Simple: Open Adventure was born
from a need for a simple, easy-to-learn game that
could be taught in 10-20 minutes to someone who has
never before played adventure or role-playing games.
Made for All Ages: Modern day
RPGs can span upwards of 600 pages in rules. We
wanted to bring back the "For Ages 10 and Up"
moniker by keeping the rules lite (no more than
161 pages of rules per book), and simple English for all
to enjoy.
One Mechanic: Instead of
using a hundred different mechanics to represent
a hundred different situations, we use one common
mechanic to handle skill tests, saves, combat
and so much more! For players, once they learn
the simple
"1d6 - 1d6"
mechanic, they're ready to go!
Common Materials: No more will
you have to buy funny-looking dice at a specialty
shop. A couple of six-sided dice scavenged from
a board game sitting in your closet will do just
fine. No dice? No problem! You can use playing
cards or even a rock-paper-scissors style alternative
for the entirety of Open Adventure.
Limitless: Open Adventure doesn't
lock players into a finite set of character types
(known as classes). Instead, archetypes offer a broad
set of characters that can be mixed and matched with in-game roles to
form thousands of combinations! Races & species are
limitless, since anyone can play as anything
(including a creation of their own design). The
dice system used throughout Open Adventure
can be scaled infinitely to fit anything from the
mightiest of planet-smashers to the meekest of
mice.
Free & Libre: Who doesn't like
free stuff? Not only is Open Adventure free to
print and play, it's open source–meaning you're
free to make your own changes to suit your play style.
It's truly a game by the community, for the community.
Two Games in One: Do you prefer
chocolate or vanilla? Why not both? In Open Adventure,
two game genres are supported out-of-box: medieval
fantasy such as you'd find in the tales of
Lord of the Rings or Beowulf and
science-fiction similar to Star Wars or
Star Trek. Whichever one is your preference,
you're sure to have fun casting spells or sailing
the stars. If you're really feeling adventurous,
why not mix and match the two? But that's not
all! With a little modification, Open Adventure
can be made to play just about any other genre
of adventure game (post-apocalyptic, horror,
western, etc.)!
Endless Play: There is no end
to the fun! You can play for years or even decades.
With OA, after your character has reached max
level, they can begin amassing treasure and wealth.
With it, build kingdoms, hire armies, set up
far-reaching trade networks or even construct
behemoth weapons of war. The possibilities
are limited only by your imagination!
Comprehensive lists:
Choose from over 85 weapons, 30 armors,
a multitude of expedition gear, siege weaponry,
kingdom building materials, starship
systems and more. Employ over 50 skills,
70 talents and 125+ magical spells and psionics.
Personalize your play style by choosing between
7 different character archetypes, 40+ roles and over 15 races
or species, with the option of creating your own.