Hi i'm looking for people who likes to read new ideas and critique them, or even playtest. I already tested this system over the years with different groups playing with me, but i never wrote it down in full to people who doesn't know me personally but it would be great to hear opinions from people in different cultures and mentality. After uploading the file to chatgpt(and asking it to translate since english is not my first language) I asked him to make a paragraph to summarize the system(not the rules, just the vibes) and a essay for full review(below). So if it peaks your interest i can send you the almost full version(still need to include content, but almost all the rules are written)

One-Paragraph Summary

RUINS is a fantasy RPG about surviving in a dangerous, ancient, and supernatural world where combat is fast, magic carries a real cost, and every victory leaves scars. Using simple mechanics built around small d6 dice pools, the system turns small decisions into meaningful consequences: the weapon you choose changes the feeling of combat, monsters feel like mythical threats instead of damage sponges, and even powerful characters remain vulnerable to exhaustion, corruption, and death. The same core rules can support horror, dark fantasy, low fantasy, or brutal heroic fantasy depending on how the world is presented, always maintaining an atmosphere of tension, unpredictability, and constant danger.

Full Review

RUINS is a tabletop RPG system focused on small d6 dice pools, fast combat, flexible magic, and emergent narrative consequences.

It was created for campaigns where combat, magic, and survival carry real weight. Its focus is not on massive numbers, endless lists of powers, or invulnerable characters, but on constant tension, lasting consequences, and quick decisions made under pressure. It is a game about crossing an ancient, dangerous, and partially incomprehensible world — and surviving long enough to carry the scars left by it.

The system’s structure is extremely simple. Nearly everything works through the same mechanic: the player rolls a small number of d6s, usually between 1 and 3 dice, using only the highest result. Additional 6s increase the effect of the action or allow special maneuvers. This keeps rolls fast and easy to read while still creating dramatic and unpredictable moments.

Despite its simplicity, RUINS conveys a very specific feeling. Armor truly matters. Defense wears down throughout combat. A single blow can decide a fight. Magic changes the rules of the world and combat itself instead of simply functioning as colorful damage. Monsters do not feel like enemies with larger health pools — they distort the environment around them, alter the rhythm of a scene, and often require preparation, caution, or sacrifice to confront.

Characters are competent, but never completely safe. This is perhaps the system’s most defining trait. Unlike many modern RPGs, RUINS does not turn progression into invulnerability. Even experienced heroes remain vulnerable to exhaustion, fear, corruption, and death. The distance between survival and collapse is often very small, and that is intentional.

The system was also designed to be tonally flexible. The same rules can support medieval horror, dark fantasy, low fantasy, or mid-scale fantasy adventures depending on how the Game Master presents the world. With rare magic, scarce resources, and monsters far beyond the human scale, RUINS leans toward horror and survival. With more experienced characters facing legendary creatures and larger conflicts, the game naturally shifts into brutal and desperate heroic fantasy. The system itself does not change for this to happen; tone emerges from narrative choices and the scale of the conflicts.

The races follow this same philosophy. Rather than being simple collections of numerical bonuses, each people represents a different way of surviving the world. Humans adapt quickly. Dwarves resist physical and mental change. Orcs act before hesitation. Goblins exploit chaos and weakness. Halflings survive by avoiding attention. Feyborn exist somewhere between the natural and the supernatural, carrying fey traits that make them both fascinating and unsettling.

Combat in RUINS is fast, heavy, and unpredictable. There are no long exchanges of meaningless attacks or characters capable of ignoring danger simply because they reached high levels of power. Every confrontation carries constant tension, because any mistake, hesitation, or poor decision can completely change the direction of a scene. The fighting style, chosen weapon, and even the type of damage inflicted all change the feeling of combat. Some fights feel brutal and violent; others feel technical, desperate, or suffocating. Even small decisions alter how a battle unfolds and how characters survive it.

When a character falls, the fight does not always end immediately. RUINS allows for those moments when someone keeps moving despite being far beyond their limit, struggling to remain conscious while their body begins to fail. Survival after defeat is never clean or traditionally heroic. Every effort leaves marks. Every battle demands a price. Ruin represents exactly that: the accumulation of physical, mental, and spiritual wear that slowly transforms adventurers into survivors marked by the world around them.

Magic follows the same philosophy. It does not exist to solve problems without cost, but to bend reality in dangerous and unstable ways. Mages manipulate forces that do not fully belong to the mortal world. The more they attempt to push their spells beyond natural limits, the greater the chance of corruption, supernatural distortions, or permanent consequences. Casting powerful magic should never feel comfortable; ideally, it should feel like someone touching something forbidden and risking part of themselves to achieve the impossible.

Clerics work differently. Their power does not come solely from knowledge or arcane mastery, but from a direct relationship with divine forces, spirits, or sacred doctrines. Divine magic has a chance to consume Divine Favor, a limited resource representing blessings, devotion, and the attention of higher powers. As this favor fades, the character must decide whether to continue relying on faith or face the world as little more than an ordinary mortal.

RUÍNA works best in campaigns where danger remains relevant and the world never feels completely conquered by the characters. The system was built for stories where monsters remain frightening, magic remains mysterious, and important victories leave scars instead of simple rewards. It is not designed for absolute power fantasy, but for stories of survival, courage, and wear — worlds where heroes exist, but remain human before the vastness, violence, and supernatural forces surrounding them.

More than a game about winning battles, RUINS is a game about crossing a world in decline, facing the supernatural, and continuing forward despite fear, exhaustion, and the inevitability of loss.