Tales from the Loop Review Part 1 of 6

Chapter 1:  Welcome To The Loop

Chapter one does a good job of conveying the overall feel of the game. It starts out with a short narrative of how someone might play the game and explains that this is a collaboration between the players and the GM. The players should have just as much input to the story as the GM.

In this game the players are kids in the age ranges of 10-15 during the 1980’s and are trying to solve mysteries together. A particle accelerator named the Loop is causing strange machines and creatures to coexist with the local populace, which the kids will encounter.

As with any RPG book the ubiquitous how to play an RPG is included in the first chapter. Then they go on to explain that this book contains two settings. The first is the Swedish Mälaren Islands and the second is in the U.S.A. in Boulder City, Nevada. The focus of this book will emphasize the Swedish setting but will give “hints” on how to use the Boulder City setting.

Now we’re starting to get into the nitty gritty of the game. There are six principle of Tales from The Loop which are explained in further detail later. First is strange shit happens. Things are created because of failed experiments and only your imagination can limit what happens in the Loop. Second is life is dull. You’re kids and still have to do those boring old chores around the house and homework. Third, adults are out of touch. They don’t listen to you and are always telling you what to do. Some of them, like teachers, will listen and help by calling the authorities but most of them won’t believe any of your wild stories. Fourth is that kids won’t die. No matter what happens your character won’t die. You will however get injured, mocked, or bullied. The fifth and final principle is the game is played scene by scene. For the most part this is standard in any RPG. No one wants to play the boring details of how you got to school unless its somehow important to the story. This means you should ignore the mundane details and skip ahead to the important stuff.

So far, I like the setting because it portrays a unique environment and it has an intriguing flavor of mystery. Trying to sneak out of the house at night to meet up with your friends at the treehouse should prove to be an interesting roleplaying experience.