4 Mistakes I Made in My First TTRPG And How I Fixed Them

Making mistakes was the best thing that could’ve happened to my first game.

Originally published on my **Substack**.

I remember my first game clearly. I wanted it to be perfect: a beautifully written one-page TTRPG that would impress everyone. That mindset led me to endless drafts and countless changes. Now, looking back, I can see the real mistakes I made.

In this article, I’ll show you four of them:

1. Trying to create the perfect game
2. Adding too many mechanics
3. Stats, stats, and more stats
4. Insecurity and fear of judgment

Cover of LAST SOLO

MISTAKE #1: Trying to Create the Perfect Game

I spent hours editing and rewriting the text. I probably spent just as much time on layout design (I’ll share the free tools I used in a future post). I thought I had to make something revolutionary. And yeah, having high standards isn’t a bad idea, but I lost sight of what mattered most: actually releasing the game.

The truth? The game worked quite well. It didn’t need more polish. I could always come back to it later and improve it (which I’m doing now, by the way).

This obsession with perfection led straight into the next mistake: adding too many mechanics.

MISTAKE #2: Too Many Mechanics

The first version of **LAST SOLO was overloaded with mechanics: stats (more on that later), custom dice, a tower (yep, there was a tower at one point), movement points… I threw everything** in.

To be honest, the game actually worked pretty well, but was it what I needed it to be? Did it convey the oppressive tone I wanted? Did it highlight the musical elements? Not really. Too many mechanics pulled focus away from the core experience I was aiming for.

So I cut it all down: a single d6, more narrative freedom in scenes, and a laser focus on the themes both the jam and I cared about.

Remember: LESS IS MORE. — Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

MISTAKE #3: Stats Everywhere

The early version had characters with three stats: Energy, Harmony, and Creativity. Players would roll based on these attributes. Sounds fine, right? But why were they there? Did they serve a clear purpose, or did I add them just because “most games have stats”?

That question changed everything. So I removed them. The result? The game didn’t suffer; on the contrary, it improved. Players focused more on telling their stories than managing numbers.

Now, I ask myself every time: Do I really need stats? If I can skip them, I usually do.

MISTAKE #4: Insecurity and Fear of Judgment

This ties directly back to Mistake #1. I wanted the game to be perfect because I was afraid of what others might think. I would write mechanics and then trash them, convinced that someone else had already done it better.

That insecurity was paralyzing. It led to a creative block. It made me copy instead of create. I found myself thinking: “I’ll just take this amazing mechanic from that brilliant designer and throw it into my game.” There’s nothing wrong with being inspired by others, but if you’re not adding a piece of yourself, then what’s the point of making games?

I still feel that insecurity. I still revise things 100 times before releasing them. But now I try to treat feedback as a FRIEND, not a THREAT. That mindset helps me keep designing, keep releasing.

And if a game turns out bad? Fine. I toss it, keep the good parts, and move on. And I did. I have a hidden game on Itch.io that I released and later pulled because I wasn’t happy with it anymore. Maybe I’ll write a post about it someday, and even re-release it just to show you what didn’t work.

In the end, I realized the game doesn’t need to be perfect; it just needs to be authentic. And only through feedback can we improve. It might sound cliché, but once you live it, you really get it.

Conclusion

These mistakes weren’t just technical; they were mental. I see they all stem from the same root: FEAR. Fear that my work wouldn’t be good enough, that I’d be judged, that I’d fail. But here’s the paradox: that fear of failure was guaranteeing my failure. By never releasing anything, I was failing by default.

But enough of this. I don’t want to bore you with more “philosophical” rambling. The lesson is: RELEASE YOUR DAMN GAME!

In the next few posts, I’ll be diving into the creative process behind my TTRPG **The Nameless**. Think of them as practical devlogs.

Thanks for reading!

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