A Troika! RPG game

"Imagine, if you will, that Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett have returned from the dead. They both pile into a Ford Cortina and take a long drive across the American Southwest, pondering the nature of the fantasy genre. Once they arrive in California, they legally acquire several ounces of the finest cannabis sativa and hotbox the Cortina. Then they write an RPG. This, roughly speaking, seems to be what produced Troika, a delightfully simple and delightfully absurd game." --Aaron Marks

Troika! is my favorite RPG that I've never played. I love the system and I love the world!

The rules system overloads my nostalgia, as Troika! is a revival of the Advanced Fighting Fantasy system, a rules-light system from the UK that grew out of the popular Fighting Fantasy game book series (think "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain" for example). As a cash-strapped teen I depended on this system for my fantasy gaming needs in my youth as my parents forbade D&D but the library had a full set of Advanced Fighting Fantasy rulebooks.

But really, the reason I want to run Troika! is I want to play in its beautiful and weird setting. The city of Troika is a crossroads in a dying universe, and its infinitely varied inhabitants have answered the impending annihilation with whimsy. The creator, Daniel Sell, took Sigil as a foundation and, because he bemoaned D&D's attempts to make Planescape make sense, turned the surreal dial to 11.

I should mention that the game has some horror elements. We will be using safety tools such as Lines and Veils to address this and other issues to make sure nobody has a bad time.

Interested in learning more? Here is a link to the game's official website, worth visiting so you can see some of its mind blowing art. Here is the Troika! SRD which is a document that specifies its open-source rules system. And here is a video that explains the concept and spirit of the game better than I ever will be able to.

Will anybody join me on an adventure under the humpbacked sky? I have several modules, but I was thinking of running "So You've Been Thrown in a Well" as a starting point. I am equally tempted to run "Fronds of Benevolence" so if people are more excited about that I'm game to run that too.

Let me know!

I’m in!

I like the pitch! I’d be keen to try.

I'd give this a go! Reminds me playing with a box full of action figures as a kid, all from different toy lines, and trying to make them all fit in with one another.

Sounds ridiculous! I'd love to join in! :D

Sounds amazing! I would love to participate!

Damn, if there's room, I've been waiting for someone to play a game of Troika! I'd love to try it out!

That is a surprising number of applicants in a short period of time! Huzzah! Let all who applied gather under the humpbacked sky and rejoice. Due to the unexpected interest, I think I will run Fronds of Benevolence as it is better suited for a larger group. Behold!



Appropriate Music To Listen To While Reading Synopsis.I will set the pace at 1 post per day with the goal of trying to wrap up by July 2021. I should have the forum ready to start making characters by Saturday, February 6 at the latest. If anything here wasn't quite what you were expecting, please feel free to back out now.

Damn, I'm already late to this? Would love to join if a spot comes up.

Loved the YouTube clip about this game, it looks so brilliantly intense. If I did not have too many games already I would have joined.

Thanks Len for bringing this game forward, will definitely be reading up more about it.

Sorry DarK_RaideR, it filled up fast! Would you like to be notified if we have a spot open up? I'll definitely keep you in mind for the next Troika! game I run.

Hey no problem! Thanks for taking the time to say that. The real challenge will be in delivering that brilliant whimsy in play. Wish me luck!

I do, it will take some creative writing.

All the best.

Sure, shoot me a PM if there's an opening. Thanks!

ACHTUNG players: KCC69, LeftyLovecraft, SavageBob, oopsylon, ancient.astronaut.64, and skeptical_stun! A golden barge awaits to take you to the crystal spheres of the Other world. Tickets have been issued via GP invites. When you arrive in the Other world, please take a look around and feel free to begin posting:

1. You may begin assembling your characters in the Character Creation thread when you are ready (rules pdf linked at the top of the forum).
2. Ponder the safety questions and prepare your answers for posting in the Safety Tools forum.
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