Asking insightful questions. Seeking thoughtful answers!
https://errantthinking.com/
TTRPGs, Game Design, Philosophy, Science, Education, A Love of Life
Errant Thinking
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All this to say, TTRPG material is meant to _inspire_.
Vibes may seem nebulous as in what it is, but as a concept I find it clear.
Vibes. Vibrations which are felt. Feelings. Like art, TTRPG material is to move you, but more so it is to inspire you to create and act and play with your imagination.
As work on my draft of Small Souls, I'm revisiting my creature entries, as its both a "monster manual" and playable creatures list. Working on something that is meant to be more generic of a system (relative resolution or even the small folk genre) I find it difficult to put the vibe in the text. 🧵
Why this system over another? vibe first.
This setting over another? Vibe first.
Why do we love art? 1000 unspoken words of vibe and even more, a story when its real good.
Vibe and stories are what we gravitate towards. It is the first and foremost thing to consider when making TTRPG material. 🧵
This can be difficult for a generic system to resonate with the audience when it is farther removed from a story or vibe.
For Small Souls, I realize my story lies in fairy tales and the lil folk genre. So I'll emphasize all the folk tales and magic of story telling I can for each lil creature. ✨
Recently, I've come to realize that vibe is the primary point of all TTRPG material, even mechanics. Why this resolution over another? To purposefully support the intended vibe of play! Relative resolution is meant to encourage giving it your all, pushing your physical limits - but at a cost! 🧵
A quick read on what amounts to a something like Ocaam's razor for game system design. If a rule is added, then it better provide a richer experience within the desired play space than if it weren't present. Always ask, "what is the benefit of adding this rule to the game?"
And play test often! :]
I love hummingbirds! 😍 They are incredible creatures.
I wrote up my wip ttrpg mechanic on hit locations for Small Souls. Using hit graphs and traversing them given successes in your dice pool, you can get tactical and target specific locations!
errantthinking.com/hit-graphs/
Pin point precision in your TTRPGs with stick figures and graphs.
