Design

Small RPGs

Dec 13, 2023 · 1 min read · Design

Minimalism rocks.

Looking at these minimalist systems like Cairne and Mörk Borg, I felt they were onto something. 3-pages of rules, and 'on with the game!'.

I've yet to play one, but the more I read these systems, the more I feel something's simply missing. Specifically, 'everything except combat'.

In the old D&D …

How to Write a Tabletop RPG

Dec 2, 2023 · 12 min read · Theory Design

This chronological rundown of how I approach RPG design will go over the most universal principles I've learned or copied from others.

Attitude

All rules are bad, but some rules are worth it.

The rest of the ideas here will talk about technical implementation, but the core thought, riding alongside every notion, is …

One Roll Only

Nov 25, 2023 · 3 min read · Design BIND

RPGs should avoid asking people to roll dice more than once for any result.

Aesthetically, multiple rolls don't feel right. Rolling dice should feel like casting rune-inscribed bones across a table.

Multiple Rolls Guarantee Success

The door is locked, but can be picked with a roll of 18 or higher.

This sounds like a …

Subraces Should be Cultures

Nov 5, 2023 · 3 min read · 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. …

On the Necessity of the Four Classical Elements

Jul 27, 2023 · 3 min read · Design

I wanted to make an elemental magic system, and tried to deviate from the four classical elements. It's a lot more challenging than I thought.

If you go with random stuff, like trees, birds, and rivers as your basic elements, then you end up with a multitude of items.

We could divide the world into larger pieces of …

Writing for the GM

Jun 26, 2023 · 3 min read · Design

I don't have the reading time for RPGs I once did (or for anything). I'd like to chalk if up to being an adult with a job now, but perhaps the truth is just 'internet'.

Whatever the reason, I want to write better for GMs. Here are the principles I've picked up from reading/ writing (no credits given - I can't even …

Drinking Game Design

Feb 9, 2023 · 2 min read · Prattle Design

Standard drinking games are badly designed; if someone does badly, they get drunk, then do worse on the next game, which prompts more drinking. The only people who play drinking games want to drink, but when you lose, you drink, so the incentives don't track anyone's goals.

A better drinking game would have a drink as …

Spreadsheets are Great

Jan 27, 2023 · 3 min read · Theory Design BIND

Whenever I'm unsure about a rule, I pull out a basic spreadsheet, and start populating numbers.

The image I had for the ghoul spell began with a mage who could raise small things from the dead, like a cat, or dog. Slowly, the dark sorcerer would learn to raise gnomes, then humans, and finally raise undead ogres or …

Ordinal Fallbacks

Jan 1, 2023 · 1 min read · Design

Game designers often lecture (or bemoan) that nobody can possibly make a realistic game. But in the words of Queen Victoria, I am not interested in the possibility of failure.

Instead of looking at 'is this showing what would happen if you really mounted a dragon while wearing armour', I prefer to look simply at the …

Word Game: Ghost

Dec 21, 2022 · 1 min read · Design

My favourite word-game is Ghost.

You go round in a circle, each person stating a letter, which builds to a word.
If someone completes a word of four or more letters, they lose.
If someone receives a set of letters which cannot complete a word, they can challenge the person before them.
- If the person before states a …