52 Pickup: Issue #5 - The Merger

Issue 5 (August 2023) of 52 Pickup is our Tabletop Role-Playing Game Edition, which contains a game you can play with a pencil, paper, and a standard deck of cards.

The Game

In this game the company you all work for is going through a merger, and the CEO is going to pick who makes it through with their job intact. Grovel, manipulate, and put in extra hours to outperform the other employees, but don’t put too many spanners in the works else you’ll all be fired!

Designer Notes

I had a few objectives when creating Merger; experiment with a standard card-based system for a TTRPG, create a TTRPG with inter-party conflict that can still drive the action forward, and build it all around an unusual theme.

Originally this game’s central premise was that it was the TTRPG your fantasy TTRPG characters play when they want escapism. After play testing the system however it became clear it could stand as a premise of it’s own.

The main games I used for inspiration were Paranoia, Powered by the Apocalypse systems, and the World Wide Wrestling RPG.

Extras

The Merger is the first issue of 52 Pickup that comes with optional downloadable components. Simply scan the QR code found in this issue to download a set of character sheets that you can print out for your next session of The Merger TTRPG.

Credits

• Art by Erin Wood (@erinlaviniawood)
• Game Design by Dylan Byrne
• Produced by Daniel Gratwicke

Availability

52 Pickup is currently only available upon request (by emailing hello@citysquarestudios.com), at the Hamilton City Library Zine vending machine, or physically at markets we attend. We are currently working on making 52 Pickup more easily accessible both online and physically.

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More Info

You can find more information about 52 Pickup here.