Tiny Tome Preview

A while ago, Travis previewed a game entitled Tiny Library. The premise of the game? A deck of cards, where each card details a stand-alone RPG. Every card is designed by different creators, and the gameplay, themes, components, and rules are all vastly different. So when I saw that Long Tail Games was coming out with another iteration, this time called Tiny Tome, I knew I had to give it a shot.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a prototype copy of Tiny Tome for the purposes of this preview. The final production copy may vary from what you see pictured below. -L

Like its predecessor, Tiny Tome is a collection of small, stand-alone RPGs. Where Tiny Library was limited to a single playing card, however, Tiny Tome offered the creators an entire page – more space and therefor more depth for their RPGs. Many of these RPGs allow players to create characters for their unique scenarios, have set stats like you would in a big-book RPG, use dice to roll in different situations, and have sections ‘dedicated’ to the GM of that RPG.

The theme, gameplay, and mechanics of each RPG are unique. I will not be diving into all of them, as there are 50, but I’ll mention a couple that I have gotten to play thus far. Not too many though, I don’t want to ruin the fun! The first I will mention is titled Short Order Apocalypse. In summary, you’ve made a deal with the Devil for unlimited power. But in return, you’ve gotta end the world. So using some Infernal Power and your day-to-day skills, you need to bring about the apocalypse. Players create characters with an every-day job, and assign them 3 Traits. Each player also selects an Infernal Power for their character. The GM creates a scenario, and the game is on. Players are trying to achieve their goal by performing tasks and rolling dice to determine success or failure. Throughout the game, Omens are triggered that alter the scenario. One player needs to succeed before a total of 3 Omens have occurred, otherwise you’ve failed to uphold your end of the deal.

Another one that I found particularly funny is titled Troublesome Tots. The premise of this one is that a group of Toddlers are wreaking havoc for their frazzled Caretaker. Players take on these roles (Toddler or Caretaker) and are trying to accomplish their secret goal. Whether it’s finding a snack or doing a load of laundry, each turn players will be working to achieve that goal. A neat element about this one? Every character has a Word stat, and may only use as many words as their stat to describe their actions each turn. So it really feels like talking to toddlers haha. In order to perform actions, players will be rolling dice, adding stats, and attempting to beat a target result. Whomever reaches their secret goal first wins the game!

All in all, Tiny Tome is full of these little fun and unique RPGs. I feel like Tiny Library relied more on actual role-playing and storytelling, but Tiny Tome brings in more of the ‘classic’ RPG elements like stats, dice, and character creation. Obviously, none of these selections go as in-depth as D&D or Pathfinder, but they do offer unique experiences with fun mechanics that give a similar vibe to those RPG giants. I very much am looking forward to playing even more of these stories and seeing which ones I really connect with. Travis and I are in a D&D group together, and I can definitely see our group playing these for some breaks throughout our bigger campaign. I’m already thinking about which one I want to play next, and that is a great sign if you ask me. Tiny Tome is coming to Kickstarter soon, so be on the lookout for this little book. It may look unassuming, but the content within is so vast that you’d better not sleep on it.