounded, figures should always be rounded to the nearest whole number, i.e. 0.5 and above rounds up, and figures below 0.5 round down.