This is a universal, storytelling-oriented set of rules. The games take place in thematic universes created by one (or more) of the players. In these thematic universes, each of the players controls one (or more) avatar(s). Any part of a thematic universe can be used as an avatar, as long as it makes sense for it to be a means of interaction, for the player, with the rest of the thematic universe.

The game world is called a thematic universe. Why? Because it is a universe and it has a theme. The theme is very important to the game. It is what makes the game a storytelling game. With no theme, all you have are the rules. Have you heard the saying about role playing and rule playing? I have nothing against honing your math skills with some good old dungeon crawl, but this system is useless for that genre of gaming.

The universe-part (of a thematic universe) refers to the actual surroundings and environments in which the game takes place. They can range from city blocks to galaxies to spiritual planes. Every game has a location, or a set, no matter how large or small, how comples or simple. And because this is a universal system, that is the range you have.

An exaple of a small and simple thematic universe could be an urban city block, where life is made hard for the kids by older bullies. The universe is limited to the immidiate urban surroundings, and theme of the game is coping with the hardships of childhood. Possible avatars include the kids, the bullies, their parents, teachers, et cetera. The game time can be limited to just one evening.

An example of large and complex thematic universe could be a galaxy far, far away, where magic and technology collide, when ancient beings from other dimensions decide to put a hold to man's rise in power. The universe is not just a whole galaxy, it also contains myriad magical dimensions. This universe could be played with many different themes. For example, the bleak despair of ordinary people being run over by demonic forces, or the machiavellian stab-in-the-back-ethics of warlords getting rich by exploiting a galaxy in despair, or even the righteous fury of the anchient powers.
In the first case, possible avatars include ordinary people, reluctant heroes, or even demonic beings. Avatars dealing with the second example theme might include warlords, other people who see what's going on and wrestle with what to do about it, or again, even demonic forces luring the warlords to switch sides with promises of power. Avatars that could fit into the final example theme, are lesser magical entities on a quest to save the universe from people, or even rebel people, who have seen the evil of the warlords.

The thematic universe is a more important part of the game than a traditional game world. The theme guides the flow of the game. So, the first thing you need to do, when starting a new game, is to create the thematic universe.

One of the players needs to be the game master. A game master's job is to make decicions, decicions that the other players cannot challenge. The reason for this is to keep the game together. If arguments arise, the game master's word is final. It doesn't always have to be the same player, but someone needs to have the final say at any given time.
When creating the thematic universe, the game master can naturally get as much or little input from the other players (or anybody else, for that matter) as he or she wants to. The guidelines in this chapter are aimed for the game master, who is just starting to design his or her campaign.

The universe-part of the thematic universe is pretty self-explanatory. It is the game world, it's the totality of all the places the avatars could potentially get to. The universe must, of course, support the theme. If your theme is death and hell fury, you can't place your game into lovely lovely bubblegumland. Unless it is about to a lot less lovely lovely...

The theme is the major part of a thematic universe. The universe should reflect the theme. The sun always shines in the forest of the elves, and the rain never stops in the city of the damned. If you want to run a game, you should know the kind of theme you want. Good sources for themes (and for complete thematic universes, for that matter) are books, movies and other role playing games.

During the course of the game, everything that happens should follow the theme. Whenever the game master needs an answer to a question, the first thing to think about is what fits the theme. It is the game master's responsibility that the theme shows through to the other players, and that they get what they want. They get what they want, in the sense that they should know what the game is about. If the game master promises a bleak a future, then that's what the other players should see. If the game master promises heroic epics, then that's what he or she should deliver.

The theme should also be used to define what kind of avatars the players have.

Avatars are based on a concept. The concept is a one sentence description of the avatar.

Avatars can also have a type determined by the thematic universe. In some thematic universes the are just one type of avatars, for example, people. In other thematic universes there might also be, for example, angels or demons. The type of an avatar determines a huge difference between all the other types. It should be used in games where there are big diffences in power level between different avatars.

All avatars of a certain type have a common set of stats. The stats are determined by the thematic universe. The number of stats can range from zero to infinite. That is to say, you don't need to have any, but you can have as many as you need to get the game you want.

All avatars can also have an unlimited amount of one sentence long bits of additional information that defines the avatar further. These can affect the game, they can provide bonuses or penalties in certain attempts at certain tasks. That is why they need to be approved by the game master.

There are a few standard bits of additional information. These include descriptions of injuries and description of usefull gear the avatar has available.

A core concept of the games system is bartering. The game master offers the player possible outcomes in accordance to the theme of the game, and offers him or her some propabilities for these different outcomes. The player can then negotiate with the game master, and ask questions. If I do this, what could happen? What if I do like this? When the player is sure what his or her avatar will attempt to do, the dice can be rolled.
It is important for the game master to keep with the theme, and to be very precise in what is the best and the worst outcome of any task an avatar might attempt. The freedom of the open system comes with the responsibility of maintaining a balance.

The Spy Game
Thematic universe: High adventure in the world of international espionage, in the vain of classic Bond movies.
Avatars: Spies, villains, etc.
Stats: Martial arts, Firearms, Security, Surveillance.

A galaxy at war
Thematic universe and avatars: see first chapter
Types: Human, Robot and Being from a Magical Dimension
Stats for Humans:
Special stats for Humans: Military rank (type: text)
Stats for Robots:
Stats for BfaMDs:

Kids getting bullied
Thematic universe and avatars: See first chapter
Types: Child and Adult
Stats for Adults:
Stats for chidren:
Special stats for children: Age (determines whether the child is "kid" or a "bully", the value is the actual age of the child in years, suggested values might be six and ten)