#129: January's Itch Roundup
There are a lot of games on itch and this is 10 of them!
I. Dear Reader,
Welcome to the first monthly round-up of new games on itch.io. Before we get to the games themselves, let me talk about itch for a minute. The website was designed for selling videogames but the indie RPG scene adopted it like a hermit-crab chancing upon a toy truck on the beach. This has led to some strange problems. The RPG category is called “physical games”, for example. More generally, it’s a bit confusing to navigate for the average customer.
So why has this eccentric site become the host of this glorious explosion of indie game design and creativity? I can’t say for sure. Maybe its because it was designed as a protest against Steam and turns out that DriveThru has a lot of the same problems. Maybe it’s because the site makes it incredibly easy to publish games. Maybe it’s just a coincidence - a quirk of luck, just network effects compounding into something greater.
But regardless, there’s cool stuff everyday on that site - a LOT of cool stuff. So here’s my attempt at curating the games that came out in January. I found these games either by browsing the site or through people notifying me with this form. Now the important disclaimer is that I haven’t read or played most of these games. This list is me excitedly pointing out things in the shop window, take it in that spirit. My taste is idiosyncratic, so please publish your own lists! And maybe send me a link, I’d love to see them!
Itch.io January Roundup
blasé monotony by Apri describes itself as “a duet game about having conversations while bored at work” but that description hides this dramatic second act. An astronaut and someone in the control room start talking and then things start going wrong… (Free/PWYW)
Lost & Shelved by Donogh McCarthy is a solo game about a librarian finding strange and ephemeral things in the pages of returned books. I’m a sucker for anything about librarians and Donogh McCarthy is a real indie darling as far as I’m concerned.
Undisturbed by GGoldmen is a solo journalling game about dissecting human cadavers. Seems like a very thoughtful game on a grotesque subject! (Free/PWYW)
A Sage’s Salary by krushna is a solo game about a student and their sage. From an Indian designer, sages aren’t neutral figures - they’re a caste. Which makes this more interesting! I started playing but haven’t finished my playthrough of this.
Apocalypse Roadtrip by Mynar Lenahan is a forged in the dark game where you dodge “roaming Kaiju, military bombings, otherworldly cryptids, UFO fleets, and other survivors (friendly and not)”. That sounds like a good time!
5 Act Play by K-Ramstack is a solo roleplaying game where you create a 5 Act Shakespearean play based around prompts.
Dice of War by Torsten Kaltenecker is a comic game about “battles, historians and intellectual disagreements”. Um, yes! Also bonus points for “sulking in a dignified way is recommended”. (Free/PWYW)
The Belles of the Ball is an adventure by boyproblems for Heroes of Myth and Mettle. “A masquerade ball, an ancient mysterious city, a wealthy man playing at vigilante, and the Zool Chamber of Commerce. It's a party you won't want to miss.” (Free/PWYW)
Conflictus Ad Astra by Gabriel Ciprés is an expansion for the very cool (and free) game Space Knights, which is a kind of PbtA Warhammer where each player controls their own legion. (Free/PWYW)
Cold Decisions: The Cult of Namenlos by Mundos Infinitos is a “cult simulator” and honestly, enough said.
Honourable mentions: A complete, final version of Apocalypse Frame, the fast and tactical mecha game, came out this month. Also, D12 and Delve is a dungeon-delving RPG in 12 words by WH Arthur where your character is a business card.
Yours spoiled for choice,
Thomas
II. City23: Immoria
As I said last issue, the current compass is HISTORY. What are the tourist attractions, forgotten monuments, historians, founding myths of the city? Submit neighbourhoods, landmarks or people themed around history.
You can read all the entries at immoria.xyz.
For the rules of what a submission looks like, go here!
III. Media of the Week
AA Voigt takes a look at my humble solo game of crime and revolt, The Spider and the City.
Matt Colville makes a nice comparison between forming a band in your garage and gaming groups.
Plus One Exp are organizing a number of workshops ahead of ZineMonth, aimed at new creators. There’s one about art direction and public domain art and aother about crowdfunding and how to budget for it.
IV. Links of the Week
Articles
The story of Sworld World, one of the most popular RPGs in Japan, often credited with a revival in fantasy tabletop gaming.
Monte Cook on why he’s tired of “designing for assholes”.
Two examples of love letters from Judd Karlman’s game of Apocalypse World: Burned Over.
Tabletop crowdfunding on Kickstarter was down by 33 million dollars. While there was definitely less money being spent generally, the article fails to mention the company torching their goodwill.
Lowell Francis’s epic chronology of post-apocalyptic games has now reached it’s 23rd instalment.
Gabriel Caetano maintains a list of free TTRPG mechanics on itch.io and welcomes people to use them in games.
European RPG publishers are forming an association for self-protection - misleadingly titled a union. Another knock-on effect of threatening the OGL, it seems.
Reviews
A review of The Bloody Handed Name of Bronze, a bronze age game of myth and power, by Joshua Newman.
A review of Rolemaster Unified
A review of City of Mist, the baroque PbtA game of noir-ish urban fantasy.
V. Small Ads
All links in the newsletter are completely based on my own interest. But to help support my work, this section contains sponsored links and advertisements. If you’d like your products to appear here, read the submission form.
Constellation collects 12 indie RPG zines packed with action, horror, and intimate emotional experiences. Visit new adventure settings, fight vampires in space, explore grief and more. On Kickstarter now!
Three ill-fated explorers strive to unravel the secrets of a mysterious monument in CHIRON’S DOOM, a storytelling RPG. Coming to Kickstarter on February 14!
Cloud Empress is an expansive, Nausicaa-inspired setting for the Mothership RPG. Cloud Empress imagines a far-off future ruled by giant psychic cicadas. Back on Kickstarter
This newsletter is currently sponsored by the Bundle of Holding.
The Advanced Adventurers bundle has 43 short OSR-style adventures up for grabs.
And the 0one dungeons bundle is an offer on interactive dungeon maps
Hello, dear readers. This newsletter is written by me, Thomas Manuel. If you’d like to support this newsletter, share it with a friend or buy one of my games from my itch store. If you’d like to say something to me, you can reply to this email or click below!
Landmark: The Lost Post
Description: The Lost Post started as a signpost at the corner of Broadway and Tinkers Road - Broadway being the main road that runs through Tangent and Tinkers Road being one of the main streets to find all sorts of shops - a place always full of travelers. The intersection also has the highest number or “arrivals” into Tangent. The street names are no longer visible, having been completely covered by boards tacked to the main post to which all manner of various parchments have been glued and tacked into place. Those parchments bear the names, messages, and sometimes sketches of individuals that have been lost to Immoria.
The post has grown over time and now measures a full two meters tall and wide forming something of a miniature wall at the intersection. Behind it, an elderly woman, Clio, has set up a small shop selling parchment and ink, and for a small fee will write a message for the searcher. She also has a magical quill that will draw a small portrait of the lost person from the memory of the searcher. After the fee is paid, the quill must draw the blood of the searcher as he or she focuses on the person they are seeking. The quill will then float over the parchment drawing the portrait in a sort of dark red ink that also appears to be impervious to water or sunlight. Clio, is also willing to write the requested memory using the quill, if an additional fee is paid.
Whether the Lost Post is ever successful in reuniting those that have become lost in Immoria is up for discussion. There are many stories that claim that upon reading the message, the lost suddenly find themselves standing next to their distraught friends somewhere within the city and back on the Last Post, a piece of parchment suddenly flashes with fire and is gone. There are far too many layers of parchment to give these stories credence, or perhaps there are just that many lost within Immoria.
True Name: Forever on the wind
Neighborhood: Tangent
Landmark: Clio’s Stationer and Bookstore
Description: A modestly sized wooden structure positioned at the corner of Broadway and Tinkers Road positioned behind the “Lost Post.” This shop is owned and operated by an elderly woman that goes by the name of Clio. Upon entering the shop, visitors tend to have a moment of disorientation because it feels as if the shop is larger on the inside than the outside, but the feeling quickly passes. The shop itself has windows along the front of the building displaying many tomes of varying names, but all of them seem to be related to historical events in some capacity. Many of them are about people, events, and places within Immoria itself. Filling the rest of the shop are many bookshelves both freestanding and along the walls. These are likewise filled with all manner of historically inclined books and scrolls. These, however, expand the subject matter to the world at large.
Within direct view of the front door at the back of the shop is a counter that appears to also double as a writing desk. Behind it is a door that leads to Clio’s living area.
True Name: Immoria’s history
Neighborhood: Tangent