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RPG’s – What games are out there?

There is a world full of awesome roleplaying games out there, and the more we play, the wider range of ideas we bring to the table when we play or run games. Today we look at two Roleplaying games from talented designers!

Rider’s Last Rites

1-What is this game, and what makes it different?
Sid – Rider’s Last Rites is a game about making decisions for people who have died. In RPGs based around conflict we almost always have death as a stake. “if you don’t win, you or your loved ones will die.” Rider’s, as a story, is about what happens next. Okay, you lost the battle, but the war isn’t over, so what’s next? And it rewards people who are willing to explicitly engage with it.

 

2-What excites you about playing or running this game?
Sid – I’m always excited by what players bring to the game. We all have some sort of experience or thoughts on death. We all have cultural needs, and personal feelings, and Rider’s, as a game, asks you to bring those with you. Even though we’re playing characters, it’s still, really, an exploration of ourselves.

 

3-Why should people who have played more traditional games (like Shadowrun, D&D, Call of Cthulhu) give it a go?
Sid – In our games, we constantly frame character death. It’s usually a punishment, or the end of a character’s story. Rider’s is a chance to explore how that story continues. In a game like Dungeons and Dragons, or Shadowrun, often our characters don’t have a lot of attachment to other people outside the party. Certainly not to the same level of intimacy. So when our Cleric dies, it falls on us, her party members, to decide what to do with her, and how best to honour that person within the practicalities of an adventure.

 

4-Any last words for potential Gamers out there?
Sid – We are all going to die. Us, our partners, our families. And as a paramedic, I have seen too many people have to face death without knowing how to have the conversations around it. Rider’s Last Rites is training for how to talk about death with those we love, and why it’s so important that we do so. It’s a subject so close to my heart, and one that I’m glad I get to share with people through such a beautiful and rewarding game.

 

Turning Point

1-Tell us about this game…

Senda – Turning Point is a collaborative dramatic decision making engine, collaborative being the key word. As a group, you share one main character and create a supporting cast as needed, then play through scenes in this character’s backstory. The end goal is to see which choice they will make in a life changing decision, and you play through those moments in their life to see how their previous experiences influence that emotionally. One of the things that makes it the most unique is that as a table you don’t decide what their decision is at the end of the game—it’s decided for you based on the moments and how influential each of them were.

 

2-What makes this game pretty nifty?

Senda – Every time we sit down to run a game of Turning Point, people come out of their shells in the most beautiful way. We sit at the table and have powerful shared experiences and leave connected. The game has the power to create empathy for a character who is making a decision you personally haven’t made, but in doing so it also creates a sense of comradery.

We love participating in those game moments, and Turning Point creates them in spades. We never know what we’re going to get and it’s always fantastic. We should mention that while there is a facilitator role, no one is really running the game—it’s GMless and just needs one player to track the scenes for the end decision.

 

3-Why should people who have played more traditional games (like Cyberpunk 2020, D&D, Traveller) give it a go?

Senda – This is a hard question because we believe everyone should try lots of different games! Turning Point may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but whether that’s the one you try or not, there are so many wonderful new experiences waiting outside of the big names

It’s a very different experience from a traditional game and it’s something anyone can enjoy, whether they’ve played more traditional games or not. Everyone has been faced with some kind of difficult decision at some point in their lives, so it has a key shared concept at the core. We have even played it set in a D&D style world! In the end, this is a game about the human experience, and that’s something we all share.

 

4-Any last words for potential Gamers out there?

Senda – Game well, game often! And take care of each other, both at and away from the table.

 

There are many of Roleplaying games available on itch.io and drivethrurpg.com – check them out today!