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Electric Bastionland hero art
Chris McDowell / Bastionland Press

Electric Bastionland

"You owe a million pounds and time is running out."

Diced20 + d6
Players2–5
Prep~10 min
Foundry VTTCommunity
Complexity
What is this system

The evolution of Into the Odd. Same elegant rules, but focused on urban adventures in an electric age. The standout feature — 100+ 'Failed Careers': random backgrounds, each providing a unique starter kit of problems, contacts, and absurd equipment. You're not heroes — you're losers in debt.

Setting

Electric Bastion — a city that has sprawled to continental scale. Trams, telephones, shady banks, and the Deep Country below, brimming with treasures and horrors. The vibe — as if Terry Pratchett wrote weird fiction.

What it looks like at the table
Your character — a Former Street Crab Trainer. You owe a million pounds. A crab named General is the only thing left from your past life. The banker says: 'There's a job in the Deep Country. Bring back an artifact and I'll write off ten thousand.' General clicks his claw. You accept.
Playstyle
Exploration Social Sandbox Fantasy Weird
Key mechanics

100+ Failed Careers

'Street Crab Trainer', 'Disgraced Aristocrat', 'Former Astronaut'. Each one is a ready-made story hook.

Debt mechanic

A million pounds in debt. You go into dungeons not for glory — the collectors won't wait.

GM advice

The best GM section in OSR history. The philosophy of 'information, choice, consequences' on every page.

ItO core

Auto-hit attacks, three stats, saves. Character creation — 5 minutes.

What people say
Electric Bastionland is 50% RPG rulebook and 50% the best GM advice ever written. Seriously, the section on running the game changed how I GM everything.— u/oddity_collector, r/osr
We generated characters and started playing in under 15 minutes. One player got "Avant-Garde Hairdresser" and it was immediately the best character concept we've ever had.— u/deep_country, r/rpg
Art & materials
Free resources

Written and curated by Kejid — TTRPG player & GM

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