Dude Where's My Car - The Role-Playing Game

It's better than the movie.

The Role-Playing Game made for road trips. It's paperless, diceless, and everyone takes turns being the GM.

Vocabulary

Scene
The action that occurs in the time starting when one turn begins and ends
Turn
A series of zero to five or more actions taken by a player
Action
A single event that a character initiates and participates in until the GM decides that it is sufficiently completed
Something Your Character Is Good At
A skill that your character will always succeed in unless you don't want him to
Something Your Character Is Bad At
A skill that your character will always fail at unless the current GM doesn't want him to
Evocative Name
A handle for your character that is suggestive of personality
Veto
Any player may spend a future action to negate a single decision of the current GM
Complication
Any player may spend a future action to introduce a single event into the current turn
Teams
When two or more characters exist in the same locale during the game the controlling players may form a team

Character Creation

Everything starts with the driver of the car. Circling clockwise every player states and evocative name and concept for his character. On the second pass around the car, everyone picks and says the one thing that his or her character is good at. And on the third and final pass during character creation, everyone chooses one thing that his character is bad at. I suppose you could write these things down, but then the game wouldn't be paperless. I'm operating under the impression that everyone can at least keep a name and two skills in memory for the duration of one role-playing session.

Playing the Game

This is a competitive rpg. The object is to be the first to find the car. Where's the car? Nobody knows, but eventually someone will have to find it.

Ground Rules:

  1. The person to the right of you is your default GM.
  2. On your turn you get 5 actions, but this number may be reduced depending on what you do during other player's turns.
  3. The first GM of the game decides what the location for the game will be.
  4. Your first GM decides where your character starts the game.

Setting the Scene & Using Basic Actions:

The driver is the first GM of the game, which means that the player sitting in the back left-hand seat of the car will be the first player. When a player gets to take his first turn, the first action will come from the GM. The GM decides where your character is, and sets an initial conflict for you character to deal with. You then state five actions for your character. You and the GM see each one of your actions to a satisfactory end and then proceed to the next. You don't have to use all five of your actions during your turn, but you may not save actions from one turn to the next. Remember, your ultimate goal is to find the car before anyone else so you should try to accomplish as much as you can towards that end in your turn as you can.

Teams:

Characters begin the game separate, but if two or more characters join up then those players combine their turns. Play proceeds normally, but now any player on a team may give one of his actions to any of his teammates. Players may only give future actions away. In other words, if John gives Mary one of his actions John will only receive four actions on his turn instead of the normal five. Alternatively, a player on a team may take up to one of his own actions during the course of any of his teammates' turns. Again, you may only spend future actions; never unused actions from previous turns. A player may quit a team at any time, but he is then no longer allowed to work together with other teammates.

Vetoes & Complications:

Normally a turn is restricted to the actions of participating teammates and their GM. However, at any time during the game a player may want to introduce a complication into another character's turn. A complication is some sort of twist, or unique happening that neither the GM nor participating player was working on. Complications cost a player one future action each.

Likewise, for one future action any player may veto the GM. A single decision of the GM's may be reversed with a veto, and there's nothing she can do about it.

Ending the Game

The game ends when one player finds the car. This is a competitive game and more importantly only one player may win. So ditch your teammates before it's too late and make a mad dash for the car. It's cutthroat baby!


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23 September 2002
By Tim C Koppang fleetingGlow@yahoo.com
from the desk & mind