The Golden Rule of Running RPGs – Some Advice to New Game Masters

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beginner's advice, Game Master, GM, GMing, role-playing game, rpg

The most important lessons I’ve learned in 35 years of Game Mastering can be reduced to the following maxim:

“Design and present your game world and scenarios in terms of opportunities to be explored, challenges to be met, and consequential choices to be made.”

The Rule seems simple and obvious – so simple in fact, that it is easy to lose sight of it. Nonetheless, application of the Golden Rule solves many of the recurring problems that can drag down games.

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To describe environments confidently, don’t try to create a perfect replica, mental or physical, of the adventure/scenario map in front of you. Instead, focus on what the PCs can possibly do because of the environment. The old “choose-your-own-adventure” books actually provide a good model here. In general, avoid getting bogged down conveying exact distances, dimensions, and positions, unless the PCs indicate that they are spending (valuable) time measuring such things. Instead, you might say say something like:

“The entire party can fit in this room without feeling crowded. You can exit it three ways – back the through the door you entered, by a door in the far wall, or by one on the right-hand wall. The stone walls appear ordinary, but in this dim light you would have to get closer to be sure. In the center of the room is a table with some potentially interesting objects on it. Do you want to investigate the table, more closely examine the room itself, leave, or do something else?”

This, incidentally, is why it can often be better to employ a somewhat abstract map. A gorgeous map seems to demand to have its details accurately conveyed, often at the expense of actual game-play. Even if you use a graphical battlemat, call attention to the specific choices the PCs can (or must) make as a result of the environment. This will help you to maintain pacing. By suggesting courses of action, you prevent the choice-paralysis that can occur when people are presented with too many possibilities. Of course, for some genres (particularly Horror), you should always describe some details of the environment before suggesting possible actions, because it will prime minds of the Players to make genre-appropriate decisions. Also, there is a difference between suggesting actions, and limiting them. The strength of a tabletop RPG is that the Players can do unexpected things.

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You can prevent dull social encounters by remembering to make each one an obstacle to some goal, or a point at which the PCs must must commit to some consequential course of action. Perhaps the swordsmith is the only one who can fix your damaged weapons, but he doesn’t like your kind at all. The Duchess demands to know now, whether or not you will assassinate her rival. Always place some kind of complication on every social encounter that you actually play out, except those meant as narrative exposition. Run your social encounters this way, and you can encourage good role-playing even among combat-focused (who are really “challenge-focused”) players.

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You can better structure your game sessions by remembering the Golden Rule. If your game revolves around exploring dungeons (or a monster-filled wilderness), each room (or “hex” on the map) should be an opportunity (for rest, perhaps), a challenge (from a monster or trap, for example), or a decision point (to possibly change the direction of travel). If your game is meant to be played out in narrative “scenes”, each scene revolves around facing a major challenge, or making a consequential decision. The scene begins with the setup of that challenge (or decision), and once it is faced (or made), the scene can end.

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To avoid “Railroading”, remember that at every opportunity, the Player Characters must be able to make a choice that has consequences. If the plot of your game will continue along the same path no matter what the Players do, you must insert some real choices with potentially catastrophic consequences. Ask yourself: “Are NPCs causing every significant situation, and making every important decision? Will everything still happen the the same way if the PCs just stand around shooting each other with water guns?” If the answer is yes, you know what to do. Always give the PCs opportunities to change their environment. Allow for the possibility of failure.

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Overcome creative blocks by conceiving a scenarios as a series of linked opportunities, challenges, and choices.

Give PCs opportunities to explore unknown places, meet important people, receive honors, find potential lovers, or obtain unusual retainers. Remember, the game is the PCs’ story, and from that point of view even the most important NPCs exist only to provide opportunities for the Player Characters.

Look at the abilities of the PCs, and create your scenarios around using them. Did someone take the (possibly assumed to be useless) “Pottery” skill? Good. Include a situation where accurately discerning different types of clay will give a vital clue to the identity of a thief or murderer. Or, perhaps knowing that a particular type of ceramic jar is intended to break easily might be vital to avoiding a trap. Design that trap!

You can make an entire night’s gaming by first writing down six to ten choices that must be made  (such as “left or right”; “forward or back”; “red, “green, or “yellow”; etc.), and then deciding why those choices must be made. For example:

• The first thing the PC musts do when entering the dungeon is decide whether to go left, or right.
•  If they go right, they encounter a seemingly unbeatable monster – do they advance, or go back?
•  If the PCs had initially gone left, maybe they reach a wall with red, green, and yellow buttons – which do they press? Is there a clue, perhaps in the appearance of the monster in the right-hand passage?

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So remember, when you feel anxious about how to design a scenario, or run a game, just apply the Golden Rule.

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Yesterday’s Official Rule Changes OFFICIALLY Rescinded!

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Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothick, nineteenth century, role-playing game, Romantic Horror

I woke this morning to find that somebody had made supposedly official changes to the Ghastly Affair rules. I have no memory of making any such alterations. I do remember finding the door behind the plaster in my wine cellar, following the passage beyond to my grandfather’s long-lost laboratory, and accidentally breaking a stoppered flask filled with some unknown vapor. The next thing I remember after that is waking this morning in bed, with torn clothes and mud-entrusted shoes. Anyway, any supposedly official rules changes are hereby officially rescinded.

Now, I need to investigate the unsettling reports of a short, brutish fellow seen prowling in the vicinity of the townhouse just last night. A similar person was also apparently seen keeping company with the criminal class in the most disreputable part of the city. I believe, however, that the two people are unconnected.

OFFICIAL Rules Changes for the Ghastly Affair RPG!

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Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothick, nineteenth century, role-playing game, Romantic Horror

Its no secret that Ghastly Affair is the biggest game in the world right now. Frankly, I feel bad for everyone else, who can only stand by in awe as Ghastly Affair continues to consume the entirety of the RPG market. Anyway, the following official rules changes must be implemented immediately by all Presenters. I’ll know if you don’t!

• All Vampyre characters must speak with a Transylvanian accent. A model for the proper pronunciation can be found here.
• All characters now have a characteristic called “Manliness”, rated from 0 to 20. It provides an equivalent Bonus to all Ability Checks and weapon damage. Obviously, chick characters can only have a 0 “Manliness”, unless they’re, like, completely weird or something.
• High Ability scores can now be purchased from the Presenter. For real money. 1 dollar per point above 9.
• Werewolves must be taken for walks by a responsible person. And given chin scratchies when they are good.
• All Hit Dice are now changed to d1000. And all weapon damage as well. Don’t forget to add your “Manliness” bonus!
• All characters must now determine the circumference of all orifices, and note this information on their character sheet. This is IMPORTANT! HOW CAN THERE BE A CREDIBLE GAME WITHOUT EVERYONE KNOWING THE EXACT SIZE OF THEIR ORIFICES? I’M WAITING!
• All characters now bleed confetti, and all buried skeletons are actually made of candy. Yummy candy.
• Your PC is now dead. Roll another.

Ghastly Affair Q&A on Randomworlds Chat – March 19th

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dreadpunk, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothic Romance, IRC, mannerpunk, role playing, role-playing game, roleplaying game, Romantic Horror, Romanticism, rpg

If you’d like to know more about Ghastly Affair, the Gothic Game of Romantic Horror, join me for a Q&A at Randomworlds Chat tomorrow (Tuesday, March 19^th). starting at 7:30 PM CDT (8:30 EDT). I’ll be on until 9:30 CDT (10:30 EDT). See ya there!

The Ghastly News

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Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, GROOVY Ghastly Affair, Historical Gaming, role-playing game, Romantic Horror, rpg

I will be the guest of an upcoming Q&A on RANDOM WORLDS chat (hosted at The Hardboiled GMshoe’s Office) March 19^th, 2019, from 7:30 PM CST (8:30 EST) to 9:30 PM CST (10:30 EST). If you’d like to know more about Ghastly Affair, or what I’ve got planned for the future, join the conversation at https://tinyurl.com/randomworlds-chat . If you miss the chat, the log will be posted at https://gmshoe.wordpress.com/ afterward.

The PDFs of the Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual, the Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual, A Ghastly Potpourri, and Highdark Hall, are all currently marked down for DriveThruRPG’s GM’s Day Sale. Hurry, because the sale ends Monday, March 11^th.

Ghastly Affair was recently discussed in Episode 14 of the “For the Gothic Heroine” podcast, which focused on Gothic gaming. I suggest checking out the other episodes as well!

Currently I’m working on a set of “Ghastly Affair Location Catalogues” – form-fillable PDFs that will guide you through the process of creating a massive Grand House using the tables from “A Ghastly Companion to Castle, Mansions & Estates”, while simultaneously creating an organized document that can be easily referenced during game-play. I hope to have those out very soon.

If you would like to see a group that’s already experimenting with the possibilities of GROOVY Ghastly Affair, I refer you to the Play@YSDC boards, where Victoria Silverwolf and her Players are running a Play-by-Post game of Ghastly Affair set in Los Angeles during the Swinging Sixties.

Victoria has also adapted Highdark Hall as the current setting for her main Ghastly Affair game. If you’d like to see an example of how to incorporate the mysterious home of the Altumber family into your game, check it out.

That’s the news for today. You can now return to brooding in a cold and shadowy chamber of your moldering family castle, haunted by the memory of a sin for which you can never be forgiven. Or, you could just browse some other blogs. Whichever.

33% Off Ghastly Affair PDFs Through Cyber Monday

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18th Century, blackpowder, dreadpunk, Eighteenth Century, First Empire, French Directory, French Revolution, Georgian, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothic Literature, Gothic Romance, Gothick, Gothique, Historical, Louis Seize, Louis XV, Louis XVI, mannerpunk, Napoleonic, nineteenth century, OGL, Regency, role playing, role-playing game, roleplaying game, Romance, Romantic Age, Romantic Horror, Romantic-era, Romanticism, rpg, schauerroman

Now through Cyber Monday, all individual Ghastly Affair PDFs are 33% off at DriveThruRPG! This includes the “Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual”, the “Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual”, the supplement “A Ghastly Potpourri”, and the “Highdark Hall” setting. Plus, the Ghastly Affair novel “Hunter’s Song”, by William Rutter!

31% OFF Ghastly Affair PDFs on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!

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18th Century, blackpowder, dreadpunk, Eighteenth Century, First Empire, French Directory, French Revolution, Georgian, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothic Literature, Gothic Romance, Gothick, Gothique, Historical, Louis Seize, Louis XV, Louis XVI, mannerpunk, Napoleonic, nineteenth century, OGL, Regency, role playing, role-playing game, roleplaying game, Romance, Romantic Age, Romantic Horror, Romantic-era, Romanticism, rpg, schauerroman

Now through Halloween 2018, the PDF versions of the “Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual”, “Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual”, a “A Ghastly Potpourri”, and the Ghastly Affair novel “Hunter’s Song”, are all 31% off on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow!

Ghastly Affair PDFs are Now 25% OFF for Christmas in July!

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18th Century, blackpowder, dreadpunk, Eighteenth Century, First Empire, French Directory, French Revolution, Georgian, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothic Literature, Gothic Romance, Gothick, Gothique, Historical, Louis Seize, Louis XV, Louis XVI, mannerpunk, Napoleonic, nineteenth century, OGL, Regency, role playing, role-playing game, roleplaying game, Romance, Romantic Age, Romantic Horror, Romantic-era, Romanticism, rpg, schauerroman

Now until the end of July, all Ghastly Affair PDFs are 25% OFF on DriveThruRPG and RPGNow. That includes the PDF versions of the “Ghastly Affair Player’s Manual”, “Ghastly Affair Presenter’s Manual”, and “A Ghastly Potpourri”, plus the Ghastly Affair novel “Hunter’s Song”!

Random Road Encounters in the Ghastly Age (and Other 18th Century Settings)

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18th Century, blackpowder, dreadpunk, Eighteenth Century, Ghastly Affair, gothic game, Gothic Gaming, Gothic Horror, Gothic Literature, Gothic Romance, random encounters, Random Table, role-playing game, Romantic Horror

Random encounter tables are a cornerstone of Old-School RPGs that add a high level of verisimilitude to your game world. Not only do they make travel a more interesting (and potentially dangerous) experience, but if used on-the-fly they also allow a Ghastly Affair Presenter (or GM) to experience a level of novelty and surprise usually reserved for the Players.

The following tables are generally applicable for the spring, summer, and autumn of most late 18^th / early 19^th century European regions not currently at war, or undergoing a major natural disaster. Determine one potentially interesting encounter for the morning, one for the afternoon, one for the evening, and one for night (if the PCs travel then). Naturally, there might have been other travelers and animals along the way, but they are assumed to have ignored the PCs, been too far away to interact, etc. If the PCs are traveling by carriage, an encounter are likely to occur when the carriage has temporarily stopped so the horses can rest, and the passengers relieve themselves.

Old-schoolers will probably recognize the d8+d12 mechanic for encounter tables, which gives a spot of equal probability for numbers from 9 – 13, with decreasing probabilities on either side of that range. I find the limited possible range of results to be actually creatively stimulating, as it forces one to focus on only the most evocative and interesting encounters. Also, I personally enjoy rolling the odder shapes of polyhedral dice. I know, it’s a sickness.

Thanks to Blogger Ynas Midgard for suggesting a need for these tables.

Morning, Afternoon, & Evening – On the Road Between Villages (d4):

1	No Encounter
2 – 3	Roll on Table 1: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Road Encounters
4	Roll on Table 3: Obstacles and Curiosities

Morning, Afternoon, & Evening – Passing Through a Village:

Roll on Table 4: Daylight Village Encounters

Night – On the Road Between Villages (d4):

1 – 2	No Encounter
3	Roll on Table 2: Night Road Encounters
4	Roll on Table 3: Obstacles and Curiosities

Night – Passing Through a Village:

Roll on Table 2: Night Road Encounters

If you’re not referring to an actual map, assume that travelers along a main road will pass through a village every 2 miles (roughly 3.2 km), if more than 10 miles (approximately 16 km) from a major city. Off the main roads, villages can be as much as 5 miles (approx. 8 km) apart. If within 10 miles (approx. 16 km) of a major city, travelers might pass through a new village every mile (approx. 1.6 km) until they enter the suburbs that extend about about ½ to 1 mile from the formal city limits. A village is usually part of the greater estate of an aristocratic family whose Grand House will be located within 2 miles of the village square. Travelers on main roads will reach a coaching inn (where they can eat, get lodgings, and rent a fresh team of horses) every 5 – 9 miles (approximately 8 – 14.5 km). Most travel occurs in the morning, afternoon, and evening, but a coach is also likely to travel through the night to reach its destination (or an acceptable inn). It was not unknown for coachmen traveling by night to fall asleep, causing horrible accidents.

Table 1: Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Road Encounters

d8+d12	The characters catch sight of…
2	an Immortal Wanderer.
3	Fairies. Typically Sprites disguised as ordinary people, animals, or plants.
4	a large Animal(s), predatory or dangerous. Pack of Wolves, pack of Wild Dogs, Bear, etc.
5	a small Animal(s), predatory or dangerous. Fox, Hawk, Wildcat, Polecat, Viper, etc.
6	a large Animal(s), non-predatory. Deer, Wild Boar, stray Sheep, stray Cattle, etc.
7	a small Animal(s), non-predatory. Rabbit, Raven, Crow, etc.
8	1d12 religious traveler(s). Nuns, Monks, Pilgrims, Inquisitors, etc.
9	1d12 farmer(s) or laborer(s). Shepherd with Sheep, foragers, commuting workmen, etc.
10	1d12 foot travelers. Tourists, sightseers, ramblers, etc.
11	1d4 wagon(s) or cart(s). Filled with farm produce, consumer goods, lumber, stones, cloth, babies being transported to orphanages, etc.
12	1d8 non-aristocratic rider(s) on horseback.
13	Mail or stage coach. With 2d6 passengers. Passengers past the sixth will be hanging onto the exterior.
14	1d4 aristocratic carriage(s). Each transports 1d4 Aristocrats and 1d4 servants.
15	1d20 aristocrat(s) on horseback. Pleasure ride, hunting party, etc.
16	1d20 Gypsies, or traveling entertainers.
17	1d20 Soldier(s). Gendarmes, militia, press gang, etc.
18	1d12 Bandit(s) (or other criminals).
19	1d6 strange people. Feral Child, 1d4 Degenerate(s), 1d6 Cultists, etc.
20	a member of the royal family (or highest nobility). On horseback, or in their carriage. 90% likely to be accompanied by 2d4 servants, or else will be traveling incognito.

Table 2: Night Road Encounters

d8+d12	From out of the darkness comes…
2	a dangerous Spirit. Spectral Animal, Wraith, Wayward Shadow, Possessor Demon, Fire Demon
3	a Fairy. Sprite or Goblin.
4	a usually diurnal Animal (wandering by night). Bear, stray domestic Sheep, etc.
5	a large Animal, predatory or dangerous. Pack of Wolves, pack of Wild Dogs, Wild Boar, etc.
6	a small Animal, predatory or dangerous. Owl, Fox, Badger, Wildcat, Polecat, Viper, etc.
7	a large Animal, non-predatory. Typically Deer.
8	a small Animal, non-predatory. Typically Rabbits
9	1 or 2 non-aristocratic riders on horseback. Possibly returning from (or setting out for) an evening’s entertainment, Demon Hunter(s) pursuing quarry, etc.
10	a carriage or coach. 1d4 passengers returning from (or setting out for) an evening’s entertainment, attending the meeting of a secret society, etc. 25% chance someone in the carriage is there against their will.
11	1d4 game poachers. Probably masked, or with blackened faces.
12	1d10 common criminals. Bandits, Grave Robbers, or Everyman thieves under 5th Level.
13	2 (or 3) trysting lovers. 75% likely to be from different social classes, not married to each other, or otherwise unconventional.
14	1d4 aristocratic riders on horseback.
15	2d6 soldiers. Gendarmes, press gang, deserters, drunken carousers.
16	1d4 infamous criminal(s). Bandit(s) or Grave Robber(s) of 5th Level or above. 50% likely to be accompanied by 1d10 common criminals under 5th Level.
17	1d6 strange people. Feral Child, 1d6 Cannibal(s), 1d6 Degenerate(s), 2d10 Witches, etc.
18	a Phantom.
19	a Monster. Werewolf, Demoniac, Gigantic Wolf, Bzou, Ogre, etc.
20	a Revenant. Ghoulish Revenant, Common Vampyre, Zoomorphic Revenant, Walking Skeleton, Mindless Revenant, etc.

Table 3: Obstacles and Curiosities

d8+d12	You are faced with…
2	a stray bullet striking one of your horses.
3	a collapsed section of the road, or sinkhole.
4	the evidence of a recent combat.
5	a carriage wreck. 25% chance 2d4 people are still present. 50% chance 1d6 of them are dead.
6	a strikingly picturesque view. 25% likely that 1d4 people are already here appreciating it, possibly drawing or painting the scene in watercolors.
7	an unusually large quantity of insects. Gnats, bees, flies around a mound of horse excrement etc.
8	a passenger (or fellow rider) suddenly becoming violently ill.
9	a corpse, human or animal.
10	a horse with a thrown shoe, or a broken wheel on the carriage.
11	a quantity of produce or consumer goods that have been left fallen onto the road. Most will be broken or otherwise ruined, of course, but some might be salvageable.
12	a horse that has suddenly been spooked, and is starting to bolt.
13	an object or passenger falling from a horse or carriage. Luggage slips off, passenger (or servant) hanging onto the outside loses their grip, door to carriage opens and a passenger jumps out, etc.
14	a downed tree across road.
15	a closure or barricade on the road. 50% likely to be attended by 1d4 Soldiers or Bandits.
16	foliage and / or trees on fire.
17	debris from an ancient, collapsed building on the side of road.
18	a sudden and unexpected storm, with lightning, high winds, and hard rain.
19	an extremely rare (and valuable) plant visible from road.
20	strange puddles on the road. Bloody, phosphorescent, filled with fish, etc.

Table 4: Daylight Village Encounters

d8+d12	While passing through a village, your interest is piqued by…
2	a raging fire.
3	a strikingly attractive shepherd(ess) with their flock.
4	villagers engaged in a particularly odd local custom. Burning straw animals, dancing in bear costumes, hitting each other with decorated tree branches, wearing outfits covered in small bells, etc.
5	a flamboyant procession for a local saint or hero. Procession is likely to actually be an ancient Pagan ceremony given a thin Christian veneer.
6	a wedding party.
7	a funeral procession.
8	a group of children playing a strange game you’ve never seen elsewhere.
9	a cluster of peasant women arguing.
10	1d8 rider(s). Aristocrats on a hunt, an outlaw being chased, agent(s) of the local lord collecting rents, etc.
11	a group gathered in the village square to hear the crier. A change in local laws or taxation, announcement of an upcoming wedding, warning of a visit by an important person, etc.
12	a stray (or foraging) domestic animal. Sheep, cow, pig, etc. 5% likely to be rabid, or otherwise diseased.
13	an aggressive dog or cat. 10% likely to be rabid.
14	a stumbling drunk.
15	a carriage or coach. Someone is forced into the carriage; a women locked inside screams at the window; a gun or dagger is pulled out before the curtains are drawn; etc.
16	an angry mob in the process of surrounding someone.
17	1d8 Gypsies, or traveling entertainers.
18	2d4 construction laborers heading off to their worksite. Possibly to erect a folly building for the local landlord, plant hedgerows or build walls to enclose previously open land, etc.
19	the unique architecture of a building.
20	a large predator that has wandered into town in broad daylight. A Bear, a pack of Wolves, etc.

For those wishing to make their own d8+d12 Encounter Tables, here are the assumed encounter frequencies, and actual odds of each result:

d8+d12	Encounter Frequency
2	Improbable encounter. Approximately a 1% chance. (Actual probability: 1 in 96)
3	Strange encounter. Approximately a 2% chance. (Actual probability: 2 in 96)
4	Unusual encounter. Approximately a 3% chance. (Actual probability: 3 in 96)
5	Infrequent encounter. Approximately a 4% chance. (Actual probability: 4 in 96 )
6	Occasional encounter. Approximately a 5% chance. (Actual probability: 5 in 96)
7	Occasional encounter. Approximately a 6% chance. (Actual probability: 6 in 96)
8	Frequent encounter. Approximately a 7 % chance. (Actual probability:7 in 96)
9	Ubiquitous encounter. Approximately an 8 % chance. (Actual probability: 8 in 96)
10	Ubiquitous encounter. Approximately an 8 % chance. (Actual probability: 8 in 96)
11	Ubiquitous encounter. Approximately an 8 % chance. (Actual probability: 8 in 96)
12	Ubiquitous encounter. Approximately an 8 % chance. (Actual probability: 8 in 96)
13	Ubiquitous encounter. Approximately an 8 % chance. (Actual probability: 8 in 96)
14	Frequent encounter. Approximately a 7 % chance. (Actual probability: 7 in 96)
15	Occasional encounter. Approximately a 6 % chance. (Actual probability: 6 in 96)
16	Occasional encounter. Approximately a 5 % chance. (Actual probability: 5 in 96)
17	Infrequent encounter. Approximately a 4 % chance. (Actual probability: 4 in 96)
18	Unusual encounter. Approximately a 3 % chance. (Actual probability: 3 in 96)
19	Strange encounter. Approximately a 2 % chance. (Actual probability: 2 in 96)
20	Improbable encounter. Approximately a 1 % chance. (Actual probability: 1 in 96)

 

A Helpful Reminder for my Fellow Americans

The settlement pattern of most 18^th Century European countries differed quite significantly from the sprawling, low-density model of modern rural (and suburban) America. In general, the structures in a village were not spread-out, but built quite closely together. The typical inland village consisted of a square mile of farmland, with a compact nucleus of attached or semi-attached houses surrounding a central square. The population mostly preferred to live in close proximity to each other, and would generally commute out to the fields they rented (or worked in the employ of the local landlord). The exact density of the village varied by the area, of course. While the houses of an English village might possibly have a few feet of space between them, an Italian village could often be as densely packed as a city (albeit a very small one). In general, those who wanted to live a distance away from others were assumed to be criminals, religiously unorthodox, or otherwise undesirable. Isolated farmhouses were usually sizable homes inhabited by the relatively few, upper-middle class families who owned their own land, and employed live-in servants and workmen (for example, the Earnshaws of “Wuthering Heights”).

A New Review of Ghastly Affair

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Ghastly Affair, Gothic Gaming, Historical Gaming, OGL, review, role playing, role-playing game, roleplaying game, rpg

OSR blogger Ynas Midgard has just posted a new review of Ghastly Affair!

http://ynasmidgard.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-ghastly-affair.html