Gamenomicon is an independent tabletop roleplaying game publisher founded by Will Lentz. We make games about the things lurking just outside the light: monsters, secrets, and the lies people tell themselves.
Our flagship is Party First, a pulp horror RPG set in the TWILIGHT WORLD, an alternate-history 1980s where the supernatural is real and the Party would very much like you not to notice. Co-designed by Will Lentz and Brett Zeiler and powered by our d6 Tension Engine, it launched in 2019 and has grown with adventures, setting books, and the Kickstarter-funded espionage supplement Twilight War.
In 2020, One White Eye introduced the Second Guess System, a tiny engine for solo journaling games built on a simple idea: every time a prompt comes back around, you have to admit what you lied about the last time. We released it as a free SRD, and it has since powered our own games, from noir to romance to the dungeon delve Lord of Terror, along with dozens of games by other designers.
Along the way we’ve made cozy holiday romance (Warmer in the Winter), Victorian faerie mischief (Goblyn Market), and a Vertigo-inspired game of cosmic dreams (The Infinite), several of them funded through Kickstarter’s Zinequest.
The Gamenomicon Podcast
Will talks game design, our systems, and the people who help make them, including conversations with the Party First team and the series Will and Jerod Make a Game. Listen to the podcast.
Credits
- Will Lentz — founder, designer
- Brett Zeiler — Party First co-designer
- Matthew Kimbrough — graphic design
- Megan Rhoden — art, Warmer in the Winter