No but serious. Dungeons & Dragons is one of the least flexible systems out there. So whenever I hear someone asking, "Why can't I do X in DnD?" or "How would I do (thing that the system is totally ill-suited for)?" my first response is just "GURPS."
For those of you who aren't familiar, GURPS stands for "Generic Universal Role Playing System." I always say it's like the Linux of ttrpgs, in the sense that it's less a system and more a framework that you can use to do whatever you want with.
And I really do mean whatever you want. You want high fantasy? Done. You want gritty realism in a dystopian world? Got it. You want superheroes? Good to go. Super tech space opera? Oh boy we got you there. You want magic systems that aren't based on spell lists? Go for it. Horror games where character death is a constant and very real threat? Sure thing.
You can set up your game to be anything from a complex data driven grinder to a cinematic rules basically optional flight of fancy.
You can play characters who are anywhere from realistically squishy humans to god-like super beings.
Characters personal flaws and strengths can have a direct impact on mechanics. Character species can have a direct and serious impact on mechanics.
The existence of so many options can make GURPS seem overwhelming at first glance, but if you are willing to put in a bit of effort, it's actually a very simple system to play. Most of the hard work is front-loaded into setting and character creation. Once play starts it runs as smooth as can be.
It's totally possible to play it with just the two core books, BUT there are dozens of books that are nothing but tips and advice for how to build a particular type of world or a particular flavor of campaign.
And the books, while not nearly as pretty as DnD books, are laid out in a way that makes it incredibly easy to find exactly the information you want.
Some more mechanical things that I particularly like about it (under the cut):
Characters are created on a point-buy system, but you don't just buy your basic stats, you also buy your skills, advantages, and secondary stats. And you can gain points back by dropping stats below average or taking disadvantages.
The advantage/disadvantage system. This is sorta the core of the character building, and it is *so* much fun. See, rather than pick out a class or species, you have a list (selected by your GM from a much larger list) of things you can buy that will have mechanical impacts on you in the game. Basically, an advantage is anything that opens up more possibilities for you in-game, and a disadvantage is anything that closes off possibilities. They can be superpowers, species traits, cinematic plot armor, personality traits, or things like chronic illness, bad temper, physical or mental disabilities, or being doomed by the narrative.
Simple dice system. To play a GURPS campaign you need three d6. That's it. All checks and saves are done by rolling 3d6 (low rolls are better than high). This has an additional advantage over the d20 system in that there is a probability curve. You're more likely to roll numbers in the mid-range, which makes both critical successes and critical failures rarer, and therefore more satisfying.
Your target roll is adjusted, rather than adding/subtracting from the roll itself. Say you're trying to, idk, hack a computer. Your skill level doesn't affect your dice roll, it affects the number you need to roll in order to succeed. This makes things a lot simpler on the player's end, imo, because there's less they need to keep track of. (You're trying to roll under the skill check, so whatever the base difficulty is, the GM just adds or subtracts your skill level from that).
The basic stats are on a much tighter scale, and they make a lot more sense. Human average is a 10 in everything. When you make your character you can buy higher stats or take lower ones and get more points to spend on other things. All stats cap out at 18, because that's the highest number you can roll. At a 10 strength you are a normal person. At 18 you're basically Superman. You'd have to roll a critical failure not to succeed in a strength check, and remember: critical failures are far less common than in a d20 system.
I could keep going ad infitum here, but instead I'll just close with:
Come with me boy, play my games! We'll have cowboy times in space!
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tadc headcanons perhaps? Any character, lee or ler
☆—TADC Main Cast Tkl Headcanons—☆
~How about all of them? This took forever; I live in shame. But hey, they're done now, so…yay! LONG so prepare to read for a sec. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you Enjoy!~
💙Pomni🃏
General:
This wet dog of a clown definitely loves tickles.
She just thinks it’s nice that there’s a way to just laugh without needing to think about anything else: a way to just disconnect and enjoy oneself.
A lee-leaning switch. Loves being tickled, but occasionally wants to make someone else giggle and squirm.
Lee:
She gets lee moods pretty frequently, though she rarely tries to fix them. Girl is way too anxious to actually ask for what she wants
Sometimes, one of her fellow players will notice and step in and help, usually Kinger or Ragatha.
She’s a squirmer for sure. Make sure you’ve got a good grip, or she’ll wriggle away (not for long, but still)
If you get her really good, she’ll squeak like a stress toy. It flusters the hell out of her if you tease about it.
Worst spots are her sides, which get loud squeaks if you squeeze them. Navel is sorta bad as well, but she can handle it a lot longer.
Melt spot is her neck, specifically under her chin. She can and will fall asleep if you stay there too long.
Ler:
She’s a softer ler to everyone but Jax. He deserves it honesty-
Gentle tickles, small teases, compliments. Her goal is to make you happy.
“Wow, you’ve got a really pitchy laugh. No, don’t stop, it’s nice.”
“Thanks for not squirming away. Oh, c’mon, I can tell.”
“You’re so soft… I’ve gotta do this more often.”
Really easy to fluster if you can think through the giggles; a quick compliment or praise has her burning.
Her ler moods are usually spurred by something else, like walking in on a tickle fight or hearing the t-word a certain way.
To fix a mood, she’ll usually just go up to Ragatha or Kinger and wiggle her fingers. They usually get the message pretty quickly.
Pretty decent with aftercare. She’s a cuddle bug, but if you’re not big on touch, she’ll find a blanket for you. Other than that, you’ll have to ask.
🦷Caine🎪
General:
The chaos man is a pure switch.
Once he finds out that tickling can affect him and works oh-so-well on his friends, he makes sure to abuse that knowledge whenever possible.
I mean, laughter is better than abstraction, right?
Lee:
The first time he’s tickled is the most confusing moment of his existence.
Like, what? Someone wiggles their fingers somewhere, and it feels like little fuzzy zaps under his digital skin? Crazy.
Once he gets past that, though, the toothy man loves every bit of the odd sensation he can get.
He’ll provoke the players, casually throw the t-word into speeches, or make NPCs to do the job for him (nobody knows about these guys though)
He tries to hold still, but don’t be surprised if he randomly teleports mid-tickle. It always flusters him when he has to go back and ask for it to continue.
Worst spots are his sides and underarms. He’ll screech.
He’s not really all that ticklish anywhere else though, each spot only getting little giggles and titters.
Doesn’t really have a melt spot, though he loves belly tickles. It’s not a bad spot at all for him, but he likes feeling “normal” and connected to the players in that sense.
Sometimes, if you really get him laughing, the sound will glitch. It’s utterly adorable to hear.
Ler:
Run as fast as you can, my friends.
Ler moods come to him for completely random reasons. If he sees someone sad or stressed, if they laugh just a bit too sweetly, if they’re being too sassy: they’re done for.
He uses his digital powers to subdue lees. If you’re hiding? He’ll teleport to you. Fighting him off? Bubbles come and snag your wrists. If you genuinely don’t want him to, he’ll let you go. Other than that, good luck.
“Oh my! You’re quite ticklish, aren’t you?”
“You can’t, hmm? Can’t what? Can’t handle it? Can’t tell me to stop? I’d love to know what’s going through your mind, dear!”
“It tickles, does it? How about I add a few feathers; I hear they’re all the rage among humans!”
He’s really hard to fluster when he’s tickling. Teasy lees, you might have met your match.
Sort of okay with aftercare? He doesn’t understand it at first, but he tries. Head pats and water are his go-to, but he’ll do more if you ask.
💜Jax🐇
General:
Sassy rabbit feels like a ler-leaning switch.
He’s always willing to wreck a bitch, but doesn’t mind the occasional laugh or two for himself.
When he’s feeling lonely or touch starved, tickles are his go-to in either direction.
Lee:
While on the rare side, his lee moods are intense.
Blushes, small giggles, antsy demeanor, flinching from small touches: not exactly discreet.
If another player notices (which almost always happens), he’ll deny and fight it ‘til the cows come home. You’ve gotta fight to give him what he wants.
He’s a flailer for sure. Donkey kicks and stray elbows are his specialty.
Worst spots are his ears, specifically the bases. They get him cackling almost instantly.
Melt spots are the tops of his knees. Nobody really ever targets them, but he goes nearly limp if a few spidering fingers land there.
If you get him just right, he’ll thump his feet against the floor. He dies if you tease him about it.
Ler:
Evil son of a gun, so watch your back.
He lives for a good chase. Will probably try and tease you into running, just so he can trap and catch you.
Very verbal and teasing. He has zero shame in turning you red as a rose.
“You got ten seconds to run, doll. Better make ‘em count~”
“Aww, what’s the matter? Can’t bring your arms down? That’s alright; I’ll make sure you have some fun~”
“You sure do scream a lot, sweet cheeks. I’d cover my ears if they didn’t sound so cute.”
Very smug man, not an easily flustered ler. It really takes some confident prodding or skill to get him.
He uses his tall man advantage every time. Holding a lee up by their arms, using his legs to keep them sitting, putting something on a tall shelf and attacking whenever they try to get it: the list goes on.
He’s actually pretty good with aftercare, even if he doesn’t like to admit it.
He’ll make sure you’re okay and get you water, though he’ll act like it’s such a chore. After that, it’s either cuddles because you “look like death warmed over,” or a special snack to “keep you from annoying him.”
❤️Ragatha🪡
General:
She’s a switch, not really leaning in one direction or the other.
Loves tickling because it can make the other players laugh, which they all desperately need. She knows she does.
Lee:
She’s incredibly shy when she gets in a lee mood. Good luck getting her to do anything productive or coherent until she’s helped.
While she tries holding still, she can’t help but curl up. You’ll need to hold her arms above her head or get used to moving with her.
I like to think she’s got a louder, more obnoxious-sounding laugh (no projection, you have 0 proof-)
Lots of snorts, cackles, and little hiccup-squeaks.
Speaking of which, the easiest way to fluster her is to compliment her laugh. She’s self-conscious about it, so literally any praise will have her coming apart at the seams (hehehe pun)
Worst spots are her neck and back, specifically her shoulder blades. She cannot handle massages around there.
Melt spots are her belly and thighs. Some gentle traces or pokes in either of those areas has her in giggle heaven.
Ler:
She's incredibly sweet, though she's got a different way of doing things for certain people.
With most of the circus members, she's soft and playful. Light touches, quick scribbles and small teases.
“You're such a wiggle worm, giggles. Try to hold still for me, will you?”
“Aww, look at that adorable blush. I'm glad to know you're having fun!”
For select individuals (Jax and anyone misbehaving), she's playfully mean and a touch ruthless. Fast squeezes and very teasy attacks.
“Aww, that spot’s pretty sensitive, huh? I should tell the others; I'm sure they'd love a chance to see you like this!”
She's surprisingly strong, able to pin pretty much all of the players. If you wanna try escaping, get ready for a good fight.
She's amazing with aftercare. She'll make sure you're alright, get you a drink, and swaddle you in a soft blanket for cuddles.
If you aren't big on touch, she'll get you the finest digital cuisine (basically asking Caine for your favorite food) and whatever else you can think of.
🎭Gangle🎀
General:
This ribbon girl is very much a lee.
If she does tickle anyone, it’s an extremely rare one-off occasion.
She’s just more comfortable with being tickled, for a number of reasons.
Doesn’t want to risk pushing someone’s boundaries, uncomfortable touching them, or just a general not-wanting-too feeling.
Lee:
Lee moods are about as rare as pebbles for her. They’re pretty obvious, too.
Tightly coiled posture, a giddy look on her face (biggest giveaway), and very nonchalant staring at people’s hands.
Needless to say, everyone is clued in almost immediately.
She has no shame in wiggling around and unraveling, though she does actually want to get away. It’s fun, and it usually gets her ler to tease her.
Worst spots are the inner parts of her midsection ribbons. She will absolutely try to unravel and slip out of your arms if you try it.
Melt spot is her mask, specifically the back of it. As long as she’s wearing it, she’ll feel the tickles. Girly melts into a giddy puddle in your arms.
Her laughter is really pitchy, with plenty of squeaks and squeals to go around. Kind of like a mouse on helium (great way to tease her, as long as it’s done kindly)
Gets flustered VERY easily. You won’t have to try hard unless you really want to.
♚Kinger🪲
General:
The softest lee-leaning switch you'll ever meet.
He loves tickles, though you won't catch him openly admitting it. It's too embarrassing for him
He gets lee moods frequently, though he's willing to help a friend with theirs if they need it.
Lee:
He's decently shy, never coming out and asking for tickles. He usually just suffers in silence until Ragatha notices.
On a rare day where he's stable and confident, he'll tease Pomni or the ragdoll to try and provoke it.
It rarely works how he'd like, but they almost always realize that he's in a lee mood. Failed successfully.
He'll squirm around like a literal worm, though he can't help it. Lucky for his ler, he's pretty much a walking tickle spot.
If one spot is blocked, another opens up.
His worst spot is his stomach. He goes silent when anyone gets him there, save for the occasional squeak or gasp.
Melt spot is the top of his head on the little cross thing. He'll lean right into it, maybe even fall asleep.
He's got a really squeaky, pitchy laugh. If you get him really laughing, he'll start to snort and flap his hands.
Ler:
If one of his fellow players is close to abstraction or just needs some cheering up, he'll be there.
He's got a very soft, lightly teasing style. Doesn't really push anyone to their limits unless they really want him to.
“Of all the bugs in my collection, I must say I have a favorite…the Tickle Bug!”
“Those are some cute giggles, friend. So glad you could share them with me!”
“Of course I can help with your…predicament. Now, arms up for me, dear.”
Kind of the dad of the circus. He's always there to help if need be.
Super great with aftercare. 80% of the time, he'll tickle you in his fort. That means pillowy cuddles afterwards and a nice nap.
If that's not your thing, he's more than willing to accommodate. As long as you're happy, he's happy.
🎡Zooble🪀
General:
This preschool toy mashup gives me strong ler vibes.
They don’t seem like someone who’d like to be tickled unless the ler was EXTREMELY close to them and knew their boundaries by heart.
Ler:
They’re an absolutely despicable little shit.
Worst spot targeting, slightly mean teases, and the CHASES!
They could throw their arm at the fleeing lee, and it’d all be over. The thing could latch onto their worst spot and wiggle away, leaving the lee unable to do anything but wait for Zooble to catch up.
It doesn’t take a lot to provoke them, but if you want a proper wrecking, you’ll have to work for it. They don’t get annoyed enough to destroy someone easily.
VERY teasy, almost unfairly so.
“Tickles, does it? Maybe if you hadn’t been such a pain in the *boink*, this wouldn't be happening.”
“You brought this on yourself, ya know. Every unbearably ticklish second of it.”
“What? Not my fault this is your worst spot. Get less ticklish.”
Have you seen that lobster claw thing? You can’t tell me that thing wouldn’t tickle like crazy.
For aftercare, they try their respective best. They’ll pat your back, maybe give you a head rub.
After that, they’ll typically bring their undoubtably exhausted lee to Kinger’s pillow fort for a much-needed nap.
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i miss wren farvo btw do you have like . any lore about him before nature/nurture happened? like what was he like when he was a kid and where did he live and how was his relationship with samirah and who was his buire, etc etc i wanna know 👀
OLLYYYYYYY if there's anyone i can trust to be a wren farvo enjoyer ik it's you fr fr. funnily enough there actually used to be a wren-centric nurture chapter that like, explored exactly his lore lmao. the chapter involved themes I wasn't ready to write about however (like, I realised I wasn't the right person/didnt have enough experience with them) so I scrapped that chapter in the end. i can give you the lore aspects though! (cut off because, long as fuck)
(also this will make sense in the further context of the post, but I didn't feel comfortable putting these links under the readmore lmao)
palestine masterlist by palipunk
fundraiser for Yousef, a photojournalist in Gaza
esims!! they need those!! help them out
basically though the rundown was that; wren was adopted by his buir at a young age, after the Purge (young enough that he doesn't remember his previous life, not that he particularly cares to look). also, Wren doesn't remember this, but he was actually adopted first before Samirah (Samirah was older, and thus ended being the older sister anyway) (Samirah also doesn't bother reminding Wren about this, if only to avoid his gloating)
the two only had the one parent, the sole survivor of the Farvo clan after the Purge. It, obviously, left their parent in...a state. i never went around to properly naming their parent, since in the chapter Wren only ever called them 'Buir'. then again given the fact that they were living with a covert back then, the atriarch of clan Farvo probably didn't give their name out anyway.
oh yeah okay so; in the nature/nurture verse, after the Purge, Din's covert wasn't the only covert out there. survivors splintered off into many, many small coverts, most of them isolated from one another and thinking they were the only ones. at most, one covert would be aware of one other covert that survived (and usually, to the best of their ability, try to merge coverts to reassemble their numbers). each covert had a different approach to making through the galaxy, particularly Wren's covert not instilling the 'dont take your helmet off' rule
the themes that i mentioned the chapter having was basically; what it'd be like, growing up as a child of a dead people, and what it'd be like when your parent is a survivor of a genocide. how that'd affect them, and affect you and your family, and how hard it'd be to connect to a culture and a community that was ripped brutally out of your hands before you could even speak. wren farvo, essentially, grew up in a graveyard, with his parent haunted by the ghosts of a family he never got to meet, mourning for a home he never got to see. that Wren was essentially a genocide survivor himself, and how he'd struggle to come to terms with his identity as a Mandalorian when it seems the entire galaxy wants him dead
then I started writing the chapter, realised how similar it was to the very real Palestinian genocide going on right now, and proper realised the depth and weight and importance of how I was going to convey this story. i tried my best for a couple passages, but eventually though i realised that, as of now, it's better if I just...don't. not yet, at the very least. regrettably Im not the best person to write about this, i just don't know enough, and i wasn't going to take a bite out of something i couldn't chew so, whoops! into the deleted scenes doc they go. maybe one day I'll pick it up again
back to Wren Farvo lore however !! his parent passed in the way many mandalorians pass during those times, having caught off guard and alone by a group of one too many beskar-hungry thieves. it was a pretty dark and awful time for the Farvo clan, but they thankfully had the rest of the covert to keep them going. Samirah became matriarch of the Farvos, and Wren became the lighthearted grounding force that balanced out her seriousness. they kept each other in check, one from sinking into the burdens of responsibility and duty, and the other from a recklessness that would eventually kill him. when Samirah adopted Jeliaya, it only brought them closer together, jeliaya basically being a promise for the clan's continued existence
as this is all happening, wren's covert had managed to meet with Din's old covert (Din himself not being around, still searching for the kid). together, and with Bo-Katan's crew after a while, they banded and started searching for more survivors. the heads of the coverts (+ bo) eventually realised how easily dwarf planets flew under nearly every radar. then they found the dwarf planet where they settled and struck peace with the locals. for about a decade they settled in, digging tunnels of their own and carving out spaces for themselves in the planet itself. Wren stayed close with his sister and his niece the entire time, having no reason to be anywhere else
but being able to live on that dwarf planet, though - being able to walk out in the sun in relative peace definitely did wonders for everyone's mental health. for the first time they had a planet again, however small. Samirah's work thrived, especially when she started communicating with the local doctors. Jeliaya grew healthy and at peace, her safety mostly assured. Wren did...Wren things, helping out everywhere he could
a lot of that involved him being part of the force that stood against the Dark Troopers; Wren was one of the first few that devised defensive plans, figured out their weaknesses, convincing the Armourer(s) that beskar weapons were, against this enemy, quite necessary since it's one of the few materials that can tear through the Dark Trooper's armour (which is why she never made Din melt down his spear in this 'verse. that, and also I'm a beskar-spear enjoyer at heart). one such mission brought him and his sister to this Imperial fort, where they met Din for the first time!!
meeting Din, Wren's first immediate thought is 'woah, this guy's fucked' and after learning that he's still looking for the kid he lost about 7-8 years ago, came up with the nickname "Or'trikar". for the grief that he exuded like a physical aura, and for the tightness of Wren's own chest whenever he so much as looked at him. Wren and Din grew closer, mostly due to Wren being...Wren and generally clingy to the people he's trying to impress. it works on Din, who ended up viewing Wren as a younger brother
Din definitely wouldn't think so, but to the Farvos it's obvious that for that time, Din was practically one of them. An honourary Farvo, if nothing else. he was practically Jeliaya's second uncle, and he came around to the Farvo residence pretty often, thanks to Wren refusing to let the guy stew in his own room and his own or'trikar
about two years pass, and Wren and Din get paired together to find the source of all those Dark Troopers, and to scout out how to cut the production off at its root. they find the biggest, freshest clue they've had in all their years and Wren, antsy and excited, decided to go on a solo hunt to burn off steam instead of going home. Din pointed him in the direction of where he last left the Razor Crest, and Wren found it (neglected, dusty, but still usable; something something, nothing grand, just a means to an end) and used it to fly around for a bit
unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it) the tracker that Gideon put on that ship was still there, and still active. Wren ends up being captured and thrown into an Imperial prison, where he meets this strange kid through the vents who insists on calling himself Asset
and then the rest is history
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