Reimagining modular synthesis as a roleplaying game with SLEW
Acid freak fantasy on a black and white frontier
SLEW is a minimal science-fantasy game set in a broken land, where players embody strange scavengers working to piece things back together. Made by Alfred Valley in collaboration with Bastl, it is a love letter to the latter's iconic semi-modular synthesiser, the Softpop, and modular synthesis more generally.
Designed to accommodate groups (up to 4 + a GM) and solo players alike, SLEW is a game about discovering and embracing the unexpected. Players will discover mysterious artifacts that can be combined in unpredictable ways and go on adventures in the weird and wild setting of Outermono.
Explore, experiment and survive.
This game reimagines the Softpop, with its push-pull between analog and digital. The synth's components push "their behaviors out of normal routines in surprising ways" and so does SLEW. Instead of patching between parts of a device, players will patch between the artifacts on their character sheets, finding unconventional combinations and unique outcomes supported by fresh mechanics.
Cherry-picking elements of Valley's Lay On Hands and Thousand Empty Light, SLEW is a rules-lite game with some atypical wrinkles, including HP-less combat and repercussions mechanically tied to the actions of the players' characters.
SLEW releases 22nd May 2025 in a barebones pay-what-you-want edition, including the one-page core rules, a character sheet and a single page adventure module, Slopes of Saw.
About the Softpop
From Bastl:
A rare beast that excels at both melody and noise in equal measure
Softpop SP2 is a radical subtractive synth under the influence of unconventional digital control.
The heart of SP2 is a modular synth replete with lush tones and a chaotic disposition. Its brain is a complex digital sequencer and quantizer that brings (some) order to the chaos. The heart and the brain support each other while also pushing their behaviors out of normal routines in surprising ways.
About Bastl
From Bastl:
Bastl 👽 Instruments is a synth (trouble) maker based in Brno, Czech Rep. 🇨🇿 Since 2013, we’ve been helping people develop their unique sound and build up their DIY communities centered around electronic music. We started out as a friendly group of geeks, and to this day, Bastl is a family-run operation with roots in the community.
