Category: FiveEvil

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FiveEvil out now in PDF!

FiveEvil is a standalone roleplaying game from Handiwork Games, the fiendish minds behind BEOWULF Age of Heroes, a|state second edition and Maskwitches of Forgotten Doggerland. 

Get FiveEvil now in PDF

FiveEvil is designed to evoke the horror genre via a set of clever twists on the underlying fifth edition ruleset. Less a version of 5e, FiveEvil is a ruleset about 5e, making use of its subversion to defy expectations and intensify the horror.

Make no mistake: this book is not just some 5e stats for horror entities and a couple of rules tweaks. This is media-literate deconstruction of the primary RPG paradigm of the day! 

Whether it reads as a game about what 5e could have been in the hands of an extremely capable indie designer, or a celebration of just how far the rules of 5e can be stretched, is up to you.



The primary setting focus is modern day horror, inspired by the work of Stephen King, and moody, character-driven horror films like The Ritual, The Descent and Jacob’s Ladder, alongside mini-series like Midnight Mass by Mike Flanagan, and the scariest of Twin Peaks episodes.

Rather than seeking out evil in order to vanquish it, or investigating clues to battle malign influence, characters in FiveEvil are regular people trapped in a terrifying situation attempting to survive and escape.

FiveEvil was created and written by Morgan Davie, features art by Scott Purdy and Jon Hodgson, and boasts graphic design and layout by Paul Bourne.

Get the PDF now

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FiveEvil Opening Spreads

Hello! Let’s have a FiveEvil update!

We were especially impressed with the opening chapter of FiveEvil as we were editing it.

It contains this really amazing set of muscular and compact guidance on playing the game, the horror genre, and safety tools. Morgue has done a brilliant job on it.

We didn’t think it was the right thing to just flow these thoughts into 2 columns – they’d get lost, and each piece is really powerfully written and deserved a bit more. We want the reader to slow down and take each one in, and to be able to track back, reread and reflect on them. They really are important. 

So we’ve laid out the first chapter in a slightly more involved way, and we thought you might like to see a couple of sample spreads. The underlying art isn’t quite final yet, but it shows where it’s going. There’s more to each of these sections than is shown here, but you get the idea hopefully.

Make a late pledge for FiveEvil
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FiveEvil Actual Play Inbound!

Morgue has been playing FiveEvil with some really talented friends from Aotearoa New Zealand, and we have the video evidence to prove it!

Playing with Morgue are

• Julz Burgisser from Fate of Isen
https://www.fateofisen.com

• Brendon Bennetts the DM from Dungeons & Comedians
https://dungeonsandcomedians.com/

• Brad Thompson from Cutting Words
https://www.youtube.com/c/cuttingwords

And from the world of improv theatre, Caitlin Penhey.

Look out for the full video of a session of a special version of Wakefield House, one of the scenarios included with FiveEvil releasing this week on YouTube!

In other FiveEvil news

We’ve received some lovely commentary on FiveEvil from Paul Beakley of the Indie game Reading Club. Check it out!

https://www.indiegamereadingclub.com/indie-game-reading-club/fiveevil-an-unlikely-winner/

We were delighted and honoured to see this shared in Thomas Manuel’s Indie RPG Newsletter.

(also featured was Thomas’ excellent interview with our own Malcolm Craig about the Cold War and RPGs: https://www.rascal.news/how-the-cold-war-influenced-rpgs/ )

And it was nice to see Tabletop Sentinel pick up the story too: https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/u/profile/59a2720e-b8a0-4c7e-b5cc-0fb5427d2fc9/social-post/celtic-carnage-scotlands-handiwork-games-unleashes-irish-horror-with-fiveevil

FiveEvil is working through stretch goals on Kickstarter right now.

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Splinter Five: the finale


In Splinter Five we reach the throbbing climax of the scenario, and a fateful showdown with the creature Plisken. 

Who will get out alive?

Additionally there’s:

  • More insights from FiveEvil designer Morgue about horror gaming. 
  • A run down on additional uses for Desperation, and we introduce you to the concepts of The Verge and Hunt Encounters.
  • Another dip into Morgue’s inspirational material for your viewing pleasure. 

All for FREE!

Part Five has been added to the Splinters title at DrivethruRPG, so if you already picked up any part you’ll have them all!

Get the free Splinters now!

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FiveEvil contents page

FiveEvil is our upcoming horror hack for 5th Edition. And make no mistake, it’s not just some 5e stats for some monsters and a spooky adventure seed or two.

It’s a thorough reworking of the very soul of 5th Edition, aimed at subverting what you know and expect to facilitate horror gaming. We’ve completely replaced combat, we’ve mutated the action economy, stat blocks are completely different, Inspiration becomes Desperation and more changes, both subtle and wide ranging switch up everything you’re familiar with to twist it into a whole new experience. You’ll know how to play, while play edges you out into the completely unfamiliar and unnerving.

FiveEvil gives you everything you need to play. Check out the slightly redacted contents page. We’ve removed any spoilers from the scenarios included, but these scenarios are worthy of mention. These aren’t just one-shot play throughs which you’ll use once and then never play again: these scenarios demonstrate important templates for FiveEvil play, and are packed with reusable play information and guidance.


• There is a bunch of support to learn more about this amazing horror hack of the fifth edition rules ahead of the crowd-funding launch:

• Find out the basics here at our site.

• Get a free, playable scenario that builds in parts, alongside a ton of behind the scenes design notes and inspirations. We’re up to part four all in the single DrivethruRPG title.

• Check out Five Evil designer Morgue Davie interviewed by unpleasant skeleton Clive Evil.

• Sign up at the Campaign page to be notified on launch at the end of the month.

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FiveEvil: A cure for the cosy?

Jon posting. Alright? Here’s an interesting idea. It’s been suggested by a number of people on the ole socials that FiveEvil appeals as a cure for the more generally cosy feel that D&D seems to be headed towards. 

And ok, maybe. If you like. Generally speaking, we don’t work in direct opposition or reaction to things like that. It’s not in our nature to be contrarians of that type. And we thoroughly support D&D proposing a wide variety of play styles. That’s all cool with us.

So we aren’t deliberately making our new horror 5e rules, FiveEvil, in direct response to a perceived shift of official D&D towards cosier themes. We’ve been working on it far too long for that!

But the suggestion that FiveEvil can serve as an antidote to happy fantasy is nonetheless an interesting one, because it’s a polarity which had never occurred to us: cosy vs horror. 

Continue reading “FiveEvil: A cure for the cosy?”
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FiveEvil

FiveEvil is a set of new roleplaying rules from Handiwork Games, slated for release later this year. FiveEvil is designed to evoke the horror genre via a set of clever twists on the underlying fifth edition ruleset. The primary focus is modern day horror, inspired by the work of Stephen King, and moody, character-driven horror films like The Ritual, The Descent and Jacob’s Ladder, alongside mini-series like Midnight Mass by Mike Flanagan, and the scariest of Twin Peaks episodes.

Rather than seeking out evil in order to vanquish it, or investigating clues to battle malign influence, characters in FiveEvil are regular people trapped in a terrifying situation where fighting isn’t likely to help.

There are also plans afoot to cast a wider net with scenarios set in different eras: a key feature of FiveEvil is the ease with which it creates settings and scenarios woven together.

FiveEvil was created and written by Morgan Davie, features art by Scott Purdy, Jon Hodgson and friends, and boasts graphic design and layout by Paul Bourne.

Morgan Davie, FiveEvil Designer: “I love 5e and I love horror gaming and in FiveEvil we get to push both of them somewhere unprecedented. a|state has shown we love exploring new pathways with beloved game systems, and this one is heading into wild new places. It’s a dream project, and I look forward to giving everyone nightmares.”

Jon Hodgson, Handiwork Games: “Morgan has proved his uniquely powerful and insightful design chops with both a|state and The Three Coins. When he pitched this stripped-back take on 5e, purposefully built to deliver a particular flavour of horror gaming, I was really excited. Having now played it, I can confirm it absolutely delivers on its promise to subvert so many of the expectations in 5th Edition, bringing something really fresh to the gaming table. I love it, and I can’t wait for us to share it!”

Closed play tests are complete, and we will be inviting play testers to the next round of testing soon. A printed book will be funded on kickstarter later this year.