#indie RPGs

[prokopetz]

Indie RPG Tumblr is great because you'll see someone reblog a post like "yes, I agree that mainstream tabletop RPGs are too preoccupied with fine-grained action economies", and then their next post is about a game they're currently working on whose combat system is basically "what if Magic: The Gathering could physically kick you in the balls".

[sashasienna]

Haven't seen much about it on Tumblr so I want to yell a bit about Hollows because I'm super excited for it and I think a lot of you nerds will be too.*

*assuming you like two or more of boss fights, TTRPGs, horror, hubris, fun and brutal digs at the british class system

In Hollows, you play hunters who trawl hollows, fucked up zones of surreal horror - falling and trying again and falling and trying again - until you finally manage to defeat the Lord: the source of all the hollow's pain, fear and general Messed Up Shit.

Full disclosure, I am one of the possible stretch goal writers of a whole new Hollow, but that's not why I'm psyched about this game. After coming on board, I tried a playtest version of the game and had a massive grin on my face the entire way through. And I didn't even get to see my own character inevitably succumbing to the very inner darkness they use to fight, becoming a new Big Bad in the process!

It's from RRD, the same folks who did Spire, Heart, Die and Eat the Reich so you know it's gonna be good and annoyingly beautiful. Look, it's just a great game, OK? Maybe check it out on backerkit if you like good things.

[monsterfactoryfanfic]

Lin Codega, Rowan Zeoli, and Chase Carter are launching their own independent TTRPG journalism site. I am SO thrilled these folks are going to take a stab at earnest, genuine RPG coverage that's not hampered by corporate interests. Please check out Rascal News!

[macguffinandco]

Ho, bold adventurer! Pitcrawler digital edition is now available!

Dare you step into a world of peril? Pitcrawler is a two-player fantasy RPG inspired by old adventure gamebooks, where a daring and foolhardy adventurer will be guided through trials, tribulations and treasures towards glory or death.

[arnivold]

Indie TTRPG Summer Sale Fundraiser!

Hello! Adrian Lumm here, head of Purple Moon Games. I'm a Queer independent TTRPG designer who is trying to raise money to get out of a crappy home situation. My goal is to raise enough money to put a deposit down on a small apartment and move out of my parents' place for good.

To that end, I've created a summer sale! Every RPG I have in stock is currently on sale for half off, or buy my entire collection for $75! Every little bit helps. Only 10 full bundle sales are needed to reach my goal of $750!

My library of games is fairly diverse: There's horror, fantasy, action-flick, Soulslike-inspired, and more!

Included in this sale/bundle is the popular solo TTRPG Castle of Memories as well.

Pride Month may be over, but I'm still in need of your assistance! Your support is appreciated!

[takataapui]

master post of all the ttrpgs I've made!

Tēnā koe, this is a master post of all the ttrpgs I've made! all my games are free/pay what you want/koha unless said otherwise. all profits from my games go towards my top surgery fund!

'so, you're a small patch of moss in a big bog...' is a solo-journaling game about being a patch of moss in a wetland facing your future of becoming peat. explore grief, mortality, and inevitability.

'the bog eternal' is a solo-journaling game about being a bog fighting against people trying to harm you, with only your natural traits. totally not an allegory for anything beyond that… I’d totally tell you if it was, deeeefinitely not an allegory for transness, nope.

'you’re going to your ideal wetland’ is a solo-journaling game about creating and traveling to your dream wetland, emotions about climate justice, and naming that wonderful place.

'We Are But Worms On a String: a one word rpg' is exactly what it sounds like! Are you curious about what that word is? Read to find out!

'Two Graves' is a solo-journaling game about revenge and what comes after.

In this game, you write as someone who's recalling parts of their life that are sitting uneasily. You'll explore your life before you were Wronged, the moment of being Wronged, the revenge itself, and the future you can have after you've done the thing you once swore to do.

(Two Graves is available for $2)

'johnny bogg: a boggy shopping trip adventure’ is a solo-journaling game about going to a plus sized masculine clothing store that happens to be in a bog. play to find out what strange bog things happen to you there. will you make it out unchanged? or will you get some cool boggy clothes? don't forget to fill out your customer satisfaction survey!

’it is a beautiful day in the wetland and you are a horrible bittern’ is a solo-journaling game about being a menace of a bird, harassing those stinky humans coming into your wetland, and dealing with the consequences of your actions. play to find out whether you’ll be able to bring back the restorationists after you’ve scared them away.

'these little delusions' is a one-page rpg approximation of my experiences with delusions as a symptom of my schizophrenia. I do not recommend playing this game. sorry if you find yourself playing anyway.

[dice-wizard]

I don't want to see the cast of BG3 play their own characters in D&D. I've already seen that. It's massively successful.

Here's a non comprehensive list of things I'd much rather watch them play:

Their BG3 characters playing the aspects of the psyche in Bluebeard's Bride

Them playing their characters playing the characters in Lady Blackbird

Playing their characters roleplaying as their characters' OCs in Fabula Ultima

It's just BG3 but they're playing it in Firebrands

The voice actors playing entirely unrelated but like, really fucking close OCs in the Dragon Age RPG

"Modern AU" but it's run using TC: Assassins

Mandatory Exalted mention

[crackerjackalope]

The Real Housewives of Innsmouth

Ever wanted to play a ttrpg about a bunch of catty fish women competing on reality tv? Ever wanted to absolutely screw over your friends in the name of petty revenge? Ever wanted to play a game the designer tagged both “eldritch horror” and “reality tv”?

If you answered yes to any of those questions then you should check out my latest game: The Real Housewives of Innsmouth! A game that lets you live out all your ugliest social fantasies!

Check it out on Itch here!

[misslazarus]

TANGLED BLESSINGS GAME JAM

Solo TTRPG posting again for my fellow solo game enjoyers/the solo game curious!

I’ve posted before about Tangled Blessings by @cassimothwin , a project I was so thrilled to back and play (and find in the wild a couple of times 👀). It’s a really engaging solo/duet rpg about being a student at a spooky magical school, and facing off against your rival. Also very cool to know, Tangled Blessings is a hack of the iconic game Anamnesis by @goblinmixtape (a game I mean to post about here one day if I feel I actually have anything interesting to add other than “I love it” lol).

In extremely cool news for amateur/fledgling game writers and those who never find time to participate in NaNoWriMo [meeee], Cassi Mothwin opened up a Tangled Blessings game jam on itch.io !! The game jam is for expansions to /projects inspired by Tangled Blessings. The jam is running until February 29th (leap day swag btw). I think this is such a cool idea to explore a really fun game, and I’m planning on submitting something! If you want to participate and don’t already own it, Cassi has a free preview to get you started!

DISCLAIMER: I am not posting this in any capacity other than as a big fan of Cassi’s work— and to alert my buddies on here who are into this kind of thing and to whom I’ve spoken about Tangled Blessings and solo rpgs in general.

I’ve linked the jam below for the rules and info. I also linked Tangled Blessings and Anamnesis itch.io pages so I hope all the links don’t nerf this post in the tags.

Happy writing y’all!

[chaosmeistergames]

Hello fellow TTRPG enthusiasts. I am looking for fun and interesting examples for the layout of random tables. I have looked at some of the books I own, but find they are mostly just boring tables straight out of excel. How can we make them look good while still giving all the info and keeping them usable? Has anyone some cool examples?

[wildwoodsgames]

Tarot ask game for ttrpg designers

(This is dedicated to @temporalhiccup who I'm sure it will delight).

Send me a Tarot card and I'll answer!

The Fool – What do the earliest stages of work on a game look like for you? OR How did you get into game design? The Magician — What design skills are you best at? OR What skill have you been working on lately? The High Priestess — What role does intuition play in your process? OR Are the themes of your games planned or discovered? The Empress — Where do your ideas come from? OR Do you seek out or avoid inspiration while working on an idea? The Emperor — Do you have a process you follow with your design work? OR How important is mechanical complexity to you? The Hierophant — Who is a fellow game designer you’ve learned a lot from? OR What is a piece of popular wisdom about games you think is nonsense? The Choice — Which do you prefer: drafting or editing? Design or playtesting? Beginning projects or ending projects? Fluff or mechanics? Or a pair of your own invention. The Chariot — What is the next project you’re planning to start OR What is the next project you’re excited to finish? Justice — How importance is game balance to you? OR How personal are your games? The Hermit — What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned about game design? OR Are you interested in collaborating with others? The Wheel of Fortune — What is a game you think is underappreciated? OR What is a game you think is overhyped? Fortitude — What are your tricks for staying motivated in the middle of a project? OR Are you interested in making game design a career? The Hanged Man — What other creative pursuits do you have? OR What current trends in game design are you most interested in? Death — Talk about an idea you’d love to make that no-one would expect from you. Temperance — Who do you rely on for design advice? OR What is your approach to incorporating feedback? The Devil — What motifs or mechanics do you just keep coming back to? OR What is a game you’ve enjoyed playing in the last year? The Tower — Talk about about a game you tried to make that crashed and burned. The Star — Talk about a game you’re working on and what excites you about it. The Moon — Talk about a game you’re working on and what you’re struggling with. The Sun — Talk about a game you’ve made that you’re proud of. Judgement — Talk about a game you’ve made that taught you a lot. The World — Ask a question of your own invention.

[prokopetz]

Sometimes I see folks who follow this blog citing stuff like Vampire: The Masquerade as their "favourite indie RPG", and I reflect that some of my posts about indie publishing must come across very differently than I'd intended them to if that's what they think I'm talking about.

[goose-24-7]

honestly i hate people who unironically say "oh look another quirky earthbound inspired rpg about depression" let people make games about what they want??? earthbound was a magnificent game that pushed the boundaries of rpgs as a whole for its time of course people want to make games like it, and games are an amazing art form to show those kind of feelings fucks sake

[monsterfactoryfanfic]

Bro Is It Gay to Dock?

In honor of the new "Our Flag Means Death" season, I wanna shout out a rules-light tabletop game that you OFMD kids should absolutely check out:

"Bro Is It Gay to Dock" by Kevin Nguyen puts players in the position of a pirates who encounter The Legend, a hot, terrifying storm of a person, and fall madly in love with them.

The base mechanic is simple, a 2d6 roll, with an 8+ as a success, adding and subtracting points based on boons you have that would be advantageous to your roll, or aspects of the Legend's mythos that would put you at odds.

HOWEVER

"You may choose to fail any roll in exchange for an intimate moment with The Legend directly relating to or as a result of it later... like the pottery scene in Ghost but for manning the wheel."

I know Tumblr tabletop folks would be all over this game, please give it a read!! There's still some community copies available, I highly recommend you check it out before they're gone!

[macguffinandco]

Ker-Splat, our Saturday-morning-cartoon chaos-generator RPG is now only £14! Why? Because we were selling it at that price at UKGE and we sold a bunch more than when it was £16. The free market really does work (in this one specific instance)!

If you want to get your hands on arguably* the funniest TTRPG around for only £14 physical/£7 PDF, you now can! The new price is available on our website (link above) and on our Itch store (https://macguffinandcompany.itch.io/)

*if we had lawyers, we're pretty sure they'd advise us to say this, because lawyers famously love an argument.

[ftlcast]

You know you want a little sneak peak of what Season Eight holds. :3 Enjoy this snippet of Episode 86.1, where we play Last Train to Bremen by Caro Ascersion.

Music is "Railroad's Whiskey Co" by Jahzzar.

Check out our previous seasons at https://ftlcast.podbean.com/!