Visigoths vs. Mall Goths
A Tabletop Roleplaying Game & Dating Sim
Visigoths vs. Mall Goths paperback book, exterior and interior
DesignersLucian Kahn
IllustratorsRobin Eisenberg, Vee Hendro, Lluis Abadias Garcia, Olivia Fields, Jackson Tegu
PublishersHit Point Press
Publication2020, 2023
Genrestabletop role-playing game, urban fantasy, comedy, romance
Players4-6 plus GM
ChanceHigh
Age rangeteens and up
SkillsRole-playing, improvisation
ISBN978-1-7782211-9-4

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths is an urban fantasy tabletop role-playing game with LGBTQ dating sim elements by Lucian Kahn, with art by Robin Eisenberg.[1] The ancient Visigoths have time traveled to 1990s Los Angeles and are battling mall goths for control of the mall.[2] The game's tone is silly and the setting has many puns. The game was inspired by 1990s movies The Craft, Empire Records, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Clueless.[2][3]

Gameplay

Players make characters in competing teams of 2-3 Visigoths and 2-3 Mall Goths. Conflicts are resolved by opposed rolls with two six-sided dice plus character class bonuses. Players can use embarrassing traits to offer a teammate a bonus. Characters are not physically hurt in combat but receive hurt feelings they can heal through dialogue.[4]

Adventures

Jonaya Kemper wrote the adventure "The Little Mx. Scare-All Pageant.”[5]

Reception

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths was featured as a four-part series on One Shot Podcast Network's flagship actual play podcast hosted by James D'Amato, author of Simon & Schuster's "Ultimate RPG" books.[6][7] One Shot Podcast Network's show Character Creation Cast also aired a two-part episode about Visigoths vs. Mall Goths.[8] The game was nominated for the ENNIE Awards for "Best Writing" in 2020[9] and the Indie Game Developer Network award for "Best Setting" in 2021.[10] It was in the exhibition "Game Play: Between Fantasy and Realism" at Museum of the Moving Image.[11] Kieron Gillen endorsed it.[12][13] Justin Joyce for Polygon recommended it as a game to try from Indie Press Revolution.[14] Banana Chan for Dicebreaker called it one of the best games of 2020.[15] Linda Codega for Gizmodo recommended it as a queer game to play for Pride Month.[16] Trin Garritano, Games Digital Outreach Lead at Kickstarter, named it their favorite project of 2019.[17]

Publication History

Visigoths vs. Mall Goths was originally self-published in hardcover, softcover, and PDF form through a Kickstarter campaign in October 2019 that met its initial goal in 24 hours and raised a total of $21,393 from 751 backers.[18] It continued to be distributed in softcover and PDF form through Indie Press Revolution, Itch.io, and DriveThruRPG.[14] In 2022, it was part of Itch.io's Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds.[19] In March 2023, Visigoths vs. Mall Goths was republished in softcover and PDF form by indie publisher Hit Point Press as an add-on after their Kickstarter for Kahn's game If I Were a Lich, Man raised $84,590 from 2,049 backers.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "Queer Games Bundle strives to earn a living wage for marginalized artists in the tabletop RPG space". Dicebreaker. 2022-06-06. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  2. 1 2 Gailloreto, Coleman (2021-06-19). "LGBTQ+ Themed Tabletop Roleplaying Games". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  3. ↑ "Pre-order If I Were a Lich, Man: 3 Jewish Games by Lucian Kahn on BackerKit". BackerKit. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  4. ↑ "Scratching That Itch: Visigoths Vs. Mall Goths – Waltorious Writes About Games". Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  5. ↑ Grace, Lindsay (2021). Black Game Studies: An Introduction to the Games, Game Makers and Scholarship of the African Diaspora. Carnegie Mellon University: ETC Press. p. 48.
  6. ↑ "Visigoths vs Mall Goths Archives". The One Shot Podcast. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  7. ↑ The Ultimate RPG Guide Boxed Set. 2021-12-28. ISBN 978-1-5072-1834-1.
  8. ↑ Cast, Character Creation (2020-02-03). "Series 24.1 – Visigoths vs Mall Goths with Lucian Kahn [Designer] (Creation)". The One Shot Podcast. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  9. ↑ "2020 Nominees and Winners – ENNIE Awards". Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  10. ↑ "Indie Game Developer Network announces 2021 award nominees". Dicebreaker. 2021-08-11. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  11. ↑ "Game Play: Visigoths vs. Mall Goths". Museum of the Moving Image. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Visigoths vs Mall Goths :: Game Books :: IPR". www.indiepressrevolution.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  13. ↑ kierongillen. "Another Way To Breathe". Tumblr. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  14. 1 2 Joyce, Justin (2021-06-02). "The best tabletop role-playing games are sold online, but not through Amazon". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  15. ↑ "Games of the Year 2020: Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall co-creator Banana Chan". Dicebreaker. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  16. ↑ "26 Tabletop Roleplaying Games by Queer Game Designers". Gizmodo. 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
  17. ↑ "Visigoths vs Mall Goths :: Game Books :: IPR". www.indiepressrevolution.com. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  18. ↑ "Track Visigoths vs Mall Goths (game & weird 90s mall setting)'s Kickstarter campaign on BackerTracker". BackerKit. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  19. ↑ Writer, Alex Meehan Senior Staff (2022-07-04). "Wanderhome and Visigoths & Mall Goths featured in bundle for abortion funds". Dicebreaker. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  20. ↑ "Pre-order If I Were a Lich, Man: 3 Jewish Games by Lucian Kahn on BackerKit". BackerKit. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
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