Roll for shoes is an incredibly simple system designed for one-shots or single-digit session campaigns. It lends itself to very loose structure, silly storylines, and chaotic successes. It is a GMed system, so it has the general structure of: player tries to do something -> GM tells player what to roll -> roll determines success/failure -> GM narrates how the success/failure affects the world. This system is interesting, however, in the fact that a player’s character sheet begins as a blank sheet of paper.
The system is quite simple: each player starts with one ability score, Do Anything 1. Now, the structure for ability scores is the name of the score, and then how many dice you roll when performing that ability. If the GM asked a player to roll Do Anything, they would roll 1d6. The player can increase their chart of abilities by critically succeeding on a check. The way to critically succeed is by rolling 6’s on all of the dice rolled. When a player critically succeeds on their check to do an action, they gain a new ability specific to that action, with the number being the number used on the check +1. So for example, if the player wanted to tie their shoes, they would roll Do Anything 1. If they roll a 6, they succeed on their check to tie their shoes, and additionally, they gain the ability Tie Shoes 2, which can now be used instead of Do Anything 1 for future checks, rolling 2d6 rather than just 1. Beyond that, succeeding on a check requires the player to roll better than the number the GM determines for the check, by taking the sum of all dice rolled.
From here, it’s simple to see where the chaos comes in. Tie Shoes 2 is already a fairly specific ability, so what happens if they roll 2 6es on a Tie Shoes 2 check? Now the GM has to come up with a new ability that the player gets that both makes sense and is applicable to the check made. Additionally, there is an XP system that allows players to turn their rolls into 6es for advancement purposes only. Basically, when a player fails a roll, they gain 1 XP. This XP can be spent later to basically let the player say “I want my character to gain a new ability for this check” and they spend 1 XP for every die they rolled that was not a 6. This does not make the success/failure of the check better, it only allows players to gain new abilities.
This system is really fun for a table of improvisers who are willing to suspend their disbelief and allow themselves to be silly for a bit. By the system’s nature, each character can quite literally do anything. Of course, it is limited by the fact that if the player does not have an associated skill for a check and the GM determines that its difficulty is 13, the player will not be able to reach it, as 13 cannot be reached with 1d6.
I had so much fun playing with this system. In the scenario we played, we were all guests at a wealthy dinner party turned murder mystery, set in the early 20th century. I decided that I wanted to play a wealthy gold digger woman who was on her third husband, and I talked to the GM before the session explaining that in the chaos of the murder, she’d like to get her own husband “accidentally” killed for the inheritance. Looking back at my character sheet for that session, I would say my stats accurately reflect that kind of character:
– Do Anything 1
– Cut 2
– Honeytrap 2
– Seduce Old Men 3
– Perception 2
– Slash 3
Overall, we all had a blast. The whole party was 100% in with the idea, the setting, and the theme. We jumped right in and had a good time just yes-and’ing each other. We found that the system was easy to comprehend and rewarding to play. There was one specific moment when we were all in sync in the way that a well-oiled improvisation group during a particularly well-seasoned scene is, and we executed this hilarious Chaplin-style fight. It was especially fun considering Charlie Chaplin was at the party.
There was one thing we discovered about the system, and I think it is worth noting. The system is not well designed around structured storytelling, so when we got to the point of actually solving the murder, it felt a bit trivial, though the GM commented on how that could have partially been the fault of poor planning. We still had fun regardless, but the actual clues leading up to the murder reveal felt a bit lackluster. I know that much of that same group played the game again once when I was unavailable in a completely different setting. Apparently it was a lot more open-ended and it overall felt better suited for the system at hand.
All in all, the system is incredibly fun, and in addition, it’s really easy to teach. This is a game that you could explain to your parents and have them playing in 15 minutes, assuming they buy into the idea of a roleplaying game. I would highly recommend it for a couple of hours of lighthearted roleplaying fun with friends.
