TTRPGkids Featured Projects: Animon Story
*As a note, the intro for this was written by Steph from TTRPGkids, and the below description was written by Zak, creator of Animon Story
Animon Story is a new and original ‘monster taming’ roleplaying game inspired by beloved anime and video games. As players, you’ll take on the role of Kids who team up with their very own monster buddies called Animon. Together, you’ll go on adventures, grow as friends, battle and evolve into new forms, and maybe even save the world!
Animon Story has been created by Zak Barouh as a way to bring classic ‘Kids & Monsters’ stories to the tabletop, in the spirit of classic shows and games like Digimon and Pokémon. Players each take control of not one, but two characters — a Kid and an Animon partner. Throughout their adventures together the dynamic bond of friendship between these characters is at the heart of the game and the story. Characters grow as the bond is tested and strengthened, gaining new abilities and unlocking powerful new forms through Animon Evolution.
Designed to evoke the feeling of watching your favourite Saturday morning cartoon, while at the same time bearing familiarities to those classic monster-battling RPGs, Animon Story sets its focus on the narrative, with mechanics that support the story, and at all times enrich player creativity. Designing your ideal animon companion is a free-form process that allows you to put your concept first, and then match mechanics to it, even coming up with your own names for the abilities and special attacks your animon can use.
The Kids in Animon Story are all based on instantly recognisable archetypes: the Jock, the Bookworm, the Delinquent, and many more, and they have the same focus on unrestricted creativity as the animon, yet effortlessly fit together as a group of friends at the heart of the story. This flexible character creation allows players to create truly unique Kids and Animon. When you get your characters into the game, the fun and easy to learn dice mechanic based on pools of D6s keeps the game moving quickly, while simple character-focused narrative rules ensure Kids and their Animon are always changing and growing.
Much like those classic shows, you’ll find that Animon Story works perfectly for short episodic adventures, that can tie together into a larger story if you wish. Character growth is linked with the highs and lows of the friendship between Kids and Animon, meaning that every session feels like a step towards character development in a fun and easy to follow way. As the characters grow, they’ll also encounter times when their relationships are strained. Overcoming these struggles is part of the journey of any Animon Story character, and is tied directly to Levelling Up, so that as your characters grow stronger, so does their friendship grow deeper.
Check out the Animon Story physical print kickstarter here or the digital copy itch.io page here and let me know in the comments if you try this game out or have any questions!
