King for a Day

Synopsis

King for a Day is the third installment of The Real Thing RPG. It is an action drama TTRPG based loosely on the music of Faith No More. The game was designed in partnership with the band. It employs the simple and much-loved Powered-by-the-Apocalypse system, making for lightweight play that is driven largely by the players’ decisions.

The story draws on styles and themes from a number of exceptional titles including The World of Darkness by White Wolf and Urban Shadows by Magpie Games. These games should give players a sense of the feel and content of the story they are about to experience. This is not a heroic adventure, but the characters can commit heroic acts. This is not a tragedy, per se, but there are tragic elements. This is not a survival game, but survival is not guaranteed.

King for a Day brings to light the full depth and breadth of the supernatural world. There are new rules for crafting supernatural characters, leveraging the custom Discovery system to add horror and depth to existing characters. Players can choose to become custom supernatural creatures by sacrificing their memories and mortal lives in exchange for amazing powers after undertaking a horrifying chrysalis.

Finally, King for a Day has 15 – 20 hours of additional story that picks up where Angel Dust left off. The story is based loosely on themes from the Faith No More album of the same name, and it brings the trilogy to a close. As an added bonus, the Woodpecker from Mars is also in this book. This one-shot sci-fi adventure illustrates how gaming groups can use The Real Thing RPG system to craft interesting stories beyond modern urban fantasy.