The Lone Toad Newsletter - Zimo 24!
Zimo 24!!! This is not a drill!! And Night Terror is released.
Hey everyone! And a big welcome to all the new readers from the last newsletter. You’ll be welcomed properly in the next monthly edition of The Lone Toad.
It’s Zimo 24’! That amazing time of year when hundreds of creators share their amazing games on various crowdfunding websites. Zimo typically goes for February but there are crowdfunding campaigns popping up all over the place.
And many of these Zines are for solo RPGs! I’ll be highlighting some below.
Are you enjoying the newsletter? Like it, please! I’m not desperate or anything and my self-worth isn’t tied to how many people like this…
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What’s a zine?
No idea! I mean I do have an idea. I mean, I guess I have an idea. Obviously, it is a type of small magazine-style thing. I’m not here to create THE definition of a zine but the zines I like are:
Short - A zine should be short. What is short? I dunno, that’s for you to decide. Not like a full RPG book with hundreds of pages but also not a one-page RPG.
Visually Kickass - I love a zine that goes crazy with its art style and screams “Hey you! Play me!”
Push the Limits - A memorable zine has concepts, stories, mechanics, or whatever that push the limit for what an RPG can be.
With that, here is a non-exhaustive list of solo Zimo projects. Get on to it quickly before these campaigns end.
Zimo 2024!
Courier - Repackaged by Sleepy Sasquatch Games
An update on the 2021 Courier, Courier Repacked you play as a Courier, delivering packages from community to community, being a vital lifeline in an acopaclytic world. Each turn of Courier Repacked will have you scout, explore, move, or interact with locations on your map.
The game is inspired by Death Stranding, Fallout: New Vegas, Mad Max, and more!
MIRU 3: An Analog Defense Game by Mimic Publishing Collective
Defend your village from an onslaught of machines as an AI god attempts to unalive you in this solo hexcrawling adventure. This is the third in the amazing Miru series.
Milk Bar: sci-fi roleplaying in post-Soviet Poland by Eryk Sawicki
Now this game looks awesome! Great art, a unique setting, and an awesome format, you can’t pass up on Milk Bar. Taking place in a post-soviet apocalyptic setting, you’ll scrounge, fight, and strive to build up your new glorious community.
Milk Bar is inspired by RPGs like Cairn, Mausritter, and Mothership and video games like Disco Elysium and Control. You should check this one out!
Random Realities by Cezar Capacle
You might be thinking “Hey your talking about this Cezar guy again? Didn’t you just cover a game of his in the Feb newsletter?” Yeah, I did. Cezar is a great creator and constantly makes awesome games. Deal with it, theoretical mean person.
Random Realities is a book of oracles for your solo gaming needs. Chocked filled with random stuff for you game, you could use this for any solo RPG you are playing.
Catograph Atlas Edition by Ravensridge
Covered in more detail on the January 2024 edition of The Lone Toad, Cartograph Atlas Edition is an updated new version of the wildly popular map-making game. This solo or group game can be used to create a unique and creative world. You should really check it out!
Within the Kind Red Building by Ryan Lindsay
Got to represent another Australian game designer. Within the Kind Red Building is solo journaling science fiction RPG where you create an intergalactic character who is fleeing a terrible threat!
Night Terror by Croaker RPGs
Yes, my game! Not crowdfunding, just up for purchase for $1 - Night Terror is a doodle daydream solo dungeon compatible with Mörk Borg. Written and designed in the style of a bored teenager scribbling in a notebook, this 10-page solo adventure takes you deep into the darkness of your own mind. Chattering teeth as enemies, insidious traps, and a mad sorcerer you somehow pissed off await you in Night Terror.
Night Terror Features:
a 10-page solo adventure that can be played in a sitting (1 hour)
Easily printable to be turned into your own Zine
Compatible with the popular roleplaying game Mork Borg
A Unique doodle art style and high-school humour
Three unique enemies spread across five trap-filled rooms
Four possible magical artifacts and weapons your character can take for their own
Thank you for Reading!
That’s it for today! Check back in at the start of March for the next edition of The Lone Toad!