Conversion Hints

It is not practical to give guidelines for converting every game system to and from Fudge. However, two systems of trait measurement are in widespread use: a 3{18 scale, and a percentile system. While these are not used uniformly (and there are many games that don’t use either system), it is still useful to discuss translating between such systems and Fudge.

Standard 3{18 scale traits are converted as follows:

Fudge Level 3-18 Level

Superb 18+

Great 16-17

Good 13-15

Fair 9-12

Mediocre 6-8

Poor 4-5

Terrible 3 or less

Percentile traits are converted roughly as follows:

Fudge Level Percentile Level

Superb 98-100

Great 91-97

Good 71-90

Fair 31-70

Mediocre 11-30

Poor 4-10

Terrible 1-3

Translations to/from Other RPGs

Note: The following was taken from the author’s “Thoughts on Fudge” (online at http://www.io.com/~sos/rpg/fudlatest.html).

Mike Harvey suggested the table  on converting characters to/from Fudge isn’t accurate. He points out that my conversions of Mediocre: 6-8 Poor: 4-5 Terrible: 3 or less are especially off because no RPG really uses those numbers! And he’s right. I doubt you’ll find one GURPS character in a hundred with skills below 9.

Therefore, a more accurate chart for 3-18 systems might look like:

Superb: 19+

Great: 16-18

Good: 14-15

Fair: 12-13

Mediocre: 9-11

Poor: 6-8

Terrible: 5 or less

Templates

A GM can create a character template for the players.

This may help a player make his first Fudge character, or allow players coming from a game with a character class system to feel at home. She should also allow custom-designed characters, though, for players who feel limited by character classes.

The “GM limits” and the list of attributes at the beginning of each sample character are templates.

The GM can hand out character sheets with attributes and limits already printed on them. This can be accompanied by a copy of the list of sample skills , and possibly the sample lists of gifts and faults. The players can then create characters with a minimum of hassle.

For more detail, the GM can actually create templates of character “classes.” As an example familiar to many gamers, the GM may have guidelines for players wishing to play a fantasy fighter character, or magician, or cleric, or thief, etc. The GM can set up minimum attribute standards for each character class, recommended gifts, and minimum skill levels.

Templates can be set up for any genre, not just fantasy.

You may have guidelines for a typical scientist character, or policeman, or psychic phenomenon investigator, or King’s Musketeer, etc.

See Class and Racial Template Examples.

A different type of template shows the player the native abilities and limitations of a fantasy or science fiction race. See the sample character Seihook for a science fiction race, and Cercopes for a fantasy race.