Originally posted at www.throatpunchgames.com, a new idea every day! 

Product– Tinny Dungeons

System- Tinny Dungeons

Producer– ArchmageArispen

Price– $ 33.72 here https://www.etsy.com/listing/1476249256/tinny-dungeons-minimalist-pocket-rpg-in

TL; DR– Good, but maybe a bit too tiny! 87% 

Basics– How about an RPG that fits in a sardine tin!  Tinny dungeons is a micro RPG.  Let’s break down the game and what’s here.

Mechanics- This game’s basic mechanic is d6.  You roll a number of dice equal to a a stat and if one is equal to the difficulty number (2 for easy and up to 6 for amazingly hard), you succeed either dealing damage or negotiating with the queen.

Characters- The characters have three stats (strength, dexterity, and mind), an AC for attacks, hit points, a weapon with a relevant skill, and one special skill.  It’s a Tinny RPG, so don’t expect much more!

World-The world is a few additional cards with locations with descriptions, peoples, and monsters.  Again, it’s TINNY, so don’t look for 500 page books of world lore!

Let’s go into the breakdown.

Mechanics or Crunch– This is a fun game, but I feel I’m missing a few things.  It’s micro, so you don’t get much more than one power per character.  That’s fine, but leveling and other things are left out.  I don’t know how to level or build characters.  Nor do I know the price of basic goods.  It’s minimal, but a bit too minimal.  What’s here is well done, but what’s missing is important. 4.5/5

Theme or Fluff– My thoughts on the mechanics also echo here.  What’s here is amazing, but what’s missing is something I notice.  The characters are a business card and carry a lot of world with them as they have a fun picture, power, and stats all provide a bit of world building.  The maps and locations give world building as well, but I’d like a bit more.  Give me a basic quest to run through rather than a simple seven room dungeon.  This may seem harsh, but there are only 14 cards in the box, so there is a room for two more to give me a “save the princess from the goblins” quest.  All that said, I do  love what is here, just want a bit more.  4/5

Execution–  Much like the above, what’s here is good, but it a bit small.  I get that the product is small, but it’s too little.  For the price, you get a metal case, 14 cards, two dice, and a pencil.   All those are well done.  And to be fair, I pay a lot more for games without even pencils, so I have to give this game credit for that.  I just want a few more cards with a bit more stuff to explain the world.  Sell me a 30 card expansion pack with more world and rules, and I’d honestly buy it!  See all the pieces in our unboxing here: https://youtu.be/F_jxmYU_suE   4.5/5

Summary– I love small RPGs, and they don’t get much smaller than this one.  This is a solid RPG if you want a one shot dungeon crawl.  It’s a limited system, but it does what it set out to to.  I’d like a bit more to help me build on, but if this came out at the bar, I’d happily play between eating chicken wings.  It’s not a weekend killer, but it is a fun time with my one power priest.  87%