Wundy World Heist Night (One page TTRPG)

Concept : Conspiracies surrounding Mr. Wundey’s frozen corpse have cropped up in recent tabloids, but to those in the know it’s more than a conspiracy. His cryostasized body is said to have been buried under the Wundy World fountain. Along with it, a treasure trove of lost media. It's uncertain what lies in the footage, but one thing is clear: Wundy Inc. will do anything to keep it buried. Play as a cast of characters, some bumbling, some brilliant, racing to heist Wundy's tomb.

Aim: Steal Mr. Wundy's frozen corpse and the lost media hidden along side him, while evading evil robots. 

Tone: Wundy World Heist Night employs an unserious, whimsical tone while exploring action elements. 

Subject Matter:  This game explores theme parks, heists, conspiracy theories, and sci-fi. On a deeper level, playthroughs may explore concepts such as the company-consumer relationship, hyper-reality, and mortality. 

+ Why did you make this game? 

After our playthrough of Wander home and Dream Askew, I went into this game with two main goals: a fun, lighthearted play experience, and to encourage world building. On the lighthearted front, I chose quirky characters and objects to play within, setting a strong tone from the get-go. To encourage worldbuilding, I added a mechanic that incentivized descriptions of setting, objects, and in-world concepts. 

+ What elements of your Magpie book did you use and why did you select them?

An extremely nerdy obsession listed in my Magpie book was theme parks. It's a real world application of creative worldbuilding and art, so it's a marriage of my interests. I wanted to ensure the space of my game encouraged creativity and lightheartedness, so it was a perfect fit. I also think it's an interesting case of hyper-reality, something that players can explore if they would like. 

Another obsession I included in my magpie book is lurking reddit conspiracy boards. I like to entertain the backwards logic of conspiracy theories to challenge myself to think differently than I normally would. When playing other TTRPGs, it took some planning for my characters to come out different than the tropes I usually play.  Hopefully this "outside the box" priming will aid in that concern. Other than that, you stumble upon odd characters, which players may choose to dig into within their own character creation. 

+ What themes are you exploring in your game and what craft elements did you deploy, both in visual design and in mechanics, to support that exploration? What inspired your thinking on, particularly, the mechanics?

I wanted to explore themes of the  company-consumer relationship, but did not want to shove it down players throats in an otherwise lighthearted game. I explored ways of weaving this into the written word, such as mentioning overpriced food, incorporations, or celebrity status (class disparities). I also intend Esmeralda's random slant to impose an unjust and overbearing antagonist onto the game. The hive-mind-esque robot army, is another surrogate for Wundy Inc.'s watchful eye. 

+ What do you hope players walk away from the game having experienced?

I hope players will walk away with a better connection with their friends, as well as a creative spark ignited. Creative energy was a feeling I noticed after Wander home and hope to have emulated. At the end of the day, this game is about collaborative world building, and the affect that players can take away from the creative experience.