Pyramid Review
Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot: The Roleplaying Game
Published by Atomic Sock Monkey
Written & Illustrated by Chad Underkoffler
64-page 2.1 MEG PDF; $6
One of the best games of 2004 was Chad Underkoffler's Dead Inside: The Roleplaying Game of Loss & Redemption, the RPG in which each character has lost his soul and must redeem himself in the spirit world in order to get it back. While that game was thoroughly thoughtful and serious, his Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot: The Roleplaying Game is anything but. The title should be enough of a clue for that, and if not, the fact that all of this game's illustrations are done by the author as monkey/ninja/pirate/robot stick figures should be.
This is a very cartoon world, so logic gets diced and thrown out with the banana skins. Thus we are in the territory of Steve Jackson Games' Toon and Z-Man Games' Cartoon Action Hour: The 1980's Action Cartoon RPG, more the latter than the former, and definitely within the realms of a single setting rather than the many. In fact, the setting is that of the author's earlier card game, Monkey, Ninja, Pirate, Robot Deluxe, itself an Origins-Award-nominated entry for Best Abstract Board Game.
Players take the titular roles and, to quote from the board game, each is "Bathed in atomic radiation, these champions fight to the death in order to claim the sweet, sweet Uranium for the people . . . and Victory!" Not only that, but each type also battles for the Mojo that will only make them stronger, and . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: December 30, 2005
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