Mr. Brass, I thank you for these kind words.  Essentials is nice, but it isn't going to be a "learn how to roleplay" book. Like "The Black Hack," it does assume someone in the group already groks RPGs ... but then they can use EZFudge Essentials to get everyone going.

(Interesting that the second edition of "The Black Hack" made a hard turn into trying to teach... but that may be easier when you're in the classic D&D vibe.)

Cheers,
Bob P

I suppose I can borrow this thread for a second to mention that the "Ultimate" version of EZFudge is still around ... my latest, probably last, site is nvdaydreamr.neocities.org.

nvdaydreamer wrote:

Essentials is nice, but it isn't going to be a "learn how to roleplay" book

That's true, but if any Fudge game achieves that then I suspect it will be the upcoming  The Princess Bride RPG. Every other Fudge book is only likely to be found by existing roleplayers.

What EZFudge Essentials offers, I think, is an answer to the "But Fudge isn't a game, it's a toolkit" argument heard each time its name comes up in forum discussions. It's a compact and straightforward pre-built version of the game, adaptable but also ready to run. Pointing people towards the big Grey Ghost hardback hasn't made many converts; I think that EZFudge Essentials might help.

EZFudge as a demonstration build has always been part of the mission since my Fudge "ah-hah!" moment in 2001. The flexibility of the core engine needs to shown off sometimes in ways that don't require scores of pages of rules. (Though my take on skills/roles might be going too far for many tastes.)

On the other hand I'm skeptical that any text can teach the role-playing experience at any word count. So much depends on the spirit and social dynamic of the group.  I share your hopes for The Princess Bride, but I just don't know.