TTRPG Combat Rondel

19 May, 2026

A “rondel” is a board game mechanic that strategically limits action selection along a one-way circular track, usually allowing a player a choice of up to 3 spaces to move their token to. The empty space their token lands on then depicts a specific action or combination of actions. I have wanted to implement this into a TTRPG for a while now, but haven’t been motivated to give it a serious thought until yesterday when bluesky went down

Also, I have done zero research into this, so please let me know of any other TTRPGs that use a rondel! [HERE]

BATTLE ROYAL RONDEL

Let’s start off with defining the actions:

ATTACK: Roll 1d6. If the result is X or higher, then deal X damage to an adjacent target. If the result is lower than X, then the attack misses.

MOVE: Move your game piece up to X spaces on the battle map.

HEAL: Recover up to X of your lost health points

DODGE: Roll 1d6. If the result is lower than X, then you avoid taking damage. If the result is X or higher, then take X damage.

Now imagine a circle divided into six slices, each depicting a combination of actions. For simplicity, let’s make it a color wheel:

Now imagine a color wheel that is repeated, making a circle with 12 spaces. For simplicity, let’s just make it a clock face:

IT’S GIMMICK TIME

Take your analog clock off the wall, and lay it on the table. This is your rondel

✨graphic design is my passion✨

Each player will provide their own token. On a player’s first turn, they will place their token on any number of the clock that does not already contain a token, then they will perform both of the actions assigned to that number, as if X = 1

Upon subsequent turns, players will move their token clockwise 1, 2, or 3 spaces around the clock, making sure to land on an empty space. When performing actions, “X” will always be the number of spaces the player chose to move their token this turn

Wait a minute… what about the DODGE action?

Anytime a token is moved past the minute hand of the clock, a DODGE action is triggered! Narratively, this should be some form of environmental threat, like a man-made trap or a natural hazard. The DODGE action counts as one of the two actions a player can perform during their turn; they may select their second action from the two assigned to the space their token landed on

Wait.. who are we fighting again?

This could work as a PvP skirmish game, but I’m imagining this used as a TTRPG combat system with a GM who can dial the knobs and few players who have incentive to work together

Initiative order will go clockwise around the table, with each player using their own token on the rondel. The GM will set the difficulty of the encounter by placing 1, 2, or 3 of their own tokens on the rondel. Regardless of how many tokens the GM placed, when it is the GM’s turn, they may only move one of their tokens around the rondel, but they may split the two actions between any two NPCs on the battle map (the number of NPCs on the battle map is not limited to the number of GM tokens on the rondel)

What happens if all three rondel spaces ahead of my token are filled?

Unfortunately this means your turn is skipped. I know, I know, it’s not fun if it happens to you…but you can use this knowledge to your party’s advantage by strategically blocking in one of the GM’s tokens!

Time to get classy

A chess board is a perfect battle map for this game, and a chess set comes with some nifty game pieces we can apply class abilities to:

PAWN: The loyal Pawn does not have an ability of its own, but instead copies the class ability of an adjacent ally.

ROOK: The clockwork Rook automatically fails all DODGE actions it triggers, but in return all successful ATTACKS against it deal no more than 1 damage.

KNIGHT: The deft Knight may push their luck by re-rolling a failed DODGE action. If the second roll is also a failure, the damage taken is doubled. If the second roll is a success, the Knight receives a coupon that can be spent in place of any d6 roll to guarantee a success.

BISHOP: The devoted Bishop may transfer their own health points to an ally though a HEAL action.

QUEEN: The commanding Queen cannot perform an ATTACK action herself, but in return she can perform her ATTACK actions through allies anywhere on the battle map.

KING: The suffering King can MOVE no more than one space on their turn, even if he has two MOVE actions, but in return he nullifies the class ability of all adjacent enemies.

All NPCs have a max HP of 6. If you have extra d6’s lying around, you can use them as the NPCs on the battle map to clearly show their HP

All player characters have a max HP of 10 (I recommend using pennies)

Moving orthogonally and moving diagonally both cost the same movement. If you’re movement is 3 on your turn, pretend you get to move a normal King chess piece three times (you don’t have to move in a straight line)

All attacks have a range of 1, meaning an adjacent space. Again, pretend you are attacking with a normal King chess piece, except you do not move into the space of your target