This is Deathblow (2020) a super light weight RPG about cars and gang warfare by Henry M. Richardson. Immediate vibes: Escape from New York, The Warriors, Assault on Precinct 13 and Road Warrior. Join a gang, waste your rivals and plot the seize the power of the ruling houses of Reaper City for yourself. As soon as you upgrade that dinged up Caddie with some armor and guns, though.

The system is a simple D4 skill system, with characters defined mostly by their oath, which conveys a special perk. It reads and plays fast, focusing on combat and car duels, but character progression, which includes turf management, reputation and inter-gang politics actually reminds me a lot of Blades in the Dark. Nothing so crunchy, of course – Deathblow presents a rough sketch of a world and invites you to fill in the details; stuff like this makes you want to paint a picture, if you get me.

I love how you can take a simple concept, jack it up with some cultural touchstones and get it to the table in 20 minutes for a night of mayhem. Once the initially bloodlust subsides, I think an improvisational group could turn this into a pretty intricate ongoing campaign. I love a detailed setting, but it is cool to see a little engine designed for building a setting almost entirely on the fly.

Oh, and there is a low key, synthwave tinged soundtrack! Look up Speedway on Bandcamp to give it a listen. “Under Fire” is my fave.