"That by which we call a rose......."

While play testing usually ferrets out the mechanical discrepancies in an RPG, I've found that it can also be helpful in uncovering "fluff" issues as well.  Attempting to make a "gritty" game with headroom for character development using Fudge has definitely been a challenge, but I think I may have figured out one of the things that was making it a bit more difficult than it need be.

If I had to pick just one thing that originally drew me to Fudge more than any other, I would have to say that it was the Adjective Ladder.  For those who are unfamiliar with Fudge, the Adjective Ladder is a simple system that attaches an adjective to each possible outcome on standard Fudge dice roll.  Why would they do this, you ask?  I believe its primary purpose was to minimize "meta-speak" or "table talk", and encourage better "in character" dialogue at the gaming table.  First, here's the original Fudge Ladder:

+4 = Legendary
+3 = Superb
+2 = Great
+1 = Good
  0 = Fair
 -1 = Mediocre
 -2 = Poor
 -3 = Terrible
 -4 = Abysmal

Using this example, a player could say that their character is a "Great" swordsman, or is "Fair" at picking pockets, instead of using mechanical game terms to describe certain aspects of their character.  I have found that, while some players seem to really dislike this type of system, an overwhelming majority of my play testers, including many very seasoned veterans of gaming, seem to latch onto this system pretty seamlessly.

While this ladder works wonderfully for most games, I've found that it benefited from some tweaking to accommodate my game, which has a lower baseline for "normal" in order to allow for more character growth and "campaign-style" play.

After trying many different combinations, I found that all I really had to do was to shift the bottom of the traditional ladder up by one, and add a new adjective near the top in order to make a ladder that fits Blood, Sweat & Steel  better.  Here is the adjusted ladder:

+4 = Legendary
+3 = Superb
+2 = Exceptional
+1 = Great
  0 = Good
 -1 = Fair
 -2 = Mediocre
 -3 = Poor
 -4 = Terrible

It's not a massive change by any definition, but it is an important one, because it's a non-standard ladder.  On the upside, there are quite a few different ladders out there, especially when you throw Fate-based games into the mix.  But on the down side, new ladders take some time for players accustomed to the traditional ladder to learn.  I'm throwing the dice and making the gamble that in the long run, this will benefit the game more than it will hurt the game.  This ladder makes more sense for my game, and there are already many different ladders for many different games.  Still, it was a bit scary to take that step off the ledge.  I would never try to assert that the Fudge Ladder is a "sacred cow", since Fudge was designed with the specific intent of being a toolkit style game that was meant to be tweaked, poked, prodded and twisted to suit one's needs.  Still, being a bit of a traditionalist, it did feel a bit odd to make the switch.  A couple of months of play testing before we launch the Kickstarter for the game will give me plenty of time to change my mind, if it doesn't "take".  Time will tell! :)