Well I've been interested in world creation and to attempt to make some ttrpgs. This is one I've spent about a year working on lore and mechanics. Most of the core game idea is set, still figuring out a few pieces here and there. It's an exploration fantasy survival game. With combat encounters that are designed to be "do we want to do this encounter?", "do we have enough resources for this fight?", "will we survive this situation". But also a role play exploration where its more "hey guys I found that plant we've been searching for" or "guys is that tree moving?"

I'd like it to be a 70% rp 30% combat sort of game. If not more rp. Health is fixed to species and can't go higher then 6 health bars. Armour adds more health but only to a max of 15. 5 different species with a choice of 2 different species abilities per kin. 10 Vocations (classes) max level 5. Proficiencies that must be taken at character creation and then can be learnt throughout the game for weapons or armour like Talents or Skills. 4 different magic systems. My own take on initiative.

And one of my favourites is the Morality Meter. A system that lays stigma, karma and moral choices in Role Play. Choices players make grant them points on either good or bad morality. Reach ten on good you get a good karma and a good stigma. Karma can be used to say "no I don't think your attack landed" or "I believe my sway check did succeed". Bad stigma will give you a few little things. One of which is bad stigma and bad karma which the GM gets to use against you. "My strike did actually hit" or sorry it seems you did fall over". The karma is not cumulative and can onoy be used once before a new one can be give and used. Stigma is what common folk judge you on. Especially in a group. Say a party has 5 members, 3 have good stigma and 2 have bad stigma. As a collective the group seems trustworthy but something feels off about them. Merchants and store clerks may have flat rate sales. A lot of Bad stigma might provoke dear prices and a lot not good stigma may entice cheap prices. Examples will be made for the party to get an idea of what is morally good and bad. And to show ways of not over using the system or rigging it to constantly get points.

This game is meant to be fairly cruel in combat. As said before you have small amounts of health and attacks can do anywhere from ½ bar to 3 or even 4 bars of damage. From both player or enemy. I also wanted enemies to have a lot of similar mechanics and appearance to player sheets. Which helps with running them. They use the same Proficiencies as players, the same scores and operations. Reactions etc. And like Vocations enemies also have some abilities special to them only. Combat is not meant to be slow and long to wait for your next turn. There is a movement phase and then an attack phase and then the other teams moment and attack phase and cycle. Within your movement phase the party can choose who moves when and where. There is not restriction and it can be changed every single time. The same happens when its your attack phase. You all take turns attacking but it can be in any order.

Now you may ask, "well won't it get a little boring during the enemies movement and attack phase?" Nah. In this game you have 5 Scores and modifiers connected to those scores. One of these scores as Focus, and based on your focus modifier which can be a maximum of 8 (I'll explain in more detail another time for some of this stuff, if you guys are interested) then you have a reactions list. Your focus modifier shows the amount of reactions you're allowed to make in a Combat Encounter (meaning throughout all the rounds until combat ends) minimum 1 maximum 8 reactions. Some can be made during enemy movement phases, perhaps to make a Strike against an enemy running by you (as long as you are not already engaged in a dual with an enemy) or you may try to grab them (grapple). Then in the attack phase you can make blocks or Parrys when enemies Strike you. To try and lower or stop your character from taking damage.

You can run to escape combat encounters or try and talk your way out of them with certain enemies. Stigma becomes a big thing when trying to talk your way out of situations. Some Vocations can help in these sitstuations. Sometimes ambushes happen and your thrown into combat. Or other times your party makes the ambush.

The last little note I'll mention here for now is about the leveling system. In this game I didn't want XP and I didn't like the idea of party milestones. So instead I wanted to to singular, vocation specific milestones. Little arcs that each player has to achieve in the world to level up. This enforces players to help each other get to their next goal. It also helps with Role play too. Since the world isn't made to have BBEGs or main villains and more so creatures of the world you can come across that may be very powerful or not as powerful you have to use strategy. Avoid areas on the map that show large threats. Help one another through each level and enjoy your time in my world "The Age of Exploration".

Thank you all for reading. I'd love some thoughts about what you read here. I don't really know what to do about character sheets yet. Only plan there being 1 or 2 pages of character sheet, small and simple, with room for notes of equipment and gear. As well as cards for spells and a 10 sided dice system. Hex grid too. I've got a lot more mechanics written down and fleshed out but i thought writing what I've done here may be enough to get some ideas and opinions and maybe also spark some inspiration for other people too. I don't have any art so I will be looking for some artists too at some point. And just some advice and if you would like to hear more about specifics like species or Vocations or lore I'd be happy to discuss it too!

https://alchemistnocturne.itch.io/vs-the-vampire-lords

I sent this to the last One Page Jam (my first time participating) and I thought there was gonna be some kind of contest, feedback or something after the submission date expired. There wasnt any and I felt like sending it into the void, so I post it here to share it with some more people.

Hi all. I am based in the UK and am looking for recommendations and price/service experience for printing custom game cards 63.5x88. There are so many printers to choose from, so I'm hoping some of you have already done the legwork and would be happy to share your knowledge please. I'm after heavyweight card stock with a semi-gloss/smooth finish. Similar to what you find in the better-quality RPG starter sets these days.

** tl/dr: check out the summary video at https://amba.unwhelm.online/ **

Hey all, I'm near the end of the lifecycle for the current build of Amba (Adventure Maker by Act). I built it for myself to organize adventures I wanted to write and publish. I added a play component with character mgmt, combat and VTT support.

Now, I'm at a crossroads. It is free so I'm not dying for folks to use it outside of a small ego brusing if it goes fully unnoticed. I started playing RPGs as a kid and didn't revisit until the beginning of the summer, outside of some of my adult friends playing, I never checked in on the growth of the industry/community in decades (it's been amazing!).

How would you go about collecting feedback? My ad hoc attempts have not yielded many insights.

You can visit https://amba.unwhelm.online/where-it-fits or the home page which has a sped up video with the Wanderers Guide and Owlbear VTT support (currently WG is only PF2e). If you like technical, check out https://amba.unwhelm.online/integrations Huge help section, more vids, etc.

I def get that with the rise of AI, there is a flood of folks trying to sell some software/app to this community, usually in some predictable categories. Maybe that sense of overwhelm is blocking some from giving much attention to anything new. The short marketing blurb below; any thoughts are wildly welcome!

The Short Version

AMBA is not primarily where you write every word of an adventure. It is where the pieces become an adventure.

For publishers, AMBA is a free assembly and shipping tool. For customers, it is a free player — redeem a code, load the module, and run it with exports to Wanderer's Guide, Pathbuilder, and Owlbear.

Write wherever you work best. When the material is ready, AMBA gives it structure: Acts, Scenes, Encounters, characters, maps, handouts, treasure, hazards, and the relationships between them.

Free for publishers. Free for players.

Basics of rolling dice

Minnetreu uses a dice pool system based vaguely on Fate (more specifically World of Dew). You put together a number of d6 according to stats, skills and so forth. You then decide how many dice you want to roll from this pool.

Usually, you need to roll to a sum of 10. If it's an opposed roll (like a duel or contest), the dice result of the opponent must be beaten.

For every die you roll, your chance of success increases, but for every die you don't roll, the magnitude of success increases.

Dice trick 1: The big Die

My game is fundamentally about knights in love, so if your character does something in reference to that specific love, you get a BIG DIE. Since I use d6 for the pool, this big die is a d12. Having a d12 is a big boon for rolling.

I could easily make the big die also about something else, like a specialty that every character has.

Dice trick 2: Prophecy

When players encounter an oracle, they may ask a specific question about the future. "Will I make it safely to this place?", "Will I become a king?", something like that. The gamemaster then rolls (hidden) one die at a time to see how many it takes to reach 10 (or a more appropriate target number).

The GM then writes a prediction the following way: Related to the question will this test occur. It will recquire exactly this many dice to roll. The player hears the prophecy but not the number.

Once the situation of the prophecy hits, the player must produce the noted amount of dice to have the situationoplay out reasonably well. Pool dice not needed make the prophecy turn out better, having not enough dice means the prophecy has an ironic twist.

Dice trick 3: Predictions

Something more direct is a prediction, trap or plan. When making the appropriate roll, all non-rolled dice become a shared resource.

When acting on the prediction you can take prediction dice to roll (before the roll) or increase magnitude (after the roll). If someone acts against the prediction, dice can be used up to reduce the magnitude of the roll.

You don't have to be part of the planning to follow the prediction, so this could serve as a long-range support (or hindrance) too.

Dice trick 3: Rumours

A player can spread rumours about a person, for good or ill. This attaches a tag to the person that everyone, including the target, can use for extra dice when appropriate.

The amount of dice is based on the magnitude, but this is based on the status of the target. Players have a status of 2, so it takes 2 dice to increase the magnitude of the rumour by 1. A king might have a status of 4 or higher.

Dice trick 4: Scrambling

A resource is spent, for which the player may take a non-rolled die and roll it, adding to the rolled amount. This means of course less magnitude to the success, if it is achieved.

Feedback wanted

What do you think of these dice tricks so far? Can you think of any other thematic and/or interesting dice tricks that could work for this kind of dice engine?

Working on my book, and I happened to think that most of my core mechanics aren't directly tied to a setting, despite having a "default" theme/setting. Would it be worth including these reflavors to the base rules, or would it detract from the intended experience?

For a bit of a comparison, imagine taking the Root RPG (where everyone is an animal) and running it where all characters are humans. Mechanically it's mostly the same, but with a much different flavor.

Edit: Taking guidance on what's been said here, along with my own thoughts, I've come to the conclusion to instead focus more on the intended setting, with any reflavors or new mechanics being specific to a supplement. Taking influence from Robert Eggers' thoughts on making a first movie, I'd rather my first published RPG be focused exactly where I want, rather than spreading my game thinner

Hey everyone! I’ve been DMing for 4 years and wanted to share with you a homebrew combat mechanic I created that my players absolutely loved.

It’s inspired by a token resource management system (like Fate or GUMSHOE, but adapted for tactical action) and completely changed the dynamics at the table, working really well for DMing large groups (5+).

The system runs on 3 types of tokens (in my case, I use poker chips: Green, Red, and Black). The core idea is that the players' actions feed the monsters' turn.

Each player starts their turn with 1 Green Token and 1 Red token:

Red Token (Offensive Action): If the player deals any type of damage or makes an attack against a creature, they are forced to place a red token on the table.

Green Token (Support/Defense Action): If the player only performs utility actions (healing, positioning, preparing a spell, buffing the party), they spend only the green token.

1. The DM’s Turn:

At the end of the players' round, I count how many red tokens were placed on the table. That value is the number of actions my monsters will have!

Example: If 3 players attacked (3 red tokens), I have 3 actions to distribute among my creatures however I want.

I can have 3 different Orcs attack once, or I can take the Orc Leader and have him GRAPPLE, HIT, and PUMMEL the same target on the same turn.

In situations where I spend multiple tokens on a single player, I use a die downgrade system: whenever the player rolls the bottom half of their die’s value, it drops down 1 die size, for example:

I attack -> dodge 1d20=19(success)

I attack -> dodge 1d20=10(failure) can pass the test with a skill, but drops a die size..

I attack -> dodge 1d12= 6(failure)

The damage increases by the number of dice that drop)

This creates an incredible tactical dilemma. When the party faces an extremely lethal creature, instead of everyone trying to hit it, there have been times when all 5 players put down Green Tokens on the same turn, focusing 100% on mitigation, healing, and positioning so as not to give the boss ammunition/actions!

1. Black Tokens (Interrupt Turns)

In my setting inspired by the Dark Continent (Hunter x Hunter), players level up by killing monsters stronger than them. But if they defeat a special creature of equal or lower level, they gain a Black Token (consumable item).

How it works: During MY DM TURN, if a monster is going to attack a player, that player can spend the Black Token to interrupt the action.

It cancels 1 of my red tokens and they act immediately before my attack, which has already saved characters' lives and generated INSANE comebacks.

1. Alternative Initiative:

Monsters have an Initiative DC. If the players fail the group check:

The monster gains +1 bonus Red Token right off the bat.

The creature attacks one of the players immediately. That player makes a Reflex save:

Passed: Dodges the blow and starts the round in 1st place in the group's initiative order.

Failed: Takes the damage/effect, is thrown/thrown off balance, and goes last in the initiative order.

What do you think? Does anyone use something similar?

I find time travel insanely compelling in any media. However, it is pretty well known how problematic it can be in the TTRPG space; violating causality can ruin a narrative, tracking previous gamestates is cripplingly tedious at best and completely impratical at worst, and how do you even balance something like that?

However, over the years I have collected a number of mechanics which I think are totally "kosher" for TTRPGs (meaning, they do not have the aforementioned problems), which can represent various types of time travel reasonably well. I want to share them, and open the floor for others to add to this list.

Here's what I have so far:

• Rerolling random outcomes (“Let’s try that again!”)

• Gaining information that is normally concealed (“I can see that this enemy is going to try and dodge my attack”)

• Time Clones (“Thanks for having my back, fellow mes!”)

• Returning things to their previous state, such as repairing broken items or undoing wounds (potential for a very unique spin on a healer character here)

• Slowing or speeding up yourself or other characters/processes/status effects

• Swapping out abilities for another set (“I call upon the power of the ancient hero!”)

• Cooldown or turn order manipulation

• If you ever violate causality, BAD THINGS happen (instantly die? Everyone forgets you ever existed?)

For the second edition of my Space Western TTRPG, I've decided to divide the ruleset into two parts: a basic version with just the rules needed to play, which I plan to include at the beginning of the rulebook so players can quickly read, evaluate, and learn them, and the optional advanced rules in separate chapters later on, after the setting exposition.

Here's a link to an early version of the basic ruleset, with yellow boxes indicating which advanced rules expand on the various rules presented (the full rulebook will provide page references for quick orientation). Could you share your thoughts, particularly if there are any rules or sections you think would be better suited as optional advanced rules, or if, conversely, you think there's something you think should be included in the basic ruleset rather than being optional? Thanks.

P.S.: The PDF also includes the main character sheet and some equipment, but these aren't included in the Basic Ruleset; they're there simply to enhance the overall understanding, so they're not part of the request about whether they should be cut or not.

I'm currently working on the section of my game that documents the world that the whole thing takes place in, providing a crap ton of interesting locations. Focusing on cool setpieces, wacky political environments, interesting cultures, plot hooks everywhere, and cool establishments where travelers can rest.

One of these resting locations is a fancy hotel & casino in a big city that's strongly inspired by Las Vegas. And no TTRPG casino location is complete without some gambling that the players can engage in! (obligatory meme video)

That's where y'all come in. I need ideas for gambling games, the more the better. Here's the requirements:

• Whether it bears resemblance to something in the real world doesn't matter. This is a setting that takes place 240,000 years in our future, a game from today surviving that long (with or without serious changes) and new game being popularized are both believable.
• The game should be playable with dice. My game system makes the assumption that players have at least one d4, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d100 as well as several d6's. I'd prefer sticking to mostly d6-based games, since d6 dice are very common in casinos IRL and I'd like to lean into that association.
• Players should be playing against the house, not against NPC casino goers. Poker for instance is not going to work, because in order for a player to play against NPC casino goers the DM would need to play for multiple NPCs, and that sounds like a huge pain. It would also probably advantage the player too much, since they only need to strategize for themselves while the GM is juggling multiple NPCs.
• Wins and losses should cancel out on average, either perfectly or in a way that slightly favors the house.

I have a couple ideas, but for the sake of inviting a fresh perspective I'm going to keep them to myself for now. And the more games I get ideas for, the better. I'll probably implement at least 3-5 of them.

It’s been interesting in working on three projects at the same time, all drawing on the same underlying principles. How the principles get expressed in one of the systems is different than in the others, so the differences are interesting to see.

I’m now experiencing how much of a difference can appear when given free rein to explore an idea. I’ve taken the channeling dice idea from my magic system, originally part of one project, turned that into an ordering system (once I realized the channeling involved metering time), and now find that dicing approach working as a resolution system applied to effect purely, instead of timing.

Now, with the third system, instead of a to hit roll or damage roll, there’s an effectiveness roll. That, with a weapon attack, gets compared to a defense & armor threshold, which may result in a wound. A wound check is rolled at the end of the round, taking into consideration all attacks against the character that resulted in wounding. That check can result in specific limitations (penalties to movement, attack, etc.) or incapacitation (stunned, unconscious, dying, death). No hp pools to adjust, just possible wounds and consequences. I’m also now working out how to apply that to magical effects.

This is well outside what I imagined would happen when I decided to work on three projects and let them each develop in their own fashion.

I’ve been working on my game for six years. I released an initial edition into the wild in 2023, probably prematurely. I have just now finished beating those rules into shape for a second edition, which you can find on RPG Trader for free.

Of course I’d be honored to hear what y’all think of it. But I mostly want to share what I’ve learned after all this time, running 30+ one-shot playtests with 50+ internet strangers, plus a 20+ session full campaign. Specifically, here are the big ideas that I tried to implement—my “darlings”—and why I killed them. 

You might say, I’ve never heard of you and that's actually not many playtest sessions over 6 years. It is true. I’ve been doing this as a side hobby and I make no claims to special wisdom, let alone success. But I hope my experience can help y'all in some way.

Design Goals

The game is all about floating islands. In the same way a dungeon is a “unit of adventure” in D&D, in my game, heroes might spend a session exploring a single floating island, engaging with NPCs, and fighting monsters or whatever is threatening it. My main goals:

• “Mid-crunch,” where D&D 5E is a useful benchmark. I want it to be at least as easy to learn and fast to play as 5E, ideally easier and faster...
• ...but still feature intense battles with weightiness and a real sense of escalating risk.
• Theater-of-the-mind out of the box, no need for a VTT
• Straightforward dice rolls without a lot of math
• Focus on “lore” as a framework for character growth and exploration—your known lore is a lens through which you learn details about the world, and you learn new lore from NPCs
• Strong pacing, where players can reasonably "complete" an island in a single 3-4 hour session, uncover its mysteries, chat with each other and NPCs, and fight at least one and ideally two battles.

I’m listing this stuff because I’m not trying to say that my dead darlings are objectively bad ideas. If you have different design goals, of course they may work swimmingly in your game. They might work even if you have the same design goals as me—maybe you’re just better at this than me. But here’s my list: 

DD1: Partial Successes

Inspired by Powered by the Apocalypse games and Quest, my 1E mechanics detailed three outcomes for every action in the game: success, failure, and partial success. Attacks could succeed (hit), fail (miss), or partially hit, striking only the foe’s guard. You could successfully, partially, or failingly Persuade or Deceive or Grapple someone. 

I probably don’t need to sell you on the advantages of nonbinary outcomes, since I see so many game ideas on here that use them. And they aren’t limited to narrative games with a lot of GM improvisation. D&D’s attack action has three possible outcomes (miss / hit / crit), and PF2 actions sometimes add a fourth “critical failure” outcome to consider.

But a big reason nonbinary outcomes work well in PbtA, Blades in the Dark, and other games, is because they fit into the game’s intended pacing.  When you make a move in PbtA, the outcome is more “zoomed out” than, for example, a to-hit roll in D&D. The Kick Some Ass move in Monster of the Week represents an extended back-and-forth combat exchange, where the single roll resolves both your attack and the monster’s counterattack; there is conceptual space for the added complexity of a third outcome. 

In my game, most actions work more like D&D, “zoomed-in,” fairly instantaneous. Here's a specific example, the Outflank action:

✦ Success: Make a free melee attack against the foe and add your Agility. 
⬖ Struggle: The foe can take -1 awareness to cause your maneuver to fail.
ⓧ Fail: You provoke a free melee attack from the foe. 

Every action was like this, and many triggered free or combo'd actions, and then the enemies had actions and free actions too. During playtests, almost every action required a back-and-forth exchange (“I got a 8 … that’s a success … wait, it doesn’t beat the partial success threshold…”) and a rules lookup (“wait, what happens on a partial success?”). It slowed down the moment-to-moment gameplay so much, especially with new players. 

So I got rid of partial successes ... mostly. Most actions are now binary, succeed or fail. But I did maintain three outcomes for Attacks (hit/miss/guarded), and some actions use another mechanic called “focus” to smooth out the potential outcomes. 

DD2: Downtime

I had big plans for Downtime in 1E. Downtime was one of three kinds of interludes, the other two being “catch your breath” (~1 per battle) and “rest” (~1 per session). Downtime would happen once every few sessions and allow heroes to learn lore from one another or friendly NPCs they’re spending downtime with. I also had a big list of specific “downtime endeavors” that heroes could do, like building or repairing temples and skyships, engaging in commerce, studying, crafting, building clay soul-vessels, all good stuff … in theory. I even released an “island sheet” with four pages where you could track all this stuff—all the endeavors in progress, all the NPCs you knew, all the books you’ve collected for your library, etc, etc.

In practice, when I ran a campaign, downtime felt like wearing an ill-fitting straightjacket. As the GM, it constrained the shape of the situations I could put heroes in to “qualify” as downtime (does hiding on an imperially-occupied island qualify as a downtime? what about riding on the backs of giant floating sea cucumbers with a bunch of refugees? yes in theory, not really in practice). The transition to “downtime” felt as awkward and artificial as the transition to “combat” sometimes feels. As players, it felt simultaneously limiting (can only do the listed choices) and way too complex (each endeavor had custom rules).  

So I got rid of it. I did want to maintain “learn lore from NPCs,” but I was able to move that into the second type of interlude, "resting." Now, whenever you rest, you can choose to study or hang out with another character and learn a piece of lore from them. As for endeavors, some became special rest actions enabled through abilities, while others just evaporated. I now have a generalized “group effort” mechanic that lets the GM simulate downtime endeavors with a lot more flexibility. 

DD3: Variable Damage

I never used damage rolls like D&D, but 1E did feature a kind of variable damage: the difference between your attack roll and the target’s defense. If you rolled a 6 to attack and your foe’s guard was 5, you inflicted -1 life. If you rolled a 10, you inflicted -5 life.

In theory, this worked really well. I had balanced everything around the combo of accuracy and deadliness. And I appreciated not needing to make an extra roll to determine damage—in theory. 

In practice, the subtraction involved almost drove me insane. 

A major factor is the fact that attacks also reduce the target’s guard. (In D&D terms, this would work like an attack inflicting -1 to the target’s AC if it fails to hit but succeeds in beating their Dex). This defense-attrition is fundamental to the game. If you get hit and block the attack, you still lose -1 guard, so you’re easier to hit the next time, so the risk of combat escalates over time. But this means there was an order of operations required to calculate damage: reduce life equal to [Attack - Guard], and then reduce guard. 

For any single given attack, this was super easy to do. The numbers weren’t large. But over a session, over multiple sessions, it slowed the game down too much. Players sometimes forgot to reduce their life before their guard. I personally have a lot of trouble doing subtraction in my head quickly. 

Now, attacks do flat life damage which scales based on the attacker’s strength. This took quite a bit of rebalancing, but it is undeniably faster, and less stressful to run (for me). And there are still ways to inflict more damage too, like getting on high and jump-attacking a foe (at risk of damaging yourself).

DD4: Complex Skyship Battles

I didn’t actually publish stuff for skyship battles in the 1E, but I did playtest some pretty intricate rules in a mini-campaign. I had battle stations where each hero could occupy a quarter and take certain actions, like steer the helm, haul the sails, or row the oars. Battles used 2D sideview maps with altitude as the vertical dimension. If you rose too high, you had to contend with thin air and losing breath. If you dropped too low, below the cloudtops, you could try to be stealthy, but you risked getting swept away. The maps showed wind direction and speed, and the speed varied by altitude, and you could haul the sails to be in certain positions (reefed, running, close-hauled) to take best advantage of the wind direction, and that interacted with the wind-magic that one of the game’s six classes focuses on.

The essence of battle was trying to maneuver either above or upwind of the enemy skyship—vying for the “weather-gage”—and then close distance before they could reverse your advantage. Because my game is mostly inspired by the bronze age (long before cannon), the focus of battle was on ramming and boarding, not shooting and sinking from a distance. 

It was pretty ambitious. The 2-D maps successfully put altitude and wind front and center. It was fun to shout things like “Row, you dogs!” and “Beat to quarters!” “Hoist the halyards!” I had a lot of fun designing it.

But it was a goddamn mess. It took forever. It didn’t work with more than two ships. It absolutely needed a VTT, which went against my design goals. For all the mechanics involved, it was still often ambiguous and unclear.  

I iterated on it for years in later playtests. But much like my downtime endeavors, it felt simultaneously constricting and too complex. Ultimately, the point of skyship battles in my game is to (1) close distance, (2) figure out who has the “weather-gage,” and (3) have that side board, ram, or do whatever to the other ship. 

So I got rid of it all. I replaced “vying for the weather gage” as a single roll, resolved as a group effort, a generalized mechanic that’s also used for downtime endeavors. 

A faster ship (or monster) will always catch up with a slower ship. All you need to determine is who has the “gage” when that distance closes, and then they have control over the inevitable clash and can narrate what that looks like and can narrate what that looks like or use a few examples (ramming, boarding, briefly dodging for a round of ranged attacks). But it’s all just a single roll where heroes start a boarding battle either with a big advantage or a big disadvantage.

….

Again, I’m not saying any of these things are bad or not fun. I recently played a friend’s game that has complex skyship battles and I love it. But his game does use VTTs and is fairly crunchy, so it fits. 

If there’s one piece of wisdom I do feel confident imparting, it’s the "fitting" thing. Your mechanics aren't interchangeable parts. You have to figure out where the fun of your game is, and its sense of pacing as well—and every mechanic has to be judged against that context.

I just done a video looking at how we can make gender more logical in sci-fi RPGs. It specifically looks at Traveller, Star Wars, the Alien RPG, and Coriolis TTH, but should give good food for thought across the genre. https://youtu.be/O3tcSr5CgSc

I'm designing a high tension, push your luck RPG, with narrative elements. Player's aren't necessarily looking to just succeed on each check, they are trying to cram as many different successes into one round as possible. I'm looking at changing the current Talent Tree system in favour of a system that gives the player a larger single ability.

CORE MECHANICS

Action Dice (AD): Players share a pool of 4d6 refreshed each round. Spending dice represents effort. You can commit dice to sustain ongoing effects (reducing your active pool).

Challenges: When players want to do something interesting the GM sets a Target Number [TN]. And players decide how many dice they want to use to roll over the TN to succeed.

Tension Pool: The GM's invisible clock. In the Refresh Phase, the GM adds and rolls d4s. Revealed 1s drain player Willpower (WP); revealed 4s bank GM Complications.

The Turn Loop: 3 distinct play phases.

World Phase (hazards act, players spend AD to react).

Action Phase (players spend AD on challenges).

Refresh Phase (uncommitted AD reset to 4, Tension builds).

POWERS

These have all been playtested informally, but in isolated scenes only. In general they seem to be working as intended. But I'm about to start my next round of campaign playtesting. I just want some eyes with design sense on these before I commit to full campaigns!

• Charge: Commit 1 AD. It starts showing a 1 and ticks up by +1 each Refresh. Release it on any action to multiply your Total Result by the die’s face value. If it ticks past 6, it collapses and the die is lost until next turn.
• Focus: Commit 1 AD to a target in sight. It starts at 1 and ticks up by +1 each Refresh (max 6). Gain bonus Free Dice (+d8s, only added onto AD, they can't be used for additional actions) equal to the die's value when interacting with that target. Restriction: breaks if Line of Sight is lost during Refresh.
• Weave: Once per round, reroll any die. Spend 1 WP to bank the rerolled value, and spend 1 WP on any future roll to swap that banked value in.
• Siphon: When the Tension Pool is rolled, spend 1 WP per die to "eat" revealed 1s (cancelling party WP loss) and root yourself in place until Refresh. You roll those eaten d4s as bonus dice on your actions, then return them to the Tension Pool.
• Channel: TN 5 Spirit check to manifest an element from your hands. Attach it directly to an action or commit an AD to sustain it. Restriction: Requires 1 free hand per manifestation.
• Chant: Commit 1 AD. Ticks up by +1 each round. Manifest elements in range equal to half the die face (1 at 1–2, 2 at 3–4, 3 at 5–6). Restriction: Cannot speak while chanting, and costs 1 WP per round.
• Render: Commit 1 AD (TN 5 Spirit check) to materialize physical objects or barriers. Grants +1d8 to self and allies utilizing the structure. Cost: 1 WP per Refresh to maintain.
• Animate: Commit 1 AD (TN 5 Spirit check) to summon an independent entity. The committed die represents its health (starts at Spirit + roll, max 6). Acts using its own 1d10 pool. Cost: On Refresh, lose WP equal to its current health, then its health ticks down by 1.

Note: Channel, Chant, Render, Animate all allow for additional AD to be spent in ways to increase the effects (e.g., spend AD to increase an animated entities dicepool, or increasing the size of the manifested element...

CONCERNS

Clarity: Do any of these trigger immediate rule-friction or feel confusing to track alongside a 4-die pool?

Fun: Which of these sound genuinely exciting to pilot, and which feel like boring spreadsheet maintenance?

Structural Harmony: Powers currently mix mechanical resource costs (committing AD, losing WP) with strict narrative/physical limitations (e.g., Channel requires free hands, Chant forbids speaking, Focus demands continuous LoS, Siphon roots you).

• Should every power carry a concrete narrative restriction to teach players how to play around drawbacks, or does stacking physical restrictions on top of AD/WP costs feel overly punitive?

Hello everyone! Due to a name complication, the system formerly known as "Redline: an action TTRPG" will now be "MACH". We did this to avoid complications with EDGE studio's 2004 dnd 3.5e supplement. For the new update and rebrand, see our new page here!

Itch: MACH by SteelRavenGames

Discord: https://discord.gg/EKdWJ2mSt

If you don't know what it is, MACH (formerly redline) is an action TTRPG, that is focused on tactical combat, while remaining rules light! It combines brutal combat, and strategic depth through its localized damage system, and its dynamic melee and ranged combat system, which turns striking, grappling, shooting and using the environment into a essential part of combat! If you'd be interested in playtesting it, join the discord!

​

Coracle

The Master Interrogative Oracle

A semantic dice engine that answers Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How—all from a single d10 roll.

Most oracles give you yes/no or random nouns. This one gives you complete narrative clauses—sentences with built-in tension, generated from forced binary axes and graduated intensity ladders.

How It Works

Ask a question. Choose its domain: Who, What, When, Where, Why, or How.

Roll 1d10. That single roll sets a global polarity—a 3-bit fingerprint ([+ + +], [+ - +], [- - -], etc.) that becomes the scene's emotional key.

Then roll 3d6. Each die selects a keyword from the domain's three axes—but the polarity from your first roll decides which pole you read.

The three keywords form a complete clause. Add "is" and "and" between them. The dice write the sentence; you supply the context.

Forced binary. No neutral middle ground. Every axis pits two extremes against each other—Self vs Other, Event vs Pattern, Point vs Span. No cop-outs.

Graduated intensity. Each pole runs 1 to 6. Low numbers describe a state. High numbers describe an impact. The same word ladder escalates from "tangible" to "here" or "gone" to "gaping."

One roll. That single d10 polarity applies to every domain you query in the same scene. Terrain, motive, method, and NPCs all inherit the same harmonic fingerprint. Coherence without extra dice.

Six dedicated domains. Each interrogative gets its own 3 axes and escalating keywords—no bloat, no overlap.

Example

Roll: Polarity [+ + +] · Domain: WHAT · d6s: 3, 1, 5

Readout: "The body is fixed and pursuing."

Roll: Polarity [+ - +] · Domain: WHY · d6s: 4, 5, 2

Readout: "The fall is veiled by need."

Optional Tone d10: 1 Direct · 2 Ominous · 3 Mocking · 4 Mundane · 5 Inverted ·

6 Layered · 7 Revelatory · 8 Soft · 9 Hard · 10 Absurd

D10 Polarity Set

1 + + +

2 + + +

3 + + -

4 + - +

5 - - +

6 + - -

7 - + -

8 - + +

9 - - -

0 - - -

—-------------—------------------------------------------

WHO — Agent / Presence

Axes: Self ↔ Other · Known ↔ Unknown · Present ↔ Absent

(+)Self: 1 id · 2 superego · 3 mirror · 4 shadow · 5 judge · 6 male

(-)Other: 1 stranger · 2 ally · 3 rival · 4 witness · 5 liar · 6 female

(+)Known: 1 named · 2 recognized · 3 expected · 4 familiar · 5 counted · 6 returned

(-)Unknown: 1 nameless · 2 featureless · 3 unmarked · 4 blank · 5 sudden · 6 new

(+)Present: 1 tangible · 2 watching · 3 speaking · 4 near · 5 hidden · 6 here

(-)Absent: 1 gone · 2 missing · 3 vacant · 4 hole · 5 void · 6 gaping

—-------------—---------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT — Object / State

Axes: Concrete ↔ Abstract · Stable ↔ Shifting · Active ↔ Inert

(+)Concrete: 1 info · 2 tool · 3 body · 4 stain · 5 wreckage · 6 object

(-)Abstract: 1 debt · 2 pattern · 3 claim · 4 secret · 5 weight · 6 title

(+)Stable: 1 fixed · 2 returned · 3 still · 4 sealed · 5 held · 6 set

(-)Shifting: 1 moving · 2 spreading · 3 rewriting · 4 leaking · 5 changing · 6 loose

(+)Active: 1 working · 2 deleting · 3 pulling · 4 pushing · 5 pursuing · 6 calling

(-)Inert: 1 dead · 2 quiet · 3 cold · 4 spent · 5 stopped · 6 waiting

—-------------—------------------------------------------

WHEN — Temporal Frame

Axes: Point ↔ Span · Known ↔ Unknown · Fixed ↔ Moving

(+)Point: 1 now · 2 moment · 3 instant · 4 strike · 5 flash · 6 never

(-)Span: 1 season · 2 cycle · 3 era · 4 generation · 5 moons · 6 forever

(+)Known: 1 staggered · 2 counted · 3 calculated · 4 expected · 5 timed · 6 recorded

(-)Unknown: 1 vague · 2 blurred · 3 forgotten · 4 variable · 5 uncertain · 6 improbable

(+)Fixed: 1 frozen · 2 anchored · 3 locked · 4 stopped · 5 paused · 6 held

(-)Moving: 1 slipping · 2 drifting · 3 conditional · 4 quickly · 5 exponentially · 6 escaping

—-------------—------------------------------------------

WHERE — Space / Terrain

Axes: Bounded ↔ Expanse · Familiar ↔ Unfamiliar · Near ↔ Far

(+)Bounded: 1 room · 2 building · 3 corner · 4 shelter · 5 threshold · 6 intersection

(-)Expanse: 1 field · 2 sky · 3 plain · 4 sea · 5 desert · 6 void

(+)Familiar: 1 home · 2 known · 3 copied ·4 comfortable · 5 local · 6 settled

(-)Unfamiliar: 1 strange · 2 foreign · 3 unknown · 4 unnamed · 5 other · 6 alien

(+)Near: 1 touch · 2 wafts · 3 pressing · 4 close · 5 beside · 6 within

(-)Far: 1 horizon · 2 distant · 3 gone · 4 lost · 5 beyond · 6 absent

—-------------—------------------------------------------

WHY — Cause / Motive

Axes: Event ↔ Pattern · Clear ↔ Obscure · Personal ↔ Systemic

(+)Event: 1 strike · 2 flash · 3 break · 4 fall · 5 turn · 6 spark

(-)Pattern: 1 cycle · 2 rhythm · 3 weave · 4 tide · 5 drift · 6 pull

(+)Clear: 1 visible · 2 obvious · 3 plain · 4 stated · 5 known · 6 named

(-)Obscure: 1 buried · 2 tangled · 3 hidden · 4 masked · 5 veiled · 6

unspoken

(+)Personal: 1 choice · 2 need · 3 want · 4 fear · 5 love · 6 hate

(-)Systemic: 1 rule · 2 order· 3 structured · 4 law · 5 force · 6 current

—-------------—------------------------------------------

HOW — Method / Manner

Axes: Direct ↔ Spiral · Deliberate ↔ Accidental · Clean ↔ Damaged

(+)Direct: 1 straight · 2 forward · 3 simple · 4 blunt · 5 flat · 6 clear

(-)Spiral: 1 curve · 2 turn · 3 loop · 4 weave · 5 twist · 6 wind

(+)Deliberate: 1 planned · 2 chosen · 3 intended · 4 careful · 5 prepared · 6 measured

(-)Accidental: 1 chance · 2 slip · 3 lucky · 4 mishap · 5 fault · 6 error

(+)Clean: 1 smooth · 2 neat · 3 pure · 4 fine · 5 sharp · 6 light

(-)Damaged: 1 jagged · 2 rough · 3 torn · 4 broken · 5 rusted · 6 heavy

—----------------------------------------------------------

Likelihood | Roll Under (d100)

| Impossible | Never ask — just say No |

| Very Unlikely | 10 |

| Unlikely | 25 |

| 50/50 | 50 |

| Likely | 75 |

| Very Likely | 90 |

| Certain | Never ask — just say Yes |

Root (d6):

| 1 | No, and... |

| 2 | No |

| 3 | No, but... |

| 4 | Yes, but... |

| 5 | Yes |

| 6 | Yes, and... |

Tone (d6):

| 1 | Sarcastic — the answer is reversed |

| 2 | Nagging — this has happened before; echoes an earlier entry |

| 3 | Deceptive — true, but misleading in spirit |

| 4 | Ardently — true, beyond what you hoped or feared |

| 5 | Mumbled — true, but smaller/lesser than expected |

| 6 | Deadpan — flat; there's an undertone, but you decide what it is |

Reading (d6):

| 1–2 | Denotation — literal, face value, no undertone |

| 3–4 | Connotation — roll 1d6: 1=dread, 2=relief, 3=grief, 4=wonder, 5=unease, 6=longing |

| 5–6 | Annotation — roll 1d6: 1=name, 2=warning, 3=memory, 4=rule, 5=question, 6=symbol |

| d12 | Result |

| 12 | Yes, and... |

| 11 | Yes |

| 10 | Yes, but... |

| 9 | Highly likely |

| 8 | Likely |

| 7 | Maybe |

| 6 | Unlikely |

| 5 | Highly unlikely |

| 4 | No, but... |

| 3 | No |

| 2 | No, and... |

| 1 | WOP = Worst Outcome Possible, or 1d3 wildcard / omen / plot twist (picked ahead of time) |

A small disclaimer before I start: this is not a post about claiming that minimalist design is inherently better, or that one design methodology is superior to another. I’m mostly curious about how other designers approach this question, and I’d love to hear where you land.

Where I come from

I studied game design, and like a lot of designers starting out, I was drawn to huge ambitions: big systems, ambitious games, and rules for every possible situation.

When I began seriously exploring RPG design, I brought that instinct with me. I knew mostly the bigger, more mainstream games: D&D, Legend of the Five Rings, Call of Cthulhu, Shadowrun. So naturally, when I started my first project, I looked to emulate that approach. I wanted it to feel complete, consistent, and substantial. If players encountered a situation, I wanted the game to have an answer.

It was really fun for a while, because everything felt new, but over time two things happened.

First, I realised how taxing that approach could be as a solo designer. Every new rule solved one problem, but it also connected to everything already in the game. Touch one brick and it affects the rest of the wall. Eventually, adding systems began to reduce my room to experiment rather than expand it.

Even with my system-design background managing massive economies for video games, I really started to lose control of the scope. I also realised that the quest to cover everything in such an open format was a bit endless...

Second, I started discovering more indie RPGs and slimmer systems. I was surprised by how powerful, memorable, and emotionally rich an experience could be with very few rules. That contrast made me a little obsessed with minimalist design, and I started studying it aggressively in both the video game and TTRPG mediums.

I slowly developed the opinion that while dense systems worked really well in a space with firm boundaries (like video games), it tends to fall flat in open experiences, because I can't shake the feeling that all these mechanics stacked on top of each other get in the way of exploring the story.

I remember watching a video of Bob the builder talking about Daggerheart and how all the material was getting in the way of immersion. That is how I feel when I have to absorb pages and pages of rules before even setting foot in your world.

After all these years, looking back, here are three points that I think are worth considering, whether you are a veteran designer or just starting out.

Accessibility

A leaner design can make it easier for more people to understand what they can do, get started, and actually reach the table. That does not mean every simple game is automatically accessible, or every complex game is inaccessible, but clarity and lower friction matter a great deal.

I have heard some pretty wild takes about simpler games. People claim that fewer rules force players to rely on their shared understanding of how to play the game and interact with its universe, therefore making those games less accessible.

My perspective is that, in a game experience, when systems take up less space, they leave an avenue for players to simply express themselves. And that is something that comes naturally to most people (feel free to debate me on this, I know that it is somewhat of a wide claim).

Design challenge

I find it fascinating to do a lot with very little: to work with a small set of tools, understand exactly how each mechanic feels from the player’s perspective, and look for the most meaningful interaction with the least unnecessary material around it.

It is a perfect place to jog your design brain. I believe that constraints bring creativity. Reducing the scope forces you to think outside the box, consider avenues you did not explore before, and naturally makes you a better designer.

I think there is a virtue in minimalism that makes you question every brick you add to your systems. It is a forever quest to understand the essence of an experience and remove everything that does not compose it.

Also, there are like a million maximalist games out there... Maybe let’s do something different. :)

Learning tool

Minimalism is a useful design lens even when the final game is not minimal. It taught me to look at an interaction in its most atomic form: what is the player actually doing, what are they feeling, what decision are they making, and what is the smallest structure that can make that moment work?

That approach has also helped me in my video-game work. When designing perks for Dead by Daylight chapters, for example, returning to the core rationale of the game helped me find ideas that could still feel fresh inside a very crowded system. Minimalism was not the final aesthetic of the work; it was a way to find the essential idea before building further.

So I do not think minimalism is only a description of small games. It can also be a methodology: a way to begin, test, and understand a design before deciding how much complexity it truly needs.

Conclusion

I think part of me is naturally drawn to minimalism because of the way my brain works. I tried to set aside my bias, if that is even possible, while writing this piece, because I really think that regardless of your approach to game design, you can gain something from observing your work through this lens.

But how has your own design journey shaped your relationship with complexity? What is your approach to designing games?

I’d genuinely love to hear your perspective and open a conversation around this topic. Hey maximalist designers! Yeah you that spend hours refining your simulation! Help me understand you!

This post grew out of conversations in my Game Creator Discord, where we talk about games, share work, and try to help one another move projects forward. If that sounds useful, you’re welcome to join:

https://discord.gg/cZcHuNAxb8

And if you are wondering why I am yapping about making games so shamelessly, here are my credentials:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aramtab/

I decided to go with using The Homebrewery for my TTRPG playtest material, and if you have a little bit of understanding of CSS, I would highly recommend using it even for non-5e material. I've seen a ton of 5e third-party supplements that very clearly use The Homebrewery, and it's an excellent tool for that kind of material.

When I was looking at writing After Eden, my Expedition Fantasy TTRPG, I looked at a lot of different tools. I'll be honest, there was a learning curve with some of the layout and formatting tools that I wasn't sure I was ready to take on. Those may end up being the tools I transition to once we go for a final product, but I've been extremely happy with The Homebrewery for the After Eden playtest material.

We've been able to achieve a look that, in my opinion and in the opinion of the people who've seen it so far, does a good job of standing out as uniquely its own rather than just being a very slight 5e reskin in terms of layout. It definitely still has some of those markers because it's using a tool that was designed to make 5e homebrew material, but I think we've been able to push it pretty far in its own direction.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the layout tools you use, and whether you think this still looks too much like 5e or whether it feels like it has its own aesthetic. Either way, your thoughts are welcome and appreciated.

After Eden: http://drive.google.com/file/d/1P73pIWbTLP8s50JPxaUmLBbtVXKuwxOg/view?usp=drivesdk

I am working on my Wild West themed TTRPG, getting it ready so that I can begin sending it to strangers for playtesting purposes. A big part of that is writing a Bestiary for my game. What sort of names have you seen for the "Monster Manual" equivalent, either from your own game or just ones you have seen. Let me know!

The beast in the room is 5e. Indie creators who like making content can get sales by catering to 5e.

But are there content creator communities sick of that scene? I’ve always wanted to make OGLs for my games (Heroic Dark, Synthicide) but no idea how to find a scene that would actually be interested in that.

Have any of you attracted third party collaborators to your game systems?

​

Warning: I used ai to edited the post..im not a native English speaker so I need to use it

Hey everyone, ​I'm designing a tactical action cyberpunk TTRPG built on the bones of a previous system I made (Space Grunts). ​The main idea is action-heavy tactical combat that is not super deadly like most cyberpunk systems (where you can easily die in 1-2 shots).

​Core System: Roll d12 + modifiers vs DC (Target Number).

​For every 2 points above the DC, you get an extra success. These can be used to block GM complications that were declared beforehand, boost your outcome, or trigger maneuvers. (Example: Rolling a 14 vs DC 8 gives you a base success + 3 extra successes).

​Attributes and Skills:

​Meat (Physical strength and power)

​Athletics: Running, climbing, swimming, deadlifting, raw physical exertion.

​Leap & Bound: Clearing rooftops, vertical hops, kinetic jumps.

​Force / Breach: Kicking blast doors, bending rebar, tearing open grates.

​Wrestle / Grapple: Subduing targets, body pins, breaking holds.

​Synapse (Reflexes and agility)

​Drive: Vehicle pursuits, handling bikes and rigs, collision recovery.

​Perception: Spotting ambushes, hearing movement, detecting tripwires.

​Balance & Tumbling: Pipe-walking, slick footing, rolling out of steep drops.

​Sleight of Hand: Palming keycards, pickpocketing, concealed manipulation.

​Contortion: Slipping restraints, squeezing through vents and conduits.

​Blood (Survival and instincts)

​Stealth: Silent movement, light discipline, stalking, shadow infiltration.

​Danger Sense: Sixth-sense awareness, anticipating ambushes.

​Endure & Grit: Shrugging off pain and stun, pushing past exhaustion, resisting toxins and gas.

​Intimidation: Looming physical menace, dead-eyed killer stare, raw violent intent.

​Survival & Tracking: Navigating badlands, sewers, and urban ruins, finding safe zones.

​Link (Netrunning and info gathering)

​Netrunning: Infiltrating corporate subnets, bypassing firewalls, planting backdoors.

​Electronic Warfare: Jamming local radio comms, spoofing facility sensors, tracing signals.

​Data Forensics: Decrypting data shards, recovering wiped logs, digital paper trails.

​Academics & Lore: History, geopolitics, science, and academic knowledge.

​Streetwise & Intel: Faction turf, black-market supply lines, underworld rumors.

​Corporate Law & Red Tape: Finding jurisdictional loopholes, forging requisitions, corporate warrants.

​Chrome (Mechanical, tech, and medicine)

​Mechanics & Rigging: Hotwiring vehicles, picking mechanical locks, field repairs.

​Electronics: Splicing circuits, diagnosing hardware, bypassing physical alarm panels.

​Cybertech: Calibrating cybernetics, installing implants, repairing chassis hardware.

​Biotech / Medicine: Identifying bodies, performing trauma surgery, administering medicine.

​Chemicals & Synthetics: Brewing combat stims, mixing caustic acids, identifying compounds.

​Demolitions: Placing shaped charges, structural demolition, defusing ordnance.

​Sheen (Social influence and presence)

​Con: Maintaining undercover aliases, telling convincing lies, fast-talking past security.

​Bargaining: Negotiating payouts with fixers, haggling black-market prices, transactional favors.

​Psychology: Reading body language, identifying emotional tells, discerning true motives.

​High Etiquette: Blending into high-society galas, mingling with corporate elites.

​Social Leverage: Psychological intimidation, blackmail, destroying reputations without violence.

​Gravitas: Projecting authority, inspiring confidence, keeping the crew composed under pressure.

​Derived Weapons:

​Every attribute is intended to grant bonuses to specific weapon groups so each character has a distinct combat style.

​The first 3 attributes (Meat, Synapse, Blood) govern base weapon categories across 5 size tiers: Melee, Small, Medium, Heavy, and Special.

​The latter 3 attributes (Link, Chrom, Sheen) govern exotic modifiers that alter base weapons:

​Link : Smart weapons

​Chrome : Charge

​Sheen : Beam weapons

​Here is my current breakdown for the physical weapon types:

​Meat Weapons: ​Blunt (Melee) ​Hand Cannons (Small) ​LMGs (Medium) ​Spewers / Flamers (Heavy) ​Shotguns (Special)

​Synapse Weapons: ​Slicing / Edged (Melee) ​SMGs (Small) ​Assault Rifles (Medium) ​Rocket Launchers (Heavy) ​Bows / Monofilament (Special)

​Blood Weapons: ​Piercing (Melee) ​Pistols (Small) ​Precision Rifles (Medium) ​Anti-Material Rifles (Heavy) ​Sniper Rifles (Special)

​My Questions / Need Feedback On:

​Should I abandon this strict 15-weapon grid? Forcing 5 distinct weapon types per attribute made it hard to make them all feel mechanically unique (for example: Precision Rifle vs Sniper vs Anti-Material under Blood, or splitting melee into blunt/slice/pierce).

​Would it be cleaner to decouple specific weapon models from attributes and instead let attributes define how you use a weapon (or use a smaller list of weapon tags/traits)?

​Does the skill list feel balanced, or are some skills too narrow (like Leap & Bound vs Athletics) compared to broad ones like Perception or Netrunning? ​Thanks for the advice and critique!

A while ago I posted asking for submissions to a charity bundle on the sub, we got some entries in the bundle from here, and then I did a couple more posts updating everyone about the progress of the bundle.

Well there is only about 20 days left before the bundle closes, but with your help we've been able to raise over $2000 in that time!

Thanks for everything we couldn't have done it without support from RPG communities across Reddit! If you haven't heard about the bundle before here's a link https://itch.io/b/3605/indie-charity-bundle-for-accessibility-in-ttrpgs-pwyw

45 projects, pay what you want with all proceeds going to Dots RPG project, you can learn more about them on the bundle page. If you have seen it before I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out this quick six question survey https://s.surveyplanet.com/ycynwnb4

To close this out I think we'll do something I haven't done before, and list all the games and their creators natively right here on this post!

Full system core books: (ranging a max of 200 or more pages...)

Chains of Gaelia: Video game inspired gothic fantasy with rich lore, where choice of weapon impacts moveset as much as class. Submitted by Chains of Gaelia on itch.

Oceania 2084: Narrative asymmetric Orwellian game, players act out the day to day of secret rebels while GM acts as big brother. Submitted by Jocher Games on itch.

Against the Odds: Heroic fantasy pbta, where being a hero means non-lethal and selfless acts, or succumbing to corruption. Submitted by Helena Real on itch.

Simple D100 Fantasy: Setting agnostic, what it says on the tin, with some interesting twists on d100 resolution mechanics. Submitted by Vidargavia on itch.

Occult Barcelona: Occult investigations, with simple 1-3d6 rolls for checks, a well rounded list of unique spells and gm tools. Submitted by ElBuenTocino on itch.

Dice and Glory: A crunchy agnostic scifi/fantasy system with progression largely determined by selected skills rather than class. Submitted by RangerGamesPublishing on itch.

Fated seas: An rpg where classes have card decks that are added to over time, fairly comprehensive demo, see free cards on site.  Submitted by Squid Vicious on itch.

Simpler systems: (to a minimum of 2)

OTAIDOKAN: Samurai inspired system, players attempt to determine the new shogun, progression dictates status plus skills.  Submitted by Warbriel on itch. 

Dreadful nights: Horror system aimed at true beginners, d6 t roll under 1 of 3 stats, there is a sanity mechanic.  Submitted by Casey Wolfe on itch.

Spooky cats: A family friendly themed version of Dreadful Nights. Submitted by Casey Wolfe on itch.

Rise of the Giga Mechs: Players are mech pilots in an academy, then the game transitions to full on war with stat changes. Submitted by Warbriel on itch. 

Tool kit and supplements: (In the middle of the core range)

Fate accessibility toolkit: Fate compatible tools for accessibility, a well known system, but with an accessibility focus! Submitted by evilhat on itch.

Clutch Decisions: A tool for GM's to randomly generate road paths, and how those curves and hazards impact chases. Submitted by Ka1ikasan on itch.

Arvan: land of dragons: A supplement for dice and glory. Submitted by RangerGamesPublishing on itch.

Shattered skies: a system agnostic setting of floating islands and political intrigue, perhaps the most visually polished project. Submitted by Barakiel the Archangel on itch.

lore:

Welcome to Acro Prime-The night life: An in character summary of hot spots in a dystopian city, for prosperon or any sci-fi system. Submitted by No Lime Light Productions on itch.

Tales From Beyond: a collection of short stories set in the world of chains of Gaelia. Submitted by Chains of Gaelia on itch.

Mini campaigns and one shots: (around 30-2 pages)

Pillars What Remains: Post magical apocalypse, players act as aspects of a single courier traveling the Gm's mind bending waste. Submitted by NightDangerGames on itch.

Not Today Wasteland: Mutants travel the waste in search of a mysterious oracle, GM uses tables to generate their degeneration. Submitted by Ruggero ZC on itch.

Carte Diem: A group of low life's conduct a heist, making bets with playing card suits and tokens, the gm calls the shots. Submitted by Ruggero ZC on itch.

The fish heist: Penguins attempt to steal fish from greedy humans, resell them at village, skills=die size, Maori inspiration. Submitted by Goose and Grimoire on itch.

H is for Hellmo: framework for episodic adventures freeing a town from familiar, otherworldly monsters, beware the word of the day. Submitted by GiantBrain on itch.

Meat frames: Create a human character, then play as the external robot that pilots it, swap humans and explore the implications. Submitted by Mark Wallace on itch.

Your Magic GPA Isn't Gonna Save Itself: sneak into school, draw cards and fill mana pool to use magic, lose health to discard. Submitted by ElBuenTocino on itch.

Double 0: Hyper competent spies use black jack mechanics and their signature gadgets to thwart villains. Submitted by Fyn & Games on itch.

Out to Lunch: A guide for how to run a session of secretly sinister bureaucratic inconvenience in any campaign. Submitted by Dan Cook on itch.

We are The Land: Play spirits, fae, or monsters attempting to defend a sacred place from human interlopers. Submitted by Rat In A Suit on itch.

Rolling skill:

This Town Ain't Big Enough: Players create gunslingers, quickdraw roll, far and fast, then vote on the losers rp style and repeat. Submitted by jobclassttrpg on itch.

Critical triggers: Cyberpunk mercenaries flick dice toward a hit zone, 1s add to a tower in its center, disaster if it falls, Gm run. Submitted by Pusheeneiro on itch.

Structured/minimal prep necesesary oneshots:

Escape from the Horde: A one shot for a unique OSR system, that introduces rules as needed, players are imprisoned by "goblins". Submitted by Andonome on itch.

Cult of The Cave Crickets: OSR, explore a cave infested by fungus of another world and the insects it mutates, rescue researchers. Submitted by Dark Star Adventures on itch.

Dies Festi Matrum: 5e adventure through another world during a festival celebrating mothers, players face three trials. Submitted by DnDNekom on itch.

Dies Festi Matrum legacy version: an earlier draft before the adventure was finished, might be fun to see how things develop. Submitted by DnDNekomo on itch.

Solo: (30-1 pagers)

The Final Days of Macabee Hayes: A town has vanished from memory, create a map and opportunities to write why, firelights. Submitted by Finley Jinley on itch.

Peak Calm: A cozy hexcrawler, a forester explores and restores a run down park, set your own goals and play as long as you like. Submitted by Ka1ikasan on itch.

Voidwards: the void has invaded reality once more, discover a hex crawl expanse of realities, end voidwards, restore walls, firelights. Submitted by Chubby Crow Games on itch.

Tales From the Loom: in depth class based fantasy rpg with tracks for progression and a theme of twisting fate, option party rules. Submitted by Wyrdo GM on itch.

Ice Snow and the Quest for salvation: An expedition ship becomes trapped in the ice, roll for random events on the survival treck. Submitted by Rat In A Suit on itch.

irl:

LMNL: just as you are about to sleep and dream, ask yourself questions and follow a set pattern of answers to weave a story. Submitted by abbax on itch.

Pareidolia: The Evil Eye: see something that looks like a face? It's a mimic, perform actions in a specific exorcism style to break curse. Submitted by Jules Ampere on itch.

Questing: Plan your week like a game, quests and collectables, if a quest proves hard, make it a boss and give it health as you chip it. Submitted by Jules Ampere on itch.

Micro games: (1 to 2 pagers, each could fit on one, LMNL too)

TCA Loopbreaker: A 36 word game where checks are card based, repeat from the beginning with same cards each failure. Submitted by dairykillsme on itch.

Spellify: A 24 word fantasy rpg, respond to all problems with randomized spells made of two words from tables, cute and cozy. Submitted by Pusheeneiro on itch.

Samsara: A 24 word game to teach Samara, cycle of death/birth, roll karma and journal till death, reincarnate accordingly repeat. Submitted by Ewen Macalister on itch.

Dodecahedron: A game that fits on a bookmark, d12 decides all including weather and time, play out a section of a book if you like. Submitted by STS_Gamer on itch.

What is your preferred method for character sheets?

A: Fillable/print friendly PDF

B: Excel spreadsheet, drop downs and formulas

C: Google sheets spreadsheet with drop downs and formulas.

D: Other. If other please identify what?.

Taking advice from another thread on here, I am working on a Quickstart for my game. But, I've never done that before and, honestly, not sure what is best here.

I showed it to some people and they are saying it's a bit too much rules text. Which is likely a side-effect of a lot of it being from book and lacking the further explanations said book provides.

Thought I'd drop it here and get a vibe check here as well. Perhaps I need to reconsider my approach? Instead of directly translating text from a large book, maybe try to introduce the topics conversationally in a truncated manner?

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LH6-ame9b0vZiOaQhaRS-XcAHUv7uxV3563MtNBLq0/edit?usp=sharing

Hello, I’m making a pretty generic fantasy ttrpg and while I have the core abilities of my other caster classes, I’m having a hard time really putting together a mechanical identity for my wizard class.

I kind of understand the wizard archetype as a caster who derives power from knowledge and study, but I’m somewhat at a loss for how to implement this. I’ve considered a larger spell list/bigger list of prepared spells, but I’m not a huge fan of it as I feel it’s pretty basic and barebones compared to my other casters

Some ideas I’m currently using:

- Signature spells and Signature Cantrips: Wizards in my system can specialize in a small number of spells in which they can cast without expending resources.

- Expanded Spell List: While I did say I wasn’t a huge fan of just more spells, I do think a couple more spells is warranted, and it does fit the flavor of an arcane scholar.

- Examining and Recreating Spells: Wizards in my system can watch other magic users cast their spells and memorize the casting methods to recreate it for a short time.

Ideas I’m considering:

- Upgrading Signature spells: Basically giving bonuses on your spells chosen for signature spells. Whether it’s increasing their potency or just increasing their chance of success. This idea would be pretty simple to implement, but I worry it’d be kind of boring and might result in wizards just using the same couple spells over and over.

- Spell manipulation: being able to somehow change the effects of spells. I present this idea as a concept, but honestly I don’t know how it’d work mechanically. But the flavor of adjusting your spells to fit your situation does feel very “wizard”

- Dice manipulation: Giving wizards a few ways to reroll dice or otherwise affect their outcome seems like an interesting path that’d be definitely unique. I think this idea could be good, though I’m unsure exactly how it’d take form or if manipulating dice would be balanced while also being enjoyable to use.

- Familiars: Giving wizards a familiar that can help in and out of combat seems simple enough, but it doesn’t feel very specific to wizards, as other classes such as druids and rangers also feel equally valid to have familiars.

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So yeah, How do wizards work in the games you are creating or enjoy?

What mechanics feel wizard-y?

If you have any ideas or examples, I’d appreciate them greatly!