On Playing with No Rules, Or, Immersive Gaming

 FKR! What is it good for?

Many things, in fact. I have been a fan of the FKR and free kriegsspiel games for a while now. I want to explain how I play, how it compares to more structured games, and how you should go about playing, should you desire to do so.

Absolutely Nothing!

Saying there's no rules in FKR is the common refrain, and is often framed as a bad thing. I slightly object to the first point, and reject the second.

FKR is when you play an RPG with more referee guidance than rules guidance, when it comes to action resolution. This is, at least, how I mean when I describe the games I play. To break it down more and make it concrete, when I play FKR I rely on common sense and the in-world logic to deduce the resolution. Then play continues as usual.

Simple examples of FKR play are easy: dump water on a fire, it goes out. There is no dice-rolling mechanic nor explicit procedure, you can just do it, because of common sense. More intricate examples follow the same template: understand the effects of the in-world elements, and then logic out how they would interact. A spell that makes your arms elastic and stretchy would allow you to swing across a small chasm. 

This is easier to do when you have in-world elements that are not described in purely mechanical terms. A +1 sword gives no indication of what is superior about this sword: its blade, its weight, or maybe its balance? Unclear. However, a sword honed on a dwarven whetstone by a master smith certainly would improve its sharpness, and would improve its effectiveness in combat, and allow for understanding the interactions of other in-world elements with the sword.

Thus, FKR works best when you can replace mechanical statements with diegetic statements - ones that describe the in-game properties, rather than the meta-level dice rolling.

It may seem scary that the referee will make many judgement calls - but a good FKR referee will not make surprising decisions. A good referee will tell you almost exactly what you expect, and never pull punches. If you have a referee that does try to "get you" by using FKR, I suspect they wouldn't be good in other types of games as well.

Why and How?

I think most FKR players are into it because it is so easy to run - just follow your imagination and describe what you want to do.  You can play anywhere, any time with a good idea for a scenario. I did this on a car drive November 2023 with the driver of the car, and we both had a wonderful time. He specified a setting and described his character, and I came up with a scenario lifted from a movie. I had a rough map in my head, and we started.

Ok, so how do I start? And to address a common issue, how do I keep a game going for a long time? I think the key, which is great for any game, is to keep an interesting world. Put interesting items, monsters, and NPCs in the world that are described well and you think will engage your players. +1 swords will get stale, and players will eventually want a higher number, so start without it. The death of an RPG and the birth of analog MMO grind is "bigger number better" mindset. Moreover, your NPCs should not be just standing noticeboards by being a quest-giver and nothing else, they should have some motivations and ties to the world that can be maneuvered. Monsters should also do things that are not just more damage. 

I think playing many different types of RPGs is key for understanding for developing a sense of how to develop a situation. PBTA games, of which I have unfortunately played few, lends itself to narrative building and developing failure. OSR, which I have played more of, gives great scenario design advice and keeps tension going. Study these games and what they do, and then think of how you understand the world through the lens of the rules. Then realize the rules were unnecessary, and you can resolve actions in common-sense, interesting ways regardless.

I want a New Name 

I think "immersion game" gets the point across, so I'll stick with it. Here's my totally justified and well thought-out definition for this game:

Immersion Game: an RPG where the primary resolution mechanics are: common sense, and an understanding of in-world elements.

You should totally use this term from now on. 

Bonus Info:

• A ref should do a pretty solid base of prep for FKR games, so that you have a clear idea of what the world is and how it operates. This is the backbone of this kind of play.
• Have a dice mechanic to fall back on. Every character's Hail Mary deserves a shot.
• Rip wholesale from your favorite media. Also try to be original in how those elements are placed in game.
• KEEP the ideas flowing in prep. Keep the inspiration up. Don't get lazy and put in 1d4 goblins. Always try to be thinking of common tropes put in interesting ways, and interesting elements put in trope-y ways.
• When ripping from other games, take the mechanics as indicators of in-world descriptions. A monster with high HP and Strength stats can likely bat a character aside in a fight.
  

 Fantasy Immersion Gaming Starter Kit:

• 108 Diegetic Spells
• Mundane equipment with prices 
• Bestiary (wow Cairn is great)
• Possible dice mechanic 
• Look in your favorite crunchy fantasy game and rip out the character ideas (e.g. 5e, WHFRP, PF2E, etc.) for player character inspiration
• Read a fantasy book (more than one, preferably)