Use actual Nerf guns to battle kaiju in tabletop RPG Hyperweapon
Swap dice for darts.
A new tabletop RPG is swapping target numbers for actual targets by adding real-life dart guns to its dice rolls.
Hyperweapon is a rules-light RPG that tasks players with defending towns and cities from towering Godzilla-style kaiju and other fearsome foes.
The RPG’s twist is that players won’t just roll dice to resolve checks during combat, á la D&D. They’ll also need to take careful aim with toy dart guns - such as Nerf’s armoury of plastic-propelling weaponry - to see whether they hit, for real.
To play the game, players will hang several target boards around the room (or wherever they’re playing). Hitting the different targets represents passing varying accuracy checks. On a successful shot, the player then rolls dice to determine damage based on their hyperweapon. The game will feature alternate accuracy rules allowing it to be played solely with dice.
During Rookie Jet Studio’s Direct announcement stream, the indie publisher added that players will be able to “be a cyborg or whatever” - and just “be cool”. The characters will travel from city to city in a world blending both “fantasy-esque” and modern elements, facing off against different classes of kaiju.
Rookie Jet’s Cory Burns revealed that the game was inspired by a Reddit thread posted on r/rpg asking whether a toy dart gun system existed. Burns (who was careful in only ever calling the required toys generic "dart guns") added that the final game will include PvP rules to allow players to turn on each other - with a necessary disclaimer about avoiding injury due to flying darts.
Rookie Jet has made its name with stylish tabletop RPGs inspired by video games, anime and manga, including the Castlevania and Berserk-inspired Red Giant, FLCL-like Empty Cycle and Over Arms, inspired by Persona and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Last year’s RPG Chronicle Connection Plus instead looked to anime dating sims for its solo journalling gameplay.
Hyperweapon is currently in development, with the upcoming RPG due to launch a Kickstarter campaign this summer.