Description

Itras By is a “journey away from reality as you perceive it with your everyday senses…the means are elements from surrealism; an art movement from the 20’s which tries to portray the life of the subconscious.” (pp.4-5). The game takes place in a vaguely European city of the 1920-30’s. City residents fly around with jetpacks and dance in a club on a street where it’s always Friday, and rumor has it that if the dancing stops there the world will end. The only game mechanics are the Resolution and Chance cards, which say things like “yes, but” or make everyone play their shadow twin. Characters don’t have such things as stats and skills, having in their stead “dramatic qualities”, “intrigue magnets”, and “supporting characters.” Characters can be and do anything, limited only by their imaginations and consensus at the table: a bipedal bison who erased his own memories; a cyborg spider who rides on the shoulder of his human intern; a hotel employee who is only seen when he wants you to see him who manipulates the physical elements of the hotel to fit guests needs, who transforms to the life of the party when he puts on his Zoot Suit, and turns out to be one of the secret primal forces of the city. 

Play is largely improvisational and twists and turns based on the imagination of the players and the whimsy of the cards. Much of the book and the supplement, The Menagerie, are fiction like descriptions, all of which you do not need to read. In fact, it has been fun to every so often discover a new piece of the city and do something with it.