Fans of souls-like dark fantasy can now get a free preview of Doomspiral, a new tabletop roleplaying game from SoulMuppet Publishing, with a quickstart available for download ahead of a planned Kickstarter.
Doomspiral is the work of writer Nick Spence, who has previously worked on titles like Gangs of Titan City and Best Left Buried, with illustrations from Dwyn D’Alton Goode. The game is set in a decaying world caught in a terminal decline. Players take on the roles of the Forsaken, individuals tasked with the monumental challenge of reforging the Loom of Fate. This quest presents a stark choice: restore a semblance of order to the wasted lands or accelerate the world’s demise to a swift and merciful end.
The publisher notes that the game is a tribute to the dark fantasy worlds crafted by Hidetaka Miyazaki, the creative force behind video games such as Dark Souls and Elden Ring. The design philosophy reflects this, aiming for a combat system that rewards player mastery and a sprawling, interconnected world that encourages thorough exploration of its many dungeons and desolate corners.
To introduce players to this bleak setting, SoulMuppet has released a free quickstart, which is available now from DriveThruRPG. The download contains all the introductory rules needed to play, six character backgrounds to choose from, and a complete starting adventure. This one-to-two-session scenario takes players to Saltcrag, a rain-battered fortress at the very edge of the world.
The quickstart is a prelude to a full crowdfunding campaign planned for September 2025. The complete rulebook promises to expand significantly on this taster, featuring a total of 36 character backgrounds. The full game will also introduce more complex mechanics, such as Forbidden Names of Flame and alchemical Decoctions, alongside a campaign-length mega-adventure. This larger quest is set in Weftenhaal, the Land of the Gods, and is slated to include dozens of regions and hundreds of bespoke, souls-inspired monsters. A pre-launch page for the Kickstarter is already live.
SoulMuppet Publishing is a familiar name to many indie RPG fans, and a publisher Geek Native has often covered for its distinctive games. Their catalogue includes the lo-fi space western Orbital Blues, the doomed Arthurian western Inevitable, and the fantasy horror game Best Left Buried. The publisher states that its games focus on ’emotional storytelling and simple yet elegant design’ and are often ‘unconventional, atmospheric and unashamedly political’. SoulMuppet also has a commendable track record of supporting queer creators and those from LATAM, helping them bring physical products to wider markets.
