Misfits & Mayhem SRD

Download the free SRD!

Misfits & Mayhem is a TTRPG mechanics system I developed that is meant to be easily customizable to any setting or story. It is derived from the Powered by Kids on Bikes system and uses many of the same mechanics, but in my mind, it’s distinct enough to warrant its own name and SRD.

For those who don’t know, SRD stands for System Reference Document and is the rough equivalent to a video game physics engine for tabletop role-playing games. This document does not contain any pre-made characters, worldbuilding prompts or advice, or adventure modules. It’s simply the mechanics that can be used to broadly simulate a wide range of possible characters, worlds, abilities, situations, and narratives. To make it a full game and story, you and your table will have to come up with that content yourselves!

The document itself is 12 pages and roughly 9,500 words long. Printable character and vehicle sheets are included in the download, and virtual templates in Google Documents are available as well. 

To play a game using the Misfits & Mayhem SRD, you will need:

  • A set of polyhedral dice (d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, d4)

  • Tokens (like glass beads or poker chips)

  • 1 game master

  • 3-5 players

  • The PDFs that can be found via the link above

  • The time, space, and energy to tell a collaborative story

The Misfits & Mayhem SRD is best used to develop and play the following types of games:

  • Games that focus mostly on story (roughly 2/3 of gameplay should be narrative role-play and 1/3 should be combat or intense, combat-like scenarios)

  • Games where each Player Character is the main character of their own story (and one of the main characters of the overarching story itself)

  • Games with unique, homebrew, or highly specific settings that don't fit neatly into a single genre or pre-existing TTRPG

  • Games where supernatural abilities tend to be more flexible and narrative, rather than granular and specific like D&D 5e spells/magic

  • Games where you'll be rolling a lot in tense or unknown situations, resulting in actions that are somewhat important individually but mostly serve to combine together into the eventual climax of the scene

  • Games where combat and other violent altercations are intense, fast-paced, and deadly situations where every move matters… and could be your last

  • Games where the GM's primary purpose is to be a storyteller, narrator, and lore/world/magic system creator, rather than someone constantly fiddling with and understanding complex mecahnics

  • Games where a player's mastery of the system (e.g. min-maxing) is not only rewarding but even encouraged, especially if said system mastery is used to contribute to the narrative