Fans of Risus: The Anything RPG agree, the tabletop roleplaying game created by S. John Ross is the system belletrists and word-wranglers have been looking for but didn’t know it.
The version described in this document (a vast update exists at Ode: The Bard's RPG) takes the basics of Risus and welds them together with the best alternate rules from the community as well as other tabletop roleplaying games. This “gestalt” is intended to be a choice system for longer, meatier campaigns where tales become sagas and characters, legends. This is Risus Epic.
Let’s get started.
1 The ClichéWhat really makes Risus so unique, so good, is the elegant simplicity and power of the mechanic at its heart—the character cliché. The Heart of Your CharacterA cliché is shorthand for a kind of person. It implies a whole bunch of associated things like skills, background, social status, desires, clothing, tools and more. It's best not to think of a cliché as a class, but as a role, an archetype or a cluster of related traits. Characters are loosely defined by their clichés and always have more than one to play. By defining a character in this way, Risus neatly avoids getting bogged down in stats and endless out-of-character meta, relying instead on imagination and common sense to infer what's there. More time can then be spent on what is happening, opening up a wider space for what really matters—the story itself. Here are two faces you might find familiar: Silent Ranger (d6), Friend of the Elves (d10), King of Men in Denial (d16) Prince Humperdinck Mildly Dramatic Warmongering Royal (d8), Hunter Who Can Track a Hawk on a Cloudy Day (d4), Exploiter of Innocents to Further Own Ends (d10) Each of these Risus Epic-styled characters feature three clichés. Note that they do not have the traditional attributes like Strength or Charm of other RPGs. In Risus Epic, the characters’ clichés are their stats. Each cliché is associated with a polyhedral die geared toward an ideal score. That ideal score is 1. Unlike most RPGs which reward rolling high, in Risus Epic, the lower your score, i.e. the closer your score is to 1, the better. A 1 is about achieving that brilliant zen-like moment of absolute perfection. In contrast, (d20) represents no
special training or familiarity with results that have a tendency to skew all over the place. (d16) is a little better, representing a basic or
apprentice-level competence with results starting to show a semblance of focus. (d6) represents widely recognized mastery—you know what success is and what it takes to get there, and so your range of results will be more refined. In essence, advancing clichés gradually narrow their range of possible outcomes the closer a character gets to perfection.
(d0) — Out-of-action Note that this use of “funky dice” ensures that though a (d4) or (d6) is understandably more reliable, every character justly has the potential to roll a 1 and succeed brilliantly. At Least d16 at EverythingSince it's assumed that every PC is at least untrained (d20) in every cliché imaginable, at character creation all recorded clichés start at (d16). This means that any untrained challenge may be attempted at 1d16, that is, when no recorded cliché fits the bill. 2 Creating Your CharacterLet’s create a more robust Risus Epic character:
Ragnar Lothbrok To create Ragnar, all we had to do was name him, describe him, and assign clichés.  Creation DiceAt the start of a campaign, develop 3 clichés for your character and assign (d20) to each. The first cliché you fill out is the Primary—the one that most clearly expresses how your PC sees him or herself. You then receive 5 starting points to spend on lowering the cliché dice for that character. [2 additional points are available once Dreams and Agonies have been filled out. More on that later —Ed.] Each point you spend on a cliché lowers it by one die size. Normally, new PC’s may not have clichés lower than (d10), so Ragnar’s Viking Leader Intent on Legacy is maxed out, for now.The Loaded Cliché“Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?” —Fezzik
Each cliché implies a lot about a character, including his or her abilities and items. It seems likely that Ragnar would be comfortable with blades and battle, be an accomplished sailor and runner, and have a penchant for all-night revelry. No doubt he owns a good sword and axe, and wears a long, coloured tunic over wool or linen trousers tied with a leather belt. Using original Risus examples, Psychic Schoolgirl (d12) probably has the power to sense (and be freaked-out by) the psychometric residue lingering at a murder scene. She probably owns a cute, plushy backpack filled with school supplies. Roguish Space Pirate (d10) can probably do all kinds of Han Solo-type things and owns a laser pistol, plus a used star freighter of questionable lightspeed capability. Tools of the Trade“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” —Han Solo
As you can see, each cliché is implicitly loaded with several tools of the trade–whatever makes sense for the campaign. However, equipment can be lost or damaged, which can cripple or limit that cliché’s power. A Roguish Space Pirate (d10) with an impounded space freighter loses all ability to haul cargo to distant suns no matter what his cliché level. On the other hand, a Psychic Schoolgirl (d12) who’s plushy backpack is stolen would lose none of her ability to roll 1d12 to sense paranormal details at a murder scene. Hirsute Barbarian (d10), forced into a gladiatorial arena without his trusty blade can still rely on his bare hands, but would roll one die size higher—(d12)—until he’s again properly armed. The backpack-deprived Psychic Schoolgirl might face a similar penalty when it’s time to do her homework. Special Items During the course of an adventure, PC’s may discover enchanted, cutting-edge or otherwise uncommon equipment. These Special Items might lower cliché die size, or exploit a more interesting game mechanic. For example:
The Fortune Die“There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” —Shakespeare Instead of allocating all starting points to clichés, 1 point may be exchanged for The Fortune Die. The Fortune Die acts as a seed that grows, ebbs and flows along with the character, providing timely aid when needed. It begins as a 1d4, but can increase in potency as the campaign progresses. Fill Your Lucky Strikes At the start of every play session, each player having the Fortune Die casts it. The highest roll determines the number of Lucky Strikes the party has at their disposal. Lucky Strikes can then be spent by any player before any
cliché roll to lower it by one die size. This should be roleplayed by the player in some fashion, e.g. as a streak of luck, divine favour, a flash of inspiration, angelic
intervention, unusual resourcefulness, etc. Lucky Strikes may also be traded for Feat Points at a cost of two to one—a useful option when the party finds itself in a challenging situation. Sacrifice the Fortune Die In truly dire straits, a sort of “last resort” option is to sacrifice the Fortune Die itself. This may be done before or during a cliché roll, even after you've rolled (just before it resolves). To sacrifice the Fortune Die,
Fatten the Fortune Die In the event a PC takes an important step toward their Dream, or along the campaign story arc, the GM may be requested to expand their Fortune Die. [This could be a way to reward PC’s who “stay on track.” —Ed.] If the GM agrees, the Fortune Die is cast. Did it max out, e.g. 4 on a 1d4? If so, expand the Fortune Die by one size.
1d4 — Fortune Seeker Feat PointsEach PC begins the campaign with one Feat Point. These may be spent to activate several in-game special effects called Feats (see Appendix: Feats) and can be saved between sessions. Feat Points are awarded
Creating NPC's“Many of the thieves will resist. My regular enforcers will be inadequate.” In order to smooth gameplay, NPC's (Non-Player Characters) should be balanced against your PC's. A common thug might have 2 to 3 points, while a major villain might have 4 to 5 (and use his clichés creatively). Allied NPC's might start with 3 to 4 points, unless they're permanent campaigners, in which case more is advisable. Concerning the creative use of clichés, Dan Suptic has concocted a cracking cookbook on fortifying foes that can easily be modified to Risus Epic.  3 Playing the Game“Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles...” —Grandfather From its inception, the essence of rolegaming has been a party of PC's on a journey filled with difficult encounters. In Risus Epic, most encounters are resolved through challenges. A challenge means any situation in which one would wish to roll against an opponent or a target to see who wins and who loses. To resolve a challenge,
Defeat and Death “Well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.” The bad news. Any time a character loses a challenge, their active cliché is increased by one die size. If any clichés are increased past (d20), a character is considered out of action (d0); they are defeated for the purposes of that challenge. This could mean that they become incapacitated, or sink into despair, or fall into a coma, or whatever the GM decides under the circumstances. If all of a character's clichés reach (d0), the character is dead. Kaput. The Three ChallengesLike it's predecessor, Risus Epic features three kinds of challenges designed to govern all in-game encounters:
The GM will switch between these three methods many times during an adventure depending on the encounter, pacing and mood. Sometimes, a strength challenge works best as a Contest. If long and drawn out, better declare it a Battle. And sometimes, say, in the event of rubble from a fallen tower trapping your party member, a Target. ContestTwo characters grab for the same coinpurse. This calls for a Contest—a decisive single roll between active opponents. Roll bones, winner-takes-all, no second chances! Let's see what happens. Madmartigan Daikini Deuteragonist from Galladoorn (d10); Disgraced and Booze-besotted Knight (d16) Willow Ufgood Nelwyn Protagonist Born to Simple Farming Stock (d12); The two prepare to contest for the purse. Considering them more appropriate, both activate their second clichés. Madmartigan the shifty Disgraced Knight rolls 1d16 and gets a very focused 5, while Willow, relying on sleight-of-hand as an Aspiring Sorcerer, completely flubs his 1d16, getting 15. With a lopsided grin, Madmartigan snatches the loot and walks away. Battle“The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.” —The Man in Black Whereas a Contest is over in one round, a Battle occurs whenever two rival characters face off against each other in a series of contested rolls; jockeying for position, launching attacks, activating defenses, or otherwise wearing down an opponent in order to gain victory. This can be literal or metaphorical; Battles can encompass anything from sieges to seductions, jousts to psychic duels, gunfights to arguments, wrestling matches to conflicting emotions, aerial dogfights to dueling banjos. The GM decides when a Battle has begun, at which time each participant makes an attack in turn. What constitutes an “attack” depends on the nature of the challenge, but it should always be roleplayed if dialogue is involved, or described in entertaining detail. Cliché Damage “To the pain!” Both parties in the battle (attacker and defender) roll using their chosen cliché. The player with the lowest result wins the round, at which time the loser expands their active cliché by one die size. This “damage” lasts for the rest of the battle, and signifies that the character has been pushed a step closer to defeat. Cliché damage needn’t always be interpreted in terms of blood or HP. As seen in this famously familiar example, battles can be about tactical advantage where no one is injured, and (like Inigo) the loser needn't die. It can mean a greater loss of focus, stamina, self-control, appetite, ammo, honor, memory, mana, allies, votes, sight, hope, love, and a host of other possibilities. Fully embracing this aspect of Risus Epic is vital to getting the most out of the game.  Bait and Switch “Why are you smiling?” In a battle, clichés may be swapped every round if desired. If Cutthroat Corsair (d8) wants to lop heads one round, and switch to Raised by a Troop of Baboons (d12) the next to swing on chandeliers, that’s fine. However, anytime a character has a cliché reach (d0) in battle, he’s been defeated, even if he has other clichés left to play with. Fleeing “Run away!” —Arthur If a character wishes to flee a Battle, he or she must roll once more, as normal. A win means they successfully run off, taking no cliché damage. If they lose, the active cliché is damaged, and the character is forced to continue the battle. To the Victor... “Come sir, we must get you to your ship.” —Count Rugen Eventually, one side's cliché will expand past (d20) to (d0). At this point, the winner decides the fate of the loser. In a physical or magical Battle, the loser might be killed (or mercifully spared). In a courtroom, the loser is sentenced by the judge, or fails to prosecute. In the case of a temptation, the loser succumbs to its power or fails to seduce. While the GM does have veto power in managing proper context, the spoils of war are largely left up to the victor. Evening the Odds “My brains, your strength, and his steel against sixty men, and you think a little head jiggle is supposed to make me happy? Hmmmm?” —Westley Facing a daunting opponent, or several, is not easy. Especially with a ruthless GM! Fret not, memorable games are born in such crucibles. To even the odds, good players practice resource management, making liberal use of Special Items, Team-ups, Focused Clichés, Lucky Strikes, Feats, sacrificed Fortune Die, and above all, creative roleplaying! Time and Distance “Three years he said that. ‘Good night Westley. Good work. Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.’” —Westley No standard time or distance scale exists in Risus Epic. Everything depends on context. In a melee battle, each round might represent just a few seconds, while rounds in a negotiation between planetary ambassadors might represent hours or days. Target“He's getting away from me, Fezzik! Please!” —Inigo Montoya
In the event your character faces a challenge in which no being opposes them directly, and the GM thinks success would not be automatic, choose a cliché. After the GM sets a Target according to the table below, roll your cliché die and compare the result. 18 — Mundane Critical Hits“Humiliations galore.” —Inigo Montoya A roll of 1 always counts as a critical hit. On a Target roll, this means an extra in-game benefit, to be determined by the GM, with input welcome from the players. In a Contest or Battle, however, this usually always results in the opponent receiving extra cliché damage. As usual, this should be roleplayed with appropriate flair. Inappropriate Clichés“Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!” —Vizzini The GM determines what sort of clichés are appropriate for the challenge. Any others are considered inappropriate. In a physical fight, Waif-like Washerwoman (d12) is inappropriate. In a clothes cleaning contest, Apprentice Blacksmith (d16) is inappropriate. However, inappropriate does not mean forbidden—provided it’s imaginative or entertaining enough, anything is possible. Of course, its use must be plausible within the context of the challenge, the genre and the tone that the GM has set for the adventure. In the case of inappropriate clichés, all challenge rules apply normally, with one exception—the loser adds two die sizes instead of one. Thus, Creative Court Jester (d10) could be dangerous if cornered and attacked unfairly. The stakes are higher, beware! When in doubt, the instigator determines the type of challenge that occurs. If Maniacal Wizard suddenly casts Magic Missile at Apprentice Blacksmith, it’s a magical Battle, in which case the latter’s clichés will likely be inappropriate. But, if Apprentice Blacksmith smacks Maniacal Wizard in the back with a hammer, it’s a physical Battle and the mage’s clichés will likely be inappropriate. If the challenge is not a surprise, and the parties go at it roughly simultaneously, both sides clichés are appropriate and on equal footing. Focused Clichés
| Brute Squads “Beat it or I'll call the brute squad.” When a swarm of a thousand locusts attack the PCs within the lair of Osiris God of Egypt (d4), the GM needn’t keep track of a thousand dice. Instead, they may be declared as a brute squad. This means that the horde participates as a single entity, e.g. Swarm of Locusts (d8). In-game, a brute squad is identical to a single foe, but it will probably have more cliché dice due to its strength in numbers. Returns can diminish of course: three party-loving Prince (d12)s banding together would conceivably form a liability as Inept Trio of Drunken Royals (d20). Brute squads stick together until they’re defeated, at which point survivors may flee (though at least one will remain to suffer whatever fate the victor decides). In this way, an entire ship’s crew, an elven forest, cities as economic rivals, or nations at war can be represented by a single cliché.  Buying ItemsAs mentioned, the power of clichés lie in their ability to brilliantly abstract details, and economics is no exception. There are no artificially static equipment lists or currency tables here; everything is roleplayed. Clichés allow players to demonstrate how value truly lies in the eye of the beholder; that supply and demand is no zero-sum game. Clichés like Velvet-tongued Card Sharp, Charming Prince, or Resourceful Merchant become prime agents for amassing wealth and items, just as in the real world. Want that mithril-gilded tower shield or luxury spaceliner? Enter a Contest or Battle with Tight-Fisted Seller (d12) and choose your best bargaining cliché. A More Lively World“Well, one thing I will say. The fire swamp certainly does keep you on your toes.” —Westley
With a little time and creativity, personifying otherwise inanimate objects can make for a more memorable encounter. Instead of a Target, the GM could declare a Contest and have the party roleplay saving their companion from under Ridiculously Heavy Fallen Log (d10). A leap from the keep to a tower might pit a PC against Vast Empty Space (d8). With enough imagination, Targets could potentially be eliminated from the game, and the world itself feel more alive. Places as Clichés“We'll never survive.” One other power of clichés is their ability to deftly abstract cities, dungeons, rivers, planets, or any location imaginable. Three examples: New Vegas, Jewel of Mars Khazad-dûm, Dwarven City Description: You find a lucrative port in the West Indies. Clichés: Ship Traffic (d10), Rich in Trade Goods (d12), Heavily Guarded (d12) There are two ways to use clichés in locations: Location vs. You The location wants to challenge the PC’s. The Seaport is Heavily Guarded (d12) so, while they’re sneaking around, the Seaport rolls 1d12 You vs. Location The PC’s want to challenge the location. They want to fence some stolen goods from their heist. Can they find anyone? They contest Underground Crime (d10) to make an unsavoury connection. Or, in Khazad-dûm, the PC’s are making their way down a dark corridor, searching for loot. They contest Ancient Traps and Secrets (d12). If they succeed, something valuable is uncovered. If they fail—it's a trap! The alarm sounds, and the PC’s scramble to contest Hiding Places (d16) as they hear the roar of Balrog, Demon of the Ancient World (d4) approaching. 4 Advancing Your Character“Fezzik, you did something right!”
“Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head.” Character advancement occurs if
Character advancement consists of two steps. Staging the SoliloquyThe first step is to perform a soliloquy. Soliloquies are Shakespearean moments when in-game time stops and the GM prompts one PC to reveal his or her soul to the table—no constraints, no interruptions. It could be an aside to an imagined audience, an impassioned cry to the brass-like sky, or a prayer of gratitude to a deity. It might involve how the PC feels about the present situation, the past up to that point, or their future hopes and dreams. Once the PC performs their soliloquy, they may advance to the Roll of Fate. (Inspired by Epic of Dreams RPG by Drew Cochran) The Roll of Fate
|
Comments? Feedback? Give me a shout at colin@empress.cards
In the meantime, wheel your ox-cart on to the Middle Ages:
Created 03/17/2020 during COVID-19