Rookie Jet, who has carved out a niche for their anime-inspired, fast and rules-lite RPGs, are back on Kickstarter with Gimmick Zero.
The setting is cyberpunk, and in this world, our living machines of cyberpunks are taking on kaiju-sized gone bad to do their part to save (what remains of) society. The crowdfunding campaign has been funded with several weeks left to run.
Rookie Jet says the RPG isn’t just for rookies but experienced gamers and offers a flexible system for campaigns and one-shots.
The anime inspiration comes from settings like Megaman Zero, Katana Zero and Bubblegum Crisis.
The game, which tends to last 2 to 4 hours and suits 3 to 4 players, promises to balance the thrill of dice roles with narrative play. It’s all about keeping options open without knowing what the results will be ahead of time.
The landscape of this world differs with every playthrough, dependent on how you roll the dice and the tables throughout this book. What we can tell you is that every world has several constants: Gimmicks, People, Cities, and Aberrations. Each world contained in the Gimmick Zero multiverse has been permanently affected in one way or another by what is called the “Zero Event” which always releases large and horrible beings that we call “Aberrations” into the world. While not much is known about Aberrations, we do know how powerful and destructive they are. That is why in every universe people have fought back and created “GC’s” or “Gimmick Companies”. These Companies specialize in the creation of “Gimmicks,” massive and specialized war machines with the singular goal of destroying Aberrations.
The indie RPG publisher rewards backers pledging just $5 with a PDF copy of the RPG and character sheets.
$20 of support is enough to enjoy a reward upgrade to the standard hardcover edition, plus the digital thank you from the $5 tier.
A standard hardcover means a non-standard one, but it’s not far away. The Limited Edition swaps in at $25.
If you want both, each handled by DriveThruRPG, it’s $40. That means you can use one book at the gaming table and shelf the other.
If, for whatever reason, you need more copies, then there’s a $100 group bundle.
Rookie Jet estimate delivery of August for the hardback and PDF.
Comments about this article can be found below and discussion elsewhere on Geek Native accessed via the chat portal.