In November 2023 we presented the Bluebeard Bundle featuring Bluebeard’s Bride, the RPG of fairy-tale gothic horror from Magpie Games based on the classic fairy tale. A young woman is wed to an older man with the namesake beard, despite rumors of previous wives who met unknown fates. Bluebeard whisks his new bride away to his secluded home, then leaves on business. The new bride is left to explore the house – except for one forbidden room. This room grips her imagination, and the bride’s curiosity grows until she finally opens that door, sealing her fate.
Magpie’s Bluebeard’s Bride RPG differs from the story in that a group of players collectively play the newest Bride. Using an adaptation of the Apocalypse Engine rules system, each player takes the role of a distinct part of the Bride’s mind – a Sister – who guides the Bride through Bluebeard’s house, armed with a set of keys. The players speak as these aspects of the Bride’s psyche would, deciding what actions the Bride takes, pushing the Bride deeper into mystery, and provoking new horrors along the way. They learn about Bluebeard’s former wives and the many terrible things that can hide behind a locked door. When the Bride opens the door to the last room, the game ends and this Bride’s story is concluded.
From start to finish, each 3-4 hour game is its own macabre dance. Replayability is high as players interact with new Sisters and investigate many possible rooms. The final room is shaped by the players’ decisions. The Bride from one game may even leave a legacy – her own room, to be explored by future Brides.
This new offer presented the core rulebook, its Book of Rooms supplement (both previously presented in the December 2018 Apocalypse Engine 3 offer), and the rest of the line, all for an unbeatable bargain price. There were six titles in our Bridal Collection (retail value $62.50) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including the complete Bluebeard’s Bride core rulebook, its three supplements – Book of Lore, Book of Mirrors, and Book of Rooms – and two mini-supplements: Booklet of Keepsakes and the Tarot of Servants PDF Companion.
Ten percent of each payment (after gateway fees) went to this Bluebeard’s Bride offer’s designated charity, the Diana Jones Award Emerging Designer Program. Each year, the Diana Jones Award for Excellence in Gaming, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, amplifies the voices of up-and-coming game designers by featuring them during an expenses-paid visit to Gen Con. The global Emerging Designer Program focuses on creators from marginalized communities.
