Midnight at the Oasis

Its the 1990s in New York and you’re back for a Saturday Night at Grace’s Oasis, a party night for crossdressing men. You’re not sure you’d call yourself trans or gay: You live much of your life as a man, and most of your romantic and sexual relationships are with women. But you’re here once again. And tonight is when your long-absent friend Dallas makes an unannounced return.

Midnight at the Oasis is a narrative-forward gmless game for 3-5 players about a specific night at a specific club in New York in the 1990s.

Play as regulars at a crossdressing night at Grace's Oasis when you are visited by your mutual friend Dallas, who had moved out of the United States a year ago, intending to transition. But when she arrives, she is presenting male, having detransitioned in the meantime, and throwing everyone’s carefully arranged self-image into disarray.

This narrative game explores the subculture of crossdressing in the 90s, where that subculture intersects with other queer communities of the time, and the personal experiences of the author, Catherine Ramen.

The game's design and layout is heavily inspired by queer bar-rags of the time, small tabloids and advertisers distributed at bars and clubs that listed events, news, meetups, and safe spaces back before information was readily available on the internet. 

Written by Catherine Ramen
Cover Design and Preliminary Art Direction by Harper Moon 
Layout and Additional Art Direction by Johnny Isorena
Production Editing by Richard Ruane

Midnight at the Oasis is available both in print and digitally as a 24 page full-color zine.