Girlfriend of the Week (GotW) is a romantic comedy horror TTRPG for 2-3 players. Taking inspiration both from classic American sitcoms and media such as (500) Days of Summer, Stranger Than Fiction, and Higurashi When They Cry, we explore themes of romantic obsession, loss of autonomy, and what it means to be a love interest in fiction. This is a game about love, but it is also a game about terror, loss, temporary upheaval, permanent change, and doubting your own sense of reality. 

GotW is an asymmetrical game with three distinct roles: the Protagonist, the Love Interest and the World. The Protagonist is the central figure of the game. They establish the status quo of what 'normal' looks like and drive the story forward with their actions. The World is the game's facilitator. Their job is to establish the setting, maintain the fiction of the story, and control any NPCs that come up. Finally, the Love Interest's role is to challenge the Protagonist and push them out of their comfort zone. Whatever the Protagonist believes normal is, the Love Interest will turn that upside down and look beautiful doing it. 

However, there is something else that makes the Love Interest unique. Whatever character they play will only exist for one in-game week - typically a single session. In that time, they may sow as much chaos and confusion as their heart desires...as long as it comes from a place of love. But as far as the Protagonist is concerned, they do not exist before Monday morning, and they are gone forever by Sunday night. And once they disappear, a new Love Interest is introduced to do it all over again. 

This is not a game about closure or happy endings or neat little bows. This is a game about love, and it is a game about pain. And if the Protagonist is lucky, they may survive it. 

Girlfriend of the Week is currently in playtesting. A finished version of the game is planned for release by Q4 2024.

Who are you when you're alone? Is it the same person you are when you're at work? Is it the same person you are when you're with your family? 

When you're in love? 

These are the questions our Protagonist, Omair Qazi, must contend with as they wake up on yet another Monday, just like each one before it. Another monotonous day in their ordinary life. Work and then home and then eat and then sleep and then work and then home and then eat and then sleep and then work and then home and then eat and then sleep. Who is Omair when they are alone? 

Work and then home and then eat and then sleep and then the love of their life.  

Who is the stranger who claims to be their everything? What does Omair do when someone they've never met claims to know the truth of their heart? Is an escape from the monotony worth the danger? 

Will Omair like who they are when they're in love? 

In this four episode mini-series, Omair will encounter four Love Interests who will change the course of their life forever - if they can make it out alive, that is. 

Hamnah Shahid (any/all) is an award-winning TTRPG performer, producer, and writer. From a queer, agender, Pakistani perspective, they specialize in high-emotion, character-driven narratives. He strives to make experimental, emotionally-driven art that not only encourages us to question what we think is possible in TTRPGs, but also uplifts marginalized voices seeking to tell their own stories. You can follow Hamnah's work on X/Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok at LilithTTRPG and learn more at https://hamnah.carrd.co/.

Sea Thomas (@SeaPlaysRPG ) is a professional TTRPG performer, lorekeeper, and theatremaker working on Actual Play productions.  Sea has appeared on Transplanar RPG as a full- time cast member and producer, as well as on shows such as Higher Education, Beyond the Brook, and more. Sea is a performance artist and scholar by trade who brings fully embodied dramatization to every aspect of their work.

quinn b. rodriguez (they/them) is a queer nonbinary polyam Latine diabled/chronically ill creator. They are an award-nominated TTRPG designer and actual play performer, writer, editor, and sensitivity reader. They played Citlalli on Transplanar RPG's The Second Stranger. quinn thrives on 8D chess and queer mess, and seeks to tell resonant stories of flawed characters. You can learn more at https://tastic.me/

Josephine (none/she) is a Korean-American horror creator who produces, performs, podcasts, and more in the realm of TTRPGs. Through personal and intimate horror, she explores fear, mundanity, and relationships in every character and story she brings to the table. Notable works of hers involve storytelling two seasons of Itaewon by Night (BadHouseRPG, Rainbow Roll Network: Best GM) and storytelling GUDIYA (Nameless Domain, NJ Web Fest: Best Audio Fiction Winner).

Oleander (they/them) is a Black, non-binary actor, writer, and podcaster in love with exploring everything different storytelling mediums have to offer. From existential dramas to absurdist slapstick comedies, Oleander takes their acting experience to TTRPGs to explore the comedy within tragedy and vice versa. Most notably they were apart of Prayers in the Static: Majesty and Agony's award nominated ensemble cast.

Gwendolyn Kelly (she/her) is a Black/Jewish nonbinary TTRPG creator. She is an award winning Marketing Strategist and the Game Master for the audio drama-actual play fusion Capricious Provenance. Gwen uses her visual design background to tell evocative stories about comedy and tragedy. Her creative mantra is: fiction informs reality; reality is informed by fiction. You can find her @glitchy_pixie and learn more about her work at glitchypixie.carrd.co.

Drak (he/they) is a Black British TCG & TTRPG content creator specialising in actual play project management, writing, and streaming/performing. Some of their writing credits include Paizo, Cubicle 7, Game and A Curry, and many others. He has also produced and performed in several actual plays, such as Beyond the Brook, My First Dungeon, and Oxventure. His goal is to promote and create thriving spaces for the BIPOC community. You can find them at @Drakoniques and find their work at drakoniques.carrd.co.

Kendrick/Kendo is a producer, podcaster, performer, and video editor based out of Texas. They are a creator with a love for improvised narrative storytelling and critical worldbuilding, focusing on stories at the intersection of queerness and horror. Kendrick is the Game Master for the award- winning Actual Play Podcast Tales Yet Told and host of the award-winning Actual Play Livestream series PRAYERS in the STATIC. When they aren't producing or performing in the Actual Play space, they are deep in the caverns with their fellow Kobolds working as the Media Production Manager for Kobold Press.

Michelle Jones is a game designer, TTRPG freelancer, and the creator of Girlfriend of the Week. She uses roleplaying games as an avenue to explore and analyze popular media through the lens of collaborative storytelling. Her goal is not just to tell diverse stories, but to empower all queer people of color to fight dragons, explore the stars, and be the heroes of their own stories. To learn more about her work, you can visit mjonesttrpg.carrd.co/

Bad House is a place for diverse stories and decolonizing the games we are familiar with. Started by Fabian Lelay and Josephine Kim, Bad House RPG has been recoloring the World of Darkness from the lens of the misrepresented with Itaewon by Night and Madness Over Manila. You can find their library over on Youtube and updates for their new shows at Badhouserpg