# Ghastly Affair:  The Gothic Game of Romantic Horror



## Victoria Silverwolf (Jun 30, 2016)

I happened upon a role playing game that looks intriguing. It's called "Ghastly Affair -- The Gothic Game of Romantic Horror." It's set in the period from 1765 to 1820. The player's guide and presenter's manual are both free, and quite extensive and detailed. About 300 pages each! 

https://engineoforacles.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/ghastly-affair-players-manual-free-pdf.pdf

https://engineoforacles.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/ghastly-affair-presenters-manual-free-pdf.pdf


I rolled myself up a character, just to fool around with it. Each characteristic is based on three six-sided dice, so 10.5 would be average. 

CHARISMA: 8 (below average) 

INTELLIGENCE: 7 (well below average) 

WISDOM: 14 (high); later adjusted to 16 (very high) 

STRENGTH: 8 (below average) 

DEXTERITY: 6 (low) 

CONSTITUTION: 13 (well above average) 

PERVERSITY: 16 (very high) 

Well! That's an interesting set of numbers. My extreme perversity makes me an Evil character. My high wisdom made me choose to be a Magician, which raises my Wisdom by two points. 

That starts to give me some idea of the character.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jul 2, 2016)

Let's go a little further with this, using the character creation process suggested in the player's manual.  Commentary from me in brackets.

CHARACTER INSPIRATION:  Faust, Iago, and Oliver Twist.  [This initial step doesn't seem to mean much in actual game play, but is intended to help the player imagine the character.]

CHARACTER CLASS:  Magician.  [Apparently it is suggested that you choose a class before your characteristics are determined, but it seemed to me to be more interesting the other way around.]

BACKGROUND:  One of many unfortunate youngsters abandoned to the grim confines of an orphanage at infancy.  Took to the dangerous streets of London at an early age.  Would have died young in extreme poverty had it not been for surprisingly decent health [good constitution], given malnutrition and the unsanitary conditions of the city.  One of London's magicians noticed his inborn gift for the supernatural [high wisdom] and took him in as an apprentice.  After picking up a few tips, the wicked lad [high perversity] murdered his master and made a pact with a low level demon.  In exchange for magical items [see later], the imp took the index finger of his left hand as payment.  Since he is left-handed, this caused no little inconvenience [low dexterity].  Currently operates secretly as an independent warlock.  The league of magicians would destroy him if he was discovered, because of his horrible crime against one of their own.   

PERVERSITY:  See above.  [This can be chosen by the player, but letting the dice decide seemed more interesting.]

PERSONALITY:  Quiet, secretive, sneaky, solitary, greedy, selfish, envious, cowardly, temperamental.

APPEARANCE:  Short, slender, pale, dark-haired, dressed in cheap, simple clothing.

MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTERISTIC:  Missing the left index finger.

BASIC ABILITIES:  See above.

SPECIAL ABILITIES [These are determined by the Magician class]:  Esoteric Knowledge, Use Incantation, Perform Ceremony, Create Talismans, Employ Pact.  [Detailed instructions for these abilities are found in the handbook.  This character's basic abilities mean he will most likely rely on Incantations and Pacts.  I call him a Warlock because his initiation into magic involved a Pact.]

WEAKNESSES:  Magical Implement, Power Object.  [Selected by player from a list of choices.  Given this character, the former will be a seemingly ordinary dagger -- the murder weapon!  The latter the contract, signed in blood from the severed finger, made with the demon.]

HIT POINTS:  [Random number from 1 to 4 for this character class]: 2 [Pretty easy to kill]

DAMAGE BONUS:  None.

ASSETS AND AFFLICTIONS [Selected or created by the player, with the proviso that the number of Assets must be the same as the number of Affliction.  I have chosen those which are suggested for Magicians and which seem to make sense for this character.  I have also decided to interpret his below average intelligence as ignorance, due to a lack of formal education, and allowed him to have a fair amount of "street smarts."]  Assets:  Good Bargainer, Intimidating, Shrewd, Sneaky, Wily.  Afflictions:  Bad Reputation, Bad Throwing Arm, Creepy Presence, Horrible Body Odor, No Head For Reading/Writing.  [That last one is just listed as "No Head For . . ." with the comment "a common field of knowledge."  I figure my character is barely literate, if at all, which will it make it difficult for him to use books of magic!]

MAGICIAN STARTING SPELLS [I am allowed to select two Level Zero spells and two Level One spells]: Zero:  Beguile Incantation, Nightvision Incantation.  One:  Cause Fear Incantation, Conjure Familiar Pact.  [This last one is interesting.  I can assume that the Pact was made at the time of the loss of the finger, as this is a one time, permanent spell.  First of all let's roll a twenty-sided die to see if I get a Common Familiar or something special, which happens on a roll of 20 only.  I get a 6, so it's Common.  This takes the form of a small, ordinary animal, so let's make it a tiny, nonpoisonous snake, which can be concealed wrapped around the character's arm when wearing long sleeves.  The Familiar has its own characteristics.  It shares the Level and Perversity of the character.]



> Disposition: Curious
> Charisma: 10 Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10
> Strength: 10 Dexterity: 15 Constitution: 10
> Armor Class: 2
> ...



WEALTH:  Poor [No need to go in extreme detail.  Suffice to say that the character will tend to avoid Ceremonies and Talismans, which cost money.  Gaining wealth will be one of his goals.]

EQUIPMENT [Based on the list of typical magician equipment, minus those too expensive (talisman) or inappropriate (book)]:  



> 1 set of ordinary clothes, a haversack, ceremonial clothes, 1 Magical Implement (dagger), 1 Power Object (contract), a dried root or herb, salt, candles, chalk, a skin of wine.



SPEED:  9 [the default speed for new characters; average; slower if wearing heavy clothing.]

ARMOR CLASS:  Zero.  [Increase to one for heavy clothing.]

NAME:  Nine-finger Jack.  [Not even he knows his birth name.  Finding out about his parents might be another goal, in addition to gaining power and wickedness for its own sake.]


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## Wruter (Jul 2, 2016)

Never been a gamer so this is all Greek to me but Jack sounds like quite the charmer.


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## Wruter (Jul 3, 2016)

Well it looked like fun and I'm in full-on procrastination mode at the moment so I had a go at making up a character.

Basic abilities -

CHARISMA: 6 (low)

INTELLIGENCE: 11 (slightly above average)

WISDOM: 12 (ditto)

STRENGTH: 9 (average)

DEXTERITY: 16 (very high) - later adjusted to 18 (extremely high)

CONSTITUTION: 8 (below average)

PERVERSITY: 13 (above the norm but not evil)

I chose to be a Demon Hunter based on high dexterity and non-evil.

CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Mina Harker from Dracula.

CHARACTER CLASS: Demon Hunter

BACKGROUND: An heiress of a noble family, her world was shattered when the man she was engaged to marry was murdered by then turned into a vampyre, who then hunted her for her blood. In self defence she was forced to slay her former fiancee but was disinherited and outcast by her family as a result. Since then she has trained obsessively as a hunter of vampyres and other demons (high dexterity). Despite her professed hatred of the breed her experience with her fiancee, whose vampyric advances she almost gave in to (low charisma), have left her also strangely, almost fatalistically, drawn and sometimes even attracted to vampyres (above average perversity) which is a source of emotional conflict.

PERVERSITY: As above, basicallly Good.

PERSONALITY: Melancholy, reserved, anxious, conflicted.

APPEARANCE: Tallish, well-built, reddish hair kept on the short side, wears functional clothing.

MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTERISTIC: A haunted expression.

BASIC ABILITIES: As above.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: determined by Demon Hunter Class - Danger Bonus, Demonology, Feat of Strength or Dexterity, Resist Preternatural Effects, Tracking.

WEAKNESSES: Nemesis, Obsession.

HIT POINTS: from 1-8 for the Class - 2 (so disappointingly easy to kill but I see that can improve as she gains levels)

DAMAGE BONUS: None.

ASSETS AND AFFLICTIONS: Assets - Beautiful, Expert Equestrian, Gift For Languages (both these last two I figure come from the noble upbringing), Naturally Skeptical. Afflictions - Bad Reputation, Melancholy, Traumatic Memory, Unlucky at Love.

WEALTH: moderate - though no longer an heiress she is secretly being financially aided by a sympathetic wealthy uncle and has savings enough to cover most expenses.

EQUIPMENT: 2 weapons - silver dagger and stake & mallet of ash wood, a haversack, 1 set of somber clothes, a book on Demonology, a meal of dried bread and meat, a lantern with oil, a vial of holy water.

SPEED: default 9.

ARMOR CLASS: 1 for wearing thick clothing.

NAME: Lila Davenport.

Thanks for the links. I got no work done at all this morning!


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jul 3, 2016)

Thank you for joining in.  That is an excellently thought-out character.  Nice job!


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jul 31, 2016)

Since this system still fascinates me, I have joined a play-by-post forum where I have been allowed to create a game.

Play@YSDC • View forum - Ghastly Affair

A few players have created characters:



> NAME Duncan Budi Rachman.
> 
> CHARISMA: 8
> 
> ...





> NAME: Elizabeth Carrow
> 
> CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Lucy Westenra and any other innocent young lady who happens to become the focus of any Gothic villain.
> 
> ...





> CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Dr. Herbert West
> 
> CHARACTER CLASS: Mad Scientist
> 
> ...



I have begun the adventure thus:



> Chapter the First: A Strange Invitation; Or, The Mysterious Coachman
> 
> 1788. A clear evening in late summer. The year as a whole has been unusually dry. England is at peace, at least temporarily. Rumbles of revolution are stirring in France. Prime Minister William Pitt (sometimes called "the Younger," to distinguish him from his father, who bears the same name) and Parliament are wrangling over the threat of Russian expansion, as the Tsar seems destined to triumph in his war with the Sultan, threatening the balance of power. A prison colony has been established in the fabled continent of Australia. The Daily Universal Register has changed its name to The Times. The Marylebone Cricket Club has published the revised Laws of Cricket. There are rumors that King George III is not entirely in his right mind, although he remains beloved by his subjects, who admire him as a good family man, devoted to his wife and children. But you have other concerns . . .
> 
> ...



If anyone would care to join in, you are welcome.


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## Wruter (Jul 31, 2016)

Sounds good. I created an account. If you don't mind having a newbie, I'll post the character I made above.


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## Victoria Silverwolf (Jul 31, 2016)

Wruter said:


> Sounds good. I created an account. If you don't mind having a newbie, I'll post the character I made above.



Excellent!  Please do so!


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