The SAGA System is a

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

system that uses "fate cards" to determine the effects of actions. The cards have numbers, suits, positive and negative states, and role-playing cues that guide the

gamemaster A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, storyteller, or master of ceremonies) is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer r ...

in telling the story and administering the game. The system has been used in

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had bee ...

's '' Dragonlance: Fifth Age'' game and the '' Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game'', later published by TSR.

Sue Cook Susan Lorraine Cook (née Thomas; born 30 March 1949) is a British television presenter and author. With Nick Ross, she co-presented the BBC One factual crime show ''Crimewatch'' from 1984 until 1995. Early life Cook’s mother, Kathleen Thom ...

was the brand manager for both of those game systems, and helped design the SAGA game rules. In SAGA, a player holds a hand of fate cards that represent his health and the range of actions he can take. The maximum number of cards he can hold is determined by the number of quests he has completed. This replaces the

experience points An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Experien ...

system of many other role-playing games. The cards replace dice-rolling, as well. When a player attempts an action, he plays a card from his hand. If the suit on the card matches the action type (swords for strength-related actions, for example) it is considered "Trump." Playing a trump card means that the player can draw another card from the top of the Fate Deck and add the number on it to his total for attempting the action. When a character takes damage, the player must discard the number of points of damage to be taken from his hand. When a player has no more cards in his hand, the character is unconscious.

References

Role-playing game systems {{rpg-stub