The Plasticine system is inspired by OpenD6 and HERO.
Plasticine is presented in three parts:
Character creation covers the process of creating a character. This is important for both GM and Player, since it is done either before the first session or during it.
Campaign world covers how to build a campaign. Plasticine is a generic system, so settings from other role playing games can be adapted. This section is mostly for the GM. The campaign world section covers how to give players guidance for creating their characters.
Game play: This covers how the game is played. As with most role-playing games, the mechanics end up mattering the most for “action sequences”. This includes, but is not limited to, combat. For example, rescuing people from the path of a volcano does not involve combat, but does use the same mechanics.
Plasticine uses one core mechanic. How “good” something is is measured in pips. Pips define how to roll for things:
For example, if something is bought to 10 pips:
High rolls are always better. Some rolls are pass/fail: in that case, the difficulty is represented as a threshold. For something with 10 pips, a difficulty of 15 is significant, but achievable: you need to roll 3d6+1 and get 15 or more.
Some rolls are vs. rolls: higher rolls wins. Something with 10 pips against something with 8 pips means
Some rolls are “effect” rolls: in those cases, the roll’s value translates directly to the effect.
In general, players will play one player character (PC) each. The GM might have to create any amount of non-player characters (NPCs) to serve as antagonists or allies for the player characters.
The GM should give the players clear guidance on how to build their characters. See more details in the “Campaign world” section. This includes what kind of backgrounds would be appropriate, as well as any suggested, disallowed, or required choices to make when creating the character’s concept using game mechanics.
In Plasticine, creating a character does not involve any random elements. This allows creating a character “offline” without the need to verify rolls.
The sections are ordered in a way that is often useful to define a character:
Background: Who is the character? What do they do? Where do they come from. This is a mini-biography for the character. If you are stuck, search for “character questionnaire for writers”. There are several sites which will help with prompts.
Problems: Based on the background, what problems does the character struggle with? This is often more important than the character’s abilities.
Limitations: Limitations are modifiers. They cannot be used on their own. They are in a separate section because limitations can limit attributes, skills, or powers. They are essential in adapting concepts to Plasticine.
Attributes: If you are used to other role-playing system, you will notice that Plasticine is missing some of the standards, like Strength or Intelligence. There are three attributes which dictate combat dynamics (how often the character can act, how likely are they to get a hit, and how likely are they to avoid a hit). The last attribute is the character’s ability to notice things.
Skills: There are three kinds of skills: background, unopposed, and opposed. Background skills are those which are not likely to have an in-game mechanics effect. This is not a hard and fast rule: a character might use a skill like “Profession: Lawyer” to take advantage of their knowledge of the courtroom to find the best place to duck for cover, giving them a better chance to avoid being hit in a fight that breaks out in the courtroom. Unopposed skills allow the character to accomplish a goal without active resistance. Opposed skills are ones where the character is competing against another character to accomplish a goal. For example, the character trying to defuse a bomb is competing against whoever made the bomb.
Powers: Powers represent the things which are most often done in action sequences. They include attacking, disabling, moving one’s self, or moving other things. They can be bought in ways which make them more valuable, and expensive. Related powers can also be bought in systems which make them more affordable.
Helper: A Helper is an NPC, Vehicle, or Base that the character can call on at will. In many campaigns, most or all characters will not have any helpers.
Character points (CP) are used to buy anything that helps a character. Characters use CP to buy:
Characters get CP from:
On the character sheet, denote “Total CP” and “Unspent CP” separately.
Everything is bought in pips. For simplicity, on the character sheet, we pre-calculate it in dice. This makes it faster to run action scenes during game play.
For example, if something costs 1 pip/1 CP, this means that:
The character’s background is important and should be decided first. The character’s background does not need to be paid for in points. Characters can be rich, poor, have a license to drive a tow-truck, or anything else that the player wants.
Note that some of these things, if they have in-game effects, will cost points.
Examples:
Kevin is so rich he has a huge mansion. This mansion is where Kevin and the team will hide out in, plan their mission, and retreat to. The mansion is bought as a Helper (base).
Sue is so poor that she can’t afford clothes that aren’t tatters. Since people react negatively to this, this is a Problem (social).
PJ has a license to drive a truck. This comes in handy in missions, so they buy it as a Helper (vehicle).
The background should be compatible with the campaign. It should inform the rest of the decisions, although it does not dictate them. Two characters who are martial artists might end up buying different powers as their martial arts.
Characters can have problems. In any given campaign, the GM will have guideline for how many problems characters should have. This might be a specific number or a range. Problems are measured in character points. Problems give characters extra character points.
Problems are worth a base of 5 points.
By default, Problems are expected to cause a complication for a character every 3rd session. If a problem complicates a character’s life every other session or more often, it is common and is worth 5 more CP.
By default, problems are mild. When they apply, they are relatively easy to deal with. Problems can be severe, which means that when they apply, the effect is significant. In those cases, the problem is worth 5 more CP.
Internal problems are things the characters can’t, or won’t, do. Physical disabilities as well as Psychological issues are two examples of internal problems.
Social problems are the way the character relates to society. This can be someone who depends on the character, someone who is after the character, or something that causes people to discriminate against the character.
Mechanics problems affect a character’s statistics or combat effectiveness. For example, taking damage from water exposure or getting a minus to all rolls during twilight.
The problem should count as severe if it would take more than 20 CP in an attack power to cause a similar effect.
Attributes cost 1 pip/CP.
The following attributes exist:
It is recommended to buy each to at least 3d6 (9 pips).
Action effects how often a character acts. In most rounds, a character can only act if they win a ACT roll.
Accuracy and Defense are resolved as skill vs. skill. The higher a character’s accuracy is, the higher the chances that it can hit whatever it is aiming at. The higher a character’s defense is, the lower the chances that it will get hit.
Perception is the character’s ability to notice things. The higher it is, the harder it is to hide things, or people, from the character.
Skills are also bought with CP. The kind of skill determines the cost. Background skills are 3 pips/1 CP. Other skills cost 1 pip/1 CP.
All skills can be more or less specific. For example, someone can take “Background: Science: Physics” or “Background: Science: Quantum physics” or even “Background: Science: Quantum electro-dynamics”. When trying to solve a problem, compatible specificity levels help, and incompatible levels hurt. This balances specific and generic skills.
Skills can be more or less specific. Specificity can give bonuses or penalties. Before you compute the bonus or penalty, define the “natural specificity”. Natural specificity is determined by the task itself, not the character’s skill
Example: A character buys: “Systems: Modern Linux computers” to 3d6. They encounter a modern windows computer. The GM decides the natural specificity is “computer”. Because of that:
Net bonus/penalty: 0
If the character bought: “Systems: Electronics” that’s one step up in specificity, so the character would be at -1 penalty.
Example: Character has: “Background: Science: Physics” at 3d6
Explaining quantum mechanics: - Natural specificity: “Science” - Matching specificity: “Science: Physics” - Modifier: +1
Identifying a chemical compound: - Natural specificity: “Chemistry” - Chemistry is incompatible with Physics - Modifier: -1
Calculating orbital trajectories - Natural specificity: “Physics” - Modifier: +0
Answering general science trivia - Natural specificity: “Science” - One step up from “Science: Physics” - Modifier: -1
Background skills are those that pertain to a job or a hobby. For example, “Profession: Lawyer” or “Knowledge: Medieval history”. Background skills will often be related to a job, a discipline, or a science.
Background skills, in general, should not have direct effects on game mechanics. If they do, they might need to be bought as a different skill or even a power.
These skills help characters accomplish tasks that are not opposed by anyone.
Using a system is done through this skill. This applies to systems “found in the field”. Any system that is in regular use should be bought as a helper or power.
This skill applies to language, oratory, persuasion, and the like. Specificity includes both the task to accomplish and the method of communication. The base difficulty might change based on the communication method and other constraints (for example, noise or needing to be quiet).
Note that communicating in a common language with someone else who knows the language under ideal conditions (no noise, normal distance) is “very easy”. In other words, purchasing a language is 1 CP.
Some skills inherently involve a competition. A security device is only worth as much as it makes it hard for someone else to accomplish their goal. Evading someone is only as useful as it makes it harder to track you.
Opposed skills always come in pairs.
Build and defeat security systems. This can be as specific or as generic as characters want. One specificity level that characters can, but do not have to, take is offensive/defensive. Defensive skills suffer the “incompatible specificity” for using them to defeat security, offensive skills suffer the “incompatible specificity” for using them to build a security mechanism.
For example, if the character making a lock has “medieval locks” and the character defeating it has “general”, then these are two levels of specificity. If the character had “modern locks”, this would still be two levels: one up to “locks”, one down to “medieval”.
Every step of “rushing it” (compared to how long it should ordinarily take to do it) is a +1 to defeat it. Every two steps of “taking extra time” is a -1 to defeat it. Relevant materials and tools can also result in bonuses or penalties.
Seeking is the ability to figure out how to get to where you are going. It includes tracking, navigation, and more. When tracking a character, this is a role against their evasion skill. Evasion covers any attempt to throw off someone.
Powers are the main way characters accomplish in-game effect on mechanics. They can be used to represent technology, experience, superpowers, or magic. Equipment used day-to-day should be bought as powers.
As far as powers are concerned, Body costs 1 pt/1 CP. This means that it is drained, improved, or resisted at though it cost 1 pt/1 CP.
The list of powers is:
Buy powers with the relevant advantages, systems, downsides, and, last but not least, special effects to fit the character and the campaign. The cost of a power, before adjusting for limitations, is its “raw strength”.
Reduce statistic: 1 pip/5 CP
Reduce a statistic by the effect’s size worth of CP.
The adjustment heals at 1 pip/hour. In most cases, this does not need to be tracked: characters will get to the “next session” in prime condition, but (unless one session represent more than an hour of game time) will not have to consider any healing done during the session.
Length modifiers:
Reduce adjustment: 1 CP/5 CP
This is bought per attribute, power, skill, or Body separately. Note that as a power, resistance itself can be targetted, and resistance for resistance can be bought. Except for rare cases, this is usually not a good idea.
5m/1 CP
Move something 1m.
1 Weight class/1 CP
Weight class 1 is the weight of an average human. It increases by 1 for each doubling. The name is “push”, but it is also used for carrying.
Base cost: 1 pip per sensitivity level
Detect allows a character to sense things beyond normal human perception or to enhance existing senses. Each level represents either range, detail level, or sensitivity of detection.
Base cost: 1 CP per intensity level - 3 pips become a D, as with other powers
Signal creates sensory output that can be detected by appropriate senses. Unlike Adjust PER powers, Signal powers cannot be used as attacks and do not reduce a target’s PER attribute. They represent consensual communication or non-harmful sensory projection.
All powers can be bought with the following “systems”:
They can be combined, so that the advantage is flexible but the limitations can be changed between a few options.
This means that for the active powers (move and non-constant adjust) there is no reason to buy more than one: buy the most expensive one, and the rest as variants.
Limitations most often apply to powers. They can also be used to apply to attributes or skills.
Cost is divided by 1+total value of disadvantages.
Limitations can include:
Great framework. Let me work through examples using “how much does this actually reduce usefulness in typical action sequences?”
Requires common item - “Requires gun” when you’re a gunfighter who always carries one - Maybe 1 in 8 fights you’re caught without it (disarmed, ambushed while unarmed) - 12.5% complete prevention ≈ 25% reduction in value
Gestures - Need hands free to use power - Rarely bound/grappled in typical fights - When it matters, costs actions to free hands or position (≈ 25% efficiency loss)
Verbal component - Need to speak/chant - Occasionally gagged, underwater, or need stealth - ≈ 15% of situations where you can’t use it or it creates complications
Only against common target type - “Only against living creatures” when 90% of your enemies are people - The 10% where you face constructs/undead, power is useless - But that’s only slightly limiting since it’s rare
Extra time (minor) - “Requires 1 extra action to aim/prepare” - In 5-action fights, this reduces your effective uses from 5 to 3 (40% reduction) - But many fights last longer, averaging closer to 25% reduction
Requires specific item - “Requires THIS sword” (not any sword) - If lost/stolen, major problem until recovered - Happens maybe once every 3-4 sessions (≈ 25-33% downtime)
Requires skill roll - Add uncertainty to every use - With reasonable skill, ≈ 20-30% failure rate - Plus the psychological cost of unreliability
Only on ground/flat surface - Fighting in trees, on slopes, while flying = can’t use - Maybe 25-30% of encounters have problematic terrain
Limited uses (moderate) - “3 uses per session” when you’d ideally use it 4-5 times - Forces conservation, sometimes can’t use when optimal - Effective 30-40% reduction in utility
Extra time (significant) - “Requires 2 actions to prepare/activate” - In typical 6-action fight, reduces uses from 6 to 2 (67% reduction) - But can sometimes prepare before combat, averaging to ≈ 35% reduction
Only against moderately common type - “Only against living creatures” when you face undead/constructs 25-30% of time - Clear 25-30% complete prevention
Only in uncommon circumstance - “Only in darkness” when half your fights are in daylight - “Only underwater” in a campaign with occasional water missions - Direct 50% prevention rate
Cool down (exhausts for 3 actions) - In 6-action fight: use once, wait 3, use again = 2 uses instead of 6 - 67% reduction in rapid combats, averages to ≈ 50% across campaign
Only against narrow target type - “Only against demons” in a campaign where demons are 40-50% of enemies - Half the time it’s completely useless
Requires rare/targeted item - “Requires artifact that enemies know to target and steal” - Frequently lost, stolen, or unavailable - ≈ 50% uptime across campaign
Limited uses (severe) - “Once per session” when you’d want it 2-3 times per session - Forces you to save it, often can’t use optimally - Effective 50% reduction in value
Let’s apply this to Reduce Body 3d6 (Ranged 10m) - raw cost before limitations:
Unrestricted: 45 CP base × 4 range multiplier = 180 CP
With 0.25 limitation (one of):
With 0.5 limitation (one of):
With 1.0 limitation (one of):
Multiple limitations stack: - Requires specific weapon (0.5) + Verbal (0.25) + Limited ammo (0.25) = 180/2.0 = 90 CP
For a power, you should be roughly indifferent between:
Attack Option A: Reduce Body 3d6, ranged, unrestricted (180 CP) Attack Option B: Reduce Body 4d6, ranged, requires weapon (60×4/1.25 = 192 CP) Attack Option C: Reduce Body 5d6, ranged, requires specific weapon (75×4/1.5 = 200 CP) Attack Option D: Reduce Body 6d6, ranged, only in darkness (90×4/2 = 180 CP)
These are all similar costs, but Option D has 2× the dice when it works but only works half the time. Option A always works but with fewer dice. The question “which is better” should depend on your character concept and campaign, not obvious optimization.
A helper can be an NPC, a vehicle, or a base. Calculate their cost as though they were a character, and divide by 5 (rounding down, minimum 1). You can double the amounts of helpers by paying the cost again: two identical NPCs would double the cost, but eight identical NPCs would only quadruple the cost. A helper cannot cost more than the character.
Because this way of building game effects is abstract, it can be non-trivial to understand how to use it to build powers. In general, Plasticine’s goal for balance is that powers with similar effect on action sequence mechanics will have similar costs.
Important to remember: it is not how complicated it would be to achieve the special effect in real life, it is how beneficial the effect is in action sequences. For example, although most well-trained hand-to-hand combatants will know how to block a punch while unaided human flight is still a technological dream, blocking is more expensive than flight.
This is a standard power in literature, from Greek invisibility cloaks to the Invisible woman. In game terms, it is designed to make it harder to perceive the character. Perceiving someone in front of you is normally a Very Easy task, so PER needs to be reduced to 0.
Most characters bought 9 CP worth of PER (for 3d6). A 3d6 reduction of PER is usually enough for that.
A maneuver designed to get inside the attacker’s range by blocking a strike, so it is possible to counter-attack. This is simulated by buying 2d6 of Defense, and having an increased ACT if the attack misses.
It ends up being somewhat expensive, but useful maneuver. It could be made less expensive by requiring a skill roll, or reducing the amount of ACT increase. Note that a different character, who interprets the desired mechanic of block differently, might buy a different power with the same special effect.
From Icarus to Superman, flight is a common power in literature. The “move” power is already 3-dimensional by default. In order to simulate the inertia from flight, some limitations are appropriate. A single unit of turning on a hex grid is 60 degrees. It is 45 degrees on a square grid.
The character has trained in a martial art. It might be Kung Fu, Karate, or Tai Kwan Do: those are the special effects.
The character can use the martial art to strike someone with punches, kicks, elbows, or any other way that makes sense thematically. It can use the accuracy, defense, or act bonuses up to a maximum of 4d6, apportioning them as they want. A defensive strike might be 4d6 Defense, with no bonus to accuracy. A “fast punch” might be 2d6 Act, 2d6 Accuracy.
It might be useful, but not required, for the players to think of “interesting combinations” and name them, together with a special effect. This can help make combat play faster.
If a character wants to simulate “holds”, these will be “Reduce Move” attacks.
A character that cannot breath underwater will suffer Body damage and eventually pass out. This means that to breath underwater is to resist that damage.
Since this power does not have an in-game mechanic effect, it is free. This is another example of how powers cost commensurate to the effect they have on game mechanics, not on how desirable they would be to a character.
This represents two-way mental communication. The Detect component allows reading surface thoughts, while the Signal component allows sending thoughts to willing recipients. Both require concentration and line of sight.
This allows the character to see clearly in darkness or low-light conditions. The limitation reflects that it only works when there’s insufficient light for normal vision.
This represents a character with a radio communication device. Both receiving and transmitting capabilities are needed for two-way communication.
This gives the character an intuitive warning when physical danger is near, potentially allowing them to avoid ambushes or detect hidden threats. The GM may provide automatic PER checks when this power activates.
This allows the character to sense the emotional state of people they can see. It might provide bonuses on certain Communication skill checks when the character can use their insight into the target’s emotional state.
Plasticine is a generic system. Each usage might be different. When planning the campaign world, most work should go to the color: who lives there? What are their relationships?
This can be our world, an alternate universe, or a completely different world. It is important to have a clear idea of where characters will adventure.
As a generic system, you should be able to adapt source books from other games to Plasticine.
The last thing to do is to give the players clear guidance on what characters they should build. This might constrain the background (“all characters must be adult humans living in a specific city”). It will almost always constrain the character creation mechanics:
Rough guidance:
A good rule of thumb is to let 20% to 30% of the points to come from problems. For example, in a superhero campaign, allow characters to have 25 CP of problems.
In general, characters should get 1-5CP per successful session. This feels meaningful but not world-changing in most genres (“realistic” to “cosmic”).
For most campaigns, the GM will want to design a “package” of problems, attributes, skills, and powers that characters get without using or expending character points.
In general, base packages should be around 30 CP - 50 CP. This means that for a “normal human”, most of their effectiveness comes from the base package! This is as it should be: this is what makes people normal, after all.
For example, the following might be an appropriate base package for every day humans:
Attributes:
Powers:
Skills:
It is a good idea for the GM to write example character sheets as part of campaign planning. These can serve as inspiration to existing characters. They can also serve as off-the-rack characters for players who are new to the game or prefer to use a pre-approved character.
For day-to-day actions, you don’t need a roll. Characters can open a door, buy a snack, or talk to a friend. Plasticine comes into play for tasks that are difficult and plot relevant.
In general, game play might require to know where each character is. In that case, use either a Hexagonal Grid or a Square one. It is assumed characters can reach, without needing any range, any character in an adjacent.
Each square or hexagon is one meter. For example, a character who can move 1m can move to an adjacent square.
Body is 30. It cannot be bought higher, but for the sake of adjustment powers, it is considered 1 Body/1 CP.
On Body 0, characters lose consciousness. Death is story-driven, not rule-driven: important characters won’t die, less important characters might or might not die based on setting and story.
When rolling dice, say 3d6+2, the characters will roll however many dice it says (in this case, three), and add the bonus (in this case, two). For example, if the dice come up 2, 5, and 1, the result is 2+5+1+2=10. Situational bonuses or penalties might apply, as well as specificity bonuses or penalties. Those are added to the result.
In the case of unopposed tasks, use the following guidelines:
The GM should determine the level that needs to be reached to be successful based on the task.
In the case of opposed rolls, each character rolls separately. Whoever gets the most wins. Situational or specificity bonuses and penalties are applied before comparing the results.
There are two optional variants for rolling dice. GMs can choose to use neither, both, or either.
One fate point allows doubling the pips for a single action. Characters get Fate points from adventuring. Fate points, once expended, are expended forever.
One of the dies is pre-designated as a wild die. As long as the wild die comes up six, it is rerolled. The total sum is added. If it comes up 1, the next roll is subtracted from the total and the 1 is discarded. If the next roll comes up 1, the entire roll is a “0”.
A “round” is 1 second. Characters can only act in a round if they succeed in rolling ACT vs. Moderate (13). They act in the order of the ACT roll.
A character can “hold” an action in a round for a future round. Each time the character’s roll fails, it gains a +1 bonus to the next roll. This means that even a 2d6 ACT character will eventually act, although often not before being sidelined for a few seconds.
A character can either move or use an adjustment power in a round. For inertia-based movement, “moving” is changing the speed or direction. Often, we refer to adjusting as “attacking”. This is the most common use of the power, and is shorter. However, the game mechanics applying to all adjustment powers are identical.
When attacking, characters roll Accuracy vs. Defense. Characters can buy extra defense with “only when doing nothing else” to actively dodge. A character that cannot perceive another gets -6 to their role. Characters can choose to not avoid attacks. In those cases, the Defense is 0.
Most skills are “out of action sequences” and can be considered free actions. Resolution for skills has been described in the character section.
If more than one skill applies, the character gets to apply all, or any subset, with the relevant modifiers, and sum them.
This section provides adaptations of the Plasticine system for fantasy campaigns. It includes combat abilities, spellcasting, and species considerations to help GMs and players create fantasy characters and adventures.
This represents someone who knows how to use a sword effectively enough to cause damage with it, but doesn’t have any special techniques or advantages.
This represents a character who has extensively trained with swords and has developed special techniques that give them an edge in combat.
Optional Sword Fighting Styles:
Optional Bow Specializations:
Additional Optional Limitations:
Magic in fantasy Plasticine uses the core power system with specific limitations to capture the feel of traditional fantasy spellcasting. The “Cool Down” limitation is particularly important for balancing magical abilities:
Using the Variant system advantage, a mage could purchase additional related spells at reduced cost:
When using this skill, the character rolls against the difficulty set by the lock creator’s skill roll. Specificity rules apply:
Fantasy species in Plasticine are primarily represented through the Problems mechanic, focusing on social aspects rather than inherent bonuses:
Problem: People assume species stereotype - [Species] (5 CP)
Species-specific abilities can be represented through themed limitations on powers:
Dwarves:
Elves:
Halflings:
When creating a fantasy campaign using Plasticine, consider the following:
Consider providing a standard base package for all characters that includes:
By adapting these elements to your specific campaign world, you can create a fantasy experience that captures the essence of the genre while maintaining the flexible and mechanics-focused approach of the Plasticine system.
A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) is a collaborative storytelling experience where players create and control characters in an imaginary world. Unlike board games or video games, TTRPGs have no winners or losers—the goal is to create an engaging story together.
The basic components of a TTRPG include:
Game Master (GM): The person who creates and controls the world, describes environments, plays non-player characters, and adjudicates rules.
Players: Everyone else at the table, each controlling a player character (PC) who is a protagonist in the story.
Character Sheets: Documents detailing each character’s abilities, skills, and traits.
Rules: The system that determines how actions are resolved when outcomes are uncertain.
Dice (or other randomizers): Used to introduce an element of chance and unpredictability.
The typical flow of play is:
What makes TTRPGs unique is their unlimited flexibility. Unlike video games where options are programmed, or board games with fixed rules, TTRPGs allow players to attempt anything they can imagine. The world exists in the shared imagination of everyone at the table.
People play TTRPGs for many reasons: to experience stories they help create, to solve problems creatively, to temporarily become someone else, and to share memorable moments with friends.
Before starting a campaign, run a “Session Zero”. This foundational meeting establishes:
A proper Session Zero prevents misaligned expectations and helps build a cohesive group. Think of it as architectural planning before construction begins—skipping this step often leads to structural problems later.
When a player attempts something creative that isn’t explicitly covered by the rules, consider allowing it if:
The rules exist to facilitate fun, not restrict it.
When players suggest ideas, try to build on them rather than immediately blocking them. “Yes, and…” keeps narrative momentum while still maintaining your control over the game world.
For example:
Player: “Is there a chandelier I could swing from?” GM: “Yes, and it looks rather unstable—might collapse when you’re halfway across.”
Failed dice rolls shouldn’t stop the game’s momentum. Instead, they should create interesting complications.
Good pacing is essential to enjoyable sessions. Think of it like a heart’s rhythm—periods of intensity followed by recovery, never staying too long in either state.
Many GMs over-prepare and then feel frustrated when players ignore their content. The solution isn’t more preparation, but better preparation.
Remember: no preparation survives contact with the players.
Rules discussions can disrupt game flow. Use this guideline:
When modifying rules:
When in doubt about a ruling, ask yourself: “Which choice would make a better game experience?”
This doesn’t always mean ruling in the players’ favor—challenges create meaningful stories. It means choosing the option that creates the most interesting and enjoyable ongoing narrative.
Each player should have opportunities to shine. Some players naturally command attention, while others need encouragement.
Your character is more than a collection of statistics. Consider:
Characters with motivations and flaws create more interesting stories than those optimized purely for mechanical effectiveness.
Create characters that have reasons to work with the group. The lone wolf who distrusts everyone might seem interesting in concept, but often creates frustration in practice.
Ask yourself:
Active players create better games:
When your character enters a new location, how do they engage with it? What draws their attention? How do they move through the space?
Your character doesn’t know everything you know. Sometimes the most interesting choice is not the optimal one, but the one your character would make based on their understanding and values.
Be aware of other players at the table:
When the GM or another player is speaking:
No game will perfectly match your ideal vision. The GM has prepared a world, but it may not contain everything you imagined. Adapt, compromise, and find joy in the unexpected.
If something isn’t working for you:
Saying “I’m not enjoying the puzzle-heavy sessions” is more helpful than “These puzzles are boring.”
Role-playing games are fundamentally social experiences. The unwritten contract between everyone at the table includes:
Every table should have mechanisms for addressing uncomfortable content. These might include:
These enable more creative exploration by establishing clear boundaries.
Disagreements will arise. The healthiest groups:
Never let in-game conflicts create out-of-game tensions. Characters may fight; players should not.
The term “railroading”—forcing players along a predetermined story path—is universally condemned. Yet structured narratives can create memorable experiences as long as players have agency within those structures.
Consider:
The key is transparency. If players know they’re on a defined path for a specific story purpose, many will happily ride those rails to an exciting destination.
Game designers strive for perfect balance, but perfect balance can be perfectly boring. Some of the most memorable game moments come from imbalance:
Balance matters for long-term play, but don’t sacrifice memorable moments on the altar of perfect equilibrium.
Rules provide necessary structure, but sometimes the most interesting choice is to break them deliberately.
As a GM, consider occasionally:
As a player, ask:
The goal isn’t anarchy, but thoughtful consideration of when the spirit of the game might override its letter.
Remember that tabletop RPGs are collaborative storytelling. Neither the GM nor any player has absolute authority over the narrative. The best games emerge from mutual creation and shared responsibility for everyone’s enjoyment.
When in doubt, discuss issues openly, make decisions together, and always prioritize the human connections at your table above any game system or rule.
Plasticine optimizes for verisimilitude to action/adventure narratives to enable collaborative storytelling.
Every design choice stems from this single motto. When you understand this principle, the entire system becomes transparent - each seemingly unusual choice reveals itself as a logical consequence of this optimization target.
Plasticine doesn’t try to accurately simulate reality. It tries to recreate the feel of action/adventure stories:
In action/adventure stories: Protagonists survive
multiple dangerous encounters with recoverable injuries
Plasticine: Body is fixed at 30 for everyone; damage
heals between sessions
Reality: Bullet wounds cause organ damage, infection,
permanent disability
In action/adventure stories: A skilled archer can
make impossible shots that matter
Plasticine: High ACC with “only with bow” limitation
creates affordable excellence
Reality: Physics, wind, target movement create complex
variables
The question isn’t “what would really happen?” It’s “what happens in stories like this?”
This isn’t “genre literature” - it’s about narrative structure. Plasticine works for:
It doesn’t work for:
The defining characteristic: Does your story resolve critical uncertainties through physical capability under pressure? Plasticine models that. If your story’s pivotal moments revolve around different questions, you need a different system.
Plasticine ruthlessly eliminates everything that doesn’t serve collaborative storytelling:
The system trusts players and GMs to handle non-action moments through roleplay, providing clean mechanics only for sequences that need adjudication.
Plasticine was designed to let you reverse-engineer action/adventure protagonists into game statistics. Traditional systems force you to invent numbers for things the author never cared about. Plasticine lets you model exactly what you see in action sequences.
Because Plasticine models story beats, character creation must be narrative-first:
If you can’t visualize your character in an action scene - can’t “watch” them act - you’re not ready to assign statistics. The stats are translations of what you see them doing, not building blocks you assemble into competence.
This is why Background comes first in the manual. It’s not flavor text after the mechanics - it’s the foundation. Everything else models how that character operates in the scenarios Plasticine adjudicates.
The goal is simple: if you’re asked to give up 5 CP, you should be roughly agnostic about which ones you would sacrifice.
This means: - 5 CP of Background skills ≈ 5 CP of ACC ≈ 5 CP of powers ≈ 5 CP from a Problem - They serve different story purposes but contribute equivalent value to collaborative storytelling - No “must-have” purchases that tax every build - No “trap” options that waste points - Character sheets reflect genuine concept priorities
When different characters can allocate CP wildly differently and remain similarly effective, you know the system is working. The fungibility of CP is the goal.
Every design choice asks: “Does this serve collaborative storytelling in action/adventure contexts?”
If yes: Keep it, make it clear, make it
functional
If no: Remove it, regardless of tradition or
expectation
Traditional systems have 6+ attributes (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA) inherited from wargaming and early RPG design. Plasticine has four:
Why these four? Because these are what action/adventure stories actually adjudicate:
Everything else is either: - Background (being smart, charismatic, strong enough for daily life) - Skills (specific competencies) - Powers (exceptional capabilities)
Example: Strength
Traditional systems make STR an attribute because of wargaming legacy and dungeon-crawling logistics (carrying capacity, forcing doors). But authors don’t naturally make it central to action storytelling.
In Plasticine: - Carrying reasonable equipment? Background (free) - Carrying enormous loads? Buy Push power - Breaking down doors? Reduce the door’s structural integrity - Wrestling someone? Reduce their Move power
The capability exists when narratively relevant, purchased at cost proportional to action sequence value. No forced attribute that creates correlation (“strong people can carry AND punch hard AND break things”).
HERO System’s revolutionary insight was “separate game effects from special effects.” Plasticine asks: why stop halfway?
HERO has separate powers for: - Energy Blast (reduce STUN/BODY using physical defense) - EGO Blast (reduce STUN/BODY using ego defense) - Drain (temporarily reduce characteristic) - Transfer (reduce one thing, increase another)
But these are all variations of “reduce attribute” with different targeting.
Plasticine has one power: Adjust Attribute - Reduce or improve any attribute/skill/power - Use modifiers for range, area, resistance type - Special effects explain the narrative (“lightning bolt” vs “punch”)
The same principle applies throughout:
Special effects (fire vs. ice, technology vs. magic, mental vs. physical) don’t need separate mechanical systems. They’re narrative flavor on the same underlying operation.
Traditional systems create forced correlations through attributes:
D&D Style: - Buy DEX (expensive) - Get bonus to Stealth, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Initiative - Creates forced correlation: dexterous people are stealthy AND acrobatic AND quick
Reality in stories: - A cat burglar might be stealthy but not acrobatic - A gymnast might be acrobatic but not stealthy - A gunslinger might be quick but neither stealthy nor acrobatic
Plasticine: Buy the skills you want. They cost what they’re worth. No intermediate attribute creating forced correlations or optimization puzzles.
The same logic applies to social skills (no CHA), knowledge skills (no INT), and awareness (PER is bought directly, not derived from WIS).
HERO has pages of specific limitations with precise values: - “Costs Endurance (-1/4)” - “Extra Time: 1 Turn (-3/4)” - “Requires Skill Roll (-1/4 to -1/2)” - Dozens more…
Then adds: “For limitations not listed, the GM should assign appropriate values.”
All that enumeration doesn’t eliminate judgment - you need it anyway. The lists just create overhead and false precision.
Plasticine uses three buckets: - 0.25: Barely limiting (minor inconvenience) - 0.5: Severely limiting (significant constraint on usage) - 1.0: Extremely limiting (rarely available)
With examples and principles to calibrate judgment.
“I have five powers sharing one mana pool” - is that more limiting than five independent powers? Yes. How much more? Probably 0.75-1.0 depending on details.
HERO creates entire subsystems (END/REC pool) with special pricing formulas and framework mechanics.
Plasticine: Multiple powers with shared constraints? That’s more limiting than independent. Estimate 0.75-1.0.
The narrative explanation (they’re all fire powers! one device! reconfigurable energy!) doesn’t need mechanical frameworks. It’s special effect.
Complex pricing systems create optimization opportunities:
System Mastery in Traditional Games: - Finding undercosted feat combinations - Exploiting specific rule interactions - “Coffee-locks,” “hexblade dips,” slot economy optimization - Trap options to avoid vs. must-haves to take
Plasticine’s Approach: - Cost ≈ story usefulness - Simple enough that value is transparent - Hard to exploit because there’s no hidden complexity - Judgment-based limitations prevent “finding the loophole”
Players optimize toward “interesting character who does cool things” rather than “exploit the mechanical interaction that gives 3x effectiveness per CP.”
Sex and the City pivotal moments: - Does your conversation charm or alienate? - Does your outfit make the right impression? - Can you navigate the social hierarchy? - Do you say the right thing at the critical moment?
Carrie boxes at the gym. But the uncertainties being adjudicated are completely different.
Even if Carrie throws a punch (thinks she’s being mugged, hits her love interest), the scene isn’t resolved by “how much Body damage?” It’s resolved by: Does this create attraction? How embarrassing is this? Can the relationship recover?
Horrow asks: can you learn what’s happening without going mad? Can you maintain sanity when faced with the incomprehensible? Can you find the information before it’s too late?
If you need to fire a gun in horror, you’ve already lost. The pivotal moments are: - Research and investigation (primary “powers”) - Sanity checks (primary resource being depleted) - Understanding what you face - Maintaining mental coherence
Even in psychological horror like Misery, the resolution isn’t ACC vs DEF. It’s “can Paul maintain enough mental fortitude and deception to survive?” The final physical confrontation is narrative consequence of psychological endurance, not combat adjudication.
The system models what creates tension in the genre’s structure, not what literally happens.
During action sequences, immortal and mortal characters function identically: - Both roll DEF when targeted - Both take Body damage when hit - Both fall unconscious at Body 0
Immortality affects narrative consequences after the action sequence (character might revive later), but doesn’t change action sequence mechanics. By Plasticine’s optimization target, it’s equivalent to having blue eyes - narrative color without mechanical weight.
In a different genre where resurrection is the pivotal uncertainty, immortality would cost CP. In action/adventure, it’s background.
Action/adventure verisimilitude requires: - Protagonists can survive multiple encounters - But face real danger from competent opposition - Individual fights have stakes
If Body scales with CP, high-CP characters become unkillable by anything except cosmic threats. This breaks the genre feel where skilled opponents remain dangerous.
Fixed Body means a knife can still kill anyone - but skill (DEF) determines whether it connects. This maintains genre-appropriate tension throughout character advancement.
Because these are what action/adventure stories actually adjudicate. More attributes either: - Create forced correlations that don’t match story patterns - Model things that should be skills/powers/background - Add complexity without increasing story contribution
Traditional RPGs tried to model “complete humans.” Plasticine models “what matters for the stories we’re telling.”
A character with Background: Medieval History might: - Recognize the historical significance of a location - Know which noble houses have feuds - Understand castle architecture for tactical advantage - Provide narrative hooks and roleplay moments
This contributes to the story without being combat-decisive. The cheap cost (1D/1CP) reflects appropriate value.
The goal isn’t to eliminate optimization - it’s to align optimization with story quality.
Bad optimization: “I found the mechanical loophole that gives me double effectiveness for the same CP”
Good optimization: “I allocated my CP to create exactly the character concept I want, and it’s as effective as other characters with different concepts”
When cost equals value and trap options don’t exist, optimization becomes “what do I want my character to do?” rather than system mastery.
Equipment used regularly, or matters to the story, should be bought as powers (with “requires item” limitation if appropriate).
Examples:
The question is: does it have mechanical effect on action sequences? If yes, buy it. If no, it’s background.
They’re special effects. A lightning bolt and a laser beam that both deal 3d6 ranged damage cost the same because they have identical mechanical effect on action sequences.
This enables: - Any power level to include both magic and tech - Genre-mixing without balance concerns - Player creativity without optimization penalties
The balance comes from mechanics. The flavor comes from special effects. They’re separate concerns.
Plasticine explicitly optimizes for one thing: action/adventure collaborative storytelling. It doesn’t try to:
Plasticine doesn’t model:
Plasticine embraces GM and player judgment as essential to collaborative storytelling:
This is intentional. The system provides principles and examples to support good judgment, not pretend it can be eliminated through exhaustive rules.
Plasticine isn’t “first system optimized for action/adventure”.
Plasticine’s contribution:
Every Plasticine design choice stems from one principle: optimize for verisimilitude to action/adventure narratives to enable collaborative storytelling.
When you understand this:
The system doesn’t try to be universal. It doesn’t try to simulate reality. It doesn’t try to serve every player preference.
It does one thing: provides clean mechanical adjudication for action/adventure storytelling while staying out of the way the rest of the time.
If that’s what you want, Plasticine delivers it with uncommon clarity and purpose.
If you want something else - comprehensive simulation, social intrigue mechanics, horror investigation - you need a different system optimized for different goals.