ARSE!

A R e l at i v e ly S i m p l e E n g i n e

A Simple, Universal Roleplaying Game System

Created for quick and easy play

Contents

Character Creation

Core Game Mechanics

Primary Stats
Secondary Stats
Skills
Character Generation

2
2
2
2

Skill Checks
3

Opposed Checks
3

Untrained Skills
3

Automatic Passes & Failures
3

Critical Successes & Failures
3

Combat

Initiative & Combat Actions
4

Attacks
4

Damage
4

Critical Successes & Failures In Combat
4

Expanded Rules

Inventory
5

Skill Check Modifiers
5

Climbing
5

Crouching & Crawling
5

Detecting & Searching
5

Dodging
5

Drowning & Asphyxiation
5

Falling
5

Fire
6

Jumping
6

Swimming
6

Unarmed Combat & Improvised Weapons
6

Fleeing From Combat
6

Experience & Training
6

Character Sheet

7-8

Some Stuff You Might Need To Know

This system uses a six-sided die (d6) for just about every roll. At least one d6 for each player (and the Game
Master) will be needed for speedy play. GMs are welcome to introduce other denominations of dice, but the d6 is a
common die that just about everyone can get a hold of without spending money. There may be references to a d3. A
d3 is simply a d6 divided by two (rounded up)
These are just the basic mechanics behind the rule system and are fairly genre neutral. You will need to obtain or
create your own supplemental rules to run a specific genre (eg. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Cyberpunk, Horror, Steampunk,
etc). Supplements for ARG will be available as they are created, but the following rules provide the basic framework
for every type of ARG game.
These rules assume that you have some experience with roleplaying games already and as such dont really go in
to the explanation of RP tropes and the why of certain rules. It does however give the Game Master and players
great leeway in customising the rules to fit any situation needed.
1

Character Creation
Primary Stats:
ALPHA / BETA / GAMMA
The above statistics represent three broad categories
that your game focuses on for an individuals
capabilities. These could represent anything important
to your game. The idea is to customise these Stats for
whatever genre you might play. For instance, if you are
playing a typical fantasy game, you might rename them
to Strength/Agility/Intelligence.
Each stat is ranked from 0-6. 0 being poor, 6 being peak
of human ability.
Secondary Stats:
Hit Points (HP) - [STAT*6]
How much damage you can take. You base this
number off your highest Stat.
This number can be raised further by spending Skill
Points (SP) at a rate of 1SP:3HP.
You regain [STAT*2] HP per 6 hours of rest.
Defense (DEF) - [3]
How good you are at avoiding damage. All
characters start with a DEF of 3.
This can be raised or lowered with different
equipment or effects.
Speed (SPD) - [6]
This is how fast you can move. All characters start
with a SPD of 6.
This can be raised or lowered by different equipment
or effects.
1 unit of SPD is equal to 1 meter moved.

Skills:
Skills dictate what a character is particularly good at
doing and may be called upon to overcome various
challenges.
There are three skill trees, tied to the primary stats of
ALPHA, BETA & GAMMA.
Each Skill is ranked from 0-6. 0 being untrained, 6 being
master.
Skill lists can be made up by the GM and players and
can be as general or specific as you like, however a good
rule of thumb is to have at least six worthwhile skills in
each tree so that players can make meaningful choices
during character creation and not feel cheated that a stat
they put points in to isnt properly represented in the
game. Also, skills should be grouped in such a way that
they at least somewhat thematically fit the stat they are
listed under. Below is an example of a fairly generic and
minimalist skill list:
Strength (STR)
Athletics
Endurance
Ride
Strength
Intimidate
Melee Combat**

Agility (AGI)
Acrobatics
Stealth
Thievery
Bluff
Streetwise
Ranged Combat**

Intelligence (INT)
Heal
Perception
Knowledge*
Profession*
Diplomacy
Empathy

*These two skills represent a specific sphere of knowledge and could

be taken multiple times for different subjects/trades.
**These two skills could be separated in to individual weapons or
weapon types and taken multiple times for different ones.

Character Generation:
On character generation a player has 24 skill points they
can spend on their primary Stats and Skills.
No Stat or Skill can be raised above 3 at character
generation.
The higher you wish to raise a Stat or Skill, the more SP
it costs. The following table shows how many SP you
must spend to raise a Stat/Skill from the previous rank
to that one:
Rank: 1
Stat: 2SP
Skill: 1SP

2
4SP
2SP

3
6SP
3SP

4
8SP
4SP

5
10SP
5SP

6
12SP
6SP

So, to raise a Stat from 0-6 it costs a total of 42SP

(2+4+6+8+10+12), and to raise a Skill from 0-6 it costs
a total of 21SP (1+2+3+4+5+6).
During the course of a game the GM will award players with
more Skill Points (SP) that you can spend on further raising
your skills, stats and HP.

Core Game Mechanics

Skill Checks:
During the course of a game, a player will be given many
opportunities to perform actions. Sometimes they will just
want to perform mundane things like walking from one
side of the room to the other. Unless there is an obstacle
or hidden trap in the way there isnt a significant chance of
failure, so the character simply does what the player says.
However, when a player wants their character to do
something that carries risk or a chance of failure then they
must make a Skill Check against an appropriate Skill.
To make a skill check, the GM and player first decide
which Skill (if any) most applies to the situation. The
player then adds the value of their Skill to the value of
the Stat it falls under together. Finally, the GM assigns
a Difficulty Level (DL) to the task that is trying to be
achieved and adds that to the players total;
Easy (+4)
Moderate (+2)
Very Hard (-2) Impossible (-4).

Hard (0)

The final number called the Difficulty Class (DC). The

player must then roll 2 six-sided die (2d6). If you roll less
than or equal to the DC you pass the check. If you roll
greater than the DC then you have failed the check.
Skill Checks:
[Skill]+[STAT]+[DL] = [DC]
Roll [2d6]; <=[DC] = Success / >[DC] = Failure

Example: Jim wants to convince a guard to let him pass

in to a restricted area. The GM decides that he must roll
his Diplomacy skill vs the guards Empathy skill. Jim has
a GAMMA score of 4 and a Diplomacy rank of 2 (6). The
Guard has a GAMMA score of 2 and an Empathy rank of
3 (5). The DL is therefore +1 (6:5). He must roll less than 7
on 2d6 (4+2+1). Jim rolls a 4 on 2d6, passing the check. The
guard lets him pass.
Untrained Skills:
Every so often, a player may be required to roll against
a skill in which they havent invested any skill points
(Rank 0). When rolling with an untrained skill, the player
receives a -2 penalty on the roll due to their ineptitude.
However, the GM may rule that some skills require
training to be used at all, and therefore cannot even be
tried.
Example: Jim wants to climb a 3m tall stone wall. The GM
decides that it is an Easy check against either Acrobatics
(BETA) or Athletics (ALPHA). Jim doesnt have points in
either skill, but has a higher ALPHA score (5) so chooses
Athletics and gets a -2 penalty to his roll for being untrained.
His DC is therefore 7 (5-2+4). He rolls 9 on 2d6.
Unfortunately he did not roll less than the DC and was
unable to climb the wall.
Automatic Passes and Failures:
Sometimes the DC of a skill check can be raised or lowered
out of the normal range of a 2d6 roll (2-12).

Example: Jim wants to pick a lock on a door. The GM states

that it is a Moderate Thievery check. Jim has a Thievery rank
of 2 and the skill is under BETA, of which he has a score of 2.
Therefore he must roll less than 6 on 2d6 (2+2+2). He rolls
2d6 and gets 5. He has rolled less than DC of 6 and so has
successfully picked the lock!

When the DC of a skill check is 1 or less then it is assumed

that the character will automatically fail the check. In most
circumstances it can be agreed that the task cannot even
be attempted by the player and they must therefore try
something else. If a check is unavoidable then the player
must live with the consequences of certain failure.

Opposed Checks:

If the DC is 12 or more it can be assumed that the task is

an automatic success, but you should still make the player
roll, because of:

Opposed checks are similar to skill checks. However,

instead of a DL, you are rolling to beat the appropriate
skill and stat of an opponent. This could be used in any
situation where you are working against another individual
to achieve a goal. In order to work out the DL of the roll,
you compare the Skill and Stat of the person rolling the
check to the skill and stat of their opponent. Sometimes
the player and opponent will be using the same skill, but
other skills can be used to oppose a check if appropriate.
Opposed Checks:
[Skill]+[STAT] vs Opponents [Skill]+[STAT] = DL
[Skill]+[STAT]+[DL] = DC
Roll [2d6]; <=[DC] = Success / >[DC] = Failure

Critical Successes and Failures:

No matter what the DC of a skill check, rolling double 1s
on 2d6 is considered a Critical Success. Likewise, rolling
double 6s is called a Critical Failure. These only apply to
skill checks and combat checks.
A Critical Success means that the player has passed
the check so spectacularly that something extra special
happens (exactly what is up to the GM to decide).
A Critical Failure means that the player has failed
the check so spectacularly that theyve made a fool of
themselves or caused irreparable harm to themselves or
the situation (GMs decision).

Combat

Attacks:

Initiative & Combat Actions:

An attack against an opponent works much the same

as an opposed check, however you are comparing your
appropriate combat related skill against the targets DEF
score to determine the DL.

Most RP games involve combat at one point or another. In

ARSE, combat is resolved over a number of rounds where
each combatant takes turns attacking each other until one
side is incapacitated, has surrendered or fled.
The first thing that must be done when entering combat
is determining initiative. To do so, everyone involved
in the combat must roll 2d6 and add their Speed. Each
combatant then acts in order from highest roll to the
lowest. In the case of a tie the combatants roll 1d6 vs each
other with the highest roll going first.
Initiative: 2d6 + [SPD].
When a combatants turn comes up they can perform one
of each of these types of actions in any order they wish:
Standard Action: A Standard Action is most
commonly an attack against an opponent or some
other skill check. It is generally reserved for major
actions that take more than a second or two to
perform.
Move Action: A player can use their Move Action to
move a number of meters equal to their SPD. You can
also choose to run with your move action which
allows you to move up to twice your SPD, however for
each extra meter you move over SPD your defense is
lowered by 1 point (minimum of 0 DEF) until the start
of your next turn.
Minor Action: A minor action is anything small, but
not totally inconsequential and does not require a skill
check to perform. Examples like switching weapons,
reloading, picking up items from the ground, opening/
closing unlocked doors, etc.
GMs discretion is advised when deciding upon what can
be counted as a standard/move/minor action. However, a
Standard Action can be traded down to a Move action and
a Move action can be traded down to a Minor.
When all of a combatants actions have been expended (or
skipped) the next person in initiative order can take a turn.
A combatant may choose to delay all of their actions until
later in the initiative order. However doing so will put
them in that initiative position for the remainder of the
combat. You cannot delay if you have already performed
an action in your turn or are already at the bottom of the
initiative order

Combat Checks:
[Skill]+[STAT] vs Opponents [DEF] = DL
[Skill]+[STAT]+[DL] = DC
Roll [2d6]; <=[DC] = Success / >[DC] = Failure
Example: Jim wants to hit an Orc with his sword. Jim will
roll against his Melee Combat skill of 3 and his ALPHA of 5.
He compares this to the Orcs DEF of 8 (8:8). No difference,
so he must roll 8 or less to hit the Orc. Jim rolls 2d6 and gets
7, hitting the Orc.
Damage:
If you do manage to land a hit on a target, you may then
apply damage from the weapon used to make the attack.
You subtract the damage rating value (or the result of the
die roll) from the targets HP pool.
Weapon Damage:
Low
Moderate

1d3 (2) High

1d6 (3) Very High

1d6+3 (5)
2d6 (7)

When a Player Character (PC) reaches 0HP they

have been incapacitated. They are still alive but likely
unconscious and cannot perform any actions. They still
retain their initiative order but their turn is skipped until
they are raised above 0HP or the combat ends.
An incapacitated combatant can still receive further
damage. An incapacitated but still conscious character
is reduced to half their DEF (rounded down) and an
unconscious character has a DEF of 0. At -6HP a character
is dead.
Non Player Characters (NPCs), or monsters controlled by
the GM can either be considered dead at 0HP or subject to
the same rules as a PC.
Critical Successes & Failures in Combat:
Double 1s on an attack roll are Critical Hits. All damage
dealt by that attack is doubled.
Double 6s on an attack roll are Critical Misses. When
you roll a critical miss, roll 1d6 on the following table to
determine the outcome:
Critical Miss Table:
1) Your weapon breaks!
2) The target gets a free counter-attack on you.
3) You drop your weapon!
4) You hurt yourself (1d6 damage)
5) You fumble, skipping the rest of your turn and your next
standard action.
6) Reroll on this table twice and suffer both effects (reroll if
you get the same effect multiple times).

Expanded Rules

Detecting & Searching:

Inventory:

A player may wish to search an area for hidden items

or traps, and will generally roll against an appropriate
perception skill. However, the GM may wish to make
secret rolls on the players behalf so that they can notice
things without actively looking for them. For this reason,
it is a good idea for the GM to note what each players
value of the appropriate skill check is. The GM will apply
modifiers to detect hidden things based on how well
concealed they are.

Everyone carries things with them. You might need some

way to adjudicate how much someone can carry.
A character in ARSE can carry [STAT*20]kg
A character carrying half their carry weight is
considered Encumbered and suffers a -1DL penalty to
any skill checks where carrying such a weight would
have a noticeable effect on the success of the task.
Their SPD also suffers a -1 penalty
A character carrying more than their carry weight is
considered Overburdened. They suffer a -2DL penalty
to appropriate skill checks, -2 to SPD and must pass
a Moderate difficulty strength related skill check (eg.
Strength, Althetics, Endurance, etc) in order to move
at all.
Skill Check Modifiers:
Most of the time, the GM will assign a DL on a task
through a rough estimate in their heads of how hard it
should be. However, if you feel that an arbitrary number
isnt accurately portraying the difficulty of a task, you can
forego the use of a standard DL and instead add up all of
the factors one by one to determine the difficulty of a task:
Minor Favourable:
Moderate Favourable:
Major Favourable:

+1
+2
+3

Minor Unfavourable:
-1
Moderate Unfavourable: -2
Major Unfavourable:
-3

What all these individual factors are is up to you to decide.

Some examples might be a -1 penalty on attack rolls in
low light. -2 on a climbing check for attempting to scale a
smooth surface with no handholds. +3 to a diplomacy roll
for providing a suitable bribe to a corrupt individual.
Climbing:
When climbing vertical or near-vertical surfaces, an
athletic or acrobatic skill check is usually called for. In
some circumstances, the climb might be more or less
difficult due to any number of factors. Also, for climbing
long distances, multiple checks might need to be made
to make a safe journey. For every [SPD]m climbed, a
character must make a new skill check.
Example DLs:

Easy (+4) - Climbing a stable surface with climbing gear.

Moderate (+2) - Climbing a stable wall with some handholds.
Hard (0) - Climbing an unstable wall
Very Hard (-2) - Climbing a slippery surface
Impossible (-4) - Climbing a slippery, unstable surface

Crouching & Crawling:

A crouching character moves at half SPD (rounded up).
A prone character moves at 1/4 SPD (rounded up).
5

Dodging:
At some point, a fast moving object is likely to make its
way towards a player, and that player is going to want to
move out of the way post-haste. A dodge check can be
made to avoid most out-of-combat hazards. DLs should be
based on the speed of the moving object.
Example DLs:

Easy (+4): Slow moving, large objects at a distance.

Moderate (+2): Slow moving, close, large objects.
Hard (0): Fast moving objects.
Very Hard (-2): Very fast moving objects.
Impossible (-4): Speeding Bullet.

Drowning & Asphyxiation:

All situations in which a character is unable to take a
breath are resolved in the same way. This is generally
a Moderate-Hard skill check against an endurance or
toughness skill. For every minute or combat round a
character is underwater or enveloped in gas a player must
make a check to avoid choking/suffocating. A failed roll
deals damage according to its nature.
Asphyxiation Damage:
Water
Poison Gas

1d6 (3)/round
1d6 (3)/round

Smoke
Dense Smoke

1/round
1d3 (2)/rnd

Falling:
Generally speaking, a character can fall 2 meters without
sustaining damage. Falls of over 50m will kill a character
outright. For every 6m fallen, a character will take 1d6
damage. This damage can be reduced somewhat by
making successful acrobatic skill checks for every 6m, but
only if the character is able to grab a hold of something to
slow their decent.
Fall Damage:
For every 6m fallen
On To Sharpened Spikes
On To A Soft Surface
In To Deep Water

+1d6
+2d6
-1d6
-2d6

In Heavy Armour
Encumbered
Overburdened
Successful Skill Check

+1d6
+1d6
+2d6
-1d6

Fire:

Unarmed Combat & Improvised Weapons:

If a creature finds themselves engulfed in flame, the GM

can use the following information to determine how much
damage they receive for each round they are exposed and
how difficult it is to put out:

A character is bound to find themselves in a combat

situation without a weapon at some point. When fighting
unarmed, combat is played as normal, including penalties
for being untrained (if applicable). A fist does 1d3 damage
(or 2 damage if using static damage). Things worn over
the fist may increase this damage (eg. a gauntlet, or brass
knuckles), generally by +1 or +2.

Fire Damage:
Small Flame
Small Fire

1 (Easy)
Large Fire
1d3 (Moderate) Intense Blaze

1d6 (Hard)
2d6 (V. Hd)

Fires can be started on inflammable objects. A typical fire

will start off as a small flame for one combat round (or
equivalent time), then become a small fire, and provided it
has enough fuel, will upgrade to the next sized fire every 3
rounds for as long as the fire continues to be fed. The fire
will spread in all directions that it has fuel to burn on by
1m each 3 round increment. When it runs out of fuel to
burn, the process will happen in reverse.

A character may also want to pick up random objects

found nearby to throw or attack others with. Again,
combat is normal, usually making an untrained skill check.
The GM could rule that the improvised weapon is similar
enough to another weapon that it falls under a combat
skill. Damage is adjudicated by the GM, but you can
generally base damage on the size and weight of the object
being thrown or swung.

To put out a fire, one must stamp or throw water on it and

roll a skill check vs the fire size. A success reduces the fire
to the next level down. Multiple people can work together
to put the fire out by rolling and combining their rolls
in to a single check. Suffocating the fire with a blanket
(or similar cloth) provides a +2DL bonus to the check. A
bucket of water will add +3 to the check.

Small/Light items = 1d3 (2) damage.

Medium size/weight = 1d6 (3) damage.
Medium-Large/Heavy items = 1d6+1 (4) (2 handed weapon)
Large and heavy items = 1d6+3 (5) (2 handed weapon)

Fire in confined and unventilated areas will also produce

thick smoke. See Drowning & Asphyxiation.
Jumping:
From a running start of 3m or more, someone may
attempt to leap across a distance of 1m or more. Past the
first meter the player must make a skill check. For every
meter past the first, the DL increases.
2m: Easy
5m: V. Hard

3m: Moderate
6m: Impossible

4m:Hard
7m+: -2/m

If the check is passed, you have jumped the required

amount. If failed, you must roll vs the next meter down
until you pass a roll or fail all of them. Depending on
which roll you passed is how far you have actually jumped.
This may result in a fall. See Falling. The maximum height
someone can jump from a running start is 0.5m (how high
your feet lift off the ground).
Jumping from a standing position is harder, so treat the DL
as one higher compared to a running jump. The maximum
height someone can jump from a standing start is 0.5m
(how high your feet lift off the ground).

Fleeing From Combat:

Players or their opponents may wish to disengage from a
fight to flee or move to a different target. When someone is
using their move action to move out of the threat range of
an opponent they are adjacent to, that opponent gets a free
melee attack on them. If the opponent misses, movement
can continue. However, if the attack is a success, they will
receive damage and lose their movement turn. A creature
can be attacked in this manner only once per round from
each opponent they are disengaging from. Therefore,
someone who was hit when trying to flee can trade their
standard action down to a move and still get away.
Experience & Training:
During the course of play the GM will award players with
Skill Points (SP) which can be spent at any time to raise
Primary Statistics, Skills or Hit Points. SP do not need to
be spent straight away, and as the game progresses players
will need to save up their SP to be able to afford higher
ranks in Stats and Skills.
The GM should decide when the players are allowed to
spend skill points and any restrictions that may apply. Eg,
a player may be required to train in a safe place for several
days in order to gain the next rank in a skill.

Swimming:
Swimming requires an appropriate skill check for every
30m travelled. The DC for swimming through normal
water is Moderate. Swimming through thick substances
like mud or a swamp are Hard. For failed checks, see
Drowning & Asphyxiation.

Skill

Stat Mod

DEF

(Defense)

(BETA)

_____________

SP:

Rank

Total

SPD

(Speed)

(GAMMA)

_____________

Skill

Skill

Stat Mod

Rank

Total

Stat Mod

Rank

Total

_____________________________________________________(BETA)

ARSE Character Sheet

_____________________________________________________(ALPHA) ____________________________________________________(GAMMA)

Skills

(Hit Points)

HP

Secondary Stats

(ALPHA)

_____________

Primary Stats

Name:

Race:

Gender:
Class:

Age:

Background:

Notes:

Equipment

Slot

Weight

Money:
Item

Head
Body
Feet
L-Arm
R-Arm
Back
Total:

Item

Inventory

Amount

Total:

Weight