Intro to the FAR System

Hey, there. Welcome to the home of FAR Western Roleplaying!

Set in the quintessential American “Old West” era, FAR Western is the first in what we hope will be a series of game settings powered by the FAR System. If you’ve been looking for a game that makes you feel like you’re living in your favorite western movies and novels, this is it. Or it will be, when it’s done…

Right now, this site chronicles the journey as we develop our game system—”our” meaning I and my son (who actually got the idea started). Together we’re chasing a dream of building a great system that helps create the kind of roleplaying games we love.

We’ll feature interesting bits of history, dig into the whats and whys of the game, and share some of the things that inspired us to start building it. Later (hopefully not too much later), we’ll gear up for playtesting. We hope you’ll join us for that, too. It’s going to be a lot of fun.

What is the FAR System?

FAR stands for Flexible Action Roleplaying. It’s a system that rewards you for putting character and action first. FAR gives you flavor and detail where it matters most—in your character’s actions (not in massive lists or millions of numbers).

With the FAR System and FAR Western, you can play any aspect of life in the Old West that strikes your fancy. Gritty combat, business deals, or political intrigue in saloons, outlaw hideouts, cattle ranches, Indian tribes, and boom towns. Scale the action up or down to fit your setting and your players, from duels at high noon to skirmishes in the desert.

Combat in the FAR System, just like in the Old West, is high-stakes and deadly. One-shot kills are always a possibility. But if you play your character well and choose your battles wisely, you can cheat death and survive and thrive in swashbuckling wild-west style. And it may sound a bit odd, but this game aims to make avoiding combat fun and rewarding, too. No matter what kind of action a player might want to take, this game aims to give you an intuitive and flavorful way to play it.

Or I should say, it will. It’s a work in progress. I hope you’ll follow the FAR System and stick with us while we finish FAR Western, because we can’t wait to share it with you.

Thanks for stopping by!

–Ing