On the heels of the “disaster lesbian” RPG Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Evil Hat has announced plans to playtest and publish another tragic and female-focused RPG.
Andrew Gillis’ Girl by Moonlight uses the Forged in the Dark system to tell tales of magical girls in tragic scenarios. There are four different settings in the game. There’s Kingdom of Dawn where the magic girls struggle to reclaim a world corrupted by Darkness. In On a Sea of Stars the magic girls are mecha pilots locked in a battle against the extinction-level doom of the leviathans. There’s a magical conspiracy to face in In a Maze of Dreams. Then, in In Darkest Night the PCs are compromised members of the Memorial Academy and are trapped in their own inevitable doom.
Magical Girls is an anime and manga trope or subgenre in which school or college girls have magic or items that allow them to transform into superpower or magic-wielding hero versions of themselves. They’re often accompanied by animal companions or spirit mascots.
In Girl by Moonlight, there are seven different Magic Girl types to play; the Guardian, Engima, Outsider, Stranger, Time Traveler, Unlikely Hero and Harmony.
It’s not all about killing things, stated conflict outcomes include mending, care, and making a connection while the game explores issues of identity, love and community.
Evil Hat suggests the game suits 3 to 6 players, of only 13 and up with a game lasting for about 2 to 4 hours.
The playtest is open and you can sign up here.
Once the playtest is complete, the game will be out in both hardcover and digital formats. It’s not clear whether or not Evil Hat and Gillis will take the game to Kickstarter but, if they do, then it’s likely that campaign will restrict shipping to US backers for the physical copy.
Andrew Gillis maintains a Patreon to fund their efforts and has earned the support of over 30 backers. They stream Girl by Moonlight on Twitch as Actual Factual.
Have you played any of the previous beta texts of Girl by Moonlight? What did you make of the game?
