Anomaly
A downloadable game
Anomaly is a Tarot based gmless storytelling game about a sinister organization investigating a supernatural anomaly.
Anomaly works best with 2-5 players, and games take between two and four hours.
Players define the nature of the organization, the team of researchers they have sent, the anomaly, and the setting it's found itself in, then develop the story of the investigation by drawing Tarot cards and answering associated questions.
Mechanics inspired by The Quiet Year by Avery Alder.
Genre Touchstones are Magnus Archives, SCP foundation, Warehouse 13, and the Concern from Friends at the Table.
Current build is version 12.
For $10, you also get Anomaly Investigation Club, a version of the game about a group of children investigating the supernatural, inspired by Scooby Doo, Higurashi, and Paranatural.
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
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This game is superb! I got to play it at a convention last weekend, and was immediately taken with how elegantly light touch the mechanics are, giving just enough guidance to support narrative movement without railroading our story. We were able to get a little gonzo while keeping the story on track, which also felt like a benefit of the thought-provoking prompts and open mechanical structure. Can't wait to play this with more friends!
Would it be alright if you posted 1 or 2 pages from the PDF on the game page so we could preview the content we'd be buying?
my group had a blast with this tonight!
Is there a way to pay the difference and get Investigation Club? Purchased Anomaly 3 years ago.
Just purchased this game as well as Containment Breach! 😊 Is it possible to play solo? I'm imagining a story where a lone investigator goes out on her own (the team could be on vacation, or somewhere else) to the Anomaly and learn more about it, even if it costs her her life, or the lives of others.
This game RULES! My group was able to seamlessly weave this into our superhero world, and had the perfect balance of mystery, suspense, and horror!
Anomaly is a game about a research team investigating a thing that makes no sense. Think SCP, Control, or any of the host of related media.
The PDF is 12 pages, with a bare but very readable layout.
Anomaly sets itself apart from other "weird thing what do" stories in that it always takes place in an inhabited area, with a population that is at least theoretically aware of the titular Anomaly's effects. This adds a lot of potential for suspense and horror to the game, and can play down or play up feelings of isolation.
To put that another way: The Thing is a slow burn story because it takes place in a remote research station. If it took place in rural USA, it would have a drastically different scope and pacing.
Mechanically, Anomaly is very similar to The Quiet Year. You play in turns, introducing or advancing story elements, as the group guides a team of scientists as they try to investigate whatever weird phenomenon is endemic to the game's area.
A deck of tarot cards is used to generate prompts, but Anomaly's timeline is open-ended. You play until the story is resolved. This might be quick, or it might be extremely drawn out---although the game gives an extremely good piece of advice: when you think of two things that could happen next, go with the more dramatic one. This keeps Anomaly pointed towards an exciting resolution, and gives it a strong natural pace.
Overall, if you like storytelling and drama, and if you like research horror, I think you'll enjoy Anomaly a lot. The rules are loose, so you do need a group that's willing to cooperate to tell the story, but if you have that I can almost guarantee you'll have an excellent time. Check it out if you can.
I just played this with my fiancé, and we had a blast! I'm not a fan of horror, but I love Warehouse 13, so we kept it kind of light, but it was fun going back and forth and building this team and researching the anomaly!
We're going to play Containment Breach next :)
I got turned on to this game from an old Friends at the Table livestream and I'm so happy I picked it up. Once my group and I got used to the game flow, the entire system fell to the background; giving just enough support to guide the story but leaving plenty of room for improvisation. Overall it was a huge hit with us and I can't wait to play it again.
Please fix the formatting in the next revision.
This game was really fun!
I love the mechanics of this game. So simple, but they build to something beautifully complex. What I aspire to in game design. Kudos!
Another beastcast buy! I'm also a huge FATT fan so I was doubly sold on this.
Also bought it after hearing the beastcast. Read the game and I can't wait to play it!
Sounded pretty cool after listening to the Beastcast, looking forward to playing!
Oh boy, it looks like the Beastcast really got a lot of players here. Looking to use this system in the future <3
Highly recommend!
Another Beastcast listener, and I had an absolute blast playing this. Easy to understand and get into, tons of fun.
Hey hi, I work as a freelance translator (mainly movies though) and love your game. I have a gaming podcast and want to play it on the cast for a special episode. To do that I will translate the game into German. I don't know if you're planning on releasing it in more than one language but you can have the translation for free if you're interested. Just wanted to leave that here. Shoot me a message on twitter @niklaskuck if any of this sounds interesting.
I guess you are right, sorry about that
isn't this effectively posting the game for free, on the page where ppl can buy it? seems iffy no?
Yet another from the Beastcast!
And another!
Another "bought after the beastcast," seemed like something I'd be down with.
bought a copy after listening to the latest beastcast, love everything about it :) going to play a story with my wife for new years eve