GOBLIN ADVENTURE!
Originally published for the Minimalist Games jam. I'm actively developing this game through play with my 6-year-old, and there will be updates in the future.
GOBLIN ADVENTURE
Be a goblin!
Go in dungeons!
Find treasure!
Fight monsters!
Make Friends!
Adventure!
Characters
To make a character:
First: Name your goblin.
Second: Pick your weapon (all are d6 damage)
Third: Pick your magic element (fire, ice, snakes, slime, rocks, vines, whatever you want)
Fourth: Pick one useful tool to keep with you (every goblin also has a magical treasure backpack and a lantern)
Fifth: Roll 3d6 two times for HP and SAVE; put the higher number in SAVE and the lower in HP.
Sixth: Write all those things down.
Seventh: If you want to, draw a picture of your goblin.
Doing Things
Any time a goblin tries to do something risky, roll 1d20:
≤ SAVE - Succeed with no negative consequences
> SAVE - Succeed with a negative consequence or fail with a positive consequence.
If the action isn’t risky or if their tool would help, they can do it without rolling.
Fighting
Start - Both sides roll d20; highest result goes first
Then - Each side takes turns.
Attack - Roll the damage die and subtract result from the target’s HP. If two attackers target the same opponent, only the highest result counts for damage.
Other Actions - For any other actions during a fight, follow the rules for “Doing Things.”
Damage and Healing
When a goblin is reduced to 0 HP they are knocked out. If a friend comes to help them they get back d6 HP.
Goblins can rest in a safe place with food and water and regain d6 HP.
Goblins regain all HP with a good night’s sleep.
Monsters die or are knocked out at 0 HP, the goblin attacking them chooses what happens.
Magic
Every goblin has magic of a type they choose when making a character.
A goblin has five uses for their magic at the start of the day.
Goblins regain one magic use with a rest or all their uses when they get a good night’s sleep.
Goblins can do anything reasonable magically given their chosen element. The players decide together what is reasonable. Mark one use each time magic is used in this way.
When fighting, goblins can mark multiple uses to use their magic to attack. Roll d6 damage for each use marked.
Monsters
Monster HP ranges 1-20 and SAVE ranges 3-18. Their damage dice can be whatever makes sense.
Slime - HP 3 SAVE 8 - Acid 2d4
Skeleton - HP 5 SAVE 10 - Bow d6
Ghost - HP 10 SAVE 12 - Chill d8
Troll - HP 15 SAVE 14 - Stomp d12
Dragon - HP 20 SAVE 18 - Fire breath 3d6 to everyone
Roll 2d6 for a reaction when encountering a monster:
2 - Attacks
3-4 - Grumpy
5-7 - Neutral
8-10 - Happy
11-12 - New Best Friend
Dungeoneering
Roll d6 each time the goblins go to a new room or spend time doing something in a room.
1 - Random encounter in room
2 - Random encounter in nearby room
3 - Lantern goes out
4-6 - Nothing happens
Make a table of at least 4 random encounters if building a dungeon for yourself, or use the table from published dungeons.
Treasure
Goblins have magical backpacks with infinite space inside to pick up treasure. They go in dungeons to get cool treasure. They don’t do anything with it, just nice to have shiny things. But that’s the game.
Credits
Goblin Adventure ©2025 Luke Simonds/Cats Have No Lord. Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0.
Inspired by Cairn, Perils & Princesses, Mausritter, Into the Odd, Mörk Borg, Tunnel Goons, and probably other cool OSR stuff I’ve forgotten I read.