Teylen's RPG Corner

I present to you the new Crowdfunding Collection #136 – Part 2 of 2 – Zine Quest, including every tabletop rpg project started between 02/23 and 03/01.

With this edition of the collection, the Zine Quest officially ends, which should see it shrink back to its normal single post format. Yet, today you’ll find two parts:
Crowdfunding Collection #136 – Part 1 of 1

Kingdoms is not only the first game in this list, but as well the first I backed. Players will form and head a civilization, overseeing the birth of heirs, slay beasts and try to conquer the Sunless World within the span of generations. The game by Sophie Tinney uses light, OSR inspired rules as well as a neat design. I recommend having a look. Trying to conquer worlds requires planning, and Agile is a technique to manage small and big projects. If you like to explore the up and down of this particular technology you should check out Agile, Anxious, Attached. The project by Hannah Pate offers three game about the Agile project management system, burn out and office affairs. Quite unique topics for a ttrpg. Though quite contemporary, if you want a game a bit more in the past, check out Covert Wars. Players might assume the role of any parties involved in the cold war and fight for their cause. I feel The game might be worth having a look if you are into shows like The Americans. Maybe its still to modern for you, and to realistic. Seance and Sensibility gets you into the Ewardian setting of Austens novel with almost the same name and adds some eldritch horror to it. Fascinating. Though maybe you want to do your own thing? Gone with the Wights? Kingpink: Darkness enables players – its done without a GM – to create a rich setting and world. Which they might then play within for like 1 or 3 sessions, using a card based system. I am intruiged.
You could create your own dungeon crawl with it, or directly get your hands on Fabled Dead. While it looks kinda of Usagi Yojimbo – anything with a killer rabbit to me does – players apparently play mutants instead of anthropomorphic animals. If you are in for a d6 based hexcrawl, take a look. If you prefer a more classic fantasy dungeon crawl check out The Treasure At The End Of This Dungeon. Which kinda grants you the treasure of a dungeon at the beginning.
The Lost Tale offers a not so dungeon based fantasy game, and is inspired by East European folk and fairytales. The 2d6 system has been tested and I like the inspiration. If you prefer a more focused fantasy experience, you might use Darker Malleus to find out if your characters will become the monsters they went out to fight. It’s designed for 2 to 4 players and made for oneshots. Maybe you prefer it big scale, god-like? The story game Incarnis offers you the opportunity to assume the role of flawed and quite human gods, who’ll create a world and its myths. The game aims to offer the option to rotate the role of GM and plans to develop it’s system based on the DramaSystem. Though sometimes one just wants to venture out to kick ass and collect treasure. Which is what I imagine GFDP (Goddamn Fucking Dungeon Punks) deliveres. Including a quite ragged look. If you rather want to dream of what your beard – or a beard – like that facial hair in people faces – does instead of being just a lazy beard… you can experience beards whisking of into fantastical adventures in Beards & Beyond. Though, imagine that ones beard takes off, gets slayn, and you’ll wake up all face-naked kann be quite terryfing and high stake. The Magical Repair Shop offers a rather low stakes game in which you repair and care for magic items whether heirlooms, treasure or other things. The narrative game seems quite neat.
There is the possibility to combine technology and fantasy. Like, why not explore a haunted data partion? Pocket World offers a cool mix between Metroid(vanias) and the Forged in the Dark system. I would back it in a minute, if the only level that delivers to Germany wouldn’t require me to get creative (I don’t like to work or design XD).  Alternatively you might teleport a media influencer from today, back into the 90s with Viral.exe. The card based game does appear to back on the 90s nostalgia and an interesting card based system.
Another rather abstract thing, imho, is faith. Lost Scriptures explores how to react to newly discovered scriptures. How to interpret, handle and speard them. An interesting idea realized with a narrative system. Numious does share the faith aspect, as an holy angel will hand the player a divine dictionary with its last breath, warning of the apocalypse. The dictionary, a literal one, will be torn to shred and obliterated as player use the magic words. A strange idea, that makes me feel uncomfortable. Like, I don’t like shredding books.
You won’t have to shred a book in the Post-Brexit game Shadow of Mogg. In the aftermath of the apocalypse – ya ain’t thinking it would go well? – your characters will explore the London Tube. Quite a new take on the genre and Powered by the Apocalypse. You’ll have a more traditional one in Apocalypse Survive. The zine is a translation from an Italian original game, and sees you confronted with a variety of post-apocalyptic challenges. I like that it only requires a translation. If you are into exploring the traumata of the zombie apocalypse, the betrayals, losses and such, check out Affliction. Which explores the topics following their own take of the 5 stages of grieve by Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross‘ and with the card based system of the Effect Engine.
You might be looking into the future, and find that Last Flight of the Pandora offers a fun, chaotic and quite doomed travel in a space ship. If you prefer your SF less fun and more dramatic Damocles‘ Decay, sees you assuming the role of leading a prison ship, which has been abonded next to a sun going supernova. You need to find other ships, trade and fight them, to get your ship ready to leave. While the other players will be doing the same and you don’t like your fellow ex-prisoners to mutiny. Then there’s Lost Ship, in which you play alone or with another person and try to get your troubled colony ship out of its misery. The project ain’t part of the Zine Quest, but is basically a zine, and a ttrpg. I think. Take a look. The fact that BROADSIDE 29XX combines the napoleonic war and atomic age syfy seems normal in comparison. Though it’s not exactly my cup of tea.
There’s always the option to go for some good ol‘ super hero game. Rooftops is a PbtA game where you actually play heros and try to make the world a better place.
What are the motivations and moral compass of intelligent rodents in a post apocalyptic world? Well, you might explore it in Crawlspace. Well, and if rodents are to rodent for you, you can be a trash panda or other animal scavenging for food in Eat Trash. Be Free. The game is done with a Blades in the Dark style system.
Sometimes playing alone will just scratch the right itch. Maybe you’ll keep a diary in Journey Back? With just a deck of cards you may experience and jot down your heroes journey. There’s as well the option to explore a world inspired by Soulsborne and the Mythos with Wandering Dreams. With a standard deck of card, you’ll be exploring the fantastical world. Well, I will, because I backed it. As the system is designed to be hacked and I am curious. If you long for the deep spaces of the universe check out Nadir. The game will be delivered in two zines, one for the rule and the other one to play.
If you want to do a quick larp, No Love’s Land might be worth a look. Two female killrobots will try to conquer each other with love. Kinda. From my understanding. You’ll be shooting at the other killrobot by throwing notes, err firing at them. Well, love is a battlefield? It seems a bit strange to me.
I personally would have loved to back the We’re Just Friends gamebook by Paul Czege. Sadly, all the international pledges are gone and there ain’t even a PDF. If you are in the US, check it out!
There are other projects. Like the Dreamhaven setting for Old-School-Essentials and OSR or the system neutral GRAND TOWER HOTEL. If you alway wanted a supplement about pets for your adventurer, check out Dungeon Pets! I am tempted by it. Well and you might be out of the Bunker to experience OSR adventures with the zine.
You’ll find those, and many more cool projects, here:

English Crowdfundings

5 Role-Playing Games
2 Dungeon Crawler Role-Playing Games
6 Fantasy Role-Playing Games
2 Fantasy-Tech Role-Playing Games
2 Faithbased Role-Playing Games
3 (Post-)Apocalyptic Role-Playing Games
4 Science Fiction Role-Playing Games
1 Superhero Role-Playing Game
2 Animal Role-Playing Games
3 Solo Role-Playing Games
1 Larp
1 Gamebook
4 Settings
4 Supplements
2 NPC Projects
2 Monster Projects
5 Adventures
3 D&D Adventures

Kingdom: a Zine of Generational Proportions

(mehr …)

I present to you the new Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 2 of 3 – Zine Quest, including every tabletop rpg project started between 02/09 and 02/19.

Following my operation this collection is a bit delayed, and thanks to the zine quest it totals more than 150 projects of whom more than 70 are actual games. Thus I decided to split the collection in three parts, the other two being:
Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 1 of 3
Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 2 of 3 – Zine Quest

The Zine Quest brought up an astounding amount of new, whole tabletop rpg games, thus lets get to them. The Deep Nightly Fathoms is a PbtA-like game in which you explore dream worlds inspired by the artworks of Gustave Doré. The zine looks absolutely stunning and the topic well done, which is why I am tempted. HOME: SURVIVAL is way less dreamy, as you got your home and the world if coming to an end. The game has a rotating gamemaster and explores how your characters handle the bleak situation. If you don’t like it that depressing, you might DELVE into the depths of a fantasy dungeon, drawing it along the way. Thus, you might use the result of the solo game for your next campaign, cool.
If you are more up for drama, The Last Place on Earth has you explore the hubris and adventures spirit of Robert F. Scott’s doomed race to explore Antarctica. A game for which you need no GM. If you like your drama lighter and more fun, check out The Poodle Fanciers Club. Your playing nasty, or maybe devious, maybe desperate, housewives vying to climb to the top of their poodle club. A game I would have backed, would the zine deliver outside the US. Then there’s the light-drama game Operation: Playground. You’ll play kids with a creative kids view upon the world, which – at least for the kids – might as well be dramatically exciting.
If you want your drama to be all about feudalism, try vying for the Rebel Crown. A Forged in the Dark Spiel about a claiment for the throne and their entcourage who have to brave feudal fights and intruige. Which I support, well pledged to. If you want your characters pledges to revenge a dead Queen, checkout the PbtA-inspired game Our Queen Crumbles. Like the magic aspects and the topic and thus recommend it.
Changeling or fae courts are as well somewhat feudal, though I would describe them as rather fairy tale like. Cold Iron explores old folktales and stories for fantasy off the throtten paths of Tolkien and forms a really cool setting of it’s own. Check it out. Maybe you grew up on the Tales of Oz and are new in for The New Tales of Oz. I’ve only watched the Wizard of Oz movie, yet that zine looks really fascinating and as it has more to offer. I am keeping an eye on it. Under The Floorboards does cite „The Borrowers“ as its inspiration. Yet I personally do think it looks more along fairy tales like „Thumbelina“ or „The Steadfast Tin Soldier“ from my childhood. Anyway, I highly recommend it. I actually backed Thistle and Hearth, a game about belonging among outsiders with an intruiging take on Changelings. The PbtA playbooks spoke strongly to me.
Maybe you feel your inner punk stirring up after so much fairytale stuff. Punktopia has you covered with punkrock adventures where you stick it to the man. YEAH! My Brujah heart wants to backe it, while my Ventrue brain points to my account. I might keep my inner punk to mixtapes and you you like those you should check out the Monster Mix RPG. Maybe you ain’t sure what to put on it and do a roadtrip with some soul searching first, which is covered in i’m gonna be. Well, and if you wanna gonna be on a concert and have some love drama check out Oh No I’m Late to the MCR Concert & I Have an Extra Ticket.
Maybe you are looking for a nice Space game for your kids. The SPACE KIDS RPG has you covered with some educational content and the Space Goblins! appear to be more focused on the fun side of things.
Space Pulp, at least how I defined it, with Cronenberg-looking entries like The Bone Age are not that kids friendly, I guess. Neither is Treasures of T’urokk or UNCONQUERED – with the latter one pointing to being bronze-age sword & sorcery & sandales & Sci-Fi mix.
The currently funding Trophy game got a lot of spinoff games in this round of zines. With Oligarchy being my favorite. Kind of House of Cards as a ttrpg and presenting so convincingly that I not only went for a PDF option (as they don’t do international shipping) but got the main rpg. I didn’t manage to resist Night Reign – which focus on stealthy misdeeds – either and barely could say no to the nautical horrors of Sunken.
The Urban Fantasy corner uses SMALL TOWN: SKELETONS to address the boring to the bone challenges of little towns. While the gm-less and one-shot based Web-Slingers: Into the Worlds-Wide Web essentially delivers a setting along Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse as Powered by the Apocalypse. The only thing I got about THE VIOLET SANCTION is that it’s Urban Fantasy and queerpunk. Other than that I literally can’t understand the project with its arbitary boldness and capitalization of letters. It gives me an headache. Well, and Fruitless Existence just managed to get me to my breaking point of „too much kickstarters“. Maybe people like to play horny, murderous fruits with a deathwish. It only gets a blank and disappointed stare from me.
Then again, I do actually like and backed the Larp #Flirtsquad. Basically being about respectful (and successful? eh, nevermind, respectful!) flirting. Very good!
There are many, many more cool projects. Like The Watching Book, which may serve as an Accessoire and ingame artefact or Ancestry and Culture, which offers interesting alternatives to the concept of „race“ in D&D 5E. The Accessible Gaming Quarterly aims t make the hobby more inclusive, yet sadly is way out of my budget. I still recommend having a look. There’s supplements like CRUACH for adding swamps to Casket Lands um and Inside Out to add viscieral horror to games.
You’ll find fhose and many more project here:

English Crowdfundings

3 Role-Playing Games
3 Drama Role-Playing Games
2 Feudal Role-Playing Games
4 Fairy Tale Role-Playing Games
4 Music Role-Playing Games
2 Space Role-Playing Games
3 Space Pulp Role-Playing Games
3 Trophy Role-Playing Games
4 Urban Fantasy Role-Playing Games
1 Larp
5 Settings
2 DCC Zines
2 D&D 5E Supplements
3 Old School Supplements
2 City Supplements
2 Guides
3 Monsters
6 Adventures

Thistle and Hearth

(mehr …)

I present to you the new Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 2 of 3 – Zine Quest, including every tabletop rpg project started between 02/09 and 02/19.

Following my operation this collection is a bit delayed, and thanks to the zine quest it totals more than 150 projects of whom more than 70 are actual games. Thus I decided to split the collection in three parts, the other two being:
Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 1 of 3
Crowdfunding Collection #134 – Part 3 of 3 – Zine Quest

The Zine Quest brought up an astounding amount of new, whole tabletop rpg games, thus lets get to them. The Dirt RPG offers a fantasy setting after an apocalypse with a quite interesting d6 system. The description is interesting and it looks are quite intruiging. You’ll find another kind of post-apocalypse in Snake People. I consider the narrative game quite interesting, despite the inherent strangeness of snakes. Well, and if you are fascinated by the mechanics of „snake eye“ rolls, the Snakeyes Gaming System has you covered.
Maybe you like to have a game in the style of the Westworld series, along with a dashing dose of the Great Gatsbys charme? I certainly do and did back The Gaslight Club, which is powered by a Blades in the Dark inspired system. If you prefer the series Love Boat, you’ll got to take a cruise with the The Love Ballon. A gm-less game thats basically steered cooperatively. Well, or you want to play a game of pranking people, in which Funny Freakout has been Forged in the Dark for you.
There is of course always the option for some Fantasy games. Like creating magical cities in i’m sorry did you say street magic – that’s create them and explore them. In your prefered genre, vignette or campaign style and without a GM. You don’t need a GM for ALL SKATE FANTASY either, but get normal heroic fantasy for „party people“. Which I take means that it is lighthearted. For a fun, fast game you should check out Dump Quest. Creating your game with some „ad-libbing“ fun and maybe destroying the zine in the process.
Horror? Would be the ad-libbed word that covers the next three games. If are enticed by the deep sea horror of William Hope Hodgsons Grey Seas Are Dreaming Of My Death should be right up your ally for a fatal oneshot. You might prefer to be a monster, as THEY FEED ON FEAR presents. Following the title you’ll have to instill fear in others to feed. Which is done with quite some style! Though I wouldn’t say DON’T LOOK. Which is a game in which characters actually have to have fear to survive. Though maxing the fear by looking at the stuff appears to be a bad idea.
I can’t say that Corruption of the Black-Hearted isn’t horror. As you play people who try to be heroes yet might just go one step to far and become monstrous. An interesting idea for an OSR game that I do consider a bit meta. Though Disk Horse#1: Off to the Races is definitively more meta’er. As you’ll be playing a PbtA style tabletop rpg game about creating tabletop rpgs. Which I find very difficult to kinda grasp. Well and the most meta-test game is In Our Own Wor(l)ds. Which addresses the fascination, creation and exchange of perzines as a zine. Highlighting other parts of zine-culture.
For the Honor is rather straight forward. Looks like She-Ra, got half of She-Ras slogan, colorful as She-Ra and saying it’s inspired by She-Ra. The gm-less game is right up my ally. As is Princess World which too takes inspiration from the She-Ra series and you’ll play cool & competent princesses.
If that’s to much color, maybe get back to the cold of space where noone hears you scream or chant like in INVOCCULTAS – Conduits of the Void. In which space cultist call upon the eldritch gods in a interestingly card based game. YourVerse on the other hand rather enables you to create your own science fiction setting while Terranary sees you struggling human, intergalactic intruiges for which it provides a d12 system. Maybe your more up for a solo experience, that might be played with others but doesn’t have to, in which case you should check out the Science Vessel of Dr. Uaerom.
Your character vessel of choice might be an animal. Where Winter Harvest offers you the role of animals who trying to build a home, community and live their lifes. It could be that last collections pigeon game didn’t fill your needs for the airborne raths where Dirty Town has you covered. Well, and from rats to rodents to vermin, you should check out Hivesworn: Queensfall if insects are your calling.
There is always the option to have some normal, nice Urban Fantasy. Where I would like to recommend Draculola with a passion! The game from Austria is addressed to kids – and those who feel like playing a lighthearted game – in which players assume the roles of vampires and other „monsters“. Just that the monsters ain’t evil but do try to make the world a better place. I personally grew up on tv series like „The little Vampire“ and love the genre, which had be back the project in a minute. It’s really cool and cute. Take a look. It’s a heartwarming game somewhat reminiscent of the likes of „Golden Sky Stories“. If you like more mundane Urban Fantasy directed towards older gamers, check out the Mundane Lost. Which combines the Stepford Wives with Outer Limits and a dash of Forbidden Zone to form an interesting small PbtA game set in a kinda 50s. Then there’s Heaven Has No Taste; And Other True Statements which will put you in the role of angles and demons on earth in romantical entanglements. Basically providing the plot of a standard CW-series.
Maybe you are more of the opinion „A game within like 30 to 60 zine pages? ONLY one? How can that be?!“. In which case StoryHunter Alphas gets you 4 games with changing gm’s, you can get three different solo experiences in Alone On A Journey or 7 short poem based games in Sedentary Dances. Maybe two are fine with This Thing We Started/The Brokenhearted? Who knows.
There are many, many more projects. Like the Light of the Setting Sun Western Setting, Artifices, Deceptions & Dilemmas to integrate exactly those into your games or system supplments like The Era Zone 2020.
You’ll find fhose and many more project here:

English Crowdfundings

3 Role-Playing Games
3 TV-Drama Role-Playing Games
3 Fantasy Role-Playing Games
3 Horror Role-Playing Games
3 Meta Role-Playing Games
2 Princess (She-Ra) Role-Playing Games
4 Science Fiction Role-Playing Games
3 Animal Role-Playing Games
3 Urban Fantasy Role-Playing Games
4 Role-Playing Game Collentions
3 Settings
2 World & Citybuilding
2 Western Zines
5 Supplements
5 System Supplements
2 Adventures
4 D&D 5E Adventures
2 Hexcrawl Adventures

Draculola Roleplaying Game – Zine Quest 2

(mehr …)

I present to you the new Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 3 of 3 – Zine Quest, including every tabletop rpg project started between 02/02 and 02/09 up till 8pm.

The collection is a bit delayed, because I am currently dealing with some personal stuff and because of the massive amount of projects – that’s 44 full games! Next to that, to make it a bit digestible, I split the collection into three parts:
Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 1 of 3
Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 2 of 3 – Zine Quest

Orchidelirium has the players set their characters in Victorian times and follow the behest of a shady employer to retrieve special, rare orchids, I do consider the setting,… excentric and the card mechanics interesting. Take a look. If you rather kick all those stiff aristocrats of the victorian age in their bourgoise backs, check out Casette Tape Riot Vol. 0. It places the characters in some alternate 90s, suggest to make a cool punk casette tape (well Spotify thing) and release your inner punk. Which Vanquisher might argue may not work out and focusses on heroes and their (tragic) fates. While it claims it can be played without pen and paper, I think both can help to remember stuff while using the 2d6 system. Fate hasn’t been nice to the characters of Twisted Rifters, as they are arcanely-deformed outsider, who have to try to save their home – a flying island – from its decay. The system is quite interesting as it uses elements of Blades in the Dark. Now, if you like it a bit less heavy, check out You are in a tavern. It is a gm-less game, where you meet and play in a tavern. It’s available in English and French.
Though you might be fan of apocalyptic settings. If you like AKIRA, you have to check out KISHU. You play as members of a juvenile bike gang, that has to navigate a climate apocalypse. The setting is cool, I like the anime, the system is Blades inspired. I am in! You might prefer your apocalypse more realistic (than climate?), well there is Sagas of the Sea Peoples. Which is based on the actual collapse in the bronze age and focuses on the titular „sea people“ – who are one of the rare hints on what might have went down. I think its very, very cool. You can checkout the system at DTRPG. Just take a look! Then there’s Mage Against the Machine, which is way more fantastical. You are a bunch of time travelling mages going back in time to fight the robo-apocalypse. It sounds like fun, and the gm-less system promises quite some freedom. FIGHT PLANET! has a way less complex setting. You are on a trash planet, and you gotta fight to survive. You might be part of a Battle Royal livecast, but that’s it. Sounds okay. Though I feel like I don’t share the creators view on Anarchism. ^^;
Let’s move onto the genre of heist games. The Great Soul Train Robbery offers a description of the game in its title. There is a train, headed to hell, with souls, and you gotte rob it. System wise it builds upon the Honey Heist game and you got like two stats. It does look like a cool, little weird west game that has actually been tested. Check it out. If you like to play more contemporary and varied heists, take a look at Score. The system sounds simple but interesting and I’d say it’s work a look.
If your looking for a fun little party game, maybe Let’s Make A Mary Sue! rocks your boat. The name says it all. You’ll be creating a Mary Sue. With some commentary on the term that I share. The system looks fun (a bit like MAID) and am tempted!
Fruit of Law is a rather contemplative game. While the group eats a pomegrenade, they will try to determine the rules and commandments of a future society. Basically acting as Rabbi with the game being based on a Jewish folk tale. I am fascinated by the game and backed it. Another, in my opinion very emotionally heavy game is the The Wait. It puts the characters in the position of having to wait for the soon and inevitable end of a persons life, with the players creating the life of the dying person. I am fascinated by the project, as well as interested, though the topic is out of my comfort zone. I still recommend checking it out!
You’ll might rather prefer some Science Fiction game. There is Celestial Bodies, Orbital Mechanics on the one hand. You’ll be playing a group having to flee from earth and are on a long way back through the solar system. It will see you explore the characters of, well your characters, and how earth has changed when you return. Then there’s King of Dust which combines a cyberpunk setting with some resource management. THE COMPANY RPG with its focus on „corporate survival horror“ might offer a lighter future setting. At least I couldn’t take it fully serious. Well, and The Good Ol‘ Days game offers monstrous horror fun in the style of 40s to 50s movies. Nice!
Then there are two games for people who like to play animals. Rats with Wings offers Micro-Games about pigeons. stuff added material to spells like „messenger pigeons“ and other stuff about pigeons. Gurruh, Gurruh, Gurruh! Who eats rats? Cats! Which includes Mew-tants! In which you play cats who got superpowers, but still no opposable thumbs. HA!
There are many other cool projects, like the cyberpunk city setting of Beneath the Glass and Steel or the Game Spice zines with mini-games to insert into rpgs. If you need NPCs you might check out PARIAH for outsider characters in OSR games, or check out The Beloved Underbelly for beekeepers, taxidermist or wild hogs. There are zines about deadly plants in a Deadly Garden and a lot about Centipedes!
You find these and many more cool projects here:

English Crowdfundings

5 Role-Playing Games
4 Apocalyptic Role-Playing Games
2 Heist Role-Playing Games
1 Meta Role-Playing Game
2 Contemplative Rollenpiele
4 Near Future & SyFy Role-Playing Games
2 Animal Role-Playing Games
3 City Settings
6 Supplements
3 NPCs & Organizations
2 Creatures & Monster
2 Dungeons
1 Skirmish Game

KISHU

(mehr …)

I present to you the new Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 2 of 3 – Zine Quest, including every tabletop rpg project started between 02/02 and 02/09 up till 8pm.

The collection is a bit delayed, because I am currently dealing with some personal stuff and because of the massive amount of projects – that’s 44 full games! Next to that, to make it a bit digestible, I split the collection into three parts:
Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 1 of 3
Crowdfunding Collection #133 – Part 3 of 3 – Zine Quest

Memoria is a game about the (long) stories and histories of characters, which are explored at a similar scale as Microscope develops settings. It’s not a game that is wholly new for the zine quest, but rather a polish of an existing one – and I couldn’t resist. An Imminent Spark offers an even bigger rame. As custodians of a dying world you’ll oversee the last moments of the old which will spark into a new world. Which isn’t much of a relieve for all those people and creatures that will die and be lost. Back to the small scale, the diceless Nova Commonwealth has you research magic-technic stuff. With the whole little game being basically a small glimpse at a larger system that will be created later. Then there’s Lost Ruins, in which you play climate migrantes in a long forgotten time in a fantasy world. The system is inspired by games like A Quite Year and Legacy Life Among Ruins. It utilizes a d6 and aims to be modular. I am very tempted to back it. If you rather play a city, take a look at Procession. Where you assume the role of a city or town that has to deal with monsters and other creatures in creative ways. Despite the illustrations of Wendel Dietterlin I do associate it somewhat with the Netflix show Hilde – which I like.
In take root you’ll be venturing into a dungeon and return to your village to do normal „life“ stuff, like farming dating and such. Basically I’d call it „Dungeons & Stardew Valley“, a quite interesting thought. If you are more up for hitting monsters, check outAbstract Dungeon, it looks quite traditional.
Well, in traditional dungeons characters die, and if they do you might like to pull out
CANDLELIGHT. The one-shot game and supplement to Trophy enables you to play fresh spirits in a one-shot session. A nice idea. Why are the characters dead? Maybe They Cried Monster? In this game you may freely decide if you want to help the humans or „people“ to murder a monstrous thread or if you maybe want to team up with the „monster“ as maybe the people are more monstrous. Another very cool idea. You might like to directly play little dragons in Shortlived Shenanigans and venture onto adventures. Well, and if you like it bigger, not big, maybe check out Snomes. Snow gnomes, which got to brave adventures of their own.
Back to reality, you might try out to form your – very real – body with LIFTS and the Powered by the Apokalypse system. If you don’t want to move that much, but rather play with bad camping trips, take a look at Campfire Memories, a game that’s Powered by the Apocalypse as well.
Maybe you rather be a knight. A fae knight in Ever In Her Sight. In this tarot based game you are tasked to bring back a treasure for your queen. A quest that will cost you. Then there’s Fax in Tenebris. A game that takes knights and their crusades and focusses on the challenges to their faith and the horror. It uses a PbtA inspired system, and at just 5$, which convinced me to back it.
You might like it with a more surreal touch, like is presented in Dream World Mercenaries. You’ll dive into the dreams of others, try not to get lost and to retrieve things. The concept is fascinating and given the topic at hand I think its good that it uses the X-Card prominently. Then there is Atrocity Archives, a project by Dane Asmund, which has you dive into the motivs of a mind and destruct this as well as the physical character sheet. Another fascinating idea and a project I do recommend. Maybe you only like to have your artworks surreal but more like a OSR-game system, in which case you should check out The Grizzle – which offers at least a very fascinating thumbnail illustration.
There are of course many zines that are not whole games but offer other contents. For example One of Us: Sideshow Salvation in a Dystopian Dustbowl offers a very cool setting for DCC. While Not Pretty But Wonderful promises to get creatives very drunk and publish the resulting interview. The Neronomizine offers eldritch horror for various games and Dungeons & Dilemmas quite some predicaments to place your players in. A Fine Mess offers a cool heist adventure and Zine-o-Map map.
You find these and many more cool projects here:

English Crowdfundings

5 Role-Playing Games
2 Dungeon Role-Playing Games
4 Creatures Role-Playing Games
2 Realistic Role-Playing Games
2 Knight Role-Playing Games
3 Surreal Role-Playing Games
2 Settings
6 Supplements
2 Encounter
4 Adventures
2 Map Projects

An Imminent Spark: A Story Game

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