When one plays TTRPGs, it's easy to fall into the comfort of familiar genres. A trek through the Forgotten Realms here, a skip through the World of Darkness there, and you rinse and repeat. After a while, these fantastical worlds might end up too familiar. If you're looking to spice up your tabletop with some good ol' fashioned weirdness, then Absurdia might be the TTRPG for you.
This upcoming tabletop roleplaying game is set in the birthplace of modern surrealism: sleepy suburban towns. These lackluster locales may seem normal, but Absurdia shows that even the mundane can look downright insane with the right perspective. After all, it's not everyday that one's neighbor is an extradimensional cosmic horror.
Absurdia uses the Powered by the Apocalypse system,an engine used by some of the best tabletop RPGs, especially those light on rules and heavy on narrative.. Absurdia is a particularly perfect host for this engine. Surrealism simply wouldn't work with a strict set of rules. By giving the power to the players and not the system, Absurdia gets to strut its supernatural stuff. The creators are open about their inspirations, such as Gravity Falls and Welcome to Nightvale.
Befitting the tone, the main factions aren't so much groups but abstract concepts. Bureaucracy, Community, Underbelly and Entropy constantly push and pull for dominance in the town. Whatever you do, your reputation with these factions will change. Whether for the better is entirely up to you.
The core mechanic of Absurdia revolves around Essence. Maintaining your Essence helps you weather the weirdness of the town. Even the bizarre can be brought to heel with a sound mind. Should you run out of Essence, however, you become Fractured. A permanent change to your character may hamper your chances at a happy ending.
You can learn more about Absurdia on the Backerkit site.
The Wargamer Discord is as cozy as any sleepy suburban town, so come join for a spell. For more tabletop offerings, the best board games guide has plenty of recommendations.