Principles Behind The Family RPG System

When I began the cleanroom rewrite of the Second Edition of the Advanced fantasy game, I had no intention of building a universal system. The idea appeared only when I realized that the first setting I had ever written could not be published under any existing universal framework because of licensing restrictions. That created a choice I could not avoid. I decided to use Damsels, Adventurers, and Dragons as the foundation for every game and setting I would produce. After that decision, the universal system formed through deliberate design rather than accident.

I started writing Superheroic Operations Network to use the familiar core mechanics of DAD and then attach a Hero System style point buy for modifying ability scores and building character powers. Ability scores are still rolled first, just as in DAD. I kept the class groups, THAC0, saving throws, and the rest of the core framework. Weapon and nonweapon proficiencies were updated to match a modern setting. This ensured that SON and DAD could cross over without conflict. I put SON on hold when Alexander Macris challenged me to write a Vietnam War RPG.

Ghosts of Vietnam: The RPG uses the same framework as DAD. Every class is assigned to a specific class group and follows the same core structure. Instead of a point buy system, it uses the DAD method of character creation. You roll your stats, choose your nationality, and then choose your class. Equipment is assigned based on historical sources that document what soldiers actually carried in Vietnam.

I then considered how each genre would interact with a shared physics and metaphysics layer. Since DAD was created first, every other genre conforms to its physics and metaphysics. In DAD the supernatural exists and the world has developed counters for it through magic. Because DAD sits in the middle, SON becomes tier 1 since superheroes naturally break physics and metaphysics, although they must pay points to do so. This placed GOV at the bottom, since it is restricted to mundane physics with no understanding of metaphysics at all. That is how the tier system was created.

Tier 1 SON

Tier 2 DAD

Tier 3 GOV

All of the games share the same core, so I had to map SON and GOV to the structure that DAD uses. The class group determines the experience chart, hit dice, saving throws, weapon proficiency and nonweapon proficiency slots, and the overall role the class fills in the universe. The class groups are Warrior, Wizard, Priest, and Rogue. Each group performs the same niche in DAD. Warriors are the frontline fighters, Wizards are indirect manipulators of the world, Priests are healers and support, and Rogues handle tasks that require stealth and precision. The following lists show how each game’s classes fit into this classic structure.

Damsels, Adventurers, and Dragons Classes

Warrior: Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger

Wizard: Mage and Specialty Mage

Priest: Cleric, Druid, and Monk

Rogue: Thief and Bard

Superheroic Operations Network Classes

Warrior: Brick, Martial Artist, and Speedster

Wizard: Mystic, Blaster, Mentalist, and Elementalist

Priest: Healer and Support

Rogue: Infiltrator, Gadgeteer, and Shape Shifter

Ghosts of Vietnam

Warrior: Rifleman, Automatic Rifleman, Tank/APC Crewman, PBR Crewman, Huey Crew Chief

Wizard: RTO, Combat Engineer, Huey Pilot, Tank/APC Commander, PBR Captain

Priest: Medic and PsyOps

Rogue: LRRP, Sniper, and Intelligence

As you can see, each of the roles fits naturally into the classic class group structure. In GOV these roles function as the character’s MOS. DAD retains the traditional multi-class rules for demi-humans and dual class rules for humans. SON does not use dual or multi-classing because the genre does not support that convention. GOV includes special dual class rules for humans, since certain special operations roles cannot be represented by a single class.

The next part was how races are expressed in each genre. In DAD this is straightforward, since fantasy races are part of the setting. In SON this becomes the character’s origin, which defines where the character’s powers come from. In GOV this slot becomes nationality or ethnicity. In GOV the only mechanical benefit is a free language NWP for characters who were raised in a bilingual household. The following lists show how each of these fits within the overall structure.

Damsels, Adventurers, and Dragons Races

Dwarf

Elf

Dark

Gray

High

Water

Winged

Wood

Gnome

Halfling

Human

Kobold

Black

Blue

Green

Red

White

Brass

Bronze

Copper

Gold

Silver

Superheroic Operations Network Origins

Normal Human*

Altered Human

Gifted (Mutants)

Alien

Android

Fantasy Race*

Cyborg

Non-humanoid Robot

Angel/Demon

Deity

*Normal Human and Fantasy Race in SON are not the same as the versions presented in DAD. They differ because of the metaphysics, since they can be altered by game events to grant actual powers. A Normal Human origin costs zero character points, while a Fantasy Race is built using powers and character points.

Ghosts of Vietnam Nationalities

White

Black

Hispanic

Chinese

Vietnamese

Korean

American Indian

Filipino

Pacific Islander

Race, Origin, and Nationality all occupy the same metaphysical structure within the system. Each one fills the identical slot in character creation, but their expression is shaped by the genre. In DAD this slot represents biological or magical species. In SON it becomes the metaphysical source of the character’s powers. In GOV it reflects cultural background with no supernatural effect. The structure remains constant even though the fiction changes, which is another way of saying that everything is a special effect layered on top of the same underlying framework.

Next are the alignments and how each genre interprets them. DAD uses the classic nine alignments stripped of moral relativism, and this serves as the baseline for all genres. SON uses alignment to determine the metaphysical psychological outlook of the character, which dictates whether they use lethal or nonlethal methods when interacting with the world. Supers are physical manifestations of the cosmic laws, so their alignment reflects the principle they embody. GOV bases alignment on lawful orders and personal morality. In both GOV and DAD a character can shift alignment through willful action, while in SON it requires significant effort to break the psychological chains created by the cosmic laws that define the alignments. SON’s alignment system is derived directly from the metaphysical laws of the universe, and when these higher laws force a change in a supernatural being, the entity itself is transformed. An angel that shifts to Evil becomes a demon, a demon that shifts to Good becomes an angel, a god that turns to Evil becomes a devil, and a devil that turns to Good becomes a god.

Since DAD forms the baseline of the metaphysics, creatures are defined there first. It is quick and simple to build them, because balance is not a design concern in DAD. Those same monsters can then be used in any genre without alteration. Each genre relies on its own understanding of physics and metaphysics to determine whether it has the tools to counter them. SON can break both physics and metaphysics through power upgrades, while GOV has no counter at all. The major advantage for players and Adventure Masters is that a single monster manual serves every core rulebook, since the creatures never need to be rewritten for each genre.

A single monster manual strengthens the entire Family RPG System by keeping every creature tied to one consistent metaphysical baseline. Since all monsters are built in DAD and never rewritten for other genres, their identity and capabilities remain stable across every game. Adventure Masters gain the ability to move threats between settings without reworking statistics or lore, and players always know what a creature truly is, even if their characters cannot counter it. This unified design keeps the cosmology intact, reduces preparation time, and ensures that future genres can be added without altering the bestiary.

For example, a vampire in DAD requires a magical weapon of +1 or better to hit. In SON a character must purchase the power upgrade Improved Accuracy to strike it. GOV characters cannot harm a vampire at all while it is awake. Its only moment of vulnerability is when it rests in its coffin, where a stake through the heart followed by beheading works the same way in every genre. Holy water can be created in any genre by a member of the clergy.

SON gains an advantage when dealing with incorporeal foes such as wraiths, banshees, and ghosts, because a character can buy the power upgrade Affects Desolid. GOV characters cannot affect these creatures at all. Improved Accuracy and Affects Desolid can also be purchased for the Angel, Demon, and Deity origins, which increases their base cost. SON uses point buy because all characters begin at level 1. They receive a base amount of points to build with, and that amount increases every level until level 20. At level 20 they become cosmic entities, since the genre breaks the normal limits of physics and metaphysics.

Foes that sit on their own metaphysical layer are built using the core rulebook that matches that layer. DAD creatures are created within the DAD metaphysics, SON entities are constructed with the SON power framework, and GOV threats follow mundane physics. This lets each genre generate enemies that reflect its internal logic without breaking the shared foundation of the Family RPG System. Once created, these foes can appear in any other genre exactly as they are. The AM can introduce a SON-tier entity into a DAD campaign, a DAD monster into a GOV scenario, or a mundane GOV adversary into any setting. The creatures do not need rewrites or adjustments because the metaphysical layer they come from already defines how they interact with all others. This preserves consistency across genres while giving Adventure Masters complete freedom to scale threats as they choose.

As you can see, once a single genre establishes the baseline for physics and metaphysics, it becomes simple to build additional genres on top of it. Each new genre expresses that baseline in its own way and follows its own conventions, which gives every game its distinct identity while still operating on the same core mechanics. This creates a unified framework where the rules never contradict themselves and where the metaphysical structure remains constant regardless of setting. It also means that genres with only mundane physics can experience true horror, since they lack the supernatural counters that exist in higher tiers. By grounding everything in a single metaphysical foundation, the Family RPG System allows creators to expand into new genres without fragmentation, without rewriting creatures, and without altering the integrity of the universe.