I don’t know if it’s because I’m a product of my generation or because I am a huge nerd, but I love stumbling upon obscure things. And nothing is more tempting to me than something you can barely find information about online. The End is all of these things and more.
In the words of Wikipedia:
The End, designed by Joseph Donka, Dan Woodward and Reid San Filippo is a self-described ‘theological horror’ role-playing game that uses traditional Christian apocalyptic symbology in an irreverent setting based on the biblical apocalypse. Players take on the roles of characters who have either ended up in Heaven or in Hell following Armageddon.
Cover with Artwork by Richard Kane Ferguson
Apocalypse stuff is my jam. I love it all; I’ve seen almost every end-of-the-world scenario movie, no matter the production value. One of my favorite TV shows of all time is The Leftovers, starring Justin Theroux (which, if you haven’t seen, you need to sign up for HBO right now). So, when I say this game is right up my alley, I’m not exaggerating.
And on top of it all, this game is grim, dark, and blasphemous; seriously, it’s a game that makes Mörk Borg look like Harry Potter. Yeah, there are modern-day games that are grim, but they take place in fantastical locations. This game pulls no punches; it is about real people living in our world (Circa 2004), facing the rapture of the Judeo-Christian god.
Disclaimer
“This book [and article] contains adult subject matter and themes that are unsuitable for younger audiences. The management of Scapegoat Games recommends a minimum age of 17 for the purchase of this product.”
The game goes deeper inside, but if you are offended by religious fiction I suggest you stop reading now.
God, I love this book; it even had a parental advisory logo!
Controversy
The End is full of edgy subject matter, that’s for sure. However, it is most popularly remembered for a stunt the creators pulled at Gen Con in the mid-90s. In fact, this controversy made the game memorable enough for someone to write about it 20+ years later on Reddit, drawing my attention.
In the 2014 book Designers & Dragons: The '90s, Shannon Appelcine includes a short passage about the game being banned at Gen Con — then owned by a rapidly dying TSR, Inc. — which “resulted in Scapegoat staff marching outside Gen Con with placards saying ‘The End Is HERE!,’ offering another example of censorship being the best marketing.” The truth is a little more complex than Shannon remembers, which the game’s author Joe Donka describes in a killer interview series he did on the Goblins and Growlers Podcast a couple of years ago.
Interview with the Joe Donka
The Sage of these interviews is really something, almost gripping in the way that recent Netflix documentaries unfold. The first is all about the podcasters’ difficulties finding Joe, and making speculations about where he went and what must have happened. Only to be caught off guard when Joe follows up on their inquiry a few days later. Joe ends up giving a two-hour-plus interview, which is a great look into the game design process and the TTRPG industry over the past 30 years. They are all highly interesting, and I suggest giving them all a listen.
What We Can Learn From The End
So, what’s my biggest takeaway from Joe and The End? Well, I think it shows game designers like myself the power of unique ideas. This is a story of a creative vision completed by a passionate creator who had some stumbles along the way but also managed to maintain his vision. A vision that was unique enough that 30 years later, people like me are stumbling upon it on dead Reddit threads from short snippets about the world and ordering a copy. How many games can say that?
Secondly, roleplaying a character that actually could be you feels intense. OSR players know it’s hard to connect to larger-than-life superhero-esque characters; we love playing Joe Everybody, who faces untold horror and is forced to overcome unprecedented odds. But what about a character that is not only asked to face his or her mortality but also their morality in a world where God is real, and he chose to save others, but not you? He left you on earth with your actions and plenty of time to think. While the world rapidly decays, and you can no longer trust anyone. That’s heavy, and no fantasy setting has ever asked that much of me as a player.
Finally, if you commission killer art for the cover, people will be surprised by your seemingly obscure game when they hear about it and maybe give it a second look.
So, as I sit here looking at the setting I have been working on, which has an apocalyptic survival theme, I’m left wondering, is this the end? I’m not ready to give up on my game, but it does have me rethinking everything I have designed. I wish I had found this book sooner, and like the Goblins and Growlers guys, I’m also glad it will be sitting on my shelf from now on.
