#tabletop game creator

[virtual-board-game-room]

VBR v0.8

The new VBR version v0.8 is finished and ready for download for all members.

Members of all level can download the software for free.

Version Log v0.8:

Completely new, intuitive inventory system with Drag&Drop operation

Copy function: Objects can now be copied directly in the room with shortkey "i"

Locking and phantoming an object and the status display is now integrated in the middle mouse button menu

The base ground size can now be set in the options menu

Game objects can now be randomly removed from locked bags and card decks with a single mouse click.

The high-resolution movement of objects via the number pad now also has movement via the Y axis with the "9" and "3" buttons

Fixed many major bugs and minor errors.

Virtual Board Game Room on Patreon

[questludica]

🧟‍♂️ I made a thing and it's free and it's ridiculous 🍁

THE BLIGHTED NORTH - a survival horror RPG about what happens when America tries to annex Canada and accidentally creates the most polite zombie apocalypse in history.

The vibes:

Zombies who queue politely

"Sorry" after every bite

Tim Hortons as fortress settlements

Hockey equipment as armor

Geese who are STILL the most dangerous creatures even when undead

Dark humor that doesn't make light of real trauma

The mechanics:

BRP/d100 system (like Call of Cthulhu but Canadian)

Pre-made characters ready to play

4-6 hour scenario with actual moral choices

Rules for surviving when being polite might get you killed

Made for Never51 Game Jam exploring territorial expansion gone catastrophically wrong.

It's completely free because indie creators deserve nice things.

Download here: https://questludica.itch.io/the-blighted-north-quickstart

"The zombie asked if I was having a good day before trying to bite me. I didn't know how to respond." - Actual playtester feedback

[acrisius-ii]

Hello again fellow indie TTRPG makers

Skipping the welcome-backs, i have come across a major revelation

for years, i have wondered: how do i do cool RPG book layouts when i don't have stuff like photoshop to cut precise shapes out of images or indesign to put them together

i don't have those. but i do have a SCANNER!!!

the theory is simple-- i draw all my stuff on some paper first because i have been known to do this. I make sure to format what is on the paper how i want it in the end product. Make room for text, but don't write anything there, maybe just mark it out. design elements, page numbers, margins, all arranged how it must go.

And then we scan it.

Aha! A spread! In a digital format! now we can go into any old pdf editor (if you're lacking that as well, just open up a new google slide and download it into a pdf later) slap in some textboxes copy paste the text in... da-dan! We've done a single spread!

Now be aware i haven't actually tried it yet, but the theory should hold up in water. i'll be sure to share the results when i do try it.

[smallredrobin13games]

To Speak In A Strange Wedding is a three-player game about translating a speech at a wedding. It's a unique, laid-back experience that's designed to be played with only the game's risoprinted gm screen.

If that sounds like something that would appeal to you, please check out the backerkit page and give us a follow!

[anim-ttrpgs]

An absolutely incredible review of the beta version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy by review Willy Muffin on youtube, complete with visuals and actual analysis!

I'm going to also add to this post a comment that I left on the video, offering further insight into the design intentions of the game, though the comment might not make as much sense if you haven't watched the video yet.

Hey, lead writer of Eureka here, first of all I wanna say how good and professional this review is, it’s almost indescribable how it feels to see our project taken so seriously and given real analysis, complete with visuals and everything! We would be super impressed and happy with it even if you didn’t like the game—but luckily it sounds like you loved it hahaha

I’d also like to address a few things throughout the video, not as arguments or rebuttals, just further developer insight for everyone

Re: “Urban Fantasy.” “Urban Fantasy” is basically just another term for “modern fantasy”, just a fantasy story that takes place in the 20th or 21st century and deals with the intersection of contemporary life with the supernatural, and it might be an Americanism, or even a Southern-ism, since it has a lot of connections and origins in the living folklore of New Orleans, so I shouldn’t be surprised it isn’t a term everyone is familiar with. Just think of it as the kind of genre where instead of the vampire living in a secluded scary castle, his name is Phil and he’s your roommate haha. What We Do in the Shadows, Shadowrun, and the World of Darkness games are all some other good examples of “urban fantasy.”

Re: Scooby-Doo. Oh we would LOVE for you to run a Scooby-Doo-like wacky mystery with Eureka. Even though the main tone is dark and gritty and noir, we did intentionally build it so that it could run more lighthearted stuff as well! There’s even a few Scooby-Doo references to be found throughout the text, and if we hit a certain stretch goal on the Kickstarter, we’re going to be adding a bunch of Scooby-gang-inspired traits, including the option to play a Talking Dog!

Re: Combat being the largest section, even larger than Investigation. First of all, that’s kind of an illusion that is the result of the game being unfinished. I have a tendency when I write rules to use really long sentences, overexplain things, repeat myself, etc, and that dramatically bloats the rules text and page count, but that’s why we have an editor! She goes through after the fact and trims most of the fat off my bloated writing style to make it flow smoother and read faster, and take up less space. The PDF that was read for this review has had the Investigation chapter copy-edited (and cut down in size by about 25%!), but the editor hasn’t gotten to the combat chapters yet, so they still have a hugely inflated page count. When she’s done with them, you can expect each combat chapter to also be cut down in size by about 25%, so they won’t be nearly so large a chunk of the book.

Secondly, I’ll explain our reasoning for why the combat chapters and advanced combat rules are such a big chunk of the rules text, it’s intentional design which I will now explain. If anyone still doesn’t agree with that design, that’s fair, and that’s why we made the Basic Combat Rules an option.

The reason that the advanced combat rules are the default, and the reason they exist at all, is because it incentivizes and rewards Investigation. If combat is super deadly, it makes Investigation, snooping, and spying more appealing than kicking down the door and getting your head blown off. But of combat is super deadly, it also needs to be very deep and tactical, because if it’s deadly but shallow, then there’s no player agency. “Combat starts, roll some dice, okay your guy is dead.” That’s no fun. So by adding rules and modifiers for cover/elevation, distance, the difference between a pistol and an assault rifle, etc. we make it so that not only is combat its own high-stakes puzzle, but make it so that when the PCs HAVE to engage in combat, all their investigation can really pay off and save their lives. Spying on a building to find out the number of goons stationed there and how they are armed helps you plan and assess risk, stealing the blueprints to the building helps you know how to get the drop on the goons, and know the best places to attack from so that they are stuck out in the open and you are not, etc. and having rules for those things means that all the PCs’ snooping and planning makes a real mechanical difference in whether they live or die.

That’s just my opinion though, and one of the biggest reasons WHY we decided to write the combat with as much depth as we did.

Anyway, thank you again for this review and analysis of our project, our Kickstarter jumped up by about ten more backers in the evening when this video went up after several days of no new backers, and we have to assume we have this video, and all of you watching and reading this, to thank. You’re really making our dreams come true. :)

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is kickstarting from right now until May 10th! Back it while you still can!

If you want to try before you buy, you can download a free demo of the prerelease version from our website or our itch.io page!

If you’re interested in a more updated and improved version of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy than the free demo you got from our website, subscribe to our Patreon where we frequently roll our new updates for the prerelease version!

You can also support us on Ko-fi, or by checking out our merchandise!

Join our TTRPG Book Club At the time of writng this, Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is the current game being played in the book club, and anyone who wants to participate in discussion, but can’t afford to make a contribution, will be given the most updated prerelease version for free! Plus it’s just a great place to discuss and play new TTRPGs you might not be able to otherwise!

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[yodawgiheardyoulikemecha]

So it appears that I've missed the fact that there's been a semi-regular mecha-themed game jam on itch.io since 2021.

There's 110 entries in MechJam V. If you're interested in mecha games and/or supporting independent game creators, go check it out!

[black-and-yellow]

Can't stop playing with HeroForge (not a sponsor) (as if someone would sponsor a Mic blog on tumblr)

Honestly some of the poses are pretty fun and I might end up using some as references for Loudspeaker drawings because just look at him he looks dope.

[j-richmond]

Unboxing the Yeld Kickstarter sets, now that they're finally all off to backers! You can get most of this stuff right now from our store, and the rest will be available next month. You can also order the Yeld rulebook from IPR and Tabletop Bookshelf, or get the PDF from DrivethruRPG or itch.io!

[20clawzstudios]

Hi there! We're 20Clawz Studios, and we're releasing our first early access TTRPG on patreon today! Shattered Neon: A Cyberpunk Fantasy TTRPG In the year 2030, the celestial spheres shattered, and magic returned to the world. 50 years later, in 2080, the world has changed dramatically, and yet much stays the same. Corporations have bribed their way into immense places of power, while the world finds itself shimmering with magic that is barely fighting back against its commodification. Players take the role of Neonhearts, individuals whose valuing morality over legality inspires all forms of hope in others. Be it the inspirational, or of a fist raised in bloody revolt. They survive and fight for what they see and right. Marking their own lines of right and wrong, they explore morality in a world that so often sees the value of money first instead. Our system is a ttrpg with tactical combat in a d8 based system. With 8 different exotypes, dozens of different kinds of chrome, weapons, armor, spells, and more!

Join our patreon as a free member, and you'll get access to updates when our updates go live for everyone on itch.io, as well as access to our studio discord! Paid members get early access the first of every month from now on, as well as exclusive behind the scenes art and short stories! Have questions? Shoot us an ask here on tumblr or join the discord to talk to us directly live. We can't wait to see you! We'll be releasing our free donation optional version on the 15th of every month on itch.io!

[the-weeping-dawn]

I might have made the character intro template for at least the main blorbo I'm still not filling in those two sections

[virtual-board-game-room]

VBR v0.10

The performance has been improved and a lot of new functions have been added. A lot has also been done in the background, making VBR more user-friendly and graphically even more beautiful.

In addition, there are some really cool new elements with which you can fulfill your board game dream even more extensively.

Version Log v0.10:

Multi-Object-Throwing

Grid Maker to generate, load and save complex object formations

New special Element: Spinner

Smooth Normal Rendering Option

Textsize Change in Text Editor Form

Mesh Objects in Container Bug fixed

Many other bugfixes

Free for all members to Download

See YouTube Trailer Video here

[charaznablescanontoyota]

for itch creator day i put my 5 most downloaded games on sale for 50% off! go buy a game about exploring a haunted house, or being stuck in a time loop, or escaping space prison, or living at a hotel in a dimension outside of time and space!

[acrisius-ii]

The Problem with Spells

How do you do spells without writing spells? Because, believe me, I love magic. What I don't love is writing everything you can do with magic, because then I have to write everything you could possibly do with magic, while also keeping in mind that anything I don't write is something you can't do with magic. Even if I get past that and write a bunch of spells, I can't possibly plan for every single interaction between those spells, some of which will be illogical and unpleasant. Also, I find writing a bunch of spells tedious and boring.

I once did a post apocalyptic RPG with a radiation mage class, which worked quite well because their abilities were gross and body horror-esque and limited by nature, which means they only needed sixteen or twenty spells or so to properly show off all the stuff they could do. Melt into a puddle to get through a door, inflict radiation on someone, nuke yourself, turn into a glowstick-- not too much to be done.

Can't really do that with high fantasy settings, where wizards and mages can do almost everything. Dungeons and Dragons just bit the bullet and made a trillion billion spells, which caused all the problems above, plus the added detriment that new players (should they want to make their own character from scratch, or, god forbid, a high level one for a one-shot) have to go through a truly ridiculous amount of wording and verbage to find the spells they want. Sometimes they don't even exist and you just have to find the one closest to the effects that you want so you can flavor it, and made turns longer. Doesn't really feel like you're pulling a spell out of a large, dusty tome, it feels like you're digging through your notes during an open note test trying to look for an answer that you didn't write down.

Anyways, I've thought of some solutions. You could probably think of more.

Words of Power: This one's from a yet unreleased game from me, where spells are just single words and there are only a few of them, but can do a whole lot of stuff. A few would be DESTROY, FIX, PROTECT... stuff like that. Casting was limited not by mana or spell points or something, but by the fact that you couldn't cast the same spell twice in a row at any point and that other spellcasters could counterspell simply by casting the same spell or an opposing one (PROTECT cast in response to HARM to counter, or DESTROY cast in response to DESTROY cancel each other out).

Limited Magic: Again, don't totally love this system, it doesn't always work out. It's the regular spellcasting system you'd find in dungeons and dragons, where casting is limited by spell points or slots or whatever, but in this case the spell lists are split a lot more. Your wizards can't do anything. They get 20 or so spells. You don't even get to learn all of them. You want more? You multiclass for more.

Narrative Magic: Well, not entirely. You have a number of spell points or spell dice, and you can spend as many as you want to deal that much to a character, split the damage among multiple characters, add it to a check, summon creatures that have a total of that much HP, or heal that much HP. Anything else, like teleporting or unlocking a door or flying, has to be covered by the GM.

But I digress. There are more out there. You can probably think of some.

[smallredrobin13games]

Anyone wanna listen to the sample music that's meant to parody 1950s sitcom music that gives way to increasing dread as you start to question who the audience is and what they're laughing at?

Tumblr won't let me link the video directly but it's neat.

[thedevilsnatteravn]

The Ultimate Picrew - BG3

I had an idea - it could probably be considered a cash grab for Larian studios the creators of Baldurs Gate 3 but...

What if they took the character creator and released it as a standalone product? Hear me out!

Of course, priced much lower than Baldur's Gate 3. This version could continually introduce new races, body types, facial features, and more, emphasizing the visualization of characters for your own home games.

There's a clear demand for more customization options. Mod communities are already expanding Baldur's Gate 3 to fill the gaps in available choices. So, why not facilitate this further? Why not make modding as simple and user-friendly as modding for character creator in The Sims? This version could be for the community playing dungeons and dragons IRL with their friends making it about designing and visualising characters either as players or as dungeon masters creating important NPC's or just fleshing out their worldbuilding.

As a storyteller and worldbuilder - and dungeon master I would absolutely love such a tool.

[solobeegames]

I am starting TIDEBREAK and I have no idea what I am doing.👩‍🚀