grains

TTRPGs

The experience of playing table top role playing games must be similar to attending an improvisational theatre class. It is different and unique each time, as you craft a story and develop its characters on the spot, together with the group and the narrator (a.k.a. game master).

The role play doesn't have to be moody and dead serious. Most of the games I attended were light-hearted and full of humour. You make it what you want it to be.

D&D #

One of the well-known TTRPG titles is Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D. It has made it into pop culture through video games, books and movies, most recently being featured in Stranger Things.

As many, I was always curious but never actually played it, so I can't speak from experience here. The learning curve and the epic fantasy aesthetics are likely the reasons it never clicked with me personally.

Thanks to its comprehensive and flexible rules, it can be customized or made into an entirely new game. A "homebrew" game doesn't have to be set in a fantasy world or to be compatible with the original.

There are many flavors of D&D, and chances are you'll find one that you like much better. One of my favorite video games, Disco Elysium, might be one of such games.

CY_BORG #

CY_BORG is a “rules-light” game with polished cyberpunk-horror aesthetics. You play as a punk, loaded with guns, knee-deep in debt, angry and greedy. You assemble to make some dirty money and never cross paths again. Everyone has their own agenda.

It is easy to start: generate your character in Punkmaker and you are good to go. There’s not much else to do or learn unless you want to immerse deeper or run the game as a game master.

A screenshot from the Punkmaker describing a character called Cyfur, who's a "Burned Hacker"

This simplicity makes the game a perfect gateway drug to TTRPGs. Its colorful rule book sets the visual aesthetics and the narrative tone but doesn't offer much reading. It paints the world with broad strokes, leaving the player space for creativity, while not being too prescriptive:

YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO BREAK EVERY SINGLE RULE IN THIS BOOK. EXCEPT THIS ONE.

Player Characters cannot be loyal to or have sympathy for the corps, the cops, or the capitalist system.

They might find themselves reluctantly forced to do missions for them or their minions. But make no mistake— they are the enemy.

The game comes supplied with a playlist that among others features Venetian Snares, Skinny Puppy, Merzbow, Alec Empire. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

CY_BORG is built on a system of another gem of a game, Mörk Borg. It is equally well designed, and has this dark fantasy / black metal vibe that I dig.

Blades in the Dark #

Playing Blades in the Dark is like writing a script for a TV series inspired by Peaky Blinders, with an additional twist that it takes part in a version of Victorian England where paranormal events happen left and right.

This game requires more preparation than CY_BORG. It offers almost no official art, and the rules are quite involved. You would likely enjoy the game more with an experienced game master. The amount of detail here can be hard to track, but it is also what makes the campaign unique and rewarding.

The campaign is a “season” of your TV show. In one sitting you play through one or two episodes. Each episode is a heist, with three distinct phases: planning, execution, and the aftermath. The ultimate goal is to make a name for your gang, gain influence in the city of Doskvol and destroy the rivals. This video does a better job at explaining the details than I could ever do:

The script-writing analogy is not a gimmick, it is there for flexibility. After the “episode” is over, the characters don’t have to stick around. They can die or disappear only to be re-introduced in a game next month. This mechanic removes pressure of having to come to games regularly and lets you skip once in a while, or introduce and play a new character.

A character sheet for the Hound class

There are a few pre-defined character classes, but you can make up your own. The existing ones are: Cutter, Hound, Leech, Lurk, Slide, Spider, Whisper.

The Blades world is a fertile ground for creativity, which makes up for the lack of official art – plenty of fan-made content.