Why We Fight
Why We Fight is a solo+ narrative TTRPG where you play a crew
of eco-punks fighting fascism to build a brighter, greener future.
Your Crew will journey through the remains of a post-civil war country to save lives, reclaim nature, create a community of compassion, and beat back the oppressive forces that threaten the chance for a new start.
But most of all, it’s about learning about each other, and the things that inspire us. It’ll take close co-operation and a diverse set of skills,
but together, we can make change!
Stand together & show the world why we fight!
Receive monthly emails about this project's development
Follow the launch on BackerKit
For updates on the project, or download the free advance playtest kit!
As the embers of the civil war fades, the chance for a better future arises...
One driven by compassion and community, replacing consuming greed with conserving green. It's no simple feat, establishing something new in the ashes of the old...
But you're not doing it alone.
You’re part of the Community Alliance, a collective of driven idealists banded
together to create a stateless, hierarchy-free society safe from the many
forms of oppression that once kept everyone “in their place”.
Build & upgrade to create a rich quality of life from the ashes of the old ways,
all while rewilding your surroundings to provide the balance nature needs.
Yet the old ways are clawing back, and if nobody stands up to beat back
the White Fist, a hedge-fund backed fascist militia trying to take control,
there'll be no stopping them!
You may be out numbered and out-gunned, but with careful co-operation you'll
use opportunities to strike at Vital Operations to strip them of their power
and stop them before they entrench their cruel regime.
Step up with your crew of four passionate radicals and show them:
Using a designed-for-purpose, lightweight system (PbtA meets FATE) developed with new school revolution (NSR) attitude and perspective, players will each take on a team of four guerilla freedom-fighters that need to work together to resist the predatory actions of the White Fist, and their propaganda and recruitment machine, the Guiding Hand.
As your Crew discover and overcome the situations unfolding across the land, they’ll save lives and protect those who can’t stand up for themselves, help struggling refugees and the havens they’ve made, and build a thriving, self-sustaining solar-punk community, all while pushing back against a force that seeks to blame the powerless for the actions of those who had everything.
Whether playing solo or as a group, Why We Fight will give you the chance to create character focused, LGBTQ+ friendly, eco-punk stories where standing up and standing together for our beliefs and ideals are never up for negotiation.
Why We Fight Features...
- A fast-paced narrative survival system where your characters are shaped by the situations they face.
- Rules-lite combat and lightning fast, co-operative encounter creation that adapts as you do.
- A simple-but-expansive community building system for creating a future-tech inclusive society where nobody goes without.
- A push-pull game of guerrilla resistance where the bonds between characters are what make the difference between life or death.
- Built-in unfolding narratives and player facing text, perfect for solo or GMless play.
- Make a difference at your own pace with One-Shot and Campaign versions with variable lengths.
- Designed for fast setup and play for any number of players, whether at conventions or your kitchen table.
With just three six sided dice, two sheets of paper and one pen/pencil, players can put together their Mission Journal and full Crew in under ten minutes, choosing their names, pronouns, a few descriptors, and one initial “Why I Fight” Personality discovery.
As the game plays you’ll be continuously learning about and creating new facets of your characters; whether it’s what’s driven them to fight injustice, their passions, hobbies, hopes or dreams.
It’s these connections that empower your Crew, allowing them to push harder and overcome the challenges they face - just like in real life, it’s our personal bonds that keep us going, and the more we learn about each other, the more we care and appreciate their place in our lives.
Give it a try yourself!
We’ve released our free, fully functioning playtesting kit, featuring the base, one-shot focused game, 6 initial Situations and 3 Final Missions.
If you want to try Why We Fight, you can download it below, and help us make the game fantastic by giving feedback and regaling us with your journeys on our Discord server.
Using your Mission Journal, you’ll log Situations that you stumble across on your journey towards a larger, pressing issue; the enemies and allies you make, the little things that keep you going, and proof that a changing world is in the making.
The choices you make, both your struggles and your successes, contribute to how that final mission plays out, and the resources, equipment, and even allies you might be able to call upon in the eventual confrontation.
Yet even combat is an exercise in co-operation,
as players construct encounters together, building challenging and exciting scenarios
in just a few minutes, even without a GM!
From there you'll decide how best to overcome the situation you're faced with, and use your skills, environment and connections you've built to defeat the White Fist, despite their ruthless tactics and superior equipment.
Help us make it real!
We’re planning to launch the game on BackerKit in order to fund a complete rulebook, which will feature at least:
- 24 Situations and 12 Final Missions, allowing for a huge range of adventures, missions, and ways to make a difference.
- An expanded system of push-pull mechanics, where how you feel matters, and shapes the course of play.
- A fully functional campaign version of the game, where you explore an expanding map, push back the influence of the White Fist, and help to provision, upgrade, and expand a vibrant and diverse community of acceptance and creativity, where people have rights not laws, and no-one goes without.
- Visual design balancing 'out of the box play' with stunning art, giving you a game that's as easy to read as it is satisfying to play.
- A small collection of short comics heading each chapter to enhance the setting and tone of the game.
- All designed for further expansion, granting even more potential content and variability the more it succeeds!
If we exceed our goal, we hope to use those funds to commit more time and resources to further expand upon the Why We Fight world and system, with more Situations, Missions, factions, and unique dynamics to build an incredible game and allow for continued development for a long time.
If you’d like to know more about our progress, please make sure to sign up to our BackerKit project below, and join our Discord for developer logs and the chance to be a part of the development and playtests.
Stand together & show the world why we fight!
Receive monthly emails about this project's development
Follow the launch on BackerKit
You'll get updates on the project and the free advance playtest kit!