Announcing Dungeon Tryouts: The Ultimate Party Game of Fantasy Misadventure
This is a community submitted press release
June 12, 2025 – TORONTO, Ontario - The Story Engine is thrilled to announce that Dungeon Tryouts is coming to Kickstarter on July 15!
Created by Peter Chiykowski, the mind behind the award-winning webcomic Rock, Paper, Cynic and the crowdfunding sensation The Story Engine Deck. Dungeon Tryouts is the ultimate party game of fantasy misadventure. It plays like Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) meets Apples to Apples and feels like being in an episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway? with your friends.
In Dungeon Tryouts, each player is running an adventuring agency and trying to find quests for wannabe adventurers.
The only problem?
The heroes in your roster all have quirks that make them hard to hire. They aren't exactly the cream of the crop–and neither are the gigs you have for them. It's the player’s job to pitch their hopeful heroes at quest auditions, spinning their weaknesses as strengths in the hopes of scoring them the job. You'll need to use some creative thinking to convince the quest giver that your "dwarf who was born in a mosh pit" really is the best choice to exorcise a haunted musical theatre full of singing ghosts!
“Our first playtest was unbelievably fun. We were laughing like it was a D&D session gone off the rails in the best way possible, except the rules were simple enough that the non-D&D players were having just as much fun,” says Dungeon Tryouts creator Peter Chiykowski. “Our decks help creative people tell memorable and amazing stories. Dungeon Tryouts does that in a whole new way!”
Dungeon Tryouts is developed by Peter Chiykowski and The Story Engine creative team, while every card features original artwork by AC Stuart (CollegeHumor, Your D&D Stories, Awoo!). Wannabe adventurers are invited to visit the pre-launch page to learn more about the hilarious party game before the Kickstarter campaign begins on July 15.
About Peter Chiykowski
Peter Chiykowski is an award-winning author, cartoonist, and game designer. His webcomic Rock, Paper, Cynic won two Aurora Awards for “Best Graphic Novel,” and he has written for the EMBERWIND TTRPG and the video game FRACTER, amongst other ventures. He has published 6 books and run 10 successful crowdfunding campaigns. His comics, memes, and social media shenanigans have been covered by Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, and The Huffington Post.
About The Story Engine
The Story Engine is an independent publisher best known for making decks of creative prompts for writers, RPG players, and educators. The company has raised $2 million across three previous crowdfunding campaigns for its products. You can find out more at storyenginedeck.com.
Peter Chiykowski is available for interviews.
Media Contact:
André Proulx
Publicist
416-428-4014
andre.proulx@gmail.com
