Dread Economics

What is a ritual if not celestial chemistry? Cosmic mathematics? Ethereal economics? A ritual is a series of symbols representing astral ingredients - will the result empower an entity, or poison it? A ritual is a price paid, a bounty offered to an intelligence that wouldn’t otherwise notice your existence. A ritual is learning to say a few broken phrases in a language you’ll never understand in an attempt to ask for things you think you need. 

 Will your words summon the dark god you worship? Or bind something else that’s attempting to surface?

Dread Economics is a one-shot, rules-lite non-linear game for 3-7 people about summoning something you don’t understand and are unable to control. It requires no prep and has no GM, though you will probably want a facilitator who has studied the rules and can settle disputes when the rules are ambiguous.

Devised by gblekkenhorst in autumn 2023. Inspired by the games This Is My Final Recording by Basheer Ghouse, Ritual by World Champ Game Co., Apotheosis by Gordie Murphy, and Anchorhead by Michael S. Gentry. Also inspired by the Magnus Archives by Rusty Quill, and The Endless universe by Benson and Moorhead.

This game is being released free of charge while it is a work in progress. Please kindly leave any feedback or modifications made while playing, it may be helpful to incorporate into the final version!