My RPG for bronies if finally up on DrivethruRPG.com · 6:27pm Mar 26th, 2017
It took a while, but my RPG for bronies, Tiny Horsies, is finally on DrivethruRPG.com!
A while ago, I decided to write a short RPG. I figured it would be about 6 pages long. However, it became bigger and bigger and then a publisher took a look at it, asked for some changes, and published it. Some of those changes were obvious to avoid copyright infringement, and others were meant to make the game simpler and aimed at parents with children.
It was available for some time only on the publisher's website, then on Amazon. If you want, you can check out the updated character sheet here.
So far, all the RPGs that I've seen are combat oriented, but with different settings. A zombie apocalypse RPG? Just change swords and spells with bats and guns and different monsters. Sci-fi? Switch to laser guns and aliens. Steam punk? mechanical rifles and steam robots. I really wanted something where interaction would be the focus, not combat. That's why I wrote the RPG and made it focused on friendship, cooperation, and problem solving, although you can still buck some butt if you want to. The Empathy Attribute is relatively sophisticated and allows characters to befriend other characters, and it's much more popular than the Strength Attribute, which is the one you use for bucking.
As time passed by, parents wrote to me and told me that they enjoyed the game. Bronies enjoyed the game too, but it was much more popular with kids. They also pointed out some mistakes or parts that they were confusing. I also realized that some parts were unnecessarily technical. So I decided to re-write it and re-publish it. The result is much better and what I should have done from the very beginning. The links to the book on Amazon and DrivethruRPG are above, if you're interested.
I also want to add that some changes to the game made it much more appealing to a general public, and specially parents with children. For example, using only six-sided dice for the game, which means it can be played with the dice that you have from another game in your house. Just take them out of your monopoly game and there you go. No need to look for and buy 20 sided dice, which are much, much rarer. Another thing that children like is the space to draw their character. If they get a companion animal (an actual game mechanic), they like to draw it with their character.
One thing that experienced RPG players have said they liked is the introduction. It explains what an RPG is in a simple way for people who have no idea what an RPG is. Another thing that they said they love is that it includes some basic etiquette rules for playing, such as arriving on time, letting the DM know in advance if you're arriving late or if you can't make it, etc. I thought that was something that was the norm, but apparently it isn't, so they like that new RPG gamers are being told this from the beginning.
The other two things that people with experience with RPGs like is that the book has everything to you need to play. It has the character creation process, the rules for the mechanics, a section for the Horsie Master (the director of the game), and an adventure. You can start playing about 30 minutes after finishing the book. Another thing they like is that the game is very pick and play and that character creation takes 5 to 10 minutes. One guy does his in 3 minutes and some seconds (he actually timed it). However, characters are still unique and as deep as you want them to be, and I really can't see why anyone would take longer than 10 minutes, except if they want to make a good drawing or something.
Anyway, I'm so proud that people actually spend their hard earned money on my game and like it.
I want to finish with a couple of reviews. Here's a very thorough one from someone who played it with his three children. Note that the mistakes he points out were corrected in the updated version and that the character sheet has been replaced for a much better looking one.
Hujraad Johaanen's review of Tiny Horsies.
And a review from the MFG potcast, a podcast about all types of games.
If you're read so far, you're awesome and I love you.
