# RPG A DAY 2024: Most recently played RPG? tags: #thoughts #thoughts/RPGaDay/2024 ![[RPGaDAY2024-024x723.jpg]] Interestingly, my most recently played RPG is also my most recently acquired RPG, released just a couple weeks ago, **[[HOME Mech x Kaiju|HOME: Mech x Kaiju]]**. ![[Home - Mech x Kaiju (cover).jpg]] Giant robots, giant monsters, the world hanging on the brink of devastation, occasional political intrigue, scribbling poorly on a map. Frankly, this game has it all. It's also able to be played solo and with others, while simultaneously being GMless. Fantastic on every level, not for the least reason that page one literally gives you on the facing spread with both the steps of play (simultaneously the table of contents) followed by everything you need to know about the themes and underlying structure of the game itself. ![[Home MxK Pg 01.jpg]] It also has what I consider to be the only good example of "safety mechanics" I've ever seen. Why do I think that they are particularly exemplary? Because they aren't strictly exclusionary. They don't represent a stick to beat people with until they do things and talk about things you want to. It's a lot more nuanced than that, even on things that someone might be uncomfortable with. It's not a blanket trump card; it initiates a conversation and is more than strict binary.^[And it allows for the answer, "no, we won't stop that; you're being a big pussy," which is subtlty I appreciate.] ![[HOME Turn It Down Turn It Up.png]] But in particular, it allows you to state the opposite. You can tell someone else to *turn it up*, not just *turn it down*. You can say, "Give me more of that good juice." You can ask for more blood and guts and uncomfortable things, the destruction of people's homes, screaming children, eyes popping. People watching in misery as their lives are destroyed. I appreciate that. I *like* that sort of thing. Overall, this game is structured for one-shots and short playtime. It guesstimates about 30 minutes per player, and I feel comfortable in saying that is only the case if *you* get comfortable with understanding what the next steps are, and don't often get caught up in describing the interstitial ideas that you come up with that motivate a railgun on the map or what it looks like when that kaiju takes out a major city. If you get caught up in description or play with people who get caught up in description easily, that's going to take a fair amount of time. It's also going to be incredible fun. You're going to enjoy it. The reason that *this* is the most recent game that I have played is I've been trying to figure out a good way to put an actual play of it up here on the digital garden. I haven't quite worked it out yet, but I'm pretty sure I can put something together at some point. It's going to be a blast. I also would very much enjoy taking **HOME** to a convention or gaming store along with a big piece of poster board for drawing the map at large scale just so it would be more of a spectacle. Put it up on an easel and it would be an eye-catching game to run anywhere. And I would definitely suggest taking it with you to do so. Looking for something fast, easy, and compelling? Go pick it up. You won't regret it.