ShenaniGoblins
Version 1Core Mechanic
To Do The Thing, roll one d6 for each Trait the Goblin Master agrees would help. Add one die for a helpful item in the goblin's Pockets, two when the goblin often does this task as part of its Job, and one per helper, then remove one die per character trying to stop the goblin. Each 5 or 6 is a Hit, and the goblin succeeds when the Hits equal or exceed the Goblin Master's difficulty of 1 to 5. Dice hit on 4+ when the action directly serves the goblin's Dream or the player spends 2 Sparks, and only on 6 when the player takes 1 XP for a hindering Trait. Two or more dice showing the same number also trigger Chaos Magic, adding Something Bad on a match of 1–3 or Something Good on a match of 4–6 on top of the roll's result.
Best For
Groups who want a silly, low-prep fantasy one-shot about incompetent minions, where arguing a goblin's quirks into the dice pool is part of the fun.
Highlights
Matching dice add a Chaos Magic event on top of the roll's result, so even a successful roll can bring Something Bad. Damage marks off Traits that cannot be rolled until they recover, so an injured goblin loses dice instead of hit points. Fulfilling a goblin's Dream grants an immediate Level and a new Trait, and the player then sets an even more grandiose Dream.
Considerations
Spark-powered magic has no spell list or cost table, so the Goblin Master judges how many Sparks each change costs. Any pool of seven or more dice is certain to contain a matching pair, which guarantees a Chaos Magic event. The rules include no character death: a goblin with every Trait marked is Out until one recovers.
Third-Party Publishing
The itch.io and DriveThruRPG listings state that ShenaniGoblins © 2025 by Jon Pessin is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. The license permits sharing and adapting the game for noncommercial purposes with attribution and a link to the license, and adaptations that are shared must carry the same or a compatible license. It does not authorize commercial use.
The license notice appears on the store listings, not on the two-page rule sheet. It names Jon Pessin's game and does not separately address the Storm's Eye artwork or the third-party Carima logo font.