The Thesis

Most RPG designers build systems that ask: what can your character do? Cezar Capacle builds systems that ask: what does your character’s story need right now? The distinction sounds philosophical. In practice, it’s structural — and it produced one of the most adopted open systems in the indie RPG scene.

A Brazilian designer now based in Madeira, Portugal, Capacle arrived on the indie TTRPG scene around 2020 with a background in architecture, graphic design, and illustration. Within five years he published more than forty games — most of them intentionally small, many of them free or pay-what-you-want — and created the Push SRD, a single-d6 resolution system with no character stats, no mandatory rolls, and a push-your-luck escalation mechanic that invites players to risk complication for better outcomes. The system has been adopted by over sixty other designers, translated into seven languages, and become foundational tooling for a generation of indie creators.

The prolific output masks a coherent design philosophy: one game, one idea, executed with precision. Not a Demon won Best Solo Game at the 2023 Crit Awards. Everspark showed growth toward more expansive structures. Lisergia rejected productivism itself as a game mechanic. Across the catalog, the through-line is constraint as creative fuel — one page, one die, one powerful idea stripped of everything it doesn’t need.

The career is young. The voice is already unmistakable.

Invention — 5: “Genuine Spark”

Push SRD is a real contribution to the design vocabulary. A single d6, no character stats, no mandatory rolls — players decide when to engage the system, and when they do, they choose whether to accept a weak hit or push for something better at the risk of a miss. The mechanic centers narrative agency over mechanical optimization in a way that feels structurally distinct from Belonging Outside Belonging or other statless predecessors.

The system spawned sixty-plus derivative games and became foundational tooling for indie designers worldwide. The constraint-based one-page design philosophy and the explicit rejection of stat blocks in favor of narrative triggers represent a genuine design position, not just a preference. Not a 6 because statless, narrative-first RPG systems existed before Push, and the individual mechanical innovations are refinements rather than inventions. Not a 4 because the Push SRD’s adoption as an open platform — sixty-plus derivative games, seven language translations — demonstrates real mechanical influence beyond a single title.

Architecture — 4: “Solid Craft”

Not a Demon demonstrates a complete, polished solo RPG structure — eighty-two pages of guided narrative with rich illustration and a system that holds together across sustained play. Push SRD’s architecture is deliberately minimal, and its durability is proven by the ecosystem of games built on it. When sixty other designers can build on your chassis without it breaking, the architecture works.

But most of the catalog consists of micro-games, one-page RPGs, and jam entries. The architectural ambition is intentionally small — that’s a feature of the philosophy, not a flaw, but it limits the structural complexity that can be evaluated. Not a 5 because no single title has demonstrated the kind of sustained community play and structural depth that marks a landmark architecture. Not a 3 because Push SRD’s adoption as a foundation for dozens of other designers’ work proves the architecture is structurally sound beyond its minimalist appearance.

Mastery — 4: “Developing Voice”

Five to six years of active design. More than forty published games, though many are micro-games and jam entries designed within tight constraints. Clear artistic voice: minimalist mechanics, narrative-first design, non-violent themes, hopeful worldbuilding. Finalist for Designer of the Year at the 2022 Tabletop Awards. Named one of CBR’s “10 Indie TTRPG Designers to Watch in 2022.” Full-time designer who transitioned from a career in architecture and graphic design.

The trajectory is upward and the voice is identifiable. The design sensibility — one powerful idea per game, stripped of everything extraneous — shows genuine craft discipline. Not a 5 because the career is still young and the catalog lacks a widely recognized landmark title that transcends the indie niche into broader awareness. Not a 3 because the volume, the consistency of vision, and the critical recognition across multiple award circuits demonstrate real craft development beyond a hobbyist level.

The Legacy

The most interesting thing about Cezar Capacle isn’t what he’s built — it’s what he’s given away. The Push SRD sits open on the internet, free for anyone to use, and sixty-plus designers have taken him up on it. In a hobby that often guards its mechanical innovations behind copyright and licensing, Capacle built a system and handed it to the community like a set of architectural blueprints.

That generosity is also his design philosophy made literal. Strip everything down to the essential. Give people the tools. Trust them to build something beautiful with one die and a story worth telling. The career is five years old. The score reflects the youth, not the trajectory. If Capacle keeps designing at this pace and this level of craft for another decade, this article will need a rewrite.

For now, the Architect stands at the beginning of what looks like a very long road — and the foundation he’s laid is already holding weight.

Total: 14 points. Year: 2020.

FINAL SCORE: Invention 5 + Architecture 4 + Mastery 4 + Adjustments 1 = 14/41 (2020)

For now, the Architect stands at the beginning of what looks like a very long road — and the foundation he’s laid is already holding weight.