AxiomRPG is a passion project. A group of old gamers trying to build something to share with the TTRPG community at large.
Welcome to my weekly blog about developing a game system. The active diary of a madman.
First, none of this is particularly unique or industry shattering. It’s math rocks with at least a page of rules and charts. There are so many ‘build a game’ resources available to aid anyone with the patience and time to seek and consume it all. Much of it becomes rather repetitive because 99% of the actual ‘innovations’ have been discovered and refined. In my experience, mechanics are all derivative when you boil them down to the essentials.
This whole exercise started as a “can we do it” discussion after the conclusion of a regular game. Now, over a year into the process, we understand more and realize there’s more that goes into a balanced, playable mechanic system.
We started by trying to bolt on and expand an existing minimalist system. Complexity skyrocketed, quality degraded, confusion grew and ultimately it fell flat. Trying to codify house rules into actual rules isn’t as easy as it seems when you’re fundamentally altering how core systems apply.
Then we decided to try and create a ‘new’ system based on what we liked. Getting the “what we liked” part was easy enough, it’s all the other less interesting details that sucked. Only having bi-weekly discussion (in place of actual game time) didn’t really speed things along. Day jobs and real-life distractions are entirely un-helpful.
I began 2026 a bit discouraged. So, I took what we learned and developed through 2025 and began again, starting with some very basic core mechanics. I am shooting for something between legacy crunch and minimal narrative.
Take a Look at the First 2026 Revision
The next post will break down an initial concept for Attributes and Talents.