February is a cold dark month here in the UK, but can have fleeting glimpses of spring on the horizon. I think the games I’ve chosen to share with you this month for Not DnD reflect that mood.
Zephyr – 10th February
We’re starting with Zephyr next week on the 10th. The world feels dark, moody and almost lonely, but the game also provide elements of colours and connection. This is a really unique game, and I think it will be a really interesting discussion to listen to.
You play one of the Windfall who are are born of, and live upon, the back of a colossal sentient content. You travel across it to fulfil sacred obligations. Obligation and Debt are a key theme of the game, and has an Obligation Mechanic as tool used to craft adventures.
The game also explores Feeling and Identity. Coloured tokens represent the different emotions of the sentient content you travel upon, and used to build your character as they discover their sense of self.
Reanimated – 17th February
My guilty pleasure is low budget zombie movies. I love running survival horror, and enjoy a rules light system for this sort of storytelling.
Reanimated is based on the Key Powered System using 2d8, with an infection mechanic that makes every interaction with the undead a risk. The game offered a huge amount of customisation options to run the stye of survival horror you are looking to create, and is very much a sandbox to craft your own stories within.
Despair Dilema – 24th February
Been watching the second season of Squid Game recently? Despair Dilema is a Death Game that take inspiration from this and other narratives such as DanganRonpa and Zero Escape.
Designed for one shot games, you and the other players take the role of the Mastermind behind the game by taking turns being the narrator. The game used d6 dice and deck of playing cards, and has a ‘creating truths’ mechanic that reminded me a little of the similar mechanics in 10 candles.
Not DnD
Not DnD is a weekly show discussing tabletop roleplaying games. Each week EN Publishing’s @tabletopjess interviews the creators behind different tabletop roleplaying games that aren’t D&D!
You can watch the live recording every Monday at 5pm ET / 10pm GMT on YouTube or Twitch, or catch up with the podcast platform of your choice by searching ‘Not DnD’
Read more at this site