Immortal. Classic. Throbbing with manly manhood. Everything a roleplaying game should be. Synnibarr! All others are just pale imitations.

Never heard of World of Synnibarr? You owe it to yourself to buy a copy on eBay (mine was $10), or at the very least to read the classic RPGnet review.

Thus Begins the Gospel According to Synnibarr

I. Thy character is made of that bamboo from Rambo.

“Never wish to be an Immortal or God, or your character will blow up.” (p. 96)

Can you say “Player trampling”? How about “My word is LAW, because I am the GM and I am LORD”? I thought so. That’ll teach those uppity players to avoid things that sound cool.

II. Killing a PC is worse than killing a basket of three-legged puppies.

The number of steps required before a player character can take any damage whatsoever (p. 184):

  • 1. The attacker hits.
  • 2. Defender gets a dodge or block roll to avoid the attack.
  • 3. If the PC takes damage, she gets a fate roll to reduce the damage.
  • 4. Any number of other PCs can make a “heroic attempt” to save the PC. Each heroic attempt involves up to three more rolls.
  • 5. Okay, this is really your last chance: the PC gets a god roll to avoid the damage.

I shit you not.

This is a rule written by one of two people (or, given Synnibarr’s two authors, maybe both of them): a player-turned-GM who played under an abusive, fun-throttling GM who killed his characters willy-nilly, or a GM who absolutely, positively cannot face the thought of killing a PC.

Neither of which is a good thing.