Lone Colossus Games has launched a Kickstarter campaign for One of Us Will Die, a fast-paced, narrative-driven tabletop roleplaying game where mortality is a mechanical certainty. Designed with tension and moral conflict at its core, the game guarantees that one player’s character will perish, challenging the rest of the table to uncover the truth or change the outcome before the final act. Backers have until May 15, 2026, to fund the project, which has already significantly surpassed its initial funding goal.
The arrival of this system coincides with a growing trend in tabletop spaces this spring, as players increasingly seek games that blend the hidden-role mechanics of popular board games with the deep narrative frameworks of traditional roleplaying games. One of Us Will Die taps directly into this demand by building suspicion directly into the character sheets.
Mechanics of Inevitable Doom
At the start of each session, players are secretly dealt one of three defining roles. The Mark is destined to die and must quietly steer the narrative toward their fate. The Adventurer has the ability to save the Mark, but only by sacrificing their own character’s life. Finally, The Traitor works to identify and eliminate the Mark before anyone else can intervene.
Players advance the story by completing Milestones, which are specific narrative goals tied to their chosen character Archetype. There are currently twenty Archetypes available, including unlocks from stretch goals, ranging from The Lover and The Rebel to more unconventional options like The Dog.
I HATE YOU, Rowan! How dare you tell me we’d both make it out of this alive!”
– Sabrione Daggerford
The core rulebook features ten one-shot scenarios that span a wide variety of genres. Groups can navigate a murder mystery steeped in Filipino folklore, survive an interstellar disaster, or connect five distinct cosmic horror scenarios into a singular, cohesive storyline called the Bonfire of the Demiurge.
Building a Multiverse
While well-suited for single-session play, the game also provides comprehensive rules for extended campaigns. The Progressive Campaign mode allows characters to grow in skill through personal development rather than combat experience. In this mode, the identity of the Mark and the existence of the Traitor are determined organically through the choices players make over the course of the story.
The inclusion of a Multiverse Builder also allows groups to memorialise fallen characters by creating obituaries or transforming them into recurring entities that span different campaign settings.
Readers who have been tracking the development of this system might recall our previous coverage on Titus Villanueva III’s early work, which highlighted the initial announcements of the game’s lethal social deduction mechanics long before the campaign reached this fully realised stage.
Backing the Campaign
Rather than listing every available option, we have summarised the highest-value reward tiers that offer the best entry points for prospective players:
- Pledge $60 (approx. £45): Specter. Includes the digital PDF, the physical hardcover rulebook, and a free set of Role Cards.
- Pledge $120 (approx. £89): Revenant. Secures all previous rewards alongside a Game Master screen, player screens, and a complete set of reusable dry-erase character sheets in full colour.
- Pledge $300 (approx. £223): Vampire. Grants everything in the Revenant tier and adds a private, online game session with the creator for up to four players.
The One of Us Will Die Kickstarter campaign operates on an all-or-nothing funding model and will conclude strictly on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 4:00 AM BST. Digital rewards are expected to be delivered in December 2026, with physical books expected to ship by June 2027.
