Darkened Hill & Dale is a collection of seven horror scenarios for tabletop roleplaying games, set in the modern British countryside.
Tonally, they’re a mix of cosmic and folk horror, with unique situations and threats to negotiate. The settings encompass market towns, garden centres, sleepy villages, moorlands, and beyond.
These scenarios are intended to run in 1–3 sessions and be useable with a variety of systems, so each scenario includes notes for player characters who are occult-aware and those who are not. While these scenarios are set in Britain, most should be adaptable to other locations—particularly as they’re all based in fairly rural locales.
The scenarios are accompanied by a separate collection of handout ephemera, with 2–3 items per scenario including maps, news articles, folklore book ‘photocopies’, etc.
This project was funded on Kickstarter in March 2024, and is expected to ship in winter 2024.
Pre-order until 31st October!
What’s Included
- Copy of the book, 100+ pages, with colour illustrations
(hardcover/softcover/PDF) - Collection of player handout ephemera, 20+ items
(physical/digital) - Access to collection of reference photos for scenario locations
(online)
The Scenarios
Roses Are Red
A beautiful wedding turned into a violent bloodbath, but the survivors can’t remember why.
Six people are dead and over a dozen more have been injured in a violent brawl at a scenic wedding. The cause of the brawl is unknown—none of the survivors remember the violence, a cause, or much of anything after the vows. Investigation reveals strange flowers in amongst the decorative arrangements.
Death Knell
After 200 years of silence, Ashby Knell is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the restoration of the old church bell.
Two centuries ago, half of Ashby Knell burnt to the ground and the church bell was lost, never to be replaced. That bell was recently rediscovered and restored, but the death of the local vicar has cast a pall over the upcoming celebrations, and it seems that perhaps some things are better left buried.
Aurora Temporalis
Camping at a remote beauty spot sounds relaxing, although the rusted ruin of an aeroplane wasn’t mentioned in any of the reviews.
Arriving at a remote wild campsite in daylight, hikers unexpectedly come across the rusted fuselage of an old plane very close by. Come nightfall, a vivid aurora lights up the sky—but so does that same plane crash-landing, trapped in an unnatural time loop.
It Takes A Village
Upper Dalby has won the county ‘Best Kept Village’ award for five years in a row. They’re likely to win again this year, given that a terrible train accident has just destroyed half of Russington.
The village of Russington is in full bloom, the local W.I. is enjoying a membership surge, and, just the other day, two young girls were miraculously saved from drowning in the river… weren’t they? Investigations reveal that things aren’t quite as they seem in this quaint village.
Fatstock
It’s winter in Mawbury. The reservoir has frozen over, the hunt has gathered, and it’s time for the annual Fatstock Show & Dinner.
This agricultural market town continues to thrive against the odds, and farmers from all around bring their finest livestock to compete in the annual Fatstock show. After the show, the town’s elite gather to paint the town red. That the dinner is oddly secretive is probably nothing to worry about, and the reports of the local hunt riding out at night are surely nonsense.
Moonlit Shadow
Old Annie Haddow, Captured a Shadow,
Up on the moor, In a silvery night.
A summer wildfire has uncovered ancient rock carvings up on the moor, purported ‘big cat’ sightings abound once again, and the police are looking for witnesses following the death of a local metal detectorist in a suspected dog attack. Investigations reveal tales of witchcraft and greed, and that there may be some truth to local folklore after all.
Fools’ Fire
The village sank into the marsh years ago, but its lonely church remains. It opens its doors only once a year, for the fiery midsummer festival of St John’s Eve.
The coastline just down from old Dunwich is rife with folklore and mystery—woods known for their ghost lights, sea caves haunted by smugglers’ ghosts, cliffs famous for their wrecks, and an entire village sunken into the marshland. When the team behind a popular YouTube history channel decides to attend the lone annual service at Old Bedmarsh church they stumble into the horrifying truth behind those local folktales.
Artwork
Artwork for Darkened Hill & Dale has been commissioned from Camilla Sicignano and Jazmin Presi, who are both very talented artists.
Prints of their illustrations can be purchased as add-ons, to either hang on your wall or use as player aids.
Pre-orders
Darkened Hill & Dale is available to pre-order until 31st October 2024.
Pre-orders will ship alongside Kickstarter backer copies, and at the same discounted rate, in winter 2024.
A limited number of copies will be available at RRP once all the Kickstarter and pre-order copies have shipped.
Add-ons
Several add-ons are available for Darkened Hill & Dale. These include:
- A4 Giclée fine art prints of the cover art
- Postcard sets of NPC illustrations, scenario illustrations, and the cover art
- Holographic/Iridescent stickers featuring the skull-themed logo for This Blighted Isle
This Blighted Isle
Darkened Hill & Dale is the launch title for This Blighted Isle—a series of system-flexible horror scenarios, and themed collections of scenarios, set in and around modern Britain.
FAQ
- Where can I find the latest information about this project?
Monthly updates are posted over here on Kickstarter, informal updates are shared on BlueSky, and things are sporadically posted on Instagram.
- I have an issue with my BackerKit pre-order or Kickstarter pledge
I’m sorry to hear that. Please do get in touch via the platform you supported the project on.
- I’m a reviewer/podcaster/etc interested in covering Darkened Hill & Dale
That’s cool! Get in touch if you’d like to chat about the project, or if you need any information or supporting materials.
- I’m a online/physical retailer interested in stocking Darkened Hill & Dale
Great! Please do get in touch to discuss the details.
About Patchwork Fez Games
Hi! I’m Sarah Cole. I’ve been a writer and game designer for several years, and have finally decided to start releasing my work to the public!
With a diverse track career that has included writing and designing for videogames, copywriting and editing, project management, publishing, and event organisation, I’ve got a whole lot of practical experience to bring Darkened Hill & Dale into being!
In the UK, I’m best known for helping to run artsy games events and organising Trick or Retreat—a not-for-profit event where folks gather to play tabletop games and generally chill out.
I do not use AI in my projects.