Are you ready for a game that really puts the RP in TTRPG? Then check out the newest kid on the block – AnzirActs!

An AnzirAct, also known as a MysteryAct within Anzir, is a unique form of entertainment that combines elements from murder mysteries, narratives, role-playing games, tabletop games, and other formats. These are immersive, in-person, scripted role-playing experiences, bringing Chinese”JuBenSha”-style storytelling to the global market. Whatever act you’re playing through, each participant chooses or is assigned a character and go through a narrative journey. The experience offers a deep level of immersion as players follow a script created by the author of the AnzirAct, and participate in interactive adventures led by a Game Master.

Since early June, Anzir, the publishing developers behind AnzirActs, have been actively recruiting authors and professional GMs through sites like LinkedIn. Starting from a humble Discord, Anzir has expanded quickly since then. They now have a fully functioning website with author and GM portals, the phone app that players can easily access game materials through, and thousands of registered authors and GMs.

I haven’t gotten to play a game myself, yet. However, I have been able to write and publish my own AnzirAct, so I’ve gotten pretty intimately acquainted with the process.

How Do You Get Started?

To begin an AnzirAct, players first select a MysteryAct from the Anzir app. The app allows users to choose based on factors such as the number of players, the genre, and ratings. Afterwards, players form a party, either by creating a new team or joining an existing one in the party lobby. Once you form a team, players get a character, each with a specific role in the story.

Players receive a script for their character, which includes details about their backstory, mysteries, and secret missions they are involved in. To fully immerse themselves, players need to engage with each other, discuss, and begin role-playing. The GM provides a brief introduction and opening speech, after which the players introduce their characters and begin their interactions.

The core of the experience involves solving mysteries and completing missions. This phase includes activities such as minigames, investigations, and searching for clues. Players collaborate and interact with one another, working together to uncover secrets and advance the story. Many MysteryActs feature multiple rounds of missions, with new clues and information revealing themselves as the game progresses. Depending on the design of the act, NPCs may also appear to help move the plot forward.

The game reaches its conclusion when each character completes their arc. In the case of a murder mystery, players vote to identify the killer. The GM also announces any winners if there are team-based or rule-based objectives. The final outcome is shaped by players’ decisions and their participation throughout the journey. Afterward, the GM will summarize the events of the story, answer questions, and lead a post-game discussion where players can share their thoughts and reflect on their experiences.

What Kinds of Games Are There?

AnzirActs can be categorized into seven broad types: Logical Deduction, Rule-based, Fun/Comedy, Horror, Emotional, Philosophical, and Acting. Logical Deduction focuses on mysteries and intellectual challenges, ideal for those who enjoy testing their cognitive abilities. Rule-based games emphasize competition and technical aspects of mini-games, often revolving around gambling or strategy. Fun/Comedy acts are light-hearted and cooperative, where players focus on enjoying the story and interactions. Horror-themed MysteryActs introduce scary elements, suited for thrill-seekers. Meanwhile, Emotional stories explore deep themes of kinship, friendship, and relationships, potentially evoking strong emotional responses. Philosophical AnzirActs delve into existential themes and Acting-centric games highlight the players’ ability to perform and engage in character-driven interactions.

An AnzirAct can also exist in multiple categories. The one that I wrote, Murder in the Mistholm Mountains, is a medieval murder mystery involving werewolves. It has a romance subplot involving a number of characters, and each character has had someone they care about targeted by the serial killings in their town. All of this makes it an emotional horror deduction game. Another game called Beacon by Sam Burke is a sci-fi adventure about saving an earth on the brink of apocalypse. There’s no mystery to be solved, and the focus is heavily on the minigames that will get you to the resources you need, so this is a fun rules-based game.

Participation is Key

In murder mystery scenarios like Murder in the Mistholm Mountains, players may discover that their character is the killer or has committed a grave misdeed. The identity of the killer gradually emerges as you uncover clues. Naturally, the killer doesn’t want to be exposed and will actively lie to mislead others, so deduction is essential. However, the game ends if the killer exposes themselves prematurely, so they must be careful not to give themselves away. As the narrative unfolds, uncovering character relationships often becomes just as important as solving the main mystery. Understanding these relationships is crucial to completing personal character objectives.

Participation is vital in AnzirActs, even for introverted players. Not engaging in discussions or logical deductions can diminish the overall experience. Immersion and active involvement in the narrative and problem-solving are essential to fully enjoy the game. Emotional control is also important. Players may be accused or targeted as part of the story, and it’s important to avoid breaking character by making statements that disrupt the immersion, such as “If I did that, I will eat this table!” or “My script doesn’t say anything about that.”

Authors Can Win Competitive Prizes!

The Anzir MysteryAct Competition (AMAC) 2024 invited creative individuals from around the world to participate in this exciting event. Whether you’re an experienced writer or new to storytelling, this competition was an opportunity to showcase your talent and gain recognition. The competition offers substantial prizes, collaboration opportunities, and a chance to connect with a growing community of authors and game enthusiasts. Writers were encouraged to submit their original MysteryActs to compete for various awards, with a total prize pool of $12,000 USD.

What Are the Prizes?

The Best AnzirAct of 2024 will receive a grand prize of $5,000, and the Most Popular AnzirAct, based on the number of plays during the competition period, will win $2,000. Other awards include $500 for the best acts in specific categories, such as Deduction, Emotional, Comedy, Team-Based, Rule-Based, and a Secret Award for an unknown category. An Excellence Award is given to the top 10% of authors, sharing $2,000 and earning an exclusive commemorative item and certificate. Those in the top 25% will receive a Commendable Award, which includes a commemorative item and a Certificate of Merit.

All competitors who successfully published their AnzirActs will receive a Participation Award. This includes a special Anzir souvenir, a certificate, and potential future collaboration opportunities.

Participants in the AMAC were able to submit solo or collaborative projects. In collaborative cases, the prize money is awarded to the Anzir account that submitted the work. Teams can decide how to distribute the prize money amongst themselves. Multiple entries were also able to be submitted, allowing for greater flexibility in competition participation.

While the deadline has closed on this year’s competition with the end of November, Anzir wants this to become an annual competition. AnzirActs wouldn’t be able to thrive without a vibrant community of people writing and playing them, and the developers know this well.

You Mentioned Anzir Was Hiring?

Indeed, I did.

Writing and GMing for Anzir isn’t just a volunteer opportunity, but a freelancing one. According to their website, authors of AnzirActs earn an estimated $16 USD every time their game is hosted on the platform. GMs, on the other hand, can earn an estimated $253 for each game that they host. They currently have over 300 GMs and 3000 authors signed with Anzir.

What is it Like?

I don’t know as much about the GM side, but what I can say about being an Anzir author is that the process is pretty free-form. You have a lot of freedom and versatility in how you write and structure your story – so much so that you can feel a little rudderless at first. Anzir provided a number of samples that they themselves wrote, and there’s writing support through the Discord, however. The website is also an extremely helpful tool. It allows you to organize acts, subsections, characters and clues in different tabs and switch between them efficiently. There’s also space to attach art if you want, allowing you to give faces to characters or visuals to props.

There are only two things I really found of note for the author contract. Firstly, they want your work to be original. Anzir goes through an auditing process when you’ve finished your game and want to get it published. If the quality control team finds any significant use of generative AI or plagiarism, they will send it back to you with instructions on where to fix your writing. That, or you’ll have to scrap the plagiarized script altogether. This also includes the art that you choose to use. Secondly, they want exclusivity. If you publish your story with Anzir, you may be held legally liable if you publish it on other platforms later. So, move forward with that information in mind.

Wondering About Something?

If you’ve got any questions about any part of AnzirActs, be it playing, writing, or hosting, the Anzir website has a plethora of FAQ’s for you, as well as an active customer care team. I honestly haven’t seen a publisher be so active in making sure their community has all the information they need. Though only established in late 2022, Anzir has dedicated significant time and effort in growing and connecting with their community. There’s the Discord, community forums, blog posts and more – all to connect with you.

AnzirActs had their public early release in Q3 of 2024, after a couple of years in alpha and beta testing. Now that they are finally, fully open to the public the Anzir app is available for download. Its been fascinating to see the game and company grow this past year. I look forward to seeing where their journey takes them in the future.