carry. a game about war.

Narrative roleplaying in our memory of Vietnam.

carry is a game focused on the experience of being a soldier in the Vietnam war. Inspired by the films Platoon and Full Metal Jacket and the novel The Things They Carried, carry is designed to provide a serious roleplaying experience in the tradition of these sources.

carry is a no-prep short-form tabletop roleplaying game designed to play out entirely in one 3-4 hour session. Each player takes on the role of one of 15 pre-generated members of a squad of US Marines in the Vietnam war, and creates the burden that they bring with them into the conflict.

This revised edition is an extensively re-organized and re-written text, keeping the core of the original game but revising some of the mechanics to keep focus on the experience of play. With more explication, examples and resources to aid play, this edition reflects 10 years of experience with the game since initial release.

Game Features:

• Set cast of characters, customized by a collaborative system of creating the Burdens they bring with them into war.
• No-prep, designed to play out fully in 1-2 sessions of 3-4 hours.
• Unified dynamic die pool mechanic that address issues of trust, dissension and loyalty.
• Can be played in more realistic or cinematic styles based on the groups preference - it doesn't have to be heartbreaking!

"...in all cases the engine [of the game] drives the story, not the other way around. But it drives it directly, interestingly, and well from a base of recognizable, genuine human concerns" - Kenneth Hite, Out of the Box review

"There is a tendency in RPGs to address serious issues through a lens of fantasy, but carry makes no compromises." - Play This Thing review