Rule Breaking Games

We are trying to take games off the beaten path while bringing back something that many modern games have lost. Needless to say, trying to balance two big tasks like that involves stumbling along the way. We are hoping that you will be there to catch us. 

We need people who are interested in just reading through our products, as well as full gaming groups willing to play campaigns. We need people who will tenderly try out some fledgling alpha-test mechanics and people who will push a polished beta-test copy to the limits. You don’t have to be an expert on games; you just have to like playing them.   

We are currently looking for play-testers for: 

• Cartomancy: A fast and flexible card based RPG. So simple that you can deal your first scene an hour from now but with unlimited possibilities.

• Toytastrophe: A stand-alone variant of the Cartomancy system that allows for fast 2-player war games using your own toy collection.

Who am I?

Years ago I started Smoke & Mirrors to play with ideas I could not find else ware in gaming. I, and a rotating list of talented collaborators, have made supplements for mainstream RPGs (Dungeons & Dragons), indi RPGs (Fiasco), and standalone games. All that led me to studying for a PhD in Media Studies at Ohio University where I get to study games and gamers.

Some Smoke & Mirrors projects

Robot Smash (2019) A open source game for use in experiments by social scientists

Cartomancy (2015) A card based RPG engine that unfortunately missed its funding mark the first time around

Flying Saucer Blues (2014) A Fiasco playset about aliens and stupidity

Ascension (2004) A Open Gaming License world book depicting a low technology world of oceans ruled by dragons.