Short Shelf of Picks - Vol. I
This segment marks a new short format I want to try in which I will write no more than a paragraph about several materials that caught my attention. These are not critical reviews, they are introductions. These writings have their equivalent in the “Staff Picks” commonly found at good book and record shops. A nod to something I think is cool, you may too!
2400
A recent release by the prolific Jason Tocci of Pretendo Games, this series has massive potential, emphasized by the enthusiastic response the 24XX Game Jam received. The 2400 series is actually a set of lite rules adapted to a unified world spread throughout multiple plug-and-play modules. These consist of 11 “lo-fi sci-fi” modules (so far) that are each one page, front and back, moving from cyberpunk to post-apocalypse weirdness and are essentially toolkits made of numerous options to flesh out the game. Gear, Jobs, NPCS, Locations, Classes, Missions from each of them can be mixed and matched to create your desired world. Low crunch, discourse-and-trust reliant, the 2400 series is an amazing resource to create a sci-fi world full of variation. Printed and folded (each dressed in a the excellent art of BEEPLE) these make for an attractive package. Now, many community members have made their own variations using the 24XX rules and the results look inspired. This seems to be growing style of modular play that I'm excited to follow.
Find at: https://jasontocci.itch.io/2400
Infinigrad Freelancer
Very intriguing! From its promise of d6 simplicity to the evocative setting and the very compelling art. Perhaps this is Michael Raston’s chosen aesthetic, but I really wish the included pieces were not quite so “distressed” because these are cool images, and I would love to see more of the details. If Public Domain art, great selections, if originals, I hope to see a book of his work someday! The system stems from Ordure Fantasy 1d6 RPG which has been written about in other places. In this book, you create a Infinigrad Freelancer, a kind of mutated mercenary class, with which to navigate numerous tables of randomly generated political upheavals, violence, and jobs. These 17 pages are dense with skills, augmentations, city stuff, and I will end this here because it probably warrants a long form look combined with Ordure Fantasy. Does include the basic core rules though!
Find at: https://mraston.itch.io/infinigrad-freelancer
Post Humans Orbital Structures
I am just one of many admirers of the drawings of Evlyn Moreau but I only recently discovered the writing. This is a 13 page supplement of post-human science fiction lists. Lists of strange and unpleasant-sounding food, (blue potato, pink goo, flavored bugs) Bots (goofy companion bot, rapid response android, turret drone), and Bugs (Mimic bug, ripper bug, memory bug). Find Gear: magnetic bolas rifle, auto-returning ball, vibro-knife or drilling glove). Also includes a few pages dedicated to vehicles. That’s what this is, a good handful of interesting d20 lists for your sci-fi game, widely accompanied by numerous wonderful, whimsical, dark drawings. This is designed for the Macchiato Monsters system, which I have not played yet, but have been informed as to its deserving of merit. Moreau is an impressive artist and that combined with interesting text makes for some exciting possibilities!
Find at: https://evlyn.itch.io/posthumansorbitalstructures
Raid on the Decadent Spire
This is simply impressive. From the striking pink cover to the clean layout and design, I really look forward to dropping some of this into my solitaire play. These 16 pages of Opulent Tower Crawling Adventure were created by Charles Ferguson-Avery. Everything centers around elevated dungeon crawling through the spires, sky-high tower homes of the Nobles who live in splendor. There is a cool Alarm mechanic for timing, there is a small bestiary and most interesting is a simple but effective d6 spire creating mechanic. I love how easy and elegant this is to generate a different network of towers each time – the individual spires connected by bridges. A large part of the text then is a room generating d20 list, but instead of just telling us it is a ballroom, gallery, or treasure room, these are each relatively robust with some variations and encounters. There is also a simple but neat loot the corpse table for the Noble. This is cool with potential for several reuses due to the variations of rooms and tower sizes. I see this as a cool centerpiece for visiting some strange magical city and liberating the boss of their stuff!
Find at: https://feral-indie-studios.itch.io/raid-on-the-decadent-spires
What Happens: Around the Campfire / Inside the Witch’s Hut
I have gotten used to Diogo Nogueira putting out great material. He was one of the first creators I became aware of and continue to be excited about. And true to his approach, this simple pamphlet is 2 different d20 lists. A quick little supplement to pull out woodland travel perhaps, maybe a fairy tale session. The party may stumble across a little creepy hut and see: A walking stick made of bones with eight legs that walks on the walls and moves away from the characters. Is it alive? Does it know any of the witch’s secrets? And if they get out of there and make camp in the woods: A strange breeze blows against the wind, carrying the guttural voices of sinister creatures who talk about attacking the group while they sleep. Where are these beings? Who they are? A simple but flavorful item easily tucked in a GM binder for just such an occasion.
Find at: https://diogo-old-skull.itch.io/witchs-hut-campfire