Rant.li

I've had this idea for a while now of creating a ttrpg that anyone could contribute to by means of polls and pull requests. Now I'm going to start to bring this idea into fruition. This post is going to explain my ideas and how this is going to work. I'm going to do it in a Q+A style. This system doesn't have a name yet so for the sake of this post i'll refer to it as “x”.

What is this idea?

My idea is to create an “open source” ttrpg system. In my mind this means a highly community driven game that allows anyone with an idea can try and implement it. This would be done by people proposing an idea with a pull request, then the community votes on whether or not to implement it. I also want x to have a focus on being completely setting-neutral, (a campaign should be able to take place in a medieval setting or a sci-fi setting with only minor modifications to the game) as well as modular (parts can be removed as needed if they don't fit a GM's goal. if a campaign doesn't want magic it can be easily removed or modified).

What are the core principals of x?

I hope that x will follow the following core principals throughout it's creation. – Completely setting neutral. x can take place in any setting or world from classic antiquity to futuristic sci-fi to steampunk. All mechanics that are dependent on a specific setting (such as equipment or monsters) need to be kept in a separate location that allows people to choose what they want. – Modular. This ties in with the above one. Most components need to be able to be removed if needed. If a group doesn't want to have magic the game shouldn't break due to lack of magic. – Community driven. This is the most important part. A community needs to be created and help create the game. The more people sending ideas and voting in polls the better. – X will be based around dice – X will have a GM

How will the open source aspect actually work?

Here is the step by step process of how you could add an idea to x: 1. Think of your idea. Find a problem that you have with the game (or just a way to improve it) and think of how you could fix it. 2. Fork the github repo that will host the game and on your own fork implement your idea. 3) Send a merge request to the beta version of the game. The community can then discuss the change, modify the change, and ultimately vote on whether or not to implement the change. 4) a) If the community voted no on adding your change we're sorry. We hope that you will continue playing x. b) If the community votes yes, good for you! Your change is still not in the main game. Your change will be added into the beta version of the game and added into the next major version of the game. During the initial creation of the game (everything leading up to the 1.0 release) all major decisions will be done through a poll.

How will versions work?

The game will have two versions. The first is the stable version. This version is the one most people will play. It is well playtested and updated about every year (in a way similar to 1.0 to 2.0). The second version is the beta version. The beta version contains new rules right as they're added. The beta version may be more unstable. Every year or so (depending on how many new ideas are added) the beta version will become the stable version.

How much will this cost?

Downloading the rules will never cost you a dime. Printed books may be made in the future.

What license?

I'm going to let the community decide what they want to do as we go along.

How can I support this project?

The best way to help at this point in time is to contribute ideas and vote in the polls. I cannot stress this enough. Having an active community is crucial for the success of x

Where is this project going to be hosted?

For now this will be hosted across multiple github repos. We will have one for the rules and mechanics for both the stable and beta versions. We will also have one for items, one for monsters, and maybe a misc one each with a version for stable and beta. Here is the github organization that hosts all the repos. You can find everything there: https://github.com/x-ttrpg

How can I stay updated? There are a few ways that work hand in hand.

The first (and best) is to follow this blog. All changes and polls will be posted here. Following my mastodon is another great way to stay updated. ([email protected]) Finally following the github repos is greatly helpful.

I hope I didn't miss anything and that makes sense. The first poll will be in the next couple days. If you are interested please let me know by interacting with the mastodon post below.

And now PLEASE, if you are interested share this project. Having a community is the most important thing for x

p.s. we probably need a better name. any ideas?