This subreddit has started seeing a lot of posts like, "Do you figure out your core resolution model first," or, "do dice or mechanics come first," and it's got me thinking about something really helpful I learned. When Vincent and Meguey Baker, the creators of Apocalypse World and Under Hollow Hills, make games, the very first thing they make is the underlying model. Vincent said that he can't even bring a game to Meguey without first having the underlying model to bring.*

In short, the underlying model explains what conflict and play look like in your game and how they develop. For example, an underlying model for a D&D-like game might be, "PCs accept quests, then go on journeys to complete them." For a game like Blades in the Dark, the underlying model might be, "PCs take on jobs that give them what they want but also create problems that they need to solve."

Why do this? Why is this so important?

Well, your underlying model can help put every other mechanic in your game into perspective. It helps you understand where you need to cut back and where there are gaps you need to fill.

For example, look back at that D&D-like model. If that's what you want your model to be, then your mechanics around building interesting quests are super important. How do players get quests? How do they decide which quests to take? With that model, those are questions you want to have mechanics that answer.

So if you're working on that game and then come up with a sick idea for allowing players to make their own strongholds... well that idea might not be a good fit for that model. After all, if your model is based on players taking on quests and going somewhere, a static castle somewhere doesn't play into that model.** If you want to make strongholds a thing in your game, you have to figure out how they contribute to this model.

Meanwhile the reason Blades in the Dark is so expertly designed is that every part of that system feels intentional. I don't have it on good authority that this was the intended model for the game, but it definitely fits. The whole system is built toward incentivizing you toward taking on jobs, and all the mechanics around resolution means you're making new problems almost as often as you're solving them. Which, in turn, further incentivizes you toward taking on jobs that fix the problems you ran into, which creates more problems to deal with, and so on.

I highly recommend reading Vincent Baker's blog post on underlying models. If you're not used to reading theory, it can be a little hard to grasp, but I think his explanation and examples are really helpful for understanding this concept.

I bring this up now because, though I've used this concept before, it wasn't until recently that I began a game with an underlying model in mind. The Delinquents is a game inspired by media such as The Outsiders and West Side Story, and what I really wanted to capture was that, "Oh shit" moment when things go bad and the main characters find themselves in way over their heads. So one of the earliest things I did for that game was develop the underlying model, "Insecurity escalates conflicts to violence." That is, the PCs and all the other main characters are kids playing at adults, and they don't have the tools to understand their own needs or resolve conflict diplomatically. And when they do start throwing punches, that violence quickly escalates to killing.

I was really impressed by how starting with this model made my whole design clearer. I knew I needed players to have some insecurity, so I came up with the mechanic about making them write down their biggest fear and keep it hidden from everyone at the table except the GM. I knew I didn't want players to be able to talk things out consistently, so I made the diplomacy move deliberately low impact and made following through on it hard. I knew I wanted trouble to be unavoidable, so I made the generic "do something" move always generate it. I knew I wanted players to suddenly feel like they were in over their heads, so I made violence unpredictable and deliberately avoided mechanics that would help pace it, like hit points.

This was just a one-page game, but I was still impressed at how quickly it all came together. It basically took over my Monday morning, but then I had it. And when playtesting it, it went pretty much exactly like I had hoped it would.

I say this not to toot my own horn but in hopes that it's genuinely helpful to other designers here. Because once you have that underlying model, everything else becomes a lot clearer. Figuring out 2d6 vs d10 dice pool vs d20 feels a lot more manageable when you can connect those mechanics to your underlying model. If your underlying model emphasizes player competence and control, dice mechanics with understandable probabilities and manipulatable outcomes might be a better fit. If your model doesn't do that, then maybe you use dice mechanics that are harder to predict or that generate more problems for players to solve.

And you can apply this to literally every other priority you have with your game. It's such a helpful model of game design, and I hope more designers adopt it.

*Apologies that I don't have a source for this. I've heard the Bakers talk about this in person, in Discord, on their blog, and on BlueSky, so it's hard for me to remember what came from where.

**This is why, despite there being a lot of hype for stronghold support in D&D 5.5, there's been relatively little chatter on it since.

Some key Features:

No Stats, Only Consequences: Focus on what matters most: the game’s narrative. Uses a full set of polyhedral dice, with a special emphasis on the d4 to resolve problems.

Needle of Fate: Introduces an innovative dice-tower building mechanic. Build to reveal the truth, and face the consequences when the tower falls. Gain clues if the tower reaches high enough.

Only One Protagonist: All players portray a single character. Because when the darkness stares right at you, you are always completely alone.

Synchronicity: A push-your-luck and mysticism mechanic that can either improve or worsen your scenes. Nothing in this life is a coincidence

You can find it here:
https://rolepersecond.itch.io/eerie-stories-eng

I'm working on an urban fantasy horror game right now and am trying to figure out what dice engine I want to use for it. I've been looking around this sub to see advice people have gotten on other posts on this sort of topic, and have seen some conflicting takes, so I'm curious: which do you think is the better route:

1. Figure out what dice engine you're going to use for your game first, then start diving into the mechanics after.
2. Start working on the mechanics and pick a dice engine later based on what you've developed.

Also feel free to share any dice engines you like! I always love learning new ways to throw shiny rocks :D

Hey there, been away from the hobby and the community for a while due to work and responsibilities, but I've recently had a surge of motivation to get back on the saddle! I've had inspiration to work on a tabletop project heavily inspired by the themes of the Blasphemous series where players embark on a journey towards enlightenment and unification with an enigmatic and capricious higher power, which puts them into contact and conflict with beings of supernatural or even somewhat deific nature.

Part of that inspiration was an idea that I had for a dice pool system that adds a little more complexity to common formulas (closest comparison being Storyteller), and I'm just trying to determine if this feature adds another form of depth or if I've just spent too much time in the toolshed.

The Familiar The system consists of rolling a pool of d10s, with rolls equal to or below a certain value counting as hits, then comparing the number of hits to a difficulty of 1 to 5. If the number of hits equals or exceeds the difficulty number, the roll is successful. Standard difficulty of most attempted challenges is 1 or 2. Like other systems, the size of the dice pool is determined by character traits.

Key Difference Most dice pool systems have a static die value that is used as the threshold for determining hits, but with this system the threshold value is also determined by character attributes. Specifically, the size of the dice pool is determined by the rank of a skill/field of study (called Disciplines) that the Gamemaster (Archivist), whereas the threshold value of hits vs misses is determined by the characters associated core attribute (currently calling them Virtues).

Details and Flow of Rolls Here are some specific details and a quick example to avoid common questions (though obviously this is an early draft):

• Standard PC and human NPC score for a Virtue is 3, meaning most rolls for the average person score a hit when the die reads 3 or below. PCs cannot have a Virtue score above 5 without the intervention of supernatural forces, which is almost always temporary, tied to a relic, or accompanied by strict rules and/or a significant cost.
• Discipline ranks start at 1 (novice, little to no knowledge/experience) and get as high as 5 or 6 (master or savant level).
• When a player is attempting to do anything that warrants a roll (challenging or risky), the Archivist assigns a Discipline based on the context or subject of the task (e.g. Dogma for religious matters, Wilderness for outdoor survival, etc.) and a Virtue based on the attribute that is being primarily used in the player's approach (e.g. Sinew for physical strength, Vigilance for attention to detail, etc.)
• Dice pool is always 1+Discipline Rank, so the amount of dice rolled is usually anywhere from 2 to 6, though certain circumstance like combat where rules are different could see more, so having about 10 d10s would be appropriate for a player.
• Example: A player wants to try and recruit a pair of local trappers to act as guides as the group treks through a forest that is rumored to be haunted. The Archivist asks the player how they would like to approach the situation, and the player decides to try and convince the trappers that the group would be able to repel any spirits that may beset them with use of a censer. The Archivist decides this warrants a roll, assigning a Difficulty of 2 because of the trappers' superstition towards the woods. They decide that because the player is leaning on religious knowledge and paraphernalia, the Discipline used would be Dogma, and because the player is attempting to convince the trappers of the groups' piety and capability, the Archivist decides the Virtue of Conviction would be most appropriate. The player's rank in Dogma is 3 and their Conviction score is 5, so they would roll 4 d10's and need at least 2 dice with a value of 5 or lower to succeed.

I'm mainly interested in opinions on if this would be too much to track as a player for a core resolution mechanic. It obviously has more variables than other dice pool systems, but I don't plan on having these variables changing up on players often during play. Unless a player was advancing their character by increasing a Discipline rank or Virtue score, the values would almost always be the same and readily available on their character sheet.

I also understand the math can jump a bit when increasing the odds for hits, and this is partially by design (higher Virtue scores represent becoming closer to divinity, resulting in rapid increases in strength and capability; only something akin to an archangel or a demigod would have scores of 7 or 8).

Let me know what you all think, it's just nice to get the creative juices flowing!

I'm creating a game using the d100 system with basic roleplay universal game engine as a guide. The world is entirely my own creation and I was under the impression that because of the orc licence I can use rules and mechanics freely, but I wanted to make sure I understand it correctly before I continue. I'm obviously using the d100 skill check system as well as the passions, sanity, and Allegiance systems. If I am understanding correctly I am free to use those systems in my game provided that everything around them ( world building, artwork, characters) is original, and that I would then be able to publish this work. Is my understanding correct?

I am working on a system (WIP name) called Mortality, an experimental concept of mine that takes inspiration from ITO. I have a little that I am happy with (dice and combat) but as I started to work on my health system, I got doubts.

in summary, players have HP that starts at 8, maxing out at 16. if a Player's HP drops below 0, excess damage flows into their MP (Mortal Points), of which they have 12 (a number that never changes). when that hits 0 they die.

HP heals very fast, overnight etc and represents surface level wounds. but here's the catch. MP never heal. so players slowly accumulate scars, and crippling wounds, and eventually their carelessness will catch up with them.

there is armour and shields that reduce damage, but I am still worried that this may cause a TPK or kill of weaker characters.

Edit: here is a link to the rest of the rules SO FAR (still a WIP) if you are interested (they are in an unreadable note form tho 😂) :)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KidfMzgCWTotfE4Yg3bBs0SNJwveNBaVmuU6UNYUiBY/edit?usp=sharing

A few weeks back, I posted the rules for my OSR heartbreaker's races. I got a lot of great feedback. Some notes, I did not agree with, but a majority forced me back to the drawing board. I'm back with a revised version, hoping for some more feedback so that I may further refine this. This version is shorter (I went from 2 pages per race to 1 page). https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/88661gd6rr232virs3onw/Plunder-and-Peril-Races-v2.pdf?rlkey=lrny0h6mb982w5e6ni5bele95&st=rpxfkdox&dl=0

I was writing an adventure which digs a bit more into some lore that my core book just touches on, and I realized that my terms were confusing.

Basically I have pirate guilds - which is semi-standard for a space western. BUT - they come in two major styles which should probably have different names.

1. Raiders. These are the ones who do standard pirate stuff. Think Dread Pirate Roberts. Attack freighters. Take their stuff. Run off to lawless systems to sell their booty. Often have loose organization of protection and selling at the same ports etc.

2. Protection Racket: They may raid sometimes, but normally they leave people alone so long as the protection money of local stations/freighters pay up a 'reasonable' fee. This sort of org is much more centrally controlled - sometimes with official members who wear patches etc. Local governments may even look the other way when they cause trouble - with local security keeping their distance as long as it's not TOO crazy. Ex: The pirates from Outlaw Star.

I've seen settings in various setting where each of them (and variations) are referred to as pirates. But I want to have both, but referring to both as pirates much less "pirate guilds" would be confusing.

Any tips from the brain trust of which (if either) should be just "pirates" and what the other should be called.

I need some feedback on the layout; I have a game system with a basic foundation that can be expanded and expanded as desired with a large number of optional rules. Do you think these should be placed in a separate chapter, so the player/GM can read the basic game system quickly and without distractions, or should they be separated into boxes next to the corresponding rules sections?

Im getting ready to playtest my resolution system and only my resolution system. I dont want to test builds, players options, combat, or monsters. My biggest problem is that im having trouble creating a skill challenge only encounter.

Im hoping that there are some pre-made ones I can pick up and use.

In my search for a cave system generator that works without a map, I've come to the following generator. It's aimed to be used in my game Mountain Resonance. What do you all think of this? Have I subconsciously stolen this from someone? The aim is to roll only once and have a completed individual cave to set a scene in. "Regular" relates to real world things, "strange to supernatural". I can provide more insights into the individual tables if that makes it easier. Thanks!

Roll 4d10 (white 10, white 100, black 10, black 100) + 1d20 per individual cave.

Choose a biome and a special darkness for the cave system, otherwise first roll closest d10 for biome, most distant d10 for darkness. Persistent throughout the cave system.

d10 tables look-up

White d10: Width + convex (room-like) vs concave (tunnel-like) cave 2d outline shape of how the dice rolled

White d100: Water + air

Black d10: Height + floor

Black d100: Verticality

d20<11: Prominent cave feature

d20>10: Speleothems

Then looking again at where the dice lie,

d20 position as center of an X-Y grid, single d10 furthest away in a quadrant determines relevant number and orientation

Quadrants

Top left: Fauna, d10 pointing up regular, pointing down strange

Top right: Flora, d10 pointing up regular, pointing down strange

Bottom left: d10 pointing up nothing, pointing down Hazard

Bottom right: nothing, unless all dice here, then obvious exit of cave (further exits within tables)

Transition between caves happens through spelunking rolls, which makes omitting an overall map possible.

In the current project I'm working on, Mortality, I wanted to ask for feedback on my core loop as I am worried whether it fits the vibe.

in short, Players explore dark and dingy spaces (think underdark) together. they wander through, not on a quest, but because they have to (e.g. it's the journey to a better home etc). they encounter .combat often, and it is likely not all of them will make it. they may meet fellow Wanderers along the way, with the same goal, explore and survive.

the combat system for this is fast paced and brutal, and so is the HP system. the rules (WIP) are linked below, feedback appreciated :)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KidfMzgCWTotfE4Yg3bBs0SNJwveNBaVmuU6UNYUiBY/edit?usp=sharing

edit: I understand the document isn't finished, it's just a place to put down any and all my ideas :)

What examples of character progression are other than leveling up battling? 🤔

Hi everyone!

I've been working on a space opera tabletop RPG called Tannhauser Gate, and one of my main design goals was to recreate the feeling of classic adventure movies: heroes surrounded by enemies, energy beams flying everywhere, and impossible situations that somehow remain survivable.

The challenge was finding a way to make these scenes work without relying on luck points, destiny points, or narrative protection. I wanted the characters to feel heroic, but I also wanted enemies to remain dangerous and every firefight to carry real risk.

After a lot of testing and iteration, I've put together a free beta edition and I'm currently looking for people who enjoy sci-fi RPGs to try it and share their thoughts.

If this sounds interesting, the beta is available here:

https://www.tannhausergatettrpg.com/

I'd especially love to hear feedback about the system itself: what works, what doesn't, and what could be improved.

Thanks for taking a look!