General News - Flames of Freedom TRPG Review @ Polygon

Polygon reviews Flames of Freedom Grim & Perilous, a tabletop RPG published by Andrews McMeel Publishing and based on the Zweihänder RPG. The setting is the American Revolutionary War of 1776, and the game is categorized as an "American Gothic horror tabletop role-playing game".

Flames of Freedom tabletop RPG mixes Hamilton with Stranger Things

FlamesFlames of Freedom Grim & Perilous RPG, the latest from Andrews McMeel Publishing, begins with a bold assertion. It instructs players, firmly and directly, to scrap the conventionally taught history of the American Revolution in favor of a new set of rules. Players should throw absolutely all of the exploitative, colonialist violence into a period appropriate dumpster and set it on fire. What remains is exactly what it says on the tin — a grim and perilous world filled with mystery, horror, and adventure — and the chance to rewrite the American Revolution.

Flames of Freedom is a supernatural setting that feels like a mix of Hamilton and Stranger Things. While your neighbors are marching off to fight the Red Coats, you’ll be lurking in the shadows battling against arcane powers that have existed on the continent for thousands of years. In this tabletop RPG, the process of play becomes instead a story of creation, an open and absorbing alternate history of the troubled founding of our troubled nation where everyone — and I mean everyone — gets a hand on the ball.

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Flames of Freedom Grim & Perilous RPG is one of the best new TRPGs released this year, but it is not for the faint of heart. You can get a taste with a free quickstart version, which includes a short adventure and a selection of pre-generated characters. But, even if you never roll a die in anger, it’s nonetheless a treasure trove of thoughtful historical information. The book officially goes up for sale on Oct. 12. Expect a community-made campaign to be available online around the same time.