English Eerie Rural Horror Storytelling Game for One Player By Scott Malthouse Images in the public domain Copyright Scott Malthouse and Trollish Delver Games 2017, all rights reserved.
English Eerie Rural Horror Storytelling Game for One Player By Scott Malthouse Images in the public domain Copyright Scott Malthouse and Trollish Delver Games 2017, all rights reserved.
Introduction
The English countryside is haunted. Stand in the quiet of a lonely wood as the leaves whisper their secrets in your ear and you will realise that there's something not quite right here. The land is shaped by stories of gnarled hags who enter villages to steal away children, phantom coaches heard from the roadside, and black hell
beasts roaming the moors for their next victims. Tall stone megaliths recall witches dancing on the Sabbath, engaging in unholy acts and calm pools hide beings who would seek to drag wanderers to a dreadful end. English Eerie takes inspiration from folklore, along with the works of M.R. James, Arthur Machen and Algernon Blackwood to help players tell their own haunted tales of the English countryside. The game is designed to be played over one or a series of dark evenings by the flicker of candlelight. The player, you, will need a journal, a pen, a ten-sided die (d10), a set of tokens in two colours (beads etc) and a deck of playing cards. The aim of English Eerie is to tell your own tale of rural horror through entries in your journal - just as many protagonists do in horror literature. The card deck will be the engine that drives your story, presenting scenes for you to flesh out and for your character to overcome - all of which is recorded in physical journal entries. As time goes on tension rises and the horror is ramped up until the climactic end scene. There are several scenarios at the end of this book that offer you an inspirational framework to build a terrifying tale. You can choose to play the game in a single sitting or to draw out the experience over a series of nights.
Rural Horror When we talk about rural horror, we’re talking not only about ghost stories and folklore set in the countryside, but the horror inherent in the landscape itself. While many settings work for this type of macabre genre, there is something about the English country that makes it perfect for spinning ghoulish tales. There is a deep, unsettled history in the hills, woodlands and valleys of England - one of ancient bloodshed, blood-fuelled rites and malicious machinations. A layer of folklore has enveloped this spectral landscape, so much so that you cannot go anywhere without recalling a story about an evil spirit living within a cave or being told about a phantom or two who haunt the halls of a stately home (‘to this day you can still hear footsteps on the landing’). The works of renowned author M.R. James are dripping with tales of rural terror - often set in manor houses deep within the country, like A View from a Hill that evokes a land haunted by the accursed dead. James’ tales were often set in small villages or coastal towns where some evil is nudged awake by some hapless scholar. Algernon Blackwood, who was much loved by H.P. Lovecraft, too wrote about the cold,
naked country and its eerie inhabitants. In arguably his greatest work, The Willows, Blackwood conjures a land that is at odds with humanity - one that is ancient and where we only trespass. While The Willows is set in Eastern Europe, the descent into madness the characters face brought on by their natural surroundings can easily be placed in England. In fact, the scenario The Lost River in this book is inspired by this tale. What is presented in English Eerie is a method of immersing yourself as one of the characters from these rural horror stories. Through the system you will craft your very own tale, respond to the actions of others and unveil clues that will lead you to the inevitable conclusion. Like the characters in many a weird tale, yours may not survive, or they may suffer a fate even worse than death.
Your Character To begin play, you must form the character you will embody when writing in your journal. This is a simple affair - in English Eerie character mechanics are not as prominent as in many other roleplaying games just from the simple fact that stats and figures can get in the way of telling a good ghost story. Your character has two attributes: Resolve and Spirit. These will diminish as the story unfolds, helping your character keep his wits and determining the final outcome of the tale. Resolve represents your character's determination to continue onwards, to rationalise the irrational and to keep their wits about them. Resolve is spent to help your character overcome obstacles in scenes. Spirit represents your character's thoughts, feelings and physical well-being. As Spirit is reduced, your character falls into a spiral of horror, doubt and harm. Ending a story with 0 Spirit does not bode well for your character, but this might be what you want in a tale.
Each attribute has a number of points. To determine this, split 10 points between each, with a minimum of 3 in each. I.e. 6 Resolve and 4 Spirit. While the scenario may give you an indication of what your character may do for a living, do create a name for him/her and think about a little backstory to help with the flavour of the story. It may help inspire one of your scenes.
Setting up the Game English Eerie uses playing cards to help the story unfold. Instead of using the entire deck, the game uses a select number of cards that you must set up at the beginning of the game. Take 3 Queens of any suit - these are the Grey Ladies, a staple ghost in English folklore. When a Grey Lady is revealed the Tension increases and an event occurs, determined by the scenario you're playing. Then take the 4, 5, 6, and 7 of all four suits, shuffling these into a single deck (not including the Grey Ladies). Split this deck into 3 piles and put a Grey Lady on the bottom of each before placing them back into a single deck. This is known as the Story Deck. You will need a journal to write in and a d10, in addition to a lit candle if you have one. This latter element is
for atmospheric purposes - the game should be played in the dark by candle or lamplight in the quiet of the night - where shadows dance on the walls and where your imagination can take you to dark, unsettling places. Take your tokens and split them into two colours. One colour will represent Resolve while the other will represent Spirit. Put the required number of tokens matching these attributes in two small piles in the play area. Finally, you will need one of the printed scenarios in the back of this book to refer to.
Playing the Game A game of English Eerie is played by revealing the top card of the deck, resolving a scene, and writing down the resulting narrative in your journal. Each suit represents a type of scene, which are as follows: a secondary character is harmed in some way. For example, they could be attacked by a creature, or even found dead.
a secondary character obstructs you in some way (obstacle). For example, they attempt to stop you from going where you need to go, or they physically strike you. the environment obstructs you in some way (obstacle). For example, you become lost in a dark forest or a fog gathers to obstruct your path.
you uncover a minor clue. For example, you discover a tattered map or a skull beneath the floorboards.
Each scenario offers a list of secondary characters, minor clues, environmental obstacles and secondary character obstacles to inspire you.
The game is played by revealing cards, which correspond to scenes in your story. Start the game by placing the card at the top of the Story Deck at the side of the deck. The suit of the card will determine the type of scene (see previous section). You should think of what happens in the scene, taking inspiration from the scenario to help you form a journal entry dripping with terror. If the scene involves an obstacle, you will need to attempt to overcome it (see Overcoming an Obstacle below).
Once you have decided on what happens in the scene and resolved any obstacles, write this down in your journal. Then reveal the next card and place it next to the previous card. The new scene should relate in some way to the last so it shouldn’t be a random scene. Every two cards revealed counts as a day in your journal. . That last Grey Lady represents an entire day in your journal. It is recommended that you play the game over a series of real nights, giving you chance to ruminate over the story and come up with new ideas throughout the day.
Grey Ladies represent a notable event in the story and an increase in tension. When a Grey Lady is revealed, read the Tension table in the scenario to determine the event. This is usually left fairly ambiguous so you can be as creative as possible when telling your story. The suit of the Grey Lady does not matter. To simulate the creeping increase in horror, when a Grey Lady is revealed, you must either spend a Resolve point or lose one Spirit. If you cannot lose any more Spirit points, you still remain at 0 Spirit.
The final Grey Lady revealed signals the end of the tale, so this is where you should wrap up. The Tension table for the scenario will indicate the final reveal of the horror.
When a club or diamond is revealed it means that the scene involves an that you must overcome. To overcome an obstacle, roll a d10. If the number is equal to or above the number on the card, you have successfully negotiated the obstacle. If the roll is under, you have failed. Lose 1 Spirit on a failure. Your journal entry must be written to reflect a success or failure. You may spend Resolve to help overcome an obstacle. You must choose to spend Resolve before rolling and you can spend as many tokens as you like. After rolling, add these points to your roll.
For every Grey Lady on the table, the difficulty of any roll is increased by 1. So a scene with a card number of 6 would increase to 8 if there were two Grey Ladies on the table already. This represents the story getting away from the player as they spiral into horror.
Every horror story must come to an end and rarely does this happen happily. Once the final Grey Lady is revealed, count up your remaining Spirit points and refer to the Conclusion Table in the scenario. This will tell you how to wrap up your last journal entry. Generally, if you have Spirit left, you will be presented with a more positive ending, but if you have 0 Spirit you will be doomed. There is no ‘bad ending’ - just the ending there needs to be for your story.
You are playing the scenario the Beast on the Moor. You start with 3 Resolve and 7 Spirit. After sorting out the Story Deck, you light your candle and turn over the first card, which is a 5 of hearts - a secondary character is harmed in some way. As this isn’t an obstacle, you don’t have to roll so
you begin writing in your journal. Looking at the scenario, you select Lord Cunningham, who you are visiting to soothe his mind as his has been raving of queer things recently.
I arrived at Cunningham Manor on Tuesday, a great early 19th century building of pristine whiteness. The gardens are immaculate, the roses coming through beautifully at this time of year. Knocking on the door, I was greeted by a kindly lady I knew to be Mrs Bristle, one of Christopher’s servants. As I was welcomed inside the grand building there was a scream from the above floors. I bolted upstairs to the location of the sound, finding Christopher on the floor, his back against the wall, looking feverishly out of the window. “I saw it,” said he. “I saw the beast.” After writing this, you turn over the next card - the 6 of diamonds. This is an environmental obstacle. You consult the obstacles in the scenario and select ‘a thick fog blocks all vision’. Of course, you could have come up with your own obstacle, but decided on using the scenario for help. Because it’s an obstacle, you must roll a d10 and try to get 6 or more. You decide against using Resolve, as you don’t have much, and roll a five. You have failed, losing 1 Spirit.
Seeing my friend on the floor, a pathetic mess, I walked to the window where he was pointing a shaking finger. To my astonishment and, quite frankly, dread, a thick mist had begun to roll over the moors. Not five minutes ago had I been out in the sunshine admiring the garden, but now I could see nothing past the pane. The fog would not lift for several hours and by that time any trace of what Christopher had possibly seen had disappeared. So ends your first day. The next day you come back to your journal and turn over the next card, which is the 7 of spades. You have uncovered a minor clue. Looking at the scenario you select the scratch mark on the door.
Breakfast in the morning was pleasant - bacon, sausages and egg - a perfect start to the day. I must admit that my dreams were plagued with strange sights and sounds - curse that dreaded fog last night and my friend’’s ravings. He seems much better today and he told me that we could go out walking. After we had eaten I slung on my boots and put on my cap before leaving. As I left, I turned and noticed a series of large gouges in the main door - they almost seemed to be claw marks, as
if from a large cat. I did not point this out to Christopher as I knew it would send him running up to his room again, but it prayed on my mind. Now we can see the story taking shape. You reveal the last card of the day - a Grey Lady. Consulting the Tension Table, you see that you’re going to witness the eyes of the beast across the moor. Because it’s a Grey Lady, you must spend a Resolve or lose a Spirit. You decide to spend the Resolve.
We walked for much of the day, taking in the rolling hills, the sun shining happily upon us. Evening quickly came and I noticed that Christopher was becoming concerned, so I suggested we head back to the manor and fix up some tea. Just then, out of the dark of the copse of trees to the east I witnessed two bright objects like burning coals staring right at me, into my soul. Suddenly a black mass moved in the darkness of the trees and was
at once gone. I put the phenomena down to a trick of the light and perhaps a fox hunting its next meal. I admit that the vision shook me, but I paid it little attention as I walked back to the manor. The story continues from there, with the player revealing new cards and using the obstacles and characters in the scenario to build up a terrifying tale. As the tension ramps up, you might want to change your writing style to reflect the panic your character is feeling. Short sentences that mimic breathlessness will add to the pacing of the story, and don’t forget to load on the atmosphere - you can never have too much in a horror story.
While English Eerie is meant to be a solitary game, it can also be played with more than one person. Rather than writing down the story, it’s told out loud with friends. Everyone involved will be playing as the narrator, each taking in turns to reveal a card and narrate what happens in the scene (for argument’s sake, play begins with the youngest player). Only the person whose turn it is gets to have the final say as to how Resolve is spent. The multiplayer version offers more of a campfire ghost story feel to the game.
Scenarios This section contains a series of scenarios to play spanning different eras and tackling a variety of horrors in the English countryside. You can play these in any order you like.
Synopsis: The date is 1907. You take on the role of an antiquarian visiting a friend in an old manor house in Derbyshire. Your friend, Lord Christopher Cunningham, is ailing of late and his mind is deteriorating. He raves much about sounds on the moors, strange lights and a shape that he swears he has seen cross his window on a few occasions. You have decided to stay for a week to look after Christopher and help soothe his mind.
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Lord Cunningham, a solitary noble who lives alone, save for a few servants, in his Derbyshire manor. He is potentially becoming a danger to himself with all these tales of strange goings on.
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Mrs Bristle, a middle-aged plump serving woman who dotes on Christopher. She is worried about his state of mind and often sits with him while he sleeps. Mr Douglas, a butler who looks like he’s built for a fight. He doesn’t seem to care much for his lord, and puts in the least effort. He is in love with Ms Enfield. Ms Enfield, a serving girl of twenty years old. She is a superstitious type and encourages Christopher when he spouts his lunacy about odd sounds and shapes in the night. Mrs Bristle isn’t fond of her ways and believes she’s got ‘the devil in her’.
A scratch mark on the outside door A bizarre howl coming from the moor An ancient text that is unreadable An old newspaper clipping about lights above Golden Wood A savaged cow on the field
A thick fog blocks all vision A slippery stream blocks your way The trees appear to whisper to you An animal trap on the ground The trapdoor is jammed
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A character assaults you with a weapon A character blocks your way out A character attempts to talk you out of going somewhere A character leaves you lost in the wilderness A character has apparently been driven to lunacy
1. You witness the fiery eyes of a being in the dark on the moors dart across the landscape 2. Lord Cunningham is nowhere to be found. They say he went out into the wood 3. A black beast with saucer eyes confronts you in the dark
If you have 1 or more Spirit remaining: You have lived to tell the tale of the beast on the moor and all your faculties are in check. You may have found a method of ridding the world of this foul beast. If you have 0 Spirit remaining: Your last entry details your thoughts after fleeing the beast on the moor. You are raving, your world has been turned upside down. You are convinced
that someone in the manor or in the area is responsible for this beast. You will find them and put an end to them.
Synopsis: The date is 1921. You take on the role of an explorer and adventurer who has decided to go with three friends on a boating holiday down the River Eden in Cumbria. The plan is to take a canoe from the river’s source in Mallerstang and sail down to Carlisle, covering around 90 miles in distance. Despite the first few days being pleasant, with little in the way of weather trouble, on the fourth day a mist descends and the world suddenly becomes rather hostile. On the fifth day you find that the environment isn’t how you had expected it. The land around you is barren and bleak, with not a soul to be seen. You take camp nearby and in the morning find your canoes destroyed. It will be several days before they can be repaired, so you will have to wait it out in this eerie landscape.
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Mary Jones, a feisty independent lady with a taste for adventure. She has accompanied you on many an expedition, and while you are fond of her you have found that she can be unpredictable. Geoffrey Rose, a long-time friend and ally from the war. You have both seen atrocious things and are both still coming to terms with the horrors of the trenches. You get the feeling it has affected Geoffrey more than it has you.
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Ivy Prairie, an American who moved to the Lake District after the war. She is an unknown quantity in the group, having been introduced as Mary’s friend (although there is seemingly more going on with the way they look at each other).
The sound of rain outside, despite it being dry A ring of dead crows The sound of distant piping in the air The stars don’t look right - it’s the wrong hemisphere A large rip is found in the side of the tent
A heavy rain falls, causing you to take shelter You walk into a bog, beginning to sink Crows descend and peck at you You feel pulled towards the river Your supplies have rotted away
A character refuses to come out of the tent A character leaves in the dark A character pins you to the ground A character points a revolver at their head A character tries to talk you into staying here
1. In the morning, three strange symbols are etched into the mud outside your tents. 2. One character throws themselves into the river as a sacrifice. 3. Three impossibly tall, dark beings are seen at the other side of the river.
If you have 1 or more Spirit remaining: You manage to create a raft from driftwood, and although it is rudimentary, you are able to sail down the river. After a day of floating, you fall asleep. You awake on an embankment in Carlisle, helped up by a local farmer. If you have 0 Spirit remaining: Your last entry details the beings that you have seen. They are the watchers of this dark world. You realise that you are no longer in England, but in some kind of pocket where these ancient beings exist. There is no hope for you. You must make yourself a sacrifice.
Synopsis: The date is 2017. You are reluctantly joining a friend on a trip to a digital detox camp in order to go back to nature and leave any tech at home. The camp is situated in the Yorkshire Dales in the springtime in the middle of nowhere. After arriving at the camp you are greeted by the charismatic George, who presents himself as a self-styled spiritual guru. While he seems quite eccentric, he is harmless enough. Or so you think.
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Gemma Watson, a lifelong friend who has recently found her spiritual side. She is quite naive and has gone along with fads as long as you have known her. George, you don’t know his surname, or if he has one, but he has a winning smile and a gentle demeanor. He is warm, welcoming and clearly loves his work. However, there’s something about him that just doesn’t sit right. Brianna Gable, George’s protege who obviously idolises him. However, he seems jealous of anyone talking to him. Zak Salt, a thirty-something punk with a foul mouth. He has a tough outer shell, but wants to improve his life. He often spends time on his own.
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A book called The Bringing of Rains written in what appears to be code A machete A scream from the nearby wood A buried femur A bag of dried mushrooms
A deep dug out pit A heavy downpour A mad ram attempts to gore you A falling branch from above Poisoned food
A character confronts you about “looking at George like that” A character strikes you with the blunt of a hatchet A character steals something from you A character breaks down into a sobbing fit A character attempts to kill another character
1. A human skull is found in the wood
2. Someone saw George wandering into the woods last night with a machete 3. You confront a large wicker effigy. Campers are being forced inside. There is a smell of smoke in the air
If you have 1 or more Spirit remaining: You escape from the cult and end up in a sleepy village. After battering on a door you are brought inside by an elderly couple where you recount your tale. In the morning you get the train home, a nervous wreck. You will no longer trust anyone. If you have 0 Spirit remaining: Your last entry tells of how you managed to scramble away from the effigy, recounting seeing campers being burned alive within the wicker shell. After you write, you fall asleep and wake up with a shadow looming over you, machete in hand. “You will join us” says the figure.
Synopsis: The date is 1878. You have received news that your dear uncle has passed away. With this somber news comes a silver lining - he has bequeathed you his estate in Derbyshire in his will. Living in the middle of London, you have longed to leave the city life for the serenity of the country, so within the next month you have packed and left for Derbyshire to start your new life. While your small London residence was fine for a single person, you find yourself alone in a vast eight bedroom manor house. However, soon you find that you’re less alone than you think.
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Wilfred Batley, your driver who lives in the village down the hill. He is soft-spoken and religious. Emma Trotter, a kindly baker from the village who delivers your bread in the morning. She may know more about the history of the manor than she lets on. Mary Tallow, your newly-hired cook. She is young, naive and not the smartest tool in the box. The Chained Spirit, a ghostly presence who can be heard shaking chains in the dead of night.
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Footsteps running through the halls in the night A fireplace lights itself A map of under the manor is found A threat appears in blood on the walls Translucent slime is found on the cellar door handle
A wine bottle flies out in your direction The walls drip blood, covering all exits The fireplace erupts into a blaze The floorboards give way The door is suddenly locked from the outside
A character won’t stop crying A character locks you in the cellar A character pleads you not to go outside A character sustains severe injuries A character threatens to burn everything
1. There is a scratching at your chamber door 2. You witness an apparition of a woman hanging from the branch of the oak outside a window
3. You discover an ancient tomb under the foundations. There is something down there waiting for you - and it wants blood.
If you have 1 or more Spirit remaining: You scramble out of the tomb and into the fresh air. The manor begins to crumble and in a flash it implodes, leaving nothing but a patch on the ground. Several months later you are back in London, living in a small flat. Every now and again you swear you see something standing over your bed, watching you sleep. If you have 0 Spirit remaining: You awaken in a white, padded cell. A kindly nurse peers down at you and smiles. “It’s time for your walk,” she says with caramel tones. You find yourself nodding and hobbling alongside her. “Don’t leave me in the dark again,” you say weakly, “It awaits me in the darkness.”
Synopsis: The date is 1968. It’s late autumn in the Cotswolds, a vast area of countryside near Bristol and Oxford, you and your business associate Rebecca Theckey are travelling to the picturesque village of Bibury in search of property development opportunities in the area. You are staying in The Faversham Inn, a quaint cosy bed and breakfast run by an elderly couple called Marjorie and Arthur Taylor. You are to stay in the village for two weeks in order to secure a much-needed contract for your business, otherwise you will fall into liquidation. After a couple of nights in the Faversham, you and Rebecca begin to hear strange noises in the dead of the night - soft thumps and groans, seemingly happening somewhere in the inn. There is something not quite right here.
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Rebecca Thackey, your business associate and long-time friend. She is sarcastic, acerbic and you suspect she has a problem with drugs. Arthur Taylor, the soft-spoken co-owner of the Faversham. He often carries a picture of his son, who died in the war.
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Marjorie Taylor, the other co-owner of the inn. Marjorie is cold, distant and doesn’t enjoy talking to others. Emma Busby, an accountant who came to the Faversham to get away from her husband. She is often seen with a tall man with a wide-brimmed hat.
The room is unnaturally cold An occult symbol is hidden behind a painting The sound of running on the landing A distant moan, coming from below Arthur has a tattoo of a strange symbol on his wrist
Unseasonal snow blocks you in You slip on blood A door is sealed shut Something is chanting - it’s mesmerising A blackout
A character prevents you from going somewhere A character keeps you from seeing something A character becomes disorderly A character is inconsolable A character threatens another character
1. Another character talks about hearing terrible chants from the cellar 2. Rebecca goes missing 3. You discover one or both of the co-owners feeding something resembling their son in the cellar
If you have 1 or more Spirit remaining: You escape, despite being harmed. You drive - not in a particular direction - you just drive into the night and don’t look back. If you have 0 Spirit remaining: You pass out after witnessing this being and the hosts’ involvement in these horrific activities. You awaken on a table, a grotesque thing glaring down at you. You cannot move, you cannot speak. There is no final entry. You are devoured.
