I had a god damn ball. I was a little miffed at using the more random design for special abilities but I ended up loving the character and would encourage others to do so as well. As an added bonus, every time we didn't know if the squirrels could do a thing we googled it and I had a drink every time I learned a new squirrel factoid. Just a fantastic set up from the mechanics to the bizarro world of super intelligent rodents.
I'm so happy to hear about your experience with it! That sounds like a really fun time!
I'm glad the randomly assigned mutation grew on you! Obviously, people can cheat if they want with that, especially for the sake of variety at the table, but I think they all have fun things about them that are worth exploring (and there are other great options in the Wastelander's Toolkit).
I just played this and it's great. Absolutely brutal, I almost killed myself one-shotting a boar with the Super Strength power and then spent a day desperately grubbing for safe food in order to eat enough to recover. The amount of power you can bring to bear on a problem with energy, compared to how scarce energy can be, is brilliant - I felt like an unstoppable badass and a bottom-feeding prey animal in the same short session.
I'm so glad you liked it! I'm also happy to hear the balance of power and danger/scarcity worked well in your game. Thanks for playing it and coming back here to comment!
It's rare that you see a game commit so hard to the bit that the bit passes over it, and through it, and leaves it serene and deeply changed.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that No Nut November (Squirrels Of The Post Apocalypse) is a heck of a thing.
The PDF is 5 pages, in a simple but readable zine style layout. There's just enough art, and it's placed perfectly. Visually, nothing feels undercooked.
Lore-wise, No Nut takes place in a humanity-induced post apocalypse. You play as mutated squirrels on a quest for nuts.
The premise is goofy, but I have never seen writing that so finely walks the razor line between "this is a fully fleshed out setting" and "this whole thing is an immaculate comedy routine." Like, the GM is called the Nut Master, but also the game seems to have genuinely researched squirrel diets and metabolism and presents that information to the reader in an accessible way.
Mechanics-wise, No Nut runs on kind of a nut currency. Rolling skill tests requires energy, which you get from nuts. You can also spend energy for rerolls, although it's much more costly than making the original roll, and you take damage if you're out of energy and want to spend it anyway.
There is some definite crunch to No Nut. Stats all have separate pools, character builds are a possibility, there's weapons and armor you can equip, as well as unique mutations for different characters.
For GMs---er, I mean Nut Masters, there's a bestiary, safety tools, and an adventure hook generator.
Also everything is a treat to read. I cannot stress that enough. This book is a joy just to read through, even for folks who don't ever play it.
Overall, this game may be tricky to verbally recommend to other people without some short term confusion, but it is absolutely worth the effort. It's concise, but is incredibly charming with both its writing and its mechanics. It's oneshot friendly, but could definitely be run as a short campaign as well. I would strongly recommend this to most ttrpg players.
Minor Issues:
-There's a number of places where Sniffling is written as Sniffing, primarily on page 3. This might be the result of an autocorrect.
I did do some research into squirrel diets, so the comment about that was really fun to read. It's also always validating to see someone get what I was going for. Thanks for giving this game with a goofy name a chance!
I rolled my eyes when I thought of the idea, but it shaped into something I am really proud of. I've been playing it in my home group and think it's really fun. I hope other people have fun with it too.
Thanks for catching that typo! The stat was supposed to be "Sniffing." I've updated the document to make it that way. "Sniffling" is maybe a cuter sounding word, but it makes me think more of runny noses than animals observing their surroundings. You (and anyone else) are more than welcome to call it Sniffling in your games and in your heart if you like that better, though!
Honestly, I'm going to see if I can wrangle one of my groups into trying it, and I'm kinda tempted to write some fan material for it.
Is there an SRD, or do you have any limitations on what people can write for the system? I can't guarantee I'll produce anything publishable, but I could probably put together an adventure or two.
No SRD at this time (to be honest, I wasn't expecting interest in that sort of thing, but now I have a reason to think about it).
It's using the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, so things are pretty fair game. I don't want pro-fascist or bigoted content made for it, but based on your other content I don't see that being an issue (just stating it because this is also a public space). I don't want the original game in its entirety getting sold without my permission.
As far as types of content, the sky's the limit! Adventures, additional mutations, additional gear, random roll tables for scrap in specific areas, maps, monsters, notable Oheys, cybernetic rules, survival systems, nest-building systems, hacks, fan-fiction and things I haven't thought of are things I'd be delighted to see. Feel free to charge for whatever you make. I think community copies are cool.
I'd say keep the main characters squirrels, keep mechanics pretty lightweight, and try to keep it so d8s are the only dice at the table. The other fundamental piece would probably to keep the tone light but the danger and stakes high. That's not to say horror or political thriller aren't options, but remember the game is being run by a Nut Master and write accordingly.
Out of curiosity, which fonts did you use for the headers and body text? I've been trying to figure it out on my own, but haven't been having much luck.
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
I had a god damn ball. I was a little miffed at using the more random design for special abilities but I ended up loving the character and would encourage others to do so as well. As an added bonus, every time we didn't know if the squirrels could do a thing we googled it and I had a drink every time I learned a new squirrel factoid. Just a fantastic set up from the mechanics to the bizarro world of super intelligent rodents.
I strongly reccomend.
I'm so happy to hear about your experience with it! That sounds like a really fun time!
I'm glad the randomly assigned mutation grew on you! Obviously, people can cheat if they want with that, especially for the sake of variety at the table, but I think they all have fun things about them that are worth exploring (and there are other great options in the Wastelander's Toolkit).
Thanks for sharing!
I just played this and it's great. Absolutely brutal, I almost killed myself one-shotting a boar with the Super Strength power and then spent a day desperately grubbing for safe food in order to eat enough to recover. The amount of power you can bring to bear on a problem with energy, compared to how scarce energy can be, is brilliant - I felt like an unstoppable badass and a bottom-feeding prey animal in the same short session.
I'm so glad you liked it! I'm also happy to hear the balance of power and danger/scarcity worked well in your game. Thanks for playing it and coming back here to comment!
It's rare that you see a game commit so hard to the bit that the bit passes over it, and through it, and leaves it serene and deeply changed.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say here is that No Nut November (Squirrels Of The Post Apocalypse) is a heck of a thing.
The PDF is 5 pages, in a simple but readable zine style layout. There's just enough art, and it's placed perfectly. Visually, nothing feels undercooked.
Lore-wise, No Nut takes place in a humanity-induced post apocalypse. You play as mutated squirrels on a quest for nuts.
The premise is goofy, but I have never seen writing that so finely walks the razor line between "this is a fully fleshed out setting" and "this whole thing is an immaculate comedy routine." Like, the GM is called the Nut Master, but also the game seems to have genuinely researched squirrel diets and metabolism and presents that information to the reader in an accessible way.
Mechanics-wise, No Nut runs on kind of a nut currency. Rolling skill tests requires energy, which you get from nuts. You can also spend energy for rerolls, although it's much more costly than making the original roll, and you take damage if you're out of energy and want to spend it anyway.
There is some definite crunch to No Nut. Stats all have separate pools, character builds are a possibility, there's weapons and armor you can equip, as well as unique mutations for different characters.
For GMs---er, I mean Nut Masters, there's a bestiary, safety tools, and an adventure hook generator.
Also everything is a treat to read. I cannot stress that enough. This book is a joy just to read through, even for folks who don't ever play it.
Overall, this game may be tricky to verbally recommend to other people without some short term confusion, but it is absolutely worth the effort. It's concise, but is incredibly charming with both its writing and its mechanics. It's oneshot friendly, but could definitely be run as a short campaign as well. I would strongly recommend this to most ttrpg players.
Minor Issues:
-There's a number of places where Sniffling is written as Sniffing, primarily on page 3. This might be the result of an autocorrect.
This made my day! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
I did do some research into squirrel diets, so the comment about that was really fun to read. It's also always validating to see someone get what I was going for. Thanks for giving this game with a goofy name a chance!
I rolled my eyes when I thought of the idea, but it shaped into something I am really proud of. I've been playing it in my home group and think it's really fun. I hope other people have fun with it too.
Thanks for catching that typo! The stat was supposed to be "Sniffing." I've updated the document to make it that way. "Sniffling" is maybe a cuter sounding word, but it makes me think more of runny noses than animals observing their surroundings. You (and anyone else) are more than welcome to call it Sniffling in your games and in your heart if you like that better, though!
It really is an incredible game.
Honestly, I'm going to see if I can wrangle one of my groups into trying it, and I'm kinda tempted to write some fan material for it.
Is there an SRD, or do you have any limitations on what people can write for the system? I can't guarantee I'll produce anything publishable, but I could probably put together an adventure or two.
No SRD at this time (to be honest, I wasn't expecting interest in that sort of thing, but now I have a reason to think about it).
It's using the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, so things are pretty fair game. I don't want pro-fascist or bigoted content made for it, but based on your other content I don't see that being an issue (just stating it because this is also a public space). I don't want the original game in its entirety getting sold without my permission.
As far as types of content, the sky's the limit! Adventures, additional mutations, additional gear, random roll tables for scrap in specific areas, maps, monsters, notable Oheys, cybernetic rules, survival systems, nest-building systems, hacks, fan-fiction and things I haven't thought of are things I'd be delighted to see. Feel free to charge for whatever you make. I think community copies are cool.
I'd say keep the main characters squirrels, keep mechanics pretty lightweight, and try to keep it so d8s are the only dice at the table. The other fundamental piece would probably to keep the tone light but the danger and stakes high. That's not to say horror or political thriller aren't options, but remember the game is being run by a Nut Master and write accordingly.
Perfect! I'll aim to make a scenario first, and then I'll add extra content as appropriate.
I don't expect I'll add too much by way of mechanics, and I'll avoid other dice types or non-squirrel PCs.
Out of curiosity, which fonts did you use for the headers and body text? I've been trying to figure it out on my own, but haven't been having much luck.
Do you mind if I quote parts of this while promoting this game?
That's totally okay! Quote anything you need to.