I’m headed into my 2022 convention season (Gen Con, Dragon Con, Multiverse). My itinerary includes connections with a number of publishers for news, interviews, and reviews. In addition, my schedule boasts some gaming sessions. As I meet new contacts and gamers, I plan to offer a physical 2022 RPG keepsake, something more than a business card, an RPG pamphlet for my new game, HUMAN… ALMOST (available at DriveThruRPG and Itch.io).
I’m enchanted by the RPG pamphlet format, its compact size provides enough real estate to convey a complete Forged in the Dark or Powered by the Apocalypse RPG experience. Printed on a faux cardstock, the material makes the tri-fold pamphlet feel like more than the one-pager it is. Combined with a QR code for free digital copies including additional character sheets, feedback, and contact information, this gift offers a look at what I do and a way to connect with me. Their ideal for GMs with big ideas but small amounts of time. They have a fanbase as seen in Itch.io’s One-Page RPG Jam 2022, which I was able to submit HUMAN… ALMOST for. In this article, I’ll look at RPG pamphlets, HUMAN… ALMOST, what it required to create this project, and how you can get a copy.
HUMAN… ALMOST: THE PLOT AND INSPIRATION
The project’s full name is HUMAN… ALMOST: A Post-Cyberpunk Police Procedural Roleplaying Pamphlet. In Knights of the Dinner Table, I’ve written about the need to differentiate new cyberpunk roleplaying games from existing cyberpunk RPGs. The crux of my argument is: There are plenty of cyberpunk RPGs with sandbox settings, so new projects should consider differentiating their work by adding something unique. Shadowrun adds fantasy, Blade Runner and Altered Carbon are popular settings, CY_BORG is grimdark cyberpunk, and CBR+PNK does excellent Forged in the Dark, rules lite cyberpunk. To that end, HUMAN… ALMOST takes us into a post-cyberpunk police procedural.
“Unregulated technocrime endangers The City; state-of-the-art criminals overwhelm the police. To improve their odds, human officers are assigned synthetic partners. Together, humans and machines protect and maintain this bright, seemingly ideal metropolis from technological chaos.”
For HUMAN… ALMOST, you play a human police detective in a near future city. It’s post-cyberpunk, so the 1980s neon is replaced with bright city streets and sunshine. You’re partnered with a synthetic being. Together, you fight the future trying to stop the crime of the week.
Where did the idea for a post-cyberpunk police procedural roleplaying pamphlet come from? Several cyberpunk TV series like Almost Human, Mann and Machine, Better Than Us, and Minority Report served as the inspiration and template I wanted to replicate with this project. While each of those series helped to bring this world to life, the name and artwork are meant to give the homage vibe to Almost Human, a short lived TV series that set the tone for this work. The premise of that post-cyberpunk police procedural informed the roleplaying pamphlet and I want to acknowledge their work. While this is not a licensed adaptation of Almost Human, HUMAN… ALMOST would not have come about without that series. Many thanks to J. H. Wyman for creating Almost Human and executive producing it with Bryan Burk and J. J. Abrams.
FORGED IN TAGS
“HUMAN… ALMOST is a post-cyberpunk police procedural tabletop roleplaying pamphlet. An homage to Almost Human, Mann and Machine, Better Than Us, and Minority Report, this Forged in the Dark variant is influenced by Son of Oak’s City of Mists and TOKYO : OTHERSCAPE brilliant tag systems, and the format of Emanoel Melo’s CBR+PNK.”
For HUMAN… ALMOST, I’m utilizing the pamphlet format and a Forged in the Dark variant akin to Emanoel Melo’s CBR+PNK. Emanoel’s originality and decision to create an RPG about classic runners and hackers doing one last job, presented as a GM pamphlet and a player pamphlet, was a revelation for me and that RPG’s influence here cannot be understated. Special thanks to Emanoel Melo for paving the way.
This engine owes a debt to the Forged in the Dark system from Blades in the Dark, created by John Harper. In addition, I need to call out Son of Oak’s City of Mists and TOKYO : OTHERSCAPE brilliant tag systems. Their projects are Powered by the Apocalypse with boosts from tags. Some of those concepts combined with tags makes for the right system to express HUMAN… ALMOST. To summarize, you roleplay and when a challenge arises, select tags that represent how you’ll address it. The GM may deduct tags based on the fiction. However many tags you’re left with, that’s the number of d6s you roll. Choose the highest single result rolled and compare. 6 is a success, 4 or 5 is a success at cost, 1 to 3 is a failure. Unhappy with the result? Commit a crime to get an automatic success. Your crimes are tagged and tracked and can lead to retiring your character if they’re not atoned for. There’s more, but this gives you an idea.
PRINTING
When it came to getting my first project (POWERED by the DREAMR) over the goal line, I would not have reached it without Barak Blackburn of Density Media. He showed endless patience as he did the layouts and walked me through the process. He also recommended I use a printer that is local to me for RPG zines and pamphlets. He Googled, and I’ve been happy with, Brandywine Printing. They’re close enough that I can pop over there and ask if they can do X thing or what type of paper stock they’d suggest. Their customer service is outstanding. Whenever a challenge arises, they make it right.
For the HUMAN… ALMOST: A Post-Cyberpunk Police Procedural Roleplaying Pamphlet, I met with Brandywine Printing to show them a pamphlet copy of the Mothership adventure, The Haunting of Ypsilon 14. I knew I wanted that stock and they were able to pick it out and share the details I’d need. The finished product will be black ink on white paper, no color. Printed letter sized (8.5” by 11”) on 100lbs accent cover stock, then tri-folded, this will be a sturdy pamphlet. The paper’s texture isn’t rough, but it’s not a slick, smooth surface either, you’ll have just a bit of grip from it. If you wanted to write on it, it’d be possible. They printed two pamphlets and an envelop making for a nice package to give away.
THE FREE PDFs
Pamphlets have a couple of advantages. First, printing them at home is simple. Second, if you break them up as individual panels instead of three panel pages, they read well on your cellphone. I’m not a fan of RPGs on cells, but pamphlets, with their narrow panel width, are ideal for phone displays.
For this project, Rebecca J Bozarth did the layouts and produced a spectacular pair of PDFs. Even if you’re not attending the con, you can pick up the PDF version of this roleplaying pamphlet for free at at DriveThruRPG and Itch.io.
ATTENDING GEN CON?
If you’re at Gen Con 2022 and you see me, don’t hesitate to ask for a physical copy of HUMAN… ALMOST. Free while supplies last. I’m eager to get this game out into the world and Gen Con is a great start. I look forward to seeing you there!
Egg Embry participates in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, Noble Knight Games’ Affiliate Program, and is an Amazon Associate. These programs provide advertising fees by linking to DriveThruRPG, Noble Knight Games, and Amazon.
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