Scan barcode
jason_pym's review against another edition
5.0
TLDR: A brief fanzine-style rpg with a minimalist but neatly elegant 2d6 system in a hinted at Terry Gilliam-esque fantasy world.
I love this book. It has restored my interest in table-top roleplaying games after being away for decades. This is a compact wonder in just 50 pages, you’re just given a bit of a taste and your imagination spirals out on its own creative explorations. Imagine you’re a player and roll up one of these as your character:
There’s also the Exotic Warrior, whose possessions include and ‘exciting accent’ and ‘a tea set or three pocket gods,’ the lost and Lonely King without a kingdom, the members of Miss Kinsey's Diner’s Club who carry an embroidered napkin and metal dentures that can strip all the flesh from one small appendage, and the Befouler of Ponds. It’s just begging to be played.
Even if you just got your players to roll up characters and got them to just talk to each other the stories would just make themselves.
Troika! lurches enjoyably from weirdness, to humour to the horrific. Here are some of the spells, many taken directly from the old Fighting Fantasy rpg which Troika! is built on, but given a far more entertaining write up:
Whereas D&D, even fifth edition which looks closest to what I’d be interested in, never grabbed me enough that I'd actually spend the time and money on it, this is really a breath of fresh air.
The impression I get of the Troika! world is a kind of mishmash of eighties fantasy and horror films, mostly Terry Gilliam, a bit of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and Story Teller, the Gremlins movies, that kind of thing. Sell himself says he aimed at a mix of Gene Wolfe and Viriconium, inspired by the feel of Planescape, and the humour of 2000AD/1980s games workshop. Although we only get hints and glimpses, that’s the atmosphere, and the writing style reinforces the idea of the sarky, off-key, gonzo, feel. The character types mentioned above are a good example, but also what comes through is that in Troika! the universe is made up of the ‘million spheres’, which seem to be weird little pockets or reality, like different planes. Beings move between he spheres on golden barges, and sometimes there are other interactions between the spheres: Troika goblins, for example, seem to be a pesky sphere infestation:
Like the system, which is so simple and easy to run, the idea of the spheres is a great rationale for anything goes. We played through the Slumbering Ursine Dunes adventure (also a fantastic publication) and had a blast. Highly recommended.
For an even more rambling review looking at the rules in depth, compared to Advanced Fighting Fantasy, can be found here.
I love this book. It has restored my interest in table-top roleplaying games after being away for decades. This is a compact wonder in just 50 pages, you’re just given a bit of a taste and your imagination spirals out on its own creative explorations. Imagine you’re a player and roll up one of these as your character:
Monkeymonger
Life on The Wall is hard. One is never more than a few yards from an endless fall, but those precarious villages still need to eat. This is where you come in with your edible monkeys (the distinction is purely for appeal, since all monkeys are of course edible). You used to spend days on end dangling your feet off the edge of the world watching over your chittering livestock while they scampered hither and thither, but there was no future in monkey meat or on The Wall. You wanted much more and so stepped off. Or you fell. Either way you and some unlucky monkeys are here now and that’s all that matters.
Possessions: Monkey club, butcher knife, d6 small monkeys that do not listen to you but are too scared and hungry to travel far from you, a pocket full of monkey treats.
Thinking Engine
Your eyes are dull ruby spheres, your skin is hard and smooth like ivory but brown and whorled like wood. You are clearly damaged, you have no memory of your creation or purpose, and some days your white internal juices ooze thickly from cracks in your skin.
Possessions: Soldering iron, detachable autonomous hands OR centaur body (+4 Run)
Special: You don’t recover Stamina by resting in the usual manner — instead you have to spend an evening with a hot iron melting your skin back together like putty… You may recharge plasmic machines by hooking your fluids to them and spending Stamina.
Life Line (a spell)
Created by the Horizon Knights to enable them to take the fight to the Nothing. They would cast this on their squires and dive off the edge of creation. While this Spell lasts the caster’s essential bodily functions are linked to another, enabling them to breath or eat for them. They will need to breath and eat for two, making it hard to do anything useful while linked. The Spell lasts for a day, until cancelled, or on the death of the linked person. Note, if the linked person dies, starves or is choked you will suffer.
There’s also the Exotic Warrior, whose possessions include and ‘exciting accent’ and ‘a tea set or three pocket gods,’ the lost and Lonely King without a kingdom, the members of Miss Kinsey's Diner’s Club who carry an embroidered napkin and metal dentures that can strip all the flesh from one small appendage, and the Befouler of Ponds. It’s just begging to be played.
Even if you just got your players to roll up characters and got them to just talk to each other the stories would just make themselves.
Troika! lurches enjoyably from weirdness, to humour to the horrific. Here are some of the spells, many taken directly from the old Fighting Fantasy rpg which Troika! is built on, but given a far more entertaining write up:
Darksee
The wizard reaches into his sockets and extricates his eyes. Thus freed, the dark void behind them can see perfectly well in pitch blackness and suffer excruciating pain in light… Be careful not to lose those eyeballs though, they are the only way to end the spell.
Drown
Cause the targets lungs to fill with water… They start to drown and are incapacitated with water pouring out of their mouth.
Leech
The necromancer must place his hands on a living subject, allowing his fingertips to transform into sucking apertures, draining them of blood.
Presence
Creates the sense of being watched by a patriarchal figure. Some find it comforting, others not so much. (I love this one because it is purely a story telling spell, not something you could use to give yourself superpowers or in combat as a spare weapon).
Whereas D&D, even fifth edition which looks closest to what I’d be interested in, never grabbed me enough that I'd actually spend the time and money on it, this is really a breath of fresh air.
The impression I get of the Troika! world is a kind of mishmash of eighties fantasy and horror films, mostly Terry Gilliam, a bit of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth and Story Teller, the Gremlins movies, that kind of thing. Sell himself says he aimed at a mix of Gene Wolfe and Viriconium, inspired by the feel of Planescape, and the humour of 2000AD/1980s games workshop. Although we only get hints and glimpses, that’s the atmosphere, and the writing style reinforces the idea of the sarky, off-key, gonzo, feel. The character types mentioned above are a good example, but also what comes through is that in Troika! the universe is made up of the ‘million spheres’, which seem to be weird little pockets or reality, like different planes. Beings move between he spheres on golden barges, and sometimes there are other interactions between the spheres: Troika goblins, for example, seem to be a pesky sphere infestation:
The moment a sphere bobs to the surface, the goblins will creep out of the nooks and crannies to start expanding their labyrinth. Left to their own devices, they will eventually tame and cover every surface in walls and hedges and tunnels and steel and whatever else is in goblin-vogue.
Like the system, which is so simple and easy to run, the idea of the spheres is a great rationale for anything goes. We played through the Slumbering Ursine Dunes adventure (also a fantastic publication) and had a blast. Highly recommended.
For an even more rambling review looking at the rules in depth, compared to Advanced Fighting Fantasy, can be found here.
erfenden's review against another edition
4.0
There’s been a great deal of chatter about Troika! floating around Twitter so I had to check it out.
It seems, in my inexpert estimation, to be pretty typical modern OSR fare. That’s not to say that it is without value in anyway, just that it’s not the kind of game I typically search out.
It has pretty simple rules with a very casual, disjointed feel. I think the intention is to present them as flawed and accessible to hacking by GMs. It also presents a bit of setting, which may be different from other OSR games that tend toward the generic fantasy. Troika! seems inspired by the weird chaos of planescape and spelljammer. But it’s not a well developed setting with deep lore, just a hinted at sketch of things that are left to individual gamers to flesh out.
There are also a few original and interesting ideas (namely the initiative stack and giving mechanical significance to inventory order). There are a few bits (like how skill success ticks affect advancement) that remain unclear after rereading a few times.
It also has great art. I love when games make bold decisions with their art.
If you like B/X D&D or The Black Hack But want something in a gonzo metropolis at the center of the multiverse, Troika! is your game.
It seems, in my inexpert estimation, to be pretty typical modern OSR fare. That’s not to say that it is without value in anyway, just that it’s not the kind of game I typically search out.
It has pretty simple rules with a very casual, disjointed feel. I think the intention is to present them as flawed and accessible to hacking by GMs. It also presents a bit of setting, which may be different from other OSR games that tend toward the generic fantasy. Troika! seems inspired by the weird chaos of planescape and spelljammer. But it’s not a well developed setting with deep lore, just a hinted at sketch of things that are left to individual gamers to flesh out.
There are also a few original and interesting ideas (namely the initiative stack and giving mechanical significance to inventory order). There are a few bits (like how skill success ticks affect advancement) that remain unclear after rereading a few times.
It also has great art. I love when games make bold decisions with their art.
If you like B/X D&D or The Black Hack But want something in a gonzo metropolis at the center of the multiverse, Troika! is your game.
tallpaul's review
5.0
A rules light system with some of the most imaginative character classes I've ever seen. The artwork really sets the tone for the wackyness that is Troika. The 2D6 roll under based system has compact, yet descriptive abilities and spells that are quite flavorful. Combat is a simple roll verses while ability checks are roll under. After only one game of play I feel that everything, from combat to item management to ability checks, flows smoothly.
I really liked skill advancement in this game. Player check a box next to the skill when ever they use it. When you rest you can try to increase that ability's score.
The initiative system seems to be the main point of controversy for this game as everyone's turn token is put in a bag along with an end turn token. Essential, the possibility of never getting a turn, for player or DM, is there.
It comes with a starter adventure that you could run multiple times and get completely different outcomes. Lots if replay value here. Two thumbs up from me.
All in all this is a fantastic system and I can't wait to play more. 5 stars for inspiring character classes, simple yet not insufficient rules, and a great starter adventure.
I really liked skill advancement in this game. Player check a box next to the skill when ever they use it. When you rest you can try to increase that ability's score.
The initiative system seems to be the main point of controversy for this game as everyone's turn token is put in a bag along with an end turn token. Essential, the possibility of never getting a turn, for player or DM, is there.
It comes with a starter adventure that you could run multiple times and get completely different outcomes. Lots if replay value here. Two thumbs up from me.
All in all this is a fantastic system and I can't wait to play more. 5 stars for inspiring character classes, simple yet not insufficient rules, and a great starter adventure.
shane_tiernan's review
5.0
There's a whole lot to like here. The fabulously original art, cool stack initiative mechanic, the fun writing, the surreal character backgrounds, the extremely creative mini adventure etc... With all that though, it's probably a little too strange for a lot of people (including me) and there are a couple things I didn't like. Still giving it 5 stars for originality, style and chutzpah.
I'll add more detail about 2 things I didn't like and the 2 things I liked the most.
The system only uses d6's. I didn't spend 40 years and 10's of dollars collecting all these pretty dice just to use the same ones I used playing Monopoly and Risk when I was 8. I do like how they use them to do the 11-66 thing, but really d6's are just boring.
The magic system, has some fun spells, but not enough detail. For example one breaks bones, but it doesn't really say how that effects the game. It doesn't say how much damage it does to break a bone, or if it makes certain skills impossible or gives penalties etc... Then there's a permanent polymorph other spell, that's not really that expensive.
When I first read the initiative rules, I was screaming inside, "What is this? Why would they do that?" Obviously so was someone else, because immediately after it, there's a section called "Rationale", and after I read that I was like, "This is SOOOOO cool." Basically the order changes and sometimes people get skipped, you don't know ahead of time, so you can "meta-plan" your next move.
The mini adventure was such a cool idea. You're in a hotel going up on an elevator. At every floor there is a new challenge. I've never seen anything like it, yet it was so simple. Just absolutely brilliant.
So if you like weird pushed to the point of silly, but also kinda dark and cool, give this a try. It's medium crunch, with an extra helping of style.
I'll add more detail about 2 things I didn't like and the 2 things I liked the most.
The system only uses d6's. I didn't spend 40 years and 10's of dollars collecting all these pretty dice just to use the same ones I used playing Monopoly and Risk when I was 8. I do like how they use them to do the 11-66 thing, but really d6's are just boring.
The magic system, has some fun spells, but not enough detail. For example one breaks bones, but it doesn't really say how that effects the game. It doesn't say how much damage it does to break a bone, or if it makes certain skills impossible or gives penalties etc... Then there's a permanent polymorph other spell, that's not really that expensive.
When I first read the initiative rules, I was screaming inside, "What is this? Why would they do that?" Obviously so was someone else, because immediately after it, there's a section called "Rationale", and after I read that I was like, "This is SOOOOO cool." Basically the order changes and sometimes people get skipped, you don't know ahead of time, so you can "meta-plan" your next move.
The mini adventure was such a cool idea. You're in a hotel going up on an elevator. At every floor there is a new challenge. I've never seen anything like it, yet it was so simple. Just absolutely brilliant.
So if you like weird pushed to the point of silly, but also kinda dark and cool, give this a try. It's medium crunch, with an extra helping of style.
cybergoths's review
4.0
Several people I know recommended Troika! to me, and it's been one of the darlings of the UK OSR movement so what else could I do but back the Kickstarter when it was announced. It arrived over a year ago and I read it cover to cover pretty swiftly at the time, and then parked it. I know at the time it was one of those games you read, like and then think "Will I really do something with this?" simply from the shelf on which it was placed. It's in the RPG cupboard rather than immediately adjacent and available. It wasn't in the sell-on pile. And there it stayed, right until I read about Acid Death Fantasy and bought that Troika! setting on impulse. I've talked about that setting elsewhere on Goodreads, so I thought it was worth looking at the rules once more.
TL;DR: Troika! is a delight, both in terms of the light and simple - but comprehensive - system and the setting implicit from the backgrounds of characters and enemies. There aren't many science fantasy games out there, making this feel unique and very different. It's sharply crafted and stylish, and a good base to build from, as can be seen with the Acid Death Fantasy expansion (which although very different, could easily be in the same universe). The artwork is distinctive and adds to the flavour. It's definitely worth exploring.
The Troika! Numinous Edition is a 118-page full cover hardback book, printed at what I think is A5 (but I'm willing to be corrected). The artwork is quirky and unique, and very evocative, and shares an artist with Patrick Stuart's Silent Titans. The game defines a setting through the backgrounds of characters and their possessions and also with a very tightly focussed - and somewhat bizarre - introductory scenario. The setting is best described as science-fantasy.
If you've played any of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, the character stats will feel familiar; you have Skill (rolled on d3+3), Stamina (rolled on 2d6+12) and Luck (rolled on d6+6). Your character gets some standard possessions and then you roll a d66 to find your character background. It's random. Although I'd probably let a player decide which way they read the dice (sucks if you roll doubles, lady luck has pigeon holed you).
Each background has an illustration, a short paragraph loaded with hooks, possessions with give further hooks beyond their immediate usefulness. Often you have an either/or so you can choose how this plays out. Finally, you have some advanced skills. These define what your character is really good at. Or maybe not, if you base Skill is high.
Core mechanics use 2d6. You roll equal to or under a target number (which is either just your Skill, or your Skill plus Advanced Skill) or you roll versus. That's typically when you're competing against something, for example fighting. You add your Skill and any appropriate Advanced Skill to the role, looking to get higher than your opponent to succeed.
You may have to test your Luck to avoid consequences. This is a 2d6 roll under. Whenever you do this test you lose a point of Luck, which is a finite resource. Luck recovers every eight hours or so. You can test your Luck to break a tie in combat or use it to increase the damage that you roll if you successfully hit.
There's an option to Test your Luck if your Stamina hits zero to have your character be incapacitated rather than dead, but it's only an option. If you hit zero Stamina, you're dying and will be gone when the current combat round ends. Messy. Stamina regenerates from resting, and can also be boosted by eating provisions.
The initiative system is a bit different; each character gets two tokens, and their opponents get a variable number of tokens based on how nasty they are. An end of round token is added, and then the GM pulls the tokens from out of a bag. Thus turn order is completely random, and it's possible that the end of the round could come before you have a go. This means that advanced planning isn't something that you really need to be doing; you need to think on your feet.
Damage is rolled on a combat results table; you roll a d6 and reference the weapon type. Weapons that aren't included are interpolated from the others on the table. Shields give a reduction to the roll made, not the damage itself. Armour reduces damage, but you will always suffer a minimum of a point.
The encumbrance system is simple; you have a number of inventory slots and the order is important, as the further down your bag they are, the more chance that you can't pull them out in a hurry.
You can't increase Skill, Stamina or Luck from experience, but you can increase Advanced Skills by rolling over your Skill total on 2d6. Once skill hits 12, you're very unlikely to raise it. If you find a teacher, you can learn new skills, with your aptitude for this determined by your base Skill. There is a list of Advanced Skills but you're encouraged to make them up if appropriate.
There are several pages of spells; these cost Stamina to cast plus a roll under your (advanced) skill with that spell. Double 1 is always a success, and Double 6 gives a trip to the OOPS! table, a d66 table which - amongst other things - can turn the unsuccessful wizard into a pig. Mmm. Bacon.
There's a collection of enemies, which are mostly unique. The scale of Dragons reminds me a little of Gloranthan dragons. Troika! dragons are "beings of hyper-light, unburdened by base matter, able to sort across the dark sea of sky between worlds. They're immortal but can manifest to cause base damage and wanton destruction, knowing that they cannot be truly hurt. Tower wizards are also entertaining; basically, they're wizards-gone-feral who raise towers and give magic a bad name. All in all, it's a great bestiary to perplex and threaten your players with.
The final section is the introductory adventure, called the Blancmange and Thistle. The characters have all recently arrived in the city of Troika! perhaps even on a Golden Barge pulled between planets on its Golden Sails. They have booked into a hotel - 'The Blancmange and Thistle" - and end up in the unfortunate situation that they have to share a room on the sixth floor and they must attend the party on the roof garden or cause offence. So, they get to take the lift or the stairs and events ensue. It's a very unique feeling adventure but gives a great way to bring a disparate party together. Attending the party leads to a series of plot hooks for future delights.
The book rounds out with character sheets and the OOPS! table across the end covers.
Troika! is a delight, both in terms of the light and simple - but comprehensive - system and the setting implicit from the backgrounds of characters and enemies. There aren't many science fantasy games out there, making this feel unique and very different. It's sharply crafted and stylish, and a good base to build from, as can be seen with the Acid Death Fantasy expansion (which although very different, could easily be in the same universe). The artwork is distinctive and adds to the flavour. It's definitely worth exploring.
4th October 2020
TL;DR: Troika! is a delight, both in terms of the light and simple - but comprehensive - system and the setting implicit from the backgrounds of characters and enemies. There aren't many science fantasy games out there, making this feel unique and very different. It's sharply crafted and stylish, and a good base to build from, as can be seen with the Acid Death Fantasy expansion (which although very different, could easily be in the same universe). The artwork is distinctive and adds to the flavour. It's definitely worth exploring.
The Troika! Numinous Edition is a 118-page full cover hardback book, printed at what I think is A5 (but I'm willing to be corrected). The artwork is quirky and unique, and very evocative, and shares an artist with Patrick Stuart's Silent Titans. The game defines a setting through the backgrounds of characters and their possessions and also with a very tightly focussed - and somewhat bizarre - introductory scenario. The setting is best described as science-fantasy.
If you've played any of the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, the character stats will feel familiar; you have Skill (rolled on d3+3), Stamina (rolled on 2d6+12) and Luck (rolled on d6+6). Your character gets some standard possessions and then you roll a d66 to find your character background. It's random. Although I'd probably let a player decide which way they read the dice (sucks if you roll doubles, lady luck has pigeon holed you).
Each background has an illustration, a short paragraph loaded with hooks, possessions with give further hooks beyond their immediate usefulness. Often you have an either/or so you can choose how this plays out. Finally, you have some advanced skills. These define what your character is really good at. Or maybe not, if you base Skill is high.
Core mechanics use 2d6. You roll equal to or under a target number (which is either just your Skill, or your Skill plus Advanced Skill) or you roll versus. That's typically when you're competing against something, for example fighting. You add your Skill and any appropriate Advanced Skill to the role, looking to get higher than your opponent to succeed.
You may have to test your Luck to avoid consequences. This is a 2d6 roll under. Whenever you do this test you lose a point of Luck, which is a finite resource. Luck recovers every eight hours or so. You can test your Luck to break a tie in combat or use it to increase the damage that you roll if you successfully hit.
There's an option to Test your Luck if your Stamina hits zero to have your character be incapacitated rather than dead, but it's only an option. If you hit zero Stamina, you're dying and will be gone when the current combat round ends. Messy. Stamina regenerates from resting, and can also be boosted by eating provisions.
The initiative system is a bit different; each character gets two tokens, and their opponents get a variable number of tokens based on how nasty they are. An end of round token is added, and then the GM pulls the tokens from out of a bag. Thus turn order is completely random, and it's possible that the end of the round could come before you have a go. This means that advanced planning isn't something that you really need to be doing; you need to think on your feet.
Damage is rolled on a combat results table; you roll a d6 and reference the weapon type. Weapons that aren't included are interpolated from the others on the table. Shields give a reduction to the roll made, not the damage itself. Armour reduces damage, but you will always suffer a minimum of a point.
The encumbrance system is simple; you have a number of inventory slots and the order is important, as the further down your bag they are, the more chance that you can't pull them out in a hurry.
You can't increase Skill, Stamina or Luck from experience, but you can increase Advanced Skills by rolling over your Skill total on 2d6. Once skill hits 12, you're very unlikely to raise it. If you find a teacher, you can learn new skills, with your aptitude for this determined by your base Skill. There is a list of Advanced Skills but you're encouraged to make them up if appropriate.
There are several pages of spells; these cost Stamina to cast plus a roll under your (advanced) skill with that spell. Double 1 is always a success, and Double 6 gives a trip to the OOPS! table, a d66 table which - amongst other things - can turn the unsuccessful wizard into a pig. Mmm. Bacon.
There's a collection of enemies, which are mostly unique. The scale of Dragons reminds me a little of Gloranthan dragons. Troika! dragons are "beings of hyper-light, unburdened by base matter, able to sort across the dark sea of sky between worlds. They're immortal but can manifest to cause base damage and wanton destruction, knowing that they cannot be truly hurt. Tower wizards are also entertaining; basically, they're wizards-gone-feral who raise towers and give magic a bad name. All in all, it's a great bestiary to perplex and threaten your players with.
The final section is the introductory adventure, called the Blancmange and Thistle. The characters have all recently arrived in the city of Troika! perhaps even on a Golden Barge pulled between planets on its Golden Sails. They have booked into a hotel - 'The Blancmange and Thistle" - and end up in the unfortunate situation that they have to share a room on the sixth floor and they must attend the party on the roof garden or cause offence. So, they get to take the lift or the stairs and events ensue. It's a very unique feeling adventure but gives a great way to bring a disparate party together. Attending the party leads to a series of plot hooks for future delights.
The book rounds out with character sheets and the OOPS! table across the end covers.
Troika! is a delight, both in terms of the light and simple - but comprehensive - system and the setting implicit from the backgrounds of characters and enemies. There aren't many science fantasy games out there, making this feel unique and very different. It's sharply crafted and stylish, and a good base to build from, as can be seen with the Acid Death Fantasy expansion (which although very different, could easily be in the same universe). The artwork is distinctive and adds to the flavour. It's definitely worth exploring.
4th October 2020
arthurbdd's review
4.0
Endearing Fighting Fantasy retroclone which combines the ultra-stripped-down system with evocative creative prompts. Full review: https://refereeingandreflection.wordpress.com/2020/03/01/mini-review-the-other-old-school/
jeffhall's review
5.0
Troika! is a fairly amazing revelation from the world of indie TTRPGs. It's incredibly imaginative, and pairs this creative zeal with a ruleset that is simple, yet comprehensive enough to accommodate strategy and inspire uncommon solutions to challenges encountered during play.
So many TTRPGs tend to become weighed down by unwieldy tables and complicated play mechanics that obscure the point of the hobby, which is to prompt group interaction and teamwork in pursuit of the unknown and the incredible. Troika! restores the missing flavor, and opens the door for limitless adventures in the everywhere. It's just that good!
So many TTRPGs tend to become weighed down by unwieldy tables and complicated play mechanics that obscure the point of the hobby, which is to prompt group interaction and teamwork in pursuit of the unknown and the incredible. Troika! restores the missing flavor, and opens the door for limitless adventures in the everywhere. It's just that good!
jvan's review
5.0
Strange and delightful ttrpg set in a galactic fantasyland that makes no sense while being completely comprehensible. I cannot wait to get this baby in front of a group.
frasersimons's review
The writing is pretty clear, the backgrounds are all interesting, creative (sometimes absurd in a good way). I especially am curious about initiative. I’ve never heard of something like this, where everyone puts tokens in and they’re drawn. Dice hate me so maybe I’ve just been waiting for this. I like how skills are malleable as well. I’ll have to try it sometime.