Gumption

Welcome to Gumption

It’s 1958. The future is bright, the chrome is polished, and the nuclear family is the backbone of the nation. You live on a perfect street in a perfect cul-de-sac, where the lawns are immaculate and the Jell-O molds are always chilling. From your picture window, you can see the new atomic power plant on the horizon, humming day and night, a beacon of progress.

But the hum is starting to get inside your head.

Lately, the neighbors are... off. Their smiles are too wide, their conversations too pleasant, their routines too rigid. Mr. Henderson has been washing his brand-new Chevrolet for three days straight. The PTA meetings feel less like bake sales and more like interrogations. And last night, you're sure you saw something dragging a fertilizer bag into the block captain's basement... only, the bag was moving on its own.

Gumption is a complete, one-page tabletop RPG of Cold War paranoia, suburban dread, and B-movie conspiracy.

The Game

You are one of the few residents who still sees the cracks in the facade. You're an Anxious Housewife, a Nosy Teenager, or a Shell-Shocked Veteran, and you've got the one thing they can't stamp out: Gumption.

This simple, rules-light game uses one key stat. When you try to resist the pressure to conform or take a risky action, you'll roll a single six-sided die against your Gumption score to:

• Sneak into your neighbor's unnervingly tidy garage.
• Resist the hypnotic suggestion of the new television jingle.
• Snap out of a Tupperware-induced trance.
• Confront the mailman who only delivers blank letters.

The Pressure

But be careful. Every time you fail a roll or make a public scene, you draw unwanted attention. The Director (GM) will mark the Conformity Track. As it rises, the neighborhood itself turns against you.

The curtains twitch. The phone calls get quieter. The smiles get tighter. The neighborhood watch starts watching you.

Can you and your fellow malcontents uncover the truth—is it aliens, communists, radioactive monsters, or something worse?—before the Conformity Track hits its peak?

Find out, or take your place as just another smiling, empty face on the perfect, silent street.

Features

• One-Page, Rules-Light: A complete game on a single page. Perfect for a one-shot, no prep required.
• Simple Core Mechanic: All you need is a six-sided die (d6) and your Gumption.
• A Dripping Atmosphere: Built from the ground up to evoke 1950s atomic-era paranoia, Twilight Zone twists, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style horror.
• Escalating Tension: The unique Conformity Track makes the neighborhood an active, growing threat that closes in on the players.
• Instant Play: Includes 5 quick archetypes and 6 terrifying "Truths" for the GM to roll randomly and start the game.