Few publishers occupy a stranger corner of tabletop gaming than Hollow Press. Founded in Italy by Michele Nitri, the company built its reputation on underground comics, grotesque fantasy art, and books that often look as if they were excavated from some forgotten ruin rather than printed in a modern factory. Over the past several years, Hollow Press has expanded into tabletop games, producing RPGs and experimental game books that share the same unsettling visual identity as its comics.
The publisher’s audience extends well beyond Italy. Hollow Press publishes primarily in English, sells directly to an international market, and has cultivated a devoted following among readers who enjoy dark fantasy, body horror, underground comics, and games that reject mainstream design conventions.
Its latest release wave continues that tradition with three unusual projects: Gorga, a survival-horror roleplaying game; Zymo, a comic game book built around body horror and viticulture; and Barn Dudes, a competitive card game from award-winning cartoonist Stepan Razorenov. The company also announced a new printing of KartomantiK, one of its collectible card game projects.
Gorga Brings Survival Horror to Hollow Press RPGs
Hollow Press has published RPGs before, including Manosinistra: NecroBriscola RPG, Pilgrims of the Murk Dome, and Ungodz. Those games mixed OSR traditions, horror imagery, and elaborate physical production. Gorga appears to push even further into survival horror.
According to Hollow Press, the new game centers on survival, resource management, and a deliberately strange meta-game system. The publisher describes it as “super creepy” and “super survival,” with mechanics that encourage players to engage with the game world in unusual ways. While complete rules details remain limited, Hollow Press has emphasized the game’s experimental structure and extensive artwork. The company has built much of its gaming identity around visual design, and Gorga appears positioned as its most ambitious RPG production to date.
The book arrives as a substantial 256-page volume in a compact format. Hollow Press is printing it on Munken paper, a premium stock often used in high-end art books. The release also includes spot UV effects on the dust jacket, a production technique the publisher frequently uses to create tactile, collectible editions. Collectors can purchase a limited edition package that includes a Game Master screen and an official soundtrack cassette produced in collaboration with HDK.
Zymo Turns Body Horror Into a Playable Comic
One of Hollow Press’s most unusual experiments arrived in 2023 with Analwizards, a comic that doubled as a game book. Instead of separating comics and game design, the publisher combined them into a single interactive experience. Created by underground artist Nalsco, the 156-page book is described as an “open-world viticultural body horror” adventure. Those three words alone probably explain why it ended up at Hollow Press.
Readers navigate the story by making decisions, exploring locations, and interacting with a bizarre world where wine-making and bodily transformation intersect. The publisher jokes that players may not finish the adventure with all of their fingers intact.
That humor masks what appears to be a surprisingly ambitious format. Unlike traditional game books that funnel players through branching paths, Hollow Press presents Zymo as an open-world experience. The emphasis falls on exploration and discovery rather than simply choosing between numbered paragraphs. For readers who enjoy experimental comics, interactive fiction, and horror that leans heavily into the grotesque, Zymo may be the most distinctive release in this lineup.
Barn Dudes Brings Hollow Press to the Party Game Table
Not every game in the Hollow Press catalog revolves around doom, apocalypse, or existential dread. At least not entirely. Barn Dudes comes from Stepan Razorenov, creator of the acclaimed Sander’s Second Life comics, which earned the Gran Guinigi Award for Best Screenplay at Lucca Comics & Games.
The game arrives in a box containing 136 cards, six tiles, and a rulebook. Players manage collections of “dudes” while competing to control territory and outlast their opponents.
Specific gameplay details remain scarce, but the project appears to draw heavily from Razorenov’s distinctive cartooning style. Like many Hollow Press releases, the visual presentation seems inseparable from the mechanics. The artwork does not merely decorate the game; it defines its personality.
For a publisher known primarily for horror comics and dark fantasy RPGs, Barn Dudes represents a broader move into accessible tabletop gaming without abandoning the eccentric aesthetic that attracted its audience in the first place.
KartomantiK Returns to Print
Alongside the new releases, Hollow Press announced a reprint of KartomantiK. The new beta edition incorporates rules revisions developed after player feedback, along with a new cover design. A limited-edition playmat accompanies the release, capped at 100 copies.
The company is also expanding organized play support through hobby retailers. Participating stores can receive tournament kits containing exclusive promotional cards with alternate artwork and layouts. Players can obtain these rare cards only through tournament participation, an approach designed to encourage local play communities around the game.
That retail push marks a notable step for Hollow Press. The publisher has traditionally relied on direct sales and collector culture. Organized play suggests a broader effort to establish a long-term tabletop presence beyond its core audience of comic and art-book collectors.
A Publisher That Refuses to Stay in One Lane
Many publishers separate comics, art books, roleplaying games, and board games into different departments. Hollow Press treats them as parts of the same creative ecosystem.
That philosophy runs through all three releases. Gorga combines horror gaming with art-book production. Zymo blurs the line between comic and game. Barn Dudes translates an underground cartoonist’s work into a competitive tabletop experience.
Whether these projects become mainstream hits almost misses the point. Hollow Press continues to occupy a niche few other publishers even attempt to explore. For readers and players drawn to dark fantasy, experimental storytelling, and games that look unlike anything else on the shelf, that niche remains a fascinating place to visit.
