Free League Publishing Tales from The Loop RPG for Adults, Family and Kids 13 Years Old and Up (Hardback, Full Color RPG)

I agree with the other reviewers about the incredible artwork in this book, but the game itself it equally amazing. This has to be one of the best gateway role playing games for beginners, yet still very engaging for more experienced gamers. Other than this book, it only requires some paper, pencils, some standard six sided dice, and a few friends.The theme has a 'Stranger Things', 'Goonies', 'Scooby-Doo' sort of vibe that young and older players can both find relatable. The players take on the roles of a group of young kids, based on standard ('Breakfast Club') stereotypes (ex. Jock, Bookworm, Weirdo), in order to solve a mystery.Creating these kids is quick and easy, taking about five minutes per player. It involves players answering a series of questions about the kids, their families, and their relationships with each other. Each player also chooses an iconic item (ex. Skateboard or Boombox) that gives their kid special abilities, and an 'anchor' or role model who serves as a healing mechanic in the game. The players also agree upon a hideout, which is a completely safe zone unless the players create trouble themselves.The mechanics of the game are easy and very light on math. Any roll of a six is a success, with difficulty adjusted by adding or subtracting dice. Damage is replaced by 'conditions' (ex. Angry or Exhausted), which reduce the number of dice a player can roll. The kids cannot die, but they can suffer so many 'conditions' that they automatically fail every roll until they visit their 'anchor' (mentor). The system is easy to understand and is perfect for someone looking to run an RPG for the first time.The book is written very clearly and is well organized for quick reference. It also includes four mysteries that can be run together as a complete campaign. As with the rest of the book, they written and organized well, requiring minimal preparation for any Game Master to jump right in and play.I have had a great deal of success with this game and people who would normally never play a tabletop RPG. It seems like the concept of becoming a child again for one evening draws them in, then the elegance and simplicity of the system wins them over. I have been a game master since the 80's (ironically enough) and I have used a lot of different RPG systems. This product is superior in every way to any RPG book I have ever read, as well as the most accessible and user friendly RPG available for non-gamers.

Loop went over beautifully with my RPG group. It's fun, the adventures included are neat, and it's incredibly easy to play. As a word of warning, it is a game that requires more improvisation from a GM than, say, Dungeons and Dragons. But if you can handle it, you have a great game with a setting that is easy to grasp and mechanics that come together quickly.Also, the game doesn't really mention it, but you can build characters outside the types available in the book. Since character types are just a combination of stats, you can easily whip up a mix of stats on your own and come up with an idea to match. One of my players chose to make up a Theater Kid template and was able to put together a character as easily as anyone else.

I hear it should be a 5 star.The game is well designed and they are eager to make a regular gaming session out of it. Nice to see some TTRPG options sprouting in accessible places for us adults to check out for the kids. I heard it's good for 13 up, from a 17 year old who runs many campaigns with friend groups.

The book itself has high production value and is seamlessly, at least for me, inclusive in language.There is a definitive 80's feel here, but not an 80's that any of us would recognize. An obvious contributor is the pseudo/accelerated-science, the less obvious one is that Sweden is the primary setting. Given that others get severely injured and killed (the kids at least can't die) in what sometimes are gruesome ways (though not with detailed description), this leans a bit more toward Stranger Things than Scooby-Doo.The game itself is Narrative focused, the story/narration determines how to do something more than the monster/NPC/danger itself. For example say what you're doing first to establish what to roll with, there is most often more than one way to overcome. Not that it is without rules. The rules encourage cooperation and connection. Each type of kid has their area of expertise it would be hard to build a jack of all trades here. The sample NPC relationships all overlap (and are tied to the sample Mystery Landscape) and there is shared ownership of the hideout and some consensus building in a set of opening questions.The book states that the primary style of play is one shot or (maybe) short campaign, though the four sample adventures are put together as a short campaign. I could see this quickly becoming a Monster of the Week game. The other play style presented is the Mystery Landscape which is simply a sandboxed version of the Myster[ies] on a map.The Mystery, basically a session, is broken into acts/or a rough story structure. Personally I think I'd be inclined to introduce too much Trouble, what the system calls any obstacle encountered from a bully at school, to (not an actual example->) the existential crisis of ones own mortality.Overall I'd love to run several sessions with people who directly experienced the 80s, but I would not choose it as my primary system to run in.