Theatrix

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Theatrix
Theatrix cover
Designer	David Berkman, Travis Eneix, Brett Hackett
Publisher	Backstage Press
Publication date	1993
Genre(s)	Universal
System	Custom
Flowchart-based action resolution, with or without dice.

Theatrix is a role playing game produced by the defunct Backstage Press and no longer in print. Primarily diceless, the game includes rules for using dice to resolve actions.^[1] The game applies cinematic concepts to role-playing-- the players are "actors" and the GM is the "director." The games attempts to frame adventures in the model of screenplays, which have a structured plot comprising of a number of agreed upon acts, scenes, and "pinch-points".^[2]^[3] Players use plot points to guarantee success of an action or take minor control of the story. This was a relatively new and controversial concept being championed by few in mainstream RPGs at the time of its release.^[4] ^[5] Characters are described with personality traits not represented by a numerical value instead of hard attributes, also a relatively new concept at the time of its release.^[6] The game encourages collaborative roleplaying, using what it calls "Distributed Directing", whereby the players may introduce subplots though the GM remains responsible for directing the main plot. Theatrix has many methods of resolving action and conflict without dice. Most notabable is the use of extensive flow-charts, printed on card-stock.^[7]