"The Shield"

A Roleplaying Game

This game is based on the FX Networks original series, The Shield.

The Setting

Character Submissions

Character Sheets

The game system will be Fudge, which is very simple. Fudge is available free online, but you don't need to know anything more about Fudge than what's on this page, since I will be running the game mostly systemless. I do like to have some numbers for those occasional situations where I want to roll dice, but usually your character sheet will just be used as a guide to what you can or can't do.

Scale

Everything in Fudge is rated on the following scale:

Attributes

There are six attributes in The Shield: Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Perception, Will, and Charm. The default for all of them is Fair. You get three free levels to raise attributes (i.e., you could raise three attributes to Good, or raise one attribute to Superb, etc.). You can get additional attribute levels by trading another one down on a one-for-one basis (e.g., if you have already raised three attributes to Good, you can raise a fourth to Good by lowering another attribute to Mediocre).

Strength

This is your overall physical toughness, including your ability to dish out damage and soak it up. A high Strength might mean you are big and muscular, but you could also be small, wiry, and tough.

Agility

This is your physical speed, nimbleness, and manual dexterity. If you are chasing someone, the person with the higher Agility can run faster, but the person with the higher Strength can run farther. Agility also determines how fast you can draw your gun...

Intelligence

This is raw intelligence, not education. Someone with Mediocre Intelligence is "slow," someone with Poor Intelligence is mildly retarded. Good Intelligence means you are "bright," Great Intelligence is near-genius, and Superb Intelligence is genius.

Perception

Ability to notice things -- clues, people's reactions, etc. Perception determines how likely you are to notice ambushes, find clues, spot concealed weapons, etc.

Will

This is your courage and your willpower. Will determines your ability to resist torture, concentrate under fire, or continue to function while in pain (such as with a gunshot wound). Will would also be used when resisting the effects of drug addiction. It is far more difficult to intimidate or seduce someone with a high Will, while low-Will characters are easily intimidated and have a hard time resisting temptation.

Charm

This is your basic social "presence," which determines what someone's first impression of you will be. People with high Charm get strong reactions, while people with low Charm tend to be unimpressive and have to work to get a reaction. Exactly what sort of reaction you generate depends on the character -- high Charm might mean you are very friendly and inspire a feeling of trust in people, or you are intimidating and make people naturally want to start talking, or you are sexy and tend to get good reactions in social situations. Charm does not directly correlate to physical appearance -- you could be good-looking and have a low Charm score, or ugly as sin and still be able to captivate people.

Skills

Skills are moderately broad. The list below are only the most common skills likely to be useful in The Shield. You may feel free to suggest other skills not on this list. Rather than requiring you to add up skill points, we will use a much simpler system for choosing skills: you get to assign the following skill ratings:

Any skills that you don't specifically assign, but which the GM believes would be appropriate to your character type and which you can be assumed to have had some training in, will default to Mediocre. (Cops should all know how to fire guns and drive, for example, so even if you don't put Driving on your character sheet, a police officer can be assumed to have at least Mediocre Driving skill.)

All your other skills are assumed to be Poor. You can trade skills up or down at a 2-for-1 rate to the next level (e.g., you could trade your one allowed Superb skill for two more Great skills, giving you four Great skill levels, or trade in your two free Great skills and have an extra Superb skill. One Good skill level can be traded for two at Fair, etc.)

Animal Handling Skills

Artistic and Craft Skills

Each specialty (Dancing, Singing, Painting, Musical Instrument, Choreography, Tailoring, Pottery, Cooking, etc.) is a separate skill. A professional would generally need a skill level of at least Good, and Great to be considered really talented.

Athletic Skills

Strength and Agility give you a basic ability with most athletic skills (anyone can run, jump, climb, etc.), but a track star can still outrun someone who is otherwise stronger and more agile than him.

Combat Skills

Covert Skills

Knowledge Skills

Sciences and anything else you might be get a degree in are separate knowledge skills. You can also have knowledge of other things not taught in schools. Area Knowledge, for example (a cop should have at least Fair Area Knowledge of his city). Some other knowledge skills that might be useful include Gangs, Drugs, Underworld Personalities, City Politics, etc.

Languages

Everyone gets their native language for free. Other languages are separate skills. You are assumed to have no ability (besides maybe a few words) unless you list a language as a skill. Mediocre means you can stumble through a very simple conversation. Fair means you have conversational fluency, but will miss details. Good means you are fluent, though you still have a detectable accent. Great means you can pass yourself off as a native. Superb means you are a highly educated and flawless speaker, and could write novels or compose songs in that language.

Medical Skills

Note that besides medical skills, an M.D. must have the Physician professional skill and several medical knowledge skills.

Outdoor Skills

Professional Skills

Each profession is its own skill, and covers basic knowledge of how to function in that profession, professional standards, etc. Many professions may require other Knowledge skills to be really competent (you can't be a doctor just by having the Physician professional skill, and Lawyers need both the Lawyer professional skill and one or more legal Knowledge skills). You are assumed to have this skill for your current profession at Fair. Street cops don't need a high Cop Professional skill level, but if you want to climb the ranks, you probably should get a higher level, since it includes knowledge of police procedures and standards, who's who in the local department, etc.

Social Skills

The Charm attribute governs first impressions. Social skills help you do specific things.

Technical Skills

Vehicle Skills

Gifts

A Gift is any character quality or ability that doesn't fit as an attribute or skill. Gifts are very open-ended, so the list below only provides a few examples. You can define any Gift you like, within reason. Everyone gets two free Gifts. To get an additional Gift, you must choose a matching Flaw (see below).

(Being a Cop is a sort of a Gift, since it comes with police powers, but it also means you have special duties, are subject to orders from your superiors, have to follow all kinds of regulations, etc., so it is not considered one of your Gifts.)

Police Ranks

Police officers have ranks. The L.A.P.D. hierarchy is as follows:

A rank of Lieutenant or Captain requires one Gift. A rank of Commander or Deputy Chief requires two Gifts. GM's permission is required if you want to play the Chief of Police....

Sample Gifts

Besides police ranks, the following gifts are particularly apropriate or even necessary for Shield characters.

Other Sample Gifts

Flaws

Flaws are disadvantages or handicaps. Like Gifts, they are open-ended and can be defined by the player. You can get extra Gifts by taking matching Flaws. You are not required to take a Flaw.

Sample Flaws