1:39 #1: What's your goal? 5:56 #2: Choose your genre. 7:28 #3: How are outcomes determined? 12:42 #4: Mechanics (an overview). 16:11 #5: Test your system. 20:37 #6: Test your system with real players. 22:48 #7: Flesh out the rules. Enjoy!
I've been running in my own world for about 10 years, and starting making my own system for it about two years ago, as I felt that the current systems that were available didn't really fit in with the lore. It's nearing completion, and I wish I had this when I started!
I have only one thing to add. #8 *Don’t try to make things perfect. Only try to make it fun to play.* This video talks about so many things I had to find out myself. I had tons of playtesters and only one didn’t like it. But they were all really positive and constructive.
I think a yes or no system sounds like a mostly narrative system. Combat would likely be a narrative exchange where each participant performs one action going in narrative order, which would leave damage up to the GM. The question becomes" is this guy hurt enough to die?" and if the GM says "he's got six arrows in him but he's ten feet tall and very tough" then he'll be alive, but if the GM says "he's just been disemboweled and he needs those organs to live" then he dies
Absolutely. Long ago, when I was working on an RPG, my partner and I had a disagreement over realism vs. playability. To me, a game that does not emphasize playability is not a game at all - and a simulation that is not accurate and faithful isn't worth making. So I erred on the side of fun and playability.
I don’t agree with the second rule there but I do with the first one. Simpler is better with certain games, but I think it really depends on what type of system you’re making. I think in some systems the complexities are really what makes the system good, it’s just based on what you’re building for. What you should generally avoid more so is complications that don’t add anything I think
@@mythhooked6082 it is said that perfection is not when there is nothing left to add, but rather nothing left that can be _removed_ . It is _elegance_ , rather than complexity, that players appreciate in a sophisticated system.
@@zacharygadzinski3147 No not really if all you need to sell is a rulebook Amazon self publish is great for that and if you simply want you game out there RPG.net, Reddit are great! And don't forget Google drive to put your game on if you don't mind people playing for free.
@Avid Student firstly have a web presence you control (like a website) then use social media, TH-cam, blogs, etc to expose aspects of the game. Contact people and begin to build a contact list of interested people you can send test packets to. Build a list of enthusiastic people. Find out what is and isn't working. If you have a community it is easier to launch a kickstarter, or convince a publisher that the product is viable. Worst case scenario your game is out in the world and people are playing it, but you weren't able to monetise it.
@@TheDMGinfo Kickstarter isn't the only option for crowdfunding. Indiegogo is also a viable option. To me Kickstarter has too much of a monopoly on crowdfunding.
This was a big help. I've been working on a system to play with my kids for about a year. Trying to simplify dnd rules and creating a genre my kids will enjoy. I want it to be simple, but have some depth. One mechanic I've built was leveling up. You only gain XP when you use a skill. If you use a sword gain XP and become better at it, never use a sword you will always be a novice. Great way to specialize in certain skills.
One interesting system a friend and I worked on for a bit was a bargaining system where we used poker chips and would try to out bid the gm for successes. Another one I that I was thinking of going back to is a dice less system that used a stamina bar instead. Depending on stat builds certain abilities would drain the stamina bar at different rates. Players would have to sit out for a time to regain stamina.
This was just the best video to come home from work to watch. Imagine my surprise when a coworker mentions they're a ttrpg player, and we talk about ttrpgs all day while working and then find this on my recommended feed.
MORE OF THIS PLEASE Been making a homebrew d10 system for the last year or so and I'm doing my second playtest campaign in it rn before I write the rule book. Love hearing other perspectives on system making
Me and my friends are making a system where Roleplay and your characters mental state is a HUGE part of combat, and there’s a legitimate difference between Villain enemies and Monster enemies. It’s really interesting to see how we were accidentally following these steps the whole time! 😁
A quick idea for your yes/no combat dilemma: each combatant has to declare who or what they're focusing on each turn. If Player X is focusing on fighting target A then they can hit target A. Target B can then backstab Player X because their shield was blocking target A's attacks. If two people are focusing on each other neither can land a hit because there is no gradation so everybody is equal given equal circumstances, so somebody will have to do something creative to end the stalemate
Came across you in a search and found this very helpful. My goal is an odd one. I created a Champaign world back in 1994 that is still going today (30 years) yet as time passed the systems changed, started with 2nd ed D&D, and worked up to 5th (never 4th) yet found us falling back to 3.5 or pathfinder. Yet the flavor seemed to change with the systems. Even tried the skill system from the lord of the rings RPG that made me think of white wolf's world of darkness system. Gah now I am babbling like a gnome, over all I felt this video very helpful and now to explore more about your channel and kickstarter.
I'm making a tabletop rpg as well. It's called cards and cobolds. What inspired me from this video is taking something that already exists, and making it into a cards and cobolds hardcover book. It may be a little low budget, but I'm sure it will manage.
I would absolutely love more episodes about making your own TTRPG! In particular, I would like something on formatting the rules. I want to create a world where combat feels more realistic, thus extremely tense and high risk high reward, but to compensate has extensive non-combat options for players to talk or maneuver their way out of having to fight in the first place (again, since combat is a far higher risk activity than in most TTRPGs where you simply count down your HP and decide when it is getting risky). I know what I want the mechanics to look like, but how to format a rulebook so it is clean and legible is where I get stuck.
When my friends and I set up to start making our system, it was originally for an Avatar The Last Airbender system. The goal was to create a system which enabled as much freedom as possible, while still providing some guidance so that not everything is on the GM like most of the freeform RPGs I've seen. We kindof went through the same process as this video without knowing we were doing it. But, when it came to testing, the playtest was actually intended to come up with the mechanics we needed to focus on. Initially, we started with the most bare bones thing. We didn't even define the skill list at first, we just let the players name the skills as they went along. Second playtest group was confused by this, so the design group got together and defined a skill list based on what everyone else chose the first time. We decided on a D6 system, where you roll a variable number of d6, keep 3, and then add your modifiers. Determining how many you roll out of combat is based on your skill rank, modifier is attribute + the skill's rank bonus. Though out of combat, if not doing anything terribly difficult, and not in a stressful situation, success is assumed without a roll. During testing, when a situation came up that we hadn't defined, we would make a quick rule in the middle of the scenario to get through it, and then the design group got together afterward, brainstormed on it, wrote down a "finalized" version of the new mechanic, and then ran it through the same scenario, tweaking it until it felt right. It has been a lot of fun, though we're still not done yet, and we've expanded far beyond the original scope of "We want an Avatar system" to "This could work for any fantasy setting if we changed Bending to Magic." So we're still working with the Avatar setting, but also considering how to convert to standard fantasy if we ever get tired of what we're currently doing.
Glad you’re creating videos on this topic, because I’m creating my own system for my group and have got most of the main rules done. The reason I’ve created my own system is because we play in my own version of Terry Pratchetts discworld and regular DnD rules don’t quite fit, so I made my own. Currently on your table of steps I’m on part 7, fleshing out the rules for equipment and magic and stuff. I’m thinking of making some videos on this system so I can get some feedback
@@friendlyneighborhoodspider5131 the setting is great fun. My group has already played the first part of my campaign using some modified DnD 5e rules, but I still found that I was having to home brew most of the stuff, so I thought I might as well make it into its own system. And this system I’ve written is agnostic and can be applied to any setting. I’m trying to convince my group to make our game into a stream or podcast
As someone currently in the process of designing their own TTRPG, I'd love to see a series about this subject. I'd be curious to see the following subjects addressed: Editing Publishing My most concerned worry for the future: Maintaining Secure Ownership of your intellectual property. so that a playtester, or other person can't just take your idea and claim it is theirs during mid-production. Such as, how wide or narrow should a creator scope out playtesters. Should contracts be involved, or what mechanisms does a creator have to protect their system to be associated with them until release. Or should someone heavily advertise their system during production, or not advertise at all until a certain point of completion.
Would love a whole series on ttrpg design. I've been designing a system on-off for 3 years but rather than finish it, I kept spawning new ttrpg's. So now I have 3 to complete
As someone who is two weeks into making his own system this couldn’t come at a better time. Great advice, I would enjoy more insights if you would please, thank you as always. 😄
So based on the first 30 min it sounds like you are going to have to start a third set guy How to be a great gm How to be a great player How to build a game But I've been on this road for 5+ years and to everyone out there doing the same worldbuilding is a massive project even if your good at writing and don't worry about lore or a fully flushed out world because they will mever know muhahahaha
Originally I was just making a homebrew class that would be an option in a campaign I was running, but as I went on making it, it had so many different mechanics that it just became the basis for my own ttrpg, which was titled HomebrewEdition (creative i know), I'm currently working on H2e (homebrew second edition, cause i don't have a better name lol), which I plan on making VERY different, because H1e was made from a homebrew 5e class, so it was very similar to dnd, but with different mechanics, however for H2e, i'm taking more inspiration from Arkham Horror, with more of a focus on exploration / investigation of the unknown, no much of a focus on combat, and advancing through acquisition of items and spells as opposed to levelling up. Edit within a minute of posting cause i forgot something: i also added a crafting mechanic, which is the main way to get powerful items (think rare and above magic items in 5e), so that it removes the randomness, and instead you can choose what you make from the rewards you get, especially cause you could melt down a +1 longsword and use it's metal as part of something else for example
I'm currently making my own, for my friends to play and me to run, starting completely from scratch. My influences are from d&d, blades in the dark and fire emblem and the deeper I'm getting in it, the more daunting the task seems and its overwhelming me. I've taken a month break from it to recharge and get more ideas, and I think I'm nearly back to writing it again. I've got my story down, but the magic and character progression systems are just spiraling uncontrollably
I can deeply relate to this, I’ve been working on my system on and off for almost a decade, and I started with being unsatisfied with D&D and tweaking it until getting overwhelmed trying to do so, giving up, and starting from scratch. I have gotten overwhelmed and burnt out so many times along the way, which is why I’m not done and I’ve been working on it “off-and-on” for so damn long. Good luck to you on your project!
This year I been developing my own ttrpg, your insights has been help full I would like to see more. An mabey a low ball example of what one would ttrpg will look like.
This was actually unbelievably helpful. I was actually stuck, trying to figure out how to test and develop mechanics would you believe. The 'how does a player climb a cliff' really kick started the whole process. Much appreciated.
Your video got me thinking about how an RPG that only has success or not success as its resolution. My basic idea (only had a few hours thought on this so not in anyway complete, but might inspire others as you did for me 😁). Keywords. If a character has an ability with a matching keyword, they succeed, otherwise they must deal with the consequences (note: consequences does not always mean failure). The character has a series of abilities each ability can have a hierarchy of specialisation. Each of these abilities and specialisations has a set of key words associated with it. When a player need to make a check, they check if they have an ability that has a matching keyword, if they do, they succeed, otherwise they have to deal with a consequence. This consequence can be failure, or it might require another check. As an example: Climbing a cliff. To climb the cliff the player need to make a climb check. If they succeed they successfully climb the cliff. If they don't have an ability with the climb keyword, then they must make an athletics and a reflex check. Failure of those results in a fall. Abilities are the base level of a specialisation tree. So to get the climb specialisation, a character would first need to have the base ability (eg strength), and then have a specialisation (athletics) and then have the climb specialisation. Abilities and specialisations are collectively called Skills. Each Skill has 3 different states it can be in: Available, Unavailable and Damaged. Some Skills can be taken multiple times and so if they become Unavailable or Damaged, they will sill have copies of that Skill that are Available. If a character has a specialisation under a Skill they have multiple copies of, then those specialisations are still able to be used so long as they have at least a single copy of the parent Skill. If a Skill is available, then the player can use that to match keywords in a check. But note, that one or more Skills can be used to match all the keywords in a check. Some checks have a cost, this cost is usually to change the Skills used to match the keywords as being marked as Unavailable. But some might require the Skill to be Damaged. Applying a cost always comes after a Skill's effects have been applied (therefore recovery Skills can not be used to recover themselves). Unavailable skills can not be used to match keywords, so even if the character has that Skill, they can't use it to match the keywords needed for a check. When a player uses a Breather keyword, they can recover a single Unavailable Skill to Available. This will also cause the Skill with the Breather keyword to become Unavailable. Damaged Skills are also not able to be used to match keywords, but they are harder to recover and can have certain other effects when in this state. A Damaged Skill can only be recovered by a Rest keyword. Rest also recovers all Unavailable skills to Available. Damage is handled by skills with the Health keyword. Stun damage requires the character to Disable a skill with the heath keyword. If no skill with the health keyword is Available, they must change one of them to Damaged. Lethal Damage requires the player to change a Skill with the health keyword to Damaged (as the player can choose which one, they can choose a health Skill that is Disabled first if they want). If all health Skills are Damaged, then the character is disabled and can take no other action except Rests. If a character has not Health Skills and take further damage, the character dies. Character creation: Each character starts with two Breather Skills, one Rest Skill and two Health Skills. This way the character can take damage and recover. The character then gets a number of Skills to assign, but the number of skills and the set of skills to choose from would take a lot more time and space to detail. This was my first pass at making a no roll, no math, success / fail only RPG system. Have fun with it and see if you can expand it 😎
I would love more of these videos! I have just recently wanted to take on the task of building my own TTRPG and not really knowing how to go would make these videos invaluable to me.
I've been building a TTRPG from scratch on and off for about 5 years, and I now know that I have been building it backwards from the very beginning! No wonder I have been struggling to fit mechanics together when I haven't been taking into account the way my scenarios should be determined!
I know this a 2 year old video, but it really helps a lot! I have been writing my own system to be a retro clone. But not of the old TTRPG days of AD&D and the likes. No, instead, a retro clone of D&D 3.5/Pathfinder first edition with some slightly edited D&D 5e mechanics to simplify things. Its a fantasy TTRPG which main thing is that it allows you to play as the monsters! Of course with some classic fantasy races like Elf and Dwarf mixed in in case the table doesn't want literally Large or Tiny sized creatures or even elementals with them. And this video has been a big help for when I felt stuck or discouraged!
Y/n is less complicated then monopoly and slightly more then Hungry Hippos - possible but still never going to be but so satisfying. Where is how you do it. Write down the number of descriptors you want (say 4 - suck, capable , professional, genus). Now assign a color to them (in this example Green, blue, yellow and Red best to worst). Now get chips (following the above 4 green and one less for each other color ending in 1 red) and put them in a bag. Lastly, everyone puts a name on a piece of paper and can choose for things about there character to write down and give one color/description to each. (Everyone has to agree to what they are). Put 4 circles on the bottom of the sheet. Tell your story. Anytime you don’t know if you are good enough pull a chip and check your chart. If you succeed you say yes if not no. You want to make a no into a yes cross out a circle ⭕️. If you get hurt cross out a circle. Once you are out is circles you are out. You can refresh circles as the main story teller says (ideally at the end of every scene). Easily done but would anyone want to play that TTRPG .. I don’t know. But sure you can do it. (Oh by the way you can do it any type of story but I love this for a Scooby Doo style of mystery story where you can bonk, scare or attack characters out of the scene and see if you have the Storyteller’s villain say “I would have gotten away with it too if not for you rotten kids)
Big lotr fan. The systems out there didn't actually envelope the world quite right for me, especially the magical aspect.. So I began making my own lotr TTPRG (rule frame is based on The Dark Eye) four years ago. Comissioned some pictures. Read the books while taking a metric ton of notes. Revamped the alchemy. Created the cultures of ME, based on the stuff mentioned about them in the books. I'm in my last steps these days to finish it. ^^ And you're making some interessting points. Especially testing (and not being afraid to change existing things along the way) your game seems crucial to me.
Rolling dice does not necessarily mean that a system is all about randomness. D20 systems with small modifiers are very random, because the probability of 1d20 is flat, and a +1 is relatively insignificant. 2d6 systems have the advantage of a much more bunched probability, and the smaller values make bonuses more significant. Finally, fate systems basically roll the modifier, from -4 to +4 using by default what is essentially 4d3, resulting in like an 88% chance of being +-2 from the base number, with the worst and best possible results being well bounded. Dice rolls can also create opportunities for interesting things to happen, most commonly adding some sort of additional wrinkle to the story.
Mine I'm starting from never doing a campaign but learning while setting up the system. I'm doing it with simplicity in mind. My players are loving the system and giving me tips to be better as a game master at the same time. What they really like is combat functions through a flow chart and they like how the flow chart of what they can do on their turn just makes it simple in a fun way.
I started building out a Fallout/SPECIAL inspired system on a caffeine bender and this has been a wonderful tool in both focusing my work and also exploring different ideas for things like combat and actions
Actually this channel inspired to convince my friend into building our own TTRPG. We finished with the rule design but now need to write the actual text. So excited to see you making a video on this topic
Loved the video. I am working on a my own micro RPG and this helped put things into perspective. I have my first real beta test scheduled for tomorrow. It is D20 with a twist! It is a game about young children just coming into their magic, so they have trouble controlling it. When you cast a spell you roll a d20 to see how powerful the spell is not how well you cast it. I would love to see more videos about giving advice on how to make RPGs.
Thanks for this! I really love dnd but with what WoTC have been doing lately, I just don't want to be associated with that anymore. I know there are other systems, but I feel like making my own would be a fun endeavor and I have already been making a world that would require 100% homebrew if it were in dnd anyway! Not sure if you read old comments, but an updated version of this might be a great idea, since many people are being put off from dnd for the first time rn!
when i hear systems without numbers just yes or no outcomes i think of two that come to mind. the fantasy flight star wars and Sparks of Light the magical girl RPG. I've said this before in another video but one of them i like and the other makes me want to get an icepick lobotomy so i will not be upset from how complex it is. There was a guy who was trying to make an RPG i remember. And I agreed to help him with play testing. acording to him alot of wording how to be redone because of me. Not because i was abusing mechanics but how they were worded and me kind of just questioning them giving stupid things i could do as options. He eventually released it and put my name as a playtester. I bought a book. Sadly i couldn't generate enough interest when he left for the system and sadly now it is nothing but a memory. I know some people would say but you still have the book. Sadly where it was stored there was exposure to the elements and when i fixed it i found that there was both ice and mold on the book.
This is a super helpful spring board for formulating the skeleton of the TTRPG that's been percolating in the back of my mind for a hot minute. Planning on watching your "I made a TTRPG & so can you" video soon! Thanks for all the great advice!
This video is especially relevant for me as I've been designing my own TTRPG for a few years now. Anything more you have to say on the subject, I would greatly appreciate hearing!
Thank you so much for this. I’m late to the party, but I’ve been hitting my head against a wall for past decade trying to work out my home brew system, and whenever I feel I’m close, playtesting picks it apart. The key here is I’ve been working backwards this whole time. I’m going to reset myself, and do the steps you suggest.
Would love to see more on this subject. As I watch this I'm working on the 2nd edition of my system started about 2 years ago specifically to power low-fantasy campaigns. Make realism interesting and intuitive and not just D&D with all the magic and races scribbled out to where it no longer functions.
Hello there! just wanted to tell you guys: i love you and your videos. in the past 4 days I've created my very first campaign and last night i played it online with my friends. they loved it. thank you for everything, you are really helping me developing as a young person.
I always love you videos but this one is super relevant, because I'm designing a homebrew D10 system a'la L5R and White Wolf. Your guide here has been a really useful checklist and it's safe to say I'd love more of this homebrew design content.
I’m very talented in drawing so i wanted to draw a world map for my TTRPG called Crystal Quest in which i did. I actually drew two so far. I also did dice mechanics and physics. Its pretty cool honestly.
Pretty nice video, I'm the guy who started a system just because. A Yes or No system probably won't fair well with contested encounters. Wish you good luck making it! An idea to solve contests could be trivia, ask them a yes or no question maybe and let them succeed on a correct answer.
YOU made the trifi system?!!! I had watched so many of your videos and I had no idea you had made that system, which I used and homebrewed (and translated) to introduce new players to TTRPG!
i set out to recreate the pokemon mystery dungeon games as a ttrpg, and honestly... its going perfect, but i have you to thank for that, i've watched like every single one of your videos, and they made me the GM that i am today.
I would like to hear more about this, I have been considering trying to make a "frankensystem" using parts of my favorite fantasy TTRPG's, just for personal use.
"What are the chances of it being destroyed by fire?" Well that one would be pretty simple in your Binary RPG "Is your item in contact with fire?" Yes "Is your item flamable?" Yes "Well then your item is destroyed by fire."
This is actually really helpful! I thought of making a custom ttrpg that is based off of the percy jackson series bc me and some friends are huge fans and my mom knows as much as the series and i thought it would be fun. I just have to make it now but i have some ideas so thanks for helping me figure out the how
Yes make more of these, i too have an original system that is almost at play testing phase. Been a labour of love in my spare time and have continued to evolve over years as well.
I actually gave up on my first one, because I realized that it was not distinctive enough, and ultimately was a little more crunchy than I like in games I play. If I attempt to write another, I want it to be simpler and more streamlined, as well as not relying on specialized components - so likely something based on d6's and/or standard playing cards.
Very great advices. Indeed all things I had to go trough with my own project. Hopefully this dream of mine, as crazy as it seem, will come to life one day. Your last advice is without a doubt, your best advice. But also the hardest to follow.
I would love to see a series on this... Maybe over the course of 2021, you could do one a month? So people wanting to try themselves have something to keep up with and gives them something to focus on for the next month... So in each video you take an aspect of development giving people a task for the month. Then by the end of 2021 had you been keeping up, you have a product thats at least in playtest stage... Just a thought, something I would definitely be interested in, as it's a goal of mine for next year... so perfect timing :D
I love this idea I been working on my on ttrpg for months and I think this has help me even if it was a just a little. I would love to hear more on this topic
I'm working on an unique system, that may break the mold. The mechanics work, the little rules, and build up is under construction. What's different? Everybody is game master, it's more political smarts (where even two players can feel, like there's many more players at the table). The dice decide way less. The rules are so easy kids from 8 can play (they did and loved it), as can adults go fully adult with this system. It's both collaborative and competitive. Map making is easier than ever, more fluid, while beautiful. And the world is medieval with fairytale and parallel world elements. I can't say more here, yet, as we hope to go to kickstarter in perhaps half a year.
If you do happen to do another video on this topic (and please do!), it’d be nice to discuss RPGs that don’t necessarily involve combat. Personally I’ve gotten pretty tired of “hit thing with sword” in any genre.
Welcome to my brand spanking new TTRPG system. There is no math involved at all. Let's roll up our new characters everybody. The first character stat that we are going to roll is strength. Everybody roll 27D2...
Great tips! Very insightful to bring up goals right away; I've tried getting others interested in designing tabletop miniature games, but never with any luck. The yes/no game system is intriguing, for sure; it immediately struck me as a survival game, in the vein of Walking Dead or Alone in the Dark. Different combinations of character traits and gear determine Yes or No; as you said, very puzzle-y and intellectual.
love your content and as I just finish the first drafts of my own ttrpg system (scifi themed) I'm really interested in what you could come up with on this specific topic.
I am 53 and in my 46 years of playing and creating TTRPG's with and for other people I have never produced my own Independent TTRPG, though I have been asked to do so by 1,000's of people over the years. I have all the skills and abilities to create my own TTRPG, but should I, and if I did, what would be the reason to do so? Should I do it for profit, fun or other reasons, or a combination of reasons? What Say You?!?!
My reason was: I want a system that is conected to the lore of our larp world and that is so easy that even people that never played a ttrpg can understand it’s mechanics in 10 minutes.
Honestly, don't bother. The market share is the major problem. To many ways to play for anyone to learn all the ways, and as a player I am just tired of learning the new systems. A homebrew based on an existing system means that I have a frame of reference for your ruleset, and don't have to learn all new rules, but you can focus the changes on exactly the mechanics you want to change and can effectively explain WHY your rules work the way you want to make the changes you wanted. The exception is if there is a REASON why you NEED a new system. For example if you want to play over twitter, or in prison, or without paper. Some reason why the current rules just don't work at all.
@@Frederic_S Thanks for the response. As to the subject of Lore, I have a very detailed and flavorful Fantasy World that spans the entirety of my 46 years as a GM, combining a great many campaigns that have collectively by virtue of their existence thoroughly fleshed out many of the regions and realms of the world that my players experience when they play with me.
As someone who has just finished writing his own 6mm scale WW2 miniature wargaming set of rules I can tell you that it’s a lot of work. It took 3 years and thousands of hours including play testing. I’ve just about earned my costs back in the first month post release but now I expect sales to slow. So don’t do it for the money folks! I’ve put my rules on Wargames Vault, which is a print on demand service. This allows you to avoid having to pay for hundreds of books to be printed, which you then have to try and get to market. The rules are called ‘All Hell Let Loose’ by the way. 😀
This is nice. More, please! One challenge I see with a Yes/No system is the possibility of complex situations getting bogged down with a long string of yes-no deliberations. On the plus side, the character sheet could be written in binary!
I have been working on mine for the last year and a half. I have made up all my rules, world lore, and my art. I sincerely and hopefully not arrogantly there is a potent originality in many of what I developed. I may start a Kickstarter one day haha!
Ever since I got into D&D me and my buddy had always tinkered with things about it. Eventually we started crafting our own system and mechanics. We've been tweaking and playing our system for 6 years now, it takes patience but our dedication has paid off enough probably to create our own small book of official rules.
I will answer each question as per my own project as an exercise. "What's your goal?": My goal is to create a system that emulates a setting that I have invested a lot of creative energy into, and to make it as far from 5e as I can get without removing favorable features. I intend to make it equipment based, have a lot of customization, and prefer rule of cool over rigid rules. "What is your genre?": Mecha Musume, post-post-apocalypse, science fantasy. "How are outcomes determined?": I have two separate systems: d10 roll over resolution for stat-based rolls, and d100 roll under resolution for attacks. Then there is a third and final system of meta-currency that can be used to circumvent rolls to get a certain result. For the mechanics, I'm still in the process of developing them and won't be done for a hot minute. Though on your example of skills, mine doesn't have defined skills but instead three categories of skill templates that can be made up by the players like in Unknown Armies. I'll be posting the writeup on /r/RPGDesign when it's in a playable state.
Guy some suggested mechanics to consider for your Yes/No RPG For basic challenges and minion combat. Have 4 cards uniform on 1 side, 2 yes 2 no cards. Shuffle into a stack. When the PC describes an ability, skill, or item that aids their them in the challenge it removes 1 of the “no” cards from the stack. If they determine a 2nd thing to aid them then the 2nd “no” card is removed and they auto succeed. Example A: I need to climb that wall... I packed a rope. (1st “no” canceled) I am considered an athlete. (2nd “no” canceled) Resolved, the player succeeds and climbs the wall without incident. Example B: A jealous patron comes up to you with the intend to knock the daylights out of you... Does he have a weapon? Do a perception perhaps to see? I have keen sight. With keen sight you notice he has a hidden knife. (1st no canceled) I was trained in the military during the war. (2nd no canceled). Resolution success. You go for his knife before he can react and shove him to the ground and warn him he is out of his league and to not try anything. The patron looks sullen, clearly outclassed and leaves. Extended challenges Add more No’s to the challenge stack. Where you need to creativity "cancel" out so many no's to succeed at a task. You are in a duel to the death. (4 “No”s) I am skilled with my blade and have been practicing (1st no canceled). I am charismatic and asked around about this person I am fighting (2nd no canceled). I am sneaky and spied on him while he trained to practice his sword play (3rd no canceled). During the fight I use by athletics to outlast him with good footwork (4th no canceled). Resolution is a success. You two testing eachother with light jabs. You heard and seen some of his tells and notice he telegraphs when he commits to a strike. You counter his advances and he becomes winded to your superior footwork and wear him down. He gets sloppy and you best him as the victor!
Just reminded me of a 1 shot I ran a while ago while I was out without dice and 2 of us didn't even have a phone. Made a quick 1 shot and called it March Of The Modrons. Every roll was automatically a 10. It worked surprisingly well and even had a 1 of my quieter players getting a little more involved than usual since they were literally the only person with the capacity to do some things.
I have an idea for how you could do a game without math. Have a small deck of cards, and each card has a word on it. "And, But, Instead, Huge, Little, Very," etc. Ordinarily, the game is RP heavy between a player and DM. The player will go through some sort of adventure, and face obstacles between them and their goal. Whenever the player arrives at an obstacle, they must explain how they'll overcome it, with the DM deciding if that plan works with YES or NO. A player can draw a card from the deck whenever they've successfully swayed the DM through RP. These cards come into play whenever a DM makes a ruling. They may play cards to change the result, or alter the scenario, to make it easier to overcome. Seems like it would make for short and decent one-shots.
Started making my system years ago and picked it up again a few months ago when a friend mentioned wanting to play it. Running the final pre-alpha game today with one other person!! then starting the alpha with a full table! It's so wild, I cant wait to copyright and release the pdf, but i'm so hype. It feels incredible making a world of my own into something others can play. Especially having it be like properly fun? It's a super proud feeling.
1:39 #1: What's your goal?
5:56 #2: Choose your genre.
7:28 #3: How are outcomes determined?
12:42 #4: Mechanics (an overview).
16:11 #5: Test your system.
20:37 #6: Test your system with real players.
22:48 #7: Flesh out the rules.
Enjoy!
23:55 my #8: Back to Playtesting!
24:52 my #9: Don’t Give Up!
My evil twin!
@@nicholassmith8027 evil? Nah, just an admirer of helpful notes.
@@bharl7226 I meant the original commenter lol, we have the same name
@@nicholassmith8027 ooh I see, you’re a separate Nicholas Smith 🤦♂️☝️
I've been running in my own world for about 10 years, and starting making my own system for it about two years ago, as I felt that the current systems that were available didn't really fit in with the lore. It's nearing completion, and I wish I had this when I started!
Same situation over here, but I’ve started creating the new sistema only a couple months ago
Good luck buddy!
I hope you were able to finish your own system and that it plays the best possible way to adapt your world :)
One year later hows the system going?
I would ABSOLUTELY be interested in more in depth videos on making my own TTRPG
I have only one thing to add.
#8 *Don’t try to make things perfect. Only try to make it fun to play.*
This video talks about so many things I had to find out myself. I had tons of playtesters and only one didn’t like it. But they were all really positive and constructive.
I think this is a big sticking point for me. I get so bogged down in each rule because I feel like it needs to be perfect the first go.
A wagon maker is called a wainwright.
Good ol' Oregon trail
Yes, but someone who makes wheels is a wheelwright.
Pathfinder 2 taught me that xD.
it's not a hard journey from 'wagonwright' to 'wainwright' thankfully, so once you know what it means it's easy to remember.
They were also called cartwrights. So we know what the family from Bonanza's ancestors did in the old country
I think a yes or no system sounds like a mostly narrative system. Combat would likely be a narrative exchange where each participant performs one action going in narrative order, which would leave damage up to the GM. The question becomes" is this guy hurt enough to die?" and if the GM says "he's got six arrows in him but he's ten feet tall and very tough" then he'll be alive, but if the GM says "he's just been disemboweled and he needs those organs to live" then he dies
You got a thumbs up on this for the topic alone.
I did the same thing
Me too
Rule 1: Realism vs Playability: Always err on the side of playability
Rule 2: Simpler is almost always better
Absolutely. Long ago, when I was working on an RPG, my partner and I had a disagreement over realism vs. playability. To me, a game that does not emphasize playability is not a game at all - and a simulation that is not accurate and faithful isn't worth making. So I erred on the side of fun and playability.
I don’t agree with the second rule there but I do with the first one. Simpler is better with certain games, but I think it really depends on what type of system you’re making. I think in some systems the complexities are really what makes the system good, it’s just based on what you’re building for. What you should generally avoid more so is complications that don’t add anything I think
@@mythhooked6082 it is said that perfection is not when there is nothing left to add, but rather nothing left that can be _removed_ .
It is _elegance_ , rather than complexity, that players appreciate in a sophisticated system.
@@HeadHunterSix i would say that it depends. Pathfinder 2e is very complex, yet it's a great rpg if you want a high power fantasy
Definitely would appreciate more videos on this subject, including one on how to get your TTRPG out there.
^
^
Wouldn't Kickstarter or Indiegogo be involved? You need to build an audience first.
@@zacharygadzinski3147 No not really if all you need to sell is a rulebook Amazon self publish is great for that and if you simply want you game out there RPG.net, Reddit are great! And don't forget Google drive to put your game on if you don't mind people playing for free.
^
Yep, do more. I'm starting a web novel and I've been toying with the idea of basing a ttrpg on that, and this video gave me a lot to think about.
Build a community around your system before you try to sell it.
@Avid Student firstly have a web presence you control (like a website) then use social media, TH-cam, blogs, etc to expose aspects of the game. Contact people and begin to build a contact list of interested people you can send test packets to. Build a list of enthusiastic people. Find out what is and isn't working.
If you have a community it is easier to launch a kickstarter, or convince a publisher that the product is viable.
Worst case scenario your game is out in the world and people are playing it, but you weren't able to monetise it.
@@TheDMGinfo Kickstarter isn't the only option for crowdfunding. Indiegogo is also a viable option. To me Kickstarter has too much of a monopoly on crowdfunding.
@@zacharygadzinski3147 if you want the maximum exposure and chance to fund your game, then the monopoly would be the best option to succeed.
@@zacharygadzinski3147 beggars can't be choosers
@@TheDMGinfo Could also try having friends. Like the original designers of DnD had.
This was a big help. I've been working on a system to play with my kids for about a year. Trying to simplify dnd rules and creating a genre my kids will enjoy. I want it to be simple, but have some depth. One mechanic I've built was leveling up. You only gain XP when you use a skill. If you use a sword gain XP and become better at it, never use a sword you will always be a novice. Great way to specialize in certain skills.
I have also found a similar system, it's called "Dungeon world" where it seems to be a simplification of the D&D system through PBTA Mechanics
I've been writing my own ttrpg system for about a year-and-a-half so anything you can provide extra would be fantastic!
One interesting system a friend and I worked on for a bit was a bargaining system where we used poker chips and would try to out bid the gm for successes.
Another one I that I was thinking of going back to is a dice less system that used a stamina bar instead. Depending on stat builds certain abilities would drain the stamina bar at different rates. Players would have to sit out for a time to regain stamina.
This was just the best video to come home from work to watch. Imagine my surprise when a coworker mentions they're a ttrpg player, and we talk about ttrpgs all day while working and then find this on my recommended feed.
Your phone listens to you my friend
MORE OF THIS PLEASE
Been making a homebrew d10 system for the last year or so and I'm doing my second playtest campaign in it rn before I write the rule book. Love hearing other perspectives on system making
Me and my friends are making a system where Roleplay and your characters mental state is a HUGE part of combat, and there’s a legitimate difference between Villain enemies and Monster enemies. It’s really interesting to see how we were accidentally following these steps the whole time! 😁
These need to become more common for us mechanics.
A quick idea for your yes/no combat dilemma: each combatant has to declare who or what they're focusing on each turn. If Player X is focusing on fighting target A then they can hit target A. Target B can then backstab Player X because their shield was blocking target A's attacks. If two people are focusing on each other neither can land a hit because there is no gradation so everybody is equal given equal circumstances, so somebody will have to do something creative to end the stalemate
Came across you in a search and found this very helpful. My goal is an odd one. I created a Champaign world back in 1994 that is still going today (30 years) yet as time passed the systems changed, started with 2nd ed D&D, and worked up to 5th (never 4th) yet found us falling back to 3.5 or pathfinder. Yet the flavor seemed to change with the systems. Even tried the skill system from the lord of the rings RPG that made me think of white wolf's world of darkness system. Gah now I am babbling like a gnome, over all I felt this video very helpful and now to explore more about your channel and kickstarter.
I'm making a tabletop rpg as well. It's called cards and cobolds. What inspired me from this video is taking something that already exists, and making it into a cards and cobolds hardcover book. It may be a little low budget, but I'm sure it will manage.
I would absolutely love more episodes about making your own TTRPG! In particular, I would like something on formatting the rules. I want to create a world where combat feels more realistic, thus extremely tense and high risk high reward, but to compensate has extensive non-combat options for players to talk or maneuver their way out of having to fight in the first place (again, since combat is a far higher risk activity than in most TTRPGs where you simply count down your HP and decide when it is getting risky). I know what I want the mechanics to look like, but how to format a rulebook so it is clean and legible is where I get stuck.
When my friends and I set up to start making our system, it was originally for an Avatar The Last Airbender system.
The goal was to create a system which enabled as much freedom as possible, while still providing some guidance so that not everything is on the GM like most of the freeform RPGs I've seen.
We kindof went through the same process as this video without knowing we were doing it. But, when it came to testing, the playtest was actually intended to come up with the mechanics we needed to focus on.
Initially, we started with the most bare bones thing. We didn't even define the skill list at first, we just let the players name the skills as they went along. Second playtest group was confused by this, so the design group got together and defined a skill list based on what everyone else chose the first time.
We decided on a D6 system, where you roll a variable number of d6, keep 3, and then add your modifiers. Determining how many you roll out of combat is based on your skill rank, modifier is attribute + the skill's rank bonus. Though out of combat, if not doing anything terribly difficult, and not in a stressful situation, success is assumed without a roll.
During testing, when a situation came up that we hadn't defined, we would make a quick rule in the middle of the scenario to get through it, and then the design group got together afterward, brainstormed on it, wrote down a "finalized" version of the new mechanic, and then ran it through the same scenario, tweaking it until it felt right.
It has been a lot of fun, though we're still not done yet, and we've expanded far beyond the original scope of "We want an Avatar system" to "This could work for any fantasy setting if we changed Bending to Magic."
So we're still working with the Avatar setting, but also considering how to convert to standard fantasy if we ever get tired of what we're currently doing.
I would be in interested in more on this topic.
Yeah, it's a boat load of work and it helps if your a bit obsessed by it. I've been working on mine for over ten years.
Glad you’re creating videos on this topic, because I’m creating my own system for my group and have got most of the main rules done. The reason I’ve created my own system is because we play in my own version of Terry Pratchetts discworld and regular DnD rules don’t quite fit, so I made my own. Currently on your table of steps I’m on part 7, fleshing out the rules for equipment and magic and stuff. I’m thinking of making some videos on this system so I can get some feedback
Dude, a system set in Discworld sounds super dope. I would totally play that.
@@friendlyneighborhoodspider5131 the setting is great fun. My group has already played the first part of my campaign using some modified DnD 5e rules, but I still found that I was having to home brew most of the stuff, so I thought I might as well make it into its own system. And this system I’ve written is agnostic and can be applied to any setting. I’m trying to convince my group to make our game into a stream or podcast
As someone currently in the process of designing their own TTRPG, I'd love to see a series about this subject. I'd be curious to see the following subjects addressed:
Editing
Publishing
My most concerned worry for the future: Maintaining Secure Ownership of your intellectual property. so that a playtester, or other person can't just take your idea and claim it is theirs during mid-production. Such as, how wide or narrow should a creator scope out playtesters. Should contracts be involved, or what mechanisms does a creator have to protect their system to be associated with them until release. Or should someone heavily advertise their system during production, or not advertise at all until a certain point of completion.
Only test with people you can trust not to swipe. I think I’d try that for testing.
I’d love to have more videos scout making or hacking TTRPGs
Would love a whole series on ttrpg design. I've been designing a system on-off for 3 years but rather than finish it, I kept spawning new ttrpg's. So now I have 3 to complete
As someone who is two weeks into making his own system this couldn’t come at a better time. Great advice, I would enjoy more insights if you would please, thank you as always. 😄
So based on the first 30 min it sounds like you are going to have to start a third set guy
How to be a great gm
How to be a great player
How to build a game
But I've been on this road for 5+ years and to everyone out there doing the same worldbuilding is a massive project even if your good at writing and don't worry about lore or a fully flushed out world because they will mever know muhahahaha
Originally I was just making a homebrew class that would be an option in a campaign I was running, but as I went on making it, it had so many different mechanics that it just became the basis for my own ttrpg, which was titled HomebrewEdition (creative i know), I'm currently working on H2e (homebrew second edition, cause i don't have a better name lol), which I plan on making VERY different, because H1e was made from a homebrew 5e class, so it was very similar to dnd, but with different mechanics, however for H2e, i'm taking more inspiration from Arkham Horror, with more of a focus on exploration / investigation of the unknown, no much of a focus on combat, and advancing through acquisition of items and spells as opposed to levelling up.
Edit within a minute of posting cause i forgot something: i also added a crafting mechanic, which is the main way to get powerful items (think rare and above magic items in 5e), so that it removes the randomness, and instead you can choose what you make from the rewards you get, especially cause you could melt down a +1 longsword and use it's metal as part of something else for example
I'm currently making my own, for my friends to play and me to run, starting completely from scratch. My influences are from d&d, blades in the dark and fire emblem and the deeper I'm getting in it, the more daunting the task seems and its overwhelming me. I've taken a month break from it to recharge and get more ideas, and I think I'm nearly back to writing it again.
I've got my story down, but the magic and character progression systems are just spiraling uncontrollably
I can deeply relate to this, I’ve been working on my system on and off for almost a decade, and I started with being unsatisfied with D&D and tweaking it until getting overwhelmed trying to do so, giving up, and starting from scratch. I have gotten overwhelmed and burnt out so many times along the way, which is why I’m not done and I’ve been working on it “off-and-on” for so damn long.
Good luck to you on your project!
This year I been developing my own ttrpg, your insights has been help full I would like to see more. An mabey a low ball example of what one would ttrpg will look like.
This was actually unbelievably helpful. I was actually stuck, trying to figure out how to test and develop mechanics would you believe. The 'how does a player climb a cliff' really kick started the whole process.
Much appreciated.
Your video got me thinking about how an RPG that only has success or not success as its resolution.
My basic idea (only had a few hours thought on this so not in anyway complete, but might inspire others as you did for me 😁).
Keywords. If a character has an ability with a matching keyword, they succeed, otherwise they must deal with the consequences (note: consequences does not always mean failure).
The character has a series of abilities each ability can have a hierarchy of specialisation. Each of these abilities and specialisations has a set of key words associated with it.
When a player need to make a check, they check if they have an ability that has a matching keyword, if they do, they succeed, otherwise they have to deal with a consequence. This consequence can be failure, or it might require another check.
As an example: Climbing a cliff.
To climb the cliff the player need to make a climb check. If they succeed they successfully climb the cliff. If they don't have an ability with the climb keyword, then they must make an athletics and a reflex check. Failure of those results in a fall.
Abilities are the base level of a specialisation tree. So to get the climb specialisation, a character would first need to have the base ability (eg strength), and then have a specialisation (athletics) and then have the climb specialisation.
Abilities and specialisations are collectively called Skills.
Each Skill has 3 different states it can be in: Available, Unavailable and Damaged. Some Skills can be taken multiple times and so if they become Unavailable or Damaged, they will sill have copies of that Skill that are Available. If a character has a specialisation under a Skill they have multiple copies of, then those specialisations are still able to be used so long as they have at least a single copy of the parent Skill.
If a Skill is available, then the player can use that to match keywords in a check. But note, that one or more Skills can be used to match all the keywords in a check.
Some checks have a cost, this cost is usually to change the Skills used to match the keywords as being marked as Unavailable. But some might require the Skill to be Damaged. Applying a cost always comes after a Skill's effects have been applied (therefore recovery Skills can not be used to recover themselves).
Unavailable skills can not be used to match keywords, so even if the character has that Skill, they can't use it to match the keywords needed for a check.
When a player uses a Breather keyword, they can recover a single Unavailable Skill to Available. This will also cause the Skill with the Breather keyword to become Unavailable.
Damaged Skills are also not able to be used to match keywords, but they are harder to recover and can have certain other effects when in this state.
A Damaged Skill can only be recovered by a Rest keyword. Rest also recovers all Unavailable skills to Available.
Damage is handled by skills with the Health keyword. Stun damage requires the character to Disable a skill with the heath keyword. If no skill with the health keyword is Available, they must change one of them to Damaged.
Lethal Damage requires the player to change a Skill with the health keyword to Damaged (as the player can choose which one, they can choose a health Skill that is Disabled first if they want). If all health Skills are Damaged, then the character is disabled and can take no other action except Rests. If a character has not Health Skills and take further damage, the character dies.
Character creation:
Each character starts with two Breather Skills, one Rest Skill and two Health Skills. This way the character can take damage and recover.
The character then gets a number of Skills to assign, but the number of skills and the set of skills to choose from would take a lot more time and space to detail.
This was my first pass at making a no roll, no math, success / fail only RPG system.
Have fun with it and see if you can expand it
😎
I would love more of these videos! I have just recently wanted to take on the task of building my own TTRPG and not really knowing how to go would make these videos invaluable to me.
I've been building a TTRPG from scratch on and off for about 5 years, and I now know that I have been building it backwards from the very beginning! No wonder I have been struggling to fit mechanics together when I haven't been taking into account the way my scenarios should be determined!
well.... I'm already 2.5 years deep into making my own system. its almost done but heck to it I'm still going to take your advice!
I know this a 2 year old video, but it really helps a lot!
I have been writing my own system to be a retro clone. But not of the old TTRPG days of AD&D and the likes. No, instead, a retro clone of D&D 3.5/Pathfinder first edition with some slightly edited D&D 5e mechanics to simplify things. Its a fantasy TTRPG which main thing is that it allows you to play as the monsters! Of course with some classic fantasy races like Elf and Dwarf mixed in in case the table doesn't want literally Large or Tiny sized creatures or even elementals with them.
And this video has been a big help for when I felt stuck or discouraged!
Y/n is less complicated then monopoly and slightly more then Hungry Hippos - possible but still never going to be but so satisfying. Where is how you do it. Write down the number of descriptors you want (say 4 - suck, capable , professional, genus). Now assign a color to them (in this example Green, blue, yellow and Red best to worst). Now get chips (following the above 4 green and one less for each other color ending in 1 red) and put them in a bag. Lastly, everyone puts a name on a piece of paper and can choose for things about there character to write down and give one color/description to each. (Everyone has to agree to what they are). Put 4 circles on the bottom of the sheet. Tell your story. Anytime you don’t know if you are good enough pull a chip and check your chart. If you succeed you say yes if not no. You want to make a no into a yes cross out a circle ⭕️. If you get hurt cross out a circle. Once you are out is circles you are out. You can refresh circles as the main story teller says (ideally at the end of every scene).
Easily done but would anyone want to play that TTRPG .. I don’t know. But sure you can do it.
(Oh by the way you can do it any type of story but I love this for a Scooby Doo style of mystery story where you can bonk, scare or attack characters out of the scene and see if you have the Storyteller’s villain say “I would have gotten away with it too if not for you rotten kids)
Big lotr fan. The systems out there didn't actually envelope the world quite right for me, especially the magical aspect.. So I began making my own lotr TTPRG (rule frame is based on The Dark Eye) four years ago. Comissioned some pictures. Read the books while taking a metric ton of notes. Revamped the alchemy. Created the cultures of ME, based on the stuff mentioned about them in the books. I'm in my last steps these days to finish it. ^^
And you're making some interessting points. Especially testing (and not being afraid to change existing things along the way) your game seems crucial to me.
Reaaaally want more videos on that topic! :D Great job in this one, very clear, easy to understand information!
Rolling dice does not necessarily mean that a system is all about randomness. D20 systems with small modifiers are very random, because the probability of 1d20 is flat, and a +1 is relatively insignificant. 2d6 systems have the advantage of a much more bunched probability, and the smaller values make bonuses more significant. Finally, fate systems basically roll the modifier, from -4 to +4 using by default what is essentially 4d3, resulting in like an 88% chance of being +-2 from the base number, with the worst and best possible results being well bounded. Dice rolls can also create opportunities for interesting things to happen, most commonly adding some sort of additional wrinkle to the story.
More videos on this would be great!
Mine I'm starting from never doing a campaign but learning while setting up the system. I'm doing it with simplicity in mind. My players are loving the system and giving me tips to be better as a game master at the same time. What they really like is combat functions through a flow chart and they like how the flow chart of what they can do on their turn just makes it simple in a fun way.
I started building out a Fallout/SPECIAL inspired system on a caffeine bender and this has been a wonderful tool in both focusing my work and also exploring different ideas for things like combat and actions
Actually this channel inspired to convince my friend into building our own TTRPG. We finished with the rule design but now need to write the actual text. So excited to see you making a video on this topic
Loved the video. I am working on a my own micro RPG and this helped put things into perspective. I have my first real beta test scheduled for tomorrow. It is D20 with a twist! It is a game about young children just coming into their magic, so they have trouble controlling it. When you cast a spell you roll a d20 to see how powerful the spell is not how well you cast it.
I would love to see more videos about giving advice on how to make RPGs.
Thanks for this! I really love dnd but with what WoTC have been doing lately, I just don't want to be associated with that anymore. I know there are other systems, but I feel like making my own would be a fun endeavor and I have already been making a world that would require 100% homebrew if it were in dnd anyway! Not sure if you read old comments, but an updated version of this might be a great idea, since many people are being put off from dnd for the first time rn!
when i hear systems without numbers just yes or no outcomes i think of two that come to mind. the fantasy flight star wars and Sparks of Light the magical girl RPG. I've said this before in another video but one of them i like and the other makes me want to get an icepick lobotomy so i will not be upset from how complex it is. There was a guy who was trying to make an RPG i remember. And I agreed to help him with play testing. acording to him alot of wording how to be redone because of me. Not because i was abusing mechanics but how they were worded and me kind of just questioning them giving stupid things i could do as options. He eventually released it and put my name as a playtester. I bought a book. Sadly i couldn't generate enough interest when he left for the system and sadly now it is nothing but a memory. I know some people would say but you still have the book. Sadly where it was stored there was exposure to the elements and when i fixed it i found that there was both ice and mold on the book.
This is a super helpful spring board for formulating the skeleton of the TTRPG that's been percolating in the back of my mind for a hot minute. Planning on watching your "I made a TTRPG & so can you" video soon! Thanks for all the great advice!
I've actually been working on my own game with a friend for quite some time. I'd be more than happy to see more videos on the subject.
This video is especially relevant for me as I've been designing my own TTRPG for a few years now. Anything more you have to say on the subject, I would greatly appreciate hearing!
Thank you so much for this. I’m late to the party, but I’ve been hitting my head against a wall for past decade trying to work out my home brew system, and whenever I feel I’m close, playtesting picks it apart. The key here is I’ve been working backwards this whole time.
I’m going to reset myself, and do the steps you suggest.
Would love to see more on this subject. As I watch this I'm working on the 2nd edition of my system started about 2 years ago specifically to power low-fantasy campaigns. Make realism interesting and intuitive and not just D&D with all the magic and races scribbled out to where it no longer functions.
Thanks for the advice Guy. I have been thinking about making my own system for a while and didn't know where to start. This helped a great deal.
I'm just getting into ttrpgs and trying my hand in creating campaigns and your videos are really a great help for me!!!
Hello there! just wanted to tell you guys: i love you and your videos. in the past 4 days I've created my very first campaign and last night i played it online with my friends. they loved it. thank you for everything, you are really helping me developing as a young person.
I always love you videos but this one is super relevant, because I'm designing a homebrew D10 system a'la L5R and White Wolf. Your guide here has been a really useful checklist and it's safe to say I'd love more of this homebrew design content.
It is interesting that you release this video at this time. I've been thinking for the last month of writing my own game.
Definitely more of this. I have a book series I want to make a TTRPG for so people can play in my world.
What is the book series called and what's it about
@@strangecokacola5246 I don’t think it’s real, I think he just wants to write them.
I’m very talented in drawing so i wanted to draw a world map for my TTRPG called Crystal Quest in which i did. I actually drew two so far. I also did dice mechanics and physics. Its pretty cool honestly.
Idk if someone answered already but the official term for a wagon-builder is a ''Wainwright''
Pretty nice video, I'm the guy who started a system just because. A Yes or No system probably won't fair well with contested encounters. Wish you good luck making it! An idea to solve contests could be trivia, ask them a yes or no question maybe and let them succeed on a correct answer.
YOU made the trifi system?!!!
I had watched so many of your videos and I had no idea you had made that system, which I used and homebrewed (and translated) to introduce new players to TTRPG!
i set out to recreate the pokemon mystery dungeon games as a ttrpg, and honestly... its going perfect, but i have you to thank for that, i've watched like every single one of your videos, and they made me the GM that i am today.
Howd you know ive been putting off developing my game system!? I love how videos like this come out at the most opportune moments.
I would like to hear more about this, I have been considering trying to make a "frankensystem" using parts of my favorite fantasy TTRPG's, just for personal use.
"What are the chances of it being destroyed by fire?"
Well that one would be pretty simple in your Binary RPG
"Is your item in contact with fire?"
Yes
"Is your item flamable?"
Yes
"Well then your item is destroyed by fire."
This is actually really helpful! I thought of making a custom ttrpg that is based off of the percy jackson series bc me and some friends are huge fans and my mom knows as much as the series and i thought it would be fun. I just have to make it now but i have some ideas so thanks for helping me figure out the how
Yes make more of these, i too have an original system that is almost at play testing phase. Been a labour of love in my spare time and have continued to evolve over years as well.
"Don't give up." Well, I'm writing mine TTRPG system for like 3 years. Looking forward to next video on this topic. :)
I actually gave up on my first one, because I realized that it was not distinctive enough, and ultimately was a little more crunchy than I like in games I play. If I attempt to write another, I want it to be simpler and more streamlined, as well as not relying on specialized components - so likely something based on d6's and/or standard playing cards.
Very great advices. Indeed all things I had to go trough with my own project. Hopefully this dream of mine, as crazy as it seem, will come to life one day.
Your last advice is without a doubt, your best advice. But also the hardest to follow.
I would love to see a series on this... Maybe over the course of 2021, you could do one a month? So people wanting to try themselves have something to keep up with and gives them something to focus on for the next month... So in each video you take an aspect of development giving people a task for the month. Then by the end of 2021 had you been keeping up, you have a product thats at least in playtest stage...
Just a thought, something I would definitely be interested in, as it's a goal of mine for next year... so perfect timing :D
This was great thank you!!! And yes if you were up for making more videos about building custom RPGs and rules, I’d love that!
I love this idea I been working on my on ttrpg for months and I think this has help me even if it was a just a little. I would love to hear more on this topic
I'm working on an unique system, that may break the mold. The mechanics work, the little rules, and build up is under construction. What's different? Everybody is game master, it's more political smarts (where even two players can feel, like there's many more players at the table). The dice decide way less. The rules are so easy kids from 8 can play (they did and loved it), as can adults go fully adult with this system. It's both collaborative and competitive. Map making is easier than ever, more fluid, while beautiful. And the world is medieval with fairytale and parallel world elements. I can't say more here, yet, as we hope to go to kickstarter in perhaps half a year.
If you do happen to do another video on this topic (and please do!), it’d be nice to discuss RPGs that don’t necessarily involve combat. Personally I’ve gotten pretty tired of “hit thing with sword” in any genre.
Welcome to my brand spanking new TTRPG system. There is no math involved at all. Let's roll up our new characters everybody. The first character stat that we are going to roll is strength. Everybody roll 27D2...
More videos in this series please! I’m making up a few of my own ttrpgs and this is helpful!
Absolutely love the video, just started 2 weeks ago or so. I've decided on the genre and the outcome system.
Great tips! Very insightful to bring up goals right away; I've tried getting others interested in designing tabletop miniature games, but never with any luck. The yes/no game system is intriguing, for sure; it immediately struck me as a survival game, in the vein of Walking Dead or Alone in the Dark. Different combinations of character traits and gear determine Yes or No; as you said, very puzzle-y and intellectual.
love your content and as I just finish the first drafts of my own ttrpg system (scifi themed) I'm really interested in what you could come up with on this specific topic.
I am 53 and in my 46 years of playing and creating TTRPG's with and for other people I have never produced my own Independent TTRPG, though I have been asked to do so by 1,000's of people over the years. I have all the skills and abilities to create my own TTRPG, but should I, and if I did, what would be the reason to do so? Should I do it for profit, fun or other reasons, or a combination of reasons? What Say You?!?!
My reason was: I want a system that is conected to the lore of our larp world and that is so easy that even people that never played a ttrpg can understand it’s mechanics in 10 minutes.
Honestly, don't bother. The market share is the major problem. To many ways to play for anyone to learn all the ways, and as a player I am just tired of learning the new systems. A homebrew based on an existing system means that I have a frame of reference for your ruleset, and don't have to learn all new rules, but you can focus the changes on exactly the mechanics you want to change and can effectively explain WHY your rules work the way you want to make the changes you wanted.
The exception is if there is a REASON why you NEED a new system. For example if you want to play over twitter, or in prison, or without paper. Some reason why the current rules just don't work at all.
@@vidard9863 Thanks for the response.
@@Frederic_S Thanks for the response. As to the subject of Lore, I have a very detailed and flavorful Fantasy World that spans the entirety of my 46 years as a GM, combining a great many campaigns that have collectively by virtue of their existence thoroughly fleshed out many of the regions and realms of the world that my players experience when they play with me.
I would love to see a series on this!
As someone who has just finished writing his own 6mm scale WW2 miniature wargaming set of rules I can tell you that it’s a lot of work. It took 3 years and thousands of hours including play testing. I’ve just about earned my costs back in the first month post release but now I expect sales to slow. So don’t do it for the money folks! I’ve put my rules on Wargames Vault, which is a print on demand service. This allows you to avoid having to pay for hundreds of books to be printed, which you then have to try and get to market. The rules are called ‘All Hell Let Loose’ by the way. 😀
This is nice. More, please! One challenge I see with a Yes/No system is the possibility of complex situations getting bogged down with a long string of yes-no deliberations. On the plus side, the character sheet could be written in binary!
I have been working on mine for the last year and a half. I have made up all my rules, world lore, and my art. I sincerely and hopefully not arrogantly there is a potent originality in many of what I developed. I may start a Kickstarter one day haha!
Ever since I got into D&D me and my buddy had always tinkered with things about it. Eventually we started crafting our own system and mechanics. We've been tweaking and playing our system for 6 years now, it takes patience but our dedication has paid off enough probably to create our own small book of official rules.
I will answer each question as per my own project as an exercise.
"What's your goal?": My goal is to create a system that emulates a setting that I have invested a lot of creative energy into, and to make it as far from 5e as I can get without removing favorable features. I intend to make it equipment based, have a lot of customization, and prefer rule of cool over rigid rules.
"What is your genre?": Mecha Musume, post-post-apocalypse, science fantasy.
"How are outcomes determined?": I have two separate systems: d10 roll over resolution for stat-based rolls, and d100 roll under resolution for attacks. Then there is a third and final system of meta-currency that can be used to circumvent rolls to get a certain result.
For the mechanics, I'm still in the process of developing them and won't be done for a hot minute. Though on your example of skills, mine doesn't have defined skills but instead three categories of skill templates that can be made up by the players like in Unknown Armies. I'll be posting the writeup on /r/RPGDesign when it's in a playable state.
As someone who has been creating their own system for a while now (its called JRPd20), I would love more videos on this!
I'd be super interested for more on this topic. My brother and I are in the very very early stages of making a game, so this could be really helpful.
Great that this comes up in my suggestions just as I'm working on my one-page-rpg. 😊
I was waiting for something like this, i've been plyaing my own rpg for like 1 month now and it it's going really well
Guy some suggested mechanics to consider for your Yes/No RPG
For basic challenges and minion combat.
Have 4 cards uniform on 1 side, 2 yes 2 no cards. Shuffle into a stack.
When the PC describes an ability, skill, or item that aids their them in the challenge it removes 1 of the “no” cards from the stack. If they determine a 2nd thing to aid them then the 2nd “no” card is removed and they auto succeed.
Example A: I need to climb that wall...
I packed a rope. (1st “no” canceled) I am considered an athlete. (2nd “no” canceled) Resolved, the player succeeds and climbs the wall without incident.
Example B: A jealous patron comes up to you with the intend to knock the daylights out of you...
Does he have a weapon? Do a perception perhaps to see? I have keen sight.
With keen sight you notice he has a hidden knife. (1st no canceled)
I was trained in the military during the war. (2nd no canceled).
Resolution success. You go for his knife before he can react and shove him to the ground and warn him he is out of his league and to not try anything. The patron looks sullen, clearly outclassed and leaves.
Extended challenges Add more No’s to the challenge stack. Where you need to creativity "cancel" out so many no's to succeed at a task.
You are in a duel to the death. (4 “No”s)
I am skilled with my blade and have been practicing (1st no canceled).
I am charismatic and asked around about this person I am fighting (2nd no canceled).
I am sneaky and spied on him while he trained to practice his sword play (3rd no canceled). During the fight I use by athletics to outlast him with good footwork (4th no canceled). Resolution is a success. You two testing eachother with light jabs. You heard and seen some of his tells and notice he telegraphs when he commits to a strike. You counter his advances and he becomes winded to your superior footwork and wear him down. He gets sloppy and you best him as the victor!
Yes please! A whole series on this! What creative and fascinating topic!
Just reminded me of a 1 shot I ran a while ago while I was out without dice and 2 of us didn't even have a phone.
Made a quick 1 shot and called it March Of The Modrons. Every roll was automatically a 10. It worked surprisingly well and even had a 1 of my quieter players getting a little more involved than usual since they were literally the only person with the capacity to do some things.
I have an idea for how you could do a game without math. Have a small deck of cards, and each card has a word on it.
"And, But, Instead, Huge, Little, Very," etc.
Ordinarily, the game is RP heavy between a player and DM. The player will go through some sort of adventure, and face obstacles between them and their goal. Whenever the player arrives at an obstacle, they must explain how they'll overcome it, with the DM deciding if that plan works with YES or NO.
A player can draw a card from the deck whenever they've successfully swayed the DM through RP. These cards come into play whenever a DM makes a ruling. They may play cards to change the result, or alter the scenario, to make it easier to overcome.
Seems like it would make for short and decent one-shots.
Started making my system years ago and picked it up again a few months ago when a friend mentioned wanting to play it. Running the final pre-alpha game today with one other person!!
then starting the alpha with a full table! It's so wild, I cant wait to copyright and release the pdf, but i'm so hype. It feels incredible making a world of my own into something others can play. Especially having it be like properly fun? It's a super proud feeling.