At long last, a new version of the playtest kit for my Cold War espionage game “The Service”!

At long last, a new version of the playtest kit for my Cold War espionage game “The Service”!

At long last, a new version of the playtest kit for my Cold War espionage game “The Service”!

It’s a (mainly) mission-based game that is made to emulate the kind of gritty, bureaucratic, dirt-under-your-fingernails espionage that you would encounter in Le Carré, Len Deighton or The Sandbaggers.

I had an earlier version up here a while ago. A lot of this will be familiar if you already saw that one, but I’ve overhauled bits and pieces throughout.

Big shout-out to Acronico Meia Noite who came up with most of the Crises and provided me with much needed help and encouragement. Huge thanks also to Marshall Miller for giving a lot of extremely well-though out feedback to the previous version.

If you notice mistakes, faults, typos or stuff that makes your blood boil, I’m super grateful for any feedback! This is still a work in progress, so anything that makes it better is much appreciated.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ySGypMo2OkBG0tmZkeV5Fj8d83SfnoE1

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ySGypMo2OkBG0tmZkeV5Fj8d83SfnoE1

So this is “Will You Do the Fandango?”

So this is “Will You Do the Fandango?”

So this is “Will You Do the Fandango?”

It’s a bit raw, and maybe a bit too out there to be relevant to a lot of PbtA-fans, but I got awarded a prize for it in the itch.io “Gaming Like it’s 1923” game jam that Randy Lubin hosted and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t quite proud of that.

It’s a microgame based on Rex Ingram’s film “Scaramouche” (1923), a film that entered the public domain this year. The characters play as a touring troupe of swashbuckling Commedia dell’Arte performers in pre-revolutionary France.

I think there’s some typos in there, probably quite a few sentences that could be better, and an old reference to gaining drama points from acting on your Keys that I hadn’t changed to reflect the way the Keys work on the Playbooks.

Anyway, if you want to check it out, here’s the file. Let me know if I messed up the sharing options (again…).

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YGJh3-uh-vxWfLxePjESzI-20uQH5W8G/view?usp=drive_web

(Continued) And this is Terran Defence Force, a GMless homage to XCOM.

(Continued) And this is Terran Defence Force, a GMless homage to XCOM.

(Continued) And this is Terran Defence Force, a GMless homage to XCOM. I believe it’s pretty board-gamey, and I don’t know if there’s much room for actual role playing in it, but I wanted to experiment with a game that delays character creation so that you are basically a blank slate in the beginning.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1MDICP0cD9IqMbmp2VXqf7HfPcyFxoI4o

Happy Holidays, all!

Happy Holidays, all!

Happy Holidays, all!

I’ve been inspired to work on some mini-games that are meant to be easy to carry around, pick up and play. Like, if you’re sitting at a bar or café or in between other games. These are made to be printed out on A4:s (sorry, US! I’ll try to make some US legal-size versions soon) and folded to a trifold pamphlet.

They’re not currently playtested at all and probably full of faults, but if you want to have a look, here you are.

This is Avast! A game about hollywood pirates.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/185plnl2uOHy5cvBPWv1DXZBuvQ5QknT1/view?usp=sharing

I’m working on a PbtA game about Cold War espionage, called The Service.

I’m working on a PbtA game about Cold War espionage, called The Service.

I’m working on a PbtA game about Cold War espionage, called The Service. It’s very much a love letter to Le Carré, Len Deighton and the ITV show The Sandbaggers. I’m aiming for a low powered, drab, bureaucratic take on the genre.

As for games, I’ve been influenced mostly by Apocalypse World, Dungeon World and Blades in the Dark, with some Monsterhearts, The Regiment and The Sprawl as well as others sprinkled in for good measure.

If any of y’all are interested, here’s the current, unpolished version. Any feedback more than welcome!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MEWifN23zNacjUJ9AUhxqiARIhkVpdTK/view?usp=sharing