The Impossible Dream
The Impossible Dream is an independent publisher of innovative tabletop roleplaying games, including the Jenga-based horror RPG Dread, the supers RPG Four Colors Al Fresco, and the fantasy RPG Ogalepihcra, sold globally direct-to-consumer as printed books and PDFs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- Headquarters—
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Impossible Dream does
The Impossible Dream is a small, independent tabletop roleplaying game publisher operating under the brand "tiltingatwindmills.net." The company designs and sells three core titles: Dread, a horror and suspense RPG that replaces dice with a Jenga tower as its sole resolution mechanic and uses a questionnaire-driven character creation method; Four Colors Al Fresco, a superhero/supers RPG focused on narrative drama and character arcs rather than complex power modeling; and Ogalepihcra, a fantasy RPG set in the world of Rumel with rules adapted for both the Fudge system and the D20 System. The portfolio is differentiated by novel, non-traditional randomizers and story-first design choices that explicitly diverge from conventional dice-heavy RPGs.
The company monetizes entirely through direct-to-consumer sales on its own e-commerce website, offering each title as a downloadable PDF ($12 for Dread) and a printed softcover book ($24 for Dread), with global shipping to North America, Europe, Australia, Mexico, and other regions. Revenue is one-time/perpetual-license rather than subscription-based. Customer acquisition relies on a community-led GTM: organic content marketing through a WordPress blog, Facebook and Twitter presence, convention demos (including Gen Con), Kickstarter campaigns for new development, and earned media such as the 2015 feature of Dread on Wil Wheaton's Tabletop web series.
The Impossible Dream is structured as a bootstrapped, founder-operated business run by an individual identified as "caitlin," with no institutional investment, no parent company, no disclosed headcount beyond the founder, and no offices disclosed. Margins on international orders have been compressed by successive USPS rate increases, prompting shipping price hikes in 2015 and 2016. The company self-describes as award-winning, though specific awards are not named in available source material.
The Impossible Dream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Impossible Dream
- Legal name
- The Impossible Dream
- Website
- https://tiltingatwindmills.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Impossible Dream is an independent publisher of innovative tabletop roleplaying games, including the Jenga-based horror RPG Dread, the supers RPG Four Colors Al Fresco, and the fantasy RPG Ogalepihcra, sold globally direct-to-consumer as printed books and PDFs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Impossible Dream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tabletop Roleplaying Games
- NAICS
- Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming) (CRALAFAH)
Keywords
The Impossible Dream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Physical Book Sales: Direct sales of printed roleplaying game books through their e-commerce website. Games available as physical softcover books.
- Digital PDF Downloads: Digital download versions of games sold through the website, providing immediate access to game rules and content.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Dread PDF download |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Dread softcover book |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Impossible Dream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Impossible Dream publishes and sells innovative tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs) — chiefly Dread (a Jenga-based horror RPG), Four Colors Al Fresco (a superhero RPG), and Ogalepihcra (a fantasy RPG). Games are sold directly to consumers as printed softcover books and downloadable PDFs through the company's own website.
Product overview
The Impossible Dream is an award-winning publisher of innovative, immersive role-playing games. Their product portfolio consists of three distinct RPG titles: Dread (a horror game using Jenga tower mechanics for diceless, numberless gameplay), Four Colors Al Fresco (a supers/superhero RPG focused on narrative and character-driven play), and Ogalepihcra (a fantasy RPG with rules available in both Fudge and D20 System variants). All products are available as printed books and downloadable PDFs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dread A horror and suspense tabletop role-playing game that uses a Jenga tower as its sole mechanic instead of dice. Players pull blocks from the tower to resolve risky actions; knocking it over removes the character from the game. It targets individual tabletop RPG hobbyists and small gaming groups seeking atmospheric horror play.
- Four Colors Al Fresco A superhero-themed tabletop role-playing game focused on drama, character arcs, and narrative outcomes rather than complex mathematical power modeling, inspired by comic book storytelling. It targets individual RPG hobbyists and gaming groups interested in supers/comic-book genre sessions.
- Ogalepihcra A fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in the world of Rumel, with rules adapted for both the Fudge system and the D20 System, featuring social combat mechanics. It targets individual fantasy RPG hobbyists and gaming groups.
Companies that use The Impossible Dream
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Impossible Dream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Impossible Dream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Impossible Dream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- DriveThruRPG: Largest digital distribution platform for indie tabletop RPGs (PDFs and print-on-demand). A potential distribution and customer-acquisition channel for The Impossible Dream, and the primary marketplace where comparable indie titles are sold.
Broad incumbents
- Chaosium: Long-established publisher of horror tabletop RPGs including Call of Cthulhu. Direct genre overlap with Dread in horror RPG and competes for the same horror-RPG enthusiast customer segment, but at meaningfully larger scale.
- Onyx Path Publishing: Mid-sized tabletop RPG publisher behind World of Darkness, Chronicles of Darkness, and other narrative/storytelling systems. Comparable audience (narrative-focused hobbyists) and indie-adjacent operating model.
- Cubicle 7: Publisher of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Age of Sigmar RPG, and Doctor Who RPG. Targets the same hobby-RPG buyer with narrative-driven games, but at larger scale and with major IP licenses.
- Green Ronin Publishing: Mid-sized tabletop publisher behind Mutants & Masterminds, Fantasy AGE, and Dragon Age RPG. Comparable narrative-RPG focus and indie heritage, though with broader catalog and stronger retail distribution.
- Modiphius Entertainment: Indie-but-scaled tabletop publisher of Achtung! Cthulhu, Star Trek Adventures, and licensed RPG lines. Comparable in being design-forward and serving hobby RPG enthusiasts, but with broader catalog and stronger distribution.
Direct peers
- Evil Hat Productions: Indie tabletop RPG publisher known for narrative-driven mechanics (Fate, Don't Rest Your Head — which Impossible Dream's founder publicly recommends on their blog). Directly comparable as a small, design-led indie publisher serving the same hobby-RPG customer.
- Pelgrane Press: Indie RPG publisher behind GUMSHOE-system investigative games (Trail of Cthulhu, Night's Black Agents). Closely comparable niche positioning around innovative, narrative-forward tabletop RPG mechanics for enthusiast customers.
Emerging players
- itch.io: Indie-friendly digital marketplace with a growing tabletop RPG category. Comparable in serving solo/duo designers selling narrative RPG PDFs directly to consumers, and a viable distribution alternative for PDF-first indie RPGs.
- Half Meme: Small indie publisher of My Life With Master — an emotionally-driven, mechanically-innovative horror-adjacent RPG that Impossible Dream's founder actively recommends. Closely comparable as a tiny solo/duo design-led publisher of single-mechanic-driven indie RPGs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Impossible Dream social profiles
Digital presenceThe Impossible Dream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Impossible Dream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Impossible Dream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Impossible Dream M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Impossible Dream
What does The Impossible Dream do?
The Impossible Dream publishes and sells innovative tabletop roleplaying games (RPGs) — chiefly Dread (a Jenga-based horror RPG), Four Colors Al Fresco (a superhero RPG), and Ogalepihcra (a fantasy RPG). Games are sold directly to consumers as printed softcover books and downloadable PDFs through the company's own website.
Is The Impossible Dream a public or private company?
The Impossible Dream is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Impossible Dream founded?
The Impossible Dream was founded in 1995. It employs 1 to 10 people.
How does The Impossible Dream make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Physical Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are digital PDF Downloads.
Who are The Impossible Dream's main competitors?
DriveThruRPG is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Chaosium, Onyx Path Publishing, Cubicle 7, Green Ronin Publishing and Modiphius Entertainment. Direct peers are Evil Hat Productions and Pelgrane Press. Emerging players are itch.io and Half Meme.
Does The Impossible Dream have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Impossible Dream.
What industry is The Impossible Dream in?
The Impossible Dream's product category is Tabletop Roleplaying Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAFAH, Hobby Games & Miniatures Retail (Tabletop RPGs, Wargaming). Its NAICS code is 459120 and its SIC code is 5945.