On Twitter, I have made threads about playing solo ttrpgs. Now, I’m continuing these threads here. Since I no longer trust Twitter or it’s security, I won’t be linking the thread but you can find a PDF of it in a Google Drive folder I made here.

Were Cursed by Orpheus Press is about turning into a Cursed and all that comes about due to being a creature that society not only fears and rejects, but hunts. The story and game play is driven by the pull of Tarot cards and a d6 to determine the passage of time.

Note for this post: I shortened my playthrough of Were Cursed because I was playing it at three in the morning. I very much enjoyed it, even as I ended my playthrough at 7 Shroud, instead of the 10 the rules say. Also I made up a entire calendar for this because I’m super extra. If you’re interested in my nerdy calendar that is the product of names pulled from random generators, check it out here.

Records

Setting: mobile, running from a small hamlet whose notable features are 1) People are superstitious regarding the supernatural, and with good reason and 2) society is afflicted by a great depression. This was determined by rolling my d6 twice.

Persona:

Name: Jewels
Pronouns: she/her
Appearance: A muscular woman with dirt blonde hair cut into an a-lime bob that hangs close to her sharp jawline. A typical outfit for her is a pair of black cargo pants a dark shirt or sweater and combat boots. No matter what she wears, however, Jewels will always has a gold chain necklace with a large silver star around her neck.

Erlyn 16th of Ofik, 62
9/16/62

I suppose it had to happen eventually. I’m Cursed. Soon, I’ll lose my mind, my free will, my humanity. But while I have the time, I’m writing down what happened. I’m making a record. And if you’re reading this record, my hope is that you’re using it to study the transformation. My hope is you’re seeking a cure. My hope is that you’re not Cursed like me. But if you are I only have one piece of advice for you: you will lose. You lose yourself, your people, your humanity. It can happen to anyone who’s been scratched by a Hunted.

That’s what happened to me.

My name is Jewel. This is my story.

A week ago, I was hunting a Cursed whose name I did not know. Whenever I was given an assignment, I was never given a name. A name humanizes that which has already lost its humanity. The assignment was simple: kill without mercy. I could do that. It was easy. Or so I thought. When the Cursed was shot, I had expected it to go down. Why didn’t it go down? That shot should have killed it. It attacked me with its claws.

I’d miss the first claw, but not the second.

And now I sit here, alone, slowly becoming one of them. After I was Cursed, I detached myself from everyone who ever knew me at such a speed that it left me in a daze. My family, my wife, my children do not know of my fate. My boss will never tell them what I’ve become. Of course, no one who knows me outside of the Hunter business knows what I do. Everyone out of the business thinks I work as a seamstress.  And I do, but only sparingly. Only in the daylight. I wonder what my boss told them?

Right now, the light is fading. The moon is rising. The cabin I’m in is located far from the hamlet where I lived. It’s abandoned, and I’m hoping the owner doesn’t come back. I’m hoping no one comes back. I’ll write this journal for however long I can. Then in the last moments of my conscious will, I will take it and place it upon the doorstep of my older brother. He will know. And if you’re reading this older brother, I am sorry I never told you.

And to the Cursed, if that is indeed what you are, I am sorry if I am the one to turn you.  I am sorry you have to lose it all. But take comfort in the fact that death for you is quick and clean. Very rarely does it ever get messy.

Amos 21st of Ofik
3/21/62

Cards: The Hanged Man, The Lovers, The Devil, The World

The changes have already started to take hold.  It has been twelve days since I became Cursed. Last week, I noticed that I am more impatient than normal. When I was a Hunter, I could sit and wait for my targets for hours. But even waiting on an animal to move into the right position is boring and irritating. In addition to this impatience, the irises of my eyes began to take on a yellow color. I’m not sure when this happened as I just noticed this morning while cleaning myself on the nearby river.

I also noticed that I have sharper teeth and a small protrusion growing on my upper back. I noticed this within three days of becoming Cursed. My eyes will be hard to hide but the teeth and protrusions should be easy. Though, I wonder, how long can I hide these things? I’m already taking trips to the markets at night in order to avoid anyone who would know me. But how long until I lose myself entirely? How long until I become something they no longer recognize? There is no use fighting my fate, so I’ve accepted. It’s all a matter of how fast the curse works.

If I accepted my fate, the question is: what use is it to make it to the village my older brother is in? Won’t I just be putting people in danger? Is the risk really work it? I don’t know. I should continue my journey. As much as I would love to stay in my little backwater town, there’s no use. If I’m on the move, I’m less of a danger.

Badis 24^th of Ofik
3/24/62

Cards: Temperance, Strength, The World, The Hermit

The protrusions on my back have grown into wings. As far as I can tell, they can’t fly. At least not yet. What does it mean when they can? What does it mean for me? There is another Hunter on my tail. That’s okay- I know how they think. I can avoid them. I doubt it will do any good, I doubt I will make it in time but I want my older brother to have these notes. Brother if you are reading this, I am sorry I never you or anyone else I was a Hunter. It has been fifteen days since I was Cursed and I’ve thought of nothing other than you, dear brother. My motivation in getting to you is waning, I feel the Curse working its wretched reality onto me. The muscles in my back have grown, and I’ve discovered that I need new clothes because of this. Going in the markets is harder these days. There’s not much I can do to hide my eyes, and these wings are too obvious even beneath clothing. My solution has been to go to night markets, in the hopes that the night will hide what the day can’t. Caution is mandatory in these instances, or else the Hunter will find me. I wonder if my boss sent them to me? Yesterday, I noticed that my hands have grown in size. Dearest brother, I am becoming unrecognizable.

I am scared.

Looking inward, I’ve come to realize how inevitable it is for a Hunter to become Cursed. No matter how long you’ve worked as one, you will make a mistake. It could be a simple misstep, it could be that you left behind a weapon you didn’t think you’d need. For me, it was that I didn’t think about how thick the skull of a Cursed was. Alternatively, the Cursed will never avoid being killed. Because even though Hunters will become Cursed, they will still Hunt. And not all those Hunts will end in a Hunter being Cursed. Today, when I went to the night market for new clothes, I am sure I spotted my Hunter. I made mistake of stopping to look. A child saw my eyes and knew. I was lucky to get out of there in time.

Erlyn 29^th of Ofik

3/29/62

Cards: The Star, The Hanged Man, The Moon, The World

 It has been nineteen days since I was Cursed. Another day, another night market. This time it was for basic supplies to cover me for a few weeks. I picked a different market this time. I hid myself in shadows and used my new wings to leap between buildings. Hopefully, this is the last time I will need to visit one. I am getting closer to the city that my older brother lives in. Doubt creeps in as I continue to run from my Hunter. I see glimpses of them, I wonder how good they are? They haven’t caught me yet. Good. I just need to go a little further. There’s a forest that I can hide in, with thick trees and spaces I can build on.

While in the market, I found out I have gained a short fuse. A butcher tried to upcharge me for a piece of meat. Instead of talking it out calmly, I raised my voice at him. I think I may have… growled. I am unsure. What I do know is that I threw money and ran. I need to keep myself in check. I can’t let the Curse win just yet. The run from the night market to the forest felt good. I managed to hide in a tree. I do not spot my Hunter. As I write by the light of the full moon, I have to wonder what will become of my legacy. Will my wife remember me for the monster I become or the spouse I was? I hope my kindness, my sense of charity, will be remembered. Before I was Cursed, I did my best to help those who were less fortunate than I.

My wings have become great use to me. While they cannot carry me great distances, I can at least fly to the top of trees. I am thinking that perhaps this will be how I make a home here in the forest while I still have a chance. A tree house would be obvious in a place like this, so I wonder what I will do? If my wings allow it- and the Hunter is not around- perhaps I can find a cave within this forest. This is a large forest that covers many acres of land. I am hopeful about flying around to find a home. How long I will actually be able to live there is beyond my knowledge. It is likely I will have lost myself entirely to the Curse before I can get comfortable there. Though, is there really comfort in living in a cave?

Rul 4^th of Meser
4/4/62

Cards: The Moon, The Empress, The Chariot, The World

It has been 24 days since I was Cursed. I began my journey exploring the forest in the early morning of the forest after recording my newest physical changes. Walking on my toes is feeling more natural these days. I am more hairy, and my enlarged nose has grown into a snout. Now I am almost certain that I cannot go into any public space without being killed. I have not seen sign of the Hunter in days. I am glad for this. For it gives me time to deliver my records to my brother. Oh how I miss seeing you big brother. I wish I was visiting under different circumstances.

Today, I began to feel unfamiliar things. And I am unsure where these emotions come from. They feel almost foreign but at the same time, familiar like a good sweater. I feel anger at my Curse, joy at accepting my fate, worry I will not be able to get to my brother in time. And doubt about if I should be doing what I am doing or if I should not find a way to end myself before a Hunter or the Curse does. Whenever I think of this, the Curse rears its terrible head and I find myself fascinated by how the Curse has developed. How I have grown hairier but stronger, how I have brilliant golden eyes and wings that can carry me to other places. How I can run faster. I have to try to maintain control. I have about a days journey ahead of me. I can make. I am not sure what my brother will do with this journal, but at least it will provide closure for him and my family. Earlier today, I tried to resist the Curse by walking on my ankles instead of my toes. The Curse tormented me. It called me useless, it made me feel pain. The Curse is pain, but I do not want it. Why can’t I be human again? Why can’t I break through it? Trying seems impossible.

Dear brother, I hope you are well. I hope this journal finds you safely. I can feel myself slipping. I must hurry.

Caden 9^th of Meser
4/9/62

Cards: The Hanged Man, The Magician, The Fool, The Empress

It’s been 29 days. I am slowly losing all that I am. Fur has completely covered my body. My concentration is slipping. I must hurry. Today, I had been trying to improve the cave, to make more comfortable. I don’t know why I do this, perhaps it is just another task for me to do while I wait for my end. In the middle of it, I realized it was night and that moon was very bright. I am not sure if I lost consciousness or if my mind has forgotten what transpired. All I know is I woke up covered in blood. Whose blood am I covered in? I sit here, trying to remember, trying to find the truth. What happened? I am on borrowed time, but I will borrow as much as I can.

Rul 11^th Of Meser
4/11/62

Cards: The Fool, Death, The Star, The Emperor

Someone is on my trail. I know there’s a Hunter after me. I thought I might have escaped them after the market, but apparently not. While hunting for my meal, I caught onto a foreign scent. Either there’s a new animal around this forest, or there’s a human walking around. To buy more time, I should hunt them back. I know their ways. I know how they work. It’ll be an easy meal, a free meal.

Date Unknown

I was unable to find the Hunter. They are good. Tomorrow, I will deliver this journal to my older brother. Brother, I am sorry. These pages are stained in blood, as my hands and fur now are. I am no longer human. My only regret is that I constantly questioned my decision to deliver this journal to you. After I do so, I will confront my Hunter.

I hope it goes well.