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The Night Clerk: an architectural horror TTRPG scenario zine

Created by Ross Payton

A full color illustrated zine of architectural horror, suitable for any modern tabletop RPG system, Escape the labyrinth of the Hotel before the Mystery Guest finds you. Written by Ross Payton of Role Playing Public Radio.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

The Night Clerk is funded! Thank you!!
over 2 years ago – Mon, Oct 09, 2023 at 02:44:25 PM

The Night Clerk is funded! Thank you to every backer for your support! I am working on the Pledge Manager and pre-order store so you can manage your shipping address and jump in on The Night Clerk.

The working schedule now is:

October and November: finish editing the zine. I am currently working on this and when I am done, I'll have Jacqueline Bryk edit it. Work on deluxe digital rewards.

December: A proof PDF is sent out to backers to catch typos. Work on

January: Fix typos submitted by backers and prepare for printing. Print a proof copy.

February: Once the proof copy is verified to be good, print for backers. Send deluxe digital rewards to backers.

March: Mail copies to backers. Finish any outstanding rewards, like online games. 

Art Preview: The Mystery Guest by Trevor Henderson
over 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 28, 2023 at 10:10:45 AM

Trevor Henderson, the creator of Sirenhead and author of the upcoming book Scarewaves, contributed art for The Night Clerk.

We've reached our first stretch goal! Let's keep going! At $9,000, every backer gets a free novella set in the hotel, The Left Angle Hotel.

Actual Play of the Night Clerk on Youtube!
over 2 years ago – Mon, Sep 18, 2023 at 11:20:32 AM

I ran a game of Delta Green using The Night Clerk as the scenario for two of my patrons on Youtube. You can check it out here! Find out what happens when two agents are sent to investigate a missing woman who searched for flagged occult terms before brandishing a gun in public.



We still have stretch goals to reach. Please spread the word about The Night Clerk! We have a little under 3 weeks left.

Interviews on architectural horror and zines
over 2 years ago – Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 10:38:19 AM



We're almost there! I've done some interviews on some podcasts lately, so if you want to hear more discussion on architectural horror, zines, and RPG design, check these out.

  • Relatable Rolls: A wide ranging discussion of horror, the zine format and the design process. 
  • The Rookery: a focused discussion on defining architectural horror, comparing it with folk horror.
  • Head Swap: A shorter interview on architectural horror.

If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this subgenre and zines, check these podcasts out.