I now have the time to design again!

I’ve designed a few RPG systems in my time. Some worked well, some crashed in a spectacular fashion. I’ve always enjoyed designing and writing them, though.

I’ve had a mind to design yet another system but, to be honest, I didn’t want to create a whole new dice mechanic for people to (yet again) learn. This time I’m thinking of creating a system that doesn’t require a whole load of new rules and yet has much in common with existing games systems.

My first thought was a variation of the D6 system, which I love, and then maybe a version of the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay rules, as used in WFRP 1st and 2nd Edition and the 40K games. I do like the percentile system, but at the same time I wanted to go even further back, to a system that held some nostalgie for me.

I’ve gone right back to the old D&D system and I’m looking at the old ways of doing things; 3D6 for stats, a D20 for task resolution, that kind of thing. The stats really are that – STATS. Strength, Toughness, Agility, Teaching and Social. It’s a cheap gimmick but, hey, it’s all embryonic at the moment. I’m looking to do a generic sci-fi game, a kind of D&D in space, but we’ll see. Early days yet.