====== How No-Dice Is Organized ======

No-Dice RPG is built in **layers**, not silos.  
Each layer answers a different question and can be combined flexibly to support many play styles and genres.

At a high level:

> **[[core:start|Core Rules]] define how to play.**  
> **[[extensions:start|Extensions]] define how the game behaves.**  
> **[[content-packs:start|Content Packs]] define what exists in the world.**

This separation allows No-Dice to remain rules-light at its core while scaling up to support complex campaigns and many genres.

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===== 1. Core Rules =====

**Question answered:**  
//What is the minimum needed to play No-Dice?//

The Core Rules contain:
  * The **[[core:conflicts:start|Conflicts]]** (conflict resolution, cards, bids, outcomes)
  * The absolute minimum additional rules needed to run a card-driven, quasi-RPG experience

With only the Core Rules, you can already:
  * Resolve conflicts
  * Represent Actors
  * Run short scenarios or tactical encounters

The Core Rules are:
  * genre-agnostic
  * setting-neutral
  * intentionally small and stable

Everything else in the system is optional.

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===== 2. Actors (The Universal Model) =====

All entities in No-Dice are represented as **[[core:actors:start|Actors]]**.

Actors can describe:
  * **People** (PCs, NPCs, monsters)
  * **Places** (terrain, buildings, cities, planets)
  * **Things** (equipment, vehicles, objects)

Actors may:
  * participate in conflicts
  * hold Extensions
  * apply Abilities or Conditions
  * inherit effects from other Actors

This unified model allows content from almost any RPG system to be translated into No-Dice without special cases.

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===== 3. Extensions =====

**Question answered:**  
//How detailed, gritty, or complex is play?//

[[extensions:start|Extensions]] are **optional rule modules** that add or modify mechanical behavior.

They:
  * introduce new systems (not new fiction)
  * define **how** things work, not **what** things exist
  * are setting-agnostic by default
  * can be enabled or disabled independently

Examples of what Extensions do:
  * define how equipment functions
  * add hit locations or injuries
  * introduce magic or other extraordinary powers
  * enable social conflict, vehicles, or downtime play

**Key rule:**  

> Extensions never depend on Content Packs.
> An Extension must stand on its own and degrade gracefully when disabled.

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===== 4. Content Packs =====

**Question answered:**  
//What kind of world are we playing in?//

[[content-packs:start|Content Packs]] are **curated collections of fictional material** designed to work with one or more Extensions.

They typically include:
  * lists of People, Places, and Things
  * genre-appropriate assumptions
  * example Actors and templates
  * guidance for converting material from other RPGs

Content Packs may:
  * **recommend** Extensions
  * **assume** certain mechanics are available
  * suggest optional rules for tone or grit

**Key rule:**  

> Content Packs may depend on Extensions.  
> Extensions never depend on Content Packs.

This one-way dependency keeps the system modular and future-proof.

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===== 5. Putting It Together =====

A GM builds a game by choosing:
  - **The Core Rules** (always on)
  - **A small number of Extensions** (how crunchy?)
  - **One or more Content Packs** (what kind of world?)

Examples:
  * //Fantasy + Sword & Sorcery// Content Pack  
    * with //Equipment// and //Injury// Extensions
  * //Modern + Espionage// Content Pack  
    * with //Social Conflict// and //Reputation// Extensions
  * //Sci-Fi + Space Opera// Content Pack  
    * with //Vehicles// and //Mythic// Extensions

Nothing is locked in. Everything is remixable.

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===== 6. Conversion Philosophy =====

No-Dice is designed to **emulate**, not replicate, other RPG systems.

Using:
  * **Conversion Guides**
  * **Extensions**
  * **Content Packs**

a GM can take:
  * characters
  * monsters
  * equipment
  * adventures

from another RPG and represent them as No-Dice Actors with equivalent narrative weight and mechanical function.

The goal is not 1:1 math — but **1:1 meaning at the table**.

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===== 7. Design Principle =====

> **If it can be described as People, Places, and Things,**  
> **It can be played in No-Dice.**

Everything in the system exists to support that promise.