3d10 A new game

[Nakander]

Hello Everyone,

This is really a shot in the dark. I'll try to be as brief as I possibly can, though I have a lot to say. And I'm not exactly sure if I'm in the right place or what sort of reception I'm going to receive (perhaps none?), but here goes:

So I ended up creating a new tabletop RPG over the last couple of years and it's turned out to be pretty good. So good, in fact, that we're thinking about trying to market it and sell it soon (though we have no idea where to start on that, either). But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

It's a fantasy RPGs that we call 3d10. It is heavily inspired by 2nd edition D&D. You could almost call it a throwback to 2nd edition, but with a serious course-correct on where I felt D&D should have went from there. That being said, virtually every aspect of it has been changed or tweaked to my own liking. The main thing I was trying to accomplish was to make the game accessible, understandable, and enjoyable for people that don't normally like these sorts of games but still deep and compelling enough that serious players can get interested in the rules and character customization.

To that end, it has a deep emphasis on storytelling, a lot of illustrations and other visual aids, and countless other aspects that make it play more like a complex board game rather than a traditional "Be anything. Do anything" RPG. Reception amongst my own testers has been overwhelmingly positive (and many of those people don't like me much, so I know they wouldn't lie to protect my feelings).

Basically, I'm looking for questions that I can answer and then get feedback on where I'm going with it all. I'm also going to eventually need more testers, but that's a bit further down the line. Even very vague questions (despite what little info I've given) will help me a lot, since I'm just trying to get the ball rolling somewhat organically (instead of writing out a 200 page essay in one post in an attempt to explain this thing and expecting someone to read it).

I do intend to provide more details over time regardless of whether I provoke any responses, but here's a little bit to get started.

That's all for now. Thank you.

(It might take me awhile to respond to any replies, so please bear with me.)

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Consider putting a beta of your game on itch.io and itchfunding to get to a funding goal (like getting to print).

Stressful and exciting: an End of the Line RPG guide to Itchfunding

I spoke to Kyle Tinga, the creator of the horror game End of the Line, about it and about Itchfunding.

www.geeknative.com

 

[Haiku Elvis]

Yeah, what he said.
I'm always interested in new games and different systems/ideas how to do things but it's hard to respond with so little info. The best thing to do is get it out there so people can see it and you can get feedback.
I would like to know how the 3D10s work though, seeing how that's giving your game its name.

 

[AOieiosle]

Put out a beta version via itch and set up a way (discord) to give feedback and engage with you. You'll be humbled and surprised by the feedback and positivity.

 

[Nakander]

Thank you so much for the replies.

I'll look into the beta version via itch. I've never heard of that, so I'm not sure what to expect. This game is massive, though, so I'm not sure how I'd get it all out there. I have the first campaign finished well enough to be played but we (my artist and I) have been trying to polish everything to look more professional and easier for someone that hasn't played many rpgs to understand.

As for the 3d10 - excellent question. The dice roll 3d10 is your primary roll for statistic checks. Basically, each action you wish to take - like balancing on a ledge or lifting a rock - will have a number on it that denotes how hard it is to accomplish. Let's say lifting the rock has a 24 on it (which would be quite low): You roll 3d10 and add your strength. If your result is equal or greater it succeeds.

There's also alternatives that change the number depending on the action. Balancing on a ledge you could choose to roll your agility which would require (let's say) 25, but if you have a good acrobatics score, you could try that instead and potentially require a smaller roll to succeed.

In 3d10, all of your successful checks yield small amounts of experience which I found motivates my players to want to try and take part in every little thing possible.

Your character's statistics are wildly more important in everything you do than in some other games. This was a basic intention I had right from the start because I've played many games where only a couple of stats seem to matter.

3d10 also plays an important roll (har) in the combat system.

That's all for now. Back in a bit. Thanks again.

 

[Nakander]

Alright, so I have a bit more time to write now so I thought I would give a little bit of insight into my own back ground as well as some of the issues that I've been seeing in my tabletop groups that inspired me to make a new game. The reason for this is to ascertain if there are any like-minded people out there that might be seeing some of what I've seen (which would be encouraging).

The main issue we kept running into was with new players and girlfriends. The same people that get starry eyed and giddy with board games like Betrayal At House On The Hill or Mysterium but are completely disinterested or bored with D&D or GURPS. What was so different?

I know part of the problem was with my other DMs. One in particular is pretty old school and refused to entertain the idea that essentially having no rules and allowing people to just make up whatever they want and have the DM improvise for it is very vexing for new players that like a lot more structure. And to be clear, I do like games and campaigns where anything goes and you make your own story, but I also understand that not everyone has the ability, experience, and wit to speak and act and make a game with no boundaries exciting. I know I'm not a great speaker myself, nor am I witty, preferring to have time to contemplate my words.

So what did I do differently with 3d10? Even as I write this I find I just can't summarize this thing all at once. It's so friggin' huge. But let me try and give a few details:

Firstly, I wrote a campaign that proceeds a lot more like a novel. I used my limited ability as an author to create a more linear story that people can understand. Second, I implemented a lot of aspects you might find in board games into the gameplay of 3d10. There are a lot of extra illustrations and visual aids for the puzzles and such. Finally, I emphasized a few things that I know RPG-illiterates would be interested in like a lot of rolling, clear choices for which path might be taken, and a solid progression system that allows players to really understand what their character is capable of and more importantly, what specific roles that they play within their group to help them feel more important.

That's all for now. I might try and post the character sheet or some of the art work soon. Not sure if I can, but I'll look into it. My artist/graphic designer/brains of the operation is sick in bed right now so I can't make many promises yet.

(Don't worry. If people aren't really interested and I'm really just talking to myself I'll go away.)

 

[Nakander]

Good Evening.

So this'll probably be my last post for awhile (unless I get a few more questions). Thank you for the positive feedback and responses I've received so far. And I will be looking into that itch thing a bit later when illness and dayjobs relent a bit.

I thought I would just give an idea of what is already finished in an effort to show that I'm serious and really plan to take this game somewhere:

We have a Dungeon Master Guide. Its about 300 printed pages. It's all in InDesign so I don't know how to get a word count from it but it's big. It has illustrations for the classes and races and also some for what I call fortifications (which are something akin to fallout perks). Many of the spells and fortifications still need illustrations.

There's a brief history and summary for our game world that is around 20,000 words. It gives an idea of the lay of land, the powers that are at work, and the general history of the inhabitants. Much more information is learned by playing.

We have a first campaign written and semi-tested. It's about 120,000 words give or take. I'm pretty happy with it overall.

The campaign comes with a bunch of visual aids and illustrations. There's a quest board that is illustrated as well as a couple of the puzzles that have printable pieces for the players to fiddle with. There's also a bunch of other riddle/word jumble type puzzles but they aren't finished yet and haven't been tested at all.

Also along with the campaign are two functioning mini-games called Pyramid and Kingslayer. One is like a Q-bert type board game that the inhabitants of my world (Teirkon) play as a passtime. The other is a card game played by mages and elites. Both are illustrated and playable without the campaign. The card game is only partially tested.

We have a fully completed and soon to be printed monster compendium that contains illustrations and descriptions of all the monsters that appear within the first campaign. It's around 45,000 words plus the pictures.

We have an almost completed magic item compendium. It is partially illustrated but fully written. It's not edited yet. It's around 15,000 words.

The character sheets, preset biographies, and 3d10 logo are all finished and awesome. After much arguing with purists we;ve settled on a multipaged character sheet with big letters and sex appeal.

Most of the maps are finished. We just need a couple of the interior maps for the final dungeon and we'll have it.

Finally, I'm working on the player handbooks at the moment. They are cut versions of the DM's guide that offer only information on a specific class. Each player will receive a handbook for his or her class that will be their own.

That's all I can think of for now. Thanks for reading. It's been encouraging for me to see people looking at this.

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

With what you have made already, you have a few options. You can release some tasters as demos, or even release the files for mini-games as their own thing (maybe with some in-world fiction or fluff). You can start raising funds for your in-progress game by selling the open beta pdf (like Gubat Banwa).

It all depends on what kind of response you get from your early readers/testers. I can see you are more interested in the creative side of things; you need to talk to more creators who have knowledge about the business side of things. You may want to put yourself out on social media, like on Twitter, to engage with other indie game designers...

 

[Haiku Elvis]

Update us when you've decided your next steps you've obviously put loads of effort in so I hope you get it out for people to play it. I'm always idly thinking of ideas for new systems or mechanics or games but I never get past the stage of manic scribbles and half thought out ideas in notebooks before some new idea comes along and distra...oooh shiny!

 

[Nakander]

Good Evening,

Yes, you have me pegged quite well. I'm mostly a writer and imaginer and a massive fan. My wife is a graphic designer, artist, and editor. Neither of us have a head for business or marketing.

I'm afraid of plagiarism if I start releasing pieces of my game. It has a ton of simple, but pretty revolutionary innovations that I've pondered, tested, and perfected over the last 30 years. I haven't seen any of them out there and I've looked a bit. One of my DM friends has already ripped off a couple of my ideas and has introduced them into the community. I'm not mad or anything, but it's a warning to me that I need to be careful what I say and do.

I don't have facebook or twitter. Their reputations make me uneasy. I know that I may have to set my fears aside for this to work, but I'm still not prepared. I'll definitely look into what's been suggested in a little while.

I appreciate the interest and responses. It's helped me a lot to be able to talk about some of this. I had to think hard just to remember what we had (and I actually forgot to mention a couple things).

Hopefully I'll return with something more solid that can actually be tested by this community. My wife knows how to watermark stuff or make it more difficult to print/steal but she's down sick. Thanks again.