Tabletop RPGs thrive on creativity, especially as the industry evolved from the wargames of old. Gone are the days of every other TTRPG being set in high fantasy or a gritty galaxy. Anything and everything can have a TTRPG. That grab bag of diversity is what makes modern TTRPGs so fun to explore. When it comes to wacky sci-fi settings, this upcoming post-apocalyptic TTRPG is the perfect example.
Grok?! 2nd Edition is a rules-lite sci-fi fantasy TTRPG set in the post apocalypse. The hardcover features 200 pages of rules and lore to get you up to speed on the hypertechnological post-apocalypse. Witty inspirations for the game include Discworld, Flash Gordon, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. As for mechanics, it takes a different approach from the classically structured DnD classes. The system encourages storytelling, more concerned with quick narrative flow than crunchy combat.
Also, to tackle the AI elephant in the room, it has absolutely nothing to do with the other "Grok," as this TTRPG came out way before that one. If anything, that particular bot would be a sinister force in this world. And lo and behold, that is exactly what the creators poke fun with the quickstart adventure's villainous AI named "F-3LON." For more about the game's mechanics and that hilarious adventure, you can check out the quickstart on itch.io here.
What drew me to Grok?!'s setting is how haphazardly beautiful it all is. With a laundry list of inspirations from entirely different genres, it somehow merges into a cohesive whole. Grok?! reminds me of Adventure Time with its nonchalant dedication to countless iconic works. You could be hanging out with DnD races like elves and orcs one day, then topple an technocapitalist robot overlord the next. That unpredictability
You can support Grok?! 2nd Edition on Kickstarter here.
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