Index Card RPG (Master Edition)
Index Card RPG: Master Edition is a rules‑lite fantasy toolkit built around scene targets, timers, hearts, and effort dice. Classless at its core, it emphasizes quick rulings, fast turns, and low prep. Ideal for one‑shots, convention play, and lean campaigns where improvisation and table tools shine.
Fantasy • Needs GM • 2/5 complexity • One-shot friendly • Low prep
Tone ranges from pulpy heroics to scrappy OSR peril depending on how hard you turn the dials. Everything orbits a few elegant dials: Target Number: Each room/scene has a single TN, so all checks point at one difficulty—speeding adjudication.
Theme and Setting
Effort Dice: After a successful check, roll Effort (d4/d6/d8/d10) to make progress on obstacles, enemies, or tasks. This turns locks, monsters, and projects into comparable clocks.
How Play Feels
Hearts: Problems have Hearts (10 HP chunks) that track how much work remains—combat and challenges share the same cadence. Timers & Threats: Countdowns, room effects, and turn structure keep scenes moving and raise stakes without rules bloat.
What Makes It Distinct
You want denser mechanical crunch or build complexity You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table. You want denser mechanical crunch or build complexity You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table.
Where It May Not Fit
You want denser mechanical crunch or build complexity You want the system to stay almost invisible at the table.
What this game is about
A strong fit for groups that want fantasy adventure with a clear play identity, with classless helping define the experience.
Structured data and an explicit decision profile JSON document are available for remote agents.