Ball of the Wild

Beneath the glittering stars, the Animal Queendom is ready to meet for that legendary animal masquerade known as the Ball of the Wild — and it’s time to put on an epic performance that will moo the house down mama yes God! 

Ball of the Wild is a shared GM roleplaying game, where we dress up, come out, and proudly display the true selves who are revealed when we put on a costume. This is a masquerade of becoming!

In Ball of the Wild, players will take turns as the judge of the Ball, Mother Nature, who gives snaps and awarding prizes for the best competitors in your chosen category. 

The rest of the time, you’re a performer. Each player will imagine a fierce, flamboyant, and fantastic animal drag artist. You will also secretly note down the animal your character lives as when not at the Ball. This can be the same animal they dress up as, or a totally different one. How your identity manifests is up to you!

After the performance is over, there will be an after party, where you’ll de-drag, support each other’s art and ambition, and hash out the inevitable disagreements that arise among fierce performers.

Ball of the Wild is Powered by Polymorph, which means you’ll create characters quickly, learn to play fast — and there’s never any math. This TTRPG building toolkit by 9th Level Games focuses on improvisational storytelling and a collaborative roleplaying experience that also introduces choice, chance, and excitement into every action.

At character creation, each player will select a Role — Host, Headliner, Daredevil, or Artiste — and take a corresponding polyhedral die (d4, d6, d8, or d10). Throughout the game, you will only roll that die. The numbers you roll will dictate how your performance lands, and after determining success or failure, you’ll narrate what went down on stage.

Originally published in the 9th Level Games 2021 Level 1 Anthology, Ball of the Wild funded during Zine Quest 4. Named a Project We Love by Kickstarter, this game also won an Ennie Award when the 2021 Level 1 Anthology was named Best Free Game / Product in 2022!