What is Bright-Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game?
Bright-Dark 3d6 is a tone‑first tabletop role-playing system built for grounded fantasy, human-scale danger, and emotionally rich storytelling. The core mechanic is roll 3d6 + modifiers, roll over a difficulty target number (TN). It can easily be genre-neutral and setting-neutral, but in its current state, it is a low-fantasy game. This page is intended to serve as a hub of all the major Bright-Dark 3d6 posts and resources.
This game is intended to be free.
Bright‑Dark 3d6 is an RPG about:
- A wounded world
- Human-scale characters
- Emotional stakes
- Mercy, empathy, and vulnerability
- Danger that feels real
- Magic that feels fragile and personal
- Minimal to no bookkeeping
- Small but meaningful numbers
- Class-less, Skill-less
- A Player-Skill-Forward playstyle
- Fiction-first, rules-lite
The tone is light within darkness. Not grimdark, not heroic fantasy, but a wounded, hopeful setting where characters struggle, heal, and persevere.
Note that the game rules are not written as reference only; They're written to be instructional. That means rules often come with an explanation of why they're there, what the intent is, or how to use them. This is for the benefit of brand-new players being able to understand rules and concepts.
Version 0.9
The full blog post with version 0.9 is posted on my blog here:
I stealth update this blog post as I slowly refine the game towards version 1.0.
If you’re new, review the table of contents available on the full post. Start with the Read This First!, How to Play, and Core Mechanics sections. If you’re returning, jump to whatever section you need.
Download the Bright‑Dark 3d6 PDF
Your complete, printable rulebook, including examples of play, is available here:
Bright‑Dark 3d6 Role-Playing Game (pdf). Note that this pdf is not updated as often as the blogpost itself.
QuickStart
If you want to run Bright-Dark 3d6:
- Download the character sheet
- Read the QuickStart Rules
- Skim the Examples of Play
- Start with a small, grounded scenario
- Focus on tone, wounds, and emotional truth
A starter adventure and character sheet will be added soon.
Campaign Planning Form
The Campaign Planning Form is a tool borrowed from GURPS. The intent of the form is to manage expectations by creating a one-page summary of what kind of campaign your running, and implicitly, what kind of campaign you're not running.
Blog Post Link: One-Page Campaign Form - Managing Expectations
Questions or Feedback?
Leave a comment on any Bright-Dark post.
No comments:
Post a Comment