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Got asked today what someone can do with my #ttrpg system https://versesrpg.com, and I thought I'd go into some detail:
Let’s say you are thinking about building a TTRPG built in a #folk #horror genre. You want to create opportunities for players to explore the creepy esotericism that underlies the real-world history of folktales. You've got a cool idea for how to structure a way to convert folk #monsters into a rules framework to enable horror-tinged encounters
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You could write out those conversion rules, then the game rules, and the character creation rules, and everything else. You could spend a lot of time building that out, play-testing it & figuring out how to publish it.
Or, you could build on top of 'Verses
What does that look like?
1st, you might write out your conversion rules as a Rules Module
Then you might write just enough of your #worldbuilding to make your idea playable...
... You'll probably want to write a few Abilities and Skills that differentiate your game world from the generic baseline that 'Verses provides. Maybe there's magic or arcane knowledge that you want to handle in a specific way.
That's the "special sauce" that makes your game different from other games.
Once you've written that, you publish your work. Maybe you sell it (you can!) maybe you decide to give away the Rules Module for free, and sell the game world (you can!)
...
But let's look at what you didn't have to build:
- Fundamental game mechanics for probabilities, tests, & success
- Character attribute system, creation, & advancement
- Compendia of skills, character abilities, & items
- Rules for mediating action & combat
- Auxiliary rules to answer questions like "How does alcohol affect characters?" (because other people can publish Rules Modules that answer that question)
All that is available as part of 'Verses Core, and is published under a CC BY license... all you have to do in your own game is declare that you're using the 'Verses Core rules
But can you charge money for your game? Yes, you can!
You can even include all of the 'Verses Core rules as part of your game, and charge money. It is free for you to use, modify, and sell.
You can also contribute back to the project if you feel like it 😊
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