CALTROP

CALTROP
CORE
CORE
An introductory
game design srd

v1.2 @titanomachyRPG
CALTROP
CORE
v1.2

Copyright © 2023 Lex Kim Bobrow

@titanomachyRPG on Twitter

titanomachyRPG.itch.io

titanrpg.com

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License.
 INTRODUCTION
Hey there, I’m Lex, AKA Titanomachy RPG.

Everything here should be taken with a grain of salt.

A lot of this is stuff I’ve taught myself or read in
other RPGs. I am NOT pretending to be an expert
here. I do think I have a particular penchant for
getting over the “just get started” hump, however, so
I want to offer you some tools to begin!

Caltrop Core is hopefully a system with simple

mechanical tools that anyone can build on to make
their first game!

If you’re new to game design, welcome! We’re on this

journey together. The core mechanic fits on a single
page, but I’ll be adding some tips and tricks
throughout to help you along making your first game.

lex kim bobrow

@titanomachyrpg

3
 CALTROP CORE
Here’s the core of the system, using d4s. It all fits on
one page, so keep this handy while designing for it!

For a stat-driven game, simply assign a number

between 1 and 3 to each stat. When that stat comes
into play, roll that many d4s. Take the highest roll.

For a token-based game, players can gain and expend

tokens, rolling as many d4s as tokens they expend.
Take the highest roll.

TIP: Only roll dice when the action can be phrased as

an “I want to…” statement.

D4 RESULT
1 Absolute Failure. You don’t get what
you want and things get a lot worse.
2 Partial Failure. You don’t get what you
want.*
3 Partial Success. You get what you want,
but things get complicated.

4 Absolute Success. You get what you

want — and more.

* New optional version as of v1.2: “Partial Failure.

You don’t get what you want, but you gain a benefit.”
 CALTROP CORE
Now, “stat-driven” and “token-based” games aren’t
mutually exclusive categories (Kids on Brooms is
both). They’re not really categories at all; it’s just how
I think of different types of games.

To me, “stat-driven” refers to games like D&D, where

your stats directly influence outcomes. There will be
an example of a stat-driven game built on the Caltrop
Core starting on the next page.

“Token-based” games allow players to accumulate

tokens in roleplay and spend them to influence the
story in some way. Generally works well for
narrative/roleplay-focused games, not as easily for
combat simulation. My game NIGHTHAWKS is an
example of a token-based game I built on Caltrop
Core.

These are examples of what are called “resolution

mechanics.” Dice are common, but so are playing
cards, tarot cards, and in the case of Dread, even a
jenga tower. It all depends on what your game needs.
You may find that Caltrop Core isn’t the right system
for your game, and that’s okay! Consider what areas
of play the resolution mechanics are meant to, well,
resolve. You don’t need a dice roll or a card pull for
everything. In a collaborative storytelling game,
players should be able to decide a lot through
conversation.

5
 DEMO BUILD
Caltrop Core is extremely bare bones so you can
make whatever you want on top of it. Any complexity
and depth you add is all you, baby! Or you can just
use it for 1-page games and design practice. It’s a lot
of freedom, which can be daunting, but let’s do a
quick demo build together.
First, pick a genre. I’m thinking fantasy. A common
reference point. Fantasy games are often stat-driven,
so let’s try that “mode” of Caltrop Core. For
simplicity, come up with just 3 stats. Here are mine.

STATS
• BODY. Roll to resolve risky physical actions.
• MIND. Roll to resolve rigorous mental actions.
• SOUL. Roll to resolve precarious emotional
actions.
Start out with 1 in each stat and cannot go above 3.
This number represents how many d4s you roll for
each stat. (Check the probability table on page 12 to
see why I don’t like going above 3.)

6
 DEMO BUILD
Choose an Upbringing
This overlaps with the idea of traditional fantasy
“races,” but applies to any increased attribute as a
result of where you’re from. Add 1 to a stat of your
choice, relating to your Upbringing.

Health
You don’t need to track health unless you want to. In
fantasy RPGs, hit points are a common way to create
stakes. Since we’ll have a lot of d4s handy, we can
build a system around that die.
Everyone has 4 health to start. Use a d4 to track it,
adjusting it when you take damage. Decide what
happens when you take damage at 1 health, as well
as how characters die (if at all).

7
 DEMO BUILD
COMBAT
A fantasy adventuring game typically features
combat. But what kind of combat do you want? Fast?
Maybe combat is resolved with a single roll. This
lends itself to narrative-first combat, where, for
example, a 3 would mean the character wins but
things get complicated. If you want something more
tactical, try something like this: Roll BODY on the
following table when engaging in combat. Each die
resolves individually. If you roll a 1, a 3, and a 4, you’d
take 2 damage from the 1 and 1 damage from the 3
for a total of 3 damage. You’d also deal 3 damage.

D4 RESULT
1 Take 2 damage as the opponent
counters your attack.
2 Take and deal 0 damage.
3 Deal and take 1 damage in the scrap.
4 Deal 2 damage.
Play with the damage table to your game’s needs. The
above reflects the Caltrop Core degrees of success.
But something like this could be more suitable for a
traditional fantasy adventure game:

D4 RESULT
1 You take 1 damage as the opponent
counters your attack.
2 You do not hit, and you are in the
same position as before.
3 You deal 1 damage.
4 You deal 2 damage.

8
 DEMO BUILD
Classes are always fun, so let’s make some here. But
classes aren’t the only way of doing things. You can
also develop a “pick list” of abilities that a character
can use to build out their own custom kit.

Warrior
Your BODY increases by 1.
Tough. Any damage you take is reduced by 1.

Rogue
Your BODY or MIND increases by 1.
Street Smart. Roll BODY+MIND to sneak around,
pick locks, get information, and steal small items.

Cleric
Your SOUL increases by 1.
Cure. Roll BODY+SOUL. Restore an amount of
health equal to the number of 4s you rolled to an ally
you can see.

Wizard
Your MIND increases by 1.
Elemental Bolt. Roll MIND+SOUL to unleash a
streak of elemental energy of your choice. You can
deal an amount of damage equal to the number of 4s
you rolled to one target you can see within 25 yards
of you.

9
 DEMO BUILD
Add a leveling up system if you’d like. Some options
I’ve seen are…
• Story-Based Advancement. After a
significant narrative milestone, the GM can elect
to award a level up.
• Scaling Experience Points. Commonly seen
in video game RPGs, each level has a fixed,
predetermined number of XP required to reach it,
and every monster has a fixed, predetermined
number of XP it awards upon defeat.
• Fail Forward. These systems reward you
when you fail a roll. Maybe you get 1 XP every
time you fail, and every 5 XP, you level up.

Then you can decide what a character receives upon

level up, like +1 HP, +1 to a stat, or a new ability.

That’s enough to start playing! And you can always

create more abilities and mechanics along the way. Is
this game good? Probably not. But it’s enough of a
finished game to play — and that’s how you get
started! The only way to do it is to do it.
I know there’s a fear of making a bad thing. But what
if your game was bad? What happens then? Probably
not much, yeah?

And I know neurodivergence can make things harder.

But try to give yourself some grace. No berating
today. Just let yourself be. You’re doing as much as
you can do right now. Even if you could do more,
would it be healthy?

10
 PLUG & PLAY
Here’s a little cheat sheet to get started. But
remember, none of this is law.

• Genre

• Tone

• Goal(s) of the players, if any

Stat-Driven Token-Based

• Pick a number of • What area of

stats and name each gameplay do tokens
one. help resolve?
• Will the game use a • How do characters
class system, a pick acquire tokens?
list, or a combination
of both?

• What is the core • What can a

gameplay loop? character expend
tokens to do?

• What does this loop • What does this type

say about your of exchange say
values? about your values?

11
 APPENDIX A: PLAY
CALTROP CORE GAMES
The First-Ever Caltrop Core Jam (92 Games)

The very first Caltrop Core jam was a massive

success. This amazing community (which I like to call
the #CaltropCorps) made 92 games in 6 days.

The Caltrop Core Directory (235+ Games)

Click to check out the full list of games people made

with Caltrop Core!

So if you need ideas or want to see how other people

have used this system, there are SO many examples
out there. The directory also includes games on my
newer systems, Caltrop Core EX and EMERGE8, but
the vast majority are still Caltrop Core “classic.”

Ping me on Twitter if you need me to ask the

#CaltropCorps to find a certain type of game.

12
 APPENDIX B:
TIPS & TRICKS
None of these are binding, but I’ve noticed a few
things writing and reading Caltrop Core games.

• When you want to modify a stat, either for level

up or a situational modifier, it’s better to add or
subtract d4s from the pool rather than give static
bonuses (+1, +2, etc.). A +1 in a d4 system is like +5
in a d20 system, probability-wise.

• Tactical combat can be done in Caltrop Core, but

it’s tedious. To make moves and abilities feel
different, you’ll likely have to write a whole bunch
of custom tables. I don’t mind it myself, but some
people might.

• People have made a LOT of weird games on

Caltrop Core – and you should too. There’s no
idea too weird for my lil system, and that brings
me so much delight. This isn’t a tip or trick, really.
I just want more weird games in the world.

• Caltrop Core is great for whipping up a quick

prototype for a game idea to see if a concept
works the way you think it will or to see if it’s fun
in the first place. Then you can port it over to a
system with more depth. Designers have used
LUMEN, Forged in the Dark and Powered by the
Apocalypse to make more complex versions of
their Caltrop Core games.
 APPENDIX B:
TIPS & TRICKS
• Here’s a table with the probabilities of different
results based on how many d4s you roll (gifted to
me by @aaronsxl, who was the first person to
publish a Caltrop Core game EVER). You’ll notice
anything above 3d4 has a trivial chance of failure,
which is why I don’t recommend having stats
above 3. Without risk and stakes, stories and
games can get boring.

• However, if you want stats higher than 3, you

could implement mechanics that use a player’s
second-highest roll or otherwise removes dice
from their pool.
MAKING A CALTROP
CORE GAME
If you want to use this system, simply put “Built on
Caltrop Core” somewhere in your doc, and the
following attribution text:

This work is based on Caltrop Core, published by

Titanomachy RPG. This game is not associated or
affiliated with Titanomachy RPG in any way. The
Caltrop Core SRD is licensed for use under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License.

Additionally, a link to my Twitter (https://twitter.com/

titanomachyRPG) and/or my Itch (https://
titanomachyRPG.itch.io) would be greatly
appreciated.

You are expressly forbidden from using this system

to make games promoting racist, ableist,
homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, fascist, or any
otherwise bigoted ideas.

And if you’re able, I encourage you to use a portion

of the proceeds from any Caltrop Core game you
release to support PoC game designers, game
designers in the global south (like #RPGLATAM and
#RPGSEA), local bail funds, mutual aid when you see
someone in need online–something GOOD.

v1.1 update 3/16/23

v1.2 update 6/20/23