CURSED INK Troika! Board Game

Troika is a role-playing game that can be described as delightfully simple and absurd, a proposal that combines the imagination of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. At 119 pages, it manages to pack in a lot of detail and offers a completely random character creation experience. In Troika, character creation is based on dice rolls to determine skills, stamina, and luck. Backgrounds add additional skills and items, bringing depth and quirkiness to each character. Combat in the game is uncertain and different than usual, as the initiative is decided by a bag of colored tokens. The combat rules are simple and straightforward, allowing actions such as hitting, shooting, casting spells, and delaying action. Monsters have simple statistics and a table to randomly determine their attitude, adding variety and surprise to encounters. Much of the book is devoted to lists of items, spells, and monsters, and the charm lies as much in the mechanical elements as it does in the evocative writing. Backgrounds offer a snapshot of the character and their world, providing a wide range of options ranging from crazy golems to edible monkey breeders. In short, Troika is a charming and compact RPG that offers a different and absurd experience. Although it is not particularly suitable for long campaigns, its setting and mechanics will captivate those looking for something out of the ordinary in the world of role-playing games.