Idea for a Game - Island of the Laughing Skull

[Shades of Eternity]

Hey folks!
I’ve been working on a short Halloween game concept that blends rubber-hose cartoon aesthetics with Lovecraftian surrealism — basically Bendy and the Ink Machine meets The Island of Doctor Moreau, with a splash of The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth (Apocalypse Engine).
The idea: when humans wash ashore on Laughing Skull Island, they begin to transform into living cartoons. Their humanity slips frame by frame as the ink rewrites them. The tone swings between Skeleton Dance-style whimsy and full-on existential body horror.

The Premise​

System: The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth (Powered by the Apocalypse)
Length: 1–2 sessions (5 hours each)
Players: 3–4 (ordinary people trapped in an absurdly horrifying workplace)

"Every time you laugh, the reel turns. Every time you scream, the ink thickens."

Players take on the roles of people who've found themselves working at ToonTech's cursed "animation resort." The job is simple: keep the rides running, entertain the guests, and ignore the fact that your fingers are stretching into white gloves.
Each failure or moment of absurd surrender advances your personal Toonification Reel, a six-frame countdown from "rubbery" to "fully animated."

The Factions — The Houses of Ink​

I just finished a set of faction icons in classic 1930s black-and-white cartoon style to help define the island's power structure.
Each faction represents a different philosophy of what it means to "live as ink."

Inkwell Court	Fox–swan hybrid noble	Aristocratic and vain; believes in the divine order of ink and brush.
Gag Gang	Grinning monkey	Chaotic slapstick cult who think laughter is holy.
Inkblots	Melting cat-face ink splash	Tragic husks clinging to fragments of identity.
Animator's Cult	Skeletal goat with reel halo	Religious zealots worshipping "The Animator" as a creator god.
Jawbone Wastes	Rat skull stitched with film strips	Scavenger outcasts who live off the scraps of other reels.

Here's a preview of the emblems I generated in matching style:
[Insert faction art here once hosted externally]
Each one looks like it came straight off an old cartoon title card, complete with warped ink frames and dripping film.

The Tone & Mechanics​

The Toonification Reel replaces corruption/stress mechanics.
Each stage gives players new powers and flaws ("Rubbery," "Looped," "Gagged"), and when they hit six, they become part of the island's rerun — an NPC trapped in eternal slapstick.
The tone balances dark humor and tragedy. Think Cuphead's aesthetic but with the fatalism of The Twilight Zone.

What I'd Like Feedback On

1. Balance: Any tips for making the Toonification mechanic tense but not punishing
2. System Fit: Does The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth seem like the right engine, or should I adapt a simpler PbtA skeleton?
3. Tone: How do you handle horror that's also comedic without collapsing into parody?
4. Factions: Do these "Houses of Ink" feel distinct and playable?
5. Visuals: Would people be interested in using the faction art set for their own games if released under CC?

the goals is to run it for the next 1-2 saturdays for halloween.

 

[aco175]

It looks like it would be fun for one session, but not really my tea for a second week of gaming time.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

yeah this is basically for a weekend of chuckles. I'm not expecting more then that.

 

[Piperken]

What I'd Like Feedback On

1. System Fit: Does The Happiest Apocalypse on Earth seem like the right engine, or should I adapt a simpler PbtA skeleton?

Having only looked at rule set briefly, I think so? From PbtA's that I've read, I tend to like distinct, evocative playbooks that I can look at once, make one or two decisions and say, yes, let's play.

1. Factions: Do these "Houses of Ink" feel distinct and playable?

Distinct, yes. I'd like to know more about what their stakes are against each other. At first go, it feels players vs. factions, when it should lean more players/factions vs. players vs. faction/faction.