Indie Roleplaying Games

Special offer today only: Show us your badge/receipt/tell us a great story from the Magic Pro Tour Qualifier and get a free small ice cream! It’s just down the street from us and you know you’ll want a beer after all of the that tapping!

What’s going on today: Pathfinder @ 6:00pm
Standard Magic Tournament @ 6:30pm. $5 buy in. Prizes!

Today, Tim’s long-winded discussion of RPGs is going to focus on Indie Roleplaying Games. What’s an Indie Game? Really, it’s just one that isn’t produced by a big company, but by enthusiasts working out of their home not so much to make money, but out of a passion for games. And usually, the games show that passion. They’re unique, insightful and fun.

What are some of our favorites?

Five Ancient Kingdoms hearkens back to the genesis of roleplaying by paying homage to the original printing of Dungeons & Dragons: it comes in a 3-book set of digest-sized books. It evokes the feel of the Arabian Nights in a rules-light system with custom dice. Written by local author Jonathan Becker, you can find out more athttp://tinyurl.com/mhsf499

Monsterhearts is an Origins Award nominated game about “the messy lives of teenage monsters.” It’s Buffy, with a dark side. It is written by Vancouver, BC resident, Avery Mcdaldno (the author of The Quiet Year) who is an incredibly prolific designer whose webpage can be found at http://tinyurl.com/mqyypxy and Patreon at http://tinyurl.com/oozr5xa

We Kickstartered Golden Sky Stories, which is a beautiful, fun game for young roleplayers. In this anime-styled RPG, players take on the role of magical animals that help people and solve problems.

And last on my list is Fate of the Norns: Ragnarok, because … Vikings! Do you need more reason to give a try? Another gorgeously produced game, this game captures the feel of the mythical Dark Ages. The same author is coming out later this month with a Viking-themed card game, called Gulveig, which I am also very excited about.

Tim Morgan

When Tim Morgan told his high school guidance counselor that he wanted to publish games for a living, the response was a clueless, “Uhhhh, you’ll probably want some college then.” Twenty-five years later, while still not publishing games for a living, he has made games his life -- over twenty years as the manager of a game store in Seattle, playtester of more RPGs and board games than you can shake a stick at, and small-press publisher of several games and even more novels. And now, co-owner of the ‘Round the Table Game Pub in Lynnwood. He currently lives in Everett, WA, where he is the caretaker of four (no, five!) lolcats, the oppressive taskmaster of a teenaged daughter, and the devoted husband of a wonderful author. His latest work is Ellis: Kingdom in Turmoil, a full RPG rules system and setting, detailing a low-fantasy world where religion is king and morality matters.