*air horn* Goooooood morning and merry Mothman hunting, you wild, wonderful, Chupacabra-crazed weirdos! Welcome to The CryptID Show—the paranormal power hour where your local cryptid encounters take center stage! Think you saw a selkie sitting on your sofa? Call in now and squeal like a squonk about your freakiest encounters with the unknown. Learn how to tell your trows from your trolls and how to stop them trawling through your trash bins!
The CryptID Show is a storytelling game for two or more players about constructing and deconstructing cryptid sightings. Working together, the Host and Caller will attempt to explain the unexplainable, aided only by a deck of playing cards and their own imagination. Together, you’ll sculpt bite-sized stories of the bizarrely sweet, the hauntingly esoteric, and the just plain weird, all in the form of a live call-in show.
The Host is the voice of reason (or chaos!) guiding the Caller through their latest cryptid calamity. Together, they’ll cook up the Host’s persona, the flavor of broadcast–such as 90’s drive-time radio, true crime podcast, or video livestream–and a few catchy taglines to set the mood. Maybe this Host is a hard-nosed skeptic chasing down the truth with a flashlight and a soundboard, or maybe they’re a wide-eyed believer broadcasting straight from Bigfoot's couch.
When the Caller dials in, they’ll lay out the Encounter Characteristics of the sighting, including the physical description, the location of the sighting, and the effect of the experience on both them and the cryptid. The Host digs in, spinning theories, connecting the dots, and cranking up the tension as the mystery deepens. It’s up to the two of you to decide whether the night ends with a rational explanation...or if there’s a more supernatural solution to be found.
$5 - Cryptid Conservationist: If you just love cryptids, or long for the days of call in radio shows -OR- just want to support this amazing creation by Anica you can support it here.
$15 - Digital Dover Demon: A PDF copy of The CryptID Show, perfect for cryptid hunters who like to pack light. 50 pages, includes all digital extras and stretch goals.
$35 - Moth Manual (Print + PDF): A physical copy of The CryptID Show. Some cryptids interfere with electronic devices, so if you want to be sure you’re prepared for everything the paranatural might throw your way (literally or figuratively). Measures 5x8” 50 pages, wiro bound and printed with satin paper and satin-coated cover. Includes the PDF and 1 community copy!
$55 - Bigfoot Bundle: For the cryptid hunter on the go. Includes physical and digital copies of The CryptID Show, two custom journals for your host or caller with questions outlined, a carpenter pencil for jotting down notes, 3 bumper stickers to flag down other traveling investigators and a premium bookmark. Just in case you see something and need to run. Includes 2 community copies.
$120 - Ghost in the Machine: The truth is out there, and you’ve got the full kit to find it! Includes the game, journals, carpenter pencil, bumper stickers, bookmark and customized microphone flags for your Host. Finally, you’ll have the ability to record a brief audio message released to other CryptID Show players for use in their games! Audio may include cryptic warnings of ill tidings, or your best attempt at a Bigfoot call. Includes 5 community copies.
Please note Atticus Haus and Plus One Experience reserve the right to reject any submitted audio message for any reason.
An image outlining our stretch goals for flashfunding, 3500, 4500 & 5000. Featuring music and audio by Jo Vasinda and additional encounters and writing by Jonanthan Perez Galvan, Cate Osborn & Ify Nwadiwe! All goals are checked off!
An image depicting the next stretch goal at $7500...more art! From the incredibly Randy Milholland!
An image depicting the $8500 Stretch Goal, which is a companion website for more The CryptID Show prompts!
An imaging depicting our final Stretch Goal of $10,000 called The CryptID Foundation, which is a grant to help other indie game designers create their game through financial support.
“The CryptID Show is such a fun concept! It scratches both my itch as a fan of comedy and tabletop games. The improv nature makes every game unique. So, I was extremely excited when I had the chance to contribute on it.” -Ify Nwadiwe, Comedian and Writer
“The CryptID Showbrings together the eccentricity of an amateur cryptozoologist and the quirky, unexpected nature of a call-in radio show, delighting the day-dreaming Appalachian in all of us.” -Johnny Stanton, co-creator of SINK! Adventures on the Caldereach Sea, DM of Friday Beers D&D
“Reading the rules for The CryptID Show made me want to drive into the woods to hunt for monsters. This game is a love letter to improv, talk radio, and cryptozoology that delivers innovative card-based improv mechanics for players of all experience levels!” -Daniel Kwan, showrunner of the Asians Represent podcast and creator of the Wandering Blades TTRPG
“My 1st time playing the game with Anica captured me like a sasquatch in a grainy photo. As a huge fan of what she is doing in Sin Eater, I was thrilled when she approached us about partnering with her on The CryptID Show.” - Tony Vasinda, Plus One Exp
Want to see The CryptID Show in action? Check out our livestream with Catieosaurus and Clint McElroy!
Anica Cihla (they/she) is a former games guide writer for IGN, stand-up comic, official Words With Friends trivia show host, and contributing writer for Cracked.com. She is also the current brand director at Hero Forge and a perpetual Dark Souls 2 defender. Her previous games include Sin Eater and psych: the ttrpg.
Eryk Sawicki (he/him) is a pierogi-core graphic designer based in Leeds, UK. Alongside being SoulMuppet's Operations Manager, he also runs Peregrine Coast Press, a boutique RPG shop and distributor.
Alex Teplitz (he/they) is an NYC-based editor and occasional wizard. He has worked as a games producer, writer, and editor for Darrington Press, Hunters Entertainment, and Pixel Circus for projects like Daggerheart, Kids on Bikes 2e, and more. (alexteplitz.com)
Shane Brockway (he/him) has been making miniatures for Dimension 20, creating weird games under "The Flagellant & The Fool", writing absurdist comic books, running immersive horror events, and is slipping further and further into becoming the esoteric moss gnome of his dreams one branch riddled beard hair at a time.
Randy Millholland (he/him) is the mind behind Something Positive, and is the author of the Sunday Popeye comic.
Geoff Tice (he/him) is a Denver based comedian, writer, podcaster, actor, and artist.
Joan Zahra Dark (they/them) is a writer, organizer and games maker currently based in Chicago. They think Mothman is really cool and is free when Mothman’s free to hang out sometime.
Plus One Exp is a weird little brand that wants to connect emerging designers with players excited to try new games and build sustainable models for publication. We haunt the midatlantic and beyond like roving spirits.
Jonathan Perez Galvan (he/him) is a writer, streamer, and content creator who is best known for his LatinosAgainstSpookyShit shortform sketches and his role as co-host of the podcast The Spooky Guys. A master of all things paranormal, supernatural, and cryptozoological, Jonathan brings his expertise and punchy, quick sense of humor to The CryptID Show in a truly incredible way.
Catieosaurus (she/they) is a certified ADHD sex educator, mental health advocate and full-time content creator. Cate possesses a knowledge of cryptids and the paranormal that almost borders on supernatural itself, and her ridiculously niche, almost-certainly-based-on-an-extremely-obscure-documented-cryptid-sighting knowledge she’s bringing to the table for TheCryptID Show is guaranteed to level up your cryptid sighting experience.
Ify Nwadiwe (he/him) is an actor, comedian and writer who's appeared on Comedy Central's Key and Peele, Workaholics, IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang! and Comedy Central's @midnight. Ify is a regular on Dropout, as well as the host of the platform’s popular trivia show Um, Actually. His mantle as the king of nerds and master of improv means he’ll be adding some truly fantastic cryptids to The CryptID Show as a contributing writer.
$8 - Community Copy: Community copies made available for free after the game’s release! A limited amount will be available based on how many are purchased for people who can’t otherwise afford it.
$3 - Bookmark with Tassel: A premium bookmark with a tassel to save your place when doing research for your show! $10 - Bumper Stickers Set: For flagging down other cryptid investigators on the road, get some bumper stickers on your ride! This 3-pack of bumper stickers has classics like: My other car is Nessie but she’s a plesiosaur and isn’t street legal in this country. Keep honking, I can’t hear you over the sound of the Michigan Dogman screaming at me from the passenger seat. SQUONK IF YOU’RE SQUORNY
$16 - Host & Caller Journal Set: Plan for everything you need as the host with the most for your own CryptID Show game! Includes space for you to jot down your show name, tagline, host name, solutions, and any other notes you might need!
We're so excited to be doing a crossover collab with our friends at Goosepoop Games for their game Black Flies also crowdfunding right now! Backers of both games will get an extra digital add-on of Zzrtrzz-specific encounter characteristics to use in The CryptID Show! Don't miss both of these amazing horror TTRPGs!
Plus One Exp has a great and robust retail program. In order to not lock up your funds, and to avoid platform fees, we encourage retailers to sign up for our retail partnership program by email [email protected] and pledging $1 to follow along. We will email you monthly about all new product releases including The CryptID Show & Black Flies.
The CryptID Show is written, edited, and currently in layout. Layout will be completed before the end of funding allowing for immediate digital release, printing and distribution. Shipping will be charged in pledge management on BackerKit.
US Shipping will be $8-15 USD International shipping will be ~$18-35
Our goal is to have products shipping out before PAX Unplugged at the end of November, which will allow for free pick-up at the event. Tariffs will not impact US orders since all items are being manufactured in and shipped from the US. Local tariffs & customs for other countries may apply.
If we get more than 100 backers in any other country or region we will identify and work with a localized shipping partner to reduce costs.
