Pantaloons & Poltergeists is a Victorian era gothic horror finishing school game coming out soon from game designer Matt Schlotte (Atarashi Games, co-designer of Panty Explosion) and Kim Baker-Schlotte.  We have a fully prepared play-test packet that we will email to people interested in taking some time to check it out.

Pantaloons & Poltergeists borrows a few of the amazingly fun elements of Panty Explosion but adds a totally new narrative system using tarot cards.  The setting is the Victorian Era (some flexibility on where, but mostly New England and England) and the mechanics and narration system have been very much tailored to reflect the superstitions of the time as well as the spiritualist movement that was popular.

[center]Features[/center]

Guardian Angels
Guardian Angels can be traced throughout civilization as we know it, predating monotheism and Christianity.  Even the Babylonians and Assyrians were prone to belief in Angels that act as guardians and muses.  At the point that Christianity arose, Angels took on aspects of both guardianship and wrath and in essence became intermediaries for God.

[center]"Angels transcend every religion, every philosophy, every creed. In fact angels have no religion as we know it ...their existence precedes every religious system that has ever existed on earth."
- St. Thomas Aquinas[/center]

During the Victorian Era, Guardian Angels were very much believed in.  That being said, Guardian Angels in Pantaloons & Poltergeists envelope all these aspects of Angels but are represented with the Christian Angel Pantheon due to the era.

Angel Bestowed Talent
Adding a unique flare to Pantaloons & Poltergeists are the angel bestowed talents we have added in. Every person in this society has a special latent 'something' about them.  Not something earth shattering, but something special that makes them unique.

While not earth shatteringly (or more importantly game shatteringly) supernatural, each of the girls will have chosen a guardian angel that in situations of tension, duress or excitement might respond to the girls emotions by upping the ante and invoking their ability.

Tarot Card Narration Mechanics
Also unique is the narrative mechanic used in Pantaloons & Poltergeists.  While dice are the most common tool for narrative randomization and control, we have decided to work within the Victorian Era theme, embracing the fascinations with spiritualism that occurred during this time period.  Among the many divining tools that were popularized during this time were tarot cards.  What we have found is that tarot cards provide a huge amount of narrative inspiration that lends itself well to collective storytelling.

We are seeking people interested in getting a sneak peek at the new game through lending their time and opinions through playtesting (or if you just want to check it out and offer feedback).  If interested, please email us at:

mattschlotte@hotmail.com or kim@pbbr.com

This sounds like a fun game. Is it designed for a group of more for solo-adventure play?
Also, does the plat test package include some sort of cut-out tarot cards?