The Party RPG: Rise of Burden Bluggerbuckle Review

I first got into roleplaying with a cobbled together idea of what it was from television, web comics, and some older friends and I revelled in the ridiculous sandbox we created. It was immature and crude and downright silly but that was what we loved about it. Then, like most but not all players, we grew out of that phase and sought after intricate plots and well acted characters. Then, like a blast from the past, The Party RPG: The Rise of Burden Bluggerbuckle landed on my doorstep.

The plot is simple: Burden Bluggerbuckle, an orc in a floral apron, hears the tragic news that his boyfriend, Phosphorian (who has a glowing member) has died and decides to destroy the world so that they may know his pain. He goes and gets a magical artefact and your squad is called upon to collect the six pieces of the counter-enchantment in order to stop him. It’s a similar feeling to Kobolds Ate My Babies and if you liked that, you’ll probably love this.

The squad progresses from location to location with the GM reading out the descriptive text and prodding the players to see what weird and wacky ideas they come up with to get through the challenges. And to get a real grasp of what sort of challenges you’ll be expected to face, the very first locale is a goblin minefield. To which our party’s solution was to use the goblin player as a shot putt, clearing a safe-ish passage through. Which somehow worked.

The only downsides are that the game can be unclear on what it means at times and that the D6 based damage in combat means that smaller parties may find fights outstaying their welcome. Most issues can be avoided with some creative interpretation of the rules, as the game encourages. 

ANNA BLACKWELL

PLAY IT? YES

Designer: Ben Paul

Publisher: The Party RPG Publishing

Pages: 95+

Age: 15+

Price: £19

This feature originally appeared in Issue 52 of Tabletop Gaming. Pick up the latest issue of the UK's fastest-growing gaming magazine in print or digital here or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.

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