Devilry Afoot – Some notes for beginners by Steve Holmes

One of the dedicated playtesters for Devilry Afoot, Steve Holmes, has generously pulled together a few notes that may be useful for newcomers to the game. 

****

The setting first grabbed me. People hunting supernatural monsters isn't unusual, particularly in the tabletop roleplaying hobby, but such games tend to feature elves and dwarves in mythical settings, or "ordinary joes" in 1920s America.

Devilry Afoot takes us to (mostly) Europe from the mid-16th to mid-17th centuries. Europe experiences a renaissance, reformation and counter reformation. The religious schisms provoked bloody civil wars across the continent.

For those below the noble and martial classes, it was an age of superstition. A time when the dark one's minions stalked the lands at night and preyed upon the innocent. Devilry Afoot sets its action here, a skirmish wargame with a tasteful scattering of roleplaying elements.

Each game sees a handful of hunters set out to thwart the forces of evil at night. The game mechanics autopilot the bad guys, while players control one or more hunters each. This permits comfortable play, either solo or with multiple players. I have played solo with up to four hunters. I've also "run the monsters" while two friends controlled four hunters (two each).

My games typically last an hour, your mileage may vary here. This allows a few friends to play several linked games over the course of a day. Experience the joys of hunter advancement, and the sorrows of a beloved character falling in battle.

I'll run through the anatomy of character creation. Then I'll introduce a couple of my own hunters who survived the rigours of playtesting.

== Character (hunter) Creation
Hunters enjoy some of the flexibility of characters in tabletop roleplaying games. These are generally simple, avoiding massive lists of options or equipment.
Hunters can be created in under 10 minutes, but I'd advise newcomers to build their hunters in advance. If you're introducing new players, progenerate a selection of hunters for them. Create at least as many spares, since hunting the Dark One's minions isn't child's play. Expect, and be prepared for losses.

You hunter will be built in five steps:

1. Select an archetype.
2. Select traits and skills permitted by the archetype.
3. Roll dice to determine the (guilty) secret.
4. Roll to determine savings (shillings).
5. Buy equipment.

== Archetype
There are five choices reflecting the day jobs of upper and middle class citizens who hunt monsters.

Pick from:

• Gentleman (Lady)
• Goodman / Goodwife
• Religious
• Scholar
• Soldier

Think of these being similar to the classes of a typical RPG, through with less enforced specialisation. Everybody here can do all the things and wield all the weapons. Some are just a bit better at certain types of action.

Your archetype will initialise your profile (stat line), which consists of:

• Resolve - ability to activate (get more done in a turn), and resist evil influence.
• Move- Starts at 4", may be increased through traits and experience or reduced by permanent injuries.
• Attack - Close combat skill: Gentlemen and soldiers are good at this.
• Shoot - Ranged combat skill: Soldiers are good at this, Religious hunters are not.
• Wounds - Start with 3, injuries reduce this. If it reaches zero the hunters is out of the game.

== Traits and Skills
A hunter's archetype determines whether any can be selected at creation time. It also restricts which can be learned as the character gains experience. Traits and skills work in similar ways.

Traits tend to be innate abilities, while skills are learned abilities. Skills relate to hunting, martial or scholarly abilities. They provide variety, two scholars might specialise in Physician and Theologian skills respectively.

There are eight traits, and eight of each class of skill (three classes).

== Secrets
It is a time of strict public morals, when citizens would conceal the darker sides of their character. Secrets introduce a great period feel to the game. Hunters are assigned their secret by a die roll, rather than selecting.

Your hunters guilty secret may include (From a total of ten):

• Drunkard - Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things; nose painting, sleep and urine.
• Gambler - The party's silver bullet fund was gone, at the turn of a card.
• Lustful - Deliver us from temptation. She was too comely to be a witch.

With the hunter's physical, mental and moral character established (and appropriate profile amendments applied) it's shopping time.

== Money and equipment
The unit of currency is Shillings - and hunters will roll dice to determine their starting budget. This is 20 + d10, except Gentlemen who add an extra 10 + d10.

That money can be used to purchase equipment, which is subject to a 5 item carry limit and a 2 hand wielding limit. Light items like silver shot, holy water or bandages can be carried in multiples counting against one carry limit.

The equipment list has 30 odd items, which include hand weapons, missile weapons, shields and armour, illumination, hunting paraphernalia like holy items, wolfsbane, wooden stakes, a rope and hook or bandages. Hunters may also supplement their party with a dog or a follower.

The rules keep things simple, none of the "broadsword, shortsword, falchion, seax, rapier" of the D&D game. A sword is a sword here, each as useful as the hunter who wields it.

There is an art to selecting equipment for a balanced party. You are hunting at night, the bad guys can see in the dark, you can't, so you'll generally require some illumination sources.

Everybody probably needs a weapon. Your devout religious man might get by with a silver crucifix, provided his fellow hunters are prepared to meatshield for him.

Hunters who wish to employ sneaking tactics will not want a lit lantern or a yappy dog at their side. Sneaking tends to be a slow and steady tactic, not one that lends itself to group attacks.

Your starting money will restrict your hunter's equipment options. This turns out to be a virtue in game. You may be tempted to pack a sword, dagger and a brace of pistols, but swapping items burns a valuable action. The hunter who pauses to reload or draw a reserve weapon will often grant an opening to a very unpleasant monster.

== Other game stuff
I won't go into detail about game play, monsters or scenarios here, since the focus is on hunter creation. I'll just say that:

Activation is random, you won't know whether a hunter or a monster will act next, nor how many actions fate will grant them.

Thirteen scenarios are included. These provide plenty of inspiration to create more of your own, or to swap monsters around for infinite variety.

There are also thirteen (that number keeps appearing) monsters. The rules provide a clever situation Vs die roll table to determine monster behaviour. Most monsters also have a special rule or two, making them more than a mundane stat-line. Witches, for example, might attack, but may also try to charm, curse or summon an imp to attack.

== A couple of characters
I'll briefly introduce a couple of my own characters who became experienced monster hunters during playtesting.

Colonel Mustard was a respected soldier. He began the campaign wielding a sword and a torch for illumination. The charge martial skill granted a bonus when first moving in to combat. His secret was that he was a backslider; his lack of religious conviction risking followers deserting.

Mustard survived the whole campaign, gaining monetary rewards and experience along the way. He added a pistol (replacing his torch) with silver shot, and a buff coat and cuirass for protection. Experience upgrades improved his shooting, wounds (raised from 3 to 4) and increased his movement. He also learned the "furious attack" martial skill, an option to decrease close combat accuracy for increased damage.

By the end of the campaign Colonel Mustard was a redoubtable hunter with a big pile of shillings, and incredible tales to tell anybody who would listen.

Reverend Farthing joined the party late in the campaign, after a previous religious hunter fell in the course of his duty. As his title implies he was a religious character, who had the Theologian skill. He carried a silver crucifix and a torch, and kept a sword at his side.

His secret was Wolf Bitten, he would transform into a wolf if his activation dice (10 sided) showed double one on any turn. Until then, he gained advantages to movement and attack. He did his utmost to conceal rapid beard growth and rapid nervous movement in polite company.

Farthing was quite a specialist within the hunting party. Religious, theologial and the crucifix provided stacked bonuses to the "quote scripture" action causing enemies to flee. This granted opportunity attacks to an engaged hunter like Mustard, who could strike at the monster as it recoiled.

He suffered a permanent arm injury which penalised use of two-handed weapons. Not wishing to repeat this, he invested some of his reward money in a Cuirass to provide a degree of protection.

Mustard and Farthing made a good battle pairing. Mustard providing the muscle with sword, and silver-shotted pistol. He shielded Farthing from monsters’ direct attacks. Farthing illuminated the scene and discomforted enemies with his constant biblical quotations.