One Way Out [PDF Only]

Will you escape The Oubliette?

One Way Out is a quick-play dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying game of escape and betrayal.

Designed for two players (with optional solo rules), each fast-paced 30 minute session pits you against the terrible dangers of the all-powerful High Mages -- and each other.

In each session, you and your companion will attempt to escape a magical dungeon through a series of challenges. During each challenge, players make a decision whether to fight together or flee apart, leading to a dark choice at the Final Door. During this journey, players reveal their characters' backgrounds through flashbacks.

Gameplay combines card-game mechanics with dice rolls and evocative prompts to determine the who, what, and how of each scenario. Together, you and your companion will weave these elements into a short story of triumph or doom.

The World of One Way Out

It was a time of confusion and fear. 

Most people could not agree how long the High Mages had been in power, but one thing was for certain, their power was absolute.

But a rare person could break free. Rumors told of a challenge crafted by the High Mages, a terrible, ever-changing dungeon - The Oubliette -  filled with strange rooms and twisted magical experiments.

If you could survive the test and escape the dungeon, freedom could be yours. Not just freedom but your deepest desires - fame, fortune, power, knowledge - would be made real as a display of the High Mages' generosity.

This day, it is you who awaken in The Oubliette. But you're not alone.

Gameplay

In One Way Out players use a combination of dice and cards to determine what happens as they move through the dungeon. Card draws and placements generate the rooms and threats faced and determine and reveal your character's backgrounds. You and your partner will fill in the details, guided by a collection of prompts.

In a standard game session, players navigate through three random rooms, facing a new terrible Threat in each room. Each time, the players will choose to fight together or flee apart. This choice is made in secret and revealed at the same time. Betrayal is always an option.

According to the rules written in stone, only one person is allowed to leave. At the final door, this means the players must fight to the death... or does it? Perhaps if both parties were strong enough, perhaps if they worked together, perhaps there is another way out?

The game is designed for two players but has an optional mode to allow play as a solo journaling game for one player. This provides a unique way to generate an exciting background for your next character!

One Way Out is Tabletop Bookshelf's first original game and was created for ZineQuest 2025.

Writing, game design & layout by Tom Gibes, Founder of Tabletop Bookshelf

Editing by Eric Lazure

47 page, 5.8 x 8.3 inch (A5), black, white & red, PDF