This little RPG is a rare gem. Small in size, but giant in quality. The essence of a great horror game system is here, leaving out all that bunch of unnecessary rules, but there are still rules here! Only the necessary rules, so that this RPG conveys the feeling of a very light system, but very robust and efficient.

Clearly written with a great section on how to run this genre. The gm section has great advice that can be applied to any game.

I've played and read a ton of Lovecraftian rpgs, folks. I love them. I'll keep this short: get this game. 'Rats in the Walls' is a winner. You can read this game and have the dice hitting the table in under an hour. It is elegantly simple but not simplistic. Supports one-shot and campaign play. Do yourself a favor and grab this one.

Just reading through the pwyw non-art pdf. It looks very very interesting. Easy to play and quick to get started I should think. Not necessarily a Cthulhu clone but could played as such or as a horror or uncanny type game (X-files in the 20s). The Twenties is where it's aimed at but there are notes for playing the game in other time periods. Straightforward mechanics and no fluff. But the really cool section is the advice on building adventures (Investigations) and the general advice on play. All very focussed and succinct. There's an excellent flow chart linked to the model character sheet to help create characters. Some nice little touches such as the fact that if you go and write an article or short story based on your horrific experience, you get some sanity points back! There's also a small conversion table so that you can import a pc from The Other Game of cosmic horror. One tiny quibble, some very minor use of the s word which might offend some folk (no, I don't mean socialist)! I'd love to see if there will be a third party license: I've already got a scenario in my head

A game worth reading, even if you don't plan to use it immediately: it contains a handful of concrete advices on how to run "cosmic horror" games, how to create investigations (this chapters can be a great addition for Call of Cthulhu and other game Keepers), and the icing on the cake: a new take on the old Lovecraftian "pantheon" and the Realms from beyond the walls of sleep.

This game mechanics are simple but effective: Say what your character wants to do. The GM define what happen if the character fails his roll. Then roll 2D6, add the relevant attributes: if you beat 8, you get what you want, otherwise…

Is it perfect? Not if you want an extensive game background and tons of Skills/professions/weapons. But if you're searching for a simple game, easy to learn and yet full of depth and neat ideas, take a look at Rats in the Walls, you won’t regret it!

A great game! Especially if you're looking for an alternative to the Basic roleplaying system. In 34 pages, you have all you need to play in an hour horrific adventures full of tentacles. The rules are simple, but quite sufficient for this kind of campaigns. I especially like how the game manages sanity. In addition, it provides guidance on how to manage horror and investigations. What I like the most is that the author doesn't just copy the Old Ones and their servants, but he created his own vision of the mythos with very unique Old ones, several examples of cults, a revisited Dreamlands and some really vicious monsters. These chapters alone worth the purchase wether you play with these rules or not. Its creator, Kobayashi, is definitely one of my favorite game desigers. His style is direct, effective, full of humor and innovative. He knows how to get to the core of what are roleplaying games (fun and excitement) without all the inconvenience of complicated rules. His games largely deserve to be known by all.