CJ Carella's WitchCraft, or more informally WitchCraft ( ISBN978-1891153402), is a modern horror role-playing game published by Eden Studios, Inc. It is based on the Unisystem game system and was initially published by Myrmidon Press in 1996.[1] In both cases it was designed and written by C. J. Carella. WitchCraft was the first RPG to use the Unisystem game system.[2]
Player characters can take on the role of various types of magic-using humans known as the "Gifted".[1] Other characters can be "Lesser Gifted" (less magically capable, but have more mundane skills), "Mundane" (non-magical humans), or even various supernatural races such as vampires, spirits, or Bast (intelligent shape-shifting cats). There are several different associations (called Covenants) described in the main rulebook, and several more in the supplements. Some of the Covenants, such as the divinely inspired Sentinels, fight centuries-long battles, both in open war and more subtle battles of intrigue and magic. Other Covenants, such as the Rosicrucians and Cabal of Psyche are mutual aid societies, but even these neutral societies are being drawn into the fight to stop or delay the "Reckoning". Precisely what the Reckoning is no one can say, but more and more Gifted and Supernatural beings are rising with every passing year, and what is at stake may well be the whole of reality.[2][3][4]
WitchCraft draws heavily on modern Neo-Paganism and its practices, with the caveat that while it does this, it does not espouse one belief system over any other. WitchCraft features a creator deity, although the exact nature of the creator is left undefined. The WitchCraft setting includes dreamworlds,[5]fae creatures, versions of werecreatures and vampires, and many other things inspired by a wide range of mythology.
WitchCraft, like all Unisystem games, is considered quite dangerous in combat.[6] The magic system breaks into several types of metaphysical arts including Magic, Seer (psychic) powers, Necromancy, Divine Miracles, and others which are defined in supplements.
Many comparisons have been drawn between WitchCraft and the World of Darkness games, in particular Mage.[2][6][3] Both games feature magic using creatures in a horror influenced contemporary setting, though there are also many differences.[2] The system used in Eden's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game is heavily modeled after WitchCraft.[7] The Buffy core book even gives advice on how to convert Buffy characters to WitchCraft.
Associations
WitchCraft RPG 1st Edition from Myrmidon Press.
There are various associations or "covenants" to which the player characters can belong, but this is not required of any character.[2]
A hidden group of psychics that remember the witch trials all too well and do their best to keep them from happening again.
The Solitaires
Unaligned Gifted and Lesser Gifted that do not belong to any association or group.[5]
Two other groups that are not associations are:
The Combine
The proverbial "Other", the ones that are behind the scenes pulling the strings or working with the Government. Believed to be out to destroy all magical beings, but the truth is no one knows for sure who they are or what they are doing.
The Mundanes
Everyone else. They have no magic and are largely ignorant of the magical world, but they outnumber the magical beings tens of thousands to one so they are a force to be reckoned with.
WitchCraft was the first Unisystem game published.[2] Like all Unisystem games, WitchCraft uses a point-buy system to generate characters. After choosing a Character Type which grants Character Points, points are then spent on Attributes, Skills, Qualities and Metaphysics.[2][7] Drawbacks can be taken to gain extra points.
Six attributes represent the character's innate abilities, which in this case are three physical attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution; and three mental attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Willpower. Characters may also take have a variety of skills, and Qualities and Drawbacks to give the character added advantages or faults. Supernatural Qualities and Drawbacks are used to designate a particular type of character (Gifted, Bast, Spirit, and so on) or detail what sort of magic a character can do.
Actions are resolved by adding together a player's relevant attribute and skill to the result of a ten-sided die roll, adding any modifiers for difficulty. If the total is nine or greater, the action succeeds.[8] The game also includes several different types of supernatural power, including necromancy, psychic powers, divine inspiration, and spellcasting, each using their own distinct rules system.[2][9]
The first supplement to WitchCraft. Details more Spirit and Undead types, expanded information on Vampyres, includes the Storm Dragon and Pariah Associations, and expanded Metaphysics.
The first Sephiroth book details Hod, the land of Dreams.[5]
Unreleased titles
Eden Studios and C. J. Carella had planned or scheduled several other supplements for WitchCraft that ultimately were never published. The Book of Geburah would have dealt with the game's underworld, while the Book of Yesod would cover fairy races and mythical creatures such as dragons. The Secrets Codex would have dealt with the mysterious Combine.[12]Honor and Blood would have detailed Yesod, the Society of the Sentinels, and angels and demons. Grace and Guidance would have detailed the Storm Dragons.[citation needed]
Reception
Andy Butcher reviewed Witchcraft for Arcane magazine, rating it a 7 out of 10 overall, and stated that "Well written, well designed, and well put-together, Witchcraft is a good, solid modern-day horror system that's easy to get into and fun to play. Unfortunately, it just doesn't offer anything particularly new or original to the genre."[13] Writing for Backstab, Johan Scipion gave the game three stars, complementing its straightforward rules, and criticized the game's lack of an introductory storyline and its similarity to the World of Darkness games, saying these precluded giving the game a fourth star.[4]
Writing for RPGnet, reviewer Dan Buterbaugh said the game was flexible, allowing games at a variety of power levels, and enjoyed that although the setting was dark, it still had hope.[14] Conan McKegg said the game's breadth was both a strength and a weakness, resulting in a lack of detail and focus. He also felt that the game's system was overcomplicated by the addition of "odd and apparently arbitrary rules systems", citing as an example the variety of dice used for damage resolution, the complexity of checking for critical successes, and the different subsystems for each type of magic.[9]
Reviewing the game for Casus Belli, Fabrice Colin first compared it unfavorably to Mage: The Ascension, which he said was both more original and had greater depth. He went on to say that despite this, WitchCraft was more accessible and clearer than Mage, and was better than most small press roleplaying game publishers overall. He concluded that, based on its core rulebook alone, WitchCraft lacked detail, interesting conflicts, and direction, but that it was worth waiting to see how the game would develop.[3]
In a review for RPGnet, Dan Davenport gave the book 5/5 for both style and substance, praising the simplicity of the game's rules and its layout. He said the core rulebook "offers a generous look at a darkly compelling setting, standing well on its own while serving as a solid foundation for the rest of the game line". In summarizing the differences between WitchCraft and the World of Darkness (WoD) games, he said the difference was one of focus and style: he said the World of Darkness games had a more internal focus and resembled the works of Anne Rice, whereas WitchCraft was focused on more outward conflicts and resembled the works of Stephen King. He concluded that whether one prefers one or the other is a matter of taste.[2]
Reviewing the game in 2020, Egg Embryo of d20 Radio said it was dated in places, especially regarding cultural issues and combat rules, but that the magic system was "genius" for "its ability to cover D&D style combat casting and movie style ritual casting". He concluded the game was "worth a look", particularly as it was available as a free title on DriveThruRPG.[15]
Reviews
Backstab #29 (under the game's French title, SorCellerie)[4]
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