The Slow Knife

This the base game. You can see the playsets here. Buy two, get one free (discount applied automatically).

 

A card-based story game of wretched scoundrels and patient revenge for 2-4 players. 

The Slow Knife is inspired by stories like The Count of Monte Cristo, where a simple death is too good for all those years the villains took from their victim. This isn't a John Wick-style action flick, no—this is curt whispers over fine wine, jewelled masks of jade and bone, half-buried scandals and half-heard truths, and yes - sometimes - a quiet blade in the dark.

You'll establish a promising young soul whose life is ruined by a handful of grasping scoundrels, then you'll tell the decades-long story of the victim's overdue and inevitable vengeance. You'll tell this story from the perspective of the villains, with the protagonist - The Knife - moving in the shadows or behind disguises.

You'll answer card prompts about your villain's life as you add notes and connections to a pinboard of sin and scandal.

These prompts are split into four acts to help guide your story to a satisfying conclusion. As you progress through these acts you'll also tell the story of The Knife as they rise from depraved captivity to high society and begin to enact their revenge.

By the end of the game you'll have constructed the conspiracy that destroys your wretched character as they find themselves broken and utterly ruined, face-to-face with The Knife for one last reckoning.

Then, as the sun rises on a land free of those avaricious scoundrels, you'll consider what solace - if any - The Knife might find for the rest of their days.

What's in the box?

• 52 prompt cards, split into 4 acts.
• 4 act cards, to set up and explain the 4 acts.
• 4 'Conspirator' cards, that you'll use to end the game.
• 20 character portraits, to bring your conspiracy to life.
• Two booklets to teach you the rules & set up your game.

What about playsets?

The box has everything you need to play a game of The Slow Knife.

But sometimes you don't want to spend an hour of your evening (or more, if your group is anything like mine!) building a world & characters from scratch. So, I've made three playsets that will provide an original, pre-written setting and define all the major characters of your story—the Knife, your villains and the setting itself. These playsets are designed to be a quicker experience than the 'from scratch' approach in the box, and they will fill your story with beats and possibilities that make starting play effortless.

The three playsets available here are:

• The Count of Saint-Lazare—inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo of course.
• Arcadia Prime—a near-future, neocapitalist nightmare on an orbital station.
• The Lament of Broken Glass—a fantasy tale of elves, fashion and weird magic.

Each is illustrated by a different artist, presented in an A6 wire-bound booklet.