A downloadable pen-and-paper game

Buy Now$4.99 USD or more

The Thing In Itself is a rules-light tabletop roleplaying and storytelling game in which the players take on the roles of Metamorphs, shape shifting beings without a permanent form to call their own, as they serve the ineffable forces of fate, the universe, or whatever the heck underlies our consensus reality at its deepest and murkiest levels ... or simply use their powers to achieve their personal aims. Fate, or the universe, or whatever has probably already factored that possibility into its grand design ... probably being the operative word. 

The Thing In Itself works well with two to seven players, one of which does, in fact, take on the role of Game Master. Like most tabletop rpgs, it can, technically, accomodate a larger group, especially if the GM is really good at scheduling and/or the heding of cats!  

Anyway, here are some notable features of the game:

  • PDF Bookmarks. 
  • A  light percentile system that focuses on ticking clocks and unexpected turns rather than the more traditional concepts of success and failure.
  • You can turn into an animal, a plant, a person, or an inanimate object, potentially all in one session! Sometimes you won't know what you'll be from one moment to the next!
  • If you turn into a trashcan, you can "talk to" other trashcans (whatever that means) within a 50 miles radius! This works for other stuff too.
  • One of the Methods available at character creation allows you to run your own cult or secret society! They'll do you bidding diligently (most of the time).
  • Sometimes, if you roll a certain way on one of the tables, time travel or dimensional travel will happen! Oh boy!
  • The rules and "lore" of the Metamorph can easily be ported to work with different time periods, worlds, genres, and tones. Explore what it means to be immortal, help two humans finally find love, use your powers to solve missing persons cases, or do other stuff!
  • The manual includes several very generalised story hooks / basic premises to get you started.

I hope you enjoy, and, as always, feel free to reach out (nicely) with questions, comments, requests, suggestions, and corrections.


Buy Now$4.99 USD or more

In order to download this pen-and-paper game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $4.99 USD. You will get access to the following files:

The Thing In Itself - Core Rulebook 789 kB

Community Copies and Ally Points

Support this pen-and-paper game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.

Get Some Ally Points

If you're a cishet white person with an annual income of 40k or higher, you're morally obligated to purchase this game at its true cost, 50 American buckaroos, especially if you are willing to uncritically support mid level companies charging similar amounts for PDFs without providing community copies or otherwise making their games accessible to people who can't afford them. 

Your contribution will net you 100 Ally Points, applicable towards eventually getting into The Good Place or whatever the heck, and, more importantly, will add 10 community copies to the community copy pool in one fell swoop, so that this game can be accessible to as many humans as possible and I can still eat, drink, and survive. 

Claim A Community Copy

If you're a member of a marginalized community and can't currently afford or justify purchasing a copy of this game (but would still like one), please feel free to grab a community copy from here. That's what they're for, no questions asked, no strings attached, pure honor system. 

Every time someone buys the game at full price a new community copy gets added to the pool. Every time someone buys a game and leaves a tip, 2 community copies get added to the pool.

Download demo

Thing In Itself - Character Sheet 232 kB