The Zone RPG

THE ZONE is a GM-less tabletop roleplaying game for 1–6 players about a doomed expedition into a mysterious quarantine zone — an alien place that warps reality, manifests its explorers' deepest phobias and obsessions, and mutates everyone in its path. The rules are deliberately stripped back: no dice, no stats, no maths. Everything runs through cards, narrative choices, and the creeping dread of a play-to-lose journey toward the centre, where one survivor may have their deepest wish granted.

Inspired by Annihilation, Stalker, Roadside Picnic, and the SCP Foundation, THE ZONE leans hard into surreal body-horror and hubris. Designed by Raph D'Amico of Laughing Kaiju, it funded on Kickstarter in 2022 — raising over $317,000 from more than 3,400 backers — and arrived at retail in May 2024, going on to win the IndieCade 2024 Tabletop Design Award. Everything fits inside a sturdy 10″ × 7″ × 2″ box.

What's in the box:

• Sturdy 10″ × 7″ × 2″ box
• Operation Manual (book)
• Book of Mutation (book)
• Book of Twists (book)
• 144 Tarot-sized holographic foil cards:
  • 24 Characters
  • 48 Motivations
  • 61 Locations
  • 6 Callsigns
  • 4 Endgame
  • 1 Quickstart
• 104 Poker-sized cards:
  • 52 Scenes
  • 43 Not So Easy
  • 8 Fate
  • 1 X-Card