TABLETOP / OPEN PLAYTEST
4d4 is becoming a game.
THE 4D4 SYSTEM / FREE PLAYTEST EDITION
The dice are
in your hands.
A flexible tabletop roleplaying system about building clusters, spending dice, and finding strange ways through a dangerous world. All five current playtest books are free. The 4d4 SRD is open under CC BY 4.0 so other creators can build and sell compatible work.
THE TABLETOP SYSTEMPLAY 4D4 TONIGHT / FIVE STEPS
From download
to dice on the table.
- Download the Quick Start.It contains the complete basic game.
- Gather a few people.One person becomes the 4Caster; everyone else takes a character.
- Choose the three included characters.No character-building homework is required.
- Play The Ironbridge Ledger.The included heist takes about 60-90 minutes.
- Tell me where it bent or broke.Specific confusion and table rulings are more useful than a polished review.
QUICK START / PLAYTEST 0.6
Learn the engine.
Start playing.
A 34-page complete basic game: Axes, clusters, all five dice types, Agent-owned Scene Pools, actions, repeated direct reactions, harm, clocks, Skills, Powers, advancement, and the 4Caster's core procedures.
Download Quick Start ↓
EXPANDED RULES / PLAYTEST 0.3
Build characters.
Push the system.
Add character creation, a printable blank character sheet, directional special dice, tactical square and hex play, vehicles, scale, 4Caster design tools, and the complete Get That Scrap! scenario.
Download Expanded Rules ↓
SKILLS & POWERS / PLAYTEST 0.5
Build abilities.
Break rules on purpose.
A 356-page ability bible with 94 Skills, 103 Powers, 72 Statuses, and 10 ready-to-play ability kits. Version 0.5 preserves the experimental Construction Point system while synchronizing Agent-owned Pools, exact ties, status delivery, safe conversions, reliable loadout guidance, and the removal of Echo Duplicate.
Download Skills & Powers ↓Archive: Skills & Powers 0.4 ↓
4D4: THE 4CASTER'S TOOLBOX / PLAYTEST 0.3
Find the next Scene.
Keep play moving.
A 330-page zero-prep catalog with a printable Scene and Agent worksheet, 48 Scenes, 72 Agents and NPCs, 64 3/4 engines, 48 items, organizations, lairs, subcharts, and 8 linked jobs ready to reskin at the table.
Download The 4Caster's Toolbox ↓
SPACE MINERS: THE DRIFT / 4CAST PLAYTEST 0.2
Take the claim.
Bring everyone home.
A 128-page industrial salvage 4Cast with a complete play-tonight introduction, six Drift Skills, six Powers, eight Statuses, gear and Frames, the seven-stage Get That Scrap! campaign engine, The Claim That Outlived Its Crew, and seven printable sheets.
Download Space Miners: The Drift ↓
4D4 SYSTEM REFERENCE DOCUMENT / VERSION 0.3
Build your game.
Sell it if you can.
The open foundation for independent 4d4-compatible work: core procedures, terminology, starter construction rules, Open Omen, creator guidance, and exact attribution. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Official books, settings, adventures, art, and logos remain reserved.
Download the 4d4 SRD 0.3 ↓Archive: SRD 0.2 ↓
PLAYTEST REPORT / NO POLISHED REVIEW REQUIRED
Tell me what
happened at the table.
The useful report is the honest one: where you stopped, what your group interpreted differently, what surprised you, and what ruling kept the game moving.
Updated August 30, 2026. These are active playtest editions. The procedures are usable; the balance still needs tables, arguments, bad decisions, and actual dice.