Those Wretched Kids! A Solo TTRPG
 |
The plan was simple. Well... maybe it was a bit convoluted but the goal was simple:
Convince the rubes of the town that the carnival was haunted so that you could execute your brilliant schemes undisturbed.
It would have been perfect¸ despite a few minor setbacks and incompetent henchmen.
If it wasn't for one thing...
That group of accursed teenagers!
Those Wretched Kids! is a solo journaling/roleplaying game played with a deck of cards¸ one D6¸ a tumbling block tower¸ and a journal or recording method. The game is based on Loot The Room's excellent Wretched & Alone system.
In Those Wretched Kids! you play a brilliant if somewhat unsuccessful entrepreneur that has developed a vaguely nefarious plan centered around an old abandoned amusement park. In order to have your plans go off without a hitch¸ you have to balance the artificial legend you created to scare off interlopers¸ develop your main scheme¸ reflect on your career that keeps getting labeled as "villainous" for some reason and stop Those Wretched Kids! from interfering!
Those Wretched Kids! was inspired by the classic "Kid Sleuth" books and shows I loved as a kid - Scooby Doo¸ (and the dozen other Hanna-Barbera cartoons that used the same format) Hardy Boys¸ Nancy Drew¸ Encyclopedia Brown¸ Lewis Barnavelt and the Three Investigators as well as more modern twists on the genre like Stranger Things.
But I thought it would be fun to scurry around in that world from the point of view of the hapless villain. That one schemer with an overly elaborate plan to get rich¸ create a mighty weapon¸ uncover treasure or whatever other mad plot you devise¸ only to have it inevitably foiled 99.9% of the time by a group of snooping kids and novelty sidekick animal/robot.
And of course¸ what better place to set this adventure than a creepy abandoned amusement park?
As you play¸ you'll attempt to thwart their investigations¸ perpetuate the legend¸ progress the plans and examine who you really are. Are you actually the villain after all? Record your thoughts in the Monologue stage¸ an essential in every evil genius' toolkit.
Can you ever defeat Those Wretched Kids?
A game of Those Wretched Kids! can be played in a single sitting or as a creativity and journaling exercise over the course of days.