It took me a long time, I am aware of it. Many of you will have already got your hands on Things from the Flood after his KICK-STARTER successful, I know. Others will have already played several sessions, others will still be playing and others will have abandoned it. Many have already gone through The Loop Saga, I know.
As I told you in previous reviews, however, I am of the opinion that to know a game it takes more than a few weeks. Every time I find the review of an RPG after 2, 3 days of its release, I turn up my nose a little. It clearly is unlikely that you can understand a role-playing game in all its facets in just two days.
After trying both Tales from the Loop and Things from the Flood, in addition to having heard the opinion of Claudius Serena di Fumble RPG, I feel able to review this saga.
History and publications
The series that revolves around the loop starts from a set of illustrations. Incipit: an underground structure with mysterious ends and unofficially supported by the States of Sweden e United States of America. It is the hand of Simon Stalenhag, artist, musician and designer born in 84, to start it all. His exquisite performances inspire the team of FreeLeague to create a role playing game concerning the roaring 80s and 90s, while the success of Stranger Things does the rest. To deal with the drafting of the project is Nils Hintze, a scenario writer for over ten years and a skilled player, whom the Free League contacts almost immediately.
Nils is in fact known in his environment for being able to write scenarios in which players manage to explore their characters while solving mysteries and facing challenges; a sort of messiah for the project and for his people target. Then adding to the curriculum a career started as psychologist, it is easy to understand why the whole Loop Saga is centered between social relationships and internal conflicts rather than clashes and dice rolls.
È Tales from the Loop the first child of the series; the Kickstarter explodes within a few hours and that's it. 2017 sees the release of the first print, and as players explore this new world, Free League thinks about after. One year later (about) he was born Things from the Flood, sequel official of the first book. The more mature tones compared to his big brother, combined with the 90s and the first technologies, do the rest.
What is The Loop Sagas and how it should be lived
But let's move on to clickor rather: why should we play Things from the Flood and, above all, who should play it?
One of the characterizations that could promote this game is the strong 80-90s sense that permeates the setting. Between a fiord Swedish and a city in the Colorado American you will have everything you need to go back in time. The nostalgics of the cabin cruisers will have bread for their teeth with the Loop Saga.
TftF and TftL correspond to what comes closest to an RPG. Yes, I know it's a pretty strong word, but I found it perfect for those who don't have much time and are looking for something well done. The duration of the Mysteries is approximately two-three sessions, the creation of the characters lasts a maximum of five minutes and is ideal for those who, like me, have little time and are looking for something introspective.
The Loop Saga is united, like most of the games released through the FreeLeague, from an almost non-existent progression of the character. Explaining better: your character will become better at climbing, talking and solving mechanical problems, but his limits will remain those of a normal boy / child. It is not difficult to understand, therefore, that the goal of the creators in creating a game introspective has been centered in full. Reading the manual I had the feeling that the Mystery was only the outline and that the real adventure was the life of the characters.
A game that would have a lot to teach
What struck me most about the Loop Saga is its ability to mix the progression of the mystery with everyday life events. Everything in the most famous game in the world is seen as Downtime here it is an integral part of the story, precisely because it is evolution to be interesting. Just like in a movie (by the way, you've seen ours review of Be-Movie?) the Mystery is not just smash and destroy sessions, but above all evolution.
And it is precisely this type of session construction, collaborative between narrator and players, that makes the difference. The Narrator is not left with everything "now go have fun”But the players have to become proactive. The session should always open with a "what would you like to play about your character?" It is the player who dictates the scene, the narrator bases the details and it goes on like this for every player at the table. THEN, and only THEN we arrive at the "mystery scene". But the introduction, desired by the players, is thestart. A kind of shock towards players who like to be taken to leave the nest, to move.
Other than that, having found one declaration of intent, the presence of one session zero and having stressed over and over how much one type of game is more delicate than others have literally kidnapped me. One mystery in particular, "Let's Talk About Sex”Opens a nice parenthesis on how sexuality is a taboo on many tables, and invites players to make no secret of it with the narrator.
