Ch Sen

A Wretched & Alone game by Alex Clippinger

“Out of the blue, beyond any cause you can trace, you'll suddenly realize things are not how you
perceived them to be at all. For some reason, you will no longer be the person you believed you once
were. You'll detect slow and subtle shifts going on all around you, more importantly shifts in you. Worse,
you'll realize it's always been shifting, like a shimmer of sorts, a vast shimmer, only dark like a room.”

-Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves

Credits and Legal Text

This work is based on The Wretched (found at http://loottheroom.itch.io/wretched), product of Chris

The use of joker cards as a ‘Confrontation’ mechanic is an original work by Alex Clippinger and is
not included in the Wretched & Alone SRD. You are permitted to use the mechanic in your own
Wretched & Alone SRD-compliant materials with or without attribution to Alex Clippinger.

The Joker icon is by GibsPado under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.5 license:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/deed.en

All other artwork is used with permission under the license of their respective sources.
The Backstory
Your life has been falling apart. A series of strange events slowly destroyed your life, your
relationships with others, and push you to the brink of collapse. You are the target of an Entity that
desires to control you, perhaps even possess you. The Entity itself pries at your will and sanity, and
its presence has brought tragedy and pain to you and everyone around you. Now, at last, its final
machination begins.

You are in the forest.

You are not alone.

This is its domain.

The Premise
Chosen is a game about isolation, will, and helplessness in the face of powers or events we
perceive to be beyond our control. You may have suffered losses, such as the death of family or
friends, as part of the Entity’s plans to weaken your spirit. You may have experienced events
that make you question the very nature of reality. Now, you have been brought to the forest, and
you can sense the Entity somewhere in the trees. It seems like everything has led to this
moment and there is no way of defeating the Entity’s plans to possess you. Yet with luck and
considerable will, you may yet survive.

Chosen is inspired by a number of horror movies, notably The Ritual, Hereditary, and Get Out.

How to Play
To play you’ll need a standard deck of cards, which can include Jokers as an optional rule.
You’ll also need a 6-sided die (hereafter referred to as a d6), a tumbling block tower, and 10
tokens of some kind. The type of token is up to you: suggested token types include pennies,
seeds, or teeth. You can play without the block tower if you must, though the experience is more
complete with it.

You will need a way to record your game, such as a journal. You can use a camera or
microphone to record audio/video logs as well as text.

There are two primary ways to lose. First, if the tower falls your cumulative experiences have
overwhelmed your will or sanity and left you hopeless and helpless on the forest floor. The
Entity will have no trouble taking possession of you for its own. If you draw and have all four
Kings in play, the Entity’s plans to wear you down have been fulfilled and it is ready to assail
you directly; the Entity overwhelms you.

There is one hope for you: that you stay strong enough, long enough, to find a will and way out
of the forest and escape the Entity’s ultimate design.
Starting the Game
Set up the block tower and roll your d6, completing that many pulls from the tower. This
represents your resolve at the start of the game.

Shuffle the deck of cards. For an easier game, place the Ace of Hearts on top of the deck. For
an even easier experience, keep the Jokers in the deck if you aren’t playing with a block tower.

The Day
Each day is divided into two phases: experiences and reflections.

Experiences
1. Roll the d6 and draw that many cards from the deck, keeping them face-down in front of
you.
2. Turn over the first card and consult the Augury. If the Augury asks you to do something
specific, do it in order to resolve the card.
3. Continue turning over cards and consulting the Augury until all of the face-down cards
you drew have been revealed and resolved.

Reflections
1. Consider the experiences of the day, what they meant to you, and how you addressed
them.
2. Record your journal for the day.

Day 1
Your first day of play always begins with the same prompts:

You wake up in the forest. What kind of forest is it? What’s the first detail you notice?

As you try to figure out how you got here, a discovery alerts you to the Entity’s presence in the
woods. What is it, and how are you certain it’s connected to the thing that haunts you?
 Augury
Consult the Augury each time you reveal a card and complete the experience it assigns you.
Sometimes the card will ask you to complete pulls from the tower. Sometimes it will ask you to
remember prior events or make speculations.

Hearts
Represent the Self. When you draw this suit, you are interacting with your personal, private
experiences in some way.

Clubs
Represents the Forest. When you draw this suit, you are interacting with the beauty, dangers, or
challenges of the environment itself.

Diamonds
Represents Family. Your relatives, co-workers, and friends have been caught up in the Entity’s
plans to possess you. When you draw this suit, you are usually reflecting on loved ones and
how they’ve been harmed by the Entity’s devices or how they’ve helped you resist for this long.

Spades
Represents the Entity. When you draw this suit, you are reflecting on events involving the Entity
or experiencing something related to it in the forest.

Jokers
Represent a Confrontation. Rules for a Confrontation appear at the end of the document.
 Self
Something changes within you. Despite everything you’ve experienced, some part of you believes there’s
hope. Pull from the tower. Do not discard this card. Put this card face-up in your play area. At the end of
each day, after recording your journal, roll your die. On a result of 6, place a token on this card.

A If you ever have a total of 10 tokens on this card, you reach the edge of the forest and are steps away from
leaving. Make a final pull from the tower. If the tower stands, your will proves stronger than the Entity’s and
you escape its clutches forever. If the tower falls, the path to escape was merely a mirage: it vanishes along
with your sanity as you give in to the Entity’s malevolence. In either case, the game is over.

2 You sometimes talk to yourself as you traverse the forest, using a nickname you were given a long time ago.
What is it and where did it come from?

3 You have a birthmark or scar on your body. You never thought anything of it before, but now you have an
idea that it’s related to the Entity’s obsession with you. What is the mark and did you always have it? Pull
from the tower.

4 You hum, whistle, or sing a song to yourself to keep your spirits up. What’s the song, and why is it significant
to you?

5 Wandering in this forest reminds you of another bad memory of being completely alone. What was that over
event, and what prompted you to think of it? Pull from the tower.

6 You see your reflection in a body of water as you lean in to drink. What do you look like now that you’ve
been out here in the forest? Do you think you’re still the same?

7 You felt okay when you woke up in the forest, but over time something’s begun slowing you down. What is
it?

8 This isn’t how you thought your life would go. What were you looking forward to before all of this started
happening? Does it still seem attainable, or far away?

9 You start to take a break, but a nasty thought unnerves you and keeps you from resting. What is it, and why
can’t you get it out of your head? Pull from the tower.

10 You have a token, trinket, or other personal possession that you interact with to calm yourself down or while
you’re thinking. What is it, and why is it important to you?

J You glance down, and for a moment you’re convinced your body is not your own. The feeling is frightening,
but fleeting; when you look again, nothing about your appearance seems different. What did you see? Pull
from the tower.

Q Emotion overwhelms you and you stop awhile just to cry. There’s something to be said for physically
expressing the fear, anger, and grief you’ve been bottling up inside. Does allowing yourself to express your
emotions bring any relief? Pull from the tower.

You’re struck by overwhelming despair. After everything that’s happened, how could you hope to beat the

K Entity? You’re just one person pitted against forces beyond your understanding. Do not discard this card.
Place it face-up in your play area. If this is the fourth King you have placed in your play area, the Entity has
finally found you and overwhelmed you. The game is over.
 Forest
A You find an old trail map of the forest. It’s almost unreadable, but you can make out some shapes and
landmarks. Maybe it could help you find your way out? Do not discard this card. Place it face-up in your play
area. When you have the Ace of Hearts, you gain a token on a roll of 5 or 6.

2 You’ve been foraging and eating plants and berries that seem edible enough. So far you’ve been okay. Did
you pick up foraging skills somewhere, or are you just getting lucky?

3 There are times the forest is full of sound from birds and insects, and sometimes it’s strangely quiet. You’re
beginning to suspect the silence indicates the Entity isn’t far away. Pull from the tower.

4 You have a quiet moment with an animal in the forest where you’re wary of each other but peacefully go
your separate ways. How does it make you feel?

5 You’ve started to notice strange icons in the forest. Describe them and why they make you uneasy. Pull
from the tower.

6 You stumble across an old campsite. Half-buried in the dirt is a package of food that’s still edible. Describe
how it reminds you of home.

7 You try to build a fire, but can’t get anything to light. It’s all you can do to stay warm. Pull from the tower.

8 Consider where you are. Is there even a forest near your home?

9 You find a small clearing and realize your name is carved into every tree on the perimeter. Pull from the
tower.

10 The remains of an old cabin is the best shelter you’ve found so far. What do you find there?

J A fierce rainstorm appears out of nowhere and the flash flood nearly overwhelms you. Describe how you
survive and what it costs you. Pull from the tower.

Q You find the carcass of an animal. The creature has been killed or arranged in a way that makes it clear this
wasn’t from natural predation.

You find yourself in a location you remember seeing before. You were so confident that you weren’t going in

K a circle. Is finding your way out of the forest even possible, or is the Entity somehow affecting the
environment so you can’t escape? Do not discard this card. Place it face-up in your play area. If this is the
fourth King you have placed in your play area, the Entity has finally found you and overwhelmed you. The
game is over.
 Family
A You find a picture of you and one or more loved ones. There’s no way it could be out here in the woods, but
looking at the faces of people who care about you gives you hope. Do not discard this card. Place it face-up
in your play area. The next time you’re asked to pull from the tower, you may ignore one pull.

2 An animal in the forest reminds you of a pet you have or used to have and prompts you to reflect on your
best memory with them.

3 The Entity cost you something tangible, a gift with sentimental value. What was it and what happened to it?
Pull from the tower.

4 A loved one said something to you before you appeared here in the forest that gave you hope. What was it?

5 You reflect on someone who couldn’t handle the strange events when the Entity first found you. Pull from
the tower.

6 Reflecting on a positive memory of a loved one makes you feel better, or at least it distracts you from your
present circumstances for a while. What is it?

7 You find a tree with an unnerving carving of a human face. Who does it make you think of? Pull from the
tower.

8 Were you working when the Entity began targeting you? Describe how events surrounding the Entity
affected your professional life.

9 You’re convinced you hear someone calling out to you in the forest, and the voice sounds familiar. Who
does it sound like? Do you chase after the sound or stay away? Pull from the tower.

10 Who do you wish was here with you more than anything?

J You ended a relationship of some kind to protect the other person from getting caught up in the Entity’s
plans for you. Who were they to you, and how did it end? Pull from the tower.

Q Someone close to you was killed because of the Entity. What happened to them? Pull from the tower.

The pieces fall into place and you realize someone you know has been serving the Entity this whole time.

K Describe who it is and how you came to this realization. Do not discard this card. Place it face-up in your
play area. If this is the fourth King you have placed in your play area, the Entity has finally found you and
overwhelmed you. The game is over.
 Entity
You find a fetish made of materials that can be found in the forest. It seems like a representation of the

A Entity, and looking at it makes you feel very strange. Despite this, you feel compelled to keep it. Do not
discard this card. Place it face-up in your play area. When you roll a d6 for any reason, you can roll a
second d6 and choose to use either result.

2 Does the Entity favor darkness or light? Neither? Why do you think that is?

3 The Entity’s thoughts sometimes intrude into your consciousness. Describe its voice, if it has one, or the
sensation of the words it forms in your mind. Pull from the tower.

4 The Entity might not be a fully physical creature, but it has at least some kind of physical presence. Describe
what you’ve seen of it.

5 You had a horrible dream that left you feeling exhausted. You suspect the nightmare was the Entity trying to
wear you down. What was it? Pull from the tower.

6 The Entity has a name. Do you dare to speak it?

7 Give in. Pull from the tower.

9 The memory of when you first encountered the Entity directly plagues your thoughts throughout the day. Pull
from the tower.

10 There’s a sensation or omen when the Entity is near. What is it?

J Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Pull from the tower.

You have a direct encounter with the Entity. Describe where you hide or how you avoid being found by it.

K Next time you don’t think you’ll be so lucky. Do not discard this card. Place it face-up in your play area. If this
is the fourth King you have placed in your play area, the Entity has finally found you and overwhelmed you.
The game is over.
 The Joker
If you have not drawn any Kings, shuffle this card back into the deck. You have an encounter that convinces
you that someone is here in the forest with you, apart from the Entity. Was it a sound? A feeling? A physical
trace that you discovered?

If you have drawn at least one King, place the Joker on top of one King of your choice. You have some kind of
physical or psychic confrontation with the person, idea, or thing the chosen King represents. Pull 1d6 times
from the tower. When you roll the d6 and see the result, you can reduce the number of pulls by discarding the
Ace that matches the chosen King’s suit, or by discarding a corresponding number of tokens from the Ace of
Hearts card. You can reduce the required number of pulls to 0 in this manner.

If you survive the encounter, keep the Joker faceup on top of the chosen King. When you draw a King, you
may discard the Joker to shuffle the King back into the deck instead of resolving it.