Shadows in the Fog

Review by: C. Demetrius Morgan

Shadows in the Fog is an Occult role-playing game by Christopher I. Lehrich set in Victorian era London. There are currently two PDF versions of the core rules available for direct download that can be found HERE (newest PDF) and HERE (older PDF). There is also an Shadows in the Fog discussion Forum where the game and its future development can be discussed. These core rules are volume one of a planned three volume rules set and world setting. Additional volumes to be forthcoming in upcoming months, with at least six months to the full release of volume two.

From the author: "This [rules120.Pdf] is the first playtest version. I'm delighted to have as many people playtest as want to, but they should bear in mind that there are known gaps and a few minor errors. Only volume 1 is [presently] available." -Christopher I. Lehrich

A dark and brooding social critique that takes players on a shock filled tour of the misty streets of an 1888 London that might have been, such is the setting behind the game Shadows in the Fog. A game designed by a veteran role-player for veteran role-players, but with a design set in the mold of the storyteller Style. However the Focus of the game is very specific, Victorian London with Occult undertones, and tied directly in with its theme of social exploration. The Goal is to provide a system whereby character creation and in-game goal orientation are derived directly from the players during the pre-game setup, thus making the game one reliant heavily upon the unwritten rules of establishing a social contract amongst the players. Add to this the fact the rules establish up front there are no dice, no Traits, or even Abilities, that the game relies heavily upon the players to fill in the blanks, and what you have is more a template system for setting up a game than what many might consider an actual game. Which is not a wholly accurate assessment.

True, there is a “Fortune” mechanic that makes use of Tarot cards, and a detailed outline of how to generate a character’s background. Alas the information about the Tarot is too spread out and threadbare! There is also a lot of loose ends that the players and Game Master are required to tie up. In fact there were times that I thought this would be great as a resource for play or maybe a mine of ideas for a campaign. Which begs the question is this really a complete role-playing game or is it more a campaign resource book?

Yes. More than that it is the Victorian world of Jack the Ripper, a world in which the masks the characters wear hide secret stains upon their soul. It is a London of occult mystery where magic works and no punches have been pulled to sanitize the portrayal of the seedy underbelly of this (once upon a time) male dominated society! That’s right women are second class citizens with few rights. Or are they?

If a Victorian London where sinister occult goings-on might threaten to unravel the delicate thread of our societal tapestry is your bag of tea, then all you need to do is bring a cup, some sugar, and the spoon to stir. Otherwise Shadows in the Fog may not be for you, unless you are looking for something unusual and eclectic. But then if you’re reading this review that probably describes you to a ‘T’. Either way Shadows of the Fog is available for free download as PDF document. So what do you have to loose?

If you have to think about it then save the headache and skip this one. Shadows in the Fog runs roughly between 65 (SHADOWS.PDF) to 83 (RULES120.PDF) pages, 3 of which comprise the bibliography. Also this is but the first volume of a planned three volume series, thus the PDF is primarily rules for the game and very light on actual in depth world setting material. Sadly the core rules PDF contains no real adventure starters outside those provided in the examples of play, then those are supposed to appear in volume 3.

On the other hand, should you decide to download this to read at your leisure, you may want to keep a dictionary handy. Word to the wise: Shadows require a keen eye to discern, and it will take a discerning eye to follow Shadows in the Fog. It also requires the players to own a tarot deck. If none of this fills you with dread or has made you run to the next room for aspirin then read on.

The core rules right up front state often, and quite plainly, that the players are expected to be well read in certain novels, such as the Sherlock Holmes novels and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and that some research into the Victorian era may be required. Thus how women are ultimately portrayed will be left in large part up to the GM and players to decide. But so will at least a passing knowledge of the Tarot if the rather large section of the PDF taken up with examples of play is any indication. This section mostly illustrates how the tarot cards are used in play, which may pose a problem for some given the stigma attached to the Tarot.

Stigma?

Tarot cards. The Devil’s Picture book. If you know what a Rider-Waite deck is then you’ll likely have few problems with the game. If not then you may encounter a bit of a learning curve, especially in Rules120.pdf revision where, near the end in the Alternate Rules section, there is discussion of the Tarot of William Blake. While this deck is not used to illustrate how to use tarot cards in the game throughout the section discussing the deck make turn some off, and not just because this deck is rather eclectic in the imagery department, to say the least. Too, as there are a couple of contemporary decks bearing the name it may confuse those looking to purchase a deck suitable for use with the game. A generic overview of the tarot and its use would have been better, though what the author has written doesn’t necessarily detract from the flavor established by the setting. In fact it could serve to enhance it.

Be warned the game quickly establishes its own flavor for how the tarot is to be used, yet a glimpse of the usage of the tarot for the period is also provided. So the last thing you want to do is think individual assumptions of how the tarot works hold absolutely true here. The game world is a reflection of ours, an alternative view, which means the players and Game Master will have to really read the background and examples provided in the text.

Too, if you don’t know what terms like trumping or bidding mean in relation to card games the learning curve may be steep in some sections. Nothing that a re-read shouldn’t be able to fix, then again since the players are expected to sit down and discuss their characters it may be a good idea to do the same for the rules. Be sure that everyone is on the same proverbial page and find out if what they think they understand is what everyone else thinks also, just a suggestion.

Most modern tarot decks, or at least the ones from the earlier half of the twentieth century, are firmly rooted in the loam of the spiritualism and occult movements of the late 19th century. Thus one would assume using them in this game wouldn’t be a problem. However, as previously mentioned, the information about the Tarot is spread rather thinly throughout the document. For instance their is mention of the William Blake tarot, but it appears near the end of the PDF, almost as if it were appended as an after thought. Yet William Blake (1757-1827) was an influential poet and artist of that period whose work not only bent toward the occult it was virtually immersed in it. Thus it is understandable why the author chose to discuss the author and his deck, though the information provided here is all too brief.

Too, because the deck is non-traditional and has more in common with the Thoth Deck than it does either the Rider-Waite variants or those descended from the traditional Tarot of Marseille or the Wirth deck, those who do not know even the basic history of Tarot to know what the decks mentioned thus far may be confused. Not good. While this is a game set in the Occult world of Jack the Ripper, and the author does explain the deck’s history and relationship well, one is left wondering if there perhaps isn’t something more that the author was intending. Perhaps a tie into the world background in some fashion?

Now don’t misunderstand me I am not saying that the in-game information is bad or that the detail it presents isn’t useful, just that there could be more of it. Yet what is presented could also be better organized. Just imagine what use the cunningly nefarious GM may put such information to, if but they have it easily accessible at their fingertips!

That said there is a lot to work with here and a lot to digest so don’t expect to take the game in all at once. In fact that is probably the real problem here, you want to take everything in all at once with this game, but it’s just not written that way. You have to read it, all of it, then go back and read it again.

If you are used to rolling a fistful of dice or distributing points to build your character Shadows in the Fog may come as something of a shock to you for it uses neither of these methods. Yet character creation in Shadows if the Fog is a rather involved process stated to take at least an hour to accomplish. An hour? Yes, the text states that, typically, the average character should be generated within an hour.

So what makes the process so lengthy? One word: detail. Characters are the driving force of the game, and the game makes every effort to allow the players to provide as much detail for them as they wish. A process that begins with a “Group Creation session” which, more simply put, is the players sitting around talking about the game and discussing their character concepts. But don’t think it’s really as simple as that, this process takes 9 pages to explain, and with good reason. Much of which is directly concerned with creating a character that will fit into both the group and the game setting.

Much of what this pre-game brainstorm session will have players working on is primarily centered upon the Interior Description, read: character background, which includes: Drive, Education, Military Service, Class, Money, and Vices. Basically the Focus is on character building with the Goal of establishing a group of individuals who are somehow linked within the larger context of the game environment. How this is to be accomplished, they why’s and what fore’s, is largely left up to the players and Game Master to decide.

Shadows in the Fog is not a light read. It requires much thought and will probably require just as much effort to set up and get going, which means it is not a game suited for groups whose players do not like to explore new concepts or who are just looking for a beer and pretzels kind of evening‘s entertainment. The Style of play that the game establishes requires players willing to engage one another on a social and cerebral level, not merely sit around rolling dice and eating chips, though one can easily imagine sitting in the foreboding twilight gloom, sipping a mild herbal tea, while listening to the sinister rustle of leaves as described by. . . Well, you get the idea.

And about the Tarot; personally I would have put in a simple, single, easy to read section explaining the tarot in generic terms with an overview of what the trumps represented in relation to the game in the core rules PDF and saved anything more for a supplement. Give the necessary rules first, foremost, and in as clear and concise a manner as possible while keeping the writing tight, that’s how to avoid having anything to complain about. Of course that’s advice every writer should follow, alas we seldom manage to. But a proper section on the Tarot could be expanded for use in volume two, perhaps included in the occult background. Either that or just pickeup from where mention was made of the Rider-Waite deck, since it has become almost a universal deck that is almost always available for purchase in well stocked book stores, and do not mention other decks at all. That probably my strongest criticism of the core rules. And not just because William Blake tarots may not be easily accessible or costly. Of course the same could be said to any reference to period decks, such as the Tarot of Marseilles or the Tarot of Oswald Wirth, and what is mentioned does at least tie in to the underlying premise of the game. Though, at times, the Focus seems to wander around in circles like a Cessna waiting to land. But the author does have a lot to explain so a little meandering here or there can be easily overlooked.

So what do I really think? Conceptually the game is very well presented. Some sections drag a bit, but then when have rulebooks not seemed to drag as you read them? There are hints at a spicy background flavor throughout the text that leave one salivating for a taste of what is to come, which is a good thing, never mind what they say about curiosity and the cat. If a role-playing game can’t at least make the reader curious then it’s probably stone cold dull. Which Shadows in the Fog isn’t.

On the downside, for a (presently) freely available PDF, the game may break the bank for some as it suggests that each and every player have their own Tarot deck; preferably identical. The one thing I do not like is the fact the mechanics seem to require all the decks be shuffled together. (From page 7, Materials: “shuffle together all the cards available”.) This seems way too cumbersome. Too, for those who are likely to already own tarot decks, or be so inclined to purchase them, I foresee nothing but problems with mixing decks together. Viz. Player X, “Wait, that’s MY Death card!“ - Player Y, “Is not!”- Player X, “I’m telling you that’s mine, see the smear in the corner that’s where yadayadayada.”. Tarot cards are expensive and most folks are not likely to want others touching them, nor appreciate a game that requires each player to purchase their own deck of cards and then mix them up with someone else‘s deck. Hopefully this was a misreading on my part.

Bottom line: For a game still in the play test stage of development Shadows in the Fog has a lot going for it in the Style department. It’s Focus is well defined, even if the Goals of play don’t seem clear at a glance, but then this isn’t the sort of game meant to be taken in at a glance. I like the premise and am curios to see what direction the world background material will take the game once it is released, which says something. Too, being a play test that means the game is still open to having its future development influenced. Yet the PDF contains as full a system anyone could hope for in a storyteller system, and then there’s the ambience of the world setting. What’s not to like about a Victorian London where occult conspiracies and magic abound?

Happy Gaming!