Murdham
A game of perilous adventures in a fantasy world,
combining the atmosphere of old school British tabletop games
with light and streamlined rules.
Old-School Adventures
The game relies on the Game Master to adjudicate the outcome of the Players’ actions, using the rules as a toolbox. The Players must use their ingenuity and take advantage of their skills and gear to overcome the challenges they meet.
Simple and concise
The rules strive to be as straightforward, intuitive, and brief as possible. No need to study a thick rulebook, memorise monster profiles taking whole pages, or reference the rulebook constantly.
Exhaustive rules
The game provides guidelines on how to handle common situations found in a fantasy adventure game: exploration, travel, social interactions, stealth, combat, magic, vehicles, and more!
Deadly adventures
Death is always behind the corner. The Player characters are common folks and every fight or challenge they face could be their last. Characters become more skilful as they gain experience but don’t turn into invincible heroes.
Simple yet deep combat
Combat rules are streamlined yet deep. Turns move quickly and fights are over soon, but every moment is full of nail-biting decisions. An alternating activation system and a reaction mechanic make sure that every Player is always involved.
Vile sorcery and holy rites
Two types of magic: profane and sacred. Sorcerers have a pool of mana they can spend to invoke profane powers safely, but can push themselves beyond that at the cost of corruption, risking miscasts and mutation. Sacred powers are safe, but can be used scarcely and might fail if the caster is corrupted.
Fast action resolution
Just roll a d20 under an ability score. No modifiers, target numbers, or dice pools. Difficulty just comes in three steps: trivial (no roll, you just do it), challenging (roll to determine the outcome), impossible (you just can’t do it).
Lightweight skill system
Skills are keywords: a character either has them or not. They provide significant advantages, such as the ability to invoke magic powers or to perform certain actions successfully without rolling.
Streamlined gear system
Characters can carry a limited amount of gear, tracked with a slot-based inventory system requiring very little math and book-keeping. Items are described in a few words and all have a clear use within the game.