D12 Adventures: The Trials of the Mad Mage [Playtest v0.1]

What is this? D12 Adventures is a kid-friendly, old-school solo gamebook series. You read a paragraph, make a choice, roll a single d12 , and turn to the next section to see what happens. This first playtest episode drops you into the prototype of the first book I'm currently working on ' Trial of the Mad Mage' : a bite-sized dungeon full of secrets, puzzles, and scrappy battles. Ages: 8+ with a co-reader, ~10–12+ solo Session length: 15–45 minutes You need: 1× d12, a pencil, an eraser How it plays (super short) Four stats: Courage, Cleverness, Fitness, Kindness Health: 10 + Fitness (rounded up) Rolls: d12 + stat vs a Target Number (TN) Risk: if a choice says “at Risk,” roll twice and keep the worse Edge : if a choice says "with Edge", roll twice and keep the better Supplies: Torch – cancel Risk on a roll (when the text allows) Ration – at a Campfire, heal 1d12 Bandage – remove Wounded status (all rolls are at Risk) Two-lane combat: you roll to hit a monster’s TN; the monster “attacks” by making you roll a stat check. Default damage is small unless stated otherwise. Last Campfire: if Health hits 0, jump back to your last Campfire note and cross out a Quest Item (or 2 supplies if you have no Quest Items). What’s included Playtest PDF with clickable “Turn to N ” links (works great on tablet/PC; print-friendly too) One-page character sheet (also included as a separate PDF) Concise core rules inside the first pages of the book manuscript What we want feedback on Are the rules clear for kids? Any confusing paragraphs? Do Torches/Rations/Bandages feel useful? Is difficulty fair and fun (not too swingy, not too grindy)? Any broken links, typos, or layout hiccups? 👉 Feedback form: https://forms.gle/QqBe1pBmHFpL48qQ7 (Please include paragraph numbers when you can — that helps a ton.) Art note (important) All artwork here is AI-assisted placeholder to set tone and mood for the playtest and the art style I'm trying to go for for this book/series. Final release art will be original commissioned illustrations (plans as of now). If you’re an artist and want to collaborate, say hi via the form or page comments! License & usage (playtest) This is a free, non-commercial playtest . Please share the official itch.io link , not the file itself. Streaming/recording actual play is welcome and awesome! — please credit “ D12 Adventures (Playtest) by Ken Burgess ”. The system and content are subject to change based on your feedback. Accessibility & printing PDF is optimized for screens and home printing (B/W friendly). Links are internal (jump to paragraph numbers); they carry over when you export to PDF from Word/LibreOffice. If anything is hard to read on your device/printer, tell us via the form — we’ll iterate. Thanks for helping us shape D12 Adventures . Have fun, be brave, and mind the Mad Mage’s tricks!