What was the RPG Pipeline

The RPG Pipeline was a posting board to keep track of upcoming tabletop rpgs from 2015 to 2021 (this Blogger version began in 2019). It covered new English language ttrpgs and ttrpgs going into crowdfunding.

Thursday 31 December 2020

The Wardens of Southstone [Free]

The Wardens of Southstone [Free]: Play as multi-souled Wardens protecting the last free city.
The Wardens of Southstone

Bourgeoisie Queers on a Space Station [Free]

Bourgeoisie Queers on a Space Station [Free]: A collaborative Jane Austen style murder-mystery. In Space. And it's gay
Bourgeoisie Queers on a Space Station

There Are Other Worlds Than These [$3.00]

There Are Other Worlds Than These [$3.00]: by @harpydora

There Are Other Worlds Than These is an isekai-themed hack of House by Marn S.

You are a person from our mundane world who is somehow transported to an Other World. You may or may not know how you got here, but you do know that you have to find a way to get home.

Use a standard deck of playing cards to discover new places on a map and play out scenes until you can find your way home.

This is a GMless game for 2-5 players. There are also alternate rules for solo journalling play.

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

If the cost of this game is a burden to you, feel free to take a community copy, no questions asked.

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Shades of Light and Dark [Free]

Shades of Light and Dark [Free]:

You know those movies and characters.

The scoundrel who learns to love. The youth who becomes a mystic warrior. The sage who dies and rises ghostly to guide the youth. The princess who finds her power. Even the dark one who gains redemption at the cost of his life.

The laser swords.

They're a melodrama of light and dark, simplistic and enthralling for many.

Here's some simplistic rules for imitating those movies, based in John Harper's Lasers and Feelings. But they're adaptable to any setting, really.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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At World's Edge RPG [Free]

At World's Edge RPG [Free]:

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Welcome to the edge of the world. At the final days of the final age, the fires of life have nearly been extinguished. The Sun is bleeding. The Kings are dead.Only a handful of beings are left alive - Immortals. Gods.  Whatever's left, make your way to the Temple of Fire, defeat the guardians within, complete their trials, and feed the Fire to restart life... or stop the cycle forever.

At World's Edge is a short, simple combat-based tabletop RPG with a new, unique combat system that relies on area of attacks and a dodge mechanic that makes for dynamic combat.  You are Gods, and you fight as Gods.

To win, you must carefully choose your weapons loadout, your attacks, and your dodge.

The game comes with a rulebook, a campaign with maps and tokens, and character sheets.

Perils & Parasites [$4.00]

Perils & Parasites [$4.00]: by @sorryjzargo

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The rich drained the world of its resources, and when the world woke up to what was happening, they chose to build dungeons and fortresses to hide away rather than face the consequences of their greed. The centuries have worn down these once-impervious strongholds, and the desperate inhabitants of the barren world are more desperate than ever to breach these strongholds and claim the resources inside for themselves.

You are the bravest, most capable, or the most foolhardy of these people. You want to break down these fortresses to help those that you love, and to bring vengeance to those that starved you.

This game is designed to be easy to learn with simple but flexible rules. If anything doesn't make sense, contact me and I will fix it! I can't afford an editor so mistakes happen.

Requires: at least two players (one to GM and one or more to play as characters), multiple six-sided dice

Contains: The core mechanics for playing this game, guidelines for creating a character, five pre-built characters, a town with five original locations, a dungeon with five perilous rooms

This book leaves lots of room for you to fill in your own details about the world and characters. There is enough to run your own adventure, but making your own using these rules is also strongly encouraged. The game is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 license, so please hack this game if you want to, and please sell your hacks if you want to!

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Each copy of Perils & Parasites you buy helps someone else grab a free copy if their budget doesn't enable them to pay the listed price. If you're unable to budget for a copy of Perils & Parasites priced as listed, please claim one of these free copies for the community.

The Skeleton Diary [Free]

The Skeleton Diary [Free]:

The end has come, and you are what’s left. Just raw material and dust—bones. Who were you once? What was the path that led you to this beyond? And what story can be told from what remains?

In this game, you take on the role of a skeleton giving an account of your past embodied life.

After death, a life is only as good as the story we tell of it: you must find a way to make meaning out of the random circumstances and chance encounters that shaped your life. Your goal is to write your life story, incorporating unplanned elements smoothly into the narrative along the way, so that you may finally lay yourself to rest.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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KALIWANAGAN [$6.00]

KALIWANAGAN [$6.00]: by @Ypezion

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KALIWANAGAN is a city that never sleeps.

KALIWANAGAN is a city with a thousand tongues, a thousand trades, a thousand faiths, and a thousand ways.

KALIWANAGAN is a city with glamor, gold, glitz,  charm, smiles, and hearts, and

KALIWANAGAN is a city with crime, injustice, beasts, claws, blood, and metal.

Will you tame it, will you observe it, or will you let it loose?

***

KALIWANAGAN is a rules-light games that uses 2d7 (or 3d6 if you do not have any sort of way to roll that die), suitable for group play but also for solo and co-op play as well.

Features:

  • Trait-based system.
  • Flexible characters.
  • Freeform play.
  • A barebones setting.
  • Some oracles (Yes/No, How)!

***

Take note that this isn't playtested yet, so feedback is greatly appreciated.

Made for #AsianCyberpunkJam and #GatsbyJam.

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1.20 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Get a free copy of this game, no questions asked.

Every $3 sale adds a new community copy to the mix.

Every tip above $3 (at the top of the $3 base price) adds a new community copy to the mix.

Feel free to contact me via email (can be seen on my carrd website), via private message (Reddit or Twitter, can be found on my carrd as well), or via Discord (Cavenir#6636) if you want to get a free copy, or if you have any concerns regarding my games.

FISH BOWL [Free]

FISH BOWL [Free]: by @kyoto_ben

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2-4 players 15 min

Zoom friendly

A BUBBLY LIFE BEHIND GLASS

Stuck behind computer screens we, the writers, have felt like we have been living in fish tanks all of 2020. This game is a playful reflection on those emotions and gives us  hope for freedom from the glass.

In this game, players take on the curious lives of inquisitive fish who do not have much to do but look beyond their fish tanks. They see each other across the aisle of the pet shop and over the course of the game, world building flows in and out of slice-of-life drama. 

Find escape in this buoyant game about wonder and bubbles.

Author Bios

Naomi Torres-Ortiz is an educator in Massachusetts. This year she has been teaching 8th grade science. She loves creating joyful memories and going to restaurants by herself.

Ben Bisogno is a student @KCUA in Kyoto. He makes larps for his local community and loves melon pan. He is a cocreator of the Passover RPG Ma Nishtana (Why is this Night Different?).

Cover Image: "Suizokukan," Curtesy of Irasutoya. 

Adversary of the Ages [Free]

Adversary of the Ages [Free]:

By: The Martian Muckraker, Chris Greenbriar, Jamzilla, a wondering person and Radiatedskull for The Last RPG Jam

“My dear child.  You don’t know what you are . . .” the sorcerer said with a chuckle as he stared at the image forming in his cauldron.  “That is why the fey tremble.  They didn’t expect you so soon . . . why it’s only been two hundred years since our last dance.  I thought about letting the ripples of our last battle develop a bit more but then I was thinking, why wait? You killed me last time dear Hero.  But this century you seem a bit more nervous, even if you don’t remember who you are.  Yet.  Perhaps your subconscious remembers how close to failure you got last time.  Well this century I’ll kill you.  The Spirits' wards will protect you until adulthood of course, but when it comes for our quarter millenia dance everything will be ready.”  The Wizard broke the image in the cauldron and watched the ripples dancing in the water.  “Then we will see what the ripples are this time. . . and do it all over again in a quarter millenia.  Just for fun you see. . The Dance goes on and on. . ..”

In this RPG the players take turns controling a Hero that reincarnates throughout the ages and his Adversary.  Each player also controls a powerful Spirit who wants to influence the battle to change the timeline for their ends.   At the end of each  battle between hero and century it is determined which Spirit's value will impact the timeline most and whether the timeline is changed for good or ill.  Then several hundred years later Hero and Adversary reincarnate again.  

Rules-light, allows for boundless creativity and allows a single game session to span thousands of years yet still tell a single story.   

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Hey, Moon [Free]

Hey, Moon [Free]: by @merlle_

The Moon has been alive the whole time.The Moon has been loving you, this whole time.It's time to respond to it's affection.

It's time to write a letter to The Moon.

A game I wrote originally as a tweet in the middle of the night while feeling soft feelings, about loving the moon, and the moon is also you.

Inspired by BAD MOON by Adira Slattery


Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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i have loved the stars too fondly [Free]

i have loved the stars too fondly [Free]: by @litzabronwyn

You live in the beautiful vastness of space, floating among the stars, surrounded by glowing nebulas and sparkling celestial phenomena. Your starship with its crew of devoted explorers is traveling through the heavens in search of wonders and marvels. But, more than adventuring, you're living for the freedom of space, the joy of spending time with your companions, and the love of the stars.

This is a storytelling game about a group of space explorers who love traveling the stars more than anything else in the universe. Together, you will draw cards from a deck, create scenes of adventure, intimacy, or wonder, and collect a sideboard of breathtaking memories.

This is a Guided by the Sun game, and was created for Space Is Awesome Jam, a game jam about space being beautiful and wondrous rather than a place made purely for horror. This work is based on W.H. Arthur’s The Sol Survivor, and licensed for our use under CC BY 4.0. The Guided by the Sun logo belongs to W.H. Arthur, and is used with permission.

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Pages: 11, including title page, credits page, and 2 picture pages
System: Guided by the Sun
Play time: 1.5 to 3 hours
Requirements: A deck of cards and 2 six-sided dice
Players: 3+, GM optional
Game type: Storytelling, rules-light
Genre: Space, adventure, comfort

Pirate Cats From Outer Space [Free]

Pirate Cats From Outer Space [Free]:

This is a tabletop RPG about a group of humanoid cats having adventures on a planet or planets far more advanced and much more dangerous than Earth.

The Earth was being destroyed and a spaceship was loaded with humans and animals sent on path towards a planet they believed could support human life. 

This game plays similarly to other tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons or Call of Cthulu but with a different system for rolling, combat, etc.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Everyday Robots, Upgrading Infinitely [Free]

Everyday Robots, Upgrading Infinitely [Free]: by @RobertCarnel

In the face of a catastrophe a new generation of robots have been created. Within them has been hidden the potential to have their capacities enhanced beyond human comprehension. But to unlock this potential they must experience life for themselves measured through a series of mysterious objectives that their software sets for them.

Be an Everyday Robot and get read to upgrade and save the world!

This is a game based on the game Achievements  by Epistolary Richard

Project photo by  Ben Wicks from Unsplash

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The Old World [$3.00]

The Old World [$3.00]: by @ThatAceGal

A solo Tabletop Roleplaying game where you play someone in a fantasy world where there is only war who is immune to being harmed by it. You will travel across the lands of battle and see who the civilizations of this land are behind the carnage and fighting.

Old World is a Warhammer Fantasy fangame written by someone who loves Warhammer Fantasy. But also hates it.

All you need to play is a D6 and a pack of playing cards. This game is a hack of Alone Among The Stars by Takuma Okada

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3 USD. You will get access to the following files:

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18XX Victorian [Free]

18XX Victorian [Free]: by @diegocbar

THE QUEEN NEEDS YOUR SERVICES: Ladies and gentlemen, Queen Victoria has summoned you. I deeply apologize for the oddness of this meeting. There are matters that cannot be trifled with which require your wits. The queen cannot be further involved but counts on your success.

You are scientists, regarded as some of the best in each’s own field. Steam was just the beginning. Electricity, fabricated creatures, alchemy… Science blossoms in a diverse fashion,  mostly improving our lives. The price is rarely clear, but problems are opportunities!  Are you fit to the task?

  • Each scientific approach has its unique advantages
  • Freeform gadget creations
  • Face problems to be solved and maybe discover is all but a gear in a larger scheme
  • Mashup between Steamboy animated movie, Leviathan book series and more

VICTORIAN is a 24XX microgame. See more at jasontocci.itch.io/2400 or make your own using the SRD

Original art by BEEPLE (Mike Winkelmann).

VICTORIAN is the fifth title of the 18XX series. Every event in that series occur roughly at the same time period. In other words, they can be combined in a single scenario with characters from different games!

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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You Have Beamed Me Up [Free]

You Have Beamed Me Up [Free]: by @mvmaxv

A hack of Thou Hast Beene Called Out by Nevyn Holmes. A game with some of my favourite humour, that you should totally play.

Someone has accused you and your Crew of crimes against the Federation you may or may not have done. Quest for adventure and diplomacy to clear your names!

A 2d6 system for galactic diplomacy and swashbuckling.

Errata: to resolve risky situations, roll 2d6 under relevant stat.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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In Our Own Wor(l)ds [$3.00]

In Our Own Wor(l)ds [$3.00]: by @ParadoxRevealed

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In Our Own Wor(l)ds is a ttrpg/larp/storytelling game about making zines, trading zines, character development and worldbuilding, as well as a lesson on how to make a simple zine, all in one package. It’s a love letter to zine culture, friendships across the distance, snail mail, and parallel universes.

If you are not familiar with the concept of zines, they are DIY self-published booklets with their own underground subculture devoted to making, selling (though usually not for much), and trading them. Zines culture has traditionally been a space where people from marginalized identities and subcultures can get their voice out there without being censored.

This game is about a specific subgenre of zines known as “perzines”. A perzine is a personal zine, where the “zinester” writes (and sometimes draws) about their own life experiences, identities, interests, and thoughts.

In this game you’ll be playing as a character in a parallel universe. It may be very similar to our own world, or very, very different. But no matter what this world looks like, you’ll be making zines as your character and trading them with another player character who will be making their own.

Over the course of trading zines, you’ll develop your own characters and worlds, starting from basics and expanding over the course of creating and trading several zines. According to the mechanics detailed within this zine, features of the zines you receive from the other player will influence your character and gradually strengthen your characters’ friendship with each other. The goal for the game is to both develop your characters and universes and collaboratively shape a narrative.

28 pages of content!

This zine was funded through Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/metaparadox/in-our-own-worlds-a-fantastical...

Get a physical copy on my Etsy: http://paradoxnowcreations.etsy.com/

In order to download this zine you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Stare Back [Free]

Stare Back [Free]: by @dungeonsonadime

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A solo-play rpg, ask the big questions: who are you, and how have you got here?

A 20 page PDF filled with brightly coloured imagery, barely pushing above the 400 word count. Session lasts 5-10 minutes. Quick to pick up, try and then repress!

All donations will be spent on buying Brian some oaty biscuits.

If you're extra crafty, you should be able to find the hidden bonus 👀

Accessibility: Can be played with a mirror and dry-erase pen, but also with digital drawing apps, or purely by drafting text (for visual impairment). Plain text version of the rules comes with image descriptions; main pdf is untagged (sorry, still learning how to do that!)

CW: Minor horror, personal questions

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Space Knights [Free]

Space Knights [Free]: Tapletop rpg where you control whole armies instead of individuals in a never ending cosmic war.
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Nine Reasons To . . . [Free]

Nine Reasons To . . . [Free]: a therapy-adjacent tarot journaling game
Nine Reasons To . . .

Bog Monster [Free]

Bog Monster [Free]: by @SprintingOwl

You are a monster. You live in a bog. Your bog is near a trade route. All kinds of people and animals pass by and, being a monster, you lunge out and eat them.

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Bog Monster is a single-player tabletop roleplaying game with journaling, upgrades, branching plotlines, dice crunch, and lots and lots of carnivory.

It was conceived, written, and playtested in twenty four hours, from mechanics that came to me in a dream. So what I'm saying here is please don't give me money for this unless you've already played it and liked it.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Mooncrackle Pen [Free]

Mooncrackle Pen [Free]:

Writing a poem is easy. You know that—you’re a poet.

In this single player role-playing game, you take on the role of a poet trapped in dire circumstances. 

In order to successfully navigate the situation at hand, you must write a poem that fulfills a set of necessary conditions, chosen at random.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Draw Your Weapon! [Free]

Draw Your Weapon! [Free]: by @SandyPugGames

In Draw Your Weapon! players are Blademages, sorcerers and wizards of great power, capable of summoning, from the realm of weapons, any magical weapon they can imagine. The world of Swordhalla is in danger, as Abraxis the Necromancer has once again incorporaliated and unleashed a necromantic horde of heavy metal rock zombies upon the world. Players must travel from city to city, fighting off the badass hordes of zombies, chainmail elemental dragons, and punk rock griffins to save the world from Abraxis, and maybe this time kill him properly, yeah? Getting a bit sick of having to deal with this chud every 1000 years or w/e.

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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A Christmas Belonging [Free]

A Christmas Belonging [Free]: by @dannyplaysrpgs

A Christmas Belonging gives you snow covered landscapes, quaint small towns, and the low stakes high drama experience of a made-for-TV Christmas movie. It uses the Belonging Outside Belonging system from games like Dream Askew and Dream Apart to give you the tools to make your own Christmas movie. You can play out a classic feel good holiday story, or to subvert the tropes and create something more nuanced and diverse. * Literal Christmas magic!* No Dice, No Masters, Final Destination!* Make paper snowflakes with your honesty!* Build town traditions using Mad Libs!* Probably works for other holidays!

You can listen to a playtest of an earlier version of the game on my podcast, Pod of Wonder!

Episode 1: Town and character creation
Episode 2: Roleplaying

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Parker Simulator [Free]

Parker Simulator [Free]: by @highway2helliot

Parker Simulator is a single-player journaling game inspired by Avery Alder's The Quiet Year and Tamsin Bloom's Healer.  In it, you play as the newest incarnation of Parker MacMillan, the Commissioner of Blaseball. Absurd events will happen all across the ILB, and it's up to you to try and rise to the challenge of being the best commissioner in ILB history, all the while exploring what it means to be Parker.

Included within this download:

  • The PDF of the rules of Parker Simulator, including a list of all 52 journaling prompts and optional group play guidelines
  • 52 card images 

A note on cards: this game requires a deck of 52 cards. A physical deck is preferred, as the cards within the deck are manipulated in several ways. The included card images can be printed out and used as a deck of cards. 

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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Ma Nishtana (Why is this Night Different?)[beta] [Free]

Ma Nishtana (Why is this Night Different?)[beta] [Free]: by @kyoto_ben

Ma Nishtana: Why is this Night Different? is a open-beta story game modeled on a Passover Seder. There are opportunities to eat all of the ritual foods or perform more abstract (and remote-play-friendly) rituals. We focus on the Magid: the telling of the Exodus story, but with a twist. 

Players of Ma Nishtana tell their own version of the Exodus story, embodying key characters and making their own choices to deliver the Hebrew people out of peril. 

What do I need to play?

This game is designed for remote play. If you are hosting a session, gather 3-6 players and share the three links contained in the playkit. Inform everyone of any materials needed for rituals (see “Gathering Materials” in the Ma Nishtana Guidebook).  

3-5 Hours, 3-6 Players (including host)
Zoom friendly.

I'm not Jewish. Is it okay for me to play?

This is a story for all of us: Jews, non-Jews, and the Jew-“ish”. All are welcome around the table, whether you’re playing with family or friends or are far from home. You are invited.

What type of feedback are you looking for?

In the feedback form that comes with the play-test playkit, we have a number of questions. You do not have to answer all of them--only the ones that feel relevant to you. We are interested in finding hiccups during play that make it less fun. The game is intended to be playable by a wide audience, so we have our eyes on streamlining the experience and creating an open circle of play. If you or anyone at your table have suggestions for people we can reach out to get this unique game out in the world, let us know in the feedback form!

#ritual


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Writing and Design
Gabrielle Rabinowitz and Ben Bisogno

Generations: Dawn of Civilization [Free]

Generations: Dawn of Civilization [Free]:

Generations: Dawn of Civilization is a tabletop role-playing game about the birth and growth of a civilization. In it, you play as successive generations of people within a developing and evolving civilization, creating your own unique history.

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Into the Glacier [Free]

Into the Glacier [Free]: by @peachgardenrpgs

Welcome to the Glacier. It is a mysterious place just out of humanity's grasp, just a little bit further than people, with their lights and their fire, can reach.

That is not, of course, to say it is uninhabited. Nor is it to say that no one ever ventures into the Glacier. People have their reasons.

You have your reasons.

Whatever their reason for trespassing in Winter's sacred territory, people try and quickly find that they do not belong here.

You Will Need:

  • One standard deck of playing cards
  • Two six-sided dice
  • A character marker like a figurine or small toy
  • A piece of paper and a pencil

You Might Want:

  • A hot drink
  • A favorite blanket
  • A nice journal

Into the Glacier is a single-player journaling (or, if you prefer, map-making) game inspired by lots of things, including:

  • Edmonton winters
  • The Great Glacier sequence in Final Fantasy 7, my favorite part of one of my favorite games.
  • Mapping the Catacombs, from Sorceress & Witch
  • The Wretched & Alone games, based on The Wretched, from Loot the Room
  • The Estate of Baron Archambaud, just a real work of art of a puzzle game.
  • The 2020 Winter Jam, which I barely completed this game in time for.   

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $8 USD. You will get access to the following files:

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DrawRPG [Free]

DrawRPG [Free]: by @PerplexingRuins

A quick and easy to understand set of rules designed to use for play in multiple genres. With only this pamphlet, a standard deck of cards, a pencil and some friends, Draw RPG can let you quickly and easily open up worlds. One page double-sided. fold in half.

Not playtested, please leave feedback or play experiences. Enjoy!

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files:

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The Saga You Take [Free]

The Saga You Take [Free]: A Star Wars hack of Fall of Magic
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Shit, Let's Kill Santa [$3.00]

Shit, Let's Kill Santa [$3.00]: by @disabledpaladin

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Another Christmas has come and gone and you still haven't gotten what you want. Santa Claus fails to deliver the goods no matter how good you behave. Enough is enough. It's time for the jolly old elf to pay up.

Shit, Let's Kill Santa is a one-shot TTRPG about a group of disgruntled so-and-so's teaming up and rigging up an intricate death trap for Santa Claus. It's a very loose game you can play in person or over the internet, and comes with a table of 100 different presents for some reason. It's not based off of any actual experiences, PLEASE stop asking me questions!!!

Eternal Merry, Joyful Thanks to Alana, Alex, Ashe, Augustine, Brendan, Cypress, Jim, Lily, Melody, Rin, Rosie, Ryan, and Violet for helping me survive this hell year.

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $3 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Every time someone buys Shit Let's Kill Santa, a community copy gets added here for someone else who can't afford it right now! If you're that someone, feel free to claim access below, no questions asked.

If there's none available, DM me on Twitter.

below [$5.00]

below [$5.00]:

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When you were younger and happier, you often spent hours in the woods, sitting quietly and drawing. Over time, you did it less and less: first homework, then the stress of a new job, then...you just didn’t. You were good at drawing once. Never great, but good—and it brought you so much joy. Joy is hard for you to come by these days.

So begins your journey in below, a solo journaling game about getting lost in a strange, uncomfortable place. Over the course of 10 days, you'll explore a remote area you find yourself trapped in. In responding to the journaling prompts, players are encouraged to draw parts of their responses, even if you don't think that your drawing skills are good. This is a game for you about falling out of your comfort zone.

below addresses many topics that could be upsetting to players. The narrative of the game addresses depression through metaphor, and as such, for players who aren't in a good place mentally, it may not be the game for you right now. In below, you play someone exploring an area they used to love but no longer feel connected to. At the end of the first day, you fall into a dark, unfamiliar region and cannot find a way out. Over the course of the ten days of the game, you'll keep a record of your explorations through words and images as you endure.

Content Warnings: below addresses, through metaphor, depression and the disconnection that comes along with it. There are prompts that address falling, being lost, not having food or water, nearly drowning, and harm to an animal caused by predation and its resulting suffering.

I need everyone who picks up this game to understand that this isn't a tool for the processing of or recovery from depression. I'm not trained to create those kinds of resources by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I think that for some people suffering from depression or seasonal affective disorder, some of the prompts might make things worse for you. But, again, I'm not qualified to make any claims on that front.

Credits

Design, Writing & Layout: Doug Levandowski

Cover Art: Fergus Ferguson

In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:

MAYWEATHER [Free]

MAYWEATHER [Free]: by @maxkaemmerer

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MAYWEATHER is a “Descended from the Queen” game inspired by the music of Janelle Monáe and their alter-ego Cindi Mayweather. It takes thematic inspiration and borrows from album and song titles as well as lyrics as a base for card prompts. It does not aim to delve as deeply into the same topics as the music does, but takes inspiration where it is fitting and appropriate.

2719. Mayweather is an android who has broken the law by falling in love with a human. They will become and act as a mediator between the oppressors and the oppressed and are a champion of freedom and love. The game explores the relationship between the player characters and Mayweather while building the world around them.

As players, you draw prompt cards to build both relationships and the world collaboratively. The game can be played with any number of people, even solo, but works best with 3-4. It requires a standard deck of cards

You get an 8 Page PDF in 2 versions. One with the "used vinyl" aesthetic and one with the "new vinyl" aesthetic. In addition, you get 3 versions of the deck, one in blue, one in pink, and one in purple. These are identical in content. A text-only version is also included.

Inspired by the music of Janelle Monáe. This game is in no way associated with, promoted, sponsored or endorsed by Janelle Monáe or their representatives. 

This work is based on For the Queen (found at http://www.forthequeengame.com/), product of Alex Roberts and Evil Hat Productions, and licensed for our use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

For the Queen™ is a trademark of Alex Roberts. The Descended From the Queen Logo is © Alex Roberts, and is used with permission.

Fonts are ”Osmund”, “Webdings” and “Arial”

Illustrations by Beeple (Mike Winkelmann)

Textures by chrisspooner

Sticker Templates by FLYERWRK

Made with Affinity Publisher, Affinity Designer & Affinity Photo by Serif

Writing, Layout & additional Illustrations by Max Kämmerer (@maxkaemmerer on Twitter). You can find more of their work at maxkaemmerer.itch.io

This game is free for many reasons. If you enjoyed it or found it helpful please consider donating to the “Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund” (https://transgenderlegal.org/), “Black Lives Matter” (https://blacklivesmatter.com/) or other charities and organizations supporting similar causes.

in🔥die zine December 2020 [$4.00]

in🔥die zine December 2020 [$4.00]: by @in_die_zine

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Another edition of the in*die zine!

Our theme this time is GAMING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE - changing the game by gaming the change! Get six thrilling games, four essential supplements,  three interesting articles and one smashing photo-comic for your gaming group today!

All proceeds go directly to the creators of this zine, and your support is a vote in support of the indie TTRPG scene!

  • In Stealing the Throne, play a crew of thieves pulling off the greatest heist of all: stealing a giant mecha whose ownership grants immense power.
  • In Die20! II: Killing Quests, dismantle the role of the quest-giver and seize the means of destruction.
  • In To Graves Unknown, go it alone to investigate a mystery that unravels a sinister conspiracy.
  • In The Summoning Part II, call a familiar to you from behind time and memory.
  • In Gnawing Horror & Side Eye Tracers, find out what arcane mishaps happen when you fail to cast a spell in quite the way your mentor taught you.
  • In Crocheted Adventurers, follow the adventures—and misadventures—of Juniper the Ranger, Caesura the Healer and Lolli the Fighter.
  • In HyperHalfling's Loot, take a closer look at that shiny stuff you found, and take it to the best fence you know—it's worth more than you think.
  • In Dynamic Duo, play superheroes with four colours and half as many stats.
  • In Alternate Government Structures, do away with feudalism and monarchy, and make your fantasy world something much more punk.
  • In Heterodoxy, smash the imperialist system as teenage witches guided by a mysterious iconoclast.
  • In #SixMoves Les Miserables Edition: Deuxieme Partie, play your favourite Les Mis characters and sing the song of angry men.
  • In The Maven Guide, visit some extremely punk places and dismantle the forces of capitalism.
  • In How I Balance Personal Identity Politics While Writing TTRPGs, get really cross about cultural hegemony in the TTRPG space.
  • In inner conflict/cognitive dissonance, use your real life to examine why we hold conflicting opinions in our heads.

Credits

Stealing the Throne is written by Nick Bate, with art by angela quidam. Die20! II: Killing Quests is written by Julian K, with art by Herisson. To Graves Unknown is written by Nick Wedig. The Summoning Part 2: The Witch is written by Nynphaiel, with art by Nynphaiel. Gnawing Horrors and Side-Eye Tracers is written by Andi Lennon. Crocheted Adventurers is the creation of Micah Reid. HyperHalfling's Loot Tables is written by HyperHalfling. Dynamic Duo is written by Dave Seidman Joria. Alternate Government Structures in Fantasy RPG Worldbuilding is written by Richard Chompff, with art by Georgie Bats. Heterodoxy is written by Calvin Johns, with art by Nynphaiel. #SixMoves Les Miserables Edition: Deuxieme Partie is written by Logan Timmins. The Maven Guide Part II is written by Alda Yuan. How I balance personal identity politics while writing TTRPGs: A Rant is written by [REDACTED]. inner conflict / cognitive dissonance is written by angela quidam, with art by angela quidam. This project was edited and organised by Marx Shepherd. Layout and graphic design by Calvin Johns, Craig Duffy, Jane Hermiston, Nynphaiel and Richard Chompff.

In order to download this zine you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4 USD. You will get access to the following files:

Support this zine at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

We think the in🔥die zine should be available to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. With that in mind, we priced our zine low, and gave a discount here on Itchio.

But, if the price is still a hardship, go ahead and claim a free copy. No questions.

Every $20 of sales will add one new community copy to the pool.

Emiror [Free]

Emiror [Free]:

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Emiror ad, ad ignotum
-”Be surprised by the unknown”

Core Rules (Free)

Emiror is a quick-to-play rules-light single-page "zine" RPG, focusing on building up and exploring your character through discovering their memories and experiences as you play. Starting with a blank sheet of paper with only your name, you'll find out more about your character and how they connect to the world around them as you add Experiences to your sheet.

Maybe your skill in swordfighting came from training with the famous Harrington aboard the warship Lutra, or perhaps your ineptitude with magical runes came from a bad run-in with the necromancer Hyrx as they wielded the infamous Butcher's Scythe! Anchors like these both provide a starting point to build your Experiences off of, as well as create ties into the setting itself, making for rich fuel for gamemasters to draw on when running a campaign.

Smokewreath (Free)

The free setting book included in this download, Smokewreath, depicts a plagued continent where decrepit noble families fight for control of the imperial throne, while their people suffer the ravages of the toxic Smoke that weeps from the bones of the plentiful dead. Resorting to burial via dumping in the twin central valleys, the people now contend with waves of madness-inducing Smoke that wash up with the windstorms, and the only salvation comes in the form of the rare and valuable whitemoss teas controlled by a handful of powerful lords. Lead your people to victory and relief from the Smoke, or seek to explore and control the power such madness wields.

Houses of Hydrox (In Bundle #1)

The riches of the Hydrox galaxy were desirable enough to explore despite the lack of water throughout the planets, water both vital for life as well as for powering the fusion plants of the mighty Steeds, the mecha forces that serve as executors of the will of the houses. Now the legions of cloned nobility form numerous, if genetically weakened, dynasties that hold sway over entire systems, and coups continue to crop up against the almighty and unflinching power of the Emperor.  Ride your Steed into battle for the glory and honor of your house, and prepare to rule the desert worlds that are your vat-grown birthright.

Smilemart Eternal (In Bundle #1)

First it was a city, then a continent, and now the world: Smilemart has enveloped the world, and now nothing exists for thousands of miles save for linoleum, fluorescent lighting, and "GREAT PRICES!"That was all generations ago, and you've grown up within the very walls of this store, avoiding robot employees as you scrape an existence from the aisles wherever you can. You're not alone, as humanity has shifted and adapted to life within this 24/7 illuminated hellscape, and can range from dedicated allies to those seeking to kill you and take your resources, to the most dreaded of all with the Cultists of the Grinning Face. Avoid getting sacrificed on the altar of the self-checkout, and learn how to adapt and thrive within the eternal confines of the infinite Smilemart.

Unchained (In Bundle #1)

The advent of superpowers across the world was met with joy at first, and then fear as more and more incidents of runaway powers became rampant. These gifts were also curses, ones that grew in power as they eroded in control, until the superhero was little more than an organic bomb waiting to be set alight. Still, the rise of superheroes brought with them a similar rise in supervillains that threatened to wreak even greater damage than a superhero becoming Unchained, and more than a few scientists and experts worry that the risk of superpowers pales in comparison to the possible natural disasters or threat of alien attacks. For now superheroes have become a necessary evil, seen by some as champions of justice and peace, and seen by others as tools of the governments and corporations just waiting to cause a catastrophe of their own. You'll need to tread the line carefully between safety of yourself and the safety of others as you use your powers and face off against your Rivals.

More wordlbooks coming soon

Attributions:

  • Banner image from Canva
  • Emiror Core Rules' Scroll quill icon by Delapouite on Game-Icons.net
  •  Smokewreath's Fluffy swirl icon, Houses of Hydrox Droplets icon, and Smilemart Eternal Diamonds smile icon by Lorc on Game-Icons.net
  • Unchained Breaking chain icon by Skoll on Game-Icons.net

Lightning Speed Waltz [Free]

Lightning Speed Waltz [Free]: by @bismuth_ink

Lightning Speed Waltz is a dice-optional game designed to capture focus on the dialectical element of storytelling and make it part of play at the table. In this game a group of players come together to create the story of a climactic conflict between two opposed sides in a larger world.

Think of it as a game about playing through just the big final episode of a story: you begin by deciding just what the final showdown looks like, and then commit yourselves to seeing it through until  a victor emerges.

Over a series of narrative “Steps”, the players respond to prompts to narrate direct clashes between the sides, ideological monologues, painful sacrifices, and the interaction of dialectic and material realities.

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