fatal

• If 88% is added to any value (say, 22 points
of damage due to Strength), then the value
is multiplied by 1.88. In this example, an
additional 88% of 22 results in a total of 41
points of damage (1.88 x 22 = 41.36).
Roles
Two fundamentally different roles must be
fulfilled for a game to occur, and hence this game
requires at least 2 people. 1 person must assume the
role of the Aedile (EE-dial). Historically, an Aedile
was a Roman official in charge of the games and
had control over the public. In the game, the Aedile
controls everything except the players and dice.
Aediles do not create and role-play a character like
the players of the game. Instead, the Aedile directs
the game, often acting as a referee or story-teller.
Objectivity should be the highest goal of
every Aedile. Otherwise, the Aedile may become
known as a Vile Aedile or Hostile Aedile.
Essentially, before the game the Aedile devises
a plot or a purpose to the game. For example,
one plot may be for the characters to happen upon
a dungeon in the wilderness, and to encourage them
to enter and combat its inhabitants. If this were the
case, prior to the game the Aedile would draw a map
of the dungeon on graph paper. Next, the Aedile
would stock the dungeon with monsters, traps, and
treasure for the characters to encounter. During
the game, the role of the Aedile is to explain to the
players what their characters see and hear as they
enter and traverse the dungeon. Further, as the characters
encounter monsters, the Aedile role-plays the
monsters, representing them against the characters.
The players, on the other hand, create 1 character
apiece, and role-play that character for the
game. For example, a player named Ryan may create
a character who is a ruffian by occupation.
Throughout the game, Ryan role-plays the ruffian,
making gaming decisions as though he actually were
the ruffian. Typically, several players work together,
creating a small group of unique characters, each
with their own talents and shortcomings. Together,
the small group of characters attempts to tackle a
dilemma or plot devised by the Aedile.
The role of the Aedile is more complicated
than that of a player, since a good and entertaining
Aedile must be familiar with everything that players
are familiar with, but also be familiar with their own
role. For this reason, this book has been arranged
so that information for players is presented before
information for Aediles. If you are new to the game,
the best suggestion is to read this book.
Creating a Character
A character is required to play the game.
Each player must progress through this book, chapter
by chapter, to create a character. Before beginning,
each player will need character sheets, which
may be photocopied from Appendix 1: Character
Sheets. These sheets are a handy means of recording
character information. As each player progresses
through the chapters of the book, rolling dice and
making decisions, the results must be recorded on
their character sheets. Record the information with
a pencil and do not write heavy-handedly; a lot of
the information is subject to change. During the
game, each player will refer continually to their character
sheets.
Not every chapter, nor each part of every
chapter, will be used while creating a character.
Nonetheless, the safest method is to progress
through the book page by page to avoid missing
anything. The order in which the material is presented
is the order in which a character should be
created, otherwise alterations may occur to the character.
When in doubt, information relevant to character
creation is listed in the beginning of each chapter,
though some chapters, such as Chapter 1: Race
and Gender are vital, while others such as Chapter 15:
Conducting the Game are irrelevant to creating characters.
In general, the more relevant the information
to creation, the sooner it appears in the book.
The fastest way to create a character is to
use a computer program called the Fatal Character
Generator, which is available free on-line. Visit
www.fatalgames.com to obtain the free generator.
Character creation is often as fun as the game
itself, due to the seemingly infinite variety of possible
characters. For instance, when rolling a
character’s sub-abilities, there are (199 20 ) combinations
possible!
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