The town of Wavelength exists in a strange limbo, an idyllic Upstate New York town that vanished from official records and maps in the early 1990s. Its existence has become a half-remembered myth, whispered about on long road trips and crackling through static on AM radio. Some claim to pick up ghostly broadcasts near where Wavelength supposedly stood, hearing fragments of soap operas, weather reports, or personal messages from those who lived there.

For those inside Wavelength, the town remains suspended in eerie perfection, a postcard-perfect snapshot of 90s small-town life. Quaint diners, artisanal crafts, and warm neighbors project an air of nostalgia… but the town has secrets.

Recently, televisions and radios have been infected with an omnipresent, enigmatic signal. Cryptic ads interrupt every broadcast, whispering impossible truths and surreal commands. Music swells out of nowhere, quelling any thoughts of leaving the town. Cryptic commercials, haunting soap operas, and surreal PSAs suggest the Static’s growing control. Some residents are even rumored to have vanished, replaced by eerie replicas speaking only in disjointed TV dialogue.

Players, each tied to the signal in a deeply personal way, must navigate Wavelength’s shifting reality, uncovering its secrets while holding onto their crumbling identities.

About this game

This game already has a playable playtest module. View it here.

What happens when reality itself begins to unravel? When the familiar streets of a small town become a labyrinth of haunting signals and surreal horrors?

Echoes in the Static is a Lynchian horror tabletop role-playing game where players step into the eerie, unraveling lives of a small town gripped by The Static, a sentient, monstrous broadcast that distorts reality itself. Set in Wavelength, a seemingly serene but isolated community, the game delves into themes of identity, memory, and the fragility of normalcy, as players grapple with the insidious and deeply personal influence of the Static.

The broadcast isn’t just background noise. It whispers, twists, and rewrites the world around it. Buildings change overnight. People vanish, only to return as strangers. Time loops and fragments, trapping Wavelength’s residents in surreal, dreamlike terrors. It seeps into the players’ lives, reshaping them in subtle, horrifying ways. Televisions whisper impossible truths about who they are or once were. Radios hum with distorted echoes of their own voices, promising lives they can barely recognize.

As the players dig deeper into the town’s unraveling reality, the Static pushes back, rewriting their very existence. Memories blur, identities fracture, and the boundary between self and signal grows disturbingly thin. Surviving in Wavelength means not just unraveling the secrets of the signal, but surviving its pull to erase and remake the players entirely.

This game has a playable playtest module. View it here.

Goals

Full funding achieved. A complete 100+ page game will be released with robust play and collaborative storytelling guidance.

First goal achieved. Commercial art assets unlocked. Pre-generated parts expanded to 25 unique NPCs, 30 distinct locations, and 10 pre-made player characters to make it easier to play with less prep.

Next to unlock:

• $750: TBD by backer input. What do you want to see? Do you want a companion with more depth for Wavelength? Should we order some custom maps? Cool character sheets? What do you want? Holler at Rev!
• $1000: Full print edition (all backers getting the game receive at-cost printing via DriveThruRPG). 

Risks and Upsides

Risks

• Rev endures neurological conditions and trauma. Rate of completion may vary based upon his personal health.
• US healthcare and other costs may require Rev to devote time to survival needs. Rate of completion may vary based on Rev's available time.
• Available stock art, public domain works, and other free illustration resources may be limited for the purpose.

Upsides

• This is already a working game (view the playtest module here).
• Rev has steadily pushed out new games and updates despite health and life struggles. The release is not a question of "if" but "when".
• Rev is an experienced creator, with games like NEVER Stop Smiling, Dinosaur Wizards In Space, and No Angels Live Here. 
• This has extensive notes. The bulk of the necessary work is proofreading and layout.
• The basic goal is a subsidy for Rev's time, to ensure free hours to work on the manuscript.
• Backer input on expanded content and fund spending. For example, some backers discouraged the previous $750 stretch goal as a large expenditure for limited funds; so that tier has been reset to To Be Determined with backer input.
• If over $1k is raised, a print on demand edition will be made and game backers will receive codes for at-cost printing when it is released.

Estimated Delivery

Before March 2025: First Backer Release

March-April 2025: First Public Ashcan Edition

June 2025: Print Edition (estimated; if funded)

Disclaimer

All special thanks names and sponsorship messages are subject to the sole approval and discretion of Rev Casey. Unduly offensive, such as bigoted, names and messages will not be allowed. Corrections may be allowed in some circumstances. No refunds. 

Alternate Payment Options

You can contribute directly by Debit/Credit Card. Please comment CANDY KING + your email address and/or ping Thought Punks on Bluesky or Mastodon after payment to make sure Rev has your info for fulfillment and we can track the goal & update it here. All reward tiers eligible.