DUMMY SYSTEM_

DUMMY SYSTEM_ is a 10-page homo ex machina generator for four participants (three players and one game master).  Requires at least one d6 and some trusted friends.

More directly, it is a tabletop RPG about the unbearable agony of facing yourself, played out over a short campaign of mecha combat and social fumbling that is doomed to failure. It was built to replicate the structure and emotional core of Neon Genesis Evangelion, a cartoon about depression and the struggle to find love in a world of pain and fighting giant monsters in a robot made out of your mom. Spoilers, I guess.

Featuring:

-A crabs-in-a-bucket style social system where reaching out is necessary, even as much as it hurts.

-Loose, narrative combat where the Adversary is a sort of puzzle that must be solved with a mix of teamwork and desperation. 

-Episodic structure built for a 3-5 session campaign that slides rapidly towards the utmost extremity - the only state where growth can be achieved.

-Artsy fartsy bullshit.