Andrea Bocca
We would like to thank the author, Alexandre “Kobayashi” Jeannette, for providing us with a digital review copy of Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods, a dark fantasy roleplaying game that doesn’t make any effort to smooth down its sharpest edges.
This is a game that seeks no compromise: decadent atmospheres, demonic presences, and fading deities frame an experience that does not aim to be reassuring, but rather disturbing and oppressive. There is no room here for pure heroism or redemption. Every page drips with the sense of a world slowly falling, one that players are called to traverse with no guarantee of making it out.
For those with the courage to step into a universe that offers no promise of glory—only survival within a decaying reality—the manual is available in English and digital format on DriveThruRPG for $10.51 (around €9.07). The physical copy is priced at $20.99, while the bundle including both formats costs $25.99.
Whether it’s ruthless assassins, corrupted cults, or dying gods, this TTRPG does not merely describe a bleak world. It throws you into it, demanding that you breathe its dust and carry the weight of its atmosphere on your shoulders.
The Heart of the Experience
Ashengrad is no place for heroes. It is a monumental, frozen city — capital of the decaying Polaris Empire — evoking both the opulence and the shadows of imperial Saint Petersburg. Towering palaces, snow-covered streets, splendor on the surface, and rot festering in its darkest corners. This is where the protagonists move.
And they are not chosen warriors or spellcasters brimming with power. They are ordinary people — merchants, clerks, unremarkable figures — entrusted by a supernatural entity known as the Guardian with an impossible mission: to seek out and kill the demons hiding among the population. No spells, no blessings, no enchanted weapons: only cunning, fear, and the companions at your side.
This is the core of the game’s experience: embodying the fragility of an ordinary man or woman, dragged into a nightmare far greater than themselves, where paranoia becomes both ally and enemy. In Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods, you do not play to become a hero, but to survive long enough to understand what it truly means to face demons — the ones outside, and the ones within.
Review of the System and Mechanics of Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods
The ruleset at the heart of Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods is light and purposeful. It does not give you tools to become an invincible hero, but to stand on your feet just long enough to complete your mission. The system uses streamlined mechanics designed to keep the tension high and never slow down the oppressive atmosphere that permeates Ashengrad.
Generating character attributes (Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence) involves rolling a d6 and assigning a value from a specific table. Tests are undertaken by rolling a d20 and hoping to remain below the corresponding skill. Talking about combat, on the other hand, the players roll their Violence die (d4 to d12) and the result is substracted from the opponent’s Defense total.
The mechanical focus is not on mechanical character growth, but on survival in a hostile environment. Every choice matters: resources are scarce, combat is fast and deadly, and the risk of falling is ever-present. There is no real “reward” at the end of a conflict — only the fact that you are still alive, ready to face the next nightmare.
One of the most striking differences lies in how the rules fuel paranoia. Demons are not dungeon monsters but entities hiding among the people, capable of blending seamlessly into the city’s daily life. This means that tension also arises from social interactions: figuring out who is human and who is not becomes a core element of the game, and every mistake can come at a devastating cost.
In this sense, the rules are not about “winning,” but about managing risk, deception, and fragility. Every die roll becomes an act of balance between trust and suspicion, between the instinct to survive and the mission imposed by the Guardian.
Review of the Aesthetic and Visual Atmosphere of Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods
What immediately stands out in Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods is its aesthetic choice. The book features stark black-and-white photographs that strongly evoke a Soviet-like imagery — rigid faces, posed group portraits, austere interiors — but with disturbing details that shatter normality. A man with the head and hands of an insect, misplaced elements, intrusions of the unnatural into everyday life. It’s a direct and powerful way of conveying the game’s core: demons are hidden among ordinary people, and recognizing them is the first step to survival.
Alongside the photographs, we find deliberately minimalist illustrations and materials: just two bestiary sketches, dry and essential, and bare maps, as if hastily scribbled by a player at the table. There’s no attempt to impress with elaborate artwork or lavish detail. The visual impact is intentionally stripped down, in line with the bleak and oppressive tone of the setting.
This graphic approach is not a flaw, but a deliberate choice to keep the focus on the central point: the sense of paranoia and fragility. Spectacular visuals aren’t needed; a blurred face or an empty room is enough for the players’ imagination to fill it with unease, suspicion, and tension.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strengths I appreciated in this work are:
- Absolute coherence. Every aspect of the game, from the rules to the aesthetics, is aligned with the message it wants to deliver: a cold, hopeless world where survival is the only goal. There are no compromises.
- Powerful atmosphere. The use of disturbing imagery, stark visual tone, and minimalism leaves no escape: it pulls you straight into the experience, with no room for relief.
- Radical approach. This is a game that dares. It doesn’t try to appeal to everyone but instead aims squarely at a precise, uncompromising type of experience.
The weaknesses (though not necessarily for everyone):
- Not for everyone. If you’re looking for comfort, heroes, epic progression, or catharsis, this game may push you away. There is no glory here — only suspicion and survival.
- Little “epic” action. Sessions aren’t about grand battles, but about oppressive investigation, psychological tension, and brutal violence. If you’re after classic adventure fantasy, look elsewhere.
- Essential aesthetics. The visual minimalism is coherent, but it might feel sparse to those expecting lavish illustrations or spectacular maps.
Who It’s for and What Kind of Experience It Offers
Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods is a game designed not for escapism, but for immersion in a ruthless world. It’s for players who want to sit at the table and breathe tension, accepting to live out short, intense stories — often with no way out.
You won’t find heroes who grow stronger, radiant magic, or consoling endings. Instead, you’ll find ordinary men and women forced to face horrors hidden among the people, weighed down by fear and by the fragility of their own condition.
It’s a title that divides: if you love extreme coherence and the idea of a harsh, uncompromising experience, you’ll appreciate it for its radical nature. But if you’re looking for hope, adventure, or spectacle, it will likely feel alienating. Either way, it never leaves you indifferent.
Conclusion of the Review of Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods
Assassins, Demons and Dying Gods is not a game that tries to appeal to everyone. It is bleak and uncompromising, but precisely for that reason it carves out an experience that sticks with you. It doesn’t promise glory or victory, only the constant tension of living in a city collapsing in on itself, where demons wear human faces and fate rarely bends.
If you’re looking for a game that unsettles, engages, and pushes you in a direction far from classic fantasy, then this title has everything it needs to surprise you. You won’t leave the table with a carefree smile, but with the feeling of having gone through something raw and unforgettable.
And in the end, isn’t that what makes certain sessions truly memorable?
