Crow’s Corner

Cover to Cover Review of "Deathmatch Island"

I’m starting this new series called “Cover to Cover”, where I review tabletop roleplaying game books I’ve read, but not yet played. Reading a rulebook is just the first step to understanding a game, so think of these reviews as glimpses into what a game might be like at the table.

This week I'll be reviewing Deathmatch Island! Some quick facts...

The Vibe

The game is basically Squid Game meets Lost and they say as much themselves. Also Hunger Games. And I absolutely love that vibe. The stories told can possibly be pretty depressing, but might also drift off in a bit of a comedic vibe, if the group really pushes that side of narrating it like a reality TV show.

Players have a lot of narrative power. There are many ways the game can go and it's less prep and more improv dependent. The book has done a lot of the legwork for you, so you'll be able able to use the book as a solid foundation and just improv (or minimal prep between sessions) the gaps. Which is nice!

The Rules

At first it feels a bit like they assume I know Agon (which the rules are based on), but it gets better pretty quick. But it does references some mechanics long before explaining them.

At its core, it's a dice pool system. The GM rolls to set the difficulty and then all players roll at the same time. This is one of only a few games that i know, that heavily encourages to narrate what combat looks like. Everyone rolls first, then narrate from worst to best roll, with the GM narrating between players. Characters can gain fatigue or take injuries as a result of failed rolls.

PvP is always a topic that can go very wrong if not done well, but I do like the rules on paper. My favourite bit is that in the end everyone secretly votes if they play to win or want to break the game. Those who play to win can end up betraying everyone else — and the resulting drama feels deliciously inevitable.

From how it’s reading, the game might be pretty good at managing spotlight between players, because mechanics always factor in everyone in the scene. I’m not sure how prevalent PC death will be, but you can always jump in as another competitor. Something to find out while playing!

Conclusion

I would be very keen to try it out, but it probably plays best in a campaign setting, where you return to the islands multiple times (usually as other PCs, but possibly with the same) and slowly dismantle the games by sabotage. If or when I find the time for that, remains to be seen. But the quality of the book is very promising and I encourage everyone interested in the genre to take a look.