Maps & Mishaps: SHORTCUTS

Maps & Mishaps is a flexible roleplaying game about journeys, and all the ways they go off the rails, for 2+ players. In this game, you and your table build a world, create Travelers, and take those characters on a journey from start to finish – all in a single session with no preparation in advance!

This version of Maps & Mishaps - called SHORTCUTS - is a simplified version of the full Maps & Mishaps rules, that you can play in under 2 hours. In that time, you'll tell the story of the misadventure that ensues after your group takes a single ill-advised shortcut while on a longer journey. 

I'll be crowdfunding a print edition of the full game soon - so please follow the page to help support this indie release! The full game gives you the tools to tell the story of an entire journey, not just a single shortcut, and enjoy additional narrative mechanics to support longer adventures with deeper storytelling.

The game guides you through building a world with your group, but you can always pick an existing world you already know and love. Take advantage of that freedom to tell stories in any kind of world you can picture, like:

• An underwater Rock Band racing to get to the Battle of the Bands
• Redwall-style Chefs on a journey towards a legendary ingredient
• Monty Python Greek Mythology in Space
• Your very own Pokémon adventure

These are all examples of games I've played using the Maps & Mishaps system.

With the endless freedom to play in any type of world with any type of characters, you also need enough structure and mechanics to help ensure a satisfying adventure every time. Here's some of what you can expect from the game:

• A Flexible & Dynamic Skill System - Write your own skills to support you through your journey - making them anything you can imagine - and pick up new ones along the way!
• Prompt-Driven Worldbuilding - Inspired by The Quiet Year, a deck of cards helps drive your worldbuilding, giving you a launching pad from which your table will detail the world around you.
• A Focus on Character Growth - "Light touch" narrative mechanics to connect your character's growth and story to the gameplay, without interfering in the roleplaying experience.
• Traverse a 'Map' of Your World - Use index cards to build a visual "map" of your journey and track your traveler's progress from start to finish!

I started working on this in 2021 and now, after many evolutions, you can finally play Maps & Mishaps right now! SHORTCUTS is the first step and I'm excited it to make it available fully for free on a Pay-What-You-Want model.

All income will go towards helping with expenses for the upcoming campaign of the full game system! Please follow the page today to help support the release of this project!