Looking for Feedback: Candlelight, a Rooted in Trophy game

#1

Hello all, here’s the first draft of a Rooted in Trophy game I’ve been working on. Essentially it runs Trophy Dark in reverse, picking up where the treasure hunters died (at the heart of the haunted forest) and has the players continue as spirits, attempting to escape the forest before it traps them forever as ghosts.
As spirits, they must reckon with the tragedy of recent events, evoke memories which might aid them in their journey, haunt the forest as they try to shake off the Ruin that killed them and try to achieve one final act of redemption or revenge before the night is over and they are trapped in the forest forever.
It also takes inspiration from Quietus by @SinisterBeard.

I’m especially interested to know 1. if the mechanics make sense and 2. if the concept seems tangible enough to play (being a ghost etc). Thanks for reading!

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#2

A few things I plan on developing are the “exodus” scenario in more detail, and a way to incorporate the Saints/Sisters from the world of Trophy as a way of exploring the characters beliefs about the afterlife (or lack thereof).

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#3

I’m not familiar with Trophy so it doesn’t all make sense to me, but it’s a really interesting read. I can see you’ve got something there.

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#4

Thanks for reading! I’m realizing it needs to be clear on its own to any reader, not just those familiar with Trophy Dark.
Was there anything you would want to see explored further, or anything you had questions about from this draft?

#5

I finally got a chance to read this. It’s very interesting! I like how it’s not just Trophy Dark literally in reverse, but also sort of thematically in reverse, if that makes sense. In Trophy Dark, the characters start confident and gradually get more and more doomed until the end, when they are almost certainly dead or ruined in some way. Candlelight starts out scary and then gradually builds toward something like hope or redemption.

The sample scenario seems generic enough to almost serve as a template, and I kind of think that’s what the game needs if it’s meant to be used with any Trophy Dark incursion. Something like a set of questions you can answer in each ring in order to draw out what makes each incursion unique while still maintaining the basic narrative framework for Candlelight.

This is super-cool, and I’m curious to see where it goes.

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#6

Absolutely @jasoncordova, thematically that’s what I was hoping for. Also sets of questions for each ring are actually what I’m working on now haha. Rings are also going to be called Gates which the spirits must pass through to progress.

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#7

Hey all, Candlelight is coming together nicely. Here’s my updated draft, incorporating some feedback and better describing how to run the game. Any comments you have would be appreciated!