Game Rules
RPG Meister uses a small core of rules: dice rolls, combat, damage, and recovery. Everything else is narrated at the table.
New to tabletop RPGs? Start with How a session works →
Start here
The rules in one minute
You do not need to memorise a rulebook to play. When something is uncertain:
- The GM describes the situation.
- You say what your character does.
- The GM decides whether a roll is needed.
- Roll 3d6 against the target.
- The GM uses the result to describe what happens.
Equal to or below your target = success. No real risk? No roll.
In combat: Initiative → Action → Defence → Damage.
The app handles the bookkeeping and puts the relevant choices in front of you. You can play after understanding this page. Everything below is there when you want more detail.
The only four things to remember
- Roll 3d6. Equal to or below your target succeeds.
- Know your target. A stat roll uses the stat. A skill roll uses skill + linked stat.
- Tell the GM what you're trying to do. The GM decides whether a roll is needed and what modifiers apply.
- Describe first, roll second. RPG Meister is about what your character does, not about finding the correct button.
The app remembers the rules so you don't have to. This website is there when you want the rule behind the button.
How a moment of uncertainty plays out
The one-minute loop is enough to play. If you want the table etiquette around it:
- The GM describes the scene — what your character sees, hears, and can reach.
- You ask for clarification on anything that matters but wasn't called out. Is the door open? Can I see the captain's hands?
- You state what your character does.
- If it might go sideways, the GM says why — and which modifiers apply.
- Roll the dice. See Dice rolls.
Some actions need no roll. The interesting moments are the ones where the GM picks up a modifier and tells you why.
Rules reference
Look these up when you need them. You do not have to read them cover to cover.
- Dice rolls — 3d6 ≤ target, margin, outcome names.
- Stat & skill rolls — how the target is built; Extra Time, opposed rolls.
- Combat — Initiative, Hit, Parry, Dodge, Recovery.
- Damage, armour & recovery — Stamina, Body, armour, healing.
- Combat moves — named manoeuvres. Reference — not first-session reading.
- Dice primer — why chance belongs at the table.
Why the rules stay small
- No movement chart. Roughly a metre per second — enough for a chase, not for grid bookkeeping.
- No jump or climb tables. Agility and a skill (Acrobatics, Climbing) guide the GM.
- No encyclopaedia of weapons. A few properties feed combat; the core is still 3d6 ≤ target.
- No exhaustive move list. Named shortcuts are on Combat moves; everything else is "describe it, take your modifiers."
Anything not listed: be creative. Tell the GM what you try; they pick the rolls.
See also
- How to Play — Create → Gather → Play.
- Flow of the game — how a session unfolds.
- At the table — running rolls in the app.