MASHED: A Korean War MASH RPG (PBtA)
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MASHED is a tabletop roleplaying game that uses Powered by the Apocalypse rules to explore the value of human life and the stresses of war-but it's also about relationships. And courage. And laughter. And love.
Although your characters spend long hours performing surgery¸ MASHED compresses these into short events to focus on the most dramatic moments. Much of the game actually occurs outside of the operating tent¸ at times when the flow of casualties has ebbed. Here you may fall in or out of love¸ fight the orders of ineffective top brass¸ set up pranks¸ help your South Korean allies¸ pick fights¸ seduce your way through the unit¸ pull rank¸ and much more.
If you can find ways to relax amid the horrors of surgery and war¸ you might get rotated home with your sanity intact. Just remember that you're practicing medicine in a combat zone-and death isn't confined to the operating tent.
"MASHED weaves history and military procedures through the game in a totally fitting way¸ doesn't dwell on or ignore the challenges of the era for modern eyes¸ and features a brilliant use of countdown clocks and wounds. I cannot wait to see this finished and on the table." - Meguey Baker¸ creator of 1001 Nights¸ co-designer of Apocalypse World
The download includes the MASHED RPG (262-page PDF) and all of the complete handouts designed for print-and-play:
- 7 playbooks (Angel¸ Corpsman¸ Cowboy¸ Cutter¸ Doc¸ Grunt¸ Padre)
- 1 character creation guidebook
- 1 moves summary playsheet (basic and medical)
- 1 patient playsheet (including 4 patients; 2 per side)
- 1 tents playsheet (with instructions and handout; 2-sided)
- 3 CO field manuals (quick reference guidebook¸ first session workbook¸ event workbook)
- 1 personnel tracker (22 pages)
- 1 calendar covering June 1950 to July 1953 (38 pages)
- 2 printable camp maps (with and without labels)
"Part game¸ part history lesson¸ MASHED captures the human drama of battlefield medicine within the context of the Korean War." - Marshall Miller¸ creator of The Warren
MASHED is a tabletop roleplaying game for 3+ players¸ one of whom serves as the Commanding Officer (CO). A single game session can be as short as two hours¸ or extended into longer multiple sessions to eventually cover all three years of the Korean War.
The game informs and educates through play¸ helping the reader learn more about the Korean War and the costs that war imposes on those who live through it. However¸ as Joss Whedon once said "Make it dark¸ make it grim¸ make it tough¸ but then¸ for the love of God¸ tell a joke." With that in mind¸ the book covers the entire Korean War in seven phases¸ with 30+ threats¸ 80+ events¸ and dozens of story questions featuring light comedy¸ gallows humor¸ and mature situations¸ all of which can be combined in new ways to create a multitude of scenarios.
How It Plays"MASHED uses a system that beats down the characters so they find solace in each other¸ places it into historical fictional context in which you're all the foreigners¸ and primes you for dramatic and challenging play." - Fraser Simons¸ creator of The Veil
The rules are based on Vincent and Meguey Baker's innovative Apocalypse World game engine and inspired by other Powered by the Apocalypse games such as Night Witches¸ Blades in the Dark¸ The Warren¸ Monsterhearts¸ and others. The core mechanic involves rolling two 6-sided dice and adding a single character stat against results of 10+ (success)¸ 7-9 (su