EXTRACAUSAL

Hi, this sounds like the kind of game I'd be interested in, but I prefer my games in physical form. Any option for a printed version?

I got this from a bundle a few months back, but only found i had it and read it through today. And wow. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that this is the RPG for me- I don't have the right group yet, but the rules of Trophy mixed and manipulated to more perfectly define something just a little bit less real is exactly what I've been looking for and could not find in other horror-adjacent RPGs i have seen. I cannot wait to find the right group to play this with and really get a chance to evoke the feelings.

I'm in the process of modifying this for my personal taste and for the mythos mine own, but there's not  a lot I need to change to get the vibe aligned. Thank you for the truly wonderful reading experience and game, Mr. Hittie.

Extracausal is a lush, intense, Trophy-system game about interacting with a vast and interconnected occult. Its art is bleak and atmospheric, and it takes notes from the I-can't-honestly-say-yet-whether-it's-mainstream-or-a-cult-classic game Control---but it might just as easily work as a lighter conversion for something like Unknown Armies or Delta Green.

Extracausal is 29 pages, and it's got a fair bit of text, so for a short game it's going to feel hefty. However, it's also self-contained, so you don't need a copy of Trophy to play. 

You *do* need to have played/run other trpgs before, since it assumes you've already got a strong grasp of the fundamentals, and this might potentially wall out some people who would otherwise be interested in the SCP vibe of the game.

Mechanics-wise, Extracausal is well-tuned for suspense and horror. You generate a pool of dice by invoking elements of your character, and certain elements when invoked complicate a scene. Getting dice from injuries makes those injuries relevant to the scene. Getting dice from the supernatural makes it more likely to intrude and overshadow you. It's neat and atmospheric, and leans just to the storytelling side of being gamey and crunchy.

One thing not really featured in Extracausal is sample mysteries, monsters, agencies, etc, so you may want to bring your own mythos to the table if you're not confident in your ability to freestyle a gigantic conspiracy during the first session.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone who likes X-Files, or any of the other media I've mentioned so far, and who wants a story-first game of suspense and occult horror. If you're looking for the same, but crunchy, this is probably not your jam. And if you're looking for a prepackaged setting, this doesn't provide that. Otherwise, I absolutely encourage you to check it out.

Minor Issues:

-Apcoalypsis and Tenebrae being able to be set back feels like it bleeds out some of the tension from the game. At the same time, the vagueness of when to advance those tracks makes the escalation of tension feel a little arbitrary. Maybe tying them to choices at the end of modules might help? "If you did W, gain Apocalypsis and lose X", "if you did Y, gain Tenebrae and gain Z."

Just purchased this game and have read through it. I'm not sure I'm sold on the collaborative mystery aspect, partly because it seems like it would require a lot of suspension of OOC knowledge. However I won't knock it til I try it.

What I will knock is the lack of conceptual footholds provided. Giving lists of vague names with a few adjectives might as well be giving nothing; the table entries were too little for me to build off of or visualize, and there's really no other "meat" to this game. The rules seem clean enough, on the simple side but that's fine. But if you opt for a simple ruleset you need the game's tone, themes, etc. to carry it. I don't feel like that's happening here. 

I understand wanting to leave things broad so players can do what they want with the system, but at a certain point you need to commit to some things for us so there's somewhere for us to build from.

this is a neat game, and as someone who adores the genre this is meant 2 portray, it got me very very excited!!

in terms of feedback, i do think its worth saying that some descriptions of the more narrative portions of the game can be a little vague? it was easy for me to figure out what "bring into play / emerge in the current scene" means for example, and i'm very familiar with the concept of framing and playing out scenes, but someone less accustomed to ttrpg conventions might find themselves a little bewildered and unsure of how to go about play?

that said, this looks very fun and i fully intend to play it in the future :O!!