Silhouette
[ Home ]

Silhouette (and by extension its third edition, Silhouette Core or SilCore) is publisher Dream Pod 9's in-house game engine, used (with slight modifications) in all their game lines. It can be played as either a roleplaying game, a tactical wargame, or an hybrid integration of both.

Both the RPG and miniature games are built on the same basic rule mechanics. Silhouette is a realistic, simulationist system that defines characters in terms of 10 base attributes (agility, knowledge, etc.), 5 derived attributes (health, etc), and a variety of skills. Skill rolls make up the backbone of the system, which focuses on effect-based speed of play over grainy detail.

The core mechanic involves rolling a number of 6-sided dice (usually equal to the Skill level). Multiple sixes add +1 to the dice total per extra six after the first, making it possible to roll higher than 6. The highest result is taken and comparing to a set threshold number (or an opponent's own result). If the result is higher than the threshold the test is a success; if it is lower the test is a failure. The margin by which the test succeeded (Margin of Success, MoS) or failed (Margin of Failure, MoF) helps to determine the final outcome.

Combat is handled by the same system, with characters taking penalty-inflicting wounds rather than depleting a set number of health points. As a result, the system can be lethal, especially on inexperienced characters. Some game lines include additional rules that allow players to twist odds in their favor, in keeping with the conventions of the genre being emulated.

Alternative system names are: Silhouette-A.

[ edit this ]