Announcing The Darkest Woods

Announcing The Darkest Woods

The Woods watch you as you wander, lost among the trees.
The Woods don’t care.

Do not mistake the forest’s quietude for mercy. Nor its shadowed depths as denser versions of these pleasant shallows. For to venture deeper is to become lost within the ancient chambers of the forest’s dark heart, where twisted and sinister things dwell.

The Woods see you isolated, lonely, and in terrible danger.
The Woods don’t care.

Beware the mythic witches, horrific monsters, hateful spirits, cannibalistic cultists, and other dangers that have always called these Darkest Woods home. The Backwoods and its truly twisted inhabitants will test the mettle of any who find themself lost within its dusk-dark, twisted paths.

The Woods are ancient (eternal?) and vast (infinite?). You are small and brief. Hardly worth noting—to the Woods.

Do not imagine the Woods will show you mercy.
The Woods don’t care.

Monte Cook Games is excited to announce a deeply terrifying horror excursion for the game you’re playing right now: The Darkest Woods.

Discover why humanity has always feared the wilderness…

The Darkest Woods is a mega-adventure that takes you into a unique realm of horror. It’s made for the game you’re playing right now, to be integrated into your campaign regardless of the setting or game system. And it’s specially crafted for a rich, powerful experience that’s immersive for the players and easy on the GM—whether you play face-to-face or online.

The Darkest Woods will chill and frighten your players not just through terrifying creatures and challenging situations (though there are plenty of those!) but also by tapping into a deep, primal fear of the wilderness. Along the way, their characters will have experiences that make them deeper, richer, and more powerfully bonded as a party. 

Whether you game face-to-face or online, the unique format of The Darkest Woods makes the GM’s job easy while providing an amazingly immersive experience for the players.

The Darkest Woods is a standalone companion to The Darkest House, the highly praised horror campaign supplement released by Monte Cook Games in 2021. If you’ve never experienced The Darkest House, there are several pledge levels that include it along with The Darkest Woods—a fantastic deal on two incredible horror experiences.

Uniquely Easy on the GM—Uniquely Immersive for the Players

The Darkest Woods is crafted for easy GMing—and for an immersive player experience. Every area has a map with tags for the GM, and an untagged version to show the players. All of the art—and there’s loads of it, depicting every location and creature encountered—is made to show the players. There are generous quantities of handouts, and even dozens of sound files! And it’s all easily downloadable, so you can share it with the players quickly and without hassle.

The Darkest Woods will be available in two formats: a conventional RPG book, and a digital equivalent in the form of a unique app optimized for online use. Both include everything you need to play—you don’t need the book to use the app, or the app to use the book. (The app operates on Mac and PC.)

A Hefty Book Filled with GM-Friendly Features

The hefty hardcover makes GMing a face-to-face game easy. Each room is presented as a two-page spread, eliminating page-flipping. A shortlink and QR code for each room lets you quickly download and share player-facing maps, illustrations of what the PCs see, handouts, and even sound files.

You can use the book for virtual play—in fact, it’s great for that, too—but sharing resources will involve a few more clicks.

  • Two-page spreads eliminate page-flipping
  • Hundreds of illustrations and maps—all made to show the players
  • Scores of handouts and even sound files!
  • Shortlinks and QR codes to download all the resources

An Innovative Digital Product Optimized for Virtual Play

This unique format, pioneered in The Darkest House, is unlike any other RPG product. It makes online play fast-paced and easy on the GM, and provides an incredibly immersive experience for the players. It’s fully compatible with all virtual tabletops, as well as video conferencing, Discord or Slack play, or any other platform gamers commonly use for online TTRPG games.

You can use the app for face-to-face play—in fact, it’s great for that, too—but the GM will need a computer with internet access.

  • Everything for an encounter on a single screen
  • Click the map for details
  • Download art, maps, and handouts with a single click
  • Copy secret text with a click to paste it and send  it to a player by DM

Coming Soon!

The crowdfunding campaign for The Darkest Woods launches soon.

Should we remind you when the campaign launches?

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