Introducing Odd Goblin

 I've been using a pocket system, Odd Goblin, for the last year and change and it's been remarkably fun and easy to run dungeon crawl adventures with. I think it's time for me to put it out here on the internet.

You can find it on itch, here.

What's with the name?

Odd Goblin's full name is "Odd Goblin, Free In The Forsaken Dark", a mash-up of all the sources it drew inspiration from. These are. . .

(Into the) Odd: Quick and decisive combat rules. Largely compatible with adventures/etc written for Into the Odd/Cairn/etc.

Goblin (Laws of Gaming): 36 GLOG-compatible classes, each built around a skillset that emphasizes giving the player tools to play with over numeric mechanical improvements.

Free (Kriegsspiel): A core resolution system that hews close to the fiction--you roll d10 and the number you get answers the question "How well does this go on a scale from 1-10?". As a system this is obviously not fully FKR, but the philosophy was inspirational during development.

(Forged) In The Dark: The initial version of this was a ItO/FitD mashup, with early drafts of this having a much more FitD skill system. It's evolved a lot since then, but the inspiration is still visible.

Forsaken (Megadungeon): Sam[LINK] ran a megadungeon campaign where each magic user class had tight and thematic set of 6 spells, more about utility than direct combat ability. It worked great so I stole it. Also the inspiration for the print-and-play format.

Why should you try it?

I run an open table largely visited by people new to roleplaying, where I need to be able to make a character and teach how to play in ~5 minutes, but also where the system gives enough to grab onto for a new roleplayer to find inspiration. Odd Goblin threads that needle better than any other system I've found--the basic mechanics are dead simple in a way that orients play towards "Imagine you're in the situation--what would you do?", and the character classes are meaty and full of fun tools to play with.

The core resolution mechanic is built to be simple but adaptable to the fiction--it always generates a number between 1-10, answering the question "How does this go on a scale from 1-10?". It's flexible and narrative-first, but also easily moddable on the fly. Setting a pass/fail target number is quick and easy, but for more nuanced situations you can just roll and improv the consequences based on the result in a more granular way, or even apply more esoteric dice tricks to when desired. I've found that this is already the way most people play games with binary skill systems, so Odd Goblin just leans into the way people intuitively want to play.

I'm leaning into my lack of art budget, so the game is designed specifically to be printed out and made available as a set of loose paper on the table. Pages are modular and cover 1-2 topics each, and character classes can easily be handed to the players playing them.

Odd Goblin characters tend to be powerful in utility but fragile. Pure combat spells and abilities are relatively uncommon and HP totals are low, but most classes have a few tricks up their sleeves that can fundamentally change how they navigate a dungeon. The system is best paired with non-linear adventures, where 'breaking the dungeon' is a feature and not a bug.

I've been running it for a megadungeon campaign at my school, and tend to release a big update between semesters. It's been incredibly fun and flexible, so for anyone else who loves dungeon crawl games primarily oriented around problem solving using weird tools, I encourage you to take a look! Let me know what you think in the comments

Puppeteer (GLOG Class)

A mage class for GLOG-compatible games. Initially made for Odd Goblin (which I'll be posting once the current draft is done), but adapted to be slightly more mainline-GLOG compatible. Posted to join in on today's puppet bandwagon. 

Class: Puppeteer

A mage who grants the semblance of life to magical dolls.

Equipment: Whittling-knife, oversized suitcase, 100' thread, portable painting kit.

Class Features

A: Spell Dice (1d6), +1 Spell, Lesser Puppetry

B: Spell Dice (2d6), +2 Spells

C: Spell Dice (3d6), +2 Spells

D: Spell Dice (4d6), +1 Spells, True Puppetry

Spell Dice: At each level, you gain one additional Spell Die with which to cast spells.

Spells: Roll on the list of spells below when you gain a spell, rerolling results already learned. Cantrips are spells that may be cast without the use of Spell Dice.

Lesser Puppetry (Cantrip)

R: 30’; T: 1 object; D: concentration

Thin silvery threads emerge from the caster’s fingertips, attaching to the target object. The caster may move and operate the object with the force and dexterity of a puppeteer operating a puppet via strings.

Spell List (1d6)

1. Trumpeter Doll

R: [sum] miles; T: a creature whose face you know; D: indefinite

The caster produces a doll with the appearance of a trumpet-wielding messenger. The doll animates and runs in the direction of the target, moving 80’/round. Upon reaching its destination, it blows the trumpet and announces a message of the caster’s choice. Optionally, it can wait for a response before returning and repeating it to the caster.

2. Clown Doll

R: n/a; T: 1 creature or group of creatures ; D:[sum] minutes

 The caster produces a doll with the appearance of a harlequin clown. The doll animates and runs off in search of their target. Upon finding them, the doll antagonizes them with mocking gestures and acts of small mischief. Pursuers must succeed at a Move check (-4 penalty) to catch the doll.

3. Angel Doll

R: n/a; T: n/a; D:[10 minutes/1 hour/8 hours/1 day]

The caster produces a doll with the appearance of a winged angel. The doll animates and flies [20’/40’/120’/400’] per minute in the direction of safety--the closest exit to a dungeon or the closest friendly settlement in the wilderness. Unlocked and secret doors fly open in its path.

4. Devil Doll

R: n/a; T: n/a; D: concentration

The caster produces a doll with the appearance of a pitchfork-wielding goateed red devil. The doll animates and runs into the closest and greatest source of danger, attempting to trigger it and destroy itself in the process.

5. Murder Doll

R: n/a; T: n/a; D: 10 minutes

The caster produces a doll with the appearance of a dead-eyed porcelain child holding a butcher’s knife. The doll animates and attacks any character ordered to by the caster. The doll has [dice x 4] hp, 10+[dice x 2] defense, and deals 1d8+[dice] damage with its attacks.

6. Curse Doll

R: sight; T: 1 creature; D: 1 day

The caster produces a doll in the likeness of the target. The target feels the sensations of any action taken upon the doll--stabbing pain from needles, drowning from immersion in water, etc. This inflicts no damage, but the distraction allows all attacks against the target to have their damage upscaled. The doll breaks after [dice] rounds of abuse. Range becomes infinite if the caster holds a personal effect of the target.

True Puppetry

R: 60’; T: 1 object or incapacitated creature; D: concentration

The target, no larger than a [goblin/human/bear/giant], animates and moves under the caster’s control. The caster can see from both themselves and their target, but can take no action other than control the target without ending the spell. The target acts with the caster’s full skill and agility, and otherwise immobile objects can move 40’/round up to 1 mile from the caster. The combat abilities of the target depend on its form and materials, but generally should not go above [dice x 4] hp, 10+[dice x 2] defense, and 1d8+[dice] damage.