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Award-winning tabletop RPG designer Jason Cordova, creator of indie hits like Brindlewood Bay and The Between, is back on Kickstarter with a brand new campaign for Public Access, a game inspired by the analog horror, found-footage and online creepypasta memes.
Notably, Public Access was first released in 2023 as a digital only product sold via DriveThruRPG, but this new crowdfunder features updated rules, physical copies of the core rules, an additional tie-in supplement and physical accessories. The campaign runs from now until April 12th on Kickstarter. Below, we take a closer look at what secrets lay hidden within the static.
What is the Public Access RPG?
Public Access is a tabletop RPG created by Jason Cordova and released by publisher and podcast network The Gauntlet (which Cordova founded). The game is focused on analog horror; a subgenre inspired by grainy VHS tapes, late night local TV and retro media.
Gameplay is set in 2004, in the fictional city of Deep Lake, New Mexico. Players take on the roles of individuals (known as “Latchkeys”) who grew up in the city and return home to try and uncover the truth behind a mysterious, long vanished public access station known as TV Odyssey. As they investigate, they must navigate childhood memories and bizarre supernatural threats while tracking down VHS tapes of the station’s strange, otherwordly broadcasts.
Thematically, Public Access is very much inspired by 90s pop culture, the online horror stories of creepypasta, found footage series like The Back Rooms and Local58TV, as well as recent films such as I Saw the TV Glow.
Mechanically, the game utilizes the Carved from Brindlewood (CfB) system, a variation of the Powered by the Apocalypse engine. Actions are resolved by rolling two six-sided dice and adding up the total, plus any relevant stats. Results range from a full success, mixed success or failure, with The Keeper (the game’s name for a GM) narrating the outcome. Players, however, can use an ability known as “Turn a Key” to improve a bad roll. This requires the player to narrate a specific flashback in order to get the benefit, filling in details from their childhood that are related to the current situation.
The game also emphasizes a unique approach to Mysteries (the game’s name for adventure scenarios) in that the Keeper does not decide the solution beforehand. Instead, players gather clues and eventually theorize a solution, with the success of their rolls determining if their theory becomes the canonical “truth” of the story.
What are the backer options for the Public Access RPG?
The project is split across two primary books and a specialty card set, as follows:
- Public Access (Core Book): A 150-page book featuring revised rules (based on the original 2023 version of the game). It includes 8 original Mysteries (such as the haunted House on Escondido Street and the cursed 8-bit game XXAAGREUS), 12 Odyssey Tapes and a fully pre-written campaign.
- Signals from the Other Side (Expansion): This 150-page companion book adds 7 new Mysteries, 14 additional Odyssey Tapes and a new “Lost Transmissions” mechanic that allows players to play alternate-dimension versions of their characters.
- The Odyssey Tape Cards: A physical set of 4×6 cards housed in a retro VHS clamshell case. One side looks like a hand-labeled VHS tape and the other contains the narrative prompts for the disturbing footage players “watch” during the game.
The Kickstarter backer options are as follows:
- Digital Collection ($20 USD): Includes PDF versions of both the core book and the Signals from the Other Side expansion.
- Public Access ($40 USD): The physical hardcover edition of the core rulebook plus the PDF.
- Public Access + Signals ($70 USD): Both the core book and the Signals from the Other Side expansion in physical hardcover.
- TV Odyssey ($100 USD): The “full experience” tier, including both hardcovers and the physical Odyssey Tape Cards in the VHS clamshell case.
- High-Tier Play Experiences ($500 – $8,000 USD): These limited tiers (now mostly sold out) offer online play sessions with creator Jason Cordova or other prominent TTRPG personalities like Matt Risby.
Why we’re excited about the Public Access RPG
- A unique theme: Analog horror is something we haven’t really seen before in the TTRPG space, and the concept sounds like it’s incredibly well executed here.
- Player-driven gameplay: The idea of players being able to actually shape the narrative sounds absolutely amazing and ties into the game’s large theme of memory and collective nostalgia.
- Solid mechanics: Building off the Powered by the Apocalypse engine is a smart move and the additional mechanics of the game sound intriguing.
- Designer pedigree: Jason Cordova has earned a well-deserved reputation for pushing the enveloped with TTRPG design, so it’s likely what we’ll be getting is extremely polished and innovative.
Final thoughts
If you’re a fan of TTRPGs and analog horror, chances are the Public Access RPG will be right up your alley (or back room). We’ll be keeping a close eye on the project over the next few months.
In the meantime, crowdfunding runs from now until April 12th, 2026 on Kickstarter.