{"slug":"beacon","title":"BEACON TTRPG","url":"https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/beacon","agentUrl":"https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/beacon.json","summary":{"blurb":"BEACON TTRPG is Tim Gonzalez's tactical high-fantasy game about heroic Beacons defending a custom Reflection from its Scourge, pairing PbtA-inspired narrative play with Lancer-like class, loot, and grid-combat buildcraft.","atAGlance":"Tactical high fantasy - Lancer/4e/Final Fantasy inspired - 2-5 players + GM - Free player guide, paid PDF/hardcover - Class/job buildcraft and phase-based combat","whyItFits":"BEACON fills a useful TTRPG Games gap for tactical high fantasy that is explicitly Lancer, D&D 4e, and Final Fantasy adjacent without being 5E-compatible. It helps readers compare crunchy fantasy buildcraft, JRPG tone, and collaborative world creation against existing pages for Lancer, Fabula Ultima, Cloudbreaker Alliance, MythCraft, Draw Steel, and Pathfinder 2e."},"constraints":{"playerRange":"2-5 players + Game Master","sessionRange":"120-240 minutes","setupMinutes":30,"characterCreationMinutes":45,"prepLevel":"Medium","priceModel":"Paid"},"fit":{"beginnerFriendly":0,"newGmFriendly":3,"oneShotFriendly":1,"campaignFriendly":1,"soloFriendly":0,"improvBurden":"Medium","structureLevel":"Balanced","contentIntensity":"Medium"},"scores":[{"key":"complexity","label":"Complexity","value":4},{"key":"new_gm","label":"New GM Fit","value":3},{"key":"roleplay","label":"Roleplay Focus","value":3},{"key":"combat","label":"Combat Focus","value":4},{"key":"tactical","label":"Tactical Depth","value":4},{"key":"campaign","label":"Campaign Depth","value":4}],"availability":{"quickstartAvailable":1,"pdfAvailable":1,"physicalBookAvailable":1,"vttReady":0},"recommendations":{"bestFor":["Lancer or D&D 4e fans who want tactical buildcraft in heroic fantasy instead of mechs or default D&D","Final Fantasy and JRPG-inspired groups that want crystals, jobs, Limit Breaks, loot, and world-scale threats","Players who enjoy class/job combinations, party roles, combat resources, and tactical encounter objectives","Campaigns where the table wants to create its own fantasy world and define the recurring Scourge together"],"avoidIf":["You want rules-light fantasy, OSR expedition pressure, or combat that resolves mostly through freeform narration","Your group dislikes tactical subsystems, character-build choices, or separated narrative and combat procedures","You need a large published adventure ecosystem, a mature VTT module line, or broad mainstream review coverage before starting","The GM wants minimal encounter prep and does not want to learn enemy templates, terrain, resources, and phase timing"]},"facets":{"genres":["Fantasy","High-Fantasy"],"systems":["d20 System"],"mechanics":["Campaign","Character Customization","Class-based","Collaborative Worldbuilding","Exploration-Driven","Innovative Mechanics","Narrative-Driven","Resource Management","Skill-based","Tactical","Tactical Combat","Team-Based"],"themes":["Cinematic"],"decisionTags":["Collaborative","One-Shot Friendly","Rules Medium"]},"links":{"websiteUrl":"https://www.pirategonzalezgames.com/beacon","reviewsUrl":"https://pirategonzalezgames.itch.io/beacon-ttrpg?ac=YUqaLN4pVvG"}}