itch.io

Thought-provoking lyric game that raises questions about the nature of fiction, tabletop roleplaying games, and our obligation to help other people. Minimum price $1, community copies sometimes available.

I liked this overall, though I couldn't really figure out the jellyfish element - perhaps unsurprisingly, as I struggle with lots of non-literal aspects of art. I still enjoyed trying, anyway. The concept of the drowning stranger is a familiar one to me, so that aspect clicked much more easily and I enjoyed the evocative scene-setting and narrator's interruptions to it, and the ending section was a neat rallying call to action (though less topical now - perhaps if a new edition ever comes out, it could feature different suggested action points).

I'm still a newcomer to lyric games in general, so I'm not putting my usual rating out of five at the end of this. Still, I found Jellyfish Are Not Real really interesting and well worth the $1 cost of checking it out.

Short and sweet lyric game that creates a simple framework for reflecting on hope and anxiety about upcoming visible changes in yourself. Community copies are available.

I'm not someone who really 'gets' lyric games in general, though I'm trying to learn more about them from the Lyrical Ludology podcast because I think experimental art is interesting. However, this one appeals to me because it has straightforward enough parallels (with coming out, transitioning, getting surgery scars, getting a new visible aid for a disability, or simply changing up your personal aesthetic) that I feel like I can get what it's going for.

This is a resource I might use to introduce a young person to any of the concepts I just mentioned. I feel like it's playful and straightforward enough to make an appealing independent activity for creative writing and emotional intelligence and drawing skills, while also providing a great springboard for deeper discussion.

I don't think I can rate lyric games out of five like I usually do for other games, because I just don't feel confident enough in my understanding of the movement (or, honestly, most individual games in it!) but I'd say this is worth checking out if the above has piqued your interest.

A short free essay on Downtime in Blades in the Dark games - it's clear, well thought out, and written from a place of genuine enthusiasm for these games. I especially appreciated the consideration of themes relating to critical perspectives on power. 5/5 stars - outstanding.

Having played in a campaign of Band of Blades (a Forged in the Dark game) where our GM and players were quite inconsistent in how we approached Downtime segments, it was oddly reassuring to read about other groups running into similar moments of excessive focus on mechanics, or just not having enough inspiration for a notable roleplay segment.

Bittersweet and delightfully unsettling system-neutral one-shot scenario for 1-2 players. It's hard to pitch without spoilers, but if you have mixed feelings about leaving your hometown, this is definitely worth checking out. 5/5 stars - outstanding.

Also, there's a designer commentary available if you're curious - that's how I found out about this game:  https://podcastaddict.com/dice-exploder/episode/199739884

That's very reasonable, thank you! :)

This is such a fascinating and cool game! :D

The only thing that threw me off while reading it is this section:

"Stories are myths, holidays, and rumors about some aspect of Crop Cultivation. These stories are sometimes used to teach a moral, establish history, or plant an idea in the heads of the populace. [...] Similarly, the holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States stems from celebrations of a successful harvest, but has its origins in Protestant penance ceremonies. These Stories can be indirect byproducts of the people who work in their cultivation, or at least from beneficiaries of the cultivation process."

I was really surprised that no mention is made here of Indigenous American perspectives on Thanksgiving, nor how the dominant version of its historic origin story is heavily altered to cast it in a more positive light. (See for example https://blog.nativehope.org/what-does-thanksgiving-mean-to-native-americans as a starting point, though I would suggest reading more widely from a range of Indigenous sources on this topic.)

I hope you'll consider looking into this and updating the Stories section with more information on these points. I think Thanksgiving could be a really brilliant example of the complexities that communities bring to food-related stories, and how the beneficiaries' perspectives can vary from the cultivators'.

Seconded.

Awesome, many thanks! :D

Thank you very much! Please don't feel rushed though, take as long as you need. :)

Hi there :) is there any chance you could add PNG versions to the pack? I'm not very tech-savvy and don't have an obvious means of converting SVGs, but itch.io only allows certain image file types in product descriptions so PNGs would be super useful!

Explanation of details here for anyone who needs them: https://thetransfemininereview.com/2025/07/24/itch-io-nsfw-ban/ In short, this negatively affects various NSFW content creators who rely on itch.io as a haven for queer creative works. 

If you want to try and fight back against this, consider contacting the payment providers - they're the ones with the power here, itch.io has very little agency in this situation. Apparently it took Collective Shout about 1000 calls to convince the payment processors this needed to be done, so there's now a counter-effort to outdo them - information, including customer service phone numbers for the payment processor, can be found here: https://bsky.app/profile/iantos.bsky.social/post/3luondx46tk2v

You're welcome - I really like the game, it's got such a compelling premise and I've never seen a mechanic like the mini-deck's set cards before, I found it fascinating! :D

Cheers! :)

You're welcome, thank you for asking! Yes, that would be super helpful! <3

Thank you very much for making these edits, this has massively helped my reading experience! :D I'm going to be able to add this to my folder of 'to be played' TTRPGs now, which is awesome!

I'm glad! ^_^

I can offer some basic guidance, but it will never be as good as getting a specialist consultant with relevant lived experience (e.g. visual impairment, Irlen Syndrome, dyslexia...) to look over the specific document in question, so please bear that in mind. With that said, brace yourself for an infodump!

The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design suggests that you avoid placing background images behind text and use a line-height of at least 1.5 times the text size – this provides enough ‘breathing space’ for users to be able read text comfortably. (Source: https://universaldesign.ie/communications-digital/web-and-mobile-accessibility/w... )

Minimum default 'clear print' font size is 12pt, but bigger is better - especially for people with visual impairments. Consider making a large-print version if possible - that's  16pt Arial or bigger. For a beginner-friendly checklist, see https://www.sensorytrust.org.uk/resources/guidance/designing-with-clear-and-larg... and for more in-depth information on clear and large print standards, see the guidance documents here: https://www.ukaaf.org/service/large-print/

For a more thorough technical breakdown of reader-friendly design choices for dyslexia, including good typefaces to use, see the British Dyslexia Association's style guide: https://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/advice/employers/creating-a-dyslexia-friendly-wor... 

When selecting a background colour for digital display, aim for off-white/cream as a default - this is more accessible for people with Irlen Syndrome than white, but still allows for personalised coloured filters to be used over the top if needed. If you want to go the extra mile, you can provide a variety of versions using the different colours that are recommended by experts - see the row of pastel-coloured glasses icons at the top of this website for examples. https://irlen.com/ 

To create a printer-friendly version, remove the tinted background so you just have black text for the printer to focus on. (People may have their own coloured paper of choice, and nobody wants to waste colour ink or wind up with unwanted greyscale backgrounds.)

For guidance on margin sizing in digital media, you can try https://uxmovement.com/content/how-margins-and-line-lengths-affect-readability/ to help you get started

It's always good to make sure that your PDFs are screen-reader friendly (see this guidance for a thorough walkthrough https://www.gov.wales/how-create-accessible-pdf-documents).

However, for poetry - and especially when the creator is a performance poet, with the skills to do their work justice - an even better option is to record an audio file that delivers the work as intended, rather than trusting to the text-to-speech of a screen-reader, which can be quite 'robotic' and monotonous. There's some specific guidance for recording poetry available here: https://ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk/features/how-to-record-a-poem-like-a-pro/ 

I hope this is helpful! :)

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.

Intense free-verse poetry chapbook focusing on queer and neurodivergent experiences.

From an accessibility perspective, the narrow margins and colourful, shifting backgrounds are not ideal for readability. There is a one-page printable version (with a separate, $0.50 cheaper itch.io listing) which removes the colour, but the monochrome backgrounds still have enough texture to be an issue for some readers and the font size can get quite small.

The writing style is more of a tsunami of consciousness than a stream, which will probably appeal to some readers and overwhelm others. Still, there is beauty to admire here even if you fall into the overwhelmed camp (as I do). Here are some personal highlights - 

On queerness and suburbia: what our friends call the straight people zoo / in the suburbs that lie just past normal / five minutes from human kindness [...] we were just a couple hours, / or lifetimes, from freedom [...] my soul is flooded with what was once here / but too defiantly alive to stay.

On chosen community: we are all too bright to see, to categorise [...] the light shines on the faces of the joyously alienated, / the queer, and this is home.

On being trans: even our autonomy is illegal. we crowdfund // for gender-affirming care, knowing every moment of transition / could be our last & our forever & we are all too gay for this

On autistic relationships: 8 letters that have absolutely been said & implied in every moment that you / infodump at me & how do allistic people even date & desire is simply the / unstoppable flow of enthralled passionate divergence

Overall, this is a collection of compelling poems with a lot of interesting ideas to express. It would be nice to have a more accessible version available so more people could explore it comfortably, but in the meantime I hope those who can do so give it a chance. 3/5 - enjoyable.

Basic meta-TTRPG where you play as a reality-hopping agent who gets transported into the persona of your player character in another TTRPG system of your choosing.

The product description did not make the fact that this is a meta-TTRPG clear at all, which seems like a major oversight. This game cannot stand alone and is not anywhere near as narratively involved as its description might imply - for a start, any 'unimaginable challenges' involved will be coming from an unrelated TTRPG. 

This leaves only 'personal struggles' (a d8 random table of fairly universal concepts such as 'health scare' or 'financial trouble'), a thin optional meta-plot (generated via three d8 random tables), and a minimal character creation and progression system (pick a basic archetype, pick one of their two possible abilities - which can be used to help your character in the unrelated TTRPG - and gain XP to buy the other abilities).

The monochrome visual presentation is effective in establishing flavour, though one segment of the trifold is white text on a black background - not the most printer-friendly choice.

Overall, while this is technically a playable product, the product description fails to set appropriate expectations and the game itself lacks enough content to deliver on the intrigue of its premise. 1/5 stars - avoid.

You're welcome - it's a really cool idea! I picked up the Ukrainian hospitals charity bundle the other day, so I'm taking a bit of time to sift through it for things that catch my attention. The hope is that reviewing some items in the giant bundles can make it a little easier for folk to navigate them!

You're welcome - I tend to try and review a few items from the big charity bundles when I get them, since I know many people get overwhelmed by the huge list of titles and don't know where to start. I'd be excited to see what you come up with in future! :)

I've heard that assertion before, but when I asked the person who said it to provide the basis for it, they cited a Twitter thread that actually featured an itch developer firmly establishing the opposite. I'm open to shifting my review behaviours if there's evidence that this is a genuine issue, though, and I realise the algorithm could have been changed since last time. Do you have any evidence you'd like me to take a look at?

You're welcome, and thank you! It's lovely to get such a positive and prompt response.

There are still a few formatting quirks that could be improved, if you're interested - details below. 

For example, the smaller text describing the function of Skills is not ideal accessibility-wise (some people struggle to read anything below size 12).

There seem to be various instances where the between-paragraph spacing hasn't applied - I suspect you may have used soft returns, which don't trigger it like hard returns do, but a 'find and replace' may resolve this. You can find some examples in the Inspirations section and Skills section. 

There are also a few cases where indents have remained (see, for example, the bottom paragraph under Skills) - my guess is that these were manually applied using the tab button or spacebar, and will probably need to be manually removed.

Finally, additional spacing below a section heading would ease the reading experience slightly.

Thanks again for taking the time to make edits, it's awesome to see a dev take accessibility seriously! :)

You're very welcome, I'm glad it was helpful! I'd be interested to see how it develops in any future updated versions. Best of luck with it!

Bare-bones journaling game in which you play a wizard trying to get through a STEM-style career journey. 

Prompts are minimal, with almost nothing to draw upon for inspiration, and mechanics boil down to two counters ('finances' and 'sanity') and two simple random tables of four possible positive and negative outcomes for your studies/applications. 

The game ends when you either gain enough finances to comfortably retire, or lose enough sanity to 'snap' and get excommunicated from the magical community (and possibly die). While the underlying critique is clear, the lack of nuance does not serve the writer's case nor create a compelling set of narrative outcomes for the player.

There is remarkably little exploration of the magical aspect of the premise. Aside from a sprinkling of the words 'wizard/magic' throughout and a 'topic inspiration' list of 167 keywords, which are a mix of STEM terminology and words associated with magic, this game relies entirely on the STEM part of its inspiration. Even if it were being marketed as a pure STEM-career simulator, there's just not enough depth here for a successful journaling game.

Overall, Career Wizard has a premise with genuine potential but doesn't deliver on it in its current form. Perhaps with further development and a lot of playtesting, it could grow into a richer journaling game. At present, however, it gets 1/5 stars - avoid.

A wordless interactive comic where the narrative branches are determined by rolling a d6 (or just picking a number between 1 and 6, if you're so inclined). 

The clickable PDF works well and the art style is cool, but what story there is can be pretty much boiled down to 'a humanoid fights some monsters and some people, maybe after getting resurrected once or twice'. Fans of action scenes will likely enjoy taking a look at this, but people who prefer plot or characterisation may be underwhelmed. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.

An ominous two-page tarot-based storygame where you play as rural folk in Ireland at the turn of the twentieth century - and your dreams predict the future.

The mechanics provide a neat mixture of randomisation and dire certainty - Judgement and The Devil are always in the mini-deck you draw from, which should contain three cards per player, but the other cards can be anything from the remaining Major Arcana. This makes for a sensible limit on the game's duration while enhancing its replayability, since you'll likely get different prompts in future playthroughs.

The prompts are strongly inspired by the traditional associations of each card. This may be a source of appeal for tarot enthusiasts, but from a narrative perspective it does result in fairly short, binary prompt options - a little more depth could have made this even better, though the constraints of limited space are also a major factor when dealing with 22 prompts. I suspect that slightly fewer options (e.g. a d10 random table) could have worked well in this regard, but the drama of drawing tarot cards is very appropriate for the theme of prophetic dreams.

It's always good to see guidance on tone, possible content and safety tools. A little more development of the setting would be helpful - especially for players who lack familiarity with Ireland's culture and history - but that's not a dealbreaker, since it's fully playable regardless.

Overall, Devil's Dreams provides a strong concept and the scaffolding needed for players to deliver on it, as long as they're capable of improvising the imagery and events of dreams to fit a theme. If the premise appeals to you, it's well worth checking out. 4/5 stars - excellent.

A playful mockery of the cyberpunk genre. 

While there is a playable framework of a game in here, the unintuitive organisation of the eight pages of content makes it more difficult to get to grips with than it should be. The eye-searing yellow background (and lack of a plainer alternative version) is an accessibility issue that could have easily been avoided. 

Overall, there's a certain appeal to Curvopunk, but the execution issues prevent a higher score at present. 2/5 stars - serviceable.

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.

A light-hearted one-page mecha TTRPG for two players and a GM.

The random tables get straight to the heart of the matter, with missions ranging from the fairly earnest (defend Tokyo from Godzilla) to the bizarrely entertaining (perform in Mecha Eurovision or a Thanksgiving Day parade). More importantly, the silliness of the potential reasons to hate your co-pilot is fantastic.

The mechanics are both simple and thematically appropriate: the co-pilots get a glorious success if they roll matching numbers on d6s, since they're so in sync, but the further apart their rolls, the worse the outcome.

For the dev: I spotted what I think may be a minor editing error - 'scrapped' feels like it belongs in the Vibe column, while 'Psychic' or 'Alien' could replace it in the 'Role' column.

Overall, this seems like a really fun one-page game - definitely worth picking up. 5/5 stars - outstanding.

I haven't come across that system before - I'll definitely keep an eye out for it! :)

A sci-fi survival TTRPG in which you must explore ruined spaceships to seek parts, both to sacrifice to the planet's AI overlord and to eventually fuel your escape - if you're lucky.

Close Encounters does a great job of setting the tone - it's bleak, but not devoid of hope, which makes the uncertainty of survival all the more stressful. 

The core dungeon-delving, loot-gathering gameplay seems well-thought-out and the mechanics for basic stats and moves are easy to pick up. I personally found the three-level harm system a bit much upon reading it over, but perhaps it would feel more intuitive during play. 

I really like the conceit of stress recovery being tied to social scenes through using memories of better times as a coping mechanism - it fits the tone extremely well, though a little more in the way of prompts for scene ideas could have been helpful.

The default PDF has a few unusual formatting choices that may throw off some readers, mostly in the form of diagonally shifting line starts. Also, at 22 pages of content, it would have been more user-friendly to have a bookmarked PDF for greater ease of navigation.

EDITED: Fortunately, there is a plaintext option available - and the dev is very receptive to constructive criticism regarding accessibility, so if you have feedback then it's well worth reaching out to see if an issue can be resolved.

Overall, Close Encounters is well worth checking out if the premise appeals to you. The plaintext version does its job well, but if you request any adjustments to it then the dev will likely oblige, which is awesome. 4/5 stars - excellent.

Straddling the border between a solo RPG and a short story, Broken Kingdom is a bit of an oddity. 

Intrigue over the nature of the mystery kept me reading to the end, and I enjoyed both the writing style and the unfolding plot. It's hard for me to guess whether the gameplay would hold up well, since I didn't actually try running it as intended - I picked it up in a bundle and read it out of curiosity to see whether I might like to play it in future. I don't advise doing this, as you will spoil the experience for yourself completely - it's very much designed for one unspoiled playthrough!

I personally found some of the mechanics very user-friendly (e.g. assigning bonuses ranging from -1 to +2 to four stats) while others seemed a bit more convoluted than necessary (e.g. the rules for determining where to place cards from the Journey Deck to make a map).

Overall, Broken Kingdom seems like a compelling story best experienced in a single playthrough. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but there's some real charm here - if it appeals to you, give it a shot. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.

Interesting TTRPG rulebook with plenty of stylish illustrations and three simple adventures included. Extremely well-indexed, with clickable keywords that bring you straight to the relevant details.

'Twisting' magical items between two possible forms is an innovative concept, and having it happen unintentionally on a fumble is a fun idea. 

A fair bit simpler than D&D but still crunchy enough to appeal to its fans, as long as they don't mind learning a new system. However, the heavy focus on mechanics may be somewhat off-putting for those seeking a more narrative experience.

Overall, Brightknife has plenty to offer those who are willing to delve into its systems, but may be daunting for those with less of a passion for mechanics. 4/5 stars - excellent.

This spooky book-focused cosmic horror mini-TTRPG for 1-4 players squeezes a good amount of content into its trifold format. 

Character creation is fast and easy, the random tables provide plenty of ideas to kick off an adventure, and the gameplay mechanics are straightforward to grasp - perfect for a quick one-shot game. It's available in either English or Spanish.

There are some minor grammatical errors in the English version, but nothing that makes it hard to understand the intended meaning. A quick edit could help the writing to feel as polished as the ideas.

I particularly love the table of 36 possible book features, which range from the mundane (e.g. 'forgery', 'signed by the author') to the mysterious ('encrypted message', 'invisible writing') all the way to the nightmarish ('mesmerising curse', 'sentient and evil')!

The text contains numerous unexplained references to aspects of the Lovecraftian mythos (e.g. 'The King in Yellow', 'The Necronomicon', 'The Pnakotic manuscripts', 'Carcosa', 'The Dreamlands', 'Hastur', 'Y'Golonac', 'Quachil Uttaul', 'Cthulu'...), so ideally you will want at least one player to have a passing familiarity with these concepts. Alternatively, while the Lovecraftian mythos is a clear inspiration, it wouldn't take much tweaking to transform it into a different fandom - for example, a Magnus Archives-inspired version where you hunt down Jurgen Leitner books that tie back to the Fears.

As is typical for Lovecraftian content, there's a basic 'sanity and madness' mechanic that may frustrate those who prefer more nuanced portrayals of mental health conditions. Reskinning this as 'supernatural corruption' is one possible approach that may help.

Overall, this is a great resource for running a quick cosmic horror game full of ominous books. 4/5 stars - excellent.

An enjoyably snarky TTRPG that delivers on a fun premise. The random tables for developing your contract's clause(s) and subclause(s) are pleasingly detailed and silly, while the range of powers span from the expected to the bizarre. The rest of the mechanics seem quite straightforward and fit for purpose. The full-colour illustrations look good and are well suited to the material, which is a nice bonus.

A major downside is that there is only one version of the PDF and it's not very accessible or printer-friendly. Many of the tables have black text on a fairly dark brown background, which I found difficult to read, and some of the typeface choices prioritise style over legibility. This is the caveat that prevented me from rating it 4/5 stars - if the creators add alternative versions to solve this, I'll happily amend my rating.

Given the game's tongue-in-cheek tone, your mileage may vary depending on how seriously you take certain elements - for example, casual mentions of a dystopian setting ruled by Satan and misfiled paperwork somehow granting a player 'the power of Christ' (with a breakdown of potential uses spanning three power levels) may not go down well with some kinds of Christians. Brief mentions of forced sex work and parallels of real-world injustices (such as wealthier nations dumping toxic waste in less economically developed countries) might put off a wider range of players, though at least it's in the context of satirically invoking real-world problems.

Overall, Bargain Bin Warlock is inventive enough to successfully fill a niche that will appeal to a fair few people. It's just a pity there are some accessibility issues with the current design. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.

Well-written, atmospheric and compelling diceless storygame designed for three players (ideally), though it can also be played by two, four or more. It aims to tell the tales of Heroes who slowly succumb to corruption as they gain power.

Its standout feature is the rotation of roles - each player will have a chance to play as the Hero (protagonist), the Villain (antagonist and obstacles) and the World (neutral and allied characters and situations). One player's Hero could serve as an allied World character to another player's Hero, creating interesting potential for intertwining stories.

The narrative is driven by the clash and overlap of character motivations, with conflicts resolved through negotiation between players. The rules seem logical and the explanations and examples are thorough throughout. The variant rules are also very clear and the rulebook is laid out well, with occasional black-and-white illustrations to add flavour.

Overall, Another Hero looks like an intriguing storygame that has been carefully tailored to deliver a specific narrative experience. 5/5 stars - outstanding.

A versatile collection of charming one-shots designed with child players in mind. The adventures are designed to be easy to slot into whatever game system you wish to run, so they're written with a focus on story rather than mechanics. 

Based on a quick initial read, the adventures seem fun and not overly complex, the NPCs are characterised effectively (often with just a single sentence), delightful illustrations are abundant throughout, there's an optional single-page introduction to a possible setting, and the back of the collection gives a quick overview of the Sodalitas game system for those who want to try it.

Overall, this seems like a fantastic product that has been very carefully designed to maximise fun and user-friendliness on a tight page count. 5/5 stars - outstanding.

A neat little journaling game about a superhero's career. 

The core mechanics are mainly very simple, with d6-based tables to determine the hero's powers and those of their sidekick, the town under threat, and the problem it's facing. The dice pool system and rolls are child-friendly, with roll results skewing the odds of success intentionally high but not eliminating the chance of failure. However, it's worth noting that if two children are playing, there may be a risk of some conflict over who gets to be the hero and who plays the sidekick.

With seven pages of content, it doesn't quite fall neatly into the beginner-friendly children's game space it's aiming for - the recommended age is 6, but there's enough text here to put off less confident readers and the prompts are a bit too variable in their level of detail.

For example, the character creation section ends with "Finally, add names for your Superhero and sidekick, as well as a brief description for both. This can be a bit about their backstory, their looks, or their personalities." A list of examples or options to choose from could have been a useful aid for less creatively confident players.

In contrast, the retirement section is bursting with journaling prompts - there are eleven well-thought-out questions in a row to help spark ideas. While this is great for older or more confident players, the sheer number of them might be a little overwhelming for others - especially any 4-year-olds playing with support from someone older, as the game page suggests.

While I really like the concept of having a built-in conclusion, the retirement mechanic didn't quite click with me. It seemed like it could take a fairly long time to trigger if you were unlucky, which is not ideal if the player is a child with a shorter attention span. "The first time you roll the same set of numbers 3 times on the Town and Trouble tables, make a mark towards Retirement, then roll again for a new Town and Trouble. Every time after that you roll the same set of numbers 3+ times, make another mark towards Retirement and roll 1d6. [...] If you roll under the number of marks for Retirement, your Superhero is done. Write one more journal entry about their retirement."

Also, I was a little disappointed that the 'fully illustrated version' only includes two illustrations. It was nice to see four superhero designs, with a range of ethnicities represented (a Black woman, a woman of colour wearing a hijab, a man of ESEA heritage, and a white man), but I would have liked it more if the white man wasn't the sole character on the cover and the BPOC characters had been given a little more prominence.

Overall, this is an interesting game that has promise, but it seems like it could benefit from rigorous playtesting with its target audience of younger players to ensure it's as user-friendly as possible for them. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.

Elegant in its simplicity, with a charming voice established in very few words, this is a helpful and straightforward tool for anyone trying to generate an interesting character concept quickly. 4/5 stars - excellent.