Dragon Sword
Do we really need another generic fantasy role-playing game? What is so special about this game?
Nothing really, beyond the fact that it combines several ideas I’ve pulled from other games I’ve enjoyed, hopefully in a way that both makes sense and is fun. This game is fairly light on rules, not too difficult to learn, but still capable of providing a complete and fun gaming experience.
Note the emphasis is on light. If you like spending hours optimizing every last detail of your character, picking exactly the right abilities and equipment to make them as capable as possible, planning how they are going to advance over the next twenty levels, if you like specific rules and modifiers that cover every possible condition and situation that could arise in play in minute detail, this is not the game for you. Not that there is anything wrong with games like that, but this isn’t one of them. In this game, you can create a character in about 30 seconds, requiring very few decisions in the process, and almost every situation or task in the game is resolved in exactly the same way, with a single die roll.
Who is this game meant for? I’ve tried to make it friendly to new gamers, not just by virtue of simple rules, but by explaining things in a manner that is hopefully easy to understand (yes, I did include the dreaded “What is Role-playing” section). I think people looking for a quick pick-up game might also like it, and I have tried to make it robust enough to support campaigns of at least moderate length.
In short, this is another rules-light generic fantasy RPG floating in a sea of similar products. I hope someone out there enjoys it and finds some use for it, but even if they don’t, I have enjoyed writing it.
Oh, and what exactly is the titular Dragon Sword? I know what it is in my game, but there is no “official” definition, it’s just a name I thought sounded neat and evocative. Make it whatever you want it to be, or nothing at all if you prefer.
Dislcaimer: Not playtested at all.
- DSWord.pdf
Download
Tags: Joe Pruitt
September 18th, 2013 at 4:20 pm
This looks like a great lightweight game for beginners, or regulars wanting for something simple. My one gripe is the cost of magic; assuming I play a wizard and get the maximum amount of starting gold I will only be able to buy two uses of spells, or three if I don’t bother getting any other gear at all. I would suggest that you buy and “unlock” a spell at 5xCircle gp but then you can buy additional uses at Circle gp cost, or something along those lines.
September 19th, 2013 at 8:46 am
Glad you liked it, and thanks for the comments.
Two spells is all you started out with in early versions of D&D, so it is workable. However, you might try adjusting the cost of spells to 3 x circle, or whatever number works for you (your method sounds doable, pay to learn a spell then pay less to cast it later). I also had considered rules for foraging for spell ingredients but left those out to save space. You might allow mages to search the wild for spell components (with higher circle spells being harder to find), either abstractly with a Test or by actually having the undertake a small quest to obtain the needed ingredients. Finally, remember that magic using characters are not necesarily fragile or “one-trick ponies” like they might be in some RPGs; a mage can be fairly capable at things other than using magic.
Thanks for reading!