With the Internet, this must be the golden age of small, independent RPG's. They have never been easier to find and purchase. And the quality and production value of the RPG's is getting better and better.
That brings me to The Mountain Witch, an RPG/Adventure that comes to us courtesy of Timothy Kleinart of Timfire Publishing and can be ordered through Indie Press Revolution. It is a complete RPG scenario that uses a rules lite system developed especially for the adventure, and although the system could be used for other adventures, the scope of the game itself is this one role playing experience.
The players are ronin in medeival Japan. Their mission is to kill the Mountain Witch who lives in a castle at the top of Mount Fuji. The details are left deliberately vague so that the GM can personalize the experience for the players. The trick is, that the mission is not the point of the game - it is only the setup.
Character creation is less about stats and abilities and more about character background. Players choose one of six fates that will come up during the scenario and also choose their zodiac sign (based on the Asian animal signs). Choosing the zodiac will give each character a number of Trust points that can be used to help other players or hinder them (they call this last one, Betrayal).
It's all designed to give the GM the tools he needs to create conflict and tension within the party. So even as they fight a common foe, as the adventure wears on, the most likely death comes not from the Witch himself, but from the sword of another player. In the right hands, this adventure could be a most enjoyable gaming experience.
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