Roleplaying

Players

Codex

Vault

Dice-chan

Explore

The Aetherverse

A Town Called Malice

Board

Game Trackers

Body

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Event

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Darkness

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Character Trackers

Character Points

Character Points

Character

Points

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Connections

Table

Table

Character 1

Character 2

Status

Nature of Relationship

Alister Graeme

Dr Heathcoate

Positive (Heit)

Sees Heathcoate as his successor

Alister Graeme

Karen Smith

Negative (Kult)

She’s too obvious with her shady dealings

Dr Heathcoate

Alister Graeme

Negative (Kult)

Believes that Alister’s dealings will damage the town

Dr Heathcoate

Karen Smith

Positive (Heit)

Reminds Heathcoate of a former patient he couldn’t save in his youth

Karen Smith

Alister Graeme

Positive (Heit)

Likes him because he’s rich, and she wants to be rich, too

Karen Smith

Dr Heathcoate

Negative (Kult)

Thinks he’s a bad doctor, because he refused to diagnose her of a sickness that she didn’t have (she wanted compensation)

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PCs

Alister Graeme

The Elder

Dr Heathcoate

The Medic

Karen Smith

The Criminal

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NPCs

Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Mayfair

The Nurse

Luc Gautier

The Accountant

Bart Fly

The Barfly

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Locations

Doctor’s Office / Morgue

The Infirmary

Graeme Holdings

The Office

‘The Shoey’ Central

The Tavern

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Reference

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A_Town_Called_Malice_Digital_6_14.pdf

49.1 MB

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Scenes

Scenes can involve up to two player characters, or more at the cost of a Character Point. Any player can offer to spend a Character Point before or during a Scene to add an additional player character (with the Spotlight Player’s approval).

Additional PCs

When an extra player character is introduced to a Scene, the Spotlight Player adds an additional die to the Scene’s Resolution Pool.

NPCs

The Spotlight Player can also choose to include the Location’s non-player character (called a “Civilian”) in a Scene. Civilians present at the beginning of a Scene do not add additional dice to the Resolution Pool. Players can add an additional new Civilian to the active Scene by spending a Character Point. Adding the Civilian will temporarily add an additional die to the Resolution Pool for that Scene.

Items

Things may be needed. Or merely wanted. Or are simply there. All the same, players may want to add additional special items that go beyond the norm to pursue a Story Pillar. Players can create special items in a Scene by spending a Character Point, which also temporarily adds a die to their Resolution Pool.

Items must be directly linked to a Story Pillars and follow the Town’s tenets and the game’s setting and details. (e.g. No creating a rocket launch- er on the fly.)

Resolving Scenes

To overcome these challenges, the Spotlight Player rolls dice against a set of opposing dice to see if they succeed - these two groups of dice are the Resolution Pool and the Opposition Pool.

Resolution Pool: Spotlight PC + Secondary PC(s) + support dice (from other NPCs, or Items)

Opposition Pool: 3 (Act I) or 5 (Act II)

Scenes About the Body

If the player succeeds, remove a die from the Body.

If the player fails, remove a die from the Body and add it to the Darkness.

Scenes About the Event

If the player succeeds, add a die to the Event.

If the player fails, remove a die from the Event.

Scenes About the Darkness

If the player succeeds, remove a die from the Darkness.

If the the player fails, add a die to the Darkness and describe a new Manifestation.

Character Points

Players receive and earn Character Points during play which act as the game’s currency. Each player initially receives one Character Point at the end of character creation. Characters also receive a Character Point at the beginning of Act II.

The Spotlight Player earns a Character Point if they pursue a Personal Goal or try to improve a relationship during a Scene.

Any player (whether they’re in the Scene or not) can spend one of their character’s Character Points to:

Introduce a player character into the Scene

Add a new Location

Add a new Civilian (NPC)

Add a new special Item

Spending a Character Point in this manner adds one temporary die to the Resolution Pool for that Scene.

Character Points for Upgrading

At either the beginning or end of a Scene, a player can spend two Character points to permanently add a die to their character’s pool (up to a maximum of three). This must occur prior to any dice roll in their Scene. A character cannot have more than three dice in their personal pool. This upgrade is permanent throughout the remainder of the game and cannot be changed.

These dice contribute to any Resolution Pool where that character is involved, not just when they’re the Spotlight Character.

CATS and Safety Tools

Now I’m going to do CATS. CATS is an acronym that stands for Concept, Aim, Tone, and Subject Matter. The purpose of CATS is to establish some basic expectations for what this game is about and what we’re going to be doing during this first session.

Concept: A Town Called Malice is set in a small, isolated town somewhere of our choosing. The town is full of secrets and strange occurrences, and the characters must navigate its hidden dangers and uncover its mysteries.

Aim: The aim of the game is for the characters to investigate the strange happenings in the town, uncover the truth behind them, and ultimately save the town and its inhabitants from whatever malevolent force is at work.

Tone: The tone of the game is dark and foreboding, with a strong emphasis on mystery and suspense. The characters will be facing off against powerful and dangerous foes, and the stakes are high. However, there is also room for lighter moments of camaraderie and humour, as the characters work together to overcome the challenges they face.

Subject Matter: The game explores themes of isolation, paranoia, and the unknown. The characters will encounter strange phenomena that defy explanation, and will have to confront their own fears and doubts as they try to make sense of what is happening in the town. There may also be themes of corruption, manipulation, and conspiracy, as the characters uncover the dark secrets that have been hidden away in the town for years.

Nordic Horror

The term “Nordic Noir” references a genre of Scandinavian fiction, film, and television associated with a dark and grim mood/look to its presentation. Its characters are strongly written and complex, usually harbouring personal secrets that affect their interactions with others.

Usually crime-based dramas, Nordic Horror is not contained strictly to Scandinavian countries—BBC television series such as Hinterland and Broadchurch are heavily influenced by the dark and melancholic style. Even David Lynch’s television series Twin Peaks can be included within the categorisation. It is best described that “everybody is weighed down and vulnerable” as the story begins, continuing to explore those vulnerabilities as they try to solve the recent tragedies that affect the Town. The setting of Nordic Noir stories share a bleakness due to its unyielding weather and isolation, which only serves to heighten the emotional tensions.

A Town Called Malice also incorporates an external menace that is great- er than the emotional troubles weighing upon the citizens. Its origin may be supernatural, a biological remnant from another time, or possibly an out of control scientific experiment. Regardless of its beginnings, its slow awakening threatens everyone nearby and possible the rest of the world, should it escape beyond the county borders.

Safety Tools

No game is more important than the people playing it. We’re going to aim to tell the best story we can, but we’re going to do it in a way that respects everyone’s boundaries of safety and consent. We’ll be using three safety tools today: the Open Door Policy, the X-card, and Lines & Veils.

The Open Door Policy is very simple: you can leave the game for any reason and you don’t have to explain yourself. Just let us know you have to go; no one here will ask any questions about it.

The X-Card is here in case something in the game makes you feel uncomfortable in an un-fun way. Just type or say X-card and we will stop play in order to change whatever just happened in the game. As the GM, I may ask for clarification on what is being X-carded, but I will never ask why. We’ll resume play once the change is made.

Finally, we’ll be using Lines & Veils. Lines are things that we are not going to have in the game, period. Veils are things that we’re ok with being in the game but we prefer not to roleplay them, or we simply want to keep them offscreen. Importantly, even though I earlier listed a number of dark subject matters that come up in our games, you can still include one or more of those things as part of Lines & Veils. As I said before, no game is more important than the people playing it.

I will start by sharing my personal Lines & Veils right now. My line is Homophobia / Transphobia, my veil is Consensual Sex.

You can tell me your own Lines & Veils privately during a break and I will then convey them to the group anonymously when we’re back together.

Lines and Veils

Lines and Veils

Content

Line

Veil

Ask

Sexual Assault / Violence

Harm to Children

Harm to Animals

Homophobia / Transphobia

Racism / Sexism

Infection / Plague

Consentual Sex

Domestic Violence

Torture (by NPCs)

Torture (by PCs)

Betrayal between PCs

Violence between PCs

Romance between PCs

Romance with NPCs

Body Horror

Slavery

Gore

Drug / Alcohol Abuse

Overdose

Self-Harm

Suicide

Insects

Rats

Spiders

Eyeballs

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