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Heckin’ Good Doggos is an RPG about dogs doin’ dog stuff

Telling tails.

Play as a party of paw pals ‘doin’ dog stuff’ in Heckin’ Good Doggos, an upcoming roleplaying game all about four-legged friends.

A family-friendly RPG, Heckin’ Good Doggos is all about canines embarking on adventures together, both big and small, with the players taking on the role of various dogs. Players will find themselves pursuing all sorts of dog-related activities, from chasing squirrels to saving the local neighbourhood from an ancient evil, all in a way that only a furry friend can. At the beginning of the roleplaying game, players create their own dog characters, deciding what breed they are – from German Shepard to a plain old mutt – their natures and what kind of doggie things they enjoy doing.

Once players have created their dog, they’ll need to determine what kind of person their Best Friend is. As the person that feeds, walks, plays with and gives cuddles to their dog character, the players will need to think carefully about what they’re like – whether they’re someone that they rely upon or if their Best Friend actually has a negative impact on their life. Each Best Friend may also do their best to keep their doggo safe, which could make going out on adventures difficult for the player characters.

Heckin' Good Doggos RPG artwork 2

Heckin’ Good Doggos uses the same RPG gameplay system as Never Going Home and Tenebria – two RPGs previously released by Heckin’ Good Doggos’ publisher Wet Ink Games – which is called the +One system and sees players potentially affecting the result of a roll depending on their dog’s skills. Players can choose to temporarily gain relevant skills before performing a roll requested by the games master, which will add an additional die to the roll. Alternatively, players can choose to improve the result of a roll or can reroll any number of dice, if they have the right skill.

Whenever a player’s dog character encounters or interacts with someone who disagrees with them, then conflict occurs. Conflict can manifest as an actual physical fight or even as something far softer, depending upon the situation and how players decide to react to it. Whenever conflict does occur, those players involved will be able to choose from the four standard playing card suits – spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs – with each one representing a different kind of approach. A certain number of cards may be required to overcome a conflict, depending on which approach was chosen by the players taking part in the conflict.

Players and the GM can choose to play Heckin’ Good Doggos in a variety of different settings, besides the introductory neighbourhood in which the greatest challenges are often caused by humans. Hexin’ Good Doggos is an alternative setting that’s infused with magic and the supernatural, whilst Mechin’ Good Doggos has the player characters battling otherworldly threats as mech pilots and Super Good Doggos takes inspiration from the superhero genre. Other possible settings include the post-apocalyptic environment of Wreckin’ Good Doggos and the fantasy-style Ye Olde Favourable Hounds.

Cover image for YouTube video

Heckin’ Good Doggos was created by John Kennedy, a game designer who has previously worked on RPGs such as the aforementioned Never Going Home, as well as licensed roleplaying games like Star Trek Adventures and the Stargate RPG.

Apart from Never Going Home, Tenebria and Heckin’ Good Doggos, Wet Ink Games is also responsible for publishing the horror RPG Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall – a game about a family of 1920s Chinese immigrants who manage a restaurant by day and fight vampires at night – and the steampunk inspired Wild Skies.

The Kickstarter campaign for Heckin’ Good Doggos is live until February 20th with a pledge of $20 (£15) getting backers a physical copy of the RPG in May. Alternatively, a PDF version is available for a pledge of $10 (£8).

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Heckin' Good Doggos

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Alex Meehan avatar

Alex Meehan

Senior Staff Writer

After writing for Kotaku UK, Waypoint and Official Xbox Magazine, Alex became a member of the Dicebreaker editorial family. Having been producing news, features, previews and opinion pieces for Dicebreaker for the past three years, Alex has had plenty of opportunity to indulge in her love of meaty strategy board games and gothic RPGS. Besides writing, Alex appears in Dicebreaker’s D&D actual play series Storybreakers and haunts the occasional stream on the Dicebreaker YouTube channel.

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