Shadow in the Stars: A Solo Tabletop Roleplaying Game
Created by Paul Vincent
Secure your copy of Shadow in the Stars! Take the role of a starfighter pilot on a difficult journey of destruction and self discovery.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
That's a Wrap on the Campaign!
28 days ago
– Fri, Jul 10, 2026 at 07:02:34 PM
Thank you all so much. It warms my heart to see so many rad people back Shadow in the Stars.
What's Next?
On Kickstarter's end there's going to be a bit of a lull. Kickstarter takes some time processing things. They'll collect your pledges and a few weeks go by before I get the pledges. In the meantime I'll be setting up pledge manager in Backerkit. I'll send surveys when the game is closer to release to secure your address and/or get important info needed in order to fulfill the game.
As for making Shadow in the Stars, I need to give a huge thank you to fellow creator S. Kaiya J. for going above and beyond and giving me extensive feedback. With her and Cassi Mothwin's fantastic guidance and suggestions Shadow in the Stars has gotten even better.
I've already implemented the latest round of feedback and the game is going through another round of testing. I'll keep you updated on the progress!
I also have some cool potential upcoming announcements coming soon if everything works out. Sorry to be vague, but don't want to mention anything specifically if it doesn't work out. Stay tuned for more!
The Physical Sector Map
If you missed adding the unlocked physical sector map during the campaign (there appears to have been a technical issue and it was added pretty late), fear not! It'll be available in Backerkit when you fill out your survey, so you can pick it up then.
More Updates
I don't like to bother you with updates, so I'll continue to post here when there's something big (or at minimum once a month). If you'd like to get more progress updates (and my other stuff) you can always follow along at these other spots:
We've Hit a Stretch Goal!
28 days ago
– Fri, Jul 10, 2026 at 03:41:17 PM
Just a quick message in our final hours that we hit the first stretch goal. We've unlocked the printed sector map add-on stretch goal. If you'd like to add one to your physical book, you can adjust your pledge now. Otherwise, it'll be available to add when surveys come out a little down the road.
Anyway, that's all for now. I'll post a campaign wrap up email in a few hours when it's done!
Thanks everyone, you rock!
Shadow in the Stars has Funded!
about 1 month ago
– Sat, Jun 27, 2026 at 11:37:55 AM
Mission Accomplished
Thank you to everyone who has backed, because we reached the funding goal! Shadow in the Stars is going to happen because of you.
Let's Shoot for the Stars
Prototype Shown
We're not done yet, there's plenty of time to reach at least one stretch goal. The first goal is a printed sector map that will be made available as an add-on purchase. While you'll be provided the file to print one out yourself, this map will be a professional printed, foldable map measuring 10x17", that tucks nicely inside the book when folded.
Thanks again, and please keep sharing the campaign! Let's try to get to some stretch goals.
We're Halfway(ish) There And Close to Funding!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 08:16:34 AM
We're at about half way through the Shadow in the Stars campaign and we're very close to funding! We could potentially get a stretch goal or two by the time it's over! Thanks if you've backed, and if you haven't yet please consider pitching in to make this game a reality.
I figured it would be a good time to do an update:
Game Progress
I recently finished writing all the prompts and at this point I'm working on meeting up with consultant Cassi Mothwin to further the goal of making them as awesome as they can possibly be. I also sent the game out for further testing so we can refine things a bit more.
What remains? I've got a some graphs I need to create and a few technical things to take care of, but we're pretty far along on Shadow in the Stars.
Oh and I'm in talks with a proofreader/editor for when the time comes. I'm hoping to get someone I've worked with before, but their schedule is pretty busy so I can't make an announcement just yet.
Inspiration
I'd like to take a moment to briefly talk about inspiration for Shadow in the Stars. If you've seen the cover, you know the game is heavily inspired by Atari games, particularly the art. I actually wrote about it on my blog awhile back when I was originally conceiving the game. The short version is I wanted to explore the gap between the art and the game and what I would often fill in between as the story, as I lacked any kind of guidebook that contained a story.
One thing I really haven't touched on before is the inspiration for a lot of the prompts. If you don't know what those are, the prompts are the descriptive challenges you encounter, the different ways your character can get killed, the revelations that they have, and the endings.
The main inspiration behind the challenges come from a lot of video games, particularly those featuring a starfighter. I've played a lot of vintage shooter games as well as games like X-Wing, Wing Commander, and Colony Wars... wait I realized those all count as vintage games now...
For the rest of the prompts I dug into my old noggen and thought about what I enjoyed from sci-fi television such as Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, and even some old radio shows such as X Minus One and Dimension X, which present often horrifying or disturbing fates for space explorers. So you can see where I'm going with this, a lot of the prompts are kinda dark for our favorite space pilot. I'm sure they'll be okay though.
And as I'm going on about inspirations, I'd like to thank my mom who instilled a love of reading in me. We didn't always read the same things, but I got into more horror based books from her collection, which had me branching into sci-fi later on. We also watched plenty of sci fi movies together. Oh and my mom picked up used Atari games at rummage sales back in the day too, which helped fuel my interest in the game art.
More Updates
We'll keep updating here when there's something noteworthy happening, but if you'd like to hear more from us there's:
Last update I said something about the only way we can succeed (indie creators) is through the community of rad indie gamers recommending things they like to their pals. Well, that's why I'd like to recommend a couple of other crowdfunders that are happening right now. I'm not paid for this, I'm just trying to get the word out on other projects I like.
How's My Driving: Described as, "A road trip gone wrong for 2-6 players, and acclaimed Daggerheart horror hack." How's My Driving was designed by Jack Panic whose work I've admired for awhile now. It looks like a fun, if not scary, time! You can check it out here.
Cyberrats in Space: "Rats. Mechs. Revenge." This game by designer Alex Rinehart features mech piloting rats influenced by XCOM, TMNT, Shadowrun, and more. Check it out here
That's All For Now!
That wraps up this update. I'm looking forward to posting a "we're funded!" update in celebration very soon. Thanks for being a part of this.
Campaign Progress and Add-on Announcement
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Jun 17, 2026 at 08:19:31 AM
We hit a pretty big milestone with 1/3rd funded on day one and right now we're close to 1/2 funded. It's a great place to be in going into day two. Thank you to everyone who has backed so far. Let's keep it going, be sure to tell a friend! The only way we can succeed is through the community of rad indie gamers recommending things they like to their pals.
If you haven't backed yet, please consider doing so. We want to get the super cool Shadow in the Stars into your hands!
Add-on Announcement
You try to plan for everything... and then you forget something. In this case, I forgot to add Table Cat Games previous releases as add-ons for this campaign! Well, that's corrected now.
If you've missed our previous works like Street Wolves or Monster Truckers, you can pick them up for discounted prices in both physical and PDF form. Heck, you can get the digital version of The Wicked King Forever Hungers for a mere dollar!
Future Updates
We'll keep updating here when there's something noteworthy happening, but if you'd like to hear more from us there's:
