We're excited to finally bring Backwater to the itch community. Originally funded on Kickstarter, Backwater is a tabletop roleplaying game in the genre of southern gothic and style of survival horror. It's set in post-apocalyptic Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Arkansas. And we're beginning with a massive holiday sale, which will contribute to our next project.
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.
Genre and Themes
Backwater's southern gothic genre explores social issues relating to fear, poverty, religion, and alienation through its southern U.S. setting. Prominent among the genre's themes is a conscious criticism of superficial values and regional or familial history, depicted through the region's decaying structures and aristocratic families. It can contain monsters and the supernatural, though the true horrors are often humans themselves. Backwater is set in a post-apocalyptic future with a tenuous social order, and it reimagines the genre as a reflection on issues in not only American history but also our present world. Players take on the roles of either wardens or adventurers, who try to keep chaos and monstrosities at bay while uncovering secrets of bygone eras. They wander the Backwater ward, a region around modern-day Louisiana, Mississippi, and southern Arkansas, where centuries of technological know-how have been lost and where supernatural and magical forces are beginning to surface.
What do we offer?
- Backwater Quickstart Guide (PDF, Free)
- Backwater Core Rulebook (PDF)
- Backwater Adventures: The Prince of Darkness is a Gentleman (PDF)
Backwater PDF Bundle (Core Rulebook + Adventures)
Backwater Solitaire Bundle (Core Rulebook + Solitaire)
You can also purchase our Core Rulebook hardcover through Shopify. US only.