Hiya, I am breaking a review hiatus to offer a review of Loot Goblins, by Michael’s Mind Online. The creator generously offered me a review copy, and I am happy to support their game design efforts-especially since this is their first, published game on DriveThruRPG!

Loot Goblins was designed for PocketQuest 2024’s HEIST theme and, to that end, it fits thievery perfectly. It’s inspired by the movie Time Bandits (1981), putting you in the boots of conniving goblins adventuring through time, space, and reality in an endless search for treasure.

Priced at $5.95, the 25-page PDF highlights how the League Of Outstanding Thieves (L.O.O.T.) engages you and your fellow goblins to steal loot.

Loot Goblin‘s gameplay is simple and requires one, six-sided die; the mechanics are intuitive and comprehensive encouraging problem-solving. Instead of a pass/fail mechanic, you roll a Success (6), Complication (4 or 5), Failure (2 or 3), or Disaster (1). When the chips are down, your goblin can sacrifice one piece of loot to add 1d4 to your roll and change the outcome, too.

Character creation incorporates archetypes and gear you can purchase with coin. Some Gear, like the Smoke Bomb, is straightforward while others, like the Jar of Disruption, border on the fantastical–a great, thematic mix.

The game is managed by the Guy/Gal in the Chair, the goblin running the show, who plans the heists and Threats–which include Time Gnomes. Three mapped adventures with clear destinations, themes, and goals are available, too: Tavern, Museum, and Corpo (or Corporate) Heists with maps, keys, room guides, and loot are offered in this PDF.

For a game designer’s first-ever published game on DriveThruRPG.com, I am impressed with the instincts, creativity, and volume of care. To thematically present Loot Goblins, Michael also commissioned cute, goblin artwork from Dejw Mik which is on point and professionally rendered. To me, Loot Goblins is a compacted, full RPG that could potentially spill over into a larger game with more fleshed out Threats, a longer list of loot, more archetypes, etc.

That said, I have three minor nitpicks: one, I do find some of the terminology is a little dated. Gender-neutral terms can not only be more thematic, but also more inclusive to customers encouraging sales. Two, there are several other games and shows with the name “Loot Goblins.” The similarity in titles does this game a disservice, especially since “loot” and “LOOT” mean different things. And, lastly I’d loooooooooove to read more about the Time Gnomes because they’re so cool!

Ultimately, as a first-time game designer’s offering Loot Goblins is a stellar contribution to tabletop. Michael has a lot of creativity, and I am looking forward to watching them grow as a designer and publisher, polishing and refining, as they progress in their promising career.

Loot Goblins is now available on DriveThruRPG.com!

Tags | indie rpgs, rpg, TTRPG