BASIC RULEBOOK Paradox is gladly provided to the public
over the World Wide Web
or can be ordered on CD-ROM and
hardbound book for $50.00. Introduction
Lead Developer's Note
Let's face it, role-playing games are a great way to spend an afternoon relaxing with friends, but most often the fun of the story gets bogged down by the inevitably slow combat and
skill test game mechanics. The best games I've played have taken just toolong to generate characters and resolve combat. For this purpose Faight Industries developed the Paradox
Role-playing System. The game system is based on limited rules, ease of use, and consistency.
The Paradox role-playing system is the Jeet Kune Do of role-playing. Just like Martial Arts, role-playing is full of outdated and useless ideas. Paradox tries to eliminate what
bogs down role-playing and keep what makes role-playing fun.
Paradox has been in development since the end of the Gulf War. During the time of the gulf war, I had a lot of free time to play role-playing games, and found that there was just too
much missing from the role-playing game systems that I was using. I hated how long it took the Game master to determine what was going on. I hated how a great story line was limited
by the system that was written to take care of it. So I decided to write my own.
Paradox was a pet project, but didn't really come to life until after I saw Army of Darkness. In the wake of that excellent movie, my gaming group decided it would be fun to play a time
travel campaign. Easier said than done. We couldn't find any system that we liked, and had rules that were well rounded enough to run a campaign in time. Even though it was nothing more than a set of complicated character generation rules at the time, we used the Paradox as
the core of our campaign. I came up with a story line, made up rules as I went along, and we had a great time. We found that the lack of strict rules made Paradox the perfect game
system. We were able to have fun instead of arguing. Over the years, Paradox was used in many different settings,
usually to capture a story line that did not exist. As it progressed Paradox became more streamlined, the combat rules solidified, character generation simplified, and Paradox
grew into the edition that you are holding now. From the beginning it was a combination of ideas. We have tried very hard to keep FUNas our number one priority. Therefore, the
rules are constantly being streamlined. If you like lots of strict rules and arguing with the Game master, this system is not for you. Paradox is a catalyst for the imagination, and
every rule in here is completely optional. Remember, the Game master's word is FINAL.
Paradox was designed to push the boundaries of role-playing--which is why you can download the main rules set and utilities package FREE from the World Wide Web. OK!
OK! We are begging for $10 to help defer the cost and to help us continue to come out with sourcebooks and updates--but mostly for free. What other company can you say does that? We are currently working on our first and second Sourcebooks. The first, tentatively titled HUMAN EXPANSION, is a sourcebook which covers the expansion of the human race as
thousands of entire systems were colonized and stripped of resources over a period of 100 years. Human Expansion also covers the Colonization Wars, as Indigenous Races fought to
save their planets from the onslaught of the warlike humans. The second, tentatively titled THE LIVING JUNGLE
, is a sourcebook which describes the spellbinding world of Cir Allanor. Play any number of races, from humans to anthropomorphic animals, in the quest to explore the hidden
riches of the Living Jungle. Be an Out-runner, risking life and limb for a few seconds of fame and a few coins of gold, or explore the political worlds of the houses and guilds as they
vie for control over the vast resources of the Living Jungle.
We at Faight Industries hope you like the system. Print it off and give it to a friend. If you or he like it, please register the rulebook by sending your name, e-mail address, a $10.00
Money Order or Check, and home address to the below listed address. Upon receipt, you will be issued a Member Number that will entitle you to customer support. Faight Industries
does not sell it's address list to any other organization, however we will use it from time to time to contact you regarding product updates. If you do not want to register the
Paradox rules, that is your prerogative, however to receive support and notification of product updates you must register the product.
Faight Industries 7208 CreekstoneSachse, TX 75048
If you have any comments on the Paradox system, ideas, rule
change requests, etc, you can contact us at the above address, or e-mail us at
faight@fastlane.net.
$ $ $ |
Wanna make some money?
We are currently looking for game developers to help us provide fun and interesting modules and sourcebooks for the Paradox system. If you have a game world that you have been working with for years and would like to see it published, you can contact us at Faight Industries and we will see what we can do to help you convert it to the Paradox role-playing system and get it published. Interested? Contact us at faight@fastlane.net for more information.
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Introduction
The Paradox Role-playing system was developed to push the boundaries
of your role-playing experience. Focusing on the character and the story, Paradox attempts to bring what you love about role-playing into your campaigns, and leave what you dislike behind.
The Paradox Basic Rulebook is separated into six chapters, Introduction, Game Play, Resolving Game Play, Magic, Equipment, and Appendixes.
Due to the progressive ideas in the paradox system, all players and the Game master should read these sections, even if they are experienced
with other game systems. Each section attempts to convey the feel and simplicity of the role-playing system; however, there may be some spots
that will confuse players. To help you along, Faight Industries offers a Facts Forum (FF) to all registered users. All you need to do is register the
Paradox rules and you will be eligible for all the benefits of registered users, including support.
The Basic Rulebook handles all the rules that Players need to be familiar with in order to enjoy the game. As they become more familiar with the system they may wish to explore the more expanded rules of the
Advanced Rulebook. The Advanced Rulebook includes many of the formula and creation utilities used to create the items in the Basic Rulebook.
Role-playing
Role-playing isn't a new concept, as a matter of fact; you've probably
done it before. Role-playing is make-believe with rules; rules that you will find in this book. Role-playing has been around since there were kids.
More recently, however gaming companies, actors, psychiatrists and college professors have come up with modifications to that unregulated childhood pastime.
What was once only a pastime for children has become a multi-million dollar business. Concepts developed by creative people for these games
have spawned movies, songs, books, action figures and numerous other facets to our society. But what started it all? For most it started in 1975,
when a small company named TSR rose to market leadership with it's release of Dungeons & Dragons. The gaming industry was born as
kids of all ages began using their imaginations again. Many other game systems followed. Role-playing is an activity where people get together and--instead of
spreading their brains over some boring episode of some mediocre sit-com--they turn off the TV, turn on some inspirational music (optional),
and pretend to be someone else. In front of them are several sheets of paper, a book or two, some gem-like plastic dice (guarded from their
companions as feverishly as if they were real gems), several caffeinated beverages, and usually half a piece of pizza. These players look at each
other, talk about what they are going to do with the cash they got last session, and wait for the all powerful Game master to begin speaking.
Game master:
The rain falls in fat drops outside the café window. Val cradles his bandaged arm, hoping that you have time for a stop by Dr. Bob's Body Shop, Bar, and Grill
, before all hell breaks loose. Twitch looks around nervously, hoping the waitress didn't see the pound of C-4 hidden under his weather beaten jacket. Max sits quietly, a full head and shoulders above
everyone else, trying not to let his cybernetics intimidate the Payoff Guy too much. Katrina slides a small disk across the table to the Payoff Guy.
"Yoos dun good work", says the PayoffGuy, "The Boss is happy." John (Max):
Tanx. Ken (Val):
You got the goods? Game master:
"Yeah, hear ya go," the guy says as he slides a paper sack across the table. "Boss says he'd be appreciative if yoos would come down to da club 'n'
have a few drinks…. At bargain prices." Angela (Katrina):
I bet he would. Max and Val drink like fish. Game master:
Just then you see the lights outside as three cop cars pull into place outside the café. Six Rangers get out and draw down on you through the plate glass
windows. There is a scream and the sound of dropped plates from the kitchen. Four cops bust in the front door yelling "ICE IT, Nobody moves!" What do you do?
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The above is just an example of what can happen when a good group of players gets together and pretends to be someone else. The Game
master sets the scene and tells the story. The players interact. The Game master breathes life into the scene, gives the characters something to
work for, and excitement. Whether it is a knock-down, drag-out brawl, or a subtle game of political intrigue, role playing is what keeps us coming
back for more weekend after weekend. The above listed players don't know what's going on. Do they have a chance at drawing down on the cops--although with at least a pound of C-4 and Chrome-Soldiers like Max
and Val the chances are pretty good--or are the Cops here to bust someone else? All decisions are left up to the players at this point in time.
If the players decide to fight, there are procedures listed in the Paradox Role-playing System that give guidelines for resolving combat situations. If
they decide to sit tight and wing-it, they rely on their abilities to talk their way out of things. All is up to them. But remember--The Game master has the final say.
Dice
Paradox is a percentile-based system; therefore only two ten sided dice
are needed. One die being the tens digit, or high die, and one die being the ones digit, or low die. Which die is which is pre-determined by the
player. In order to reduce confusion, this decision should be final for the entire game. Rolling the Dice
For instance, a player rolls a 5 for their high die and a 2 for their low die; therefore the result is fifty-two (52). Also, if a player rolls a 0 for their high
die and a 0 for their low die, then the result is one hundred (100). Rolling Doubles
Not all situations turn out exactly as expected, even with the most experienced of characters. Luck, both good and bad, has been known to show up and totally change the outcome of a situation. In the Paradox
system, this type of luck is simulated using the double numbers rule. Should a character roll double numbers, then something unexpected has
happened. Whether it is good or bad is based upon a subsequent die roll. Subsequent roll Result
01 - 25 |
Something extremely good happens (i.e., the shot fired exhibits some amazing ballistic tendencies and hits the target in the back seat, the man in the
front seat, and the target again). |
26 - 50 |
Something good happens (i.e., while searching for a book in the library, the character finds a secret passage). |
51 - 75 |
Something bad happens (i.e., while running for cover, a character trips over his shoelaces and falls down in an open field). |
76 - 00 |
Something extremely bad happens (i.e., the gun misfires, exploding in the character's hands). |
Double Numbers |
If the character rolls double numbers a second time, something FREAKY happens. The Game master can have the character roll the dice again, or just go with it
and come up with some strange bizarre occurrence on his own. |
Example
The crew of the Spyder is involved in a massive space battle with the Iridini. Bishop, manning the main guns of the Spyder turns his attention to an Iridini Destroyer. He fires
the Spyder's main gun, a Mk 40 Blast cannon, at the much larger Iridini ship. He rolls the dice, which turn up an 11. Subsequently he rolls a 00, a 66, a 22, and a 25. The
Game master determines that the Spyder's shot pierces the antimatter generator of the Iridini Destroyer. The resulting hole in the containment field sends the Destroyer off like
a balloon spinning through the battle where it collides with another Iridini Destroyer. Both Destroyers are destroyed.
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