Welcome to Gravemire, a horror RPG by Sylvan Lawrence, published by Clawhammer Games. Set in an uncanny, creature-infested version of 1890s Louisiana, Gravemire uses an original D12-based system of mechanics and a deliberate focus on character relationships to help players tell meaningful stories of fallible people coping with unfathomable odds.

The Game

Gravemire is a tabletop roleplaying game about death, growth, horror, and survival, based in an original mechanical framework and set in the churning waters of the Louisiana bayou circa 1894. Players slip into the roles of outsiders arriving in the town of Scarstone, a rural outpost that has been warped by a terrible transformation known as the Convulsion. Once, Scarstone was surrounded by similar towns. The Bayou once had an end. Now, unknowable numbers of horrors seep through the uncharted backwaters, strange magic contorts reality to its whims, and the settlements that called Scarstone their neighbor jut half-ruined from the mire like bones from a wound. Times have changed.

Folk like you drift into Scarstone in a steady trickle. Maybe you’re a researcher, or a monster hunter. Maybe you’re just on the run. Whoever you are, the good people of Scarstone will not open their hearts to you easily; they’ve grown used to the stream of hopefuls, all trying to make their mark on the shifting swamp. One day soon, they expect you will find your place there, buried under that mud that sucks at your shoes even now, and they’ll never see you again.

They’re right, too.

You see, Gravemire is a game about surviving the Bayou, but it’s also a game about not surviving the Bayou. Every time you push your way through the Border, you gamble with the life of the character you play. It is a gamble that you are likely to lose sooner or later. When you do, the waters will be waiting to claim you, and the boatman on the other side will be waiting to help you pick up the pieces, escort a new soul into the light of the boarding house, and try again. This, then, is the driving crux of Gravemire: how do you try again? How do you commit to a character you expect to lose? We leave it up to you to decide; all we can provide you is the tools to make your journey. Welcome, friend. Here... we saved a ticket just for you.

The Book

Gravemire is a 130 page roleplaying game, and has everything you need to play through your own stories in and around Scarstone. It features gorgeous full-color, black-and-white, and sepia artwork, brought to you by Clawhammer's incredible art team, directed by Sara Belote.

The book has eight chapters, including advice about getting started and session 0, rules for play both beyond the Border and within Scarstone itself, a full chapter just for the Dealer, and a chapter on Gravemire's unique magic system.

What folks are saying 'bout Gravemire

Gravemire's been well received around the internet. Check out what people have said about us online here, and scroll down for quotes and feedback we've received from friends, playtesters, and the tabletop community.

From the web:

Jeff Stormer played Gravemire with Sylvan on the Party of One podcast 

Sylvan & Gravemire were featured on the Draw Your Dice podcast

Dicebreaker wrote an article introducing Gravemire

From the community:

Gravemire is a brutal action-horror game that dares to stare into the pit of death and beg for more. Its rules are systematic without being smothering, and the whole game balances on that perfect precarity between an uncaring society and the nightmares of the deep.
 — Jay Dragon, Possum Creek Games

Gravemire is a tight game of confronting otherworldly horrors with a lot of player-to-player safety and control built in - all nicely wrapped within a rarely seen 2d12 system!
 — Viditiya Voleti, creator of SWORD&BEARER and Basic TCG

Gravemire is a game that explores tropes and genres that can feel overlooked or left behind in our American history. If you are familiar with works like Will Jobst’s Black Mass or the tales from the audio drama Old Gods of Appalachia, pull up to the campfire and tell a spooky tale or two with your bravest friends.
 — Jeremy Gage, Draw Your Dice Podcast

This is a game that takes care to take care of its players and I dig that. The mechanics are simple and designed in a way that they all interact with each other to limit cognitive load so you can focus on the story and the creep factor...I recommend this game to anyone that wants a easy to pick up horror game with simple, but evocative gameplay.
  — Nick Butler, creator of Tide Breaker RPG

The bayou in Gravemire is a dark and twisted place, make no mistake. It can legitimately be the stuff of nightmares. But what sets the game apart is the way it leads its players to make bold choices. What will you do with your character when you know their life is fleeting? How will you connect with other players through a world where the characters can be so ephemeral? The game inspires us to conjure a tremendous amount of heart, which gives it real weight and power, and makes me a better player for every RPG I'm part of.
  —90south, playtester

Gravemire was written by Sylvan Lawrence, which is the pen name of David Gales.