Can I Use Roll & Play With Any RPG System?
almost 4 years ago – Wed, Jun 03, 2020 at 03:39:07 PM

Hi everyone,

One of the most common questions I receive about this project is 'Can I use Roll & Play with any RPG system?' The short answer is: yes! The long answer is slightly more layered – given the sheer number of different RPG systems available. If your system uses a game master and there is an element of improvisation, then you can use Roll & Play to easily generate fun and creative content at the roll of a dice.

A point to highlight is that Roll & Play will be most suitable for RPGs based in a fantasy setting. If you're creative, you can adapt the ideas in the book to work within different settings, but most of the generators are fantasy specific.

The best way to show you how the RPG-neutral system in the book works is to use an example from the Wonderful Festivals sample pages:

This section of the book gives you some ideas for how adventurers can spend their downtime visiting a local village festival and taking part in some parlour games. One of the parlour games I designed is an eating competition, and the instructions here say 'Test the player's stomach with rolls that get more and more difficult'. If I was the dungeon master for a group playing D&D 5E, I would get the players involved to make a Constitution check, they would succeed if they beat a Difficulty Class of 10+, 13+ and 16+ for each round... if they fail they'll vomit. If I was the game master for a group playing Mörk Borg, I would get the players involved to make a Toughness test, they would succeed if they beat a Difficulty Rating of 'routine' (8+), 'normal' (12+) and 'really hard' (16+) for each round – if they fail they'll explode into a bloody mess... it is Mörk Borg after all*. How you interpret the generators is entirely up to you, and how they fit into the system that you are using.

Roll & Play is there to inspire game masters rather than give them strict rules – you can take any idea, and run with it. Use the book in the middle of a session to answer your players' random 'What happens if I drink this?' questions, or use the book to help you prepare your game by creating lively and realistic settings or events that will make your players feel fully immersed.

Generators can be used by rolling the dice indicated beneath their entry. For example, to decide which festival the villagers are celebrating you can roll a 12-sided dice and read out your corresponding result. If your RPG doesn't use 12-sided dice, you could always roll two 6-sided dice and add them together, or maybe three 4-sided dice? Or, dive straight in and pick the first result that your eyes are drawn to!

In short, Roll & Play is system neutral, and you will be able to use it whether you're playing FATE or Dungeon World, Pathfinder or D&D, Mörk Borg or Blades in the Dark!

Have a great day guys, and keep rolling,

Sam.

*No characters were harmed in the making of this update

End of Week 3 (Nearly 900 Backers!)
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 31, 2020 at 10:56:13 PM

Hi everyone, I hope you're doing well.

We are wrapping up Week 3 with almost 900 backers – that is a staggering 300 more than this time last week! Amazing. I want to thank you all for your support, and helping to make this book a reality. Over the past week we filled the last of our 30 PRODUCER spaces! The producers have been helping me to decide what will go into the extra 10 pages of Roll & Play (unlocked with the More, More! stretch goal) and the 5 exclusive generator cards that come with Hobgoblin pledges and above. We have had some great ideas, and I can't wait to reveal what the generator cards will be – you're going to love them!

If you haven't seen it already please check out Update 10, as I announced what the four new and exclusive playable races will be (unlocked with the Playable Races stretch goal). There is a lot of excitement around them already, and I'm really excited to write about them in more detail very soon. These races will come to you in the form of a PDF once the delivery of the physical books is complete.

Also, here's a date for your diaries. On the 4th June 2020, I will be launching a Roll & Play competition! You could be in with the chance of winning some great Roll & Play loot... including some pretty awesome dice! Stay tuned on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more information.

And finally, I want to share another review that the project has had, this time by Joe's Board Games and RPGs in his weekly Kickstarter update (you can find it here). It is great to see so many people talking about the project! Have you seen Roll & Play featured anywhere else? Have you featured Roll & Play on your blog? Please drop me an email or reach out on social media and let me know! I would love to read about how other people have reacted to the project.

Thanks guys, speak again soon,

Sam.

Playable Races, Final Four Announced!
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 31, 2020 at 09:40:38 AM

Hi everyone, I hope you're all keeping well and having a good week so far.

I want to thank everyone who has submitted an idea for the four playable races, there were some brilliant ideas which made the final decision very difficult! In the end I settled with the most popular among backers and the most original suggestions. See below the final four which will be fully fleshed-out and realised in a digital PDF (including lore, traits, name suggestions and features), and sent to you once delivery of the books has been fulfilled. Here's a taster:

Borsukk

Description:The Borsukk are a proud and somewhat tribal race of badger humanoids – they are famously described by outsiders as having only three senses: smell, hearing and loyalty. Black and white striped fur covers their head, and charcoal grey fur covers the rest of their bodies. Respect is hard to gain from a Borsukk, but once an ally is found they will defend them with tenacity and devotion.

Name Meaning: Borsukk (Pronounced: Boor-suck) is derived from the Polish word for Badger, Borsuk. 

Idea Credit: Peter the Beard

Oozling

Description:The translucent, cold and gelatinous form of an Oozling is not difficult to recognise. Although originally derived from humankind as a result of a magical mishap, their single eye and lack of facial features are a stark contrast to the make-up of a human. Roughly every decade a fully-grown Oozling must ‘divide’ into two smaller halves, thus multiplying into two Oozlings, each with their own distinct personalities.

Name Meaning: Oozling, literally 'from ooze'. Inspired by the Gelatinous Cube, other oozes and slime.

Idea Credit: Raelynn Robertson

Hederan

Description: A Hederan’s outer skin is made from thick bark, but within this shell is a complex green musculature. Branches protrude from their long, oval heads and upper body in seemingly random directions, and ivy, moss, funghi and weeds find a home across their bodies. Hederans lead a solitary life, once they have grown from a seedling into an adult they leave their families.

Name Meaning: Hederan (Pronounced: Head-air-ren) is taken from the Latin word 'Hedera' for the plant Ivy. 

Idea Credit: Kay Lubwika, FC LaPlante

Blackhorn

Description: The phrase ‘never lock horns with a Blackhorn’ refers not only to this race of humanoid beetle’s strength, but also their stubbornness and brutish behaviour. Their daunting carapaces range from midnight-purple to pearlescent green, and can be up to six-inches thick in places. An immense horn bursts out of their forehead which they use not only as a sign of prowess, but also to smash their opponents into the air.

Name Meaning: Based on their appearance. Their defining features are their dark carapace and their large horn which protrudes from their head.

Idea Credit: David Morgan

These four races are going to be so much fun to put together, their personalities are already starting to shine through. As you know by now, I commissioned Sketchgoblin to illustrate these races for you, and I can't wait to see how he brings them to life. I hope you like them!

How would you play these races on the tabletop, can you see yourself playing as a righteous Borsukk Paladin bringing justice to those that deserve it? An Oozling Rogue dodging around the battlefield, slipping past her enemies? I quite fancy the brute force of a Blackhorn Barbarian myself, or tracking my foes through the forest as a Hederan Ranger... Let me know in the comments section what you think!

All the best,

Sam.

End of Week 2 (Including a Feature By RollForCrit!)
almost 4 years ago – Sun, May 24, 2020 at 11:01:15 AM

Hi everyone,

We have just reached the end of the campaign's second week, and it has been another great one for the book! We passed the milestone of over 600 project backers, which is more than I could have hoped for. Thank you to everyone who has pledged so far, I know you're going to love using Roll & Play, and I can't wait to send you a copy later on in the year!

I want to share with you another Roll & Play feature this week. RollForCrit selected us for their 'Kickstarter Pickstarter' list which was a really nice surprise, and it was great to see how excited Will and Jonathan were about the project. Catch their thoughts below, or watch the entire video here. One of my favourite D&D content creators also came across Roll & Play, backed the project, and shared it with their supporters! Thank you, Dungeon Master's Workshop!

We had two exciting project updates this week. Firstly, I revealed that the four playable races that were unlocked by hitting the Playable Races stretch goal will be drawn by the character artist Sketchgoblin! He is such a talented illustrator, and I cannot wait to see what he does with them. Thank you for all of your submissions with ideas for the races, the suggestions window has now closed and I will be revealing the final four very soon, stay tuned for the announcement!

Secondly, we have a NEW PLEDGE LEVEL in case you missed it. It is called the Royal Griffon's Hoard, and it combines all of the extra goodies in the Hobgoblin pledge plus three copies of the book as included in the Griffon's Hoard level! This will be great for anyone looking to gift the book to their GM friends, whilst bagging lots of extra rewards (and saving on shipping). If you would like to upgrade your pledge to this level, just click on the 'Manage My Pledge' button.

That's all for now, but as always, please let me know if you see Roll & Play featured anywhere, or if you have featured it on your own blog! I always love to see what others think about the project.

Until next time,

Sam.

NEW Pledge Level Announcement - Royal Griffon's Hoard
almost 4 years ago – Fri, May 22, 2020 at 07:26:28 PM

Hi everyone,

I am getting in touch with you today to announce a new pledge level, which I believe fills a gap. Some backers currently have to choose between a Hobgoblin pledge level to unlock all of the extra bonus rewards or a Griffon's Hoard to buy some extra books and treat their friends, but they miss out on all of the bonus rewards. Well, not anymore!

Today I am announcing the Royal Griffon's Hoard, combining both the Hobgoblin and the Griffon's Hoard pledges! This means that you can gift two books to your game master friends AND you (as the backer) get access to the extra rewards – that's a signed copy of the book, an eBook, bookmarks, exclusive generator cards, as well as an acknowledgement on the imprint page and digital wallpapers!

If you have already pledged and want the enhancement, click 'Manage My Pledge' and upgrade your rewards!

All the best, have a great day,

Sam.