As a passionate TTRPG enthusiast, I often find myself wanting to share the excitement of tabletop gaming with friends and newcomers. However, I’ve always felt that the steep learning curve of complex rulebooks, „The Teach,“ and lengthy Session 0s can be a real barrier to entry. That’s why I decided to create my own one-page TTRPG, High Stakes. I’ve made games like this for friends before, but this is my first attempt at putting it all down on paper.
The One-Page TTRPG I’ve been following the rise of one-page TTRPGs, which offer a more streamlined and accessible gaming experience compared to traditional, rule-heavy systems. They’re perfect for spontaneous game nights or easing new players into the wonderful world of tabletop roleplaying. Some great examples include Honey Heist, Lasers & Feelings, and The Witch is Dead.
Stepping Away from Funky Dice As I began designing High Stakes, I wanted to create a system that didn’t rely on the iconic, yet sometimes intimidating, polyhedral dice. Instead, I opted for a blackjack-inspired mechanic using a standard deck of playing cards. This makes the game more approachable for those who might not have dabbled in TTRPGs before.
High Stakes In High Stakes, players take on the roles of vampires from different clans, each with unique abilities tied to a specific card suit. I wanted to create an immersive atmosphere, so I dubbed the game master the „Grim Dealer“ and incorporated a card-based conflict and task resolution system. Basically, you play a toned down round of Blackjack whenever you would roll a die in any other system.Lessons Learned from My First Layout Attempt I took on the challenge of learning Adobe InDesign to create the document layout. I have to admit, it wasn’t perfect. I struggled with organizing the content and making the design visually appealing. But hey, it’s all part of the learning process!
My Vision for High Stakes Version 0.2
Improved layout: With the help of some friendly Redditors and my own ideas, I’m working on a more visually engaging and user-friendly design.
Expanding the Grim Dealer’s role: I want to make the game even more welcoming for new game masters, so I’ll be adding more guidance, examples, and tips for creating captivating scenarios.
Playtesting and feedback: There’s no substitute for real-world experience, so I’m eager to gather feedback from playtests to ensure a balanced and enjoyable game.
If you want to follow this process, I will post further versions on my Itch.Io page.
About Wizards of the Coast’s rug pull and about covering my own butt
Chapter 1 – Beware The Greedy OGL
I am sure some of you have heard about the recent Open Gaming License (OGL) controversy that has blown up on social media. As someone who has been following this story closely, I wanted to take a moment to break down what this controversy is all about, and explain why it is something that all DD fans should care about.
First, let me give you a little background on what the OGL is. The OGL is a legal framework that allows creators to make and sell content based on DD, but with certain restrictions. This license has been in place for many years, and has allowed for the creation of a vast array of unofficial DD content, such as books, modules, and even entire campaigns. However, recent changes made by Wizards of the Coast, the company that owns DnD, have caused a stir among the DnD community.
These changes include canceling the previous OGL, significantly reducing what content creators can make, and forcing those who profit from their creations to report it directly to Wizards of the Coast. This has caused a lot of concern among content creators, as it limits their ability to profit from their work and puts more power in the hands of Wizards of the Coast. Additionally, the new OGL also encourages the use of Kickstarter over any other platform, and any non-Kickstarter revenue over $750K will incur a 25% royalty. This means that the new OGL is directly encouraging the use of kickstarter over any other platform.
Another major concern is that the new OGL retroactively unauthorizes and discontinues the older OGL 1.0 license. This means that old third-party publications that had been published under the OGL 1.0 license become illegal and will in the future violate copyright after the OGL 1.1 publication. This is a huge problem for creators, as it means that their previously legal work is now considered to be in violation of copyright law.
As a fan of DD, I understand why these changes have caused so much concern among the community. The OGL has been a vital tool for the creation of unofficial DD content, and these changes significantly limit the ability of creators to profit from their work. Additionally, the new OGL’s encouragement of Kickstarter over other platforms, the discontinuation of the older OGL and the retroactive unauthorization of previous legal work, all these limit the freedom of creators and put more power in the hands of Wizards of the Coast.
Chapter 2 – A Boy Indestructible
Meet Indestructoboy, also known as Taron Pounds, a professional freelance graphic designer, and Platinum Best-Selling author. He’s a dedicated content creator for DnD. He has created a variety of DnD-related materials and supplements, such as the widely popular Magic Item Cards 5e, which can be found on his website. Likewise, he also shares his experiences and insights about DnD on his YouTube channel, where he engages with a sizable community of TTRPG enthusiasts. Recently he took a very critical stance of the OGL1.1 wizards anounced.
Indestructoboy may have discovered a loophole in the recent updates to the Open Gaming License. According to a Reddit post [5], Indestructoboy suggests that the OGL 1.1, which was recently leaked and caused a lot of controversy within the DD community, may contain a loophole that allows creators to continue making and selling DD-related content with fewer restrictions.
In this video, he talks about the possibility, that if you ever published a piece of content under the original OGL there might be a chance, that you actually do not have to switch to the new one. And thanks to him, everybody can quickly publish his Viva la Revolution Document.
If you want to publish your own „Viva la Revolution – Document“, simply make a copy of the following Google Docs Document, edit the yellow sections make a PDF, watermark it and release it somewhere on the Internet.
However, it’s important to note that I couldn’t find any official confirmation on this information and the authenticity of this claim is not confirmed. The OGL 1.1 is a complex legal document, and it’s possible that Indestructoboy has found a way to interpret the rules in a way that allows for more creative freedom. But it’s also possible that this information is not accurate, and it’s important to wait for official confirmation from Wizards of the Coast before jumping to any conclusions.
It’s now Friday the 10th of February 2023 and it’s over. The monster retreated back from whence it came.
DnD`s Executive Producer Kyle Brink while apologized for the fiasco and the original license says untouched and moves to creative commons. Here is a good article from Polygon further explaining the fallout. In the meantime, a few projects to counter the vile castings of wizards have developed.
For example, Paizo the publishers of the popular game Pathfinder announced their system neutral open license Open RPG Creative License (ORC).
I have some news to share with you about Feature Forge, the program I created to generate ttrpg rules and features with AI. As you may know, Feature Forge uses an AI tool to help you create custom content for your games, such as classes, races, spells, items and more.
However, the AI landscape is changing very rapidly these days. There are new tools and models being developed and released all the time. Some of them are more powerful and versatile than others. Some of them are easier to use and integrate than others. Some of them are more affordable and accessible than others.
This means that I have to constantly keep up with the latest developments and trends in the AI field. I have to evaluate different options and decide which one is best suited for Feature Forge. I have to test and tweak the program to make sure it works well with the chosen AI tool. And I have to do all this while working on other things as well.
That’s why I have decided to put Feature Forge on a temporary hiatus. I need some time to figure out what AI tool to use for the program. I want to make sure that Feature Forge is reliable, user-friendly and fun for you. I don’t want to compromise on quality or functionality.
I hope you understand my decision and support me in this process. I appreciate your patience and feedback. I will keep you updated on my progress and let you know when Feature Forge is back online.
Thank you for your interest in Feature Forge and stay tuned for more updates!
Down below is the original Post, but as long as you can read this, the link to the program will be unavailable.
En:
Hey friends!
I just wanted to share with you my new little side project – a Python program that uses GPT-3 (short for “Generative Pre-training Transformer 3”) to generate abilities and magic weapons for your DnD (short for “Dungeons and Dragons”) game.
Some of you might not be familiar with GPT-3 or programming in general, so let me explain a bit about what this means. GPT-3 is a state-of-the-art natural language processing (NLP) model developed by OpenAI. It has the ability to generate human-like text.
So, basically, there is already a bunch of information about DnD abilities and magic weapons in GPT-3, and it was able to use that information to generate new and unique ones on its own. It’s like having your very own personal magic weapon and ability generator at your fingertips!
Now, I know what you might be thinking – “Why would I need this? Can’t I just come up with abilities and magic weapons on my own?” Well, sure, you could do that. But sometimes, it’s fun to let a machine take the reins and come up with something totally unexpected and out-of-the-box. Plus, it’s a great way to spice up your DnD game and keep things interesting.
Unfortunately, in order to use this program, you’ll need to obtain an API key from OpenAI. Don’t worry, it’s easy to do! If you want to use it, you can obtain a key and all relevant information here:
Without further ado, I present to you: Feature Forge!
Just run the cells (with the little play buttons) in order, Enter your API-Key when prompted, choose the type of ability or magic weapon you want, and voilà! You’ll have a brand new, never-before-seen ability or magic weapon to add to your DnD arsenal.
I hope you guys enjoy this little tool as much as I do. Happy gaming!
FEATURE FORGE(currently unavailable)
Postscript:
I wanted to quickly mention that the images generated by Feature Forge are generated by AI and are intended for private use only (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Please note that the weapon generation is currently not fully completed.
I am also still working on the function that will output the weapon/ability as a beautiful PNG file at the end. This is currently not available yet.
I hope you can still enjoy Feature Forge and that it serves as a welcome addition to your DnD games.
De:
Hey Freunde!
Ich wollte euch nur mein neues kleines Sideproject zeigen – ein Python-Programm, das GPT-3 (abkürzung für „Generative Pre-training Transformer 3“) verwendet, um Fähigkeiten und magische Waffen für eure DnD (abkürzung für „Dungeons and Dragons“) Spiele zu generieren.
Einige von euch könnten vielleicht nicht mit GPT-3 oder Programmierung im Allgemeinen vertraut sein, also lass mich ein bisschen darüber erklären, was das bedeutet. GPT-3 ist ein state-of-the-art natürliche-Sprache-verarbeitungs-Modell (NLP), das von OpenAI entwickelt wurde. Es hat die Fähigkeit, menschenähnlichen Text zu generieren.
Also, grundsätzlich gibt es bereits eine Menge Informationen über DnD Fähigkeiten und magische Waffen in GPT-3, und es ist in der Lage, diese Informationen zu nutzen, um neue zu generieren. Es ist wie ein persönlicher Magiewaffen- und Fähigkeitsgenerator!
Jetzt weiß ich, was ihr vielleicht denkt – „Warum brauche ich das? Kann ich nicht einfach selbst Fähigkeiten und magische Waffen ausdenken?“ Nun, ja, das könntest du. Aber manchmal ist es lustig, einer Maschine die Zügel zu überlassen und etwas völlig Unerwartetes und Seltsames zu generieren. Außerdem ist es eine tolle Möglichkeit, dein DnD-Spiel aufzumischen und interessant zu halten.
Leider musst du, um dieses Programm nutzen zu können, einen API-Schlüssel von OpenAI beziehen. Mach dir keine Sorgen, das ist einfach! Wenn du es verwenden möchtest, kannst du hier einen Schlüssel und alle relevanten Informationen besorgen:
Führe einfach die Zellen (mit den kleinen Play-Buttons) in der Reihenfolge aus, gib deinen API-Schlüssel ein, wenn du dazu aufgefordert wirst, wähle den Typ von Fähigkeit oder magischer Waffe, den du möchtest, und schwupps! Du hast eine brandneue, noch nie zuvor gesehene Fähigkeit oder Waffe für dein DnD-Arsenal.
Ohne weitere Umschweife, ich präsentiere euch: Feature Forge!
Ich hoffe, ihr habt so viel Freude an diesem Tool wie ich. Lasst keinen Drachen am leben!
FEATURE FORGE(momentan deaktiviert)
Post Scriptum:
Ich wollte noch kurz erwähnen, dass die Bilder, die von Feature Forge erzeugt werden, von einer AI generiert werden und nur für den privaten Gebrauch bestimmt sind (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0). Bitte beachtet, dass die Waffengeneration derzeit noch nicht vollständig ist.
Außerdem arbeite ich noch an der Funktion, die die Waffe/Fähigkeit am Ende als schöne PNG-Datei ausgibt. Dies ist momentan noch nicht verfügbar.
Ich hoffe, dass ihr Feature Forge trotzdem genießen könnt und es eine willkommene Ergänzung für eure DnD-Spiele darstellt.
Caspar Bankert 