Towerguard TTRPG

One must consider several important facts when reading Towerguard.

Dark Souls, by From Software, is the core inspiration for these rules. No Tabletop Roleplaying Game I have purchased or played has yet captured the feeling of Souls-like combat for me. Souls-like combat throws randomness at players with enemy attack patterns. Players respond through their reflexes and skill. This is what I believe a tower of blocks (such as a Jenga tower) can mimic.

Disco Elysium, produced by the Za/Um cultural movement, and Into the Odd, by Chris McDowall, made me realize how little one needs to create a fun game. Disco Elysium is a video game with no formal combat mechanics, an encyclopedia's worth of text to read, and it is by far one of my favorite video games in existence. Meanwhile, Into the Odd is a delightfully short set of tabletop rules that allows both players and gamemaster to quickly create what they need to have fun at the table. Both games have made me rethink storytelling traditions in games. I hope Towerguard can do the same.

The Tower of Babel is the myth from Abrahamic tradition that explains how an attempt by humanity to surpass God caused our modern divisions, specifically in language. As it was the raising of a tower that led to disaster in the Bible, so it will be at the table. Hence, why I've chosen to use the painting of The Great Tower of Babel, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, for Towerguard's cover.

I'd also like to give credit to Mausritter, by Isaac Williams, and Tales of Argosa, by Pickpocket Press, for inspiring these rules as well.

I used Obsidian MD for initial formatting and organization. The base rules for this TTRPG are published as content in the public domain and will be updated arbitrarily.

Thank you for reading,

J.P.A.