Troublemakers

Remember when you were young and everything seemed possible? Back when you owned a pair of lucky socks and a dragon lived in the school basement? Back when the rain stopped if you sang a song about it and wolves prowled your home town’s streets after dark? Back when everything was more wonderful and more terrible than it is today? When you were just a kid and didn’t really understand the world, everything felt more intense, full of more potential for the amazing and incredible. This is a game that will take you back to that world, a world that never was, full of magic & monsters, pirates & plunder, where you and your friends can save your town from certain doom and be back home in time for dinner. Troublemakers  is a game inspired by films, TV and books, including but not limited to:

· The Goonies                                     · ET: the Extra-Terrestrial

· The Monster Squad                      · Ghostwriter

· Eerie, Indiana                                   · Dark Season

· The Famous Five series                · Jumanji (1995 version)

· Elidor                                                    · Flight of the Navigator

· The Lost Boys                                    · Stand by Me

It’s a game about children who go on remarkable adventures and save the day despite the intervention of the adults around them, in the process uncovering things secret & wondrous and maybe even growing up a little at the same time.  This game is Powered by the Apocalypse, so while most of you will be Player Characters acting out the parts of the kids involved, one of you will be the Master of Ceremonies whose role it is to know the rules of the game and help the rest of the players weave a fascinating story out of the choices they make.

Full Release: Out Now!

The full release of the game consists of the core rules, containing full advice for making characters, building a shared world and telling stories within it, and all 12 playbooks in their full form, representing the following types of protagonist to take on your personal adventures:

• The Crush: a sweet, friendly kid who is popular with everyone
• The Daredevil: always on the go, pushing their physical limits
• The Delinquent: a rebel who loves to break the rules
• The Dog: an actual dog, the pet of one of the other player characters!
• The Einstein: a book smart genius with a capacious mind
• The Knuckle: always ready for a fight or a bit of vandalism
• The Kook: they believe in monsters and the monsters believe in them!
• The Mouth: a non-stop talker who always has something to say
• The Prodigy: an all-star student who adores attending school
• The Ranger: loves the great outdoors and knows a lot about it
• The Royal: bossy and pampered, they always seem to get their way
• The Sitter: a little older and more responsible than the other kids

There is copious advice in the core rules on how to guide & direct play, create more content and enrich your game experience with all the nostalgia of a childhood that only truly existed in stories.

Demo Version

As well as the full version of the game, you can also get this free demo set, which includes a 'cheat sheet' version of the basic moves and  two ready-to-go playsets made in conjunction with Jack Reilly, each featuring a cutdown version of half the playbooks, with a pre-made situation featuring lots of avenues to explore: play them as many times as you like, because you'll never get the same story twice! 

• Trouble at Chapman Lake is a summertime exploration of a popular getaway destination, with the kids being drawn into something sinister and mysterious just below the surface...
• Trick or Trick takes place at the spookiest time of year, with a group of kids going house to house collecting candy, but what exactly lurks in the shadows during this Halloween season?
• Nevermore is an extra-special playset that takes inspiration from the Wednesday TV series and previews two new playbooks: The Seer, who is haunted by ghosts, and The Star, a theatre kid who loves to perform!

The demo sets work best if played in conjunction with the full rules, but there's enough contained within to give you a taste of what the full game is like.

Online Play

Most of us have been playing online for the past few years, so to further support play, Troublemakers has a character keeper that contains all the details for all 12 playbooks, plus the basic moves. Click the link here and make a copy of the spreadsheet for your own use!