Thunder Mountain River - A Mystical Sword-fighting TTRPG
A downloadable game
Thunder Mountain River is a 3d6-based Table-Top Role-Playing Game set in a fantastical (and hopefully somewhat historical) 16th-century Japan. As a combat-oriented RPG, the main gameplay mechanics are based around the use of three distinct stances during fast-paced sword-fights. Jumping into TMR is easy, thanks to the relative simplicity of creating a character compared to other modern RPGs, and yet it can easily become complex and strategic thanks to a massive arsenal of special moves and talents. If you prepare well and try hard, it's very possible to own the battlefield (and prevent anyone else from having nearly as much fun as you, if you're into that).
Characters in TMR are fighters at their core. Perhaps they are wandering samurai who journey across the realm finding adventure and glory, or - in an upcoming Clan Battle mode - masters of their own dynasty who strategically place their lieutenants across Japan to secure their legacy. This project is ongoing, but the current version is completely playable, with nearly 100 highly volatile and untested special moves, rules for movement and non-combat, items, summons, character talents, as well as a short list of sample enemies to face, many of which are as overpowered as you will be.
GAMEPLAY (basically)
Characters in TMR earn points to upgrade one of three stances. In battle, Thunder stance has the edge over River stance, River beats Mountain stance, and Mountain excels versus Thunder stance. Strategically switching stances during combat while making the most of your special moves is paramount to victory. All enemies are bound to the same stance rules and special moves, though the usable movelist of each character will vary, as it is customizable.
Later versions of TMR will include a fully-fleshed out adventure, The Fangs of the Paletide, a strategic Clan Battle game-mode, well over 100 special moves, and just as many enemies, items, weapons, and talents. If you've read this far, thanks for considering Thunder Mountain River, and please leave a comment with any questions of suggestions you may have; I'm constantly looking for feedback to improve the experience. Your comments will shape the nature of the rules and the entire game going forward.
May you fight with honour, or at least get really good at stabbing people in the back. -geevs
Download
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Development log
- Update 0.9 - The PaletideDec 20, 2022
Comments
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This is awesome! I've been reading through it for the past two days since I've found this. I'm excited to see further updates, Hopefully we'll also get a linked table of contents to make searching through the PDF's rules easier.
Thanks for reading! I really appreciate you taking the time to read through it. As for your comment, I'm taking a bit of a break from updates to this game at the moment, but when I return I'll definitely include that clickable table of contents, that's a good idea.
Great to hear! I do know that such a table of contents can also be added to the left side bar, so that'd also be an amazing additional feature for ease of access. Eitherway, I'm honestly itching to play this game with my friends, so good work regardless!
I definitely need to figure out how to make an interactive PDF; honestly I wasn't expecting the document to end up so long, haha.
Having another group actually play the game would make my year; if you do end up playing it, please don't hesitate to let me know what works and what doesn't, since I'd love to incorporate any feedback into the game. I'm really just happy to hear that it sounds interesting to you. Thanks very much!