One of my favorite types of rules-lite TTRPG is drawing or art-based games. The main reason for this is their accessibility. Because they’re built around concepts everyone is already familiar with (drawing, painting, making things), even people who have never heard of TTRPGs can easily play them without feeling overwhelmed or intimidated by an immense wall of math and crunch. Because of this, they’re perfect for impromptu game nights and sessions with mixed gaming groups. And, based on my recent play of it, Drawing Monsters is sure to join my rules-lite rotation.
All you need to play Drawing Monsters is some scraps of paper, various drawing implements, a timer, two D6, and two D10, meaning it can be played with stuff most TTRPG fans already have around.
Simple Rules Let Players Make Unique Monsters
The game’s rules are simple. To start, one player rolls twice on the Monster Sparks table to find two things the round’s monster will feature. After this, players roll once on the Drawing Sparks table to learn what extra rule they must follow while drawing their monster. Once this is done, a two-minute timer is set, and the players start drawing their monsters.
Once all the players have drawn their monsters, the monsters get stats. The monster’s toughness is decided by how quickly the player finished drawing their image, and the monster’s attack power is decided by how many different artistic media the player used to create it. This process repeats a few times until each player has made a small deck’s worth of creatures.
After this, the battle phase begins. Each player starts by selecting one of the monsters from their deck and summoning it into play. On their turn, each player gets to choose which opponent they want to attack. The player then rolls a D6 and adds their monster’s attack stat. If the result is over 4, the monster’s toughness is reduced by 1. If a monster’s toughness reaches 0 toughness, it dies and is eliminated from the game. Once every player has had a chance to attack, players get to decide if they wish to keep their current monster summoned or switch it for another creature, and then the process continues again until only one team is left standing.
Drawing Monsters Is A Great Way To Pull People Into TTRPGs
While Drawing Monsters is simple, it features a few clever mechanical flourishes that dramatically enhance the experience and set it apart from similar drawing TTRPGs. My favorite is the stats system because it provides a nice push-and-pull element while making the game more suitable for mixed groups. The quicker the player finishes their monster, the higher its toughness is. However, the more artistic mediums the player uses while creating their monster, the higher the creature’s attack. Because of this, the combat stays balanced as most monsters end up min-maxed, meaning that one player never ends up with a creature that is superior to every other one.
Plus, this balancing act means that players who are not good at drawing don’t feel self-conscious because players are not judged on the quality of their art. Making a crude drawing as quickly as possible or making a weird-looking thing that uses a massive variety of mediums are legitimate strategies.
I also love the game’s prompt tables, as they are specific enough to guide players while not being so detailed that they box players in and stymy player creativity. This means that each round’s drawings will look and feel unique, and no two games of Drawing Monsters will be the same, meaning the game has fantastic replay value.
In a nice touch, the game includes a page of extra rules that can be used on later playthroughs. This includes ones that vary the time players have to draw, rules that add additional modifiers to each monster, or ones that make players add extra text to their cards, from devising names for their monsters to including an in-universe quote about them. On top of this, the game also includes a second quirk table themed around mechs, giving players another type of monster to experiment with, further adding to the game’s replayability.
Plus, these extra rules (especially the ones that make players add more to their cards) allow the game to function as a great way to slowly ease newcomers into the world of TTRPGs, as each additional rule adds more and more overt roleplaying into the game, getting players used to the idea of coming up with an idea for a character and running with it.
Drawing Monsters is a delightful TTRPG that’s guaranteed to become a part of my rules-lite game library. The TCG-Esq monster battling concept is fantastic, and the game’s decision to tie the speed and method of drawing into the resolution mechanics is a nice touch that sets the game apart from similar drawing TTRPG games by encouraging players to think about how they’re going to approach each drawing and consciously mix things up to make sure they a more rounded team of monsters, meaning that players with lower art skill don’t get sidelined by players with more talent.
