Escape from Incel Island!—THE GAME
Before you dive into the text, listen to Inmn, Margaret, and the folks from It Could Happen Here play a session of the Escape From Incel Island Game.
INTRO
To cope with rising misogynist violence, the US government offered people a golden opportunity: any man who felt like they were owed a free woman could move to a remote island and be given one.
The offer was, of course, a trap.
Incel Island is an open air prison, where those who self-selected as incels by choosing the offer are kept captive. Many have tried to escape. None have succeeded. It is an island with forest, mountains, old military installations, and whatever was there before. The inhabitants live there, governing themselves in groups and factions, all claimed by the King of the Incels and his Alpha Males. Others have ended up on the island from time to time, for whatever reason. All have become trapped–mercenaries, special forces operatives, and do-gooder humanitarians alike.
Fate has led you together for whatever reason towards one shared goal…Escape From Incel Island. Decide how your party came to be together. Maybe you’ve repented your Incel ways, and no longer feel bound to this punishment, maybe you were put there by mistake, maybe you’ve ended up stranded on the island for other reasons. Incorporate your reason into your character.
This game is played with a Game Master (GM) narrating and creating the adventure for up to 6 players. The GM is generally the arbiter of the rules and has discretion to interpret rules. However, the players and the GM should collaborate on creating the narrative and decide together what it means to win or lose.
Escape From Incel Island (the Game) is a tabletop roleplaying game written by Inmn Neruin that is based off of the novella Escape From Incel Island, written by Margaret Killjoy and published in 2023 by Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness.
CREATE YOUR CHARACTER
1
Choose one from each the following lists:
Demeanor: Reluctant, Hot, Intrepid, Clumsy, Belligerent, Bossy, Stoic, Unhinged
Aesthetic: Pantsless, Monk Robes, Tactical, Hippie, Wizard Shirt, Mall Ninja, Pirate, Trench Coat, Fedora’d, LARPer
Identity
Alpha-male: The forces who most directly serve the King of the Incels. Stick with him, and you’ll end up top dog. Somehow. Don’t worry about it.
CHUD: Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller–you literally live underground and eat people, or aspire to.
Nice Guy: You thought you could purchase sex by being nice. Now you refuse to follow the King and try to eke out something like a peaceful life.
VOLCEL: You’re voluntarily celibate, going full monk mode. Sex and relationships are trash. You live in a small, walled-off village with the other volcels and try to stay out of worldly affairs. You’re into French stuff for some reason.
Mercenary: You came to the island on a private mission, and were trapped. You can be any gender.
Special Forces: Sent by the government, on a mission that failed. You’re trapped. You can be any gender.
Cultist: You are gonna raise Dagon, a dead god from the sea, who will grant you women. It’s just a matter of gathering enough bones and seashells. Besides the blood sacrifice and filing down your teeth, your community is actually fairly democratic and reasonable compared to the others.
Sigma: You don’t play well with others. The Sigmas of the island have banded together for mutual defense, but of course you would never acknowledge that you rely on each other.
Tourist: You came on vacation, whether to watch the incels or hunt the incels. The tourist company and fellow tourists are dead. You’re trapped. You can be any gender.
Humanitarian: You came to the island to help the inhabitants, providing first aid, smuggling supplies, or giving therapy, but found yourself unable to leave. You can be any gender.
Beta Cuck: Attaching yourself to the strong is the best way to survive. You float between the factions as best suits you, sometimes playing each against the others.
Transfemme Incel: You came out as trans on the island. You found hormones in a supply box and have turned away from your incel ways.
AFAB Incel: Look, the offer of a free woman was too good to pass up. You disguised yourself as a cis man and took the one-way ticket to the island. Variant: Transmasc Incel. Different identity, same motivations.
Role (Only 1 of each per a group)
Scout (Sneaky)
Muscle (Strong)
Face (Charismatic)
Tactician (Cunning)
Medic (Keep the injuries less dire)
Fighter (Good at killin’)
2
Weapon: Roll a D6 to determine which weapon you get
Shotgun with 6 shells
Spear
Sword of your choice
Seemingly unlimited ninja stars
Bow with 6 arrows
Your Rage
3
Give your character a:
Name
A reason for being on Incel Island
A reason for trying to escape Incel Island
Something weird you found in a box of supplies. (Flavor item)
Finish the sentence: “They don’t know I can __________…”
4
You have: A backpack with basic survival supplies: 1 day of food, a pocket knife, 50ft of P-cord, a bottle of clean water, basic first aid kit, a flint and steel.
5
Pick one personal goal: (You and your fellow players can play collaboratively or chaotically)
Recover something for the Govt./your employer
Raise an Eldritch Deity
Rescue someone who shouldn’t be there
Help the Incels
Betray masculinity
Make new friends
Start a new Incel Identity
See the sights
Create your own
STATS
You have two stats: ESCAPE and INCEL. Both of these stats start at 3. A player only ever has 6 total points to be distributed between ESCAPE and INCEL. Your two stats influence whether an action you would like to take succeeds or fails. Success is determined by rolling a dice whenever the outcome to something is unknown. Succeeding and failing at rolls changes the distribution of your 6 stat points.
ESCAPE is for any action you would like to take that falls under the category of escaping: running away, fighting off assailants, or succeeding at part of the plan to escape. This is defined at the discretion of the GM. Anything that furthers your physical and emotional escape from the island.
INCEL is for any action not related to escaping. Use INCEL when making decisions that incite unnecessary violence, provoke peaceful groups, act in detriment to the party, play into your Incel Identity or generally embody the decisions of an unevolved incel. Fighting within the party can incur an INCEL roll for involved players. Used for anything that counters your likelihood of physical or emotional escape from the island.
ACTIONS
Whenever you do something with an uncertain outcome, the GM will call for you to make either an ESCAPE or INCEL roll by rolling a d6. If the outcome is equal to or lower than the relevant stat, then you succeed. If the outcome is over the stat, then you fail. If you’re taking an action related to your Identity OR Role, then roll an additional d6 (for max +1d6) and pick the lowest (best) outcome. If you prepare for the action then you may add an additional die to your rolling pool and choose the lowest. The most dice you can have in your rolling pool is 3d6.
Which Stat to Use?
The PLAYER will generally just say what they would like to do and the GM will interpret if it needs a roll or not. The GM will determine if it’s an ESCAPE or INCEL roll. The player can make a case for the roll to rely on one stat or the other, though.
INTERPRETING SUCCESS
0 successes: You fail. Something bad happens. You’re set back, injured, a dire complication is introduced. On your next roll, take the highest outcome from your dice pool.
1 success: You scrape by, succeeding, but there is a small cost.
2 successes: You accomplish what you wanted to do.
3 successes: You crush it and win a boon. Choose one: a new ally, a fancy weapon, a piece of equipment or information. If one option is not narratively appropriate, the GM may preclude it. Try to pick something narratively appropriate. The GM may invite the player to choose.
666: If any player makes a roll and rolls three 6’s (total failure) at once…Someone dies….Or just major complications happen. Dire injury.
111: If any player makes a roll and rolls three 1’s, they may shift a point from INCEL to ESCAPE. Narrate this shift as a character having a moment, maybe reflecting on a therapy session.
Boons
New Ally: Win over an antagonist, encounter a new friend, or gain the trust of a group.
Fancy Weapon: a laser gun, a net cannon, a stun gun, a bomb, a sniper rifle, toxic gas grenades, flame thrower, xtra ammo.
Equipment: A two-way radio, a satellite phone, hacking computer, GPS, a hideout, an ATV, hang gliders, climbing gear.
Information: Ask the GM a question about the situation at hand. They should answer truthfully.
CHANGING STATS
Keep track of your ESCAPE and INCEL stats either with two color-coded/labeled d6 or with pen and paper tally marks. If using dice, 0 can be represented by removing the die. You can only ever have 6 total points shared between the two stats.
ESCAPE rolls
Success
Your action succeeds. YOU narrate what happens, keeping in mind when you succeed with only 1 die you must face a small cost for the success.
When you succeed on an ESCAPE roll, move a point from INCEL to ESCAPE. You can feel the momentum of escape, breaking free of the curse of this island.
Failure
Your action fails. The GM Narrates what happens. A complication is introduced. It could be dire.
When you fail at an ESCAPE roll, move a point from ESCAPE over to INCEL When moving a point to INCEL, act in a detrimental way to the group, embracing incel-dom, The island is getting to you. You can feel you’re self succumbing to its madness.
As your ESCAPE stat gets closer to 6, move your character away from their incel identity. Learn, grow, help others grow.
INCEL Rolls
Success
Your roll succeeds. YOU narrate what happens, keeping in mind, that when you succeed with only 1 die, you must face a small cost.
When you succeed at an INCEL roll, move one point from ESCAPE to INCEL…wait a second. By succeeding, you fail at emotionally escaping. Your action still succeeds, though.
Failure
Your roll fails. The GM narrates what happens. There is a dire consequence.
If you fail at an INCEL roll…why were you needing to make one in the first place?…You suck…Dire consequences to yourself and the party.
As your INCEL stat gets higher, start behaving more like one. Your ties to the group and good decisions start to fray. Embrace your incel identity.
BETRAY MASCULINITY
ONCE per a game, you may move one point from INCEL over to ESCAPE if your character narratively betrays masculinity in role play. For instance, an Alpha could invite help from a Beta, renouncing their Alpha status.
REACHING 6
INCEL
If your INCEL stat ever reaches 6, you lose it, along with your desire to escape. You go FULL INCEL. All INCEL rolls automatically succeed and all ESCAPE rolls automatically fail. You’re here for a reason and you’ll embrace it. You leave or betray the party, fully embracing your life on Incel Island. The player may choose to leave the game, split off from the party or stay and act detrimentally to the goals of the party. When an INCEL stat reaches 6, the only way back to escape is if your Betray Masculinity feature is still available or by rolling triple 1’s.
Optional Rule: Once a player reaches FULL INCEL, their next failed roll gets them killed.
ESCAPE
If your ESCAPE stat reaches 6, all ESCAPE rolls automatically succeed. But all INCEL rolls automatically fail, meaning you can still get killed or messed up direly. So when you’re at 6 ESCAPE and you’re ever asked to make an INCEL roll…move a point over from ESCAPE back to INCEL cause why are you acting like an incel still? GMs: Be fair about this!
ENDS
Getting OFF the Island
The party may successfully escape Incel Island when: the entire party’s ESCAPE stat reaches 6, or those whose ESCAPE stat is not at 6 have either gone full INCEL (stat at 6) or are dead. When everyone in the group’s ESCAPE stats are all 6, they don’t automatically disappear off the island, but since they can no longer roll higher than 6 for ESCAPE, their ESCAPE rolls automatically succeed. The party’s next plan to escape the island automatically succeeds as long as it’s narratively appropriate and no player’s ESCAPE stat drops below 6. Congratulations, decide what that looks like together.
Death
Death should be narratively negotiated between the GM and the player. It can and should occur if someone makes a dire mistake or if someone has gone full INCEL and faces a dire consequence and it feels narratively appropriate. The player can decide they died if they failed at something. The GM can decide a player died if they failed at something dire and there is no hope. This should not be done lightly. You’ve tempted fate and lost.
We Live Here Now
Everyone goes full INCEL. You’ve given up on escaping. You live here.
Disparate Ends
It is fine for the party to split, for some to escape, for some to die, and for some to remain. You’ll feel a natural flow to the narrative. If players naturally split, let them.
THE ISLAND
Locations
The island is fairly large, and the map is not at all to scale. It would take a day or two to walk from one end of the island to the other. The scale of the place, and what locations exist, can change to suit narrative need.
Nice Guy Village: The Nice Guys have set themselves up a nice fishing village on the south side of the island, where they exist peacefully except for occasional raids by other factions. They mostly talk about politics and discuss how nice they are.
New Rennes: The Volcels live in a well-constructed and defended village on the east side of the island, with wooden walls and a tattered French flag flying. Many wear monk robes and speak in fake French accents.
CHUD Dungeons: Beneath the military fortress are endless tunnels. In these endless tunnels live the Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers, who have abandoned any pretense of civilization and exist mostly to play video games and kill and eat people.
Cultists’ Cove: On the west side of the island, cultists build structures that defy logic, woven of bone and rope, and practice direct democracy and citizen councils while trying to summon Dagon from the waters.
The Incel King’s Fortress: An abandoned army base is built into the island’s mountain itself, from which the King of Incel Island sits upon his throne and commands his Alpha Males to do his bidding.
RUNNING THE GAME
(For the GM)
When to INCEL. When to ESCAPE
It might be tricky and fun to choose whether a roll is more related to INCEL or ESCAPE. Poor decisions can be thought of as INCEL rolls, needless violence, things that would normally set a party back or create danger that isn’t already present. Decisions made by embracing incel identities, or the party in-fighting would cause INCEL rolls to be made. Were they mean to someone for no reason? INCEL roll. Did they get into a pissing contest with some other Alphas? INCEL roll. Did they attack the peaceful Volcels? INCEL roll. Did they ambush travelers without finding out who they are? INCEL roll.
Complications
Introduce them often. Don’t force or railroad a party, but if they only mildly succeed at something, throw them a twist. They stop someone’s wound from bleeding, but they make too much noise while doing so.
Preparedness
If the group is taking their time, crafting plans, moving stealthily, reward that by allowing them to notice dangers like traps, or ambushes.
Turns
Generally players may act in a freeform manner. However, when there are plans being hatched, tension is introduced, or things are moving quickly, only allow a player to make an action once until everyone who has wanted to act acts. Let the party split themselves up if it naturally happens.
Narrative Control
When a player succeeds, let them take the reins for a moment. Invite them to narrate how they succeed. The GM should still retain control over giving out boons when 3 successes are rolled.
Crafting an Adventure
Have players roll a d6 to randomize the adventure. Reroll if an option isn’t narratively appropriate. The GM can also just pick them.
TIme of Day
1–3. Day time
4–6. Night time
Your group is...
On the Beach
In the Incel King’s mountain fortress
Hiding out in the forest
In the cove of the cultists
In New Rennes
In the tunnels of the CHUDs
You’ve heard there’s a...
Small fishing boat
Broken, but repairable plane
Mercenary’s octocopter
Cruise ship
Strange portal
Industrial boat (oil tanker, shipping container hauler)
Near the...
Beach
Incel King’s fortress
Forest
CHUD dungeons
New Rennes
Cultists’ cove
GM KEEP THESE ONES SECRET
But...
CHUDs
Nice Guys
The Army OR Mercenaries
Cultists
King’s Alphas
Tourists
Are trying to...
Blow up the island
Start a war with another faction.
Make everyone join the Incel King
Also escape and don’t collaborate.
Raise an Eldritch deity
Kill the party for an indiscretion
And there’s... (pick a few!)
Scifi booby traps: left by the Army for fun. Trip wires, landmines, pits, toxic gas, nets, snares, ect
Ambushes: from antagonists on the island: the army, mercenaries, the King’s alphas, CHUD dungeons.
Weather/Environment: Make it dangerous. Make it weird. Fires, Storms, Earthquakes. Terrain
Wild and Dangerous Animals: Boars, bees, snakes, spiders, bears, ect.
War: Some other groups started a war with each other and it’s taking up alot of space.
Random People: Running into people who might not be enemies: trapped tourists, humanitarian aid workers, trans incels in need of assistance, trapped mercenaries on a mission, other people who aren’t supposed to be there or got trapped or other groups of non-immediately violent incels.
Another Escape: Others are trying to escape the Island as well, but maybe they’ll betray the party for their own ends.
Eldritch Entities: Strange creatures and beings lurk in the shadows, and long before the military came, strange stones were carved into obelisks on the island.
Getting Lost: The mountains are windy, the forest huge, there are strange military installations and tunnels all over
If you enjoyed this game, or maybe even if you didn't, you'll love Margaret's novella Escape From Incel Island, out February 1 through Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness. You can find it in our shop! You can also find a PDF of the game here.
An excerpt from Escape From Incel Island...
They don’t call me Mankiller Jones for nothing. They call me Mankiller Jones because I tell people that’s my name and I throw kind of a fit if anyone calls me anything else. Honestly, I have a feeling most people call me Shirley behind my back. Or Mx. Jones if they’re feeling formal.
It doesn’t bother me too much what people call me, because I’m never around to hear it. I’m always too busy infiltrating and exfiltrating the deadliest places on Earth. “War and disaster” would be my middle name if I hadn't already legally changed my middle name to Danger. I only feel alive when I’m surrounded by the dead, the dying, and the people who don’t know they’re about to find themselves in those categories. I only feel alive in the hottest of hot spots.
Spots like Incel Island, which inched over the horizon to greet us just as the sun rose behind us. It was smooth flying, our octocopter equipped with all the newest and finest stabilization the US Army could afford.
Get in, get the data off the computer, get out. Save the world. Just another job.