First event of New Mexicon for me was Bluebeard’s Bride, run by Katherine Fackrell . It is such a deeply fucked up game! I have the pdfs, read them briefly, wasn’t sure what to do with the game so I wanted to see it in masterful hands.
BBB creates the kind of narrative that you just can’t really talk about afterward. It’s gross and horrifying, yeah, but it’s also the kind of experience that is super specific to the personalities and triggers at the table. So I won’t talk specifics.
Generally speaking, it goes like this: everyone plays one of five aspects of a new bride, who is wandering the vast home of her new and monstrous husband. Each room is a little mini horror movie, at the end of which you have to decide proves his monstrosity or generosity. Meanwhile, the aspects are all wearing out from trauma, eventually breaking and becoming sort of co-GMs.
There’s lots of coding baked into the flow and the moves about female agency, helplessness, and so on. I’m still chewing on how I might run this game for various audiences.
Very good event run by a very good facilitator. Looking forward to more A tables! No pressure.
Most important game, and probably one of the best designed, since Swords Without Master IMO. Glad you got to play!