What’s Happening?
Caught in the Rain is one of the winners of the PAX Aus 2026 Indie Showcase. The solo mystery game comes from The Ravensridge Emporium, a studio co-founded by Toowoomba game developer Brandon Lee.
Visitors can play the game and meet its creators from 9 to 11 October 2026 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Why It Matters?
The showcase puts independent games before thousands of players, media and industry professionals. For The Ravensridge Emporium, it is a chance to introduce more people to solo role-playing games.
Nicholas, who designed Caught in the Rain, said, “Caught in the Rain is my love letter to the solo rpg community, it’s built to introduce newcomers to this side of the hobby and designed to be tinkered with by experienced solo players. Having been chosen as one of the Indie Showcase winners feels me with a lot of excitement because it provides me the opportunity to show more people the game and hopefully bring more people into the solo rpg community!”
Local Impact
In an exclusive Q&A with The Toowoomba Minute, Brandon spoke about the community that has supported the studio.
“My wife and I have lived in Toowoomba for half a decade now, and the community of friends and gamers we’ve found has been invaluable to our journey not only with this game, but as a game studio as a whole. Connecting with other small businesses and friends such as Camera Boy Co, Saxx Design, The Mimic’s Den and Cortex Media has been a huge part of our journey.”
By The Numbers
- 12 Australian games won showcase places this year, with six tabletop titles and six digital titles selected.
- Half a decade is how long Brandon and his wife have lived in Toowoomba.
- 12 months of free internet and an eero 7 modem will go to each winning team through sponsor Superloop.
Zoom In
Brandon said Caught in the Rain grew from a challenge Nicholas set himself: how could one person create a mystery and still be surprised by its answer?
“Caught in the Rain was a passion project of Nicholas that originally came from a a self-imposed design challenge. Solo games can be tricky when incorporating mysteries: how does one create a compelling mystery, and also solve it when you are the only player? How can you engage in a mystery if you already know the answer? Caught in the Rain is our answer to this question, and answers it by helping you create a cohesive mystery as you play, so things remain a mystery to both you as the player and your character.”
The team also had to make that idea work for people new to solo tabletop games. Brandon said understanding experienced players came more easily because the team belongs to that community.
“I think the biggest challenge has been ensuring the game can be played by someone with no experience in solo tabletop games. Catering to the niche of folks who already play solo rpgs was honestly the easy part. We are that niche, and we’re ingrained in that community already which helped us understand what that audience wants. We’ve attempted to make the game accessible to new players by including a plethora of general play advice in the book, as well as collaborate with lots of content creators to show off just how easy it can be to jump in and play!”
Zoom Out
Tabletop winners
- Thrive – Avant-Card Games
- Aqueducks – Corkscrew Games
- Deathbed – Devil Juice
- Drago’s Dreamland – Emily Dallwitz
- Caught in the Rain – The Ravensridge Emporium
- Wireburn – Wireburnthegame
Digital winners
- Cozy Game Restoration – Parasol Corp
- Key Fairy – Owl Machine
- Finch & Archie – Octarine Arts
- The Last Exterminator – Ironworks Games
- Mission Delta – Polarity Games
- A Real Life Party – Silakka
What To Look For Next?
Brandon is looking forward to showing another Ravensridge game at PAX Aus and meeting fellow game fans.
“This might be a little cheeky of me, but I’m actually the most excited to be showing off our new upcoming game, One Thousand Rats Devour a City. It’s a boardgame / TTRPG hybrid where you play as a colony of vengeful rats trying to destroy a gothic city. Beyond that though, connecting with and meeting folks who love games as much as we do is always a highlight of PAX!”
Tickets and event details are available on the PAX Aus website.