The Adventurer as Insect

I recently got my hands on the Quickstart edition of the upcoming Beetle Knight RPG. The mechanics seem interesting enough at first glance, but what captivated me was the high concept: the adventurer as insect.

The idea of casting the PCs as a small animal to emphasize their vulnerable place in a dangerous world is not new, of course (Mausritter being perhaps the most prominent example of the technique). Insects, however, are different from small mammals in one important way: they're far more powerful for their size.

It bears repeating: proportionally, insects are Marvel superheroes. They can fall from great heights or be struck with enormous force, then get up and casually lift many times their body weight. In other words, they have all the qualities of adventurers.

Some in the TTRPG scene are wont to lament how far modern pinnacles of the genre (see 5e) have strayed from the gritty and lethal days of yore. Gone are the editions where a single blow from a goblin's rusty blade could fell the hardy fighter. At today's gaming table, you're more likely to see that fighter hurled through a wall by a dragon's wing buffet, bear the full brunt of its breath weapon, and charge right back into the fray. After a few levels, heroes handle like tanks.

Or, you know, like insects. I think this comparison is worth more than a cursory glance. Consider the difference between the things an ant can shrug off (falls, flicks) and those it can't (glue, sustained crushing force). What if we let that inform our design? Rather than just becoming increasingly impervious to their environment, our adventurers wax invulnerable along some axes while remaining very much mortal along others.

The Beetle Knight Kickstarter is coming soon, and I'll be interested to see whether they play up this aspect of insectoid nature. Either way, it's a treasure trove of ideas for us all.

-V