Sin of Envy
Sin of Envy drops you into a dark fantasy world where the line between hero and villain blurs with every choice. It's a setting where envy isn’t just a vice; it’s the driving force behind every conflict, betrayal, and tragedy. You're not just playing characters; you're stepping into their obsessions, their jealousies, their hunger for more, more power, more love, more of what someone else already has. It’s character-driven, meaning every decision changes the narrative. No predetermined paths, just a spiral of consequences based on what you choose to do. You’re in control, but so are your flaws.
What makes Sin of Envy stand out is its focus on story, imagination, and the collaborative effort it takes to pull off a session. Sure, you're out there battling dark forces, but the real struggle? It’s with each other, and yourselves. The depth comes not from stat sheets, but from the choices you make and the relationships you forge, break, or manipulate. It’s not a "save the world" type of story. It’s about surviving, outwitting, and outlasting, all while battling the green-eyed monster within.
If you like dark, gritty fantasy settings that still feel familiar but want something with a sharper edge, Sin of Envy might just be what you’re looking for. It’s perfect for those who crave story-driven roleplaying experiences where actions matter and consequences come fast. Get ready for a roleplaying experience that feels fresh, unpredictable, and just a little too real.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are a chance to revisit some of our classic titles with a fresh coat of paint. They’ve been updated with our current trade dress and given a once-over by the editorial team to clean up any lingering rough edges. Sure, they might not have all the bells and whistles of our latest releases, but that’s kind of the point. These books are a solid addition to your collection without costing you an arm and a leg. You’re getting great value at a budget price, and they still deliver on quality, even if they don’t have that new-release shine.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms, mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
The Sin of Envy: At the heart of Sin of Envy is, unsurprisingly, envy. It's the fuel that drives everything forward, pulling characters into a web of jealousy and rivalry. Whether they’re coveting someone’s power, relationships, or something more elusive, envy is the reason they're all here, and it’s the thing that could tear them apart. Every choice they make is soaked in resentment and longing for what others possess. Outsmarting envy might be the only way to survive, but as you'll soon learn, no one walks away unscathed.
Adventures: This is where the roleplaying experience really takes off. These adventures aren’t just about getting from point A to point B, they’re designed to make your characters confront their darkest desires and the destructive power of envy. Tension is the name of the game here. Each twist pushes your group into harder decisions, forcing them to decide if they can work together or if jealousy will rip them apart. Whether you're running a single-session scenario or a sprawling campaign, there’s enough chaos here to keep your group on edge.
Plot Hooks: Need to drag your players deeper into the spiral of envy? No problem. This section is loaded with plot hooks that won’t just bait your characters, they’ll trap them. Whether it’s the promise of wealth, power, or secrets, these hooks set the stage for some serious fallout. Things might look like they’re calming down, but don’t worry, envy has a way of dragging them right back into the chaos.
Worldbuilding: Envy infects everything, and that’s especially true in the world you create. Whether it’s scheming nobles, a kingdom on the brink of war, or a landscape filled with peril, this section gives you all the tools you need to build a setting that reacts to your characters’ every move. The world isn’t just a backdrop, it’s another player in the story, twisted by jealousy and ambition, and ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice.
Player Characters: Envy doesn’t just drive the story; it drives your characters too. What do they want? What do they crave? This section helps players connect their character’s desires to the larger story, making everything feel personal. It's not just about fighting enemies; it's about fighting the desire to take what someone else has. And when envy finally wins, the consequences are devastating.
Antagonists: Villains in Sin of Envy aren’t just roadblocks, they’re the embodiment of jealousy and greed. These enemies have their own goals, often just as twisted as the players’. They're not simple foes to be defeated; they’re rivals, manipulators, and sometimes even reflections of the characters themselves. You never quite know what they'll do next, which makes them even more dangerous.
Supporting Characters: Not everyone in this setting is a straight-up villain or a perfect hero. You’ve got a lot of gray-area characters who aren’t directly in the mix but still complicate things. Merchants looking to profit from your misery, rival adventurers playing their own angle, or so-called allies who always seem to have something to gain, they add layers to the story and keep things unpredictable.
Guilds: Greedy, self-serving, and ruthless, guilds play a huge role in the world of envy. They’ve got the resources, the power, and a never-ending desire to stay on top. Whether they’re manipulating the players, serving as rivals, or pretending to be allies, guilds are never fully trustworthy. They're always working an angle, and their goals rarely align with anyone but themselves.
Creatures: Envy doesn’t just affect people, it distorts everything, including beasts and monsters. This section offers up creatures that have been twisted by their own jealous desires. They’re unpredictable, dangerous, and often more than what they seem. Whether they guard coveted treasures or hunt down anyone who tries to take what they want, these creatures are perfect for keeping your players on their toes.
Magic: The magic in Sin of Envy isn’t the kind that solves problems, it makes them worse. Sure, it offers power, but at a cost. This section introduces spells and rituals that promise everything your characters want, power, love, success, but always with a dangerous price tag. The magic here is unpredictable, and even if it gives your players an edge, it’ll come back to bite them.
Magic Items: What’s envy without a few cursed treasures? In Sin of Envy, magic items are more than just tools, they’re temptations. They offer incredible power, but with consequences your characters won’t see coming until it’s too late. Think you can wield that ancient artifact and walk away unscathed? Think again. These items are for those who want to gamble with their souls. Spoiler: they’ll lose.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Sin of Envy isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
88 pages. PDF and epub files included.
Sin of Envy drops you into a dark fantasy world where the line between hero and villain blurs with every choice. It's a setting where envy isn’t just a vice; it’s the driving force behind every conflict, betrayal, and tragedy. You're not just playing characters; you're stepping into their obsessions, their jealousies, their hunger for more, more power, more love, more of what someone else already has. It’s character-driven, meaning every decision changes the narrative. No predetermined paths, just a spiral of consequences based on what you choose to do. You’re in control, but so are your flaws.
What makes Sin of Envy stand out is its focus on story, imagination, and the collaborative effort it takes to pull off a session. Sure, you're out there battling dark forces, but the real struggle? It’s with each other, and yourselves. The depth comes not from stat sheets, but from the choices you make and the relationships you forge, break, or manipulate. It’s not a "save the world" type of story. It’s about surviving, outwitting, and outlasting, all while battling the green-eyed monster within.
If you like dark, gritty fantasy settings that still feel familiar but want something with a sharper edge, Sin of Envy might just be what you’re looking for. It’s perfect for those who crave story-driven roleplaying experiences where actions matter and consequences come fast. Get ready for a roleplaying experience that feels fresh, unpredictable, and just a little too real.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are a chance to revisit some of our classic titles with a fresh coat of paint. They’ve been updated with our current trade dress and given a once-over by the editorial team to clean up any lingering rough edges. Sure, they might not have all the bells and whistles of our latest releases, but that’s kind of the point. These books are a solid addition to your collection without costing you an arm and a leg. You’re getting great value at a budget price, and they still deliver on quality, even if they don’t have that new-release shine.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms, mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
The Sin of Envy: At the heart of Sin of Envy is, unsurprisingly, envy. It's the fuel that drives everything forward, pulling characters into a web of jealousy and rivalry. Whether they’re coveting someone’s power, relationships, or something more elusive, envy is the reason they're all here, and it’s the thing that could tear them apart. Every choice they make is soaked in resentment and longing for what others possess. Outsmarting envy might be the only way to survive, but as you'll soon learn, no one walks away unscathed.
Adventures: This is where the roleplaying experience really takes off. These adventures aren’t just about getting from point A to point B, they’re designed to make your characters confront their darkest desires and the destructive power of envy. Tension is the name of the game here. Each twist pushes your group into harder decisions, forcing them to decide if they can work together or if jealousy will rip them apart. Whether you're running a single-session scenario or a sprawling campaign, there’s enough chaos here to keep your group on edge.
Plot Hooks: Need to drag your players deeper into the spiral of envy? No problem. This section is loaded with plot hooks that won’t just bait your characters, they’ll trap them. Whether it’s the promise of wealth, power, or secrets, these hooks set the stage for some serious fallout. Things might look like they’re calming down, but don’t worry, envy has a way of dragging them right back into the chaos.
Worldbuilding: Envy infects everything, and that’s especially true in the world you create. Whether it’s scheming nobles, a kingdom on the brink of war, or a landscape filled with peril, this section gives you all the tools you need to build a setting that reacts to your characters’ every move. The world isn’t just a backdrop, it’s another player in the story, twisted by jealousy and ambition, and ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice.
Player Characters: Envy doesn’t just drive the story; it drives your characters too. What do they want? What do they crave? This section helps players connect their character’s desires to the larger story, making everything feel personal. It's not just about fighting enemies; it's about fighting the desire to take what someone else has. And when envy finally wins, the consequences are devastating.
Antagonists: Villains in Sin of Envy aren’t just roadblocks, they’re the embodiment of jealousy and greed. These enemies have their own goals, often just as twisted as the players’. They're not simple foes to be defeated; they’re rivals, manipulators, and sometimes even reflections of the characters themselves. You never quite know what they'll do next, which makes them even more dangerous.
Supporting Characters: Not everyone in this setting is a straight-up villain or a perfect hero. You’ve got a lot of gray-area characters who aren’t directly in the mix but still complicate things. Merchants looking to profit from your misery, rival adventurers playing their own angle, or so-called allies who always seem to have something to gain, they add layers to the story and keep things unpredictable.
Guilds: Greedy, self-serving, and ruthless, guilds play a huge role in the world of envy. They’ve got the resources, the power, and a never-ending desire to stay on top. Whether they’re manipulating the players, serving as rivals, or pretending to be allies, guilds are never fully trustworthy. They're always working an angle, and their goals rarely align with anyone but themselves.
Creatures: Envy doesn’t just affect people, it distorts everything, including beasts and monsters. This section offers up creatures that have been twisted by their own jealous desires. They’re unpredictable, dangerous, and often more than what they seem. Whether they guard coveted treasures or hunt down anyone who tries to take what they want, these creatures are perfect for keeping your players on their toes.
Magic: The magic in Sin of Envy isn’t the kind that solves problems, it makes them worse. Sure, it offers power, but at a cost. This section introduces spells and rituals that promise everything your characters want, power, love, success, but always with a dangerous price tag. The magic here is unpredictable, and even if it gives your players an edge, it’ll come back to bite them.
Magic Items: What’s envy without a few cursed treasures? In Sin of Envy, magic items are more than just tools, they’re temptations. They offer incredible power, but with consequences your characters won’t see coming until it’s too late. Think you can wield that ancient artifact and walk away unscathed? Think again. These items are for those who want to gamble with their souls. Spoiler: they’ll lose.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Sin of Envy isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
88 pages. PDF and epub files included.
Sin of Envy drops you into a dark fantasy world where the line between hero and villain blurs with every choice. It's a setting where envy isn’t just a vice; it’s the driving force behind every conflict, betrayal, and tragedy. You're not just playing characters; you're stepping into their obsessions, their jealousies, their hunger for more, more power, more love, more of what someone else already has. It’s character-driven, meaning every decision changes the narrative. No predetermined paths, just a spiral of consequences based on what you choose to do. You’re in control, but so are your flaws.
What makes Sin of Envy stand out is its focus on story, imagination, and the collaborative effort it takes to pull off a session. Sure, you're out there battling dark forces, but the real struggle? It’s with each other, and yourselves. The depth comes not from stat sheets, but from the choices you make and the relationships you forge, break, or manipulate. It’s not a "save the world" type of story. It’s about surviving, outwitting, and outlasting, all while battling the green-eyed monster within.
If you like dark, gritty fantasy settings that still feel familiar but want something with a sharper edge, Sin of Envy might just be what you’re looking for. It’s perfect for those who crave story-driven roleplaying experiences where actions matter and consequences come fast. Get ready for a roleplaying experience that feels fresh, unpredictable, and just a little too real.
A Universal Sourcebook
You don’t need it to play any of our games using The Simple Approach, but it’s here to spice things up if you want. It’s also written to be functionally system-agnostic, so feel free to throw its elements into any other roleplaying system your choice.
If you’re looking to use it with a different roleplaying system, don’t worry. There are notes at the end to help with conversion, and if you’re need more advice in translating material between systems, grab the Lightspress Handbook, available wherever you found this book.
Legacy Editions
Legacy Editions are a chance to revisit some of our classic titles with a fresh coat of paint. They’ve been updated with our current trade dress and given a once-over by the editorial team to clean up any lingering rough edges. Sure, they might not have all the bells and whistles of our latest releases, but that’s kind of the point. These books are a solid addition to your collection without costing you an arm and a leg. You’re getting great value at a budget price, and they still deliver on quality, even if they don’t have that new-release shine.
Terminology
This book comes from a time when a certain massive corporation thought it could rewrite the rules and claim ownership over everything, including words that existed long before it did. Even though we weren’t doing anything wrong, we decided to tweak a few common terms, mostly to protect ourselves, but also a little bit to declare that we can all keep playing without them if it came down to it. Not that they noticed, because in the grand scheme of things, we’re just a bug on their windshield.
Anyway, if you can’t figure out that a berserker is basically a barbarian, a knight is more or less a paladin, and the damned are warlocks, you’ve got bigger problems than a glossary or a few vocabulary swaps will fix.
Navigating This Book
The Sin of Envy: At the heart of Sin of Envy is, unsurprisingly, envy. It's the fuel that drives everything forward, pulling characters into a web of jealousy and rivalry. Whether they’re coveting someone’s power, relationships, or something more elusive, envy is the reason they're all here, and it’s the thing that could tear them apart. Every choice they make is soaked in resentment and longing for what others possess. Outsmarting envy might be the only way to survive, but as you'll soon learn, no one walks away unscathed.
Adventures: This is where the roleplaying experience really takes off. These adventures aren’t just about getting from point A to point B, they’re designed to make your characters confront their darkest desires and the destructive power of envy. Tension is the name of the game here. Each twist pushes your group into harder decisions, forcing them to decide if they can work together or if jealousy will rip them apart. Whether you're running a single-session scenario or a sprawling campaign, there’s enough chaos here to keep your group on edge.
Plot Hooks: Need to drag your players deeper into the spiral of envy? No problem. This section is loaded with plot hooks that won’t just bait your characters, they’ll trap them. Whether it’s the promise of wealth, power, or secrets, these hooks set the stage for some serious fallout. Things might look like they’re calming down, but don’t worry, envy has a way of dragging them right back into the chaos.
Worldbuilding: Envy infects everything, and that’s especially true in the world you create. Whether it’s scheming nobles, a kingdom on the brink of war, or a landscape filled with peril, this section gives you all the tools you need to build a setting that reacts to your characters’ every move. The world isn’t just a backdrop, it’s another player in the story, twisted by jealousy and ambition, and ready to fall apart at a moment’s notice.
Player Characters: Envy doesn’t just drive the story; it drives your characters too. What do they want? What do they crave? This section helps players connect their character’s desires to the larger story, making everything feel personal. It's not just about fighting enemies; it's about fighting the desire to take what someone else has. And when envy finally wins, the consequences are devastating.
Antagonists: Villains in Sin of Envy aren’t just roadblocks, they’re the embodiment of jealousy and greed. These enemies have their own goals, often just as twisted as the players’. They're not simple foes to be defeated; they’re rivals, manipulators, and sometimes even reflections of the characters themselves. You never quite know what they'll do next, which makes them even more dangerous.
Supporting Characters: Not everyone in this setting is a straight-up villain or a perfect hero. You’ve got a lot of gray-area characters who aren’t directly in the mix but still complicate things. Merchants looking to profit from your misery, rival adventurers playing their own angle, or so-called allies who always seem to have something to gain, they add layers to the story and keep things unpredictable.
Guilds: Greedy, self-serving, and ruthless, guilds play a huge role in the world of envy. They’ve got the resources, the power, and a never-ending desire to stay on top. Whether they’re manipulating the players, serving as rivals, or pretending to be allies, guilds are never fully trustworthy. They're always working an angle, and their goals rarely align with anyone but themselves.
Creatures: Envy doesn’t just affect people, it distorts everything, including beasts and monsters. This section offers up creatures that have been twisted by their own jealous desires. They’re unpredictable, dangerous, and often more than what they seem. Whether they guard coveted treasures or hunt down anyone who tries to take what they want, these creatures are perfect for keeping your players on their toes.
Magic: The magic in Sin of Envy isn’t the kind that solves problems, it makes them worse. Sure, it offers power, but at a cost. This section introduces spells and rituals that promise everything your characters want, power, love, success, but always with a dangerous price tag. The magic here is unpredictable, and even if it gives your players an edge, it’ll come back to bite them.
Magic Items: What’s envy without a few cursed treasures? In Sin of Envy, magic items are more than just tools, they’re temptations. They offer incredible power, but with consequences your characters won’t see coming until it’s too late. Think you can wield that ancient artifact and walk away unscathed? Think again. These items are for those who want to gamble with their souls. Spoiler: they’ll lose.
The Simple Approach
To understand this book, you need to know the context in which it was written and the philosophy that runs through it. At its core, The Simple Approach emphasizes the elements that truly matter in roleplaying: narrative depth, character complexity, and player agency. While plenty of systems are still obsessed with combat, loot, and grinding, we know roleplaying can be so much more. This system is all about immersive storytelling, meaningful choices, and characters you actually care about. Whether you're uncovering hidden secrets, solving a gripping mystery, or exploring the complexities of romance, The Simple Approach offers a fresh take on traditional genres like fantasy, science fiction, and horror, along with modern and underserved ones like crime & mystery, cottagecore fantasy, dark academia, magical realism, romance, and espionage.
Narrative-Based Mechanics
At the heart of The Simple Approach are narrative-based mechanics that are easy to learn and designed to grow with you as you play. They let you tweak what’s here and add things we haven’t thought of yet. The journaling system replaces those one-size-fits-none character sheets, giving gamemasters a flexible tool for organizing worldbuilding, adventure design, and session notes and players ample room to allow their character to grow. Every character, setting, and adventure becomes a unique creation shaped by your choices.
Seamless Integration and Flexibility
Sin of Envy isn’t a standalone roleplaying experience. You can blend it seamlessly with other Lightspress publications to create one-of-a-kind stories and settings or bring elements from other systems into your Lightspress game. If you want to use our material with your favorite system or setting, go for it. The conversion notes in the Lightspress Handbook give you the flexibility to play how you want.
Our Philosophy
We believe the true essence of roleplaying happens around the table, where creativity and collaboration come alive. It’s not about a book, a brand, or a company. It’s about the people playing together, creating something special. Our focus on cooperation, interaction, and investigation ensures that every session is more than just a game; it’s a journey filled with compelling adventures and meaningful connections. We stand by our belief that the heart of roleplaying is found in shared experiences and stories crafted by the players. This philosophy drives everything in The Simple Approach and underpins our commitment to delivering content that champions the true spirit of roleplaying, free from superficial constraints.
Commitment to Creative Freedom
This philosophy also guides our belief that creators should own their work and not be beholden to licensing terms that only benefit fickle corporations. We draw inspiration from historical, mythological, and literary sources, tapping into our shared heritage to fuel creative exploration. We maintain full copyright ownership, ensuring that our work stays independent and true to our vision. Using style guides to keep a cohesive voice and narrative structure, we deliver exceptional content free from external influences, preserving the integrity and creative standards of our work.
Accessible and Affordable Roleplaying
We’re committed to keeping our games affordable so that more people can enjoy them. Our focus isn’t on producing overstuffed, expensive books filled with art to collect dust on a shelf. We’re here to create material meant to be played, not displayed. You won’t find us chasing awards or turning our games into glorified coffee-table books. Our goal is to facilitate roleplaying, pure and simple, keeping the price points low so you can focus on the game, not your wallet.
88 pages. PDF and epub files included.