So riding on that wave of playing games where you can use whatever you want to play with, I dove into some game designing after a friend talked about us playing something with all the awesome miniatures I had laying around. My first thoughts were stuff like Metamorphosis Alpha or Gamma World. But both of those games while very evocative and fun have a certain barrier to entry, if I wanted to bring my models to the table I'd have to stat them up as full characters, something that can be quite an extensive process. That and I had recently been on a dive into the Burning Wheel RPG, curated by Adam Koebel.
And there are a lot of very interesting nuggets of game design there. Things like characters having descriptive traits that would award them exp if the trait got them into trouble. So beyond just stats there'd be a description of their character traits, things like being lazy or short-tempered, and beyond just being a fictional thing it got tied to the mechanics. Whenever a player choose to act upon that behavior in a way that was to their own or others detriment they would get exp.
Likewise characters had beliefs that fueled them, statements about what they thought to be true and what view they'd fight for. That way they always had a sort of goal to point towards in case the players got unsure of how the character would react. Furthermore these beliefs actually gave various bonuses if persued, so if you were doing things directly related to your belief of lets say "All animals are beautiful and lovable beings, I will never treat them harshly" you'd get a bonus.
Something about that resonated really well with me. The idea of having characters be sentences instead of just numbers. I mean at a very fundamental level that is how we'd preferably describe our fellow human beings too right? With words. Although some surely would go "she's a solid 8.5" that is the kind of dumbassery I'd like to refrain from. So from that idea things really sped up.
Adam Koebel's own Dungeon World, and its father Vincent Baker's Apocalypse World both use a very approachable 2d6 dice system that I find to be a good base line, as well as this notion of 'failing forward', meaning that botched rolls aren't just a "you didn't do it" but more akin to "yeah you broke the lock, and got the door open, but now you're face to face with a growling guard dog" kinda thing. So even failiures propel the story forwards by introducing new complications and dangers instead of just going "No. You didn't do the thing." And because most rolls are centered around 7 on a roll of 2d6, most of the time actions are gonna result in weird consequences and compromises.
In both the previously mentioned games characters have stat modifiers between -2 and +2 helping to push the odds in or out of your favor. But instead of stats I figured why not pin these modifiers to sentences about the character, meaning you'd get these conversations with the GM where you go "Hey my character actually feels at home in cramped spaces, does that mean I get a bonus to hiding in the vent?" The descriptions become interpretive, players try to turn and angle them, figuring out how or where they can make the case for them being helpful in the given situation. And that is really the basis of it all. Characters are described, describtions give bonuses deemed applicable.
And of course there is something kinda playful and enjoyable about picking up some gnarly monster miniature you have and trying to imagine what kind of things it'd do or be good at. With that sort of design-talk out of the way, here is what I actually penned as one-pager:
True Things the Lite Miniatures RPG
The game revolves around a GM and several players. Each player dig out a cool miniature they want to be, the GM sets aside some themselves to be monsters and other characters.
When players want to attempt something risky, dumb or dangerous. Roll 2d6. On a 6-, they fail miserably, the GM tells them how. On a 7-9, they succeed but barely, there is a catch or a snap decision they have to make. On a 10+, they succeed fully.
Dice are always player-facing, meaning if enemies do bad stuff the players have to roll to resist it.
All models have 3 hit points, your first one is a flesh wound - certainly uncomfortable, but not lethal. The second one is crippling or disfiguring, it hurts a lot, but you’re still upright. Third one is incapacitating, doesn’t have to be lethal, but they are definitely out for the count.
Finally all characters have a list of true things. These are a sentences that describe special powers a model may have, their background, things they are good at, and of course how they are inclined to act.
When a characters true things are somehow applicable to an action they’re doing, they get +1 per relevant true thing. Likewise when enemies’ true things are applicable the character gets a -1 per relevant true thing.
So using the notion of true things, most models can be brought into play or altered within minutes, by simply jotting down some true things about their behavior, equipment or physique. There is no limit on hard limit on true things, but three or four are a good starting point depending on the characters power. Enemies with more true things will also be much more dangerous, than those with only a few.
Throughout play player characters can gain new true things, as they make discoveries and loot stuff.
Here are two models taken from my own collection and assigned a few true things to make them fully fledged character for the RPG.
True Things about Serkis
1. Serkis' scales are bright and colourful, not useful for hiding, but it makes him a very imposing figure.
2. Serkis knows the old highways like the back of his hand, it is where he found the scrap to make his armour.
3. While he may spit poison to blind foes, he prefers to let his big axe do the talking.
True Things about Ground Maws
1. They will kill whatever stumbles into them, therefore they are feared and revered in equal measure.
2. Their shells and mouth parts are extremely hard, but their interior is soft, therefore they make sure things are dead before swallowing them.
3. They hide underground and detect prey via ground tremors, which is why explosives overwhelm and frighten them.
True Things about Thanquol
1. His curled horns and grey fur marks his social stature as one of the highest, this is an authority he wields like a sledge.
2. His patron god blesses him with good luck, for he is a true schemer, as compliant as he is ruthless.
3. He can hurl bolts of warp lightning, a feat empowered by the consumption of warpsone, something he has now grown addicted to.
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And there are a lot of very interesting nuggets of game design there. Things like characters having descriptive traits that would award them exp if the trait got them into trouble. So beyond just stats there'd be a description of their character traits, things like being lazy or short-tempered, and beyond just being a fictional thing it got tied to the mechanics. Whenever a player choose to act upon that behavior in a way that was to their own or others detriment they would get exp.
Likewise characters had beliefs that fueled them, statements about what they thought to be true and what view they'd fight for. That way they always had a sort of goal to point towards in case the players got unsure of how the character would react. Furthermore these beliefs actually gave various bonuses if persued, so if you were doing things directly related to your belief of lets say "All animals are beautiful and lovable beings, I will never treat them harshly" you'd get a bonus.
Something about that resonated really well with me. The idea of having characters be sentences instead of just numbers. I mean at a very fundamental level that is how we'd preferably describe our fellow human beings too right? With words. Although some surely would go "she's a solid 8.5" that is the kind of dumbassery I'd like to refrain from. So from that idea things really sped up.
Adam Koebel's own Dungeon World, and its father Vincent Baker's Apocalypse World both use a very approachable 2d6 dice system that I find to be a good base line, as well as this notion of 'failing forward', meaning that botched rolls aren't just a "you didn't do it" but more akin to "yeah you broke the lock, and got the door open, but now you're face to face with a growling guard dog" kinda thing. So even failiures propel the story forwards by introducing new complications and dangers instead of just going "No. You didn't do the thing." And because most rolls are centered around 7 on a roll of 2d6, most of the time actions are gonna result in weird consequences and compromises.
In both the previously mentioned games characters have stat modifiers between -2 and +2 helping to push the odds in or out of your favor. But instead of stats I figured why not pin these modifiers to sentences about the character, meaning you'd get these conversations with the GM where you go "Hey my character actually feels at home in cramped spaces, does that mean I get a bonus to hiding in the vent?" The descriptions become interpretive, players try to turn and angle them, figuring out how or where they can make the case for them being helpful in the given situation. And that is really the basis of it all. Characters are described, describtions give bonuses deemed applicable.
And of course there is something kinda playful and enjoyable about picking up some gnarly monster miniature you have and trying to imagine what kind of things it'd do or be good at. With that sort of design-talk out of the way, here is what I actually penned as one-pager:
True Things the Lite Miniatures RPG
The game revolves around a GM and several players. Each player dig out a cool miniature they want to be, the GM sets aside some themselves to be monsters and other characters.
When players want to attempt something risky, dumb or dangerous. Roll 2d6. On a 6-, they fail miserably, the GM tells them how. On a 7-9, they succeed but barely, there is a catch or a snap decision they have to make. On a 10+, they succeed fully.
Dice are always player-facing, meaning if enemies do bad stuff the players have to roll to resist it.
All models have 3 hit points, your first one is a flesh wound - certainly uncomfortable, but not lethal. The second one is crippling or disfiguring, it hurts a lot, but you’re still upright. Third one is incapacitating, doesn’t have to be lethal, but they are definitely out for the count.
Finally all characters have a list of true things. These are a sentences that describe special powers a model may have, their background, things they are good at, and of course how they are inclined to act.
When a characters true things are somehow applicable to an action they’re doing, they get +1 per relevant true thing. Likewise when enemies’ true things are applicable the character gets a -1 per relevant true thing.
So using the notion of true things, most models can be brought into play or altered within minutes, by simply jotting down some true things about their behavior, equipment or physique. There is no limit on hard limit on true things, but three or four are a good starting point depending on the characters power. Enemies with more true things will also be much more dangerous, than those with only a few.
Throughout play player characters can gain new true things, as they make discoveries and loot stuff.
Here are two models taken from my own collection and assigned a few true things to make them fully fledged character for the RPG.
True Things about Serkis
1. Serkis' scales are bright and colourful, not useful for hiding, but it makes him a very imposing figure.
2. Serkis knows the old highways like the back of his hand, it is where he found the scrap to make his armour.
3. While he may spit poison to blind foes, he prefers to let his big axe do the talking.
1. They will kill whatever stumbles into them, therefore they are feared and revered in equal measure.
2. Their shells and mouth parts are extremely hard, but their interior is soft, therefore they make sure things are dead before swallowing them.
3. They hide underground and detect prey via ground tremors, which is why explosives overwhelm and frighten them.
And once I had gotten started, describing my favourite ratboy Thanquol was almost mandatory too.
1. His curled horns and grey fur marks his social stature as one of the highest, this is an authority he wields like a sledge.
2. His patron god blesses him with good luck, for he is a true schemer, as compliant as he is ruthless.
3. He can hurl bolts of warp lightning, a feat empowered by the consumption of warpsone, something he has now grown addicted to.
I overall feel like this a pretty interesting brain-child I've birthed, and something that can easily be used to whip out a few miniatures and play though some crawl in a dungeon or ruin.
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