Maléfices

Maléfices is set in France during the years of the Belle Époque (1870–1914),[1] and is a mixture of horror fantasy and Jules Verne technology.

"[2] The third edition is contained in a single book that describes a great deal of historical and sociological information, as well as police services, investigative and forensic techniques of the period, the Law, procedures of trial and judgement, and typical sentences and punishments.

The player divides a pool of twenty points between two spiritual attributes (Reason and Faith), although neither can have a starting score lower than 6.

The Game Master keeps the Flow Score and its modifiers secret from the player, so they are unaware or unsure of how good or bad they are until they try using it.

The game uses a pair of ten-sided dice and a proprietary deck of tarot cards to resolve actions.

An Average Success barely makes it, and a Recoverable Failure can succeed if the player wants to do so at a disadvantage or with a complication.

Maléfices was created by Michel Gaudo and Guillaume Rohmer, and published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as a boxed set with artwork by Didier Guiserix and Gilles Lautussier.

In 2021, with work on the 4th edition still underway, Arkhane published the first issue of L'Étoile du Matin (The Morning Star), a periodical with articles designed to support adventures that will be developed in the future.

[6] Léo Sigrann, writing for Chroniques d'Altaride, commented on the mix of horror and Belle Epoque steampunk, saying "the fantastic and the Jules Verne technologies coexist in exciting and tortuous scenarios."

"[7] Olivier Caïra counted Maléfices among those role-playing games which introduced more complex narratives into the genre in the 1980s.