Unwritten Actions, Rules for those actions without rules
Game Design Log #57
Hi everyone!
Today, I want to show you the latest update for Runner of the Wasteland (also available at DriveThruRPG, Wargame Vault, and RPG trader).
As I mentioned in my last two posts (this and this), I’ve been working on a framework for those moments when you want to do something in the game, but there isn't a specific rule for it.
Since Runner of the Wasteland is a very “focused” solo TTRPG, where the gameplay mostly revolves around a tight loop: accept a delivery job, survive the harsh wastes while traveling between towns, deliver the package, and repeat. My solution for “doing something outside the rules” was actually hinted at in a small comment at the bottom of the core rules:
At first, this was fine. It relied on managing your daily Energy (E), which is the core mechanic connecting every other piece of the game.
However, I realized I wanted to be more explicit. I wanted to design a system that introduces uncertainty and more tension to your runner’s actions, representing all the external factors that are completely out of their hands.
After a lot of testing and trying out different ideas, I boiled down the “rules for actions without rules” to this:
Here I kept the game’s core resource management intact. You still perform actions by spending Energy (E), and whether you succeed depends entirely on your willingness to pay that cost. However, I’ve added a couple of new elements:
A dice pool procedure to introduce external factors and weave them into the narrative. This represents everything outside of your runner’s control. It dictates how much effort they must ultimately exert to complete the action, without defining success or failure—that part is still entirely up to you.
A “Do it anyway!” rule to let players try their luck instead of paying the E cost. This offers an escape route when you are locked out of options, especially when your runner only has a few points of E left to survive. However, “doing it anyway” is not a free pass. You must still suffer the consequences of this extra effort, leading into a minigame where you desperately try to redirect the fallout toward your less valuable assets (by rolling a die in a tight “rolling track”):
3) And finally, I also added a spark table to help you add more depth to your failures, successes, and the consequences of “Doing it anyway!”
Just like the previous expansions, this new material comes with its own folding guide to help you assemble your booklet.
What if you don’t want to add all this mess to your game?
As with all the extra rules I have made for Runner of the Wastelands, these are purely optional, even on a session-to-session basis, as sometimes I want to play the game just with the core rules, and others I need more depth to the mechanics.
So when you are using them, feel free to choose and mix them as you wish!
What’s next?
For the fifth goal (the $100 goal), if we reach it, I have the crazy idea to record a soundtrack to listen to while playing Runner of the Wastelands. This will be a major endeavor and will take longer than previous extra materials, so I’m still unsure whether to pursue this idea or not.
Also, I still want to create more focused spark tables for each type of terrain, and at some point, I would like to develop some procedures for factions (which is something I miss in my own game).
You can always leave comments on the page of the game, or here, to express what you would like to see next.
I hope this extra material pushes you to have more adventures in the wastes!
Have a great week!