#playtesters needed

(AKA: I had a realization brighter than one of Elias's many, many eyes: I can post a beta version on itch.io!)

🔗 First time here? Read the intro post!

That's right! If you're brave enough to venture into the unfinished, slightly janky depths of the archives, you can now play a very early, work-in-progress build of the game!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: break my code, judge my writing, and report any spooky bugs you find. (Please remember: this is a VERY early build with placeholder art!)

The Archives are open for new statements. To access the latest beta build on itch.io, use the following credentials:

Password: StatementGiverAccess-0251021 This password grants you the clearance level of a provisional Statement Giver. Please do not share this clearance outside the Institute.

Want to be eternally credited for your service? DM me with any spooky bugs you find! 🙏

⚠️ What to expect in this build: Get into the Institute, talk to Rosie (and enjoy a cuppa!), and very briefly meet Elias! 'Tis a vibe. ✨

🔄 Update Schedule: I'll try to drop a new beta version every 3-4 weeks! The beta access password gets updated with each new release, so be sure to check this post often to get the newest version!

If you wanna help out with future scenes/art, check out this post!

We are happy to announce that we are finished with working on the Expanded Edition of Cottr and we are currently playtesting it!

Went a bit stir crazy and added like 400 lines of code 😬

🔗 First time here? Read the intro post!

📢 New updates:

Added some funky dialogue menu options!

We're finally seeing the inside of the Institute!

Minor grammar & spelling updates (yay ✨dyslexia✨ 🙃)

If you wanna help out with future scenes/art, check out this post!

⬇️ Check here to download!

anyway! tree game is a roleplaying/combat system where all abilities are rooted in skill trees. its conception 4ish years ago was based on my only having played D&D and wanting to fix some of my least favorite features of that system. notably:

[every weapon feels the same] tree game has a skill tree for each weapon

[magic is busted] tree game magic is less for dealing damage, more for creatively manipulating the world

[hit points and armor class don't make sense] tree game has big hit points and defensive options instead of expecting you to tank hits

[character creation is slow and confusing for new players] tree game has everything in the skill trees. yes even spells. yes even species. only thing that's not a skill tree is your equipment.

[lots of rules] tree game stores as many rules as possible in the trees themselves. if you know how to grapple, the grappling rules are on your character sheet.

tree game is more tactical than D&D but it's still pretty accessible to new players which continues to surprise and delight me

hey if you want to playtest a ttrpg with me over discord, hit me up. bring a mutual and go on adventures together ^^

no roleplaying experience required!

tree game is a combat system for fantasy games designed with a few goals in mind:

use skill trees to make character creation fast and simple, with as few moving parts as possible. (99% of a character's abilities are gained from skill trees)

use skill trees to make characters as modular and customizable as possible (no classes! unique gradual species system. spells are in the trees and anyone can learn them)

keep the core roles as short as possible- put most of the rules directly into the relevant skill trees. (for example, grappling is an ability you can learn. if your character is capable of initiating a grapple, then the grappling rules will be on your character sheet)

encourage improvisation (abilities tell you their limitations but not how to use them. spells are flexible)

use my experience playing belegarth and practicing various weapons to make each weapon feel distinct (every weapon has its own tree of abilities!)

fix some of my least favorite things about D&D

some other facts about the system:

hit points are big. you will have 2 or 3 of them to start. most attacks do 1 damage. combat is about landing hits and not getting hit, rather than maximizing dps.

you have a random number of action points each round of combat. this ensures every turn will be unique and makes combats feel much more dynamic and fluid. if you've ever played a barbarian in D&D you probably know why this is a big deal

hard (ish) magic system. no healing magic. spells are multipurpose tools rather than solutions to specific problems.

lots of cool mechanics invented by smart people i've played with over the years

original fantasy setting lovingly crafted by yours truly v.v #novea

constant WIP so things are moving around very fast :D this is NOT a complete or finished game, but it is extremely playable