A Victorian Ghost Story.
I’ve been obsessed with classic-era ghost stories since I first stumbled across a book called Elliott O’Donnell’s Casebook of Ghosts in my school library as a child. Since then I’ve amassed a sizeable collection of Edwardian and Victorian ghost story books, and have watched pretty much every movie that’s ever had a ghost in it. So I’ve always bemoaned the lack of decent ghost-themed board games out there. Perhaps influenced by Scooby Doo, every one seems to embrace the goofy, kid-friendly angle. Where are the ones that aim to put a shiver of real fear down your spine?
Well, thankfully, Purple Lantern Games have come to the rescue with a ghost game that feels like it was made by someone who actually loves ghost stories. And designer Sam Gullman does, because I’ve been chatting to him about the subject in emails for a while now. Eschewing campy spooks, obvious horror, and jump scares, The Prescence sets out to recreate the creeping psychological dread you’ll find in stories by M R James and E F Benson and films like The Innocents and The Others.
Not an easy goal for a boardgame, but this one (the ghost) vs many (the visitors) game is full of clever mechanics that support and enhance the theme and the atmosphere. Reflecting the title, the ghost itself might not even manifest at all (though it can). Instead, the strength of the spirit is tracked using dice placed in various rooms of the mansion – dice which can move, increase in strength, and be spent to to power its creepy abilities.
Ingeniously, the visitor players don’t know when the game starts whether the ghost has evil intentions at all, or whether it just wants to communicate and cooperate with them. Coupled with some communication restrictions – when you’re alone in a room in this game, you can’t talk to the other players – there’s a growing sense of unease as visitors explore the mansion for clues about the ghost’s story and intentions, and every bump in the night could lead to their fear increasing and the horrible realisation that the spirit has its own agenda.
This is a great game with a wonderful atmosphere, and enhanced by a clever campaign system I’m looking forward to exploring. What’s more, Purple Lantern Games are gearing up to release a new version of the game – hopefully with some new content. I’ll have much more to say about this The Presence in my upcoming review, but in the meantime here’s my rules & reference. Sleep well!
