Desperation Horror;Survival;Rules Lite;Historical;Narrative-Driven;GM-less / Cooperative;Quick-Play
At-a-glance: Survival Horror • Card-driven • 1-5 players • Zero prep • Rules-lite • 1-2h sessions
Theme and Setting
Desperation contains two distinct survival horror experiences grounded in real 1888 history. Dead House traps players in Neola, Kansas during the Great Blizzard of 1888—a tiny prairie town where supplies and sanity dwindle as the snow piles higher. The Isabel casts players as passengers and crew aboard a three-masted cod schooner fishing the Gulf of Alaska, sailing into a storm the ship cannot weather. Both settings emphasize claustrophobia, dwindling resources, and communities pushed past their breaking points. The gothic atmosphere draws from actual historical accounts, creating narratives that feel tragically inevitable rather than arbitrarily cruel.
Core Mechanics and Rules
The Desperation Engine uses a standard deck of playing cards to drive narrative horror. Unlike traditional RPGs where players decide what happens, here they decide who says it—choosing which character narrates each card's prompt. This creates a web of relationships that the game systematically applies pressure to and, in most cases, destroys. Each game includes character cards forming a claustrophobic community, location cards that function as characters themselves, and prompt cards that follow inexorable time passage. Some prompts drench the experience in color; others drench it in blood. Kings represent the approaching doom. The system requires no GM, no preparation, and no dice—just the cards and a willingness to embrace tragedy.
What Makes It Unique
Desperation's central innovation is shifting narrative authority from event description to character voice. When someone must say "I burned a house down with the family trapped inside", the horror emerges from who speaks those words and their relationships to other survivors. The two included games share subtle connections but stand alone, with high replayability coming from different decisions rather than random generation. The historical grounding—Morningstar researched actual blizzard accounts and maritime disasters—lends authenticity that amplifies the dread. The boxed set includes everything needed: two complete card decks, rules, and historical notes.
Target Audience and Player Experience
Desperation suits players who enjoy For the Queen or The Quiet Year but prefer darker, more merciless narratives. The 1-2 hour playtime makes it ideal for convention games, one-shots, or nights when preparation time is scarce. Groups comfortable with collaborative storytelling and tragic outcomes will find the experience deeply rewarding; those seeking heroic victories or tactical combat should look elsewhere. The zero-prep design and card-based mechanics make it accessible to newcomers while offering experienced players a novel narrative structure. Fans of gothic horror, historical fiction, and doomed atmosphere will find Desperation uniquely compelling.
