The game I’m reviewing for this unit is Thirsty Sword Lesbians, a game briefly mentioned in class during the overview of what a tabletop RPG is and can be. Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a multiplayer tabletop RPG that uses the tremendously versatile Powered By the Apocalypse tabletop system, and it does some tremendously interesting things with the form. There are a number of smart and inventive ways that the game gets the players involved in the story, and it combines these ideas with a streamlined and fast-paced take on the PBtA combat system to craft a memorable and fun experience without bogging down the game with too many different things. Every concept in Thirsty Sword Lesbians flows naturally into and builds well on every other concept; there’s no rulebook bloat to speak of.
This feat is even more impressive considering the size of the rulebook: including all the necessary handouts and character sheets (referred to by the game as “playbooks”), the downloadable PDF of the rulebook comes out to a full 224 pages; though not the largest rulebook for a tabletop game by any means, the fact that everything contained in the book works in tandem without conflicting or creating any sort of confusion is a triumph of game design.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians, also to its credit, doesn’t lose anything in the transition between reading the book and playing the game. The first excellent idea that the game has comes even before character creation, in the form of what the rulebook calls the Palette. The Palette is a safety measure to make sure that no unpleasant surprises or overly triggering material comes up in the campaign, which is already only a good thing for the table; however, Thirsty Sword Lesbians makes the Palette twofold by having it serve as both a safety measure and a way for each player to put their own stamp on the campaign, thus bringing everyone more into the game right away, even before doing any other part of playing it.
A notable thing about the game is how streamlined it is, giving the players much more freedom to roleplay, discuss their characters, and tell their story—another way the players are brought into and given agency over parts of the campaign. The dice rolls are simple, easy to understand, and it’s always the same 2d6 roll every time, eliminating much of the dice-shuffling that other, more complicated systems can suffer from. With Thirsty Sword Lesbians being very roleplay-focused and player-forward, having the rolls be quick and convenient for the players is immensely helpful to keep the pace of the game up, and it really does move; compared to my experiences playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, Thirsty Sword Lesbians flew, and there was never any sense of boredom or that there was nothing for me or my character to do.
All in all, Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a fast, fun, caring, and incredibly smart tabletop RPG that manages to simplify its system without lessening its effectiveness or the experience of play. It mixes inventive concepts and streamlined, easy-to-learn gameplay to create an ideal environment for a player-friendly, roleplay-heavy game, and executes it to perfection.
