You're probably thinking:
And you would be correct, yeah, this is the old game I had on here previously… but updated, fixed, built from the ground up from 0.
In core, code, and another "C" word I can’t think of right now.
If you played it back then. then you shou...... okay, no one played it, it’s an indie TTRPG.
I have the analytics to prove it. ANYWAYS
You looked at it and went back to play 5th Edition or Pathfinder. I know you.
BUT if you liked what you saw and thought, “This looks neat, but I won’t get people to play it”
well, it’s back!
If you’re new here? Strap the F*** in.
Because it’s a NullForge Studios game, and we do depth here.
A TTRPG that feels familiar, and then doesn’t.
If D&D is Microsoft Windows and G.U.R.P.S. is Arch Linux...
Ashes of Arcanum sits comfortably in the middle, call it the Linux Mint/Ubuntu of tabletop RPGs.
You're sick of Windows, Arch is too complicated, and you just want something to work? AoA is your game.
It’s a home away from home: familiar mechanics, but twisted into something new.
Mostly narrative-driven, with light RP rules (because heavy RP rules are lame), but packed with a crunchy combat system for those who love to dig deep.
Best of both worlds. If that made no sense: think Mario Bros 1 --> Mario Bros 2. Same... but definitely not the same.
But yeah, I know all TTRPGs aren’t the same, but this one will feel familiar.
Gameplay
Well… it’s an adventure-style, long-form TTRPG… or is it? Sure, it’s built for adventuring, but you don’t have to go traipsing across the world. I’ve run entire campaigns in a single town. No homebrew. No BS.
You’ll roll dice for skill checks and combat, and roleplay through everything else. There are a few basic rules to keep the game flowing, but overall? It’s rules-light… or rules-mid? I don’t know.
If combat happens? It can get crunchy… if you want it to.
You can play as the “all stats at 10, I just attack” type and still do fine.
Or you can be the “it’s 4 AM and I’m trying to one-turn the boss” kind of player and also do fine.
but there will always be consequences for doing that, but you have the choice to do it!
Same goes for roleplay:
You can say “Sure, I’ll do the thing,” roll the dice, and let fate decide.
Or you can go full theater kid, acting out every moment and avoiding dice entirely.
The system’s built to handle both ends of the spectrum. We all feed the inner dice goblin, but sometimes you want to see how hard you can actually throw an apple.
Let's Talk Dice
You like the D20 system of D&D? So do we!
You like the D100 system of Call of Cthulhu? So do we!
You like the D6 system of PBTA? Stop lying to yourself :D (…ok, we like it too, shut up).
We took all of that and built a system that uses every die in a 7 piece set.
Which is nothing special. many do that, but we did it too! I paid for all the dice, I’m going to USE all the dice!
So expect to roll everything, even that disgusting little caltrop (the d4) you keep stepping on. Don’t worry, it’s rarely used.
And no, I couldn’t stop there. That’d be too easy.
You know that old saying “a natural 20 doesn’t mean anything except on an attack roll”?
Shut up, critical buzzkill. Now it’s RAW. (And yes, we did it before Pathfinder 2, I have the receipts.)
But that’s not the only twist. There’s another rule that sa… actually, no.
You’ll just have to play and find out. That one stays under wraps.
One of the biggest things that makes a TTRPG shine is the same thing that makes zombie movies interesting.
The zombies? Definitely not.
The characters.
If you didn’t know already, Ashes of Arcanum is built from the ground up to support player choice. This includes the GM, they’re players too. They want to have fun too. (ButTheyArentImportantRightNow)
So, anyways. Players get a lot of choice, especially when creating their characters.
Starting out (more later, I promise lol), you’ll have:
• 6 Classes: Each with 3 unique, specialized Skill Trees
• 12 Species: Some with subspecies, some without. Each with a colourful flavor
• A load of histories: To flesh out your character’s backstory so it’s actually interesting, instead of Orphan story #42069
• Over 50 game-changing Upgrades: Build your character precisely how you want them to be
And yeah, I know. All TTRPGs have “this and that,” but most of ’em are like D&D 4th edition, where the only difference between the classes or species is the name.
Like… who cares?
Nah. In AoA, the difference between a Fighter and a Warrior is miles/kilometers apart.
Think of the difference between Ed and Al in Fullmetal Alchemist.
Both are adept at combat and alchemy, but worlds apart in their skills.
If you haven’t watched Fullmetal Alchemist yet? Shame on you.
Don’t play this game. Go watch that.
This will still be here when you get back. Probably even on sale. You don’t know.
…anyways.
Hi GM’s
Are you a forever GM?
Cool, me too.
You probably are if you’re here looking at indie TTRPGs.
Anyway...
Don’t you hate when you need 12 different tools to run a game and your Firefox ends up looking like a teenager with ADHD?
84 tabs open, some crashed, two of them playing music... wait, no, that’s an ad.
How did that even get past uBlock? >:(
Yeah, me too.
A lot of GM tools out there require constant internet just to do basic stuff like roll dice, play ambience, or send voice lines. (And yes, they’re all separate tabs, because why make it easy?)
So here’s the deal
The essentials: hostile creator, battle setup, loot gen, map tools, music, NPC gen, all the usual suspects,
But only what’s needed. If something’s missing and you tell me, I’ll probably add it(if i have the ability)
GM’ing is a thankless job most of the time. I get it. So I’m making tools that make it easier...
Easier to the point where players might look over and go, “Huh… that doesn’t look so bad. I could do that.”
I firmly believe the system should support the GM so they can tell their stories easier.
If fluff gets in the way? Trash it.
If you’re not convinced to buy the game and try this one out, I’m afraid it’s just not happening.
That’s fine. Trying to get people to run an indie TTRPG is an arms race, so I don’t blame you for going, “Looks cool, but nah.”
I’ve been working on this game for over 7 years now. Basically full-time. I could explain it five ways to Sunday, hell, I didn’t even go over the Power Chain system, which is a point of annoyance in literally every other TTRPG I’ve seen for not having one.
It’s just too much to explain, honestly.
So feel free to buy it, check it out, and if you don’t like it, refunds are fine.
Peace
