Desecration

Edgar Sloan, that famed treasure-hunter, has recently returned to the City after his latest expedition to Egypt. Sloan intends to throw the soiree of the century that includes an auction of his latest find: the mummified remains and grave goods of an ancient priestess only known as God’s Wife. You have been invited to bid on these sacred treasures in an attempt to grow your own power and influence.

Desecration is a character-driven game of personal and psychological horror set in the 1920s for up to 40 players.

Long Description

Famed Egyptologist and archaeologist Edgar Sloan and his team have recently returned from their first major expedition to Egypt and are eager to show off their findings to some of the City's elite. Sloan is throwing the gala of the century that includes an auction of some of those findings, including the grand prize of the evening: the mummified remains of an ancient priestess only known as God's Wife. You, a member of said elite, have been invited to view these goods, mingle with the team, and if you're lucky, take home one of these artifacts. As with anything ancient and foreign to your Western sensibilities, there is vague rumor of a curse having been placed on these objects, which makes it all the more attractive to attend. Decadence, excess, and delusions will reign supreme during the evening as the partygoers fall victim to selfish desires in a desperate bid for power and influence.

Desecration is a Gothic personal and psychological horror game set against the backdrop of the Egyptian Revival craze of the 1920s that arose after the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. This is a litform game for up to 40 players with pre-written character sheets and lots of secrets. Expect about 4 hours of actual game play with up to an hour of workshopping and debrief. This is a alpha playtest.

What to expect:

• an opportunity to explore personal and psychological horror in a pulpy 1920s setting
• an opportunity to play out 1920s cliches, tropes, and class dynamics
• an opportunity to encounter emotionally difficult plots and roleplay as well as the degradation of your relationships as characters turn on each other
• Risk mitigation and calibration techniques

What not to expect:

• The Great Gatsby, The Mummy, or anything by H.P. Lovecraft, though there are homages in the game
• Jumpscares
• 100% historical accuracy
• Combat and character death
• A Happy Ending: characters may get what they want, but it may come at a price
• A game with 0 consequences

Mechanics: The more players interact with the mummy, the more they will succumb to their vices, obsessions, and beliefs. The more they succumb, the more the curse delusion will spread to the other partygoers. In order to participate in the auction, players must have a certain number of curse tokens that they will receive from either interacting with the mummy or the other cursed attendees. A design document detailing how these mechanics will work will be released closer to game.

Characters: all characters are pre-written and will be assigned based on feedback in the casting survey that will be sent out after the game fills. The majority of characters can be played as any gender, though some characters have a fixed gender for narrative reasons. Any player of any age, appearance, and gender identity may portray them. There are also a fair number of queer characters written into the game.