Reviews of tabletop roleplaying games.
Gorgeously illustrated tabletop roleplaying game for creating stories in the 'magical girls' genre... Or rather, magical heroes, since it's got fantastic gender diversity throughout. It's Powered by the Apocalypse so the 2d6 mechanics look pretty solid and straightforward. There are also variant rules for 'vehicular heroes': think Voltron or Power Rangers. 5/5 stars – outstanding.
Inventive, deeply unsettling GMless horror TTRPG about trying to survive a summer camp stalked by a nightmarish monster. The prompts strike an impressive balance between strong characterisation, poetic worldbuilding, eerie rituals and terrifying incidents. It also has a fun approach to describing gender, and a real commitment to using safety tools to maximise enjoyment of the game. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Outstanding zine exploring masculinities through games. From brilliant concepts for D&D 5e, Monsterhearts and Apocalypse World to fantastic self-contained games, there's something here for everyone. Free community copies available for those who identify as queer or non-cisgender masculine. 5/5 stars - outstanding.
Character-driven GMless narrative roleplaying game, inspired by She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Shows a strong understanding of best practice for consent between players, particularly in the scene guidance and mechanics for Meeting Hand to Heart. The game also notes that “Princess is not a gendered term in this game. It is Athera’s word for magician or spell caster. Anyone can be a princess, and these princesses usually don’t need saving." At time of review, it is still in beta. E4/5 stars - excellent.
Emotionally compelling GMless TTRPG about angels acclimatising to life on Earth. As the creator notes, "this game is deeply queer, and is a pretty transparent metaphor for being transgender." 4/5 stars - excellent.
One-page tabletop roleplaying game about a relationship coming to its end. Designed to be played by two people, but could probably be expanded to represent polyamorous break-ups too. 4/5 stars - excellent.
A wholesome TTRPG about hamster-like creatures and their adventures. With carefully thought out inclusive worldbuilding (including notes about society not really having gender roles, and intersex Michtim being commonplace), it's a fun read even for those not planning to play it. There are also notes for changing the complexity of individual character sheets based on what stage of life one's character is at, which is a wonderful accessibility feature. 4/5 stars - excellent.
A cute, silly and sweet micro-TTRPG where you play as dragons in love, talking about how much they love each other. If that sounds like your thing, you should definitely check it out. Bonus points for inclusive asides regarding gender and polyamorous relationships! 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
Fairly straightforward micro-TTRPG in which you play as magical bonsai. The system mainly uses 1d6, so it's pretty accessible for new players. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
D&D 5e reworked for the adventures of toys battling the monsters of a child's imagination. It's a strong concept, and it's clear that a lot of fun was had in the making (particularly with the cute hand-drawn illustrations), but overall it feels like a more rules-light system would have been more suitable and accessible. 2/5 stars - serviceable.
