BIND

The Open Source RPG Dream

Jan 30, 2022 · 9 min read · RPG Theory BIND FOSS

The cynics say that we keep reinventing the wheel. They say we have too many RPGs, mostly doing the same thing, and why bother to write yet another RPG about elves and magic swords? And they have one thing right - we should stop re-writing RPGs from scratch. Instead, we should change them. Knave started as a …

Jan 20, 2022 · 1 min read · RPG BIND

Overview BIND is a fantasy tabletop RPG designed to solve a number of problems: Character backstories are a pain. Solution: Story Points Players never engage in the adventure in the right way; when they should go left, they always go right, but railroading them never gives good results. Solution: Side Quests Standard …

Against Collectors

Jun 5, 2024 · 2 min read · RPG BIND

I sometimes feel that collections can imply something shameful, and it's especially potent in RPGs. It has something to do with wanting to horde, rather than use; to own rather than do. I can't fully articulate the feeling, but it has something to do with one thing coming from on high as the 'definitive' idea, the …

Extrapolation & Necessity

May 30, 2024 · 4 min read · RPG BIND Design

When designing Fenestra, I noticed it had no magical universities. I really mean 'noticed', rather than 'stipulated', or 'invented'. People think that if anything's possible at the start, then it'll all be possible later. Options 'A', 'B', and 'C' are each possible, so perhaps we might select option 'A', and later 'B'. …

Designing around Spike-Traps

Apr 20, 2024 · 5 min read · RPG Design BIND

When making things, once in a while you spot a pit-trap laden with spikes, and screech to a halt to think about the route ahead carefully. When making chairs, I guess people test by sitting in the chair. Writers and RPG designers can't get this kind of snappy feedback, so I guess we're all a bit fumbly when testing …

Print it Yourself

Feb 9, 2024 · 2 min read · RPG BIND Design

I've decided against having online printing available for BIND. This may change, but here's the thinking so far: Printing means I need to have the book mailed to me, but posting to Serbia means a whole bunch of faff. Of course, a voice in my head reminds me I could always find a way. Send the book to a friend, and have …

One Roll Only

Nov 25, 2023 · 3 min read · RPG Design BIND

The roll-only-once rule saves a lot of real-world time. Nobody rolls again. Every roll means something. Multiple Rolls Guarantee Success Let's say the PCs want to pick a lock. The first one fails the roll, but they have plenty of time. Another rolls the dice and fails. A third sighs, knowing they will make it out of …

Subraces Should be Cultures

Nov 5, 2023 · 3 min read · RPG Design BIND

Referring to elves as a 'race' makes perfect sense. They're clearly different from the other humanoids, have their own features, and biological properties and oddities.1 But 'sylvan elves'? The elves who live in forests, but generally act like any other elf? They're clearly just elves living in a different climate. …

Parallel Rules and BIND

Oct 26, 2023 · 3 min read · RPG BIND

I want contradictory things for BIND, so I've been trying to do both. And I have finally made it work...I think. The Oneshot Campaign Escape from the Goblin Horde started with a notion to make a one-shot introduction to BIND, and soon grew far too large to really call itself a 'one-shot'. I fixed this with toggles …

BIND's Meta History

Oct 12, 2023 · 2 min read · RPG BIND

RPG worlds need histories, so I had to write some history for BIND. This was a big mistake. The stupidity came in writing because I had to. This, unsurprisingly, produced bad writing. Now that I'm rewriting the lot for BIND version 0.9, it's all going in the BIND-bin. Like King Hagard in the Last Unicorn, I will …