Critical Kit Ltd.

Midnight Melodies by @critkituk Midnight Melodie’s is a solo journaling rpg which sees you playing as a jazz pianist (honestly) who has discovered they are immune to the touch of the Grim Reaper. You are investigating unauthorised deaths with the aim of reporting back to the reaper before the sun comes up. Now, as a theme that’s pretty unique and this RPG is all about theme and atmosphere. The system itself is relatively straightforward, a D6 roll for skill checks with a small pool of abilities to choose from. You also have blue note abilities which are the supernatural touch of your encounter with Death. Interestingly, the book gives you different ways of approaching the system depending on how much structure you want in your game. This is really interesting and a way to appeal to most people’s playstyle. Ultimately though this is journaling rpg so a degree of creativity is required. So is it any good? Short answer is yes! The book is relatively compact, there’s a nice mix of lookup tables for inspiration and there’s some lovely touches like links to online music resources and jazz playlists. However, for whatever reason, this one didn’t really gel with me. I think perhaps that I couldn’t really get in board with the theme like I have in the other @critkituk books I’ve played. The system was fine, I just couldn’t get into my character so struggled with the creativity. But, if the theme appeals to you then I’d absolutely recommend looking into this as I can see how you could easily get lost in the world created. The book was provided for review through @ukbg_review_circle but all opinions are my own.

As you may know, I've been a member of the @ukbg_review_circle for many years, and through this I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play test many prototypes, preview upcoming Kickstarters and review so many excellent games by a massive variety of publishers. Recently, through the circle, I received a copy of a solo TTRPG by @critkituk (The Protector's Memories). I haven't played many solo TTRPG's before so I had previously completely overlooked signing up for such games and unfortunately therefore missed the opportunity to review this game pictured - All Night Breakfast at the Midnight Owl. I could have kicked myself when I realised - I instantly recognised the awesome art by Simon J. Curd (as he is a regular exhibitor at @ukgamesexpo ). I'm a massive fan of Twin Peaks and I love the podcasting concept here. I was proper gutted that I missed this one. Soooo...yesterday when Jase was at Salute I asked him to keep an eye out for any stands selling Critical Kit stuff. Of course, the awesome guys at @modular_worlds had a copy in stock (extra bonus because they are our holiday FLGS once a year when we visited Newquay!) I've already picked out my matchy dice to start playing - priorities. Can't wait.

Have you ever heard of the Department of Unauthorised Deaths? Well, now you have.. and you're its newest employee! ____ 🎶 Midnight Melodies - Solo RPG Review 🎶 ✏️@critkituk @capacle 👥 Solo 🕔 45mins + The grim reaper has recently employed you to help figure out why some people have died without his authorization. Every night whilst working your shift as a pianist, you'll receive a name of another life taken. It's your job to figure out the mystery before sunrise! ____ 🎲 How Does It Play? 🎲 Similar to other solo rpgs, you'll begin the starting story and put together a character sheet, before progressing onto the story. To help aid your journey, you'll roll dice to determine who you meet and what happens - but half of the story relies on your imagination! You'll have to use the prompts given to you to put the mystery together. You'll need: 1d6, 1d12 and somewhere to write your notes! ____ 💭 My Thoughts 💭 • Absolutely love the idea of the story! Such a fun and unique concept. I had a great time enjoying the duality of being a jazz pianist as well as a "detective" for the grim reaper! • Although I loved the story, I do feel the beginning could be improved by being slightly more descriptive. Setting the scene for these solo rpgs are so important for immersion, and I think it could've had a little more explanation to the lore. • The pictures used are all from Canva, so some weren't the best quality. • I liked that it had a table to help you if you can't think of "complications" or "advantages" you encounter. Helps ease the creative pressure a bit! • I felt it would've been better if you gained a bit more information before starting each mystery. My understanding was you just got a piece of paper with the name of the individual murdered, but I felt you can't really learn much from this. Even if it included the "motifs" on the note to help, I feel it would've helped me start each case off better. It just felt a bit like I had to do a bit "too" much of the work! ___ This was kindly gifted to me for review by @critkituk via @ukbg_review_circle - all opinions are my own! 💕 This is my post for #sundaymorningsolo hosted by @soloboardsandbooks !

The Protector’s Memories 🎒📖 Step into the role of a long forgotten guardian, sifting through fragments of a life once lived, where every memory uncovered feels fragile, fleeting and deeply personal. Guided by evocative prompts, you’ll piece together stories of duty, connection and loss… deciding what is remembered, what is reshaped and what quietly fades into the past. ✨ It’s a solo journaling RPG that leans into atmosphere and emotion, inviting you to slow down, reflect and let each memory take root on the page. More than a game, it’s a gentle, introspective experience that lingers long after you close the book. 🕯️ 🎲 Players: 1 ⏳ Play time: Flexible 🎂 Age: 12+ 🧠 Style: Solo journaling RPG / storytelling Review copy sent by @critkituk via @ukbg_review_circle All opinions are my own. #ProtectorsMemories #SoloRPG #JournalingRPG #TabletopGames #IndieRPG #Storytelling #CosyGames #TTRPG #SoloGaming

Five reasons you should be playing solo RPGs. #ttrpg #solorpg #indiettrpg #roleplayinggame

Saturday morning and a game of The Protector's Memories for #saturdaymorningsolo created by @favouritefoe This is a solo RPG (role playing game) emphasizing imagination and narrative development as the main mechanisms for discovering the land. After my initial stint of this when I was totally drawn into it, I had considered using coloured pencils for each biome. So I went over the sections previously explored only to realise that the Prairie Sea should obviously have a blueish colour. I think the coloured section make it look a lot better, do you agree. The game requires a pencil, some d6 dice and a normal pack of cards. You are the next in line of Protectors and you will explore the lands surrounding the tower, learning the stories of the inhabitants of these biomes, recording all that you find as you seek to recover the lost memories of your ancestors. Should you become unable to continue then a new Protector can either be created at the Deep Heart (the tower at the centre of this land) with a new starting item and skills or to be reborn where the previous Protector perished but in both cases retaining the previous memories. Also the eagle eyed will have noticed the central tower is labelled Dark Heart instead of Deep Heart. As I had an early downloaded map, it has now been altered but I had already gone exploring and was not about to just print a new map. Completing mini quests will provide rewards and exploring ruins will help you to recover previous lost memories. Having been abandoned by the rest of the family lately this was an oppotune time to explore a good portion of the map, discovering new towns and making memories. Hours have definitely passed as I have been totally drawn in to the book. *The copy of the game was provided by the publisher @critkituk to the group #ukbgreviewcircle for the purposes of the review. We were not paid for the review and the opinions are our own unbiased ones.* #dicerolling #soloadventure #meeplesathome

This week's #firstimpressionsfriday🎲 , which is organised by @nerdygirlgaming and we had a solo RPG (role playing game) emphasizing imagination and narrative development as the main mechanisms for discovering the land. You will journey to recover the lost stories of your ancestors, embarking on adventures to encounter strange lands, inhabitants and occasional dangers. You are the next in line of Protectors and in the course of your mission should you become unable to continue, then another Protector can either be created at the Deep Heart (the tower at the centre of this land) with a new starting item and skills or to be reborn where the previous Protector perished but in both cases retaining the previous memories. As a Protector you will explore the lands surrounding the tower, learning the stories of the inhabitants of these biomes, discovering the creatures unique to each of them and recording all that you find. The book has seventy pages describing how to create a Protector, how to explore using normal dice and a pack of cards, how to gain resources and acquire magic. I was certainly drawn in by the tale and have been gradually discovering what the world contains, interacting with the inhabitants, embarking upon missions (can't help but call them mini quests) and attempting to recover previous lost memories. If I hadn't been so engrossed in flicking through the different sections of the book and reading about the separate biomes, I would have dug out coloured pencils for each biome. I've found myself making notes on the side of the map which I imagine explorers in other times would likely have done. This brings back memories of solo adventuring books from my childhood but this has you creating your own unique world with locations that are totally random. I suspect I will need to be careful to limit how much time I spend playing this as it is so easy just to keep playing. *The copy of the game was provided by the publisher @critkituk to the group #ukbgreviewcircle for the purposes of the review. We were not paid for the review and the opinions are our own unbiased ones.* #dicerolling #soloadventure #meeplesathome

Happy mail arrived whilst I was away! 🥳 The Protector's Memories by Enzo Salviato is a solo RPG where the player is trying to recover memories from their ancestors. I've been dabbling in solo gaming a fair bit recently (something I never used to do at all!), but I haven't played a solo RPG before. So I was really excited when @critkituk offered to send over a review copy of this via the @ukbg_review_circle . Can't wait to get started! I think I may play it as part of this weeks #sundaymorningsolo. What are your favourite solo games? What are your favourite RPG'S? What are your favourite solo RPG'S??

Need help with creative writing? #creativewriting #ttrpg #solorpg

New Game Announcement!! We will be playing a new system on HackRecklessly! March 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31. Join us at 8:30 pm est for this fun new game! If the game tickles your fancy please check it out on backerkit! /c/projects/critical-kit-ltd-b6ed0c39-ce3c-4262-9d99-6c5585aa81ef/death-valley-a-horror-western-ttrpg/updates/38183?ref=bk-noti-project-update-38183

Vous ne pensiez tout de même pas qu'on allait en rester là non ? 2027.

Une surprise est arrivée. 2027.