I enjoy playing my SoloRPGs with the possibility of romance and intimacy. And I also love writing my own rules and articles, so I’ve previously written an article called the Evolving NPC Personality and Love System which allows for precisely that.

But after having played with it for some time, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s too complex for its own good. And if even I as the author of the system thinks it’s too complex, then most other people would probably think so too. The reason why it’s complicated is because it not only keeps track of a potential romance, it also evolves a personality for the NPC over time. I like that in theory, because it allows you to “get the know” the NPC as you interact with them. But in practice, it ends up being too much bookkeeping. At least for my taste.

So that’s why I took the best parts of that article and incorporated them into a new one which is only of medium complexity, called the D12 Friendship and Romance System. It gets rid of the parts having to do with personality, and simplifies the “do I have chemistry with this NPC” to a simple 1d6 die roll with three possible results:

• 1-2: No.
• 3-4: Not now, but possibly in the future - you can reroll later
• 5-6: Yes, there is chemistry!

Aside from that, there are also a number of “Friendship actions” which you can take to build your bond with the NPC, and during downtime, the NPC might also take the initiative through “Friendship downtime events”. And if you eventually determine that there is chemistry, then the “Romance actions” become available (and yes, they do include that, wink wink). That also enables the “Romance downtime events” which means that the NPC isn’t just a mindless recipient of your actions, they can also make decisions and take action on their own.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this system.