Here Come The Monsters!

The Game of Gargantuans
Modern (giant monsters)
Deep7
1999
Complexity: 2

Here Come The Monsters! is another 1PG game from Deep7, like Shriek!—of which I have a generally positive opinion—and Exosuit A-OK—of which I have a generally negative opinion. It’s also a game about giant monsters, which just happen to be my favorite kind of monsters, so reasonably this should also be a thing that I like.

Send in the Clowns

Retro (horror)
Fat Goblin Games
2017
Complexity: 2

Send in the Clowns is a bit of an odd thing, it’s a special edition of vs. Stranger Stuff focused on clowns. It’s also, I believe, the third game I’ve reviewed from the deluge of Stranger Things/It-inspired games that have appeared in the last few years. So let’s check out Send in the Clowns, a game of creepy clowns, and creepier plagiarism.

Dance Dance Revolution

An Unofficial Roleplaying Game
Modern [fan game]
Self Published
2006
Complexity: 3

Hey y’all mind if a go off in an odd direction and review a Dance Dance Revolution fan game? Yeah, well too bad, it’s already been done, so you might as well read it.
Dance Dance Revolution, an Unofficial Roleplaying Game is a bit of an odd beast--I know, shocking--in that it is not a game that takes place in the DDR universe, but is rather a game about playing DDR. It’s also a 24-hour RPG, which is something I’ve done in the past and can tell you isn’t as fun as it sounds. Anyway, now it’s time for me to attempt to take this seriously.

EPICS

Deserve to Survive
Universal (superheroes)
Dragonslayer Games
2003
Complexity: 2

EPICS--The Easy, Player-Initiated Character System--is a superhero game that didn’t want to be a superhero game so it became a “universal” system. It’s also a game that talks pretty big of itself, being described as “one of the most original game systems in years” and “a new type of roleplaying system” by its publisher. Which is convenient for me because that tells me exactly what I should be expecting, and to what standard I should be holding it--obviously very very high.

Schauermärchen

A Very Scary Little Game

Historic (horror)
John Wick
2005
Complexity: 2

Introduction
Schauermärchen—which apparently is German for “horror story”—is a game about children trying to not get murdered in a nightmarish landscape. That description should more-or-less tell you if this is the sort of game you may be interested in.

The most interesting thing is what a complete little package this is; combining a system, setting, and story all within a 16-page booklet. Given that this is a stand-alone entity, I’m going to be trying to avoid anything that might spoil the game for potential players. If you want to be extra safe in that aspect, avoid the Content section.