Previewing REAP!: Nostalgia Of A Weird Kid
by Anton Kromoff
Welcome to the table,
I’ve been playing TTRPGs for as long as I can remember. More than dodgeball, games of catch, or whatever else kids are supposed to do that I was left out of by my parents and able-bodied peers, the rolling of dice and the adventures in make-believe worlds have always been a fundamental part of who I am.
So when projects come across my desk that harken back to the days of drawing in lined notebooks and crafting vast imaginary landscapes to cope with the stuff going on in my head, I feel it’s important to showcase them just in case other little weird kids (or weird kids who grew up into weird adults) are out there looking for things that conjure the same childhood feels.
REAP checks a lot of nostalgic boxes for me whether it intends to do so or not.
What is REAP? REAP is a hack* of the Rune role-playing system by Spencer Campbell of Gila RPGs. In REAP you are playing as a lone necromancer known as a Reaper who is wandering a cursed world between the land of the living and the dead.
What is the vibe of the REAP? REAP, to me (because much like Keith Lee, I’m giving you my opinion), feels akin to Elden Ring if Elden Ring was scrawled across the pages of a composition notebook in the quiet time when you are waiting for everyone else to finish a science quiz. I am not saying that it is juvenile by any stretch, but it does speak to a time when rules and structure were a little more fluid and the changing of the tracks on your mix tape shifted the landscape of your mind to something new and strange to explore.
The art in the Quick Start Guide is evocative of the same ballpoint pen drawings that covered sheets of notebook paper, and while I am a fan of all styles of art, I really like when the art of a project feels like it fits the copy so flawlessly. With the tone of the game, the drawings presented just fit, like Megadeath logos drawn on spiral notebooks… the art presented and the tone of REAP just feel like they belong together.
Why Should You Care? REAP is a melancholy romp where you explore forsaken locations, learn eldrich secrets, and fight harrowing horrors to use their souls to power your items. It’s a departure from other more crunchy* systems that are out there and can be played with a small party or even just serve as inspiration for writing prompts and creative thinking exercises for those who need a little nude when their thoughts are either too loud or too quiet.
Moreover, it’s just a rad change of flavor that those who are into things like Darksiders, Metal Album Covers, Weird Fiction, and horror heroes can get into without having to learn a ton of new rules.
Check out the Kickstarter and get notified when the project goes live.
*HACK – A set of rules that homemade rules have been added to in a way that does not change the existing system of rules but adds a few new functions that are specific to the setting being presented.
*Crunch – A slang used to refer to Rules in TTRPG. Fluff would be the slang for narrative. The more Crunch the heavier the rules.
Until Next Time… The more you know!
