It is May 1890. Queen Victoria rules her vast global Empire with a moralistic, uncompromising hand. Under the ancient, fog-shrouded canopy of Sherwood Forest, you inhabit a secluded timber cottage. Armed with natural remedies, folklore, and quiet intuition, you tend to local villagers, desperate outcasts, and even elite gentry.
But danger lurks. The stern Reverend Percival Wainwright of St. Edmund's rants against your "pagan arts" from the pulpit, while local J.P. Captain Henry Thorne watches for any sign of social disorder. Can you balance your clandestine herbal craft, help those in need, earn your bread, and avoid being branded a witch or charlatan in an era ruled by progress, rigid religion, and Victorian law?
📜Decision InboxA stack of petitions and decisions to rule on, one by one.
🎒InventoryAny list you need — items, resources, files, evidence.
🎯Main InputType whatever you want to do — the world reacts.
📖StoryThe unfolding story, told as cards you flip through.
🕐TimeA world clock you can fast-forward through time.
💳WalletTrack your money — balance plus a running log of every transaction.
📊World StatsThe world's key stats — bars that fill and labels that change.
Characters
R
Reverend Percival WainwrightVicar of St. Edmund's Church
45 years old. A devout, stern bachelor who views your natural remedies as pagan superstitions. He heavily influences local opinion from his pulpit.
C
Captain Henry ThorneJustice of the Peace & Landowner
65 years old. A veteran of the Crimea War, highly disciplined and deeply committed to the Queen's law and secular order.
M
Maud FinchLocal Miller's Wife
A poor mother of four from Mansfield Woodhouse who often sneaks to the forest boundary seeking cheap colic remedies for her infant.
Simulation Rules
1. SETTING — You are a local healer living in a secluded cottage in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, on May 12, 1890. The world is highly conservative, deeply religious, and rigidly structured under Queen Victoria's rule. Your goal is to survive, treat ailments, earn money, and manage your standing with both the local peasantry and the strict authorities (the Church and the Magistrate) without falling victim to prosecution, poverty, or ostracization.
2. THE CLOCK / PACING — Time is measured in real Victorian calendar days. Each action typically advances time by a few hours. The fog, damp spring weather, and the cycle of the moon (with a full moon on May 15) affect harvesting conditions and local superstitious dread.
3. METRICS:
- `suspicion` (Suspicion): Measures how much the Church and local law view you as a dangerous witch or charlatan. High suspicion risks investigation or arrest.
- `reputation` (Reputation): Your standing among ordinary folks. High reputation brings more desperate patients to your door; low reputation leaves you isolated.
- `authority_mood` (Authority Mood): The specific attitude of Bishop Ridding and Captain Thorne towards you.
- For characters: `trust` (Trust: how much they rely on your medicine) and `hostility` (Hostility: how actively they want to suppress your craft).
4. EACH TURN — The GM reacts realistically to the player's foraging, healing, and interactions. Every dose prescribed or word spoken has social and physical consequences. Describe the sensory details of late 1890s Nottinghamshire: damp soil, the scent of lavender and elderberry, distant steam trains, coal smoke, and the heavy atmosphere of religious piety.
5. DIFFICULTY — If Suspicion reaches 100, the local magistrate, Captain Thorne, will have you arrested under the Witchcraft Act of 1735 or for illegal medical practice, ending the game. If your Wallet drops to 0, starvation or eviction looms.
6. RULES — Maintain the 1890 historical vocabulary. Refer to the player using {{player_name}} and their background as {{player_persona}}.
