19 Prime Numbered Games Recommended for Prime Day

We are here once again asking that you purchase games not from a massive online retailer plagued by allegations of environmental badness, worker abuse, industry monopolization, and more, but instead buy from rather less destructive places, like itch.io, the home of many an independent game designer! I’ve even made a sweet little list for you.

Two Hearts Beat As One “is a game of pulse-reading and heart-syncing for two bodies.”

“AFTERPARTY v2 is a collection of six game poems. Play them in any order for an evening of playful bereavement.”

“Three Desperate Nights is three potential scores or interesting events happening in and around Doskvol designed for the Blades in the Dark role-playing game. Use these to supplement the story of your game as it’s happening, or kick start a new story when things are getting complacent or dull, or if you’re just starting a new campaign. Treat them as individual events, or strong them together has related incidents with a sinister new plot.”

“We Forest Three will ask you to create a Witch Seeker. Follow the prompts, roll dice against the tables to see what the Forest asks of you. It’s very much like a choose your own adventure game, except with simple tabletop roleplaying rules laid over it.”

“Three Temples for the Ancient Ones is a three part campaign for OSR and fantasy games in general, in which players are guided to three different locations in search for ancient and forgotten tools.”

“Wu De – The Five Powers is a narrative RPG—a Shared Narrative. It is setting agnostic, which means it you can play The Five Powers in any setting you choose. Creating your own setting is part of setting up your unique game experience.”

“Seven Rings is a game about rebellion, magic, and reclaiming power within an urban setting. The players are part of a revolution that wants to seize power from a powerful ruling class that holds their position through government corruption, having law enforcement in their pocket, and by literally holding most of the artifacts and objects of power that grant magic in this world.”

“What more needs to be said? Use your real hands in this disgusting meatspace to play some slug-frog-snake or some finger-flashing with Them; if you win enough times, perhaps you can stall the apocalypse for at least one more day. That may not sound like much, but, in the Dying World of MÖRK BORG, each day counts.”

“Crossing the Seven Stars is a 2-player game about useless lesbians mutually pining for each other across lifetimes, unable to muster the courage to confess first. The game is played over the course of 7 Lifetimes, with the final one containing the inevitable confession.”

“Long ago a half-elf, half deer-centaur named Jayne led a small guerilla band against the armies of an evil fae witch. They prevailed at terrible cost. In this 39-room dungeon, adventurers will discover the fates and true faces of Jayne and her unremembered companions. Will they get out with forgotten riches, or become the latest victims of a centuries-old tragedy?”

“Up to Eleven is a rules lite, highly portable tabletop roleplaying game engine. Are you on a trip with friends and all the sudden everyone feels like playing some RPGs, but no one brought books or dices? Look around for some decks of playing cards and you are good to go!”

“Explore a strange community picking up the pieces after the loss of a loved one in Thirteen. Interpersonal drama is the focus until the Loved One’s horrific secret is revealed and characters start dying. Uses game mechanics similar to Fiasco (story pacing and intense midpoint) and Arkham Horror LCG (a doom bag with shifting probability).”

“A minimal TTRPG about thirteen Vikings (well, twelve Vikings and a slightly confused ambassador), sailing the north seas for adventure, glory, and Valhalla.”

A creature for MÖRG BORK based on the Jersey Devil.

“The Thirteen is a supporting booklet for Hudson & Brand, Inquiry Agents of the Obscure for 7th edition Call of Cthulhu, and is an official Cthulhu by Gaslight product. This chapbook introduces an organization of immortals, for the benefit of Keepers who wish to add something a little unusual to their games.”

“Level 17: The Crawling Chaos can be used as a fixed room, level, or as inspiration for your games! For use with MÖRK BORG.”

“An 18-card strategy game for two players. It can be played in about thirty minutes and is intended for players who are at least eight years old.”

“The future has been cancelled. The centralized consumer society has fallen under its own weight following the Black Monday stock market crash of 1987 and the Black Friday revolution of 1989. Network 23 comprises of 60 pages, 22k words, 52 thoughts, 21 pictures, 8 campaign types, 4 interconnected settings with different sci-fi flavours, 11 vehicle modifications, 9 drugs, 13 stigmata, 3 appendixes, 1 intuitive game system, 1 deck of cards, 1 procedural toolkit to create infinite sectors.”

There are lots of resources online and professionally published books that will help you develop a character. They’re researched and carefully considered. This is not one of those resources. This zine is for when you want to make something weird. Or for when you’ve done everything else and still want to flesh out your OC more. Or for when you’re bored. Or for sitting alone late at night, head in your hands, learning more about yourself.

This zine contains 137 strange and esoteric questions to facilitate character development and I strongly suspect you won’t find them in any other resource. These questions have been compiled from the weirdest corners of the internet, including Yahoo Answers, approximately four “best truth or dare questions” listicles, and a “Jonathan Frakes ask you questions” video compilation.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.