Hello!

Hello!

I have not been that active – on the one hand, rather busy preparing my wedding, on the other hand, I have been hopping game systems, so there are several games that I have started and not yet finished/brought to a good ending point.

Ordering and receiving a copy of “Kurayami Crying” has not really helped that problem, as it is a really interesting game, especially for solitaire gamers looking for something remniscient of the Twilight Zone. So, here are my first impressions.

WARNING! It is a horror RPG, some of the images on the homepage are not really family friendly.

First of all, as introduction, it has a CYOA-type solo adventure, which does not use much of the dice rules of the game, though. Instead, it is meant to illustrate the decision-making and flavour of the game.

Secondly, one of the four sample scenarios is for one on one, two of the sample scenarios are for one GM plus one to five players (^_^;; So, small group play/solitaire character play is possible (the fourth scenario is 4-6 players).

Third, the game works via scene cards that describe roughly what happens in the scene. The card is put on the table and then the players enact the scene. Some cards offer the choice between two options at the end of the scene, each leading to a different card (although after spreading out, the game usually pulls things back together with the card after the next). So, there is a bit of CYOA and more importantly, those choices can be used with PC emulation. Add to this that players have to pick the choice secretly at the same time, which I find is helpful there.

The setting has a Twilight Zone feeling to it. The PCs are usually everyday persons which get drawn into a slightly different parallel world. There is our everyday world – the omote (front) – and the supernatural world – the ura (back). All PCs have a bit of darkness hidden in their soul, and this has caused a person who has succumbed to their darkness or the creatures such a person has spawned, to lure the PCs into the ura world. PCs try to overcome that final adversary to return to the normal world.

The game is strictly structured (which I personally don’t like that much), with an introduction, acts 1 to 3, and an ending. Each part contains an omote and an ura scene with additional scenes between each set of main acts where the players can create new bonds between the PCs or between PCs and NPCs.

It is meant to be played quickly, and it works for both single session gaming and campaign play (with relatively slow progress actually kind of favouring big adventuring parties).

I see a problem with the campaign play/experience rules, as some boni are based on the number of events triggered by any PCs present, so PCs in adventures with large parties get more XP while those all on their own don’t get that much.

Adversaries are scaled in their HP based on player count, I have to see how that works out.

While I am not sure about how well the game can be ported to free solitaire gaming, I think that the four sample scenarios have good potential for solitaire play, provided you are fine with being limited to a few major decisions (although there are quite a few things you can decide within a scene or when creating bonds). While there is information hidden from other players (that hidden darkness), it is not as important as in Insane, as other players can not research it until it is automatically revealed when the PC goes crazed (which does not necessarily mean the end for them). So, if you are fine with the 3 act structure and having scenes that have a lot of things predetermined, I see a lot of potential for solitaire gaming there. I do hope for an adventure collection for it.

Yours,

Deathworks

https://fujimi-trpg-online.jp/game/kc.html