Review: Scurry! A Game That Gathers Speed
Plus the page that got us from Heart
It’s almost time for Gen Con!!
Elliot and Brian are going to be in Indy this weekend running games of Honey Heist and DIE for Rowan, Rook, and Decard and then will be sampling as many cool new games as possible.
If you see us, come say hi!
REVIEW: Scurry!
A Game That Gathers Speed by Stout Stoat Press
Who’s it for? Both experienced and inexperienced players who like narrative-driven games with lots of room for creativity, and who don’t require a happy ending. (Suggested age 13+)
You’ll like Scurry if you like: Wanderhome, Root, Redwall, Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach
If you love the character and world building of Wanderhome, but wish there was a bit more chaos, urgency or even violence to the game, Scurry! may be just what you’re looking for. The minimalist TTRPG, created by Brian Tyrrell, features a cast of woodland creatures populating the Scottish wilderness in a post-Titan (aka, post-human) world, who go on scurries to achieve specific goals set by the Scurry Master. It requires very little in terms of pre-game preparation, and both character creation and the main game mechanic are wonderfully easy to learn, making this a great game for those who are new to TTRPGs or who have limited time to learn a new game. The game suggests each session should be about one to two hours, but, being the overly excited bunch that we are, the My First Dungeon crew extended our Scurry over two slightly longer sessions to really live in the world for as long as possible. And we had a damn good time doing it.
To achieve that sense of urgency—the scurry, scurry, scurry vibes, if you will—the game uses a shrinking die mechanic to mimic the feeling of running out of time of having the walls closing in. Everyone begins with a 12-sided die. When resolving conflicts, if a player rolls a 4 or higher, they succeed. We don’t advise getting all that comfortable with your high success rate the start, however, because that die will shrink to a 10-sided die, then 8, then 6 and finally down to 4, as you progress, making it more and more likely the players will roll a Hijinx (aka a 1 on the die) causing something to go “hilariously wrong, [with] chaos sure to follow.” And it truly does create a sense of urgency, hurrying you along, trying frantically to come up with another way to achieve your goal. The chaos may lead to players throwing logic out the window, but isn’t that just the best way to inspire creativity? No? Just us? Eh, we stand by it.
Even without the abandonment of calm, collected problem solving to inspire you, Scurry leaves a ton of room for creative interpretation, especially within character creation. The game has plenty of suggestions for Tools, Talents and Traits to flesh out your beasts, but doesn’t go into much detail and actively encourages players to come up with their own additions to what’s listed. All in all, if you’re looking for a game that’s a bit twee, a bit chaotic, and light on rules with an emphasis on narrative play, we highly recommend bumping Scurry to the top of your list.
-Abby
The Page That Got Me - Heart
Sometimes the Sell is Easy
Inside Cover, Heart, Illustrations by Felix Miall
Brian often talks about how in order to get someone to play your game, listen to your podcast, or otherwise engage with something you have created, you need to establish trust as quickly as possible and show them they are in good hands. With Heart, I felt like I was in good hands right away (even if those hands were bloody, slimy, and covered in teeth).
This inside cover spread accomplishes a lot for a first-time opener of Heart. For me, having read through Spire (the first of these two games set in the same world) already, I knew I was in good hands when it came to system, class design, and GM guidance. What this told me, however, was this was going to be a very different experience than a game of Spire in terms of theme, story, and overall vibe.
A Promise of Quality/Style
When you first open Heart and see this illustration, you know that this is going to be a book full of evocative art, one that you will want to open again and again to flip through and be inspired by. To put such an incredible piece of art here is a promise that the creators wanted to make every detail of this book shine.
Imagination Fuel
With so many fun details, this illustration will have your brain turning over a number of questions and thoughts:
-Will we be playing as these characters?
-Will we be fighting them?
-I guess both?
-Ooh, what is that?
-What is THAT?
Setting Expectations
You know what genre this game is when you first see these pages: Horror. Yet you don’t see the kind of horror where you’ll be playing helpless victims to the evils of this world. You see a variety of warriors, spellcasters, and monsters, none too afraid of their surroundings. You’ll face horrors, they’ll be deadly, but you’ll be just horrifying enough to face them.
Once you’ve had a read through of the rest of the book, going back to this image is a delight. You’ll find references to the rules, classes, and adversaries within. Or you might just find the key inspiration for your next character after your last one fell victim to the Heart.
If you want to get your own copy of Heart: The City Beneath, head to Rowan, Rook and Decard.
Upcoming Schedule
8/3-8/6 - Gen Con Indy (Come say hi!)
8/7 - Something New and Cool 😎🎊 (Speculate wildly in the comments)
8/11 - My First Dungeon Next Season Trailer Reveal
8/18 - My First Dungeon Next Season Designer Interview
8/25 - My First Dungeon Next Season Actual Play
I love how much Scotland is represented in Stout Stoat Press. Their newest project, Border Riding, feels like a culmination of everything they learned on Scurry and others. Good review, I love what you choose to cover.