Devilry Afoot - folk horror monster-hunting preview
Devilry Afoot is a game that takes as its premise the questionable notion that the fears which percolated through 16th and 17th century Europe were wholly justified; that ungodliness and moral corruption manifested as an evil that could be countered with religious fervour. The rules, character creation, and monster profiles are all heavily themed around the folk beliefs of early modern Western Europe.
Players take on the role of a small party of self-righteous monster hunters in (mostly) co-operative or solo scenarios to try to defeat the creatures of the night. The monsters are automated using a simple but effective matrix based on their proximity to humans and a single die roll.
When creating their characters, players choose an archetype (gentleman, goodman/goodwife, scholar, soldier, or religious) which provides a basic profile and outlines how the character can develop. For example, a gentleman starts with no discernible skills, but more money than any other character and with a follower in tow; a soldier may start with a trait, or a skill chosen from the hunting or martial skillsets, but may never learn scholarly skills. The money a character starts with, and earns as they complete bounties, allows them to buy equipment. While some archetypes will be more skilled with certain pieces of equipment, there are no restrictions limiting who may use what.
Each character also rolls randomly for a secret. Secrets are little quirks that the character wouldn't want their in-world companions to know, but which might have very real in-game consequences. A doubting character will find it more difficult to quote scripture and be more easily intimidated by monsters, a lustful character is more susceptible to charms, a slovenly character can't run as fast, while a secret witch might find their own objectives in a scenario at odds with their colleagues.
The rules employ a randomised activation system and are d10 based. Each player will roll 2d10 to try to activate their characters, while most other die rolls use a single 1d10.
The game is played on a modestly sized table - only 2'x2' (60x60cm) allowing for plentiful terrain to create dangerous shadows and places for monsters to skulk. There are 13 scenarios given as examples in the book, some have prescribed monsters to be hunted (or avoided), while others have multiple options. There are bounties set for each type of monster - from the 10 shillings awarded for each wolf slain, to 100 shillings for killing a vampyre - and guidelines as to how many hunters should be on the table (i.e. no more than one character for every 15 shillings worth of bounty available at the end of the hunt). The randomised initiative and monster action systems means that no two games should ever play out the same way.
The campaign system allows characters to gain experience and renown, develop new skills, attract followers and buy better equipment, but also accrue injuries, and more dark secrets.
There is now a Facebook group set up for those interested in following the game and joining in the discussions: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1091294141966092
Do you're miniature heroes have what it takes to stare evil in the face and walk away unchanged?
