Open now · By request
Before Peace playtest
by Michael Lewis
A "skinny wiki" app that only shows what you need to learn how to play RPGs like D&D "at the table". Skip the prep-work of character creation and just be yourself. Start playing immediately, laying on mechanics as you learn them while exploring an alien world for new foods and pets.
It's free to ask. The developer chooses who gets in.
- Access
- By request
- Planned release
- Q1 2027
- Developer
- Michael Lewis
- Platforms
- Windows
- Languages
- English
How to join the Before Peace playtest
- Open the game's Steam page with the Request access button. Sign in to Steam if it asks.
- Request access to the Before Peace playtest there. It's free and doesn't commit you to anything.
- The developer lets players in, often in batches, so it can take a while. Steam emails you when you're in, and the playtest appears in your library.
New to playtests? How Steam playtests work
How AI is used
When I get writer's block, I ask a chatbot a related question, and then use its hallucination as a jumping-off point.
The developer's own words, from Steam.
About Before Peace
Before Peace replaces the thick rulebooks of pen & paper role-playing games using "doom-scroll and rabbit-hole" shaped content. If you want to play, just play. Learn as you go. This app lets the reader manage how much information is shown at once, what they're learning about, and how complex it is, so it never becomes overwhelming.
The "tier" system of Before Peace starts you with just learning how to think and talk, no trying to figure out wizards and elves, swords and spell. Just be you.
You choose when and how you graduate to more complex parts. Learn how to push back, offer alternatives, ask clarification, and make corrections. Increase your role-playing skills at your pace on your schedule.
The thematic content of Before Peace is shaped to reduce or eliminate the common complaints about tabletop RPGs. It will show you have to play with as few as one friend, with a little as a few minutes at a time, needing no dice or maps.
The themes also prevent common "table dispute" triggers by blocking some of the more obnoxious character types, play styles, and rulings that can cause conflict at the table. The different gameplay phases also provide in-world and real-world ways to raise and resolve problems.
From the game's Steam page.
