Common TTRPG Design Pitfalls: Learning from Years of Development Mistakes

811 words

4 min

Common TTRPG Design Pitfalls: Learning from Years of Development Mistakes

2025-09-19

TTRPG

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game-design

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tabletop

Years of tabletop RPG development reveal critical design mistakes that can derail even the most promising game systems

Creating a tabletop role-playing game is an intricate dance between mathematical balance, player psychology, and creative vision. Through the development of multiple TTRPG systems, including the upcoming diceless RPG Mage Hunter, several critical design mistakes have emerged that every aspiring game designer should understand. These aren’t just theoretical concerns—they’re real pitfalls that have torpedoed professional projects and wasted countless hours of development time.

The Reference Table Trap#

The first major pitfall involves creating reference tables for game balance and then promptly ignoring them. It’s tempting to eyeball spell costs or ability values when the mathematical framework feels tedious, but this laziness creates cascading problems. Players armed with spreadsheets will inevitably discover these inconsistencies, forcing extensive revision work that could have been avoided.

When designing magic systems or cost structures, every single element must align with the established tables. If a spell-crafting system breaks down components into specific costs, then every pre-made spell in the system must follow those exact calculations. The moment designers deviate from their own frameworks, they undermine the entire balance structure.

Building on Untested Foundations#

The players and the DM are using your systems in ways that no one can anticipate

Perhaps the most devastating mistake is expanding a game system before thoroughly testing its core mechanics. The excitement of creation drives designers to add fate systems, destiny mechanics, and elaborate subsystems on top of untested foundations. This house of cards approach has destroyed even professional projects.

One stark example involves the Talisman RPG, which despite initial promise, contained a critical system flaw that went unnoticed during development. Players discovered a game-breaking combination that rendered characters essentially immortal. The publishers promised fixes in a second edition that never materialized—the license was revoked, sales disappointed, and years of work vanished.

Clinging to Problematic Mechanics#

The Equipment Conundrum#

Sometimes a mechanic seems brilliant in concept but proves clunky in practice. The classic example involves inventory management systems. Rather than traditional encumbrance rules that players routinely ignore, limiting characters to a specific number of items seems elegant. Until players argue they can carry six ox wagons because they’re technically “six items.”

The solution often requires fundamental rethinking. Instead of arbitrary item limits, categorizing objects as “cumbersome” (limiting how many you can carry) or “heavy” (requiring multiple people) creates more intuitive gameplay while maintaining the desired mechanical constraints.

Premature Polish#

Version control becomes crucial when developing RPG systems. Adding detailed equipment descriptions, skill explanations, and gameplay examples too early creates massive revision work when mechanics change. A tent’s description might need updating five times if the core camping mechanics evolve through playtesting.

The mechanical framework must be rock-solid before adding narrative flourishes. Mathematical examples become obsolete when formulas change. Skill descriptions require rewriting when abilities merge or split. This premature detailing wastes precious development time that could be spent refining core systems.

System Bloat#

The Feature Creep Problem#

Experienced playtesters often request advanced options that make perfect sense to veteran players but overwhelm newcomers. What starts as an eight-step character creation process balloons to 53 steps as designers add “just one more cool option.” Each addition might enhance gameplay for 1% of situations while making the entire system 10% more complex.

Every mechanic that is in your book must be tested thoroughly before you start to expand upon that mechanic

The challenge lies in distinguishing essential mechanics from appealing bloat. A combat maneuver that sounds exciting but appears once per campaign doesn’t justify the complexity it adds. Systems designed for quick setup and play shouldn’t require players to navigate dozens of conditional modifiers and edge cases.

Key Takeaways#

Stick to your mathematical frameworks - If you create balance tables, use them religiously for every game element
Test core mechanics exhaustively before adding any supplementary systems
Be willing to abandon “cool” ideas that create more problems than they solve
Delay polish and examples until mechanical systems are finalized
Resist feature creep - Every addition should enhance common gameplay scenarios
Document everything - Maintain clear version control and patch notes
Listen to playtesters but filter feedback through your design goals

Moving Forward#

These mistakes aren’t failures—they’re learning opportunities that shape better game design. The key is recognizing them early and having the discipline to address fundamental issues before building elaborate structures on shaky foundations.

Professional game companies with substantial resources still fall into these traps. Independent designers working on passion projects must be even more vigilant. The difference between a successful TTRPG and abandoned project often comes down to avoiding these five critical mistakes.

Remember that making mistakes is part of the creative process. The real failure lies in not learning from them or being too stubborn to change course when problems emerge. Every revision, every playtest session, and every piece of feedback moves the design closer to its ideal form.