Also, want to give a shout-out to @mrstonebender.bsky.social for providing additional writing and flavor text on this project; you should give them a very haunted follow if you haven't already.

If y'all are also getting your hard copies soon, check out our leveled magic item sets, free on our itch! biscuitwolfgames.itch.io

It tends to happen after a sort of national trauma it seems. There was a similar thing after the assassination of JFK and Watergate, where we suddenly got a lot of nostalgia for the 50's, before it felt like everything was crumbling.

Yeah, the more "+2 when fighting giants, but -3 for 2 turns after taking ice damage, and +2 fly speed when you use a triggered action to ..." The more it feels like something I'd rather have a video game calculate than me at the table. 5 is fine, 10 is probably pushing, but I think that fluctuates.

They can be plain, but they are easier to keep track of. I get frustrated when I have too many situational bonuses or moves I have to keep in mind at any given point as options.

Getting the audience involved would be a great idea! There's a bar near me that does live games where people can buy special drinks that give bonuses to the players, like healing potions or rerolls. I bet there's a version of that you can do on whatever platform you choose!