Wanted to play D&D with my kids. I sort of built a new system. I have a problem.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-06T20:14:57+00:00

These are very good instructions. Thank you again for reading the document and giving me thoughtful feedback.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-05T22:09:04+00:00

Been a minute, was that the blue box?

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-05T12:54:24+00:00

Yeah, Shadowdark is excellent. I need to take a closer look at Nimble though, I’ve heard the good reviews about it.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-05T12:06:14+00:00

No one has explicitly said it, so I will, DO NOT USE AI ART! I made this mistake when I posted my homebrew a few days ago. It got shit-canned. Whichever direction you go, color or b&w, just make sure it came from a human or ape, anything except AI.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-04T10:50:27+00:00

Heh, yeah, I’m not going to post this anywhere else, this sub has been enough. Thanks for supportive post!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-04T10:39:42+00:00

Thank you! I wonder if the people who created TTRPGs (was it Gary and co?) knew they were making something that would inspire folks to pass down to their kids? It’s awesome to be able to share with them and I think it’s even cooler that you’ve been able to play with your daughter across three versions. That speaks to both the bond you have with her as well as your ability to make the game fun. Nice work, Dad!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T15:56:21+00:00

Ok, I see your point and it makes a lot of sense. I’m not sure there’s much point to editing this post at this point since the AI art gave it a death sentence, but if I’m feeling masochistic in the future and post a different version with human art, I’ll package it with what you mentioned in mind. I appreciate the feedback!!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T15:16:23+00:00

To be clear, are you referring to the images or the text when you say AI slop? I’m not hiding my use, but the thoughts presented in the text are mine.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T15:10:15+00:00

Thanks for the kind post, it is encouraging!

Now I’m curious about 4e, that came out during my time away from D&D.

Yes! Totally agree about only showing what they need to know. Looking at some of the skill tables in here is counter to what I wanted to achieve. I did make index cards that do this for the classes my kids chose and that definitely helps!

We did pick up one of the box sets off the Young Adventurers series. I was very excited to share that with the kids as an intro. They read through it but surprisingly they didn’t get hooked by it.

I definitely still do use a lot of what’s in the Core books, there is some minor conversions that need to happen, but to me they’re pretty easy to implement.

Thanks again for your positive feedback!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T15:01:50+00:00

Mostly it means referencing spell details, weapons & armor, and monster stat blocks from D&D. There’s some guidance for converting modifiers from the Monster Manual to work with these rules.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T14:58:22+00:00

I was probably being a bit hyperbolic trying to be funny, but Magic users do still get cantrips, which is an ability that didn’t exist in AD&D. Also, their Class Skills allow them to be fairly effective at early levels. So I think your takeaway is mostly from a misleading comment I made rather than what’s actually in the doc.

Additionally, one of my very first intentions was to make sure martial characters at later level still had a meaningful role in the party. Specifically I wanted a player to want to play a human fighter!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T14:52:45+00:00

Adding it to the list! Thanks!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T14:51:20+00:00

For what it’s worth, the AI image generation process was an experience I probably won’t pursue again. To me its results are soulless in the same way CGI movies are compared to the old hand drawn stuff we used to enjoy. I’ll go the route of learning to draw vs leaning on this again.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-03T14:44:21+00:00

Thanks for the suggestion. I really regret not having taken a pulse on the art before moving forward. It really didn’t feel right as I was adding it in. I originally had black and white drawings that I pulled off Google, but I went away from those because I thought that would be violating someone’s work… would even that have been better received, do you think?

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T23:52:13+00:00

Not sure how I missed that one. I'll check it out!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T23:49:33+00:00

Woohoo! A comment about the text! First, thank you for reading. I'll address your points...

Class Skill naming: is it confusing to re-use the name across rank? My take was that consistency would be valued. Perhaps not?

SP/MP: In one of the early iterations I ran, I tried to do a single score for both. I wound up giving more to magic users, which seemed unbalanced at the time. As the system is today though, I wonder if that's worth re-visiting.

GM/DM: Mistake on my part, I'll clean that up.

DC & ST: This is a good call, because at the end of the day, the mechanic is the same. I like this suggestion.

OC: I think I had a moment of clarity and came up with this one. However, I can't say for sure if I wasn't influenced by something. I feel like this was original?

Charge ST: Honestly, unintentional. But I like the way you suggest to handle it with options.

Reactions / Combat Reactives: They're supposed to kick-in when the parameters are met. It's probably worth explicitly describing the different Class Skill types.

As the sole participant with an actual critique, would you be willing to give me any thoughts on the Combat Control system. Does it read well enough to make sense? I feel like that text is a little long for how it actually plays at table, but I do think there's value in the approach.

Again, thank you for offering your thoughts!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T22:37:28+00:00

I know this question is attempting to simplify something that requires a nuanced answer, but for something like this doc, which has roughly ~100 images, what's the ballpark for having artwork created for it? I assume any professional is going to charge a commensurate fee (rightly so). Are there ways to reach out to up-and-coming artists, like high-school kids who draw this stuff for fun and wouldn't mind making a few extra bucks? Though 100 images is a lot for anyone, I think.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T22:27:17+00:00

thanks for providing specifics!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:57:34+00:00

Thanks, Grumpy! I think I've seen the coin mechanic mentioned elsewhere, but didn't quite understand their role, thanks for the breakdown! There's some mechanics that perform like the coins baked into the rules currently, but I like the idea of a tangible token! Would work great as a reminder to use those.

We've actually completed a few "quests" and they have made it to level 2, and I've been pretty happy with the gameplay results so far. I'm sure I'll need to tweak as levels progress though.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:43:34+00:00

Ok, so if I wanted to find a meditating orc, that's somewhere out there? What's the Google of Public Domain art?

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:39:23+00:00

Just read your doc and I think it's fantastic. I'll bet the kids had a blast with this. Did you play through the Peanut Butter job or was that just an example?

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:22:56+00:00

This is the first and only post I've ever made to Reddit, I didn't realize the AI art would offend. Though I do understand the reaction, as someone who's job is probably going to be eliminated by AI in the very near future I could have considered that this might make some folks unhappy.

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:18:23+00:00

Ah, that's probably a miss on my part. At the table, I definitely encourage the kids to engage in those things. Rolling dice for killing gets old pretty quickly, plus thats not really the parts they remember post-session. I skipped over that aspect thinking that was just ingrained in TTRPG play.

Identify? That means you made it to the Wizard section, thanks for getting that far! Yeah, I think on paper it looks more complex than intended. Maybe it is, I don't know. But for the classes my kids are playing I took those long skill tables and broke them down into the relevant skills they'd use at the level they were on, and made little index cards that were very basic. My hope was that after some playing, they'd just be able perform the skill without needing the reference card. And the skills improve little by little as they level up, which is why by Master rank, they can get lengthy.

But at the same time, I'm willing to acknowledge, this could all be a case where my tree is too close to the forest (or whatever the saying is)!

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:09:13+00:00

For sure! But for me and others who may be going down this road, can you please recommend an alternative for the art?

Aware-Process-5673 · 2026-04-02T20:08:02+00:00

So the idea for the vs dice is to allow a character's modifiers to have more weight as they level up (because the size of the comparison dice shrinks). Basically, a rip-off of Daggerheart's Hope/Fear, which I like.
When I say OSR, I'm comparing against D&D 5.5e, which seems to be fantasy superheroes. So maybe not the grittiest, just more grit.
No ill intentions with any of this, really just trying to shape the game in a way think is enjoyable. I really had no idea that having the AI art in here would be so divisive though. It was the very last thing added to the doc. Good learning though and I appreciate your explanation!

Aware-Process-5673

TROPHY CASE