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Rapscallion

Quickstart v7.1
PbtA pirate adventure on cursed seas — swear oaths, twist fate, and sail a ship that's a character too
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fantasy
NarrativePirates
Languages: English
Dice2d6
System FamilyStandalone
CostFree
LicenseProprietary
PublisherMagpie Games
Year2024
Complexity Low
Accessibility Very High
Community Very Low

Core Mechanic

Roll 2d6 + trait (Blood, Vinegar, Polish, or Spitfire). On 10+ you succeed cleanly, 7–9 with a cost, 6– and things go wrong. Players choose from 6 character playbooks and 2 ship playbooks. Luck can be spent to Twist Fate (reroll), and the Ante system tracks escalating combat advantage. The Fates (GM) use worldbuilding moves to create a living fantasy pirate setting with magic rooted in Death, Demons, the Sea, and Books.

Best For

Groups who want a narrative pirate RPG with dramatic character relationships — where your ship has its own playbook, magic comes from dark pacts, and the dice swing between daring success and messy complication.

Highlights

Ship-as-character with its own playbook adds group dynamics, Ante system makes combat escalation feel cinematic, worldbuilding tools (World With Laws vs World Without Laws), Magpie Games pedigree, free quickstart to try before buying

Considerations

Only a quickstart — full game not yet released, limited to 6 playbooks, pirate fantasy genre is narrow, requires buy-in from the whole table for PbtA-style play, light on crunch