Asher’s Ridge, a GM-less tabletop RPG inspired by supernatural mystery shows like X-Files and Twin Peaks, began crowdfunding on September 2. While more traditional games like D&D rely on dice to shape their stories, Asher’s Ridge uses something a little more unusual: Scrabble tiles.
Asher’s Ridge is structured just like a classic paranormal TV series. You’ll choose a logline for your episode that determines its theme and locations, and you’ll play out a three-act storyline that (usually) involves something weird and unexplainable.
To flesh out a scene, you’ll draw a small pool of letter tiles that must be arranged into ‘threads’, single words that summarize the twists and turns that this storyline takes. Words that can be connected to existing threads, Scrabble style, develop the main plot, while those that stand alone represent the stars getting sidetracked by a red herring.
You’ll also have a deck of cards on hand to draw from whenever your main characters try anything risky. Follow the trail of consequences (and survive a few commercial breaks), and your episode will barrel towards its exciting climax.
Since Asher’s Ridge has no need for a GM, it can be played with as few as one player or as many as four. It prides itself on being a “zero prep” game that lets you jump into the narrative with its simple rules.
Pledges start as low as $16 (£12) for a PDF rulebook, though you’ll need to spend $40 (£30) to get a hardcover standard edition. A clothbound collector’s edition is also available for $81 (£60), or you can go all-in for $182 (£135) and add maps, custom cards, and a lettered tile set to your pledge. There’s even a $672 (£500) pledge that gets you a signed and lettered version of the collector’s edition.
According to the Kickstarter page, physical items should reach backers by September 2026, though digital copies are predicted to be available as early as May. For more on your favorite tabletop RPGs, join us for a chat in the Wargamer Discord. Or check out the latest tips on choosing DnD classes and DnD races.