Hello and welcome to the March issue of the RPG Publisher Spotlight. It’s a bit different this month, and I’ll be looking at 2 Head Turtle.
There’s a free RPG available for you.
Let me tell you why the RPG Publisher Spotlight is a bit different this month. Each month, Geek Native Patrons can vote for which small or indie RPG studio they want the blog to focus on.
The poll for April is open, and you can vote here.
2 Head Turtle
Last month, the winning publisher was 2 Head Turtle. Great. What’s the problem? 2 Head Turtle has no contact details, no social media presence and just one game.
It’s pretty hard to shine the spotlight of illumination on 2 Head Turtle when, after a week of researching, I’m still in the dark.
So, let’s talk about Itch.io, the platform that’s increasingly popular with indie RPGs and look at Godfossaken.
Three years ago, your home was overrun by vengeful ghosts.
Two months ago, a stranger came, promising to drive them away.
One week ago, things finally began to return to normal.
Last night, all the children vanished. The stranger is to blame.
Today, there will be justice.
Godfossaken is free to download and does not require a GM.
It’s a spooky game. I like it. I think it would be better with a GM, someone who knew the character and their secrets.
That’s how Godfossaken works; characters and secrets. When you download the PDF, you’ll get a set of facts for each character, their knowledge and the moves they’ll do.
Players in the game are one of these characters or a parent of one or more missing children. The game begins by sharing the common knowledge of each. During the game, players narrate their characters actions, and if they complete a move, then they progress.
Frankly, it’s hard to say any more without entering spoiler territory.
Why is there a picture of a Fossa?
You might be wondering if Godfossaken is a typo of godforsaken. Despite my talent for typos, it isn’t. It’s a pun.
Godfossaken is part of an Itch.io games jam called Fossa Jam.
To take part in Fossa Jam, games designers had to submit a tabletop ROG between the 2nd of January and the 9th of February 2020 and include a Fossa.
What’s a Fossa? They are a rare cat that lives on Madagascar.
There was one entry to Fossa Jam; Godfossaken.
So, that’s what we know about 2 Head Turtle. They popped up on Itch.io for one game jam and haven’t been seen since.
What’s an Itch.io games jam?
I haven’t tried, but it’s free, and looks easy, to host a games jam. These are ways for games to be discovered, and as the jam creator, you can set up a ranking system or appoint judges.
If there’s voting, then voting happens while the jam is running, not at the end.
What is Itch.io?
Itch is an open marketplace for indie creators. The platform is focused on video games, but as we can see, that’s not a requirement.
As it’s a marketplace, you can set prices and sell your uploads. It’s a trendy alternative to some of the big-name markets that also sell RPG PDFs.
Itch.io is all about supporting creators. Two principles behind that objective which the site calls out are:
We do not believe in exploiting content. Creators should be proud of the pages that display their work. They should never contain advertisements, distracting banners, or links they didn’t approve of.
We believe in making it easy for creators to collect money for their creations in a non-obtrusive way. No matter how large or small the project, it should be simple for fans to donate or pay what they think is fair.
It’s also popular to integrate Itch.io with Patreon so that supports can claim ‘free’ download keys for your content.
Where are the TTRPGs on Itch.io?
Most tabletop RPGs on Itch.io can be found in the Physical Games category. There are some big names there, but since this is strictly speaking a focus on 2 Head Turtle, I won’t mention them here and leave it to you to take the risk to browse the collection.
Creative Commons credit: Giant Turtle by Glowner4.
So, there you have it! An alternative RPG Publisher Spotlight of the month and because the winning publisher is an anonymous mystery. I hope this quick intro to Itch.io was a suitable alternative.
