From Jacqueline Bryk comes ScareBnB, a solo journaling game where you play a ghost haunting a quaint little bed and breakfast. Specifically, you’re exploring the busiest time of year for your character: the days leading up to Halloween. To play, you will need a twenty-sided die, and writing materials.
With a week’s worth of framing scenarios, sixty prompts for people and events, and a table of character names, there’s plenty of story potential here. I love that you can play through the week all in one go or, if you want, do an entry a day from October 25th-November 1st. It’s a way to add a bit of seasonal fun to your routine, and with all the scenarios to encounter, not to mention options in character creation, ScareBnB could easily become part of your Halloween celebrations for years to come.
I enjoyed character creation very much. From asking what kind of ghost you are, to the details of where/how you haunt the house, and even questions about the bed and breakfast itself, you’re given the opportunity to create a strong sense of your character and setting without it feeling overwhelming. In a similar vein, I loved the idea of doing one entry a day being presented – it made the game feel more approachable and reminded me that you don’t need to be writing pages and pages for each entry! Can you if you want to? Absolutely! But writing a few lines is also absolutely fine – the point is to have a good time, and do that in whatever way works best for you.
You can pick up ScareBnB for $5.00 USD on Itch. I found its name immediately charming – did I first think of the housing nightmare that is the short-term rental industry? Yes. Did I think of a playthrough where your relationship to the owner is antagonistic and you’re scaring them out? Absolutely – and you can do that! You can also have a much more cozy playthrough if that’s what you’re feeling – the choice is entirely yours, and I know I’d love to hear about your ghosts and their favourite haunting spots!
The original version of this text was published in GothHoblin’s Grimoire Volume 1: Gothic.
That’s all for this week! Until next time, stay cozy, and if you want to join your companions around the cauldron, signup for email updates below!
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