So, uh… we made a tabletop RPG.
That’s not a joke. It’s called The Hero Within and the Alpha Test version is finally ready for you to download, play, and possibly yell at. (Politely. Or through interpretive dance. We're open.)
What Is This?
The Hero Within is a fast, flexible, story-first tabletop roleplaying game set in the Wanted Hero universe. You know I love telling stories, especially about Wendell, and sharing them with you. What you might NOT know is I also looooove RPGs (been playing since I was 8 and Dungeons & Dragons didn’t HAVE a ‘version’…it was just called…Dungeons & Dragons).
One of my dreams as a fiction writer has been to make games based on the Wanted Hero Universe, especially a Table Top Role Playing Game (TTRPG).
So with great fear and trepidation, this ball is now in motion. I happily give you…
The Hero Within - a Life of Fiction role playing game.
We designed it with three things in mind:
Fewer rules, more storytelling.
Mechanics that don’t fight the flow of fun.
A system anyone can learn... eventually.
This game is in Alpha, which means:
The rules are bare bones. The first rough draft was over 60,000 words…this has been distilled down to 14, 430 words….NOT including the one-shot adventure.
Lore is minimal (for now). That is a task in and of itself, so rely on your knowledge of the Chronicles of a Hero storyline for now. You can also snoop around and find more lore over at WantedHero.com. When we have the solid mechanics completed, I do promise incredible lore, resource books and more (WITH awesome artwork too).
It’s for testing function, not flavor. This was created to cot every cost possible - including zero color for home printing is economical.
Why You Should Care
We believe in storytelling that sticks with you.
In characters that evolve, suffer, and do dumb things for noble reasons.
That within each and every one of us is the seed of a true and literal hero.
This game is built to support that kind of mindset & gameplay.
It’s also designed to avoid arguments that last longer than the actual battle.
You know who you are.
What You Can Do (Call to Action)
Download the free Alpha rules.
Play a one-shot or run a full arc.
Take notes.
Give feedback. We made it easy. And we’re listening.
If you’re a GM: tell us what confused your players.
If you’re a player: tell us what made you feel heroic. Or bored. Or weirdly emotional.
If you’re a rules lawyer: we need your powers. Use them for good.
Download the Game and PLAY!
💌 A Love Letter to the Future
By Höbin Luckyfeller
Dear Reader,
I don’t know who you are.
Maybe you're a long-time fan of Wendell Dipmier and his accidental heroism.
Maybe you just stumbled in here, coffee in one hand, curiosity in the other.
Maybe you downloaded the Alpha rules because you like free stuff and the word “alpha” makes you feel like a powerful beast. (Fair enough.)
But whoever you are…
Thank you for being here.
It means you’re part of the dream now.
See, The Hero Within isn’t just a game.
It’s a doorway.
It’s a knock on the frame of your imagination—a call to put on a sword (or kitchen ladle, depending on your character) and shape a world with your choices. It’s the chance to build someone brave, or broken, or cunning, or ridiculous, and watch them grow in ways you didn’t expect.
Or explode. That happens too.
This Alpha version?
It’s early. Rough around the edges. Just enough rules to keep the chairs from wobbling, but not enough to keep anyone from falling out of them entirely.
It’s going to confuse some people.
It might frustrate others.
But it's meant to start the fire, not control it.
This game was designed to be played, broken, and rebuilt with you.
To become something none of us could make alone.
That’s why Jaime kept it light. Why I insisted we open it up before it was polished. Because heroes aren’t born in comfort—they’re forged in chaos, laughter, and hastily drawn maps on napkins.
So here’s what I ask of you:
Play. Even if you don’t know all the rules.
Explore. Even if the road ahead is foggy.
Tell stories. Especially the messy ones.
Take notes. Good, bad, weird—we want it all.
Dream with us. Because this isn’t the end of a project—it’s the beginning of a world.
And when the final game is complete, with its finished art, balanced mechanics, full lore, and thick binding—know that you were one of the ones who helped shape it.
You were here when the world began to breathe.
And I, for one, will record your name in the vaults beneath Clockworks City... assuming you don’t get eaten by your own summoned shadowcat or fall off a bridge during a charisma roll.
With scribbled gratitude and a pocket full of gum wrappers,
Höbin Luckyfeller
Field Scribe, Historian, World-Watcher
…and now apparently… “Game Consultant.”
