Caltrop Cor2
Caltrop Cor2
Caltrop Cor2
CALTROP
CORE
CORE
An introductory
game design srd
v1.2 @titanomachyRPG
CALTROP
CORE
v1.2
@titanomachyRPG on Twitter
titanomachyRPG.itch.io
titanrpg.com
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!
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.
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.
10
PLUG & PLAY
Here’s a little cheat sheet to get started. But
remember, none of this is law.
• Genre
• Tone
Stat-Driven Token-Based
11
APPENDIX A: PLAY
CALTROP CORE GAMES
The First-Ever Caltrop Core Jam (92 Games)
12
APPENDIX B:
TIPS & TRICKS
None of these are binding, but I’ve noticed a few
things writing and reading Caltrop Core games.