On a Moonless Night

On a Moonless Night is a tabletop roleplaying game of occult investigation, horror, and collaborative storytelling. The game is intended to be played in one sitting, over the course of two to four hours, by two to five players - a group of Investigators and one Host, who runs the game, creates challenges for the characters, and narrates the horrors as they unfold.

The players take on the roles of nineteenth-century occult investigators, and the Host describes their journey into the lair of an unknown Enemy. The aim of the game is to help the whole group tell an engaging, surprising story about venturing into a terrifying location, piecing together fragmented clues, and confronting the evil found within. The story might end with the characters triumphing and banishing the evil from this world. Equally it might end with the investigators devoured, body and soul, by terror.

Featuring:

• A 28-page zine format rulebook and one-page mini character and investigation sheet.
• 10 quick character Archetypes and a table for generating spooky, evocative Lairs, to get you playing straight away.
• Clearly structured, simple rules laying out the four phases of the game: Introduction, Descent, Climax, and Epilogue.
• A comprehensive section of advice and best practices for the Host, which all players are welcome to read. No secrets here, just terrifying visions from beyond the mortal world.
• Suggestions for how to expand the game into a longer format.
• A list of inspiration material, guidance on issues around racism and sexism, and advice on questions of safety and consent.

This is an active in-development project, so the playtest version of On a Moonless Night is available for free! It comes with charmingly creepy public domain art and is perfect if you want to try the game out with some friends.

The playtest and purchasable versions of On a Moonless Night are currently the same, but when you purchase the game, you will receive all future updates, including its final release version.