dB/dX²

This highly derivative work is an effort to “boil down” the core rules of a well-known adventure game into a somewhat more free-form system. Its guiding principles include:

• Minimise cognitive load for the referee: rules and procedures must be easy to follow and (ideally) internalise.
• Consider the practicalities of limited table space and player time.
• Support the referee’s impartiality, especially when character death is on the line (e.g., combat and survival situations).
• Enable the referee free to discover the world alongside the players and keep prep to a minimum (i.e., “play to find out what happens”).
• XP ∴ treasure ∴ exploration ∴ movement ∴ encumbrance is important!
• Accurate records are important ∴ streamline record-keeping.

Many people have made similar attempts on various occasions, but shut up I need to do this!

Format

The main PDF is 32 pages, including the cover, using two-page spreads whenever possible for related information. It's A4 size, but I usually print it "booklet" style so individual pages are A5, which I think is quite readable. The second half of the document is mostly tables.

The character sheet fits A4 or ANSI A (US Letter) paper and is intended to be folded into quarters, with the most immediately important information in the top left quarter. Unfold the left half to for information needed for combat/survival situation.

Key features

This work is intended to be broadly compatible with B/X, with the following primary differences.

• Classless: player characters are first and foremost adventurers.
• Silver standard with some simplifications to prices and treasure types.
• Ability scores map directly to combat stats and can improve when levelling up in a manner similar to the GLOG.
• Intelligence is everyone's “prime requisite” as it determines next level XP.
• Hit points are sustained rather than spent (reduces eraser smudging).
• Hit dice function in a manner similar to DURF.
• PCs check morale just like NPCs, yet player agency is preserved.
• Combat emphasises movement rates: “quick” and “slow” actions mesh with “theatre of the mind” positioning.
• Slot-based inventory tracking synergises with B/X basic encumbrance.
• The hex crawl procedure uses a bag of coloured dice to determine what happens each watch of each day.
• The party's group movement rate impacts hazard die roles when delving.
• A "catch-all" mechanic helps to adjudicate anything not covered by more specific rules, with clear applications made to surprise, encounter reactions, doors, traps, and so on.

I compiled this document mainly for personal reference and to facilitate play according to my own (highly opinionated) style. You are welcome to use it as-is, copy it, steal from it, ignore it, revile it, or consign it to the fire, as you see fit.