The Wassailing
of  Claus Manor

A Tabletop Roleplaying Game of Horrific Holiday Servitude

A YULETIDE MAELSTROM

Amid foreboding war and festering industry, the world approaches the end of a gilded age and the North Pole reaches a breaking point. To keep pace, the inhabitants of Claus Manor begin embracing dark and arcane forms of the holiday spirit.

On the frosted, haunted grounds of the estate, hope arises from the patience and cunning of the Claus family’s servant staff – unsung valets of gemütlichkeit in the thick of winter.

As this assembled staff, the players' characters leverage workplace skills in clever ways to quell the Claus family’s troubles and – perhaps more importantly – keep their jobs. 

A Handbook for Festive Horror

The Wassailing twists together its ghastly candy cane of chaos from:

• The societal tension of Edwardian estate dramas like Downton Abbey
• The atmospheric horror of Mike Flanagan shows like The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor 
• The festive antics of every Christmas movie you've ever seen

With wild twists and turns for 3-5 players, The Wassailing is a tabletop roleplaying game perfect for raucous holiday sessions.

Simple Rules That Generate Festive Chaos

The Wassailing plays like a mix of indie rpg classics: The dice rolls of Trophy, the scenario structure of Bedlam Hall, the character tracks of Brindlewood Bay, and token-based social clout inspired by Good Society.

The combination creates a uniquely new experience that's easy to pick up and play. But from its simple start, the game weaves a tangled web of plots and schemes.

Some of The Wassiling's signature elements:

• Unusual character skills that encourage outside-the-box solutions
  
• An opening round where players share scandalous gossip floating around the Manor
• 20 evocative room descriptions, each asking players to contribute strange new details
  
• Supernatural staff members who provide help through strange encounters
• Randomized scenario escalation, ensuring every playthrough unfolds in its own way

Summary

• Holiday horror
• Standalone tabletop RPG
• Based on Trophy Dark
• Designed for 3-5 players
• 4-8 hours
• Uses 6-sided dice

Credits

• Game design and layout by Mike Martens
• Scenario writing by Michael Van Vleet
• Original art by Brian Sago
  

Details

• 6" x 9"
• 88 pages
• Way too many illustrations
  
• Perfect-bound softcover & PDF
• First published in 2023

"This is an incredible team – Brian and Mike's visual design is some of the best I've seen in recent years, and Michael Van Vleet's one of the best wordsmiths in the scene today."

– Jason Cordova, Creator of The Between and Brindlewood Bay

Coming November 2024
The Black Mold of Claus Manor zine adds:

•New Troubles for all 6 original family members
•The arrival of a mysterious family member
•Previously hidden corners of the estate to explore
•Two alternate supplemental side characters
•Whatever other ideas we get between now and release

Assembling original contributions from a murderers' row of award-winning and up-and-coming talent:
• Jessica Marcrum (Oops All Draculas, Uncaged: Goddesses)
• Cassi Mothwin (Tangled Blessings, Carved by the Garden)
• Gabriel Robinson (The Silt Verses RPG)
• Richard Ruane (Moonlight on Roseville Beach)
• Megan Caldwell (Moonlight Vale)
• Jack Hargreaves (Paradiso Rosso)

YOU NEED THIS JOB

The Ennie-award-winning first edition of The Wassailing is available in print from Plus One EXP or digitally via Itch.io.