Paolo Garelli
Our search for tomes to read and worlds to explore takes us into the shoes of a lazy cultist with the review of Culto di Campagna. Glory to the Alternative Gods and their emissaries Moreno Pollastri and Tora edizioni, that we thank for providing me at Play 2025 with a copy of their new work.
If you can’t wait to don your apprentice cultist toga, you should know that you can purchase this gamebook on the Tora Edizioni website for around €12.90.
Want to recover your years of studies? Are you tired of not being able to complete your journey from Acolyte to Cultist? Sign up today to T.R.U.F.F.A. and you will get the best results. In less than a month, thanks to our simplified study texts, we will make you excel and quickly become a true champion of the Alternative Gods.
A First Look at Culto Di Campagna
Culto di Campagna is a gamebook composed of 300 paragraphs in which the author transports us to a monastery dedicated to the Alternative Gods. Let’s face it, working in the fields is not the best of life. Waking up at dawn, endless hours of fatigue and guaranteed joint pain. If you too want to get away from these annoying tribulations, know that the cult of the Alternative Gods is for you. Four meals each day, a roof over your head and the possibility of long naps on comfortable chairs. At least this is what Arterius thinks. He is our acolyte out of course dealing with his last chance to fully enter the Monastery.
The final exam is approaching and his tendency to sleep on books certainly hasn’t helped him prepare properly. We need a solution. Fortunately, the experts at T.R.U.F.F.A. are ready to help us for the right compensation.
To complete the work, there are a good number of valuable black and white illustrations made by Giacomo Garzia that allow us to immerse ourselves even more in the events of the gamebook.
Mechanics Analysis
The tests management system is based on the use of three features:
- Body: indicates how strong and healthy we are.
- Dialectic: represents our oratory ability and our charisma.
- Luck: measures how much fate has taken a liking to us.
Every time we are asked, we will have to roll a four-sided die and add the result to our characteristic. Once done, we just have to compare it with the difficulty of the test. In case we do not have a die, numbers are printed on the pages of the gamebook. We will just have to open the gamebook at a random point to get the number to add. A simple and fast system perfect for facing the messengers of the Alternative Gods.
The Fight in Culto di Campagna
Combat is based on two very simple mechanics.
The first is the combat mode that requires a Body test from both us and our opponent. Whoever gets the highest score manages to hit and inflict damage based on the type of weapon they are holding.
To make the battles more exciting, the author decided to add a second mechanic, that of the five foods. They are Beer, Chop, Vegetable, Tuber and Fried and they contrast each other by providing Bonuses and Penalties. For example, Beer wins over Chop and this allows us to add a point to our results. A simple choice that adds a strategic component to the battles, since each opponent will have an associated food. If we then add that each food has a special power, we will have to choose carefully to avoid a quick defeat.
Final Thoughts on the Culto di Campagna Review
Playing as the lazy Artemius was really interesting. The loopholes, reckless escapes and strange opponents were a fun interlude while I tried to solve the various puzzles.
A gamebook that doesn’t take itself too seriously (in a good way) and puts us in the shoes of the laziest of schoolchildren. After all, the Alternative Gods have never answered the cultists’ invocations, so what could possibly go wrong? When in doubt, keep your Cosmic Chicken on hand.
