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Cenotaph doesn’t directly address religious themes the way that Dread and Spite did. This time around, it’s a different kind of blasphemy. Though there are secrets that won’t be revealed until the book is released, it’s important to note that the entities in this game are like Cenobites or Cthulhu — demons to some, angels to others, worshiped by some, feared by most. But angels and demons will not be a part of this package, and the themes will be less religious and more… cultish? Or, as George put it, “It’s not about angels or god, it’s about things that crazy people call angels and god.”

Reds (Redactors, Redliners, Redeemers) are the doomed heroes of Cenotaph. They use Daemonic Magic in their battle against the servants of the Immane. Knowing the futility of conventional arms, they wield ConScience weaponry like painsaws, automagic pistols, and sawed-off thoughtguns. Reds wear paramilitary uniforms and employ the Black Power salute as a greeting.

/George Cotronis

Ravenkult Studios

From a recent playtest of Cenotaph. This is the Herd, a group of civilians that the heroes must protect (or not, as the case may be). Names redacted, since we based the Herdlings on people that we knew.

The heroes of Cenotaph are more powerful than ordinary humans. They’re capable of extraordinary feats, and they alone can stand up to the monstrosities. Problem: the heroes are not alone. They’re burdened by the Herd, a group of survivors who depend on the player characters for help.The more complex and human they are, the more traumatic it is when they’re killed. Also, they provide motivation — they compel the hero to leap into harm’s way. It’s not enough to design a character for each player — the group must also design the Herd.

A draft of the team’s Herd.

First stab at character sheet.

We figured that the Rapture would suck like a cheerleader on prom night, and we were dead on.

The flyover states are a wasteland of ash, rubble, and telephone-pole crucifixions. Out in LA, jackal-faced nuns harvest sex organs from screaming scene kids. We got pissed-off ghosts haunting truck-stop urinals along I-95, and intelligent tick armies attacking rural towns in Virginia. Born-again serial killer congregations praise Jesus in New York, tentacled schoolchildren flay teachers in Seattle, and congressmen practice coprophilia in the District of Columbia (well, nothing new about that, actually).

The rest of the planet ain’t doing any better.

In Tokyo, the subways are splattered with twenty different kinds of hemoglobin bukkake. Tapeworms develop personalities and make dinner choices for their Parisian hosts. Slippery bowel spaghetti-loop entrails spell out Bible verses across church parking lots in Berlin. Rotting zombie fetuses chew their way through Gothenburg abortion clinics. Hell, you get the idea.

Yeah, we got us a real bitch of a problem. But I have a sawed-off thoughtgun and a head full of hollow-point ammo, so I guess I’ll be okay.

Cenotaph: A new roleplaying game from the mind of Rafael Chandler, scheduled for release in 2012. Visual direction and art by George Cotronis.