Role Call

Calling all theatre nerds, strategists, and role-playing fans to the table! Role Call is a management and visual novel game, where you play as a troupe’s Stage Manager. It is heavily inspired by the game Dispatch (Adhoc Studio 2025). The world of theatre can be quite brutal. You yourself are no stranger to rejection as you have given up your dreams of being an actor in favor of another role. You have become the dedicated stage manager of a University group called One Take–the most prestigious theatre organization in the state. One Take, however, is run by a corrupt and rather troubled director, who would sooner see their dreams realized through a few students, than create a safe and creative space for all of them. Tired of those you love being rejected from the shows you manage, you decide to leave and start your own theatre troupe alongside them called Role Call.

Role Call cycles between a fast-paced, management-focused night phase, where the player must fulfill rehearsal-themed events, using a cast and crew they have hand-picked from a pool of non-player characters. These NPC’s have stats associated with theatrical performance that you must utilize in order to maximize your rehearsal score. Characters can be assigned to any rehearsal events/tasks, making the stories that emerge throughout dynamic and determined by the player (aka the stage manager). The night phase focuses on strategy, requiring the players to manage their selected troupe members, while also making dialogue decisions that impact relationships and scores.

When outside of rehearsal, during the day, the player engages in a visual-novel style story and relationship-building system. Those lucky souls that you’ve casted in your “underdog” production are eager for a sense of connection with a group of like-minded theatre kids. As you move through college days, fun excursions, and an intensifying rivalry with One Take, you can choose who to devote your time to, permanently bonding with some of your cast and crew. Dialogue options in this portion of the game focus on an NPC’s preferences, allowing each character to individually evaluate how they feel about you based on your intentions and execution of the social interaction.

Now, what would theatre be without drama? Behind this day & night cycle, driving our characters forward, is the need to prove themselves in the face of One Take, its director, and its rising-star lead actor who don’t believe in the talent or efforts of you and your crew. This rivalry escalates, resulting in production sabotages that change the events of your rehearsals and create difficult social situations for you and your company. 

Role Call, under the veil of college theatre, is a game about individual discovery, the power of students, and the triumph over corrupt organizations. It is a single-player experience that invites you to engage in deep relationships with the characters, carefully consider their choices in conflict, and manage a whole team to put on an epic show.

Created By: Lavender Games

Collaborators: Skye Winters, Rae Watters, Sophia Reeder, Calvin Than, and Alex Sallade