Weirdly, it was an anti-RPG film starring Tom Hanks, which cemented this blogger’s interest in tabletop RPGs. It was called Mazes and Monsters and featured a group of college classmates.
40 years later, games designer Paul Siegel has a Kickstarter running for a horror RPG about existential tragedy called Fearful Ends. Geek Native can reveal the Mazes and Monsters stretch goal. The campaign needs $10,000 to fund in the first place, and with three weeks left on the clock is 30% of the way there. You can see the current tally or back from the pitch page.
Sounds deadly!
Geek Native has some art to show off and can also reveal that the Mazes and Monsters planned for Fearful Ends is about the disappearance of a group of college students.
The 50-page scenario has the PCs as educators and parents who try to investigate and connect the case to a new fantasy game swiftly becoming popular in the college.
There’s dark humour in this Mazes and Monsters, and it blends elements of the Satanic Panic with cosmic horror and mass hysteria.
The RPG Fearful Ends itself is rules-light and story-centric with the goal of heart-pounding horror. It’s not just about monsters, but emotional turmoil, too. It’s a game for players who can take delight in the almost certain doom of their characters.
Fearful Ends includes a unique take on tracking and roleplaying the effects of mental stress. Mental Stress cards give players control over the direction and pacing of their characters’ mental collapse.
Easy to read roleplay prompts use plain language and avoid clinical terms to guide players to behave in ways any individual would react to severe mental stress. These cards allow your players to react to the disturbing supernatural events of your game without falling into the trap of cliché.
Fearful Ends art preview
Fearful Ends pledges
Backers can support the horror indie by spreading the word or contributing cash. Those who pledge $15 get a digital copy of the game, including the print and play stress cards, as a thank you gift.
The print copy is added at $40, although early bird copies are still available at the time of writing.
The next tier up is $500 and includes a private game run by Paul and print copies of unlocked stretch goals, which, if funded, would include Mazes and Monsters.
Fearful Ends has an estimated delivery date of June 2024.
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