Posted September 08, 2024 by Squidhead Games
I really like the simplicity of 2 attributes. Mind or Body is pretty clear (to me anyway). I had a great discussion with someone who's been playing The Quick RPG solo. Their suggestion was to introduce a 3rd attribute that would allow splitting things like social interactions out into their own attribute.
Great idea. That allows you to make characters who are socially awkward, but still strong and/or smart.
Simple enough, until you consider the Strain/Damage mechanic. Strain eventually causes attributes to drop and with only 2 attributes, it doesn't take long to get the character into trouble. Adding a 3rd attribute results in the character becoming more resilient. To address that, I'm thinking about changing the Strain mechanic to the following:
When taking their 3rd Strain reduce the rolled attribute die 1 level and reset Strain to 0. When any attribute die would drop below d4, the character is KO’d and possibly dead. A short rest resets Strain to 0. A successful healing test will reset an attribute die.
The minor change to the rule is "reduce the rolled attribute die 1 level". That minor change results in the game becoming more deadly.
I'm going to playtest it myself, but I'm hoping that others will give it a run and see what they think. If you do, please leave a comment here and let me know what you think.