#ttrpg indie

[tgirl-tamag0tchi]

Dumb TTRPG concept:

Lesbian zombies of various “strains” (representing different types of movie zombies) hunting, fighting, and eating human boys in the apocalypse.

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

Trans made TTRPGs

Due to… recent events that I would rather not talk about, today's post is a highlight of different tabletop games made by trans peeps! These games are fantastic in their own right, of course, but you can also know that they were made by incredibly cool and attractive people

(Also, these are flyover descs of the game, they'll get more in-depth singular posts later, this is because I am lazy)

Perfect Draw! Quick-Play Kit [Crowdfunding Now!!] by Double Summon Games

A TTRPG About People Playing TCGs

Perfect Draw is a phenomenal card game TTRPG that was funded in less than a day on backerkit, it's incredibly fun and has simple to learn hard to master rules for creating custom cards, go check it out!

Songs For The Dusk by Kavita Poduri

A post-apocalyptic sci-fantasy tabletop RPG about building a better future.

Songs for the dusk is fucking good, pardon my language, but it's a damn good post apocalyptic game about building community in a post-capitalist-post-apocalypse-post-whatever world. do yourself a favor and if you only check out one game in this list, check this one out, its a beautiful game.

Flying Circus - Core Rulebook & Playbooks by open_sketchbook

An RPG of Aviation Fantasy

Flying Circus is set in a WW1 inspired fantasy setting full of witches, weird eldritch fish people (who are chill as hell), cults, dead nobility, and other such things. It's inspired by Porco Rosso primarily but it has other touchstones.

Wanderhome (Full PDF) by Possum Creek Games

A pastoral fantasy tabletop RPG about traveling animal-folk and the way they change with the seasons.

Wanderhome is a game about being cute little guys going on a silly adventure and growing as the seasons change, its GMless and very fun

https://weregazelle.itch.io/armour-astir Armour Astir has been featured in here before but its so damn good I had to post it twice. AA demonstrates a fundamental knowledge of the themes of mech shows in a way that very few other games show, its awesome

Kitchen Knightmares by Nevyn Holmes

A discord-based LARP and mystery game!

Kitchen Knightmares is… more of a LARP but its still really dang cool, its about being a knight serving people in a restaurant, its played using discord so its incredibly accessible

https://grimogre.itch.io/michtim Michtim is a game about being small critters protecting their forest from nasty people who wish to harm it, not via brutal violence (sadly) but via friendship and understanding (which is a good substitute to violence)

Thirsty Sword Lesbians by evilhat

Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a roleplaying game for telling queer stories with friends.

ok this technically doesn't count but I'm putting it here anyways cuz its like one of my favorite ttrpgs of all time TSL is a game about baring your heart and dueling away with people who you'll probably kiss 10 minutes later, its very very fanfic-ey and inspired by queer narratives. I put it here because its made by a team, and the expansion has a setting specifically meant to be a trans "allegory", so I'll say it counts, honestly just go check it out its good shit

https://willuhl.itch.io/mystic-lilies

Mystic Lillies is a game inspired by ZUN's Touhou Project about witches dueling powerful foes, each other, and themselves. Mystic Lillies features rapid character creation and a unique diceless form of rolling which instead uses a standard playing card deck.

https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/141424/nobilis-the-game-of-sovereign-powers-2002-edition I… want to do a more general overview on Jenna K as an important figure in indie RPG design, but for now just know that Nobilis is good

https://temporalhiccup.itch.io/apocalypse-keys Apocalypse Keys is a game inspired by Doom Patrol, Hellboy, X-men, and other comics about monstrousness being an allegory for disenfranchisement. Apocalypse Keys is also here because its published by Evilhat so its very cleaned up and fancy but I love how the second you check out the dev's other stuff you can tell they are a lot more experimental with their stuff, this is not a critique, it is in fact a compliment

Fellowship 2nd Edition - A Tabletop Adventure Game by liberigothica

Work together to build a world you must then save from evil.

Fellowship! I've posted about this game before, but it is again here. Fellowship has a fun concept that it uses very well mostly, its a game about defining your character's culture, and I think that's really really cool

Voidheart Symphony by UFO Press

The castle infects all. Its vassals run this city. Start your revolution.

Voidheart Symphony is a really cool game about psychic rebellion in a city that really does not like you, the more you discover for yourself the better

Panic at the Dojo is a phenomenal ttrpg based on what the Brazilian would call "Pancadaria", which basically means, fucking other's people shit up. Character Creation is incredibly open and free, meaning that many character concepts are available

Legacy: Life Among the Ruins 2nd Edition by UFO Press

Build a new world in the ruins of the future.

Legacy 2e is a game about controlling an entire faction's choices across time, its very fun

remember to be kind to a trans person today! oh also don't even try to be transphobic in the reblogs or replies, you will be blocked so fast your head will spin

[retrograde-ttrpg]

okay i think im changing the 'lore', so this is obsolete. But im still keeping it up cos i like it :]

=

Decades ago, before the Cyber Age, research into cybernetics was at a dead end.

All attempts at integrating advanced cyber technology were met with failure. some key component was missing to make the process stable.

Then Mallium was discovered, a chemical that - used precisely - made the fusion of metal and flesh totally seamless, with no risk of the body rejecting the machinery.

Thus, the cyber age was propelled forward, and within a short few decades, most of humanity was augmented with cybernetics - for better and for worse.

Amid the many boons this age brought, a few concerned studies were silenced when they found evidence to suggest that Mallium had dangerous long-terms effects.

The corporations of today make so much money from cyberware, and any suggestion there might be risk was shut down. So Mallium continued to be produced and distributed worldwide, integrating technology into our skin, as well as playing a key component in other pharmeceuticals.

Until December 31st, 2099.

Marko Rodnik, 58, was attending a christmas event in Leeson Square, at the heart of Sonja City.

Rodnik had recieved many surgeries and cybernetics in his lifetime, due to various chronic illnesses. Most recently he had recieved an implant in his throat and oesophagus, a kind of internal life support machine, to compensate for breathing difficulties.

Halfway into the evening, Rodnik became suddenly very ill, and an ambulance was called. As emergency services arrived, Rodnik seemingly fell unconscious.

The following is taken from the account of a surving EMT, who witnessed the ensuing event :

"As we approached Rodnik - he was slumped over and sat beside his wife - he seemed to convulse slightly, choking and gagging.

It only lasted for a moment though. Then he woke up and turned to his wife. Mrs Rodnik hesitated for a moment, she looked confused or stunned.

Then she tried to scream.

But Mr Rodnik– Marko.. something came out of his mouth. Long, silver, dripping with a dark liquid. A red, pink mass hung from the end, spotted with white. His throat bulged, lips peeled back, like he was throwing up his innards.

She tried to scream, but the silver mass shot toward her neck.

There was so much blood.

Then Marko turned to us. His eyes were bright, and the silver mass rose slowly, like a snake preparing to strike. I ran. There were cries and shouts behind me, crowds fleeing, and a howling scream of something inhuman.'

This was the first documented instance of 'Malice', the consequence of exposure to high amounts of Mallium. Many such incidents followed. Now this threat lurks over humanity indefinitely.

Such widespread use of Mallium means that almost all humans are already contaminated with it. And so far, no cure or vaccine has been found.

We now live in a world where monsters roam the quarantined and abandoned cities, and neighbours watch eachother with suspicion, for fear that they might turn into a beast of flesh and steel.

[tgirl-tamag0tchi]

The Meadow is a world of simple magicks. Of innate Charms and gathered Talisman. Forests, fields, cozy towns, and railroads. Stories and comfort and family. A world where griffons are pests, unicorns are beasts of burden, and dragons are like rare songbirds.

Else is an endless city of rampant technology, commerce, and vanity. Long since have they traded magick in the world for Cybernetics and Wealth. A city of wonders and horrors in equal measure. Existing just beyond the inter-dimensional haze.

A city where you’re trapped.

Lured or stolen, you’ve been taken by a Lord or Lady of Else… and all you want… is to get back to what you left behind, or the chance to start again.

And with your fellow escaped Changelings you just might… just be aware… the nobles of the city of neon… don’t like loosing their play things. And they might just break you before you can find a rift back.

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

EIDOLON: Become Your Best Self, Second Edition by Reveal Your Master Plan

TAROT CARDS. PHANTOMS. SACRED TRUTHS. SELFHOOD. FRIENDSHIP. KICKASS SOUL BATTLES.

i already did a write up on this game, but its officially out now!

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

I think beyond just "stop playing 5e" I want for this blog to have a slightly more positive message: make weird shit. doesn't matter if its too niche, doesn't matter if you're bad, doesn't matter if its unmarketable, go out there and make a game that's weird and that's made for you specifically. TTRPGs are kinda the most accessible medium to get creating something weird, niche, and playable, you only really need a basic understanding of game design (SHOCKINGLY easy to grasp if you know where to look) and writing skills (shockingly easy to grasp also). I've in the time running this blog seen so many cool, creative, and fun projects, and sometimes I do regret having the "too niche" rule in here, because goddamn some of these rock!

[indie-ttrpg-of-the-week]

Wyrdwood wand

Wyrdwood Wand by Candy Hammer Games

Wizardry and roleplaying! A fantasy game and campaign setting focusing on tactical team combat.

this is a wizard game with an alien invasion plotline in it

Touchstones: Wizard School media, Lovecraftian Mythos, Studio Ghibli, Chuubo, Final Fantasy Tactics, Sports Anime

Genre: Wizard School tactics Game

What is this game?:  Wyrdwood Wand is a tactics game heavily inspired by D&D 4e, where players play as young (usually) mages growing up and studying in the prestigious [citation needed] Wyrdwood academy

How's the gameplay?: Wyrdwood Wand is heavily based on D&D 4e, its a crunchy tactics game with really fun and intuitive character creation which splits up characters between their party role, and the nature of their magic, one giving you broad strokes of a role, and the other cementing it's specifics, if you're familiar with how 4e plays you're familiar with how this game plays, and if you're familiar with 5e there's a little bit of a learning curve but it's still a pretty easy to learn game, Wyrdwood also features a fairly robust roleplaying system, that has a clean split between tactical and goofy spells, meaning characters can have silly spell options without having to break their spell bank

What's the setting (If any) like?: Wyrdwood is set in the world of Gliss, a setting with quite a bit of interesting lore and tidbits, but for now all you need to know is that Gliss is currently recovering from a massive war against an alien species known as the Wix, the world got kinda screwed by this invasion, population is small at around 300 million humans, towns are small, and technology hasn't quite reached the height it did before the war, think your stereotypical ghibli setting, but with more aliens and cthulhus. the Wyrdwood verse also has something called "Destiny", a mysterious force protecting humans from deadly blows, this is something that's mostly a gameplay term but it bleeds over into lore sometimes. Oh right I forgot to mention, in this world hats are incredibly important, if you don't wear one, good luck casting spells!

What's the tone?: Wyrdwood's wand is mostly fairly lighthearted, it can touch on topics of warfare and imperialism, but its a silly world full of goblins that can turn any object into a gun, and nigh-immortal reptilian orbs

Session length: Fairly long, 3-4 hours is not uncommon

Number of Players: 3+, 5 is recommended

Malleability: Wyrdwood's mechanics are actually not very tied into its setting, if your setting is primarily consisting of spellcasters you could run it in Wyrdwood probably

Resources: As wyrdwood is a fairly new, obscure, and in development game there's not too many resources, there's a google spreadsheet that works wonders, a few scattered bits of homebrew, and other such things

I REALLY like wyrdwood, its lighthearted and silly aesthetic combined with genuinely fun gameplay and character creation sell you into its world where really weird shit happens casually and where hats are vital for spellcasting.