Backwater: Southern Gothic Horror Tabletop Roleplaying

Backwater is 220-page standalone game with post-apocalyptic southern-gothic lore and rules for the D20 game system. 

Long after The End descended upon the Old World... humanity started to rebuild itself, albeit wretched and forlorn. Survivors salvaged what they could of government in the form of the American Lands. They rebuilt roads, though in fewer numbers and inferior quality, and they reclaimed the skeletons of buildings. Nowhere does humankind rebuild so desperately as in the humid swamps of the Backwater, where humanity battles itself and the natural elements to survive. You are a warden here—a roaming peace keeper in the American Lands—protecting order at civilization’s southern reach. You travel the Old World’s crumbling roadways among mosquitoes and snakes. You tend to every small town’s big secret, and you quell strife between old families in a new era. Here in the bogs, you keep mutation at bay, ever-watchful for the wretched cousins of ancient humanity. You protect mankind from supernatural horrors that have only started to emerge.

Welcome to Backwater... where horror writes itself.

The Backwater ward is a region in the Deep South of the United States. Here, in the newest and most economically disadvantaged region of the American Lands, society is trying to rebuild its rotting structures and revive its decaying values. Swamp communities, fishing villages, and trade posts dot the bayou, all tenuously connected to one another and dangerously isolated in an increasingly hostile world. The exception–New Orleans, the ward’s gleaming diamond–proves this rule. The Crescent City forms one of the largest municipalities in the American Lands and features a cosmopolitan mosaic of polished wealth and grinding poverty. Corruption seems endemic and inescapable here, but idealists and pure hearts dream that New Orleans can be something more: a beacon of hope in an American wasteland.

Want to See it Played?

There are more than ten actual plays on YouTube that you can watch: Backwater Actual Plays.

You can also listen to some actual plays on your local podcatcher. Check out The Role Less Taken, "Glass House".

What are people saying about our game?

"Backwater has a lot of unique ideas and mechanics. The gamebook is around 200 pages and is stuffed with content. ... I like that they dedicated a chapter to just the bare bone rules, which makes it a great quick reference to jump to if you are having a dispute at the table and you can find it very quickly. ... I really love that this book has a sub chapter on the secrets of Backwater. These include mystical items and story hooks which are both an entertaining read and make great inspiration or planning tools for a game."  -TheAbleLexi of The Gaming Table

Wendigo Workshop's review says that the Backwater TTRPG is "quite easy to pick up, and the character creation tutorial is simple to follow, making it easy to make new characters for the first time. [...] Backwater is a very good game, and a nice addition to fans of the horror genre."

The Weaver of Worlds shares a summary of the Backwater setting.

Backwater was selected as one of the top TTRPGs in the Trans Rights in Texas bundle by Roundish Whale and Tech Raptor.

Some comments from our customers:

• "I love the books, the system and the setting! [...] I love the lore and would love to see it expand to see how different territories have dealt with things and to see what creatures rise from them"
• "This setting made me overjoyed as someone who really wants to see more stuff from the rich and vibrant culture of this part of the country, as my friends who I've strongarmed into playing this with me can attest."
• "Really great system! I've been running a campaign for a few friends and I also am really keen on the rest of the universe in this system"

Contributors

Written and designed by Asa Donald. 

Co-written by Alex Johnson. 

Layout by Asa Donald.

Lead Artists: Aaron Radney, Carlos Eulefí, LA Draws (Ajayi Olajide), Natalie de Corsair, Sonya Henar. Layout elements by Marlowe Lune. 

Sensitivity Readers: Margeaux Weston and CB Lee. Backwater was reviewed for sensitive content relating to New Orleans, disability and disfigurement, and race—particularly Black American and Chinese- and Vietnamese-American experience. Readers' identities aligned with the topic of their reading, yet sensitivity readers do not guarantee the cultural sensitivity of a product. The author takes full responsibility for all misrepresentation and bias.