Zinequest Retrospective: A Rasp of Sand
A Rasp of Sand , by David Cox The Pitch: A rogue-like OSR module where each player controls a family, sending an adventurer into a procedurally-generated dungeon once per generation. Why I backed: I love the idea of generational play, and I’ve never seen it in a OSR game before. Pretty art. How it works: the zine uses Ben Milton’s Knave OSR ruleset. What I received: A DTRPG printed volume with a B&W cover. Although perfect bound, the spine is just green and doesn’t have name or author. Sigh. What I thought: There’s a lot to like here. Aesthetically, it’s quite lovely, with a whimsical art style and an overall mood that evokes Zelda. The premise reverses the usual dungeon delving story - the protagonists’ ancestors stole a crown from their goddess, and to calm her anger they must return it to her at the bottom of her dungeon. The rogue-lite gameplay is accomplished through several clever conceits and mechanics. The PC families send a party of heirs onc...