Bonded
A downloadable game
A PbtA Game About Creature Partnership
I've always loved the idea of meaningful creature companions in RPGs, but most games treat them like equipment or combat stats. So I made this.
Bonded is my take on what creature partnership could feel like when the relationship actually matters mechanically. You play Specialists working with elemental creatures in a world where these partnerships are part of daily life - but building real trust takes time and effort.
The Core Idea
The thing I’m most excited about is the Bond system. Your connection with creatures isn’t just roleplay - it’s a resource that represents asking for extraordinary effort. Want your Fire creature to act on their own initiative? Ask them to stretch beyond their comfort zone. Need them to override their natural instincts? That’s asking even more of them.
Every time you spend Bond, you’re deepening the partnership by asking them to trust you in challenging moments. The temporary Bond reduction represents them needing recovery time after going the extra mile for you - but these moments of “I need you to push yourself here” actually strengthen your relationship in the long run.
What's In Here
This is pretty much everything I think you need to play:
- Core rules built on PbtA foundations (because why reinvent the wheel?)
- Six creature types with distinct abilities and personalities
- Character options that focus on different approaches to creature partnership
- GM advice for running stories about relationships and trust
- A starter adventure that teaches the system through corporate conspiracy and creature rescue
- Character sheets for tracking your growing partnerships
The Setting I Ended Up With
I started with "Creature Catching but the relationships matter mechanically" and somehow ended up with corporate conspiracy. The default setting has you working for Luminara Corporation - think bureaucratic comedy meets creature partnership. But there are darker secrets about how some companies really treat creatures.
It's been really fun to playtest because players get invested in their creatures while uncovering increasingly weird corporate shenanigans.
Fair Warning
This is definitely a passion project, and not super polished. I've playtested it a bunch and I think it works really well, but I'm sure there are rough edges. I'm sharing it because I think other people might enjoy the creature partnership mechanics as much as my group has.
If you try it out, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Thanks for checking out my weird little game about trust, friendship, and corporate conspiracy. Hope you and your creatures have fun together.
Published | 1 day ago |
Status | In development |
Category | Physical game |
Author | Tate |
Genre | Role Playing |
Tags | PbtA, pokemon, Print & Play, Tabletop role-playing game |
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