Just in time for Pride: Announcing QUEERZ! Retail Availability
Son of Oak Game Studio, the award-winning publisher of City of Mist, is proud to announce our queer anime role-playing game, QUEERZ!, which is based on the manga by ISA (Isago Fukuda), has been publicly released and is now available for purchase -- just in time for Pride Month 2024.
In development since 2022, QUEERZ! has finally hit retailer stores across the US and is also available for direct order from our co-publisher on this project, Japanime Games. You can get the digital version of QUEERZ! from Son of Oak Game Studio's DriveThruRPG store.
LOVE VS. IGNORANCE
In QUEERZ!, you take the mantle of super sentai ("Power Ranger") heroes empowered by their unique individuality, their acceptance, and their empathy. You engage in flashy battles of martial arts and over-sized weapons against the so-called Justice Knights, who would force the world into their constrained paradigm, in themselves victims of a psychoactive glass-like substance called Ignorance. In the end, the Queerz use their powers and their hearts to save the day from the schemes of the Justice Knights, but also to save the Justice Knights themselves, by entering their Inner Space, finding the root of their Ignorance, and healing their past.
CAMPY ACTION, HUMOR, AND DRAMA
Taking a cue from the manga and inspired by LGBTQ+ culture, paragons, and history, QUEERZ! tackles important issues in a heartfelt and richly entertaining way, putting the power back in the hands of those who love humanity in all its diverse splendor. Using the creative tag-based engine of City of Mist (also used in the upcoming :Otherscape and Legend In The Mist), players can combine their own unique abilities with core moves like Slay, Strike a Pose, Care, Be Vulnerable, and Talk It Out, mixing anime action, lightheartedness, and drama at the table.
"Queerz is a game that we kind of need right now," says Lead Writer Steven Pope, "a game that celebrates love, empathy, and an honest expression of the self. In a time where a constant fear of violence and bigotry are canceling Pride events and making the world a more hateful and miserable place, we needed a game to just be unabashedly loving, fun, and accepting."
BY QUEER CREATORS, FOR EVERYONE
Together with the Son of Oak veterans, Pope has led a team of LGBTQ+ and ally TTRPG writers to bring the diverse world of QUEERZ! to life, from its campy villains, through gripping adventures, to unique pre-made characters for players. The formidable roster includes Keith Asada, Robin Caulfield, Sam Kusek, Lloyd Gyan, Joshua Kim, Collette Quach, Sen-Foong Lim, Brandy Rose, Jabari Weathers, and Alison Cybe all of whose works have been diligently edited by longtime Son of Oak editor Eran Aviram (City of Mist, Crystal Hearts).
The game also includes playable characters from the QUEERZ! manga, such as Teddy Woof and Absolutely Fabulous, created by ISA, as well as colorful and captivating art from the manga. "We all need our own representative hero to accept who we are and to be proud of who we are," says ISA. "Being different is cool, let’s appreciate and celebrate true diversity. Overcome Ignorance and give rainbow sparkles for all kids, parents, everybody in the world -- then you can be someone’s hero."
ITEMS AVAILABLE
- QUEERZ! Basic Box: A starter box with rules for the players and the MC, dice, character folios, maps, character cards, and tracking cards.
- QUEERZ! Creator Guide: A guide book that expands on the Basix Box with rules for creating your own QUEERZ! series, player characters, and villains.
- QUEERZ! Adventure Anthology: Five adventures by LGBTQ+ and ally creators for your QUEERZ! game.
- Additional digital content is available at DriveThruRPG.
