Mr Viral
When you walk the Tabletop show floor at events like PAX Aus, or the gaming area at SXSW Sydney, you expect to see the usual mix of minis, dice towers, beautifully illustrated rulebooks, and sprawling role-playing game (RPG) campaigns. What you don’t always expect is something that quietly shifts your understanding of what tabletop gaming can be.
For me, that something was Caught in the Rain, which I experienced at SXSW Sydney this year. It’s a solo-first mystery game that blends narrative, discovery, and card-driven mechanics in a completely different way.
Created by Ravensridge Emporium, Caught in the Rain is part cozy mystery, part guided narrative, and part design experiment. It’s also deeply Australian, built by a group of lifelong friends who’ve been making games together—first digital, then analog—since they were five years old.
A different kind of tabletop gaming
When I think of tabletop gaming, I think of Dungeons & Dragons, board game nights, and trading game duels. I have played a few RPG tabletop games in my time, but Caught in the Rain is very different. There are no character sheets to min-max, no lore tomes to memorise, and no GM orchestrating elaborate plot twists. Instead, you’ll need:
The Caught in the Rain book, either digital or physical
Any deck of cards
A couple of dice
Your imagination
A willingness to follow the breadcrumbs the story lays out for you
Having a pen and paper is handy, and you’ll need any deck of cards. The cards featured here are special edition and can be purchased from the Ravensridge Emporium store. (Photo: TechAU)
This means you can play almost anywhere, anytime. Having a pen and paper is handy to write down clues and follow the story, but not necessary. Caught in the Rain is a guided mystery. It’s designed to surprise you, even as the person playing it. That was the design challenge that co-founder Nicholas Robinia talked about:
How do you make a mystery game where the player stays surprised?
– Advertisement –
The answer to this question lies in the structure of the game. The book doesn’t just give you a story. Rather, it teaches you, especially if you’re new to solo RPGs, how to play them. And if you’re already a solo player, it gives you a framework for structuring your own adventures, pacing your discoveries, and tracking your narrative choices.
The book guides you through the game so you can play no matter what level of experience you have. (Photo: TechAU)
Caught in the Rain is both a game and a toolkit on how to play games. And if you’re thinking “well, I’d rather play games with friends”, think again. You can absolutely play Caught in the Rain with a player two. In the same way my husband and I play solo video games together by passing the controller between us, talking through puzzles, and deciding on which direction we should go, you can do the same with Caught in the Rain. Play together to discuss how you should progress the story forward, or should you take a specific action. Or pull in a third player so they can be the narrator. There are endless ways to get others involved.
The book even guides you through setup. (Photo: TechAU)
Years in the making
Ravensridge Emporium has been designing games for around six to eight years. Caught in the Rain has been in development for around three years. During that time, the team experimented with mechanics, narrative branches, and ways to make each playthrough feel meaningful and unique.
Before the book, they released Cartograph, which has since become their biggest game. Caught in the Rain is their newest release and has already found a huge audience. It was almost sold out at PAX Aus, and their Kickstarter didn’t just succeed, it hit 12× its funding goal, and was fully funded in around 30 minutes. I also love that Caught in the Rain is featured on itch.io, bringing together my game dev vibes and my gamer nerdiness.
The Cartograph game involves maps and biomes. These dice were made especially for the game and were part of the limited edition Kickstarter backer rewards. (Photo: TechAU)
Now Ravensridge Emporium are working on expansion books and supplements. Not just more stories, but new mechanics and new ways for players to explore their worlds. Cartograph sold out at SXSW Sydney, and when I spoke to Brandon Lee, one of the co-founders, he talked about their goal of developing an app for online play, optimising their games for touch screen, and maybe working on an entirely new game.
Cartograph was one of six winners in the Tabletop PAX Aus 2025 Indie Showcase. Safe to say, this team is making waves, and I can’t wait to play Cartograph in more depth.
More than just games
If you’re looking to purchase a great present for a tabletop gamer, or RPG nerd, Caught in the Rain is a great start. Although the game isn’t officially released yet, it is available for pre-order from the website. Some fans were lucky to get in on the pre-purchases at PAX Aus and SXSW Sydney.
The physical book sells for $60 AUD and you can buy the digital copy for $25 AUD. There are also bundles available that include the book and a special deck of cards, or buy all Ravensridge Emporium’s top games—Caught in the Rain, Cartograph, and Shadow of Glory—for $150 AUD.
These cards designed for the game have additional information on them to help inspire game play. (Photo: TechAU)
If you’re not sure whether tabletop gaming in this style is for you, head over to the Ravensridge Emporium website and download one of their free games. I hear One Hundred Rats Devour a Tavern is a real treat. If you’re like me and into lots of nerdy stuff that isn’t just games, there are lots of cool things to get from their website. The third co-founder of Ravensridge Emporium, Jessie Lee is a wizard at making dice, and there are lots of goodies you can get your hands on for that stellar gift. There are D20s, hair pieces, necklaces, bath bombs with dice inside them, glasses chains, charms, and more. Each one is handmade, and a lot of pieces are one of a kind, so you’ll definitely have something special.
One of the beautiful limited edition (one-of-a-kind) dice available from the Ravensridge Emporium store (Image: Ravensridge Emporium)
If you’ve been curious about solo tabletop gaming—but not sure where to start—Caught in the Rain is one of the most accessible and engaging entry points you’ll find. If you’re already a solo player, it gives you structure, inspiration, and a beautifully designed mystery to unravel. Plus, you’re supporting a passionate Australian team carving out their own (rain-soaked) corner of the tabletop world.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings