This week we’re embracing the hijinks of rules-lite TTRPGs in honor of Something Is Wrong With The Chickens turning 1-year-old!
Say Happy Birthday. SAY IT!
This game has given me so much joy this past year and brought a lot of great things into my life. It led to my first collaboration with Brian on a season of My First Dungeon, the chance to run an event at my FLGS, and stocking my first game with Indie Press Revolution. In honor of the last year, SIWWTC is now pay-what-you-want on itch.io. I hope this game brings some newfound silliness to your tables as you pursue revenge against Bryson Foods.
Rules-lite TTRPGs are a special niche within our industry. It’s been a delight to add to the archive of small but mighty games.
-Elliot
Playing Outside The Lines
My Must-Have for Running Rules-Lite TTRPGs
There is one thing that I will always bring to the table when I’m running a rules-lite TTRPG.
Crayons.
Colored pencils will work in a pinch. And fine, a few different colors of pen will do if you’re light on supplies. But for me, it’s always crayons.
Crayons signal play.
There is an instant childlike nostalgia that crayons bring when you see them scattered around the table. They help players fill in the little gaps left by character creation and provide a small moment of personal creation that builds off of the collaborative exercise they just went through. This can be key for a great session of roleplaying. They’re that silent symbol telling players “while you’re here, you can play like a kid.”
Crayons are low-to-no-pressure. If you ask most people to draw their character with a pencil, the intimidation of needing it to “look good” will often lead to a frustrated blank page for those who are uncomfortable drawing, or a 10+ minute delay for the artists in your group. Crayons give the non-artist and artist alike permission to draw freely.
Finally, when your players are drawing with their crayons, it gives you that extra 5 minutes to think through the session ahead, clarify rules and safety tools, or maybe just run to the potty.
3 Rules-Lite Games We Love
Games to Get to the Table ASAP
So, you’ve already played Honey Heist (or listened to our great actual play of it). Where should you turn for your next rules-lite game night?
Badger + Coyote by Pandion Games - A cozy duet with asymmetrical mechanics. They also recently released 40 supplemental adventures!
GRANDMOTHERSHIP by Armanda - Senior Ladies in space! One of our favorites from ZiMo23, this game is rules-lite but has a lot to offer. You can grab the preview to tide you over before the full game arrives later this year.
End of the Line by Kyle Tam - Final Destination inspired chaos that comes free with “Slasher” and “True Crime” editions
Don’t Wait to Make That Game
How ENXMY vs. LOVER Came to Life in 3 Days
Recently, I released a new rules-lite game called ENXMY vs. LOVER, a tic-tac-toe powered duel for two players. This game came together in about 3 days.
On Tuesday, I was thinking about tic-tac-toe. Namely, I was thinking about how tic-tac-toe loses its fun at a point in your life, both players able to think two moves ahead and almost guarantee a draw. I was a little saddened by this until I remembered there’s a class of games where draws can be quite interesting: TTRPGs.
I knew the mechanics were going to be simple. One of the best ways to get people on board with a simple mechanic for a rules-lite game is by leaning into tropes. Who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers story?
On Wednesday, I put all my thoughts down on paper. I was looking to recapture that feeling that it “mattered” where you placed an X or O on the board. Each of the 9 squares became a story beat. As you play, you’re not only choosing to set up a potential 3-in-a-row or block your opponent, you are also thinking as your character and where the dynamics of the duel would take you next.
I did diverge from the basics of tic-tac-toe in one crucial way: there is the option for you to ‘let them win,’ drawing your opponent's symbol and completing their 3-in-a-row. A romantic and tragic sacrifice? Or a strategic loss in the interest of a future victory?
On Thursday, I hopped into Affinity Designer (I keep procrastinating on learning Publisher) and turned these thoughts into a one-sheet game. I went in with the intention to make a business card game on the first pass, but opted for a one-sheet to keep things clean and to give me the chance to release the game right away.
I take you through this timeline because of self-promotion—I want you to go check out the game and have fun with it—but also, for my fellow designers out there, I hope this is a push for you to make and release that strange little game bouncing around in your head. Why wait?
XO,
-Elliot
Where’s Brian?
We had planned to start releasing a series of articles this week titled How to Make an Actual Play Podcast, but as I started writing the word count quickly ballooned to a size that necessitated a stand-alone issue of this newsletter. So for the next few weeks you’ll be receiving an issue of The Twenty Sided Newsletter weekly instead of bi-weekly, alternating between our usual coverage of the TTRPG community and an issue dedicated to making an actual play show. We hope you enjoy!
-Brian
Upcoming Schedule - MFD Presents: DIE
4/21 - Episode 2
4/28 - Episode 3
5/5 - Episode 4
5/12 - Episode 5
5/19 - Episode 6
5/26 - Cast Reunion
We are also releasing a new track from the OST by BE/HOLD every Tuesday. Check out the first two tracks, Welcome To Glorthalion and The Dictator, and follow BE/HOLD on Spotify so you don’t miss a new release.