The System
The Raccoon Engine
A universal tabletop RPG system and the mechanical foundation for every Magic Brokers game: four Aptitudes, eight Approaches, one ladder of dice, and a single resolution rule that carries across genres and settings.
The Engine
What the Raccoon Engine is
The Raccoon Engine is the house system behind everything the guild publishes. A character is built from four Aptitudes and eight Approaches, and every action resolves the same way: add your Approach dice, add Edge for the circumstances, and count every die showing 4 or higher as a Hit.
Because the rules themselves never change between settings, what you learn at one table carries to the next. Genre is handled by Modules: magic, psionics, vehicles, and cybernetics change the fiction the table is playing in, not the dice it rolls.
The Core Loop
The fiction creates the circumstances. The circumstances determine the dice.
Aptitude
Sinew · Swift · Sense · Spirit
Approach
Strike · Lurk · Parley · Study…
Edge
+1d6 per advantage
Hits
Every die showing 4+
Hit Target
HT 1 – 5
Momentum or Consequence
Excess Hits, or a d10 failure
d4
25%
d6
50%
d8
62.5%
d10
70%
d12
75%
Chance of a Hit per die. Larger dice are more reliable, never more numerous.
Design Pillars
Six pillars that shape every roll
These are the design commitments the engine is built on. They stay true in every world the studio publishes, which is what makes one system able to carry fantasy, science fiction, and everything between.
One Roll, Every Action
Combat, social scenes, stealth, and crafting all use the same mechanic: Aptitude + Approach + Edge. Every die showing 4 or higher is a Hit.
Edge Over Stats
Characters beat extraordinary odds by changing the circumstances. Position, tools, allies, and preparation each add a d6. Hard targets demand it.
Momentum
Hits beyond the Hit Target become Momentum, spent on the spot to add Damage, aid an ally, act again, Deflect, Overwhelm, or land a Triumph.
Failure Moves the Story
A failed roll never just fizzles. Roll a d10 for a Consequence, from Setback and Escalation to Reversal and Disaster, and the fiction keeps turning.
Vigor & Daring
Spend Vigor for Effort, or accept an announced risk with Daring for +2d6. Pushing yourself is always a choice, never a penalty.
Modular by Design
Magic, psionics, vehicles, and cybernetics are Modules that change the fiction, not the dice. One engine powers every world.
One engine, every world
Where to take the Raccoon Engine next
The Compass Wheel is the studio's debut tabletop roleplaying game, built from the ground up on this engine. If you would rather ask a question than read a rule, the Rules Oracle answers from the Raccoon Engine Core SRD.
The mechanical foundation for every Magic Brokers game
Licensing and SRD
The Raccoon Engine SRD © 2026 by Monte Young And Or The Magic Brokers is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.