Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️

(An Accelerated Storyset 📚 for Tableau: Collaborative Cinematic Storytelling)

Welcome to the Unknown!

Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️ is an accelerated StorySet 📚 designed for Tableau, the game of collaborative cinematic storytelling. In this narrative experience, storytellers will journey beyond the edge of the known world into realms of cosmic horror and ancient mysteries. Inspired by the mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and other classic adventure tales, Dark Expeditions 🏕️ invites you to uncover secrets that challenge your sanity and the fabric of reality itself.

Print-n-Play

Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️ is available in PDF format to print at home on five Avery 10-up Business Card paper (or equivalent from other brands). Punch out the Accelerated Core ꩜ Rules 📜 and the Story Element ☯ and you are ready to begin creating your story!

"Pay What you Want" in Advance of Crowdfunding Campaign

This StorySet is the first of four set in Lovecraft Country and is available at "Pay What You Want" for a limited time as a demo in advance of our fall crowdfunding campaign for all four Lovecraft Country StorySets 📚. By agreeing to accept low-volume announcements, you'll receive access to Dark Expeditions 🏕️ and the Tableau: Accelerated Core ꩜ Rules 📜 as a preview of our full Playset 🎞️  to come.

What is Dark Expeditions?

Dark Expeditions 🏕️ is a toolkit for creating stories that explore the tension between humanity’s thirst for knowledge and the horrors that lie just beyond the veil of understanding. This StorySet 📚 offers a curated selection of Elements ☯ to guide you in crafting tales of exploration, survival, and the discovery of forbidden knowledge.

Incorporating the cinematic storytelling techniques that Tableau is known for, Dark Expeditions 🏕️ emphasizes atmosphere, tension, and the eerie beauty of the unknown. The story unfolds through player-driven choices, with each decision pushing the narrative forward and revealing new layers of the mystery.

Key Features

- Dynamic Storytelling: Every session unfolds in a new and unpredictable way, shaped by the Story Elements ☯ you choose and the interactions between storytellers.

- Thematic Depth: Explore Lovecraftian themes of existential dread, the limits of human understanding, and the thin line between knowledge and madness.

Example Elements ☯:

A Character 👤 Face 🧑🏼‍🦲, A Story 📖 Theme 💢, and a Rule 📜 for Safety 🔴

Elements included in Dark Expeditions 🏕️:

Dark Expeditions 🏕️ provides a rich array of specific elements to craft your narrative:

• Theme 💢 Elements ☯:
  • Expedition 💢: Venture into the unknown, seeking hidden realms, secrets, and treasures that challenge and redefine understanding.
  • Black vs. White 💢: Explore clear moral distinctions, with heroes facing off against unmistakable villains.
• Tone 🎶Elements ☯:
  • Cinematic 🎶: Utilize filmic techniques like montages and dramatic reveals to create an immersive, visually dynamic story.
  • Investigative 🎶: Focus on unraveling clues, making deductions, and pursuing hidden truths.
  • Pulp 🎶: Engage in high-octane action and adventure with bold heroes and larger-than-life conflicts.
  • Thriller 🎶: Build tension and urgency, with every decision potentially leading to life-or-death consequences.
• Genre Beat 🥁 Elements ☯:
  • Mystery 🥁: Guide characters through an enigmatic plot filled with secrets to uncover and puzzles to solve.
  • Quest 🥁: Characters embark on a perilous journey to obtain something of great value, facing numerous challenges.
  • Survival 🥁: Test the characters' resilience as they face immediate threats, scarce resources, and harsh environments.
• Abstract Settings 🏘️ Elements ☯:
  • Academia 🏘️: Explore the politics, traditions, and rivalries within an academic institution.
  • The Road 🏘️: Focus on the journey itself, with trials and bonds formed along the way.
  • The Haven 🏘️: A place of safety and respite, offering characters a moment to reflect and heal.
  • The Wild 🏘️: Untamed parts of the world, filled with both natural beauty and danger.
  • The Waste 🏘️: A desolate and unforgiving environment where resources are scarce.
  • The Edge 🏘️: The boundary of the known world, where characters face ultimate challenges.
• Faction 🫂 Elements ☯:
  • The Locals 🫂: A close-knit community that views outsiders with suspicion or as opportunities for exploitation.
  • The Rivals 🫂: A group or individual that mirrors the characters’ strengths but with opposing goals.
  • The Secret Society 🫂: An influential and enigmatic group with a hidden agenda, manipulating events from behind the scenes.
• Character 👤 Elements ☯:
  • The Treasure Hunter 🧑🏼‍🦲: An adventurer in pursuit of lost artifacts, balancing between ethical dilemmas and ambition.
  • The Dilettante 🧑🏼‍🦲: A wealthy backer in over their head, navigating social circles with influence and naiveté.
  • The Buddy 🧑🏼‍🦲: A loyal companion whose support complicates their own journey and deepens relationships.
  • The Ingenue 🧑🏼‍🦲: A wide-eyed newcomer whose innocence is both a strength and vulnerability.
  • The Skeptic 🧑🏼‍🦲: A non-believer who demands explanations amidst the improbable, often clashing with the unknown.
  • The Guide 🎯: A local expert who navigates perilous journeys, balancing profit with loyalty.
  • The Expert 🎯: A seasoned specialist whose knowledge is crucial, who is haunted by past experiences.
  • The Healer 🎯: A kindly soul dedicated to preserving life, facing the ethical challenges of healing in a dangerous world.
• Drama Rule 🎭 Element ☯:
  • Resources 🎭: Limited access to critical supplies, creating tension and driving conflict.
• Safety Rule 🔴 Element ☯:
  • Play Controls 🔴: Tools to manage narrative content, ensuring a safe and comfortable storytelling environment.

How to Play

Dark Expeditions 🏕️ includes a complete copy of the Tableau: Accelerated Core ꩜ Rules 📜.

Setting the Stage: Before you begin your journey into the unknown, review the Accelerated Core ꩜ Rules 📜 for "Setting The Table" 𐃄 and select some "Initial Elements" ☯. These elements are the building blocks of your narrative, establishing the setting, tone, and key themes that will guide your story.

Safety First: Choose your Safety Rules 🔴 to ensure a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all storytellers, ensuring that everyone feels safe exploring the dark and sometimes disturbing themes that Dark Expeditions 🏕️ may evoke.

Building Your Story

Choose Story Elements ☯: Each player takes turns proposing a Story Element ☯ from the Dark Expeditions 🏕️ set. With Table Consent 🫱🏻‍🫲🏽, each Story Element ☯ is added to the narrative, shaping the world, characters, and plot. These should include initial Setting 🏘️, a Beat 🥁, a Tone 🎶, or a Theme 💢 to guide your story. Each Element ☯ will guide you in in creating some initial Truths ☥. For instance you could begin your story at a prestigious Ivy League school, or remote Antarctic research station.

Begin the Adventure: With your Story Elements ☯ and Truths ☥ in place, embark on your journey into the unknown. As the narrative unfolds, you can introduce new Story Elements ☯, create custom elements using Index Cards 📄, or react to the unexpected twists and turns that arise during play.

Inspirations 🎨

The Dark Expeditions 🏕️ StorySet 📚 draws inspiration from a rich tapestry of sources that explore the unknown and the unknowable. These works have influenced the tone, themes, and atmosphere of the stories you can create with this set:

- Indiana Jones (1981-2023): The archetypal adventure series, where a daring archaeologist seeks out legendary artifacts while battling rivals and uncovering ancient secrets.

- The Da Vinci Code (2003/2006): A mix of cryptology, historical mysteries, and shadowy conspiracies, perfect for weaving intricate narratives filled with hidden truths.

- The Mummy (1999): Adventurers awaken an ancient curse while searching for a lost treasure in the Egyptian desert, blending horror and adventure in a thrilling tale.

- At the Mountains of Madness (1936): An Antarctic expedition uncovers ancient horrors buried beneath the ice, capturing the essence of Lovecraftian dread.

- Heart of Darkness (1899): A journey into the heart of the Congo reveals the darkness within and around the explorers, perfect for stories of moral ambiguity and existential crisis.

Examples of Play

In Dark Expeditions 🏕️, each session can lead to a wide variety of stories, depending on the Story Elements ☯ chosen and the creative direction of the storytellers. Here are a few examples:

• The Lost Expedition: A group of explorers quests deep into the uncharted jungles of Central Asia, seeking a lost temple rumored to house the secrets of an ancient civilization. As they delve deeper into the jungle, they encounter not just physical ordeals, but also a temptation, a necessary sacrifice, and a final battle.
• The Quest for the Forbidden Tome: An eccentric scholar assembles a team to locate a long-lost book of dark rituals hidden in the catacombs beneath a European city. Their journey takes them through labyrinthine tunnels, past traps and guardians, and finally to a confrontation with the unspeakable entity that protects the tome.
• Miskatonic Road Rally: Two competing teams of students race to across New England. One team realizes the car they've assembled from the scrapyard has a dark history and has become a living entity that demands blood sacrifice. Will they yield to its demands to win the race?

Community Involvement

We’re excited to invite you to join our creative community! Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️ is part of a larger project that includes multiple Tableau playsets that bring these stories to life. By supporting us, you’ll gain access to exclusive updates, playtest materials, and the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Tableau system.

Final Thoughts

Lovecraft Country: Dark Expeditions 🏕️ is more than just a game—it's a journey into the heart of the unknown, where every choice matters and every revelation could be your last. Are you ready to face the horrors that await?

Written & Designed by Christopher Allen

©2024 Dyvers Hands Productions, LLC. Text as a Free Cultural Work under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Images © original creators & many (but not all) are Permissively Licensed. More info & image credits at www.DyversHands.com/ImageCredits.

Tableau™, Lovecraft Country™, and Dyvers Hands™ are trademarks of Dyvers Hands Productions, LLC.