Enter the survival horror with Ink Ribbon, a tabletop RPG inspired by videogames like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and Alan Wake. Make every bullet count as you fight through hordes of zombies and deadly bioweapons to escape a doomed city!
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Ink Ribbon - A Survival Horror Tabletop RPG · 4,026 following
Ink Ribbon is a survival horror tabletop RPG inspired by video games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alan Wake, and many more. You and a handful of other survivors must fight to escape Sparrow’s Rest, a city in the midwestern United States that has been overrun by the walking dead. The shambling hordes fill the streets, and you’ll need to make every bullet count if you want to live through the night — but there are worse things lurking in Sparrow’s Rest than just zombies.
Enter the survival horror as you try to live through the last days of Sparrow’s Rest…
Ink Ribbon is a tabletop RPG that captures the feel of classic survival horror video games. It puts you in the shoes of everyday people (or a rookie cop having the worst first day in history) as you try to survive a zombie apocalypse caused by a shady pharmaceutical company. You’ll need to manage your inventory, keep an eye on your ammo, search for healing herbs, and face down rotting zombies and terrifying bio-weapons — all while trying to escape a doomed city that is just hours away from being nuked out of existence.
Ink Ribbon takes inspiration from Legacy-style board games and encourages you to play each scenario as a different group of survivors. Play through parallel stories happening over the final hours of Sparrow’s Rest and discover how different groups deal with the outbreak — and who survives. Use the city map to mark what buildings have been explored, when bridges were destroyed or roads collapsed, and where each survivor died. Maybe their corpse has some valuable gear another group can use — that is, if they are really dead…
Old Oak Games firmly believes in human creativity — AI is far more repulsive than any zombie. All of our projects are 100% human made and no generative AI is used in their creation. Human Made icon created by HINOKODO.
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Old Oak Games
1 day ago
One Week to Go!
Welcome back, survivors! We are just one week away from Ink Ribbon’s launch on BackerKit, and we’re quickly closing in on almost 4,000 followers! The campaign will go live next Tuesday, the 22nd, at 7pm GMT +1 | 11am PST | 2pm EST. We’re hoping for a really strong launch and have some awesome Stretch Goals cooked up (including the Dead Mall scenario below) , so make sure you back early so we can add even more stuff. And don’t forget to secure your reservation so you get a free copy of Local Attractions when you back the campaign.
We already covered what to expect from the Core Box and Deluxe Box, but we wanted to share a little more about each of the booklets. We also have some amazing new art to show off, so be sure to check it out at the bottom of the post!
Survivor’s Handbook
The core rules! Includes quick and easy character creation, an intuitive d6-based dice pool system, free-flowing combat rules using Zones and tags to keep the action fast and frenetic, the fear-inducing Stress and Panic mechanics, and a collection of deadly weapons and invaluable survival gear.
Welcome to Sparrow’s Rest
A visitor’s guide to the picturesque town of Sparrow’s Rest. Includes a history of the town, what daily life is like, and all the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface — discover what Heal-X doesn’t want you to know! Also includes a collection of optional rules to add more horror, action, or survival elements to your game.
Heal-X Research Dossier
Heal-X has been conducting illegal experiments for years. This dossier collects the horrifying results of their illicit research and includes dozens of terrifying creatures to torment your players, from grotesque cordyceps-infected humans to rampaging zombie elephants — as well as three unique stalker-type enemies
Dead on Arrival (Scenario)
An overnight bus ride goes disastrously wrong as the bus crashes straight into a zombie outbreak! The few remaining passengers flee to the nearby police station for help and supplies, but find only death. Will they be able to escape before it’s too late?
Lone Survivor Solo Rules
Sometimes you have to face the darkness alone. The Lone Survivor booklet adds solo rules to Ink Ribbon by using the popular oracle-style format of play. Answer questions, roll to see what happens, and use Ink Ribbon’s intuitive Horror system to drive both the narrative and mechanical consequences.
Unexplained Phenomena
Heal-X has been experimenting with more than just mad science — a secret department has been meddling in the occult! This expansion turns Ink Ribbon into supernatural horror, and adds unique character creation options, new gear, and a host of terrifying monsters: spectral ghosts, bloodthirsty vampires, and even eldritch abominations.
Death by Degrees (Scenario)
Adventure scenario written by Colin Le Sueur. A violent winter storm plunges a quiet university into frozen darkness, trapping everyone inside. As death crawls from below and a cunning creature stalks from above, brave the icy halls and rescue the survivors before they’re lost to winter.
Wild Night at Wild Woods (Scenario)
Adventure scenario written by Eleanor Hingley. The crowds have turned out for the fireworks spectacular at the Wild Woods Adventure Park, but a deadly virus outbreak turns the thrill-seeking guests into violent cannibals. With the park locked down, the remaining survivors are in for a rollercoaster of a night.
Field Test (Prequel Scenario)
Experience the origins of the zombie outbreak before it swept through Sparrow’s Rest in this special prequel adventure! Take on the role of Heal-X scientists, executives, security, and support staff as you try to survive the night in a remote research outpost. Will you live long enough to tell your tale, or will you be silenced as another loose end?
Dead Mall (Scenario)
STRETCH GOAL! Adventure scenario written by Elaine Lithgow. The world's ending and everything must go! So run, don't walk, to the White Oak mall for some killer deals! Grab your friends, fill your carts, and prepare to survive a siege of shopaholics — both living and dead. Hurry, while stocks last!
Local Attractions
Sparrow’s Rest is full of sites to see, places to go, and supplies to scavenge. Local Attractions includes over a dozen ready-to-use locations, each with its own map and encounters. Locations include a local dive bar, an abandoned apartment, a ransacked gun store, a neon-lit arcade, a subway station overrun with undead, and more.
How Will You Survive the Zombie Outbreak? Choose Your Gear!
Welcome back, survivors. This week we’re asking how you’ll survive the zombie outbreak with a poll to choose your starting gear! Imagine yourself in Sparrow’s Rest on the night of the outbreak. The power is out, you can hear groans in the streets, and you know you need to escape. What are you grabbing to help you survive? Answer below!
We are less than two weeks away from launch, so Emmet will be live with another developer vlog tomorrow on the Old Oak YouTube channel. This time he’ll be discussing combat, using Zones and Ranges, and how to create your own monsters. Tune in tomorrow, Thursday the 10th, at 7pm GMT+1 | 11am PST | 2pm EST. If you missed the first stream, you can watch it here.
Speaking of streams, last Friday we had Episode #3 of Dead on Arrival with our friends at the Emerald Collective — and it was a dramatic one! You can catch the episode here if you missed it.
Until next time, stay safe and keep quiet. And if you haven’t done so already, be sure to reserve your pledge to get your free copy of Local Attractions (which you can learn more about here).
Greetings survivors, and welcome back to the zombie-infected world of Ink Ribbon. This week we have an exclusive art reveal for our followers, so make sure you’re following the campaign to get a sneak peek. Before that, a quick reminder that you can catch up on the first of our designer livestreams over on YouTube, where Emmet chatted through some of the Ink Ribbon basics, like Tests, Stress and Panic, and Horror. And don’t forget we’re back this week with Episode #3 of Dead on Arrival over on the Emerald Collective Twitch Channel. Join us this Friday, the 4th of September, at 7:30pm GMT +1 | 11:30am PST | 2:30pm EST.
Welcome back, survivors. We are now just 4 weeks out from the launch of the campaign — we even have a stress-inducing ticking clock here on the launch page! It currently says we are 28 days out… Hmm, an auspicious (or inauspicious) number for a zombie apocalypse TTRPG!
As promised, this Friday Emmet will be live on our YouTube channel for the first in our developer-guided series discussing all things Ink Ribbon. This week, Emmet will dive into some system basics, like how Tests works, the Stress and Panic system, and how best to utilise Horror in your game. Join us at 8pm GMT + 1 | 12pm PST | 3pm EST to get insight directly from the creator!
This week, we have an exclusive art reveal for our campaign followers, so make sure you’re following to check out this awesome new art!
Local Attractions (and Why You Should Reserve Your Pledge!)
Welcome back fellow survivors — all 3,000 of you! We are blown away by the support and excitement for Ink Ribbon so thank you to everyone who has followed the campaign already.
This week we want to talk about one of the fun add-ons we have for Ink Ribbon — Local Attractions. Before we dive in, don’t forget to join us tonight, Friday the 21st, for Episode #3 of Dead on Arrival on the Emerald Collective Twitch Channel. Having almost been ripped to shreds by mutated dogs in the last session, the EC crew now face down a small horde of zombies that has just emerged from the morgue! The stream kicks off at 7:30pm GMT +1 | 11:30am PST | 2:30pm EST.
Local Attractions
Local Attractions is an optional add-on you can add to your pledge once the campaign goes live. It adds about a dozen locations around Sparrow’s Rest, each of which includes a description of the area, a map, one or more encounters, and clues about the broader story of Heal-X and the fall of Sparrow’s Rest. Locations include places like a local bar, an abandoned apartment, a ransacked gun store, a neon-lit arcade, a subway station overrun with undead, and more.
Local Attractions aims to give the GM ready-to-use locations they can drop into their campaign. Groups can use them to explore the city and uncover what happened, or when survivors travel between key locations between scenarios — such as venturing from the Sparrow’s Rest Police Department to the White Oak Mall.
If you reserve your pledge before the campaign launches, you’ll get a free digital and physical copy of Local Attractions when the game ships. Once the campaign is live, the physical copy will cost €15, and the PDF will be €9 — so if it sounds like your kind of thing, it’s best to reserve now!
Livestream Next Week
A few weeks back, we posted a poll asking all you wonderful people about what you’d like to see in future livestreams. The overwhelming winners were Rules Discussion and Examples, and Monster Design. So next week, live on our YouTube channel, designer Emmet Byrne will kick off a new video series by talking about the rules of Ink Ribbon, making attacks, using Horror, and running monsters. We’ll have more details in next week’s update, but until then, be sure to check out the Q&A Emmet did a few weeks back.
In the meantime, don’t forget to join our Discord! We have a really active community of folks talking about and playing Ink Ribbon, so come join us if you want to get in on the excitement.
Hey folks, Emmet here. I’m the designer of Ink Ribbon and founder of Old Oak Games. I created Ink Ribbon to be the survival horror TTRPG I’ve always wanted to play, so today I’m sharing three things I love about Ink Ribbon and that I’m excited to see folks experience. Before I dive in, be sure to check out my chat with Ciarán at FOXOF RPG here, which was the catalyst for this little update! And if you haven’t already, be sure to follow the campaign to get a sneak peek at some lovely new art below! As always, don't forget to join our Discord to chat to other Ink Ribbon fans.
NOTE: Last week we said "Six Weeks to Go!", but it turns out I can't count, and it's actually six weeks this week. Whoops!
Combat is Quick and Deadly
Nothing breaks immersion and kills tension like long, drawn-out fights with convoluted rules — especially in a horror RPG. Combat in Ink Ribbon is quick and brutal. Most enemies and survivors will drop or be in life-threatening peril after just a few hits, and supposedly easy fights can quickly become FUBAR. Combat is swingy in the best kind of way, and it’s fast. We use Zones and abstract ranges (Short, Medium, Long) to define a battlefield, which keeps things fluid and keeps the focus on the narrative instead of counting how many feet you are from someone. Doing this also lets the players and GM affect the world by barring doors, shooting out lights, and kicking over explosive barrels. Combat in Ink Ribbon is one of the most exciting and fun parts of the game — as it should be!
Inventory Management
Oooh exciting! Who doesn’t love organisation? But yes, sad to say that one of the most exciting things to me is a well-maintained inventory. Beyond the aesthetic pleasure of seeing your gear neatly lined up, I love when what you bring with you actually matters. Having a limited inventory space means that you can’t just pick up everything you see. You need to make tough decisions about what to take. Sure, a shotgun packs a serious punch, but it takes up two precious inventory slots — slots that you could keep vital healing items in. I also love how a limited inventory encourages cooperation between players, with items being traded back and forth in the most efficient way while also trying to make sure everyone has a weapon in case the proverbial sh*t hits the fan.
Followers, be sure to check out a well-maintained inventory in our art sneak peek below!
Legacy Storytelling
One of the things I’m most excited about (and one that I have probably done a terrible job of talking about!) is the Legacy-style element of Ink Ribbon. The intended way to enjoy Ink Ribbon is by playing each scenario as a different group of survivors, with stories happening almost simultaneously across Sparrow’s Rest. This way you can then track where each group was and when on the Sparrow’s Rest map, marking what buildings they explored and looted, and scribbling in how and when characters died. Then, when you play your next adventure, you might witness the aftermath of the first group’s actions, or find the remains of the fallen — or worse, come face to face with the zombified version of your old character!
Alright, there’s a tonne of other reasons I love Ink Ribbon, but I’ve gone on long enough — and I’m slightly biased anyway! So you tell me: what is your favourite thing about the game and what are you most excited for?
