Playing Every Game in the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality
PEGBRJE: Software of Page 35
Pages going so fast
Echoes
Starting off our page is a solo journaling game by Saeverick, created during the Wretched & Alone Jam using that very same system. Players attempt to explore areas of their mind that they may have tried to avoid, personified as a lone individual wandering in a mysterious town. Think Silent Hill, but as a journaling game. If you loved Silent Hill, then this might be just your thing.
Lo-Fi Stellar Skirmish
Lo-Fi Stellar Skirmish is not a game, but a 2D asset pack by KPD. Featuring 15 unique ships, power-up icons and FX assets, this is the perfect addition to any project that wants to spice up their space adventure. There are even UI elements to help assist in those departments as well.
THE COUNCIL
An interesting twist on the ‘TTRPG’, THE COUNCIL is a remote play narrative game by Mega_Corp. Players are members of the world security council that are convening to stop the apocalypse from occurring, simulating an online meeting between different factions. There are only 20 minutes in a game, as that is all that the apocalypse needs to destroy everything; hopefully you and your fellow leaders can stop it.
ECU: Eldritch Care Unit
ECU: Eldritch Care Unit is a TTRPG by Falconian Productions that delves in to the Lovecraftian realms within our own. Players will take a magically binding oath as hospital workers to assist these supernatural beings as they come in for medical help. Instead of adventuring and destroying, you’ll be dealing with funding issues and soothing patients with serious diseases or missing limbs. No matter the problem, you will try to solve it. If you love Eldritch lore mixed with real settings, this is a perfect TTRPG for you.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear
A very strange tabletop game by Chris Bissette, Exit, Pursued by a Bear will have each player taking turns describing how they wish not to be eaten by a bear. Requiring a jenga tower, each round will have a someone describing to another how a bear is chasing and eating them, and the player will then have to give their own description on how they wish to not be eaten. It’s weirdly fast paced, simple on rules yet hilariously fun coming up with ridiculous scenarios.
Petal Paladins!
Another TTRPG in the Flower series by Diwata ng Manila, Petal Paladins! has players championing as plants able to assist where others cannot. It keeps the lore simple by fighting evil as any good paladin should. If you enjoyed their other works, this will be another fine addition to your collection.
The Reaper’s Almanac
Keeping with TTRPGs, this is an ‘epistolary’ — letter format — RPG by Mitch Schiwal. Players will take on the roles of Reapers who write letters to each other in order to keep them alive in their memories. Each soul taken will grow the Reaper, changing them as they do, which will in turn change the letters and how their memories sustain them. It’s an intriguing concept for those who still prefer the letter-writing art, although this can be done by email. However, I believe the waiting aspect to be just as important to the feeling of the game as the writing itself.
THE COMPANY
Oh hey, Mega_Corp is back already with another TTRPG. Unlike their previous entry above, THE COMPANY focuses on employees that are attempting to solve industrial accidents within a multi-national corporation. These ‘accidents’ are not ‘natural’, for many are otherworldly or due to experimental failures. Stress is a big factor. Hopefully your players can make their way to that sweet promotion.
The BLOODY-HANDED NAME of BRONZE
Fully illustrated for your viewing pleasure, The Bloody-Handed Name of Bronze is a TTRPG created by Joshua A.C Newman. It uses only six-sided dice to play and features dozens of unique stories by various authors across numerous RPG systems. If you love brutal bronze-age aesthetics with many different authors, this will be perfect.
a strollplaying game trio pack
Breaking away from the norms of TTRPGs is this trio pack of games by spines, designed to be played anywhere at anytime, even while walking! It features ‘How To Make A Ghost Story’, ‘A New Landscape’ and ‘Reclaim’ which only need some pen and paper to play. No matter where you are, these three RPGs can go with you.
EarthTongue Soundtrack
Taking a break from TTRPGs, EarthTongue Soundtrack is exactly what is advertised: the soundtrack for EarthTongue by June Hornby. It features the 7 songs that are found in the game for your enjoyment, but be aware that the game itself does not come with this nor does it appear to be in the bundle.
HG101 Presents: The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures
A change of pace, this is a massive anthology of interviews and coverages of over 300 games by Hardcore Gaming 101. It has the history of all of the titles, talks with some of the developers who helped shape the early video game scene and explores other titles related to those late classics. It’s a labour of love, and worth the read to see some of the fantastic history game development has cultivated.
My Brain Is A Stick Of Butter
Back to TTRPGs, we go with My Brain Is A Stick Of Butter by adamebell. This is a solo adventure with the aim of shedding light on how difficult living with ADHD can be. You as the player are just trying to get your week done with menial tasks, yet many of them cannot be completed within the week simply because of too many factors. If you wish to experience a taste of ADHD, this might be a good way of understanding it.
Before the Beginning
Before the Beginning is a city-building TTRPG by Rafael Carneiro Vasques. Players will find themselves within a post-apocalyptic world, needing to find shelter for their family and the many who have been displaced. It’s only two pages, but the amount of events and possibilities crammed in is massive, with NPCs and buildings to no end. It wants you to explore everything possible, and hopefully you can.
The Binding And Drawing Of Power
I’m not sure how to describe this game created by Reizor (aka Ray Cox). It’s a ritual in which players will visit their own memories by handing over control to others to view. The ‘Outsiders’ mentioned can only remain while within the circle of the ritual. The goal appears to be to process and understand memories with assistance. If it sounds somewhat occult, it probably is. Give it a look if you are curious.
Steamed Hams
The memes have finally become dreams. Steamed Hams by Havocfett is a game of making ridiculous solutions to simple problems. Inspired by the episode of the Simpsons that has been shared and meme’d to death, players will keep escalating the problem while the others keep rising to the challenge to create even more outlandish solutions. Bluffing your way out is the only way, and damn if it isn’t hilarious. Give it a whirl if you need a fun one-shot.
As The World Ends…
Finding our way back to more ‘standard’ TTRPGs is ‘As The World Ends…’ by Allie Bustion — who also goes by Mad Pierrot Games. Inspired by Train To Busan, players will attempt to survive in a post-apocalyptic world determined by the players before beginning. Death is not the end for players, as the semi-GM style allows for any who die to join the GM role and continue playing, giving it a unique way of approaching the dilemma of player death. If you like survival games, this is a good one to try out.
A HUNDRED THOUSAND PLACES
Back to solo RPGs we go with Maria Mison, who has created a world in which your life is your companion. You revisit the moments that have lead to your life and evaluate them, or you can play as another character and do the same. The point is to see everything that has occurred and bring it all together as one large mural within the 1–2 hours.
Moonlight on Roseville Beach: Queer Guide for Amateur Sleuths
Finally we have this lengthily titled game by R. Rook Studio, which is a Dark Streets And Darker Secrets game that reframes the entire way that it is played. It’s more of an ‘expansion’ of DS&DS, as you need the original to fully understand and play properly. The expansion offers new powers, concepts and lifepaths to choose from, as well as a focus on LGBTQ+ issues that occurred during the 1970’s on the east coast of USA. Do note that this is a beta, with the full version being launched through Kickstarter. Check it out there if the beta catches your eye.
Bundle page 35 is done! Whew.
