# Lightweight Universal Roleplaying
tags: #game/rpg/lur
![[Lightweight Universal Roleplaying (cover).png]]
## Summary
_Lightweight Universal Roleplaying_ (or _LUR_, for those who find multi-syllabic titles as taxing as a full-day siege) is a minimalist roleplaying system designed by Loreshaper Games to occupy exactly as much space as a bookmark. It is a "story-first" framework that assumes you have a functional imagination and a handful of six-sided dice, dispensing with the tedious spreadsheets and encumbrance math that usually keep commoners occupied. Characters are defined by "tags"—Boosts and Flaws—rather than numerical statistics, allowing for a level of narrative flexibility that is either refreshing or terrifying, depending on how much you enjoy arguing with your Storyteller about whether "Smells Like Lavender" counts as a relevant personality trait during a dungeon crawl.
## Core Die Resolution Mechanics
The soul of _Lightweight Universal Roleplaying_ resides in a counting-successes pool that is surprisingly robust for something that fits in a pocket. When a character attempts a task where failure actually matters (a rare occurrence in many modern adventures), the player follows this ritual:
1. **Assemble the Pool:** The player begins with a base of 3 six-sided dice (3d6).
2. **Apply Tags:** For every "Boost" (Talents, Things, or Personality traits) relevant to the action, the player adds +1 die. Conversely, for every relevant "Flaw" (Weaknesses, Secrets, or Personality defects), they subtract -1 die.
3. **The Roll and Count:** Success is determined not by a sum, but by individual die results.
- Any die showing a **4 or 5** counts as **one success**.
- Any die showing a **6** counts as **two successes**.
4. **Comparison:** The total number of successes is compared against a Difficulty number set by the Storyteller (typically 2 for "average" tasks).
- **Successes < Difficulty:** Failure. The Storyteller may apply "Stress" or alter "Scene Tags" to make your life more miserable.
- **Successes = Difficulty:** The action works, though the Storyteller still maintains the right to demand a price in Stress or Scene Tags.
- **Successes > Difficulty:** A "clean" success. The player may even suggest alterations to the scene to their benefit.
## Edition History
As of its current manifestation, _Lightweight Universal Roleplaying_ exists primarily as a single-edition release created for the _TTRPG Bookmark Jam_. While Loreshaper Games frequently updates their "Breathless" and "Initiated" system variants, _LUR_ remains a distinct, self-contained artifact of minimalist design. There are no competing editions to confuse the masses—only the singular, bookmark-sized truth.
## References
- [Main Project Page and Digital Download - Loreshaper Games on itch.io](https://loreshapergames.itch.io/lightweight-universal-roleplaying "null")
- [TTRPG Bookmark Jam Submission and Ratings - itch.io Jam Page](https://itch.io/jam/ttrpg-bookmark-jam/rate/4113475 "null")
- [Publisher Portfolio and Related Systems - Loreshaper Games itch.io Profile](https://loreshapergames.itch.io/ "null")