FÄNG is a rules-light, high-imagination RPG built around player-driven exploration and immersive world-building. Instead of rigid mechanics dictating every possibility, FÄNG encourages theater of the mind storytelling, where locations are rich with details, and player actions naturally shape the world.
To make this happen, FÄNG uses a simple yet powerful design principle:
The 3E’s of Designing a Location
- Evoke a Mood – What does the place feel like? The cold wind through broken windows? The scent of mold and old parchment?
- Enrich the Space – What’s here to engage with? Are there loose floorboards, bubbling cauldrons, or flickering torches ready to be knocked over?
- Elicit Player Imagination – What choices does this space encourage? What unexpected events might unfold from a player’s interaction?
Jinx and Enrichment are natural extensions of the 3E’s. First, you Enrich a location with interactive elements, then Jinxes emerge when players roll a tie with Jinx, adding unpredictable twists that affect everyone in the scene.
Enrichment: Designing Locations That Invite Interaction
A location in FÄNG is more than just a place—it’s a playground for player choices. Enrichment is the process of adding tactile details that invite exploration and interaction.
Zookeepers use the term Enrichment when adding objects to an animal’s environment—ropes for climbing, hidden food puzzles, things to pull apart—to engage their curiosity and encourage natural behaviors. The same applies to FÄNG:
- A room full of cobwebs is just a description—but a room where spiders have woven cryptic symbols into the web invites players to clear, read, or even set them on fire.
- A dungeon corridor is just a hallway—but a hallway where candle wax drips like blood and deep claw marks gouge the floor is an invitation to investigate.
When enriching a location, ask yourself:
- What tactile details make this space unique?
- What interactive elements could players engage with?
- How does the environment react to what the players do?
Examples of Enrichment in Action
📍 The Stables
- Tack and harnesses hang loose, tangled together.
- Grain barrels are half-empty, ready to be knocked over.
- A lantern flickers, barely hanging on a rusted hook.
- A reindeer stirs in its stall, weak and malnourished.
📍 The Sleeping Quarters
- Unmade beds with loose, sagging bedframes.
- Plates of half-eaten food covered in mold.
- A roasting boar slowly turns on a spit.
- A pot of boiling water precariously balances on a stove.
📍 The Frozen Bridge
- Icicles hang overhead, trembling with each gust of wind.
- A rope is visibly frayed, barely holding the bridge together.
- The wooden planks creak and shift underfoot.
Each of these details isn’t just set dressing—they’re potential triggers for unexpected events. And that’s where Jinx comes in.
Jinx: When the Environment Bites Back
Once a location is enriched with interactive elements, Jinxes emerge naturally from them.
A Jinx happens when a player rolls a tie to the DF—they succeed, but something unexpected happens, creating a complication that affects everyone.
A Good Jinx Should…
- Be tied to the environment—Jinxes don’t come out of nowhere; they react to what’s already there.
- Affect everyone in the scene—not just the player who rolled it.
- Encourage problem-solving—it should change the situation, not just cause damage.
Examples of Jinx in Action
📍 The Stables
🔹 Jinx: A lantern gets knocked over, setting hay on fire! (Everyone makes a 1SV Tuff to avoid being singed by the flames.)
🔹 Jinx: A trough full of slimy water spills across the floor! (The ground is slick—movement now requires a 1SV Agile.)
🔹 Jinx: A player gets tangled in tack and harnesses! (requires CSV or remain entangled.)
📍 The Sleeping Quarters
🔹 Jinx: The bed springs collapse mid-fight! (If the Everyone on the bed makes a 1SV Tuff to avoid getting hurt.)
🔹 Jinx: The roasting boar catches fire! (Smoke fills the room, causing CSV Will to stop coughing or perhaps vision is obscured making it easy for the enemy to get away.)
🔹 Jinx: Boiling water spills from the stove! (1SV Tuff to avoid burns!)
📍 The Frozen Bridge
🔹 Jinx: A rope snaps, making the bridge sway wildly! (1SV Agile to keep footing.)
🔹 Jinx: Icicles break loose and fall! (1SV Agile to dodge the shards.)
Bringing It All Together
The best FÄNG locations aren’t just places—they’re dynamic environments that players can engage with, manipulate, and react to.
By first Enriching your adventure spaces, you ensure that players have things to interact with.
By letting Jinxes emerge from that Enrichment, you keep the world reactive and unpredictable.
If you’re writing an adventure for the Fun with FÄNG Adventure Jam, consider:
- How can you Enrich your locations to make them interactive?
- What potential Jinxes can arise from player actions?
- List potential Jinxes for the Doomsayer!
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