We are creating a Knights of the Braille Community TTRPG, and it is time to cast your vote on which game system we should use in developing our game. Understanding that some folks may not be familiar with the nominated systems, this blog post seeks to give you a brief overview of each system and what it brings to the table.
These systems were nominated in the Knights of the Braille Discord Server (link at the end), during some interesting community discussion. Whichever system receives the highest number of votes, will be chosen for use in our game. The final product may be direct usage of the system or may borrow from the system heavily. Whatever the outcome, this vote will determine much of how we proceed in the development of this game.
Voting will take place between Friday, 2nd of February 2024, and Friday, 9th of February 2024. A link to cast your vote may be found at the end of this post. So, without further ado, here are the systems you can vote for.
Forged in the Dark
Designed by John Harper, best known for its first game, Blades in the Dark. The system focuses on character development and relationships. Key features of the Forged in the Dark system include the use of two six-sided dice to track players’ abilities and the difficulty of actions, as well as a focus on teamwork and crew dynamics. A popular feature from Blades in the Dark, are ‘Flashbacks’. Players use Flashbacks to overcome obstacles by explaining how they prepared for this eventuality. Flashbacks result in characters gaining stress, but allow for a fun approach to heists.
Forged in the Dark is under Creative Commons and provides a System Reference Document.
Lady Blackbird
Created by John Harper, Lady Blackbird requires minimal preparation time. The game is set in a steampunk-inspired universe, where the titular character, Lady Blackbird, is an Imperial noble fleeing an arranged marriage to be with her secret lover, the pirate king, Uriah Flint. Players take on the roles of the crew of the skyship, The Owl, hired by Lady Blackbird to help her escape. The game mechanics use a simple dice pool system. Characters start with a single six-sided die and add additional dice depending on their traits and abilities.
Lady Blackbird is under Creative Commons.
Lasers & Feelings
Created by John Harper, players take on the roles of the crew of an interstellar ship, exploring uncharted regions of space and dealing with aliens. The game is designed to be easy to learn. One mechanic in Lasers and Feelings is the “Laser Feelings” ability, which allows players to ask the game master questions related to their characters’ emotions and experiences, providing narrative hooks and driving the story forward. When making tests, characters have a single number to roll one six-sided dice against. Rolling below the number is a success for lasers and rolling above is a success for feelings.
Lasers & Feelings is under Creative Commons.
Powered by the Apocalypse
Developed by Meguey Baker and Vincent Baker, inspired by their game Apocalypse World. Powered by the Apocalypse uses “moves,” which are actions that characters can take, often resolved through dice rolls. Dice mechanics are different in various Powered by the Apocalypse games, but typically characters have set moves to choose from in each scene and roll a dice to determine the outcome.
Powered by the Apocalypse does not fall under Creative Commons and does not provide an Open Game License. The creators of Powered by the Apocalypse have asked that creators contact them, to ask for permission, before releasing content. Powered by the Apocalypse currently has a System Reference Document in development.
Year Zero Engine
Created by Free League Publishing, this is a simple dice pool system using six-sided dice. Characters have stats, represented by numbers. When resolving a test the player rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to their stat number. Any results of 6 are successes. A mechanic featured in this system is the ability to ‘Push Rolls’, which allows players to reroll, but with consequences.
Year Zero Engine provides an Open Game License and provides a System Reference Document.
Knights of the Braille 