A Grok?! Review, or, My Perfect Game

 Oh Grok?!, my beloved, my perfect game. Not my favorite, though it comes close, but my perfect game. A game so sleek, smooth, easy to use, easy to understand, and dead fucking simple it makes me swoon. This article will be a review of this game, an overview of it's mechanics, and a shilling session. Let's go on in.

I know a lot of people on various RPG servers on Discord. Melsonian Arts Council, OSR, and now some FKR servers I recently joined, they all know something about me. I eat this game up. And there's a good reason why. Grok?! is a simple enough game to be easy to run and play and understand without referencing the rules even, though it does come with a two page quick reference. The game is influenced by Fate, Freeform Universal, Cortex Prime, Savage Worlds, Knave, ICRPG, Electric Bastionland, Numenera, Shadow of The Demon Lord, Vagabonds of Dyfed, Technoir, and Troika!(which is my favorite game), and the OSR and FKR as a movements. I am not familiar with all of these games, But I at least know of most. Now from this mix you could get either something very mid-crunch and somewhat hard to decipher or something very easy and low crunch. We got the latter. It's about as crunchy as FU and Knave, while still bearing interesting ideas from the higher crunch games. As an example, it has the aspects idea from Fate, but simplifies and improves it, providing a more flexible version of an already hyper flexible idea/mechanic. It's resolution mechanic is oracle based like FU, and has 3 outcomes; Yes And, Yes, and No And, with a fail forward concept driving the No And. All values on the oracle are fixed. To reference this oracle, you make a statistic roll, with statistics coming in die sizes, from d4 to d12, with there being 3 stats, with all die sizes between the 3 totaling to 20. The stats are Mental, Physical, and Social. for difficulty settings, there is an advantage/disadvantage system, up to 5 each, derived from the aspects system mentioned earlier. The types of aspects can be anything, but usually being general situation or such, assets, conditions, and traits. Traits, conditions, and assets apply to characters both of the player and  non player variety. traits are inherent descriptions of your character, with the other 2 being tied to another mechanic, resource slots. You start with 7, and can gain more. they hold your assets, of which you begin with up to 4, and your conditions, with which they serve as health. Assets are resources you have access to that give narrative effect and advantage, and conditions are negative aspects that give narrative effect and disadvantage, earned through various means. if you are out of resource slots and gain a condition, you are incapacitated and the condition becomes a trait. every condition that becomes a trait lowers your relevant statistic die. If any of these hit zero you are dead or functionally dead.

Ok that was a big ramble but I don't know how to organize that better. Now at least you get a gist pf the mechanics and feel. Now let me tell you why I like all that in a much more concise way.

1. These mechanics are simple and easy to use for either solo or group play, and are great for new GM's, like me.

2.It has all the flexibility of Fate and Cortex, and can be played with any setting or genre, but still has a definable death mechanic, which I like and prefer.

3. The game allows for a more narrative and yes, character focus while still having the fun bits of the OSR. You can still run a beer and pretzels dungeon crawl, or have a grand space opera with detailed narrative and characters.

4. It also comes with a setting, a very fun post-post-apocalyptic gonzo sci-fantasy setting, with an anti-canonical flair. I love the setting and it has a lot of unique areas to play in.

And now, here's the real kicker folks. You get a beautiful, simple, smooth, and flexible game for the low cost of... 1 dollar. Yes, this game is 1 dollar. Even if my ramble of a mechanics overview turned you off, still, please, buy the game, and read it yourself. Read the setting, the mechanics, and genuinely think about it. And go play it. I'll link where to buy it. Have fun. 

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/395261/GROK

https://lestortoise.itch.io/grok