Tales from the Loop is Stranger Things meets Scythe – in RPG form

Two of the biggest cultural phenomena of 2016 are colliding together in a new RPG.

Tales from the Loop is an RPG set in an alternative 1980s universe created by Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag that is sure to draw comparisons to cult Netflix show Stranger Things and Jamey Stegmaier’s mechs-in-the-1920s strategy board game Scythe (itself based on an alternate history created by illustrator Jakub Rozalski).

It’s being written by Nils Hintze and the team at Free League, who were previously responsible for the ENnie-winning Mutant: Year Zero and Coriolis - The Third Horizon.

In the vein of 1980s movies such as ET – which went on to influence Stranger Things – players will become teenagers who encounter mysterious events around their hometown connected to the titular underground particle collider and research facility. Character classes (known as ‘types’) will include staple ‘80s tropes, including the bookworm, troublemaker, popular kid and weirdo.

Gameplay is based on the systems used in Year Zero, with one six needed to achieve a success during any skill test and additional high rolls providing bonuses.

According to the game’s Kickstarter campaign, the focus is on exploring and building relationships as opposed to direct combat, as the team attempts to solve a variety of mysteries.

The core rulebook will include a full campaign setting based on the Swedish Mälaröarna islands, with a second US setting unlocked by stretch goals.

A PDF of the rulebook costs just over £17, with a print copy at £30.

Tales from the Loop is due out next February, and has already smashed its initial SEK 100,000 (£8,704) by raising over SEK 653,000 (£56,840) at the time of writing, with 20 days left to run.