For almost three hundred years no Coldrum set foot in Mossdown, a largely self-imposed exile recently ended by my acquisition of the ruins of our ancestral home. With the restoration of Coldrum Manor ongoing, there has never been a better time to document its history, and it seems apt that it should be a Coldrum to relate the tale.
Coldrum Manor, more commonly known as the derisory “Redcap Manor”, was built atop Mossdown Hill, a site long associated with spirits and faeries. Legend speaks of a series of standing stones that once stood near the hill, and Roman records of the area describe pagan rites involving human sacrifice. The strategic location of Mossdown Hill has long been recognised, and several strongholds have been constructed at this site over the last one thousand years.
'Redcap Manor' draws from the most traditional tales of haunting in the British Isles, in which it was faeries, not ghosts, that kept people awake at night. In 'Redcap Manor', each player represents one of four Edwardian investigators sent to the titular mansion, to gather as much evidence for the uncanny as they can over three nights. To this end, the protagonists will use the recently-harnessed power of electromagnetism against the Fae.
'Redcap Manor' is an auction/bluffing card game, divided into three turns representing the three nights of terror. Each turn, the players select a number of Haunt cards from their hand, to be secretly shuffled into the Haunt deck for the next night. Haunt cards are divided into three types: Fae, Presence, and Influence cards, each of which is countered by a different Ward card. Each player then places one of their three Ward cards face-down, and takes it in turns to uncover the top-most Haunt card. Eight cards are revealed per turn, representing eight hours before the dawn. After revealing a Haunt card, a player may choose to flee the Manor, but may not re-enter that night. The Haunt card remains face-up, and may be taken by subsequent players, together with any newly revealed cards. Alternatively, the player may take the Haunt card(s) - any Haunt cards countered by their Ward are taken as evidence (victory points); however, if the top-most card is not countered by their Ward, it is taken as a curse. Each Haunt card (24 unique cards, one for each hour of each night) has its own effect, influencing how the game is played. The player must determine whether taking a curse is worth the opportunity to acquire more evidence.
At the end of the third night, the player with the most evidence points is the victor.