Slugblaster: A Beginner’s Introduction to Hoverboards, Portals, and Teenage Trouble
If your group wants to leave swords and taverns behind, Slugblaster offers an immediate pitch: teenagers sneak out of a small town to ride hoverboards through other dimensions. The adventure matters, but so does getting home and dealing with the life you were trying to escape.
This is an introduction and a suggested first-session approach, not a replacement for the rulebook. The session ideas below are original examples for discussing the game's premise with your group.
What do characters actually do?
The official setting begins in Hillview, where young hoverboarders explore other dimensions, record tricks, chase attention, and face trouble at home. The designer describes a streamlined Forged in the Dark system supporting collaborative campaigns, cinematic action, modified gear, popularity, downtime stories, and escalating disasters.
That combination suggests two connected kinds of scene: an exciting expedition and the consequences afterward. A character can care about landing a trick and still care deeply about a promise made to a friend. Discuss both before deciding whether the premise is right for your table.
What changes if you come from D&D?
Begin with a fresh explanation rather than trying to translate every familiar class or combat habit. Ask what your character wants to attempt, what could make it risky, and how the chosen game resolves it. Learn Slugblaster's procedures on their own terms.
For a new group, an especially useful question is whether everyone wants to contribute ideas about the world and their characters' social lives. Someone looking mainly for a succession of carefully balanced tactical fights may want to inspect a play example before committing to a campaign.
A first-session pitch you can use
Original setup: Your crew has promised to film one impressive run at an abandoned transit station before a local event starts. One character needs the footage. Another has promised to be home early. A third suspects the shortcut into the station has changed.
Use those competing wants to start a conversation, not to script a required outcome. Ask each player what would make this evening a success for their character. Then let the decisions at the table determine which problem becomes urgent.
Keep the initial expedition focused on one location, one reason to go, and one reason to return. A smaller opening makes it easier to learn the rules while still leaving room for surprising decisions.
Agree on what teenage drama means
Before play, discuss the tone of family conflict, school trouble, embarrassment, relationships, and danger. Decide what can appear directly, what should stay off-screen, and how anyone can pause or redirect a scene. Playing teenage characters does not require making every difficult part of adolescence a subject of the game.
Also decide whether the group wants mostly exuberant adventure, more personal drama, or a mix. A shared expectation is more useful than assuming everyone means the same thing by “chaotic.”
Try the smaller entry point first
The official resources include Slugblaster Turbo X, described as a free, very light one-shot version. It is a distinct introduction rather than the complete core game. The site also links printable playsheets, an online character keeper, and actual-play material.
Try that route if you want to test the premise before buying a larger book. If the group enjoys it, compare the core PDF, physical book, and any boxed offerings by their actual contents. Product names and bundles can differ.
Where to begin
Find the introductory resources at the official Slugblaster site and inspect the core rulebook listing at Mythworks. These are direct publisher/designer links.
Slugblaster is created by Mikey Hamm. This independent B3 introduction is not an official Slugblaster publication.