
Bleak Spirit
A downloadable game
"@potatocubed's homage to the Soulborne genre ... magnificently captures the essence of it by adapting the Lovecraftesque diceless storytelling system by Black Armada"
-- MacGuffin & Co
Bleak Spirit is a storytelling game where you and your friends create a brooding, cryptic tale about a stranger in a strange land. Everything is falling apart, crumbling, corrupted, and the wanderer carries the potential for a return to past glories – or the power to sweep away all that remains.
Everyone contributes to the tale, sharing the sense of mystery that comes from no-one knowing the entire truth of what's going on. Everyone takes turns being the world for a scene, introducing lore which hints at the history of the setting. After every scene everyone leaps to conclusions based on the lore which has been revealed – and these conclusions affect the sorts of lore they will introduce when it's their turn to be the world.
Of course, everyone is going to interpret the lore in their own way, and introduce their own variations. You'll have to adjust your conclusions based on their input, they'll adjust theirs based on yours, and the story that results will be truly the creation of the whole group.
You will all also take turns playing the wanderer – the destiny-wreathed individual who is going to bring change to the world, one way or another. The wanderer is the one who faces the dangers of the world, who discovers the lore, and who will ultimately leave things different to how they found them.
At the end of the story the wanderer will enter a proving ground where they will confront an adversary. Everyone will have contributed their own lore to the tale but only one of you will determine who or what the true enemy is, and what sort of future the wanderer will usher in.
Finally, anyone who is not currently playing the wanderer or the world will join the chorus. Their role is to elaborate on details introduced by the other players, drenching the world in both grandeur and decay.
Status | Released |
Category | Physical game |
Rating | Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars (25 total ratings) |
Author | potatocubed |
Genre | Role Playing |
Tags | Souls-like, Tabletop role-playing game |
Average session | A few hours |
Multiplayer | Local multiplayer |
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $15 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Inspired by Souls-like games, Bleak Spirit is an TTRPG for 2-5 players with a rotating GM system. You play as a wanderer exploring a land of mystery, melancholy and faded glory. What cryptic secrets are hidden within? You play to find out.
I backed this on Kickstarter and then played it in an online convention that replaced a regional convention when the pandemic broke out. Here are three things that we learned that might help others have a good experience:
We had a great experience with this game, it has similarities to classics like Swords Without Master, Dirty Secrets and Primetime Adventures. Highly recommended.
Thanks for that! It all looks like solid advice that I should probably have thought of myself. On the subject of organisation, I've seen one online game use a Trello board to keep track of introduced lore, details about the wanderer, and other things.
Anyway, I'm glad your experience with Bleak Spirit was good, and thanks again for leaving such a nice comment.
You're welcome and Trello is a cool idea.