Drawn To Evil: Rules

Contents

Intro

Drawn to evil is a tabletop role playing game designed for 2-5 players. Players take on the role of an INVESTIGATOR in a horror filled story lasting one session. One player takes on the role of the GAME MASTER, who controls the Evil, their minions, and innocent bystanders.

The exact choice of Evil, setting and play style is up to the Game Master and players but Drawn to Evil typically suits a modern setting with Lovecraftian horror elements mixed in.

Objective

The INVESTIGATORS must find the source of Evil, discover it’s weakness and then end it for good. This may not require killing the Evil, simply locking it away, preventing it from being summoned, or generally ‘stopping’ it will often be enough. Sometimes, killing Evil wont be enough.

As a GAME MASTER it is your job to make the world, story and non player characters come alive.

Setup

Divide the cards into piles by type then shuffle each pile.

Base 40 x Base cards
Role 10 x Role cards
Background 12 x Background cards
Trait 12 x Trait cards
Ability 43 x Ability cards
Injury 12 x Injury cards
Shock 12 x Shock cards
Bless 4 x Bless cards
Evil 10 x Evil cards
Minion 10 x Minion cards
Bystander 10 x Bystander cards
Location 10 x Location cards
BasicMove 12 x Basic Move cards

Player

There are things out there.

Things that crawl, things that ooze, things that find places to hide. Sometimes it’s a dark corner of a city, sometimes a remote desert tomb; harder yet when it has wriggled its way into an innocent’s mind. That’s where you come in.

You are an INVESTIGATOR: a specialist in the paranormal.

Most aren’t even aware of the otherworldly forces eager to devour and mutate our existence are a secret, and you intend to keep it that way.

How? Root them out and destroy them.

No matter the horror that lurch forth from the bowels of the universe, you will hunt it. As a team you are drawn to these forces and you will restore order.

Aspects

Aspects represent the strengths and weaknesses of your investigator. Cards that you add to your INVESTIGATOR deck can have a positive or negative effect on some or all of your aspects.

Reason Reason - Your ability to solve puzzles, detect a logical pattern, or understand a complex idea.
Weird Weird - Your ability to be in tune with the supernatural or insane.
Passion Passion - Your ability to empathise, manipulate, and convince others.
Soul Soul - Your ability to stay calm under pressure and resist the influence.
Might Might - Your ability to exert control over the physical world.

Play Area

Your cards can exist in 3 different areas:

  • Deck - Most cards begin here; this is where you draw from when performing a check.
  • Tableau - Cards on the table in front of you form your ready to use abilities & roles.
  • Discard - After a card is used, they are placed here face up.

Creating an INVESTIGATOR

Step 1 - Standard Deck:

Construct a standard INVESTIGATOR deck containing 10 Base Base cards:

  • 2 x Understanding
  • 2 x Devotion
  • 2 x Pleasure
  • 2 x Rest
  • 2 x Resolve

For a quicker play session or when exceeding 4 INVESTIGATORS, instead start with one of each card instead.

Follow the remaining steps as usual.

Step 2 - Customisation:

Then each player performs the following steps to customise their INVESTIGATOR:

  • Draw 2 x Background Background, 2 x Trait Trait, and 2 x Role Role cards. Keep 1 of each.
  • Draw 4 x Ability Ability cards. Keep 2.

Think about the combination of traits and abilities that you think would fight Evil best.

Some cards enhance particular aspects while weakening others. Make note of which base cards are removed by your choices as this has a large effect on your strength in each aspect.

Step 3 - Perform ADDED instructions:

  • Complete any ADDED ADDED instructions on your kept cards.

These instructions may require you to remove Base Base cards from your starting deck. Removed cards are returned to the box.

These instructions may also require you to answer questions about your past. This is your chance to introduce the themes and plots you wish to see within the story. Invent an answer to the question and provide it to the group when prompted by your GAME MASTER.

Step 4 - Construct tableau:

  • Place your Ability Ability cards without aspects and your Role Role cards face up in front of you. This is your tableau and shows cards ready to be activated.

Step 5 - Shuffle deck:

  • Your Base Base, Background Background, and Trait Trait cards are shuffled together to form your deck. Place it facedown in front of you.

Step 6 - Name:

  • Give your investigator a name.

Invent a name that sums up the INVESTIGATOR you have constructed with the earlier steps.

Step 7 - Construct UPGRADE pile:

  • Shuffle the reamining Ability Ability cards together to form the UPGRADE pile. Draw 4 cards from this pile and place them face up on the table.

How to play

Now that you have a team of INVESTIGATORS it is time to tell their story. Describe what you wish your INVESTIGATOR to do or say and the GAME MASTER will tell you the result of your actions.

When you want to attempt something dangerous, difficult, or with a chance of failure, you will need to use one of the 6 different Basic Move Basic Move cards (which are always available to you) or an Ability Ability or Role Role card in your tableau. State what your INVESTIGATOR is doing and what card you intend to use to enact it.

With the GAME MASTER’S permission, follow the rules on the card. The GAME MASTER will then describe the consequences of your action and allow room for another player to jump in with what their INVESTIGATOR does.

Remember! Stay in character and get involved, evil is around every corner!

Basic moves:

There are 6 different Basic Move Basic Moves which you can always perform. Place the reference cards in reach of all players.

  • Puzzle Things Out - Used to solve mysteries and think logically.
  • Deal With the Unknown - Understand ancient runes, use psychic powers or just generally be magical.
  • Read A Person - Used to interact with people and get what you want from them.
  • Act Under Pressure - Used to deal with dangerous situations, like withstanding poison, jumping out the way of a falling building or keeping your hands steady whilst defusing a bomb.
  • Take Control - Used to smash, shoot, intimidate, or exert force.
  • Help - Assist another player or NPC in completing their task.

Depending on the level of success, players might have a list of questions to ask the GAME MASTER. These questions should always be answered honestly.*

Other Moves:

Instead of using the Basic Moves, you can also Use ability ACTIVATE any Ability Ability or Role Role cards in your tableau, following its instructions immediately. Once a card is activated, it goes to your discard. Cards in your tableau can be activated at any time.

Checking:

Basic Moves and some ACTIVATE instructions may ask you to make a check for a specific aspect. To do this:

  • Draw cards from the top of your deck until you have drawn 2 cards with the Stop Stop symbol.
  • Add up the total for the appropriate aspect (colour) on all cards drawn. This forms your score.
  • Compare your score to the ACTIVATED card to find out it’s effect.
  • If you have a score totalling negative 1 (-1) or less: you fail. Refer to the rules about Failure.
  • Finally place all drawn cards into your discard.

When you are checking, you might:

  • Draw an Ability Ability card with no Aspects or a Role Role card. Immediately place it in front of you in your tableau. It is not discarded.
  • Draw a card with a Drawn DRAWN instruction. You should follow the instructions immediately.
  • Draw 3 or more cards marked with a Skull skull. Something bad happens. Tell the GAME MASTER you have been MARKED FOR DEATH.
  • Run out of cards in your deck. Shuffle all cards in your discard pile and they becomes your new deck. Continue drawing to complete the check as per normal.

Failure:

When your check totals negative 1 (-1) or less your move has failed.

  • Your INVESTIGATOR encounters harm. The GAME MASTER decides between Shock Shock or Injury Injury. Draw the appropriate card and add it to your discard.
  • You learn from your mistakes. Select 1 of the 4 face up UPGRADE cards and add it to your discard. Draw a new card from the UPGRADE pile and replace the selected card to ensure there are always 4 face up cards to choose from.
  • Remember to complete any Add to deck ADDED instructions on the card kept.

Remove:

Some cards will instruct you to ‘Remove’ a card from your deck, discard, or tableau. Removing a card permanently removes it from play, returning it to the box.

Game Master

You are the GAME MASTER. In a world of unknown horrors seeking to change the very fabric of human existence, you are the secret agent pushing the world to the brink of catastrophe.

An Evil is the core to this. It drives the danger and is the cause for the entire event. Through the course of its actions and influences it will bring harm, corruption, destruction and suffering. The exact nature of its plan will evolve as the story does but it never hurts to have some dastardly ideas in mind.

While players are creating INVESTIGATORS, you should generate some actors for the story, starting with the antagonist.

Step 1 - Evil

The Evil is the focus of the story. Stopping it for good will end the story and mean victory for the INVESTIGATORS.

  • Draw 1 x Evil Evil card.

For any draw, feel free to redraw or even choose a different card if you cannot think of a suitable idea.

The GAME MASTER cards are meant to generate ideas but not dictate a particular story, you may find that a monster needs to change to better suit the ideas the players have about it, or to accommodate the story you are telling. Roll with it!

  • Give it a name.
  • Decide what it wants and what that means for the players and the world if the Evil succeeds. The Motivation will provide a suggestion for your Evil’s motive.
  • Choose a weakness for the Evil so that the players can defeat it.
    • If the INVESTIGATORS do not properly exploit the Evil’s weakness then any victory will be hollow and temporary.
    • Weaknesses should be something unique and specific to the Evil. (e.g. vampires and wooden stakes though the heart)
  • Read and remember the Twist section as this will be used later determine how your Evil will complicate things.

Step 2 - Minions

A minion is an individual or group that will assist the Evil.

  • Draw 1 x Minion Minion card.
  • Give the minion(s) a name.
  • Think about how and why they are helping the Evil. The Impulse will provide a suggestion for this reason.

Step 3 - Bystanders

A bystander that will help the INVESTIGATORS in a variety of ways. It is important the players have allies as well as enemies.

  • Draw 1 x Bystander Bystander card.
  • Give the bystander a name.
  • Think about why they are helping the players and how the Evil has effected them. The Impulse will provide a suggestion for this effect.

Step 4 - Locations

A location is somewhere that is important to the Evil and/or the story.

  • Draw 1 x Location Location card.
  • Give the location a name.
  • This may be a lair or where something the Evil wants resides. It can even be its own entity trying to stop the INVESTIGATORS.

Optional Extras

As the story progresses you may find the need for additional minions, bystanders or locations. INVESTIGATORS may visit a new hostile location or meet a new NPC. You can always draw additional cards as required during play.

Step 5 - Player Introductions

Get each player in turn to:

  • Tell you their name.
  • Read and complete the Added ADDED instructions on their Background Background, Trait Trait, and Role Role cards. Usually these ask the player to describe an event in the investigators past.

Take note of the player’s answers. They grant insight into the types of problems they want to run into and what makes their character stand out in the team.

As the GAME MASTER it is your responsibility to take the answers to these questions and weave them into the story or setting. As play will only last one session, try to connect their past to the Evil, minion, bystander, and locations selected.

  • Get all the players to collectively explain how they became a team of investigators. Giving them a reason for being involved and stuck in this together.
  • Lastly it is time for a ‘cold open’. Give an overview of the world, being as descriptive and evocative as possible. Then drop the players into the action and ask ‘What do you do?

Step 6 - Gameplay

Below are some principles to follow as a GAME MASTER:

  • Set the scene, it’s often good to give the players a direct hook such as a call to arms, or even put them right into the aftermath of the Evil’s latest attack.
  • Ensure the players are given a clear path to discovering the Evil’s weakness. If they never learn it, then the ending can be unsatisfying.
  • Remember to ask the players “What do you do?”
  • There is no turn order, but you should try to make sure everyone is being included in the action regularly. It is more fun that way, and if a player never does checks, they lose the ability to upgrade and never get some of their abilities on the tableau.
  • Some cards ask players to name or describe the world, don’t be afraid to ask for player input when you are coming up blank.
  • Do not track hit points, instead focus on the outcome of damage dealt (e.g. a broken leg, or one more solid hit will do it).
  • If a player asks to do something very hard or even impossible, a basic move may not be appropriate. Hint at them to break the task up into more manageable sub tasks.

Death

INVESTIGATORS are not killed directly but instead are MARKED FOR DEATH when drawing 3 or more cards marked with a Skull Skull during a check.

Before the end of the session, all INVESTIGATORS marked must perish. It is up to the GAME MASTER and player to decide how exactly their death or insanity manifests. Players should not create new INVESTIGATORS and should not be sent home early, so try to include their demise close to the conclusion of the story.

Twist

When the INVESTIGATORS have confronted the Evil, and it looks like they will succeed it is time for a twist. The Evil should have one last trick up their sleeve that throws everything into peril. You may have an idea of this strategy when creating the Evil or it may appear naturally as a matter of circumstances. The best twists are foreshadowed early within the play session.

Step 7 - Epilogue

When the Evil is dealt with for good, or the INVESTIGATORS have failed, gameplay stops. As GAME MASTER you should describe the immediate outcome and then ask each player to provide an epilogue for their INVESTIGATOR; alive or dead.