Spotlight June 2022 | Happy PRIDE! Indie RPG Love

We love Indie RPGs here at Twenty Sided. Supporting those who create games to tell great stories and bring people together to have meaningful connections (and so much fun!) is a huge part of what we do.

This month for Pride, we want to shine the spotlight on queer creators in the indie RPG space and show some love to their brilliant games!

Alex Roberts | Star Crossed, For The Queen

Twitter @muscularpikachu 
Instagram @helloalexroberts

Alex is a master at creating games that include all the pieces- every artifact serves a purpose. For the Queen is a compact box full of endless story possibilities for weaving a tale— no prep involved!

Star Crossed tells the story of two lovers who really, really want to but really, really can’t. Tension mounts with the help of a teetering Jenga tower. You may forever ask yourself why Jenga isn’t always played this way. And that would be a fair question.

Fun fact! Both games have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian and Korean!

An invited Guest of Honour at 3W6Con in Vienna, Austria, Alex’s most recent games are RAT TRASH PARTY, co-created with Dana Johnson and Our Time on Earth, both of which can be found on Alex's itch page here.

Avery Alder | The Quiet Year, Monsterhearts, Dream Askew 

Twitter @lackingceremony

The tagline of the Buried Without Ceremony site is “Games that mean something.” Avery builds thoughtful games about community, relationships, queerness and self-discovery.

From angsty teen monsters exploring the confusion of coming of age in Monsterhearts, to quite literally planning for the end of civilization in The Quiet Year, to queer strife in a time of collapse in Dream Askew, Avery strikes the balance between levity and provocative storytelling. These are games about relationships that build relationships.

Avery is currently working at Possibility Space as a Senior Narrative Systems Designer. You can find the rest of her works here at buriedwithoutceremony.com

Greg Leatherman | Glitter Hearts

Twitter @whitewing
Instagram @lysander03
TikTok @Lysander003

Glitters Hearts is one of those games that flew off the shelves when we first got it in stock. Greg has flawlessly captured the age-old story of ordinary people who gain extraordinary powers in such a fun way. That’s just it – it’s pure fun. Fun dusted in glitter. So much glitter!

Fun fact! The game is being sold in Brazil, so it’s being translated into Portuguese. Because Portuguese is a gendered language, the translation team is having a fun and interesting time coming up with gender neutral terms and patterns of speech to match the book.

Greg also has a podcast called Very Random Encounters, an actual play podcast of a ton of different game systems in which they randomize as many things as possible. 

Lucian Kahn | Visigoths vs Mall Goths, Dead Friend: A Game of Necromancy

itch necromancy.itch.io

Local game designer Lucian Kahn creates games that are surreal, campy fun and just a little bit spooky. Visigoths vs. Mall Goths is a dating sim for angsty teens in an L.A. shopping mall in 1996. Dead Friend: A Game of Necromancy uses tarot cards to tell the story of a ghost. These witchy, playful stories are the perfect accompaniment to your candlelit table.

A long time friend of the store, Lucian most recently wrote for the new Advanced Lesbians and Lovers!

You can join Lucian's email list here.

Possum Creek Games | Wanderhome, Sleepaway, Dungeon, The Flower Court  

Twitter @possum_creek Jay Dragon @jdragsky Ruby Lavin @rubylavin
Instagram @possumcreekgames

We carry and love so many games from Possum Creek, a local indie publisher based in the Hudson Valley. The team is made up of Jay Dragon (creative director) and Ruby Lavin (art director and graphic designer). Possum Creek Games invites everyone to the table, with a wide variety of player styles and beautiful, cozy illustrations.

Jay’s games invoke inquisitive wonder, and include everything from queer counselors at a haunted summer camp in Sleepaway, to traveling animal-folk and the world they inhabit as the seasons change around them in Wanderhome. 

You can find more Possum Creek Games here at possumcreekgames.com

Richard Ruane | Barrow Keep, Enoch's Wake

Twitter @Arr_Roo
Itch https://r-rook.itch.io/

Richard’s games are full of rich world building, yet low-prep and easy to run. He has a beautiful way of putting a playful spin on classic systems. Play as adventurous young adults in Barrow Keep’s romantic fantasy setting, or travel through the multiverse of the Infinite Void in Enoch’s Wake.  

Richard has two upcoming projects: Sherwood and Moonlight on Roseville Beach and will be releasing Dragonmaw Cave later this summer. You can stay tuned by signing up for his newsletter.

More Creators!

When we asked these lovely game designers if they wanted to amplify anyone else's games, these are the creators they suggested checking out:

April Kit Walsh (Thirsty Sword Lesbians) | Twitter @GaySpaceshipGms

Banana Chan (Jiangshi: Blood at the Banquet Hall) | Twitter @bananachangames

Logan Jenkins (I'm Sure You're All Wondering Why I Gathered You Here This Evening ) | Twitter @LoganJenkins

Rae Nedjadi (Apocalypse Keys, Our Haunt) | Twitter @temporalhiccup

Yeonsoo Julian Kim (Women are Werewolves) | Twitter @yjuliankim