Not literally, of course! KAMB describes itself as THE beer and pretzels RPG, and I can understand why. It is a game designed for ease of play, hijinks, hilarity, and downright silliness. Death is something that happens to kobolds, something they do not fear, and should be celebrated with drinks. Success never happens, so when you live you should, obviously, celebrate with drinks! The entire rule book is fun to read because of the way it presented. Not only do they tell you that you must hail the king (All hail King Torg!), but they do it throughout the whole book. And there are great cartoony pictures and tons of puns too!
When I thought about this beer and pretzel description, I did a little web search for other games that considered themselves, or were considered by players, to be beer and pretzel games. The list that came back to me is fantastic. There was plenty of advocating for KAMB and many a huzzah for King Torg (All hail King Torg!). But there were also plenty of other games included as well. Some are RPGs and some are not, but they all have something in common.
I don't mind postulating, and think it is safe to say, that the whole point of RPGs has always been to get around a table and enjoy some time with friends, doing something you enjoy. Some folks get together and watch football, enjoy snacks, and drink their fill of beer. Others roll dice, enjoy snacks, and drink their fill of beer. Either way you talk about the game and theorize about certain upcoming events. Beyond that you socialize and catch up. Maybe you get a chance to complain about life or maybe you use it as a chance to completely ignore life. Either way the point is to relax and have fun, it always has been.
Of course RPGs have become so much more. There are dozens of systems and countless settings. Emphasis is placed on story telling, mechanics, battle, or intrigue. It has become a giant culture full of subcultures. The way I see it, once getting together and rolling dice was like getting together and watching football. Now it is more like getting together to watch "the game." The game being what ever sport your group particularly like to get together to watch. For some they wait for March Madness for the big get togethers. Others feature weekend hockey games and others it's football season. The same is now true of RPGs. Is it a weekly campaign, or season big games with one shots in between? Are you a sci-fi buff or fantasy geek? Does your system focus on story of battle? It makes groups unique and what makes there so many subcultures now.
Despite this, we all have something in common. We want to get together, talk with friends, roll some dice, escape the real world, and maybe have some beer and pretzels too. Beer and pretzel games are a great reminder of that. Great games to play between major arcs in your campaign, perhaps. Something where you don't care if you die or what the future of the campaign holds. Something to let you not just relax and let loose from the real world, but also the imagined world of your normal sessions. While it is not to say that complex systems are not designed for enjoyment, beer and pretzel games hold enjoyment up on a pedestal, encouraging "whatevers" and non-sense hijinks.
To finish of i want to say that I will have a review of KAMB up, likely next week, for the Resources post. I also want to throw out a few game names that I found in my search for those wondering. I hope to add some of these to my (ever growing) list of games I want to play this year. Note not all of them are RPGs, some are board/card games.
- Paranoia
- Pokethulhu
- TOON
- Gamma World
- Doom and Cookies
- Munchkin
- Ninja Burger
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