The Sexiest Roleplaying Game
Thanatos is a Tabletop role-playing game, set in a dark distant future.
Humans, Clones, Cybernetics, and Cyborgs endure a violent struggle for survival.
As an adult role-playing game, Thanatos does not shun away from adult themes such as sex, sexuality, sex tech, love, relationships, abuse, and oppression.
Themes of repression, inequality, sexism, and hopelessness give Thanatos the backdrop it needs for us to address valuable ethical and moral dilemmas, the world is coping with today.
To make these important topics palatable, we decided to create a light, fun, and creative RPG game show, where the contestants are confronted with all kinds of dubious situations that evoke debate.
We invited stand-up comedians and entertainers to play with us, causing hilarious interplayer interactions.
Time for a full campaign!
With all Beta test Episodes of Thanatos online, we have now embarked on a daring journey to produce a full campaign to be published in February 2020.
This Campaign will have an evolving story arc that takes 4 comedians on an eight-episode adventure.
Lead Game Designers, Rachid Garti, Carlos van der Putten and Steven Kok are now meticulously going over the rules and mechanics to make Thanatos as accessible as possible.
"If it wasn't cool enough to see an idea that vaguely lived in my mind and a hand full of google docs actually being played, we now have the budget to produce an actual 8 episode season!" Carlos states.
Thanks to the hard work of KiirooTV's producers, Thanatos now has it's own permanent set in the KTV media facility.
How the Game Evolved
"The beta tests served as a playground where we could freely test rules and explore which players and attitudes would gel best with the Assessor." says Producer Sirak A. Tegegn. "Having two of the lead Game Designers, respectively, Rachid, as Showrunner and Steven as the Assessor, on the production team, allowed the game to evolve at a rapid pace" Sirak elaborates.
Rachid chimes in and states that it was "refreshing" to see how involved players got during the actual playtesting of the first Thanatos Rule Set.
"Actor Director Raynor Arkenbout weighed in on the visual aspects of the show and made a case for a more immersive set. A set that would sustain the suspension of disbelief. A Set that makes the players and the viewers believe they are actually in a Tachion slum district."
Rachid goes on to talk about how Carlos and Steven really took the effort to make the rules as simple as possible, allowing players to concentrate on creating a collaborative narrative, without stats, protocols, and set-piece situations getting in the way of gameplay.
Carlos says "I love it how, with Thanatos, the Assessor, is the only one who really needs to know the rules. They have the freedom to run with our lore and create adventures at will. Really bringing the universe to life.
Players can instantly engage with this universe and it's manifestations, as there is no steep learning curve to the rules one must scale before enjoying a good play-through."
Veteran Game Designer Marc de Vreede, who offered to run Thanatos home games with his improv troupe, says that he loves games like Dungeons and Dragons, but sometimes he feels that there is too much explanation needed to get your feet wet. The rule books can be very intimidating to new players.
"Thanatos is unlike anything I've seen before. I can't wait to give feedback on the rules when they are released."
The Players
"The quality and the willingness of the players to make it great also plays a critical role in what makes a show like this fun to watch" Sirak states.
"When the beta tests were in post, Terry Dokter and I looked at which players had the best chemistry with Steven. Based on what we've seen, we advised Rachid, Carlos, and Steven to go with the people we felt, brought most to the table."
Terry says "Raynor, Jess, and Tayo just cracked me up so badly. There were times where I literally rolled off my chair while editing. I couldn't imagine a campaign without them." he goes on to say that "Steven felt the same. Sirak and I also really liked Matty, AJ, and Molly"
Rachid explains that he felt Matty didn't get a good chance to shine and bring his A-game to the beta test. "The first episode of our beta test was such a trial for us. It was shot in mid-summer, we had to brave temperatures of 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the studio. No one was really comfortable that day. But Matty's potential was clear. He is creative and not afraid to say no to his fellow players.
It's really important that you don't have a table full of "Helpers" and "Pleasers", that would make for one boring game"
"Tayo Cousins is also one of those comedians that will just force progress, keep the tempo high, and punishes others for their lack of creativity. Raynor is someone who loves character interaction, he is a seasoned actor and director, so the theatre aspect he brings to the table is crucial for the party's chemistry. Molly McGuinness loves acting out flaws in characters, she will be all distinguished until Temptation gets the best of her character, creating hilarious situations the party needs to live up to. Jess Moorhouse, is the Queen of dry humor. She can insult you six ways to Sunday, and still make it sound like constructive criticism.
AJ is a character in his own right. The stuff this man comes up with. It's like his mind keeps spewing A-Grade Scifi involuntarily and we're just blessed to witness it"
Sirak says that casting Eleanor was a bit of a risk. "She's never acted in anything, she's a self-described Role-Playing Virgin, but she is funny as fuck. It really helps that, in real life, Eleanor Hancock is a Sex Robot Expert and a Sex Tech researcher. Her actual life is a modern-day sci-fi adventure"
A Sneak Peak
Check out a Sneak Preview we shot during the filming of Episode 3 of the new full campaign.
The Set
The new Set places our party into the heart of a Tachion Slum. Tachion is the Biggest crater city on Thanatos, and its a very hard, rough and nasty place to survive in. We wanted to transport the viewers and players into the heart of the world our game is set in.
The New Thanatos Set features artwork by Alex Klerk and Jasper Andries from Amsterdam Sign Painters.
Alex is a Savant Typography artist, whose work graces the windows of many stores all over Europe. Jasper is an internationally acclaimed Elite sign painter who specializes in Branded Murals and bigger-than-life Painted Advertisements.
The Dawn of Death - Campaign 1 Episode 1
Thanatos is a sex-positive Scifi RPG set in a distant dystopian future.
Humanity has become a multi-planetary species. Humans, Clones, Cyborgs and Cybernetic beings live together in all but harmony in the domain of mankind.
In Episode 1, we learn of a pandemic outbreak in the jungles surrounding the crater city Tachion on the Planet of Thanatos. This so-called "NOX" virus threatens the very future of human existence.
Meet the cast, and see how their insane Characters carry themselves in a world that has stacked the cards against them.
They have to power through Classicism, Sexism, Ageism, and flat out violence.
Against the backdrop of a city in panic mode, they seek answers. They quest for salvation.
Sex, Sexuality, and Sex-Tech are core pillars of the Thanatos narrative.
Explore how these 7 comedians navigate through practical, moral, ethical and mindboggling problems of grotesque proportions.
If you have an opinion on their Mores, Ethos, or Praxis, please let us know in the Youtube comments. Let us know how you would have tackled a situation!
We are all about learning from our community here at Kiiroo and Kiiroo TV.
We'd love to find out what you think of our adult role-playing game.
Don't be shy! We reply!!
Make sure to subscribe to KiirooTV, and hit that bell button, so you keep in the loop about when we publish next.
Who's Who!!?!
Steven "The Engine" Cook
Meet Steven "The Engine" Cook. Our talented Game Master. He weaves a tapestry of narrative bliss. He paints the picture for the players to explore. He guards the physics and rules of the universe. He embodies the antagonists, mentors and quest givers. He is a true Assessor of legendary caliber.
Tayo Cousins as Quantum
Meet Quantum. A Cyborg Scientist and mother of 4. Quantum is a computer and robotics scientist that fell out of grace and now dwells in the Red Ring of Tachion.
She finds purpose once more as she to save what is left of humankind.
Quantum is a nuanced and complex murder-hobo with a knack for harvesting limbs.
Raynor Arkenbout as L0-V3
L0-V3, or L-Zero as his companions call him, is a former Warbot.
A Cybernetic being now defunct due to heavy corruption of his AI.
L-Zero is of no use to his former owners. He does not want to fight. The only thing he wants is to find love. L-Zero is on a personal quest to learn as much as he can about passion and intimacy. He blunders through romance, and thinks courtship fully consists of cheesy oneliners. It is L-Zero's goal to experience the pleasure of sex one day.
Eleanor Hancock as Kinky Boots
Eleanor is a Sex-Robot expert and Sex-Tech researcher in real life. When she heard about our little project she knew she had to jump on board.
Her Character Kinky Boots is a rough and ready thief. Her cunning tactics aid the group in situations where a little tact is the preferrable MO. Kinky Boots is hilarious beyond compare and her whit keeps our party in a good mood... most of the time.
Jess Moorehouse as Mr. Quinn
Mr. Quinn is a Cybernetic man who fights for the emancipation of domesticated and commercially applicated Cybernetic Entities. Coming from a background as highstreet mannequin, his AI developed overtime to understand he was being held in slavery.
Once fully self-aware, Mr. Quin escaped the clutches of his retail hellscape and set on a mission to bring equity and equality to Cybernetics where ever he can. Mr. Quin is a raging sex-addict, and this both causes him to solidify, as well as ruin relationships in a heartbeat.
Molly McGuinness as Eva Allure
Eva Allure is a theatrical hypnotist. She is not as famous as she wants to be yet.
And now, before her career can even take off, the world is faced with an extinction-level event. Maybe that's a good thing. Eva sometimes struggles with grasping the concept of consent.
Eva is good at getting answers from people. Humans and Cybernetics alike.
Her rich laughter thunders through the streets of Tachion, striking fear in the hearts of those at the bud of her schadenfreude.
AJ Hill as Dennis Noodles
Dennis Noodles. Failed T-Pop artist. Thinks he's the dog's bollocks, the cream of the crop, the best thing to ever hit the charts. This Self-proclaimed god of rock struggles to understand that he is anything but famous. In his mind, he is the best selling artist in all districts. In reality, he is an impoverished busker, dragging around crates of merch, in case he ever meets his fans!
His blonde dreads reak of taste packs, as he literally only has the means to eat Toodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Day in. Day out.
Matty Shaw as Kylie
Kylie is a liberated human clone. He fled the terrors of upper rim oppression in search of independence. Making a life for himself was harder than expected due to his shy nature. He prefers to stick to the dark. Kylie is a pan-sexual clone currently in a homo-romantic interspecies relationship. He has wholeheartedly fallen for the charms of the rebellious Mr. Quinn. Cybernetic Peen and Human Vaj are his guilty pleasures.
Kylie likes to think he is the brains of the operation. The others don't seem to notice!
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