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I'm not a massive romcom guy, but I like some of them. The folks I live with are huge romantic comedy people, so I see a lot of incredibly varied quality. There's often something charming about them, and Warmer in the Winter weaponises that, perfectly.
I ran a game of WitW using the playtest rules back in February (because of course I had to run it in February). The playbooks used were The Beloved, The Rekindled, The Rival and The Youngster, all of whom worked perfectly to help build a romantic comedy playing out over a couple of sessions. The Beloved was a journalist, returning to her hometown to write a puff piece about their Christmas Fair. The Rekindled worked at a wildlife preservation charity, trying to stop the destruction of a neautiful natural ice rink. The Rival was a cruel company man who'd lost his Christmas cheer and was planning the destruction of the rink. The Youngster was The Rival's daughter, who wanted to be a professional ice skater and helped out at The Rekindled's charity.
There were misunderstandings, fraught moments, a snowman who might have been possessed by the spirit of The Rival's wife trying to help fix his heart, and a whole lot of charm. The mechanics are 'Powered by the Heart', inspired by games like Monsterhearts for the moves and that transactional nature of 'heartstrings' works perfectly when reframed in this fashion. As wonderful and toxic as the relationships in Monsterhearts are, an exact match wouldn't work here. The supernatural character is optional, and uses mechanics similar to Kids on Bikes. While I provided a couple of suggestions, we ended up having 'haunted snowman' and figuring out that it was The Rival's wife, guiding events to help save the rink, show The Beloved that Christmas isn't just cynical, and ended with her running a B&B in town.
The full version of the game is still very short and sweet, perfect for a one or two-shot. There are more playbooks (including a Knight Before Christmas type out of time suitor) and some premade setting details to play with, which will help get the game to the table faster.
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Creator Reply: |
Oh my, that is so good! The haunted snowman idea is absolutely perfect! |
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An amazing, fun and (near the end, especially) tense experience. I loved this game, and it'll stick with me for a while.
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I played this game using a couple of Rock Band drum kits and boxes as Juggernaut, with a tray holding the deck of cards. It was an incredibly tense game and a nicely simple one to prepare for. If you want some Twilight Zone style fun and an introduction to Parlour LARP, then this is for you. I wrote a full review and enclosed some photos of my group in lab coats here: http://www.whodaresrolls.com/rpgs/juggernaut/
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Beautiful and intricate maps. Doskvol already looked gorgeous, but this adds so much worldbuilding and perspective to play with just with the names of the locations. I've been a player in a game which used this and can't wait to get behind the screen to have a go at running with it myself.
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This is a gorgeous and funny book. I often find nostalgia to be poison (one which admittedly I'm not immune to) but this feels like nostalgia in a really fun and wholesome way. The rules are nice and simple, the clear goals from the scenarios and the scene limits mean people are pushing to make things dramatic while also basking in the setting. It's a simple concept, but also a unique and fun one.
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Really useful screen. I'm pleased there are versions which are nicer on my printer. I have a customisable GM screen and was able to work out what I needed on mine and the players' sides. Loved it.
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The new tools for Swords Without Master and Rhapsody of Blood are good, but the reason a lot of people here is Trophy (now Trophy Dark). The thing is, they're right to be. Trophy Dark is the real deal, as far as horror games go. It's a tragedy up front, so players know to play hard with their characters. It's also collaborative between players and GM in a fashion which is really refreshing after rereading some older, more antagonistic horror games.
We work together to tell the story of doomed adventurers going to a place that doesn't want them there. Using the skeleton of the spectacular Cthulhu Dark, this game's blood and flesh is very different. I've run the Incursion (adventure) from this issue of Codex and it is amazing. The format keeps things mutable, able to be changed and revisited. Hell, when I run this again and I will run this again, the adventurers from my last game will probably be there somewhere. At least, what's left of them will be.
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I'm a massive horror fan, I enjoy Forged in the Dark systems and this game feels laser-targeted at me.
The mechanics are pared down to a level I didn't expect from FitD games but looks like it will work perfectly. The scenarios are all gutting just to read, so I'm really interested in seeing how they are in play.
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I ran Bite Marks during the KS when itwas known as Bite Me and had a wonderful time.
The game is about werewolves, sure, but its also about family. For the first PbtA game I've seen with a move which can force someone to do something, its more of a "pick your uncle up from the airport" style of obligation.
the types of werewolves, like in Masks and Monsterhearts, aren't just about what kind of supernatural widgets you have but the person you and your family think you are.
The game I ran was charming and friendly, with some bits of investigation and light horror. The pack were pondering overthrowing their leader who'd been a zealous dick at times. Then when the family needed to come together, they were amazing. Family trumped any kind of petty sauabbles and this game reinforced those themes in the rules and the telling of them.
Like other Black Armada games, this game taught me how to play it better than most. BA run incredibly-organised Kickstartrrs and its always great to see the finished product,
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These are a fantastic addition. I admit I didn't see use for all of the cards contained, but those I did became essential. The pilot cards changed things up with the NPCs, where the group suddenly had to deal with them as people instead of simply being narrative hit points when they're on a mission #RIPDasha. The squadron leader being able to hand out cards to show who's assigned to which plane makes a nice physical element to the briefings. I didn't bother printing the medal cards as they're represented on the sheet and the oaths can be read from the book itself, but the rest are great.
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This is the closest to an HBO show that I've experienced in an RPG, and it's been close before. My group are on a break from it just because our emotional stamina can only take so much, but we can't wait to get back into it.
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This is a gorgeous game, which uses the PbtA design in some fun, different ways.
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This game allows you to make weird, Twin Peak style mysteries with compelling characters and a system of incorporating symbolism which looks deceptively simple at first. We were surprised by many of the twists and turns, but it all felt like part of a cohesive, if strange, narrative.
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Really useful for my game, i printed it in a small booklet form and it helped my group find the backgrounds and advantages they wanted from throughout the released 7th Sea books.
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