Gobbo Universal Role-Playing System

it are gobbo

Whew, second day in and already I'd nearly lost the March challenge to myself that I stated at the beginning, and boy that would have been rather embarrassing after making all those commitments and comments about all the things I want to create and deliver and do, and then just immediately out of the gate fail to deliver on the very first one of these, just the basic momentum of writing my 750 words and putting them down on digital paper.

First, some news! I've started taking some drawing classes- free online ones from a course called Draw A Box, which apparently is a little brutal but also really good for hammering in those basics. So far I've been drawing lines using my shoulder as the primary joint instead of my wrist or elbow. It's tricky but I can already see myself improving a little just in being able to make fairly consistent and straight lines. It's all about drawing with confidence, and confidence comes from practice.

Now, the tricky part of the course is this thing they call the "50% Rule", and that is that your drawing homework can only be 50% of your drawing time. The other 50% has to be to draw for pleasure. Doodling, sketching, whatever, so long as it's not deliberately practicing the lesson you just did. Just draw for fun, for yourself, and watch yourself improve as the course goes on. I spent about half an hour today practicing my lines, and I think I'll try to spend half an hour before bed tonight just... sketching some goblins.

Yeah, I want to draw gobbos. Just little stupid gobbos being little and stupid.

And I guess that would lead me right into my game design, because if I'm itching to draw some gobbos, then that means I'm itching to write some gobbos. So, let's lay it out there: I've thought about making 3GiaT my 'Munchkin', right? It'd be the easy way to take the 'franchise', such as it is. 3 Goblins in a Mech, in a Samurai Suit, in a Mainframe, under your Bed, in your Nightmares, in your Head, etc. But instead, I'm thinking, what if I just go big with the gobbos? What if we made a sort of generic, universal, 3 Goblins role-playing system? A 3GiaRPS, if you will?

Ok look I'm making a G.U.R.P.S. joke let me have this one.

Anyway, I sincerely thought that the plan for this one would be to look at the latest version of G.U.R.P.S. and see how to distill it's essence into something I can, like a true gobbo, steal and make my own. And that still might be the idea. But at the same time, I don't want to get too big with this, too serious, right? The moment we start calculating encumbrance and weapon spray radius, we've gone a bit further than I would like.

Still, I think it's got some legs (6 of 'em, in fact)- and would be a good chance to parody some other systems too- like maybe set up some distinct Goblin Clans, but style them sort of after WoD Vampire clans, with unique abilities and such. Or would that be its own supplement?

You see my problem here, I hope. I need to close the gobbos out, I need to write the Definitive 3 Goblins in a Trenchcoat, let them loose upon the multiverse with every gift and curse I can give them, and then let them go, let them be out there, without me.

The goblins will belong to the people, after that.

Heck.

I was gonna insert a "Comrade Cat" image here but given current world events, yeah, no. Anyway, yay socialism.
Sorry, there will be more communist felines when the world is slightly less on fire

Yeah.

That's gonna be it. Goblins for the people. The text, at least, is going to be free to share- maybe some flavor of Creative Commons, yeah? I'll have to look into that, haven't been keeping up with copyleft these days, I used to be really into it. Anyway. I'll probably have a PDF for sale as well, with actual layout and design (and of course any subscribers will get that one as part of their subscription), but for everyone else, the entire text of it will be out there for use.

Or... wait, is what I'm planning to write an SRD?

I should probably look up what the fuck an SRD is. Maybe it's SDR.

Dammit, Dan, look up your terms before you start working on this shit, won't you?

Anyway. That's current project, or at least current main one, which means that in order to procrastinate on it I'll have to come up with another project. Maybe another solo/journaling game? Maybe.


Are you enjoying this bullshit? You are, aren't you? Hot diggity! Well, did you know you can encourage Dan to do more of whatever the hell this is by joining the Uncivil Union over on ko-fi? It's true! Not only is this a signal to Dan that people want more of this, but you'll also get immediate access to The Vault, where you can pick up free copies of every single game he's written, and exclusive access to the in-progress docs for upcoming games.

Daniel Rodriguez

Daniel Rodriguez

The Bad Boy of Fandible. I like RPG's. Filthy leftist Social Justice Glitter Boy. Writes silly TTRPG games. Owned by a cat. He/Him. Demi.
New York, NY