Changes

GMs prepare the story, introduce the setpieces, Non-Player Characters (NPCs) , and ideally, plan for multiple possible outcomes, depending on how the players go through them.

Players make things happen by using their wits, their Player Characters (PCs)' skills, equipment, abilities, and their decisions, which they then play out in character; just like how actors playing their characters make things happen in a movie or a TV show. However, the difference between a movie and the events of a an RPG, are is that players retain control of their characters and are the ones to make things happen. Sometimes, according to the GM's plans, and sometimes, despite them.

If you are familiar with roleplaying, these concepts should already be familiar to you, but if not, the gist of it is this: you play as the characters you control would, speaking the words they would say, doing the actions they would do. GMs must be familiar with this concept in order to run a game of MazeWorld, but they can ease people who are new or unskilled at roleplaying with simple interactions, like a discussion or a short scene between a an NPC (controlled by the GM) and a newbie player's PC, to gauge these players' abilities and teach them how to play. The role of the game's rules and mechanics is to help with conflict resolution and problem-solving, to introduce elements of chance, randomness, and uncertainty, and to determine the outcome of the story, action by action. Will your character aim her [[MP5A3]] at the chest of the bad guy, knowing he has body armor, or will she risk a shot to the head in an attempt to bring him down faster, knowing she might miss? Will this [[Crafting items#Ingredient items|rag]] work on your wound or will it fail, leaving you to scrape for a real bandage? Do you have enough supplies to last you until the next town, or is death around the corner?

As is customary for a tabletop RPG, the Game Master is the person who leads a game of MazeWorld. They are the one person who sets up and advance advances the story. The GM oversees the actions of every player character, and is in control of every NPC (non-player character) of the game. But most importantly, they are in control of the dice and the rules of the game; not the other way around. A GM may, and has full rights, to exercise '''GM fiat''' and determine the outcome of any action, and may override any check, any roll of the dice, whether openly or secretly in doing so, if they believe it would be more fun or fairer to do so. Therefore, when you roll to swing a knife at the bear that's attacking you; even if the dice say you missed, if the GM says you hit, then you hit, and the bear is going to take damage.

A GM mayRoleplaying is co-operative, not competitive. In order for a game to be good and has full rightsfor everyone to have fun, to exercise 'GM fiat' and determine the outcome of any action, players should work together and may override keep any checkrivalries in-character. In most games, any roll of the dice, whether openly or secretly in doing sostory should be about the player characters, and if they believe it would be more fun or more fair to do so. Therefore, when you roll to swing a knife at the bear that's attacking younot necessarily about them, if the dice say you missedplayers must at least feel part of an important story, but the GM says you hitas people who are responsible for advancing, then you hitshaping, and changing, or even derailing the bear is going to take damagestory. Fun should be the number one priority.

Roleplaying is co-operative, not competitive. In order for a game Specifics on how to be good a Game Master and for everyone how to have fun, GM and players should work together. In most games, the story should run a game of MazeWorld can be about the player characters, and if it's not necessarily about them, players must at least feel part found in all of an important story, as people who are responsible for advancing, shaping, changing, or even derailing the story. Fun should be pages listed on the number one priority[[Game Master Guide]].

= Basics of making things happen Your character =

In MazeWorld, a session generally follows the day-to-day adventures of one, or a small group of PCs as they are involved in the plot and circumstances surrounding it. It is even possible to play without a specific plot in mind, by simply relying on the pre-existing jobs and activities world as it exists and on the randomly-generated dangers of the Uncivilized Area and having the GM simply follow where the PCs go.

In most cases, however, a GM should prepare a story and some sort of basic plot, and although the game can be adapted for virtually any kind of story within the realm of the Mazes, it is best suited for adventures spanning across multiple towns and localities, with multiple ways to tackle a specific problem. GMs should never railroad their players into a pre-planned, desired outcome, or at the very least, they must never feel as though they are being funneled, at the risk of players feeling as though they really had no control over the outcome.

In particular, the '''2d6''' is important in MazeWorld, as it is the most commonly used dice for resolving attacks. For example, in a gunfight, ''every each shot'' is tied to a 2d6, the result of each is checked against various circumstances in order to determine which bullets hit, and which miss. (Modifiers include things such as the shooter's personal accuracy level, skill level, point of aim, and other modifiers - all of which will be explained later, so don't feel intimidatedworry!)

Every time the dice are rolled, the results are checked against thresholds in order to determine success or failure. In MazeWorld, unless the conditions for success or failure of a specific action are clearly detailed otherwise, '''rolling higher is better''', and you must roll '''higher''' than a certain '''threshold''' in order to succeed. For example, the '''Failure Threshold (FT)''' is a statistic governing combat accuracy; it is a number that must be beaten by a dice roll in order for an attack to to be successful and turn into a hit landing onto a target. The lower your FT is, the more chances you have to hit the target.* Example: John's Failure Threshold is 7, meaning that all without any other factors being equalmodifiers, he must roll 8 or higher in order for his punch to land into the stomach of his opponent.

Plenty of things can modify these thresholds (and in turn, one's chances of success), but they are generally grouped into three categories: '''Permanent effects''', which fully and completely lower a particular character's thresholds for certain actions, '''Secondary effects''', which are usually limited in time or tied to a specific condition, but is otherwise not permanent, and '''Situational effects''', which are dependent on specific actions.* Example of a permanent effect: John has '''Master skill level''' in Automatic Rifles, allowing him to shoot burst- and full-auto capable rifles with such ease that he is more accurate than most. He , therefore , benefits from a permanent '''FT-1''' effect when shooting this kind of weapon.* Example of a secondary effect: When John is under the influence of a specific substance, such as [[Meds|Diazepam]], he benefits from a temporary boost to his Failure Threshold, making him more accurate with every single type of weapon or attack, until the effects of the substance dissipate.

Sometimes, the dice produce outstanding results that are known as '''criticals'''. There are two kinds: '''critical successes''' and '''critical failures'''. Whether or not criticals are possible, and the conditions for triggering them, both depend on the circumstances, but most of the time, you will see criticals occur during combat. As stated earlier, the 2d6 is the roll to make to resolve an attack. A critical failure happens on the lowest possible result, a '''2''', and a critical success occurs on the highest possible result, a '''12'''. As a result, veteran MzW players learned to fear the two and bless the twelve, so to speak.

If this has motivated you to keep going, then the next step is character creation. For Game Masterslooking for more details, rest assureddon't worry; later sections will give you tools and tips on how to run the game, and what to read in order to familiarize yourself with the game's world and lore, to help you create your own stories.