Milk Bar

Milk Bar: Cut Your (Milk) Teeth Edition is a condensed, alpha-release sci-fi RPG set in a retro-futuristic, alternate-timeline post-Soviet Poland. Built on a foundation of OSR rules derived from Cairn, it supports 1–6 players — including solo play — and centres on a group of Communards scraping out survival in the shadow of The Belt: a government research facility whose catastrophic failure destroyed the surrounding city and flooded the farmland with something deeply wrong.

Players take back a Milk Bar — a community hub — from the grip of Capital, then defend, supply, and grow it while navigating supernatural, ever-shifting wilderness. The game draws clear inspiration from the Zonelike genre: Stalker, Roadside Picnic, Annihilation, Control, and Pacific Drive all leave their mark. Stress, borrowed from Mothership, is reframed as a collective resource — the wellbeing of your bar, not just your character. Progression is tied to basebuilding: want medical care? Build the Infirmary. Need range? Establish trade routes and secure vehicles.

This physical edition is a limited print run of 200 copies. It is an explicitly alpha, work-in-progress release — a 52-page condensed version of the full game rather than the final, complete product. Production is notably tactile: uncoated paper and an exposed yellow thread binding on a DL-sized book.

What's inside:

• Quick, simplified rules in the old school tradition
• 32 character backgrounds with vibes-heavy descriptions and burdens
• Unique city setting in a retro-futuristic, alternate-timeline post-Soviet Communist Poland
• Toolkit for generating your version of post-Soviet Communist Poland
• Funnel Rules — have your Communards find and take back a Milk Bar from Capital
• Artifacts from The Belt
• Progression system tied to basebuilding (Infirmary, Doctor, and more)
• Logistics rules — trade routes and vehicles to sustain your community
• Rules for exploring supernatural, changing spaces
• Bestiary of robotniks and supernatural creatures drawing on Polish and Slavic mythology
• Solo Rules
• Core mechanics covering travel, combat, healing, Milk Bar facilities, and random encounters