In Gloom Tarot and Terror players collaboratively divine stories full of horror and suspense where narrative and actions are driven by drawing cards from a Tarot Deck, and six candles represent the encroaching evil in the form of the players only light source.

Gloom Tarot and Terror was originally designed as a part of the Paradox Press / Games monthly single page RPG project and was chosen to be printed and published in the Tiny Tomb project from Long Tail Games during their single-page RPG Jam on itch.io

While this version of Gloom Tarot and Terror has been expanded considerably to a 36 page A5 rulebook it still embodies a minimalist ethos! 

The Story: With collaborative story telling at the heart of Gloom Tarot and Terror, players work together to divine a story of horror and suspense rooted in the classic trope of a terrifying threat out to devour a small town, the group of young people responsible for stopping it, and the utterly oblivious adults in their lives. 

The Candles: The candles act as the only source of light during game play and represent the advancement of the Terror seeking to consume the Town. When the flames of all of the candles are extinguished the players have failed to stop the threat and the game is over.

The Tarot Cards:  Not only does Gloom Tarot and Terror use a deck of 78 Tarot cards as the driving force behind the narrative of the game and means by which player-characters perform meaningful actions, but it also functions as a tool for world building. Players will use the Tarot and their intuition to create characters, the Town, and the terrifying Terror that threatens to consume all that they know. During the course of game players will draw cards to perform meaningful actions and move the narrative forward based on card prompts that contain additional instructions and potential consequences. 

Death Isn't The End: If a player-character dies they can no longer take meaningful actions that directly affect the material world around them, but can still communicate with the players as “ghosts” (or whatever feels narratively appropriate for the game) and continue to participate in the narrative. There are special actions that dead player-characters can make, but they are limited by their lack of "corporeality."

What you Need to Play

• A copy of the Rulebook
• A Deck of Tarot Cards
• Six Candles (3-hour burn tea light candles recommended)
• Pen and Paper (Optional Reference Sheets)
• 2-6 Players
• A Coin

Digital Edition $25

The Digital PDF version of the 36 page rulebook with character reference sheets. (Can be purchased here on itch!)

Print Edition $50

While Gloom Tarot and Terror can be played with any Tarot deck the print edition of the game includes both a custom designed Gloom Tarot and Terror 78 Tarot card Tarot deck and 36 page 2.75" x 4.75" saddle stitched rulebook packaged neatly together inside a fully designed tuck box! You can purchase a print copy here.