Day 30 of #RPGaDay2023! We've made it once again!
For each day I'll be answering the question provided, and for fun, review how I answered a similar question during #RPGaDay a decade ago. Scout's Honor, I have not peeked at the older answer.
Day 30's prompt is "Obscure RPG I've Played"
This one rattled my brain for a bit, especially after ten years. It's easier to research older games than the subjective term of obscure. To compound things, the prompt specifies an RPG I've actually played.
First off, anything remotely mainstream is all dependent on gamer's experience and timeline. I recently ran The Ice Caves of Azinth for my Monday night group. At first glance, most people would have no clue what it is, so its a safe choice. Throw on some additional data points and its not as obscure as one thinks.
Picture from an Etsy listing... |
I also took a hard look at all my Kickstarter purchases, specifically ones with print options. A couple of the zine projects I figured would be low print runs, but had over 1,000 backers. Others that only have a few dozen pledges, well... I haven't played/used.
(As a guideline, Arc Dream's Delta Green's relaunch had 2,500 backers, and DG-Conspiracy campaign that I participated in had over 3,500, and Arc Dream is a steady 3rd/4th tier publisher.
So to stay adherent with Rule #0 of #RPGaDay (Stay Positive!), I'll tweak the criteria.
1) Physical product only (no PDF only, or POD only options). I have so much "stuff" on Drivethru that's just weird.
2) Games/supplements I have not played, but really want to. Expanding this gives me two recent gems I haven't gotten on the gaming docket:
Exhibit A: Madness at the Mall by Louis Hoefner. An adventure for the Dare-Luck RPG, this was part of this year's #ZineQuest and it appears 36 folks pledged for a physical hard copy. It's a shame it was that low, because it's essentially a short guide to 80's malls, with 10 plot hooks for Dare-Luck, which seems like a kids-on-bikes RPG (so "Kids in Malls: the RPG?). It is a template I want to use for my Risus: Illuminati University game, but just haven't gotten around using yet.
Final thought: Physical copies arrived on time. For all the authors, large and small, that have massive delays, it's wise and proper to laud those who have their stuff together, normal life issues, and deliver on time.
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