Welcome to My RPG Design Project
This site explores a new way to create, manage, curate, and play tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons—but without the baggage of legacy systems.
I’ve spent years imagining something more flexible, modular, and digital-native. Here, I document that evolving vision.
🔥 What’s the Big Idea?
D&D encourages homebrewing—but only within narrow limits. What if we tore down those limits entirely?
- No fixed classes — Players build archetypes organically from a modular skill tree.
- No rigid race lists — Create species collaboratively with your DM.
- No baked-in lore — Languages, gods, and factions belong to the setting, not the system.
- No one-size-fits-all ruleset — GMs curate what works for their table.
With modern tools, even radical flexibility becomes manageable.
Think “GitHub for RPGs”—but simpler.
🧠 Guiding Principles
The system I’m building is shaped by some key beliefs:
- Modularity First – Core rules are minimal. Everything else is optional and overrideable.
- Lore-Free Core – Mechanics are cleanly separated from setting.
- Digital + Physical – Great tools for online play and for print-at-table.
- Curated Systems – GMs craft their own rulesets by picking, pruning, and extending modules.
- Player-Friendly – Visual cards, simple mechanics, and a smooth learning curve.
See the full list of Design Principles →
🧰 Current Goals & Resources
🔧 Active Design Areas
- Research Tasks — Open questions and inspirations
- Design Archives — Notes on past decisions and iterations
- System Technical Vision — Plans for a digital rule curation system
✅ Todo Lists
📄 Paper-Friendly Tools
- Character Sheet: A5 (landscape) – universal layout, no per-character clutter
- Feature/Spell Cards: A6 (portrait) – modular abilities and traits
This layout supports both digital and printed play, empowering players to only carry what they use.
📌 Why Ditch Classes?
D&D’s class system was elegant in the 1970s. But today?
- It locks players into archetypes that often don’t fit modern playstyles.
- It requires endless subclasses just to keep up with creative players.
- It struggles with edge cases (like the infamous Ranger).
Other systems (like GURPS or Daggerheart) explore alternatives—but none have nailed it and stayed accessible. That’s what I aim to fix.
🚧 What’s Next?
This site is a work in progress. As I continue to define the system, the following will grow:
- A complete curated example ruleset
- Printable materials for tables
- A prototype of the digital curation interface
- Example curated worlds and modules