In this review we talk about Beton Brut, a solo role-playing game that talks about the past, regrets and concrete.
The game was created by Matteo Ignesti and is published by Stratagemma Edizioni in both Italian and English. We thank the publisher for the copy they sent us and invite you to follow them on their official  website and Facebook page.
If you are interested, you can buy the game for 7,0 euros on the official store.
Review of the Structure and Art of Beton Brut
The Beton Brut manual comes in an elegant zine format of about 40 pages, all in colour.
The peculiarity that immediately strikes us is that the text is not inserted in a conventional way within the pages, but appears as newspaper clippings and post-it notes placed on concrete. Although this very special graphic layout has been used, the readability is not affected and it remains an enjoyable read.
There are no illustrations, but throughout the manual we find photographs that perfectly reflect the realism and feeling that the manual wants to convey. In fact , concrete is the protagonist of the game both in the setting and in the images, communicating a sense of oppression and weight.
I would like to point out that the English and Italian editions differ in the photographs used and in the graphic arrangement of the various elements. This enhances the elements inserted and makes them complementary and unique in their own way. The texts, however, remain unchanged.
Cement, Insulation and Regret
The game is set in a building completely made of exposed concrete: Beton Brut, in fact. This is as much the protagonist as the player. The main inspiration comes from brutalism, an architectural current that used exposed concrete and integrated massive and isolated structures into the landscape. At the end of the manual we find a chapter where the author illustrates this philosophy and explains how it is integrated into the game.
The protagonist of the game is a middle-aged man from the G0 years who, after many sacrifices, was able to move into an apartment of his own. As players we will accompany him in his adventures, going in the meantime to fill a sheet of about 20 lines.
The gaming experience is very short, but impactful. It manages to perfectly restore the sense of anguish, resentment and pain desired by the author. And the ending is surprising, with a twist that particularly marked me. For this reason, the game is not suitable for everyone and the authors themselves want to reiterate it.
Mechanics and Tarot
The mechanics of Beton Brut are brutally simple. In fact, you will only need: a sheet of paper, a pen, a deck of tarot cards and a coin.
From the tarot deck we should extract the major arcana and remove the madman. During the reading of the manual we will be asked to draw a major arcane and place it in front of us according to the indications it could be placed upside down or straight. The coin, on the other hand, will be useful because sometimes we will have to flip it and depending on what comes out there will be precise actions to be taken.
Arcana are necessary because, at some point in the experience, we will have to go and write their meaning on the sheet of paper. What varies, and what allows a certain degree of replayability, is that
There are no other mechanics in the game, but these few allow you to create a certain ritual that manages to generate deep emotions in the player with each draw.
Conclusion of the review of Beton Brut
In conclusion, Beton Brut is a very special game, an original experience, which allows you to reflect on various themes and situations that are still current. The ritual present in the mechanics allows the return of many different sensations, creating a truly immersive experience.
Even the manual (thanks to its remarkable and particular graphic design) manages to capture the eye and transport the reader into the narrative. Replayability exists, but is limited. Subsequent games will probably not be as impactful as the first one.
I recommend Beton Brut to solo RPG lovers looking for a different experience than usual, with a very particular protagonist: cement and its brutality.
0 Comments