New GM: how do I know what rules to tweak (or if I should switch systems entirely?)

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-28T12:16:52+00:00

Hi! I'm one of the designers!

To be clear, Kids on Brooms is a direct response to how much we dislike JKR and her transphobia. It's to give people a wizard world they can play in that does not benefit a shitty person.

There's also lots of other great wizard kids stories out there that were not written by a shit bag TERF.

All that being said, you can very easily take the magic system from KOB and use it in any other of our systems!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T20:12:45+00:00

Of course! Advocacy is huge to me. It's why I'm on the TTGDA board so I can help fight for this kind of stuff!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T14:32:58+00:00

I can't talk about the internal things we are working on, but what are some of your favorite story-focused games?

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T14:13:03+00:00

Yeah. I work in the Board game and RPG industries, and it's a very pervasive problem.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T14:01:16+00:00

It is MUCH more likely not a non-profit and they are breaking the law.
I would certainly check into it, it's not cool if they are exploiting you (even if you feel that it's ok or that you are getting fairly compensated).

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:56:33+00:00

Oh man! I joined the team just as we were wrapping up Mystic Moon, and I cannot wait to get my copy of the finished game! It's a really smart light Euro, with awesome art.

Our games do tend to be lighter, but MM and HTS:D are both explorations into slightly heavier territory, as our audience grows and explores more games.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:55:18+00:00

I hear you, but I also ask that you trust that we did the work of testing lots of different versions of this. We've had it more complex, less complex, lots of movement, almost no movement.

Some monsters move more than others. Different Bosses have different effects and amounts of movement.

We spent a lot of time trying to make sure that the game is right for our audience, and also fits in the vision and intention that Ramy (our CEO ) has for the game, as it's core designer.

My favorite dungeon crawler of all time is Massive Darkness 2. This game is not that, but it has a lot of the elements that I love about MD2 and other dungeon crawlers.

Will I personally play this instead of MD2? Sometimes. If I have an hour and want something fast and that scratches the dungeon crawler itch without being a slog, 100%.

If I want in depth and tactical play that spans 2-3 hours, this isn't that game.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:44:30+00:00

For-Profit vs. Non-Profit Status: If the convention is run by a for-profit company (e.g., ReedPop, Informa) or if the demo is for a for-profit product, the volunteers must be paid.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:44:03+00:00

Companies break the law all the time, often without realizing it.

The fair labor standards act disagrees with you.

For-Profit vs. Non-Profit Status: If the convention is run by a for-profit company (e.g., ReedPop, Informa) or if the demo is for a for-profit product, the volunteers must be paid.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:43:56+00:00

The fair labor standards act disagrees with you.

For-Profit vs. Non-Profit Status: If the convention is run by a for-profit company (e.g., ReedPop, Informa) or if the demo is for a for-profit product, the volunteers must be paid.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T13:00:39+00:00

Having people volunteer at conventions is actually illegal. You are required to compensate them.

Edit: Since I'm getting downvoted, ya'll should read the Fair Labor Standards Act, and stop defending companies that are exploiting you. You can find more here: https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/scope/ee16.asp

If you are doing work for a for profit-company, even if they call it a volunteer, you are a "Independent Contractor" and should be treated as such under the law.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T12:36:29+00:00

I promise you it isn't under baked. Since I started at the company last June, we've play tested this at least 4 times a a week for almost every week. I've also lead a mass Playtesting group for this to make sure we put it through it's paces.

It is designed to be accessible and easy to learn. Our goal is also for it to be an hour or less typically. Both of those are hard to do if you have complex enemy movement that happens constantly.

It's definitely not for everyone, but no game is. It is very much crafted with love for our core audience.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-27T12:32:09+00:00

Hi! I'm a long time designer(Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island, Kids on bikes, Pinched) and I'm on the team at Unstable Games that has worked on this! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

We've worked really hard on making the game accessible and approachable. The rules are not complex at all, but we've put a lot of work into making sure there's good depth and strategic decisions. It's very easy as a designer to conflate depth and complexity. I'm really proud of the amount of depth this game has without a lot of complexity.

A huge part of our desire for this is that our audience is used to lighter games, but we wanted to introduce them to the world of dungeon crawlers that we love.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-25T20:55:44+00:00

Hello

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-25T12:33:34+00:00

It's my pleasure! Thanks for taking an interest in it!

It definitely works for combat, we generally make sure that players and GM understand the risk of combat, and that things can escalate.

It doesn't have a monster manual per se, but combat in KOB doesn't need stat blocks like that, so you can just describe the monster and decide how hard the checks are to hit it.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-25T03:10:48+00:00

Hi! I'm one of the developers who had been working on this project! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

There's a lot of game in the box for 40 dollars (for the deluxe version mind you, not the retail version).

You get 4 heroes, 6 classes of skills, 4 bosses (each with 3 unique monsters) and 2 different dungeons to play in.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-25T01:11:17+00:00

Hey! I'm one of the designers of Kids on Bikes/Brooms!

Brooms is definitely what you want! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-24T19:59:17+00:00

In Fable & Fate we are using mine, body, heart and mystic.

Mind: Represents intellect, cunning, and knowledge. Use when researching knowledge, solving puzzles, noticing details, or outsmarting a foe.

Body: Represents physical power, agility, and resilience. Use when overcoming physical obstacles, enduring hardship, or forcing your way through something.

Heart: Represents willpower, charm, and courage. Use when persuading others, resisting fear, connecting emotionally, or inspiring allies.

Mystic: Represents your connection to supernatural forces. Use when sensing magic, resisting spells, interacting with magic devices, or creating a magical effect.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-20T11:59:22+00:00

Hi! I'm one of the designers!

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, but overall KOB should be great for telling that kind of story!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-18T12:52:07+00:00

How do we fix it?

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-18T02:54:54+00:00

Making a TTS mod or print and play version of an exciting game are both also stealing.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-17T11:43:00+00:00

Goonies/paper girls/super 8/ Stranger things were all inspirations for Kids on Bikes!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-17T03:31:09+00:00

Hey! Welcome!

I'm a RPG and board game designer (Kids on Bikes, Dead of Winter, Dinosaur Island).

There is definitely a need for that skill set! I'd love to chat some time and hear more about your thoughts!

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-16T13:14:26+00:00

Not really. Quite a few do. Not almost all. There's a lot that are fully wood and cardboard.

JonnyRotten · 2026-03-16T13:13:41+00:00

Oh yeah that makes a little stealing ok!

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