Character March 2025: A Modest Life

Would you look at that, this is the final Character March 2025 article. It was a nice journey, and it caused my blog's number of blog posts to already soar beyond what I did in any previous year. 

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

A Modest Life

Zarah Millermann used to be a scout in her earlier days. Wandering the wilderness, navigating the group, watching over the party at night, all of this and so much more was all she used to do. But that was well over thirty years ago. At the moment, she's an old woman who lives in the Hiddenburg village, on a random road that's rarely even traveled anymore. Her form is a little hunched by now, her hair has lost its vibrant brown color a long time ago, now replaced with grays, and nowadays she works as a forager: looking for herbs and fruits in the forest still reminds her of the old adventuring days. The village appreciates it, especially the kids with whom she likes to share sweet forest berries.

Zarah is now 66 years old. Her stats are as follows:

• Tough 12
• Agile 16
• Wise 18
• Sharp 20

Her special abilities (a number of them equal to her age divided by 10, rounded down, so 6) are:

• Finder. If she asks the GM if there's a hidden item nearby, they'll reveal any that is.
• Lurker. She can be hidden if she does not move on her turn.
• Navigator. She can't get lost and always knows her way back home.
• Nightwatch. She can see well enough even in the pitch darkness.
• Sampler. She can tell through close examination if a food is harmful and how.
• Tracker. She can identify what the tracks mean and can't lose them after finding them.

Nowadays, Zarah brings forest's gifts and plenty of joy to the Hiddenburg village. But who knows how much longer this will last... her clock is ticking. Her body isn't what it used to be. And with every passing year, the chance that this was her last year grows. Who will replace her when she finally moves on to the other side?

Ratings

5/5 RPG. It might be a recency bias, but I think has a feeling different than just a procedure or a board game.

3/5 Soup Stone. I could imagine expanding on the game, but I think it does decent enough in this regard.

3/5 Would I Play. I'd like to see how this works in practice, but I'm not particularly driven to pick this system over others, at least not for now.

2/5 Would I Write. If I see a meaningful way to grow these rules, sure! I didn't publish it on itch.io yet because I think it still needs a little something, illustrations especially, but I'm not counting that into the rating because I'm just busy at the moment.

13/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: It's About Time

This one was made by a buddy of mine for a convention as a short game to hand out to people present to learn playing TTRPGs. It spans two pages, and it's largely based on Lasers and Feelings. I helped him by pitching ideas, playtesting the game with him, and offering guidance here and there, so since I ran out of games where I could have a character, I'm gonna count it.

A small note before I continue: The game was originally written in Slovak, and there isn't an English-translated version yet (at least not one I'm aware of), so I'll just be translating stuff I use to English for this article.

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

It's About Time

Bella Minds is a cyborg psychologist. Half of her body is machine; the other half is an average-looking human with black hair and a piercing gaze. In the time that's present to her, she usually walks around in a white lab coat because of the subtle psychological effect of authority it has on people. Her pick of time travel ability is Echo, which allows her to create a copy of herself (probably by bringing one from the future) for one minute. As all other time travelers in this game, she comes equipped with some futuristic equipment befitting a psychologist, such as a tablet with every single Rorschach inkblot, the latest edition of the DSM, a hefty bottle of placebo pills, and so on. As for her personal goal, she wants to uncover something secret whenever she travels to the past.

Ratings

5/5 RPG. Plays like an RPG, I'd have a hard time treating this as a board game.

3/5 Soup Stone. Plenty of ideas are pitched by the game, so that's pretty good.

2/5 Would I Play. Perhaps when I have an incomplete group, or when a bunch of new players wants to try out some wacky time travel stuff.

1/5 Would I Write. Only if I had ideas on how to meaningfully expand on it myself, and I don't have any right now.

11/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: There Is No Tomorrow

... the time has come for the loop. And in the loop, the time has come for the loop. And in the loop, ...

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

There Is No Tomorrow

Felipe Contreras is an average surgeon. He's a little impatient when tending to things outside of his work, but he's also very much a people person. This contrasts the big city he lives in, where the people barely care about one another as they walk the streets. Still, he's got a few close friends that he meets now and then, like his drinking buddies, his girlfriend, and some of his family members who haven't moved out yet. His attributes are as follows:

• Strength +1
• Endurance +2
• Agility +3
• Talent +5
• Knowledge +4
• Intuition +0

Ratings

5/5 RPG. It can't really be played another way.

3/5 Soup Stone. While it leaves a lot of details blank due to its Mosaic Strict format, I think it still has a decent amount of details and time loop tropes to earn a 3.

4/5 Would I Play. I like a good time loop.

1/5 Would I Write. It feels complete to me. If I come up with a meaningful way to expand on it, I will.

13/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: Match Two

Uber short!

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

Match Two

Annie Loveheart is determined to make the couple fall in love with her trusty Beauty Mask.

Ratings

4/5 RPG. Plenty of space to improvise.

1/5 Soup Stone. Very little detail to work with.

2/5 Would I Play. With the right group of people, maybe.

1/5 Would I Write. Only if I were to start over.

8/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: MARSsacre

Should I use the same tone in this article? ... nah, let's not.

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

MARSsacre

Chell Shotgun is a femme fatale in the manly culture of the Slayers. She's no stranger to being violent though, since she's got her hands on both an Atomizer, and a Jackhammer. Her Humanity starts at 5, and I can't give further details on her until her first mission, so that's all!

Ratings

2/5 RPG. Most of it is shooty stuff, though some roleplaying is encouraged to regain your humanity.

4/5 Soup Stone. Thematically strong, I think it's okay to rate this at a 4.

3/5 Would I Play. Maybe one day. It's low on my priorities list, but it sounds kind of neat.

2/5 Would I Write. Kind of? Depends on what I'd expand it with.

11/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: Descent of the Holy

Let's make a priest.

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

Descent of the Holy

Father Maksymilian is a dwarven priest who's helping out the community of the Good City. Whether it's helping with the problems of people on the surface, or delving underground to fight off the vicious skeletal forces, he's always on the ready, and quick with a joke. His Faith begins at 1, as it does for all the characters. When delving into the crypt below, his carried equipment of choice is Aspergillum for when it's needed, and a Relic since one of the priests has to bring it. The first prayer he learns from the options listed in the game is Douse the Multitude, a prayer that allows him to regain 1 Aspergillum use after two uses. His stats are as follows:

• Fairness 1d6
• Altruism 1d16
• Courage 1d8
• Temperance 1d10
• Sin 1d4

Ratings

3/5 RPG. I think there's space for stuff that would make it different from a board game.

4/5 Soup Stone. Plenty is already there to work with.

3/5 Would I Play. Maybe one day if I feel like it. Maybe a oneshot? Who knows.

3/5 Would I Write. If I get some ideas for improvements, I could see myself updating this. Until then, this will have to wait patiently for its turn.

13/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: Your Royal Slyness

This one will hurt me since it's probably the published product I disliked the most out of my itch.io products yet. If I remove games from there, this one might go first.

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

Your Royal Slyness

Drew Ace of Clubs and a King of Spades. I guess I'm the Monarch.

King Patriclus XII is the head monarch of the Wornall Kingdom. He starts the game off with 4 Secrets and 4 Rumors, and his secret motive is to Silence (or perhaps Kill) a Foreign Monarch, perhaps the ruler of a neighboring kingdom.

Now then, let's create some secrets and rumors!

• Secret: His men stole a valuable treasure from the neighboring kingdom.
• Secret: He seduced one of his servants several times.
• Secret: He ordered his men to smear the other king in his own kingdom.
• Secret: The actual Patriclus XII is dead, this is Hyacinthus impersonating his older brother.
• Rumor: He cheated on his wife.
• Rumor: He poisoned his wife several times.
• Rumor: He poisoned the king of the neighboring kingdom.
• Rumor: He dabbles in witchcraft with a secret coven of his maid-witches.

Ratings

1/5 RPG. You could put roleplaying in there. But it feels like a board game through and through.

1/5 Soup Stone. I feel like it doesn't give you nearly enough to work with, though I might be biased.

0/5 Would I Play. I don't think so. I literally don't even feel like reading it.

0/5 Would I Write. Only if I completely overhauled the game.

2/20 Total Rating

Character March 2025: The Hungering End

This is the last of my systems that I posted on the blog. From now on, I'll need to go through the games I've posted on my itch.io. Once I run out of those, ... who knows?

My ratings will be done on four scales, each ranging from 1 to 5:

• RPG: How much does this feel like an RPG to me, as opposed to a board game?
• Soup Stone: How little content does the game expect you to add? For this scale, 0 is a complete Soup Stone since I'd like to sum the scores to see the game's total score.
• Would I Play: If I were given a chance to, would I play this game?
• Would I Write: If I were inspired enough and had time/energy for it, would I get back to working on this game?

The Hungering End

Lord Charles Nevermoor is the head of the noble family. He's a stern man who knows what this is about: the world is slowly ending. Whether he'll manage to get his family to behave and save the world from The Hungering End is something nobody can tell for sure.

His resource is Will, which he can spend to draw extra cards during the challenges. Furthermore, all his cards drawn get a +3 bonus to them. Both of these are relevant only within a challenge. I don't feel like going into details on what that specifically means, truth to be told.

Ratings

1/5 RPG. When the challenge begins, it turns into a board game. Outside of a challenge, it's pretty much nothing.

2/5 Soup Stone. There's some inspiration as to how it could work, but the core of the game is still up to the GM and the group to make up.

0/5 Would I Play. I don't feel like it anymore...

0/5 Would I Write. I feel nothing for its setting, and I'd much rather take what works about this game into something completely new.

3/20 Total Rating