Castorlight: Moths to a Flame

Castorlight was a town long past its prime. Amidst the fields of flowers and overgrown farms stood no more than a few dozen houses and homesteads still showing signs of life. Everything happened all at once and the quiet little haven went from a town of almost a thousand to merely a few hundred souls in a matter of weeks. The only thing keeping the place afloat was the old ‘lantern factory’, its multistorey brick façade a stark contrast to the otherwise homely architecture of the town. 

Since we’ve lost all the adult folks who could run the place I guess it’s up to you now to keep the furnaces burning. I’m sure for a lot of you it certainly beats school and don’t mind the old rumours that it’s a death trap you know how folks like to exaggerate.

Luckily enough that probably won’t even be something you need to worry about, after all you’re the oldest right? Guess that means you’re the foreman now kid...

Players: 2-5
System: GMless Narrative Driven by Dice Rolls and Player Questions
Equipment: Paper, Pencils, Six Sided Dice (In four different colors if possible)

No prep or experience is required as the story will reveal itself as you create your characters, answer the four world building questions and the construct the narrative together.  

Castorlight is a one shot GMless narrative game about children who for better or worse are made to run an old quasi magical factory for reasons which will become clear as the game progresses and where nothing bad could ever possibly happen.

The collaborative setup allows for stories of heroic triumph as you help save the dying town that you love while also leaving room for mystery, horror or much more sinister tales as desired. While the introduction alludes to the image of an idyllic rural Edwardian town these rules can just as easily be used in a futuristic dystopia, modern suburbia, high fantasy kingdom or post-apocalyptic wasteland instead.  The place you're running may not even be a factory and the truth of the world will become clearer as the game progresses.

Other Inspirations:
The Promised Neverland
Sound of the Sky (2010)
Fuga: Melodies of Steel
A Twisted Place by Rana Strange
Princess Principal (Especially ‘Loudly Laundry’)
Twin Peaks
The Tribe (1999)
Stand by Me and Other Similar 80s Films

Photos Attributions: 
A group of children dressed in costumes by Simpleinsomnia (https://www.flickr.com/photos/simpleinsomnia/20056992613/) Black and Yellow Street Lamp by Sebastian Bjune (https://unsplash.com/photos/m67gD-2ix-s) Black Street Lamp on Snow Covered Ground by Alireza Niknezhad (https://unsplash.com/photos/nXBrz_kPlBE) Factories by Jo Jakeman (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jojakeman/3250921722/) Green Lantern by Antonio Correa (https://www.flickr.com/photos/24900086@N02/8462429535/) Juniper by Katie Collins (https://www.flickr.com/photos/coyoteprince/38746742470/) Light my Fire by Akram (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dilbert3110/2549100852/) Moth by Rob Mitchell (https://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowedtail/34891698610/) Old Factory by Jo Jakeman (https://www.flickr.com/photos/jojakeman/3250097321/) Plant in Residential Neighborhood by Dan DeLuca (https://www.flickr.com/photos/dandeluca/2938951898/) Portrait of a school girl with round glasses by Simpleinsomnia (https://www.flickr.com/photos/simpleinsomnia/16801652060/in/album-72157635236351031/) The Big Textile Factory by Darkday (https://www.flickr.com/photos/drainrat/14644026133/) -Wheat Field by Evil Erin(https://www.flickr.com/photos/evilerin/3323478313/)