Lester Burton's Grok?! 2nd Edition is now live on Kickstarter through indie publisher Gander Gaming, and the elevator pitch is the kind of thing that makes you want to actually read the book. It's a rules-light science fantasy RPG set in a post-apocalyptic, hyper-technological world, with declared inspirations covering Discworld, Flash Gordon, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Adventure Time. The quickstart adventure features a villainous AI called F-3LON, in case anyone was curious where the designer's head is at.
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Start organising for freeThe original Grok released in 2022 as a digital-only book on DriveThruRPG and itch, and built a small following among GMs hunting for something silly and quick on a one-shot night. The second edition is a 200-page hardcover with revised rules and lore, and Burton has been clear that the design priority is narrative flow over crunchy combat. There are no fixed classes; storytelling is meant to drive what your character can do.
What makes this campaign worth a flag is what isn't in it. There's no licensed IP to drag eyeballs, no big-name designer headlining. It's an indie publisher trying to fund a hardcover with a free quickstart on itch doing most of the convincing. If you've got a group that'll happily pivot from D&D for an evening of weird sci-fi nonsense, the quickstart is the obvious low-risk way to test-drive it before pledging.
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Find events near youThe campaign is live now on Kickstarter, with the hardcover, dice and accessories available across the pledge tiers.
Sources: Wargamer | Kickstarter | Gander Gaming itch
