As the fall semester approaches, I wanted to share what I’ve been working on this summer. It’s been a busy few months full of game design, writing, and coding — and I’m excited to show you where things are heading.
Building MyRPG
Back in the spring, I finally felt inspired to start putting my TTRPG design ideas into a coherent system. The breakthrough was combining two concepts:
- A dice mechanic built on rolling pools of d4s
- Attribute pairings instead of long skill lists
I wrote about the basis of the d4 mechanic in early June, and since then I’ve built out enough of the framework that you can create characters and even start light playtesting. It’s still a work in progress, but the core is playable.
Right now I’m calling it MyRPG, because one of the main goals is to make it easy for anyone to curate their own version of the system. You can explore what I’ve drafted so far here: myrpg.ronhelwig.com.
Mastery Instead of XP
One of the features I’m most excited about is a built-in Mastery system for character growth. Instead of tracking XP or relying on milestone leveling, characters progress by mastering abilities over time.
I’ve written about the idea of replacing XP with Mastery before, but this is the first time I’ve built it directly into a ruleset. I think it’s a great fit for beginners because it makes advancement feel natural and story-driven.
Card-Based Characters: The Third Build
My other big project this summer has been revisiting my player character card production system. Over the years, I’ve moved from using standard character sheets, to using spell card generators, to building my own full card-based system.
As a former software engineer, one of my guiding rules has always been:
“Build it three times.”
- The first time teaches you what you missed.
- The second time teaches you what you got wrong.
- The third time, you finally know enough to make something worth keeping.
This is my third build of the character card system, and it’s shaping up to be the version that sticks.
The new program generates a print-ready PDF that includes:
- A simplified main character sheet with only the essentials
- A backstory sheet with optional portrait
- Half-sheet cards for containers like backpacks and pouches
- Quarter-sheet cards for items, features, and spells
With this system, players have everything they need at the table — no flipping through the Player’s Handbook. The cards make it easy to focus only on what matters in the moment.
Here’s an updated example: Melody Marigold’s new character sheet, available here:
Download Melody’s Updated Sheet (PDF)
…and you can compare it to the earlier version.
What’s Next
Right now, the system can generate the main character sheet and the backstory sheet. My next milestone is to support SRD-based characters up to level 5. Once that’s done, I plan to release the code for free on GitHub.
That may take a while, since I’m balancing this with my courier job. If you’d like to help me spend more time finishing and polishing these tools, you can support the project here.
And even if you can’t donate, sharing the ideas of MyRPG, the Mastery system, or the card-based character sheets would mean a lot.
Fires at the Fjordgates
One more big summer project I don’t want to forget to mention: I also wrote a book!
Fires at the Fjordgates is a story I created for my students, set in the same Viking-inspired world we explore in our games.
You can download the ebook here:
Download Fires at the Fjordgates (EPUB)
Thanks for reading — and I can’t wait to share more soon!