February 01, 2025
This post has been moved here from my Tumblr - it was originally authored when the topic du jour times was deceptions of the Wizards of the Coast marketing department.
This means that, yes, I am uploading a blog post today, at the end of June in 2026, dated February 01, 2025. That's the original posting date. You didn't, like, miss it.
Original Title: Just finished running Eureka! Investigative Urban Fantasy: 10/10 This Fucks Like Hell
Specifically, I ran the recently-publicized The Eye of Neptune module. (No spoilers here) I had three days to prepare and read the rules and the module… and that was enough. Not just because I’m a quick wit, either. It’s an elegant game, and every player had also read the rules - so when I didn’t know something, someone else did.
The rulebook looks intimidating, at something like 700 pages - but a full half of that is optional rules that only players really need to be aware of, if they happen to pick the options that engage them. Another half of what remains was irrelevant to the Eye of Neptune module - firearms, mostly, which are handled in deadly detail.
Later Addition: It's also written in a big font with pleasant line spacing. If you pressed it all down it'd be like 250 pages, which is a very normal length for a TTRPG book.
And the rest can be condensed to a few dozen pages because for all the basics, there’s summaries at the end. Quick little checkbox lists that condense what was said in full to reminder-sized lists. These will exist for everything, but the game is currently a work-in-progress. I’d love to see a second document that is just those, separated out with headers, for reference use.
So yeah, two days to learn, no problems. Eureka is also good at failing inwards - a forgotten rule won’t cause too many problems. But! Knowing them and using them leads to very fun characters who are a bit idiosyncratic and can totally win a wrestling match with god. Or cause all sorts of problems all the time. Frankie you will always be famous. With all or most of the rules in play, the game thrives in a way so few other games do.
It’s also one of the most clear and explanatory systems regarding how to run it, which is awesome - the game is there to create an experience, and it does it great. I didn’t read all the player sections (short on time) but it also talks about how to play to get the most out of it.
Just an incredible game, one that sets out to create a specific experience and absolutely hits the mark. Go subscribe to their patreon or follow them on tumblr. There’s a link in their pinned post where you can also join the A.N.I.M. RPG Book Club where I ran the game (as a one-off) - they’re about to start playing Eureka in groups, as it won the nomination this time. There’s still a few days to sign up! (Edit: This is not currently true, but it happens again every so often, and if you wanna get a game of Eureka going you will have no trouble finding people to play with.)
