For my first experiment, I created a tabletop roleplaying game called UNFINISHED. This game is a one-shot horror game focused on memory, loss, and things that refuse to end. The main idea of the game is that places remember what happened in them, especially when something ended badly. Players travel together toward a destination tied to an unresolved event, and the game ends when they are forced to make a difficult emotional choice.
My Experiment: Process and Challenges
I started by writing a single playbook and then expanded the game to include more characters, a shared journey, and a GM guide. One of the biggest challenges I faced was realizing how much the game depended on a strong GM to move the story forward. This was especially hard for me because this was the first time I had ever been a GM.
During playtesting, I had to guide the pacing, introduce tension, and help players move toward an ending without forcing their decisions. Because the game does not focus on combat or clear objectives, it was sometimes difficult to know when to step in and when to let players sit with the moment. This helped me understand how important GM guidance is in emotionally driven games. It also made me more aware of how much responsibility I was placing on the person running the game.
Despite these challenges, one of the most rewarding parts of the process was seeing players connect with their characters. Even though the themes were heavy, players described the game as fun. The fun came from creating characters together, learning about each other’s backstories, and making difficult choices as a group. Players seemed to enjoy the tension and the feeling that their decisions mattered. The ending felt serious, but not frustrating.
Peer Experiments
Watching my peers’ experiments was very cool. One game that stood out to me was when a group member used an existing game, similar to Overcooked, and turned it into a tabletop roleplaying experience. I really liked how they took something familiar and playful and reimagined it in a new format. It made the game easy to understand and fun almost immediately.
Seeing this experiment made me think about my own design habits. I tend to gravitate toward darker themes and emotional stories, while others are exploring more lighthearted and chaotic experiences. This made me realize that there is value in designing games that do not require a GM and that focus more on shared fun. In future projects, I want to try making lighter games that are easier to run and rely more on collaboration than emotional intensity.
The World
A major influence on UNFINISHED was the media I consume outside of class. One film that strongly influenced my thinking was Parasite. I was inspired by how the movie builds tension slowly and focuses on class, space, and hidden systems rather than traditional horror elements. The way the house in Parasite feels like a character itself really influenced how I thought about places in my game and how environments can carry meaning.
I am also very influenced by true crime content on YouTube, especially creators like Rotten Mango. Listening to these stories made me interested in how real-life events can feel unsettling not because of gore, but because of unresolved questions, patterns, and human behavior. That sense of lingering discomfort inspired me to design a game where the horror comes from what is left unsaid and unresolved rather than from monsters or violence.
This experiment taught me a lot about my strengths and weaknesses as a designer. I learned that I am comfortable creating mood and emotional themes, but I also learned that I need to be careful about how much responsibility I place on the GM. Designing UNFINISHED helped me understand how structure and guidance are necessary for players to feel supported, especially in story-heavy games.