Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game

A guide from Skeleton Code Machine by Exeunt Press

I accidentally wrote a book.

The plan was to write a short series for Skeleton Code Machine with some tips on making your first one-page roleplaying game. I’ve made a few games myself, and wanted to share what I’ve learned with others. The timing would match up with those who want to join the 2024 One-Page RPG Jam that starts July 21, 2024.

As I was writing it, however, I wanted to make sure it was comprehensive. I didn’t want readers to be left with significant questions by the end of it. So I added sections about theme, mechanisms, writing, layout, and publishing.

Next thing I knew, I had a six-part series.

Well then it seemed like a good idea to compile all those posts into a single PDF.

As I wrote the PDF edition, it was clear I should pull in some of the other Skeleton Code Machine articles like the one on the 8 Kinds of Fun. I expanded some of the text to make things more clear. I made sure the layout was good and the exercises matched the new structure.

Over 10,000 words and 46 pages later, Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game was complete. A guide based on Skeleton Code Machine that takes you from a blank page to a published game.

I’m extremely proud of this book. It’s everything I wished I knew when I was first starting out. My hope is that it inspires others to create new games, and to push the limits of what can be done with a single sheet of paper.

You can read the series for free starting July 21, 2024 at Skeleton Code Machine. One part will be published each day until all six are up.

If you don’t want to wait and would like an offline PDF that you can read, Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game is available right now for a few dollars. It’s also a great way to support Skeleton Code Machine.

Get it in print.

I will be doing a limited print run of Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game and hope to have it available in August 2024. Copies will be sold via the Exeunt Press Shop.

Note that due to a very large recent order, a lot of things are out of stock on the shop right now. This is a good problem to have, and I’m not complaining! Based on shipping estimates, I should be able to restock sometime after July 24, 2024.

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- E.P. 💀