Medium Mechanics

With the rise of spiritualism in the late 19th century, mediums became quite popular. These psychic individuals claimed to have a special connection with the "other side" and performed seances to exhibit their paranormal skills.

Many of the game mechanics in HAUNTIBLES are directly inspired by techniques employed by mediums, as I think they add a spooky layer to the experience.

Here's a breakdown of the main parts I borrowed...

Ghost Guides - Mediums traditionally connected with the same specter each session, who either possessed them or entered the room as an apparition. These ghostly guides acted as MC's of the spirit world, introducing other poltergeists or just imparting wisdom on their own.

There's a ghost in HAUNTIBLES who acts as your guide to the spirit world. She doesn't say anything, choosing instead to communicate through the objects she materializes, known as apports.

Apports - the mysterious appearance of objects due to paranormal activity. Letters, flowers, even animals would often appear during seances, either materializing out of thin air or from the drawers and closed doors of a spirit cabinet. 

The ghost guide in HAUNTIBLES materializes a group of similar apports. There's some aspect to these objects that has significance to the ghost - be it a missing part, certain decoration, etc. It's up to you to figure out this "hidden secret" and which apports fits the bill. Do this correctly, and she'll reward you with a story scrap. Pick the wrong apports, and she'll become angry.

Spirit Cabinets - Sometimes a piece of furniture, othertimes just a curtain or doorway, a spirit cabinet was the medium's physical space in which to attract supernatural entities.  

Once you discover the secret to the apports, your ghost guide will make a scrap appear in the spirit cabinet. Collect enough of these and you'll be able to piece together a story scrapbook with a haunting tale.

I like the fact HAUNTIBLES's game mechanics are based on techniques employed by 19th century mediums. It adds a layer of history and verisimilitude to the game that gives it a bit more depth.