A special thanks goes to the author Simone Anselmi and the entire Tin Hat Games team for giving us a copy of the Weirdstart of Weird World so we can talk about it in preview. If you don’t understand what we’re talking about, don’t worry, it’s normal. Weird World is a retrofuturistic roleplaying game belonging to the weird science-fantasy genre.
In case you want this manual, keep in mind that it is the quickstart (hence “Weirdstart“), which is a preview of the contents that will then be available in the definitive product. You can find it in a physical copy at a cost of €18 on the official store or here you can download the digital copy for free.
I also recommend you follow the Kickstarter page dedicated to the project, on which you can discover more details on the game and purchase your copy at the beginning of 2024.
The Setting of the Game
The indications on the game world are very effective, but not too verbose.
We are in 6042, we are on the Earth and humanity has experienced many situations. Over the centuries it has witnessed alien invasions, time travel, technological development (including the birth of automaton and biomechanics), devastation and rebirth. And of course, we can’t forget the terrible events of 4600! The shadow of what may have happened still hovers over the world in the form of X Energy (enX), radiation that contaminates organic matter and that, as we will see in this preview, plays a fundamental role in Weird World.
These and other events followed one another, appeared, disappeared and sometimes returned, permanently marking the Earth. What is certain is that they made the setting what it is now. Humanity lives in cities devastated by the eras, no longer even have the energy to wage war; they had to learn to manage the coexistence with automatons, aliens, mutants and “weirdzards”. The latter two are creatures born from the exposure and use of X Energy; both are mistreated, since society wants to maintain a false appearance of “purity”. However, weirdzards are also feared; in fact they have learned to use the enX, creating effects that are in every way similar to the magic of the fantasy genre. The only difference is that, if overused, it causes extra limbs, tentacles, or eyes to appear in bizarre places.
A society whose details have been lost over the centuries is therefore outlined, deliberately vague in order to let game masters add narrative elements when necessary; I also really appreciated the fact that The Weirdstart was written as if it were a guide for aliens and time travelers (effectively integrating it into the setting).
The Inspirations and Influences of this Work
I’m sure that many of you have already found points in common with other works that inspired this roleplaying game. The author very correctly inserts a text box in which he cites them; among them we find Caves of Qud, Kenshi and others; I personally would add that the atmospheres created are also reminiscent of those of Rick and Morty, Futurama and Fallout.
To confirm these sensations there are some places presented in Weirdstart, very significant for understanding what will then be brought to the gaming table. The evocative Magnetown is a city that does not accept mutants, while other colonies have understood that they survive better when united. Instead, the Gulf of Shame was once a portion of the sea, now it corresponds to a marsh where the bravest (or craziest) go in search of old treasures. The Flowers Plain is a suggestive field in which the vegetation takes on shapes (and materials) that are decidedly out of the norm due to the underground flow of liquid enX. Obviously, at the end of the manual, there is also an interesting bestiary which details (mechanically and descriptively) who or what inhabits these places.
A detail that emerges from these aspects of the setting is the impossibility of using a commonly recognized currency. For this reason, every coin and every banknote, regardless of the time and place of origin, is worth 1 unit (called “€¥$”); I don’t think it’s necessary to add how important barter therefore becomes. Starting from these assumptions, the inhabitants of the Earth often find themselves having the need to assemble makeshift items. But this is certainly not the only characteristic that defines the protagonists!
Preview of the Protagonists of Weird World
Defining a character in Weird World, as we will now see in this preview, is quick and simple.
There are no classes, but the first thing to choose is the Origin: Human, Mutant, Automaton, Alien or Weirdzard. These choices have a heavy impact on the social interactions, but also and obviously on the mechanics. Each Origin grants useful features such as Skills, Traits (both positive and negative) and Characteristics; the latter are four and define the main interactions with the game world:
- FOR: physical power
- DEX: coordination
- INT: mental abilities
- PERS: predisposition to social relationships
Each of them is assigned a die, the size of which varies from d2 to d12; to pass a test you must establish the appropriate characteristic, roll the relevant die (possibly modified by the circumstances) and overcome a Threat Level established by the narrator (usually from 4 to 10). Through two expendable resources (Psyche and Vigour) you can try to vary the outcomes when luck is not enough. The fights follow the same simple mechanics; only the weirdzards have to take into consideration some extra rules to use their powers, but even here we don’t find anything complicated. I particularly appreciated the use of the X Energy; on the one hand, it allows you to perform extraordinary deeds, on the other it corrupts those who use it to the point of, potentially, making them a shapeless living mass or killing them.
We also find a large section dedicated to equipment, which provides a fairly classic approach. The most peculiar element is the finds from various past civilizations, which remind of “magical items”.
In general, we should expect a fairly ruthless roleplaying game, in which rest is the only sure way to (physical and mental) recovery and in which death can come unexpectedly at any moment.
Conclusions of the Weird World Preview
The manual ends with a quite long adventure (20 pages of the 95 in total): For a Fistful of €¥$. In case you’re curious to try this tabletop RPG, it’s a great way to do it already having everything you need (including pre-made character sheets, location illustrations and encounters). The plot is simple but captivating; the characters must discover why the weirdzard Morgadar stole a tool and brought it inside his base, in the middle of a swamp.
In addition to the very specific format, there is another aspect of the manual’s aesthetics that has stuck with me. Jacopo Paoletti‘s illustrations are simply perfect for the tones that the game wants to convey. Very colourful, a bit caricatural and full of details: here is another very valid reason to keep an eye on the release of the final manual!
In the version of Weirdstart that I received, I noticed some oversights and some paragraphs that could have been expressed in a more functional way, but I was very pleased to hear that the author is already updating the manual to fix what is necessary.
To conclude this preview, I can say with certainty that Weird World is a very promising project; manages to combine classic elements with original ideas, making you want to find out more about it. Now we just have to wait for the final manual!
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