King of the Road

THE PREMISE It's 1933. The stock market crashed four years ago, and America still hasn't recovered. One in four Americans can't find work. Banks have failed. Farms have been foreclosed. The Dust Bowl is turning the heartland into a wasteland. You're riding the rails—jumping freight trains, traveling from town to town, looking for work, looking for hope, looking for anything. You're a hobo, part of a hidden nation of wanderers who live by a code older than the Depression itself. The rails are dangerous. Railroad bulls beat you, arrest you, or worse. Town sheriffs run you out. Locals fear you. Some freight cars are death traps. You might freeze, starve, fall, or simply disappear. But the rails are also freedom. Movement when everything else is stuck. A community of the dispossessed. The possibility that the next town, the next job, the next sunrise might be better. This is your story. This is how you survive—or don't. WHAT IS THIS GAME? King of the Road is a solo journaling RPG that puts you in the worn boots of a hobo during America's Great Depression. Using two six-sided dice and a journal, you'll navigate a turn-based journey through 1930s America, making desperate choices and documenting your struggle for survival. This is not a game about adventure or romance. This is about poverty, dignity, community, and endurance. It's about what it means to keep moving when the system has failed you. HOW YOU PLAY TRACK FIVE RESOURCES: Grit - Your physical and mental toughness. When it hits 0, you break. Heat - Law enforcement attention. At 6, catastrophe strikes. Hope - Your belief that tomorrow might be better. At 8, you've found victory. At 0, despair consumes you. Road Knowledge - Understanding of rails, signs, and survival. Spend it to avoid danger. Coin - Actual money. Precious and rare. FOLLOW THE JOURNEY: Each turn, you'll: Catch Out - Find and board a freight train The Ride - Survive the journey and random events Arrive - Reach a new town Survive - Find work, food, shelter Consequences - Deal with outcomes and decide your next move JOURNAL YOUR STORY: The dice and tables generate situations. Your journal creates meaning. Write about the people you meet, the choices you make, the moments of beauty in hardship, and the weight of poverty. WIN OR LOSE: Victory comes when Hope reaches 8—you've found meaning, work, or purpose worth fighting for. Loss comes when Grit or Hope hit 0, or Heat reaches 6. Death, despair, or destruction are always possible. Not every story has a happy ending. WHAT'S INCLUDED The Trifold Edition This quick-play trifold gives you everything needed for a complete one-shot game in 60-90 minutes: 4 playable archetypes with unique abilities Core mechanics (2d6 resolution) Journey, Town, and Survival tables Crisis tables for when resources reach critical points Hobo Code and glossary Journal prompts Campaign mode rules Print it, fold it, play it. The rails are waiting. You Need Two six-sided dice (2d6) Paper to track resources A journal 60-90 minutes 📖 7 0+ Page Comprehensive Gamebook including: Deep Historical Context - The real history of hobos, the Great Depression, the Hobo Code, and rail culture Seven Unique Archetypes - The Drifter, Dust Bowl Refugee, Radical, Kid, Veteran, Woman in Disguise, Black Hobo Complete Turn Structure - Detailed procedures with 20+ tables for catches, rides, arrivals, work, and consequences Regional Variations - Different dangers and opportunities across America (Northeast, South, Midwest, Plains, West, Southwest) Seasonal Mechanics - How winter, summer, spring, and fall change your survival odds 100+ Events - Town events, jungle encounters, railroad disasters, work situations Journal Prompts - 40+ writing prompts to deepen your narrative Full Example of Play - Complete walkthrough showing mechanics and journaling Historical Sources - Extensive bibliography with primary sources, photographs, and recommended reading WHAT MAKES THIS SPECIAL HISTORICALLY GROUNDED: This game is based on real history. The Hobo Code existed. The signs were real. Thousands died on the rails. Every mechanical choice reflects historical reality—from chain gang dangers to the IWW organizing to the violence of railroad bulls. ASYMMETRIC ARCHETYPES: Each character type plays fundamentally differently. The Black Hobo faces racism and sundown towns. The Woman in Disguise risks discovery. The Radical accumulates Heat from organizing. Your archetype shapes your story. RESOURCE TENSION: Managing five interconnected resources creates genuine pressure. Spending Coin for food restores Grit but leaves you broke. Stealing gains Coin but costs Hope and adds Heat. Every choice has trade-offs. MORAL COMPLEXITY: This game doesn't moralize. You might steal to survive. You might cross a picket line when desperate. You might violate the Code. The game tracks consequences but doesn't judge—you judge yourself through journaling. RESPECT WITHOUT EXPLOITATION: This game treats poverty, violence, and suffering with historical accuracy and respect. It's not trauma porn or poverty tourism. It's an attempt to understand what people endured and how they maintained humanity in inhuman conditions. CONTENT WARNING ⚠️ This game explores difficult historical realities: Poverty and homelessness Violence (police brutality, assault, murder) Death (starvation, exposure, accidents, suicide) Systemic oppression (racism, classism, state violence) Mental health crises Substance abuse This material is presented with historical accuracy and respect, but it may be difficult for some players, especially those with lived experience of poverty, homelessness, or trauma. If you've experienced homelessness or trauma, this game may be challenging. Your well-being matters more than any game. Crisis resources are included in the game text. WHO IS THIS FOR? You'll love this game if you: Enjoy solo journaling RPGs with narrative depth Appreciate historically grounded games Want resource management that creates real tension Value games that explore serious themes respectfully Like writing-focused gameplay Appreciate games where loss is as meaningful as victory This game might not be for you if you: Want light-hearted escapism Prefer pure mechanical optimization Find historical poverty too heavy a subject Don't enjoy writing and journaling Need clear "good endings." WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY Two six-sided dice (2d6) Something to track resources (paper, cards, digital) A journal - physical or digital 2-4 hours for a complete journey Optional but recommended: 1930s US rail map Period music (Woody Guthrie, folk songs) Historical photographs (Dorothea Lange) DESIGNER'S NOTE This game exists because real people suffered through the Great Depression and left us their stories. I researched oral histories, government documents, photographs, and first-hand accounts to make this as historically accurate as possible while remaining playable. My goal is not to entertain you with poverty, but to help you understand what it meant to survive when the system collapsed. To recognize that the people riding the rails weren't statistics—they were human beings maintaining dignity, community, and hope against impossible odds. If you play this game, I encourage you to: Donate to homeless services in your area Learn about modern migrant worker conditions Support labor organizing Recognize that these systems still exist, just in different forms — Julian Grant