Some time ago, I introduced both of my player groups to my Universe Reaction idea. It has seen extensive re-use since then. We’ve found it quite useful. Along the way, I had planned to post some examples of how it might be used. I’m finally getting around to it now. (Since I don’t have much else to post about at the moment.)
Universe Reaction, Examples
Positive/Negative
Simple concept. Provides an answer to a yes/no question, like “Will it rain?” with a bit more granularity.
<=0 | No, And+ |
1-3 | No, And |
4-6 | No |
7-9 | No, But |
10-12 | Yes, But |
13-15 | Yes |
16-18 | Yes, And |
19+ | Yes, And+ |
Enough
This one is for questions like, “How much ammo do we find?” It depends on a rough idea, at least, how much is needed.
<=0 | None at all |
1-3 | Hardly any |
4-6 | A little/half |
7-9 | Not enough |
10-12 | Almost enough |
13-15 | Enough |
16-18 | More than enough |
19+ | Plentiful |
Timing
Actually, this is one of the earliest questions I was trying to answer that resulted in the idea of the Universe Reaction. It revolved around how early or late an “appointment” occurred, or what sort of delays a PC might experience in rush-hour traffic.
<=0 | No-show |
1-3 | Really late |
4-6 | Late |
7-9 | A bit late |
10-12 | On time |
13-15 | A bit early |
16-18 | Early |
19+ | Really early |
Match
This question originally revolved around “scrounging” and how useful a found item might be to whatever-it-is. But it could obviously have much wider applications as well.
<=0 | Worst possible match |
1-3 | Very bad match |
4-6 | Bad match |
7-9 | Poor match |
10-12 | Not quite good enough |
13-15 | Good enough |
16-18 | Close match |
19+ | Exact match |
“Interesting Times”
By “interesting,” I mean the Chinese curse sense—May you live in interesting times. This question evolved from an attempt to work out some “random events.”
<=0 | Most interesting (negative) |
1-3 | Very interesting (negative) |
4-6 | Interesting (negative) |
7-9 | Not interesting (maybe a little negative) |
10-12 | Not interesting (maybe a little positive) |
13-15 | Interesting (positive) |
16-18 | Very interesting (positive) |
19+ | Most interesting (positive) |