Monthly Mecha: Girl Frame w/ Isabelle M. Ruebsaat

• A ttrpg about lesbian pilots, forced into half-living mech suits to kill eldritch beings
• built on Powered by the Apocalypse (PBTA), specifically Apocalypse Keys
• for approximately 4-5 players, including the Handler
• with mechanics that recreate power dynamics, oppression, and constraint

• Pithy, powerful writing
• Dynamic “Handler” role that can swap to other players after certain end games
• Rich and layered exploration of gender

Content may include misgendering/transphobia, homophobia, sexism, abuse, sexual assault, drug abuse, toxic relationships, dehumanization, fascism, body horror, torture, brainwashing, ableism, nonconsensual surgical procedures, lobotomies, hallucinations, memory loss.

Promises include Messy lesbians, toxic power dynamics, giant robots fighting eldritch horrors, oppression, and hard choice

I recommend this game! The writing is excellent, and Isabelle has lots of really clever bits in the game. I personally enjoyed how the "handler" (GM-type role) becomes a character and can even move to another player at certain points in the game.

Also, I think the game is an interesting example of “uncomfortable game design," which creates "positive negative" experiences — experiences that can be distressing but also gratifying because they create new insights.

Isabelle: I think mecha has always kinda been about gender, but usually about struggles with masculinity in Evangelion, Gundam, etc. That said, I think there’s large elements where putting yourself in a body that isn’t your own is a very genderqueer theme already, even without prior context.

Isabelle: Part of Girl Frame was me wanting to take the common criticism of “PbtA is restrictive” (a criticism I disagree with) and apply it intentionally to the system. The basic plays do not allow healthy solutions to problems, the Status structure encourages trying to stay on top, which can only be done by pushing others down.

Through the Tags system, you have a lot of control over other character’s rolls. You can Tag someone with “loser” and then make them be more of a loser. It encourages thinking of the other PCs as tools moreso than friends.

I think one of the biggest elements is the Handler. The traditional GM having an explicit antagonistic PC with direct control over the other PC’s lives creates a really messed up unbalanced power dynamic.

Isabelle: Truly unique? Very little. I draw on design lessons from a LOT of other games. If you’re not as nose-deep in indie ttrpgs as I am though, you might find the heavily toxic social focus, the oppressive atmosphere, multiple PbtA playbooks/approach to move design, or the PC-ification of the GM role to be elements you haven’t interacted with before.

But I don’t really see Girl Frame as doing much that’s unique, my goal was to create a well-made synthesis of what I’ve learned from other games over the 15 years of playing rpgs.

Isabelle: Anyone who finds interplays of gender and oppression and power dynamics interesting, who is not afraid to get a bit messy with their play.

Isabelle: The big 3 are the anime Evangelion and 86, and the video game Armoured Core 6. I’d also credit the anime Witch From Mercury as putting lesbian-specific play in my head

Isabelle: Too many to count! But Girl Frame definitely draws some inspiration and lessons from a bunch of PbtA systems:
- Under Hollow Hills
- Praise the Hawkmoth King
- Monsterhearts
- Dream Askew
- Apocalypse World/Burned Over
- Apocalypse Keys
- Fellowship

Another couple other personal favourites of mine are the Yellow Curtain (which I tragically missed out on getting a physical copy of), The Far Roofs, and GLOG.