So I’ve started writing my own game system. Again, of course, but this time I’ve actually followed through and put something together that — on paper — I really enjoy.
Logo design by Jason Chapman, featuring art licensed from William McAusland/Outland Arts.
BURN is a game system that uses a single d6 for determining outcomes. Players have six different stats and 12 points distributed among them that they can “burn” to achieve an auto success and avoid a failed roll, which usually involves a setback or negative consequence.
Once all the points are spent though, a character is “burned out”, suffering disadvantage on rolls until they can take either a rest.
Characters begin the game with six health, and when health is reduced to 0, the character is on The Brink of Death — alive but unable to take any action, until healed/mended by another character or they rest.
Resting restores 1 health and 2 points distributed among the six stats, including putting both points into the same stat.
All attacks in the game are considered successful and deal 1 hit, but rolls of 1 on a d6 will result in triggering a setback as well, such as dropping your weapon, and rolls of 6 deal double damage (so normally that’s 2 hits).
You must be holding a weapon of some kind, or trained in unarmed combat, in order to make an attack.
The game is inspired by Into the Odd, Troika!, a little bit of DCC, and a dash of 4e, among other games.
Theres still a lot of work to be done to get the game ready to play test, but I feel good about the direction it’s moving in.