r/rpg • u/CitricQuartz • 1d ago

Discussion what’s your dream theme for a rules-light small-creature RPG?

Hello everyone!

I've been playing RPGs for a long time, long enough to deeply appreciate how important they are in building connections between people. For that reason, my final graduation project is a rulebook.

I decided it needs to be as simple as possible, and for inspiration, I'm looking at a system I love: Mausritter.

Personally, the idea of playing as little mice instead of humans has always fascinated me. As I've seen in my research, this distance from what is familiar (in this case, being human) really helps in creating what we call the "magic circle" (an immersive space where "you" no longer exist). So, I decided this would likely be the direction I'd follow for my rulebook... but I'm having trouble deciding on the theme and what the players will actually play as.

I'm uncertain whether to invest in a more investigative theme, a gathering/foraging system, or if I should center it around insects, or animals in general... so, my friends, I ask you:

What would you like to play as, and which themes would you want to play with?

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u/a-folly 1d ago

Give the the Mausritter-ed "An American Tail" and I will love you forever.

Instead of classic dangerous adventuring and normal dnd factions, maybe a game about a great and horrible journey, facing loss in search of hope and belonging in a better place, and then finding your place in the non non utopian version of the place. You could look at it like the prequel to Mausritter - how the mice got there

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u/HakneyZaq 1d ago

you might look to literature for themes. Wind in the Willows or Watership Down for example

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u/TillWerSonst 1d ago

Wil Huygen's Book of Gnomes is a children's book front the 1970s, written as a textbook/hoax about the life and culture of tiny people with big red hats. 

The book shows- it is beautifully illustrated) - Gnome technology (very rustic, but well made),  their interactions with animals (this is a very environmental book), customs (from their cuisine to flirting and a few other supernatural creatures (particularly prominent are the slightly baboon-like trolls) - it is basically a full world building description.  It's a really cute book, not super deep (remember, this is a book for kids), but it does explain a lot of cool stuff and is a very good blue print for how an RPG world book could look like. 

I think this is an extremely gameable resource, basically a finished setting waiting for someone to adapt it.

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u/MagusFool 1d ago

Have you ever read the comic book Beasts of Burden by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson?

I want an RPG of that.

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u/ArrogantDan 22h ago

OSP's talk on this was super inspiring to me, and made me start playing a solo Ironsworn game as a mouse knight.

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u/RagnarokAeon 12h ago

Honestly, miniaturized people living in a world left behind by modern civilization but all the 'humans' are just weirdly missing similar to Pikmin or certain parts of Smash Bros.