Finding time to play a game can be tricky in this fast-paced modern world. That’s why I’m always a fan of pick-up and play TTRPGs, especially ones that require no prep work, as they’re perfect for impromptu game nights, light-night Discord calls, or any time people are together without something to do. TallTales: On The High Seas is a fantastic example of this genre, as it perfectly balances accessibility and depth.
As the name suggests, TallTales: On The High Seas puts the players in the shoes of a group of sailors tangled in an epic adventure as they endure both the waves and the strange things that lurk within them.
A System Of High Seas And Tall Tales
What makes the game stand out is its hybrid GM system and how its systems encourage quickly setting up and learning the game’s specifics as you play. First, the players create a hook for the story, a short sentence describing where they are, their Goal, and what is trying to stop them from completing the Goal. This sentence is written down in a place where all the players can see it, and boxes equal to twice the number of players are drawn underneath it. These boxes will be used to track players’ progress toward their Goal.
After this, the last player to be on a boat is declared the Captain. In TallTales: On The High Seas, the Captain acts like a GM, guiding the story and helping push players forward. Whenever the Captain gets their turn, they add a new Peril to the story. Each Peril is assigned 1 to 10 boxes, depending on how hard it is for the players to overcome.
On a player’s turn, they can tackle a Peril or work towards the Goal. They describe what they do before rolling as many six-sided dice as they wish. If one of these dice rolls a five or a six, the player’s action goes well, and they can tick off a box from the Goal or the Peril.
Tall Tails And Sinking Dice
Once this is done, TallTales: On The High Seas’ most fascinating mechanic comes into play: the Tall Tale. The player must collect all the dice they rolled and stack them in a tower. If this dice tower falls at any point, all currently active and future Perils get one added to their Peril Rating, and a new Peril is added to the table.
However, if the tower reaches a height of 7 dice, all players get +1 added to all future rolls. If this bonus allows a player to roll a 7 or above when making an action, the player gets to cross two boxes off the Peril or Goal tracker.
This tower of dice also factors into another fun mechanic, Sinking. If a player fails a roll, they can decide to Sink the dice to force a success. However, when the player does this, they collect all the dice they rolled and add them to the bottom of their Tall Tale.
Once every player has had a turn, the Captain role moves onto another player, and the process repeats until all the Goal boxes are ticked off or the number of active Perils outnumber the players.
Systems Intertwine To Create The Perfect Pick-Up And Play Experience
TallTales: On The High Seas is a fantastic pick-up-and-play game for mixed groups for several reasons. Having the game start with a single sentence summarizing the overall Goal and initial Peril helps focus the players and signpost the story’s general direction without overwhelming new players. This choice also enhances the shifting GM role, as it means that all the players have a basic but defined story structure to build on, preventing situations where a player becomes GM but can’t think of a way to continue the story forward.
The dice system perfectly complements the rest of the game, as it’s easy to learn and requires little mathematical skill, meaning that it can easily be picked up as the group plays. Plus, having players pick the number of dice they roll adds a fun element of strategy and risk management. It also leads to many tense and memorable moments as players wait to see if their gambles pay off.
Dexterity Challenges Allow Shyier Players To Influence The Story
The dice stacking is also a nice touch as it gives shyer players or those new to roleplaying a mechanic a more traditional board game-like mechanic to focus on until they feel confident enough to dive into roleplaying. What’s especially great is that the dice stacking impacts the plot just as much as the traditional roleplay, meaning that, even if a player never feels confident enough to roleplay, they still end the game feeling like they played a significant role in the story.
This is all capped off by the fantastic Perils system, which turns the game into a forever escalating tug-of-war as players try to balance clearing the Perils as quickly as possible while avoiding creating new ones. Something that only becomes harder to manage as the dice tower grows slowly larger.
I’m always happy to discover a great new pick-up-and-play TTRPG, as not only are these games fun in their own right, but they are also an excellent way to introduce friends and family to the world of TTRPGs. TallTales: On The High Seas is a brilliant example of the genre, as its simple rules and the inclusion of party game style dexterity challenges give it mass appeal and remove the intimidation factor that often comes with seeing a TTRPG for the first time. This all comes together to create a fun game you and your friends will want to pull out every game night.
Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, TTRPG designer, and visual artist. They love creating and exploring the often overlooked corners of indie media, spotlighting things that dare to be different.