Q&A on Mad As Hell with Evie Moriarty

Q&A by Charlie Pettit

Please may you introduce yourself?

My name is Evie Moriarty and I am the designer and writer of Mad as Hell. I created the concept with Zach Cox [Director of SoulMuppet] and it's going to be published by SoulMuppet Publishing. I’ve been working in the tabletop industry for around fifteen years in some capacity, mostly in commercial games design - this is one of my first forays into indie publishing for many years, which is very exciting for me.

Tell us about Mad as Hell – what is it? Who is the enemy?

Mad as Hell is a tabletop roleplaying game about members of oppressed communities banding together to fight the literal demons of capitalism. The enemy is demons most superficially, but really it’s all of the injustices that we see impact the places we live and the people we love. It’s predatory landlords, heartless corporations, and corrupt officials. In Mad as Hell the systemic, institutional violence these kinds of people cause erupts into literal horror as the wounds they cause communities blossom into very real demons that then hurt their victims even more.

What’s fun about Mad as Hell; What do you think people will like the most?

If you’ve never been part of an activist movement, it can be hard to imagine activism as fun. But the truth is that if you talk to almost anyone who’s been a part of a radical movement trying to make the world a better place they’ll tell you that they’ve had the most fun of their lives as part of it. There is something truly special about being part of a community who believes the things you do, and is willing to actually take action to do something about it. The fun of Mad as Hell is the same kind of fun - it’s finding comradeship and kinship with others, building bonds and communities, and having a laugh with your friends.

Plus, and this really is the cherry on top, sometimes you get to hit the literal embodiment of all the things that make your life worse with a baseball bat. It’s cathartic.

As to what people enjoy most, I think it will be the way the game pushes you and inspires you to understand the real place you live more. The folks who playtested and developed this game with me often send me photos or tell me stories and say “this was so Mad as Hell”. Sometimes they mean it was grim or daunting or horrifying but mostly what they mean is that it was vigorous, joyful, righteous and exuberant. It’s the exhilaration of taking action. That’s what makes it so much fun.

How did you come up with the idea? Were you inspired by others?

Zach and I came up with the concept over lunch. We’re both political people, unabashedly so, and I’ve spent a good chunk of my time involved in various political, activist and radical causes. I believe wholeheartedly in going out and doing something tangible, making material change for people who can actually feel the difference. And we were talking about how so many people feel like that is inaccessible. They want to help - almost everyone wants the world to be better - but they don’t know how to start. They can’t imagine themselves going out there and actually doing these things. They feel like they’re not brave enough, dedicated enough, or “serious” enough.

For me that’s just not true. For me I fully believe if we can get all the people who want to make things better but haven’t taken that jump to actually get stuck in, the world will get better. Games are a great way to practice something - they’re a truly safe space to try something difficult or risky or just intimidating. If you’re not having a good time, just stop playing. But by playing, maybe you can begin to see yourself in the role of someone taking direct action, and when you’ve practised enough you can go out and do it for real.

Will it be a new system to learn?

The core of the system will be familiar to anyone who’s played Orbital Blues or other games from SoulMuppet’s catalogue. There’s some specific unique things for this game in particular, to help cement that theme, but the core is the same.

But if you’ve not played those games, you don’t need to worry. This is a very rules light game - just enough to get you playing and to resolve the things that need resolution. But every character can fit on a scrap of paper or the back of your hand, and there’s not hefty rules to plough through. You can get stuck in right away.

Where do the demons end, and the real world begin?

I’m just going to quote from the game’s endnote here:

In the real world there aren’t societal traumas that create demons. There aren’t demons that hunt down members of vulnerable, marginalised communities and kill them. There aren’t brave radicals who go out and fight those demons and do their best to heal the wounds in the world.

Except yes there are. Of course there are.

What we’ve created in Mad as Hell is a metaphor, sure, but that metaphor is real. It’s not subtle! And from the moment we started working on the game I had this phrase I would trot out: “maximum bleed”. We encourage you to set your game in the place you and your players live. We want you to know the places, the people. If you want to run the game better, get out there and learn about your communities. If you want to play it better, have more ideas for how to win, then maybe you should go out and join a real activist group. Do some direct action.

The demons are here, and the only people who are going to fight them is us. No one is coming to save us, we have to do it ourselves.

The art looks gorgeous, can you tell us about who is behind it and the direction taken?

We’re lucky enough to have three incredible artists working on the project.

Alex Eckman-Lawn is our cover artist and is absolutely phenomenal. This cover is going to be like nothing else in games. I am so damn excited for it.

Scrap Princess is illustrating our Radical’s Handbook - an in-universe zine about demon hunting and activism that will be printed at the centre of our rulebook, and copies of which we’ll be handing out at our launch party. I was lucky enough to see some of Scrap’s work in an art gallery recently, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to have them contribute to this project.

Finally our main interior artist is the absolutely incredible Per Janke who I ran into completely by accident and immediately knew I wanted to work on this. Per absolutely gets this project, and their art is so so good. There are some pieces they’ve been working on recently for the full volume and let me tell you: the best is yet to come.

Who are Soulmuppet, and why are they the perfect home for Mad as Hell?

SoulMuppet Publishing is one of the best indie RPG outfits in my opinion, and part of that is the sheer range. Zach jokes about how they only make sad games (sad cowboys, sad gay vampire, and so on) but the truth is they make all kinds of games. They make incredible games that nail a specific genre (like Orbital Blues) or ones that manage to create their own niche (like Inevitable). They make games that hark back to the classics of the TTRPG space (like Best Left Buried) and they make completely original off the rails games (like Paint the Town Red).

I knew that Zach would not just enthusiastically work on this project, but that they and the whole SoulMuppet team would get it to their core and bring passion and insight and fortitude. I knew they’d stick with the concept even when it got messy, and I love them all so much for that.

Tell us about your exciting launch event (and venue), and the details of your Kickstarter?

There are still tickets for our launch party on the 18th May 2025. It is going to be an amazing evening - it’s in the Horse Hospital, this incredible arts space built into a disused horse hospital in the heart of London, and we’ve got live music from Cheap Dirty Horse, a punk-folk band who are close to my heart. We’ll be handing out copies of the Radical’s Handbook to attendees and running character creation sessions too.

It’s free, so no excuses, and you definitely have the day off (it’s a bank holiday).

The Kickstarter for Mad as Hell goes live 1st May 2025 to coincide with international worker’s day. Please follow the project before it goes live and consider backing it. I love this project, and I think lots of you will too.

Back Mad as Hell Here

Sometimes we may include links to online retailers, from which we might receive a commission if you make a purchase. Affiliate links do not influence editorial coverage and will only be used when covering relevant products