In addition to finishing other projects, I wanted to spend some time every day working on a concept from a few months ago. The concept is a game that uses regular six-sided dice and a standard deck of cards to play.

This idea has been rattling around in my head for a number of years. The first scribbling of it was recently unearthed when a lost journal was found. (It's amazing what you can find when your car runs out of gas at 11:30 on Halloween night.) Since that post to this, the game has changed a number of times. At this point, I decided that now was as a good a time as any to simply finish the thing.

These Common Materials is a game that one or more players can use to adventure in fantastic worlds. Players know a little bit of Magic and a little bit of everything else. As a character overcomes obstacles, he or she may choose to specialize in certain areas like combat or spells. The character can also choose to be good at a wide range of skills and abilities.

The mechanics are straightforward:

  • Roll three dice or draw a card.
  • Add any relevant bonuses.
  • Claim Success for any result 15 or greater.

Cards are drawn when a character attempts to use magic. All other attempts use dice.

I explain a bit more about it on my first periscope.

Off to a good start. Promise to share more as soon as I can.