crackerjackalopegames

[crackerjackalopegames]

Uncertainty in Legacy Games

Greg Costikyan's 2013 book Uncertainty in Games [1] has been an amazing tool for me as a game designer. It is a deep dive into the concept of "uncertainty", or anything in games that makes it so the player cannot fully know what will happen next. Costikyan argues that uncertainty is crucial to keeping games interesting, and lists many different ways that games can be uncertain, from tests of physical ability to randomness. The book touches on digital and tabletop games, from Mario to Chess to Magic: the Gathering, but one thing Costikyan doesn't mention is the tabletop genre of legacy games.

Legacy games are notable for permanently changing over their lifetime. Boards get covered in stickers and cards get torn up so that each playthrough is different from the last. The genre was invented by designer Rob Daviau, who said in a 2017 GDC talk [2] that the idea came from a joke about the board game Clue: "I don't know why they keep inviting these people back to dinner every night, they always kill someone!"

Daviau's first legacy game was Risk Legacy in 2011. Despite releasing two years before Uncertainty in Games, legacy games receive no mention in the book, this is likely due to the long publishing times of academic texts such as this. I want to cover three of Costikyan’s sources of uncertainty, and address how legacy games expand on them with their unique mechanics. For each source, I will describe it, discuss what Costikyan says about tabletop games in it, and then compare it to what Daviau says in his talk about legacy games.

Hidden Information

Hidden information is exactly what it sounds like: information that a player does not currently know. This could be the cards in an opponent's hand in poker, or the world beyond the fog of war in a Civilisation game. While both tabletop and video games can contain hidden information, Costikyan claims that tabletop games can only have a finite range to their hidden information. Conventional tabletop games cannot surprise players with new mechanics because everything is written in the rulebook, "the extent of the system is known and visible before play.”

This is not true for legacy games. Introducing new mechanics during or between playthroughs is a core feature of the genre. Daviau discusses the secondary objectives in Risk Legacy: when certain conditions are met (such as one player winning two games), new mechanics are introduced. He says that players ended up so curious as to what these mechanics would be, that they would willingly lose a game if it meant achieving a secondary objective. This speaks to the effectiveness of hidden information in these games, revealing just how much players are driven by curiosity.

Development Anticipation

Development anticipation is the uncertainty of what will be added to a game over time. Costikyan uses the example of World of Warcraft, which adds new quests and narrative in each major update. He also discusses the indie game trend of releasing in public beta, where players can purchase the game with the understanding that more will be added as the game is built.

Costikyan says that "until the rise of online gaming, games were largely fixed on release," and while it is still true that everything that will be in a legacy game is in the box when you purchase it, many of the mechanics are only revealed as the players progress through the campaign.

In Risk Legacy, the board develops as stickers are added to it, representing new cities being built and scars being inflicted on the landscape. And, as previously mentioned, the secondary objectives introduce new mechanics over the course of the campaign. This means that each session will begin differently to the previous one because of changes made to the board, as Daviau puts it, "Whatever they did in the last game, it's only 90% relevant to this game." This is a perfect example of development anticipation in action, with strategies changing due to mechanical additions to the game.

Narrative Anticipation

Narrative anticipation is the uncertainty of narrative, Costikyan says it is the same uncertainty that "keeps us reading a novel." He naturally discusses games with a heavy reliance on writing, such as RPGs and MMOs, but the discussion takes a curious turn as Costikyan grows more abstract in his use of the term "narrative". He includes the anticipation of new mechanics in a platformer, and even discusses Chess:

"[While playing Chess], we want to see how our opponent will react, how forces will ebb and flow over the course of play. There’s a sort of narrative arc at work here, even if there is no direct connection to story."

Pandemic Legacy, on the other hand, is a tabletop game that does have a "direct connection to story." In the GDC talk, Daviau explains how the order of cards in the deck was directly inspired by the three-act structure, creating an explicit narrative arc over the course of the campaign.

If we follow Costikyan's idea that introducing new mechanics falls under narrative anticipation, then Risk Legacy's previously mentioned secondary objectives also fit neatly here. The players know that something will be introduced when they complete this objective, but they don't know the details until it happens. There is that same expectation as in platformer games that new mechanics will be introduced to keep the game exciting.

It was a real shame that the legacy genre was just missed by Uncertainty in Games. It completely redefined how board games are understood and paved the way for plenty of innovation in legacy gaming and in the broader tabletop scene. Daviau mentions the tabletop game Fabled Fruit, which takes the concept of introducing mechanics over time from legacy games but restrains it back so that each session has a fresh start. Additionally, the 2024 game Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast takes legacy mechanics and applies them to the medium of TTRPGs, the game introduces new mechanics over time and asks players to deface their book with writing and stickers. So much can still be done in the legacy game sphere, I'm really curious to see what comes out of it in the future!

References

[1] Uncertainty in Games (2013), Greg Costikyan. Published by MIT Press.

[2] Legacy Games: From 'Risk' to 'Pandemic' to 'SeaFall' & Beyond (2017), Rob Daviau for GDC. Available at: https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024259/Legacy-Games-From-Risk-to.

Read more at Jackalope Mail:

[crackerjackalopegames]

Things I Liked: April to June 2025

Welcome to another installment of Things I Liked! Since the last one, I’ve written a Design Diary on Temporal Breach, the video game I made at the end of Year 2 of University; I also uploaded my Year 2 essay: An Exploration of Player Elimination in Multiplayer Games, and I’m really happy with that, so give it a read! I also wrote quite a personal and political essay about Inspector Calls, and the current state of trans and disabled rights in the UK, that was really hard to write so I’d appreciate a lot of love for it. And finally, I wrote something a bit more journalism-y, talking about My Favourite Demos From Steam Next Fest Summer 2025! Outside of writing I’ve also added a highlights page to the blog, so check that out for a recap of all the writing I’m most proud of! Without further ado, let’s get to these recommendations for things I’ve liked since April!

Sinners

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was AMAZING. Like, really amazing. Like, redefines the potential of cinema amazing. Like, caught the cultural zeitgeist in a way we haven’t seen in ages amazing. Michael B. Jordan absolutely kills it as twins Smoke and Stack, Miles Caton blew me away with his debut performance as Sammie. I’ll say that again: debut performance! I couldn’t believe that when I first found out! Sinners has so much that I love in it, blues and folk music, electric guitar stings, themes of legacy and ancestry (check out my game ABODE for more of that!), vampires, Michael B. Jordan, and, of course, Michael B. Jordan. If you somehow still haven’t seen it after all the buzz, please do everything you can to watch it. Sinners is an all-timer for sure.

Saints

Saints by Amy Jeffs is a really interesting book retelling various stories from the medieval cult of saints (though the stories are set as far back as the first century). A thing I love about books about myths and folklore is that they alternate between telling fictional stories and analysing them as real cultural objects, and I love the way that Jeffs writes both sides of it. The book jumps between famous saints (like George, David and Nicholas) and more obscure ones (like Uncumber, Ia and Cosmas and Damian, my personal favourite). Overall I really enjoyed this book, though it took me a while to finish (I started it in December!)

SolidArf

Other than Saints and Sinners, I’ve fallen quite deep into games writing and essays this season. I discovered a number of more obscure video essayists, including SolidArf. I first discovered them with their video What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Tears of the Kingdom, an hour-long exploration of TotK’s NPCs and how they’ve changed since Breath of the Wild. It covers character design, writing and quests to create a pretty comprehensive analysis of how Hyrule has changed between the two games. It gave me a greater appreciation for photo modes in games and I quickly went on to watch another of their videos, What I Learned Photographing NPCs in Spider-Man (2018). This is a very similar video that also features a pretty robust review of Spider-Man’s photo mode. It made me realise how little discussion I generally see about photo modes in games, but they’re constantly growing in popularity as a feature. While the Tears of the Kingdom video is sitting pretty on 180k views, looking through Arf’s channel, there are some seriously slept on videos here. Both Art and the Environment in Concrete Genie and Hollow Knight's Loneliest Levels are sitting at under 1,000 views. It’s criminal! Concrete Genie is also a massively underappreciated game that I played a couple years back, so definitely check that out too! Arf also occasionally makes Micro Essays for The Essay Library, which are cross-posted on their channel. Each of these videos comes in between 80 and 90 seconds long, an amazing feat of writing in my opinion. They feel reminiscent of conversations I’ve had with friends over Discord: here’s a thought, it’s not long enough to go on the blog, and I don’t feel the need to say more. So check out some of my favourites: Representing Monsoon in Games, Chants of Sennaar Micro-Essay: Language and Discomfort, and Russian Doll Micro-Essay: Becoming Someone Else. 

Incidental Mythology

Incidental Mythology has been another great, tiny video essayist who I’ve discovered these last couple months. I was introduced to them with Taskmaster and Intelligence, when it came out in May, which is a great analysis of how the UK panel show Taskmaster challenges conventional ideas of intelligence. I used to be a huge fan of Taskmaster and I’ve been getting back into it watching the whole way through with my partner (we’re up to season 11, nearly caught up to when I dropped off), so it was lovely to see such a silly show analysed in a genuine way. I also really enjoyed their video The Chthulucene | Princess Mononoke and Lord of the Rings as Critique of the Anthropocene, I’m a big fan of both of those pieces of media for how they present the world as non-human centric, which is exactly what the Chthulucene is all about. Finally, I want to recommend Spiritfarer and the Sociology of Grief. Spiritfarer is one of those games that deeply affected me and fundamentally changed how I think about games and the world. I’m glad to see it getting the attention it deserves.

Filmmakers Without Cameras

I bought Filmmakers Without Cameras: The Trilogy from Peregrine Coast Press at UK Games Expo 2023, not too long after it came out. The book is an amazing collection of essays about games, films and culture by a huge collection of writers. Some of my favourites from the book include: ‘Playing Hades or- what it’s like to sit with inadequacy’ by Sydney Bollinger; ‘This War of Mariupol’s’ by Oleksandr Derevianchenko, which is about This War of Mine and Ukraine; and ‘High School Musical: A Communist Reading’ by Megan Dobbyn. The book is absolutely gorgeously laid out, with amazing art from all contributors (special shoutout to the piece for the aforementioned Hades essay by Heidi Ostell, and the piece for Eurothug4000’s ‘The Virtual Home of Hub Worlds’ by Matt Miles). The book is currently 40% off at Peregrine Coast Press (I believe for clearance? It’s been on sale for a while now), so pick it up while you can!

Stealth Crossword

Play it for free on Itch.io here!

It’s been a while since a game has made me laugh out loud at how clever it is, but ComputerJames’ Stealth Crossword got me from the opening scene. As the name implies, Stealth Crossword is a crossword game with stealth mechanics. It’s stupid, it’s genius, I love it. You are presented with a crossword and must walk the letters into the correct slots, avoiding the sightline of the guards in your path. This game is so funny, both because of its silly concept and hilarious writing. I won’t spoil the details, but the perspective switch was hilarious. Check it out!

Links

Lots of links this week! Enjoy:

From 2014, Austin Walker’s Real Human Beings: Shadow of Mordor, Watch Dogs and the New NPC. This is a fascinating article that takes a deeply profound turn, it’s about video game NPCs, violence, supremacy, race, and orcs.

Back in February, Hendrik ten Napel wrote about Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts, Sword Opera and failing when it matters.

Curious Archive asks What Happens After a God Despairs? 

A.A. Voigt discusses Jess Levine’s Going Rogue and Star Wars' Cynical Rebels.

LegalKimchi talks about D&D's Missing Monster: Man.

Quinns Quest is back reviewing Delta Green & the module Impossible Landscapes

Gestalitist comes up with a great new character advancement mechanic in We Haven’t Said Everything About Character Advancement Yet. It reminded me a little of Daggerheart's experiences, which have been taking up a space in my brain for a little while now.

Snow writes A Love Letter to Hardcase, this one’s really beautiful.

Last Train to Brooklyn is an actual play of Last Train to Bremen played on the New York Subway. An amazing piece of performance art that really pushes the boundaries of the actual play medium. I loved it. 

Let me know what you’ve been enjoying this season! I'm on Bluesky ‪@crackerjackalope.bsky.social‬ and Tumblr @crackerjackalopegames!

See you soon,

CJ

Check out more from my blog at Jackalope Mail:

And share this post at: https://jackalope-mail.neocities.org/posts/2025-07-01-TIL-Apr-Jun-2025!

[crackerjackalopegames]

There's Something About the Deep, free on Itch now!

I've just made my game 'There's Something About the Deep' pay-what-you-want on Itch.io! If you're interested in a gritty game about being trapped in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean which encourages the moderator to goad the players into fucking everything up, then check it out now!

Sample pages under the cut:

[crackerjackalopegames]

Jackalope Mail: My Favourite Demos From Steam Next Fest Summer 2025

Steam Next Fest has come around again! I love trying out demos for upcoming games, so I wanted to highlight some of my favourites from this Next Fest so that you can try them out too! Next Fest runs until June 16th and sometimes these demos get taken down afterwards, so check them out while you can! Anyway, here are 5 of my favourite demos that I've played from this Next Fest this season (and an honourable mention!):

Mina the Hollower

Play the demo here!

Mina the Hollower has been my white whale game for years. I backed it on Kickstarter in 2022 and have been following it’s development since. I adored Shovel Knight, and have been a fan of Yacht Club Games since that first release. Mina the Hollower is a top-down action game inspired by classic Zelda games like Link’s Awakening. Mina’s unique mechanic is her ability to burrow into the ground, moving faster, dodging enemies and collecting buried treasure while doing so. Finally playing the demo, I got to experience just how smooth the burrowing is. It’s super easy to use, just keep holding jump after you land and you’ll burrow into the ground with no resistance. The combat feels fast-paced and satisfying, with the different enemies providing interesting challenges, and that’s just the first area! The Mina demo has completely lived up to my expectation for the game and I can’t wait to receive my backer copy when it releases on Halloween this year!

MotionRec

Play the demo here!

I first played MotionRec as a Pico-8 game on Itch and was absolutely taken aback by its clever mechanic (especially in such a lo-fi game engine). MotionRec is a puzzle platformer where you record your movement and then replay it in a different location to clear gaps, avoid spikes and, in this new demo for the full game, collect hidden music notes. It’s a really clever little mechanic and already the puzzles that are coming out of it in the first levels are super satisfying to complete. The slightly non-linear world design full of hidden collectibles reminds me a lot of Celeste, which is one of my favourite platformers of all time. Overall, this has left a really good first impression on me! Two years ago I left a comment on the Itch page saying I’d love to see a full game, so it was a lovely surprise to see that finally happening!

Cairn

Play the demo here!

I got really into climbing YouTube last year. Or, I should say, I got really into one climbing YouTuber, Mike Boyd. The hobby really fascinated me for it’s combination of mental and physical challenges: planning a route and then climbing it. Still yet to try climbing myself, I’ve found that itch scratched by the demo for climbing game Cairn. This demo was a deeply meditative experience for me. Half-way up a mountain with nothing but your quadrupedal Climbot and the sound of your own breathing, the experience of Cairn is immersive in a way I haven’t felt in ages. I’ve also just started playing Death Stranding, and the tight focus on your subtle movements felt very similar between both games. That isn’t even to mention the art, this game looks beautiful! The team is composed of the makers of Furi, the sound team from Limbo, Inside and Control and art by graphic novelist Mathieu Bablet, who makes gorgeously green sci-fi art. Out of everything I've talked about here, this is the game that I predict will do the best once it fully releases.

Flick Shot Rogues

Play the demo here!

I’ve gotten quite burnt out with roguelikes recently, so I was really surprised just how much Flick Shot Rogues caught my attention. But this little disc-flicking roguelike is simple and charming in exactly the ways I love. The controls are intuitive and the UI makes it easy to plan your moves without giving you so much information that the game solves itself. The various character abilities make each run feel unique from the very beginning, and the upgrades take advantage of the unique gameplay to make something that really stands out from a lot of other roguelike games! I’m always glad to see more tabletop inspiration in the video game scene, and this feels like a perfect example of that!

Sheepherds!

Play the demo here!

I played Sheepherds, a sheep herding party game, with my partner and we had an absolute blast! You play as 1-4 dogs who must herd sheep into pens so that their wool can be harvested. There are flower patches in each level that dye the sheep in different colours, and you have to get various colours of sheep into the pen to complete each level. The challenge of weaving these sheep between flower patches so that their colours don’t change was chaotic and strategic in a really fun way, the energy reminded me a lot of Overcooked, which is a very good sign!

Honourable Mention: Relooted

Check out the Steam page here!

While Relooted does not have a demo at time of writing, the announcement at Day of the Devs a few days before Next Fest captivated me enough to list it here as an honourable mention. Its an African heist game about taking back artefacts from western museums. That pitch alone was enough to interest me, but the music, character design and gameplay footage all brought me in even further. Each heist takes place across three stages: scope out the museum, prepare to take the artefact, and get out with it before you’re stopped by security. The part that particularly interested me was that middle stage. You have as much time as you want to prepare and set-up your escape, but then you have one chance to actually execute the heist, with all the security attempting to stop you. I’m not certain what happens if you fail the final stage, but that tension of only having one chance to execute the heist has really fascinated me and I’m super excited to try this game out!

So that’s all my favourite demos from Steam at the moment! Next Fest runs until June 16th so make sure to check out these games while you can! I had the idea to do this after the last Next Fest in February, so I’ll try to make it a tradition whenever a big festival comes around. If you have any demos that have caught your eye, let me know on Bluesky or Tumblr!

Check out more from Jackalope Mail on my blog:

And share this post at: https://jackalope-mail.neocities.org/posts/2025-06-12-SteamNextFestSummer2025

[crackerjackalopegames]

Something quite different from me this month, writing about a classic British play (J. B. Priestly's 'An Inspector Calls'), as well as the state of trans and disabled rights in the UK. Can't lie to you guys, I'm kinda scared!

"Priestly was a staunch leftist. His work on the BBC radio show "Postscripts" [...] may have helped the Labour Party win the 1945 general election, the first election after the war was over. 80 years later, the very same Labour party is pushing some of the most vulnerable people in our society to the brink."

This is one of the most meaningful and difficult things I've written for the blog, so I'd really appreciate as many shares as possible!

INSPECTOR. And so you used the power you had [...] to punish the girl just because she made you feel like that?

[crackerjackalopegames]

Things I Liked: Jan-March 2025

I've moved my blog from Substack to my own website! And I'm breaking it in with a round up of recommendations since I've been gone. Featuring games, films and TV, check it out!

[crackerjackalopegames]

Last month I hit 1000 followers on Bluesky!

This is the biggest follower count I've had on any social media by far! So to celebrate, I'm putting all of my games on sale! You can pick up ABODE, Goodbye World, There's Something About the Deep and DRAGONFALL at 50% off, or grab all of them for just £10!

The sale lasts until midnight on January the 13th UK time. More info about each game under the read more!

(also, if you don't follow me there already, I'm on bluesky @ crackerjackalope.bsky.social)

ABODE is my biggest game to date. Over a number of rounds, players will play different members of a gothic noble family, drawing a family tree as they play. ABODE features super-fast character creation (since you'll be playing so many!) and question-guided roleplay scenes to keep the game on track. Pick it up for £3.50 now! https://crackerjackalope-games.itch.io/abode-2e

Goodbye, World </3 is a 2-player game to make you cry. Play as a dying mech and the pilot stuck inside. The pilot player speaks while the mech may only type, and their messages are running out! The game works as a standalone or as a supplement for any other mech RPG. Pick it up for just £2! https://crackerjackalope-games.itch.io/goodbye-world

There's Something About the Deep is my latest game, about salty sailors in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean. Players will vote whether to increase or decrease the depth of the submarine, aiming to complete their secret objective before surfacing. At the same time, they must manage the pressure of the sub to stop it from imploding, killing everyone inside. There's Something About the Deep is just £2 now! https://crackerjackalope-games.itch.io/theres-something-about-the-deep

And finally, DRAGONFALL, my lyric supplement about dead dragons and how their magic affects the land. Each page features a haiku and a list of regional effects. Explore how a fire dragon creates drought or how a poison dragon rots surrounding plantlife in DRAGONFALL for just £2.50! https://crackerjackalope-games.itch.io/dragonfall

[crackerjackalopegames]

CJ's 21st Birthday Sale

It's my 21st birthday this week! So all my games are 21% off! You can get each of them individually or get all of them in a bundle for £20!

If you like games about dead robots, dead dragons, horrible victorian gothics, or horrible seamen trapped in a submarine, check out the sale on itch.io here!

[crackerjackalopegames]

Last month on Jackalope Mail: Mind Over Magnet, Heretic and @legalkimchi! As well as a roundup of everything I've been up to (it's a lot this time!)

[crackerjackalopegames]

There's Something About the Deep: Now Available on Itch.io

You are all in a submarine at the bottom of the ocean, stuck in each others’ company until you surface. Each player also has a secret objective that they must complete before the ship surfaces, or before it crashes.

There's Something About the Deep is a game about horrible people at the bottom of the ocean. Using a simple mechanism, players will vote whether to increase or decrease the depth of the sub, aiming to complete their conflicting objectives without exceeding the sub's pressure, destroying it with everyone inside.

Will you make it out alive? Will you reach the depths needed for your research? Or will you destroy the sub in a blaze of glory?

Play to find out in There's Somehting About the Deep, now available on itch.io!

This game was hugely inspired by @titanrpg's IMMORTAL GAMBIT, which was in turn inspired by my game Goodbye World, so I've brought it full circle!

[crackerjackalopegames]

New dispatch of Jackalope Mail: How Wanderhome Mechanises Animism, talking about some of my favourite mechanics in @jdragsky's Wanderhome! Check it out!

[crackerjackalopegames]

Late Night in Limbo

(fine to archive!)

A LARP for 3+ players.

You died and woke up on a talk show hosted by a spirit of death. Throughout the evening, the Host will introduce guests from your past and judge whether you deserve Heaven or Hell based on your conversations with them.

One player plays the Departed, one plays the Host, the others play Guests. The Departed and the Host will constantly be playing, while the Guests will swap out.

The Departed should note their:

Name,

Means of death,

Bad habit,

and announce them to the group. 

While this is happening, the Guests should begin creating their characters.

Each Guest should note their:

Name,

Relationship to the Departed,

Opinion on the Departed now,

and privately tell these to the Host by writing them down or privately messaging the Host.

The Host begins by chatting with the Departed before introducing the first Guest. As the Host, try to lead the conversation to reveal the Guest’s traits. One player may play multiple guests, but try not to hog the limelight! Once each player has played a Guest, or whenever the Host wants to end the game, the Host condemns the Departed to Heaven or Hell and the game ends.

Also available on itch.io here! Shout out to Long Time Listener Last Time Caller by Jeff Dieterle, which the structure of this game is heavily based on.

Image credit: British LIbrary on Flickr

200 Word RPGs 2024

Each November, some people try to write a novel. Others would prefer to do as little writing as possible. For those who wish to challenge their ability to not write, we offer this alternative: producing a complete, playable roleplaying game in two hundred words or fewer.

This is the submission thread for the 2024 event, running from November 1st, 2024 through November 30th, 2024. Submission guidelines can be found in this blog's pinned post, here.

[crackerjackalopegames]

New dispatch of Jackalope Mail! In this issue: my favourite game design theory book, and a couple roguelikes!

[crackerjackalopegames]

Design Diary: ABODE 2e

Earlier this month I released ABODE 2e, the 2nd edition of my gothic horror TTRPG! In this dispatch of Jackalope Mail, I go behind the scenes on the design of the game, discussing some of the inspirations behind the game and explaining some of my design choices!

I also talk a little bit about the RPTree Creator Kit, the SRD for ABODE!

Check it out!

[crackerjackalopegames]

New dispatch of Jackalope Mail: 5 Things Baldur's Gate 3 Taught me about GMing and Game Design!

I feel like I learned so much from BG3, so much that I had to write it down! Check it out!

[crackerjackalopegames]

I just broke 100 followers on itch.io!

So to celebrate, I'm putting my two most popular games on sale!

Get Goodbye, World </3 and ABODE 2e for 25% off this weekend! Or get them both for £8! Until Monday 14/10!

Goodbye, World </3 is a two player game about a dying mech and its pilot. The pilot can speak while the mech can only type, and their messages are running out! Check this game out if you love quick and punchy, high-emotion roleplay!

ABODE 2e is a generational storytelling game for 3+ players. Explore themes of legacy and generational trauma as you draw a family tree over a number scenes. With super-simple character creation and question-guided scenes, this game is perfect for your next spooky one-shot!

If you like the sound of either of these games, you can pick them up on Itch here!

[crackerjackalopegames]

Looking for a TTRPG for a Halloween oneshot this year? ABODE is a generational storytelling game where you'll draw a family tree over the course of the game. ABODE touches on themes of gothic horror, legacy and generational trauma. All in a single session of play!

With a rotating GM, question-guided roleplay scenes and super-fast character creation, ABODE is perfect for anyone looking to try a new game this Halloween season!

Who died during the thunderstorm? What ruined the summoning ceremony? Why was this the worst day in family history?

Play to find out in ABODE 2nd edition, available now on itch.io!