Outlaws of the Water Margin

Glossary

CERTAIN TERMS are used throughout this game to denote specific functions within the rules. These are summarised below. The list also shows the way in which parts of the rules are identified.

Abilities

This term is used to apply to aptitudes and skills. An ability is the bonus which may be added to the ease of particular tasks. It represents a character's potential for achievement: the character's actual achievement only emerges during a game. Abilities are represented in this game with SMALL CAPITALS. A total ability is found by adding together the relevant aptitude and skill.

Aptitudes

These represent the natural abilities of a character. They are acquired when a character is created and cannot usually be changed during the game.

Automatic Success

When the Chance of Success is 11 more, the player may choose an automatic success. Simply place the dice on the table with one showing a 4 and the other showing a 3.

Bad Joss

Bad joss represents the misfortune that can befall characters thanks to the attentions of the spirit world. It may be caused by bad luck, a sorcerer's curse, or simply trying a little too hard. The referee keeps track of the bad joss accumulated by player characters, and may use it against them.

Body

A character or animal's body score represent the physical punishment they can take, whether from wounds, disease fire or whatever, before dying. A character's size score and STRENGTH ability affect it.

Bonus

Abilities are expressed as bonuses. Thus they should always be expressed with a plus or minus sign. In the absence of a bonus, a character is assumed to have an average ability: this is represented by a bonus of 0.

Bonus Roll

When the Chance of Success is 11 or more, a player can choose a bonus roll. The number of points by which the Chance of Success exceeds 10 is added to the higher of the two dice rolled. This means that the total roll and the degree of success are increased, but lucky breaks are not possible. A bonus roll fails on a roll of double-six.

Capability Points

When creating a player character, capability points are spent to obtain abilities and other personal and social characteristics. There are two types of capability points: natural gifts and experience.

Chance of Success

A player must roll equal to or less than the chance of success in order to succeed at an action. It is found by adding the basic ease of the action to bonuses from abilities, and situational modifiers.

Cosmic Breath

The energy of the universe, qi, takes many forms. When it is involved in magical effects, it is referred to in these rules as Cosmic Breath. Sorcerers may derive the Cosmic Breath to cast spells from their own energy score. As this is fatiguing, especially for powerful spells, most prefer to channel Cosmic Breath from elsewhere. Yin Cosmic Breath derives from the Otherworld, while Yang Cosmic Breath is from the Dragon Veins which criss-cross the land.

Degree of Success

This measures how well a character succeeds at a task. It is produced using the core rule (see also Making A Roll, below). While the actual roll made indicates the speed or appropriateness of the character's attempt at the task, the degree of success shows how well it was completed. To give an example from the popular Chinese game of football, the roll made indicates whether or not the character struck the ball correctly, while the degree of success indicate the power and finesse of the follow-through.

Dependants

Player characters may have dependants: other characters who they must look after. These characters are actually controlled by the referee, but they can be expected to assist, and render some loyalty. Treating one's dependants well is an important sign of a virtuous person.

Dice

The only kind of dice used in Outlaws are normal six-sided dice.

Doubles Roll

When the Chance of Success is 11 or more, the player may choose to make a doubles roll. This fails only on a roll of twelve. The usual reason for making a doubles roll is the hope of getting a lucky break: on average a bonus roll gives a far better result.

Ease

This number is used when a character attempts a task, to represent the basic chance of success. It will usually range from one (exceptionally difficult tasks) to ten (very easy tasks).

Energy

A character's energy score provides a limit on what can be done in a round. Each round a character may use bonuses totalling less than or equal to their free energy. It's important to have a clear idea of how much 'free' energy your character has. Basically if it's not tied up in something else, it's free and you can use it. Wearing armour, shock, or fatigue, for example, tie up energy. Different things tie up energy for different lengths of time: fatigue lasts longer than shock, for example.

Experience

Points representing the acquired capabilities of the player character. Player characters will have some experience when created, representing their accumulated experience to date. It may also be obtained during the game by studying.

Experience may be spent on energy, body, skills, earnings, favours, position, motivation and respect.

Fatigue

When a character exerts themselves, or is stunned in combat, they acquire fatigue. Each point of fatigue possessed by a character deprives them of the use of one point of energy until they recover from the fatigue.

Favours

Favours are the 'currency' of social interaction. They are acquired in influence attempts, and may be cashed in later. To get on in life it is usually necessary to owe favours, but if you are skilful then you should be able to ensure that useful people owe you a favour or two.

Heroes

This game makes a clear distinction between heroes, who are reborn souls with a destiny, and normal characters. Players may choose either as player characters. Both have advantages and disadvantages: heroes are tougher and more skilful, but they are usually outside of society and less able to wield influence and gain assistance from normal people.

Making a Roll

Whenever you are asked to make a roll, you should go through the core rule procedure. Work out your Chance of Success, then roll two dice. If the total of the dice are less than or equal to your Chance of Success, then you've succeeded at the task. If the total is greater, you've failed. When the Chance of Success is greater than 10, you can choose an automatic success, a doubles roll or a bonus roll.

Motivation

Characters will follow different motivations depending on what is important to them. In this game motivations may be used to improve a character's skill. Players may claim motivation for events in the game, but it carries the disadvantage of accumulating bad joss for the character. See the Characters, Actions and Games chapters for more details.

Natural Gifts

Points obtained when a character is created, which represent the character's innate potential at birth. No natural gifts can be obtained during the character's life.

Natural gifts may be spent on energy, body, aptitudes, position and stipend.

Normal Characters

This game makes a clear distinction between normal characters and heroes. Players may choose either as player characters. Both have advantages and disadvantages: normal characters are supported to some extent by the whole of civilised society, but are not usually as competent as individual heroes.

Occupation

Each character follows an occupation of some kind. The occupation is a means of relating the character's abilities to the society in which he lives. Changing occupation is a social problem: as far as the rules are concerned the player simply has to declare it.

Opposed Rolls

If two characters are competing at a task you will have to make opposed rolls. Each character rolls against the ease, applying any appropriate bonuses to the task. The highest successful roll indicates the character who has gained the advantage, but his degree of success is reduced by that of his opponent.

The Otherworld

A general term covering the realms of the spirits. Although most common people consider the Otherworld to be a distinctly different place, wiser sages will tell you that it exists all around us. However its topography is extremely complex, and crossing into it carries many dangers for the unwary. What we call 'spirits' are not incorporeal in their own realms, only when they project energy into our own, Mortal World.

Patrons

Just as characters may have dependants, they may in turn be dependant on someone else. While a patron may provide assistance, they will usually expect to be obeyed. Song China does not value equality and independent-mindedness very much.

Position

A character may have a bonus to represent how far they have advanced within their profession. This is not a general bonus that places a character in society, though it will provide some clue to how influential they may be.

Provenance

The birthplace of a character is very important. Not only are births recorded (meaning that the legal record of a person's existence is kept in their home district), but it also shows which dialect the character can speak.

Respect

While position shows how advanced a normal character is within the formal hierarchy of their profession, respect shows their more informal status and influence. Unlike position, respect can be possessed by heroes.

Power Level

The power level of the game is a means of adjusting its 'fantastical' nature. It is used to make 'hero' characters more powerful than 'normal' people, and regulates how easy it is to cast spells. A power level of 0 represents a more or less realistic world, with no magic. A power level of 10 is an extraordinarily highly magical world in which heroes are markedly superior.

A game based on the Water Margin book, will have a power level of 3. The TV show is closer to 5. The film All Men Are Brothers: Blood of the Leopard pushes this up to about 7.

Round

A round represents roughly one second. It is used to regulate action when short lengths of time are important-for example in combat. In one round a character may perform one action, or a combination of actions if it is possible to do them simultaneously. When a character is doing something that takes a number of minutes or hours (for example, performing surgery, gambling or disguising themselves) you needn't use rounds. The referee should simply decide how long the task takes to complete.

Rounding

When you perform calculations, round to the nearest whole number unless otherwise instructed. Halves round up.

Shock

Many blows in combat are deflected or avoided, and merely cause bruising and twisting. Such light effects can be quickly shrugged off. They are referred to as shock damage. Shock reduces the amount of energy a character can use.

Size

Most characters are assumed to be average size. Any who deviates from this will have a size bonus. These effect both body score and the ability to defend oneself.

Skills

These represent acquired knowledge and ability. They may be improved in the course of the game.

Snake-Eyes

Any roll which includes two or more ones is called a snake-eyes. Although it is a successful roll, it shows that something untoward has taken place to the disadvantage of the person who rolled it. A snake-eyes roll has a degree of success of 1.

Song Dynasty

This game takes place during China's Northern Song Dynasty, which lasted from 961 to 1127. In 1128 the northern part of China was conquered by the nomadic Jin, while the Song Dynasty struggled on in the south for another hundred and fifty years until it was overcome by the Mongols.

Talisman

Talismans are the most common form of magical device. Usually written on paper, they may also be carved on wood or any one of a number of other options. As with everything, most talismans are not particularly effective, but are widely believed in.

Wealth

Like most things in this game, wealth is expressed as a bonus. While it is possible to keep track of actual fortunes and income, it's rather troublesome for people like me who have no ambitions to becoming an accountant. The wealth bonus represents the amount of money which is surplus after allowing for all the everyday things that the character to live in the style to which they are accustomed. Thus most people will not have a wealth bonus!