Story-Driven Skirmish Instead of Classic D&D?
Story-Driven Skirmish Instead of Classic D&D?
Sometimes a hobby idea appears out of nowhere and immediately sounds like something we really want to try. That was exactly the vibe in our chat when the topic of going back to something D&D-adjacent came up — but not necessarily in the classic “one GM, one party, full RPG session” format.
What got us excited much more was a story-driven campaign with miniatures, where narrative matters just as much as the tabletop action.
Pirates, maybe. Space western, also maybe.
The first spark was a pirate setting. Stas mentioned that the old pirate vibe was a lot of fun, and honestly, we get it — pirates are just a great fit for cinematic scenarios, boarding actions, treasure hunts, and all kinds of dramatic nonsense in the best possible way.
At the same time, nobody was trying to lock the setting down too early. A space western also got thrown into the mix, and that sounds equally tempting. Right now the important part is less about picking the exact backdrop and more about the kind of game we want:
- narrative-heavy
- campaign-based
- miniature-friendly
- easy to run
- flexible enough to support weird ideas
And yes, one of the coolest details in the conversation was Stas mentioning that for the pirate version he could even bring his LEGO ship to make the fights more fun.
That is exactly the kind of energy we love.
Not quite a return to D&D
What became clear pretty quickly is that this is not really about “coming back to D&D” in the strict sense. It is more about returning to a style of play we miss:
strong story, memorable scenarios, and a campaign that gives us reasons to care about what happens next.
Miniatures are a big part of the appeal here. They are not mandatory in a pure RPG sense, but they add so much to the whole experience. A good table, a few characters, terrain, a ship, maybe some improvised props — suddenly every fight feels like an event.
And the really fun part is that this kind of setup lets everyone engage a bit differently. Some of us are there for the narrative, some for the models, some for the mechanics, and some for the sheer joy of putting a tiny crew onto a table and seeing what disaster happens next.
A homemade ruleset, because apparently that was the answer
Naturally, the question came up: why make a custom ruleset at all?
Michal’s answer was brutally honest and very relatable: because there just is not a simple enough ruleset for old guys.
And honestly? Fair.
But there is also a more hobby-romantic answer: because making your own system is fun, and because if you know what kind of experience you want, sometimes kitbashing the rules makes more sense than forcing yourself into a system that almost works.
The current idea pulls inspiration from a few places:
- Warcry
- TinyD6
- Project Zomboid
That is a pretty wild mix, but in a very promising way. Fast and punchy skirmish DNA from Warcry, lightweight roleplaying sensibilities from TinyD6, and a bit of survival-flavored thinking from Project Zomboid. We are very curious to see what shape that finally takes on the table.
GPT-generated missions? Honestly, that sounds great.
One detail we found especially interesting is the idea of using GPT-generated missions. According to Michal, the generated scenarios have been genuinely varied and interesting, which could be a huge advantage in a campaign game.
That kind of tool can help keep things fresh without dumping all the creative burden on one person. And maybe the biggest upside of all: it means the person building the framework does not have to be stuck as the forever-GM.
That is a big deal.
If the system works the way we hope, it could create a space where:
- the campaign keeps moving naturally,
- missions stay surprising,
- everyone gets to participate more equally,
- and the story belongs to the whole group.
This is the kind of experiment we love
What we like most here is that this feels very close to the heart of the hobby as we enjoy it: taking inspiration from different games, stealing the best bits, adding miniatures, adding narrative, and building something that fits our group instead of chasing some ideal off the shelf.
Will every idea survive contact with the table? Probably not.
Will all of us like every part of the rules immediately? Also probably not.
But that is part of the fun. We would much rather try a weird, enthusiastic, homemade campaign engine than sit around waiting for the perfect system to magically appear.
So for now, the concept is still forming, but we are already sold on the direction:
story-driven, miniature-heavy, campaign-focused, and open to pirates, space westerns, or whatever setting ends up winning.
Honestly, we cannot wait to see the first test game.
If the LEGO ship hits the table, even better.