Supernatural and American Horror Story inspired this witchy roleplaying game
Bargain hunters wanted.
A tabletop roleplaying game about witches is inspired by television series such as Supernatural and American Horror Story.
Witch: Fated Souls – Second Edition is a tabletop RPG where players become witches who have gained their powers by making a bargain with a demon: losing their souls in the process. Despite the immense power that they gain through making such a bargain, most witches in the TRPG come to regret their decision to deal with a demon and seek ways to free themselves from their bonds.
The roleplaying game takes direct inspiration from the likes of Supernatural – a drama about two brothers investigating supernatural mysteries that aired between 2005 and 2020 – and American Horror Story: Coven, the third season of the horror series that focuses on a group of witches and warlocks. Just like the two television series, Witch: Fated Souls 2E places an emphasis on the cost of supernatural power and how humanity is sometimes lost because of it.
Though the player characters find themselves trapped in a decision they didn’t realise the ramifications of, there is still hope that they will find freedom. The players’ witches are all part of a coven who can support and/or provide conflict, with each witch having their own battles to fight. What kind of magic a witch can perform in the horror RPG depends on the demon they’ve made a bargain with. For example, cadavres demons grant their witches the ability to read minds and resurrect the dead, whilst heksen demons enable the powers of telekinesis and curses.
Witches are all part of the Society, a group that encapsulates all of those who have made deals with demons, with local regions have their own Keeper and a Council of seven witches ruling over the entire community. Whenever players attempt to perform an action that will be resisted by something, the games master will ask them to roll for a check – which will involve them rolling a pool of d6s in the hopes of rolling enough successes, from fours to sixes, in order to pass.
As witches, players will be able to cast magic, which won’t require them to pass a check. Instead, players will increase their character’s progress on the Eternity Track, pushing them closer to potential destruction as their powers become too much for them. Players are able to reduce their Eternity Track through various means and sacrifices. Eventually, the players will be trying to increase their Destiny Track enough to break away from their demon and gain freedom.
Witch: Fated Souls – Second Edition was created and is set to be published by Angry Hamster Publishing, whose writers include WH Arthur, Bodie Cambert, Lloyd Gyan, Sarah Kennedy and Jabari Weathers. Previous titles published by Angry Hamster Publishing include Afterlife – a fantasy tabletop roleplaying game about passing into the world of the dead – and Familiars of Terra, another fantasy TTRPG inspired by the likes of His Dark Materials and Digimon.
The Kickstarter campaign for Witch: Fated Souls – Second Edition is live until November 21, with a pledge of €40 (£35/$39) getting backers a physical copy of the RPG in October 2023. Alternatively, a digital PDF version is available for €19 (£17/$18).