Category: Blog Posts

Making Games Accessible: Love Letter

Megan # # #
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Love Letter!

Recently I won a raffle and got a free copy of the game Love Letter from Alderac Entertainment Games and the accessibility kit made by 64 Oz Games. After learning about 64 Oz Games through Kickstarter, Aser and I have been excitedly following their work – we have Munchkin and Dominion assembled and ready to play and the two braille d20s Aser uses came from them as well. I wanted to show off my winnings, and when I go see Aser next week we’ll post a review for the game.

Accessibility Kit Contents
Accessibility Kit Contents

Each accessibility kit comes with written instructions and QR code to look up the instructions digitally, a set of Grade 2 Braille instructions and descriptions of the cards, plastic card sleeves, and Grade 2 Braille stickers. There’s some work involved to combine this all into an accessible game, but fortunately this game only has 16 cards, not over 500 like Dominion.

Cutting out the stickers
Cutting out the stickers

Once you have your cards and kit you cut out all of the stickers. I can read Grade 1 Braille visually, but I still ask Aser a lot of questions to make sure I’m sticking the right sticker on in the correct orientation. I made some mistakes when I tried to put together Dominion by myself and it was a pain to correct them.

Sticker and Sleeve
Sticker and Sleeve

Once you have your stickers cut out, you can stick them directly on the card or on a card sleeve holding the card. Aser and I decided to put everything on sleeves to protect the cards. The sleeves make the cards slippier, and the Braille causes them not to stack flatly, but that can be fixed by using card holders. The great thing is the stickers are see-through so sighted players can read the cards easily as well.

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The Aftermath

Once all the cards are in their sleeves you’re ready to go! There isn’t much text on these cards so the Braille fits on them easily. For other games, like Munchkin, the Braille is a short descriptor of the card and we were given QR code stickers to put on the back that Aser can scan to get the full description.

We’re huge fans of 64 Oz Games and the work they do to make it so Aser and I can enjoy all the board games we want. You can find them on their website, or support them on Patreon. Thanks so much for the free kit! And a special thanks to Alderac Entertainment Group for the copy of the game. We can’t wait to play and we’ll let you know how it goes next week.

 

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Game Review: Lovecraftian Shorts

Aser Tolentino # # #

H.P. Lovecraft, as a man and author, has inspired a great deal of controversy in the days since his death. However unpleasant his views may have been when seen from a more enlightened point of view though, he doubtlessly occupies a unique place in the world of horror fiction. From subtle psychological torment, to pulse-pounding chases, Lovecraft’s stories could easily place you up against world-destroying fiends and leave you to wonder what really just happened? Now, the rules light game Lovecraftian Shorts gives you and two friends the chance to invent such a tale of your very own: don’t forget to use the word cyclopian.

As might be expected, gameplay begins with character creation, something so simple that it can be rolled randomly. You can use as much or as little of the suggested character creation tables as you like. When combined with a d10, they can provide your character with a first and last name, an occupation, a hobby, and a signature piece of equipment. None of these details have any mechanical impact on the game whatsoever. They can help inform your decisions though in how to play your character. For our playthrough, Rob was a criminal who liked fishing and carried a magnifying glass. Megan was a writer who collected thimbles and carried a newspaper. And I was a priest who enjoyed falconry, who for some reason, carried a grappling hook. Megan and I rolled the same last name, so we played as brother and sister.

With characters established, players move onto the game proper. The story unfolds in nine scenes, with players taking turns until each has narrated the events of three. Each scene has a title, determined either at the beginning of the game or on the fly. Similar to Fiasco, the player who has the spotlight narrates the scene while he or she plays his or her character just like the other players.

Unlike Fiasco’s voting mechanic, the narrator elects a point when success or failure of his character would be pivotal to progress of the story. He or she then rolls a d10 to determine success. A score of 8 or better yields success. The score can be increased by any character choosing to employ one of their bonuses to confer a one time boost to a roll. If failure cannot be avoided, the player can elect to either be hurt or go insane. Each confers a penalty to all subsequent rolls. The twist is that insanity leads to success.  If the challenge is not dealt with, it falls on the next player in turn to overcome the obstacle. The scene does not end until success is achieved. Luckily, penalties do not stack. however, if a character is both hurt and insane, and rolls less than an 8 again, they die.

When the ninth scene ends, the story is over. The game can be played in about an hour and flows quickly once the players internalize the rather straightforward rule set. This is a game best suited to smaller scope adventures, as nine scenes really isn’t much to work with all things considered. We had trouble coming up with appropriate scene titles at the outset, but did better as we went. With bonuses expended and all characters mad and hurt, the concluding scene made for a chaotic and dangerous end to the story.

Some may be put off by the limit of one die roll per scene, or the free-form nature of the storytelling. Players may veto any narration of what their character is doing, or anything that goes against the flow of the story when they are acting as narrator. In our play-through, Rob, Megan and I:

1. Went to the beach and saw Deep Ones rise from the sea,
2. Climbed up a rope with the help of a mysterious stranger to reach a car and flee,
3. Raced through a town overrun by monsters,
4. Talked our way through a military blockade,
5. Encountered the mysterious man again and noticed something odd about him,
6. Remembered the man’s true nature at the cost of Rob’s sanity,
7. Defended against an attack by the mysterious man come to silence any witnesses to his true form,
8. Convinced the military not to use Rob as a means of locating the evil entity behind the attacks,
9. Unsuccessfully failed to fight off final attack and died dragging the menace down into the sea.

When players work together in this game and are familiar with each others’ styles, it is very easy to build momentum and pile on the gory details. The game can be a lot of fun as three makes for an easy conversational feel with everyone getting a turn to pitch in their two cents. And as with other improvisational, GM-less games, it is remarkably surprising how satisfying the ending can be.

Lovecraftian Shorts makes for an easy recommendation, particularly at its very modest asking price. It makes for an ideal game when groups are short a player or three friends merely want to kill an hour with some fun, light role-play. It is highly recommended.

Our play through was released as an episode earlier this year. You can buy the game for $1.99 at DriveThruRPG.

Rob Weeks is the driving force behind the Balls and Bayonets Brigade Podcast. You can find him at @ZombieSlag on Twitter or @FireflyPodcast.

–Aser

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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

Megan # #

RPG Pencil Dice
I know, I hear you saying “Megan you posted pencil dice like two weeks ago.” These are different! Well, you can still get pencils that will function as a d6, but these also let you roll class and race, hit location, magic answer, direction, treasure, and alignment.

“With the success of Pencil Dice, we asked you the BACKERS, what you would like to see, and RPG PENCIL DICE were born.

When you are playing a tabletop RPGs, you have to make a lot of decisions, and some of them are pretty tough. So why not have a few RPG PENCIL DICE hanging around that help you with snap decisions. ”

 

Entropy: Thematic Fast Paced Game of Risk and Deception
Once again, the artwork is what caught my eye for this game. I think it’s stunning. The game also looks interesting, with lots of chances to screw over your opponents.

“Five parallel worlds have collided and you play as one of five characters jettisoned from their world into a place called the Nexus. Through the use of unique character abilities and special actions, players must find fragments of their reality and be the first to piece them back together in order to find their way home.
Entropy is a fast-paced competitive card game of risk and deception, combining simultaneous action selection mechanics with order resolution.”

 

Halfsies Dice
Dice! That’s pretty much all that’s needed to make me look at a Kickstarter, and these are very pretty. They have a ton of colors they’re working to unlock as stretch goals.

“These all-new dual-colored dice feature one color on one half, and another color on the other half, with a smooth blend where the colors meet. Aesthetically pleasing and well balanced, these dice will make a great addition to any collection.

All Halfsies Dice are two-toned, semi-translucent, have a pearlescent swirl effect, and are professionally manufactured in high impact resin with smooth corners for a clean and balanced roll every time.”

 

Beam: The Smart Projector
I’ve always loved the idea of using a projector to make a map to play on in tabletop games. This one is small and just screws into a light socket. Too bad I can’t afford it and play most of my games online!

“Beam can turn any flat surface into a big screen. It is a powerful projector equipped with a smart computer, all inside a beautifully designed casing.

You can play games, watch movies or share content from your smartphone or tablet. Beam will assist you in your daily activities, like wake you up in the morning with the latest news and your agenda or show you your social updates when you come home.

Beam is easy to set up and control with the Apple or Android app. You can screw it into any light socket or use the included power cable to place it on any flat surface.”

 

DEAD SCARE: An RPG of Blood Splattered White Picket Fences
In this RPG you play as the women and children of the 1950’s, defending your home and surviving the zombie apocalypse. And one of the stretch goals is a postcard story written by Shanna Germain – co-creator of the Cypher System. I like that this game limits the PC options to women and children and forces creativity in defending what’s theirs.

“It’s 1953 and the United States is under siege.You, your family, your neighbors, and your friends have to fight the shambling dead as they trample your begonias and drag ichor all over your new front porch. They’re clawing at the door, and it’s not just because they want your apple pie recipe.

DEAD SCARE is a tabletop roleplaying game that explores an alternate United States in the early 1950s. It’s Powered by the Apocalypse and combines subverted 1950s American idealism with a blood-spattered zombie apocalypse.

It began when President Truman was the first public target of a Russian bio-weapon the Russkies designed to turn people into flesh-eating zombies. Everyone watched it on TV that night, and nothing in the good ol’ US of A will be the same ever again.”

 

Still active!

Numenera: The Strand
Death Saves: Fallen Heroes of the Kitchen Table
World of Darkness: Dark Eras Prestige Edition
Ako Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Pencil Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Faith: The Sci-Fi RPG
Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion
Adventure Scents
Three Monkeys pt. 1: Into the Abyss
Scavengers
Dice Day Monthly: Unique RPG Dice to your Door
Board Games for Troops Overseas
Dagon by HP Lovecraft and Ben Templesmith

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You gotta have FAITH (The Sci-Fi RPG)

John D'Auteuil # # # #

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Review:

FAITH is an innovative indie science fiction role-playing game (now crowd-funding through Kickstarter that is distinguished by the use of cards rather than dice. The art is stunning and the production values are solid. The character board and replaceable tokens, coupled with Gear cards, make character sheets obsolete and save time and room at the table; a ‘paperless pen-and-paper RPG.’

If you follow me or The Redacted Files on social media, you’ve seen me spamming, errr promoting, this game hard. I stumbled across an early announcement about a month before the Kickstarter and I was intrigued. Like many role-players, I have a few die-hard games I support but I’m always curious about new games. @TRFPodcast is always trying new things, and has broadened my RPG experience; I thought I’d give FAITH a try.

The beta print and play is free to download, and is a great intro to the gritty alternate universe one thousand years in our future. The game is very simple to grasp and fun to play, and probably a good intro to RPGs, especially if the prospective players enjoy board games.

Each player and the GM in FAITH has a gorgeous custom deck of cards (the standard box set comes with four) but a standard poker deck can be substituted- a nice compromise, and the updated core rulebook will be free to download. Characters are from one of three distinct races (more may be added as stretch goals or future expansions) and possess Attributes from 1 to 3. The attribute in play (say Dexterity to shoot a gun) determines how many cards from a hand of 7 cards (8 for Humans) the player can lay down in one action. Skills from 0 to 9 (in the previous example it would be Ballistics) are added to the cards in play to determine the Action Value, or who wins in a Confrontation. The Confrontation is one of the core elements of FAITH gameplay. Actions mostly automatically succeed unless the GM wants to challenge the PC or thinks it would be interesting for story purposes for there to be a chance for failure (or dramatic success.) This is a concept familiar to the Cypher System, where the rules get out of the way to focus on building the narrative, and come into play for brief periods of excitement. Confrontations are any opposed action, whether a firefight, hacking a network, or piloting a ship through a storm. Be forewarned that combat is extremely lethal, and a key part of success in any Confrontation is to convince the GM you have an Advantage, for example hidden from view/behind cover, or that your foe is at a Disadvantage (also known as Inferiority) to avoid death or drastic failure.

The really fascinating thing about cards vs dice is that the randomness of dice is gone, and it becomes less about luck and more of a resource management like GUMSHOE. Do you spend some low cards now, and hope to succeed or possibly draw a high card next, or do you throw down cards that ensure success this Confrontation and risk failure later in the mission?

In a nutshell, that’s all you need to know! I ran through some combat simulations with my seven year old; he enjoyed it, could follow the rules, and is eager to play a full game!

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So while the game is easy to learn, there is still a good deal of character customization available even before you add the high tech gear to include stealth suits and plasma rifles (special shout out to the ‘Diaperer’ gun- read the beta!)

The spin, and the reason for a sci-fi game to bear the name FAITH, is that in this game of amazing technology there is yet a group of Gods who exist within their followers and seek to expand their influence; follow your God’s rules and you may be blessed with powerful divine gifts, but know that your fate is in the hands of the God you follow. Failure to uphold the faith can cost you the favor of a God, often at the worst time. The Gods are also of course at the root of much of the sentient races’ struggles for dominance in the universe. Of concern for the PCs are the entropic goals of Ledger and its desire to bring about chaos and destruction.

The game of FAITH is open to any sort of high-tech adventure such as social intrigue, exploration, or military action but lends itself particularly to black ops infiltration, hacking, and espionage. The two powerhouse races, the Corvo and the Iz’kal, are locked in a cold war for control of the Labyrinth, a naturally occurring nexus of wormholes that is key to mastery of the known universe and expansion beyond. Humans are second class subjects, but respected for their strength, resilience and skill as mercenaries. We are wildcards and the ‘wookies’ of FAITH!

I enjoyed the sample beta materials that Burning Games provided on their website, and while it is notably very well written for a team whose first language is Spanish, I found some areas that were unclear or awkwardly worded. I contacted them offering to do some proofreading, and a collaboration was born! I’ve had the chance to make some small impact on the background and it’s been rewarding. The creative team is amazing; they are really eager to succeed, with a strong social media presence, and they are very responsive to questions or suggestions about their product.

From the revisions and evolution of gameplay I’ve seen, a great beginning is already shaping up to an excellent product that I am happy to back at the basic game level, which includes a box with 4 player decks & boards, NPC deck, Gear deck, a pile of tokens and the core rulebook for $70. I’ve never spent more than $15 on a Kickstarter before, so this should signify that I really believe in the game!

There’s no customs fee in the EU, and shipping is free in the US!

Please chip in and help a new company launch an awesome game so we can play (I promise a game on The Redacted Files Actual Play Podcast) and not only see FAITH get funded, but become a successful product line for the future!

As of this writing they are a little over 35% funded with 20 days to go; we can do this!

Thank you for reading

-John
(Known to have aided the ‘Human Liberation Front’)

Some links:

Official Website
Kickstarter Page
@burning_games
Google+
YouTube

Playtests podcasts:
@notaninn
@therpgacademy (features Carlos of the Burning Games crew!)

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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

Megan # #

Dagon by HP Lovecraft and Ben Templesmith
The art in this book is what attracted me to it initially, and I still think it looks gorgeous. I would love to have this book on my coffee table or somewhere to peruse at length.

“DAGON is a short story written by H.P. Lovecraft in July 1917 and one of his earliest published works. The story is the testament of a tortured, morphine-addicted man who plans to commit suicide over an incident that occurred early on in World War I when he was a merchant marine officer. It’s an amazingly powerful and visceral story whose concepts and creatures directly connect to Lovecraft’s later and far more famous Cthulhu works.

DAGON will be adapted and drawn by Ben Templesmith, New York Times best selling comic book artist who is Co-Creator of 30 DAYS OF NIGHT with Steve Niles and FELL with Warren Ellis, as well as Creator of WORMWOOD: GENTLEMAN CORPSE, THE SQUIDDER, and WELCOME TO HOXFORD. This story has preoccupied and haunted Ben since he first read it 20 plus years ago, a time before he’d published any of his own work or knew that he ever would”

 

Board Games for Troops Overseas
A lot of the cast we have on TRF is in the military, and this Kickstarter will help those overseas have some board games to fill in their spare time.

“I am currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan, a place were low ranking military members are not allowed to own cars or drive and must either pay cab fares to get into town or resort to entertainment found on base. This can get quite costly so most do not leave the base during the week and are limited to the entertainment found on the base.

My goal for this fundraiser is generate enough money to buy and maintain three current, diverse board game library that I can provide at three local military bases in order to provide another source of entertainment to those lower income, restricted service members.”

 

Dynamic Colored X-Wing/Attack Wing Template Sets
This Kickstarter helps you bring more fun and color to your X-Wing or Attack Wing miniature games.

“As you can see want to bring you the best in gaming accessories. We want to provide the best gaming templates out there. So we are bringing you Full Color Gaming templates. These templates will have full color dioramas with laser cut/engraved numbers and feature. They will also have velvet backing to protect the images and prevent slipping while in play.”

 

Dice Day Monthly: Unique RPG Dice to your Door
I have a couple monthly subscriptions and it’s always exciting to get that box, open it up, and see what new thing you’ve gotten. Now there’s an option to get new dice this way!

“Goal: To deliver you unique dice each month. Yes, we keep track of which dice you receive each month, insuring you will never receive the same dice twice.

You should also not receive the same dice as your friends or many other backers, as we will choose from hundreds of unique dice sets each month. Although it would still be wise to tell your friends to back the project as well so you have the ability to trade each month!”

 

Boss Fight: Hand-printed Video Game Posters
I wasn’t allowed to play video games when I was growing up, but some things are just so much a part of popular culture you can’t help but know about them. Theses prints would look great in any gamer’s home and celebrate the greats among classic boss fights.

“This project consists of three illustrations that recreate the nervous excitement that meant reaching a game’s hard earned final moments. A testament to the hours spent building skills, solving puzzles and defeating all the minions that stood in your way towards the game’s final confrontation.
The Boss Fight!
A tense and beloved moment shared by everyone who had the determination to see a game to it’s triumphant, visceral end. Boss Fights were a big deal. So much larger than what a dozen flickering pixels could ever represent, this art project hopes to interpret and capture that fleeting feeling and make it physical.”

 

Scavengers
This RPG lets you play as scavengers, finding space hulks, and clearing out all the loot you possibly can.

“Scavengers is a fast-paced, good-humored roleplaying game about space salvagers trying to get rich during the turmoil of galactic war. Here at Metal Weave Games, we want to raise enough funds to publish both a print and digital version of Scavengers, with enough high-quality art to make the game world come alive.”

 

Still active!

Numenera: The Strand
Death Saves: Fallen Heroes of the Kitchen Table
Mt. Hood: The Oregon Pint Glass
World of Darkness: Dark Eras Prestige Edition
Ako Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Pencil Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Unspeakable Words
Rise of Cthulhu: A Card Game of Influence and Horror
Exploding Kittens
Faith: The Sci-Fi RPG
Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion
Adventure Scents
The Miskatonic: A Lovecraftian Horror Comedy
Pinblock: Revolutionary Piece of Engineering
Three Monkeys pt. 1: Into the Abyss

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What’s Cool on Kickstarter

Megan # #

Here’s my picks on what you should check out on Kickstarter this week-

Faith: The Sci-Fi RPG
This RPG uses cards instead of dice, giving it a unique spin on the genre. The background story about living with gods among the players in interesting and the art is gorgeous. Plus John helped playtest the game!


“FAITH uses a unique system that replaces dice with cards. Each player has a poker deck and a hand of 7 cards. Most actions the characters attempt are successful by default, but when another character or the Game Master tries to stop them a confrontation will arise. In that case both sides will be able to play a number of cards from their hands depending on their attributes and add their value to their skills. The highest final value will determine who succeeds and who fails.

These confrontations make the gameplay feel dynamic, allowing characters to perform actions outside the more traditional and constrained initiative rounds and letting them use their resources as they see fit instead of being subject to the sheer randomness of a dice roll.”

 

Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion

“Ever since its release in 1984, Masks of Nyarlathotep has been considered one of the finest supplements for Call of Cthulhu, a roleplaying classic. Countless players have dared to thwart the machinations of Nyarlathotep and plumb the mysteries of the Carlyle expedition. Keeping this globe-trotting campaign is unfortunately rather a challenge, with scores of NPCs, dozens of locations, hordes of cultists, and at least one very angry Outer God. Needless to say, even the best Keeper could use a little help.

That is where The Masks of Nyarlathotep Companion comes in.Drawing on the wisdom and experience of the members of Yog-Sothoth.com, the première site for Lovecraftian role-playing, the Companion gathers together tips and advice for Keepers wishing to run Masks of Nyarlathotep. Within these pages are detailed nearly every imaginable facet of the campaign, from starting play to ending things with a bang, explaining, exploring, and expanding the classic work. There is something for everyone, from novice game masters to Grognardian disciples of Cthulhu.”

 

Adventure Scents
So I haven’t decided how I feel about these, though Aser is opposed. I think it would be a lot of fun for campaigns to be able to close your eyes and imagine you’re sitting around a campfire, and the room actually smells like a campfire. Though you won’t find me using the Fishing Docks scented ones.

“These products are meant to be special effects, designed to heighten the immersion of things like roleplaying and video games, books, TV, and movies. You can also use them enhance a costume – adding a whiff of realism to your favorite persona. And don’t get me started on all of the possibilities for these products around Halloween!”

 

The Miskatonic: A Lovecraftian Horror Comedy
This game looks super cute and like a lot of fun. I’m 100% pro-enormously huge shotguns.

“Plunge headlong into the writhing depths of The Miskatonic, a side-scrolling, horror comedy visual novel, packed with bizarre and hilarious dialogue, a cadre of warped and damaged students and faculty, and an intriguing, devious narrative! Chat jovially with the local abominations, scout revolting locations for occult expeditions, and investigate the innate strangeness within!”

 

Pinblock: Revolutionary Piece of Engineering
They claim these don’t hurt to step on, so I think that already puts them ahead of Legos. But more seriously, this design looks like it gives you a lot of flexibility to build what you want to build using one style of block instead of hundreds.

“We’re two best friends who had a single childhood passion – building epic things. We loved the idea but the tools with which we had to work had limitations.

When we grew up, even though severed by time, Shijun came up with an idea to not just reconnect and rebuild one of our old childhood constructions but to create blocks of our own that would be simple enough to overcome common limitations and complex enough to be able to build anything we wanted.”

 

Three Monkeys pt. 1: Into the Abyss
Aser and I are always on the look out for games that are accessible for him to play, and this looks like an amazing audio game. The plot sounds awesome and they are putting a lot of work into making the audio the highest quality they can

“Three Monkeys takes advantage of Binaural Audio techniques to immerse you in a highly reactive 3D world – meaning you’ll need a pair of headphones to really get the most out of the game. The mechanics combine timing-based responses, relying heavily on human reactions. For example, if you hear a sword swinging towards you, you have a number of choices about how you choose to respond. The game provides the player with the ability to react in the way they desire.

Exploration is handled in the form of a zonal open-world format. This allows the player to get the maximum thrill from exploring the world of Byzantia, whilst enhancing the quest in the story. There will be a range of environments, including villages, forests, mines/caves, abandoned cities – the acoustics in each zones can be utilised to provide a rich gameplay experience. Unity will be used to develop the game alongside WWise Audio Software and Astound Audio Plugins to achieve the best audio response and flexibility.”

 

Still active!

Numenera: The Strand
Death Saves: Fallen Heroes of the Kitchen Table
Mt. Hood: The Oregon Pint Glass
World of Darkness: Dark Eras Prestige Edition
Ako Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Pencil Dice – Now available in multiple colors and as Fudge Die!
Unspeakable Words
Rise of Cthulhu: A Card Game of Influence and Horror
Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Exploding Kittens

–Megan

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Game Review: Mars Colony

Aser Tolentino # # #

Mars Colony, those two words can evoke so much, and have over the years. From frontier exploration, to colonial oppression, to an excuse to shoot things, Mars Colony has served as the canvas for a great many visions of what might be. Tim C. Koppang’s Mars Colony takes yet another approach that’s summed up nicely by its tagline: the role-playing game for two players, about personal failure and government.

This is explicitly a two player game, with one person taking on the role of the protagonist, called the Savior, and the other, called the Governor, embodying all the obstacles the Savior must overcome. The Savior is either a man or a woman, named Kelly Perkins. Much of the game centers on the impact of the games events on him or her. Since Megan played the Savior during our play-through for The Redacted Files Podcast I will refer to Kelly as her through the rest of the review.

Set up is quick and easy, but does involve some thought. The players must sketch out in broad strokes four political parties, what they stand for generally and how much power they have. Characters encountered during the story may belong to one party or another, influencing their interactions with the Savior. Each player also writes three fears he has about the government on cards which are placed face down and shuffled. Two of these are revealed and help characterize the problems besetting the colony and can serve as inspiration for scenes. The Savior selects a Sympathy, a character with whom she has a special connection. Lastly, players decide on three health indicators for the colony, the conditions that the Savior must fix to stabilize the situation.

Play is relatively straightforward. After an opening vignette, the players start taking turns. The Governor can establish either an Opposition Scene, in which he narrates how the problems of the colony are about to impede the Savior’s progress, or a Personal Scene, in which both players engage in free-form role play about the Savior’s reactions to the events of the game. The Savior can also establish Personal Scenes, or can choose to narrate a Progress Scene. In a Progress Scene, she narrates what she is doing to resolve the problem, then rolls two dice to see how well she does. The sum of the dice are points that go to the goal of stabilizing the situation. She can roll as many times as she likes, but each roll comes with the possibility of failure, represented by a 1 on either die, which erases all progress for the scene. The game mechanics force the Savior to take risks to actually achieve her goals. If she fails, she loses progress made in that scene and the colonists admiration shifts to contempt, too much of which will see her removed. To avoid contempt, she can lie, keeping the progress she’s achieved in a scene before the failure. The more she lies though, the greater the chance of being caught. After her first lie, a roll of snake eyes will lead to scandal and the discovery of her lies, a 1 and either 1 or 2 after the second, 1 and 1, 2 or 3 after the third, and so forth. Scandal erases all progress won through lies and a whole lot of contempt. After the Savior narrates the ninth progress scene or is removed by the colonists, the game is over. The Savior narrates her personal aftermath, while the governor narrates the eventual fate of the colony based on the Savior’s actions.

In our play-through, Megan stepped into the role of Kelly Perkins. Mars Colony on her arrival faced rampant corruption, out of control crime and poor nutrition. Her Sympathy was Alex McPherson, a former lover who she’d known when they worked on the initial setup for the colony and left behind to be the public face for the colonization project back on Earth. She first tried to tackle corruption, but had to lie when she failed to get the mayor on-board with her plan, rolling well on the first attempt but getting a 1 when she tried for more points. She stayed on corruption  in subsequent scenes, winning over people with an impassioned speech. She then shifted to crime, trying to build people’s confidence in their government’s ability to protect them. She pushed her luck again though and had to lie to cover up just how badly that went. Corruption and crime intertwined with the last indicator when criminals stole a food shipment. Megan inspired the colonists by setting a good example and actually shamed many of the thieves to give back what they’d taken, and hoarders to share what they’d been keeping back. Along the way, she took solace in Alex’s companionship and shared her growing misgivings with him. Eventually she called in the military to seize suspected criminals identified through covert surveillance (one of the fears on the cards)in a way that kept local government’s hands clean. To clench the deal, she made an arrangement with one of the captive gang leaders to push crime out of the public eye and stabilize that indicator. The great thing about indicators is that once you solve a problem, another comes up to take its place. Megan was then beset by failing atmospheric processors. While trying to finally settle the colony’s nutrition problem though, she had a scandal and much of her success was undone just one round before the endgame. She struck at corruption with her last scene, naming names and calling out the bad apples before leaving with her work undone. The result for the colony was a middling existence, stumbling along as an expression of humanity’s stubbornness that was too big to fail. Kelly Perkins left with Alex to enjoy a quiet retirement and obscurity.

With two players who are comfortable with one another, a game like this flows out with a constant give and take that is difficult to recreate with larger groups. Both players are always on, either speaking or actively listening so they know where they’ll put the next piece of the puzzle. It’s a style of game-play that I’d highly encourage everyone to try, especially if you have a significant other who is also into the hobby or who might be engaged by a more personal experience.

This is a product very much of its time, as evidenced by the two quotes from George W. Bush and Barack Obama that introduce the game. Its elegant yet engaging mechanics can prompt some thought about bigger questions for those apt to engage in such, particularly the difficult choices faced by anyone trying to accomplish anything in the world of modern politics. Regardless though, it’s a great way for two people to spend an hour or two together, creating a powerful story.

Mars Colony was a runner-up for 2010 Indy Game of the Year. You can get the PDF for just $6.00. Find out more from the author’s website: http://www.tckroleplaying.com/marscolony/

Categories: Blog Posts, Mars Colony, Reviews1 Comment

What’s Cool on Kickstarter

Megan # #

Numenera: The Strand
Numenera! Kickstarter! A movie! All things I love, and I really can’t wait to see the Ninth World brought to life in this short.

“A drifter/scavenger roams a desolate beach in the Ninth World looking for useful items and stumbles upon an artifact of the Numenera. This starts a chain of events that leads to an experience that changes the very essence of his being.”

 

Death Saves: Fallen Heroes of the Kitchen Table
A collection of comics about the times things just don’t work out in an adventure. I can’t wait to read it.

“‘Death Saves: Fallen Heroes of the Kitchen Table’ collects 16 all-new comic book stories about what happens when fantasy gaming characters run out of hit points. This book will be a 132 pages, full-color, perfect bound softcover printed in digest format (5.5″ x 7.75″) and features an original cover by artist Jared Morgan.”

 

Mt. Hood: The Oregon Pint Glass
I really want to get one of these for my dad – he collects pint glasses and grew up in Portland. But I want one too! They’re a bit pricier, but I think they’re beautiful and unique.

“In making The Oregon Pint, we’ve combined modern technology with the old world craft of blowing glass to make a beautiful and relevant new product. With our design concept in place we took USGS topographical data of Mt. Hood and converted it to a digital 3D model. We then made 3D prints of our designs for design evaluation and prototyping. Once we were satisfied with our design, we created molds for our first blown glass prototypes. With our design finalized, we’ve ordered our first production mold and are almost ready to start production.”

 

Binary Dice
I love dice and these are pretty cool. They’re a bit more then I want to spend on a pair of d6 though.

 

World of Darkness: Dark Eras Prestige Edition
A bunch of adventures set throughout the ages for nWoD. They look pretty intriguing and the book they’re planning is going to be gorgeous.

“nWoD Dark Eras starts out presenting a chapter for each of nine historical eras; one for each of the New World of Darkness game lines. The sections are written for the currently available edition of the game line, but they are designed to be usable with any edition. Each terrifying time period and location is examined through the supernatural creatures that dwell there”

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TRF Updates

trfadmin

Hello everyone!

We wanted to keep you updated on some exciting projects the TRF crew is involved in.

  • TRF Excursions and Recursions: We’re adding a new feed to TRF, and we’re going to be alternating releasing on each feed on Sundays, which means we’ll have a weekly schedule debuting on February 22nd! We’ll add additional iTunes and RSS feeds in case you only want to listen to one stream, but hopefully you’ll enjoy all the episodes.
  • Lone Star Gamers: We’re excited to announce that the Lone Star Gamers will be joining our Excursions and Recursions feed! TRF regular Landan’s Pathfinder group will be founding a kingdom in Kingmaker.
  • City of Needles: Megan and Aser were invited to join in a Numenera campaign at City of Needles for a couple of sessions. We had a lot of fun playing a mad nano and, well, a bard that go back to a house we could have sworn was just a nightmare. Check out this campaign written as a serialized novel and follow @ProfTesla on Twitter!
  • Firefly Podcast: Aser has taken up the reins of GMing for a new podcast. TRF regulars Megan and Rob, as well as several fans from the community are involved in the only actual play podcast in the Firefly ‘verse, using the Firefly RPG system from Margaret Weis Productions, and a whole lot of Browncoat love goes into this. Check it out on Twitter at @FireflyPodcast
  • Patreon: We’re starting to put together a Patreon page to help us bring you a lot more content. We’ll be making an announcement soon, but we hope you’ll consider helping us entertain you!

-Megan and the TRF Crew

 

Categories: Blog Posts, Updates2 Comments