Rat Floater
A downloadable game
You are a Rat Floater
Someone who moves between gangs; making friends, connections, but most important, learning their secrets.
Your contacts have compared notes
and it is clear to them that you are playing the middle. Which is why they, members of warring rival gangs, have come together for a common cause. For as much as they hate each other, there is something they can agree on. If a rat is not exterminated quickly enough, you will have an infestation
Rat Floater
is a roleplaying game for two people. One player is the Rat. The other player is the Pact, representing the members of the different gangs, banded together to hunt the Rat.
Rat Floater was made for the "Fix My Game Jam" hosted by kumada1
and is influenced by the game Casanova, Casablanca, Cascade (of Bullets)
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $1 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Exclusive content
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
Community Copies
Feel free to take a community copy whether or not you are in need.
I'll add more periodically. If there are no more left and you really want this game but don't have 1 dollar, message me.
Comments
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Rat Floater is a two player rpg of crime and retaliation.
It's 9 pages with an easily readable, well-organized layout. For its page backdrops uses photos taken by the author---which is rad, and helps a lot to anchor its realistic noir vibe.
Mechanically, one player takes on the role of The Rat (a freelance con trying to social engineer their way into positions of influence with multiple gangs) and one player takes on the role of the Pact (gangs putting aside their differences to hunt the rat.)
The Rat escapes by risking points from a large pool to pass checks. Dice that roll low enough fail and are permanently discarded from the pool, and checks that fail add ticks to a Pact Catches Rat clock, creating two opposing mechanical pressures with The Rat caught in the middle.
The Pact, meanwhile, is a GM role. The text doesn't seem to say this directly, but The Pact prompts The Rat to make checks by narrating the various members of the gangs closing in.
This feedback loop, between The Pact narrating chasing The Rat and The Rat squirming between their diminishing pool and filling clock, drives the game towards a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
Overall, if you're looking for a two player crime drama with gameplay that pushes things relentlessly towards their conclusion, I'd absolutely check this out. You may also be able to modify it for more people by having the extra players take on roles of characters in The Pact.