RatGrrrl GamesSo, it's been two months since I released You're a RatGirl for the #12WordRPGJam, and what a couple of months it has been! With the 0420 release of Palimpsest [Draft 0.2] (after the 0457 release of 0.1) and its inclusion in the Indie TTRPG Showcase, I wanted to finally share Palimpsest and look back on the things that gave me the confidence to take on something bigger.
You're a RatGirl
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/youre-a-ratgirl
CW: References to Mental health Issues, Childhood Trauma & Neglect, Isolation, Strong Emotions ascribed to ‘You’
I don’t really care if it counts as an RPG, lyric game or whatever.
Simply by existing, it's more than worth the effort I put into it, both for me and the ratgirl at the core of my trauma & neurodivergences; RatGrrrl - the namesake of the game & my nom de rat.
I want to make things that explore & help her, & that she would want to play.
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I am truly humbled by the kind words & both thankful & sorry that it resonated so strongly with some people.
The RatGrrrl Games Logo is by Strega Wolf van den Berg
https://www.stregadesign.com/
It uses Unutterable by GGBotNet https://www.ggbot.net/
I always use The Itch Game Page Image Guide & Templates by Star West
https://starwest.itch.io/itch-page-image-templates
You're a RatGirl uses:
Textures from The Paper Project by Loreshaper Games
https://loreshapergames.itch.io/the-paper-project
face 1 by Thomas Novosel
https://www.patreon.com/thomasno/
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You're a Hero
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/youre-a-hero
Self ID
That's it
That's the whole fucking game
You're a hero
Simply the words & the trans flag.
Self ID is essential & the only true way to respect trans/ non-binary people, & allow us the dignity we deserve. No one can prescribe another's identity or experience. We do not need permission to exist. There is no equivocation on this.
There's nothing more heroic than truly being who you are.
Love, support & solidarity x
The 12-word Shit Post & Brain Worms Era
Everything was a 12-word RPG & I was making notes all over the place. I released three explicit shitposts:
Spiders & Georg
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/spiders-georg
Commemorating 20 years of the iconic post & challenging myself to do something analogue
Blorbo the Goblin
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/blorbo-the-goblin
A meme game with art from @EvlynMoreau https://www.patreon.com/evlynmoreau/
Lost
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/lost
Do not 'play' this 'game'
Have more respect for yourself than I clearly do for myself
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Cuplets & Cuplets (Open Edition)
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/cuplets
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/cuplets-open-edition
I was so enamoured with Chubby Crow Games' 12-word RPG Comprehensive Universal Poetry System (https://harper-jay.itch.io/cups) that I had to make a supplement for it in couplets, (English simplified) haiku & acrostics...as you do.
Made two versions as the plan was to enter #OpenSourceJam, but the original was ineligible.
Art, etc. @diwatamanila https://diwatamnl.itch.io/fancy-animals-art-pack
Grim Press/ Bob Greyvenstein
macrovector, Freepik
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Hierarchies of Circles
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/hierachies-of-circles
A collection of Anarchist 12-word RPGs
I don’t know anything about art or design & I only know a little bit about anarchism. I most closely align with anarchist communism, but as a queer chronically disabled & neurodivergent non binary trans womxn, I have a lot of frustration with ‘purist’, anti-voting, accelerationist bullshit that wants anarchism on a mountain of marginalised corpses.
We need to live to be able to fight
This was cathartic!
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Wen's Deadliest Catch: A Collection of Killer Fish for Lichoma, MÖRK BORG & Cy_BORG
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/wens-deadliest-catch
CW: Animal Harm (Fish), Blood, Butchery, Descriptions of Violence, Drugs
It was supposed to be a glorified shitpost for #FishBlade2023, but Deathshead13's phenomenal art & just how awesome these games are made me put way more time & effort than I planned to.
Apologies that the PDFs are from images. I learned a brutal lesson about RGB & CMYK that day.
Against the Grey
https://secret-table.itch.io/against-the-grey
CW: violent uprising, body horror.
A system agnostic adventure about anthropomorphic animals taking up arms to defend their forest against the greed of the Grey.
The adventure is presented through two pamphlets, one for the referee and one for the players.
It was an absolute dream to work with @EvlynMoreau & @huffa that I am still having trouble believing, even more @ratti doing a print run https://rattiincantati.com/products/against-the-grey
It was also unreal to go on Wobblies & Wizards with @huffa to discuss Against the Grey, which turned into an incredible conversation about the Queer/ trans experience, community, and the meaning of monsters and mutual aid.
Against the Grey: https://secret-table.itch.io/against-the-grey
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-grey/id1413472662?i=1000602700098
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LjAKwhbYWLbenrRHwJL0d
Anchor: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wobbliesandwizards/episodes/Against-the-Grey-e1vquop
https://www.wobbliesandwizards.com/
#TTRPG #IndieTTRPG #NotDnD
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Palimpsest [Draft 0.2]
A setting & hexcrawl in the realm where realms go to die
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/palimpsest
This was supposed to be Baby's [my ]First Hex, a quick little thing for the #TabletopGraveyardJam that turned into over 50 pages & growing into a monumental love letter to #DarkSouls, #DarkTower, death, memories, getting lost & losing yourself, mythology, & everything that interests me. This is something I am going to be working on for a long time with all manner of
things planned
#TTRPG
/10
I am absolutely in love with @EvlynMoreau's art for the Inexpungible, the antagonist and my own heartbreaking What If? of my favourite sad girl, #Luctatiel from DS2 & a bunch from her Patreon, as well as @Chaoclypse's horrifying art for the Guardian Detritus & a bunch from https://chaoclypse.itch.io/, & @ShoutingCrow's coming art of the Vestiges of the Inexpungible
@perplexingruins' fantastic https://perplexingruins.itch.io/perplexing-ruins-hex-kit-tiles & gorgeous https://www.patreon.com/perplexingruins inspire & fill it, along with many others
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@perplexingruins' fantastic https://perplexingruins.itch.io/perplexing-ruins-hex-kit-tiles & gorgeous https://www.patreon.com/perplexingruins inspire & fill it, along with many others
10.1/
Palimpsest also features & takes inspiration from the mindboggling art of Thomas Novosel https://www.patreon.com/thomasno/
I will be talking more about Palimpsest and all the ideas I have and work I have done on it more in the future.
Devlogs:
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/palimpsest/devlog/495993/palimpsest-release-and-first-update-draft-011
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/palimpsest/devlog/503523/palimpsest-second-update-draft-02
Palimpsest is available in the Indie TTRPG Showcase: A bundle hosted by @starshinescribbles with content from 26 creators https://itch.io/b/1764/indie-ttrpg-showcase
#TTRPG #IndieTTRPG
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Hoard: A Collection of Almost Forgotten #12WordRPG s
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/hoard
CW: Body Horror, Mental Health, Sexual Image (Wooden dildo)
The last two and a half months have been wild and I cannot be happier to be creating again! The way the 12-Word RPG Jam hooked into my brain and helped me start coming up with ideas and experimenting with layout and stuff has been absolutely pivotal in this process.
The last…well a long time now, but particularly the last few years have been really, really rough and I am overjoyed to be creating again, especially with it beginning with You’re a RatGirl and starting RatGrrrl Games.
This is a whole bunch of things I never got around to releasing separately or finishing. Twelve in fact…just as I feel the abyss trying to claw me back into the darkness.
Jams are great and rating and saying something about a game makes the world of difference
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Art, assets & curation for Hoard
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/hoard
Artwash
British Library
Eldamar Studio
@EvlynMoreau (I love the tired warrior so very much)
Freepik: macrovector
Nate treme
openClipart
Pexels: JJ Jordan
Pinetools
the loreshaper, the Paper Project (I spoke about this previously in this thread https://dice.camp/@RatgrrrlGames/110040814685724792)
Vecteezy: grmarcstock, Klyaksun,
latiefzubet736081, Mihai Gruianu,
Seftian Anderson, ws tyan
Wikimedia Commons
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So that's quite a lot for just over two months:
Five 12-Word RPGs (Including 3 shitposts)
Two Collections of 12-Word RPGs
Two Versions of individual 12-Word rules, encounters, NPCs & items for CUPS in poetic forms
A Collection of NPCs for Lichoma, Mork Borg & Cy_Borg
A pamphlet adventure as part of Secret Table
A setting & hexcrawl
A LOT more in the works!
https://ratgrrrl-games.itch.io/
https://secret-table.itch.io/
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Perplexing Ruins@RatgrrrlGames woah this is rad! thank you for the kind words, and so happy to see the hexes getting some use!
@perplexingruins Wow! Thank you ever so much. That means the world coming from you. They are a phenomenal set and went a long way to inspiring aspects of Palimpsest. Thank you! X
@RatgrrrlGames i am not good on this site, but be sure to keep me posted!