Make your own one-page RPG (Part 5: Writing, layout, and design)
A step-by-step guide to making your first one-page TTRPG
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This is Part 5 of a series. Be sure to read Part 6 - Publishing next!
In Part 4 of this Create and publish your own one-page TTRPG guide, we looked at rules, mechanisms, and hackable SRDs. You now have a fairly detailed description of your game with a title, theme, mechanisms, and how it works.
In this part we are getting our game finalized on paper or as a PDF with art, layout, and design.
Available in print and PDF
Want this guide in a complete edition? Make Your Own One-Page Roleplaying Game is available now in print at the Exeunt Press Shop and PDF at itch.io. Written by the creator of the ENNIE nominated Exclusion Zone Botanist, this Skeleton Code Machine guide takes you through every step of the process from initial concept to publication. It offers practical advice and examples you can use.
Quick review of where we are
Here is what we’ve accomplished so far:
Part 1: How the exercises work, creation tools, how/why to share your work, and what kind of game we want to make
Part 2: Common elements of one-page RPGs, different types of RPGs, examples of one-page RPGs, and where to find them
Part 3: How to choose a theme, scope & resolution, public domain settings, randomly generated themes, and a one-sentence pitch
Part 4: Theme vs. mechanism, hackable TTRPGs and SRDs, random mechanism generator, and a more detailed description
If you’ve done the exercises up to this point you should have a good idea of what one-page RPGs look like and know where to find some hackable games to use to make a new one.
You should also have the following for your own game:
Title
Short, one-sentence pitch with a good hook
A defined theme and setting (remember: narrow-scope + high-resolution)
Defined mechanisms (either your own or from an SRD)
More detailed description that explains what the game is and how it works.
If you aren’t there yet, I recommend you go back through the previous parts.
Writing the game
The nice part about a one-page RPG is that you simply don’t have much space for words. That means there won’t be much writing to do, because you just don’t have the room for it!
Things you do need to consider including:
Title and credits
License information if applicable (see Part 4)
What you need to play (e.g. pencil, paper, tokens, etc.)
Game concept (e.g. “You are a monster hunter…”)
How to play the game (i.e. the rules and mechanisms)
Supporting elements (e.g. random tables, maps, etc.)
Contact info (e.g. social media, public profiles)
If you’ve chosen to use an SRD, most of the hard work is done for you. Use that as your guide for the rules and modify as necessary. Otherwise, there is a bit of “draw the rest of the owl” happening here, but you can do it. Keep it simple. Use numbered lists for instructions when you can.
Remember that if you want to enter the One-Page RPG Jam, your submission must be a “fully playable RPG system on a single page.” Back pages, GM tools, and separate character sheets are allowed. The idea is that the core, playable game fits on one page of paper.
Some people write in a word processor and then import that text into their design software when ready to do layout. That is a right and proper way to do it.
For small projects I usually just “write in layout,” meaning I do layout and writing at the same time in the same software. This method develops bad habits and is not recommended. That said, I’m going to continue doing it and you can’t stop me.
Paper size
The One-Page RPG Jam requires US Letter (8.5 x 11 inches) or ISO A4 (210 x 297 mm) paper be used. I’m personally a big fan of A4 paper because if you fold it in half, you get two A5 pages which is a common size for TTRPG zines.
If you are unsure which size to use, I recommend A4.
Layout
Most one-page RPGs are in one of two formats:
Flat, unfolded, A4 single sheet of paper (front and back)
Requires less formatting
Can use either portrait or landscape orientation
Looks good on screens and devices
No folding required when publishing in print
Fits more content on the page (vs. avoiding fold lines)
Folded (trifold), A4 brochure format
A little more formatting work due to folds and sides
Has to be folded to publish in print
Loses some space due to fold lines
Might be easier to bundle and sell in print
If you never plan to publish your game in print, I’d go with a flat sheet and not worry about the trifold format. In my experience, however, it’s easier to bundle and sell trifolds (e.g. CY_BORG Holo Bundle) than it is single sheets.
My general rule when making things is to always assume that I’ll want to get it printed at some point in the future. So even if it’s just a one-page RPG, I make sure to pick a layout that will look good printed and is made to be print-ready (e.g. gutters, bleed, etc.).
Design software
You do not need expensive software to make a one-page RPG. Some really amazing and creative games have been made with nothing more than free versions of Canva and Google Docs. If you are comfortable using those services, go right ahead and get started!
If you plan to make more than one game, want to sell games, or want to get into the hobby of making games, I recommend getting some design software. Of course there is Adobe Creative Cloud if you don’t mind subscriptions and what I consider to be a rather steep learning curve. There are also other options that I won’t cover in detail in this guide.
My recommendation is to check out the Affinity V2 Universal License. For a one-time (non-subscription) fee, you get access to: Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, and Affinity Publisher — everything you need to do professional desktop publishing at home. No, I’m not sponsored.
If you do go with Affinity, check out 10 Tips for Affinity Publisher.
Finding art and graphic elements
Custom art can be expensive, especially if you don’t plan on selling your one-page RPG. So where can you get art for free?
1. Public domain art
Just like public domain settings, public domain art is free to use for both personal and commercial use! There are thousands of high quality images waiting to be used. Successful games like MÖRK BORG have demonstrated that public domain art, when carefully used, can create a fantastic final product.
Skeleton Code Machine has covered public domain art twice before:
Those two articles cover just about everything you need to know about using public domain art and where to find it. Between the two posts there are 19 difference art sources to check out.
2. Dice and icons
Game-icons.net is one of the best resources for free to use icons and symbols. They can be customized on the web, downloaded as png/svg, and look quite nice.
Note that while games-icons.net icons are free for personal and commercial use, they are released under a CC BY license that requires attribution in your game. With a one-page RPG space is at a premium, so make sure you allow some room for that.
If you need dice symbols, another method is to use the Dicier font. It also requires attribution in your final product.
3. Photos and vectors
Unsplash is a resource for free to use photos and 3D rendered art. It’s great for reference photos, backgrounds, and textures.
Rawpixel and Pixabay are two other sites that might have what you need.
4. TTRPG Art Asset Jam
The TTRPG Art Asset Jam has 70 entries with a mixture of art, maps, design elements, and more. Rabbits & Demons by Exeunt Press included!
Creating your one-page RPG
You have your game idea, theme, mechanisms, art assets, and you are ready to put it all together! Here is my advice for how to do that.
Some of these tips only apply if you are having your game printed. If you ever plan to print your work, however, it is worth spending a little effort up front to save yourself a lot of work later. I recommend ensuring your game is print-ready.
Tips for designing your one-page RPG:
Consider your font size: There is no hard rule for what size you should use, because it depends on the font, the display medium, and many other things. That said, I’d be concerned going below about 10 pt for most fonts if there is a lot to read. Most of the Exeunt Press games use a font between 9.5 pt and 11 pt, with larger sizes for headings and titles.
Reduce the words not the font: People will write a game and find out it can’t fit on a page, so they reduce the font until it does. A better way is to try to cut words out of your game. You’d be surprised how far you can trim rules when you need to. Tools like Hemingway aren’t perfect, but they can help if you get stuck.
Choose a readable font: Text space is limited, so choose a font that is easy to read. Google Fonts is a great place to start and Font Resources for Game Designers has a lot more.
The only true test is to print it: You can try to adjust your desktop software to show the “actual size” when in print. You can also use some guidelines for font sizes and spacing. The only true test, however, is to print it out and check it yourself. It’s just one page and worth the paper.
Maintain a 3 mm bleed: Bleed is the extra part of the paper/design that will be cut off during the printing process. Most places recommend 3mm (0.12 inches) or more. More on that in 10 Tips for Affinity Publisher.
Consider printer-friendly versions: It might look cool to have white text on black or to use that parchment background, but it might not be great when people try to print it at home. You can either make sure the main part of your game is standard black text on white, or have an alternate printer-friendly version.
Use CMYK colors: This one gets a little tricky and is covered in detail in 10 Tips for Affinity Publisher. Screens and displays use RGB colors, but print uses CMYK colors. If you aren’t careful, colors that look perfect on your screen will look terrible in print. If you are using Affinity Publisher, load the CMYK Safe Palette so you don’t need to worry. These are colors that should (according to Mixam) look very similar in both RGB and CMYK color spaces.
Use art that is at least 300 dpi: For screens, 72 dpi is usually just fine for image resolution. If you want the sharpest prints, you’ll want to make sure your images are at least 300 dpi.
Give yourself some space: You’d be surprised how giving your words some space and allowing for reasonable margins can make your work appear more “professional” and finished. Don’t try to cram as much as possible on the page. Whitespace can be just as powerful as text.
Check your line length: Advice varies, but it would seem that having about 45 - 75 characters per line of text can make your words more readable. Check a few of your lines by counting the characters and see if you need to make some adjustments.
Limit the number of fonts: With MÖRK BORG standing as a clear counter-example, consider choosing just one or two fonts for your project. You can vary the weights or styles of the same font when necessary.
Use high contrast colors: Contrast matters for accessibility, readability, and also ensures that it will print in an acceptable manner.
Check out 10 Tips for Affinity publisher for more advice including the difference between rich black vs. standard black, gutters, and linked resources.
Putting it all together
With some effort and luck, you will have a complete game. If you did, congratulations! You brought a new piece of art into the world and created a way for others to have fun!
In the next part, we will cover how to distribute your game so people can find it and play it! Continue to Part 6!
📝 Exercises
Each part of this Create and publish your own one-page RPG series includes something to read/watch and something to make/try. Here’s your assignment:
Go to a local bookstore or library, or use an online bookseller if you can’t. Browse the shelves and look at the covers:
How many can you find that use public domain art on the cover?
How do the book covers incorporate old art into a modern design?
Take some photos or screenshots of your favorites.
Choose some design software and grab a template.
Use what you have learned up to this point to create your game!
Show your finished game to a friend, family member, or someone on your favorite Discord server to get some feedback.
Bask in the glory of having created your very own game!
— E.P. 💀
P.S. Your skeleton is covered in meat. Cover your meat with a Skeleton Code Machine shirt.
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Its pretty neat that many of the comic page concepts are very useful and can be applied when designing a one page rpg.
And because its text heavy, some editorial layout is good inspiration, like the arts section in the newspaper