Why American Gothic Horror Makes a Perfect Roleplaying Game

On this episode of Storycomic Presents, I’m joined again by Ian Lemke of Nepenthe Games to talk about Nevermore: A Roleplaying Game of American Gothic Horror. Nevermore is a tabletop roleplaying game rooted in American Gothic horror, inspired by authors such as Poe, Melville, Gilman, Wharton, James, Bierce, and more. It uses an original card-based system with standard playing cards, giving the game a different feel from more familiar dice-driven RPGs. The game is set in the later 1800s, a period full of tension, reinvention, superstition, social change, and shadows just beyond the gaslight. But Ian’s approach to horror is not just about creatures in the dark. As he has explained elsewhere, even when a story has “just a monster,” the deeper question is often why that monster exists. We talk about building a gothic roleplaying game, designing horror mechanics, using cards instead of dice, turning American literature and folklore into playable stories, and what it means to make horror that is emotional, atmospheric, and character-driven. If you love tabletop RPGs, gothic fiction, American folklore, or game design, this is a great conversation. #IanLemke #NevermoreRPG #NepentheGames #TabletopRPG #TTRPG #AmericanGothic #GothicHorror #HorrorRPG #GameDesign #RoleplayingGames #IndieRPG #Poe #TabletopGames #Storycomic #RPGInterview The Title sequence was designed and created by Morgan Quaid. See more of Morgan’s Work at: https://morganquaid.com/   Storycomic Logo designed by Gregory Giordano See more of Greg’s work at:   / gregory_c_giordano_art     Want to start your own podcast?  Click on the link to get started: https://www.podbean.com/storycomic   Follow us: Are you curious to see the video version of this interview?  It's on our website too! www.storycomic.com www.patreon.com/storycomic www.facebook.com/storycomic1   / storycomic   For information on being a guest or curious to learn more about Storycomic? Contact us at info@storycomic.com   Thank you to our Founders Club Patrons, Michael Winn, Higgins802, Von Allan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Marek Bennett, Donna Carr Roberts, Andrew Gronosky, Simki Kuznick, Simki Kuznick, John Holland, Maureen Devline, Benjamin Hunting, Samantha Kolber, Frank Walk, Mark Bell, Alexis E. Fajardo, and Matt & Therese. Check out their fantastic work at: https://marekbennett.com/ https://www.hexapus-ink.com/ https://www.stephanieninapitsirilos.com/ https://www.vonallan.com/ https://higgins802.com/ https://shewstone.com/ https://www.simkikuznick.com/ https://www.dieboldcomics.com/ https://www.maureendevlinauthor.com/ https://benjaminhunting.com/ https://www.rootstockpublishing.com/ https://www.pigmacast.com/ https://plaguedoctorpress.com/ https://kidbeowulf.com/