They were ordinary people living ordinary lives when everything began to change around them. The shadows came alive. The scent of blood hit the air. The darkness had a face. And it was beautiful.
They Walk In Beauty is based on gothic horror, namely Dracula, about a group of people influenced by and drawn into the story of a vampire. Characters are people within the story but not the vampire themselves. The game is about hunger, redemption, and hope. If this were the game of Dracula, you would play Mina, Harker, and Van Helsing.
Play will begin with their normal lives. All the characters will be tied to one another some how (discussed once characters are selected). You will be friends, lovers, family, and enemies. You will care for each other and betray each other as the vampire takes hold.
The setting will be ambiguous for now. I will take between 1 - 4 players. Make your vulnerabilities (strengths) and secrets (weaknesses) somewhat timeless, so that upon discussion we can choose a time setting. But it will take place at a sizeable house/mansion, where isolation is a concern.
The cards. Decide your own for each. Your strength is your vulnerability. This is why the vampire is interested in you but it also gives you character traits that allow you to fight back. Think of vampire fiction when creating these. You could be vulnerable because you’re an outsider (homeless), because you’re unwell (mental illness), because you’re in an abusive relationship, because someone recently died on you, because you’re a stranger in a strange land. Figure it out and put it down.
Weakness is your secret. You do not have to write your actual secret in the card. Give a hint or a picture that gives a hint, some facsimile of a title and then use the comments section to tell me the secret. The secret will come out in play. It should be a secret that, if found out, would mean you don’t fit in to modern society. It can be a kink, a violent tendency, a power of some kind (make sure this is subtle if you go down this road), a racist/sexist belief, etc.
Plot. Tell me what you are interested in seeing with the character in terms of the vampire. The character themselves will not know this goal until perhaps scene 2 or 3 when they begin to meet and interact with the vampire. There will be a confrontation once the story leads to such.
Back story: For now, tell me about the character without an actual setting. Please talk about what setting you would briefly like to see. Tell me what you want to have happen with the character. Tell me what you want from a gothic style vampire horror game.
Submissions close on Friday the 24th. Unless some phenomenal characters come out first. Speed is slow, low expectations, hoping to move at least once to twice a week, more if we get excited.
Trigger warnings: Vampires often deal with issues of consent and abuse. This game will be about those lines and what a monster brings out in all of us. Be prepared for that.
This game is based on the Indie RPG Annalise. Check it out. It’s pretty great.
Hosted and narrated by:
Kate Bullock (Sloom)
Started 08/01/15.
Scenes played: 2
License: Community License
