Starting a new thread, because the previous one was getting long, for my thing where I talk about games from the @200-word-rpgs event that I think are cool. This post covers the 20 November 2025 compilation. The previous thread can be found -here-.
Captain Zaraki's Day Off by @sapphireclawe It has been a LONG time since my Bleach phase; but I've recently been reading up on a really cool AU, so this is recent enough in my head that I have a decent mental image of the characters. This is a lovely concept, and I agree, he IS the funniest character for this which I can think of. There's a few things not included in the write-up though, like when to use the swords, if there's something keeping squad members from making every task high or low priority, and even what dice Zaraki uses and what it means to win a roll; but it feels like there's something solid here, and those issues could be solved with a second pass and maybe a 300-word limit instead.
Mini-Witch: Solo lifestyle RPG by @casualgamemasterqwerty I don't know; I just LIKE it. It's different enough from what I'm used to seeing an that makes it cool and exotic, but similar enough to what I'm used to seeing that I can parse it easily enough. (Admittedly I had some trouble on my first read-through, because something I was wondering about, was described closer to the END, but everything made sense once I'd read the entire game.) I like how "time passes" is used. A bit unclear, for "advancement", whether "current points" is "in total" or "for this particular skill"; and if "upkeep" is at the start or end or whatever of the day; but those are minor issues.
The Shape of Our Hearts by @bigscaryd I'm pretty sure this is the first time, at least for THIS event and previous years, someone's done a game by using each line of a song. (If it's NOT the first time here, then it's still pretty rare.) It's fascinating to me, like an art piece; I'm having trouble looking at the actual mechanics, because I keep getting distracted by how COOL it is that it matches the lyrics.
Turning Complete by @piratesexmachine420 You know, I REALLY shouldn't have been surprised that someone would come up with a game that's like "turn D&D into a computer via various homebrew mechanics".
When All You Have Is A Hammer… by @victorluvsalice Ooh I like this, especially the different end states, and how you're basically incentivized to keep using the hammer. Particularly, that you have equal CHANCES of it working or not working, regardless of which approach you use
A bit longer than I was planning for, but that's what happens when you don't finish off a thing before the next bit rolls around. This covers up to the 24 November compilation.
A Sense of Scale by @tricksterwizardry Very interesting concept here, and it looks like it'd work too. To resolve the issue in the note, I'd say… it works if you reframe how you think of "success" on a roll, where instead of "you do the thing you set out to do", it becomes "there isn't a problem".
ANIMA RPG by @earthcivet It's just SATISFYING, the "describe something about the other party's nature" bit. Plus, I really love how certain bits of 'substance' are written as "forbidden" or "vulgar" or "unstable". …also, that "curious" thing for 'character', it's not three different options, it's a phrase made of three words; it STILL makes me grin.
Bring That Spirit Down by @skredli-the-ogre This is nice and simple; I like it. …I am also RESTRAINING myself from trying to calculate the exact likelihood of success here, because there's other games to write about as well and I don't want to get too distracted.
Dragon + Babysitter + Princess by yours truly I hadn't been intending on writing this… but then I saw a post which gave me an idea, and then I had MORE ideas about how to make it work, so I wrote it. The concept of "everyone writes out a prompt for everyone else, then randomly distributes them to the rest of the group" is something I've had for another game that I… will work on, eventually, at some point. (THAT is the true benefit of this event: 200 words means there IS a hard limit for the number of features you can include, and "month-long" means the thing has to get DONE, or at least done enough.)
Evidence Suggests That by yours truly An extremely generic game, based off an idea I'd had the previous year. I know it's less interesting than if I'd specified the possible things to choose between, but a) I couldn't think of anything sufficiently good, and b) I COULD however write up the generic form and get it posted.
FREE WILL by @in-case-of-grace The layout for the graphical version of this is just REALLY good; plus I always have a fondness for puns like this. And it is COOL that there's a linked story / article.
Hotter Water by yours truly A silly little basically-shitpost that I came up with while in the shower, but I still like it.
Hotter Water (my evil shower edition) by @flyingbooks42 I've never before gotten something written based off one of my games! It's FASCINATING, what bits were inherently changed because of different function, what bits stayed the same, and what bits were slightly altered to align with the new flavour. Plus, I always have a fondness for games based off of one extremely specific thing.
Let's Speed Date!~ by @velcrow101 I just like the different options for this; skipping a person if it went poorly, getting paired up if three dates went fantastic. (Don't worry about "not playtested"; like yes, playtesting is important for game quality, but it is a RARITY for something this event to have been playtested before posting, or AFTER posting for that matter, EVEN if it's a game that can be played solo.)
Moldvay Ascending 2 and Moldvay Ascending 3 by @ringedretrospective It has a sequel! And a threequel! I love the "something you have in common" mechanic (a shared like or dislike) in 2, and the idea of "ideals expressed through [thing]" in 3 (which is also wonderfully meta).
NOVEMBER 22ND, 1963 by @ringedretrospective This is hilarious, and I love it. A particularly favourite bit is "how you will you sabotage the person on your left/right, on purpose / by accident". Plus, the ending conditions; getting the letters JFK, or none of the players succeed and it was the historically-accepted dude who acted alone.
Please Ruin Christmas by your truly This was actually the FIRST idea I'd had for this event, it just took me a while to finish writing it up. And the ANNOYING thing about having spent so much duration (…since a lot of that time I wasn't WORKING on it, just thinking "oh I should work on this some more") on a short thing like this, is that I can't properly gauge its quality; whenever I look at it, I just see the process, not the result. I do however still love the CONCEPT (it came from a chat with a friend) of "Claus is forced to remain Santa by the collective psychic resonance of everyone who cares about that version of Christmas, so if you want to free him, you have to ruin Christmas".
QUIRKY MAGIC SYSTEMS by @universalthaumaturge At first I didn't get the point of this, then I saw it was meant to model like JJBA stuff, and that reframed it into something sensical. I like the thing of gaining Power whenever the restrictions are annoying, and the ability to negate mundane harm. A few bits though that don't seem clear; like, does it inherently cost Power to attempt magic stuff; and is there a way of gaining Power OTHER than "limits in magic usage", because if not, and if I'm interpreting things correctly, then you have to actively put yourself in situations where you can't easily use your magic, in order to be able to use it at all (if attempts deplete that resource). And if that's the case, then is it intentional, because… let's be honest, there is Very Little where I'd say "nah that's too weird for something JJBA-inspired".
The Lost City by @sociallynonexistant I really like that "connection" mechanic, it's an elegant solution for "what if you get something you've already gotten before".
The Time Flies by @takataapui I like things that are based around a silly pun, so sue me. But beyond that, "insects are a sign of holes in reality being patched" is a COOL concept, and "keep an eye out for who is ALSO around" is a good reminder for anything even tangentially intrigue-related.
The Untimely Demise of Meredith Lupin Upon The Boardwalk At Noon by @ringedretrospective Eyyyy nice to see someone rep Paint.NET; nothing to do with game design, I just like that program. RELEVANT to the game, I always like "this leads to that"; plus, the single word "clown", in the list, amuses me.
Visiting a Haunted Mansion by @tricksterwizardry This didn't make sense to me, until I read the note "multiple people roll, take the worst result" and realized that was INTENTIONAL; which, yeah, approaching something from a drastically different idea of "how things should be" WILL make it hard to understand. It is COOL, how if you're in a group it MIGHT be easier to survive, but it MIGHT also be harder, depending on if the other characters want to help or harm you.
More update. This covers up to the 26 November compilation.
"At last, I have you in my power!" by @meagenimage Bonus points for use of the word "prepend". I like the active/reactive party distinction, and how attack / defence / hp are all assigned points from the same pool at the start.
CRAZY? A TTRPG by @the-genial-humbug Nice and weird; I like it. I'm going to PRESUME the timer is for "seconds" and not "minutes", as otherwise would be… okay "repeating a particular phrase for an appreciable chunk of an hour" WOULD thematically fit, but it'd reduce the number of people willing to play.
Don't be Eaten by @bread-into-toast Another of those games where it took me a couple read-throughs to understand how it works; but that's REALLY not uncommon here. I like the naming of the different class moves; I'm now wondering how pairs work when you get multiple Revenants involved. …looking at the tags on this post… not sure if it's meant to directly represent something from those books (which I have never read) and thus is something where "familiarity with those books" would explain an unspoken part of the rules, or if it's just INSPIRED by that and has similar vibes.
In the Name of Isis, Hekate, Abrasax (whoever he is), Every Spirit of the Dead, and Isis Again by @hinotorihime File this under "games that make me glad I follow Cryptotheism", because I actually recognize what it's talking about! (Not WELL, but enough to understand that it's funny.) I do love how the gameplay is "describe how much effort you went to, to get the thing", and only THEN "roll to see if you actually got the thing".
Psych up by @tiiimezombie Huhhhh this… might actually work, to be able to start doing something.
ROAD TRIPS AND VOYAGES IS THE SAME by @space-wizards The title continues to make me grin, as does "outlaws" followed by "inlaws". I like the combination of "encounter" and "consequence", and the mechanics of "rolling at least one more" for "avoiding consequences".
The Margarine Heist by @notsomeoneyouknow This still makes me grin. I particularly love the table for "unit", it's so DESCRIPTIVE.
Wizard Apocalypse by @lair-master This one has art! Which is super cool, but not my favourite bit. THAT would be the rock-paper-scissors the different spells have with each other, PLUS how that's described.
your library card will save the world by @takataapui I'm pretty sure this doesn't count as a "game", but what the hell, it's an excellent framing device to hopefully get more people going to their local library.
Trying to make sure I keep on top of things, especially as it gets towards the end. This covers the 27 November compilation.
Alvins & Chipmunks by @boksmanthemighty I just like the mechanics here. Statistically, I have prolly watched some form of Chipmunks media; however, I have no clear memory of it, and thus can't compare this to the source material.
Cact Them! by @boanddonatetoblacktranspeople The premise for this is ridiculous, and I love it. The mechanics are nice too; six shots to get it right, each with a one in six chance.
REALITY IS FALLING APART AROUND THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE META-WIZARD WAR, WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO REWRITE THE RULES OF REALITY TO REBUILD THE WORLD THAT WAS DESTROYED, BUT CAN THEY DO SO BEFORE THE VERY FABRIC OF REALITY BRICKS ITSELF AND LEAVES THEM IN A STATE OF PERPETUAL LIMBO? by @capriceandwhimsy …Okay I think that's the longest title yet for this year's event, THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE, NOBODY NEEDS TO TRY FOR A LONGER TITLE. Anyways. This is intensely meta, which I like; plus, it feels like an analogue version of Baba Is You, don't know if that was intentional, or if it's just a case of things ending up similar when approached in a particular manner.
Roll Reversal: Dice Are Players and Players Are Dice by @i-exist-for-spleen THIS is weird, I barely understand it; I like it.
Teleportation Ritual For Beginners by @imperfectfinch-blog So I would hate to play this, because I do NOT function well with time pressures. I do however love the CONCEPT, despite being incompatible with enacting it, and it seems like it would function well.
TREBUCHET BUDDIES by @zero-energy-counters I have to say, the first time I was reading it, the table of epithets made me giggle; "Pinemartinhearted" STILL makes me grin, it's lovely. The various end results are also great; and just as I was rereading this, "bards struggle to find rhymes for 'shitheads'" snuck up on me and made me giggle AGAIN. …I kind of want to run the numbers on how many dice, of what denominations, are likely to lead to which outcomes, but I have other things to do today, I'm not going to nerd-snipe myself.
You are Gent. by @ridiculous-knight-blog I like the bit about replacing something in the table, once it's been rolled; that is an ELEGANT way of marking gradual change from a given starting position. (It had not been obvious to ME that the game is about gender, but I'm a) incredibly oblivious just in general, and also b) agender, so "I didn't pick up on that" doesn't say very much.)
Covers up to the 29 November compilation.
777 Sepulcher by @ruinousnostalgia I like that concept, a random chance of being able to safely leave, and never knowing when it'll next happen. And "swap coin/heart values" is a FANTASTIC option to include as a rare event. …I want to run the math on the "casino version", but a) I have other things to do today, and b) I don't know enough about casinos.
Beer and Broadswords by @adrift-press Now that's an interesting way of quickly creating a monster, just going by the components of the chosen drink. And the concept of "evasion" being "number of times in a row you have to flip a coin and get Heads, in order to hit" is FASCINATING; not something I'd personally ever play as-is, because I've never been able to flip coins, but easy enough to adapt to dice instead. (I highly recommend checking out the link for the thing on itch.io, because the art for this is DELIGHTFUL.)
Deck Daemons by @mystdreamsofmemory This makes my brain happy, the distinction between success/failure caused by self/other, and the non-number cards that get special options. I now want to play this, and also write up some tables for different settings, and possibly expand on some numbers that have their own thing; but, I have other things to do today.
LAND OF CATS AND TRAINS by @kuiien …I have to ask, is that title a Homestuck reference. Regardless, this is a DELIGHTFUL concept, especially when it's specified that the cat at worst gets irritated. For an expanded version, I'd recommend adding in suggestions of how many dice get to be rolled in what kinds of situations. (Also, holy cow everyone needs to check out the Diorama Restaurant videos, that is ADORABLE.)
The Smallest Universal TTRPG System in the World. by @lcatala Ooh that's interesting, having different result possibilities based on the STAGE of the story. Yeah I think it prolly WOULD be better with a "no, but" added in, but *shrug* word limit. Maybe for a 300-word version.
Tzimtzum: Divine Contraction by @arehera I barely understood this, even WITH the notes at the end, but it's noteworthy just for being based on something this specific and (at least from my perspective) esoteric.
Thanks a lot for giving us a shout-out! Glad you enjoyed our game and its art! <3
