The very first time Pascal Godbout sat at a table to play a roleplaying game, it was AD&D 1st Edition. That early exposure to dungeon-delving clearly left a mark on him, because today he’s the designer behind Spotless Dice Games and a familiar face running tables across conventions and online spaces.

His journey into creation started in a wonderfully organic way. Pascal kept running Fate scenarios at cons, and players would come up after the game asking where they could buy them. That push of enthusiasm nudged him to reach out to Evil Hat, which led to the publication of two third-party Fate of Cthulhu PDF supplements. Those sales helped him take the next big leap: funding RINGMASTER, his first physical game, which uses the Descended from the Queen framework.

Pascal says his biggest creative influences trace back to the old days of indie TTRPG forums, when he first dipped his toes into the community. Evil Hat and Games on Demand drew him all the way in with their people-first approach and spirit of inclusivity. The early Google Plus era, lively RPG Twitter, and podcast panel discussions turned into a buffet of design ideas that he devoured to understand the craft. These days, he’s drawn to very thematic settings, with concepts that can be taught quickly.

A big part of Pascal’s work is rooted in where he lives and where he’s from. He grew up in Quebec and now calls Ontario home, with plenty of travel in between. He works to spotlight Canadian creators, conventions, Friendly Local Gaming Stores, and distributors. As a fully bilingual writer, he’s also translating his own games into French to help grow the catalog of francophone game options in Canada.

He says his process is bursts of intense creation during vacations, with scattered notes and sparks of ideas filling the space between. The biggest challenge is simply finding time. Despite that, he still finds ways to lift others. One moment he’s particularly proud of happened during the early days of the pandemic, when he helped players migrate from in-person gaming to online tables. Those efforts helped him form the very connections that propelled his design career.

So what’s next for Pascal? He’s deep into his latest game: Remnants of Fate, an existential and supernatural sci-fi horror TTRPG. The pitch has teeth. You play as the Forlorn. Humanity has left you behind, and the end is near. In this blend of survival and existential horror, investigate what caused humans to perish or leave; survive through crises; and choose what your characters will do when they discover an inevitable doom.

Remnants of Fate draws inspiration from Trophy Dark, along with the flavor of dystopian sci-fi stories where the protagonists often face impossible odds and may very well not survive. A pitch tailored to folks who love staring into the abyss and asking what stories can be wrestled from the edge.

FUN FACTS

First TTRPG Played: AD&D 1st Edition
Dream Collaboration: He refuses to jinx this one. Smart move.
Fave Canadian Snack: Poutine, obviously.
Best Advice for Indie Creators: Start small. Fail fast. Learn. Grow.

You can find Pascal's work on his website, on Bluesky, and on Threads.

Next Event Appearance: PAX Unplugged