RPG | TTRPGs

Small RPGs

Dec 13, 2023 · 1 min read · RPG 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 …

Windows & Wizards

Dec 9, 2023 · 2 min read · RPG FOSS

It cannot be long before anyone familiar with abusive software models, and RPGs, notices undeniable parallels. The free and openly available systems function well in a technocratic sense, but lack advertising. On-boarding new people feels easy when dealing with an enthusiast, but your standard user struggles with the …

How to Write a Tabletop RPG

Dec 2, 2023 · 12 min read · RPG 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 …

Nobody Plays by the Rules

Dec 2, 2023 · 3 min read · RPG Theory

I was once attacked by a horde of kobolds, and it taught me a lesson. These attacks weren't uncommon, when playing the old Baldur's Gate computer game. I threw a poison cloud spell at the kobolds, and they started randomly falling over, getting up and walking a few steps, then falling over again. As the dozen little …

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 …

Railroading: A Definition

Nov 8, 2023 · 4 min read · RPG Theory

Definition 'Railroading' means that an out-of-game white-list constricts in-game actions. A 'white-list' is a complete list of things one can do. A white-list of websites would mean that someone connecting with this white-list can only visit sites which exist on that list. Conversely, a 'black-list' is a list of things …

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 …

The Metaphysics of Becoming a Tree

Oct 13, 2023 · 2 min read · RPG Theory

All magic systems imply some ontology, and most of the European ontologies come from Aristotle's view of the world. This is why someone turned into stone might retain their vision, motion, and thoughts. In Aristotle's view, everything has: form (the shape) substance (what it's made out of) telos (what it's for) …

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 …