536: Letters in the Fog
A solo epistolary role-playing game
Premise
The year 536 CE, “the darkest year in history.” The sky is covered in ash. Crops fail, plague spreads, the people murmur. The king, either sick or cowardly, has sent you—a trusted scribe—to travel the kingdom and report what you see.
Each week you visit a new location and write a letter to the king. Use the tables to inspire what you encounter. The letter can be honest, manipulative, delirious, or cryptic… it’s up to you.
Materials Needed
- A notebook or digital document for writing your letters
- A pen or pencil
- One d20 and one d6 (or a dice-rolling app)
- Optional: a calendar to track weeks
How to Play
1. Create your scribe: Answer the pre-game questions (see below).
2. Start at a location: Roll on the Location Table to determine where you begin.
3. Generate inspiration: Roll on the tables below to define the conditions, presences, events, and symbols for your letter.
4. Write your letter: Compose a letter to the king, incorporating your rolls. You may choose tone: honest, manipulative, cryptic, or delirious.
5. Repeat weekly: Each week, visit a new location, roll again, and write another letter. Track the progression of events and your scribe’s mental state.
Creating the Scribe
Answer briefly:
- Who were you before this journey?
- What can you do that few others can?
- What did you lose during the Darkening of the world?
Inspiration Tables
Location Table (d20)
1. Village among the swamps
2. Forest of perpetual mist
3. Ruined monastery
4. Half-sunken fortress
5. Abandoned mine
6. Ash-covered port
7. Pilgrims’ road
8. Astronomer’s tower
9. Empty farmland
10. Temple of a forgotten goddess
11. Camp of demoralized soldiers
12. Mansion of a decaying noble family
13. Cemetery with recent graves
14. Cave with ancient inscriptions
15. City on the brink of rebellion
16. Peasants denying reality
17. Hermits’ hideout
18. Fields overrun by locusts
19. Village celebrating an incongruous festival
20. Collapsed bridge blocking the route
Condition of the Place Table (d6)
1. Deserted and silent
2. Desperate survivors
3. Apparently prosperous
4. Destroyed by war or disaster
5. In the hands of a new authority
6. Inhabited by strangers or outsiders
Presences / Threats Table (d6)
1. Beasts or deformed creatures
2. Religious fanatics
3. Unburied corpses
4. Hostile watchers
5. A charismatic and dangerous figure
6. Something ancient that has awakened
Notable Event Table (d6)
1. A child claims to have seen an angel
2. Someone was executed this week
3. A wedding was held between enemies
4. A dark storm destroyed something
5. A prophecy was announced
6. A mysterious figure offered help
Symbol or Omen Table (d6)
1. A three-legged crow
2. A field blooming for no reason
3. Statues weeping blood
4. Black snow
5. Stars visible at midday
6. Echoes of voices in wells
Writing the Letter
Include in your letter:
- Place and date
- Observations (what you see, or what you want the king to see)
- Personal reflections, warnings, pleas, or conspiracies
Example Letter
Location: Ruined Monastery
Date: Week 3 of the Darkening
Your Majesty,
I write from the ruins of what was once a holy monastery. The halls lie deserted and silent, though the walls still hum faintly with chants long forgotten. Among the rubble, I saw unburied corpses lying where they fell; the air smells of ash and decay.
Earlier today, a child claimed to have seen an angel hovering above the altar, its wings glimmering faintly even in the gray gloom. I cannot tell if this is a sign of hope or madness, but I feel compelled to report it.
In the cloister garden, a three-legged crow hops between shattered stones, peering as though it knows secrets I do not. Perhaps it is an omen; perhaps the monastery itself wishes to speak.
I fear, Sire, that if the Darkening persists, even faith may not endure. Pray for guidance, for I see shadows gathering even within sacred walls.
Ever your devoted servant,
Lysander, Scribe of the Kingdom