Making the Game
The Vexith Roleplaying Game has been nearly 20 years in the making. Initial concepts were devised as early as 1996, and a primitive draft of the game was developed and assembled in 1998 but was never published. Professional work began on the game in earnest around 2009, but many of the game's core features can actually be traced back to those initial ideas.
Being Different: Not being fully content with the rules and mechanics of other commercial tabletop roleplaying games, we set out to devise our own system. We avoided classes, experience levels, and ever-increasing health points totals. We also implemented customization into many aspects of the game so that each and every character could be truly unique. Want to play as a warrior who can also cast spells while decked-out in heavy armor? Go for it! Want to play as a necromantic ranger who raises undead animals to fight by her side? Have fun! Want to create a pacifist noble who wields his words as effectively as the deadliest of blades? No problem! You can play as any of these characters and many, many more!
The Illusion of Balance: With such a wide assortment of abilities, traits, and species the prospect of perfectly balancing everything becomes an unobtainable goal. Most games that attempt to do so inevitably end up stripping away the very aspects of their systems that made them appealing. With the Vexith RPG we sought to achieve a rough overall balance, accounting for usefulness in a variety of situations, and designed the game in such a way that every choice forces a player to make a tradeoff. For instance, some of our game's species are much better suited to physical combat than others, but they must also give up a lot to achieve their physical dominance (fewer abilities, lower defenses, etc.). Perfect balance does not exist, but that's also part of what makes the game fun!
Epic Chaos: Another aspect that we wanted to incorporate into the game was a heightened sense of unpredictability. We wanted the Vexith RPG to allow for truly epic moments, like when an injured character manages to slay her foe with a final desperate critical hit or, alternatively, when she herself falls victim to friendly fire while already on the brink of death! Sometimes even a character's misfortune or untimely demise can be just as exciting and memorable as her triumphs.
