Carved by the Garden: A Folk-Horror Solo RPG by Cassi Mothwin
There are horrors within these pages, and you are one of them… The intro line in the book sets up the vibe nicely. It is a horror RPG, after all. You play as a human (for now) who lives at the edge of the Woods…and they call to you.
The game is divided into days with two phases: the Events and the Journal. You use the events to make decisions on how you spend your last days in the Woods, and then you go home to journal. The events in the Woods determine how long your tower stands. You are writing for your family, who promise to read it only if you don’t come home.
The Woods is divided by suit and used to create the events:
- Hearts: Bonds, your roots go deep. But would they die for you?
- Diamonds: Supernatural, it’s addictive. You cannot take magic with you.
- Clubs: Factions, not everyone gets along. You knew this was never a paradise.
- Spades: Earth, we all come from dirt. Nourishing. Suffocating.
The game play starts at dawn, where you journey into the Woods, but you must be home before nightfall. Everything gets so much worse in the dark. If you decide that the Woods are too intense to continue, you can sever ties and end the session, in this instance you are abandoned. Or you can continue your events until the tower falls and you walk into the Woods for the last time. All said and done, there are six ways to end your session, which one will be the best for you? And how will your life change now that you have been influenced by the Woods?
Supplies needed:
- The Carved by the Garden book
- A journal to record your adventure
- A deck of cards with the Jokers
- One six sided die
Optional additional supplies:
- Eight tokens (rocks, sticks, flowers)
- A tumbler tower or equivalent
Upcoming event:
Join us at the shop on Tuesday, October 21st from 5-7pm for our first RPG Book Club.