Not DnD

119 Not DnD | Fear Itself | Walk into a disturbing contemporary world of madness and violence

Join us in this week's episode of Not D&D, where Jessica hosts Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan.
Fear Itself plunges ordinary people into a disturbing contemporary world of madness and violence —and inexorably draws them into confrontation with creatures of the Outer Dark, a realm of alien menace. Gareth shares insights on the unique Gumshoe system that fuels investigations, ensuring that players seamlessly uncover the game's dark secrets.
 
Fear Itself - Shattered Veil Edition is live on gamefound this month.
https://gamefound.com/en/projects/pelgrane-press/fear-itself-shattered-veil-edition
www.pelgranepress.com
 

118 Not DnD | Why We Fight with Laurie Blake | play eco-punks fighting fascism to build a brighter, greener future

Welcome to this week's episode of Not D&D, where host Jessica is joined by game designer Laurie Blake to discuss their innovative tabletop role-playing game, Why We Fight.
Why We Fight is a solo+ narrative TTRPG where you play a crew of eco-punks fighting fascism to build a brighter, greener future.
Using a designed-for-purpose, lightweight system (PbtA meets FATE) developed with new school revolution (NSR) attitude and perspective. Your Crew will journey through the remains of a post-civil war country to save lives, reclaim nature, create a community of compassion, and beat back the oppressive forces that threaten the chance for a new start.
 
https://www.instagram.com/sdrgames.studio 
https://bsky.app/profile/sdrgames.bsky.social 
https://www.sdrgames.studio/pages/why-we-fight

Fight fascism, the Outer Dark, or swear an oath to do no harm, with these TTRPGs that are Not DnD

It's been three years of Not DnD, the weekly podcast discussing tabletop roleplaying games.
This month we are looking at Why We Fight, a solo+ narrative TTRPG where you play a crew of eco-punks fighting fascism to build a brighter, greener future.
Fear Itself plunges ordinary people into a disturbing contemporary world of madness and violence —and inexorably draws them into confrontation with creatures of the Outer Dark, a realm of alien menace.
Mappa Mundi is a TTRPG driven by exploration and ecology.  Players take on the role of Chroniclers, brave souls setting out from hearth and home to travel the wilds and tell the story of this world in flux.

117 Despair Dilemma with Game Designer Nora Jean Haynes

Been watching the second season of Squid Game recently? Despair Dilema is a Death Game that take inspiration from this and other narratives such as DanganRonpa and Zero Escape.
Game designer Nora Jean Haynes shares the unique mechanics of "Despair Dilemma," a game that challenges traditional RPG narratives by having players assume the roles of narrative forces instead of characters. And how it navigates player safety and narrative control through structured phases of play.
Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/double-summon-games/despair-dilemma-a-death-game-mastermind-ttrpg/launch_party
Free Quickstart Demo: https://noorasphere.itch.io/despair-dilemma-playtest 
 

116 Exploring the Zombie Sandbox 'Reanimated' TTRPG

My guilty pleasure is low budget zombie movies. I love running survival horror, and enjoy a rules light system for this sort of storytelling.
Reanimated is based on the Key Powered System using 2d8, with an infection mechanic that makes every interaction with the undead a risk. The game offered a huge amount of customisation options to run the stye of survival horror you are looking to create, and is very much a sandbox to craft your own stories within.
Jed Doerksen discusses his journey from a Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast to an indie game creator. Discover the unique aspects of 'Reanimated', including its sandbox setting inspired by iconic zombie media like Romero's films and video games such as Left for Dead. Jed also shares insights into game mechanics, character creation, and his goal to offer a concise, accessible system for storytelling.
https://composedreamgames.com/marketplace/publisher/trappedchest/reanimated
https://www.trappedchest.com
https://bsky.app/profile/trappedchest.bsky.social

115 Zephyr

Today we're speaking to Federico Sohns about their game Zephyr on Not DnD. The world feels dark, moody and almost lonely, but the game also provide elements of colours and connection. This is a really unique game, and I think it will be a really interesting discussion to listen to.You play one of the Windfall who are are born of, and live upon, the back of a colossal sentient content. You travel across it to fulfil sacred obligations. Obligation and Debt are a key theme of the game, and has an Obligation Mechanic as tool used to craft adventures.The game also explores Feeling and Identity. Coloured tokens represent the different emotions of the sentient content you travel upon, and used to build your character as they discover their sense of self.
 
Buy the game: https://www.araukana.com/store

Not DnD plans for February 2025

It's a cold dark month here in the UK, but has fleeting glimpses of spring on the horizon. I think the games I’ve chosen for February 2025 for Not DnD reflect that mood.
 
Not DnD is a weekly show discussing tabletop roleplaying games. Each week EN Publishing’s @tabletopjess interviews the creators behind different tabletop roleplaying games that aren’t D&D!
 
You can watch the live recording every Monday at 5pm ET / 10pm GMT on YouTube or Twitch.

114 Mum Chums

Mum Chums is a slice-of-life game where each player portrays someone who cares for a young child, nominally set in Britain. Play begins as their kids start primary school.A GMless game exploring the relationships between people who raise children, coming soon to Kickstarter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/floaker/mum-chums 

113 Bitter Chalice

Bitter Chalice is a Soulslike fantasy TTRPG about insatiable hunger in a blighted land. It's inspired by video games like Hollow Knight, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring (but without the repetitive and frustrating deaths).Bitter Chalice is structured to be a different experience to traditional TTRPGs: think of it as one huge, highly curated game campaign that comes with its own rules.Find out more about this upcoming game as we speak to Tommaso De Benetti on this weeks episode of Not DnD.
 
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theworldanvil/bitter-chalice 

112 ION Heart

Here's a cosy solo TTRPG for those looking to escape the darkness of the season.
ION Heart is a Lo-Fi Solo Mech TTRPG. Discover planets, solar systems and cultures of your own making in the peaceful galaxy of the Astral Union.
Create a pilot and their mech best friend and sail the stars with. Your job as a pilot is to bond with your mech as you explore together and find a home for you both in the stars wherever your path may take you.
 
https://ion-heart-a-cozy-solo-mech-ttrpg.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders