Hello, hello!

I am popping in to share that I’ve updated the rules for Pinching Tarts to clarify a few, key aspects of gameplay. I ran a few sessions of Pinching Tarts at Game Hole Con XI in Madison, Wisconsin, and based on the sizes of the groups and their feedback, I’ve made a few tweaks. If you’ve already purchased or downloaded a copy of the game on DriveThruRPG.com, you’ll automatically receive the update.

My goal for this game’s overall design was to recreate that feel of whimsy and delight, where anything can happen at a table filled with treats, and the stakes aren’t “high.” Empowering players to participate in the story, to feel and be the stars of the narrative, is important to me. IN the end, Pinching Tarts is a cozy game with some risk–but the experience is not meant to be doom, doom, death, destruction around every corner.

While facilitating the game, it became clear that some people might prefer a DM of some kind to help narrate results, set the tone, etc. I am mulling that over for a future edition, but kept the DM-less aspect of the game now. I also realized that I have more game here to explore in a fun way!

In the digital version of the file, I did make a change to the guard appearances. Guards only show up if a player doesn’t contest another player’s action. When they do, however, the next player faces them. Guards still respond to player actions and can’t call for a contest by themselves. And, uncontested actions are still an automatic win, mind you, but that alerts the guards.

For example, say Donald the Dodo wants to reach the Horologic Tea Room, where it is always Teatime. (Both “in game,” on a meta level, and where the Teatime rule always applies on your turn!) No one argues with the dodo, so Donald reaches that room first–great! But, by doing so, he unwittingly attracts the guards and rolls 2d6 to determine who appears. The guards don’t have a head between them; they’re just playing cards after all. They can’t initiate contests, but they can and do respond to the player’s actions. So, if Edgar the Eaglet, on their turn, races toward the Horologic Tea Room, the guards can prevent them from entering.

The Cook is another character that I removed from automatically entering play. When Teatime occurs, the person who calls for Teatime rolls 1d6, and the Cook appears on a 4, 5, or 6 result rather than every tea-riffic occasion.

During the show, I also facilitated the basic gameplay opposite of the instructions, and the mechanics worked just fine. When Teatime occurs, if folks want to change how hearts are earned, they can do so. So, instead of rolling low and earning hearts when you lose, you can roll high and earn hearts when you win.

One notable tweak is that I simplified the Eat Me and Drink Me treats. Now, a treat has a total of three bites or sips. So, you can only increase or decrease your size, within the range of 1 to 6, for that number. No maths required!

The fluidity of the system is by design and can facilitate a small number of players and a larger group. This is something I want to explore further in an upcoming, fleshed-out edition of the game.

With whimsy and happy chaos, however, there’s always the chance that the order of actions (or the escalation of sizes, etc.) will be confusing for players. That’s something I want to be mindful of going forward.

Now that I’ve incorporated a few errata updates, I am treating this project as “done”–so I can plan for a Kickstarter! If you want to stay informed about an upcoming Kickstarter for my Wonderland-themed game, you can subscribe to my newsletter or watch for announcements here on FlamesRising.com.




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Tags | indie games, indie rpgs, wonderland