Publisher: Monkeyfun Studios
Authors: David Kizzia and Bob Richardson
Artist: Ron Joseph
Year: 2015
Players: It’s an RPG, so two or more
Ages: 13+ (My opinion)
Playing Time: Ongoing
Genre: Roleplaying mash up of 1970’s B-Movie genres and television tropes
Pages: 312 pages
Retail Price: Softcover book and PDF bundle $29.99 or just the PDF alone for $19.99 at DriveThruRPG
While most game sites tend to focus on the two major players as far as RPGs go, I always get a real kick checking out much more obscure titles and less hyped companies. Nothing against the big boys but it’s especially rewarding when you come across something which feels fresh and fun. I have to say Spirit of 77 is just that, although a lot of your enjoyment might have something to do with how well you remember the 1970’s in the first place. Better yet, maybe I should say how cool you might think So77 (Spirit of 77) turns out will have much to do with what you think of the movies, and television shows, which came out during that decade.
When I say movies of the 70’s I’m not talking about films like Star Wars, The Sting, Chinatown, or One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest though. I mean the sort of B-Movie, Schlockfest, or Blacksploitation fare that would populate a double or triple feature at the local drive in or grind house. You see So77 draws its inspiration from flicks like Gone in 60 Seconds, Foxy Brown, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, and Gator as well as television shows like The Six Million Dollar Man, The Rockford Files, and Kung-Fu.
Yet these aren’t the same 1970’s which I recall from my grammar school years but a fictional mashup of movie and tv tropes of the era. The year is 1977 and Gerald Ford is in the White House. Richard Nixon dodged the Watergate bullet by responding with a public apology rather than a cover up (I suppose winning the Vietnam War with the help of zombies aided his approval numbers) and has now moved on the the Vice President’s office. X-Technology allows for bionic limbs and Skylab so could a moon colony be far behind? As Monkeyfun Studios mentions in the corebook, the game is about “the best parts of a bad decade.”
As for the layout of So77 I got my hands on a copy of the PDF so my thoughts reflect that but everything is laid out in a logical manner and the core rules are simple enough. Throughout you’ll encounter black and white artwork very reminiscent of the style readers came to expect in higher end releases (ala TSR) of the 1970’s and 80’s. Very nicely done! 
To best set the mood for So77 you need to keep three things in mind:
The game is all about fun and everyone having a hell of a good time. Engaging in historical stereotypes and prejudices just ain’t cool, baby. This is a fictional 1977 you know so don’t start getting heavy; he’s my brother after all.
Turn up the volume and go full throttle. Music plays a part in the game (the GM is called the DJ and the authors recommend playing So77 to a soundtrack mix in the background) even with possible character types as the Disco Diva and Glam Rocker making appearances. Always aim for over the top action and do things in the hippest style possible. You aren’t going to drive down the street. No, you’re going to fly at 90 mph in that Mustang. We’re not playing an episode of Barnaby Jones here and you’ll never hear mention of “a Quinn Martin production.”
To do it, DO IT. Players take on as much responsibility for making the game as exciting and memorable as the DJ. Everyone around the table is encouraged to add as much flavor and backstory as they can whenever they can. That could mean Of course don’t walk all over the DJ’s carefully laid out buzz while doing so.
The Spirit of 77 rules are based on the Apocalypse World Engine, of which I wasn’t overly aware, and are as far from “crunchy” as one can get. I understand the system also powers the RPGs Apocalypse World – thus the name – and Dungeon World so I think I’m going to have to give both of those a peek soon too. Action resolution is pretty easy with the results of rolling two six sided dice being used. I know I’m going to simplify things a bit by saying it all boils down to a roll of ten or higher equating a full success, rolls of seven to nine being a partial success, and six or less turning into a failure. Obviously, there are various conditions and modifiers and maybe even extra dice which come into play but, for all intents and purposes, you could run So77 with only that core 2D6 mechanic.
A role looks at your place in the game world. In other words, just what is it you do with that voodoo? Is it all about the fast cars and faster women? Maybe you’re a lot smarter than the two-bit shamus everyone assumes you are? Or is their nothing sweeter than spending your Saturday night in middle of a ballroom blitz? Your role could be a good ol’ boy, or sleuth, or tough guy then.
Buzz plays out as your character’s motivation. Be it just looking for the next thrill, someone aiming to clear their name, or reaching for the golden ring your buzz is a current goal in life.
While the other aspects of the character are fairly wide ranging the attributes are mainly cut and dry. Each character possesses Might (strength and toughness), Hustle (dexterity and accuracy), Smooth (looks and charm), Brains (intelligence and awareness), and Soul (spirituality and creativity). Each attribute is ranked from -1 (below average) to +4 (superhuman) with average falling into a score of zero.In an interesting twist on character creation, the players won’t be rolling for or purchasing attributes. The starting attributes are based upon the sort of flavor of role you want to play. A player might want to enjoy “A Well Balanced Breakfast” and receive scores of one in all the attributes. Then again you could go the way of “Oh, Just One More Thing” and start with a single attribute at a two, another at minus one, and the rest clocking in with a one. Most of the archetypes also receive an automatic increase in a specific attribute. While you can improve an attribute at zero or above, through experience advancement, negatives cannot so keep that in mind when choosing a below average attribute.
Beginning characters also receive special abilities as well as the opportunity to select bonuses (Moves). The above sleuth might decide they want an Encyclopedic Memory as an example. Each role also has starting gear and money as well.
Action resolution and combat mechanics are straightforward and relatively simple and mainly tackled through Moves. Characters have Moves they can all use (Deliver a Beatdown or Keep Your Cool as examples), Moves tied into the sort of role they play (i.e. the aforementioned Encyclopedic Memory above), as well as custom Moves the DJ might bring into play. The Moves are tied to specific attributes and it will be the attribute a player will use to modify their 2D6 roll. The DJ has rules regarding making something easier or harder but you’re still looking at effectively trying to roll seven or higher for some sort of success.
Combat is a little trickier but it still doesn’t deviate much from the standard resolution rolls. You just have some additional rules regarding damage, weapon range, harm levels, and healing. Nothing overly complex though as the game isn’t about the realistic minutia of tactical combat but rather just fast and frantic action and excitement.
The first hundred pages or so are devoted to creating the characters and getting into the basics of the game mechanics. The rest of the corebook is devoted to the DJ and running Spirit of ‘77. There’s plenty of discussion for new game masters and getting started with your first adventure. Moves are explained and how they’re incorporated seemlessly into play is also tackled. The world of So77 is laid out but I wish there was a lot more page space devoted to this wild setting and less devoted toward actually running the game; the mechanics are so simple I think the authors went a bit overboard in explaining them as well as possible Moves.
I really do dig So77 but there are a few things that need mentioning or could have been tweaked to better effect. Granted, the system is presented as a gateway RPG (or at least one aimed at gamers who don’t want a lot of clunky rules getting in their way), and I appreciate the streamlined style, but the way experience is handled and characters level up is pretty weak. It’s interesting that experience is earned by failing dice rolls. I’ve no issue there but players can rack up quite a few experience points during an adventure due to the failed rolls and also gain XP by roleplaying their buzz and resolving character hooks. The XP requirements are far too low to gain levels. Everyone starts off at level one and it costs six XP to advance to level two. In fact the XP cost to advance is your current level plus five, up to the level max of ten.
The authors provide some lip service to running a campaign for So77 but the reality is the game isn’t very well suited (or at least not by way of the corebook) for ongoing interconnected adventures; the game just doesn’t have enough meat on its bones. This isn’t a bad thing in any way as I liken Spirit of 77 to games like Fiasco or Kobolds Ae My Baby as opposed to the Pathfinder or Deadlands ilk. I think the So77 creators look at their own game in this respect too since the supplements which have come out so far are all standalone adventures with completely different settings.
Spirit of 77 might not hold a ton of appeal for younger gamers who have little knowledge of the 1970s nor interest in the sort of films which filled the drive-ins and midnight movies or television shows which flickered across 26” screens during the later part of the decade. I think you need to have some sort of personal reference to the period to get the most out of the game. On the other hand, I think older gamers, or those with a real nostalgia for the 70’s, will find So77 to be loads of fun and have a blast roleplaying in this mash up setting of B-Movies and cult tv.
I found this roleplaying game to be absolutely groovy, boppers!
