Interesting TTRPG set in a speculative-fiction future version of the Mojave Desert, 200 years after the revolution that narrowly prevented a nuclear apocalypse. 

There's a lot to explore here, with plenty of material to hook potential players.

The setting forms a major part of the game's appeal and is established well in just two pages. To summarise, social priorities have shifted away from capitalism and most communities are smaller and more supportive of their members - save for the outsiders who form bandit gangs or delve into the ruins of the Old World to seek relics that can grant them the power to raid resources and claim territories for themselves. Fortunately, the Dunewardens - nomads with the means to help people and the urge to do so - travel between settlements to help deal with problems. 

It's rare to see a mostly-utopian world in a TTRPG, but this one seems to strike a good balance between its hopeful tone and the lingering potential for conflict. Sadly, there are no example adventures, NPCs or more specific locations detailed in this text, which feels like a bit of a missed opportunity.

The system and its mechanics are quite detailed, spanning about 16 pages - fans of crunch will likely enjoy getting to grips with this, while others may find it somewhat daunting. Fortunately, the character sheet helps to present key information about PCs and their resources in a straightforward way.

Overall, Dunewardens presents an intriguing world and a strong premise for getting players straight into exploring it. However, its success will rely heavily on a GM who's both willing to familiarise themself with the extensive mechanics and to fill in the details of the setting and its inhabitants. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.

Short cosmic horror solo TTRPG about exploring the void and trying not to succumb to the toll it takes on your psyche.

At four pages plus a character sheet, this is a little more complex than a one-page game but almost as easy to pick up. The mechanics make sense and the thematic depletion of your capacity to succeed the longer you explore (via decreasingly powerful dice) is very satisfying.

The main frustration of this game is also thematically appropriate - there are only the merest hints of what you might encounter in the void, so it's up to you to try to figure out what your character is experiencing. While there is value in leaning into the fear of the unknown, this runs the risk of falling flat if the player's imagination struggles to populate the void with sufficient horrors. An optional table of slightly more specific prompts could have helped reduce the chance of this issue.

It's always good to see built-in safety guidance and content warnings. It's fantastic that the 'Succumbing' mechanic is described as a representation of the mental impact of exploring a space not native to your reality, and that the player can make a 'Grounding' check to mitigate this - and recover their ability to do so by spending time closer to their own reality. It may seem like a small thing to those without mental health conditions, but this is such a refreshing approach compared to old-fashioned 'Sanity/Madness' tracks that just creep inexorably upwards in traditional cosmic horror games.

Overall, Cthonaut offers a good starting framework for an adventure in the void, but your mileage may vary depending on how inspired you are to flesh out the details. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.