The Spooky Starry Spring TTRPG Jam Round Up - Write Up

Over the course of April, I hosted a simple themed TTRPG Jam over on itch.io. I advertised primarily on Mastodon, though most traffic came through itch.io itself. The jam was meant to promote people to work on a small project related to rpgs within the month, and oh boy did people work on things. I’ve already done a post on my entry to the jam, but I promised a write up of all the other entries (and this is that write up). Some projects were paid only, and I have noted when I based my write up on only the itch.io page. In total the jam had 18 entries that were not my own, here they are in no particular order.

SSS - JP Jabberwock

https://jpjabberwock.itch.io/sss

2+ pages of evocative language. The game puts players in the shoes of dreamers, trying to escape their dreams alive. A serpent beyond comprehension is attempting to devour them, and they must defeat the serpent before falling to the dangers in the dreamy sea. The game is played with d6’s and includes a core resolution system, a system to create player characters, and a roadmap for what the players must do to succeed in the dream.

This game uses its low word count beautifully, from the tables to the descriptions of actions the atmosphere is pushed to the forefront.

For Truth’s Sake - Feywild Inn - H. Moon

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://beatricexbenedick.itch.io/for-truths-sake-feywild-inn

This is a solo-journaling rpg about studying other cultures, in this particular iteration studying a inn run by a group of fey. You play to learn about the NPCs in the game world, with the game mechanizing a NPCs trust and, assumingly, the players standing in the community. The game uses a deck of cards and dice to generate the randomness in the game.

Gardenborn KotG - Verdant Green Games

https://verdantgreengames.itch.io/gardenborn-knights-of-the-green

This is a PbtA based game that puts the players into the roles of plant knights of the roundtable. The game has a wonderful setting and theme for the PbtA formula, and both pairs down areas of the system it doesn’t need and adds meat onto areas it utilizes. The knights are fighting to save their home, the Wilds, from a plague called the Greymold. Characters contend with the mold itself, or other NPCs endeavoring to fulfill their own goals in the world. The game has everything you need to run a game in the setting, including GM tools. The setting is suitable for something serious or silly and the system seems to be welcoming to new players or PbtA veterans.

Stuck in Between - Maki Games

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://maki-games-official.itch.io/stuck-in-between

In this, I assume, solo game you play a ghost trying to remember things about yourself and your life. The description of the setting is a neat idea and the game uses the Second Guess System SRD. This system has the player roll a d20 against a table and then answer the prompt they rolled. If they roll a prompt for a second time, a twist occurs, which would alter the current and perhaps previous answer to the prompt.

V3 Vacuum Vessel Ventures - FUNONEGames

https://funonegames.itch.io/v3-vacuum-vessel-ventures

In this game you play characters that pilot vessels through space. The game can be played solo or as a convoy of ships. The game has rules to design your ship, how to take damage on your ship and rules for generating encounters. This system seems like a solid choice for a pick up and play night of quick fun.

The Asterin - Kay Marlow Allen

https://earthlybody.itch.io/the-asterin

This is a playable race with lore and mechanics for 5e. The Asterin are humanoid stars, they transform themselves in the feywild to become a living embodiment of wonder and wandering. Their flavor and lore is a fun read, and they would be at home in many 5e games.

Mystics - TheOracle

https://the0racle.itch.io/mystics

This game pits players in the role of mystics against evil spirits. Its a short 1 page doc with rules for character creation, combat, mystic arts, death/recovery, and how to create evil spirits to fight against. The game has a good core concept and sticks to it in a tight, simple format. This would also be a good one night pick up game for a night when a player calls out.

Clash: Stormy Spirits - Drone Garden Studios

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://drone-garden-studios.itch.io/clash-stormy-spirits

This is a choose your own adventure style game book. It allows you to take the role of an impromptu assistant to Clash, the robot detective, in the case of the missing assistant. The book allows a classic choose your own adventure or a randomized approach with dice rolls. Could be a good quick read, it comes in at 30 pages.

Six Sundries - Order of the Salamander

https://ixtant.itch.io/six-sundries

This is a set of 6 open ended items for rpgs based around the themes. The items are thematic, have unusual effects, and are wonderful inspiration for your game of choice. Each has enough detail in description to make an item, but not so much as to make creating them in various systems a hassle.

Grimtales - OceanIIOcean

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://oceaniiocean.itch.io/grimtales

Another entry perfect for a one night pick up and play is this ghost themed game. With one page of rules and simple mechanics, its a tight rpg with a good premise. The players take the role of ghosts trying to finish their business before Halloween night ends. Players choose a ghostly type that gives them special abilities that others do not have, and as they play the mortal realm reacts to their actions.

Campfire Tales: Volume 1 - Templar51

https://templar51.itch.io/campfire-tales-volume-1

This is a d20 table meant to prompt your adventurers around a campfire. It hopes to build comradery within the party and expand the lore of the game world. The prompts are open ended and general enough that it would work in most rpgs and do prompt answers that may not have otherwise been shared. If you’re looking for another downtime activity while traveling, this could fit your bill.

Bear Trap - Lux Maxima

https://luxmaxima.itch.io/beartrap

This is a short micro-rpg about being a bear stuck in a trap with hunters coming. All you need to play is a coin and some paper to write your last words on. This pushes the limits of what a game could be, and could be a fun pick up game for a night alone.

Observatory of Living Stars - Neoth Games

https://hcharest.itch.io/observatory-of-living-stars

This is a well stocked dungeon for the Shadowdark RPG system. It is themed around the zodiac and stars in general and comes with a room designed for each zodiac sign and some additional creatures and items and encounters for the players to take part in. The dungeon reads like it would be easy to port it into other systems with minimal effort and is an easy thing to drop into a campaign world so long as there is a village and a remote cliff nearby.

Dead Man’s Hand - PsychHound

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://psychhound.itch.io/dead-mans-hand

This is a card based, solo rpg where you play a story collector in the old west. You travel around listening to others stories to try and find the best ones. You play a hand of Texas Hold ’Em to determine the story being told and the people telling them. Theres 54 characters to meet and thousands of stories possible in the system. It could be a good solo game to pick up and play, even if only to see its card based mechanics.

Chart the Constellations - 7Skyes

https://7skyes.itch.io/chart-the-constellations

This is a card based constellation generator. It has you pull cards from a deck and lay them in a pattern, using some of them as the star locations and some to choose the type of character in the constellation and the moral of the constellation. Its a good solution to create a series of constellation for your game worlds, and simple to use.

Invasion of the Third Kind - C.A.Mckinney

(write up based on itch.io page)

https://camckinney.itch.io/invasion-of-the-third-kind-core

This is a full game system based around sci-fi horror tropes from the 1980s. The players take the role of citizens trying to fight against alien invaders. The game has six available character types and six types of alien invaders. It boasts about innovative Alien Influence and Plot Twist systems. If you’re a fan of alien invasion films, this might be a good game to pitch to the group.