Ultraviolet Grasslands

Ultraviolet Grasslands is a psychedelic metal RPG of heroes on a strange trip through mythic steppes. Players lead a caravan across vast distances, trading, exploring weird locations, and seeking lost time and broken space. Features streamlined OSR mechanics, caravan management, and 250 pages of evocative art and random tables.

At-a-glance

OSR lineage • d20 mechanics • 3-6 players + GM • Low prep • Rules-lite • Campaign length • Caravan-crawl structure

Genres:
Science Fiction
Systems:
Old-School Renaissance (OSR)
Mechanics:
Campaign Exploration-Driven Sandbox Rules Lite Resource Management
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Ultraviolet Grasslands

Welcome to the Ultraviolet Grasslands , a roleplaying game of heroes on a strange trip through mythic steppes in search of lost time, broken space, and deep riffs. Inspired by psychedelic heavy metal, the Dying Earth genre, and classic Oregon Trail games, UVG presents a world where the weird is commonplace and the commonplace is weird.

Theme and Setting

The setting begins at the edge of the Rainbowlands in the Violet City , the last bastion of civilization before the endless ultraviolet steppes. Even this 'civilized' land is strange to our eyes—teeming with multihued humanity (greenlanders, bluelanders), porcelain princes who live simultaneously in multiple psychically linked bodies, body-hopping ultras, and cat lords.

How Play Feels

Beyond lies the Grasslands themselves: a fever dream of the fantastic where time and space bend, ancient secrets sleep, and the only certainty is that all journeys end in vanity. The UVG is less about combat and more about the journey itself .

What Makes It Distinct

Players form a caravan and venture into these strange lands, trading goods, discovering wonders, and returning forever changed. It's designed to run like The Hobbit rather than Lord of the Rings—the travel itself generates the story through random encounters and player decisions.

Where It May Not Fit

You want a very light rules load You mainly want short standalone sessions with minimal carryover.

Decision guide

What this game is about

Key facts
Players
3-6 players + GM
Session
120-240 minutes
Prep
Low
Play profile
Complexity
4/5
New GM Fit
1/5
Roleplay Focus
3/5
Combat Focus
3/5
Tactical Depth
2/5
Campaign Depth
5/5
Who it suits
Best for
Players who want science-fiction ideas to shape the actual play experienceLong-form play with room for characters and situations to developPlayers who enjoy danger, discovery, and player-driven problem-solving
Avoid if
You want a very light rules loadYou mainly want short standalone sessions with minimal carryoverYou want the system to stay almost invisible at the table

A strong fit for groups that want science-fiction ideas to shape the actual play experience, with campaign helping define the experience.

Agent data

Structured data and an explicit decision profile JSON document are available for remote agents.

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