brine.dev

A character was fighting a bunch of wraiths and found my regular combat rules weren't cutting it. I just threw something together for the meantime but later crafted them into this...

GROUP COMBAT

When groups fight, zoom out. Use the following threat levels to track the situation:

1. Fair Fight - you have the tools or positioning to handle this
2. Dangerous - you are outmatched OR outnumbered
3. Deadly - you are outmatched AND outnumbered
4. Overwhelmed - you shouldn't be fighting this

Roll 2d6 (as per OYAB) - high die for success, low die compared to threat level for impact:

• Beats threat: significant impact - eliminate enemies, gain ground
• Matches threat: moderate impact - take down one, hold position
• Below threat: minimal impact - losing ground, threat worsens

Adjust threat level when conditions change:

• Drop: eliminate enemies, gain advantage, secure position
• Raise: reinforcements, lose advantage, environment worsens

Example: Three wraiths attack (Deadly). You roll 2d6 → 6, 3. Success (6), moderate effect (3 vs. Deadly). You destroy one wraith. The situation shifts to Dangerous (two remain).

#rules #ttrpg

Of Yarn and Bone is a conversation-first game of identity with stakes, magic with awe, and play with trust.

WHO IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?

Your character is a product of the world; they start with three Names that describe their place in it. Names are epithets that might be a role they fill, an identity or something whispered about them. They are actionable, used in play, and may change or be awarded (up to six total).

1. Create three Names that define your character; here are some prompts to help:

• What role does your character have in the world? eg. Reluctant Captain, Aging Herbalist, The Fixer
• Anything from their past? eg. Orphaned Princess, Butcher's Daughter, Owes a Blood Debt
• What trait describes them? eg. Ruthless, Haunted, Unshakeable
• Do they have a strong relationship? eg. Widow's Son, The Last of My Line, Sworn to Protect Her
• Are they known for something? eg. The Witness, Ship Thief, Speaks With Stones
• Do they own something of note? eg. The Good Ship Revenge, My Father's Blade, The Broken Crown
• Do they have a strong belief? eg. The Land Remembers, No Gods No Masters, The Way of the Snail

2. Write down three words that describe your character's look, features or vibe
3. Name your character

Your character has typical gear based on their Names. Consider making extravagant gear a Name.

The GM represents the world. When uncertain, talk it through.

My game has been unintentionally molting toward FKR. It started before ever hearing the term. It just kinda happened and I continue to enjoy its inherent permission for further mutations.

During a hiatus from D&D 5E, I found myself reading other game systems; exploring their rules (or lack thereof) and ideas. Honestly, I hadn't put together that I wanted to run another system. I was just being curious. Bits and pieces of various systems started to click; most notably, Dungeon World.

Hilariously, I've never run Dungeon World; nor do I have interest in doing so. I don't find it to be a particularly compelling game, but rather a fantastic GM reference! Just reading it changed the way I run games. It also illuminated my want of a different ruleset: something simpler; more inclusive. I didn't need to look very far (even if I did)... DW lead me right to World of Dungeons (WoDu).

There are a number of things in WoDu that changed my game forever (2d6 & Die of Fate come to mind) but in terms of FKR, it was the holes. What do these Skills do? How do rituals work? Decipher? The old GM in me would have thought: "okay, I need to figure out all this shit before we play". But thanks to my exploration of other rulesets, I was able to give myself permission to put these questions to my group. My players really took to this inclusive approach to rule creation. It's very likely why we've been playing for so long (going on 3 years)! Lighter rules also lead to less character sheet-gazing and more creativity. I was hooked!

Two years later, I published some of these house rules as Beasts & Barrows. But shortly thereafter, even BnB started feeling heavy to me. So with an inspiring nudge from 2400, I took another step and revamped them into their new, unfinished form: 1420 Beasts & Barrows. The most notable differences being the lack of stats and d6 dice pool skills. This new ruleset is currently peculating with my regular crew.

For the record, I have no desire to debate what is/isn't FKR. I am not an authority; nor do I wish to be. I purposely refrained from explaining it or linking it to anything here. I prefer its definition to remain elusive and open. I find my game jives with the idea of FKR more than other rpg philosophies (for lack of a better term). YMMV.

#acronym #rules #words #ttrpg

When writing my magic system for Beasts & Barrows, I had two goals: keep it simple and somewhat logical. Towards simplicity, I reused the existing game mechanics: 2d6, attributes and level. I also considered using Necropraxis' fabulous spell dice but simplicity won out.

Making the system logical took a lot more thought.

Several people describe my magic system as Vancian (ie. spells must be prepared daily; have a fixed purpose and finite usage). I did not set out to make my system specifically non-Vancian. This is good because when I think about it, it really is quite Vancian... but with twists.

by brine - v 1.0

Beasts & Barrows is an uncomplicated fantasy role-playing game (RPG) for 2-5 players + Game Maestro (GM). It steals blatantly from John Harper's World of Dungeons and shares the same PbtA core mechanic (2d6). YOU ARE FORBIDDEN TO HACK THIS!

Beasts & Barrows (B&B) values:

• role-play: rules and mechanics emphasize and encourage role-play
• simplicity: less math; less rules; more fun
• show, don't tell: don't tell me your alignment... show me your alignment; don't tell me you attack; describe your attack
• flexibility: running existing adventures from any system is trivial

v 1.3

In World of Dungeons, Skills and Special Abilities help define a character's class. They map directly to the classic classes: Cleric, Fighter, Mage, Ranger & Thief; but they can also be bent to accommodate custom classes... like Alchemist or Road Agent. The following details how these rules have evolved in my games.

v 1.6

The door to magic is closed for most; some few may find it ajar; fewer still may pick the door's lock altogether. Aptitude for the craft is is not unusual but is often misinterpreted. Great magic requires constant practice. The best magi are not always the most gifted; just persistent.

Magic is dangerous; spells go poorly and the consequences can be... severe.