In the year 2022, two friends began a journey to write the greatest tabletop roleplaying experience ever written. Days turned into months; months turned into years. Countless hours were sacrificed as they continued down this path until they completed the volume you now hold in your hands.

Their goal: Create a framework that could integrate with any imaginary setting while simplifying the experience and allowing players to jump into these worlds with a short learning curve. The characters are classless, with an  intentionally open-ended set of rules that allow progression to be limited only by the Game Master (GM) and the imaginations of those who sit at their dining tables to play.

To play this game you’ll need imagination, a pinch of theatrics, dice, and some friends to play with. Imagination is required to mentally visualize the world around the players as the GM illustrates it. An element of theatrics is also  important as it allows the player to enter the mindset of a fictional character who may have a differing outlook on life than the player, and how they might interact with the world and its story.

Lastly, find some friends to play with! Technically, two people can play the game; one as the GM and one as the player. However, a healthy group is 4-7 people; one GM and 3-6 players. It is possible to play with more than this, but it isn’t recommended. SURGE! takes combat to a tactical level of gameplay where the complexity isn’t in the statistics or mechanics so much as the strategy to use them. In certain situations, there are actions that allow players to counter-attack outside of their own turn. These features are designed to keep the gameplay more engaging especially if there is a large number of creatures in the Battle Order. More than six players may detract from this feature and make dwell-time seem even longer.

One final thought to leave you with before you begin your journey to learn our system: SURGE! is your portal into hidden worlds with experiences that will be unique to you. Revel in them, make memories with new and old friends, but most of all- have fun!

  Greg Allison, 2024