Introduction
Overview
Murdham is a game of perilous adventures for 2 to 6 people. One person acts as the Game Master (GM) and is responsible for running the game. Everyone else is a Player, interpreting a member of a company of adventurers on a quest for gold and fame.
The game takes place in a fantasy world loosely based on late medieval Europe. The protagonists are not powerful heroes, but common folks and roguish adventurers facing untold perils in the slim hope of getting rich. Magic, gods, and demons are real and dangerous, promising great power but at a terrible cost. No place is safe: monsters, mutants, and other vile creatures roam the wilderness, while cities are home to crime and intrigue.
Required materials
Everyone at the table needs paper, pencil, rubber, and a set of polyhedral dice including a 4‑sided die, a 6‑sided die, an 8‑sided die, a 10‑sided die, a 12‑sided die, and a 20‑sided die.
The game doesn’t use an actual board or tokens. All game information is instead written or drawn on paper. This includes details about the characters, maps, positioning during combat, etc.
You can enhance your experience with additional components (character sheets, reference sheets, handouts, grids, miniatures, tokens, etc.) or even play online using digital tools. All of this is optional and a matter of personal preference.
Scenarios
The game is based on scenarios describing the locations, challenges, people, and monsters encountered by the adventurers. It is possible to link multiple scenarios to form a long-running campaign during which the characters can develop.
A scenario ends once the Players have accomplished their goals, have failed to do so, or have met their demise. There aren’t winners or losers: the game’s main point is to tell a fun emergent story together, and sometimes defeat can be more interesting than triumph!
The GM
If you are the GM, you are responsible for getting familiar with the rules and preparing a scenario to play before the game starts. You can write your own scenarios or use those created by others.
During play, you are responsible for running the game, acting as an impartial referee. You are the Players’ eyes and ears, describing the world to them as vividly and completely as possible. You also control all characters who aren’t interpreted by the Players, both friends and foes. Finally, you have the task of judging the outcome of the characters’ actions, using these rules as a tool to support your decisions.
The Players
If you are a Player, you are responsible for controlling your character and keeping track of their state. Your main task is to describe what your character intends to do after the GM describes the current situation. You are free to think outside the rules and attempt anything which would realistically make sense under the current circumstances: the GM will adjudicate what happens when it isn’t covered in this rulebook. Always think about how to use the environment, your skills, and your gear to gain an edge over the obstacles and foes you encounter!
You play cooperatively with the other Players, attempting to reach the goals of the scenario together. It is also important to stress that the GM is not your enemy, even though they will often control your foes and place obstacles in your path. The GM is there to run the game, creating interesting challenges that you can have fun solving together with the other Players!
Rolling dice
The game uses the notation dX to indicate what die to roll in any given situation, where X is the number of sides of the die. A complete set of dice includes a d4, a d6, a d8, a d10, a d12, and a d20. Many d10s show a ‘0’ instead of a ‘10’ on one face: in this case, consider any roll of ‘0’ as a ‘10’.
To roll a d5, roll a d10 and divide the result by 2, giving a number between 1 and 5. To roll a d3, roll a d6 and divide the result by 2, giving a number between 1 and 3. To roll a d2, roll a d6 and divide the result by 3, giving a number between 1 and 2.
When something has an x:y chance of happening, it happens on a roll of x or less on a dy. For example, a 2:6 chance happens on a roll of 2 or less on a d6.
The dice should always be rolled openly. The GM may occasionally roll secretly if knowing the result might spoil the experience for the Players, but shouldn’t fudge the result when doing so. Whenever the dice are rolled, their outcome should be respected!
Rounding numbers
When the result of a division is not a whole number, you must round it up, unless otherwise specified. For example, for game purposes, half of 5 is 3 (not 2.5, not 2), and 9 divided by 4 is 3 (not 2.25, not 2).
The golden rule
The GM decides when and how to apply the rules, and can make up new rules on the spot when necessary. The rules are just a tool helping the GM adjudicate common situations, they are not the law and are always superseded by the GM’s decisions.
The Players should respect the GM’s decisions, even when they go against their or their character’s interest. The GM is not an opponent but is trying to run the game fairly and in an engaging way for everyone.
Above all else, remember that your goal while playing the game is to have fun. If everyone is enjoying the game, you are playing in the right way!
Reading this book
If you are the GM, you should read the whole rulebook and get familiar with the rules, as you will be running the game. If you are a Player, you should familiarise yourself with the content of the Core Rules and Player Characters chapters. You should also check the entries relevant for you in the Careers, Skills, Traits, & Conditions, and Items, Followers, & Services chapters, but you don’t need to read them back to back or memorise them. Finally, if you have time, you can read the Adventuring Rules, Combat Rules, and Magic Rules chapters to learn more advanced rules, but these can be introduced by the GM during play. The remaining chapters are reserved for the GM and you don’t need to (as a matter of fact, you shouldn’t) read them.