Tabletop RPGs have a tougher time than horror games in frightening the player. Perhaps the presence of other players simply makes it hard to feel truly scared, especially when a stray chuckle escalates into a full-on laugh riot. Still, with a focused group and an eerie atmosphere, anything is possible. And when it comes to atmosphere, this indie TTRPG embraces the weirdness of analog horror.
PLENUM by Mrs. Vulture/BSTDev is a collaborative tabletop analog horror RPG played exclusively in the dark. If there’s sunlight, PLENUM cannot be played. Only phone screens and candlelight. In what I promise is not an occult ritual, you must gather index cards, pens, a stapler, a hole punch, string, scissors, and a candle (alongside an extinguisher, for safety). Prepare yourself, and don’t expect the comfort of DnD classes to empower you in this game.
The game master, called an “uploader” will narrate, staple and break ties between cards for the players, called “editors.” The game supports two to six players, and after reading these mechanics, it will be one of the strangest couples board games one can play on date night. Though the rules go more in-depth, the loop basically goes as such: You write down mundane, one-sentence events onto index cards which are strung together to form an “episode.”
What makes the game exciting is when a player folders a corner of one of their index cards. That corner denotes this event as something wrong. “A woman standing there” is normal. With a folded corner, the woman may have an unnerving smile. Adding to the layers is “stapling”, which allows the uploader to overwrite or merge footage together, depending on how they staple. And of course, burning footage entirely.
While the set-up is admittedly complicated, the creator ultimately did a fantastic job giving pen-and-paper the feel of an editor’s room. Splicing together reels, spotting strange shots, and arguing about “how’d it end up like that” vibes so much like an amateur production. It’s one of those games that really click once you’ve understood the flow. Together, you decide the kind of cursed tape you’ll inflict upon the world.
You can check out PLENUM over at itch.io here.
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Source: Wargamer
