What Is MMUGS? My New Universal Game System

 

Hi and welcome to my blog! Today I want to talk about my universal game system called MMUGS.

MMUGS, which stands for Mighty Marvelous Universal Game System, started out as a project of mine called Mighty Marvelous. Mighty Marvelous is a solo TTRPG where you play as a superhero. It is due to be released soon, hopefully within the month. Using a system I cobbled together with rules from Ironsworn, Loner, and my own imagination, I’ve created a game where you can play as procedurally or as narratively as you want.

In MMUGS there are three types of dice rolls: the oracle roll, the Skill Check, and the Ability Score Check. Let’s look at the oracle roll first.

To perform an oracle roll, you use two d6’s of differing colors. One color will be your Yes Die, and the other color will be your No die. When you have a yes/no question that needs to be answered, such as “Does the Villain flee?” or “Do I encounter anything on this hex?” you simply roll both dice, and whichever is higher is your answer. Here’s where it gets interesting: If both dice end up as the same value, you answer the question with a Yes…but. That means there’s a caveat or twist. On your character sheet is a Twist Tracker. If you roll the same values five times, a major Twist happens in the story, something big that affects the game world or your character.

The second kind of roll is the Skill Check. Your character has a list of Skills, such as Athletics, Persuasiveness, Repair, etc. Each Skill has a Skill Level from 0 to 3. Each Skill starts out as Level 0, represented by a d4. Level 1 is represented by a d6. Level 2 is represented by a d8. Level 3 is represented by a d10. You roll whatever die represents your Skill Level to perform that Skill. This die is called the action die. You roll the action die against two challenge dice, represented by two d12’s. You add any modifiers to the value of your action die’s roll and compare it to the individual values of the two d12’s. If the value of your action die plus modifiers is equal to or higher than the challenge dice, you succeed at what you are trying to do. This is called a Strong Hit.

If the value of your action die plus modifiers is equal to or higher than just ONE challenge die, you score a Weak Hit. You succeed, but with a twist, a “but”, a cost, or a caveat.

If the value of your action die plus modifiers is less than both challenge dice, you Miss. You fail at what you are trying to do and must either quit or try something else.

The third kind of roll is the rarest roll in the game: the Ability Score Check. You only use this when a Skill won’t work in the situation or you can’t answer a question using the oracle roll. In order to perform an Ability Score Check, you roll a d20. If the value of the d20 is equal to or less than the Ability Score you are trying to Check, you succeed. Any higher, and you fail.

MMUGS allows you to create custom Skills. You should not need to roll an Ability Score Check very often.

In combat or intense scenes, you use Skill Checks. They work a little differently in combat and intense scenes. You choose whichever Skill you want to use for the situation, whether it’s a superpower, Persuasiveness, a Weapon Skill, or Intimidation, and roll a Skill Check like normal. If you score a Strong Hit, you damage the opponent for 1 HP. If you score a Weak Hit, both your attack and your opponent’s attack miss each other. If you score a Miss, you are hurt. You then roll for enemy’s damage.

There are three types of enemies in MMUGS: Minor Enemies, Major Enemies, and your Main Enemy. Minor Enemies are worth 1 XP each and cause damage for d4 HP. They are encountered in groups of d4. Major Enemies may or may not be named. Think of them as Bosses. They are worth 2 XP and cause damage for d6 HP. Your Main Enemy is the toughest enemy in the game. They are your nemesis and return time and time again to try to foil your hero’s efforts. They are worth 3 XP each time they are defeated and cause damage for d8 HP. All Skill Checks performed in the same scene as your Main Enemy have a -1 modifier.

All enemies are the same mechanically, but narratively they could not be any more different. Depending on the enemy, they may use different tactics, weapons, or even magic. It’s up to you to describe battles in the fiction.

The purpose of MMUGS was for me to create a game system where I could write a cohesive story that I would want to read time and time again. I wanted a system that could work with any genre or setting. Creative writing is a passion of mine, and I wanted a game system that would complement that, with just enough structure that I wouldn’t get stuck on what to do next.

Mighty Marvelous will be released soon, within the month. I’ll post a new article when it is released on itch.io and drivethrurpg. I’m also in the process of editing MMUGS High Fantasy, which uses MMUGS to make fantasy settings and characters. Mighty Marvelous will also have zines released throughout the year that add systems to the game and tips for more dynamic stories. I’m working on editing the first zine now.

I have ideas for a Sci-Fi MMUGS, a post-apocalyptic MMUGS, a cozy MMUGS, and even more genres for the system. I’m really inspired by it, and I hope you will be too.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check back regularly for more updates on all of my projects!