Core Rules

Mere Anarchy
by Dirk Stanley

Copyright © 2021
Simian Circle Games, LLC.

These rules were inspired by Nate Treme’s Tunnel Goons.

Play Tools. You will need several six-sided dice, these rules,
pencils, paper, and friends.

Players and GM. One player takes on the role of the Game Master
(GM) while others players take on the role of player characters
(PCs). PCs go on adventures, fight monsters, solve mysteries, find
treasure, etc. in a world refereed by the GM.
 Conflict & Attack Rolls
Equal to or higher is a success. 2d6 + modifier(s) vs. Difficulty.

+ Modifier(s) Vs. Difficulty (AC)

Difficulty Scores

6 8 10
Easy Medium Hard

Scale & Favorability Rolls

Roll a d6. Scale to situation as needed.
Higher rolls = larger, stronger, faster, etc. or more favorable.
Lower rolls = slower, smaller, weaker, etc. or less favorable.

Special Rolls
Ties always go to the PCs. If PC vs PC, attacker gets the win.

Critical Failure Critical Success

Worst possible outcome. Best possible outcome.

Range & Distance

Close Near Far*

*Greater than Far is out of range.
Name. Name your character.

Level. How much experience a PC has. PCs begin at Level 1.

Armor Class (AC). How difficult the PC is to hit. Level + 5.

Actions. How many actions can be performed. 2 Actions.

Hit Points (HP). How much damage a PC can take. 5 HP.

Luck. Roll an extra die when making a Conflict/Attack Roll and

keep the two highest dice (ignore the low die). 1d2 Luck.

Class Bonus. Choose a Descriptor (like Drunk, Erudite, Arrogant,

etc.). Choose a Skill (like Artisan, Cleric, Explorer, etc.). Class
Bonus starts at +1. Racial traits count as a Class Bonus.

Item Bonus. At Level 1 a PC gets an Item Bonus +1 for a particular

item/weapon.

Note: Class and Item Bonuses may be added together.

Starting Gear. PCs can get any gear they can convince the GM of
as relates to their Class.

PCs gain a Level every 2 or 3 play sessions. Maximum PC Level is

5. PCs gain +1 HP and +1 Luck per Level. At Levels 3 and 5 PCs
gain +1 to their Class Bonus. At Levels 2 and 4 PCs gain +1 to an
existing Item Bonus (or they can choose a new Item bonus starting
at +1). At Level 5 the PC gains an additional Action.
 PC Descriptor (d66)
11. Abrasive 31. Flashy 51. Perfectionist
12. Aggressive 32. Flirty 52. Self-Centered
13. Agitated 33. Foul 53. Selfless
14. Arrogant 34. Frightened 54. Shy
15. Brooding 35. Hopeless 55. Sneaky
16. Contemplative 36. Indiscrete 56. Vain
21. Creative 41. Jealous 61. Vengeful
22. Cruel 42. Joyous 62. Wild
23. Drunken 43. Lazy 63. Weird
24. Envious 44. Loyal 64. Withdrawn
25. Erudite 45. Messy 65. Witty
26. Extreme 46. Moody 66. Zealous

PC Skill (d66)
11. Beggar 31. Healer 51. Puppeteer
12. Body Snatcher 32. Liar 52. Rat Catcher
13. Burglar 33. Librarian 53. Safecracker
14. Chimney Sweep 34. Mage* 54. Sailor
15. Cleric* 35. Merchant 55. Scribe
16. Ditch Digger 36. Miner 56. Soldier
21. Druid* 41. Monk 61. Tamer
22. Explorer 42. Muck Raker 62. Taster
23. Farmer 43. Noble 63. Toad Fondler
24. Footpad 44. Painter 64. Warrior
25. Gambler 45. Performer 65. Wizard*
26. Grave Robber 46. Pit Fighter 66. Woodcutter
*Indicates the PC can cast spells.
Initiative. If one side has a clear advantage (like an ambush), let
them act first. If the order is unclear roll a d6, high rolls act first.
More experienced combatants might get a bonus to initiative (+1).

Movement. Use distances of Close, Near, and Far to help

determine movement ranges. Moving from one range into another
requires at least 1 Action.

Actions. Actions include things like moving, attacking, casting

spells, performing a task, etc. Most Actions require 1 Action.
Casting a spell requires 2 Actions. Two-handed weapons and giant
weapons/attacks require 2 Actions.

Attacks and Damage. Make an Attack Roll and compare to the

target’s Armor Class (AC). Attacks do 1 damage (2 in the case of
two-handed or giant weapons). Damage is subtracted from the
target's HP. 0 HP indicates death.

Armor. An armored defender makes a roll to avoid damage. For

each die rolled 5+, one point of damage is deflected by the armor.
For light armor roll one die. For heavy armor roll 2 dice. For shields
roll 1 die. If a shield is used in addition to armor, total the dice rolled
(light + shield = 2 dice, heavy + shield = 3 dice). If half or more of
the dice rolled are 1s, the armor/shield is damaged. Three points of
damage to armor/shields results in destruction of the item.

Combat Modifiers. Advantageous/disadvantageous situations

grant +1/-1 to a roll.

Healing. Restore 1 HP per hour of complete rest. A night of rest in

a safe place restores HP fully (usually).
A PC must have a Class that allows for casting spells. Spells are
learned from spellbooks and require a period of 1d2 days to
memorize (once memorized the spell can be cast at will). A PC can
cast their Level in spells per day without penalty. Each additional
spell cast has a cost of 1 HP (lost HP is restored with normal rest).
Light armor carries a -1 penalty when casting. Heavy armor carries
a -3 penalty. A PC starts with 1d2 spells.

Casting. Determine the casting Difficulty (based on range, target,

etc.) and make a Conflict/Attack roll as normal. The player
describes the effects of the successfully cast spell. Prior to casting,
the GM and players should discuss the nature of individual spells.
The GM is final arbiter in spell matters.

Spell Range. The GM determines the range of the spell (Close,

Near, or Far) based on the spell description and effects.

Damage or Healing. This refers to a spell doing damage directly to

a target or healing the target.

Caster Level = Total Spell Damage/Heal

Spell Duration is either instant, seconds, minutes, hours, or days

equal to caster’s Level. Additional spell effects should be discussed
and noted prior to casting.

Critical Failures occur when a 1,1 is rolled. The outcome of a

critical spell failure is always disastrous. The GM should determine
the exact effects.
Money
10 silver pieces (sp) = 1 gold piece (gp). An average day’s wage for
unskilled labor is about 2-3 silver pieces (sp). Skilled labor pays
three times that or about 1 gold piece (gp) per day.

Gear, Weapons, Armor

The following chart provides an array of items, weapons, and armor
to give GMs and players a foundation on how to price items. If an
item is rare or complex, the price should increase. Magical items or
items that have a known history will command higher prices.

Gear Armor
Tent 2gp Light Armor 5gp
Backpack 5sp Heavy Armor 50gp
Lantern 8sp Shield 1gp
Candle 1sp
Spyglass 60gp
Clothing 6sp Weapons
Rope (50’) 1gp Daggers and Short Blades 3gp
Long/Heavy Blades 10gp
Travel Axes, Hammers, and Maces 5gp
Wagon 50gp Polearms 8gp
Horse 10gp Bows and Crossbows 12gp
Small Boat 75gp Arrows/Bolts 1sp
NPCs include all non-player characters (including monsters).
Establish an NPC’s Class (if necessary) to determine bonuses.

Easy
AC 6+. Class Bonus 0. Item Bonus 0. HP 1-2. Actions 2.

Medium
AC 8+. Class Bonus +1. Item Bonus +1. HP 3-5. Actions 2.

Hard
AC 10+. Class Bonus +2. Item Bonus +2. HP 6+. Actions 3.

Class Bonuses & Item Bonuses. If a NPC/monster has a

particular attack, ability, or penchant for some action in particular,
grant a Class Bonus/Item Bonus as appropriate. For example, the
monster has a claw attack and is Medium difficulty, grant a Class
Bonus of +1 when the monster uses the claw attack.

NPC Spells. If a NPC/monster casts spells, the spell damage is

based on the NPC Difficulty: Easy 1, Medium 3, Hard 5.

Lairs. NPC/Monsters in their lairs get +1 to all rolls.

Treasure is based on the difficulty of the encounter.

Easy = Roll 5d6 for treasure.

Medium = Roll 6d6 for treasure.
Hard = Roll 7d6 for treasure

Roll the appropriate number of dice based on the Difficulty of the

encounter. You get three rolls and on each roll you roll as many
dice as you want. Set aside dice you wish to keep after each roll.
The goal is to get at least four-of-a-kind. If you do not have at least
four-of-a-kind at the end of all three rolls, there is no treasure. After
three rolls, add all of the similar dice to indicate the total value of
the treasure in silver pieces.
Five-of-Kind. Double the total rolled.
Six-of-a-Kind. Triple the total rolled.
Seven-of-a-Kind. Multiple the roll x10.

Random Treasure (Roll 2 dice)

1. Gold 1. Trinket 1. Letter
2. Silver 2. Jewelry 2. Spellbook
3. Artwork 3. Gemstone(s) 3. Map
4. Armor 4. Magic Item 4. Shield
5. Clothing 5. Potion 5. Mask
6. Weapon 6. Book 6. Poison
____________________ ____________________
Character Name Player Name
_______________________________
Class Descriptor & Skill

HP Luck Actions Class

Item Bonus Armor

__________________________ _____________
__________________________ Armor Damage
__________________________
Dented Damaged Destroyed

Gear & Equipment

__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________
__________________ __________________