Splat 4: Frights is a zine focused on how to safely and meaningfully play with horror in TTRPGs. It includes eight eerily-informative essays about the monstrous and the human, history and ritual, as well as safety and design.

What's Inside

Casper is writing about why queer folks tend to gravitate towards horror and see themselves in the genre.

CJ is writing about how to play safely within horror and how to explore horrific themes meaningfully.

Jay is writing about Bloody Mary, Beetlejuice, and the Lindworm: what it means when your game is haunted by ghosts.

Josephine is writing about the racial and sociological implications of monsters and a few examples of how to write non-racist monster stories, whether it's fighting or kissing them.

Noordin Ali is writing about skipping the surprises, and playing with informed and enthusiastic consent in horror. Warn your players what's coming, but keep the tension high!

Rue is writing about bringing elements of atmosphere, storytelling, and mechanics from horror video games to the table, translating digital horror to analog.

Sadia is writing about the relationship between horror and desire, and how to use players’ taboo appetites to engage them in horror games.

Seb is writing about creating your own safety tools for horror games to maintain tension and atmosphere, while still prioritizing safety during play.

Meet the Contributors

Casper Oliver (@casperoliver | he/fae/they) is a queer artist, activist, & actor by trade. His focuses are primarily on Whodunnit fiction, TTRPGs, zines, autobiographical content, live streams, and podcasts! Most of faer works are rooted in faer own experiences with queerness, gender identity, chronic illnesses/disabilities, mental health, Paganism, and more- all of these through a rural perspective.

CJ McCullough (@ScholasticDragn | they/them) is a podcaster, storyteller and worldbuilder. They love to explore radical imagination, queerness and intimacy within their stories. Find them reading, designing and performing TTRPGs wherever they can.

Eli Pineda (@dvangeli_ | she/her) is a Fil-Can creator. By day, she edits videos, by afternoon she is a cast member on a TTRPG podcast (check out Many Realms!) and by night, she edits this zine. She also makes a mean milk tea!

Jay Dragon (@jdragsky on twitter | no pronouns) is a queer disabled game designer and publisher in Philadelphia, who is probably best known for Wanderhome, or worst known for other games like Sleepaway or the upcoming Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast. Jay appreciates sapphic dalliances under moonlight, trying (and failing) to summon ghosts, and living life to the fullest.

Jesse Gazic (@JesseTheBard | he/they) is an artist and designer from Toronto, Canada. He works in game and puzzle design, RPG writing, illustration, and podcasts.

Josephine (@scarydogfriend) | none/she) is a TTRPG storyteller, content marketer, producer, and podcaster. Intimate and personal horror, femme fatales, and how you were the monster all along are her favorite themes to work with.

Noordin Ali Kadir (@WerewolfFeels | he/him) is a tabletop consultant, writer and designer based out of Ontario, Canada. Noordin specialises in telling personal stories with dark themes, and playing with systems to see what makes them tick. His work ranges from worldbuilding and writing for Into the Mother Lands, to scenario work for Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall.

Rue Dickey (@IlanaNight13 | they/he) is a nonbinary, mixed race, disabled TTRPG creative living on unceded Kalapuya territory. They work in marketing, sensitivity, game design, content creation, and more- and are always looking to explore the horrifying wonder of monstrosity.

Sam Hotchkiss (@Hotchmoney | he/they) is a zine editor and game designer from Philadelphia, PA. His zines focus on advice and ideas from around the games industry. Sam is also working on a web-based narrative puzzle game that he expects to release this year.

Sadia Bies (@sadiabies | they/them) is a Philadelphia based illustrator, writer, and game designer. They are a sleepy goth whose work focuses on horror, insects, queerness, magic, and the impossible.

Seb Pines (@smolghost | they/them) is a writer, bookmaker, and game designer making curiosities into roleplaying games and games into a collection of curiosities. They are also a co-founder of Good Luck Press where they publish experimental roleplaying games. They are most known for their game Dwelling: A Solo Game for Ghosts which has won a Judges’ Choice ENnie, an award at the 2022 The Awards, and was a finalist for the Tabletop Design Award at IndieCade. Seb was nominated at the inaugural Dicebreaker Tabletop Awards as a Rising Star Designer. You can find their work with Good Luck at goodluckpress.co.