[Annalise] Stories of hunger, pain and redemption.

[Nathan P.]

A dark-haired woman, staring out of stained glass, watching faces form in the rain. An ancient evil, unearthed for the first time since antiquity, re-learning the limits of its power. A hero, noble and pious, unable to accept the responsibility that is his birthright. A child, shedding a single tear while waiting for her mother to return. Two lovers, intertwined in a bower, each speckled with red, red blood.

The Vampire is out there. You are it's enemies, its lovers and its servants. How will you confront the darkness awaiting you?

Annalise is a game about making Vampire stories. Each player takes on the role of a protagonist in the story you are about to create together, with the understanding that these characters are the victims, hunters and tools of the Vampire. The best example is that you are playing the story of Dracula with one person in the role of Mina Harker, one as Van Helsing, one as Renfield. The Vampire in your game, like Dracula, is what drives the plot, but it is not a protagonist. Every game of Annalise involves the characters discovering the influence of the Vampire in their lives, and builds up to a confrontation with the creature, for good or ill.

This is a game about pain, hunger and redemption. Pain, because the Vampire is only attracted to the vulnerable, those people who have experienced pain, suffering or loss in their lives. Hunger, because the Vampire hungers for that pain. Redemption, because there is always the possibility of redeeming your actions and desires - if you wish it.

Annalise is a game for two to four players, and can take a variable amount of time to play. A short, intense game can be played in four hours. A long, languid, slow-burning game can take up to 20 hours, broken into 3 or 4 hour sessions. The game is suited for people with no experience with this kind of game (often called a role-playing or story-game), as well as those who are familiar with the form.

The first release of Annalise will be at DexCon, July 18th-20th. The second release will be at Gen Con, with more to follow.

For more info and special goodies, keep on eye on the website: findannalise.com

[sirogit]

I really want to give you money. I can't go to conventions because my life is sad. Please give me an avenue to give you money and then perhaps receive a book about vampires in return.

[Nathan P.]

It will happen. Just not right now. Sorry.

Thanks for the post, it's great to to see there's interest.

[Nathan P.]

The Eternal Tears PDF Edition of Annalise is now available.

For now, you can purchase it direct from my website at this link. It's a 70-page hyperlinked & bookmarked PDF, 1.3 Mb, for $12.00.

Thank you for the patience, everyone.

[Lachlan]

Just bought the pdf through indiepressrevolution. On reading through it, VERY impressed with how the mechanics reinforce everyone's participation in every scene. Also, the examples work well to illustrate key points. I got momentarily confused, for example, between an Achievement with a value of 4 and a Trait with a total of 4 (coins), but the examples cleared that up immediately. Also, liked the layout and the delineation between 'newbie', 'old-school rp-er' and 'story-gamer' introductions.

It occurs to me that these mechanics would also work for similar genres -- i.e. survival horror. Or even further - the player/guide/audience dynamic, with the dice mechanic, looks like something that can be stretched a good long way before it breaks, if one uses different Core Traits (or, at least, different names for the Core traits). 

All in all, very glad I bought it!

[Nathan P.]

Hey Lachlan,

Great, thanks so much for the positive feedback! I appreciate it! Obviously, if you do end up having any questions or critiques, feel free to post those as well.

I'm pretty excited to see the directions people go with the game, as I definitly have a specific way I like to play it, but it's designed to accommodate many different voices at the table.

I'm glad that you're glad!