And the Crops Withered

About This Game

A desperate goddess. 
A missing daughter. 
A world slowly dying.

Weave together a haunting story of an immortal’s search across the earth in this single-player tabletop roleplaying experience inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone's abduction. 

Chronicle the journey of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and fertility, as she embarks on a relentless quest through a world increasingly ravaged by her own divine fury.

With each passing day her daughter remains missing, her power transforms from nurturing to destructive. Mortals starve. Gods turn their backs. And somewhere, unbeknownst to her, in the shadows of the underworld, Persephone waits.

How far will Demeter go to reclaim what was taken? What price will the world pay for a mother's love? And what will she discover about her daughter along the way?

In addition to the game, this project includes an adaptation of "The Abduction of Persephone," that I iterated based on several retellings of the story along with a reflection on Persephone and my intention for making this game.

Tools Needed

In addition to the game manual, you will need to obtain your own:

• tarot deck 
• tool to record your tale, a pen and paper work as does a voice recording app on your phone, it all depends on your preference for storytelling. 

Using a tarot deck, the player pulls cards to generate story prompts and responds to these to build the tale of Demeter's quest to find her daughter. 

Content Notes

Content Notes: Similar to Greek folklore, this game contains themes of sexual abuse, emotional manipulation (such as gaslighting), and abduction. 

Credits

Michael Anthony DeAnda designed this game and formatted this zine.

Published by Alice D Games.

Michael McHugh created “Demeter” (2025), the front cover image.

Alexej Hrajnoha created “Persephone” (2025), the back cover image.

Bradley Estacio, Chase Jones, David Norton, and José Feliciano were Production Assistants.