Mayhem In The Metalverse

"From across the cosmos, uncaring and unknown gods pluck apart lives all over the metalverse and reconstitute them at a whim. These Metalmorphs are then thrown into nightmare realms of perpetual twilight and savagery.  Mere pawns in a cosmic chess game.  Upon these deities lies the blame, their chimeric children tossed aside into hellish survival.  From their conception to a brutal end, this is..

Mayhem In The Metalverse."

Which can be ran as a tabletop roleplaying game in the traditional sense of one person running a game for some friends. Where that role acts as a rotating seat. Or with small, miniature-neutral skirmishes.

Metalmorphs can be thought of as brutal, dark, and vicious analogues to the popular franchises of pocket or digital monsters.  Or just grotesque creations.

Go on a World Tour (campaign) with your friends, carving a path across one of the many nightmarish realms.  Or play a set (one-shot) for an evening of metalhead gaming.  For any roleplay style, players create up to two Metalmorphs as their starters.  One will be their band manager.  These roleplay styles are recommended for 2-5 players.

Compete in one of several Battle of the Bands (wargame) options.  From a messy free-for-all to the classic capture the flag, plus a slew of brutal and weird options.  2-5 players create five to ten total for their warband.  (Wargame version is heavily WIP) .

The "Game Master" role is referred to as "Tour Manager" for this game.

• The game runs on an original 3d6-based system.  The TM role will need a full set of polyhedral dice (d4 to d20).
• Available options for creation include 33 Genuses and 44 Types.
  
• Metal genres and subgenres have been remade into Genuses.  They provide a foundation for creation.  Start with one.
  
• Every single Type has a basic attack, a Key power, and six Chord powers.  Start with one Type and two of its Chord powers.
• There are also optional vocations that act as starting gear packages.
• Flesh them out.  Use a new or old favorite metal band for inspiration.
  • Use the band name, their albums, the song names, lyrics, details from the album cover or interior art, or the band members.  Base their physical features around these details.  Combine the band members into a demonic shapeshifter.  Mash the name of a song and its lyrics into an interdimensional alien.  Create a living shadow from an album cover’s art, a knight of sludge from interior art, or production company as a possessed, three-piece suit.
• Combine the above with their Genus and Type.  Or give them features as you wish.  Get weird!  MAKE THEM METAL!

Mayhem in the Metalverse was first conceived of three years ago when I was in a fever dream induced by a heavily medicated, post-surgery fugue state.

Inspiration sources include, but are not limited to:  

• Years filled with countless hours of listening to Heavy Metal.  
• Video games such as:  Pokemon, Darkest Dungeon, Brutal Orchestra, Golden Light, Wrought Flesh.
• Board games such as:  Cave Evil, CE: Warcults, Cryptic Explorers, etc.
• Other TTRPGs including: Hell Night, Mano Sinistra, Mork Borg, They Feed On Fear, Troika, Warpland, and Xas Irkalla.
• Also watching countless terrible horror movies with my gaming group buddies over the years.

"Mayhem In The Metalverse" logo by myself.  Artists will include:

• Waclaw Traier (many watercolor pieces). 
• Pencilmancer (a dozen B&W sketches).
• Roque Romero (borders and more).
• Others, including myself.
• No AI art or text has been or will be used in the game.

UNSEEN HELLS AWAIT

Recommended for at least 2 players, with at least 2 hours per session.  Contains themes of cannibalism, gore, violence, and more.