About

Backwards Tabletop is the creator of SPINE, Rust Never Sleeps, and the "Backwards: American Gothic Horror" series.

To contact Asa, email backwaterttrpg-at-gmail-dot-com or message him on Bluesky.

Contributors

Asa Donald (he/him) is the tabletop rpg designer who wrote SPINE and Rust Never Sleeps. He's a former academic who spends a little too much time writing and thinking about games, if you ask the people closest to him. He still teaches on the side and is passionate about literature and the arts.

Alex Johnson (he/him) and Asa Donald (he/him) are co-creators, developers, and writers for Backwards: American Gothic Horror series. They became friends years ago through a friend's ttrpg group.

Written Reviews and Interviews

Audio Actual Plays & Interviews

Check out our Spotify playlist, where we have collected audio actual plays and our interviews in one convenient spot.

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Video Actual Plays & Reviews

Check out our YouTube playlist, where we have collected video actual plays and reviews in one convenient spot.

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Testimonials

SPINE

“A thoroughly chilling yet engrossing experience. I found myself enthralled by the interconnected mysteries lurking within the pages, until I simply couldn’t put it down. Horror enthusiasts & linguistic puzzlers must explore!”
— S. Kaiya J. (Her Odyssey, Galatea, Untitled Moth Game)

“SPINE is a captivating, tactile experience, compelling the reader to unravel layer after hidden layer. One of the most unique and memorable solo RPGs I’ve ever played.”
— Sam Leigh (Anamnesis, Outliers, Death of the Author)

"I’m partial to art about the transformative threat of art – and doubly enamored of SPINE, which equips you to transform the art right back. Whatever happens, neither you nor the game are walking away from the experience unchanged."
— Ken Lowery (VOID 1680 AM, No-Tell Motel)

"Siderius Plug's Immortality in Ninety-nine Endnotes is a venus flytrap of a book, it entices its readers in and you’ll find yourself sinking deeper into a truly immersive mystery, until you look up and find yourself completely lost to its pages."
— Seb Pines (Dwelling, Deadline)

Rust Never Sleeps

"Like an earworm from my pilot's grunge mixtape, the rules of this game repeat on loops in my head all day."
— Spencer Campbell (NOVA, RUNE, LOOT)

"The mechanics here all work together so seamlessly and fire up the imagination."
— Aaron Lim (Spectres of Brocken, An Altogether Different River, Ithaca in the Cards)

"This game has you slotting upgrades into your mech through the coolest character sheet I have ever seen."
— Spencer Campbell (NOVA, RUNE, LOOT)

The Backwards Series