CBR+PNK Designer Spotlight: Matteo Perego

CBR+PNK Designer Spotlight: Matteo Perego

Hey Runners! Here's another designer spotlight for CBR+PNK: OVERLOAD, this time featuring designer Matteo Perego. Matteo is one of three (!) Italian designers we have working on CBR+PNK: OVERLOAD, primarily due to the influence of the Italian publisher of CBR+PNK, Grumpy Bear Games. We're stoked to be bringing these amazing scenarios to a wider audience with OVERLOAD. Anyway, let's get into it!

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  1. What inspired your Pamphlets?

Β I chose Naples for its iconic identity:Β  a city overflowing with colour, contrast, and stories. I wanted to channel its culture and energy without falling into clichΓ©, then push everything to the edge. The goal was to corner the players and force out the kind of raw, epic stories only CBR+PNK can deliver.

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2. Describe your Pamphlet in three words, then explain why you chose them.

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Β Iconic. Oppressive. Loaded.

Iconic, because Naples is reimagined as a city of chrome, gold, and fire, but its soul is still unmistakable.

Oppressive, because the city is owned by a single Corp that holds every citizen under a lifelong debt,Β  a mechanic that grants extra abilities to bold players, while pulling them deeper into the system’s grip.

Loaded, because SPACCANAPOLI is more than a scenario: it’s a compact setting packed with factions, locations, and triggers designed to inspire unforgettable stories.


3. What’s a design element - either as part of your Pamphlet or otherwise - that you’re particularly proud of?

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Β The Suspended Credit mechanic is inspired by the Neapolitan tradition of caffΓ¨ sospeso, where people pay in advance for someone who might need a coffee later. In the game, it becomes a pool of shared credits left behind by fellow citizens: a gesture of mutual aid within a complex and oppressive economic system. It’s the most Neapolitan and punk thing in the whole pamphlet: hope passed forward, one credit at a time.

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4. Do you have any advice for someone designing their first TTRPG or module?

I’m still a rookie myself, so my best advice is: read and play as many games as you can. Pay attention to the design choices: ask yourself why each mechanic exists and how it supports the rhythm and themes. The more you understand how games think, the better yours will speak.

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5. What’s your signature drink in the CBR+PNK universeβ€”and what’s in it?Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β 

CHROMONCELLO β€” brewed illegally in the alleys of O’Nido, served flaming in cut cans or broken espresso cups.

  • 1 oz limoncello

  • 1 dash of chili-infused spirit

  • Burnt lemon rind

  • Set on fire, inhaled with the smoke, and downed before it dies out

It’s sweet, sharp, and burns like a back-alley betrayal. No chrome in your blood? You’ll feel it after this.

5. Any other projects or thing’s you’d like to plug?Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β Β 

SPACCANAPOLI is my first published project β€” but definitely not the last. I’m also working on a self-standing pirate-themed ttrpg, but it’s too early to talk about it.

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6. Where can people find you? Β 

You can find my other works (only available in Italian for now) at:

https://vagabondo.itch.io

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Don''t forget, CBR+PNK: OVERLOAD runs through the month of June 2025!

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