Tellan

Welcome, traveler!

Your wanderings have brought you to this page—how wonderful! Please sit down, warm your hands by the fire, and let me tell you the story of Tellan.

If you’re a little like me, you love roleplaying, throwing dice, and having a good old time with your friends around the tabletop.

For me, Dungeons & Dragons has been my welcoming mentor into the world of tabletop RPGs. But rather quickly, my friends and I faced a mighty challenge—D&D, as great as it is, was a lot to handle.

The rules were complicated, and our busy lives meant we could only meet every few months. By the time we did, half of us had forgotten our characters, and everyone had forgotten their traits, spells, and abilities. Combat, while fun, dragged on for what felt like forever, with everyone scrambling to remember their abilities. Failed rolls piled up, leaving my friends feeling frustrated and useless. Roleplaying? That was a struggle too. Old notes were dug up, characters and their relationships rediscovered, but the spark of the story was often lost in the scramble.

What stayed with us, though, was the joy of rolling the funky d20 and the fun of being weird together.

Don’t get me wrong—D&D is wonderful. But these struggles inspired me to create something a little simpler. I wanted to keep the heart of the experience—epic storytelling, thrilling battles, and unforgettable roleplay—while making it faster, easier, and more engaging for everyone.

With Tellan, I aimed to make combat flow quicker, make character goals clearer, and have roleplaying interactions come with built-in hooks, keeping the session lively and fun. Skill checks and casting spells are quicker to succeed, but come with quirky twists, narrative setbacks and magical shenanigans to keep things interesting.

For Game Masters, I’ve included essential tables, reference sheets, and cards—things I always wished for—making it simpler to run and easier for players to stay engaged in what’s happening. 

The download button brings you to the 25-page PDF rulebook, which covers character creation, the rule system, and lots of free printables such as character sheets, player condition cards, loot tables, character tokens and more!

Tellan can be used for all kinds of settings, as long as you’re open to a little funky randomness. And even then, you’re free to tweak the rules to fit your adventure.

Dear traveler, if you are well-rested, I welcome you to take a look into the fire. Open your eyes and dive into the world of Tellan!

- Coen

(Tellan is currently in development, and I'm very interested in all feedback from anyone playtesting it. Please let me know what you think in the comments below!)