Can A House Be Haunted Even While It Burns Down?

Can a house be haunted even while it burns down?

A not-so-hypothetical question in a world with Embergeists – spirits so mournful or vindictive that their very ectoplasm combusts, setting their haunts ablaze. Players enter the scene as a brigade of Burnaways – mercenaries who must act as fire fighters, detectives, and ghost hunters to stop the Embergeists by means of force or empathy.

A near-future retropunk setting and “grimhope” tone puts focus on narrative growth, contrasted with a unique “level-down” advancement mechanic in a lightweight, accessible system geared toward one-shots and short campaigns.  

WHAT MAKES BURNAWAY UNIQUE?

🔥 Burnaway’s mechanics are easy to pick up for first-timers, while still offering depth and detail in skilled hands. The hit-based system allows the use of any type of dice, so bring your favorite mix to the table!

🔥 Each mission is a unique puzzle with many different solutions, though not all of them are satisfying, and the puzzle is constantly on fire. Characters’ decisions are the greatest determiner of their fate, with no railroading to hamper their actions (or to protect them from fatal disaster).

🔥 Who said anything about getting stronger? BURNAWAY eschews traditional TTRPG power up mechanics. In a line of work where retirement or death are the only prospects, it’s up to the characters to process their own Grief and avoid suffering permanent Burns at the end of each session.

🔥 Acknowledgement of hope is just as important as the acceptance of Grief. Characters may build Bonds with each other, relationships forged in literal fire, and gain mechanical benefits from their evolving interpersonal dynamics.

🔥 BURNAWAY adapts to how your group wants to game, providing a full ruleset for traditional, GM-lead or collaborative GM-less play.

KICKSTARTER FUNDING NOW!

READ MORE ON OUR SITE!

........aaaaaaaand that's another production complete and available to binge in full!

If the cast group chat is anything to go by, you WILL fancy Gwynned (the shieldmaiden of Morrigan who spent thousands of years in time-out as a duck) by the end of this story

In which we reach the end of the line, penalty fares apply, and not everyone makes the return trip.

Follow us on your usual podcast app - search Merely Roleplayers or head to www.merelyroleplayers.com

COMPERE: Matt Boothman

STARRING:

Ellen as Jess Butterworth, the Spooky

Chris Buxey as Calistarius Softbinding, the Expert

Natalie Winter as Gwynned, the Divine

Marta da Silva as Harper, the Searcher

ROLEPLAYING GAME SYSTEM: Monster of the Week, designed by Michael Sands

MUSIC BY: Alexander Pankhurst

SOUND DESIGN BY: Matt Boothman

EDITED AND PRODUCED BY: Matt Boothman

You know a piece of media is special when it's in your top 5 but you wouldn't recommend it to a single other person

imagine if skyrim was the most popular game of all time by an order of magnitude and people caleld video games ‘skyrims’. and it cost ninety dollars and took up half the average computers hard drive. and then peoel would be on nexus being like ‘hi guys check out my farming sim skyrim mod’ and it just had you kiling draugr but on a farm. and people were like ‘yeah i think that you just cant do farm simulation in video games’ and if anyone brought up stardew valley theyd be like ‘okay well first of all its presumptuous to  assume i can afford a second video game or have space for it on my hard drive. and Second of all when i play skyrim i just run back and forth around the towns picking up all the cabbages for seven hours on end so i don’t see why i’d need a whole game programmed to be about farming. i can play skyrim the way i want to. stop gatekeeping gaming.’ anyway thats what its like to like ttrpgs other than dungeons and dragons.

fellow from the fallowoods

mellow from the mallowoods

If you build it, will they come?

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All right, luvvies? Welcome new subscribers, and thanks everyone who responded to January's newsletter by email and on Mastodon. I've been r

This month in the Foggy Outline newsletter: is there a piece of creative advice - about craft, commercialisation, or any other aspect of creativity - that you've fully taken to heart?