Everspark
A downloadable game
Do you remember when you first heard of tabletop RPGs? Do you remember what first attracted you to them? If you are anything like me, the idea of being a fantasy hero on epic quests in a world that we created together at the table was absolutely mind-blowing.
But soon I realizedthat the stories we wanted to tell clashed with the rules we used to tell them. There was a disconnect between the promise offered by the art and the setting, and the experience delivered by the game itself. We had a lot of fun still, mind you, but that was in spite of the hurdles caused by the mechanics.
Stop me if you've heard this before:
Player: "Can I try to..."
GM: "You used that action already."
Player: "What if I..."
GM: "There's a penalty because..."
Player: "Well then, can I..."
GM: "No, only on level 5"
Player: *sigh* "Ok... I guess I'll just swing my sword, then"
It took me 30 years and more than 30 games published to give this one a go. What if we could actually live the promise that those book covers sold? What if we could offer new players the experience they think they will have with that one game, without the frustration of a ruleset that says 'no' all the time?
That’s how Everspark was born.
To provide those carefree, belly-laugh-filled, let’s-play-pretend moments of rolling dice, casting imaginary spells, and coming up with all sorts of shenanigans. To reignite that original spark that first attracted us to this kind of games and never left us—the Everspark, if you will.
Who is this game for?
This game is for you if:
- You want (or were asked) to introduce tabletop RPGs for new players that asked to play that Dragon game,but you don't feel like engaging with and explaining all the finicky rules.
- You want to reignite that carefree joy of your early experiences with tabletop RPGs, and finally live the fantasy that they promised but couldn't quite deliver.
- You want to play with your kids or parents, or anyone that is excited about the vibes of fantasy RPGs, but doesn't have the time, focus, or interest for complex mechanics.
- You are a beginner yourself that wants to experience what a fantasy tabletop RPG is like, but always felt overwhelmed or intimidated by the amount of things you'd have to learn.
Everspark is a fantasy adventure tabletop RPG that captures the vibe of the most popular fantasy RPGs out there and leaves everything else out of the table. Do you want to roll some d20s and pretend you are a wizard? You are in the right place.
You get to tell epic tales, live the fantasy of being a unique hero, celebrate nat-20s and lament nat-1s, and spend some quality time with your friends (or by yourself) daydreaming about dragons. You only need a d20, a d6, and a bunch of sticky notes.
Character creation takes anything from 5 seconds to 15 minutes, and then you’re ready to go. You can create your own world and quests, or play on your favorite settings with published modules, with zero conversion required.
I should warn you that if you enjoy min-maxing, tactical combat with minis on a grid, intricate character sheets with detailed, numerical and precise abilities, this is not this game. The fun of playing Everspark lies in the stories you tell, aided by the unpredictability of the dice. If your gaming preference lies towards crunchy rules… well, you might still have a good time with this game, and I encourage you to give it a try. But be warned.
On the other hand, if that’s your first experience playing a TTRPG, well, I’m honored! It is my hope that this minimalist approach will provide you with all you need to start your journey on the hobby by focusing on my favorite aspects about them: the tales you craft and the great memories they can create.
Highlights
- Zero-prep, rules-light: Grab a d20, a d6, sticky notes, and you are all set. You learn the rules in five minutes and, with zero preparation, you'll play to discover the world. With no numerical constraints, the game encourages out-of-the-box, inventive actions, and will never penalize you for being creative.
- Four modes of play: Play it solo or with your friends, as a party in coop mode, or as individual protagonists in parallel play. You don't need a game master, but you may have one acting as a host and facilitator, if you want.
- 8,000 characters: With 20 Ancestries, 20 Backgrounds, and 20 Classes, you have 8,000 possible combinations to bring your character idea to life! If that's not enough, you can mix and match to create your own personal take, or import your favorite ideas from other games as well. Your character sheet has no numbers whatsoever; you can make your fantasy hero in just a couple of minutes.
- Any world you like: Create a unique fantasy world with the tables available, or take that worldbuilding project, campaign setting book or adventure module gathering dust in your shelf for a spin! Everspark is very welcoming to any material from other games as well!
My goal designing this ruleset was: what if we stripped down classic d20 systems of everything, and left only the joy of rolling a d20?
So that’s what I did. There are no modifiers, DC, AC, HP, ability scores, spell slots, proficiency, weapon damage, skill lists. You roll a d20 and eyeball the result to see if you get a critical, regular or mixed success (or failure). If circumstances are more (or less) favorable, you judge your results more (or less) generously. That’s all there is to it:
- 20 is VERY GOOD. You achieve your goal, plus something extra (such as an advantage, opportunity, or bonus effect).
- Around 15 is GOOD. You get exactly what you want without any complications.
- Around 10 is OK. You succeed, but there’s a cost, consequence, or compromise. Or, you can forgo success now to create an opening for a better result on the next attempt.
- Around 5 is BAD. You might still succeed, but the cost is higher, or the consequences are direr. You can choose to forfeit your success to handle a minor setback instead.
- 1 is VERY BAD. You fail to achieve your goal and must face serious consequences.
Well… almost. There’s one other simple yet versatile mechanic: Sparks. Sparks are a powerful tool to measure progress, and they can be used for a lot of things: skill challenges, character progression, looming threats, long-term projects, conditions, resources, weaknesses, montage scenes, enemy resistance, faction plans… the list goes on for as long as your imagination can take you.
(If you're into game design, Sparks are my attempt to combine Clocks, Aspects, Progress Tracks, Usage Dice and Fear Tokens into one single mechanic)
Sparks are represented by progressively drawing a 5-point star shape on a labeled sticky note. When you need to track progress of anything meaningful, grab a sticky note, name it, and place it on the table. Every time the story (or the dice) demands, you add more rays to your Spark.
But here's the catch: when you add a ray, you may perform a Spark Check. Roll a d6, and if you hit a ray (e.g., if you’ve drawn 3 rays and you roll a 1, 2, or 3), the progress is complete. This means the task or event reaches its resolution!
There's more nuance to it, but that's the gist. It's so simple, yet exceptionally flexible. And better yet: it's modular. That is, the more you get comfortable with the mechanism, the more "Spark tricks" you can add to your game. The book gradually teaches you a whole bunch of examples, from combos to magical items, from recharging powers to procedural exploration. And I encourage you to come up with your own applications and interpretations, as your version of the game demands! It's super fun!
Here's a video with a more detailed explanation of the mechanics:
Your purchase includes:
- 332-page, full-color, totally hyperlinked and bookmarked PDF
- 28-page Reference Guide, with all the tables and rules summary for easy access
- Printable versions of character sheets, story sheet and sigils
- At-cost print-on-demand coupon for the 6 x 9 in (US Trade) book, both in paperback or hardback options, offered via Lulu
- At-cost print-on-demand coupon for the 6 x 9 in (US Trade) reference guide, saddle-stitched, offered via Lulu
Credits
This game was made possible by the support of my amazing patrons. Join today and get all my future games for free!
Character Art by Ray Olli
instagram.com/quadrinhosdoray
Illustrations by Penflower Ink, 2021
Dungeon Art assets by Penflower Ink, 2023
Character Art by Penflower Ink, 2024
www.penflower-ink.com
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $19.90 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Every purchase = a new community copy
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community copies
If you're in need and can't afford a copy of the game, help yourself to a community copy.
Consider leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review!
• Every PDF sale adds 1 extra community copy
Development log
- [Version 1.0] Print on Demand now available! And a Discord server!14 days ago
- [v0.9.5] Custom art and fixed typos22 days ago
- Version 0.9.4 is here!25 days ago
Comments
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Hello. Is there any chance you are going to put up more community copies? I know I'm late for the party but I just found out about your games recently. It's all good if you're not. Thank you and have a nice day!
Hi there! I've been replenishing them daily! Keep an eye out, there's always more coming! ^^
Woo hoo, already ordered my physical copies, thank you Cezar!
Fantastic!! Hope you enjoy it! ^^
Hi Cezar, will you ever put up an example of a combat? I played one and found myself struggling; without hit points, the consequences I create are either easily ignorable ('it gives you a cut on your leg' which in fact changes nothing) or, on the contrary, they make any monster super fearsome, because using the complications table, even the dumbest monster can leave me with one (I'm referring to table 08). Do you happen to have any suggestions for me?
Hi there,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, I do plan to publish a longer example of play with commentary as a separate document in the future. For now, though, I can offer you some guidance.
First, even a small consequence like “a cut on your leg” can carry meaningful implications. While it doesn’t have a numeric value attached to it, it should still influence the narrative and gameplay. For example, it could impose drawbacks in situations where the injury might hinder you, and it can color how you interpret the results of dice rolls and your character’s levels of success. The narrative impact of even minor consequences should shape what your character can do and how well they do it.
Another way to handle combat consequences, if you want something between a purely narrative effect and a full-on complication from the table, is to create a spark. Condition sparks work particularly well for this. For instance, instead of immediately breaking your ribs with one hit, you can create a spark that represents cuts and bruises accumulating over time, leaving you more exposed until you eventually collapse.
For more detailed guidance, I recommend checking out the “How To” sections of the book. Specifically:
• How to Forge Evocative Monsters
• How to Keep My Encounters Balanced
These sections offer helpful suggestions for managing combat encounters and consequences.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions, and good luck with your next encounter!
I've read the chapters you recommended, and I can indeed use a new Spark this way, but... I can't help but wonder: does using all these Sparks really make the game as easy and beginner-friendly as it claims to be? I realize that with this question I'm going a bit off-topic, but in a classic game, combat is like 'you took 10 damage, you have 2 armor, so you lose 8 hit points.' Here, on the other hand, I would need to start a new Spark in addition to all the ones I already have for everything that's happened to me previously during the rest of the game, ending up with a table full of Sparks to keep track of all at once.
For now, I've only simulated a couple of isolated situations; I haven't played a full session yet. But so far, I have the feeling that relying on Sparks so often doesn't make the game as simple as it seems...
You don’t need to use sparks for everything or anything really. The base mechanics are the simplest for new RPGers or us veterans looking for more story and less convoluted or overly complex mechanics.
At the base it’s just a range how well you did on a D20. No modifiers.
Think about your example. what does tracking HP really do? Nothing until you are dead. Some games have a negative modifier or other limit at a low HP threshold. HP is nothing but a countdown or a tracker until you can’t do something.
Everspark skips all the tracking unless you want to use a spark.
Just remember, before you roll, define what success and failure looks like. In a typical game, a successful attack means you lower some enemy HP and the enemy goes, does the same and you roll back and forth until a winner (yawn).
In Everspark, Let’s say I come across some goons, they stop me. Now I have to decide what to do. Can I reason with them. Maybe 5 or less on a d20 lets me reason. Rolled an 11. Nope, they don’t want to talk… they want to fight.
So I attack. If I get a success, it means I defeat the goons. Failure, means I am stopped, and defeated in some way.
I will say failure means I am captured.
I roll a 8. Ugh. So I succeed but have a complication. So I defeat the goons but I am left with a wounded leg that will make the next encounter harder if I don’t heal. Or maybe now my travel will be slower leaving my quest in danger.
So you don’t need to look up modifiers for range, weapons, skills etc.
Define what success and failure looks like and simply roll.
jot down notes for each encounter so you know what happened. This way you can adjust what success and failure look like based on what has happened.
I understand where you're coming from. HP seems easy because it is so ingrained in the culture, and it doesn't require narrative. It is simple math, but it does not tell a story. 'I lose 8HP' means what? What do we see in the screen? What happened to you? What changed? By removing HP, we open up story avenues.
The struggle you're feeling now is part of our assumptions that we need a mechanical translation of an effect for a result to feel valid. Everspark invites you to consider it differently. Beginners, especially because they don't have experience with other RPGs, jump into the narrative train easily, from my experience. "I rolled an 8, hmmm, perhaps it grabs me by the sword and shakes me to the side!" Fun! What now? Where do I go from here? We can see that scene in our minds. We can't see "I lose 8 HP".
Sparks can be fun, but they should be used mindfully. If you do rely on Sparks for everything, it will be overwhelming, as you said. That is why it is one of the Spark Principles I highlight in the book. Go easy on them as you start. I have a table with 8 beginners, and after 23 sessions, everyone is happily going crazy with them now.
But mostly, embrace narrative consequences. How does your position to affect the story changes after a bad roll? Close your eyes and see it as a movie, not a video game.
I hope that helps a bit! And thank you for your questions, they are very important! I encourage you to give it a go for a few sessions with that in mind. Feel free to ask more clarifications, if needed. Also, Tony examples above are great too!
Here is a quick down and dirty….
My character, Bosco, armed with a sword and shield faces 4 skeleton goons trying to stop him from delving further into the catacombs.
I create a spark…. “Defeat goons” with an overturn of overwhelmed and pushed back- forced to find another path…
they are goons and I am kind of a bad ass so I will say an OK hit is 1 ray, 15 is two and 20 is three.
However, I might just add an element of time so I create another spark. A bad or very bad as a ray to the spark “exhausted” with an overturn of 2nd wind.
So now I engage the skeletons, take a mighty swing and roll! 7… ugh. So I will add a ray to both sparks and check. Didn’t hit a ray..: whew… gather my self up after a poor attack, and take another swing…. 14! Heck ya! 2 rays on defeat goons! Check… 4 bummer… still going…
I am getting the better of them, I am gaining confidence and shield bash a few! Roll… 9…. I will add another ray to defeat goons and check.. 1! The last skeleton falls to bones with my mighty shield bash…. If I go, continuing my journey deeper into the catacombs.
Set clear expectations before combat about what success and failure looks like.
The second spark could have been an injury spark. If I hit that I would take an injury…. “Injured arm.” If I would hit that, then might reduce my success and make hits worth less rays or even reduce the defeat goons by one ray
Great example!
So everspark jam when?
Hi there, just wondering if any community copies will be available soon.
Thank you so much
Hi, very soon! Replenishing them today!
thanks mate. I was too slow. I’ll have to keep an eye out
I am reading everspark. i love what you have done with it! i was doing something quite similar with clocks, but way less elegant. Thanks a lot for your work! :)
Appreciate your kind words, thank you!
The Sparks mechanics sounds really cool. I'll need to try to find a way to play it in online game.
Lovely game you got here, Cezar and team.
Much appreciated!
Another hesitation I had about the game was its fantasy focus, and I am a big sci-fi guy. Well, I have combined Starforged and Everspark for a cool sci-fi solo rpg.
I use the setting, theme, and tables from Starforged and use the Everspark system. Sparks actually make for way more interesting progress tracks. And the Everspark system is so much less limiting than the PbtA move system of Starforged.
That’s so cool! I’m honored to have my game paired with Starforged, I’m a huge fan!
How well does this game work for solo play?
Perfectly well, if I may say so myself! There are solo rules, procedures and oracles. Someone shared their first solo session here, if you're interested in checking out: http://popcult.blog/2025/01/15/solo-tabletop-rpg-review-actual-play-everspark-pa...
Really well. I love solo RPG and this does it well, it also does a good job of starting a new solo role player as well since the rules are so easy. So you can focus on learning your solo style as opposed to a bunch of rules plus solo tools.
Everspark puts it all together in a simple and intuitive way. The sparks really help solo play.
Loved the system. Can't wait to playtest it some more with my group.
Any recommendations for a VTT that would work well for it?
Any plans for VTT support?
Glad to hear that!
Someone mentioned here that they are using Foundry with progress clocks as stand in for Sparks! I think that’s the best bet for now, as a custom module is a bit beyond my current skill set 😅
I use Miro with Randomizer for dice rolling... Miro already has build Sticky Notes!!!!
Fantastic tip, thanks for sharing!
I 2nd the inquiry about any kind of community? A discord would be great.
I just read the book and it’s fantastic. A nice fresh take on the rules light approach without being to watered down. I like the spark approach. I was pretty skeptical about no modifiers but I love the narrative behind it and what it allows you to do with your character and gear and even how to incorporate them into the difficulty of sparks.
I don’t see where to rate this app? It needs 5 stars!
The rating is on the right side of the screen on desktop, where it has things like "related games", above that is the option for rating it.
Thank you. Those don’t show up on my phone unless I turn it horizontal. Much appreciated!!!!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! And thanks to giantannie for the instructions on rating it, it does go a long way! Regarding discord, part of me would love to have a vibrant community engaging with the game, but at the moment I have to be honest with myself and the energy I'd have available to manage such a community. I'm still considering it!
We need a discord!
I just set up a discord server! https://discord.gg/ART8VHxwsg
I just set up a discord server! https://discord.gg/ART8VHxwsg
Is there any sort of community for this game yet? I really wanna start getting into online co-op stuff, hehe.
Also, I'm using Foundry VTT to play online, and I'd like to suggest for anyone else doing this to, until there's an Everspark for Foundry, to use a plugin called global progress clocks, since it's the only thing I found that allows you to do sparks in a way that makes them visible to everyone like they should be.
Not yet! I've been debating it, but at the moment I don't think I have the mental bandwidth to admin an online community on top of the other hats I have to wear, you know what I mean? I'd love to see them flourishing spontaneously haha
And great tip regarding Foundry, thanks for sharing!
The post-it and the tile doodle modules do fine if you want to get to the closer experience of drawing stars on post-its :)
I just set up a discord server! https://discord.gg/ART8VHxwsg
Just posted my character & world creation experience. Excited to get deeper into the mechanics and play advice when my adventure kicks off - http://popcult.blog/2025/01/15/solo-tabletop-rpg-review-actual-play-everspark-pa...
Literal chills reading the description of the world! So evocative! Can't wait to read the adventures of Cypress ^^
And yes by the way, first appearance of the Usage dices were in a game called Chronica Feudalis ... before The Black Hack ;)
I saw that, great reference! Thanks for pointing that out :)
Page 72, it says lasses instead of classes if you're looking for typo feedback. Love the book!
I am! Thank you very much, much appreciated!
I thought of another use for sparks for games like cairn and so on
Consider the event table:
Now, we run the basic spark procedure as usual. Let’s name our Spark “Dungeon Events”
The difference is, every line I add, unlocks a event from the table. So at 1 I am going to get an encounter if I roll 1, but if I have 4 lines and roll 3, I get the entry number 3 from the table.
Now, what happens if I marked all 5 lines and roll a 6? I suppose some majour event such as encountering a BBEG or something.
I’ll test it and let you know how it went :)
Gabes, that's AWESOME! Love it
Here’s another bit.
1 is always an encounter. The more lines you have on the Spark, the bigger or meaner the encounter.
Say
So if I have a spark with 3 lines in and roll 1, I’ll find the spark plaguemonger.
If I fill the apark and roll 5, I get entry 5, but if I run 6 I get a surprise early encou ter with the dungeon tyrant, the Plague Mother.
The idea is to scaffold as much info in as few rolls as possible.
I hope it’s, clear, hit me up with questions :)
Yup, super clear! It’s a Threat spark combined with an Escalation Spark, I love it so much! You should publish those, I’d love to give it a boost!
Well, Imma write an adventure module for it, actually! Just started the intro for it and all :)
Woohoo!
Cool idea, would be great for solo or collaborative play, like it 👍
Hey Cezar! Was just reading through the table of contents and found a typo on 'Spark-based Scenarios', it says 'Cenarios' instead, just so you know!
Great catch! Thank you!!
Exellent, just bought it last night and have read most of it. Great book ! :)
i cant seem to find the pod coupons for lulu though,
are they supposed to be in the downloads section or is that coming in the future ?
Thank you! The pod coupons are coming after the game leaves beta, so we make sure we caught all the goofs before making it available for print :) It’s around the corner!
Cool, thank you kindly for that reply so soon. And for your awesome work :)
Got it ! I‘ve already scheduled a game on Friday night in the world I’ve been playing in my teenage years back in time in Italy.
(My players are note even informed at we’ve been playing at 😂)
That sounds exciting! I hope you have a great time! :)
We played it ^^ i'll write something aboute that but for now here my review (in french:) ): https://www.casusno.fr/viewtopic.php?p=2254379#p2254379
I'm so glad you enjoyed the experience, thanks for reporting back!!
Hello! I'm making a crowdsourced podcast about tabletop games. If you're interested I'd love to learn more about your creation:
https://forms.gle/ehCNkLA3WUNDQLaG8
Like the idea! I'll give it a shot ^^
Cezar, you are one of the most innovative game designers out there! Everything you have created that I’ve ever read has been interesting, unique, simple to understand and yet incredibly adaptable. You’re a gift to the RPG community
That truly warms my heart, thank you so much for your kind words! ^^
Great Christmas and New Year gift—thank you! I’ve read it several times and truly enjoyed it. It's not just a game system but also an excellent introduction to modern TTRPGs, deeply inspiring. The Spark system is incredibly powerful and flexible, capable of simulating so many scenarios. While similar ideas have existed, the way you present it is truly compelling.
Do you have advice for explaining the rules to other players? The rules are generally simple, but there are quite a few details. For example, should we introduce the concept of Spark right away, or let it emerge naturally during play?
Another question, if we want to hack the system for a different setting, would it suffice to create new ABCs, or are there additional elements to modify?
Amazing work—I can’t wait to play my first session of Everspark!
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Addressing your questions:
I hope you have a great time with it!
This is excellent. There are some minor problems with the text, but otherwise, great!
In the text, there are these text captions for character portraits like this one:
Briony. Daughter of merchants,
these should be like:
Briony - daughter of merchants,
There may be some more problems like this.
Thank you!
I have played it solo, coop and hosted, I can affirm that this is one of the best games I have ever played, and it has become my standard for fantasy rpg
That made my day, thank you very much!
I am so sorry to ask, but are there possibly any copies left?
Love all of the games alot!!
Yes, there are! I’ll be replenishing them quite often :)
I will keep an eye out! :D
Hi Cezar, I have nearly gone through the whole book and now I am starting my first solo campaign to try out some stuff before introducing the game to my group. I really liked the more "introductory" chapters/procedures for TTRPG newbies a lot! Thanks for writing these!
Also I made a random adventure generator using your tables in perchance. https://perchance.org/co0cxg9ond
Thought I might share it here. Maybe you'll find it helpful.
Cheers!
That's superb! Thank you so much for sharing!
Cheers!
I'd love to share this generator around! Should I tag you on social media? If so, what's your handle?
of course you may share the generator - that is what it was made for ☺️! I am not present on social media atm, so you do not need to mention me really. I am just happy that it might be useful to somebody.
One recommendation though: currently, the generator is tied to my account. So maybe you want go create a copy of it under your account first, so you might edit or extend it later of if you wanted (which is totally fine by me).
I just ask you for one thing: keep doing what you do and create what you love and share it with us. I already „stole“ your spark/timed clock Idea as a homebrew rule for my last one shot I ran and it worked out superb! It created a sense of urgency for the players without them thinking „we have still 2 segements left, so all is fine“, which I noticed happens often when I used „normal“ segmented clocks. So - thanks for being creative and inspiring!
That’s awesome to hear, thank you very much! Will do! I appreciate your support!