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Fudge was first published by Steffan O'Sullivan and Grey Ghost Press in 1992. The designer stipulated that the basic system should remain freely available online, which it still is to this day.

While it helps make rolls clearer and easier to read to use Fudge dice, you can absolutely simulate them using normal six-sided dice. Just read results of 1-2 as "-", 3-4 as blanks, and 5-6 as "+".

Do I need Fudge dice to play Fudge or Fate?

Fudge is one of the first systems to emerge from the early internet of the 1990s, and to be primarily distributed online through digital downloads. It was the product of democratized game design discussions, made freely available to everyone in its basic form, and represented a major shift in game design at the end of the 20th century. 

Additionally, Fudge openly acknowledged the reasoning behind each of its design choices in the rules, and invited other game masters and game designers to modify and customize the system by providing them the tools and understanding necessary to do so. This friendliness to "homebrew" and independent game design, alongside the ethos of "just fudge it" to put the fun of the game ahead of strict adherence to rules, marked a new era of games with a freeform playstyle.

Why is Fudge significant to the history of roleplaying games?

Fudge ranks abilities, die results, and difficulties using seven adjectives: Terrible (-3), Poor (-2), Mediocre (-1), Fair (0), Good (+1), Great (+2), and Superb (+3). This allows players and game masters to "translate" characters and challenges from other media and games into Fudge's terms. For example, Batman would be a Superb detective, and a Stormtrooper would be a Poor shot with a laser rifle.

What are the ranking adjectives of Fudge?

Fudge System

The Fudge System is a generic tabletop roleplaying game system that uses "fudge dice", six-sided dice marked with two plus signs, two minus signs, and two blank sides. Originally an acronym for the Freeform Universal Donated Game Engine, Fudge was designed as a basic mechanical system on which other designers could build their game.

The core mechanic is rolling the four fudge dice and counting the total value of all the plus and minus signs. The two signs cancel each other out, giving a potential range of -4 to +4 and an average roll of 0 on a very evenly distributed bell curve. This die result may then be modified by a character's skill level and then compared to a difficulty set by the game master, ranked using an ascending system of descriptive adjectives. A more difficult challenge will have a higher difficulty. A total that meets or exceeds the difficulty succeeds. 

The best-known implementation of the Fudge system is the Fate RPG and its derivatives, like the Dresden Files RPG, Fate Accelerated, Atomic Robo, Spirit of the Century, and more. Fate adds Fate points, a metacurrency players can spend for bonuses and special permissions, as well as levels of success like succeeding at a cost. The Fudge system, and Fate by extension, are designed to be setting-agnostic, allowing game designers and game masters to customize the game.

Fudge remains one of the simplest roleplaying game systems ever designed, and represents a paradigm shift in TTRPG design that still resonates today.

Browse Fudge System TTRPGs Explore one-shots, campaigns, and homebrew adventures run by expert GMs across Roll20, Foundry VTT, Discord & more. Find your perfect game on StartPlayingGames!