‘Deathmatch Island’ Turns RPG Night Into ‘Squid Game’—High Risk, High Reward
Don’t worry about how you got to Deathmatch Island. You just need to know that you’re in the game starting now. Good luck!
Congratulations, competitor, you have been selected to participate in Deathmatch Island! The RPG where you are playing a deadly gameshow on a chain of mysterious islands. The prizes? Fame, wealth, and freedom! The risk? Your single mortal life.
The interesting little twist? You may be experiencing a little memory loss and confusion. I’m sure that won’t be a problem though. Good luck!
Deathmatch Island
You probably know exactly what the tone and feel of Deathmatch Island is from the very little bit we’ve told you already. if you’re even passingly familiar with movies, shows, and books like The Hunger Games, Battle Royale, or Squid Games, you’ve probably got a really good idea of what playing this game is going to be like. In fact, there’s probably at least two or three other titles you’re annoyed that I didn’t mention even though the fit very neatly into the category. It’s a trope we’ve watched over and over and always come back for more of.
Contestants on Deathmatch Island wake up on the island with patch memories and no idea how they got there. The mysterious production team tells them to get playing and give it their best shot, and then players are shipped around to different islands with fewer and fewer fellow surviving contestants. Winning challenges can grant highly sought after resources as well as secrets about the game itself.
How you play the game, survive, whether you’re just there to get through the day or really commit to unraveling the mystery of the game, and if you’re a solo survivor or a team builder are all up to you. But realistically, we’re all here for the deathmatch.
Does this sound like the kind of game you’d be awful at in real life but would love to jump into as a tabletop RPG? Me too!
Gameplay
Deathmatch Island uses the PARAGON system which you may be familiar with from AGON, Blades in the Dark, and Lasers & Feelings. Characters have a ranking for each of the aspects of their character (popularity and influence, occupation prior to the island, and your five skills), and each has a die rating. To determine the success or failure of a roll, players add the two dice from the pool together and try to meet the difficulty set by the GM based on the island, danger, and difficulty.
Failing will generally cost fatigue or cause injuries and injuries can lead to your character’s untimely demise. But success will get you closer to taking home the Deathmatch Island grand prize and possibly blacking back out and waking up back at home. Or maybe you’ll go rogue and take on the game designers next, it’s up to you!
To play Deathmatch Island for yourself, you can find more information on the Evil Hat Productions site.
How do you think you would do on a Deathmatch Island / Hunger Games / Battle Royale style game in real life? I would do very, very poorly. Have you played Deathmatch Island yet? What is your favorite book, movie, or show from this genre? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
