The Cunning Folk
At a Glance
Cozy Creature Mischief
The Cunning Folk lurk just outside of our perception. They play tricks on us by hiding our socks when we’re already running late or swapping sugar for salt and spoiling our cups of tea. Sure, the odd individual may run afoul of the Folk and end up eaten. But it was probably their fault, for neglecting to leave a bowl of milk by their front door on the night of the spring equinox, anyway.
Honestly, sometimes I wonder why more people don’t vanish into the mists. No one seems to think much of manners these days.
You never can tell how the Folk might get their revenge – but they will have their satisfaction.
The Cunning Folk presents you the delightful opportunity to be one of these wickedly handsome and verily cunning Folk. As a group, you’ll be using your Magick and Luck to create a whole heap of Mischief, all to seek devilish revenge against your Offender in the most devious and hilarious ways you can think of!
Just for a little bit, mind you. Let’s not be greedy.
The System
The Cunning Folk uses it’s very own made-to-fit system! All you need is a GM, a couple of friends who want to get up to some mischief, and some D6; with your pool ranging from 1-5 dice depending on your level. With each die giving you a 50/50 chance of success, it’s easy to see where you stand after each attempt. No maths needed! Phew!
In this game the dice represent your physical and magickal power - as well as your size. As you play through the story, there will be many moments where you'll roll to cause mischief, and the result of these shenanigans will level your Folk both up and down.
Every time you want to interact with the mortal world, either through mischievous or magickal means, The Storyteller will declare ‘It’s time for Mischief!’, then ask you to roll your entire dice pool! They’ll also let you know how many successes you’ll need based on how difficult or complex the scenario. The more difficult or complex, the more successes you will need.
When leveling up and down - which will happen frequently throughout the game - your Folk will also change physically to match. This physical change, alongside your magickal one, is a narrative device to show the impact growing in power will have on your Folk interacting with the world. Either by growing much bigger or much more monstrous, their growth in power impedes them from hiding so easily in the human world.
Forging The Folk
The Folk Archetypes are a blank canvas for you to paint in any way you like.
When you think of the creatures in folklore, where does your mind go? Do you imagine an old and hunched Baba Yaga? Perhaps a ballsy shapeshifting Tanuki? Or maybe even a hairy but hideous Tokoloshe? There is so much wonderful folklore from around the world, and so many Folk that deserve to be celebrated! Stories have been told of The Cunning Folk taunting and tricking mortals, just out of sight, in every corner of the world for centuries.
Each Archetype has a theme for how they navigate the world, but nothing more. Follow inspiration from stories of the Folk all around the world and choose an Archetype that feels appropriate; or, select a theme that interests you and breathe life into something that has never existed before!
Failing Forward
Whenever it's ‘time for Mischief!’ and you roll your dice pool, you could either succeed, over-succeed, or fail.
Failure is never really failing. When you fail a roll, your Mischief just doesn’t quite turn out the way you intended, and instead of being punished, you gain a point of Luck!
Despite their role as the Offender, the Storyteller isn’t working against the Folk. Rather, they are helping tell the Folk’s story and setting the stage for their sweet revenge. They create opportunities and hooks where they can and whenever the Folk fail, reassuring them that the plan is simply not working as they had anticipated.
As for succeeding and over-succeeding…? You’ll just have to pick up the game and find out!
Game Design by
Emily Greymoore
Patrick Perini
30 page, 8.5 x 8.5 inch, black & white, perfect-bound book
Includes access to digital version and printable character sheets
