Do you remember when you first heard of tabletop RPGs? Do you remember what first attracted you to them? If you are anything like me, the idea of being a fantasy hero on epic quests in a world that we created together at the table was absolutely mind-blowing.

But soon I realizedthat the stories we wanted to tell clashed with the rules we used to tell them. There was a disconnect between the promise offered by the art and the setting, and the experience delivered by the game itself. We had a lot of fun still, mind you, but that was in spite of the hurdles caused by the mechanics.

Stop me if you've heard this before:

Player: "Can I try to..."
GM: "You used that action already."
Player: "What if I..."
GM: "There's a penalty because..."
Player: "Well then, can I..."
GM: "No, only on level 5"
Player: *sigh* "Ok... I guess I'll just swing my sword, then"

It took me 30 years and more than 30 games published to give this one a go. What if we could actually live the promise that those book covers sold? What if we could offer new players the experience they think they will have with that one game, without the frustration of a ruleset that says 'no' all the time? 

That’s how Everspark was born.

To provide those carefree, belly-laugh-filled, let’s-play-pretend moments of rolling dice, casting imaginary spells, and coming up with all sorts of shenanigans. To reignite that original spark that first attracted us to this kind of games and never left us—the Everspark, if you will.

Who is this game for?

This game is for you if:

• You want (or were asked) to introduce tabletop RPGs for new players that asked to play that Dragon game, but you don't feel like engaging with and explaining all the finicky rules.
  
  
• You want to reignite that carefree joy of your early experiences with tabletop RPGs, and finally live the fantasy that they promised but couldn't quite deliver.
   
• You want to play with your kids or parents, or anyone that is excited about the vibes of fantasy RPGs, but doesn't have the time, focus, or interest for complex mechanics. 
  
  
• You are a beginner yourself that wants to experience what a fantasy tabletop RPG is like, but always felt overwhelmed or intimidated by the amount of things you'd have to learn.

Everspark is a fantasy adventure tabletop RPG that captures the vibe of the most popular fantasy RPGs out there and leaves everything else out of the table. Do you want to roll some d20s and pretend you are a wizard? You are in the right place. 

You get to tell epic tales, live the fantasy of being a unique hero, celebrate nat-20s and lament nat-1s, and spend some quality time with your friends (or by yourself) daydreaming about dragons. You only need a d20, a d6, and a bunch of sticky notes.

Character creation takes anything from 5 seconds to 15 minutes, and then you’re ready to go. You can create your own world and quests, or play on your favourite settings with published modules, with zero conversion required.

My goal designing this ruleset was: what if we stripped down classic d20 systems of everything, and left only the joy of rolling a d20?

So that’s what I did. There are no modifiers, DC, AC, HP, ability scores, spell slots, proficiency, weapon damage, skill lists. You roll a d20 and eyeball the result to see if you get a critical, regular or mixed success (or failure). If circumstances are more (or less) favourable, you judge your results more (or less) generously. That’s all there is to it:

• 20 is VERY GOOD. You achieve your goal, plus something extra (such as an advantage, opportunity, or bonus effect).
• Around 15 is GOOD. You get exactly what you want without any complications.
• Around 10 is OK. You succeed, but there’s a cost, consequence, or compromise. Or, you can forgo success now to create an opening for a better result on the next attempt.
• Around 5 is BAD. You might still succeed, but the cost is higher, or the consequences are direr. You can choose to forfeit your success to handle a minor setback instead.
• 1 is VERY BAD. You fail to achieve your goal and must face serious consequences.

Well… almost. There’s one other simple yet versatile mechanic: Sparks. Sparks are a powerful tool to measure progress, and they can be used for a lot of things: skill challenges, character progression, looming threats, long-term projects, conditions, resources, weaknesses, montage scenes, enemy resistance, faction plans… the list goes on for as long as your imagination can take you.

(If you're into game design, Sparks are my attempt to combine Clocks, Aspects, Progress Tracks, Usage Dice and Fear Tokens into one single mechanic)

Sparks are represented by progressively drawing a 5-point star shape on a labeled sticky note. When you need to track progress of anything meaningful, grab a sticky note, name it, and place it on the table. Every time the story (or the dice) demands, you add more rays to your Spark. 

But here's the catch: when you add a ray, you may perform a Spark Check. Roll a d6, and if you hit a ray (e.g., if you’ve drawn 3 rays and you roll a 1, 2, or 3), the progress is complete. This means the task or event reaches its resolution!

There's more nuance to it, but that's the gist. It's so simple, yet exceptionally flexible. And better yet: it's modular. That is, the more you get comfortable with the mechanism, the more "Spark tricks" you can add to your game. The book gradually teaches you a whole bunch of examples, from combos to magical items, from recharging powers to procedural exploration. And I encourage you to come up with your own applications and interpretations, as your version of the game demands! It's super fun! 

Here's a video with a more detailed explanation of the mechanics:

Character Art by Ray Olli
instagram.com/quadrinhosdoray

Illustrations by Penflower Ink, 2021
Dungeon Art assets by Penflower Ink, 2023
Character Art by Penflower Ink, 2024
www.penflower-ink.com