The Lodger
A downloadable game
You’re a small group of 20-somethings living in a sprawling city, trying to work out what you’re doing with your lives.
You rent a house together - an Edwardian terrace with a ratty front garden and faded wallpaper.
Something alien has taken up residence there - in the attic, or a shed, or the basement, or a cupboard. Its presence is warping the house, in ways you can't fully convince yourselves are supernatural.
Will you work together to investigate the horror and push it back? Or will you be too burned out, cash-strapped or terrified to stop it from claiming and devouring you all?
To play, you'll need at least 4 six-sided dice per player - it's best if you can easily distinguish between them. Some scrap paper and pencils, and some items you can use as tokens, would also be helpful.
Made possible by the good folks at patreon.com/ufopress!
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- Published a rules tweakMar 25, 2019
Comments
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This game is tons of fun! RPG's so rarely put the spotlight on everyday non-romantic close relationships, and The Lodger's particular style of roommate horror feels fresh and compelling. The game presents you difficult choices, mounting tension, and plenty of opportunities to RP small, meaningful scenes out of the 20-something malaise, punctuated by stalking horror. It's very easy to pick up and learn--I went from reading for the first time to playing in about 5 minutes.
The Lodger is both terrifying and somehow cathartic--if you're a college graduate still working at Walgreens, or as a corporate gopher, or anyone who's overworked and just trying to stay positive, this game understands you. More than anything, The Lodger feels like a game about a community banding together to keep each other out of the proverbial Downward Spiral. It's about taking care of yourself and the people close to you, even when the world is trying to suck out your marrow every day. The monstrous Lodger is self-neglect and depression personified, and the game brings you and your friends together to hold each other up and kick it to the curb. Frankly, it's beautiful. You've got to try this game.
Is there any way to see a play through of this? I get the general gist of the game but to see it a play through of the game would help me understand the context of the rules a little better. Seems really interesting!
If someone records one I'll definitely put a link to it here! Happy to answer any questions if you have them, too.