Errant

Softcover
 
Errant is a classic fantasy role-playing game in the vein of the first few editions of that role-playing game and its many imitators and descendants such as Knave, Into the Odd, and The Black Hack. It is freely compatible with material for all those games as well as the newest edition of that role-playing game, with conversion guides provided within.

Errant is designed to be Simple, with no math above a 2nd grade level necessary. It’s a game that Cuts to the Chase by maintaining the smallest amount of time between players making meaningful decisions. Player abilities are Active, not Passive, giving them choices instead of bonuses. It’s a game of Options, not Proscriptions: all rules and procedures in Errant are intended as guidance, to provide a toolbox for play. Rules are written to be open-ended, extendable, and use natural language wherever possible. We trust you to make good decisions.
 
What makes Errant unique?
Errant is rules light, procedure heavy.
 
What does that mean?
Well, it means that the rules you need to play Errant are simple to understand and
minimal. At its core, the basic mechanic is to simply roll a twenty-sided die and try to get a result that’s in between two numbers (“roll high under” or “blackjack”) to resolve tasks.
However, Errant has a number of procedures that are designed to help you navigate different play situations in fair and interesting ways. Want to know how to run an exciting chase scene, or establish a fried cockatrice restaurant, or sue a demon for emotional negligence? Errant has procedures that can help you do that!
 
Procedures are not rules, but neither are they vague, general guidance. They provide a framework to structure the game, and can be adjusted, ignored, hacked, mangled, broken, stolen, or seasoned to taste.
 
While designed to be more comprehensive than the lightweight rulesets of many newer old-school role-playing games, all the rules and procedures of Errant are streamlined for ease of use and understanding. They have been hammered into shape by five years of rigorous playtesting. Every rule or procedure within the book has come into contact with a live player, and has changed as a result.