Is there a ttrpg about collecting curses?
I's a somewhat common trope that charcters are given a curse, that also gives them cool/horifying powers, so I wander if anyone has made a ttrpg about that.
This is a series of recommendations that explore the idea of characters getting worse or weirder as they play. Most, if not all of these games fall in the horror genre, which should never be played without some form of safety tool in place.
Something is Wrong with the Chickens, by Elliot Davis.
Bryson Foods, Inc has taken everything from us.
Something Is Wrong With The Chickens is a one-page, rules-lite TTRPG of Chickens, Eldritch Horror, and Revenge for 2+ players, including 1 Chicken Master (CM).
This game is a light-hearted eldritch horror game about Chickens that might either slowly accumulate Eldritch Traits and eventually transcends this mortal coil, or loses all of their Traits and becomes captured for human consumption. Random roll tables determine where you start, what you’re trying to accomplish, and who you’ll meet along the way.This game is hilarious and easy to run, so I suggest you check it out!
Fears and Fathoms, by curatrix-ribston.
But for some reason, you and your friends have chosen to go. You have made the conscious decision to go and see the things that go bump in the dark. You know it will change you. Perhaps it already has. After all, would you have gone there before? Were you the kind of person who let their friends drag them into such madness? Or perhaps you were. Perhaps you have led them here. Perhaps, in time, you will forgive yourself for what you have all become.
This simple, story-driven system puts players in control of their narrative and how the Strange changes them. Perhaps you will push out the Strange. Perhaps, instead, you will let it brand you, forever barring you from a normal life. This is a game about taking risks and hard bargains in order to get to the truth of a mystery.
Fears and Fathoms is a game about people exploring something that is likely too strange and dangerous to leave them entirely untouched. Throughout the game, you are at risk of gaining Curses and Traumas, which will fundamentally change how your character treats the world around them, and how they react to stress. Keepers are encouraged to think about the Strange and how it affects the world around it - but also what kinds of curses make play interesting for the players, rather than impossible.
Red Giant, by Rookie Jet Studio.
No one knows how the came to be: some people believe it was an act of god, some believe it was due to ancient technology, but no matter how this planet became cursed, it is clear that YOU CANNOT SAVE THIS WORLD.
Red Giant is a Tabletop Role Playing Game influenced by, but not limited to, anime and manga such as Vampire Hunter D, Berserk, and Claymore. Red Giant aims to recreate the various themes, dynamics, and scenarios seen in these types of media.
This game has a character element called Exchanges, which give characters special abilities, but at a great cost. A character must have at least one Exchange at character creation, but no more than 3. Over the course of the game, your character may have opportunities to make more exchanges - more power, for a greater price. If you want to check out the game before you buy, the studio has a Quickstart version that’s available to download. For fans who like gothic, cursed settings, this is worth checking out.
Locus, by CobblePath Games.
What if the world was really against you? What if you couldn't escape? Struggle against the stress and pressure of the world - of your own guilt - bearing down upon you. There are no heroes here.
Locus is a bespoke, mystery/horror roleplay game with unique mechanics crafted entirely around horror. It is a game about flawed character, about exploring consequence and morality against a backdrop of very real, supernatural and monstrous danger.
This game uses playing cards to represent the way the world around them is affecting each character’s mind. It is easy to add cards to your hand, and difficult to discard them. Throughout the game, players will have to monitor their Stress levels in order to ensure they’re not burning through their resources too quickly. If you want a game where you have to struggle against your own Vices in order to survive, I recommend you check out this game.
44: A Game of Automatic Fear, by Stories You Play.
"Someone you know was just replaced by a machine. No one else knows. You are next."
44: A Game of Automatic Fear is a suspense RPG. You portray people who know a robot conspiracy called Section 44 is replacing humanity. Can you survive before the conspiracy replaces you with a machine? Set in the backdrop of the early 1950s, a time of high paranoia, 44 works like an Alfred Hitchcock movie with sci-fi elements. You can easily insert other settings.
While this game isn’t explicitly about a curse, it does have the consistent threat that your character will eventually be replaced. If you were to re-work the setting, you might be able to turn the disappearances into a magical curse, rather than a robot revolution. The game has a supply of currency called Resistance and Menace that deplete and restock throughout the game, in the hopes of beating out the opposition. Meanwhile, characters have to hope their Anxieties don’t take away their best chances at outsmarting Section 44.
Since the game is free to download, it’s at least worth checking out!
The Curse of the House of Rookwood, by Nerdy Pup Games.
The Curse of the House of Rookwood is a gothic horror tabletop roleplaying game where you create a cursed family with supernatural powers and troubled relationships, and take them on strange adventures in an alternate history haunted by mythical monsters and dark magic. Will you work together to bury your skeletons, or will family drama bring your house to ruin?
Rookwood is a supernatural adventure where your family must survive together against a world of secret societies, terrifying spirits and monsters, and ancient evils lurking in the hidden corners of the earth.
As players, you get to decide what time period you start playing the game, and for how long the Curse lasts. Each family member who is related by blood has the same Curse, and the table decides at the beginning of the game how that curse manifests. You can use the Curse to your advantage, but doing so will make you more and more monstrous - become Marked too much, and you are Lost. There are also options for late bloomers, who will manifest the curse partway through the game, as well as members imported into the family: you might not have a Curse, but you don’t have a Gift either.
If you want a game where a family tears itself apart while trying to keep it’s growing pile of skeletons firmly inside the closet, I recommend you check out this game.
Finally, I’ve talked in the past about External Containment Bureau, and Congregation, which both contain the conceit of weird powers that accumulate as you play, although this is not a core mechanic of the game.
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