The world of Obron is blooming

The old world is being reborn. The Age of Steel and Stars has faded, and Obron enters its dusk. Carve masks from godswood and become Thorns of the garden.

THORN is a game that means a great deal to me. It's the fantasy game I would want to sit down and play with my friends. It's pretty different than a lot of other games out there, and even from a lot of my own previous work. This game was a seedling in my mind for so long, and now it's finally time for it to bloom.

What is THORN?

THORN is a fantasy TTRPG. It requires a group of players, one of which will be the GM. You only need something to write with and on, a simple character sheet, to play.

There are three important features of THORN:

1. Diceless. The game does not use dice to resolve actions. It focuses on collaborative storytelling and resource management to move the game forward.
2. Healthless. Enemies die in one hit. Some require creativity and problem solving to earn that one hit. 
3. Classless. Thorns are made up of the stuff they carry, rather than a prepackaged class that fits you into a box.

The whole game fits in a small booklet, less than 30 pages. 

Design Commentary

I did a design commentary stream going into why the game was designed the way it was. Hopefully you find it helpful and interesting!

Itchfunding & Further Support

I plan on supporting THORN for a long time. This is the fantasy game I want to play, and so I want to make things for it. I will support the game no matter what, but I'm also running an ongoing itchfunding campaign to help move some of those projects along.

The goals listed as part of this itchfunding campaign will all be added to this game page. If you buy the core game, you will get all of the other things if/when their funding goals are reached. 

Current itchfunding goals:

• $400: Costs recovered (FUNDED). Nothing added to the game, but my costs of art and logo have been largely recovered at this point.
• $600: Expanded content (FUNDED). I'll add more Tactics, Talents, and equipment to the core rules.
• $800: Masks module (FUNDED). THORN is inherently a classless game, but some folks (including me) love classes! This will be a revision and expansion of previous work on THORN masks, bundles of tactics and talents centered around themes. There will be an estimated 6 masks to start.
• $1000: Regions module (FUNDED). This is for the GMs! I love lonely fun, and this will help you prep the game in a way that embraces those ideals. Rules and guidance on how to create regions for your Thorns to explore, as well as an expansion on the Briar camp to fit in with these rules.
• $1200: GM's guide (FUNDED). A small booklet of advice for GMs running THORN. I'll go a bit into design philosophy and try to give specific advice on running the various sections, including the optional Masks and Regions modules. Will also provide advice on creating things for your campaign, and converting other adventures and material to THORN.
• $1600: Layout upgrade (FUNDED). I'm not a graphics design person. I'll bring one on to make to make a better looking cover and character sheet for the game.
• $2000: Print run. I'll do a print run of the core rule book in zine format with the new cover and character sheet. If you supported the game on itch, I'll send you a coupon to get a small discount on the zine as thanks for helping make this happen. The zine will be sold on my website.
  

THORN Jam

THORN Jam is here! Make anything and everything you want for the game! You'll find tons of advice on making things in the GM Guide, available for anyone who owns THORN.

Credits

Writing, Game Design, Layout: Spencer Campbell, Gila RPGs

THORN Logo: Mike Rieman, Two Pancakes

THORN Art: Galen Pajeau

Layout Template: Classic Explorer, Clayton Notestine