As a genre, TTRPGs are as fantastic as they are fascinating. It’s remarkable how a few small elements combine to create something that is way more than a sum of its parts. A Maze Most Foul by Mia Øvrum is a fantastic example of this, as despite being a rules-lite game, its elements come together to sessions that feel like epic adventures.
A Maze Most Foul is set in a world where extra-dimensional closed spaces dubbed mazes frequently appear in the real world, leading to monsters and other supernatural threats terrorizing the locals. This changed with the invention of radio and later cell phones, as these devices allow early detection of these mazes. Cell phones also allow brave people, dubbed Maze Delvers, to teleport into these forming mazes and destroy them before they grow too big.
Diving Into The Maze
The casts players as a group of Maze Delvers as they jump into a newly formed maze and attempt to destroy it before it can cause chaos in the local area. However, this is far easier said than done, as monsters, traps, and other threats lurk around every corner.
The game’s dedication to lite but well-written rules is apparent right from the start, as the game’s character creation process is only four stages long. The player decides if their defense die is a D6 or D8 (with the unused one becoming the character’s attack die), comes up with three traits, and finally names their character.
One of the most fascinating things about Maze Delvers is how it handles its dice rolls. Players have to roll whenever they encounter an action that has an uncertain outcome and a chance for something interesting to happen. Before they roll, the player and the GM talk and decide the most predictable outcome for the situation, and then the player rolls the dice. A roll of one to four means the predictable outcome happens. Five to six results in an unpredictable outcome, and a roll of seven or eight results in an unexpected outcome that’s bad for the player.
However, if the player desperately wants something helpful but unlikely to happen, they can roll with daring, which means a result of one to four leads to an unlikely outcome. However, this is a risky gamble. If you roll with daring but get a result between five and eight, something terrible happens, meaning that daring rolls should be approached carefully.
Having the GM and players come up with the outcomes before the roll allows players to show off their creativity while also guaranteeing everyone is on the same page as the GM, avoiding situations where a player stumps the GM by doing something totally out of left field.
Rules-Lite But Enjoyment Heavy
On top of this, knowing the outcomes before the roll adds lots of tension to each one, leading to many exciting moments as players huddle around to watch the dice with their fingers crossed. This tension is enhanced during the daring rolls, leading to many exciting and memorable moments that will stick in players’ minds long after the session ends. Plus, daring rolls are wonderfully balanced, with the level of risk being just enough to make each one feel like a big deal worthy of consideration before use, without them being so risky that players will never decide to use them.
At the same time, this system is simple to pick up, even for players who have never picked up a TTRPG. Not only is the math simple, but having the players and GM come up with roll’s outcomes before the dice are thrown means more experienced players can help any new or shy players come up with ideas without the helped player feeling like they’re slowing the game down or inconveniencing the other members of the table. This means that A Maze Most Foul is a rules-lite experience that removes one of the biggest psychological hurdles people encounter when first dipping their toes into roleplaying games.
The game’s combat system also nicely balances excitement and risk. When a fight breaks out, the attacker rolls their attack die, and the defender rolls their defense die. If the attacker rolls higher, they kill the defender, but if the defender’s roll is higher, they get to do something in response, be it running away, hiding, or trying to defuse the situation. Because of this, combat should never be taken lightly, as diving into a brawl without thinking could easily spell your doom. This thematically compliments the game’s setting as it helps push the idea that the players are exploring a dangerous place full of strange, otherworldly beings with power beyond that of regular mortals.
A Maze Most Foul is an excellent rules-lite TTRPG experience that will delight players at any table. Its fun setting mixes with its simple but well-balanced rules to guarantee every session is an exciting rollercoaster of engaging story beats and memorable moments. It also proves that rules-lite games can be just as engaging as their longer and crunchier counterparts. As with a few well-chosen rules and a handful of evocative scene-setting paragraphs, A Maze Most Foul draws players in and gives them an experience they won’t forget quickly.
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.