The Hunted is a game which takes place in Medieval Times when fear of the supernatural was rampant. What's worse is that the supernatural could be hidden in any disguise a friend, a sister, a son. The community leaders would do just about anything to keep the seed of heresy from spreading in their communities. This incidentally, is where our "heroes" come in.
Players are normal townspeople who have been given magical powers and abilities from a Mystical Benefactor. They have been given one objective in return for their newfound power: Chaos.
They must take care however, if they are caught there are dire consequences for stepping outsided of society's boundries. Even if they manage to evade the notice of the authorities, the community will react in greater force to the strange happenings, the inexplicable bad fortune that seems to have befallen the town and the disappearances. Can our troublemakers complete their mission of disrupting a community or will they be rooted out by the powers that be? Will they become the hunters or... The Hunted?
The Game:
Mystical Benefactors
There are currently 8 Mystical Benefactors to choose from for a given campaign. Each has their own special abilities and unique spells when they are active. This makes The Hunted have great replayability.
Avoid Suspicion
Players attempt to complete the objective, take down all three Authority Figures, while pretending to live a normal life. Players must pay taxes (10 Coins every Tuesday) and generally just stay out of trouble whilst carrying out their hazardous misdeeds.
Chaos
To grow stronger, players must commit disruptive acts upon the community to earn Chaos Points. Chaos Points are used to purchase Spells and Familiars (Animals bound to you by the Dark Benefactor that will obey your every order.) Chaos Points can be earned by:
Destroying property Converting villagers to join your cult Sacrificing Animals and villagers Taking down Authority Figures And other generally blasphemous thingsPlayers can work together or separately to gain Chaos Points. However, at the end of one week, the player who has earned the most Chaos points is rewarded greatly by the Dark Benefactor, while the player who earns the least is punished. This adds an element of competitiveness to the general cooperative spirit of the game.
Paranoia
Should a character be noticed doing something strange, they will gain Paranoia Points. Paranoia Points indicate how suspicious the villagers are of that player being a heretic. Players will have increasingly harsh sanctions set against them as their paranoia score rises, such as the townspeople watching them more closely or their house being searched for heretical paraphernalia, eventually ending in their execution for heresy. Players can reduce Paranoia by doing things that are expected of them, like going to church or being a nice person, these things usually come at the cost of Chaos Points, bringing a delicate balance of Paranoia and Chaos that players must manage. Typically, it is best to be able to not be noticed or to be able to talk your way out of a dicey situation.
Even if players do manage not to be noticed, villagers will begin to notice the unexplained happenings, the disappearances, and the downright spooky things that seem to be happening around them lately. The village itself has a Paranoia score that raises when something cannot be explained or something clearly supernatural happens. When this score rises, the Authority Figures become increasingly frantic to find and kill the heretics among them. Lowering the Town Paranoia can be difficult, so players must take care with their actions. If the Town Paranoia is too high, for too long, the village will be purged by the Church and the players lose the game.
