Find out why humanity has always feared the wild places…
Do not mistake the forest’s quietude for mercy. Nor its shadowed depths as denser versions of its pleasant shallows. For to venture deeper is to become lost in the ancient chambers of the forest’s dark heart, where twisted and sinister things dwell. Do not lose yourself to the Woods’ darkening depths.
For no matter where you come from—no matter what daylit world you previously walked—the Woods and its sinister inhabitants will test your mettle as you wander its dusk-dark paths. Find out who you are—and what you’re made of—inside The Darkest Woods.
The Darkest Woods is a system-agnostic horror experience that seamlessly integrates into your existing campaign—no matter what game and system you’re playing. The spiritual successor to The Darkest House, The Darkest Woods will take your players on an epic—and unexpected—subplot and chill them to their cores. Unforgettable encounters will shake even the most battle-hardened characters, all while life-altering challenges will forge richer characters, deeper motivations, and more powerful party bonds.
The Woods watch you as you wander, lost among the trees.
The Woods don’t care.
The Woods see you isolated, lonely, and in terrible danger.
The Woods don’t care.
The Woods are ancient (eternal?) and vast (infinite?).
You are small and brief. Hardly worth noting—to the Woods.
Rooted in any setting
The hiking trail that seems to be perennially littered with missing posters. The forest children avoid on their walk home, the canopy’s shade too dark, too deep. The great, twisted tree with finger-like branches reaching towards your bedroom…
The Darkest Woods is not a single expanse of forest; rather, it is the harsh, uncaring soul of the wilderness itself, and it can be encountered wherever the wilds go untamed. Like the relentless tendrils of an invasive vine, the Darkest Woods pushes its way into our world—your world; any world—in the depths of any patch of wilderness shunned, or undiscovered, by civilization. If there are woods you can get lost in, those woods might lead you into the Darkest Woods.
The Darkest Woods includes enough content for many, many sessions of play. It’s a mega-adventure, of a sort, but not a dungeon to be explored and looted; once the PCs find themselves in the Darkest Woods, their goal will be survival and escape. That’s not to say there are no treasures to be found—just that this is first and foremost a true horror experience.
Making your game better
The Darkest Woods is compatible with the game you’re already playing—in fact, it’s specifically made to be integrated into your current campaign. Why? Because the Woods draws upon characters’ memories and personal fears. It challenges their very notions of morality, family, friendship, love, and truth. You can run The Darkest Woods with new characters, but it really shines when played with characters that already have history, personality, and shared bonds. The true horrors in the woods aren’t measured in hit points, but in the threat they pose to everything the PCs hold dear. In facing and surviving these challenges, your characters will emerge from the woods with greater insight into their world, their companions, and most of all themselves. The Darkest Woods was really built to be added to your existing campaign—and by deepening your PCs, it will make that campaign even better!
The Darkest System—including The Darkest House and The Darkest Woods—easily converts characters from the game rules you’re currently using (it takes about five minutes), and then lets you return to your normal character sheets when your PCs emerge from the woods. The Darkest System is a sort of RPG Rosetta Stone, allowing easy translation from any game system—and even letting you bring characters from different games together.
Your regular, ongoing game will be better after you’ve experienced The Darkest Woods. PCs emerge more deeply developed. Parties emerge more cohesively, with stronger bonds.
The very hefty (360-page!) hardcover makes GMing a face-to-face game easy. Each room is presented as a two-page spread, eliminating page-flipping. A shortlink and QR code for each room let you quickly download and share player-facing maps, room images, handouts, and even sound files.
You can use the book for virtual play—in fact, it’s great for that, too—but sharing resources will involve a few more clicks.
vollfarbiges Hardcover plus digitale Ressourcen
