'Kids on Bikes' Brings the Feel of 'Stranger Things' to Tabletop RPGs

A new tabletop game gives players a chance to create their own adventure in the vein of classic [...]

A new tabletop game gives players a chance to create their own adventure in the vein of classic movies like ET and The Goonies, or more recent hits like Stranger Things.

Tabletop roleplaying games are most associated with things like Dungeons & Dragons, epic fantasy quests set in strange worlds totally unlike our own. However, Renegade Games just released a new RPG, Kids on Bikes, which gives players a chance to explore mysteries in small towns and communities not too different from our own.

Kids on Bikes is basically the tabletop RPG equivalent to Stranger Things, in which a group of kids (and sometimes their parents) try to crack some sort of mystery in their home town. Players work together with a GM (Game Master) to build their town and characters. Each player bases their character on a popular trope like the "Mathlete" or the "Popular Kid," each of which has different strengths and weaknesses.

Like most tabletop RPGs, Kids on Bikes uses skill checks and dice to determine how successful players are in certain actions. There are six stats like Brains, Brawn, or Grit, with each stat assigned a different type of dice depending on the character. A player who needs to make a check with their weakest stat (thus rolling the four sided dice) has a much greater chance of failure with checks, but every player can roll their dice multiple times and add the totals if they roll the highest possible number on their dice.

Kids on Bikes even has a mechanic for creating and communally controlling powered characters, so your party can even have its own Eleven from Stranger Things. That character isn't quite an NPC, but their traits, likes, and dislikes are pre-determined by a GM.

The great thing about Kids on Bikes is the simple gameplay. Character creation is super-easy and there's no math or complicated rules to remember. Players also don't level up - at least not in the traditional sense. While you can gain extra abilities over time, your character will fundamentally be the same from the beginning of an adventure to its end.

If you're looking to try a different type of RPG, Kids on Bikes is now available for sale at game stores. The 80 page rulebook is only $25 in softcover or $35 as a hardcover edition.

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