Newcastle-based indie publisher Biscuit Fund Games is having a notable week, launching a new zine in print while a Kickstarter for a different project successfully funds. The partnership of Chloe Montgomery and Alyssa Ridley celebrated the print debut of their RPG Mouse in the House at Tabletop Scotland this weekend.
Mouse in the House is an accessible, zine-sized roleplaying game where players take on the roles of mice navigating the colossal and perilous world of a human house. Drawing inspiration from small-folk tales such as The Borrowers and Gulliver’s Travels, the game transforms mundane locations like a kitchen or garden into vast, mysterious landscapes. The core motivation for these tiny adventurers is family, as they brave the dangers of the human world to gather supplies and keep their community fed.
Biscuit Fund Games highlights the game’s focus on being low-prep and affordable, aiming to reduce the mental load often required to run a roleplaying session. After speaking to the team at Tabeltop Scotland, I believe this design ethos is an epiphany moment and mission for the duo. We’ll see more of it in future projects.
Mechanically, Mouse in the House employs a simple d6 dice pool system. Players gather dice based on advantageous factors and aim to roll a target number of successes (a 4 or higher) to overcome challenges. The game also incorporates a play-by-post element for managing the mouse family’s welfare between active sessions, adding a layer of community care to the gameplay. The PDF is available on Itch.io for £5.
While Mouse in the House makes its physical debut, Biscuit Fund Games is also seeing success on Kickstarter with A Hunt Through the Bittercold. The campaign has already met its funding goal with around two weeks remaining.
A Hunt Through the Bittercold is a two-player asymmetric TTRPG designed for telling stories of grim survival. One player takes the role of the Protagonist, a lone traveller managing resources and fatigue, while the other embodies the Bittercold, controlling the hostile environment and its strange inhabitants. The game uses a standard deck of playing cards to procedurally generate trials and battles, inspired by roguelike video games such as Inscryption and Slay the Spire. It is built on the Fight Card system designed by Kayla Dice of Rat Wave Game House.
With a successful Kickstarter and a new print release, Biscuit Fund Games is establishing itself as a UK indie publisher to watch, focusing on accessible and inventive TTRPG experiences.
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A special thanks to All Rolled Up for sponsoring Geek Native’s coverage of Tabletop Scotland. You can find them in the trade hall and explore their fantastic range of indie RPGs and high-quality gaming accessories on the All Rolled Up website. You also also win £50 to spend with them.
