Trial of Lotus — A Mystic Social Deduction Game

The Final Chapter Unveiled & 2nd Stretch Goal Unlocked! Only 4 Days Remain.
5 months ago – Fri, May 01, 2026 at 12:04:54 AM

First off, some incredible news: Our second stretch goal is officially unlocked! I am so beyond grateful for your support. My dream for Trial of Lotus has always been for that "wow" moment every time you open the box, and thanks to you, we’re making that a reality.

The Final Chapter Today, I’m sharing the final part of our "How to Play" comic. The second half of the game is where the Trial of Lotus experience truly evolves. it’s packed with twists and reveals, and deep strategic shifts. I can’t wait to hear about the clever tactics you all come up with during your game nights!

What’s Next? Our next stretch goal is the Original Score. I believe the right atmosphere is everything. I'm planning a professional audio script narrated by a voice actor, paired with an ambient soundtrack to fully immerse you in the world of the Lotus.

The Final Countdown: 4 Days Left! We are officially in the home stretch. If you’ve been on the fence, now is the time to join us!

A quick reminder: The Deluxe and Heirloom editions are Kickstarter Exclusives. They will not be entering retail once the campaign ends and the stock is sold out. To guarantee your copy of these limited-edition boutique sets, make sure your pledge is locked in before the clock runs out!

First Stretched Goal Reached + How to Play comic Part3!
5 months ago – Wed, Apr 22, 2026 at 12:33:52 PM

Thank you so much, everyone! So excited that we have reached the first stretch goal, now ALL TIERS will have the gilded edges on all the character cards! 

Now Here is the next stretch goal, 3D popup box for all Deluxe+ tiers! Personally I love this pop-up box, as a party host I would love to wow my guests everytime when I open a game! :D To celebrate the reach of the milestone, I added a few more discounted Moonlit Deluxe editions, hoping to give a little boost to the next milestone. 

Here's the part 3 of How to Play comic, you can view the first two parts: 
Part 1.  

Part2.

How was a tabletop game made? Behind the Scenes of Trial of Lotus
6 months ago – Sun, Apr 19, 2026 at 12:29:57 PM

Over the years, I’ve played a lot of social deduction games, mostly Avalon and Werewolf. I really enjoyed the ability of a game bringing people together, and met old and new friends through the games. I don’t think I had the ability to meet people after accusing them of being evil in any other forms. 😂

There were mechanics that I really enjoyed, but every now and then I got a bit frustrated. In Werewolf, I always felt bad for people that got killed super early on randomly. In Avalon, once people found a group that could conduct a mission successfully, they’d stick to that and never break out. In both games, being evil felt pretty stressful. ofc that’s part of the fun, but I thought: could we reduce that just a bit?

The thematics of those games are also usually dark and gritty. As a party host and the cleaner of the house 😂, I found myself craving something more aesthetic, in a thematic I personally am more drawn to.

Thus was born Trial of Lotus.🪷
 

The idea solidified after a hiking trip with friends I always play board games with. I had just gotten laid off, and I thought, I gotta use this time to give it a try. It was a chance to bring my favorite Art Nouveau aesthetic, my heritage and the Eastern fantasy I grew up with, and my understanding of the social deduction genre together, and share it with likeminded people.

It took me a year. From random doodles in sketchbooks and rough paper mockups, I invited friends to playtest. Then fixed logic loopholes, made rule changes, updated the art. Then again. Then again. Then again. I came up with stories for the characters based on mechanics, and sometimes vice versa. I’ve never felt this much freedom and joy creating something. Seeing it come together bit by bit made me feel that if the 13 year old me saw who I was today, she would be happy and look up to me.🥹
 

I thought designing the game and creating the art was hard work, and I pulled through, but how wrong was I. Sourcing factories, creating cutting lines for tokens and boxes, foil vector files, running email campaigns, shooting videos, researching the ins and outs of Kickstarter… those were next level.

I’ll admit, I didn’t think it was gonna be this hard. But if I knew it was gonna be this hard, would I still do it?

Yes. Because I’m seeing my dream turn into reality. Every gilded card, every metallic token, and to gather friends around to play my game? I feel so lucky.

If you're reading this as a backer, a heartfelt thank you. You didn't just buy a game. You believed in something that started as doodles in a sketchbook, and that means more to me than I can express.

And if you've been watching and haven't yet taken the leap，this is what your support brings to life. Every card, every token, every moment around the table. I'd love for you to be part of it. 🪷

How to Play Comic part 2
6 months ago – Thu, Apr 16, 2026 at 02:14:45 AM

Hello everyone!

Thanks for everyone's response to the last comic, glad it's helpful! Here's part 2 - things are getting interesting...

Part 1 can be viewed here -

Can you predict who is Jade Lotus that saw all the evil? 

Early Bird Moonlit Deluxe edition SOLD OUT!
6 months ago – Sun, Apr 12, 2026 at 11:18:18 PM

Thank you so much for everyone's support, the Early Bird Moonlit Deluxe Edition is now sold out.

Why is this edition exclusive? The Moonlit Deluxe Edition (included in Heirloom Collector tier) is designed specifically for this Kickstarter campaign run by myself. It features premium metal/enamel tokens and the fabric-cover accordion artbook that require coordination across four different factories.

Because these components require such specific manufacturing and a multi-stage assembly process, it simply isn't feasible for a standard commercial retail run.

This version will only exist during this campaign, it won’t be available later in retail.

Thank you for helping me bring this ambitious vision to life!