This is a game of small guardians, embodiments of the flavors and whims of the big city, who shepherd a Newcomer in their journey to find a permanent home. As the Newcomer’s previous way of life rubs rough against the city, both will change and grow in unpredictable ways. Build a fantastic city together, and explore a cozy, urban world alongside someone looking for a better life.

Little Gods is a rules-light game for 3-6 players. Games are typically played over one to four three-hour-long sessions.

This Game is…

• Rules light, using a roll-under d20 system

• Intended for 3-6 players

• Inspired by Kiki's Delivery Service and An American Tail

How to Play

One player will choose to play as the Newcomer, while each other player will choose a Little God to embody. These Little Gods, such as Oakenheart the spirit of tradition and strong foundations, or Tidesong the spirit of cycles and constant flow, each represent a core essence of the city that the players can tap into during the game.

Each player will choose a set of Traits and assign a numerical value to each. These are core truths about the character, and more of these truths are discovered during play. Whenever the character encounters something that goes against that trait, they roll the d20 and attempt to roll below the numerical value of that trait. If they succeed, the character stands firm against the influences and has authority to change the narrative to reflect that. If they fail, they must write a new trait to encapsulate how they changed or grew from this new experience.

Once a character has ten traits, they encounter a crisis. Something major in the narrative will test the very foundation of their character, and they will need to make hard choices to maintain their self image. After a crisis, the character chooses the four traits that best describe the person they've become, and erases all the others. Then the cycle continues, building more traits and understanding how they've grown and changed in the aftermath of the Crisis.

The Creative Team

• Author: Sam Zimmerman

• Editors: Magnus T. Hansen & Megan "Nezumi" Grieve

• Illustrators: Carly A-F (cover), Duamn Figueroa Rassol (interior)

• Layout & Design: Duamn Figueroa Rassol

This zine was created and published by the Far Horizons CoOp as part of the A Thousand Burning Stars series of small games. The project lead for this series was Marx Shepherd. If you'd like to find out more or get in touch, check us out at farhorizonscoop.carrd.co.

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