Beyond The Borders

Of Fae Lands By Jacob Marks

Beyond The Borders Of Fae Lands is a Whenever a player gets a new item from inside
roleplaying game in which the players take on the forest, or loses an item from outside the
the role of lost backpackers. Their ill prepared forest, their Humanity attribute decreases by 1
journey has led them over the threshold into a and their Fae attribute increases by 1. If a player
mysterious faerie forest; now they must find a manages to create some item that reminds them
way out before they themselves become fae. of home (even something as simple as a campfire),
their Humanity increases by 1 and their Fae
There is only one attribute that players have in decreases in kind.
this game. How human they are. Humanity is
between 1 and 6 and starts at 6. Another Every other day the players must each roll for a
attribute, Fae, is always the inverse of new mutation their character has in the
Humanity and starts at 1. As Humanity morning. This represents the character
decreases, Fae increases. If Fae ever reaches 6 becoming increasingly a part of faerie lands.
then that character can never leave faerie lands. Players roll a d6 and consult the column
associated with the value of their Fae attribute.
During the course of the game certain actions
Mutations for different values of Fae attribute
may have consequences if they are failed. In
1-2 3-4 5
these situations a d6 must be rolled less than a Become jovial and Pupils reflect All hair turns into
1
certain value to succeed. If the player is trying to musically inclined light like a cat small vines
accomplish something they would be familiar Can no longer sleep in Skin gets a blue Sprout vestigial
2
tents tinge insect wings
with outside the forest then they must roll less Can walk without a Ears become
3 Skin turns green
than their Humanity attribute. In all other sound donkey like
situations they must roll less than their Fae Glowing tattoos Wiry antennae
4 Can climb trees easily
appear on skin grow from forehead
attribute. If failure occurs: any player may Instinctively know what Skin becomes the Goat horns grow on
5
sacrifice an item they are carrying (in a plants are safe to eat texture of bark head
Can no longer eat rations Eyes become Can turn partially
narratively logical way) in order to succeed. 6
from outside the forest solid black transparent at will

Players may only carry 6 items in their backpack

at any given time. All players start the game with
a sleeping bag and a tent large enough for 1
person. Players also roll a d6 in each column of
the table below for additional items.
Additional starting Items
1 Uncooked rations (1 week) Box of matches Extra clothes
2 Dried rations (1 week) Hatchet Deck of cards
3 Water (3 days) Carving knife First aid kit
4 Water filter Flashlight (3 days) Notebook and pen
5 Junk food (3 days) Flares x 5 Binoculars
6 Alcohol (3 days) Rope (50 ft) Poncho
The Game Master (GM) should map out the
forest ahead of time, but be prepared for
improvisation as the players explore the forest.
The faerie land forest can be mapped out in the
hex flower below. The borders of the map can
lead back around to the other side like a Möbius
strip. The exit from the forest should be hidden
by the GM inside one of the hexes. Place it
somewhere dangerous, but still reasonable for
the players to find. Each day the players may
travel from one hex to another. Encounters can
be rolled and planned out ahead of time, or
improvised upon travel.

For mapping the forest the GM can use the

tables below. The tables also provide encounter
prompts, items, and weather. This table should
be expanded upon by the GM during play. Don’t
be afraid to create extremely weird fae and items.
To record the hex type and landmarks the GM
can write down the numbers rolled inside the
hex, or create other notes and notations. Game Master Tables
Hex Type Hex Landmarks Encounter
The game is over when either all the players Fae 1 Swamp Ruined tower Ghosts
attributes become 6 and they are fully a part of
2 Lake with fae islands Wood hut Talking animals
faerie land, or when the players find the exit and
are able to return home. 3 Old growth forest Gardens Small faerie
4 Forested meadows Fruit trees Human sized faerie
5 Brambles and briar Barrows Bizarre faerie
6 Deep ravines Dolmens Giant faerie

Encounter Mood Faerie Items Weather

1 Thieving Divining rod Sunny
H Flute of
2 Festive Heavy fog
teleportation
D M
3 Scared Intelligent rope Rain
A I Q 4 Sleeping Floating paint Dark clouds
5 Aggressive Firefly lamp Heavy storm
E N
6 Surreal Extending ladder Snow
B J R
Faerie Detail 1 Faerie Detail 2 Ghost Detail
F O
1 Childlike Insect parts Rotting
C K S 2 Strangely colored Gigantic features Chained

G P 3 Glowing Colorful clothing Wailing

4 Transparent Animal parts Only a shadow
L
5 Hovering Winged Enormous
6 Won’t speak Fancy clothing Inhuman
Name: Humanity Name: Humanity
Notes Notes
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1
Fae Fae
Roll under to succeed. You can Roll under to succeed. You can
sacrifice an item instead if you fail. sacrifice an item instead if you fail.
Items Items
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6

Name: Humanity Name: Humanity

Notes Notes
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1
Fae Fae
Roll under to succeed. You can Roll under to succeed. You can
sacrifice an item instead if you fail. sacrifice an item instead if you fail.
Items Items
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6

Name: Humanity Name: Humanity

Notes Notes
1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 6 5 4 3 2 1
Fae Fae
Roll under to succeed. You can Roll under to succeed. You can
sacrifice an item instead if you fail. sacrifice an item instead if you fail.
Items Items
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6