At A Glance

https://youtu.be/5hIV-l_u0lc I have the rules coming for this. The ‘At a Glance’ will be up in the next couple weeks.

This is the first expansion for Tiny Taverns. As of 7/16/2026, the prices are: pdf $3.49/softcover $12.99/combo $13.69. It’s 57 pages plus a 2 page character sheet. The book starts with a sample tavern, The Fish Inn Ship and its background. It initially belonged to a sorcerer. The sorcerer vanished and it was eventually sold. It’s still a functioning ship as well as a tavern and B&B. It sails the coast going town to town, staying a period of time, and then moving on. There are a lot of things that can be found on the ship of a magical nature. They include: 4 regulars (players can make their own with the character generator). There’s even a new Heritage, The Bloam. There are rules for playing without a combat mode, utilizing contests and the like. If using standard combat, HP reaching zero doesn’t really mean death, just that they were ‘damaged’ enough to give up. There are several entries in the bestiary, such as: Beer Elemental, Dawnwing, and Giant Moth. Then there are some adventure hooks and should be at least mostly adaptable across Tiny D6 with minimal adjustment.

This is based on, and compatible with, Swords and Wizardry White Box (from the back cover). It starts with basics: abilities, alignment, HP, etc. Then goes into heritages. There are 4 main ones and 11 optional ones. Optional ones include: half-elf, half-orc, gnome, and goblin. Up next is classes. 3 mains here and 23 optional ones, such as: jester, friar, and tomb raider. Chapter 4 is equipment, accolades and personnel. Chapter 5 gets into playing the game. There have been tables galore and it doesn’t disappoint in this chapter. Chapter 6 is all about magic and spells. The last 3 chapters are pretty much all for the referee. Chapter 7 is running the game and gives a couple campaign ideas that are more than just fantasy. Chapter 8 is the bestiary. There’s a wide variety of monsters and critters to choose from. Lastly is treasure. Magic items, gems, and gold. Was a Kickstarter purchase. $30 got pdf and an at-cost link. As of 7/16/2026, prices are: pdf $12.25/hardcover and combo $59.99.

This was the most recent Kickstarter I did. Funding was 7/29/25 to 8/12/25. I did the $30 buy-in which got pdf and physical copy. Could have just done digital for $20. Estimated delivery was January 2026, and I received it January 12, 2026. This is my first experience with the Slayer System, and I think I like it. It does use the wonderful polyhedrals (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12) and you may use multiples of said dice. Any dice roll made needs 4+ to succeed. It’s pretty rules lite as well. Chapter one is rules. There are 13 pages (with art) and cover everything players need to know. They introduce the notion of stepping up or stepping down a roll. You might go from a d6 to a d8 or d6 to d4. There are some skills and potentially skill checks during your exploits. Knowledge domains exist as do checks. Perception checks don’t though. The thought is if you want to search for traps or see whether or not someone is in the room, say that’s what you’re doing and the DM will tell you the information. Chapter 2 is combat. Movement and range are considered relative in the game, like many things. There are several types of actions one can take during their turn, again only needing 4+ to succeed. Character creation follows next. No Races are listed as in the game there are no race advantages or disadvantages. There are 8 classes, each with a unique set up, so some classes are stronger or better than others, but they complement each other. Chapter 4 is items and mainly covers magic items and consumables as well as wealth. Chapter 5 is about adventurizing. Distance is a relative notion. Resting is covered in the basics. Leveling up is every 5 XP. Monsters and a bestiary come next. There are 37 different creatures, not including dragons. All have stat blocks with all available actions. Chapter 8 is all about dragons. Dragons have their own combat rules. They get their base actions plus 1 action per PC. Last is the DM section and gives clarification on what needs it. First impression of the game is positive. This would be easy to teach on the fly, even if one is new to gaming.

This is the first of 2 addons I got for the game. It was also $49 during the Kickstarter. It’s another fat book at 312 pages. The short version is that this goes over the different timelines available to play in the game as well as key figures one could run into or are relevant during the times. Chapter 1 is The Promise of a Better World and covers 1958 - 1973. It starts with a timeline going back to 1953 and has a blurb about the Cold War. ANSA is the military affiliate of NASA and stands for the American National Space Administration. We get information on events, legends, and rumors of the time like the Juno/Mars Mission and the Secession War in which Texas left the Union, as well as the Missing Apollo Missions. There are 3 “Promise” Era archetypes usable in addition to the specific Astro-naut archetypes from the Core Rules. They get into the politics of the era and some defense projects and locations (Area 51). Next is a list of the major players and their relevant stats. So Taylor, Dodge, and the rest as well as several others. Chapter 2 is No Escape and covers 1973 - 1982. We’re in the “Chimps have landed” timeline. One key event/rumor is the body of the dead Chimpanzee Dr. Milo disappears from the morgue at one point with whereabouts unknown. New archetypes are available, which can be used in conjunction with the appropriate ones from the core book and the last chapter. There’s an update on politics for the time and new organizations that come to the front, like the Animal Exploitation Bureau, Fur and Feather Magazine, and McHanon and Nash Technology. Locations include Armando’s Sensational Circus, Kwan’s of Hollywood, and Marine Camp XI. A bunch of bios follow, as do vehicles and adventure ideas. Chapter 3 is The Nature of Conquest (1983 - 1992). A lot going on in this chapter. So much it takes up 80 pages or so of the book. So much goes on in this span of time. So much goes right, and so much goes so horribly wrong. The intro to the chapter gives a history of the era, from the deaths of Zira and Cornelius to the rise of Caesar. They then sum it up nicely with the “Ape-o-naut Tapes,” a lightly redacted version of Cornelius’ and Zira’s conversation from Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Next is the more obligatory timeline. March 1983 is when the dogs and cats are wiped out. By November 1984 the US starts toward a Totalitarian Regime. 1988 the Authoritarian Party takes the election, and by 1989 major changes have happened. During a stretch between December 10 -15, 1991 global nuclear war happens. In January 1992 Caesar leads his allies (ape and human) into the wilderness. In the events, legends, and rumors section, more information is given on the virus that killed the dogs and cats. The start of Ape Management, evolving the apes so they can be ‘helpers’ to the humans, the fall to authoritarianism, trouble abroad, the night of the fires, and the mushroom clouds. There’s a quick blurb about playing in the era and some new archetypes. Chronologically speaking, this is the first era with ape archetypes. Apes cannot speak at creation (at this point), but can spend some XP as they acquire enough to go from babble to sound mimicry to full speaking ability. There’s also a lot going on with the politics and organizations. There’s the State Security Council, State Security Agency, American News Network (the state run propaganda, err, news network), The Watch, Human Labor Movement, and many more. In locations, we get a deep dive of Modern City and the agencies in its border. The also go into the Provinces and other locations of interest. The bio section goes over every major player of the era: Caesar, an updated bio on Armando, Governor Bruck, Malcolm McDonald, and a lot more. Also included (like previous chapters) are some fodder NPCs of many types. Equipment, vehicles, and nuclear weapons are next. Lastly is the adventure hook section. On to chapter 4 Choose Your Battles (1993 - 2040). This gives us the Exodus of Caesar and his band of apes and humans from Modern City to the First Colony. There’s a blurb (spread over 2 parts and separate non-sequential pages) about Caesar’ Legacy. He becomes referred to as the Unknown Ape as opposed to the King of the Apes, when the Lawgivers struck him from the record in the 2700s. There are hints that he has descendants still. It is known that his grandson Alexander ruled Ape City with Virgil’s son Jacob (the first Lawgiver) as his aide and spiritual advisor. The timeline at points is spotty as some specific “history dates” are lost, with some sources saying the mutant attack on Ape City came in 2004, while others say it was 2020. What is known is the virus that destroyed the cats and dogs mutated due to radioactive fallout and accelerates apes’ learning abilities. It will mutate more over the next few centuries, affecting human intelligence. Eventually, the events of The Battle for the Planet of the Apes happen and in the wake of those events the Alpha/Omega bomb (the bomb used to destroy the planet <see the movie events earlier in the series>) is almost used. 20 years on from the Battle, a delegation from the Forbidden City meet with Caesar and others to discuss a peace treaty. An accord is reached, though 2 apes appear to lose their mind (go apeshit?) and an elderly Caesar and young Steven (now Mendez II) survive to rule their communities. There are several events, rumors, and legends during this time. More ape uprisings, new enemies and allies, and the schism between Caesar and Aldo. There are new archetypes, and all the archetypes (except Lawgiver, which doesn’t exist until the 2600s) are valid. Humans in this era would be servants of the Apes. Politics and organizations include the Mutants of the Forbidden City and the Aldonites among others. In locations, the main is the first Ape City, aka Caesar’s City, aka The Unknown City. The Forbidden Zone is discussed and is a colloquial designation between Ape City and the remnants of Modern City. The Zone is typically more irradiated than other areas, though it becomes less so over the millennia. The Forbidden City is discussed more as well. The bio section gives updates on some characters and introduces other. Barter is used at this point for acquiring goods. We get some new equipment and the obligatory game scenarios to get your session off the ground. Chapter 5 What Lies Beneath (3958 - 3979), We’ve hit the timeline of the original Apes movie and first sequel. Interesting to note, the full timeline from when Liberty 1 crashes and the planet goes totally nuclear is about 61 days. Taylor and crew land November 25, 3978 and everything goes boom January 31, 3979. Other events of note: Ape society’s quota system breaks down in 3958 and Dr. Zaius shuts down an archaeological site in the Forbidden Zone in 3977. The Ape cities vary a little across the land. There is Ape City in the east which is stretched its boundaries in the surrounding area to become the nation-state of Simia, where events in the movies happen, and there’s also Central City on the West Coast. There are also villages with tree houses, simple huts and other small structures. History, rumors, and events presented here add a little more to what was given in the core rules. The politics and organizations section is heavy on organizations and light on politics. There’s the Hunt Club. which was showed in the original Planet of the Apes movie; the Anti-Vivisection Society, which was started by the Chimpanzee Scientist Prisca, who thought butchering humans was a bit distasteful; and also the Fellowship of the Holy Fallout, which is the mutants we meet in the 2nd movie; as well as several others. Then there are more bios with new characters as well as updates to others, including: “Bright Eyes,” Dodge, and Stewart. There are 38 bios presented in the chapter, new and updates. Lastly, there are a couple scenarios and hooks. Chapter 6 The Infinite Highway. The chapter talks about time travel and various theories (or postulations, however one wants to put it) of time travel and how to use it in your game. It even allows for a Psionic Power called Infinite Regression. There was obviously a lot to unpack here, hence the length. Said it before, and will say it again, they definitely went above and beyond in researching the lore to complete this. If you’re going to get the core rules. you should most definitely pick this up.

A Kickstarter that was delivered early. Projected date was July 2025, and I received it May 15, 2025. It only shows as a pdf ($7.99) on DriveThruRPG. The book itself (which after looking even on the Gallant web site may be a Kickstarter exclusive, not sure) is 34 pages and in zine form. The art, outside of the cover, is black and white and is 100% amazing. It gives off, to me at least, modernized B/X or 1st Edition AD&D vibes. So the general history of the game is you play on of the last Paladins of an ancient esoteric order and you’ve pledged to bring down the 6 necromancers who plunged the land into darkness. To play, one needs a deck of cards sans jokers, 2d6, a notebook to act as log, a token to represent your place in the world, and index cards or some other paper type to mark information you want to track. Character creation is a couple minutes at worst. The key mechanics for the game: draw 2 cards from your shuffled “story deck.” Roll and sum 2d6. Add any modifiers. Results, interpreted: if your roll is higher than both cards, there’s hope. If your score is higher than one, there’s despair. Otherwise, darkness. Aces are worth 1, jacks 11, queens 12, and kings 13. The kings also represent the 6 necromancers, 3 black and 3 red. The deck of cards is used as a story deck and a map of your journey, and your actions determine where you place cards and thus determine the route. The rules walk through the different scenarios you’ll deal with during the course of a session. Foes are next and how to deal with them. Last is the 6 thrones and their respective necromancers and ending the session. Overall, I would say this looks like it should be a good time and can’t wait to get into it.

The stars aligned on this one in amazing ways. Fulfillment was estimated to be April 2025, but proofs were done and approved February 28, 2025, 3 days after the Kickstarter ended. Funding ran for 7 days and reached $5,664, with an original goal of $2,000. $14 buy-in + $6 for shipping got one a physical copy of the game (15 pages) and pdf. Retail on their website is $15. The game itself is pretty cool for being minimalist. I can already hear you: “A buck a page? Nope!” They managed to actually put some words on those pages. You’re getting your moneys worth in my opinion. Besides, I don’t know who they work with as their printer. I’ve seen what DriveThruRPG says is “at cost”, but maybe Gila wanted someone different and couldn’t get as good a deal. 🤷‍♂️ Omen is about a world doomed to end. You’ll generally want 3 - 5 people with a GM. You will also need 10D6 per player (more on that later). It’s intentionally designed to be a one off session and not a campaign style game. As such, no rules for progression or creating log arcing games. The core mechanic is there’s a Difficulty Value (DV) of 2 - 6 and 8 (or 9) of your D6 being rolled before the game starts to be used as you go along to either succeed or fail as situations present themselves. The world is doomed for reasons you and the GM determine, and you try to defy it happening at this point. There is a ‘Doom’ and ‘Defy’ clock, and whichever gets finished first determines the outcome. They could both be set at 8, or each set differently to allow for one to be achieved easier than the other. To create your character, decide if you want 1 or 2 Omens, and the remainder of the 10D6 become the aforementioned rolls where you either succeed or fail in circumstances presented. Situations happen and either the world ends or you all defy fate at this time and decide how things move forward.

Picked this up a while back, partly for the subject matter and partly for the rule system. The book starts with a media history of Zorro across print, film, stage productions, toys, and video games. Next is the obligatory welcome to RPGs and the basics of the D6 system. Following that is character creation, covering 2 whole pages (templates to follow later on). One highlight is a defense number. You multiply your Perception and Agility D6 total by 5, so 3D+2 would be 15. Chapter 3 focuses on playing the game and general rules. It also goes more into the Attributes, Skills, and Difficulty Number (from very easy [5] to very difficult [30]). As per usual with the D6 system, the more d6 you have to roll, the better (and more difficult things) you can do. Each attribute includes 4 skills (which can be added to or changed with GM approval), and attributes include: Agility, Knowledge, and Charm. The GM Section is next. A standout item in this section is that in addition to Hero Points (which act as XP and can be used to better attributes and skills) is Suspicion Points. In the game, you play as a member of Zorro’s Legion, which is your secret identity. Other times you play as your alter ego which is one of the templates mentioned a little further in. Each of your identities will likely have different outlooks (a la Clark Kent/Superman or Bruce Wayne/Batman) so that most won’t tie the two ‘people’ together. However, when the public acts differently from “normal” or more like their secret persona, they get a Suspicion Point. A 2D6 roll that is lower than how many Suspicion Points has exposes them. There are, of course, a couple ways to reduce Suspicion Points and keep the secret identity secret. Equipment and Bestiary chapters are next, allowing a variety of weapons and creatures. Following that is the chapter with character templates. There are 15 in total, including: Brash Soldado, Sniveling Dona/Don, Nervous Bandit, and Scheming Scholar. They include starting attribute die codes, equipment, and even suggested skills, though the character can be customized to taste. Enemy combatants is the next chapter and is made up of different NPCs to include in your sessions. The next 2 chapters, “The World of Zorro” and “Adventures in Alto California” flesh out the setting and include several adventure seeds, which are broken down into a couple episodes. The next chapter introduces the more important NPCs of the world, such as: Don Alejandro de la Vega, Diego de la Vega, Don Ignacio Torres, and others. Also included are more adventure seeds. The Chapter “Adventures Elsewhere” flesh out New Spain and Baja California and more adventure seeds. There is a solo adventure so you can play as Zorro and familiarize yourself with the system. Lastly there are 2 full length adventures included. “The Black Widow” and “The Steam Train Out of Hell.” They are put together in a slightly loose fashion with broader strokes, but give enough to cover most situations while still keeping a linear story. My thought on this is it’s a good game if you want something a little more serialistic and fun, while still being able to stay a little serious with the story. It would be in rotation for me more as a “Let’s take a session or two break from what we’ve been playing and play something a little different.” With all the adventure ideas in the book, it would be easy to sit down and play fairly quickly.

Back in my Tiny Gunslinger review, I remember saying I may review this one day, but not that day or the next. Well, the day has finally arrived. As of 7/16/2026, the prices are: $10.49/softcover $24.99/hardcover $29.99/soft combo $28.49/hard combo $33.49. This has a little crunch to it, but that isn’t a bad thing. The gist is the game is the PCs own/work at a tavern. There are character sheets, but there’s also a tavern sheet complete with a section for clientele and staff. It’s set up to be a “slice of life” game. I originally did the pdf for this back in the day for the Kickstarter for $10, so I’ve had a version of it since it was new, I just never got around to doing anything with it. After the usual introductions, chapter one is basic rules. The standard Tiny D6 rules apply, but there are more types of tests. Save tests, chore tests, notice tests, and charm tests are just a few of the tests. There are conflicts and they take the form of contests, quarrels, combat, and action scenes with some more specific rules for each. Combat is handled a little differently. Think bar fights and oral arguments as primary conflicts. Of course, with that comes injury, physical and mental. 3 minor injuries or multiple major ones equal incapacitation. A major injury wile incapacitated equals death. You can recover from your injuries, depending on how you were injured and healing times can vary. They finish the chapter by discussing the different types of magic and how to use it. Next is Tavern and Character Creation. The group starts with basic tavern creation. There are 6 steps to start with, like: type of tavern, location, naming it, and creating regulars among them. Then create the PCs. There are 8 heritages including: Pooka, Mandrake, and Firbolg. After picking traits and proficiencies, each decides their job at the tavern and it can be anything the GM allows. Finally, create some additional resources. Next is During the Game. Rules on how to gain XP and what it can be used on for starters, as well as moods and afflictions. It also goes into potions, tonics, and such as well as buying stuff. Last is the GM Toolkit. This starts with advice to get your GM brain into “Slice of Life” gaming as opposed to “Save the World” gaming, not that one couldn’t go that way if the group decided. There are different mini-games that can be employed, and it is good. I probably should have backed the physical copy at the time, but decided not to for whatever reason.

Apparently I needed more Tiny D6 reading material. I don’t know if its the first supplement for Tiny Dungeons, but there’s definitely a lot to it, 168 pages worth. It’s a complete setting for Tiny Dungeons, though you will need the Tiny Dungeons Core Rules to play. Prices as of 7/16/2026 are: pdf $10.49/softcover $24.99/hardcover $29.99/softcover combo $28.49/hardcover combo $33.49. The book starts with a short story to get us in the mood for the setting. We get a short introduction which, of course, helps to explain what to expect as well as some inspiration for the setting, which include the Tale of Urashima Taro, The Little Mermaid, and A Lull in the Sea. Chapter one is “A World of Vast Tides.” The surface population is gone, destroyed or removed by some unknown device. It starts by giving an idea of where life lives underwater and a quick glance of the civilizations. We get some of the wonders next, like The Deepstones and The Palace of the Sea Dragon. Then is a section on playing an underwater character and how it differs from playing a land one. After that is how to deal with going on land when one has to and how to make sure one survives (which one can for short periods of time under the right circumstances). The next section includes 5 Heritages (Kirkusui, Hykarchos, Lulutani, The Kayde, and Duwanni) and their society, personality, culture, and how they deal with being on land. Oceanic Magic, and its various types, are discussed last, because while it takes place underwater, it is a fantasy setting. Chapter 2 is character creation. Not too different from other Tiny D6 games, but some changes. There are ‘unanswered questions’ to answer, some new traits that can be used in addition to those in the Tiny Dungeons Rulebook. Chapter 3 is The Ruined World. It deals with the dangers and challenges of being a water based creature on dry land. It also goes into what one can find and encounter in the ruins. Any people that may have survived would scarcely resemble their ancestors in actions and thoughts. They would be human/elf/whatever in appearance alone unless the GM decides otherwise. There is a ruins generator and some tables with what can be found in various locations. Chapter 4 is an adventure ‘The Ruined Lighthouse.’ Someone (a young’un) has gone missing and you and her sister must find her. Hijinks ensue and hopefully you can save her. There are giant eels, giant moths, and a good old dungeon crawl of a lighthouse, complete with spoils. Lastly is ‘Sunken Secrets.’ This deals with what brought the surface world’s demise. There are 5 ranks of revelations and the group must achieve X Rank 1 Revelations before moving to Rank 2 and so on, leading to the end of the campaign. I was very impressed by this. A supplement that actually supplements the base system and brings something new to the game while still being able to adapt it to other games in the system. It’s different enough to be interesting and could be considered its own game, while being an established one.

Per the back cover: this is the first expansion for Tiny Supers and covers the Iron Age of comics. DTRPG prices as of 7/15/2026: pdf $6.99/softcover $19.99/hardcover $24.99/combos $2 more. It has 2 chapters, totals 65 pages, and introduces new rules and a new city, Haven City. Chapter 1 is titled “New Rules,” and starts with 10 new archetypes. What’s interesting is they all have the “Average” trait, meaning they can’t take superpowers. Archetypes include: Adept, Crusader, Legend, and Vigilante. The next section covers optional rules for equipment kits and utility belts. Equipment kits include: burglar kit, climber kit, and surveillance kit, and these and utility belts can be used in lieu of regular traits. Utility kits have 4 - 8 slots and all but the waist utility belt (2 traits slots) cost 1 trait slot. Also, different items for the utility belts take up 2 - 4 slots each. Vehicles and their usage come next. Different types are listed as well as how to upgrade them and several upgrades available. Chapter 2 is about Haven City. Haven City is across the bay from Sentry City. Things were good until the Depression and Prohibition was repealed. Superhero activities and powers are illegal thanks to the Metahuman Apprehension Universal Legislation or MAUL. There are 8 major neighborhoods, not counting ethnic neighborhoods (the usual: China Town, Red Town, etc) including: Dockside, Diamond Coast, and Bird Park. There are several forms of “law enforcement” inside Haven City outside of MAUL, including the only “authorized and licensed superhero” Indomitable. There are also the obligatory organized crime bosses in the city including: The Guttersnipes and Soyuz among others. They also include 6 iconic heroes and a rogue’s gallery of 10 to get started.

A must read concerning Tiny Cyberpunk, from Alan Bahr: https://gallantknightgames.com/pages/tiny-cyberpunk-ai This game was a long time coming. The Kickstarter was November 14, 2023 to December 5, 2023, with estimated delivery being 7/24. Finally got it 11/6/25. It is on the GKG website https://gallantknightgames.com/collections/corebooks/TinyD6?page=1 . Might be a good idea to read the first link before going to the GKG store to purchase. I did the $50 buy-in which got a physical and pdf copy, a storage bag (last time they were going to be offered), a GM Screen, and a character sheet pad. Also included were a handful of cards. The first 3 have the Kickbacks listed (something listed in the rules), and the others are the drones listed in the book. I count 25 character sheets and the GM Screen is super useful. Now to the book. The book starts with the usual introduction for Tiny D6. It then starts talking about hacking, firewalls, and kickbacks. Then more about the system rules as well as armor, downtime, and downtime actions, as well as examples of each and some available vehicles. Character creation is next. There are 7 archetypes available, including: Streetpunk, Smoker, Burnout, and Rager. Traits, as usual, are included, as are some cyberware traits. Up next is running the game. There are some broad strokes here. You get some thoughts on what the author considers the cyberpunk genre to be. It goes into running some adventures and some enemies, law enforcement, and corporate actions. Corporations affect PCs and what they can and can’t get away with during a session. While it is a rules lite system and there usually isn’t much of a setting in stone, they do include the city of Neodinium. It does take up a significant portion of the book, from page 73 to page 109 (there are only 140 pages total). There’s a bit to unpack, so we’ll try and include some of it. All information presented is pretty general, so you can adapt it to your campaign. WW IV happened for reasons. The city board is voted on by corporations. Transit takes many forms: airlines, subways, and hover rail among them, Music plays a big part in the city’s life, as does food. Street food culture is a big thing here. There are several districts: a corporate, docks, and entertainment district. Popular places are listed as are some adventure hooks. Lastly there are 5 mega-corporations and some history about them. There are also rules for solo play. I don’t have many cyberpunk games in my collection so it was a no-brainer for that reason alone. But also, it’s Tiny D6, therefore worth picking up and easy to teach.

Another Kickstarter. Buy-in was $14 + shipping, and got a physical and pdf version. The book is 48 pages and is designed for 2 players, but there are solo rules. A guy named Harry Clarke did most of the art for the book. Harry was and Irish stained glass artist and illustrator who did the art for Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe. The game is dark fantasy and is both cooperative and competitive. Per the rules, the session should last 30 minutes. To play, you need a deck of cards (jokers removed, 4d6 (2d6 per person), 30 t o 60 minutes, and optionally a way to record your journey. Face cards need to be separated from the rest of the deck. Number cards are used for room prompts, while face cards are used for threat prompts. Each player has 5 cards dealt to them and if they have to discard all of their cards over the coarse of the game, they die. There are a bunch of tables for what the cards mean and how they affect the game. The actual gameplay is broken down into 4 parts: 1. Draw and describe the room. 2 . Draw and describe the threat. 3. Fight or flee. 4. Resolve the scene. You’ll get through 3 rooms before discovering a huge black door, with “Only one can leave alive” chiseled many times around the door. At this point, the players decide whether or not to fight to the death or try to defy the rules. Outcomes are decided and the game finishes. The subject matter made me back this, along with the pitch on Kickstarter. It’s maybe a bit more niche than other games, but it looks to be a good game nonetheless.

Another TinyZine of goodness. Per the Letter From the Editor, this is the Sunday Brunch issue. These are all Safe Places that bad things could happen at or could help stop bad things. As of 7/15/2026, prices are: pdf $6.99/softcover and combo $19.99. We start with “Welcome to Sanctuary,” a village with about a dozen houses. There’s a blacksmith, inn/tavern, a periodicals store, and a sheriff. Why Sanctuary is so safe and protected depends on how much magic is in the specific Tiny Dungeons world. It also includes a short adventure. Next is “Daisy’s Bakery.” Another for Tiny Dungeons, but that could be adapted for others. The Baker Family “appears to be normal,” but some goods are magical. They have a cookbook and grimoire. It’s magically protected and written in code, among other protections. There are unique goods, each with a magical effect. There are also adventure hooks. Then we get “No Retreat,” a scenario for Tiny Cthulhu. Designed for 6 players, and takes place at Temple Grove where the PCs are going for a 10 retreat. Unbeknownst to them, the Elder God Vatha-Nal lives under the property. The first couple days are a mix of normal leisure stuff mixed with the occasional odd incident. Things go from weird to bad when the cult starts attacking the PCs. There are a couple ways the PCs can take to deal with the problem, each with an outline of how it turns out. The adventure takes 20 of the 63 pages of the zine and has more than enough information given to properly run the adventure. Next we come to “Block Party Bash,” an adventure for Tiny Supers. The villain is Marcus Albright. His family was killed during a battle between Supers and Villains and has created a device to reveal Supers and deal with them. During the first encounter, at a block party, the Supers damage the device causing a time loop. The goal is to fix the device and neutralize it. Lastly we have “Team Building Tribulations.” This is for Tiny Spies. The adventure takes place at COVERT resort Blue Wave Acre Resort. There are several ‘activities’ planned (think 3 legged race, lawn darts, etc) and DISASTER has infiltrated the resort and is trying to do as much damage as possible. The PCs have to try and win what events they can to stop DISASTER from harming people.

They teased changes were coming in the last TinyZine, and they greatly delivered. They changed the layout a little. The Letter From the Editor now breaks down what’s in the book and gives a brief description. The very end now has an “About The Authors” section highlighting their gaming history. This zine has the theme of Companions and how to work them into your game (whichever Tiny D6 game is being played). Prices as of 7/15/2026: pdf $6.99/softcover and combo $16.99. First entry is “Can I Keep ‘Em?” It’s an accessory for Tiny Dungeons and talks about how to incorporate animal companions into the game. They even include a plot hook for Sully the Young Troll. Next is another installment of Tiny Encounters called “You and What Army?” Another Tiny Dungeons entry that could even be adapted to Tiny Frontiers or Tiny Cthulhu. The basic idea is you have to stop the Shivering Invader and its 4 prisoners. “Friends After the World Ends” follows and includes 13 NPCs and an example on how to include them in a session or multiple sessions. The next is “Hey, Wanna Join My Tavern?” It’s new optional rules on how to create interesting NPCs for your bar. The new rules can be incorporated into other Tiny D6 games as well. These NPCs, called recruits, can be regulars or staff. These NPCs can grant boons that help with a roll in the future. They include 6 sample recruits. Following that is Party Animals. It discusses adding animals to the party. There are 4 categories: General Animals, Trained Animals, Companion Animals, and True Familiars. Next is Mothership Helena, a micro-setting for Tiny Frontiers. Mothership Helena is a sentient ship. It can ‘grow’ anything its inhabitants want/need. It’s found in uncharted space, empty. Its origins are unknown and it’s been empty for a long time. Also included are mission prompts to use to get your campaign going. “It’s Not What You Know” for Tiny Cthulhu follows next. There are 3 adversaries and 3 allies to be dropped in your campaign. They are given good backstories and motivations and everything else. Then we come to “Rise of the Serpent” for Tiny Supers. There is a new archetype in Super Animal and a few new traits that are animal specific and there’s even a new ‘weakness,’ Animal Form, limiting what they can accomplish in a world of humans. Some example Super Pets are included as well and some adventure hooks. Last is “The Company We Keep” for Tiny Spies. It introduces TOMORROW, which focuses on white collar crime.

This offers up 5 new additions to the Tiny D6 universe. As of 7/15/2026, prices are: pdf $4.89/softcover and combo $18.99. The first entry is the last 9 adventures of The Return of the Urlian for Tiny Dungeons. About 43 pages of goodness. I’m of 2 minds about this. While it is cool they decided to publish the rest collectively, it would have been as cool to stretch them out over the next couple volumes. There is quite a bit going on in the remaining parts. Gryphons, dragons, demons, liches, and even a boat race. We pick up having to help the Formici deal with demons and that turns into going to a different dimension to deal with demons and liches and closing portals that were opened by the liches initially when they entered the dimension. Next up is a micro-setting for Tiny Frontiers called The Voluntold. The setting, per the author, is based on such sci-fi as: Red Dwarf, Ice Pirates, Star Wars, Star Trek, and others. The basic gist is you’re down and out and have no way to get off-world to one of Earth’s colonies, so you join the Volunteer Military and hope you survive long enough to save up enough money to get to a colony and get established. Third is Curious Items, Poisons, and Shops. It’s full of pastes, potions, and other physical items like: rose-colored glasses and perpetually swirling spoon. Then we get what is said to be the last in the series of Beasts Beyond Bounds: Beasts from Australia. 9 creatures are included, such as: Bunyip, Malingee, and Mimi. Last is a Tiny Encounters entry for Tiny Dungeons: Special Delivery. The mission is to escort a jail cart to a nearby city and turn said person over to authorities and get paid. It’s set up sandbox style, so you have all information needed to run it, with only broad strokes on how to get from A to B. All in all, another good addition to the collection. It’s nice that Alan Bahr and Gallant Knight Games releases so much extra goodness, both on Patreon and through published material.

This was another long awaited Kickstarter. I did the $50 buy-in, which got a physical and pdf copy of the rules, dice, and 2 decks of cards (one for ‘garbage,’ one for ‘glory’). More on that soon. The quality of everything is typical Wet Ink Games quality, which is to say, amazing. The artwork is pretty epic. Honestly, of the 3 games I have by Wet Ink Games, I think this is my favorite artwork. Like Heckin’ Good Doggos, the book starts with a story to put you in the mood of the game, after the quick overview of what to expect from the game. Playing the game is the first real section of the game and runs through pretty much everything you need to know to play. Like their other games, one can use a regular deck of cards (in this case, you need 2 decks in separate colors on back) to represent garbage and glory. If using a regular deck, there’s a list of what each card represents in the garbage deck. These decks are used slightly differently from their other games. For this game, you start with 3 garbage and 2 glory cards. Garbage cards represent what the characters have collected and can be used for creating equipment they may need during an adventure. Glory is earned from actions and are used to increase skills. The gist of the game is you play as a racoon adventurizer and it’s about your escapades. From the book: Garbage and Glory is both a game about racoons going on adventures and a game about telling stories about going on adventures. Most of the players will take on the roles of a group of racoon adventurers called a Mask, who are themselves telling a story about a past adventure. There are weapons the PC may need to use that they’ve fashioned from garbage found, like bow and arrow, spear, and staff. There are even magical weapons and magic itself of a sort. Character creation is next with several different callings available, including: Dumpster Diviner, Mess Magus, and Sticky Fingers. Each calling has its own attribute spread unique to it and specific skills. There are 2 types of magic: Pile Magic, which is a matter of belief; and Trash Magic, which can be learned; and a list of spells available for each. Next is the GM or Narrator section. Following that is a history of dumpster delving and then creatures of the land, which include: Killyote, Goose Dragon, Bad Apple, Sludge, Guardian Beast, and Ogre, as well as stat blocks for each. Lastly, there are 3 introductory adventures. One is for starting characters and the other 2 for more advanced ones. This was definitely worth the money and the wait. It seems a little more lighthearted from the other 2 I own, but Heckin’ Good Doggos doesn’t take itself too seriously.

This was the second addon I got during the Kickstarter for $49. What’s in the box? A book with a scenario and campaign and other information. 2 double sided foldout and cutaway maps. 2 sheets of punchout map markers, a 3 panel Lawgiver Screen, 10 alpha and omega dice with 2 wild dice, 6 pre-generated characters, and a deck of 64 reference cards. The maps are world specific, and not just boxed set specific. The markers are nice as are the cards and dice. Now to the book. There’s a 2 page preface breaking down what’s in the book. The adventure and campaign are set up sandbox style. You’re given all the information needed to run the scenario and PCs have more free reign on the direction and flow. Chapter 1 is and adventure: The Tower on the Border. It’s broken down into 4 separate sections and the gist of the adventure (oh, and use the pre-generated characters for this) is you’ve been jailed by the Apes and the lot of you need to stage a jailbreak and escape with the others to safety. There is an Astro-naut they can save and get to a doctor to stop him from dying in the immediate future. They have a couple options of where to go, each with a possibility of being seen and/or captured. While there are set locations, each with potential encounters, it’s up to the PCs to decide their route, thereby driving the events of the adventure. There’s very little “scripted text” so there’s no feeling of being railroaded. They don’t “have to” go to any location, although they don’t leave the jail with any supplies, so they need to scavenge stuff to survive. While players could create their own characters, they are suggested to use the same (or similar) skills as the pre-generated characters, or just use the pre-generated characters to begin with. There are 3 Ape options, 2 Human options, and a Mutant one. For me, this would be a useful introduction to both the game and the system. No need to create characters, and can explain rolls and rules along the way, as well as an excuse to get the players used to each other if it’s a new group. Chapter 2 is the Ruins Of Tomorrow Campaign Setting. It builds on the events of Chapter 1. It adds more to the sandbox and can even be used to in your own campaign as it gives locations, beings, and creatures to inhabit your world. The gist of the campaign is a group is trying to explode a super-volcano and the PCs can either try and stop it from happening or they can goon a scavenger hunt and get the items needed to escape off-world. It does pick up where the adventure ended and they are being chased by Colonel Uero (Gorilla) and his troops. He won’t stop until the PCs are caught or killed or something similar happens to him. The first section of the campaign is “Into The Forbidden Zone” and traverse it in the direction of choice to try and accomplish their goals.. As they are being pursued, there is a 1D6+10 roll to see how many hours ahead the group is, and the time can adjust either way based on the PCs action. There’s a full page dedicated to “Escape To The Stars,” all the steps needed to getting a spaceship in working order to fly off if they decide to do that. New locations include: The Gleaming City, The Sea of Sands, and the Under Ocean. There’s even Fortress Liberty, which houses a fortified nuclear bunker. The water there is still good, but half the food is rotten. All in all, there’s enough in this chapter to allow for many different campaigns. Chapter 3 is the LAWGIVER’s Toolbox. It includes 3 new Archetypes and some environment zones, and effects in the Forbidden Zone. There are fission caves, mine fields, volcanoes, and others mentioned in the chapter. There are Zone appropriate tables, and dice to be rolled for effects. Chapter 4 is The Unknown. So, exactly what is in the Forbidden Zone? Grab some dice and start rolling to create your randomly specific biomes and what’s in it. Choose from Aberrant, Aquatic, Forest, and Tundra sub-biomes and create from there. Chapter 5 is The Seeds of Civilization. In this chapter, you can create your own specific Planet of the Apes, or at least create other nation-states that aren’t Simia. Chapter 6 is campaign and adventure tables. Distances between locations and encounter tables are found here and it’s effectively both sides of the back cover. Last but not least is the LAWGIVER’s Screen. It’s pretty healthy sized and has virtually everything one needs without referencing the book too often, which is as it should be. I initially had only backed for the Core Rulebook and decided I wanted everything I felt I needed to go full immersive. I can live without minis (possible blasphemy, I know, but I’ve never run/played mini heavy RPGs) especially if given an alternative to use. So, in my mind, this and the ANSA Files Sourcebook were all I needed to pair with the Rulebook to go full immersive. I think this gives serious bang for the buck considering everything in the box. The 2 books offer some serious bang for the buck as well, in my opinion. These have all run a little longer than usual, but I think it’s a testament to how much they packed into each offering.

This was a long time coming and I am so glad to finally have gotten my stinkin’ paws on it. The buy in was $49 with additional addons available for the game. I did purchase addons but will be reviewing them separately. I ended up paying $147 to get what I felt I needed. They can be purchased here: https://store.magnetic-press.com/collections/games First thing to mention is how large the rulebook is at 308 pages. They did a lot research, pulling out stuff I had no idea about, though I am a more casual fan who has seen the movies, vaguely remember the cartoon on TV, and never read any of the books or comics. From the book: The Canon of this RPG is based on the classic 1968 movie and its 4 sequels, incorporates aspects of the 1974 TV Series, and 1975s Return to the Planet of the Apes and novelizations. The original novels “Conspiracy” (2011) and Death of the Planet of the Apes are also included, along with many aspects of the original comic series (1974 - 1976), as well as nods to over 5 decades of classic Planet of the Apes source materials. (Some paraphrasing done). The ruleset is the Magnetic Variant (same as the Carbon Grey RPG) of the West End Games D6 System. Chapter one is the usual brief overview of the world you’ll play in and welcome to RPGs, as well as the types of gameplay available like Serial Play (campaign), Premiere Play (one-offs with movie feel and stakes to go with it), and Solo Play. There’s even a note about discrimination and bigotry in the game and how the theme of the game should be about overcoming hatred and not succumbing to it. Chapter 2 is a rules primer to give a feel for how to the game works. Now we get to the meat of the game: Chapter 3 The Great Apes. Chimpanzees, Gorillas, and Orangutans are discussed in depth, as are some others that didn’t make it, such as baboons, monkeys, and bonobos. Ape government is in there, as is information about the Sacred Scrolls and Quota System. There are also 12 ape archetypes one can choose from, including: Ape Journalist, Ape Scientist, Philosopher Ape, and Service Ape. Chapter 4 is about the Beast Man. They differentiate between Tribal Humans and Astro-nauts (a play on the word, as in how one of the Apes would pronounce it). This chapter and the previous have been written from an Ape’s perspective, so one can expect certain…biases. As a sidenote, throughout the book are scattered lines of dialog from the movies. If one wants to play a Tribal Human, they are unable to talk without someone (Ape or Astro-naut) to teach them. They do break down nicely the “ecology” of the Tribal Human and the “ecology” of the Astro-naut, so it can be easier to play the respective type. There are 8 archetypes to be played, 4 for Tribal Humans and 4 for Astro-nauts. Chapter 5 is Children of the Bomb (like I said, they went all-out and inclusive in this). This chapter is NOT written from an Ape perspective as few mutants have been seen by Apes, so little is actually known. We get a breakdown of the government system and religion, the difference between mutants and underdwellers, and other necessary information. There are 4 archetypes available, 3 of which have psionic powers, which is also explained in the chapter. There’s even a blurb about The Makers and their role. Psionic Powers come in the form of: Divination, Transmogrification, Manipulation, and a handful of melding of the 3. Chapter 6 is all about character creation, and even a short solo adventure one can play to get a handle on the system. Chapter 7 is combat and recovery. It covers the combat sequence, defenses, healing, and mental trauma. Pretty standard stuff. Chapter 8 is Mandemus’ Armory, describing a wide array of weaponry. Chapter 9 covers vehicles of all types that can be found across the many timelines in the game, from the past (our modern times) to the future (present timeline of the movies). Chapter 10 is the all important chapter about running the game. It covers all environments one would come across in the world and any effects that could happen. Chapter 11 goes more in depth about the world. Ape City, the Provinces, The Forbidden Zone and many others, as well as various NPCs one can come across. Chapter 12 is all about adventures. It includes an introductory adventure, campaign hooks, adventure hooks, and tool to make your own adventures.

Another Kickstarter venture. For some reason I thought Manual 1 was for a different game and didn’t go for the 2 book option, thinking only this was for Tiny Supers. Of course, I can occasionally be a bit of an idiot. What started as a message from me to the Publisher asking when these were hitting DriveThruRPG because I picked the wrong choice and wanted to grab Manual 1 when it came out, turned into getting an at cost link sent to me so I could pick it up as well. So, both volumes were at cost, so shout out to KYOUDAI for doing that when they didn’t have to, especially since it was 100% on me. Of course, I paid $4.50 in shipping twice, which each shipping charge was more than the cost of the book and tax combined. Chapter One gives us some new factions with ’new,’ ‘current,’ and ‘closed’ files with a history of the group, some of the lead and original members, and what happened to the group. Many of the groups were active in the 1960’s, and some current heroes have commandeered the names of the original heroes, while some are descendants of the originals. All files are written by the current head of STRIKE, The Director, or Strike-1. STRIKE, for the record, stands for Superhuman Tactical Response Initiative for Crisis Elimination (I know, but I didn’t create it). The rest of the chapters are Supers, both good and bad. Some are original, some not. All from the perspective of The Director, at this point whoever they are. Prices on DTRPG: pdf $4.99/softcover $9.99/combo $11.99.

From the back cover: The STRIKE Crisis Manuals are a new series in the Tiny Legacies continuum of sourcebooks for the Tiny Supers RPG. Each volume introduces new superhumans, or sometimes just extraordinary humans, that could present any number of different complications. As of 7/14/2026, on DTRPG: pdf $4.99/softcover $9.99/combo $11.99. There’s an amusing story about this volume in the next review, which will be for Volume 2. Chapter 1 is the basic introduction to the manuals and includes the STRIKE Power Index (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Omega, each with a description of how powerful someone of that tier is) and File Hierarchy which includes Allied Superhero Organizations (ASO) and High-Threat Organizations (HTO). The rest of the chapters are new Supers to add to your campaign. Some are heroes, others are local, regional, or international threats, with one, Tyrant, being an existential threat. Supers include: Psibernetix, Crimewave, Bloodfist, and Darkblade IV. All in all, it’s a great addition to a game that is already pretty epic with the other source material that’s already been put out.

Another Kickstarter received. It can be played solo or with 3 - 8 people and a GM. It’s a cooperative game and is designed to be a long haul game. Gameplay is listed as 6 - 8 hours. The gist of the game is it’s modern day in your city and you and your friends were out and about doing the things and whilst driving down a lonely road, you end up in a car accident. Maybe you hit a deer, maybe you hit another car, whatever. Needless to say, your car flips and catches on fire. as you’re struggling, you see movement outside the car and you and your companions are saved by Lyda, a Strigoi. As to character creation, there isn’t any, you play yourself. As far as gameplay, it’s set up to run for 3 years in game time. There are several groups of cards, one being a group of 36, each representing a month for all 3 years. You read the card and that’s the scenario for the month, or the main event if you will. There are also decks for some history of Lyda, and Item/Effect cards. The inevitable endgame is one or more of the characters will likely end up as a vampire. It does look to be an interesting game, even with the long run time. The plus side is you don’t have to run it in one session. It can be broken up over multiple sessions.

This was part of the cyanstarlight Kickstarter. There are at least 3 more planned, as noted in an update for the game. The zine is available as a pdf for $4.99 on dtrpg. The little journal is available for ‘pay what you want.’ The zine itself is 29 pages, and includes some new planets, sites, and archives for 4 general types of planets: Fire, Water, Jungle, and Frozen. It’s a good addition to an equally good game. The journal is pretty cool as well. Each page gives you 3 prompts: a Location, an Emotion, and a Technology. They are designed to help you get your creative fluids going. The cassette was a neat addition. All backers received the music in digital form, but Alan wanted to do a physical copy for everyone.

The short version of the game, from the cover: A roleplaying game about puppets and their problems. This is designed for 3 - 6 players and plays in 40 - 80 minutes. I did the Kickstarter and it was $20 CAD ($14.22) and $11 CAD ($7.82), and that was for a physical copy, a pdf, and an audio version. The audio version was a stretch goal, with “Herman” reading it all out. Estimated delivery was April 2025 and everything lined up perfectly. The test prints were approved while the Kickstarter was still live and my copy was received April 3, 2025. The main reason I backed it was because of the angle: You are a puppeteer voicing a sock puppet on a kid’s show. After the intro stuff, we get into the game. It’s arts and crafts time. You physically need a puppet to play the game. It can be a paper bag made into a puppet, an actual sock made into one, or even a purchased one. Like Here We Used to Fly this is a cooperative storytelling RPG. It’s also designed to be more “adult” in theme. There are rules for breaking character, both as puppeteer and player. For structure, again you are part of a kid’s show with a twist, adult themes creep in. The schedule goes: show (12 minutes), commercial (2 minutes), show (12 minutes), commercial (2 minutes), show (12 minutes), epilogue (12 minutes). You’ll need to elect a director to ensure the show runs on time. Puppets speak during the show, puppeteers during the commercials, with directors calling times along the way. The rest of the book is rules, themes, segments, variations, and playing with actual kids. This looks to be an excellent, tongue in cheek game and I love it for that reason.

Yet another Kickstarter. I bought in at the $30 level, which meant physical hardcover, pdf, a softcover journal, and an audio cassette soundtrack, in addition to any stretch goals. I was also sent an ‘at cost’ link so I have a softcover version of the book as well. Prices as of 7/13/2025: pdf $19.99/softcover $29.99/hardcover $39.99/combos show same price as just the book. Cyanstarlight is a solo RPG that can be adapted to a GM-less game. You will need your standard polyhedral to play. The gist of the game is as far as you know, humanity is dead. You woke up from stasis and comms channels are silent. Your job is to see if humanity is gone or not. Alan Bahr wrote the game, as he says in the author’s note, about his bipolar disorder. There are 6 attributes, including: Bash, Dash, and Shoot. There are 6 Packages, or character classes that determine your attributes from d4 to d10. A ship gets made following the same basic order. There area lot of tables for everything under the sun, from complications and risk to flight, site, and loot. To play, there are 4 Protocols: Flight, Scan, Disembark, and Planet side. Roll the appropriate dice on the appropriate table and decide what you want to do. I’ve played it a bit and it’s pretty intuitive. There’s not much of a learning curve, so after the second or third planet you go to, it becomes old hat.

This had been a long time coming. I did the GKG Crowdfunder through their site January 2024, which was going to get me a at-cost purchase in (I believe) March of the same year. Well, I ended up having issues with the link (first time ever), and by the time I got it straightened out, my links didn’t work, which is a shame because I had a link for both hardcover and softcover and wanted to get both (ended up getting the link just for softcover, which is fine). Cue the montage of sending an email through the web site and not hearing back and emailing again and still not hearing back, which I thought was a little unusual, as I have contacted him (Alan Bahr) in the past about other things and heard back within 48 hours. I knew though he had a bunch going on with a couple different projects on Kickstarter (some I was involved in, some not), so I didn’t push too hard and just put it in the back of my head to contact again at some point to get it figured out. Fast forward to December 2024 and one of the Kickstarters I backed he put up a different email in one update and so I emailed that one, explained what was going on, and had it taken care of in a couple days. It’s part of the reason I have no problem giving GKG some of my money, if he can make it right he’s going to. The prices on 7/13/2026: pdf $9.99/softcover $25.99/hardcover $30.99/combos showing same price as just the books. This is the sourcebook for those who want to get their “Teen Titans, Robin to Batman, Young Avengers” on, as in playing a teen or youngish super. We start with a new rules section, new powers and relationship traits, some optional rules, and helping to get in the headspace of playing a PC of that age group. The next section is about HOME, the Hero Orientation and Mentorship Experiment. It goes into the history of the organization, the how it’s set up, the location, and key figures. Next is some HOME teams such as Team Havoc and Team Chaos. Of course, if there are heroes, there are also villains and related organizations. The Kane Academy is the villain version of HOME. 8 new villains are included.

Another game inspired by Simon Stalenhag and created by Free League. As to the setting, it’s an alternative 1997. Civil War started in the US in 1975 and ended in 1984 with a ceasefire. The US was basically torn apart with new ’nations’ being created and even affecting Canada and Mexico in some fundamental ways. And it wasn’t only North America that was affected, but the rest of the world. The world has become more isolationist and less globalist. It’s part post-apocalyptic and part Matrix. Neuronics is a thing as are neuroscapes. One dons a neurocaster and gains access to a digital network that can be local or global, normal or bizarre. The problem is the immersive nature of the neuroscape is addictive and many have become so entrenched in the neuroscapes that they never unplug from the system and end up dying of dehydration or hunger. The main nation is Pacifica (formerly California). A map is included as a fold out prop as well as a smaller version in the book. Dice rolls are going to be like in Tales From the Loop: grab a handful of d6 and try getting at least one 6. Chapter 2 goes into the history of Pacifica and the events that led up to the civil war and reshaping of America and the world. Also included is information on the other nations in America as well as the corporations that survived. Chapter 3 is character creation. There are 10 choices for your traveler, including: Outsider, Runaway Kid, Investigator, and Artist. Tension is an interesting addition to the game. You have Tension 1 with 1 or 2 of the characters and zero with the rest. Players discuss what that tension is and it’s something ever changing during the course of the journey. Chapter 4 is Combat and Neuronics. Combat is pretty straightforward and the concept and use (and dangers) of neuronics are fleshed out more. Chapter 5 is all about the Journey, or campaign. Instead of an adventure, there is a ‘stop.’ There aren’t a shortage of tables in the chapter to create stops to randomly pick or to roll either a D6 or D66 (2d6 with one being tens and the other being the ones). Chapter 6 talks about the different threats one can come across such as: violent, personal, or past sins. Chapter 7 is a sample journey titled “Into the Dust.” There are 3 stops, each with an objective to complete and advance the overall plot. Chapter 8 is about solo play and how to navigate the rules. Overall, it’s a pretty rich world and I have (of course) only scratched the surface of what is there. There’s enough to do a number of different types of storylines. Free League has a bunch of games out there I don’t own, but have played vicariously by way of YouTube actual plays. 2 of the more well known would be Alien and Blade Runner.

This was a Kickstarter purchase. The campaign ran 7/15/24 to 8/14/24 with a projected delivery in 10/24, with physical delivery actually being 11/15/24. I did the $25 tier which got a physical and pdf copy, whereas $15 got you just the pdf and $20 got just the physical copy. Not the biggest fan of that kind of pricing, but whatever. This Kickstarter had some addons available, one of which was a prompt deck for $10. As part of the stretch goals, I also received a game toke, sticker, and a set of 5 D6 in a nice wood box. Hunt(er/ed) is, to me at least, a variant type of RPG. This can be played solo or with 2 people. The standard game needs 2d6 for each player, or 3d6 if solo, a deck of playing cards without jokers, a piece of paper and writing utensil, and a token. Character creation is straightforward: one plays the hunter and the other plays the monster. For each there are 4 sections with 2 questions each to answer. There’s even a collaborative stage setting where you figure out the basics of where and when this is taking place. Before starting, take a piece of paper and put 5 circles on it, set a token on the middle circle, and you’re good to go. Gameplay itself can run 15 minutes to an hour or two. It starts with each player rolling their dice trying to get doubles before the other. When doubles are rolled, the player who rolled them advances the token one spot closer to their opponent and deal themself a prompt card out of the deck (black for hunters, red for monsters). The prompts are all listed in the book. Using the prompt, you describe the current state of the hunt. Once the token is off the board the one has caught the other and gains narrative control, getting to describe how the hunt ends. There are other opportunities for roleplaying along the way and how the story ends is determined by the victor, be it hunter or hunted. The main variation with playing solo is there are 7 circles with the word ‘accept’ written on one side and ‘deny’ on the other. Character creation follows the same procedure with a different set of questions. Using the cards (in one pile instead of 2 like standard) the first card has you answer a prompt (different from the others in the book) based on whether black or red, with all other cards defaulting to the usual prompts. As noted earlier, you roll 3d6 and still try for doubles. The game ends with either full acceptance or full denial. The concept of the game intrigued me and after reading the rules, it intrigues me even more, as it’s tactical to a small degree with a high element of chance.

This is the only major book for the system after the core rules and is a whole 44 pages. Artwork, like in the rulebook, is full color and amazing, with much being pulled from the graphic novels. I can be occasionally easy to please with artwork, but this is genuinely like next level. This comes with 3 chapters and an addendum. Chapter one is some dramatis personae. People who were talked about briefly in the core rules. You get 2 versions of the story: a historical perspective (the propaganda-ish version) of the person, and then the Marshall’ Journal version (which is less common knowledge and a little more of the reality, if not truth) as well as some NPC stats for them. Some are still alive; others, not so much. It even goes a little more into some factions, before getting deeper into some of them. Chapter 2 does into The Powers That Be: factions, groups, and other Axis powers. Chapter 3 is other high(-ish) ranking NPCs titled “Aristocrats, Autocrats, and Adversaries.” The addendum is a sextet of adventures broken down into a sextet of possibilities of who to stop, find, or otherwise come up with ideas for your campaign, all contained in one page.

This one’s going to take a couple minutes to get through. Carbon Grey RPG is based on the graphic novels by Hoang Nguyen. I was unfamiliar with them, and am still only aware they exist. It’s diesel-punk, which is a new genre for me. It takes place in Mitteleuropa (vaguely Europe shaped with different country names). The year is 1915 and the Great War is in full swing. Not everything is totally right with reality. There are era appropriate vehicles alongside more modern jep planes and other vehicles. Chapter one introduces us to the world of Carbon Grey and does the other typical chapter one duties. It gives us the first look at a quick description of the 24 Archetype Templates playable in the game. Included are: Brash Dogfighter, Grease Monkey, Learned Scholar, and Sovereign. Chapter 2 is skills and attributes. There are 6 abilities: Dexterity, Knowledge, Mechanical, Perception, Strength, and Willpower. Each has 6 skills which are usable from the get go (at the attribute score) with some skills being a higher value. It is the West End Games D6 System, so skills/attributes have a die code of say 3D+1, so roll 3D6 and add 1. If you meet or exceed the Difficulty Number (between 3 and 30 depending on how hard it is) you succeed. There are varying levels of success and failure depending on the roll and how far away from goal it is. There is a wild die and it can affect a success or failure. Continuity flux is what it’s called when random paranormal things (be it a super/para-normal creature or something more modern) appears. There are additional paranormal skills (Manipulate, Divine, Transmogrify) that most won’t have access to, but a select few archetypes do. Chapter 3 is character creation. What I personally like about the WEG D6 System is how customizable it is out of the gate. Pick an archetype, plug the attribute number in the appropriate spot and you’re halfway there. Here’s where the customization begins. At creation you receive 7D to spend on skills. No skill can be raised by more than +2D. So if the attribute score is 2D+1, no skill under that can be higher than 4D+1. I personally recommend players start by upgrading what they feel are the archetype’s main skills. You start with 6 Hero Points, which can be used to improve rolls on skills or raise ability scores (as you gain more). You also receive skill points which are used to upgrade your skill scores. Skills can reach an infinite number in theory, but attributes can only be raised by 1D. To raise skills by +1, you need to spend what the D6 score it (2D to 2D+1 = 2 skill points). To raise attributes, you need 6 times the number to raise +1 (up to +3 or 1D). Each archetype has suggested equipment. I am of the opinion they are allowed a couple of the pieces listed and can pay for anything else. Money is in Marks, broken down to Phennig, The Mitteleuropa Gold Mark Coin, and Banknote. Quirks are an option, and if you pick a Quirk, you can also pick a Remarkable Ability. Obligations are mandatory and these are the people you answer to. There are tables for Quirks and Remarkable Abilities, or you can create your own with GM approval. Chapter 4 is Combat and Recovery. The combat sequence is detailed as well as how to handle recovery after. Damage is handled a little differently in D6. There are levels: Stunned, Wounded, Incapacitated, and Mortally Wounded. You compare Damage and Strength rolls and the difference determines how hurt one is. Effects are cumulative. Mental trauma is also a thing and there’s a table for it. Chapter 5 is gear and weapons and offers a variety of items that make one say “ouch.” Chapter 6 is vehicle rules and various types available. Chapter 7 is titled “A World at War” and describes that. There are Axis, Allied, and Neutral States. Chapter 8 details running the game. Chapter 9 is “Allies, Enemies, and Extras.” It’s exactly what it sounds like, NPCs out the Wakka Jawakka. Chapter 10 is adventure ideas. Chapter 11 is the final chapter, and is the complete character templates with full descriptions.

Another Kickstarter completed. This one was started in May 2023 in the wake of the OGL “stuff,” and is the largest Kickstarter I’ve been a part of. 11,003 of us backed it to the tune of $645,580. The game is available in print at swordfishislands.com . Standard hardcover is $35, and premium hardcover is $50. Not the biggest fan of Kickstarters that are full retail, but it’s OSR and don’t have many OSR games in my collection. And there may have been a little spite driving me as well. It’s all of 80 pages, but there is a metric tonne of stuff packed in the page count. The basic rules cover the inside of the front and back cover for real quick access on the more basic questions. There are also approximately 75 d100 tables throughout the book to help create the world. The rules start with Player and GM duties. GM duties include: create locations, let players guide the action, and keep the game moving. Player duties include: assist the GM, create and play your character, and take initiative. Ability scores and PC Creation take up all of 1 page. PCs start with 1d6 HP and have 3 points to spread over your 6 ability scores. Yes, some abilities will be zero. There is XP and level 2 is reached at 2,000 points and doubles thereafter. There are 3 watches for day, and that many for night. The artwork is very old-school. There aren’t officially any classes, so one can have a little more free reign on how they want to play their character. If playing a spellcaster type, you can cast as many spells as you have INT points. There is also relic magic, which is cleric type magic. For money, there is only coins. Common items are 5 coins, with rarer stuff being more expensive. There is a bestiary with some creatures included, though it wouldn’t be difficult to add any creature from any module, or even adapt said module to the game. This provides the basic framework to run the game, though you have to set up the world from the ground up and it is designed to be compatible with all versions of the world’s most well known game or any in general.

Into the Unknown is an OSR RPG that is (in the game’s word): “A simpler, easier, non-’advanced’ rendition of the 5th Edition of the world’s most popular RPG, inspired by the 80s ‘basic’ and ‘expert’ rules.” It’s spread out over 5 books and is available on DrivethruRPG. As of 7/12/2026, pricing is: Books 1, 3, 5 pdf $4.99/softcover and combo $6.99; Book 2 pdf $2.99/softcover and combo $4.99; Book 4 pdf $5.99/softcover and combo $7.99. Book 1 is Character Creation. First, they get into ability generation. Next is classes. You can play a fighter, rogue, priest, or magic-user, each with different abilities. You can also play non-humans as classes, each with unique abilities. There are also 9 backgrounds, including: Acolyte, Highborn, and Urbanite. Then pick alignment, equipment, yadda yadda. Book 2 is how to play the game. It includes taking actions and using ability scores. It breaks adventuring into 4 segments: combat rounds, journeys, exploration, and down time. It breaks them down further and elaborate on what one typically does each segment. One mechanic I’ve not seen for a long time is the gold to XP exchange rate, and it only applies to gold and jewels (anything that can be offered as payment). Book 3 is magic. It breaks the spells down into magic-user, elf, and priest spells. There are also cantrips available for each. There’s a nice broad spectrum of spells available for keeping things interesting. Book 4 is Running the Game. It gives table after table of information to use during sessions and campaigns as one would expect. Lastly is book 5: Monsters. As with spells, there’s a nice variety of monsters, beasts, and men to challenge players.

TinyZine 2020 is issues 21 - 32. Each year, each issue has contained more goodies to use for one’s Tiny D6 game of choice. Tiny Dungeons, being one of the headline games of GKG, has always gotten pride of place in the issues (well it is the Tiny Dungeons TinyZine), but Tiny Supers got its fair share as it had recently come out. There are 6 general settings to drop your gang of Supers into, in addition to those presented in the rulebook. The Headless Horseman is the NPC flavor of the year, again giving a GM everything needed to drop it in their campaign. The “mains” each get some love, as usual, though one of the more interesting inclusions is the 3 Beasts Beyond Bounds. Included are American Cryptids, Filipino creatures, and creatures from African folklore. As usual, there are adventures, settings, revised rules, optional rules, and everything one could want. It’s a great compilation of information like the others in the series. As of 7/12/2026” pdf $19.99/softcover $22.99/combo $22.99.

More adventurizing goodness from Free League for playing in the Loop. 3 full adventures and a ‘mix tape’ of 8 mini-adventures based on some popular songs from the 80s. Also included are blueprints for 4 pieces of machinery, 2 ships and 2 large robots. Lastly is a ‘Hometown Hack’ helping you set up new Loop cities. The first adventure is Our Friends the Machines. The machines are effectively Transformers with a twist. 2 AI escaped and took over a factory. One is aggressive, the other more passive. One controls the Deceivers, while the other controls the Convoys. The machines were jaggered with and made into legitimate robots, though tiny sized. Singly they aren’t intelligent, but groups of various sizes become smarter. Adults have also been chipped to help the aggressive AI to take over. Suffice it to say, the PCs must find a way to stop the AI from succeeding, though failure is always an option and there is an ending to support that. Next is Horror Movie Mayhem. It takes place during the “moral panic” where heavy metal music, RPGs, and various types of movies are under fire from adults. One adult has a plan to sway adults to their side by way of subliminal messages to make the idyllic community for all. Then we have The Mummy in the Mist. This is designed to be a bit of a double mystery. There’s a mummy on the loose, and there’s something near the beach in the water. It will take all of the PCs resources to make things right without failure. Adventure-wise, lastly we have the Mix-tape of Mysteries. First, we have “Sweet Dreams.” Adults aren’t sleeping well and maybe some of the kids aren’t either. The PCs have to figure it out. “Every Breath You Take” is next. Paranoia has overtaken the kids because of someone named ‘Big Brother.’ “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” follows and women are drifting away from the men in their lives. There’s much more nefarious actions going on. “Where is My Mind” is next. The doctor has a cure for everything, but staff have other ideas. “All Aboard the Night Train” is next. Kids are having trouble with their parents and are coming up missing. “Forever Young” follows siblings who aren’t siblings and just want to keep their youthfulness. “Thriller” is next. ‘Scarecrow’ has bootleg horror movies available, and the villains are coming to life, sort of. “Heaven’s A Place On Earth” rounds the bunch off. A religious group moves to the area and believe the Gravitron is sent by God. Of course it is. Machine Blueprints is the next to last chapter and includes a couple different types of machinery and adventure hooks. Last chapter is Hometown Hacks. It shows you how to turn your city into the home location for adventures.

I was on the fence about getting this, but I’m glad I did. For me, the map and dice were worth the purchase price, and that’s not even talking about the included adventure. The map included is fairly well sized and full color. Each side contains information for one of the two Loops mentioned in the rules: one being in Sweden, and the other in Nevada. It also includes custom d6 (10 total) that can be used for play. The 32 page rulebook gives all the basics to play, save character creation, as 5 pre-generated characters are included to use with the set’s adventure called The Recycled Boy. The basics of the adventure is there’s a new kid at school who goes missing after acting a little strange and it’s up to the PCs to locate him and bring him back safely. Along the way, they discover there is more to the new student than meets the eye.

This supplement is a 4 part adventure set over the course of a year, with each chapter being one of the 4 seasons. The synopsis is basically an experiment at the Loop opens a rift and time-space and allows a creature to pass through, lay an egg, and pass back through before the rift closes. The PCs are to collect the egg, protect it and the creature that hatches from it, and help get it back to the rift, which a scientist is trying to recreate, and allow the creature to leave. Chapter one introduces the adventures and gives a quick overview of each scenario. Chapter 2 gives background of the area the adventures are set in (Norfolk UK), things to do locally (during the 80s) and other information needed for both the GM and players, Such as adapting the scenarios to Nevada or Sweden. Easter Egg Hunt *is the first mystery, set in spring. During a camping trip, at least one of the PCs awakens to see a large creature floating in the sky near the Loop before flying back over the camp site and disappearing. More necessary information is included for the specific scenarios as well as ‘countdowns’ for specific things to help push the narrative along. Each scenario will have one or more of these countdowns for different items. The adventure ends, in theory, with the players getting the egg and getting it to safety. *The Best of What May Be is next. The egg hatches, and they need to go on a scavenger hunt for sustenance for the creature, all the while keeping it hidden. The Year’s Last Loveliest Smile comes next, spanning the autumn. The creature is getting bigger and therefore harder to hide. Depending on how things play out, they find a good place to hide the creature, in theory without it being seen by any scientist or other people in general. Worst case scenario, the creature is captured, the PCs are detained by The Powers That Be, and secondly by their parents (as in they get grounded), meaning saving the creature in the last act will be difficult. You Can’t Get Too Much… is the final chapter of the series. If the PCs were able to hide the creature in the previous episode, it was seen by someone and reported to those at the Loop, who swoop in and retrieve the creature. Either way, the PCs need to figure out a way to find and free the creature, and get it to the Loop, where a scientist it trying to recreate the conditions that opened the rift in the first place. Best case scenario, the creature goes home. Worst case, it’s stuck here but manages to escape and flee to parts unknown, never to be seen again. This looks to be an awesome mini-campaign that could be set in your current campaign, or even as a 4 session one-off between other campaigns. It’s an engaging story that should make for great sessions.

The last of what I call the “minor” Tiny D6 games. Tiny Taverns does exist, and one day I may review it, but it is not this day. Or the next. Prices on 7/12/2026: pdf $3.99/softcover $7.99/hardcover $12.99/combos are $1 more. Rules are standard Tiny D6. They handle shootouts/duels interestingly, by way of blackjack, so you’ll need a deck of cards, sans jokers. You can hit, stand, or shoot, and there are some rules for each. Creating a character is par for the Tiny D6 model, only there’s no archetypes, and there are more traits.. Chapter 3 is the GM section and chapter 4 is some starting locations for the game. I know there are other games out there in the genre, but you can’t beat this for quick creation and turn around time.

Tiny Spies is in the vein of James Bond, Get Smart, and Mission: Impossible. Prices are: pdf $6.99/softcover $19.99/hardcover $25.99/ combos $1 more. Being Tiny D6, the how to play sections is about 12 pages and gives the players everything they need to know. Character creation is next and they can play as one of 5 Archetypes, including: Agent, Face, and Soldier. Each is going to start with 5 traits, one more than in most of the other Tiny D6 games. Making up the 5th trait is the Background Trait, which broadens the PC and gives them a go-to for help when needed. Rules for vehicles and gadgets are next. Vehicles are treated like PCs to a degree: choose a chassis, select 3 upgrades and it’s good to go. Lastly is 5 pages on the world of Tiny Spies. There’s no GM section in the book, but it isn’t really needed in the game. The rules are, by nature, pretty intuitive, but I mention it as it’s the only Tiny D6 game I’ve come across without it.

Another of the mini-games put out by GKG. 55 pages of goodness. GKG put out a series of games around this size they felt needed to be made, but didn’t think needed to be a major game (like Tiny Frontiers, Supers, Cthulhu, etc). They’re basically niche games that need to be made, but don’t need the full Kickstarter treatment and micro-settings. As of 7/12/2026, prices are: pdf $6.99/softcover $15.99/hardcover $20.99/combos $1 more. Added in the basic Tiny D6 rules of this game are Conviction Points. PCs start with 1d3 conviction points and recover 1d3 points each day to a max of 9. Where this differs with other Tiny D6 games is in setting creation. The GM and PCs go through 4 epochs: creation, inspiration, war, and destruction of the world before the PCs create their demigods and play in the world they created. This is another game I think would work great as a one off or short campaign, or a longer campaign that is a one or two off between your major games. In my opinion, Gallant Knight Games puts out solid games and tries to service as many genres as possible in a minimalistic way. This also says nothing about the other publishers who operate under the Tiny D6 license (which GKG currently owns).

Another case of minimalistic gaming done right. 75 pages if you count the character sheet. Virtually everything needed to play the game. Prices: pdf $9.99/softcover $14.99/hardcover $24.99/combos showing same as just book. The game starts with a couple pages on the world of Tiny Pirates and where to draw inspiration from. Next is how to play, which is standard Tiny D6. Also included are ship rules, which are basically the same as for players with minor changes. Then it’s on to pirate creation, where you play as a member of the crew: captain, pilot, etc. Lastly is the GM section. It has all the extra bits and bobs needed to play. Included in the GM section is an optional rule for duels. Needed for this is a deck of cards from DTCards (or a print and play version from the GKG site) for each involved in the duel. Interesting concept for an RPG, and one I feel is great for one offs or short campaigns, though you could definitely go longer if desired. It would make for a nice departure from your usual game and play a genre I’ve personally not seen many games for.

This is minimalistic gaming at its finest. The entire book is 28 pages. as of 7/12/2026, prices are: pdf $3.99/softcover $7.99/hardcover $12.99/combos $1 more. The game starts with the usual “how to play” and that takes up most of the book at 17 pages. It’s typical Tiny D6, so 2D6 test, with 5 or 6 being success, 2 actions per combat round, and on and on. Survivor creation is 5 pages long, with 3 pages being traits. There are no pre-defined classes in the game, which is a departure from most Tiny D6 games. The rest of the book is for the GM, with the bulk being different types of zombies. You could run this on its own or even drop it in one of the other Tiny D6 games with very minimal fuss. It would be the perfect addon for Tiny Wastelands, or even (more interestingly) Tiny Cthulhu (cosmic horror and zombies, what could go wrong). Like the others in the Tiny D6 line, it’s designed for ease of play.

The last of the yearly compendiums, housing issues 33 - 44. As of 7/12/2026, prices are: pdf $14.99/softcover $29.99/combo $29.99. We get more Beasts Beyond Bounds in the volume, including the countries: Germany, the Caribbean, Scotland, Medieval Europe, and others. Tiny Dungeons gets some love this time as per usual, but it seems like Tiny Frontiers gets a little more love this time. Tiny Supers also gets a fair share of space. One of the more interesting entries is the 2 part Tiny Supers ’66, a nod to superhero shows of the 60s like Batman and Green Hornet. Another interesting inclusion is 3 articles for Tiny Gods called Tiny Gods of the Arena. Part one is all about the gladiators: setting up a PC, new traits, new mechanics, and status levels. Part 2 delves into the arena, weapons, and the match. Part 3 goes into how to create the arena and run it in phases: the intrigue phase, influence phase, arena phase, and upkeep phase. All in all, more Tiny D6 goodness across the board. Great addition to the library.

Another Kickstarter from 2020. They had a $20 tier that got you one deck of either this or a 5E deck called Khieron’s Keep. Each has 3 decks total. For Khieron’s Keep, deck one is level 1 - 4, deck 2 is level 5 - 10, and deck 3 is level 11 - 15. For Haedus 8B, deck one is alpha/beta, deck 2 is gamma/delta, and deck three is epsilon/omega (highest level in Carbyne Jungle).Speaking now for Haedus 8B, each deck is 101 cards (104 with the backer only cards). They’re full color, as appropriate, and include map cards, encounter/conflict cards, boss cards, and NPC cards. Each deck is broken down into 3 missions, each with its own objectives and boss fight. Alternatively, you can grab a random map card and target card and insert it into your personal campaign. As far as the pdfs, you’re given everything you need to run the campaign. Prices: pdf $9.99/deck $19.99/combo $19.99.

GKG returns with its second annual compendium. The 2018 offering was issues 1 - 8, while this is issues 9 - 20. Many features from the previous compendium are here, like the Roll and Play. This includes Roll and Play charts for cities, druid covens, ruins, and more. There are more new Heritages, such as Gnomes and Halflings, as well as Grey, Wood, and Dark Elves. There are some one-off kind of items, like setting camp, teamwork rules, and cleric traits. There are more settings and adventures for your Tiny D6 campaigns. One slightly tongue in cheek setting is My Tiny Pony. And yes, it’s based on that. This year we get 2 NPC features, one for Captain Nemo and one for Sherlock Holmes. On other mentionable item is Shaebrook. Shaebrook is Alan Bahr’s home setting for Tiny Dungeons (per the actual play on VCG YouTube channel) and includes NPCs and area locations. Like the previous compendium, lots of good content in one convenient spot that could be fairly easily adapted to any campaign setting. This volume even includes some Tiny Supers content. Prices: As of 7/12/2026, pdf, softcover, and combo show as $19.99.

This is the first Tiny D6 compendium from GKG. The Tiny Zines were/are a gift to all the GKG Patreon subscribers. Up until recently, they were compiled in January of the following year and released to the general public. It mostly contains goodies for the GKG Tiny D6 line, but occasionally has stuff for other games GKG has been a part of. As of 7/128/2026, pricing is: pdf $14.99/softcover $24.99/combo sale price of $24.99. There are several categories of goodies. The first is the Roll and Play. Each has 6 charts and a d6 is rolled for each and creates items such as inns, magic items, and gladiator arenas, among others. There are several new traits and heritages that can be used, typically in Tiny Dungeons. Heritages include Minotaur and Spirits. There are also 5 settings/adventure ideas for Tiny Dungeons and Tiny Frontiers. Sn interesting addition is an NPC feature of Arthur Pendragon. There’s also an article included on level progression for Tiny Dungeons and how to incorporate it into the campaign. For any not familiar, Tiny D6 games don’t really have a level or skill progression in the main rules, those are left to optional rules that can be added as desired. The system is designed to be minimalistic and less crunchy, though giving options to add crunch to the game. I feel this would be a good addition to any system, not just Tiny D6. Yes, there would be a conversion factor, but that would be true in any case.

Free League Publishing https://freeleaguepublishing.com/ Gallant Knight Games (GKG) https://gallantknightgames.com/collections DrivethruRPG https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/ Questing Beast https://questingblog.com/ NorCal Mythos https://www.norcalmythos.com/ Magnetic Press Play https://www.magnetic-press.com/about-magnetic-press-play/ Wet Ink Games https://www.wetinkgames.com/ Meghan Cross https://meghanlynnftw.itch.io/huntered Gila RPGs https://gilarpgs.com/ Sock Puppets RPG https://a-smouldering-lighthouse.itch.io/sock-puppets Justin Sirois https://www.severedbooks.com/p/blog-page.html Tabletop Bookshelf https://tabletopbookshelf.com/

Welcome to roleplaying in the 80s that never was. This game is one I’ve watched actual plays of in the past and thought it was interesting, though it wasn’t high on the list to buy. Enter birthday season and a GC for Amazon and decided it was time to pick it up. Chapter one is your typical first chapter, introducing to roleplaying and a few basics of the world. It’s the 1980s, but there are robots and ships vaguely reminiscent of the Matrix in the air. Chapter 2 is our first real look into the world. It gives information on setting your game in Sweden on the Malaren Islands. Makes sense as Free League is based in Sweden. You get a taste of politics of the time, and Sweden in the 80s for game purposes, including what to do. There is even a map of the Islands over 2 pages which can be downloaded from Drivethru and printed on one page. Boulder City, NV (chapter 3) has one too. Chapter 3 does for Boulder City what Chapter 2 did for the Malaren Islands. Now to chapter 4. The first look into the characters. In the game, you play as a kid, between 10 and 15. You choose one of 8 types, including: Bookworm, Popular Kid, Rocker, and Weirdo. Then pick your age and distribute a number of points equal to your age in the attributes, giving a value of 1 - 5. You receive luck points in the amount of 15 minus your age. Luck points allow a reroll on a failure without having to ‘push’ the roll (more on that soon). You have 10 points to use in skills. You can take up to 3 levels in the key skills of your type and 1 in any other skills. Then polish off by picking an iconic item, a problem, a drive, and a pride. Define relationships with other PC’s, select an anchor (someone or something that comforts you), add a name and description. Chapter 5 is the mechanics chapter. To succeed, one rolls Xd6 (equal to attribute and skill totals), with 6 being needed to succeed. One 6 is generally all that is needed to succeed, though there are scenarios where 2 or 3 may be needed. If you roll no, or too few successes, it’s considered a fail. You can push and reroll. You would keep any 6s already rolled, only rerolling non-successes. The rest of the chapter deals with skills and how they integrate into the game. Chapter 6 is the GM Section, touching on how to pace and setup your sessions. Chapter 7 discusses the “mystery landscape” (the adventures are referred to as mysteries). This gives you some general locations for your city, like the school library, the dream shop, and the cooling towers, as well as some NPCs. Chapter 8 is a short introduction to a short campaign in 4 mysteries titled “The 4 Seasons of Mad Science.” Each can be used as standalone mysteries or together. The chapters are set up the same, with background information, seasonal things to do, ant locations, and wrapping the session. Chapter 11 is titled “Summer Break and Killer Birds.” It’s an introductory mystery for newly created characters. The general gist is scientist Lena Thelin has decided to take revenge on her former colleagues. She’s captured wild birds and enhanced them with cybernetics to attack people at her command. Experiments didn’t go as planned, and some birds gained a form of human intellect and others became aggressive. The mystery is about the PCs finding out what happened to the birds and stopping Lena and Gunnar (her partner) from creating more birds. Chapter 10 is titled “Grown Up Attractions.” It again involved Lena Thelin (Diane Peterson if playing in Boulder City). She’s created a machine that draws people to it and makes them want to stay near it, and arousing their primitive instincts. The kids are tasked with stopping the machine and saving the adults. This one takes place in the fall. Chapter 11 is “Creatures From the Cretaceous” and takes place in winter. Our favorite mad scientist is back. She’s created a portal to the Cretaceous, and has retrieved many dinosaur eggs, but something went wrong. The PCs need to travel through the portal, save Lena and close the portal. Chapter 12 is “I, Wagner.” Our mad scientist is at it again, trying to create an army of robots loyal to her to get revenge on those she deems an enemy. She’s killed by one of the robots, Wagner. The PCs have to figure out how to stop the robots before anyone is hurt, or worse. I’m glad I picked this up and it’s a genuinely good game.

This was a Kickstarter Gallant Knight Games did where there was only one buy-in amount and you got sent a link for an ‘at cost’ copy of the book either softcover, hardcover, or both. It was $10 for the Kickstarter and the softcover ended up being $3.76, with the hardcover being $10. So for about $30 I received 2 copies of the game. I was even one of the (in my mind) luckies to receive a copy of the hardcover that the printed page had been sized too large so that not everything fit on the page. This is a departure for GKG as in it’s not Tiny D6 related. We start by getting some background on the world. Mechanics are relatively crunch-free: roll a d12 and any applicable stat dice. If you roll a 2 or less you fail. A roll of 3 - 10 is a success, but you suffer a setback. 11 - 18 is success with no special effect. 19+ is a critical success, and comes with a bonus of some sort. Combat is also based on this premise and uses the same ranges to determine your initiative during combat. Each character starts with 3d6 in each of 4 attributes (Wise, Hale, Agile, and Mighty). After rolling for initial scores, you can add +3 between 1 to 3 attributes. You then pick a couple skills or one of six skill packages included and apply either a d4, d6, or d8 which would be rolled with a d12. There are 2 specialized archetype options: Godcaller and Sorcerers. There’s even an option to play as both. Also included are several enemies to fight during play as well as rules and tables for GM-less play. Alan Bahr also included a “Double Feature:” The Odyssey of the Aespyr (a seafaring expansion) and Katabasis (an underworld expansion). Each gives you enough for the proverbial sandbox to play any kind of adventure. The book itself tops out at 144 pages, but it’s packed with enough information to have pretty much any kind of experience you want.

This was the last outstanding reward from the Tiny Cthulhu Kickstarter (I had gotten my physical copy on May 17, 2021, estimated delivery was August 2020) and received this as a pdf late July 2023. Before anyone seizes, GKG and Alan Bahr are very good with communication. We had known via an update previous to the one saying it had been delivered that Alan wasn’t happy with what he had created and wanted to completely retool everything because he thought he could do better. He’s a bit of a perfectionist. Wasn’t even mad about the couple year delay, I would prefer quality product over getting something mediocre. It is available at DTRPG in pdf form for $9.99. The best way to explain what you’re getting is from the intro. It’s a framework to be filled in and adjusted to your campaign. The general premise involves the players investigating the play ‘The Illumination of Aldebaran,’ a sequel to ‘The King in Yellow.’ It seems everywhere the play is performed, certain creatives go missing. Or worse. You are given everything you would expect: NPCs, proper handouts, and other elements needed. Where it gets less standard, and I don’t think it’s bad, is the lack of “Read this to the players.” every place is described as necessary, with clues to be hinted at, or if questioning some of the actors general responses the actors would give. The adventure is set up as “Here’s what you need to know as GM so you can set the stage (pun intended/not intended, your discretion) for the players.” It’s equal parts general setting and adventure, as in I think you could use it as a backdrop for other adventures and still reference some events from the actual adventure. Reading through this, I can see a lot of possibilities, and it wouldn’t be difficult to adjust to other rule settings. All in all, it was worth the long wait in my opinion. I like the overall story line and presentation of the material.

This is a new thing for GKG. For a long time, if you were a Patreon supporter at a certain level you received special D6 content monthly. At the end of the year, they would compile everything into a pdf (and eventually print) released on DriveThruRPG to the public. Per the letter from the Editor, 2022 was a bit rough as was the beginning of 2023 and they had other priorities to attend to which forced them to put this material to the side while they straightened everything else out. Doing this content in a quarterly zine allows them to put in the production schedule easier. As of 7/11/2026, prices are: pdf $6.99/softcover $19.99/combo sale $19.99. This (and the others in the series, there will be several more reviews) is designed to be a Tiny D6 goodie bag, with stuff for various titles in their collection. We start with Tiny Caveman, a comedic approach to a Tiny D6 game where you play, you guessed it, as cavepeople. The entirety of the rules is 7 pages, and assumes you have familiarity with the Tiny D6 system. Next is part one of the 4 part ‘The Return of Lian’ setting for Tiny Dungeons 2E. It gives a brief history of Lian, the politics, and society. Act 2 sees the party sent on a mission to save a group of farmers and a rescue party sent to find the farmers. Act 3 sends them on another mission to investigate a magic tower. Then we get ‘The River Runs Red’ for Tiny Gunslingers. It gives you everything you need to run adventures in Blackgum, MS. Tiny Encounters comes next and is a pair of encounter ideas for Tiny Dungeons. One entails fixing a tear in the underworld, and the other deals with a wizard’s library and the hijinks inside. Next comes ‘The Handbasket’ which is a post-apocalyptic setting and would work well in Tiny Wastelands. We then get a second Tiny Gunslingers setting, ‘Forsaken Children of the Gun.’ It’s influenced by The Dark Tower, The Witcher, and Dogs in the Vineyard. Lastly, we get ‘Castles, Keeps, and Citadel, oh my!’ This isn’t designed to be used like the enclave rules from Tiny Wasteland, but be a reason to use special bonuses one would get by having a fantasy stronghold. You get a lot of goodness for Tiny D6 crammed into 83 pages. Based on my experience with the previous yearly compendiums, there’s inevitably going to be a lot of material spread over most, if not all, the Tiny D6 line. If you aren’t as familiar with Tiny D6 and decide to take the plunge, grab this as well and go have fun.

While I’ve done a few looks at other GKG games by Alan Bahr and crew, I’ve neglected the 3 “mains,” those being: Tiny Frontiers Revised, Tiny Dungeons 2E (and Hatchling Edition), and Tiny Wastelands, the generic sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic settings. Layout-wise, all Tiny D6 books are basically the same, and much of the verbiage is the same as well, with changes only being done for subject matter. But for those who haven’t maybe seen the other reviews, or maybe I didn’t go very in depth with, I’ll do a general rundown of rules and whatnot and it will encompass all 3 of the games (as well as, obviously, anything Tiny D6). The books start with some basic rules. The main mechanic of the game is the Test. To do the thing, you must make a test. A standard test is 2D6. A 5 or 6 on either of the dice is a success, anything else is a failure. The only exception is when you focus. Success than comes on a 4, 5, or 6. If you have advantage, roll 3d6; disadvantage, roll 1d6. Disadvantage trumps advantage 99% of the time, with there being an exception to the rule, whether it’s magic, technology, or something else. Character creation is next. Select a Heritage, 3 traits, weapon group to be proficient in, family trade, and belief. Depending on Heritage, you start with 4 - 8 HP. Most weapons in combat do 1 point damage, with certain ones doing 2. GM Section comes next, adding a little more crunch to the game. Tiny D6 is designed to be a minimalistic system, so there’s not an over-abundance of strict rules, spell lists and the like. Lastly, each game comes with a series of micro-settings. They are designed to give you a jumping off point if you need some inspiration for your campaign, or to just incorporate into your own. The systems are generic enough to be adapted to the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth, etc. They can also be crossed over, so you could run a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting, a mish-mash sci-fi/fantasy, or any combination of the bunch. In Tiny Cthulhu, for example, one of the micro-settings is a Cthulhu/Tiny Dungeons mash up. Overall, the system is designed for all levels of gamers and can be taught and start play in about 10 minutes. Gameplay is fast and easy as there aren’t many rules to get in the way. Prices: Tiny Wastelands: pdf $17.99/softcover $29.99/hardcover $39.99/combos showing sale price of price for just book Tiny Dungeons: pdf $17.99/softcover $29.99/hardcover $39.99/combos showing sale price of price for book Tiny Frontiers Revised: pdf $14.99/softcover $29.99/hardcover $39.99/combos showing sale price of price for book

Rulebook (129 pages)

A game originally backed on Kickstarter. I was going through some stuff so I could only do the pdf which was $1 CAD, or about 75 cents. After things righted themselves for me, it was on DTRPG in physical form so I picked it up. Prices: pdf $14.13/softcover premium $20.39/softcover standard $18.39/combos are showing same as just the book. The book itself is 67 pages, so maybe a hair pricey for page count, but I thought the subject matter was worth the price. The game is GM-less and centers around a theme park. You make 2 versions of your character: one as a child, and the other as an adult. Each player (determined by the players in advance) takes a turn to pick an attraction. Each player (or at least all that are at that particular attraction) talk about what they are doing at the attraction as kids when the park is running, and then flash forward to adult them, when the park is now closed and decrepit. The rules suggest doing this for 3 - 5 locations at the park before calling it a session. The game itself is rules-lite, as evident by the page count. To create your character, the game utilizes playbooks. There are 14, including such descriptors as: Affectionate, Angry, Distant, Frank, and Spacey. Each asks a short series of questions to help describe how each manifests as children and adults. You are advised to “pick a couple” you like to flesh out the character. After that, it’s a short conversation about who’s choosing which of the 15 attractions and direction around the table you’re going. Attractions include: The Big Coaster, Carnival Alley, Heritage Train, and The Log Ride. For each attraction there are multiple ‘features,’ of which said player picks 3: one for as kids, the other 2 for as adults. Each also includes scene prompts and some basic questions to facilitate the scene. Some other errata includes: tips for roleplaying as kids in case you don’t remember how to kid (and I think some of us have to some degree), as well as thoughts on how to run the adult sections after the park has been abandoned. They also go into their design process. It sort of asks you to work with the “human experience of time.” How we experience things as kids and how we remember those experiences as adults. It was the actual play that made me back the game, even in what limited capacity I did at the time, and it was also the actual play that made me decide to get a physical copy.

When I originally did this review (all these reviews were on a different site that is now defunct) it wasn’t available on DTRPG, but it is now and has been for a long while. Quick version of the review, these are all the non-world rules from Highcaster. But we’ll still take a look into it anyway. From the Back Cover: *Open source RPG Ruleset for story-driven fantasy. Play any adventure path campaign or homebrew setting that fits the sword and sorcery genre.

This was another co-op game I did through Kickstarter. The general gist is it’s 1920s Sydney Australia, and the players take the role of law enforcement and use the cards in their hand to convict local criminals. Each card has the mugshot of a real criminal of the time and there are “hints” on the back of each card. There are 2 mini-books included. One explains the rules and the other gives a history of Sydney, including some of the criminals. The cardstock is playing card stock, so it’s worth the price. On the company site, it’s $15 and it’s $13.99 on Amazon. For reference, the Kickstarter was $12.

As the P-word was just starting to flare up in 2020, I was finding my Kickstarter groove. I was looking for something different and came across this. The principle idea of the game intrigued me: climate crisis is at hand and world leaders need to work together to try and bring it back from the brink. The wild card is the optional Agent of Chaos, a card that doesn’t have to be used during gameplay. My only real nit on the game is the presentation of the rules. The rules themselves are clear, but instead of a little booklet for the rules, it’s a double-sided sheet of paper with all necessary rules. While it works, I would have hoped for a little more as a consumer (even if it meant a couple more bucks). The card stock is on par with any card game that’s out there, and the artwork is pretty slick in my opinion. The idea behind it is pretty solid, as is play. It includes 55 Challenge Cards, 34 Asset Cards, 5 Action Cards, and 8 Leader Cards. It’s designed for 2 - 5 players and is playable in about an hour.

If you want a Tiny D6 game that has a little more grit and bite, this is the game for you. They took the Tiny D6 rules and added things like Armor Class, XP, traits, and classes. They intentionally went with a retro style in layout and artwork. The introduction gives some rule basics before going into converting from regular Tiny Dungeons. Magic is handled by using a specific trait, mainly spell reader and spell-touched. There are 12 heritages one can play, including: Barbarian, Goblin, Minotaur, and Satyr, each with a starting HP level and Armor Class. The Classes section is where things get more interesting. There are 15 classes, including the basics, but also including: Swashbuckler, Shaman, Crusader, Battle Mage, and Dark Paladin. The use of runes is an optional ruleset and one of the few sets of rules not in the optional rules chapter. We’re also introduced to magical disciplines, mainly in the form of elemental and poison magic. Martial disciplines include elemental disciplines in addition to animal disciplines. In reference to adventurer growth, you do receive XP to the tune of about 4 per session and level up after getting 10 XP. You also receive new traits and improvements as you level up. The GM Section gives all the needed information, including how to incorporate trap to the game, enemies, and other baddies. The optional rules section includes combat-related information, adventurer options, and 12 new heritages. There’s even a section for ship and mount rules. Lastly, there is a sample adventure included, as is a micro-setting. DTRPG shows a price of: pdf $14.99/softcover $29.99/combo shows $5 more as of 7/10/2026.

This was yet another Kickstarter purchase. It’s full of more nuggets to add to your Tiny Supers game. One of the bigger is the Cinematic Universe Campaign Method wherein everyone creates a character and do a 1 - 2 session “origin story” for each character with the other players creating supporting characters for the particular story and start tying things together as you go along and then move into the main campaign. Another addition is Hero and Villain points which can aid in certain circumstances. There are also new traits and power traits for all your superhero needs. They’ve even included rules on creating a base or hideout. It gives information for size, AI, comms hub, detention center, etc. Next we are welcomed to Gallantverse Euro. It includes: Ghoul Brittannia, Cabinet 13, groups in Germany, France, and various others. There are even groups of superheroes across South America. They’ve even included a section on Atlantis and its role in the game. Like the Tiny Supers rulebook there are several purchasing options: pdf $9.99/softcover premium $34.99/hardcover premium $39.99/softcover standard $24.99/hardcover standard $29.99/all combos show $5 more as of 7/10/2026.

This is one of GKG’s setting specific games in Tiny D6 world. By that I mean they do have sci-fi, fantasy, and post-apocalyptic, but are very generic and you can make the “world” whatever you want, like say Tiny Frontiers Star Trek. Here they put a ton of thought into the setting, some of which we’ll look at. Price: pdf $19.99/premium softcover $56.99/premium hardcover $61.99/standard hardcover $43.99/combos showing sale price of what just the book is. The artwork is amazing and is comic book style. You play one of 7 archetypes, including: Striker, Gadgeteer, and Expert. You get regular traits as well as super power traits, in addition to archetype traits. Now to the Gallantverse, GKG’s default setting. There are many location in the ‘Verse, but the main is Sentry City. It’s home to Sentry Force Prime, S.A.F.E., and a number of other organizations and people. The members of Sentry Force Prime are listed and statted out, as are some of the villains. It then gives some history on some of the more known groups in the city and even around the world. The Gallantverse section runs about 170 pages. Also included are 8 micro-settings if the Gallantverse alone isn’t enough. What I like about the Tiny D6 games is how big the games seem to be with very little crunch. Whether the game is generic, or more specific like this one, it does allow for variety.

This is GKG’s tongue in cheek adaptation of a certain genre of TV shows. Satirical also comes to mind. As with all other Tiny D6 the rules are lite and character creation is simple. You are a life guard in the game, whether a veteran, trainee, or one of the others listed. The one rule difference is the dramatic slo-mo moment. They automatically pass the test without having to roll and get to describe the actions taken. The GM has the option as well, twice per game, and can dramatic slo-mo during a players dramatic slo-mo, which leads to the PC’s dramatic slo-mo failing. The game is designed to be lite on combat, but it will inevitably happen. Most will be hand-to-hand and if all dice (normal or advantage) come up 5 or 6, it’s a dramatic knockout for 1d6 minutes. Rules for magic are included as well for those who want to add it to the game. There are 5 magic traits available, and GM discretion what is and isn’t allowed. As of 7/10/2026, the price is: pdf $5.99/softcover $13.99/hardcover $18.99/combos are $5 more.

In NorCal Mythos’ most recent Kickstarter (which had an estimated arrival of 11/2021, but didn’t until 3/2022 due to various personal and world circumstances) we went to Lokdown. In this case, I had intended to do the color version of the 2 books, but I couldn’t justify the $75 price point due to personal circumstances, so I took one for the team and did the b&w version (at $45). This will look at both the Lokdown Survival Guide: pdf $10.99 (sale)/hardcover and combo $29.99 (sale); and the Lokdown GM Codex: pdf $12.49 (sale)/hardcover and combo $32.49 (sale).

This has the honor of being my first Kickstarter back in 2019. Don’t remember what made me check out Kickstarter originally other than maybe seeing some RPG companies advertising their games on social media. Watched their video pitch on their Kickstarter page and decided to take a chance. The universe the game is set in is absolutely phenomenal. It’s like no other I’ve experienced. It’s part dystopian, part noir, all science fiction. As of 7/10/2026, DTRPG shows prices of: pdf $17.99/hardbound and combo showing sale price of $50.44. During funding, there was an option for either black and white or color, and instead of spending the extra $10 for color, I got the black and white. The artwork is phenomenal either way, and the pdf is in color, but I wish I had splurged originally. So first page of the first chapter introduces us to a brief history of the Renown Galaxy before going into the intro to rpg stuff. 8 species are allowed as PCs in the game. There are humans; Dwellers, which are of shorter stature and tend to live underground; El-Men, of which there are 5 separate species; Fae Children, which look a lot like elves; Hybrids, which are (obviously) of multiple species; Kodama, a treefolk variant; the Lo’ans or Konalo’a, which are extremely intelligent cephalopods (octopus people); and Renge, a type of spider people. There are 4 main power domains, each broken down into 3 archetypes. In the Martial Domain, you can be a Corpsperson (Medic), Specialist (Assassin), or Trooper (Protector). Primal Domain allows you to be a Berserker, Mystic, or Vachter (Guardian). In the Quantum Domain you have the option to be an Aegis (Defender), Luminary (Healer/Avenger) or Savant. Lastly, in the Tech Domain you can be a Droid Master, Nanician, or Operator. Each has its unique skills and backgrounds. Chapter 5 goes into the “Society” of the Galaxy. Basically, more world info. Different groups, castes, and others are mentioned here. Also included are corporate affiliations and quantum channeler orders and many other organizations one can work for or join. There are rituals in the game, which is the game’s magic. Like many game systems, it is a level based system, so you gain access to more powerful rituals as time passes. When talking about running a game, they also give advice on running different genres and how to run different plots in those genres. Creature and NPC lists are included as well, as is a starter mission. One interesting thing about the game is there’s a couple different ways to run the game rules-wise. One is to use the rules as written. Another is what they call Flip and Fight. There’s also an autorun option. They also have decks where you can play GM-less.

Basically this is Mechas and Monsters 2E. It’s a GKG Tiny D6 game and is an update to the original game with some minor rules tweaks. As of 7/9/2026, the price is: pdf $19.99/softcover $29.99/hardcover $39.99/combos are $5 more than just the book. I have the hardcover as it what was offered during the Kickstarter and the quality is superb. The artwork is awesome as well. As it implies in the title, you play either a mecha or a kaiju, and each has its own character sheet. Being Tiny D6, it’s rules-lite to begin with, and rules for jockeys are almost non-existent, other than to say they operate the mecha.. The other rule update I can think of is combat related. When rolling for initiative, you still roll 2d6, but instead of adding up the dice, if you get a 5 or 6 on either dice you go before your opponent. There are several classes of chassis and races of Kaiju, each with pros and cons. There are also 5 micro-settings and one adventure path included in the game. First Contact is the adventure path and you get the background from both POV and the different way to play as each. it’s also the longest setting in the book at 114 pages. The first micro-setting is Angels and Demons. In its intro, the author states it is inspired by anime and manga like Bubblegum Crisis and Silent Mobius. The setting is about fighting off evils you may have helped to create. In The Darkest Depths is second and was inspired by The Abyss, Pacific Rim and Underwater. It takes place underwater and due to encroaching (knowingly or otherwise), the kaiju are retaliating. From The Darkest Depths is the companion setting to In The Darkest Depths, and is the world from the kaiju perspective. Muses of Fire: Macbeth and Other Tales is next. The brief is taking some of Shakespeare’s stories and themes and adapting them to the game. Finally, there’s Titan Defense Force. Earth is under attack and you’re the first line of defense. Unlike the others, there’s a little more politicking, at least where the Titan Defense Force is concerned. By that, I mean the hierarchy, organization, relations with outside elements, etc, which is needed, though little would show up in an average session unless the story called for it.

This is a group glance at 3 RPGs by Diogo Noguiera he did on Kickstarter with GKG as publisher. The rules are the same for all 3 games, with subject matter being different. They are done zine style.

This series is designed to be a quick look at the games in my collection. These games are ones I picked up after 2019. It’s not designed to be a page by page review or even a nitpick session. Just some general impressions.

Adventures & Interludes This is another great addition to an equally great game. On DTRPG, the price shows: pdf $9.99/softcover $24.99/combo $29.99 as of 7/9/2026. The difference between adventure and interlude is adventures are longer stories with more going on and stretch out (in theory) over multiple sessions, whereas interludes are designed to be played in one session. Regardless, each chapter includes everything you need: history, supporting characters, and conflicts. The Bestiary includes stats for all the creatures in the book, allowing you to add them to your own legendarium. Heirlooms are also included, again from each story, as well as one new aspect.

This will be a look at the Kickstarter Bundle purchase I backed right as the Pandemic was hitting back in 2020. I did the $40 buy-in which got you: Tiny Cthulhu Softcover, Tiny Cthulhu 3d6, Tiny Cthulhu GM Screen, Tiny Cthulhu PDF, All Digital Stretch Goals. AS of 7/9/2026, the prices on DTRPG are: pdf $17.99/softcover $24.99/hardcover $34.99/softcover combo $25.49/hardcover combo $35.49. AS far as physical rewards I ended up with 2 adventure zines. One is The Sister of Yanith’lea, which IS available on DTRPG in pdf form for $3.99. I do not see August’s Kisses (the other zine I received) available in any form, nor do I see the GM Screen available. As a bonus, the Yukon Dark micro-setting (not part of the Kickstarter, but was the setting used for the actual play you can find at the GKG YouTube page) is available on DTRPG for $4.99. The dice I received are 19 mm and are glow in the dark.

The Rulebook Overall, I think The Hero’s Journey 2E is a very good game. I don’t have any serious nits about the game and think you get amazing bang for the buck. As of 7/8/26, the pdf is $14.99; softcover is $29.99; the hardcover is $39.99; the softcover combo is $34.99 ($44.98); and the hardcover combo is $44.99 ($54.98). The purpose of this, for me, is to go through the book and highlight what I feel are its high points and, if any, the low points. Let’s get into it. The intro I like because you get a glimpse into his headspace as to why he did the 2nd edition, which was a nice touch. The rules start with the attribute chapter, and right out of the gate, we’re told rule number one is the Narrator has the right, and is encouraged, to modify the rules as needed. The game uses the standard polyhedral set of dice d4 - d20 that most of us are familiar with. Attributes are broken down to Might (STR), Finesse (DEX), Resolve (CON), Insight (INT/WIS), Bearing (CHA), and Weal (the wild card). One thing I like about the attributes is you can get a +5% bonus to XP for meeting certain attribute minimums. These are stackable with other attribute bonuses, as well as archetype and lineage bonuses up to a maximum of 20%. Professions are an interesting add, in my opinion. Some games include the notion, some don’t. Roll 1d100 for profession. Alternatively, the Narrator will allow you to pick one. Each offers starting gear and gold. Shaded boxes are also included to introduce optional house rules. Another nice addition. There are several different lineages, each with a dice pool for attributes and level limits for each archetype, as well as lineage specific skills. First is the Changeling. They are, by my interpretation, they are humans that are just slightly different. They experience time slightly differently, can see the unseen, and have an unnatural presence, among other differences. They do best as a Swordsman, able to reach level 10, while they aren’t known so much (or it isn’t their strongest suit) for bearing the mantle of Knight, only able to achieve level 4. They can achieve level 7 in the other archetypes. Next is the Dwarf. Pretty self-explanatory. Their archetype maxes (like the others) are unique to them. They are best as Warriors (level 10), least known for Knights (level 3), and can’t be a Wizard. Then we come to the Elves. They are known as good Wizards (level 10), but not so much for being Knights or Yeomans. Half-elves come next and are the world’s Bards (level 10), with the ability to achieve level 7 in each other archetype. Second to last, we have the Halfling. Each Lineage is “known” as the “best” in a certain archetype (meaning typically they can max level in one specific archetype), and the Halfling is the Yeoman. With the Lineage/Archetype combo, what comes to mind for me is Samwise Gamgee. They are also the only other Archetype that can’t play as a Wizard. Lastly, we have the most adaptable and common lineage, humans. Also included for humans is a variant Lineage: The Errant. Errants are not native to the world, but come from a world where the stuff they see and and experience here are considered fantasy and fictitious where they are from. Archetypes Being an XP based game, each Archetype has an individual advancement table for XP, Endurance (HP), Attack Bonuses, etc. There are also minimum requirements to play each archetype. Each Archetype has specific abilities as well. One can play as a Bard, Burglar, Knight (the artwork throughout is amazing, and the artwork for the Knight all I hear is Jamie Lannister’s voice “Brienne of f’ing Tarth”), Ranger, Swordsman, Warrior, Wizard, and Yeoman. The Equipment chapter is pretty representative of what one would expect to find from a fantasy game and prices are typically listed in Gold Pieces. How to Play This chapter is pretty well written and breaks down how to play. For me, there are some notable rules. The first is about gaining XP. This isn’t a combat heavy game and is not actively encouraged as the Endurance scores at 1st Level are mostly 6 - 8, with Wizards starting at 4 (before any applicable bonuses). Because of this, no XP are earned for combat or body count. There are XP Rewards the Narrator can issue to players on an individual level and some are included in the book. These include: accurately playing lineage and archetype, attempting a potentially deadly act of heroism, making everyone laugh, etc. That’s not including any bonus percentages. Another is advantage/disadvantage. When one is declared, roll 2d20 and take either the higher or lower number. Next is the notion of Despair. Each creature has a Despair rating, and each PC has to make a roll if the creature’s Despair rating is 5+ the player’s current level. So a level 2 character has to roll on Despairs of 7+. Failure of the Saving Throw hinders the PCs attack ability. Also, if they’re in a blighted land, a failed Saving Throw means rolls are at disadvantage while in the area. Last is the concept of making camp. It’s something I think most of us gloss over as gamers. Here it’s assumed you have to search for food and a lack of food means a Saving Throw and failure has consequences. Not enough rest has consequences. If you state the group is going to “relax around the campfire,” a successful Saving Throw gets each PC advantage on a Saving Throw the following day. Magic I particularly like how magic is handled. There are 21 spells spread across 3 levels of spells: Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master spells. When you cast a spell, a successful roll nets one of 3 possible outcomes. As an example, you cast “Breathed in Silver.” You can opt to “Befriend the Fool,” have a “Lingering Phantasm,” or cause a “Slumbering Sting.” Each option causes a different effect under the umbrella of the specific spell. The chapter on Running the Game gives one the basics of what they need to run the game. The Menagerie chapter offers a wide variety of baddies to choose from: avians, demons, dragons, elementals, giant-kin, strange creatures, and others. The other keynote point in the chapter is wandering monsters. The game is all about the story and random encounters can seem jarring and out of place. The last chapter is, to me, one of the most interesting. As you level up, you receive myth points. These are used to purchase Aspects, which empower your weapons, armor, and shields. Examples include: Balanced, Cold Iron, Grievous, and Renowned. There are also heirlooms. Each lineage has them and you can use myth points for them as well. Both are a nice addition to the game and add some depth and character to a game that already has a bunch of both. In the appendix, James M Spahn lists some inspirations of his: literature, films, and RPGs. This isn’t a point by point breakdown, and was never meant to be. These were just the high points that stuck out to me. Overall I think it’s a great game with a lot of potential. This is just a surface scratch to give some first impressions. When you look at all the available material, it allows for a wide variety of stories to be told.

The Companion The Hero’s Companion expands on the rulebook. There are new Lineages and Archetypes, optional rules, new equipment, new myth point options, and new heirlooms. Lineages and Archetypes There are 6 new Lineages in the book that can be played. First is the Gnome. Their main archetype is Wizard (level 10 limit), with Knight, Warrior, and Yeoman at the bottom end (level 4 limit). You can also play as a goblin. They make great burglars, but can’t play as knights. You can also play as a Rover. You move around on 4 legs and weigh 15 - 50 pounds. I like the notion of being able to play a dog which made it worth the purchase price (pdf $9.99/softcover $19.99/Hardcover $24.99/softcover combo $24.99 {29.98}/hardcover combo $29.99{$34.98} as of 7/9/226). They can only play as 4 character types, the best being Yeoman. Makes sense. Dogs can be good for morale. Then there is the Scion. Your family used to be royalty. Now you want to reclaim that. You can’t be a Wayfarer, but excel at most everything else. You can also play as a Skin-Changer. 7’ tall, 300+ pounds and live off the land in nature. Natural Rangers, Bards, Knights, Swordsmen, but Wayfarers are a no-go. Lastly we have Treefolk. Yep. Treebeard. There are about 24 new professions, and a new archetype and some variants of the others. The Wayfarer is called to be a hero with little training. Ability-wise, they start off slow and snowball. Before getting into the variants, let’s talk level limits. There’s an optional house rule in the book. You can ignore level limits and once a character reaches its “max”, they can keep going and receive 1/2 XP to reflect how hard it is to get past the challenges of leaving the comfort zone. There are, as mentioned, variants. There’s the Anstruth, a Bard variant, that specializes in songs of nature and the Fey. There’s also the Knave, a Burglar variant, a more deceptive version. Each from the rulebook has a variant included. Optional Rules This chapter deals with concepts like exploring underground environs, seasons and weather, more camp options, tactics, heroic legacies, and a time of rest. There are a couple new weapons and other items included, which include firearms, as well as gunsmith as a profession. There are also new ways to spend your myth points, and rules for questing for myth points. The last chapter includes heirlooms for the Lineages introduce.

Highcaster is an epic fantasy game in many ways. It’s definitely a game where story is king, where the PCs are legends in their own time. When I first wrote this a couple years ago, this was for the 1st Edition of the game. Then stuff happened in the gaming world and the author decided to remove any and every thing OGL related and added more in world material. He also made the rules Creative Commons. While the review itself is for the original, not so much changed as to not be able to use the review. On DTRPG, prices show: pdf $19.99/softcover $25.99/hardcover $39.00/combos are showing the same price as the individual book. In the world of Highcaster, the times are dark, both literally and figuratively. The Gods were the stars, and the starts are gone, having fallen from the sky. Legends abound as to what caused their fall. The great empire that was is now fragmented into smaller more regional groups. This is the world you play in, one where your character may become a legend, perhaps in their own time or in the future. Overall layout of the game is good, and similar to others in the genre. Right out of the gate we are advised this will be a different breed of RPG. We’re told that while Heroes can die, they only die at the appropriate time, and mot at the whim of a dice roll. It gives, in chapter one, a quick overview of the cultures (the different ‘empires’ that now exist), the Heritages (Lineages/Races), and Path (Archetype/class) for a basic idea of the game’s terminology. The game introduces Humors: Virtue, Courage, and Prestige. They are assigned a value of d4, d6, or d8 (one die specific to each Humor) which is added to your dice pool during rolls. Sessions are divided into “Chapters” which can have a different focus (such as Culture, Hero, Prepare, etc) and the rules are slightly adjusted based on the chapter to allow different actions and consequences. Instead of ‘combat,’ we have Threats. They may be 1 stage, or multiple, depending on what’s at stake. There are even varying degrees of success. A dice pool of 10 - 19 is a success with some caveat. A roll of 20+ is a success and the player can add a ‘Truth’ to the lore of the land. Chapter 2 goes a little deeper into the history of the world, expanding some concepts previously mentioned as well as introducing new concepts about spirits, immortals, and star shards, among others. Chapter 3 gets us into the Character Creation process by getting a backstory on each of the 7 cultures presented for the game. Each culture has its pros and cons, as they should, and it makes it difficult to decide which to pick. Once you pick that, you also pick: any additional languages, a cultural talent, a trade, and a general area of the reason you are from. Chapter 4 introduces the heritages and there are plenty to choose from (9). Included in the chapter are: Draken, Mortal descendants of dragons; giantkin, mortal descendants of giants’ and Nome, Mortal descendants of Fay. You also flesh out your look and main ability. There are 8 paths to choose from in Chapter 5. Named differently in Highcaster, you can play everything from a Bard to a Warrior, and several in between. It’s this chapter where you have to put your brain to use as there are 3 sections of questions you are asked to answer (17 total) to flesh your character out. You also pick a discipline and are told what your path talent does. To finish off your character, we go to chapter 6. Most of your traits will add modifiers to your dice pools and feats are designed to give you advantage in other aspects of the game. There are 24 and include: Leader, Learned, Driven, and Suave. Chapter 7 goes into the game mechanics for both PCs and Chronicler. The rules are kept to a minimum when possible to allow for smooth and quick play. One of the more interesting items in the chapter, and there are many, is the Favor. You receive one every session, and it’s use it or lose it. You can also receive one whenever you roll 20+, or when you allow the Chronicler to escalate a Threat. They can be used to introduce a Truth into the game as well as add a d6 to your pool. Chapter 8 gives the Chronicler everything else they need to know to run the game and help make it a more enjoyable experience. It explains more fully creating, escalating, and deescalating Threats. Chapter 9 is full of great monsters from Arakna (colossal tarantula) to Saeskar (Kraken) and Starv (zombie-like creatures created by the corruption and decay of the fallen Gods). Chapter 10 is about creating your own version of Highcaster and how to populate it. Chapter 11 is solo player rules. The last chapter allows you to adapt other systems over to the Caster System, so you can take your favorite module from another system and adapt it with minimal effort. The appendix is a quick compendium of the major rule points and includes a character sheet and pronunciation guide.