Tomes by Torchlight

Today, I begin posting modular sections of my game's rules. I am not sure whether to call it a hack, a house-rule, or a totally new system. It is certainly not a retro-clone, and the whole purpose of writing this game up as a unique document is because of the massive abundance of house rules I was adding to 5e  (good grief, I feel like I departed that shore long ago). However, when I try to translate many of the systems I have created to a more Traditional TTRPG system, they do not work. So I don't think it is a hack either., though it certainly facilitates OSR gameplay. I think I've got a new system on my hands. Anyway, I am going to start posting portions of the rules for your viewing pleasure. Critique them, if you feel so inclined, but keep in mind these are rough drafts and first passes at these rules, and they will be updated and revised as I discover their problems. I'm excited. Let's do this.

After the many woes with which many referees are familiar, I started working on a different kind of campaign setting. Creating ream after ream of place-names, NPCs, demographics, and adventures that would never be used - that felt completely fabricated and inauthentic after pouring out hours of work. Creating races and monsters and magic and kingdoms and peoples that felt eternally bland and uninteresting compared to the real world despite their fantastic elements. Chasing the ever elusive rabbit of creating a world that appears to be an organic emergency, not a construct. Just creating a map that didn't look like an ink-blot test. All of those things nearly drove me insane until I realized the obvious: Nothing is more interesting than the real world. Designing a setting based on the real world removes all of the tedious busy-work of setting creation, and allows one to focus on the fun: magic and swords and kings and chivalry and faeries and devils. Thus, my Arthurian setti...