Omnia Update 2026-07-06

I have liberated myself from Microsoft Word and replaced it with LibreOffice Writer. I am so much happier with it in every way. The relevance of this revelation to Omnia is that I had been writing it on Word, which is very frustrating, and now I can finish it on Writer, which is actually fun. I enjoy writing and I enjoy writing implements that make the writing process even more enjoyable. If Word is getting in the way of your literary adventures, I strongly recommend LibreOffice, which is free to download.

Related to this, I have also discovered that Atkinson Hyperlegible, the typeface I have been using for Omnia, has two new variants: Atkinson Hyperlegible Next and Atkinson Hyperlegible Mono. I have now upgraded to Atkinson Hyperlegible Next and I am very pleased with the result. These fonts are available for free from the Braille Institute here. If you care about accessibility and common, decent readability, consider downloading them!

The Continuing Story of Game Notation in Omnia

I recently discovered that none of the methods of game notation I have been considering for Omnia are compatible with automated audio readers in that the audio reader makes no distinctions between different typefaces or forms of numbering (such as Arabic vs. Roman).

One thought I had was to add an exclamation point after numerals that pertain to randomizers. So, you might have John Doe, Tortured Proofreader 4!, Racecar Driver 4!, Karaoke Singer 1!. As you can see, it makes for awkward punctuation, and I'm not sure it would add much (if anything) to an audio reader's clarity.

I also revisited the possibility of adding "C" after randomizer numerals with the reasoning that it could stand equally for three types of binary randomizers: "coins," "cowrie shells," or "cubes" (as in "binary randomizer cubes" a.k.a. binary six-sided dice). Meet Jane Doe, Archaeologist 4C, Linguist 3C, Medic 3C, Stunt Cyclist 2C.

Perhaps I should just revert to the reliable basics of Ghostbusters and simply use the unadorned numerals. Jade Doe, Ghost Hunter 3, Comic Book Collector 4, Shopkeeper 2, Photographer 3. Surely anyone who learns the rules will know when the numbers refer to randomizers, results, or target numbers through context. Why complicate things?

Alternative Game Notation

In case one desires to avoid bold, underlined, and bold underlined numerals in their Omnia documents and notes, the following alternative method of game notation is offered:

Alternative Game Notation

Use uppercase Roman numerals when referring to randomizers. E.g., an Ability rated at 3 would be III.

Use Arabic numerals when referring to Difficulty. E.g., a Difficulty of 4 would be 4.

Use lowercase Roman numerals when referring to penalties. E.g., a penalty of 2 would be ii.

So, Roman numerals refer to randomizers (uppercase for positive randomizers and lowercase for negative randomizers) and Arabic numerals refer to target numbers.

Would this overcomplicate things? Should I jettison it? Should I replace the other method of game notation with this one? This bears further consideration.

One complication just occurred to me: How would an audio reader narrate Roman numerals? Would it say, "Ability Roman numeral three" or "Ability I, I, I"? I'm not sure I like either option. Back to the drawing board...

[Edit: The read aloud function on my computer simply says, "Ability three." So, it's still a problem. It also makes no distinction between normal, bold, and underlined numerals. I may have to rethink the game notation entirely.]

Simplifying Game Notation

Omnia does not use conventional game notation. You will not see a number followed by a "D" to denote how many dice you roll as you might in other role-playing games that use a dice pool system of resolution. At the game table, you might hear, "My Ability is five," or "The Difficulty is three," or "Being slimed is a penalty of one to all actions." In print, it would read, "My Ability is 5," "The Difficulty is 3," and "Being slimed is a penalty of 1 to all actions." It would be nice to dispense with out-of-character terminology entirely, but this isn't Fudge (despite my affection for it). So, the numbers stay.

In the past, I have been driven to distraction trying to find an effective method to notate binary randomizers (see "Binary Dice Notation" in Decidedly Six-Sided,) but two role-playing games solved the problem long ago, by which I mean Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game and Prince Valiant: The Storytelling Game. Unburdened by alphabetic signifiers, these games simply used the bare numerals in their quantitative glory. The plan was sheer elegance in its simplicity (to quote numerous villains from The Middleman). Nonetheless, I felt there were possibilities for improvement at least in a typographical sense, which may aid in learning the rules and referencing them later. With an eye toward this objective, I wrote the following as an appendix of sorts to the rules of Omnia:

Game Notation

Whenever a numeral is in boldface, it refers to the number of standard randomizers to be used in resolving an Ability test. So, an Ability rated at 3 would mean three six-sided dice (odds-and-evens), three binary dice, or three coins, with the capacity to generate a number between 0–3.

Whenever a numeral is underlined, it indicates a target number, or Difficulty. Thus, a task might be expressed as Difficulty 4. A character must equal or exceed this number in an Ability test to succeed at a given task.

Whenever a numeral is in underlined boldface, it refers to the number of standard randomizers applied as a penalty to an Ability test. For instance, a character with an Ability 3 and a Moderate Wound 2 would roll three dice for the Ability test and two dice for the penalty. The penalty result, if it exceeds 0, is then subtracted from the Ability test result.

In short, numerals that are in boldface stand for randomizers and numerals that are underlined stand for target numbers to beat.

In other words, Agent 86 uses his Ability as a Secret Agent 4 to defuse a time bomb (Difficulty 2), but he is hampered by a Condition of Sleep Deprivation 1. Godspeed, 86!

Omnia and Jargon

One of my guiding principles for Omnia is the avoidance of gamer jargon. I try to write the rules in plain language in order to remove as many barriers as possible for those who might be new to the hobby or have other challenges. I like to think also that it will preserve comprehensibility for those who might stumble upon the game long after current popular jargon has become obsolete. The rules are meant to be understood and usable by anyone; they are not meant to confound the uninitiated with acronyms, neologisms, or misuses of existing terms. They are meant to be accessible to all.

All for all.

I've written more about gamer jargon in "Deliberate Obfuscation in Gaming" in Creative Reckoning.

Omnia Guidelines of Visual Presentation

The most salient complaint I have about most role-playing games is their visual presentation. If I cannot get past the visual barriers, I cannot even begin to address the rules, concepts, or even the quality of the writing itself—at least, not without difficulty and a certain amount of resentment. More than once I have had my enthusiasm for a game extinguished by those responsible for its layout and typography. With this in my mind, I have made this list of guidelines for the visual presentation of Omnia and all supplemental material. I intend to adhere to these principles, and I encourage anyone who contributes original Omnia material to do so as well.

Typefaces and Type Sizes (Fonts)

Above all, the typeface ought to be as legible as possible and of a size that can be read effortlessly by most readers. For printed Omnia material, I intend to use Atkinson Hyperlegible, which was created to maximize readability (especially for those with impaired vision and/or dyslexia). For material presented on sites such as this that do not offer Atkinson Hyperlegible, I am using Arial [or Cardo currently]. In both cases, I shall be using a standard size of 12.

(I learned about Atkinson Hyperlegible from Accessible Gaming Quarterly, which will be using it in future issues.)

Color and Contrast

The text and background ought to contrast as strongly as possible without being uncomfortable to the eye. In most cases, the text will be black and the background will be white to promote readability.

Layout

Layout ought to follow a logical flow. It ought to be uncluttered and simple to follow.

In printed material and PDFs, chunks of information will be confined to a single page or a single spread as much as possible. This makes it easier to use at the gaming table.