Towerguard TTRPG Basic Rules

One must consider several important facts when reading Towerguard RPG.  

The cover of this text is The Great Tower of Babel, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. In the Bible, it was the failure of humans working together that caused the Tower of Babel to fall. When playing Towerguard RPG, players must engage in jolly cooperation and interpersonal politics to keep their own tower standing. That is the essence of play I hope to achieve with these rules.  

Dark Souls, by From Software, was the original inspiration. No tabletop roleplaying game I have yet purchased or played has captured the feeling of souls-like combat for me. While souls-like games throw randomness at players by using unexpected attack patterns and surprises, players can often respond with their own skills and reflexes (i.e. dodge rolls) to mitigate punishments and achieve success. Towerguard RPG uses dice and a tower of blocks (i.e. a Jenga tower) to mimic this dynamic. The dice give randomness while the physical tower allows players to test their skill.  

Into the Odd, by Chris McDowall; Mausritter, by Isaac Williams; Tales of Argosa, by Pickpocket Press; and Shadowdark RPG, by Kelsey Dionne; are all delightfully simple tabletop games that allow both players and gamemasters to quickly create what they need to have fun. Each of these games has inspired me to rethink tabletop game mechanics and how to design these rules.  

Future updates to these rules will occur arbitrarily, but the core basics are complete.

I hope you enjoy.  

Thank you for reading,

J.P.A.