Happy New Year all! If you are reading this you survived 2016, congratulations! Yesterday I looked back at last year's list and discovered I hadn't bought any of the games I meant to, but I did manage to play four out of the six I wanted to. Today I want to make a new list of games to try to play this year. Like the last one this will be a mix of games I have played before, haven't yet played, and still need to obtain!
Play Again
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness: This was an obvious pick to move from still haven't played to play again. It was a bunch of fun and the party was pretty fantastic. After playing a one-session adventure, we have a decent grasp on the rules and how rough a fight can be. Knowing that, it will definitely lend itself to a multi-session adventure. I will probably do some kind of retrospective-review-thing for TMNT when the session airs on Untamed Dice, but for now I can say that the game feels pretty good. The way the system works combat is fairly loose and seems like it could take a long time, but it passes by quicker than you'd expect. Chances are this game will make it back to the table before the year is even half over.
Monster of the Week: I really enjoyed this Powered by the Apocalypse game but I didn't get to play as much of it has I would have liked. Tackling it again would be awesome for Untamed Dice, or just to play in general. The system was interesting enough for me, that I want to look into the other PbtA games out there, but for now I think I can settle for some awesome supernatural mysteries. Of course, the game isn't restricted to the supernatural. You can do an X-Files style game if you wanted, the game just represents that genre of weekly TV show. Just making the characters gives you a good feel for that. Hopefully, this makes it back to the table soon.
Cypher System: A new discovery for me in 2016 was the Cypher System. I had heard of Numenera and The Strange but never looked into them. When I finally did I discovered Cypher System, though I did not have the time or money to delve into another universal system. Then I found their Kickstarter for worlds of Cypher System. It was all over then and right before I received Gods of the Fall I picked up the core book. We had a great time playing it (that game is the origin of ceiling buffalo we occasionally joke about) and all want to play it again. For me, I would like to start fresh (we only did one session many, many weeks ago) and dive into Predation when it arrives at my door. As soon as that happens you can expect to see an adventure coming to Untamed Dice!
Honorable Mentions: Cats, End of the World, Kobolds Ate My Baby, Star Wars, Shadowrun, Mouse Guard
Still Haven't Played
Our Last Best Hope: Purchased alongside Wield and Cats during PAX East last year, this game sits next to its companion book which I purchased later in the year. Sadly, neither has been used yet. The thing about this game is that it is GM-free. To me, this game feels like a hybrid between a board game and a TTRPG. It isn't the only one that could make this claim, but it was one of the only ones I have see that approaches this from the RPG side of things. For those who don't know this game, it represents a whole campaign in one sitting. What kind of campaign? The disaster movie. Giant monster, sudden ice age, killer asteroids, that kind of thing. I really hope we make the time for this game to hit our table, and it shouldn't be hard to pick just one night.
Kult: This one makes the list though I don't technically have it yet. I no fairly little about this game still, but I do know I love horror. When this Kickstarter popped up on my feed one day i had to check it out and the trailer immediately caught my attention. It's the kind of game where everything is dark a gritty and the world is nothing that you think it is. To me the game seems very Lovecraftian in many ways, but without going full cosmic horror and tentacles. Instead it is more of a dark, supernatural feel to it where the world is very different and way scarier than we ever thought. Recently the released the quick start guide to us backers and I am excited to dig into it and hopefully get a game in soon.
Star Trek Adventures: I had to include a second game that isn't technically out yet, because I am just so excited about it. The qualifier for this one is that beta testing is out and I haven't managed to run it for our group. We signed up, excited to take part in a play test where our adventures can influence the released product. Sadly the initial play testing documents came out about a month ago and, as you know, December was really busy. While we won't be sharing it on Untamed Dice, this game is one I am really excited to get onto the table and I really hope the game (and I) can share the awesomeness of the Star Trek universe with my uninitiated friends.
Honorable Mentions: Torchbearer, Wield, CthlhuTech, Call of Cthulhu, All Outta Bubblegum, Dread, Open Legend
Games To Buy
Ryuutama: I NEED this game. OK so, again, I know little details about the game or the system. Once again, however, I also know what I like and I love the idea of this game. Explained to me as a cross between Oregon Trail and a Miyazaki movie, I instantly picked the game up. Flipping through the book I was also greeted with art that gave me a nice relaxing but incredibly fun feeling as I recalled similar art in old Harvest Moon games. I was so drawn to the game that I almost bought it instead of the three games I did buy at PAX East. I also specifically didn't read too much of that book otherwise I may have done just that. Not that it would have been a bad decision, per se, but three games trumped one. If I see the hardcover at PAX this year, I will be picking it up.
Masks: Last year a different superhero game took a spot on this list. I never ended up getting it and, though I still want it, this one has replaced it in my list of priorities. Every time I heard about this game I heard Young Justice mentioned. The more I heard this the more I wanted to play Masks. Now, I haven't yet played it at all, but I've been looking for a good supers RPG for a while now. If this system makes for a good Young Justice or Teen Titans adventure, then I have to have it. Such a game style would be perfect to get the group into a supers RPG.
N.E.W.: This is just half of a new RPG pair, the other being O.L.D. The headline for the system is What's Old Is New and I like that idea. N.E.W. is the sci-fi half of this system and O.L.D. is the fantasy half. The idea is different from most games that come out these days, as far as I can tell. Instead of being rules light and narrative, it is very crunchy. Lots to dig your teeth into, but a toolbox to let you do virtually anything you want. The concept intrigues me and I am interested to look into playing something with more old school crunch.
Honorable Mentions: Tales of Arcana, Icons, Dungeon World, Paranoia, Titansgrave
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