I was reading the post on lose/lose skills and thinking about the topic

one of the thoughts I came up with went something like this:

athletics is like lockpicking for "strong" characters

languages (particularly reading) is like lockpicking for smart characters

my general philosophy for lockpicking is it gives access to "extra treasure" or "shortcuts" and it never cuts off access to core quest elements (using Fallout video game logic) - and I currently have it as a challenge because it can scale (expert locks) and there are other ways around a lock typically

here is the challenge to my assumptions; both athletics and languages are binary skills in my design, you can do it or you can't (no checks) - realistically if I follow my own logic lockpicking should be a binary skill also

but it just feels wrong, what are other people's thoughts

Hello everyone, I wanted to ask about what you consider the most relevant and interesting game design theory that currently exists?

I also want to know what you would expect a game design master and doctorate level education to focus on and care about in terms of topics, areas of study etc. In other words what would you consider the next frontier in game design as a field of study?

(I currently work as an educator at a game design department, and the conversation came up and sparked intense debate between various different interests. My grounding is that this is best answered by practitioners and people who care deeply about the field outside of academia)

Edit: title is a typo, should be "base stats or NO base stats?"

Currently revisiting some designs, and im stuck on this question.

Originally I ditched stats (might, cunning, etc) in favor of just verbs (attack, defend, lie, etc). You have a list of things you can do, and you can get good at that thing. End of story.

But some part of me wonders if this is good. There's something about seeing a high 'might stat' that makes it easier to understand what the character is all about, compared to having to comb through specific actions. Does that matter? I might be getting too caught up in presentation lol.​

This is how I plan to write and lay out my NPC book.

1. I give the players the breakdown on how to read NPC stat blocks
2. I create one "ultimate" NPC stat block for each character and creature type. This stat block represents the most powerful version of that particular character or creature players could expect to encounter.
3. I note that the stat block provided can be "deconstructed" to create more typical NPCs. I.E. "Most orcs don't have all these traits; for a typical orc foot-soldier, just select one extra trait beyond these three base traits."

Screenshot examples can be found here

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My questions for the group are:

• Does this ask too much of players/game masters that need to create "smaller" baddies and city folk?
• If you were looking at running an adventure using NPCs from this book, how would you prep your characters for the session?

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The game I'm working on is Arcana: The Pursuit of Mastery. Currently available in early access on itch.io.

I've been working on a game that's basically a love-letter to D&D, but without the need to carry around the legacy.

And I've come to a point where I just dropped the huge table of adventuring items (abacus, backpack, etc) because weight/carry capacity just isn't something I want to focus on and the list felt more and more like it was simultaneously excessive (who has ever purchased a mess kit and had it matter in a game?), restrictive (giving off very strong "only things listed here are available" and "things on this list are always available everywhere at this price" vibes), and under-inclusive (missing things that would actually be useful and especially missing rules for such things).

I've also trimmed the armor table, both re-arranging things and dropping armor that is strictly inferior to starting armor, for example.

Which leads me to a new possibility. Trimming the weapon table. Instead of a bunch of items, many of which differ very slightly (different weapon properties, costs, and weights), I'd go with something much more slimmed down, like the following (WIP):

• Two big categories: Ranged and Melee.
  • Ranged has a default range (60/180). Features may modify this. Thrown defaults to (30/90).
  • Melee has a default reach (5 ft).
• All start at 1d6 damage. If you have Martial weapon proficiency, melee does 1d10 base and ranged does 1d8 base.
• Several smaller categories that set the damage type, the main property, and limits the other properties.
  • Bashing: bludgeoning damage, Battering property. [2H, Reach]
  • Small blade: piercing damage. Precise property. [Light, Thrown, Parrying]
  • Large blade: slashing damage. Parrying property. [2H, Reach, Cleaving]
  • Chopping: slashing damage. Cleaving property. [2H, Reach, Light]
  • Projectile (ranged only): piercing or bludgeoning damage. Ammunition. [Loading, 2H]
• You can choose one additional property. This may change the damage die:
  • 2H increases it by one step (to 1d12 for melee with martial, for example), at the cost of requiring 2H to use it.
  • Reach increases the reach to 10 ft, but requires 2H and drops the damage die by one (back to 1d10 with martial proficiency)
  • Thrown drops the damage die by 1 step.
  • Loading requires 2H and increases by a cumulative 2 steps, but requires bonus action to reload between shots (without a feature).
  • Battering lets you do some amount of damage even when you miss.
  • Cleaving lets you carry damage over to other nearby targets under some circumstances.
  • Precise increases your critical hit range by 1 (ie 19-20).
  • Parrying makes a universal defense option (basically a parry/riposte reaction that costs one of the universal resources) cheaper.
  • Ammunition makes it consume ammo, but also gets benefits from special ammunition (magical, etc).
  • Light (forgot this one before) drops the damage die by one, but lets you two-weapon fight.

This is probably too fiddly...talk me out of doing something like this. Or not.

As above. I intentionally named my game "Railgun 25" so I could iterate on it each year. 26 "released" fine, with a switch from roll under to roll over, and a fork for the multiplayer PvP mode. For 27 I was planning on actually putting art in it and playing with the layout.

I'm now wondering whether to scrap the d20 roll over mechanic. At the moment it uses polyhedral dice and all the others are used in combinations for damage for weapon types. It gives some flavour to the weapons, and most people like maths rocks.

However, I could easily switch it to a 2d6 based system (dc7 for success). I would lose some flavour with the weapons, and I'd have to tweak PC creation, but that's pretty much it. Weapons would do static damage and have some other traits like armour piercing.

Has anyone made the switch? Thoughts?

specifically, im talkig about the game rules themselves, not not feedback forms

So, I get this might be a little weird or niche topic, but I am looking to design a homebrew research and experimentation system for my games (I'm the GM). The setting of our next campaign will be in an early-modern (17th century) inspired fantasy world. Historically this was when science began to distinguish itself from alchemy and other more esoteric belief systems.

One of the players wants to play an alchemist/natural philosopher with a focus on research through the campaign.

So far I have thought of something in the structure of a basic research experiment:

1 Formulate a hypothesis - Ask the player what he wants to test

2 Design an experiment to test the hypothesis - Ask what methodology he wants to use (in general terms)

3 Create the experimental setup - The player and GM establish what the character can achieve with the available materials and equipment in regards to the experiment

4 Perform the experiment - Roll dice with modifiers to check wether the experiment is performed competently.

5 Interpret the results. If conclusive either reject or accept the hypothesis. - The GM describes the results (and maybe gives hints whether the player should attempt to reproduce the experiment or not).

I myself am a student in engineering, but being a relatively inexperienced GM (this next one will be my 3rd campaign GMing), I would like to know if anyone has either played a campaign that touches on these themes, or if there are any systems that aproach experimentation in a more serious way with mechanics that I could borrow/alter to fit the setting.

Wildermyth is a *computer* game with a neat procedural story generation, but it falls short it many areas.

I want to use something like it for my TTRPG, but want to see more resources first to see if anyone has seen anything else like it, or if they have any designs they're working on / have worked on that they're willing to share.

Hello, can you give me your thought and opinion about the skill list and resolution system of my game. My objective was to have fast resolution with small number and few to no calculations.

Skills are separated in two independent groups, with each having its own pool of points to distribute. (I already talked about this choice here)

Exploration Skills

• Strength: Ability to exert raw physical power. (Examples: lifting a heavy object or breaking down a door)
• Agility: Ability to move quickly and supplely. (Examples: climbing onto a rooftop or outrunning pursuers)
• Dexterity: Ability to perform precise manual tasks. (Examples: picking a lock or forging a document)
• Stealth: Ability to avoid being noticed. (Examples: moving silently or hiding in the darkness)
• Endurance: Ability to withstand hardship. (Examples: enduring a grueling journey or resisting poison)
• Knowledge: Ability to recall information. (Examples: knowing the history or the properties of a plant)
• Lucidity: Ability to analyse and reason. (Examples: examining tracks or understanding a mechanism)
• Perception: Ability to notice things through your senses. (Examples: spotting movement or hearing a distant voice)
• Insight: Ability to discern true intentions. (Examples: detecting a lie or recognising suspicious behavior)
• Charm: Ability to earn the trust of others. (Examples: calming an animal or persuading someone)
• Presence: Ability to intimidate or command attention. (Examples: intimidating a creature or delivering a speech)
• Luck: Ability to benefit from chance. (Examples: finding the correct path or winning a lottery)

Combat Skills

• Melee Attack: Ability to make Attacks against targets within melee Range (less than 2 meters). Any Action intended to injure or otherwise hinder a target is considered an Attack.
• Ranged Attack: Ability to make Attacks against targets beyond melee Range.
• Melee Defense: Ability to block or evade Attacks made by opponents within melee Range.
• Ranged Defense: Ability to anticipate and evade Attacks made by opponents beyond melee Range.
• Vigor: Ability to withstand injuries and recover from them.
• Power: Ability to wield and resist supernatural Powers.

Resolution system

As for the resolution system:

Each skill have a value between -1 and 3.

Whenever a Roll is required, the GM specifies which Skill applies and the difficulty of the roll (between 1 and 6). The value of the Skill determines the type of Roll: 

• Skill = 3: Roll 3 dice and keep the value of the highest one as the Result of the Roll.
• Skill = 2: Roll 2 dice and keep the value of the highest one as the Result of the Roll.
• Skill = 1: Roll 1 die and keep its value as the Result of the Roll.
• Skill = 0: Roll 2 dice and keep the value of the lowest one as the Result of the Roll.
• Skill = -1: Roll 3 dice and keep the value of the lowest one as the Result of the Roll.

You can find the whole chapters about skills and resolutions in the full document at pages 3 and 4 : https://ltesta.itch.io/another-path

Thanks for reading

I am in the main prototype stages of my ttrpg where i will be looking for editors and artists soon to help flesh out my system more. I have a discord server with progress reports, balance changes, and upcoming playtests. If your interested in giving it a lookover this is the prototype core rules). It is lacking in the art department for now and the layout and wording could be better but that's my gameplan with getting editors and artists. Any art i currently have is from one good friend of mine who helps when he has time

Currently this is just the prototype rulebook. I am working on the main rule book where almost all of the edits and changes will be going into with the prototype only being updated if huge changes happen or something is completely unbalanced and needs fixing for players.

Aetherfall is a modular tabletop RPG in containing a multitude of crafting systems for every combat type, bases, gear, potions, creatures/npc's. This system is built for every playstyle with no hard set classes. This system uses a action economy similar to pathfinder but uses 4 actions instead of 3. Light weapons use 1 action per attack, medium uses 2, and heavy uses 3. Spells use 2 at a minimum but heavy magic weapons(like big staves) use 3. You use yhe same 4 action economy during defense as well to block and dodge so you have to use your actions intelligently

There are no missed attacks in Aetherfall. Every attack is assumed to hit and survival depends on how well you dodge, block, or have the armour values to shrug the hit off. Skills and spells are built from modular parts. For example when making a spell you choose a essence(element of spell), a cast(where you spell originates from in the world), a shape(how your spell fires or interacts with the world), an effect(what your spell does to the thing it interacts with), and enhancements(upgrades to further improve a spell). There is a similar system for every other form of combat

Magic called Aether flows through all living things.The creator of this world descended down and gave us this power but with one condition, Danger is coming. Nobody knows what but it is set to arrive in 5 years time. Can people master control over the Aether in this time?

I have a game mechanic in mind where pools of dice are being thrown to check for the effect, let’s call them Damage and Soak.

If damage roll, that is usually done with smaller number of dice of various sizes is higher, then a soak roll, done with larger amount of smaller dice, an effect triggers.

I understand intuitevely I am dealing with two overlaping curves, but how do I collectly calculate what is an actual chance of one dice pool rolling higher then the other considering normal distribution.

I’ve been designing Hellebore, a TTRPG built around fast and fun combat, and I’d love some critical eyes on it before I run open playtests.

The core idea:

• Roll d20 + one of four abilities (Might, Agility, Mind, Will) against a target number. Beat it by 10 or more for a critical, miss by 10 or more for a critical failure. Natural 20s and 1s do nothing special.
• Your class is a deck of cards. You hold a hand of 7, draw back up each turn, and spend 4 action points on cards. Each class has a 24-card starter deck.
• No grid: two lanes per side, Front and Back. Melee hits only the enemy Front unless a card says “any lane”, and changing lanes costs 1 AP.
• Characters get marked by traumatic events and pick up quirks (virtues and afflictions), inspired by Darkest Dungeon.
• Monsters mostly play from a short hand of actions instead of a deck, so the GM has less to track.

The goal: encounters that are quick, easy, and fun without removing the complexity of players' decks and card management.

Quick rules (3 pages) + one class’s cards: https://main.wildbloom-studio.dev/hellebore-tts/hellebore-quick-rules-v0.2.pdf

Full Core Book draft (all rules, classes and complete decks): https://main.wildbloom-studio.dev/hellebore-tts/CoreRuleBook_version_0_2.pdf

What I’d most like feedback on:

1. Reading only the quick rules, could you run a fight? What’s unclear?
2. Do 4 AP and a hand of 7 sound fun to manage, or like too much bookkeeping?
3. Does the two-lane system feel like enough positioning, or too little?
4. Do the “deck = class” and the trauma/quirk systems fit together, or pull in different directions?

Five playtest classes are ready (Warlock, Trickster, Duelist, Warcaller, Alchemist). There’s a full Core Book draft and a Tabletop Simulator setup if anyone wants to dig deeper. Thanks for reading!

Picture a dungeon like the one in Dungeon Crawler Carl: lots of crawlers going down floor by floor, a timer on every floor, and loot boxes for doing well.

Now add a handful of unique relics, five for the whole dungeon, each with a power no normal item has. Think a bow that never misses and never needs arrows. They're mostly on the deeper floors and very hard to get.

The catch is that everyone can see who's holding one. So anyone who could use that bow knows exactly who to go after.

Does that make for good drama, or does the holder just get dogpiled until the relic changes hands every fight? Has anyone tried something like this, in a tabletop game or a video game?

Need an ultralight action-horror TTRPG to play this spooky season? I just published VISCERA, an incredibly lean, and incredibly mean little game in trifold format. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Some game design buzzwords: d6 dice pool, zero arithmetic, push your luck, fiction first, no levels, no HP or Damage, meta currency, wounds, death spiral, abstracted wealth, morality mechanics, edges and flaws, downtime system, player sided rolls, quantum inventory

This is the evolution of my Challenge Dice system I started designing on this sub like, almost a decade ago. Jesus I'm getting old. I'd love feedback on this version. There are huge limitations I put on myself making it into a trifold, it's seriously missing some examples of play. Do you still understand the rules with what is there? Working on longer form version for a larger project but I still think this version is playable as is.

Soo. I'm creating an rpg system, and it's real hard. Do you guys have any tips??

The name of the system is HXBRIDOL, and it's about

hybrids, magical creatures, and wizards it's based on the cyberpunk style league of legends vibe (the series), I already made the theme, base, some of the may it works (fight, magic, cards, dice and etc) but I still feel like something is missing😭😭

NOT EVERYTHING IS DONE YET

(Inglish is not my first language, sorry. And I don't know how to use the app😭😭)

Hi folks

I've been working on a system (Edit: fantasy TTRPG for context) for a while now and I feel like it's at a point where I can't go much further without running playtests, but I want to make sure that I test a variety of different play-styles to see how they fare in different scenarios.

If I make all the concepts myself I feel like I will, either consciously or unconsciously, optimise the gear and skills to be most useful, so I figured I'd throw this net out and invite people to share whatever they would consider a classic character archetype or build, and then I will make 10-15 of them as the pregen characters and put them through their paces, to see if different styles of build all have different strengths and weaknesses, or if there are things that prove to be flat-out useless.

If you'd like to throw a concept into the mix, please leave it in the comments. You can use the template below if you want to make it even easier for me to represent them mechanically, but the system is meant to work for representing a broad variety of things, so a more free-form concept is also fine.

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with, and I appreciate any and all responses.

Edit: If you're using the template, it only needs to be like one line of stuff per section. I don't need entire backstories or move sets (although you are certainly welcome to include more details should you wish to).

Thanks in advance,
TTP

Template

Personality: What are they like as a person? Charming? Stern? Manipulative? Intimidating? Ruthless? Honour-bound to act nobly, or lying as easily as they breathe? Are they well connected and wealthy, or scraping by and constantly needing to get the next job done just to be able to afford bed and board?

Background/Profession/Career: What sort of background does this person come from? Are they a mercenary? A thief? A monster slayer? Treasure hunter? Researcher for some university? Independently wealthy thrill-seeker? A religious figure acting in accordance with their god's will?

Style of Offense: Are they agile, nimble fighters that attack rapidly? Do they want to strike from the shadows and only attack surprised targets? Do they make big, high damage swings? Are they a dual-wielder, focusing on damage output and neglecting defence? Do they focus on ranged attack with a bow? A crossbow? Are they a mage? Do they fight unarmed as a brawler, or a fluid martial artist?

Style of Defence: Do they use a shield to tank blows? Magical wards? Nimble dodges to evade foes attacks? Are they an armoured juggernaut who allows blows to rain down on them ineffectually? Do they actively deflect and parry foes attacks? Do they avoid getting hit by focusing on stealth, staying hidden until the perfect moment to strike?

Gear (Armor/Weapons/etc.): How is this person outfitted. Do they have a weapon of choice? Armour, or regular clothes? A shield?

Magic: Can this person use magic? If so, what is their focus? Do they use a particular element? Are they a summoner? Are they using magic to augment their other abilities, or is it their primary thing? Do they focus on wards and protection? Nature magic? Healing?

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I've been thinking about how much work goes into getting a small tabletop RPG noticed these days.

You're making the game, writing & playtesting the rules, sorting out artwork and production, running a website, fulfilling orders...and then you need to look at actually telling folk about what you've done.

So that means keeping up with the likes of Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Discord, YouTube, newsletters, blogs, and whatever new platform appears next week.

It sometimes feels like, whether you'd prefer to or not, you need to become some sort of social media personality and spend time on platforms you'd otherwise rather avoid, just trying to make some noise without being seen as spamming.

All when what we really want to do is just make the next game!

I'm not complaining. It's part of being a small independent creator, and there are some really cool communities out there. But it did get me thinking about the other side of the equation.

For those of us who enjoy indie TTRPGs, it's easy to scroll past a post from a small creator without thinking much about it. But a like, a thoughtful comment or a share can really help that person's work reach someone new. You don't have to buy every game or follow every creator. Sometimes a little engagement is enough to give someone a boost.

And for those making games yourselves, I'd love to hear your experiences.

How many platforms do you actively use? Have you found any that are genuinely worth the time, or is it just a case of trying to be noticed and relevant everywhere at once? And what sort of support from the community has actually helped you get your work noticed?

There are so many interesting games being made outside the big publishers. It would be great to find more ways to help people discover them.