I finished another draft of the rules, 170 pages, 53,878 words. It is almost complete with an example scenario, index terms, other back matter and even some illustrations. It has been sent to a few test readers, and I believe an external test play is planned. It still needs page references in the index, one or two more scenarios.

It has taken almost three years to get to this point. On the 30th of May, 2024, I submitted a proposal to Chaosium’s BRP Design Challenge. It was very rough, but it was a unique and creative idea. I put it aside until September, when I heard I was a finalist.

The illustrations for the game are all black-and-white photographs. The photographs indicate that it is a very different kind of role-playing game in many ways. The genre is comedy. There are no maps, no weapons tables, no magic, monsters, or other staples of rule books. ‘Scenarios’ are called ‘episodes’. The GM is an interviewer who points a fake microphone at the player speaking. The GM rolls the dice in front of the players, not hidden behind a screen. So many differences, I tend to go on about them, but these differences are not a superficial brand identity, but reasoned.

I took many photographs of instruments at a jam my friend Geoff Irvine had at his birthday party. Geoff has been a playtester for the game and has also given excellent advice on the musical side, drawing on his many years of playing in bands. He is currently playing in three. He also owns an amp that is better than Spinal Tap’s custom-made amps because it goes up to 12. (That’s one louder than 11, Nigel.)

I’ve been lucky with other photos, a car and a scooter in the supermarket car park, both beautifully restored vintage vehicles and icons of the sixties. The Vespa is from 1958, but a mod would have been proud to own it.