Gianluca Orsatti
I am pleased to bring you my review of the core rulebook of Tales from the Loop, the sci-fi roleplaying game that won many awards upon its release in 2017. The manual was written by Simon Stalenhag and takes us to the 80s that never existed.
If you are interested in purchasing, you can find its physical version on the Free League website (that we thank for sending us a digital copy of the manual) at the price of around 50 euros.
Tales from the Loop Aesthetics Review
The manual is elegantly presented with a hard cover that contains almost 200 pages in sturdy paper. The binding also appears resistant and suitable for keeping it in excellent condition even in the case of intensive use.
Its graphic impact is captivating, with a particular use of orange that is very interesting and functional to lighten the reading of pages full of content. The layout is in two columns and the chosen font is easily readable. Small notes and tables give examples and further explanations of what is presented in the pages, helping immersion.
The original illustrations evoke common landscapes in which science fiction elements are inserted. There are also black and white sketches that can recall the sketches of a talented boy, useful for giving small information on the setting.
All of this provides that sense of wonder and surprise that the typical protagonists of this world, the Boys, should feel.
Tales from the Loop Manual Structure Review
The manual is essentially divided into three parts:
- Chapters 1 to 3 explore the game world. Here players will find all the information on the setting, peculiarities and daily life in this world.
- Chapters 4 to 6 deal with character creation and rules.
- Finally, chapters 7 to 12 present the Mysteries, with various types of situations and challenges that the GM can take as examples for single sessions or entire campaigns.
The manual is therefore well organised. It has a vast section dedicated to the setting and the atmospheres it must provide and an equally good number of Mysteries ready to play. After all, we are adventurous guys always looking for new mysteries, right?
The Spirit of the Game
You are boys and you are between 10 and 15 years old. You live a reality, alternative 1980s, damn boring and in many ways cruel. Yet it is also a very different world from ours, due to technologies that have become (despite the era) common thanks to the study of magnitrines, discovered in futuristic particle accelerators called Loops. Robotics has made enormous strides and experiments of all kinds are carried out. There have been alternating successes and failures all over the world by ruthless companies.
However, no one seems to notice this. Adults seem distant and insensitive. They don’t listen to what you say. And only you can truly explore the Mysteries that show up, interrupting your boring everyday life!
Tales from the Loop Game World Review
To further my analysis, the manual presents two places to set the Mysteries: the Swedish islands Mälaren (where one of the particle accelerators is located) and the American city of Boulder, also equipped with a Loop.
Both settings are explored with a description of the region that always appears to be kid-friendly. In fact, the major points of interest guarantee that the protagonists can be reached through the use of bicycles and public transport.
After all, while exploring the Mysteries, the Boys certainly can’t ask for help from their parents’ caryatids for a trip to the nearby military research base, right?
The manual places a lot of emphasis on giving an overview of teenage life in the 1980s. The places of aggregation are described several times, as are the pastimes and objects that were not common and accessible to most (such as cell phones, GPS and internet). Finding a name can be frustrating if you’re looking for it in the library’s paper journals. Calling for help can be impossible if lost in the middle of the woods.
This guarantees greater immersion in the setting and also a demanding and stimulating challenge for Boys.
The Boys: Protagonists of the Stories
With chapter 4 we start talking about the game system and the creation of our Boys in the world of Tales from the Loop.
The manual presents eight Types, archetypes of kids ranging from the Sportsman to the Computer Genius, up to the Weird. They are generalizations in which all of us have found ourselves stuck at least once in our childhood years.
The Types are extremely customizable and provide effective gameplay ideas, making each Boy unique.
The first thing to do is choose your age and birthday.
So you need to distribute a number of points equal to your age among the four Attributes (Body, Technology, Heart and Mind). The value represents the basic characteristics of the Boy.
To balance the game, the younger children will instead obtain a greater number of Luck Points, which allow them to reroll dice.
At this point, 10 points remain to be distributed among the Skills of the chosen type of boy.
Each Boy also has various narrative and mechanical cues.
The iconic item provides bonus dice when used, like a skate to escape bullies. A Problem torments the protagonist and a Motivation allows them to go on an adventure. A Boast makes the Boy feel unique and special. The Anchor, a person outside the group, helps and supports the Boy.
There are Relationships which are both with the other characters of the party and NPCs who can be easy connections for the beginning of investigations into the Mysteries.
Finally there is the Refuge, to be chosen together, which provides a sort of safe area. Here the children can take refuge to recover their physical and mental energy. A small fort against the terror and strangeness of the world around.
Game Mechanics and Difficulty
With chapter 5 we enter the intricacies of the Tales from the Loop game system, which fortunately turns out to be extremely simple and uses the Year Zero Engine, already used in other roleplaying games reviewed by us such as Alien and Twilight 2000.
When the Game Master presents a Difficulty to the Boy, the player rolls a number of dice equal to Attribute + Skill (if any). Every 6 rolled is a success and usually only one is needed to pass a test. Failure leads to Conditions that can be defined as additional difficulties to the situation, but which must narratively move the game forward.
There are obviously mechanisms that allow you to obtain more dice (such as iconic objects) or reroll dice (such as Luck Points). You can also force the roll with what you might call a “gamble” with the narrator allowing the player to reroll all dice that didn’t roll a 6 at the cost of a greater number of Conditions in case of failure.
The system is all here, simple and immediate, designed to be dynamic and follow enterprising kids, in the full spirit of the setting.
We certainly can’t waste time studying complex mechanics if there’s a Mystery to face, what the heck!
Plots and Mysteries
Chapters 6 and 7 are entirely dedicated to the Game Master. These are chapters that explain how to organize, structure and carry out sessions in the world of Tales from the Loop through two types of games. There are the Mystery, a single event that the Boys will face, and the Scenario, an open environment to explore and investigate. The two types of games are not clearly separated and can intertwine and blend freely to create unique games.
An important aspect in the spirit of the game is to mix the Mystery with the Daily Life of each Boy, two aspects of the setting that should never be forgotten.
The Kids might run away from a dinosaur that appears through a portal in one Scene and face the usual bully in the next.
They are two sides of the Boys’ lives, of course, but in their eyes (and in yours) they are equally important.
This section of the manual proves to be an excellent guide for a novice Game Master and also a useful, often necessary, reread for many experts and veterans.
Chapters 9 through 12 feature ready-made Mysteries, allowing the group to start playing right away. They are simple and immediate Mysteries, but not boring.
They have the advantage of addressing the setting of Tales from the Loop from different points of view and providing useful examples for understanding the game and its atmospheres. It’s worth trying them, perhaps as a starting point for a more structured campaign.
Other Useful Tools
In this final part of the review of Tales from the Loop I would like to make a small note on the character sheet. It almost reminds us of what could be a dossier opened by the creators of the Loop and its oddities on the Boys, to catalog them. Although it may appear anonymous, it is extremely functional and simple to use and view, which is fundamental in what is intended to be a dynamic game.
A map of the Swedish islands and the American city is also included in the basic manual. They are small maps but made of sturdy paper and easy to analyze. They allow children (and players) to easily organize their explorations and investigations.
Finally there is a short analytical index, but it will probably not be used much given the excellent structure of the manual and its chapters.
Final Thoughts of the Tales from the Loop Review
Having reached the final considerations we can give a positive opinion on Tales from the Loop.
The core rulebook appears solid, with an intuitive internal structure of the chapters and a very clear exposition, all supported by aesthetically pleasing and high quality materials.
The game system is extremely simple and immediate, aiming for dynamism by offering various ways to face difficulties. It also gives game ideas even in the event of failure, with various mechanics designed to carry the narrative forward even when everything seems to be apparently going badly.
The real strength of Tales from the Loop, however, remains the setting. Its vaporwave and nostalgic atmosphere will take many older players back to their childhood days and younger ones to a modern world, but drastically different from today. This element is also fascinating due to the success of works such as Stranger Things.
The setting mixes fantastic and terrible elements derived from the Loop, with scenes of everyday life that are almost banal, but which can be equally cruel. After all, for a boy, humiliation in the school canteen can be as terrible as being cornered by an out-of-control robot.
Tales from the Loop is a more than recommended product for those who want a specific gaming experience relating to the 80s and the adventures of kids grappling with mysteries and situations that are bigger than themselves and linked to the most classic and interesting sci-fi. Everything is seasoned with a simple and dynamic game system, and ready-made adventure ideas that can be used immediately.
