Kona GoodhartSep 22, 2023

Big Bad Con is just a week away, so I want to share a bit more about my new Thirsty Sword Lesbians playbook, The Little Red!

This year will be my first time back to BigBad since the pandemic; to celebrate, I wanted to make a playbook inspired by one of my favorite BigBad things: Big Bad World.

#ttrpg #ttrpgs #ThirstySwordLesbians #PoweredByLesbians #BigBadCon #LittleRedPlaybook #DarlingBatGames #selfPromo

Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023

A bit about Big Bad World: When you check in at BigBad, you get the pitch: it's a Powered by the Apocalypse-style convention metagame that expresses so much about the culture BigBad wants to cultivate.

The principles for every player (attendee) are:
- Think about the well-being of those around you.
- Address yourself to the other attendees.
- Make room for others at the table.
- Shine the spotlight on your fellow players.
- Learn everyone’s name, let them be human.

Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
Each playbook has additional moves for XP, like "help someone find their game," "introduce someone to a group of people," and "play a game you've never played before." XP is self-reported, and when you fill up your XP track you can exchange it for a small prize and try out a new playbook.
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
I love this approach. Big Bad World gently teaches attendees what kind of behavior is desirable to the community, and gives social permission to do things that might otherwise be outside one's comfort zone, like share a meal with other attendees you've just met.
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023

I wanted to capture that spirit in a playbook for Thirsty Sword Lesbians, while also making it usable in a real game. That meant the design should reference good and bad convention behavior, while not making it so tied to conventions or big events that it's too situationally specific

Thus the Little Red was born!

Show threadKona Goodhart

The Little Red is all about Excitement. They're ready and raring for adventure, but know that running themself ragged will ruin the fun. Their challenge is to make the most of the moment while taking care of themself and others.

The Little Red's core feature is an Excitement track. It's a balancing act: some Excitement is a good thing, and it's okay to take a rest, but the extremes of too much or too little Excitement can run you off the rails.

Sep 22, 2023 at 9:31pmWeb
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
But Grandma didn't raise a fool: you have tools for taking care of yourself — inside and outside the game! Those include the 5-2-1 Minimum and Bio Breaks.
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
Not familiar with those terms? The Little Red playbook is here for you! It includes a section on Convention Jargon and Other Good Stuff, with tips and tricks for making the most of a convention while taking care of yourself and others (sound familiar yet?)
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
The Little Red doesn't only look out for themself, though. Their moves show care for the others around them, reflecting some of my favorite pieces from Big Bad World ❤️
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
The Little Red takes care of the shared space, too; keeping it clean, modifying it to make it more accessible, etc. The results may be magical ✨
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023

As you can see, Big Bad World was powerful inspiration to create a playbook that's both fun to play and teaches how to make most of the convention while taking care of yourself and others.

You can read more about Big Bad World here: https://www.bigbadcon.com/blog/big-bad-world/

Big Bad World

Big Bad World
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023
Of course, part of the fun of Thirsty Sword Lesbians is playing a hot mess. Hopefully the Little Red lets you run wild and make mistakes while you practice good convention habits irl 😇
Show threadKona GoodhartSep 22, 2023

Thanks for reading this far! The Little Red was a joy to work on, and I love to gush about how good Big Bad World is.

The Little Red will be included in the Big Bad Con digital zinethology, and available via https://darlingbat.games after the con!

If you play it, I'd love to hear about it! Tell me about your character!

Darling Bat Games - itch.io

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