plotbunnygames

[plotbunnygames]

Have you played DREAM ASKEW / DREAM APART ?

Avery Alder and Benjamin Rosenbaum

Queer strife amid the apocalypse and Jewish fantasy of the shtetl. Two games about belonging outside belonging that use only tokens and are GM-less. No dice no masters, PbtA.

[plotbunnygames]

Need a TTRPG for tonight that requires absolutely no preparation (nope, you don't even have to read the rules ahead of time!)?

How about a storytelling game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters?

In Against the Monster, your characters, your monster, and your setting develop through your answers to 52 possible, randomly drawn questions.

From wervolves on a space station to tentacle monsters at sea to flesh-eating plants in the desert, anything goes if you can imagine it together!

[plotbunnygames]

We've just uploaded a new version of The Lovecraft Boat (Octodad meets The Love Boat with a dash of Cthulhu) to fix a typo and replace a leftover half-sentence in German with its English version! Shoutout to the friendly person on Mastodon who alerted us to these mistakes!

Now nothing stands in the way of your crew of monsters experiencing the horrors of cruise ships and customer service while dealing with bodies and minds unfit for either! Happy Halloween! (Yes, you can still play this tonight! It's a super short read and requires minimal prep - zero, if you're good at improvising! Mechanically, it's based on Lasers & Feelings, so if you know that, you already know how to play The Lovecraft Boat!)

[plotbunnygames]

Oops, this is what happens when you wander away from Tumblr for a while - they post your game and you're not there to help get the numbers up! 😅

Anyhow, thanks for featuring Viva la QueerBar - and for those of you reading along who want to know more, here's a link to the English edition on Itch.io!

We'll also send over more print copies to @indiepressrevolution soon, so they should be available there in May or June again.

If you're in Europe, you can also order a print copy through our shop (website is in German-only so far, but this post may help you - minus the voucher code information).

And if you speak German, yes, there's a German edition, too!

Have you played VIVA LA QUEERBAR ?

By Sandra Dahlhoff & Andrea Rick (Plotbunny Games)

Viva la QueerBar is a slice-of-life story game about a queer bar (or queer café) and the team who runs it. It's a game about the pleasures and struggles of being part of a queer community. Whether as a fantasy medieval tavern, a cyberpunk underground club, a real-world gay bar in a historical setting, an intergalactic queer bar on a spaceship, or anything else you can think of – the QueerBar lives wherever you want it to.

[plotbunnygames]

Time to celebrate! // Zeit zum Feiern!

The crowdfunding campaign is over and we're celebrating over 200 backers and over 4000 € support! Monstrously fluffy thanks to all of you - without you, such projects would not be possible! 🐰💖

You can see how things will proceed with AGAINST THE MONSTER in the most recent update from last night! //

Das Crowdfunding ist vorbei und wir feiern über 200 Unterstützer*innen und über 4000 Euro Unterstützung! Monströs flauschigen Dank an euch alle - ohne euch wären solche Projekte nicht möglich! 🐰💖

Wie es mit #GegenDasMonster weitergeht, steht im aktuellsten Update von gestern Nacht!

[plotbunnygames]

Final 48 hours have begun!

Last chance to back this project (and perhaps get another zine-sized game or two for the same shipping cost)!

These are the games you can get as add-ons (all of them are also available in German):

Bunny, We Bought a Dungeon is an OSR map-drawing story game about anthropomorphic bunnies who bought a dungeon to move in there together. GM-less one-shot for 2-6 players, D6 dice pool mechanic. Written by Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick, cover art from the Public Domain.

Dolly, We Bought a Dream House is a dream-house-drawing story game about Dollys in a pinktastic world who explore and furnish a Dream House together. GM-less one-shot for 2-6 players, D6 dice pool mechanic. Written by Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick, cover art by Andrea Rick.

Viva la QueerBar is a story game about a queer bar and the team who runs it. GM-less one-shot for 2-6 players, Descended from the Queen mechanics. Written by Sandra Dahlhoff and Andrea Rick, cover art by Hannah van den Höövel.

Support the crowdfunding for AGAINST THE MONSTER here!

Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster

Against the Monster

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it‘s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you‘ll decide in which setting you‘ll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

---

Written by Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, artwork by Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding for ZineMonth!

Gegen das Monster

Ihr habt euch gemeinsam auf die Jagd nach dem Monster gemacht, um seinem Dasein ein für alle Mal ein Ende zu bereiten.

Gegen das Monster ist ein Erzählspiel um eine Monsterjagd, das Gute im Monster und das Monströse in den Jagenden. Ob Drache, Vampir*in, Tentakelmonster, künstliche Intelligenz oder etwas ganz anderes — in welchem Setting ihr welches Monster jagt, entscheidet ihr selbst.

Wenn das Monster euch am Ende gegenüber steht: Greifst du es tatsächlich an?

---

Geschrieben von Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, Illustrationen von Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding im ZineMonth!

[plotbunnygames]

We played "Against the Monster" and hunted a fungus-related cryptid in the Black Forest. And we created a whole ecosystem of monsters along the way - oops? Thanks to @sirheckalot @keganexe Sarah and @this-curiouscat (me) for playing and telling a melancholic story about obligation, loss, connection, and curiosity! It was truly a wonderful adventure!

[plotbunnygames]

WE ARE FUNDED!!! Thanks to everyone for reblogging and for backing the project! I know it's a cliché, but we really wouldn't be able to make games like this without your support! Now let's get the contributors a raise and get us some more money for future projects! (We don't have official stretch goals, but this is what's going to happen with any extra funds we collect until March 1st!)

Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster

Against the Monster

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it‘s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you‘ll decide in which setting you‘ll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

---

Written by Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, artwork by Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding for ZineMonth!

Gegen das Monster

Ihr habt euch gemeinsam auf die Jagd nach dem Monster gemacht, um seinem Dasein ein für alle Mal ein Ende zu bereiten.

Gegen das Monster ist ein Erzählspiel um eine Monsterjagd, das Gute im Monster und das Monströse in den Jagenden. Ob Drache, Vampir*in, Tentakelmonster, künstliche Intelligenz oder etwas ganz anderes — in welchem Setting ihr welches Monster jagt, entscheidet ihr selbst.

Wenn das Monster euch am Ende gegenüber steht: Greifst du es tatsächlich an?

---

Geschrieben von Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, Illustrationen von Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding im ZineMonth!

[plotbunnygames]

Wouldst thou liketh to ponder some monsters? Perchance a sharp-fanged vampire under a pale moon? A strong-armed kraken from the endless depth of the ocean? A furry creature with claws and glowing eyes who haunts the forest at night?

Behold! This story-making game has many a monster for you to ponder.

Some are drawn in black coal*. Some are sketched in sparse words. All of them may fill your mind with questions about the monster you are hunting.

Questions like:

What sound tells you the monster is near?

What particular strength do you have? What about it is disturbing?

How is the monster beautiful?

And finally:

When the monster faces you in the end: do you really attack it?

(*Well, technically, they are drawn by a human moving a plastic pencil across a computing machine, but let's go with the vibe here.)

Alas! This assortment of monstrous art and questions and a simple explanation for how to play the game can only become a reality if we gather the coins to make it so.

If thou wouldst liketh to be a part of this collective collecting effort, you must maketh your way to the place called "Kicke-Starter" where you may pledge your coins until the first day of March.

We shall await you there under the banner that proclaims "Against the Monster!" Which should not lead you astray in thinking that we are not still a friend to monsters. Well, some of them.

(Artwork by Andrea Rick @this-curiouscat)

[plotbunnygames]

Wouldst thou liketh to ponder some monsters? Perchance a sharp-fanged vampire under a pale moon? A strong-armed kraken from the endless depth of the ocean? A furry creature with claws and glowing eyes who haunts the forest at night?

Behold! This story-making game has many a monster for you to ponder.

Some are drawn in black coal*. Some are sketched in sparse words. All of them may fill your mind with questions about the monster you are hunting.

Questions like:

What sound tells you the monster is near?

What particular strength do you have? What about it is disturbing?

How is the monster beautiful?

And finally:

When the monster faces you in the end: do you really attack it?

(*Well, technically, they are drawn by a human moving a plastic pencil across a computing machine, but let's go with the vibe here.)

Alas! This assortment of monstrous art and questions and a simple explanation for how to play the game can only become a reality if we gather the coins to make it so.

If thou wouldst liketh to be a part of this collective collecting effort, you must maketh your way to the place called "Kicke-Starter" where you may pledge your coins until the first day of March.

We shall await you there under the banner that proclaims "Against the Monster!" Which should not lead you astray in thinking that we are not still a friend to monsters. Well, some of them.

(Artwork by Andrea Rick @this-curiouscat)

[plotbunnygames]

Only 225 187 € to go until we're funded! After that, every contributor gets a pay raise, and after that we get more money to make more games! 🐰

Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster

Against the Monster

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it‘s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you‘ll decide in which setting you‘ll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

---

Written by Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, artwork by Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding for ZineMonth!

Gegen das Monster

Ihr habt euch gemeinsam auf die Jagd nach dem Monster gemacht, um seinem Dasein ein für alle Mal ein Ende zu bereiten.

Gegen das Monster ist ein Erzählspiel um eine Monsterjagd, das Gute im Monster und das Monströse in den Jagenden. Ob Drache, Vampir*in, Tentakelmonster, künstliche Intelligenz oder etwas ganz anderes — in welchem Setting ihr welches Monster jagt, entscheidet ihr selbst.

Wenn das Monster euch am Ende gegenüber steht: Greifst du es tatsächlich an?

---

Geschrieben von Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, Illustrationen von Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding im ZineMonth!

[plotbunnygames]

Hi, thanks for mentioning us! We're indeed a small publisher in Berlin, Germany, and almost all of our games are available in both English and German. Almost all of them have print editions, too.

Here's a post in English with more details about our games and links to their English descriptions on Itch.io. If you prefer German descriptions, please go to our website (this is where you can also order print copies).

We're also currently crowdfunding Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster, which will be published in both English and German by June 2024 (at the latest).

If you have any questions about any of these games or how to get them, please feel free to send us an Ask here on Tumblr or contact us anywhere else you can find us!

--

There's also a collection of TTRPGs and supplements in German on Itch.io, which is maintained by @this-curiouscat (me in my more private incarnation). Some of the contents also have an English edition.

--

We would also be amiss not to mention System Matters as another small-ish publisher who creates German translations for cool indie games (including Behind the Magic, The Quiet Year/Ein ruhiges Jahr, The Deep Forest/Der tiefe Wald, For the Queen/Für die Königin, Runaway Hirelings/Mietling auf Abwegen, The King is Dead/Der König ist tot) and a bunch of PbtA games (including Monsterhearts, Brindlewood Bay, and more). They often re-illustrate their translations (the new artwork for Mietling auf Abwegen is FANTASTIC) and generally produce high-quality translations.

They also publish a lot of OSR stuff, but that's not my area of expertise, so I'm not going to recommend anything from that section.

Hi! I'm an apprentice librarian at a university of education, and I'd like to suggest our library get some TTRPGs, ones that are available in print and suitable for school (since our userbase is mainly aspiring teachers), ideally with a German translation (I know that part may be difficult).

Do you have some suggestions?

Theme: Available in German!

Hello friend, so my strategy for this was to find some German websites for roleplaying games and then try to see if they sold physical copies of certain games. This is going to be a bit different from my regular recommendations, mostly because I can’t read German! So I figured I’d send you to these different publishers, and point out specific games that look like potential candidates.

(Also German-speaking followers please sound off in the tags and comments!)

Plotbunny Games @plotbunnygames

From what I can tell, this is a small publisher with a number of indie ttrpgs, and most of these games look to have physical copies. The games that really stand out to me here are Follow, and Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies. Follow is a game by Ben Robbins, the creator of Microscope, and is a GM-less collaborative storytelling game about going on a quest. I think it would be a great game for collaboration and quick brainstorming sessions. Miss Bernberg’s Finishing School for Young Ladies is made in-house, and is a Firebrands game, which means that it uses a number of small mini-games to tell a bigger story. Great for focusing on narrative over complex characters. There’s also a German translation of ImproVeto, which is a great tool for introducing safety tools, good for any roleplaying group.

Obscurati

Obscurati has two games that I recognize: Tiny Dungeons and Into the Dark. Tiny Dungeons is made by Gallant Knight Games. It is very streamlined, and has a lot of supplements for you to customize your setting. Obscurati appears to have a large number of physical Tiny Dungeon components, including a hardcover book. If you want traditional fantasy, this is probably worth checking out. Into the Dark is a Forged-in-Dark game by Off Guard Games, and is a dark-fantasy dungeon delving game that gives you character playbooks, tables for adventure generation, and a streamlined game system. I’m generally a fan of Forged in the Dark games because they give you some easy-to-understand mechanics that can carry a story really far. (This game is also in hardcover!)

Ulisses Spiele

Ulisses Spiele looks to be a pretty major publisher, with D&D, Warhammer, and Pathfinder all in one house. I'm assuming you're probably familiar with them. If you want a big-name roleplaying game, this is the place to be. Many of the games from this publishing house are pretty crunchy, so they’re more suited for folks who want to go through the traditional process of complex character creation, and specific rules for things like range, inventory, specific types of damage, etc.

If you’re looking for games that hearken to popular media, Dune and Tales from the Loop both come from Modiphius, a games company with a pretty good reputation for mechanically sound games, although they generally require a lot of bookkeeping. World of Darkness is the game system I’m most familiar with in this list, using dice pools of d10s, although much of the subject matter in these games is rather dark - especially since the bulk of their WoD catalogs appears to be Vampire: the Masquerade. I’m actually really intrigued by Die Schwarze Katze, of which I’m not entirely sure there is an English equivalent, and appears to be a fantasy game with cat characters!

Truant Spiele

Truant has a number of games that I am unfamiliar with, although I may have heard of their names before. Kult is labelled as an adult roleplaying game, so if you want something child-friendly, I’d stay away, and The One Ring has not received many friendly reviews - but Warbirds is a fantastical-historical game about fighter pilots and aerial combat, which looks pretty lighthearted, although this looks like a game that can have winners and losers. There’s also The Witcher RPG, a class-based system all about fighting monsters in a well-loved world based on that of the video game. The Witcher looks to be a bit on the crunchier side of things, so I’d see it as a better candidate for long-term campaigns rather than quick pick-up sessions. Finally, they carry Cyberpunk Red, which I’ve heard rave reviews for, with pre-generated enemies, a giant swathe of lore, and plenty of player support.

Fiasco

There’s a physical German version of Fiasco on the Pro-Indie website, along with a number of supplements. Fiasco is a game about a making a terrible movie using card stock and dice, and is great for lighthearted games and ridiculous stories.

Now, for some digital runners-up.

Pegasus Digital looks to be a German version of DriveThru Rpg, with a smaller catalogue but a lot of resources for Cthulhu 7, Shadowrun, and Avatar Legends. If you get folks who want to see what else is out there, this might be a handy website to direct them to.

Hero Kids is a game that only has a physical version in English, but it has a digital German equivalent! This is a great game for young role-players and folks who want a kid-friendly style of role-play.

DURF is a minimalist fantasy game with a number of different translations, including a German one. It isn’t available in print, but the game itself is small enough that printing copies of the game for yourself and fellow players shouldn’t be very expensive. DURF is based in OSR style play, so expect very small character sheets and an emphasis on your inventory.

Brindlewood Bay is only available in English and Polish, as far as I can tell- but there is a collection of play materials available in German! This game has such a big following because it has a reputation for being easy to teach, and it has a really wonderful mystery system, so I think it might be worth checking out.

[plotbunnygames]

Our own cool ZineMonth game is called "Against the Monster" (or "Gegen das Monster" for the German version).

It's a story game about a monster hunt, the good in the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you'll decide in which setting you'll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

Written by Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick (@this-curiouscat) (who previously wrote Bunny, We Bought a Dungeon and Dolly, We Bought a Dream House together), artwork by Andrea Rick. Uses the Descended from the Queen framework created by Alex Roberts.

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Other cool ZineMonth projects we support:

Splat 5: Golden -- A zine featuring interviews with TTRPG creators

Rae Nedjadi @temporalhiccup,

Meguey and Vincent Baker, who is currently funding The Wizard's Library (which we also support!)

Jay Dragon @jdragsky

Waks Saveedra

@momatoes, who is currently funding The Magus/The Oracle

Orion D. Black

Convict-ion -- A game about using gender to break free, which also references Judith Butler and Michel Foucault.

Mystery Under Magi-Mart -- A pick-your-path adventure book about exploring the dungeon under a magic store.

We're also keeping an interested eye on Milk Bar: sci-fi roleplaying in post-Soviet Poland (beautiful layout! has pierogi!), the massive heap of zines planned by Beth and Angel Make a Campaign, and Ritual Magic for Besties by @ratwavegamehouse (tarot-based spell-making TTRPG) and a bunch of others!

It's officially #zinemonth, and that means there are a ton of incredible TTRPG projects funding right now. We want to feature as many of these projects as possible in our February newsletter, so if you're running a project or know of a cool one (this part is a trick, they're all cool) please promote it here and/or email us about it, support@indiepressrevolution.com

[plotbunnygames]

We're nearly two thirds funded! Go, monster, go!

Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster

Against the Monster

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it‘s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you‘ll decide in which setting you‘ll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

---

Written by Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, artwork by Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding for ZineMonth!

Gegen das Monster

Ihr habt euch gemeinsam auf die Jagd nach dem Monster gemacht, um seinem Dasein ein für alle Mal ein Ende zu bereiten.

Gegen das Monster ist ein Erzählspiel um eine Monsterjagd, das Gute im Monster und das Monströse in den Jagenden. Ob Drache, Vampir*in, Tentakelmonster, künstliche Intelligenz oder etwas ganz anderes — in welchem Setting ihr welches Monster jagt, entscheidet ihr selbst.

Wenn das Monster euch am Ende gegenüber steht: Greifst du es tatsächlich an?

---

Geschrieben von Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, Illustrationen von Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding im ZineMonth!

[plotbunnygames]

Against the Monster / Gegen das Monster

Against the Monster

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

Against the Monster is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it‘s a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, artificial intelligence, or something else entirely — you‘ll decide in which setting you‘ll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

---

Written by Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, artwork by Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding for ZineMonth!

Gegen das Monster

Ihr habt euch gemeinsam auf die Jagd nach dem Monster gemacht, um seinem Dasein ein für alle Mal ein Ende zu bereiten.

Gegen das Monster ist ein Erzählspiel um eine Monsterjagd, das Gute im Monster und das Monströse in den Jagenden. Ob Drache, Vampir*in, Tentakelmonster, künstliche Intelligenz oder etwas ganz anderes — in welchem Setting ihr welches Monster jagt, entscheidet ihr selbst.

Wenn das Monster euch am Ende gegenüber steht: Greifst du es tatsächlich an?

---

Geschrieben von Jasmin Neitzel & Andrea Rick, Illustrationen von Andrea Rick.

Crowdfunding im ZineMonth!

[plotbunnygames]

Campaign starts in less than 24 hours! So excited!

Here's a peek at some of the interior design and the full cover:

Crowdfunding coming up for ZineMonth!

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

"Against the Monster" is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it's a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, or artificial intelligence — you'll decide in which setting you'll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

"Against the Monster" is a GM-less Descended from the Queen story game (you may know the mechanics from "For the Queen" or our previous project "Viva la QueerBar") for 2-6 players and a flexible play time of about 1-4 hours.

After successful funding, the game will be published as a 24-page A5-sized zine and as screenreader-ready PDF, in both English and German. It will get evocative original artwork on every page (100% human-made, of course).

Game Design: Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick Illustrations & Layout: Andrea Rick

Sign up to be notified when we launch on Kickstarter!

[plotbunnygames]

Crowdfunding coming up for ZineMonth!

You have set out together to hunt the monster and end its existence once and for all.

"Against the Monster" is a story game about a monster hunt, the good of the monster, and the monstrosity of the hunters. Whether it's a dragon, vampire, tentacle monster, or artificial intelligence — you'll decide in which setting you'll hunt which monster.

When the monster faces you in the end: Do you really attack it?

"Against the Monster" is a GM-less Descended from the Queen story game (you may know the mechanics from "For the Queen" or our previous project "Viva la QueerBar") for 2-6 players and a flexible play time of about 1-4 hours.

After successful funding, the game will be published as a 24-page A5-sized zine and as screenreader-ready PDF, in both English and German. It will get evocative original artwork on every page (100% human-made, of course).

Game Design: Jasmin Neitzel and Andrea Rick Illustrations & Layout: Andrea Rick

Sign up to be notified when we launch on Kickstarter!