TL;DR: Sign up to play with a consistent group! We’ll explore various ttRPGs of different settings, genres, and rule-types on a semi-regular basis, for 3-4 sessions, this time. We’ll be trying out a game inspired by the protagonists of Greek myth (especially found in the Odyssey) that really strives to be much more than just a sword-and-sandles ttRPG.

Session Dates:
Thursday, 02/26
Thursday, 03/12
Thursday, 04/23
Thursday, 05/06

What is Agon? Why this game?

The writers of Agon include include a pitch the game facilitation section that sums up the theme:

“In the mists of ancient time, a poet sings of great deeds wrought by mighty heroes—of monsters slain and justice restored, of wise council and devious strategies, of courage, valor, and daring—defiant of the gods themselves. In Agon, you create these heroes, crafting their epic tale into an immortal legend.

“On their way back home from war, a band of heroes become lost among strange islands populated by mythical creatures, dangerous villains, legendary kingdoms, and desperate people—each entangled in strife, at the mercy of the capricious gods.

“It falls to you as the epic heroes of your age to seize this opportunity for greatness—to set things right in these lost lands, overcome the trials of gods, monsters, and mortals, prove the glory of your name, and win your way back home. “--  p. 62, the core rule book

Countless games have promised similar themes or settings, but Agon stands apart in how you go about crafting the epic tale.

Will I have fun with this system? What makes it different?
Agon uses the Paragon system which is itself more a structure or paradigm for ttRPG play. In this game, you roll dice before you know what you’re trying to do and only narrate your player’s actions after you know how well (or how poorly) they fared in the challenge. This is not the way we typically run things (!) – but this is okay: Agon makes it work.

That’s because each hero’s legend, more or less, is tied to the vagaries of Fate. Some challenges will play to their strengths and allow our fledgling heroes to achieve “Glory” (sort of like XP), but a vital part of a hero’s development is failure (costing the hero “Pathos” – like HP), and characters only get stronger in deed when they come back from setbacks and demonstrate their heroism.

But learning how to tell those tales, and learning how the rules support what we do will be part of this game. Even the writers of the book acknowledge you need to stumble through your first several sessions to get at their ludonarrative intention.

Yet much like our heroes, we’ll learn from making mistakes and daring boldly. Either way, we’ll see how it goes!

How will the club play this game, logistically?
Agon has a built-in timer: when you fill up three constellations (constellations?!) – about 3-9 sessions – our journeying heroes return to their island, and we see how profound their legends become. We will either play that long or not, but we’ll start with four sessions for now.

Why the cost?
Even though the intention is we’ll play all of these games together, we’re going to go with a pay-as-we-go model, just because the GM’s schedule may best permit that type of thing. We shall see.

What is the Indie ttRPG Club?
Foremost, this group is about playing tabletop RPGs and co-creating interesting stories for the challenge and the thrill. We will explore different systems and settings to see what they can teach us about the hobby and the different stories we’re able to create together. If you’re not quite feeling the vibe of the selected game, stay tuned for future announcements!