The news keeps coming in tabletop gaming! In anticipation of Internationale Spieltage — also known as SPIEL — games are being announced left and right as publishers ramp up to demo in Germany next week. There’s always a lot happening in the hobby, and this week we’ve got some great mecha games, indie duets, and even a peek inside the process of a talented and emerging young designer.
Featured Designer: Kay W.
When asked about their game design process for Dread Revolver, Kay W. said to Gizmodo over DMs that this game was created while “consuming a lot of media where you know the bad ending is coming. I love it all — revenge thrillers, Arthurian quests, noir, Westerns.” She wanted to create a game where the players were “at odds with themselves and even each other over that ending. Reaching the end of your path will mean your death, and it also means that someone else might not be able to fulfil their quest.”
For the players in Dread Revolver, “the question is pretty much always ‘how far are you willing to go for it?’ and if the answer is ‘as far as I can,’ then what does that really mean for everyone else?” It’s about balancing the party with the individual in a very clear conflict of interests.
Kay describes themself as “a game designer working on a lot of things about hauntings, but who mostly spends time hoarding yarn,” and also spoke about their game design process in more general terms. “All of my [work] is about exploring weird and hostile spaces with as much empathy as possible, even if things get a little bloody.” In addition to Dread Revolver, Kay has also written indie games like spiritbreaker (a solo game of exorcism and bargaining) and Planetary Loop, which is about travelling to the centre of the universe in an attempt to prevent an inevitable end.
New Releases: For Her Lady’s Hand, Exquisite Biome, Space Ambulance
“For Her Lady’s Hand is inspired by an event in the life of bisexual icon Julie D’Aubigny, a 17th-century fencing master and opera singer. When her lover’s family discovered the relationship, they put Julie’s girlfriend into a convent against her will. Julie mounted a rescue: she faked her way into the order, created a distraction by setting the convent on fire, and freed her partner.”
“Exquisite Biome is a game about the symbiosis of the natural world. Create an ecosystem, populate it with strange and wondrous animals, and see how they interact with one another.”
Space Ambulance is a game about the dedicated professionals of the space ambulance services. You will explore the lives and loves of the crews, both on the job and off, as they perform dramatic (and not so dramatic) rescues, fill out paperwork, and await their next thrilling (or not so thrilling) call.
Crowdfunding: Spectres of Broken, Pine Shallows, Dead Belt
“Spectres of Brocken is a role-playing game about making friends and then years later going to war against them in giant mechs. Make up some young, naive, messy trainee mech pilots. Find out who you are. Find out who you are to each other. Find out what you want in the world. Years later, find each other on the field of battle, each in your own fearsome custom mechs. Find out who you’ve become. Find out what you’ve all done to get here. Find out what costs you would pay to get what you want in the world.”
“Pine Shallows is a tabletop roleplaying game in which the players play kids solving mysteries and going on adventures. It is inspired by the Goonies, Stranger Things, Gravity Falls and middle grade adventure book series like The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea and A Series of Unfortunate Events. The digital book contains the rules to create your characters and play the game. In addition, the city of Pine Shallows is detailed with numerous locations, supporting cast and hooks. Also included is Catch of the Day, a complete starting adventure.”
“Dead Belt is a unique strategy tabletop RPG made for one or two players, blending roleplaying decision making with procedural generation, bad news, and a heaping dose of late-stage capitalism in space.”
Other News
- Redwood is an upcoming wildlife photography-themed board game where players compete to compose the most beautiful panorama.
- Wizards of the Coast has extended its feedback window for One D&D until September 26.
- The Radiance Adventure Engine is crowdfunding to support an interactive digital solo game play space.
- You can now preorder the new Dark Souls board game core set.
- The Elden Ring board game kickstarter is not live yet, but you can sign up for updates!
- Free League Publishing have signed on to help produce Pirate Börg, which was successfully Kickstarted in March.
- Monty Python’s Cocurricular Medieval Reenactment Programme (The officially licensed Monty Python RPG) will be available for preorder in October
Want more Gizmodo news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.