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:
Shadow in the Stars has Funded!
3 months 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!
3 months 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
3 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:
And We've Blasted Off!
3 months ago
– Tue, Jun 16, 2026 at 09:03:34 AM
Thank you everyone who has supported so far, we're off to a great start. And you haven't backed yet, please consider doing so!
Game Progress
The biggest update I have aside from the launch is that I've met with consultant (and pal) Cassi Mothwin a couple of times and she gave me incredibly good advice. There was a slight delay with the launch, because I wanted to take an extra bit of time retooling things a bit and wow we have an even stronger game now.
While the campaign is running I'm working on finishing the prompts and I'll meet with Cassi again. Once all of that is buttoned down we go onto final testing!
Stay Rad
Thanks again for following Shadow in the Stars. I'm very excited to launch and then get the game out into the world!
Progress Update 3: A Big Collab and a Launch Date
4 months ago
– Wed, May 13, 2026 at 10:05:19 AM
We've got some great new things to share!
A Big Announcement
I'm incredibly happy to share that my pal and highly talented ttrpg creator Cassi Mothwin is stepping in as a prompt consultant. Cassi is an award winning game designer who is the creator of Tangled Blessings, Carved by the Garden, the Sticker Game, and my personal favorite What Crooked Roots. She has the right kind of vibe to match what I'm going for in Shadow in the Stars.
I've been hoping I could team up with Cassi and work on a project in some capacity since around 2020, so this is a great win for me and the game! I'm really looking forward to getting her feedback and ideas for prompts!
Launch Date
Now that we've reached the minimum amount of project follows and keep gaining more, we've landed on a launch date. Right now we're set to blast off on July 6th. Of course, you'll be notified immediately if you're following this campaign.
That doesn't mean we've stopped looking for followers though. Please tell a friend! The more followers means the greater chance of funding and reaching stretch goals!
Game Progress
If you're wondering where we're at with the book, we're pretty far along with the layout. There's a few graphics I need to make, but not many. I've taken a bit of a pause on that though as I'm entering a testing stage again to try to tweak any rules and try to find potential pain points for a smoother game experience.
Stay Rad
Thanks again for following Shadow in the Stars. I'm very excited to launch and then get the game out into the world!
