u/PerfectPathways

To be clear, if the one thing you always wanted to do in your life is not create a dark fantasy OSR-adjacent gritty lightweight survival horror RPG, more power to you, go ahead and live the game design of your dreams. I'm proud of you and please keep doing what you're doing.

It's just that, after reading the constant pitches of unique and innovative designs, I'm looking for something more familiar, something to rest my eyes on, and I want to see where the design space is heading. If you are currently making a Darkest Dungeon inspired game, I want to hear about it. If you are making a Goblin Slayer game? Tell me! An OSR game with a really unique and innovative encumbrance system? I'm all ears!

In particular, I'm curious most about how you handle the following mechanics:

1. Encumbrance (Do you use slots? Actual pounds? How much money can a PC carry?)
2. HP/Wounds/etc (Do you use straight HP? Wounds? A mixture?)
3. Torches/Lighting (Do they do something else other than let you see? How long do they last? And so on)
4. Equipment (Do you use piecemeal armor? Can I wear a special armor set?)
5. Magic items and rewards (Are they random? Do I know about them as a player? Can I set out in search of the Holy Avenger or Flametongue?)
6. Time/Recordkeeping ("You can not have a meaningful campaign if strict time records are not kept", so, do you use Dungeon Turns? World turns and so on? Or something else?)
7. Scaling (Do you plan for the PCs to be low-power forever? Or, given enough time and cunning, can they escape the goblin-infested dungeons?)

Hello! I am sharing my TTRPG, Inversion, for anyone who wants to try a new, rules-medium TTRPG and give me honest feedback. I was inspired by the bravery of others to share my game.

A quick note up front. Yes, I used real art drawn by a real artist Simon Roy. I am not looking to argue about that or defend it. I already know the criticism. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it supports a hardworking human, and yes, it's important that I do so. No, I will not apologize. No, I will not bow to peer pressure and cut corners.

His art is there because he saw the vision of Inversion, and I believed in him to create the vibe of the world while I worked on the mechanical side. It is there for the feel of the setting and the kind of experience I am trying to create; a post-post apocalyptic sci-fantasy adventure inspired by Trigun and Wild ARMS.

I looked for stock art. I tried drawing in paint. None of it matched what I needed. The search for the artist I was looking for was rough in the modern age, but human art was the only path forward, and I would not compromise on the atmosphere I was trying to portray. Only the human touch could reach the levels of care and detail I needed.

A while back, I saw someone ask whether people would even want a game released without art at all. The answer was a RESOUNDING YES.

I pushed myself to save money and to finish this game, because I knew that if I stopped first, I might never finish this dream. I needed to see this dream through. I needed share my dream with all of you.

So I have to ask; would you like to try a new, medium-crunch TTRPG for free and give me real feedback?

I am looking for people who want to actually dig into the game and tell me what works and what doesn't; how the mechanics feel, and whether it delivers the kind of experience it promises. I'd like to hear if you can create a character without GM guidance - how complex, annoying, or easy it is. I'm interested in all feedback, be it good, or bad.

Also, who knows. Maybe players out there will see the game, catch the vibe I am aiming for, and believe in it enough to throw themselves into playing it. Maybe you and I can build the future of Inversion together.

It will be pay what you want for the foreseeable future. A lot of people are already checking it out (we were the top Physical-Game on Itch.io for about a week), so I figured I would put it here as well.

You can find it here

If you're interested in this project reach out on discord as well! We'd love to have you.

Please, judge my game by its cover.