A modernist TTRPG rules engine

The Grit System is the set of rules that powers the sci-fi roleplaying game Stillfleet, the cartoon animal eco-apocalypse game Blister Critters, the low-fantasy historical game Danse Macabre: Medieval Horror Roleplaying, the high-fantasy portal fantasy game The Sometimes Kingdom RPG, and many other games to come.

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System Reference Document

Why Grit?

Fast, fun, deep

The Grit System is a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) system designed to help players new and old weave stories that contain moments of high drama—and to let the players direct that drama. The system’s dice-rolling is intuitive, and its powers are unforgettable. The system’s designers set up this specific combination of features to support all genres of game, from the simplest of dungeon-delves to the most biting political satire.

Features of the Grit System

• Fast to learn, fast to play – Your scores are dice, and the math—when needed—is simple. There’s no barrier to diving in. We think of the system as “medium-crunch”: good at simulating lots of high-stakes situations, but not complicated, bogged down by constant arithmetic.
• Narrative-focused – Your powers often have immediate narrative effects. Moreover, the ability to boost rolls by burning points called grit allows for big swings.
• Naturally epic – The ranges rolled—typically, from a d6 to a d12—are satisfyingly different, one to the next, yet unified in that success and failure feel fair, since they’re tied to the scores’ sizes and whether or not you boost a given roll.
• Player-empowering – Immediate power effects and the ability to boost rolls are formidable tools for players. How will you burn your grit?
• Highly extensible – Because scores are dice, and because powers are unique, it’s easy and fun to add to—or hack apart—the system.

Safety at the table

Prior to starting a game, players can take time to list their likes, dislikes, and limits. Lean into aspects of the game world that everyone at the table enjoys. Avoid or minimize elements that anyone dislikes (“veil” them). And just don’t bring up anything listed as a limit (a “line”). In the event that someone breaches a limit, pause.

You should consider RPG safety tools such as the fabulous TTRPG Safety Toolkit, a resource co-curated by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk, compiling safety tools that have been designed by members of the TTRPG community for use by players and GMs at the table. You can find it at bit.ly/ttrpgsafetytoolkit

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Grit system games

Start playing today

So far, the Stillfleet Studio has published four games using the system by four different creators. Every game uses the core rules a little differently. And every game offers a free quickstart, so why not check them out? We hope that many other players, GMs, and game designers try out designing with the Grit System!

Game and genre	Player characters are…	Power level	The Weird means...	For players who want to...
Stillfleet (sci-fi)	Voidminers in the far future who work for the greedy Worshipful Co. to scavenge advanced/alien “archaetech”	You have a d12 and a d10, and you start with 4 powers	The hell science (“psionics”), only available to some classes and socially risky to use	Explore spaceships, meet bizarre aliens, hack futuristic technologies, engage in politics as such, fight against oppressive systems
Blister Critters (cartoon animal)	Critters in a Pack exploring a modern earth full of human “Stuff” to help their Burrow survive the recent ecopocalypse	You have a d10, and you start with 3 powers	Cartoon-mutations called Blisters, which all Critters gain at a rate of 1 per level	Dive into a cartoon world or pretend to be animals somewhat realistically (the game supports both!): either way, see the everyday world from a new perspective
Danse Macabre (medieval horror, low fantasy)	Pilgrims punished by the joint Greek and Ottoman leaders of Constantinople in 1390 CE to seek “quintessent” relics and restore the natural order of life and death	You only have 4 scores, and you start with 5 powers plus 1 drawback, all of which are simple compared to the other games	Body-horrific mutations called maleficia, d3–1 to start plus 1 per “false death”	Run away from hordes of zombie-like, manga-inspired mutant villains and immerse themselves in a richly historical setting (the game encourages both!)
The Sometimes Kingdom RPG (high fantasy)	Gig-work Adventurers in the ultra-magical world of Seasons’ Keep who work for the Questing Network to deal with increasingly common arcane-political crises	Same scores and starting powers as Stillfleet, plus every character can cast spells	High-fantasy magic: every character gets some number of spell words to use in forging unique spells	Have fun with all the tropes from the classic dragon game: invent your own spells, joust with a classic car, ride a skeleton subway, or fight a legal duel with a dæmon!

Core rules >>