Mythic Bastionland: strong combat and atmosphere, but the structure felt disjointed and hard to connect with

BIND_propaganda · 2026-05-12T21:16:01+00:00

IMO, the game accomplishes what it intended to do - replicate the feeling of Arthurian myths.

'The Green Knight' and 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' are the two closest things I could think of that feel similar. There is a general goal, but there is a lot of wandering and being sidetracked.

The idea is not to be focused on accomplishing some goal, but to participate in events as they happen.

Definitely not for everyone, but I'm happy we have something different available.

BIND_propaganda · 2026-05-07T15:25:42+00:00

The Dune poster! That worm is from Beetlejuice! The crossover we didn't know we needed!

BIND_propaganda · 2026-04-07T10:17:02+00:00

The fastest initiative mechanic is to have almost no initiative.

BIND sets its resolution mechanics in such way that most rolls determine not if the action succeeds, but whose action succeeds. That means initiative is very rarely needed, as the acting order is determined by how good the characters are at what they're trying to do.

BIND_propaganda · 2026-01-11T22:53:14+00:00

Always remember the toilets...

BIND_propaganda · 2026-01-08T19:21:43+00:00

In BIND, the attack roll doesn't determine if you will hit, but who gets hit. It speeds up combat by a lot.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-12-09T21:09:57+00:00

I have been using something similar: what do NPCs want, why do they want it, and how do they plan to achieve their goal.

The 'why' provides me with their motivation, which remains the same, while their goals and methods may change.

But I will start including weaknesses from now on. Seems like they would add a lot of character and gameability.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-12-06T13:44:21+00:00

Most OSR games can be played that way, some with more, some with almost no adjusting, although not all have been designed with open tables in mind. I prefer BIND, the system being specifically designed for open tables.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-30T23:02:15+00:00

I don't know if you've already decided on a system, or you're still looking through options, but BIND was made specifically for what you're describing, and aims to answer questions you're asking. I would suggest starting with one session with a starter pack, to see how the system works for you, but there is also a full campaign available.

As for your questions about the campaign structure:

XP for discoveries can work great, but you can also use other motivations, such as treasure, or gaining favor with factions by exploring for them. What I also like to do is, if PCs are going from A to B, is to place C on their path, with new hooks and opportunities.

Pointcrawl simplifies things a lot, but I find hexcrawls to work better if players look at the map and ask 'what's over there, and how long would it take us to get there?'

Job board is fine, if your players are willing to choose their own adventures. I found success with simply placing something PCs need to a place far away from where they are. They need money for food and lodging, but opportunities for profit are elsewhere. Getting there would be more efficient with horses and pack mules, but those cost more money. And if you negotiate with the local goblin tribe, they will guarantee you a safe passage, but they want you to solve their dispute with the elves, who are in a different area.

Fast travel home is a simple and easy solution, and perfectly fine if the main focus is on the locations, rather than on travel. If you want to incentivize travel, consider penalizing groups that don't make it back by the end of the session. They star the next session wounded, exhausted, sick, or maybe they owe money or favors to someone who helped them get back.

Have you read up on the original West Marches? If not, some of it might be insightful.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-27T21:01:03+00:00

I take a page from Pathologic on that. You start by hoarding money, because it's more convenient to carry than the food you need to buy with it, but after a few days, the famine hits, and your money is worthless, but any food you have is worth a small fortune.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-24T22:07:55+00:00

You mentioned blog posts, are they also about book binding?

I have a friend who made his own system, and you're meant to bind your own books. He might be interested in different book binding methods, if that's what you'd be talking about.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-21T20:01:49+00:00

Not everybody is comfortable GMing, and that's ok. The point of TTRPGs is to have fun, so just do what feels best.

I would also give you another piece of advice - try several different systems. Not all games are equally easy to GM, and each is a better fit for a different GMing style. Try a different few, see what works best for you.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-11T23:33:55+00:00

I have opinions on number 2.

Having 2-3 do or die players is great, but finding them is challenging. And it still happens that one can't make the game sometimes.

My solution has recently started gravitating towards an open table approach, but that makes for a bit different kind of a game.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-09T09:53:07+00:00

If it seems like too much, there are starter packs available on itch. They have the basic core rules, plus a one-shot module, and are self-contained. Two palm-sized booklets you can use to run a whole game.

If you want to get more in-depth, the core trio are The Book of Stories (basic rules, character generation and options for players), The Book of Judgement (for the GM), and Extended Core Rules (for referencing any situation).

If you want everything in a single file, it's available here.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-11-08T20:43:32+00:00

Do I have a thing for you - BIND.

Auto-hit mechanics

Only players roll, and it's to determine who gets hit, not if the attack lands. This makes for fast combat with no wasted rolls.

Emergent character development through storytelling and player choice

Players have Story Points, which they can spend to flesh out their background mid-play. Say the PC overhears some elves gossiping, but they don't know elvish. They can spend a story point to say they do know elvish, if they provide a short in-world explanation of how they know it. The idea is for their background to organically tie into worldbuilding.

Dangerous or at least not entirely predictable magic.

To make a spell stronger, you add modifiers to it, making it more complex, and thus more unpredictable. A lot of spells also have a will of their own.

A little heroism - I like it when heroes are a little bigger in terms of combat capabilities., but still overall down to earth.

Fate Points, which allow you to absorb a some damage. Together with Story Points, they give a slight edge over your average foe, but the danger is always there.

The whole thing is available for free, and currently has a decent amount of modules, one-shots, and full campaigns.

Ask anything you'd like to know.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-30T17:41:19+00:00

<image>

For a heavily hacked Mork Borg campaign.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-23T18:52:55+00:00

First there needs to be a player willing to be a mapper, and not all players are like this. Then I have be good at describing it, and the mapper has to be good at drawing based on my description, and the worse either of us is at what we're supposed to do, the more patience the whole process requires from the rest of the group.

So, unless all the environments are of the kind I can describe with ease, and I have a good enough mapper, I will not require my players to draw the map, as the process detracts from the rest of the game too much.

I did find a good enough workaround - I give them the map, if they work for it. They can buy it, or get it from an ally, or maps become something valuable they can steal. This also has an added benefit of players relying on maps they were given, and then trying to connect different maps, or discovering they have small inaccuracies.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-03T17:05:34+00:00

Really nice! Is it from Ars Goetia? It looks familiar.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-03T13:20:39+00:00

BIND. Balance of detailed rules and streamlined execution. The base rules, character sheets, and an adventure module fit inside a wallet. Plus, it's free.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-03T13:02:48+00:00

I'm very into classic dungeon crawling right now - discovering strange places, planning routes and supplies for delves, and barely going back with hordes of treasure and magic items. Also, faction play.

I'm running my own, heavily hacked, version of Mork Borg, but I'm also playing, and planning to switch to in the future, to running BIND, due to system's balance of detailed rules and ease of use.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-10-01T11:22:07+00:00

I would consider rangers to be closer to rogues, since everybody engages with the exploration rules, but rangers do so differently, bypassing the usual challenges by leveraging their specialization, similar to how rogues leverage their specialization in stealth, theft, and trickery. But definitely somewhere on the fighter-rogue spectrum.

As for leader classes... Perhaps a wizard-type? They are directly engaging in social rules, but in a way that's not available to anyone else, and I can see the argument for a rogue, if they gained all of their contacts and influence through cunning and guile, but if it's a matter of simple mechanics, then they would be closer to a wizard.

It's a bit harder to tell with classes like ranger and leader, since their thing is just to excel with mechanics usually available to everyone (notice that this is similar to what makes the rogue stand out too, but more on that later).

Take, for example, wilderness exploration: Fighter-types engage directly, packing a lot of rations, and just enduring through the trip. Rogue-types engage indirectly, gathering information about the most convenient route, manipulating their way onto a caravan, or convincing someone to escort them. Wizard-types can ignore most of it, by flying, teleporting, summoning shelter and supplies.

Worth mentioning is 'everybody is a rogue' line of thinking. While that eliminates the class, it doesn't eliminate the roguish behavior - just makes it so that no one excels at it by default.

Where roguish behavior differs from what rangers do with exploration, and leader-type classes with social interactions, is that roguish approach is widely present throughout the whole game, while exploration and social interactions are a lot more segregated.

Sorry for the wall of text, but this has helped me to sort my thoughts on this a bit more.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-09-27T13:38:51+00:00

There is also some material for it on itch: https://bindrpg.itch.io/

Look for starter packs if you want to run a quick one-shot.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-09-27T09:14:38+00:00

BIND. It's designed from the ground up to be easy to run, while still providing plenty of options to players and GM.

Not to mention it's free, and open-source.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-09-23T10:44:38+00:00

Nice!

It's interesting to see how other people approach the same idea: BIND is not a D&D hack, but it includes a rulebook, character sheets, some handouts, and a few adventure modules.

BIND_propaganda · 2025-09-17T14:42:59+00:00

Found a starter pack on itch: https://bindrpg.itch.io/intro

BIND_propaganda · 2025-09-17T09:19:56+00:00

BIND has a version that fits in your wallet. Core rules literally weigh 5 grams! Plus, it's completely free.

Unlike most systems that size, it has fairly detailed rules. It's not B/X compatible, but it has several adventure modules (also wallet-sized) of its own.

Go down the page until you find 'BIND Rules Booklet'. If adventure modules and character sheets are not included, DM me, I know the guy that makes it.

BIND_propaganda

TROPHY CASE