ENI

ENI (pronounced "any") is a super-light, role-playing game rule set suitable for any setting, big on shared narrative, quick and easy to start, and ideal for ANY player or wannabe GM. It is presented as a black and white, A5 size, 20-page zine printed on high-quality paper. Who is this for? ENI is for those with a creative streak, who can go with the flow and absurdity of the story for a while. It's for anyone who doesn't need permission to step off the beaten path or find returning to it a worthy challenge. It's for all brave, curious, imaginative, and courteous people. It's for new players and new GMs, and for players who want to get new players into the hobby. ENI is for 'any'one! THIS IS NOT FOR YOU if you need fully fleshed-out rules to tell you what an Elf is and what it does differently. ENI doesn't even have a setting. It doesn't tell you who you can and can't be, or what you are good or bad at. You decide that. What is the core mechanic? Here is how it works: Each character has a number of dice; you decide how many but one D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20 are recommended. You choose ONE die when your character faces a challenge and roll it. The challenge succeeds on a 4 or higher. The die is spent but you get most of your dice back after a good rest or just the lowest one after a quick rest. Dice also represent health. Spend a die if you get hit, drunk, cursed, depressed, ill, poisoned, stunned, etc. If your character runs out of dice they can't do much, can't dodge a pigeon poo, and might get knocked out. So go crazy and burn out fast, or be careful and know when to leave the scene. The limited potential in ENI gives you a bit of a puzzle to solve. And you can solve anything with creativity. It also gives everyone with dice left to roll a chance to shine and save the day. What's good about this? ENI is simple and quick to learn. New and experienced players can internalize and remember the ruleset easily. This frees you up to focus on being present in the story. This is further enhanced if you are playing with physical dice. The visual and tactile representation of your dwindling potential is visceral and easy to see. ENI is easy to play. The situation your character is in will let you know when you need to push and roll that D20. Or pull back and plan your escape. Or ramp up the other characters to make the quest more than just a cakewalk. And if you don’t know, you soon will. The rules are that simple. ENI is inclusive and cooperative. Players can assist each other by spending a die roll or spending an eni to add to an existing roll. When your character is low on dice, others can and will have to step in and roll their precious dice. This gives quiet players time to shine, and usually save the day. ENI is fast and in the moment. There is a very free-form initiative order, so nothing slows down during the action. If you don’t take an action, the other characters should have acted by now. Players who want a more rigid turn order can try to have one, but there is nothing to stop a bored player from jumping in.