Getting on with second part three part scenario for journalling solo game English Eerie Following on from the Starting Scenes.
English Eerie solo - intro | start | partway | finish | all rolling solo
Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate
Final Thoughts on English Eerie
rpg thoughts | solo thoughts | scenes | char & notes
Building on previous Thoughts on English Eerie.
Just a couple things to add to previous thoughts.
I think English Eerie is a fine journalling game to introduce you to the genre (bear in mind it's my only journalling game so far.
It helps if you enjoy slightly older English fiction or know rural England fairly well. London doesn't count.
Id' like to see a couple more entries in the scenarios for suggestions of Minor Clues, Environmental Obstacles and Secondary Character Obstacles. There were 5 in each list, and as 4 will always get resolved a couple more options would be nice. Otherwise it can feel a bit forced.
I regret not using A Savaged Cow in a Field, though.
I'm also not convinced by the mechanics of Spirit and Resolve. I randomised mine (thus the 7 Spirit), but I think I would prefer some other kind of tension mechanic such as ticking boxes (I know it's exactly the same mechanic, but....) or a default (I think 5 Spirit and 5 Resolve would have worked better for me).
But the mechanics aren't really the important part of the experience.
It's clearly explained and I got a story out at the end of it.
Final Thoughts on Journalling
rpg thoughts | solo thoughts | scenes | char & notes
Building on previous Thoughts on Journalling.
i fond the journalling hard, and don't know if that's because it was the first time I tried, or if I just prefer other solo games.
I will try again in the future with a different journalling game.
In the meantime I'm happy enough with the story. It's ok but not brilliant. But there's a madman on the Moor I can use for another game.
It may also be down to my current environment. Summer in Porto while getting ready for another life change isn't possibly the best time for a solo horror journalling experience.
Scenes of the Beast on the Moor
rpg thoughts | solo thoughts | scenes | char & notes
Continuing on from Previous Adventures.
Sunday, March 14th, 1907, Morning (7 of Spades, Resolve 1, Spirit 4)
Dreams of trees and Felix covered in blood.
I rose early today, but found the rest of the house active already. Concerned for their employer.
Mrs Bristle insisted on going with me, and then Mr Douglas too. I can't trust the man, but Felix is missing!
Now I'm waiting for the others to prepare our supplies.
Ms Enfield handed me a concerning newspaper clipping about lights above Golden Wood, where Felix had gone. There was a passage circled about an old cairn. We'll start our search there!
Sunday, March 14th, 1907, Evening (4 of Diamonds, Resolve 1, Spirit 5)
We set off for the woods, calling Felix's name, but all we found was rain and mud. There was no reply from Felix, but we all felt something extra out there.
Mrs Bristle was sure she saw something out there, and then I remembered an old chapel, mentioned in the clipping. We tried to find it for shelter.
(d10 roll of 3, +1 for 1 spent Resolve, to overcome obstacle [6] - Failure, Resolve 0, Spirit 4)
We didn't get much into the woods before rain, mud and mist drove us back. It was almost as if something didn't want us there.
We gave up for the day, coming back to the house. With no sign of Felix.
Monday, March 14th, 1907, Morning (6 of Spades, Resolve 0, Spirit 4)
Dreams of mud, trees and skulls...
This morning there is a hound bizarre howling coming from the moor, a most strange sound.
Mr Douglas and Ms Enfield have left us now, gone before we woke. It's just me and Mrs Bristle left to hunt for Felix.
I'm not sure why I'm still here.
Monday, March 14th, 1907, Afternoon(6 of Clubs, Resolve 0, Spirit 4)
I found Felix in the woods. I went up on my own as Mrs Bristle could face it all no more.
There in the old chapel was my old friend. A wild man now, he's lost his mind to the moor. There was blood on his clothes, but I'm not sure if it was his.
When he saw me, he went into a rage, talking of the trees and the beast.
I tried to restrain him, but it was to no avail. I must have slipped in the struggle, and hit my head on something, as I lost consciousness.
When I woke, Felix was gone, and dusk was approaching. I'm writing my entry before it gets dark.
Tuesday, March 14th, 1907, Morning (5 of Diamonds, Resolve 0, Spirit 3)
There were large bloody hounds and Felix in my dreams last night.
I returned late to the House, and managed a few hours of sleep.
Mrs Bristle brought me gruel this morning. We haven't been thinking much about food this last week. She looks like she's aged ten years in the last week too.
She's coming with me to find Felix. Maybe we can get him back to the house.
Tuesday, March 14th, 1907, Midday (5 of Diamonds, Resolve 0, Spirit 3)
We got separated in the fog and forest again, but we've both got guns.
I caught a bit of bad luck, as I'm caught in an animal trap. It's a little painful, but I can't seem to get loose.
I'm trapped until someone comes.
But no-one is coming ,I think.
Tuesday, March 14th, 1907, Late (4 of Hearts, Resolve 0, Spirit 2)
I heard screaming in the distance, Mrs Bristle I think, and some howls. And the voice of Felix too.
But here im' trapped
I think the end is coming now.
I think I'm ready for it.
Wednesday, March 14th, 1907, Morning (Grey Lady, Resolve 0, Spirit 2)
Sleep was fleeting. The pain get's worse.
A black beast with saucer eyes watched me. I don't know if was day or night. I hard Felix's voice.
But..but when I think back, I don't know if I heard it, or if it was just the pain.
The beast left me, licking my face before it left. I think it was wounded. I don't know why it left me. Maybe Felix was involved.
A Future Day...
A pair of hunters found me, sent by the farmer we spoke to a week before.
They released me from the trap and found Mr Bristle's body, ravaged by some kind of beast.
There was no sign of Felix.
They shut the house up, as no-one wanted anything to do with it. Also no news of Felix, but rumours of a madman on the moor.
I'm done with antquities and done with here, time to start anew in another country. Anything to get as far away from the Moor as possble.
Away from the dreams of hounds and Felix with bloodstained hands.
Characters and Adventure Notes
rpg thoughts | solo thoughts | scenes | char & notes
The main character and secondary characters.
Main Character - Giles Chessaw
Resolve 3, Spirit 7
Giles drifts from place to place, investigating interesting heirlooms and antiques. Sometimes he visits his family at the village of Chesshaw before moving on.
Being fixed in one place isn't the life for him.
For the scenario Beast on the Moor, Giles is an antiquarian visiting a friend in an old manor house in Devonshire.
Secondary Characters
I took these straight from the scenario
- Lord Cunningham (Felix), 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.
- Mrs Bristle, a middle-aged plump serving woman who dotes on Felix. 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 Felix 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’.
Finishing Up
Next up is an international RPG, choosing from Cairn 1e, Fleux!, Scum & Villainy and Knave 2e.
