Random Inc presents a Phenomenon Labs games convention


Roleplaying games

Phenopalooza offers roleplaying games through the festival in four arenas:

The schedule

Go to The schedule!

New Designers

Each year Pheno is proud to encourage writers who are new to writing for Cons to give it a go.

At the end of Pheno the players of new designers' games will be asked to vote for the new writer whose game was the best, and the winner of this will receive a trophy and widespread adulation!

New designers' games are marked with the New Designer Star: new designer star

Game ratings

Pheno uses a rating system for games to help you choose games, and to help you anticipate what the GM is looking for in a game.

Games are rated from 1 (little or none) to 5 (really important) on the following: 

The Triptych

The triptych: each year, Pheno invites three respected designers to present a systemless single session game. Each game showcases what we consider the best of Pheno roleplaying: characterisation, drama, entertainment, innovation. Each game will be judged separately, but teams competing in all three games will also be eligible for the Triptych Perpetual Trophy.

The Triptych games are all for 5 players.

Freeforms

Freeforms are big games for 15–30 players (or rarely, and insanely, more...) players, whose characters are collected in some kind of social gathering in which they interact, intrigue and politic with each other.

+top


Multiforms

Multiforms combine the characteristics of other types of roleplaying games. They often blend the physical acting out and character interactions common in freeforms with the more GM-led plots typical of team games.


+top

Team (tabletop) games

Team games (or tabletops) are the traditional form of roleplaying, for groups/teams of about 5 players with generally one GM. There will be character sheets; there may be dice.

+top