RPG Review: Tiny Horsies The Role Playing Game - Part 3: Mechanik

And now, for the piece those who have waited to see and probably are really wanting to read, my review of the mechanics of the game.

What You Get

The Basic Mechanic

The heart of the Tiny Horsies system revolves around a “dice roll”, modified by character Attributes (See Part 2: Character Creation for more on Attributes). Dice rolls are only used whenever a character attempts to perform a task for which the result might be in question or opposed by another character. There is no mechanism for critical success or failures in most cases, though there is an exception for rolling a 12 on a physical attack or magic energy ray attack roll.

To make a dice roll, the player rolls two six-sided dice (2d6), and the result must equal or overcome a target number determined by the type of task the character is attempting.

For most rolls, Attribute Points may be spent to modify the roll, except for Empathy-Sentient Beings, which only has an Attribute Level that is added to the roll every time it is made and never changes. Players attempting a task may spend relevant Attribute points related to the task to increase the result by one for each point spent.

There are not opposing task rolls, however players opposing the completion of a task may spend their character's attribute points to decrease the result of the same roll being made to affect them. To resolve the action, the player whose character is attempting the task must declare first how many points will be spent to increase the task roll. The defender or opposing character then declares how many points will be spent to decrease the task roll. Finally, the dice are rolled, the modifications to the roll as a result of all the attribute points being spend are applied, and all points are spent regardless of results.

Conflict Resolution

There are three primary methods of conflict resolution that use the basic mechanic.

In physical combat, the Attack Roll result must be 8 or higher. If attempting to blast an opponent with an energy ray, the Energy Ray Roll result must be 7 or higher. To affect a sentient being, the Empathy Roll result must be 10 or higher. Animals can be befriended simply by spending Empathy-Animals points, with more points increasing either the size or number of animals affected.

In physical combat, a few additional rules are used. During an action scene, characters roll 1d6, with the highest rollers going first and ties indicating simultaneous action. Strength points are used by the attacker to increase the chance of a kick attack or the damage inflicted by a kick. Evasion points may be used by the defender to reduce the chance of a successful attack against a horsie. Damage inflicted is equal to one point plus a number of points equal to the remaining number of Strength Points. This total is then subtracted from the target's Life points. If a little horsie falls to half of its Life Points, all combat rolls are penalized by one until the horsie is healed. Finally, there are no rules for armor and character death is an optional rule.

In energy ray combat, a Magic Energy Ray point must be spent just to make the attack, but additional Magic Energy Ray points are used to affect the attack roll as in physical combat. Other than that, combat is conducted as physical combat, including the use of Evasion points to defend against the attack. Damage inflicted by an energy ray is one point plus one point for each of the remaining number of Magic Energy Ray points remaining.

Characters can also try to use their social skills, charisma, presence and whatever else is represented by their Empathy Attributes in a slightly different way. For animals, it just happens, with no die roll, assuming the player has the points to spend. For sentient beings, to get a sentient being to like them, the character adds the Empathy-Sentient Beings Attribute Level to the task roll, as a character has no Empathy-Sentient Beings Attribute points. The rules explicitly state that the action must be role-played by the player, or the game master will not allow the roll.

My Take

There are couple of idiosyncracies that make the Tiny Horsies  game more than just the basic rule mechanic.

Theme

First, looking at the number of pages dedicated to describing and explaining the workings of the character attributes and combat rules reveals the following distribution of pages:

• Strength: 5 Pages
• Flight: 3 Pages
• Evasion: 1 Page
• Life: 1 Page
• Empathy: 10 pages
• Random: 4 Pages
• Physical Combat: 2
• Energy Ray Combat: 6

From this page distribution, you can easily tell that Tiny Horsies is definitely not designed to be a violent war game, though the potential for kicking some horsie butt is definitely there. There are more pages of rules for handling making friends than physical combat. There are three times the number of pages for energy ray combat than physical combat. Further making the point is the fact that horsie death is an OPTIONAL RULE! How awesome is that? If you want to get more serious, the rules are there, but if you are playing this game with your kids, you probably will want to leave things at the status quo. I love a game where you can kick butt and yet killing an opponent is not the default setting! It is refreshing to see a game that both enables and embraces simulative roleplaying fully without being overly narrative or annoyingly LARPish (Come to think of it, that would probably be an oxymoron because ALL LARPS are annoying!)

Dice Aesthetic

Second, as many of you know, I am generally NOT a fan of any multiple-dice mechanics that utilize the standard distribution curve. Using 2d6, however, is a smart move for several reasons in this particular instance. The game is very much targeted at (and definitely playable by) families and players new to roleplaying. Throwing two 6-sided dice is a mechanic familiar to many common board games (backgammon, Monopoly, et cetera) and using such a familiar mechanic makes it easier when attempting teach something unfamiliar, such as the concept of a role-playing game. Also, the number spread is small enough to make it easier for younger children to add and still large enough to create the excitement a random dice roll should incite.

Crunch

Third, though the basic mechanic is simple, there is a small amount of crunchy rule variability beyond the basic mechanic. There are 5 pages describing how much a horsie can carry and how fast a horsie can travel on land and aloft with various loads. There are three different target numbers for dice rolls, depending on what type of task a character is attempting. There are tables to be consulted for several different types of actions, each of which has different target values. Luckily, each specific case for the various rules is fairly intuitive. The (fantastic) index will help minimize some of this the first time a group plays. Players who continue to play will have most likely have them memorized fairly quickly after two or three sessions.

Open Design

Fourth, the rules are pretty specific to conflict resolution but not much else. What if you want your horsie to sneak past a guard? Pick a lock? Jury-rig a helicopter? There are no specific attributes for many such actions unless they fall within your Hobby or Profession. The situations of fine motor coordination are probably the toughest thing for me to deal with, because I am not a Brony and I can't seem to get past the fact that HORSIES HAVE NO FINGERS! Luckily, while the rules do not cover every action, they very clearly address this by encouraging players to make rule changes or make up rules. Applying this to our problem, it is easy to come up with several solutions:

1. Just say these actions happen (A fast solution, but could result in a lost dramatic opportunity)
2. Only allow horsies with Magic-Telekinesis attribute or a relevant Hobby or Profession conduct these actions (encourages teamwork)
3. Create new attributes (This could lead to rule creep, but I think a Gadget or Mechanik (The K there is intentional) Attribute might do the trick, and stealth rolls can simply be covered by the Evasion Attribute.
4. Use Random points as a catchall for any situation not covered by the rules. The player simply needs to spend a Random point, roll the 2d6 with a target number of 8, and the game can proceed. Instantly, any inconsistency in the rules or problems inherent with playing an anthropomorphic tiny horsie can be instantly swept away. It is consistent with the basic mechanic and players can spend Random points to affect the total of the roll in a similar manner. Unfortunately, this will place a bit more emphasis on spending points on the Random Attribute during character creation, so the Game Master might just decide to give everyone a certain number of Random points each game session just to prevent this from occurring.

Conclusion

From a player's point of view, the mechanics are simple, easy to learn, and unified even with the crunchiness. Players and Game Masters who like to crush their enemies, see their enemies driven before them, and hear the lamentations of their women could do so in this game, but the game mechanics and overall rule emphasis really reflects a view that combat plays a role on an even footing with other methods of conflict resolution in the overall scheme of the Tiny Horsies game.

Gaming groups that favor mechanics could easily customize the tar out of this game, but should probably look for a game more suited to their temperament. Those who prefer to run more free-form games with a customizable level of crunch will love this game due to the ease of generalization of the basic mechanic and the ability to use it flexibly to improvise rulings on the fly!

Finally, the first 12 pages (Approximately 10% of the book) are dedicated to very clearly introducing the concept of role playing games and the nuts and bolts about how they work in a way that doesn't feel like it is just added to the game as an afterthought. It is a fantastic game for introducing role playing games to children in a way that skirts the traditional role that violence has played in the hobby as a result of its wargame origins. From a parent's point of view, it is a great way to start the conversations of violence and its role in the world and problem resolution.

For those without such lofty goals, you can make a character in 3 minutes and satisfyingly kick butt with magic energy rays and a couple good hoof kicks in no time flat!

What is HiBRiD^TM About This

The amount of crunch is not HiBRiD^TM per se. The ease with which the basic mechanic can be improvised to resolve tasks not covered by the rules, however, totally makes this game system HiBRiD^TM. We have already extended the use of the Evasion Attribute as a means for resolving stealth and hiding rolls in addition to its use in chase and combat scenes.

Further, the generality of the Attributes in the game is totally HiBRiD^TM. In fact, at this time, only one of my kids is playing a tiny horsie as a result of the abstract nature of the attributes. One is playing a wolfie and the other is playing a sentient telekinetic floating manatee. For the wolfie, we just use the Terra horsie type and indicate that he is a wolfie on the character sheet. For the floating manatee, we are using the pegacorn horsie type and treating the energy ray as a burp or flatulence attack resulting from its constant diet of sea grass. In both of these cases, the rules don't matter; it is simply an aesthetic choice that makes the characters more fun to play.

The use of pounds and miles in the game is definitely not HiBRiD^TM. At All. I have worked in the hard sciences and the medical profession for over 25 years. I have correspondence with people professionally and personally with people from all over the world. I am more comfortable with the metric system than the English system. I love it. It is like a fuzzy blanket that is warm and toasty in the winter and cool but still comfy in the summer. All the weights and distances in the game, however, are measured in miles and pounds. Most people, at least in the US, probably consider this a great thing and it will definitely make it easier for most Americans to play. But it isn't HiBRiD^TM.

I love the fact that the rules for tie dice rolls and target numbers are explicitly stated in the rules. This is TOTALLY HiBRiD^TM! If a game system really needs a specific roll or multistep mechanic to handle ties or force players to calculate a target number, there is pretty much a 99% chance I will not play that game. Seriously. You are the designer. It's your game. Make a decision and commit to it. Don't you DARE blow it off on your players or, Asgard forbid, leave it hanging.

Finally, we have (of course) integrated the Ité Gaming Engine onto our home game very easily, making this game totally HiBRiD^TM. To use it, the Game Master determines how many hours the game is going to run, gives the players a number of floating points equal to this number and adds 1 to it. While the idea of the Random Attribute comes close to the idea of Ité (complete with its definition*), it still requires the characters to predefine what their Random Acts will be. By integrating the Ité Gaming Engine, we extend this ability but without requiring predetermined Random Acts. This is especially important, because our family tends to use the Ité Gaming Engine in almost every game we play.

*From the text: "Random represents the character's ability to do things out of the ordinary, to bend the laws of physics, and to know something that it would normally not be able to know. It represents the luck of the character”