Forteller Games unveils their debut TTRPG: Sunset

Immersive audio company Forteller Games has revealed details on their first TTRPG, Sunset. This rule-light TTRPG will seek Kickstarter funding later this year, but you can download the quickstart rules for free right now:

Forteller Games, immersive audio experts in the tabletop gaming space, have revealed the creative team behind their first TTRPG, Sunset. Leading the development are industry veteran Mike Tomasek (World of Darkness: Ghost Hunters) and Forteller CEO Thomas St. Pierre, alongside a team of experienced and talented creatives. A quickstart guide is available on DriveThruRPG for players and GMs to get a sense of the game’s hope-punk feel as they await the game’s Kickstarter campaign, planned for later this year.

Content Warning: Sunset allows players to deal with, process, and introspect on life and death. As such, this game deals with death, suicide, violent crimes, real-world abhorrent acts, and the human psyche. Play with understanding and care with your fellow players. That said, you can substitute aspects that your table is uncomfortable with.

Despite its heavy subject matter, creators Michael F. Tomasek Jr., Adam Lehenbauer, and Thomas St Pierre aimed for a feeling and theme of hope punk – revealing hope in the face of challenges and acting as a counter to pessimism.

In Sunset, players, known in the game as Threads, are actively facing their own deaths through a process called Life Review. Guided by the Death Master, Threads will experience a series of pivotal memories, attempting to unweave lies in order to earn a parlay with Death and bargain for more time.

Sunset is a rules-light system that leverages the Deck of Many Dice to provide rich storytelling opportunities. The game is played in a series of memory locations called a Weave, collaboratively created by the players and the Death Master. Each location can truly be anything, from a bustling city to a quiet meadow. Players draw cards from the deck to determine the outcome of their actions. An alternative dice pool ruleset using a handful of d4 and d6 dice is included as well.

The Kickstarter campaign for Sunset is in pre-launch right now, with the game’s full release planned for later this year. The free quickstart is available now exclusively via DriveThruRPG.

Introducing the Creative Team behind Sunset:

• Michael F. Tomasek Jr. (he/him) - Lead Designer
  • Michael Tomasek Jr. is a game developer, writer, artist, activist, and educator from the Chicagoland area. When not making games he's usually puttering in his garden or hanging out with his lovely wife Meredith, or his two cats.
• Adam Lehenbauer (he/him) - Game Designer
  • Adam Lehenbauer is a jack of all creative from game development to musician and performer. Adam's commitment to artists and their rights over AI continue to be a beacon of hope for human creativity despite his penchant for the undead.
• Thomas St. Pierre (he/him) - Game Designer
  • Thomas St Pierre is a decorated veteran and Wounded Warrior, career technologist, game and serious games developer, and the owner of Forteller Games. Thomas spends his free time creating new things, loving his dog Raja, and cooking delicious food.
• Alicia Marie (she/her) - Writer
  • Professional costume creator for Warner Brothers, Disney (Star Wars, Marvel), Mortal Kombat, and more. Alicia has written and designed multiple characters for Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms and appeared on notable actual play streams, such as Demiplane’s Children of Éarte.
• Sebastian Yūe (they/them) - Writer
  • Sebastian is a game designer, writer, editor, and known as a “lover of the monstrous strange” and has worked on notable projects such as the Cosmere RPG, Pathfinder Lost Omens: Divine Mysteries, and Daggerheart.
• Kari Jo “Kage” Freudigmann (she/her) - Writer
  • Kage has already worked on Sunset, helping to bring the Quickstart to life. She has a deep understanding of the layout design and writing process for TTRPGs, with a wealth of credits to her name.
• Kris “Omnis” Strader (he/him) - Writer
  • Kris is a writer and game designer for TTRPGs with a talent for expressing the meaning behind a game’s text. He has previously written on I AM THE BEYOND, Paragons: The Roleplaying Game, and Portal Portfolio: The Leyawat.
• Erin Fordham (she/they) - Writer
  • Erin brings their experience as a professional GM and an Actual Play performer to help build the world of Sunset. They are a new writer, inspired by gothic horror classics and speculative fiction.
• Sydney Spears (she/her) - Artist
  • Sydney is a graphic artist and illustrator who specializes in bold, punchy, colorful shapes. She brings a blend of subtlety and in-your-face graphics, like a hammer with a secret waiting to be unwoven.
• Meredith Gerber (she/her) - Artist, Layout Designer
  • Meredith is the Partner Marketing Manager for DriveThru, Roll20 & Demiplane. Her photography, graphic design & layout design have appeared in several TTRPGs.