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A/N: This is a detailed version of the first episode “Character Creation”.
The content is the same, so if you are not interested, skipping it will not affect the reading experience.
(Where am I? …Oh, this room is nostalgic. This was Akira’s room… Why am I here though?) (Yataro)
I was in a daze, trying to figure out why I was in the room of my middle school friend, Akira.
Akira’s room was empty except for me, and on the kotatsu on which he always keeps a TTRPG (Table-Talk RPG) manual and two ten-sided dice were sitting on the table. [T/N: テーブルトークRPG or Table-Talk RPG are different and they are considered borrowed English words/Japanglish/Wasei Eigo that only have meaning for Japanese people.]
(Ten-sided dice, huh? I missed this… the title is something like “Tunnels & Dragons”, or “T&D” for short. It got far for a rip-off.) (Yataro)
[A/N: Looking at the title, I thought of combining the two famous TRPGs, Tunnel & Trolls (T&T) and Dungeon & Dragons (D&D)]
“Hey, Yata, Yataro. Hurry up and make a character. You’re so slow!” (Akira)
Suddenly, I heard Akira’s voice.
I looked around and didn’t see him, but I didn’t pay any attention and replied.
“Yeah okay, but I haven’t even read the manual yet. Just give me a little more time.” (Yataro)
“OK. Get it done quickly.” (Akira)
I open the T&D manual and read it.
As I read through it, I realize that it is not so different from the TRPGs I know, and I skip over the rest except for the parts that caught my attention.
Akira urged me to pick up the TRPG manual on the kotatsu, a B5-size book with about 200 pages.
Flipping through the pages, I found a row of nostalgic words on the game.
(I miss this old-fashioned style, this ride. I knew that TRPG manuals feel somehow different from the instruction manuals of video game consoles…) (Yataro)
Welcome to the world of “Tunnel & Dragons (T & D) R (Note)”.
This game is a Table Talk Role Playing Game (TRPG) set in a world of swords and magic.
Move your unique characters freely and make your dreams come true.
Note: Tunnel & Dragons and T&D are registered trademarks of Trinity World Creators (TWC) Inc.
(Alright, let’s make the character.) (Yataro)
I started to turn the pages of the instruction manual to begin creating my character.
I. The first step is to make a new game. Let’s create a character.
Here’s how to create your character, and what they’ll look like in this world.
To create a character, you will set up your Race, Status, Talents, Special Abilities, and Birth Environment.
Basically (Note), you roll the ten-sided dice (the red and white ones provided) and create your character according to the numbers on the dice.
Note that if you decide that the number you roll is not good enough, you will be given one chance to roll again, but only before proceeding to the next step.
Note: If the Game Master (GM), who is the god of this game, gives you any special instructions, you will follow the GM’s instructions.
Let’s start with the Race first.
Unless otherwise specified by the GM, the race will be determined randomly by rolling two ten-sided dice.
If the number that comes up is greater than or equal to any of the following numbers, you will be born into that race.
Dragonfolk: 100, Demonfolk: 96, Elf: 91, Dwarf: 81, Beastfolk: 66, Human: 1
So let’s get started and decide on the Race.
(Starting with the races, huh? But if it were a TRPG I’ve known, I could choose my own race. That’s a bit of a quirk.) (Yataro)
2. Determine your Status, Talents, and Special Abilities.
Next, decide on status and talents.
Status consists of the ten parameters listed below and is a number from one to one hundred calculated by two dice rolls.
For a typical human NPC, the average value is fifty. The standard deviation is ten. In other words, there is only about one person in a thousand who has a number above 80.
Talents and special abilities are determined by a set of bonuses called Character Points (CP), and these numbers are used to grant the abilities that one is born with.
CP can also be used to improve Status and to set the conditions of the Birth Environment.
CP is the product of three rolls of the dice, i.e., a number from one to one thousand.
Status
(A) Strength
Affects the ability to lift objects and attack.
(B) Reflexes
Affects spur-of-the-moment judgment, right of first action, avoiding attacks, etc.
(C) Body Control
It affects the hit rate and the success rate of things related to physical actions.
(D) Endurance
It affects so-called hit points (HP) and flexibility.
(E) Magic
Affects magic possession value (MP) and vitality.
(F) Mental Endurance
It affects the resistance to mental attacks.
(G) Intelligence
Affects knowledge acquisition and magic success rate
(H) Craftsmanship
It affects the success rate of production, trapping, and disarming.
(I) Appearance
Affects the first impressions of other people.
(J) Charisma
Affects likability and negotiation.
The Statuses calculated from the above are as follows
(K) Vitality Value (HP)
Endurance x (100+Combat Skill level) / 10
(L) Magic Capacity Value (MP)
Magic x (10 + Magic level^2 / 100)
(Common Status parameters…… Hmmm? I don’t see “Luck”. I would think there would be… What does it say about “Luck”…?) (Yataro)
Looking at the status, please notice that there is no so-called “Luck” parameter.
In T&D R, Luck is determined by the GM at the beginning of the campaign.
This is the result of adopting the idea that it is impossible to have good luck from birth for the rest of your life, or that such a life is not interesting.
The GM is free to make it random or set it at his/her discretion, however, Luck will not be disclosed to the players.
(Quite an interesting setup, isn’t it? It would certainly be nice to have something like a biorhythm. A character who is unusually lucky is not very interesting… Next is the section on talents…) (Yataro) [T/N: The author really said Biorhythm (バイオリズム). All I know is it is considered pseudoscience, IRL. Unless this is related to Tactics Ogre: Knights of Lodis, that one I know. It acts as the Luck status that changes in a fixed cycle. Any TRPG buffs that know games with this game mechanic? I want a Tactics Ogre Sequel or a PC port.]
I heard Akira’s voice again.
“Yataro, faster. I want to start already.” (Akira)
“My bad, give me a little more time.” (Yataro)
I apologize to Akira and start reading the talent section.
Talents
Talent refers to the natural upper limit and speed of acquisition for each skill.
There are five levels of talent, from level 1 to 5, which change the upper limit and acquisition speed of a skill.
Level 0: Upper limit 50, normal acquisition speed
Level 1: Upper limit 60, 1.5 times faster acquisition speed, 5 CP required
Level 2: Upper limit 70, double acquisition speed, 15 CP required
Level 3: Upper limit 80, triple acquisition speed, 40 CP required
Level 4: Upper limit 100, quadruple acquisition speed, 70 CP required
Level 5: No upper limit, quintuple acquisition speed, 100 CP required
The approximate talent levels are as follows
Talent Level 1: Village’s best (one in a 100 people)
Talent level 2: Best in town (one in 10,000 people)
Talent level 3: Master level (one in 100,000 people)
Talent level 4: Genius level (one in a million people)
Talent Level 5: Once in a century genius (one in 100 million)
To make the image easier to grasp, let’s use a baseball analogy.
Talent level 1: grassroots baseball star
Talent level 2: Koshien class
Talent level 3: Professional second-string class
Talent level 4: Top professional player class
Talent level 5: Major League Baseball Hall of Fame class
The above examples are just for illustration. In reality, it takes effort as well as talent, so not everyone with Talent will necessarily reach that level.
(I see. So even if you have talent, if you don’t work hard, you can’t become a professional in that field. That’s an oddly realistic setup.) (Yataro)
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