Love, swords, and adventure.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians battle the Lady of Chains when her enforcers march down from the frosty north. They rocket through the stars to safeguard diplomats ending a generations-old conflict. Even when swords are crossed, they seek peace with their opponent—and sometimes connect more deeply than anyone expects.
A sword duel can end in kissing, a witch can gain her power by helping others find love, and an entire campaign can be built around wanderingmatchmakers flying from system to system.
Thirsty Sword Lesbians is a roleplaying game for telling queer stories with friends. If you love angsty disaster lesbians with swords, you have come to the right place.
In this book, you’ll find:
- Flirting, sword-fighting, and zingers in a system designed for both narrative drama and player safety.
- An innovative take on the Powered by the Apocalypse family of games.
- Nine character types, each focusing on a particular emotional conflict: Beast, Chosen, Devoted, Infamous, Nature Witch, Scoundrel, Seeker, Spooky Witch, and Trickster.
- Guidance and support for running the game, including how to make appealing adversaries, set the tone, pace the game, and structure play.
- Tools to create your own settings and stories, alongside a dozen pre-written options including the cyberpunk Neon City 2099, steamfunk poets battling oppression as Les Violettes Dangereuses, laser swords and intrigue in the Starcross Galaxy, and more.
- World building worksheet for custom scenarios and starting scenario seeds to play with: Best Day of Their Lives, The Constellation Festival, Gal Paladins, and Sword Lesbians of the Three Houses
- Variant rules to highlight different identities, emotional connections, and setting elements.
- Strategies to adapt any setting where swords cross and hearts race for Thirsty Sword Lesbians.
Bonhomie says: 'That's the advertising blurb above, but for this particular title we think it is important to share the authors' voice about the reason for the game - and also to help good hearted straight cis players get their head around a game that might have some unfamiliar themes. So, herewith, straight from the authors:'
This game is not for fascists, TERFs, or other bigots. The team behind Thirsty Sword Lesbians supports racial liberation, intersectional feminism, and queer liberation. We love and respect transgender people, nonbinary people, intersex people, and women. This game is a joyous celebration of lives and identities otherwise marginalized. If you don’t agree, fix your heart before sharing a table with other people.
What if... not Thirsty?
The game fundamentally assumes that the characters crave connection, but that connection doesn’t need to be sexual or romantic. We offer you options for changing how the game addresses connection in our variant rules section.
What if... not Swords?
It’s simple enough to swap out a different hand-to-hand combat option. Your campaign or your character can use a labrys, the double-bladed axe that became a lesbian icon in the late 20th century. You can use different styles of unarmed combat or even grapple using telepathic self-projections. It’s also possible to replace the swords with mecha, starships, or guns, but it requires some thought and the book will help you think about how to ensure that it stays intimate and relationship-focused. The conflict doesn’t have to be physically violent, either; you can use any kind of conflict that’s adrenaline-inducing and close-quarters.
What if... not Lesbians?
We’ll let you in on a secret: you don’t have to play a lesbian. The game plays with themes that are common for all sorts of people who are marginalized on the basis of gender and sexuality, as well as feelings that go beyond the queer experience. If you want to play thirsty sword cishets, we’re not going to stop you—just don’t be surprised if the game turns them queer.
