Tabletop RPGs have a deep connection to the pulp serial. When the earliest TTRPGs started out as zines passed around at conventions and game stores, you could often find them sitting right next to some good ol’ fashioned pulp fiction. While much of those stories may have been written by writers fueled by black coffee seasoned with cigarettes, they inspired a sense of adventure among readers. Those same stories served as the benchmark for TTRPG adventures.
And now everything’s full circle.
Strange Stories: The Roleplaying Game is a rules-light TTRPG anthology that consists of adventures inspired by pulp classics. Rather than stuff you’d see in the DnD release schedule, there’s a greater focus on scenarios geared for very specific types of stories. The base book includes classic scenarios such as a cabin in the woods, alien bodysnatchers, celebrity-eating blobs, time-traveling barbarians, and a guy who stands there just looking at you. Truly, there’s much pulp to chew on with this anthology.
The system itself is quite simple, and there’s no need to fiddle around with stuff like DnD classes. It’s rolling six-sided dice and seeing the consequences of your chosen action, give or take a few skill modifiers. The creators put together a very charming black-and-white tutorial video breaking down the minutia of the average game.
The best part of Strange Stories to me is the focus on being one-shot adventures with familiar yet fun scenarios. Sessions are streamlined for two to three hours at the maximum, ensuring no adventure overstays its welcome. I’ve always found there’s a need for these simpler TTRPGs with loads of personality for busy players like me. I already see this being a hit for folks who just want a night of tabletop fun.
You can check out Strange Stories: The Roleplaying Game on Backerkit here.
In the meantime, hop on the Wargamer Discord to enter a tabletop dimension beyond your imagination.
Source: Wargamer
