Bug Busters TTRPG is now LIVE on Kickstarter as a "Project We Love"

The aliens thought they could infiltrate small town America - but they didn’t count on Doug and his Bug Busters!

The Bug Busters Kickstarter is Live:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-busters

Doug started Bug Busters Ltd to deal with cockroaches, rats, and the occasional raccoon in the dumpster behind the arcade. Then came the Swarm Wars of ’86 - a weeklong nightmare that hit his hometown of Eerie, Indiana, when the bugs got big, organized, and ready for a takeover.

Doug and his ragtag crew fought back from basements, rooftops, and the bowling alley parking lot. But when the dust settled, no one believed their story. The official reports blamed gas leaks and mass hysteria - anything but the truth.

Strange things are happening in your Midwestern town...

• A grocery clerk was bitten by an oversized insect they say must have hitched a ride from South America.
• Weird graffiti (cockroaches, of all things) keeps popping up around downtown. The Chamber of Commerce is furious, but the Sheriff seems oddly indifferent.
• White vans with radar dishes are parked around town, and when citizens ask, the workers just say they’re “fixing the phone lines.”
• The new exterminator company in town? All their employees have the same ghostly white hair and baby-blue eyes.

It’s your job to figure out what’s going on, keep the locals calm, and maybe save humanity while you’re at it. No pressure.

Dice, Doom, and the OSR Spirit

Under the hood, Bug Busters runs on a streamlined OSR-style system designed for fast play and creative rulings. It’s built from the bones of the rules light game FÄNGELSEHÅLA, tuned up for modern campaigns and cinematic action.

Characters have four key Attributes of Handy, Agile, Tuff, and Cool, giving you the amount of Action Dice you have to get the job done. Roll your dice pool, keep the best two results, and try to beat the Difficulty (DF) on a scale of 12. It’s quick, clever, and rewards teamwork.

All rolls are player-facing, keeping the Dispatcher (GM) focused on story, atmosphere, and mischief. And when things get bad? You’ll be stacking your Doom Dice - literally.

The Doom Stack: A Tower of Trouble

When your Bug Buster takes trauma - physical, emotional, or otherwise - you mark it by physically stacking black dice on the table. This is the Doom Stack, and it’s a ticking time bomb of tension.

Every bit of fear, stress, or injury adds another black die to the stack. If it ever topples, something terrible happens. Maybe your gear shorts out. Maybe you panic. Maybe you're unconscious and have an egg down your throat. It’s a tactile, nerve-racking system that captures the chaos of the job perfectly. And yes - if your table wobbles, we’ve got a paper version, too.

Making a Bug Buster is quick and fun!

Roll on a table to get a past like a Radio Shack Salesperson, Gym Trainer, Parolee, or Bull Rider, and you’re ready to go! Each one brings unique perks, quirks, and blue-collar charm.

Bug Buster HQ has everything from the Zapmaster 3000 to the Insect-o-sonic! They also have rockem sockem prosthetics in the (un)likely event of a bug mishap! Just call Susan to make your orders!

Then build your mixtape: a fight song and a chill song that define your vibe. When you play them in-game, you gain mechanical Advantages. It’s not just flavor - it’s gameplay. Pro Tip: you can even use the official Bug Busters playlist to set the mood at your table!

Finally, grab your name patch and call sign. You’re not just Sam the exterminator anymore - you’re Jackhammer, Black Mamba, or Fireball.

Dial-up Internet and Flannel Shirts!

Bug Busters blends supernatural horror, 90s nostalgia, and working-class humor into a single slick package. You’re not elite agents or mystic wizards - you’re folks who fix stuff, drink gas-station coffee, and do what needs to be done.

If you’ve ever watched The Thing, Starship Troopers, or Tremors while sitting on a milk crate eating cold pizza, you’ll get the vibe immediately. Every session mixes sci-fi, horror, and punk energy into a night of laughs, danger, and just the right amount of slime.

Learn more at:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diekugames/bug-busters