RolePlaying

RPG / Narrative / Story Telling

As previously discussed, RolePlaying is a game of collective imagination. Like traditional RolePlaying games, BattleSauce requires a minimum of two players: the narrator of your Meal - or adventure - referred to as the SauceBoss (SB) and any number of players to create characters and navigate them through the Age in which you’re playing.

The SB starts by setting the scene with a predetermined goal and setting the player’s characters loose in that scene - gently leading the characters to the desired goal. However, as any experienced or veteran game master knows, players can turn even the best-laid plans into utter chaos.

Above all else, remember this: there is NO wrong way to work through a Meal, even if the players entirely miss the story’s point. That’s right; you heard me say it. Part of the fun of being a SauceBoss is getting to shoot from the hip when a player derails a story. Don’t punish players (or their characters) for not opening the right door or taking the right path; use those mistakes for further fun and excitement. Remember, it’s the journey that matters.

RolePlaying in BattleSauce is as simple as players saying what they want their characters to do - we call these Actions - and the SauceBoss (SB) determining how difficult those actions will be on a scale of 1 (easy) to 20 (very difficult) - that number is called a Difficulty Number. Players must roll higher than or equal to the Difficulty Number on a D20 (twenty-sided die) to succeed in their action. In BattleSauce, we only use Difficulty Numbers if there is a significant chance of failure.

"...the stone and timbers of this area look centuries old, worn by time and weathered by the elements. The sky is dark above and overcast. Not even the stars can be seen. Alleyways and narrow passages between buildings open irregularly like doorways into the abyss, and from some of them, you hear heavy scurrying abruptly stopped while you walk past. A series of cunningly placed torches and lanterns can be seen at a corner, the light of which turns the small square into a false day. Low chanting can be heard from the buildings there, and a pervasive smell of fish permeates the air, odd that the nearest coastline is miles away. A strange sense of..."

Countless factors can influence the difficulty of the action and should be considered when determining the Difficulty Number. Consider all the influences that make the action harder than simply being able to perform the task: is the target moving, are there high winds, is the player under pressure, kicking open a door - what is the door made of? Etc. Additionally, character Trade Skills, Street Skills, and Gear may simplify the task, making the roll easier to beat: lock picking tools, rope for climbing, the scope for sighting, pole for balancing, and so on.

Difficulty Numbers can be applied to nearly any action in BattleSauce. Actions include lock picking, jumping over a wall, breaking down a door, winning over another player, swimming across a moat, hitting a character (let’s call it an enemy) from a distance - you know, basically anything other than hand-to-hand combat.

And boom, we’re done. See, nothing to it.

BoardGame Rules

BattleMap / Map / Dungeon Crawl

Creating A Board

Use BoardGame rules when characters enter a closed environment (dungeon, cave, ship, building, saloon, etc.), when character movement needs to be tracked, to inject a bit of the unknown into your game, or when you want to play a solo game.

To use BoardGame rules, you’ll need a board. You can create your board by drawing pathways and rooms on a sheet of paper - graph paper works best, but any paper will suffice- divide hallways and rooms into black and white squares. Black squares represent danger, and white squares are safe. The more black squares on a map, the more dangerous the location is. Each black square on the map on the next page is a possible dangerous encounter - making the map more treacherous as players advance.

BattleSauce is a game designed for the players. If a rule doesn’t work for your Meal or Snack, don’t use it. Need to modify a rule? That’s OK, too. Play the game how it makes sense to you: if players are trying to clear an environment of monsters, turn any defeated monster square into a white square when returning through. If it doesn’t make sense to have traps in the environment, don’t include them. It’s your game; play it the way you want.

Unmarked Map for Players

It’s best practice to use two versions of the map: one marked with black squares for the SauceBoss and one unmarked for the players. An unmarked map makes it difficult for players to consciously avoid hazardous situations, adding to the excitement for everyone.

We love making maps and cramming them with little details and storytelling elements - providing ideas for encounters and ensuring players have a rich game full of excitement and adventure.

In this sample map, we’ll show various ways the elements may be used to enhance or even be a game in themselves.

Movement

Moving around the board requires a well-shuffled deck of cards, which will also be used for combat. Players may use their deck or a single communal deck for all players, including the SauceBoss.

Once shuffled, place the deck of cards face down in a stack. This is the Action Deck. Determine who goes first by any appropriate method, and have that player draw a single card from the top of the Action Deck and then lay that card face-up beside the Action Deck. This is the Movement Card.

The player who drew the card will move their character the number of squares determined by the card’s number value (1-10), with Aces valuing one square. In the example on the right, the character would move five squares.

If the player draws a face card - Jack, Queen, King - the character does not move but instead finds an item or Gear. Items may be determined by the SB or by a random selection process through dice or cards. Gear should be appropriate for the Age or narrative.

Joker

When drawn as a Movement Card, Jokers instantly change all squares to their opposite color, making safe squares dangerous and dangerous squares safe - for a single round.

On each player’s turn, the player should draw a card and determine the outcome based on the square they occupy.

Some decks of cards have unique Joker designs. These cards can be used to create custom outcomes.

Moving Sample

[sample, gridded map]

The square a player’s move lands on is called the Landing Square. In the example above, the character stands at the Starting Location, draws a Movement Card - the 9 of Diamonds - then moves nine squares. The Landing Square is “white,” or not black, so the character is safe (see Landing Squares on the next page). Even though the character passed over black squares 6, 7, and 8, only the Landing Square color affects the character. If there are other players, play now goes to the next player.

In full-color BattleMaps, like the one above, white squares are identified as any square that is not colored black. Some squares on a full-colored map may include images to indicate danger - giant spiders, a pit of spikes, etc. - which could be encountered despite the Movement Card and Landing Square colors.

Players must move the total number of squares displayed by the card. For example, if a player draws the nine of Diamonds for movement, the character must move nine squares - in any direction unless prohibited.

When a character moves to their Landing Square, the outcome is not played until the player’s next turn. The character is only affected by the Landing Square and not any squares passed over along the way - unless otherwise specified by the map or SauceBoss.

Players may enter a map as a group: ONE player draws a card, all players move the card’s value, and all players are affected by the Landing Square.

When the Action Deck is depleted, shuffle the cards and place them face-down to create a fresh deck.

Landing Squares

Characters may move in any direction permitted by the map. We recommend using common sense when interpreting a BattleMap regarding what would block a character’s movement. For example, a human skeleton likely wouldn’t inhibit movement to a specific square, but a dragon’s skeleton might.

After moving, each character will land on one of two colored squares: white or black. If the Movement Card is red (Diamonds or Hearts) and the character lands on a white square, the character is safe, and the next player moves.

♦️ or ♥️ + ◻️ = Safe

If the Movement Card is red and the character lands on a black square, the player must draw another card; if the new card is red, the character is safe.

♦️ or ♥️ + ◼️ = Draw Again = ♦️ or ♥️ + ◻️ = Safe

If the new card is a Spade, the character faces a trap. If the new card is a Club, the character must fight - use the appropriate Monster Horde for your Age to choose a random enemy or select one of your own.

♦️ or ♥️ + ◼️ = Draw Again = ♠️ = Trap

♦️ or ♥️ + ◼️ = Draw Again = ♣️ = Battle

If the Movement Card is black and the character lands on a white square, the player draws again with the same rules.

♠️ or ♣️ + ◻️ = Draw Again = ♠️ = Trap

♠️ or ♣️ + ◻️ = Draw Again = ♣️ = Battle

If the Movement Card is black and the character lands on black, the character must fight regardless of the suit.

♠️ or ♣️ + ◼️ = Battle

Rooms

When a character enters a room, the player draws a card: black suit = Battle.

If a Heart is drawn, the character finds health. If a Diamond is drawn, the character finds Pieces or an item. The SB can determine how many Pieces or health is found - or 25 for either. Alternatively, the SB can decide what, if anything, is in the room. Some maps will have predetermined room results.