Indie Ttrpg Design - Tumblr Posts
I looked for the old text files from my Savage Space game from a decade ago. I got lucky and found them all! That brings me great joy. I can get to work right away instead of first having to get everything out of PDF.
Differences of Pathfinder and Savage Worlds Combat and how they relate to Savage Design
While reacquainting myself with Savage Worlds, I read an Interview from 2021, given around the Savage Pathfinder Kickstarter. In it I think Mike Barbeau said the following: "If you boil Pathfinder combat down to its barest essence, you're making a bunch of decisions managing your most important resource: hit points. You can still see the influence of grandaddy Chainmail in Pathfinder's design. You have so many tools to shift the flow of hit points in battle that you’re constantly discovering new strategies and tactics as you play. It's still a wargame at heart, which makes the decisions in combat feel so vital and fun. While Savage Worlds still has tactical combat that follows the same generalized principles as Pathfinder, when you take a hit, we want to scare the player. Taking a Wound is a big deal, especially since you can only take three before you're taken out. That said, Wounds modify your ability to succeed at rolls and negatively impact your actions. Tests, Support, Bennies, etc., all focus on altering your ability to succeed on a roll. The bonus and penalties to your rolls are the resources you manage in Savage Worlds. So long as you're still on your feet, you still have a chance to make a big difference in combat." This is an incredibly clear and very important distinction between the two games. Something that was always implicitly clear to me, but seeing it spelt out like that was eye-opening. Many new players to Savage Worlds struggle to understand what's really important in combat and how to approach it compared to D&D. These two paragraphs clearly mark the difference. Explaining this to new players can shift their perspective where it needs to be. This is also a good guideline for when I am thinking about Savage Space and how to approach ship edges and ship combat. I don't like giving creatures more wounds. It can be done in exceptional cases, but I avoid it as much as I can. Just my preference. Instead, I can focus on reducing the penalties from Wounds or getting better modifiers on rolls for the opposition and the players. Manoeuvres, Edges and all the other fun toys SWADE is giving us are more interesting than simply more hitpoints. I'm not sure where this all fits into the reboot, but I will keep it in mind when I re-examine my old work.
Open Games
With everything going on I press pause on my SWADE work to create a new Open License game. I have released some in the past and I think now is the perfect time to do so again. For anyone interested there is a great starting point at https://fari.games/ . There will also be a Jam hosted at itch for open games I plan to participate in.https://itch.io/jam/open-gaming-jam
Open Gaming Jam has started
The Jam has just started on Itch! I would love to see some of you fine creative folks participate and share your open-license games. Don’t know what a Jam is? Essentially various creators come together to make something for a specific theme/topic/system and share it on Itch.io. Can be free, can be sold. However you like. They usually run for a month so you need to get cracking. However, there is no need for the game to be finished by the end of the Jam. Many participants in other Jams developed their submissions further, even into Kickstarters. https://itch.io/jam/open-gaming-jam
Killing your Darlings when you can’t do them justice.
In the Open System I am writing right now I desperately wanted an “Alignement” system around Dawn / Dusk that was literal but also personal and metaphysical and not linked to good and evil. However I cannot for the life of me write it. Not even a sentence I could make that didn’t sound cheesy cliched and it never felt natural. I am really more of a rules guy and not a prose guy at all. So I just went ahead and search/removed all references to it in the game. It would have been a great boon tonally, but I am just not that kind of writer. What was a thing you had to remove ?
Working on my game for the open gaming Itch Jam. Rough mechanics are written out and playtest next Thursday. I have been struggling hours for a word now. I use a mechanic where target is 8. For every 4 you roll above you get an extra "boost" or "raise" eg more damage, extra effect, bonus of some sort. The game is Fantasy with slight weird touch. Already used the word Boon for another mechanic. I am at "Gain" or "Trophy" now. Boost feels too futuristic for me. English not being my first language doesn't help.
Working on Wyrdland
I have been working on my submission to the Open Gaming Jam for a while. It is shaping up nicely, though, as always lots to do. This evening I have the opportunity to run the playtest to see if the mechanics work at the table. It is a fantasy game where I mash together some of my favourite things from various TTRPGs. It started as a hack for my WARDENS game that uses the 24XX rules. You can still see it in parts, but this game is vastly different. The hardest part for me in any game is writing the GM section, as I am constantly stuck on that. Will have to consider what I want to include. Action Based Monster design is a big one I want to tinker with. And I sadly have that not done for today's test. The current draft can be found here if anyone wants to look at what I have so far.
Playtests and Updates
Hello fine people. Remember the last time I said I was working on Wyrdlands? Yea can't use the name and need to find another. Coming up with names is hard.
On a more positive note, I had my first playtest, which was invaluable. I learned a lot by seeing how the dice work and how it comes together at the table and what I, as the GM, did and what the players did. Several areas have had a rewrite since then, mostly for clarity. A few sections I have changed completely, and others are gone.
I realized the mechanic I used for Assisting was worse than what I wrote for Supporting Actions for the same effect. So that section got a rewrite. I also had to define the boundaries of penalties for Unlucky rolls more clearly.
Overall, the progress is great. I finished the rough for the Bestiary and Relic sections. Still a bunch of Spark Tables and example Creatures to write.
I want to keep it simple, there are 4 types of enemies in the game.
GRUNT Creatures, or NPC of this type, can only take 1 Wound before they fall. They have only 1 Action and cause 1 Hit if the Character cannot defend. They can have 1 Trick at most. Grunt / 1 Action/ 1 Wound / 1 Hit COHORT Creatures, or NPC of this type, can take 2 Wounds before they fall. They have 2 Actions and cause 2 Hits if the Character cannot defend. They can have up to 2 Tricks. Cohort / 2 Actions / 2 Wounds /2 Hits LEADER Creatures, or NPC of this type, can take 3 Wounds before they fall. They have 3 Actions and cause 3 Hits if the Character cannot defend. They can have up to 3 Tricks. There should only be one Leader per group of enemies. Leader/3 Wounds /3 Hits BEHEMOTH
Creatures of this level are rare and should be the highlight of an Adventure. A single one should be able to challenge a group of players. They should have between 6-12 hits. They should not dish out more than 3 Hits at once for a failed defence. They can have any Tricks desired, but 4 is a good limit to keep it manageable for you as the GM. They also have something no other NPC has: Behemoth Actions. In each round of combat, they can do things that will require the Characters to use a variety of Abilities to defeat them.
I decided early on that I did not want a creature to cause more than 3 Hits base against a player. Otherwise, we are in the one-shot-kill territory, and that's not exciting or fun for anyone. The mentioned Tricks are like Feats or Edges in other games, but for the enemies only. Two examples are:
HORRIBLE
A character must make a Willpower Check when encountering the creature for the first time. On Success can Act normally. On a Failure, all Actions against this creature are made with a Disadvantage. SELF-SACRIFICE
When another creature in the same zone takes a Hit, this creature can take the Hit instead.
There will be another playtest session soon where I will try these monster classes. But on paper, it sounds easy to remember and run to me. Until next time.
Just posted the playtest edition of my d12 Fantasy Game on Itch. Any Feedback is highly appreciated! :-D Compared to my usual 1 pagers this is going to be a banger.
The game has been in the wild for a week now, and sadly I was stricken by a stomach bug and could not work on it. There are almost 100 Downloads, and I even received 2 payments, thank you so much, kind strangers! I used the money to buy some art assets for the final version. As I sit here looking at it, I am considering what to keep, change, expand or shrink. I would love to hear from some of you who have had a chance to read through it.
I am considering stripping everything that presumes a setting and making a neutral SRD-like edition that can serve as a base for many different games and settings. Afterwards, I can use what I have already written to create setting-specific games. In addition to the fantasy version you have all seen here, I have some ideas for an urban fantasy setting and a space opera one. What would you prefer? Strongly themed like it is now, or more genre neutral, so it is clearer how to adapt. Let me know!
Just posted the playtest edition of my d12 Fantasy Game on Itch. Any Feedback is highly appreciated! :-D Compared to my usual 1 pagers this is going to be a banger.
Greetings fellow TTRPG fans!
It's been some time since my last post about my games, and I owe you an explanation. The past year presented some mental health challenges, but I'm pleased to report that I'm on the path to recovery. More importantly, I have some exciting news to share about my game.
I'm thrilled to announce that the actual play podcast "Dice So Nice I Said Dice Twice" recently conducted a playtest session of d12Core! As an amateur game designer, it's incredibly rewarding to learn that people are not only interested in your creation but are actively playing it. The opportunity to listen to this session has been both illuminating and inspiring.
I thank Jack, Toby and Carlyle for taking the time to explore d12Core with all my heart. They've released the first two of three episodes, and I eagerly anticipate the remaining installments. Regardless of their final assessment, I deeply appreciate their efforts and insights.
This unexpected spotlight has reinvigorated my dedication to the d12Core project. I'm currently working on a comprehensive update, and I invite you to follow the development process on my Discord server, where you can see the changes first! I would love to meet you there.
Some key points from the upcoming update:
Comprehensive Revision: Every section is being rewritten to enhance clarity and understanding.
New Examples: I am including more examples to help clarify game procedures.
Terminology Refinement: "Resolve" will be renamed "Adrenaline" to better reflect its role in gameplay. "Chance Dice" will become "Flux Dice," emphasising their game-changing nature rather than mere probability.
Mechanical Adjustments: I am changing difficulties to 8/10/12 to steer the game to more cooperative play as it felt too easy. Surges now trigger at 2 over TN for more fun, and I am doubling Grit recovery rates to ensure the characters are back in action faster.
Thank you for being so patient. Here's to the future of d12Core! I believe it is a special game and deserves more work from me.
I'm excited about the work so far and look forward to sharing more updates with you soon. Your continued interest and support are what drive this project forward.
Working to get my game out, however I must face the fact I have no budget for commissions so will either make it artless or will have to use stock. Fellow budget constrained designers, any tips on stock art? Or other frugal art tips that don't involve AI?
Finally, a new Beta is available!
I spoke about this a bit ago, but I was lucky to have some free time to power through a large part of d12Core. This new Beta is already an improvement, but still so much to do. I would love to hear what you think about it. It is free forever and might be a fun read while we are not at Gencon. More details on Itch.
Enjoy this free game! If you like it, please consider purchasing it through itch to support my further work. Would love to hear your thoughts in any case, is this interesting? What's missing? EDIT: Since it's a popular post, a new update out on Itch or here on my Tumblr.
https://chaosmeister.itch.io/6-q-system
6Q-System: A Free RPG
Hey, from the numbers, it looks like you all like free RPGs! This has given me such a positive boost, that I finally finished up the GM side of things and updated the previous release with clearer language. The images hold the whole game. To celebrate, I also put in more community copies of the PDFs on Itch.io. Enjoy!
Since it is CC BY 4.0, you are welcome to hack it to whatever you want. If you do, please tag me, as I would love to see it.
I am stuck between 'd12Core' and 'The Flux Engine' for my new tabletop RPG. The first describes an important mechanic, the second captures the spirit. Which one grabs your attention more and sounds more interesting?
At the heart of the game is the Flux Dice, a d12 that can dramatically swing the outcome of any action. It adds an element of surprise and uncertainty, where the best can fumble, and novices might pull off the near impossible.
If you want to see what it is all about, the beta has been out under d12Core for a while, it is free and will always stay free.
Based on the description the Community feature for Tumblr reminds me of Circles from the good old G+ days. Which would be amazing. Does anyone know if there are any TTRPG and especially TTRPG design focused communities around?
TTRPG Rulebook organization
Hello TTRPG fam, I'm facing a common challenge while writing my latest rulebook, and I'm curious about your thoughts.
How do you prefer to organize the order of rules in your TTRPGs? In my current draft, I have references in earlier chapters to concepts that aren't fully explained until later. Putting these ideas first disrupts the natural flow of the rules, but I also want to avoid constant "see page XX" references.
I'm considering a few options:
A "quick start" guide at the beginning
Sidebar explanations for referenced concepts
A comprehensive glossary of terms in the front
Detailed index at the back
Restructuring the entire rulebook (a last resort)
As both designers and players, how do you balance comprehension with readability? What ways have you found effective for introducing complex concepts without overwhelming new players or constantly redirecting readers to other sections?
I'm interested in hearing about your solutions and experiences. How have you tackled this issue in your own designs? What approaches have you appreciated in other rulebooks?
Let's talk
Expanding the 6Q-System
Hey TTRPG family,
Since a lot of you seem to like my free game 6Q, I've been kicking around some ideas for setting modules for it, and I'd love to get your input. I'm currently considering eight different settings, each with its own unique flavor. Take a look at these summaries and let me know which ones grab you the most:
🌆 Cyberpunk Megacity: Navigate a neon-drenched domed metropolis where climate control has gone haywire and micro weather haunts the districts. Help claw back control of the very weather from the corrupt corps exploiting it.
🐉 Mythic Fantasy Realm: Explore a world where forgotten gods walk among mortals and ancient magic pulses through the land. Your choices will shape the destiny of a realm teetering between rebirth and oblivion. May the fog spare you.
🪐 Space Opera Fringe: Carve out your legacy on the edge of known space, where alien mysteries and human ambition collide. The key to uniting worlds may lie in the unlikliest of friendships.
🕴️ Supernatural Investigation Agency: Join a clandestine organization tasked with keeping the supernatural hidden from the public eye. Balance maintaining the veil under which society operates with uncovering otherworldly truths that threaten reality itself.
🏜️ Post Apocalyptic Reconstruction: In a world ravaged by catastrophe, lead the charge to rebuild civilization. Your choices will determine not just survival, but the very nature of the society that rises from the ashes.
🎩 Steampunk Conspiracy: Unravel a web of secrets in a world of brass and steam, where science and the occult intertwine. Your inventions and deductions could topple empires or usher in a new age of enlightenment.
☀️ Solarpunk Utopia: Shape the future in a world that has overcome its greatest challenges through technology and social change. Explore the complexities of maintaining harmony while striving for perfection.
🏡 Slice of Life Community: Build connections and navigate personal growth in a close-knit community. Discover the extraordinary in the ordinary as you help shape the lives of those around you.
I'm genuinely curious to hear which of these resonates with you. Your input will be a big help as I expand 6Q. I can't promise I will nail every setting as some of these are challenging for me and outside my expertise. And of course details may change. I hope to get to every setting in due time, but your choice tells me what I will work on first. Cheers!
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments - I'm always interested in hearing your ideas and what you'd like to see.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me. Please repost if this interests you, I would love to get as much input as possible! Looking forward to seeing what you all think.
It's all in the logo. Please help me out TTRPG Family.
I cannot decide.