Fringeworthy
Encyclopedia
Fringeworthy is a role-playing game
first published in 1982 by Tri Tac Games
. In 1984, a second edition saw a print run of 4000 and new expanded version was released in 1992. Fringeworthy is famous for being the first alternate history
adventure role-playing game ever published. In 2009 a d20 Modern
edition was released. A Savage Worlds
edition is in development.
ese research team in the Antarctic finds a gateway to Alien and Alternate Earths. Sayuri Tanuma became the first known Fringeworthy, a person with the special ability that lets one use the Fringepaths. She explored our local system and our nearest Alternate Earths, meeting an alien named Schmert.
The United Nations
forms the United Nations Interdimensional Survey Service (UNISS) along with IDET (Inter-Dimensional Exploration Teams) to oversee the administration of the Fringepaths and their exploration. As a member of IDET, characters help explore other worlds, help other alternate worlds with their problems, and face down the menaces that exist on the Fringepaths. Players play characters with the 1-in-100,000 ability to use the equipment left behind by a race named the Tehrmelern. They created the pathways, called the fringes, that lead to other worlds and other places.
The Mellor are a species of shape-changers, engineered by the Tehrmelern to aid in their undetected study and social uplift of other beings. Centuries ago, the Mellor became infected by some mysterious force that turned them to a path of indiscriminate genocide
. As of 2013, they have nearly eradicated the Tehrmelern and have wiped out entire worlds of other races. They are a cunning and implacable enemy.
founder Richard Tucholka
, one of the creators of the game called The Morrow Project
. He based it on a series of unpublished science fiction
stories he wrote in the '70s. The original game system uses Tri Tac's basic combat/rules model which is highly detailed. The game system makes it possible to use real weapons in the game as long as basic stats are known about the weapon, so an issue of Guns and Ammo magazine or Jane's Defence Weekly
can be used as a Tri Tac game supplement.
Character creation
, like combat, is highly "granular," with 15 basic attribute scores
and between 6 and 19 secondary abilities and skills, many of which may be moderated by an Education Type attribute.
The currently recommended system is d20 Modern from Wizards of the Coast
. However, the game is presented as far as possible in a systemless fashion to allow it to be used with many game systems.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
first published in 1982 by Tri Tac Games
Tri Tac Games
Tri Tac Games is a publisher of role-playing games based in Pontiac, Michigan. The company is built primarily on the work of Richard Tucholka, its founder and president.-Company history:Tri Tac Games was founded in 1978 as "Tacky Tack Games"...
. In 1984, a second edition saw a print run of 4000 and new expanded version was released in 1992. Fringeworthy is famous for being the first alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
adventure role-playing game ever published. In 2009 a d20 Modern
D20 Modern
d20 Modern is a roleplaying game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2002, and uses the d20 System...
edition was released. A Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds
Savage Worlds is an award-winning, universal generic, role-playing game and miniatures wargame, written by Shane Lacy Hensley, and published by Great White Games doing business as Pinnacle Entertainment Group...
edition is in development.
Setting
2013: A JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese research team in the Antarctic finds a gateway to Alien and Alternate Earths. Sayuri Tanuma became the first known Fringeworthy, a person with the special ability that lets one use the Fringepaths. She explored our local system and our nearest Alternate Earths, meeting an alien named Schmert.
The United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
forms the United Nations Interdimensional Survey Service (UNISS) along with IDET (Inter-Dimensional Exploration Teams) to oversee the administration of the Fringepaths and their exploration. As a member of IDET, characters help explore other worlds, help other alternate worlds with their problems, and face down the menaces that exist on the Fringepaths. Players play characters with the 1-in-100,000 ability to use the equipment left behind by a race named the Tehrmelern. They created the pathways, called the fringes, that lead to other worlds and other places.
The Mellor are a species of shape-changers, engineered by the Tehrmelern to aid in their undetected study and social uplift of other beings. Centuries ago, the Mellor became infected by some mysterious force that turned them to a path of indiscriminate genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
. As of 2013, they have nearly eradicated the Tehrmelern and have wiped out entire worlds of other races. They are a cunning and implacable enemy.
Original System
The game was written by Tri Tac GamesTri Tac Games
Tri Tac Games is a publisher of role-playing games based in Pontiac, Michigan. The company is built primarily on the work of Richard Tucholka, its founder and president.-Company history:Tri Tac Games was founded in 1978 as "Tacky Tack Games"...
founder Richard Tucholka
Richard Tucholka
Richard Tucholka is a writer, game designer and publisher, best known for his work in the creation of the role-playing game Bureau 13: Stalking the Night Fantastic.-Career:...
, one of the creators of the game called The Morrow Project
The Morrow Project
The Morrow Project is a science fiction role-playing game created by Kevin Dockery, Robert Sadler and Richard Tucholka and published by TimeLine Limited. It is set after a devastating nuclear war. It was first released in the 1980s, and it still has a loyal following...
. He based it on a series of unpublished science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
stories he wrote in the '70s. The original game system uses Tri Tac's basic combat/rules model which is highly detailed. The game system makes it possible to use real weapons in the game as long as basic stats are known about the weapon, so an issue of Guns and Ammo magazine or Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly
Jane's Defence Weekly is a weekly magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, edited by Peter Felstead. It is one of a number of military-related publications named after John F. T. Jane, an Englishman who first published Jane's All the World's Fighting Ships in 1898...
can be used as a Tri Tac game supplement.
Character creation
Character creation
Character creation is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
, like combat, is highly "granular," with 15 basic attribute scores
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
and between 6 and 19 secondary abilities and skills, many of which may be moderated by an Education Type attribute.
The currently recommended system is d20 Modern from Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
. However, the game is presented as far as possible in a systemless fashion to allow it to be used with many game systems.
External links
- Fringeworthy podcast
- Fringeworthy homepage
- Fringeworthy forums
- Fringeworthy on RPG.netRPG.NETRPGnet is a role-playing game website. It includes sections on wargames, tabletop games and video games, as well as columns on gaming topics....
- Fringeworthy fansite