In the Beginning: Intent
Tactical Dice Game System
The foundational design philosophy of TDGS
Purpose
The Tactical Dice Game System (TDGS) exists to define a foundational role playing engine, not a setting, not a genre, and not a single game.
TDGS is designed as a core upon which many different games can be built, played by humans, run by computers, or shared between the two.
It is concerned with defining how uncertainty is resolved, how capability is represented, and how outcomes are decided; without embedding assumptions about story, tone, or content.
"When I roll, I don't just hope for success, I expect the universe to acknowledge it."
Meet Sir Critsalot →Open by Design
The core engine rules of TDGS are open source by intent and are released under the MIT License.
This is not a legal convenience. It is a design goal.
The MIT License is used to ensure that the TDGS engine:
- can be freely used
- can be freely modified
- can be freely redistributed
- can be used in commercial and non-commercial projects
- does not impose viral or restrictive licensing obligations
The engine exists to be read, extended, implemented, and experimented with. Without requiring permission.
"Every problem deserves at least one more try. Preferably shouted. Preferably with friends."
Encouraging Creative Expansion
TDGS is not meant to be owned in the traditional sense.
It is meant to be grown.
We explicitly encourage:
- new games built on TDGS
- adventures written for TDGS
- software and tooling that implement TDGS
- simulations, bots, and automated systems
- experimental forks and alternate interpretations
If you build on this engine, the expectation is simple: say that it is TDGS based.
This is a cultural expectation, not a legal barrier. The goal is clarity, not control.
If interesting things grow out of TDGS, that is success, not competition.
"I calculated the exact probability of someone building something better than we imagined. It's 100%."
Meet Decimancer →Why This Exists
Life is hard.
Systems are complicated.
People are tired.
TDGS exists because sometimes you want to sit down, roll dice, and let the universe behave a little differently for a while.
Sometimes you want rules that hold together. Sometimes you want luck to matter. Sometimes you want things to go terribly wrong or unexpectedly right.
TDGS exists to put something fun into the universe, without pretending that everything is fair, simple, or safe.
"WHEN I SPEAK, REALITY TAKES NOTES. THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE. THIS IS THE DECLARATION."
Fun Is Not Optional
TDGS is not trying to win arguments about realism, balance, or theoretical purity.
It is trying to create space for:
- surprise
- tension
- relief
- laughter
- frustration that turns into stories later
If a rule is technically correct but consistently unfun, it is a bad rule.
If an edge case produces a memorable moment, that is a feature.
"The ceiling being 'on fire' is not a problem. The ceiling being 'boring' is a problem."
Meet Flamey Eight-ball →Core Identity Features of TDGS
The following features define what makes TDGS itself. If these are removed or fundamentally altered, the system ceases to be TDGS.
Clear Separation of Resolution and Magnitude
TDGS draws a hard boundary between:
- whether something happens
- and how much happens
Success and failure are resolved separately from damage, duration, area, and quantity.
Luck, modifiers, and critical outcomes affect resolution. Magnitude is governed by stats, abilities, and explicit mechanics.
This separation is foundational.
"Half my potions heal. Half cause explosions. The dice decide IF you drink. I decide WHAT happens next."
Dice with Explicit Roles
Dice in TDGS are not interchangeable.
Each die exists for a reason:
- some resolve truth
- some resolve quantity
- some select outcomes
- some represent extremes
No die is allowed to do all of these at once.
This prevents probability from collapsing into noise as the system grows.
"I have four sides. Four purposes. Step on me once, learn all four."
Meet Tetrahex the Obscure →Luck as a Permanent Probability Distortion
Luck is a defining mechanic in TDGS.
It is:
- permanent
- abnormal by definition
- non-linear
- mathematically enforced
- symmetric for blessing and curse
Luck is not a resource. It is not a reroll. It is not a flat modifier.
Luck represents a persistent distortion of probability, shaping how often extreme outcomes occur without replacing skill or capability.
Extraordinary fortune and extraordinary misfortune are allowed, rare, and intentional.
"Heads or tails, I never pick sides, I just make sure both of them hurt."
Extremes Are Permitted, Not Smoothed Away
TDGS does not attempt to protect characters from the consequences of extreme states.
The system allows:
- overwhelming advantage
- catastrophic failure
- cursed existence
- improbable victory
These states are difficult to reach and difficult to escape, but they are real.
The system does not flatten the world to preserve balance.
"I don't follow probability. Probability follows me around asking what went wrong."
Meet Plushmaw the Unrollable →Growth Without Hidden Ceilings
There are no artificial caps on progression.
Advancement is constrained only by:
- effort
- survival
- opportunity
- circumstance
While extreme states are possible, they are not expected.
The system supports both short-lived stories and generational arcs without redefining its rules.
Computable by Design
Every core rule in TDGS is designed to be:
- readable by humans
- deterministic for computers
- free of narrative ambiguity
A human controller may interpret outcomes. A computer never has to.
The same rules must function in both contexts.
A Canonical TDGS Game
TDGS is intended to support many games.
However, TDGS will also have a canonical game and setting developed alongside the engine.
This canonical implementation exists to:
- demonstrate how TDGS can be used in practice
- provide a shared reference point
- offer reusable content such as bestiaries, lore, and scenarios
- serve as a living example of the system under real use
The canonical game is not required to use TDGS.
No rule in the engine depends on canonical content, and TDGS remains fully usable without it.
Canon as Reference, Not Restriction
The canonical TDGS universe is intended to be:
- optional
- remixable
- expandable
- importable
People are encouraged to:
- use canon content directly
- modify it
- extract parts of it
- ignore it entirely
Canon exists to lower the barrier to play and creation, not to constrain it.
What TDGS Is Not
TDGS is not:
- a finished game
- a genre simulator
- a balance-obsessed skirmish engine
- a narrative-only freeform framework
- a collection of classes, spells, or equipment
Those belong to games built on top of TDGS.
What Success Looks Like
TDGS is successful if:
- A lucky nobody can occasionally defeat something far stronger.
- A cursed hero can fail repeatedly despite competence.
- A powerful being remains powerful even at low levels.
- Growth feels earned rather than inevitable.
- The same rules function at small and absurd scales.
- People enjoy using it.
Reading the Documents That Follow
The documents that follow are written as specifications, not tutorials.
They define:
- what is allowed
- what is forbidden
- what is assumed
They intentionally avoid flavor and examples until rules are complete.
Once something is defined here, everything else depends on it.
Status
This document defines the foundational intent of TDGS.
It is released under the MIT License as part of the TDGS engine specification.
Future documents build on this foundation. Changes here should be rare, deliberate, and backward compatible whenever possible.