World Action and Adventure

A massive undertaking of a universal system, World Action and Adventure was lavishly published for its time (1985). The amount of detail included is astonishing, but unfortunately little of it is relevant to play.

Despite the obviously massive amount of work that went into the game, sadly, its name shows up today mostly on lists of bad RPGs of the past.

From the back covers of the rules manuals:

Experience real excitement, fun and daring adventure as you live any kind of character in any time period from ancient to modern times. You can role-play going west in the early pioneer days, be involved in a present day spy thriller, or archeological expedition... any setting or situation is possible. WA&A relies on accurate rules and factual lists and tables allowing you to learn facts about geography, history, animals, and occupations while having a great time.

Easy instructions and basic simple scenarios and situations are in Chapter One. The first chapter also includes dice rolling instructions and easy to understand tables to help you quickly understand the concept and get started. A little practice and you will be on your way!

The game is played by a game leader (Action Guide) who thinks of an adventurous situation, mission, or dream. Then, the Action Guide and actors work out the solution, goal, or attainment creating dialogue and action that makes the game enjoyable.

The excitement starts when the numbers on the dice are matched to the tables to determine the outcome of the actors' actions, encounters, descriptions, etc. In fact, there are over 500 tables, lists and charts to enjoy as you advance.

To play World Action and Adventure, the three volumes listed below will give you easy access to valuable research material. You can start with World Action and Adventure Official Guide.

- World Action and Adventure Official Guide
- World Action and Adventure Actor's Book of Characters
- World Action and Adventure Animals and Geography

To play this game you need:
WA&A Official Guide; Multi-sided dice: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 sided, (simplified game can be played with regular dice); WA&A Character cards (example in Chapter 4), Optional Items: WA&A Screen, WA&A World Format Set, Graphy or Hex Paper, Miniatures, and Props.