Beholden: the tabletop role-playing game for people who don't have time for Dungeons & Dragons
Below you’ll find everything you need to begin your first session of Beholden in just a few minutes. That’s because Beholden doesn’t rely on countless handbooks, guides, or tedious reference manuals. The goal is to get both new and experienced players into the game – and having fun – as quickly as possible. Never lose an entire night to character creation ever again!
Downloadable Resources
Pencil to paper, dice to table
This is the guiding principle of Beholden. While technology has come a long way – and hundreds of computer and internet-based tools exist to help facilitate your campaigns – the true TTRPG experience simply cannot be replicated on a screen. Relying on digital tools can rob new and first-time players of the classic Dungeons & Dragons (et al.) experience that made the game unique and memorable in the first place.
What makes Beholden different from other RPGs?
- The Character Sheet (Player’s Handbook) and Judge’s Rulebook (Dungeon Master’s Guide) each fit on a single sheet of paper
- Character creation takes minutes instead of hours
- Nothing to track between sessions and no level progression system. Focus on the adventure, not the paperwork
- No purchases required! All resources can be downloaded or created. Beholden will always remain 100% free to play
- Tokens create a uniquely collaborative combat strategies that keeps play moving and make it easy for everyone to contribute
How do Tokens work in Beholden?
Each Archetype is assigned a Token color that corresponds to a specific bonus designed to assist in battle, keep combat moving, and ensure that every player can take a meaningful action each turn.
During each round of combat, a player may use up to three Tokens from any Archetype, in any combination. Once used, these Tokens are placed on the player’s character sheet and remain “spent” until the end of the turn, at which point they are returned to the player.
Token distribution is a fully collaborative process among the party. Players are encouraged to discuss strategy, combinations, and timing, prompting them to think more deeply about their combat choices beyond basic hack & slash tactics.
For example, if a player decides to use 2 Red Tokens and 1 Gold Token and successfully completes an attack, they will deal an extra 2d4 damage and be healed by 1d4.
- Warrior Red: Increase attack or ability damage by 1d4 per token
- Mystic Gold: Heals or Shields the Player by 1d4 per token on successful attack or ability
- Sage Green: Increase the chance of a successful roll by 1d4 per token
In another example, if a very difficult combat action is being attempted, a player may use 3 Green Tokens to add an extra 3d4 to their d20 roll, greatly improving their odds.