Tabletop couture and the horror of high-end fashion

Banana Chan, award-winning designer of games like Jiangshi and The Darkness at the Brink of Ohio, is currently crowdfunding Knockoff, the second installment of her solo roleplaying series: The Mephistopheles Trilogy. Named after the demon from the play Faust, each game in the series follows a single struggling artist as they navigate the complex, socially dangerous world of high art in New York City. 

The first book, Forgery, followed Tempest as she makes a bargain with a demon in order to stop forging others' art and become a renowned painter in her own right. Knockoff — a cheeky allusion to the types of fashion accessories you might find on New York’s famous Canal Street — follows Marcos a queer Black man attempting to make a name for himself in the cutthroat fast fashion industry. 

In the review copy Rascal received, much like Forgery, the game blends a second person Choose Your Own Adventure novel format with solo journaling game elements to create a deeply intimate horror experience that requires the players to put themselves in Marcos’ perspective as an artist in a world that views him as disposable. Unlike most solo RPGs, the pathway for this game is largely pre-determined, with the elements of the story left up to the player largely consisting of Marcos’ past and his internal motivations. However, once the Faustian bargain presents itself, players have to choose the materials his career-defining dress will consist of — and how he’ll navigate the web of toxic relationships he’s been entangled in. 

This interview has been edited for length, clarity, and flow.