A ROLEPLAYING GAME OF OBSESSIVE

SCHOLARS AND GOTHIC HORRORS

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“I heard one cry in the night, and I heard
one laugh afterwards. If I cannot forget
that, I shall not be able to sleep again.”
M.R. James
 OBSESSIVE SCHOLARS
& GOTHIC HORRORS
A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS is a tabletop roleplaying game
based on the ghost stories of the master M.R. James, whose tales of
malevolent entities thrilled readers and listeners at the turn of the
20th century. In this game of gothic horror players become
obsessive scholars who investigate the eerie and macabre, praying
they will once again see the light of the sun once more. One player
is the Narrator of Ghostly Tales (Narrator for short), who creates
the investigations and controls NPCs (non-player characters).

A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS is a game that thrives on

a creeping atmosphere as the scholars fall deeper into the wretched
darkness beyond the comprehension of good God-fearing folk.
Aside from having a handful of six-sided and eight-sided dice,
some tokens and a group of friends; having candles, mouldy tomes,
and little props can really enhance the dread-feel of the game.
While virtual tabletops are wonderful tools, the glow of a screen
and the digital clatter of dice can detract from the atmosphere.
Ideally, you would be playing in an abandoned manor house or 13th
century castle but I know that’s not exactly realistic for most
people.
 What to expect from a game as a player
As a player you will step into the shoes of an over-educated
scholar from the fusty corners of a medieval university, each with
your own field of study to help you unravel the core mystery set
forth by the Narrator. Each of you has witnessed a tragedy that
shook your very being, an event you will be reminded of as the
investigation draws you in with its dark tendrils. But you also have
resolve in the form of an unshakeable belief. This is what keeps
you going in the face of pure horror. All the while you will push
yourself as your obsession with getting to the heart of the mystery
takes over. Lean into your role, your past and your beliefs. You will
never shirk from a mystery, not with your integrity as an
enlightened scholar at stake.

What to expect from a game as a Narrator

As a Narrator you will use the Haunt Crafter in this book to
generate all the key ingredients for a terrifying scenario set in the
early 1900s, controlling the NPCs and adjudicating the rules.
Narrators should remember that this isn’t a chance to tell everyone
at the table your very own ghost story: this is a game where
everyone at the table collaborates in weaving a tale together - the
Narrator setting up situations and the players reacting. But don’t
fret - you don’t have to be a wonderful improviser or a thespian
orator. If you need to take a short break to figure out what will
happen next then do it! At the end of the day everyone wants to
have a good time and stressing about how to play a game isn’t a
good time.
 Keeping things safe at the table
How could a game played out in the imagination potentially be
unsafe? After all, these aren’t real ghosts and demons you’re
confronting. It’s true that the only physical harm may come from a
papercut or an errant die being flung into someone’s face, but
ensuring all players at the table, including the Narrator, are safe is
important, particularly when it comes to horror roleplaying. Just
like in movies, scenes may occur that may make people feel
uncomfortable or triggered, whether it’s from a phobia or past
trauma. Unlike a movie, roleplaying games are emergent, with no
two sessions being the same so having a set of safety tools in place
for everyone’s peace of mind. These aren’t to get in the way of a
game (after all, it’s horror) but just having them as part of your
playgroup can help.

THE X CARD

Set aside a piece of paper marked with an X. If a scene

comes up that one or more players feels uncomfortable with, they
can point to the X Card and the Narrator will either alter the scene
or fade to black, picking up the story after the scene.
LINES & VEILS

Before a game begins have each player fill out a sheet of

paper labelled with the headers ‘lines’ and ‘veils’. Under ‘lines’ they
should write anything they don’t want to see in the game. Under
‘veils’ should be content that can be included but occur off-screen,
so to speak.

AGE RATINGS

Just like with a film, your group can settle on an age rating
to communicate what content may be inappropriate. An 18 rated
game would likely include graphic descriptions of horror while a
PG rating would be implied or ‘soft’ horror. M.R. James himself
didn’t use much in the way of gore, relying on unsettling imagery
to chill his readers’ bones.
 ROLLING BONES
& GRAVEYARD MOANS
This section covers how to play a game of A WARNING TO THE
CURIOUS. Read this thoroughly before playing.

THE OBSESSIVE SCHOLARS

Each player creates a character known as an Obsessive

Scholar (or just Scholar) whose role they inhabit to undertake
investigations into the weird and macabre.

RESOLVING TASKS

Whenever someone needs to do something where failure is

interesting, they make a Task Roll. This is simply a d6 roll. Check
the result against the table below. If the character’s Field of Study
is relevant to the task at hand, roll another d6 and choose the
highest result.

• 1-3: Barely succeeded, with a complication.

• 4-5: Successful at the task.

• 6+: Success with an added benefit

Father Timoran is attempting to identify the provenance of an

antique vase. His Field of Study is antiques, so rolls two d6s, getting a 4
and a 6. Only the 6 counts as it’s the highest: a success with a benefit.
The Narrator tells the player than not only do they know where the vase
came from, they also recognise this as a forgery (this may have required
another roll to identify).
 THE OBSESSION DIE

An Obsession Die is a d8 that a player can decide to

include while making a Task Roll. This represents the scholar
becoming fixated on the mystery at hand. If the Obsession Die
results in a 1 they become a victim of their own hubris and the
task fails. Increase the character’s Doom by 1. When the character’s
Doom reaches 7, all Task Rolls must include their Obsession Die as
they stray deeper and deeper into the mystery.

THE FEAR DIE & DOOM

When a character witnesses a Horror (whether mundane or

supernatural) they haven’t seen previously, the Narrator rolls the
Fear Die (d6). If the Horror ties to the character’s Tragic
Backstory roll 2d6 and take the highest result.

• 1-3: The character rationalises the Horror.

• 4-5: The character is shaken. Increase their Doom by 1.

• 6: The character is terrified. Increase their Doom by 2

Doom is a measure of the character’s spiral into darkness as

the malevolence of the investigation takes hold. At the beginning of
a scenario a character’s Doom is always 0. If their Doom reaches
10, the character is Doomed. At the end of the scenario (or
sooner if the player sees fit) the character will either die, succumb
to madness or flee, never to be seen again. The Narrator and player
should come up with a Doom that ties in with their Tragic
Backstory to bring them full circle.

At the end of the scenario, Doom is reset to 0.

INVOKING AN UNSHAKEABLE BELIEF

Before the Fear Die is rolled a player may choose to invoke

their character’s Unshakeable Belief if it’s relevant to the event. The
Narrator rolls their Fear Die and the player rolls their Belief Die
(d6). If the Belief die is equal to or higher than the Fear Die treat
the Fear Die result as 1 and reduce that character’s Doom by 1. If
the Belief Die is lower, treat the Fear Die result as a 6.

Father Timoran has just witness a statue of Jesus Christ burst into
flames. The Narrator declares this to be a Horror that requires a Fear
Die. Timoran’s player decides to invoke his Unshakeable Belief in the
power of the Catholic Church. The Fear Die comes up as 4 and the
Believe Die gives a 5. Timoran’s belief has kept him cool in the face of a
strange supernatural event.

SORCEROUS RITUALS

While as a rule of thumb characters should stay away from

using sorcery, in some cases a ritual may be required to banish an
entity. Ritual are dangerous and often complex, requiring rare
tomes, strange artefacts and time to prepare the ritual space.
Carrying our sorcery requires a normal Task Roll, except on a roll
of 1-3 the character(s) carrying out the spell increase their Doom
by 1. If the Obsession Die comes up as 1 then Doom increases by
2 and the ritual fails.

If multiple characters are required to carry out the ritual,

(lighting the candles, reciting the incantation, scattering the salt
etc) assigning one to be the Ritual Leader. The Ritual Leader
makes a Task Roll as normal. They gain a number of extra dice
based on half the number of characters helping with the ritual,
rounded down. An Obsession Die resulting in a 1 will always lead
to the ritual’s failure.

Father Timoran, Lady Ellsworth and Patricia Morton have

discovered the only way to banish the entity that haunts Marsh Manor is
to carry out a ritual involving candles, a sigil and spoken Latin. Patricia
has had come occult dabblings in the past so is assigned Ritual Leader.
The others will help, giving Patricia an extra d6 on her Task Roll (two
helpers halved). Patricia rolls a 4 and a 3, with her Obsession Die
coming up 4. The ritual succeeds and the entity is banished for good.
MORBID INVESTIGATION
& SCHOLAR CREATION
This section covers how to create your Obsessive Scholar.

FIELD OF STUDY

Choose one of the following, or make up your own:

Medieval Studies, Art History, Theology, English Literature,
Archaeology.

TRAGIC BACKGROUND

At some point in your life you met with a tragedy that

haunts you to this day. Choose one, or create your own: Witnessed
the death of a loved one, Had a near death experience, Experienced
war violence, Accidentally killed a stranger, Was horrifically injured
when young.

UNSHAKEABLE BELIEF

This is what keeps you going in the face of the horrors you
witness. Choose one, or create your own: God is always on your
side, Science can explain everything, It is always darkest before the
dawn, The universe is looking out for you.
HARROWING JAUNTS
& CRAFTING HAUNTS
This section covers how to create your own scenarios using the
Haunt Crafter.

LOCATION

Choose one setting for your haunt:

• Monastery
• Manor House
• Castle
• Secluded Hotel
• Farmstead
• University College
• Parish Church

ENTITY’S NATURE

Choose 1-3 aspects of your entity’s nature:

• Drowned • Winged
• Shackled • Burning
• Beastly • Wailing
• Tall • Sorcerous
• Hairy • Mummified
• Spider-like • Slimy
• Headless
 ANTAGONIST MOTIVE

Choose 1-2 motives for your human or entity antagonist:

• Gain Power
• End a Lineage
• Teach a Lesson
• Ward from Treasure
• Get Revenge
• Control Others
• Retrieve an Object

EARTHLY ANCHOR

Choose one item that the entity is tied to and inhabits. This
is the focus of the haunt.

• Musical Instrument • Tree

• Statue • Old Tome
• Well • Piece of Jewellery
• Grandfather Clock • Dollhouse
• Antique Art Object • Hedge Maze
• Ancient Artefact

ENTITY BANISHMENT

Choose 1-2 methods of banishing the entity:

• Burning the Bones

• Reciting the Ritual
• Burying the Object
• Solving the Riddle
• Finding the Treasure
• Breaking the Seal