Little Gods (who hide on street corners)
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This is a game of small guardians¸ embodiments of the flavors and whims of the big city¸ who shepherd a Newcomer in their journey to find a permanent home. As the Newcomer's previous way of life rubs rough against the city¸ both will change and grow in unpredictable ways. Build a fantastic city together¸ and explore a cozy¸ urban world alongside someone looking for a better life.
Little Gods is a rules-light game for 3-6 players. Games are typically played over one to four three-hour-long sessions.
This Game is...
Rules light¸ using a roll-under d20 system
Intended for 3-6 players
Inspired by Kiki's Delivery Service and An American Tail
How to Play
One player will choose to play as the Newcomer¸ while each other player will choose a Little God to embody. These Little Gods¸ such as Oakenheart the spirit of tradition and strong foundations¸ or Tidesong the spirit of cycles and constant flow¸ each represent a core essence of the city that the players can tap into during the game.
Each player will choose a set of Traits and assign a numerical value to each. These are core truths about the character¸ and more of these truths are discovered during play. Whenever the character encounters something that goes against that trait¸ they roll the d20 and attempt to roll below the numerical value of that trait. If they succeed¸ the character stands firm against the influences and has authority to change the narrative to reflect that. If they fail¸ they must write a new trait to encapsulate how they changed or grew from this new experience.
Once a character has ten traits¸ they encounter a crisis. Something major in the narrative will test the very foundation of their character¸ and they will need to make hard choices to maintain their self image. After a crisis¸ the character chooses the four traits that best describe the person they've become¸ and erases all the others. Then the cycle continues¸ building more traits and understanding how they've grown and changed in the aftermath of the Crisis.
The Creative Team
Author: Sam Zimmerman
Editors: Magnus T. Hansen & Megan "Nezumi" Grieve
Illustrators: Carly A-F (cover)¸ Duamn Figueroa Rassol (interior)
Layout & Design: Duamn Figueroa Rassol
This zine was created and published by the Far Horizons CoOp as part of the A Thousand Burning Stars series of small games. The project lead for this series was Marx Shepherd. If you'd like to find out more or get in touch¸ check us out at farhorizonscoop.carrd.co.
We are an international indie TTRPG collective focused on fair and transparent pay¸ creator ownership¸ and collaboration and mutual support.
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