February 14, 2023: Penny for a Tale is excited to reveal the Crowdfundr campaign for its new tabletop game Porcelain Souls — a fantasy survival horror RPG. The campaign aims to raise funds for a quickstart guide, complete with terrifying art and dark, twisted lore.
This will be the second dystopian RPG from Penny for a Tale. The company’s first game, Necrobiotic, was successfully funded on Kickstarter back in May 2021 and published earlier this year.
Mitchell “Mitch” Bustillos, a co-founder of Penny for a Tale and lead designer, is beyond excited about the new release. “Porcelain Souls is an uncensored, unfiltered horror TTRPG. We are not holding back and it will be for those who want to explore a truly dark and macabre world. We will rely heavily on photography to capture the magic of the setting.”
Porcelain Souls is set in a nightmarish post-apocalyptic future where immortal Dolls, inhabited by the souls of the dead, have come to life. The grimdark setting takes inspiration from sources such as the movie 9 and the filmography of the Brothers Quay.
“I stumbled upon ball-jointed dolls on the internet. After that, it was connecting a lot of dots and bringing aspects of my own life into the project,” said Mitch. “Porcelain Souls will be both intimate and horrific for myself and everyone who plays.”
As Dolls, players will navigate twisted ruins outside the safety of ancient Ziggurats, contend with the many human memories and sorrows boiling up within them, and try to free abandoned souls before nightmarish phantasmagoria consume them.
Key Features:
- Three Factions – Players chose from among three factions, each ruled by a Queen. The Rot abhors humanity and seeks to destroy and repurpose its remnants. The Rose desires to preserve and understand as much of the past as possible, even at the cost of their own souls. The Grey is a mysterious group that abstains from magic and seeks its own alien goals.
- Nightmares – Haunting the brutalized remnants of the Earth are fungal-fed phantasmagorias, their forms limitless and their hunger eternal. They hunt for the souls of the dead, feeding off their fears and memories until there is nothing left. Although Dolls are essentially immortal, if their souls are consumed by a Nightmare, they will cease to exist.
- Gear System – The game uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards per player. The different suits determine a character’s proficiency in Porcelain (Hearts), Sinew (Diamonds), Soul (Clubs), and Ziggurat (Spades).
Besides the existential dread and threat of death looming around every corner, Mitch explained that players will also grapple with deeper themes of identity, life, and purpose. “What was love and how did humanity abuse it? We look at how far people go to remember the ones they lost, exploring the remnants of humanity through a gaze that is familiar, yet alien.”
Porcelain Souls will run on Crowdfundr for 30 days from February 14 to March 15, 2023. To follow the latest news about Porcelain Souls, visit the official Twitter (@PennyforaTale) and Instagram (@weavethetale) channels.
About Penny for a Tale
Penny for a Tale started in early 2019 with the mission to create fun and engaging content for anyone interested in the tabletop roleplaying hobby. They focus on new and upcoming roleplaying games and work hard to create interesting actual plays filled with drama. Learn more about their work at www.pennyforatale.com.
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