Imp of the Perverse

Imp of the Perverse is set in a Gothic America of the 1830s-40s where monsters are real. One player takes on the role of the Editor, who creates monsters and sets the stage for the rest of the players, who take on period-appropriate Dramatis Personae, to fight against the horrors that stalk the night. These protagonists are people who have an Imp of the Perverse on their own shoulders, impelling them to commit terrible deeds. Only by fighting those who have given in to their own Imps, and literally transformed into creatures of the night, can they gain redemption and reject their Imp - but the struggle itself continually tempts them to embrace their perversity and become damned. 

Struggle

The core mechanic of the game is a simple d6-based system that represents the tension between perversity and humanity. While the odds are in the Imps favor, it is certainly possible to fight to regain humanity, and end your story free of perversion. However, if and when a protagonist finally falls to the Imp, they become a monster - and their player is invited to become the Editor for the next Chapter, finishing the story of the unfortunate soul as it is hunted down by its former companions.

Structure

The game plays out in a series of linked Chapters. Each Chapter concerns the hunt for a single monster, and is generally playable in 1-3 sessions of face-to-face play. This accommodates rotating attendance, with players dropping in and out of individual Chapters, but it also rewards long-term play with the same protagonists, as you explore their long-term journey and construct your own unique Gothic world of horror around your Dramatis Personae that reflects your interests and their successes…and their failures.

Society

Imp of the Perverse is set during the decades of the Jacksonian Era of American history, which happens to coincide with the majority of the creative life of Edgar Allan Poe: the 1830s and 1840s. This is both thematically resonant and incredibly tumultuous - cities were growing, new technologies that enabled unprecedented communication and trade were invented and new lands were being explored (and exploited). Social relationships were constantly renegotiated along familial, ethnic, geographic and professional lines, creating a dense web of networks that all influenced each other.

Protagonists in this game are embedded in this society, linked to those around them by bonds of career, family, marriage and personal interest. The presence of a monster frays these bonds, and the slow dissolution of normality around the protagonists is creates tension and motivates them in their hunt just as much as their internal struggle.

Game Features

Imp of the Perverse contains everything you need to play:

• A guided life-path character creation system to make period-appropriate Dramatis Personae ready to hunt down the monsters in their world.
• A simple d6-based system that represents the tension between perversity and humanity.
• Editor prep rules to generate truly horrible monsters for the characters to find and confront.
• 9 Pre-made Monsters as examples or to use for your own games.
• 3 ready-to-play Chapters, with fully generated monsters and Dramatis Personae already in their web, as well as guidance for how to play out the scenario.
• An approachable overview of the history and geography of Jacksonian America, aimed at providing context and playable info that can be molded to fit your interests and prior knowledge.
• Advice and guidance for creating and emphasizing different aspects of horror short fiction in your games.

The Protagonist Cards are a deck of 12 double-sided Tarot-sized cards to provide inspiration for perversities and greatest strengths, as well as pick-and-up-play options for getting started quickly.

244 page, 6.625 x 10.25 inch, full-color, cloth-wrapped foil-stamped hardcover w/ red bookmark ribbon

Includes digital bundle with 244-page screen-ready PDF, printable play aids, protagonist and monster sheets, and play-ready sheets for the included ready-to-play Chapters from the book.